Chapter Text
“Wednesday? I’m scared.”
“You will get your body back.”
“Promise?” Enid holds up her pinky finger.
Wednesday rolls her eyes and walks out the door.
Enid whimpers and rushes after her.
“AH!”
“Enid!”
Wednesday turns and catches her falling roommate seconds before she sends them both tumbling down the stairs.
“Sorry!” Enid grasps the other girl’s arms as she tries to get her legs back under her. “Your body is just so tiny! It can’t handle all my pent up energy!”
Wednesday glowers through blue eyes. “My body has no more energy than it did before. We only swapped consciousnesses.”
“Well fine! Your body can’t keep up with my consciousness then!”
“From what I can tell, neither can your body. It almost seems relieved not to be moving every two seconds like you do.”
“Hey!” Enid holds up a finger in her roommate’s face, trying not to be completely weirded out by her own features staring back. “Don’t forget I have the power to cut off your bangs now.”
“Technically you always had that power if you drugged me in my sleep.”
Enid blinks rapidly, causing Wednesday to internally grimace at the damage it’s causing her own brown eyes that are used to staying open 99% of the time.
“Well now I can do it without breaking any laws or worrying about you stabbing me in the process!”
A sharp clicking sound slices through the air.
Wednesday looks down at her hands where colorful claws are now fully extended. “Apparently your inner wolf thinks otherwise.”
She turns and starts back down the stairs, walking with slow, purposeful movements. On the outside, it appears as if she’s just walking as she always does, but really, she too is trying not to trip in this new body.
Enid rushes after her, having finally gotten her sea legs. “It’s not my wolf that did that. It was you!”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“It means you’re stressed!”
Wednesday stops at the bottom of the stairs. “I suppose out of all the days in my life this would not qualify as the most relaxing.”
“God, it’s so weird to hear you talk like that in my voice.” Enid shakes her head, causing her already mussed up black bangs to fall further askew.
Wednesday barely resists the urge to reach out and fix them. Mildly irritated at seeing them so out of place.
Enid frowns down at the other girl’s hands. “My- Your claws are still out.”
The raven turned werewolf glares at them. “How do I put them back?”
“You have to relax.”
“I am relaxed.”
“Please. Just because you aren’t fidgeting like I do, doesn’t mean you’re relaxed. In fact, that’s the problem.”
Enid reaches out without thinking and grabs onto her own clawed hands gently, causing familiar butterflies to erupt in her stomach at the contact. So apparently her consciousnesses and underlying repressed feelings had traveled to this new body.
Great.
It would’ve been nice to have left those feelings behind for a change since it is totally weird to get the tingles from touching one’s own claws.
Plus, the butterflies feel different in Wednesday’s body. More like a zap of lightning rather than a blossom of warmth. Which has the worst sort of compounding effect as the feeling spreads from Enid’s stomach to her chest.
“Relax your fingers like this.” Enid moves her roommate’s hands gently, feeling the tenseness in them give way under her touch. She wonders if that’s because her own body is reacting to Wednesday’s hand touching her, or if it’s Wednesday herself reacting to Enid in her body.
Goddamn this is all so confusing for her totally-not-gay (but also maybe so?) heart.
The claws retreat.
“There.” Enid smiles up at her friend, feeling the ache in her cheeks at activating muscles that are rarely ever used.
Wednesday stares at her fingers, having just felt the same mix of confusing feelings and warmth that Enid did. Though with far less words streaming through her consciousness.
“Thank you,” Wednesday murmurs.
Enid forces Wednesday’s cheek muscles to grin wider. “Wow. Maybe my manners stayed in my body after all.”
The seer predictably rolls her eyes and walks away.
Enid scurries after her, dodging and weaving through the halls in a way that draws more than one curious look from passing students.
Soon enough they’re walking down the steps of the courtyard, planning how to approach the day.
Well, Wednesday is planning. Enid is back to freaking out.
“What are we gonna do??”
“We tell absolutely no one. This must remain our secret.”
“And you need to stay away from Bruno!”
Given the moment they just shared in the hall, Enid’s not really sure why she blurts this out. Her situationship/boyfriend is honestly the last thing on her mind right now. But the idea of Wednesday going near him in her body seems like a nightmare on so many different levels.
Meanwhile, Wednesday notes that Enid’s body has zero reaction to the mention of Bruno. If anything, her stomach clenches a bit in distaste. But that’s probably just Wednesday’s personal opinions seeping through.
“And you must avoid my family at all costs. Especially my mother.” Wednesday’s eye twitches as she says it. If Enid runs into her mother, she’d surely find out the lengths Wednesday had been going through all semester to save her.
Something Wednesday is not ready to have revealed. Now or twenty years from now.
“We got this, right?” Enid forces on another smile. “I mean how hard is it to act like Wednesday Addams?”
The responding glare she receives does nothing to help the various types of panic she’s experiencing.
But Enid can’t focus on that for long. Because Bianca is calling her.
“Coming guys!”
-------------
“God, I don’t know how she lives like this.” Enid groans and peals off her itchy blue and pink sweater as she hobbles into the dorm covered in hives.
“By not doing what you just did.”
“Wednesday!”
Enid squeaks and whirls toward the other side of the room, awkwardly covering her hands over herself in her bra. Which is completely ridiculous considering Wednesday has obviously already seen all the parts she’s attempting to hide.
Wednesday leans up against her desk with crossed arms and an agitated expression.
She’s changed into a black sweatshirt and jeans which makes Enid feel even more embarrassed. Though she’s clearly changed clothes in Wednesday’s body too.
“I-I didn’t know you’d be back so soon!”
“That’s what happens when you waste the day away with frivolous circus acts.”
Enid scratches at the hives covering her skin. “Look, can we talk about this later? I need your medicine.”
“You mean this medicine?” Wednesday holds up the container of cream and twists it dangerously between her extended claws.
“Don’t you dare.”
“Give me one reason not to.”
“Because this is your body!” Enid screeches. “Do you really want it to have hives everywhere for an extended period of time??”
“Well it’s not like you gave any care to that, did you?”
Enid has the decency to look properly guilty at that. It’s not that she meant to disrespect Wednesday’s body. She was just annoyed and hurt. She is annoyed and hurt.
“You want to talk about not caring?” Enid huffs and goes over to the desk. She’s still only in her bra, but she doesn’t even think about that anymore as she pulls out her roommate’s manuscript.
Wednesday’s blue eyes go wide. “What are you doing?”
Enid ignores her and clears her throat to read from the page. “Despite her lupin abilities, Evelyn is feeble in both body and mind. Requiring Viper’s pity and protection.”
Wednesday stares at the ground.
“Is that really all you think of me?” Enid asks in a hurt tone.
“Is that all you read?”
“What? Yeah. Wait. Is there more of this shit in here?”
Enid starts flipping through the pages, but Wednesday snatches the manuscript back and shoves it in her desk drawer. She then locks it firmly and shoves the key in her pocket.
Her heart beats at an inhuman pace. A side effect of her temporary lupin abilities, she’s sure. And nothing to do with the fact that Enid had almost read about Viper’s true feelings for Evelyn.
Enid crosses her arms in annoyance. “So is that really what you think of me?”
“Is that really what you think I think of you?”
“You’re even more infuriating in my body, you know that?”
“The feeling is incredibly mutual.”
“Oh my god! You…You’re…”
Enid marches up to Wednesday with clenched fists.
The sight is startling for the raven. Because while clearly her own dark features glare up at her, all she sees is Enid. And all she can think about is how moronic Bruno was to have cheated on her.
“I’m what?” Wednesday doesn’t back down, jutting her chin out in challenge.
“Arrogant.”
“As opposed to attention seeking.”
“Well if I’m so feeble, why should that matter to you?”
Wednesday grits her teeth. “Maybe you shouldn’t read things that aren’t yours.”
“Says the person that stole my driver’s ed form!”
“I had more use for the car than you.”
“Yeah. To go see Tyler!” Enid spits out bitterly.
“More like avoid the pack that’s in our room 24/7.”
“They aren’t! But you wouldn’t know that since you’ve hardly talked to me this entire semester!”
“I talk to you the most out of anyone here.”
“But it’s not the same!”
“Talking is talking.”
“You know what I mean!”
“Do I?”
“You know what!” Enid grabs Wednesday’s arms tightly in frustration. She’s surprised at how different her grip feels as a human. Not weak, per se, but not powerful either.
“What?” Wednesday snaps.
Enid looks up into piercing blue eyes and realizes how close they’ve gotten.
“J-Just give me the medicine!”
Wednesday considers withholding it a tad longer in retaliation for the act Enid pulled in the quad. But then she remembers she’s supposed to be in the lupin cages any minute now. Remembers that Enid is secretly an alpha who’s afraid she’s going to be alone again.
She holds out the medicine.
Enid snatches it and starts applying the cream with sighs of relief while Wednesday looks away awkwardly.
As the hives start to fade, Enid’s frustration dwindles too. She doesn’t know how they got here. But she knows yelling about it doesn’t make her feel any better.
Well, sometimes it does. But not right now.
She looks over her shoulder shyly.
“Um, can you get my back?”
Wednesday glances up and bites the inside of her cheek. ‘Weird’ is not usually a term used in her vocabulary. But this is so incredibly weird.
It’s her own skin. And she shouldn’t feel this nervous about applying cream onto it.
She hesitantly takes the container and gathers the last of the lotion on her fingers. Then slowly begins to rub it on Enid’s back.
Enid shivers under the contact, which Wednesday takes to mean the lotion is cold. So she presses her hand more firmly onto her skin to warm it. But that only results in goosebumps breaking out across Enid’s back and transferring to Wednesday’s own arm.
“There,” Wednesday mutters when the final rash is covered. She quickly pulls away and throws the container in the trash, eager to put some distance between them.
“Uh, thanks.” Enid awkwardly rubs her exposed arms and grabs one of her own white shirts to wear. The other girl's touch still lingers on her skin even though the hives have already faded.
Wednesday moves toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Enid calls.
“Out.”
“Oh, but what are we gonna-”
The door shuts.
Enid huffs and flops on her bed. “So infuriating.”
Wednesday hears her through the door and looks back in annoyance.
“Takes one to know one.”
---------
“Wednesday!”
Enid calls out after the black werewolf who gallops away from them in the woods.
The creature doesn’t turn back.
She looks at Agnes.
“Stay here.”
Enid darts after her roommate, following the trail into a thicker part of the trees.
Luckily, Wednesday hasn’t gone far. And Enid soon finds the giant beast lying on the forest floor writhing and growling.
“Wednesday!”
The wolf’s dark black eyes snap to the girl who kneels beside it on the ground.
Wednesday growls and paws at the dirt. Gnashing her canines.
She’s confused. And wild.
Furious that Tyler hurt Enid again. Furious that she didn’t get to kill him. Furious that she can’t seem to control her emotions and is now stuck as a wolf.
“Hey.”
Enid’s voice acts as a lighthouse in the storm of Wednesday’s beastly mind. She still snarls at the air, but her aggressive stomping and pawing slowly starts to ease.
“It’s okay,” Enid says softly.
Wednesday shakes her head with a wolfish huff and looks away.
Nothing about this is okay. Her mind is in overdrive. Her senses on fire.
Never before has everything felt so loud. So out of control.
All the wolf wants to do. All she wants to do. Is howl and run.
“Wednesday. Look at me.”
Another huff of defiance. Wednesday doesn’t want to look. She doesn’t want Enid seeing her like this. And she definitely doesn’t want to accidentally hurt her.
“Look at me, Wednesday Addams.”
The wolf’s desires win out over Wednesday’s human stubbornness.
She looks.
Enid’s right there. Still in the wrong body. But so obviously Enid Sinclair as she smiles tenderly. Not at all afraid of the wild beast in front of her.
“It’s okay.” She repeats. “You’re okay.”
The wolf lets out a whimper that embarrasses Wednesday. But she finds herself incapable of looking away from the other girl now.
Enid holds up her hand, asking a silent question.
Wednesday lets out a disgruntled puff of air at the entire situation. But finally lowers her head to her roommate’s level.
Slowly, Enid reaches out and rests her hand on the wolf’s cheek.
The fur is shockingly soft. And Enid marvels at experiencing someone wolfing out from this point of view. Sure, she’s seen her family and pack transform, but she never got to touch or interact with them. Usually they just looked at her in disappointment before running off without her.
Besides, none of them were as magnificent as Wednesday’s wolf. It’s the first black werewolf she’s ever seen. A rarity among her kind.
But the brown eyes are still the same. And she certainly prefers them on her roommate over her own blue ones.
Meanwhile, Wednesday tries to conceal her shudders as Enid gently strokes her fur. If Enid’s voice was a lighthouse in the storm, her touch is the sun breaking through the clouds. Calming the wind and rain.
Wednesday’s racing thoughts and overstimulated senses slowly retreat into themselves once more. Back into her rigid and controlled form.
Until all the noise washes away, and the only thing that’s left is Enid’s touch.
Then comes the first pop of bone.
Wednesday grunts in surprise at the pain that shoots up her leg. But she doesn’t have time to think anything beyond that before the pain is spreading in bolts throughout her entire being.
“It’s okay. I know it hurts.” Enid’s hand falls from the wolf’s face as the creature contorts and begins to shrink.
She quickly pulls off her sweater in preparation as the last of the transformation takes place.
Soon Wednesday lies bare and curled up on the ground before her.
“Here.” Enid drapes the sweater over the girl and turns away to let Wednesday pull it further around herself.
She stays facing away a lot longer than necessary, knowing privacy is comforting in the first few moments after a transformation. Especially for someone not used to wolfing out.
“You can turn around now,” Wednesday grumbles bluntly.
Enid does, and takes a moment to appreciate her roommate being back in human form. “Sooo how you feeling?”
“Like every bone in my body shattered and snapped back into place.”
“Yeahhh. Fun, right?”
“It certainly rivals the torture rack we have in our dungeon.”
Enid shakes her head. “Of course that’s what you’d say.”
Wednesday regards her roommate. Already, her memories of being a wolf are hazy at best. But she remembers Enid’s voice. And Enid’s hand on her cheek.
And judging by how it hums inside of her, it seems her wolf does too.
She shoves the implications of that aside, but a question still nags at her mind.
“Is it always like that?”
Enid tilts her head. “Like what?”
“That…loud.”
“Ah. Yeah. It was probably worse for you since you haven’t had an inner wolf your whole life. But yeah, it’s usually that chaotic in there. And the transformations don’t really get any less painful. You just get used to them.”
Wednesday purses her lips. If she’s honest, she’s not overly eager to experience anything like that again. And she can’t quite believe her roommate goes through it on a regular basis.
Evelyn definitely isn’t feeble in body and mind. She should revise that part.
“Anyway.” Enid fidgets at the silence. “It’s gonna be dawn soon. And Agnes is waiting for us.”
Right. The body swap.
Wednesday had temporarily lost track of what was going on due to her time as a wolf. How inconvenient.
“Let’s go, then.” Wednesday starts trudging back the way they came, still a bit shaky on her human legs.
Enid stares after her for a second, in vague disbelief of everything that’s occurred the last 24 hours. But she can’t digest all of that now.
Because the sun is about to rise.
------------
“I regret ever underestimating you.”
The muscles in Enid’s face burn once more from smiling at her roommate as daylight fills the graveyard.
Wednesday’s speech was so sweet. Even more vulnerable than hers.
And Enid is sure it’s going to work. She can feel it.
They’re not going to die. They’re going to swap back. They’re going to-
She falls to the ground unconscious.
Seconds later, her eyes pop open again.
She quickly takes inventory of her vitals. Her heart is pumping. Her lungs are breathing. Which means…
“Oh my god. Wednesday! We’re alive!”
Enid is about to jump up in excitement. But then she chokes on air.
Because while they may be alive, the voice she just spoke in was not her voice.
Still.
“No.”
Enid scrambles up and looks down at her body.
Black clothes. Black hair. Black nails.
“No no no no, Wednesday!” Enid looks at her roommate in horror. “How did we not change back???”
For her part, Wednesday is in just as much shock. She stands rigidly in Enid’s body, blue eyes wide and claws extended.
A nauseating question takes over her mind.
Is she going to be stuck in this body forever?
“Are we going to be stuck like this forever??” Enid verbalizes the shared thought. “I mean, you said a really nice speech. We both did! So what did we get wrong??”
“I…” For once, Wednesday Addams is completely at a loss for answers.
Enid starts pacing in front of her.
“Okay, let’s recap. The whole point of this raven trick thing was for us to better understand each other, right? Which now we do. I know that you’re worried about things with your mom and your visions. You know that I’m worried about being an alpha. So…So what else is there to understand about each other?”
“I’m not so sure that was even the purpose considering we’re both alive past dawn and still in each other’s bodies,” Wednesday grumbles.
“Okay fine. So what’s the purpose then, do you think? For us to reveal even more secrets about ourselves? Because I’m not even sure I have more secrets! Other than the fact that one time I accidentally used your toothbrush, but I’m not sure that qualifies-”
“Enid-”
“Does that qualify??” Enid asks the air, as if some spirit while magically swap them back after the toothbrush reveal. “O-Or maybe the fact that I stole your blanket one time and got ice cream on it. Or maybe that-”
“Enid.”
“What??”
“This technique does not seem to be working.”
“Well at least I’m trying!” Enid huffs. “I mean, how about you? Do you have any more secrets to reveal to me?”
“...No.”
“Oh that is such a lie.”
“Perhaps the secrets you’re revealing aren’t big enough,” Wednesday shoots back. “Is there really nothing bigger you’re hiding than stolen blankets and used toothbrushes?”
“...No.”
The spike in Enid’s pulse echoes in Wednesday’s ears due to her werewolf healing. A horrifying realization. Less so because Enid is clearly lying, and more so because Wednesday never knew how obvious it was to Enid when she lied.
Had Enid really let all those white lies and deflections slide in the past? Had she really never considered why Wednesday’s blood would pump in outrage at the sight of Bruno?
Now isn’t the time to analyze that.
“Wednesday. I’m freaking out!” Enid’s whole body is shaking.
A figure catches the seer’s gaze in the distance.
Weems.
“Enid. Go back to the dorm. I’ll be right behind you.”
Enid whimpers and nods. “Okay. Maybe I’ll have a bubble bath.”
Wednesday grimaces at the thought of all those chemicals against her skin, but chooses not to pick that fight right now.
Enid runs a few steps out of the graveyard before she trips and falls to the ground.
Something which Wednesday would be mildly amused by, except that an invisible force tugs on her wrist and pulls her to the ground as well.
They both collapse with a surprised grunt.
“Ugh! Stupid, clumsy, tiny body!” Enid curses and gets up.
This time she only gets half a step further before she trips again. Feeling a strong yank on her wrist backward as she does so.
“What the hell???”
“Enid-”
“What is going on??” Enid tugs at her left wrist with all her might against the invisible restraint holding her back.
“Enid!” Wednesday grunts as pain shoots up her right arm. “Stop.”
“B-But I’m stuck!”
“You aren’t.”
“Clearly I am!” Enid makes a show of pulling on her arm once more.
Wednesday climbs to her feet and stumbles toward her roommate, causing Enid to topple back with the sudden ability to move again.
“What??” Enid’s brown eyes grow wide as she slowly starts to comprehend what’s going on.
“We’re tied together,” the seer answers bluntly.
“No. No no no-”
“Repeating that won’t make it untrue.”
“How!” Enid screeches. “I can’t even see anything tying us together!”
“But can’t you feel it?”
“No! I-” Enid freezes.
Yes. She can feel it. Something around her left wrist. As light as a thread. But there. And strong.
“H-How did this happen?” Enid feels like crying. Except that she’s in Wednesday’s body, and her tear ducts won't cooperate.
“Rotwood is playing an even dirtier trick.” Wednesday snarls at Weems who is smirking in the background.
“But we didn’t do anything to make it worse!”
Wednesday only continues to glare at her spirit guide. “How do we break this curse?”
Enid looks around the empty graveyard. “Principal Weems? If you’re there, can you please actually help us??”
“I can’t help you because I don’t know what this curse is,” Weems claims, far too amused by the whole situation.
“Don’t know or won’t tell us?” Wednesday growls.
“You survived the night. By all accounts that means you survived the original trick. So this is something different.”
“You’re supposed to be a spirit guide. Can you at least make yourself useful and find us some guidance then?”
Weems purses her lips in annoyance. But the look of pure panic on Enid’s face has her relenting a bit. “Fine.”
She disappears from view.
“What did she say?” Enid asks eagerly.
“That’s she’ll look into it. But I doubt we can rely on her.” Wednesday goes to stand shoulder to shoulder with her roommate, not having much choice to do anything otherwise anyway.
“Great. So great. So now I have to spend the rest of the semester not only looking like you, but also tied to you!”
“I…I’m sorry.”
Enid immediately softens at the dejected apology and looks up at her friend. “Hey. It’s okay. I think I’m technically the one that got us into this mess anyway by pulling you away from whatever strange ritual you were doing the other night.”
Wednesday stares back into the graveyard. “I was trying to regain my powers.”
“Why?”
The seer’s jaw clenches. “You know of the vision I had.”
Enid takes a sharp inhale. “You were trying to save me.”
Wednesday looks down at her tethered right wrist. “Turns out I’m quite inept at it.”
“Wednesday.”
Enid takes a step closer and raises her hand to touch her roommate’s cheek before she pauses at the last second and lets it fall away again.
“You’re not inept at it. I’m still alive. And I’m really thankful for everything you tried to do for me this semester.”
Wednesday looks at the ground regretfully. “But now you’re tied to me and-”
“We’ll figure this out.” Enid smiles reassuringly, feeling the familiar dimples on her cheeks she wishes she got to see more often through her own eyes.
She moves her left wrist gently, and Wednesday feels the light tug travel up her right arm to her chest.
“But for right now, maybe we can just go sleep?” Enid suggests. “We’ve been up for over 24 hours.”
Wednesday moves her own wrist, sending her response back up the thread.
Yes.