Chapter Text
By the time she’d finished discussing her current situation with Enid, she felt as if she'd been backed into a corner and flayed open without the satisfying sting afterward. No. This was merely an uncomfortable vulnerability shared with someone who could not possibly understand her nature entirely but cared for Tyler enough to wish to help. Upon her peers' persistent pressure, she’d revealed only what was necessary for Tyler’s situation from her latest vision. Who knew what sort of theatrics Enid might employ if she’d mentioned her mortal wound and the fact that Tyler seemed to have been unable to stop whatever had happened. Her ultimately misguided roommate would deviate from the main objective as easily as the canids of her association for a bone.
Enid also peeled back the truth of her exchange with Xavier layer by layer and though Wednesday cared little for his disparaging comments a few of them did surprise her. Since she had no idea he knew so many different ways to say she lacked morals as if it were an insult rather than praise. As if anything he said could affect her indifference toward him. He did not deserve her rage as every thought she spent in his direction gave him far more power and attention which he did not require. He’d tried to make her small and had failed miserably at the task but something Enid said did seem strange. An offhand comment quoted possibly incorrectly from Xavier himself. Someone might have promised him her attention and had aided him in his unwelcome pursuit of her.
It was just before their discussion came to a close when Enid asked a question which haunted Wednesday into slumber that night and into the next day.
“But why would the monster target him? Why Tyler? Why not anyone else? I mean…the monster killed Rowan too, but it saved your life because it didn’t try to kill you. Why would it try to kill your boyfriend? What is the point? And why is it taking so long between dead bodies? Not that I'm complaining about people not dying but it kills Rowan at the beginning of term and then waits months to kill someone else when before that it killed like three other people? I’m not great at math but something isn’t adding up. And you saw something about Crackstone? He’s buried over at Raven Island, you remember because we had to get the flags for the Poe Cup from his crypt. He’s super dead. And as far as I know you can’t just bring someone back to life, right? Right Wednesday?”
Of course, Wednesday chose not to answer. She knew Goody had been a powerful witch but without her grimoire it was impossible to know what sort of incantations lie within the text. Her own family dabbled in necromancy from time to time but zombies were a rather tetchy business and hardly kept one inconspicuous when they inevitably broke free from control.
Enid’s insight echoed her own contemplation since her first vision where it felt like he was in danger from the monster in the woods. Why Tyler? He was a normie, certainly, and an Alpha which was uncommon but not unheard of…was it because of whatever bloodline he must carry within him? Is it some kind of natural enemy of whatever the creature in the woods was? There were too many variables to account for and not enough ways for her to narrow down the suspects or the objectives of this creature. She needed to go investigate the coroner’s office but learned today that the coroner wasn’t going to be back until sometime next week and though it was a suspicious death they can’t rule it a homicide of any kind until the official report goes out. She smelled something far too off about the entire thing and every instinct in her body knew something important was just out of reach. There was a look in Donovan Galpin’s eyes she couldn’t shake and knew the man knew something more than he was letting on.
She'd penned a reply to Tyler in her journal to thank him for disgustingly thoughtful literature and the anatomically correct heart bookmark which spoke volumes about his perception and understanding of her nature that Xavier had lacked entirely. It was a thorough reply and from Wednesday’s point of view held adequate appreciation for the gift. Though…perhaps she should add something more? No. It would do her little good to second guess each interaction with him despite this new dynamic and its inherently delicate nature. It was perhaps the only continually prickling point of this entire situation that any interaction could be perceived in a way she did not intend. As it stood she merely tied the ribbon around the journal and left it on the table before she descended into a fitful slumber plagued with a deluge of unanswered questions with aimless trajectory.
Monday brought with it more classes and the continued blissful absence of Xavier from her orbit. Perhaps she should look into a gift for Enid who brought this particular development about. Enid, and by extension Wednesday were subjected to the gossip of incarcerated teenagers and their short attention spans who had nothing better to discuss than the drama of the weekend. Enid, usually the instigator of said gossip, glared at them in her best imitation of Wednesday’s cold stare but did not engage with them. A point of pride in her friend to not allow the opinions of those who do not matter to affect her adversely. They were merely obstacles in her way when it came down to their importance in her existence and her day would continue the same way as before if they ceased to exist.
She sought out Bianca during fencing practice and after much deliberation on whether or not this would be a good idea she swallowed her nausea and the disgust of her inevitable request to the siren.
“I have a…request,” Wednesday began as they took position across from each other.
Bianca’s eyebrow raised incrementally as she regarded the other teen with a look reminiscent of a shark in the water, eager for the inevitable meal and bloodshed in turn, “Oh? Can’t wait to hear what that could be.”
Wednesday felt her skin crawl and the words stuck fast in her throat before she made a feint in Bianca’s direction, “It’s…personal,” She managed to force out of her larynx like it were a prisoner headed for lethal injection and the last bit of true understanding had come over it. The desire to escape its fate.
“If you are looking for advice on what to do with that normie boy toy of yours we aren’t that close,” Bianca quipped back and Wednesday fought the very real urge to flush red at that despite her parent’s insufferable amorous intentions and actions with each other in very public places the idea that Bianca had thought she needed assistance was mortifying enough.
“I do not,” She hissed back as Bianca tried to push her back and Wednesday parried the blow. “Require your assistance in that regard.”
“Then what?” Bianca sidestepped another blow. “I know you are on probation now, Addams, and I’ll be your chaperone like twice a week but don’t expect any more than that and I don’t work for free.”
Wednesday had intended on making that inquiry as well but she sighed and gritted her teeth, jaw clenched before she relaxed enough, “I…I want you to teach Tyler how to fence. The basics. I do not believe I would be adequate in this task. I do not know how to encourage without cutting one down to the quick. Your form is tolerable and you are the only true challenger in this room. You are patient and you understand how to balance praise and power in a way I do not. It is not an admission of weakness or failure I merely find it to be a conflict of interest.”
Bianca had eased her stance and her large blue gaze tunneled uncomfortably as she watched Wednesday’s expression. Her lips thinned and she seemed to come to a decision then, “Sure. Why not? But I’ve got a heavy price for all the favors I'm doing for you, Wednesday.”
“Extortion? Or bargaining?”
“A little of column A. A little of column B. Lets just call it a business proposal and negotiate the terms over dinner. Oh, And by the way…tell Enid she shouldn’t feel bad about Xavier. I don’t know who that was this weekend in the Quad but it wasn’t the Xavier I knew. He was just some stranger wearing his face and I didn’t realize he’d been so bad until then. I knew he’d been off but the stuff he said about you was totally uncalled for and I’m so done with him. I can’t believe I kept trying for so long. Makes me feel like an idiot."
Wednesday nodded, “You allowed your emotions to dictate your choices rather than allowing logic to peel back the nostalgia of your rose colored glasses to find the truth you did not wish to see lest it destroy the carefully constructed narrative you created to protect your mind from the fallout of his rejection. It is entirely predictable though no less damning to see how blind you wished to make yourself to his personality shift.”
“Dig the knife in a little deeper, I don’t think you hit bone yet.”
“You’d know if I did.” Wednesday retorted as they continued their sparring back and forth without the need to fill the air with useless small talk. Wednesday did wonder what price Bianca may have for her assistance and in the end the negotiations turned out to be rather simple though Wednesday would have preferred more mayhem and bloodshed one couldn’t have everything.
Bianca wanted to read the ‘Sexpendium’ as Enid had dubbed it after ‘Sextbook’ and asked if Tyler could maybe give her number to Lucas, which Wednesday had several objections relegated to internal vexation at her apparent continued poor choice in romantic partners. It hardly concerned Wednesday if she wanted to continue to find herself in relationships too base and unworthy of someone of Bianca’s caliber. Though he’d associated himself with Tyler once so perhaps he could be rehabilitated with proper influence. Bigotry could be combat with information if once was willing to learn and grow instead of dig their feet into the sand and refuse to move. The world would pass them by and they would have no one but themselves to blame when they were inevitably left to die by the machine of progress.
Enid plied her with yet more scenarios and possible reasons for Tyler’s involvement with the monster with each being more unlikely and ridiculous than the last. She’d put attention and time into the journal as she and Tyler quipped back and forth about the relatively mundane. After classwork and her requisite hour of writing time she settled down in bed with Thing at her shoulder to read Tyler’s gift to her. It was well worn and some of the pages showed their age in yellowed, worn edges and several notations in the front cover. Names - some French in origin from the perusal and ended with a name written in thin, flowy script with a slight tremble to the edges of some of the letters.
Francoise Sylvanne Night
This had belonged to Tyler’s mother as the name was similar enough to the one on the headstone Tyler had shown to her save for the fact she’d shucked off her family name for another. Wednesday had no plans to marry…though at the time she’d made the vow to her mother she hadn’t Presented nor met an individual she could stand being in the same space as for longer than seconds.The point remained for now, but there was a possibility to change her view if offered enough incentive. The other names were: Madeleine, Pierre, Matheiu, Esme, and Marcus.
The first two had no surname attached to it; but the rest ended in the same last name. Night. As in of the darkness…not the medieval soldier who served a lord for land or status, bound by codes of chivalry or most colloquially known as a chess piece with the appearance of a bust of a horse. Why did that family name seem so familiar to her? Outcasts, especially those who outwardly seemed the most ‘normal’ or status quo often mixed bloodlines. Shifters and those who could not easily pass for ‘normal’ did not often marry outside their own for reasons unknown. Perhaps there was a Night somewhere in her family tree she could not recall now. Her parents were due to contact her soon enough and she dreaded the encounter enough already as she was certain they would have more questions about how her and Tyler’s relationship had progressed. Her mother did not know how not to meddle in affairs which are entirely none of her concern.
A first edition work was something to cherish and though she had first edition copies of most classical works this one remained suspiciously absent from her collection and it was perhaps fate which brought it to her now. Wednesday did not know how long she lay in bed reading but by the time her eyes blurred the words in front of her into unintelligible nonsense, Thing had drifted to sleep on her shoulder and Enid’s soft snores cut into the white noise she played at night to help her sleep. The clock read 1:00 AM and Wednesday set the book with the bookmark Tyler had made for her on her bedside table and let her consciousness drift into the abyss. Nightmares a mere breath and blink away.
^&^&^&
Tyler was positive he was going to need to go see a doctor or something if this kept up. School was a fucking disaster and he spent most of the day Monday hiding a hard on because every single time he let his mind wander it found it’s way back to the book he’d read the night before. He wasn’t a big reader. He’d read Percy Jackson back a few years ago, and Harry Potter sometime during the fifth grade but he wasn’t going to say he was someone who liked to read a lot. Not like Wednesday.
He stifled a groan as he eyed the clock and tried to listen to the lesson before the bell rang to let him go and stick his hand down his pants to make it go away again. Esmerelda the Pirate Queen had been a revelation he hadn’t been at all prepared for because he couldn’t stop putting Wednesday in place of her. From the way she looked down on everyone else she interacted with, the cold way she dealt with her enemies and her bloodthirsty nature along with her quick tongue he could only think how alike they were. Not to mention Wednesday wearing a corset and a peasant blouse with leather pants and thigh high boots would probably send him to an early grave. Porn was cool to look at but this was something way different. Was this what that book club that met on Saturdays read? If so, he might have been too quick to judge them.
That meant his dreams had been filled with images of Wednesday in corsets. Wednesday straddling him. Wednesday’s dark eyes as she leaned over him and pushed his head between her legs. Wednesday pinning him down and tying him up…though there was something darker and unsure there, but he wasn’t going to let it bother him. He’d found out more about the female body and where to touch than porn and locker room talk. Though he’d made out and dry humped his last girlfriend that had been before his life turned upside down and he’d been turned into a monster.
When the bell rang he’d all but raced out of class to his car and back home in record time. He let Elvis out back and took two stairs at a time to his room where he shut the door and finally freed his cock, red, swollen and painfully hard after two hours of trying to get it to go down on its own by ignoring it.
He thought about Wednesday’s mouth at his neck and her teeth in his skin. The marks had faded a lot over the last day but he remembered the way the sharp edge of it made his bones shake, muscles spasm and something dark and wicked in his gut curl up and take notice. He imagined her above him, her eyes cold and displeased. Detached. Imagined her touch, imagined how she’d tease him with it, make him beg for her to finish it, the way her eyes would shine when she watched him break apart. Tyler let out a desperate, high sound and his hand worked furiously over himself before the pressure scattered and broke against his gut, trembling through his body in a wave of ecstatic relief. He collapsed onto his back with a hum as his chest rose and fell quickly while he basked in the afterglow. It was a few minutes before he rubbed at his forehead and took off his jeans in favor of sweatpants and a tank top. He ran hot, and it was hard to pretend like the cold bothered him when he was dying in his clothes at school. Maybe he’d have to ask Enid about it one day. If by the time all of this was out in the open she’d even want anything to do with him.
Tyler scrubbed his face at the bathroom skin after he cleaned up and made his way downstairs. He had homework but couldn’t think of a good reason why he should even bother with it. He grabbed a snack and sat in front of the TV while he scrolled his phone. His notification from that language app he was using to learn Italian stared mockingly at him before he tapped it and made it through his lesson. It was a newer thing for him and he’d downloaded the app before the holiday but had only really started to use it when he had nothing else to do. Tyler had only even thought about it because he knew Wednesday liked it when people went out of their way to learn something or showed that they had intelligence. She really liked it when they debated and the look of surprise in her eyes, that slight widening and the softer crease of her eyes when she realized he knew something she didn't expect hit him hard every time. The way her silent praise slammed into his chest like a 4x4 and vibrated through his entire body made him want to do it again and again and again just to feel the rush. So. Italian. Machiavelli. He wasn’t doing bad at it but he wasn’t going to be able to find his way through Italy without some really embarrassing moments either.
Tyler grinned when he went back up to his room and noticed his journal marked with an unread message and he scooped it up to read. His belly felt warm and his chest heavy and fuzzy with the weight of how much he really really liked her. As his eyes ran over her flowing handwriting he grinned widely at the note and scribbled his own reply to her…order? Was it an order? I mean…Wednesday didn’t really ask him for things. She more kind of told him what was going on and he just went with it. But fencing lessons? At Nevermore? Goosebumps erupted on his shoulders and arms as the thought of being where Laurel could see him, could watch him be with Wednesday…and he didn’t know if he could handle that. Maybe she’d be gone or something. Maybe he had nothing to worry about? Still…he didn’t want to say no to spending more time with Wednesday no matter where they were and what they were doing. He just felt better when he was around her in a way he hadn’t felt in a long long time. With a heavy sigh he decided to do his homework before he settled down to read more about Captain Esmerelda and her stowaway prince and wondered what fencing lessons were like.
&*&*&*
Bradbury Tower, Wednesday told him as they moved around the outer edge of campus, was an abandoned section of Nevermore Academy which has not been in use since the early 90s. In usual Wednesday fashion she told him it was a waste of a perfectly good space that could be used for classrooms or dormitories and Wednesday wasn’t sure why it had ultimately remained in disuse.
He was surprised to see Bianca leaned against a wall next to a large door, “Took you long enough, Addams. It’s freezing out here. I can’t believe you managed to get the key to this place. It’s been out of commission for decades.”
Tyler watched Wednesday give Bianca a blank side eye before she pulled out a small pouch and opened it. “When one knows the fine art of lock picking and has a modicum of skill while doing so a mere lack of a key hardly becomes a barrier to entry.” She pulled out a couple of tools and held the pouch out before she dropped it into his suddenly outstretched hands.
“Always you knew you were headed for prison stripes, Wednesday.”
“Only the foolish and inept allow themselves to be incarcerated, Bianca. I am neither,” She fiddled with the lock until Tyler heard the pins slot into place through the lock. Wednesday removed the tools and took the bag from his hand to place them within and then the entire pouch disappeared inside her coat. She turned the knob and pushed the door open.
They stepped inside the small foyer…common room maybe? It sort of looked like a living room and smelled like no one had lived here in a long long time. Musty. Cobwebs dangled across the ceiling and clustered haphazardly across the entire room. An old, disused fireplace held ash that no longer smelled like fire or smoke. He spotted two sets of stairs on either side of the area and another longer hallway that led to a door which, by the smell, was likely to the rest of the school. “Where are we?”
“Bradbury Tower,” Bianca answered. “It’s an old dormitory that they haven’t used in like..30 years? I can’t remember why they closed it down. Could be from low enrollment, but it looks like crap. They could still keep it clean even if they don’t use it? Did you want us to get legionnaire's disease or black lung or something?”
“There is not an excess of moisture here nor are we in the middle of a coal mining operation without appropriate ventilation or masks, so cease your theatrics. The worst we will see here is a spider, but with the lack of proper heating they may also have retreated from this place until the weather warms again.” Wednesday argued thinly, exasperated and he couldn’t help but feel a thrill in his chest as his lips curled at her dry humor.
“Yeah. It’s cold as fuck here. Why can’t we just go to the fencing classroom?”
“I do not believe Tyler’s presence in the school will be well received by the staff or students here and I do not want Xavier to cause any disruption or accuse Tyler of anything that might end poorly for him. Though if he did you will have my father as legal counsel and he is far more vicious in the courtroom than he would have you believe just from your brief interaction with him. Hence the need for a space that is out of the elements while being stable and with enough room for any major maneuvers. This tower satisfies that purpose on multiple fronts.”
“Fair enough,” Bianca moved around the room to look at the paintings above the fireplace.
“So where are the swords?” He asked just as he felt the zap of a lightbulb and realized why the name of the tower sounded a little familiar and a sense of vertigo stole his breath for just a minute. This was where his mom had stayed while she was in Nevermore. Bradbury Tower was for Hydes. Laurel told him about that when she told him about how Hydes were banned from Nevermore now after his mom graduated. It made him wonder if he could find anything she’d left here…or if he would find her room if he looked long enough. It was just a single room and a couple of floors so there weren't a lot of places to look anyway.
“So, the first lesson is that you don’t get to have a weapon in your hand until you know the basics. And it’s not a sword, it’s a foil. Well… my preferred style is with a foil as is your girls’ over there but that’s not the only kind. There’s a sabre and an épée and though they look a lot alike every blade has a character and a style that is unique and not everyone likes or is good at every style. We’re eventually going to be practicing with real foils but for now you need the fundamentals or you are just going to get lost when we start actually doing work.” Bianca’s voice snapped him back to the present while he peered around the space.
Tyler nodded, “Makes sense. When I played baseball when I was a kid they had us do a lot of prep work, not to mention when I was wrestling last year. Haven’t really done much other than weights at school and jogging a couple of times a week when I feel like it.”
“You don’t have to be like olympic level fit to fence well, you just have to know how to look for weaknesses and be quick enough to exploit them while following the rules of engagement.”
“The lack of bloodshed during practice has been of immeasurable disappointment to me personally. Pugsley and I never go a session without at least one of us bleeding from multiple wounds. Mostly him because he lacks the discipline necessary to excel at swordplay and his whining is particularly vexing when he does inevitably lose.” Wednesday offered from a nearby chair behind him and he snorted at the way her voice dripped with disappointment.
“Well sorry we don’t have a gladiator pit for bloodsport or whatever gets you going but I also don’t need you putting your opinion in this. You asked me for help. You need to let me do what I need to do. Including touching him to get his forms right. I’m not going to wake up with a severed toe or something on my pillow as a calling card, got me?”
Tyler looked back to find Wednesday tensed in the chair, spine curled, face blank but eyes awash with something dark and thrilling that settled in his chest like a whispered devotion beneath his flesh and bone to wrap around him and never let go. Those dark irises under draw eyebrows and eyelashes long enough to draw more attention to how large her eyes really were. How deeply he could stare into them and never want to look away. But he forced himself to look back at Bianca and swallowed, “So? How do we get started?”
Bianca pushed him through stretches and forms while she tugged his shoulders or his hips and demonstrated the en guarde position, several ways for him to move his feet that mostly ended up with him stumbling or moving too slowly, too clumsily. Wednesday’s eyes hardly left him the entire time he stood there with Bianca. He felt the energy around her thicken, her scent darken with something rich and bitter and tart, but still she watched and waited and he felt that drive to perform for her pushed him more than he wanted. His need to be good enough for her, to impress her in the ways she liked to be impressed. It wasn’t like Wednesday was someone who wanted to be spoiled or coddled or anything soft. She wanted him to be useful, to have things he was good at, for him to constantly try to be better than he was before and that drive had been more helpful to him than he ever realized. Wednesday needed a partner, not a provider and that was something his instinct hadn’t prepared him for.
“Okay. I think you’ve reached your limit today. You made some really good progress but you have to work on your footwork. You might be big but you don’t have to move like you are. And I can feel your jealousy from here, Wednesday. Don’t think I don’t feel that cloud of malevolence you have going on in the corner.” Bianca sighed and rolled her eyes, “You got that number for me?”
“Yeah?” Tyler swallowed as he felt Wednesday’s energy shift from tense to curious. He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to Bianca who took it with a nod. “I can’t make him go out with you. We aren’t really friends anymore and honestly why do you even want to hang out with him? After that prank at the Rave’N I thought he was public enemy number one.”
“That’s Xavier now, but I was pretty pissed at him for ruining that dress but when he was at Nevermore doing his community service for us we got to talking a little bit and I’ve seen him around town. I don’t want anything serious. I spent way too much time chasing after a man who didn’t exist anymore and I’m ready to spread my wings and fly. But until then you two lovebirds have fun. If I don’t see you in an hour I’ll come back, after all. It’s my ass along with yours if you get caught without a chaperone.” Bianca put her coat back on before she left the tower and when the door shut with a solid finality
Wednesday moved across the room before he could blink. Energy vibrated under her skin while those dark eyes of hers moved quickly over him, assessing every inch of him. His plaid button up sweater felt too hot, too tight, while her fathomless gaze raked over him with a slow surety he could feel in his bones. In every heartbeat held suspended between them before she finally touched his shoulder. Cool and heavy where Bianca’s corrections had been soft, quick taps to his skin that he barely felt.
Wednesday’s hands drifted over his body and lingered in every place he’d remembered Bianca touching him until her scent of ocean and sap and cinnamon disappeared to be replaced by caramel, strawberries and warmth he couldn’t really name. She relaxed then and he reached up to stroke the line of her cheekbone with his finger. The back of his nail stroked softly down the side of her cheek and the line of her neck and shoulder until he let it drop off her sweater and it stayed suspended until she pulled him down for a kiss. Gentler than her others, easier and more open and he smiled into the kiss while his heart thrilled with her lips and the way she leaned into his body as if she couldn’t bear to have space between them while they lingered together.
His idea to explore the area around the tower melted into nothing as she continued to kiss him. When he pressed her against the side of the empty fireplace and buried his hand at the back of her neck to weave through her plaited hair she made soft sounds and her lips found his jaw, his chin, his throat. His hands stayed at her neck, down her arm but never anywhere else and he didn’t try to kiss her neck even though he wanted to and the persistent pressure under his belt was a constant reminder of how much. The last time he’d pushed she ended up running away from him and having a panic attack. His cock could chill the fuck out. Time slowed down or sped up…he wasn’t sure which one only that a second felt like a year and when Bianca had come back with catcall and a whistle he parted from Wednesday in a daze, lost in her scent, her taste, the soft noises he couldn’t get enough of and it didn’t help that he was sure his jeans were cutting off circulation to a very important part of his anatomy. Wednesday’s hiss of displeasure tugged a chuckle out of him until she turned her glare his way and he choked at the venom in it. “We should vacate the tower before she brings more of an audience to witness our disgusting display of affection.”
“So if we were stabbing each other or trying to choke each other out that would be fine but kissing isn’t?”
Wednesday merely rolled her eyes at him before she took him by the hand and led him back out into the evening air. The cold slid over him but he was too warm to shiver and too keyed up to do more than follow her with one foot in front of the other. It was like a loop recording of her teeth and tongue, the soft sighs she let out, the way their lips smacked in the quiet echoey room, the way her cool palm felt on his neck and how much he wanted to reach his hand under her shirt and answer the question burning in his head as to how soft her skin really was under her clothes. If her breasts would fit in his hands as perfectly as he’d imagined. If they were sensitive or if she’d moan when he tugged and played with her nipples. He knew they could be sensitive but he wanted to see for himself the look on Wednesday Addams face when she came for him for the first time. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.
He wasn’t counting on anything going wrong until it did and realized the damage Laurel had done to him was way worse than he could have ever realized.
&*&*&*
After dinner Bianca knocked on their door and Enid let her in, still bemoaning her detention spent with Professor Orloff organizing the storage in the chemistry lab for the hour she’d spent in Bradbury Hall and then some. The Siren eyed her with a smirk, “Who knew gothy and tragic Wednesday Addams could kiss a golden boy like Tyler Galpin like that?”
Wednesday felt something snap in her jaw while her teeth slid against each other. The grind of her enamel was enough to relax her jaw while she stalked to the closet and opened up the locked safe where her family’s illicit and debauched knowledge of Outcast anatomy lay. Enid and Bianca made small talk in the room behind her and she found the two sitting on the edge of Enid’s bed…socializing. An involuntary shiver trembled down her spine at the concept before she deposited the heavy volume in Bianca’s lap. “No cell phones. No pictures. No borrowing.” Curtly she turned on her heel and strode over to her bed where Thing sat with a book of his own, thumbing through the text as if he wasn’t observing and judging everything going on in the room with his opinionated digits.
Enid leaned in as Bianca opened the tome and began to carefully thumb through the entries, “Holy crap. I forgot how much stuff was in here, Wednesday. It’s been literally a year since you let me look at it last.”
“Stop with your theatrics. The year has changed but that does not excuse your poor taste in jokes and how overused your attempt at a witty jape actually is. The last time I allowed you to look at my family’s book your mental breakdown lasted for days. I do not have the patience to endure it again.”
Enid sputtered, “Well it’s not every day you find out the guy you like who happens to be your boyfriend could have a very interesting little i don’t know…party trick when he’s in Rut? Give me a break!”
“I will not. Your mental fortitude or lack thereof is hardly my concern. Should you choose to retraumatize yourself I will not comfort you.”
“Oh. Wow. Yeah. I can totally see why Enid freaked. How the hell can it split down the middle like that? Does he have a seam or something?” Bianca looked at Enid and Wednesday had to stop the sharp exhalation the sight of her friend’s frozen expression and the way her cheeks, throat, and ears metamorphosed into the same shade as a fresh tomato…or a rose…or blood, which incidentally is what it was in effect. The flush of blood to one’s face could be controlled or diverted with the appropriate amount of self control. Self control which Enid lacked and to Wednesday’s chagrin likely never would be capable of.
Enid sputtered and gaped while she tried to recover, “I haven’t seen it!” She managed to squeak out in a strangled whine and Wednesday felt the corner of her lip twitch in rebellion at the discomfort her friend exhibited. The secondhand embarrassment filled Wednesday with a sensation akin to satisfaction and joy though short lived. “We’ve only done some stuff. Not all of it. I mean…,” Enid trailed off as she fidgeted on the bed next to Bianca.
Bianca, her generous mouth now split into a grin as she nudged Enid, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, girl. You shouldn’t feel bad about something that feels good. Honestly I’ve missed it. Not just the kissing or feeling each other up, and I really miss sex, but I mostly mean the small stuff. The little gifts, the thoughtful gestures, cuddling. God do I miss cuddling while we watch a movie or something but as long as everyone’s cool with what’s going on you shouldn’t feel ashamed and Ajax is a good guy. He’ll treat you right, I’m sure. Plus if he’s got that thing between his legs he probably won’t be disappointing.”
Wednesday didn’t allow herself to dwell on the question, didn’t allow her own nature to close off and second guess asking and floundering with knowledge she lacked fundamentally, “How…how does one move on from kissing to ‘feeling each other up?’” She hated that her voice was small, quiet, unsure, and lacked conviction of her usual speech patterns.
Enid’s attention snapped to Wednesday as her mouth slowly opened and shut and she blinked, “Do you mean like petting or like other stuff?”
Bianca, to her credit and perhaps even her instinct of self preservation, didn’t make a snide comment or needle her about her inexperience, “Not to say anything about your boy, but guys are usually the one’s moving the needle when it comes to the physical stuff.”
Wednesday swallowed past the shards of glass in her throat, “He…he attempted to do so but I reacted poorly in the moment but the tension inside my body is untenable. I leave his presence more frustrated than when I began. There’s a sensation of… climbing somehow but not. As if building towards a precipice of some kind then allowing it to drop off without the satisfaction of a resolution.”
Bianca cocked her head and looked at Wednesday, “Yeah. If it didn’t go well he could be a little gunshy. You don’t have to let him take the lead. Even if you don’t know exactly what to do you should know that any guy is going to let you put your hand in their pants if you want to. But if you don’t want to go that bold you can just tell him what you want. That requires actually communicating though, so I’m not sure if you can handle that one.”
“I communicate adequately,” Wednesday fired back and turned away from the two teens to read her book, thoroughly mortified at her behavior and perceived weakness but with a new theory to test brewing under her surface thoughts.
&*&*&
They continued their correspondence via the journals over the next few days. Enid remained in detention for an hour every school afternoon and then spent most of her time with Ajax on campus. Bianca had agreed to an hour of time on Saturday in exchange for further time with the compendium which Wednesday granted begrudgingly despite the debacle of her last entrance into her and Enid’s shared space. Wednesday herself had no time to implement her new stratagem in conquering physical intimacy as surely as she had conquered chess, checkers, the cello, fencing, and her varied other interests as they came to her. This was an objective to fulfill, knowledge to gain, and she would dissect it to the quick with time and careful application of touch both received and given. While Enid was away she studied the compendium with greater shrewdness than the first quick perusal especially since Bianca had told her some of the information within about Sirens was…though not incorrect…funcitonally incomplete. Her mother was by far more open with her daughter than some parents were about their own biological systems and how they functioned. She scanned each entry carefully and most of what was written within in regards to mate bonds, Omega proclivities, Alpha Rut and glands…scenting…more she had no current use for. Werewolf penises, both shifted and not stared at her menacingly while she gauged size and possible discomfort related to intercourse. The shifted phallus was larger…and by all accounts from the previous owners of this book...by at least 50% which seemed excessive. The unaroused human vaginal canal was only around three inches in length but could extend by one to two inches when aroused which would be sufficient for most males to fulfill their obligations as the average penis length was complementary. More was ultimately unnecessary.
Sirens and altered form…vampires…gorgons…yeti…minotaur…even a centaur…and those hadn’t existed by her measure for longer than minotaurs and yet in very old greek lettering she had to work to translate one of the last had made their rounds to her ancestor. This book was not that old but could have been ensorcelled to remain mostly intact with age. Such spells required renewal from time to time but it was hardly impossible. A single vague entry on a species called a Hyde near the back of the book. There were no sketches and only a vague note of their proclivities.
Prefers darkness, unstable, dangerous, cannot be trusted, excessive stamina
Little more on the subject and she assumed they were likely extinct like a few of the others in the book. It hardly mattered but did allow her mind to wander back to the gift on her bedside table. Tyler’s gift. He’d told her in their journals he wanted to make something for her but realized the only thing he could do well was kill things and cook them and he couldn’t just feed her for every gift. So he’d taken up woodcarving and thought it would be easy. The thought of it damningly endearing in the way that Nero had been to her cuddled up against her in bed as a child. She’d been fond of her pet and though this was not the same emotion it was not far from the admiration and tenderness she’d fallen prey to in her youth.. More and more as time continued to plod unerringly forward into the unknown her thoughts lingered often on him throughout her day. During lessons, on the way to the classroom, when she played her cello, even during her fencing classes and if it did not cease soon she would soon truly be as disgustingly ineptly desperate…something…for him. She wouldn’t breathe it into being. Wouldn’t give it form or power to name it but it lingered like a barnacle or a leech and slowly fed off of her until she could feel the rot of it just under her breastbone. An ache. Cloying. Disturbing. Entirely inappropriate and yet held her fast while she bled into the trap her own wayward designation set and sprung.
Xavier remained blissfully absent and Wednesday found it rather refreshing though the rumor was, courtesy of Enid, he would be back next week. Disappointing.
Saturday materialized suddenly and Bianca accompanied Wednesday into Jericho that afternoon but Tyler was unfortunately chained to his employment and so Wednesday merely ordered her quad and remained in his presence while Bianca went out on a date with Lucas. She found she rather enjoyed this time with Tyler and did not mind the lack of his one on one attention while he lingered in her periphery. It also allowed for the gnawing hunger that had absolutely nothing to do with food to release some of its hold on her. If he did not stoke the beast, coax it to life and then leave it to snap and thrash without relief. However, it was as if they were opposing poles of a magnet when they managed to find themselves alone with each other. Undeniable, irresistible, and utterly cataclysmically deplorably desperate for more of each other and though it was not a ‘bad’ thing per se it did not help her current situation in the least bit.
Tyler, for his part, smiled when she’d appeared before him like he always did. His scent shifted from delicious to mouthwatering as she lingered nearby. The brush of his finger along her when he set her quad down on the table pulled a sharp, almost too quiet to be heard but the way he stiffened next to her made her belly twist and flutter sharply almost in reflex. It left a spike of that gnawing hunger to grow inside her. Almost to the point of being ravenous. A craving. She craved him…how banal, how simple, how utterly devoid of any true logic or reason and yet she didn’t want to balk from it. Only a coward ran from something they could control with practice and time. She’d been overwhelmed and anxious and it did not feel like her. Wednesday Addams did not fear emotions, she mastered them, contained them, and did so with relish her peers would scorn.
Tyler had lingered nearby during her stay, quiet questions flitted between them caught and tossed back without much thought to the reply. He’d mentioned Ajax who had come in earlier and some sort of game they intended on playing together with cards. But when she’d inquired as to the particular card game he’d said something about it being mostly about collecting and he hadn’t actually played the game in years. They were going to meet up on Sunday at the library and though Wednesday did not understand his excitement nor his objective she made an effort to be what she believed to be supportive and expressed her approval of his activities as best as she could. His smile, the one she knew was not for show, made the tediousness of the effort worth her discomfort with showing any kind of perceived weakness.
When Bianca had come back, he’d all but begged her to slip behind the store so he could kiss her the way he’d wanted. That’s what he’d said when he dipped down to capture her lips with his and let the weight of it settle languid and plush inside her throat, prickled down her arms, settled low in her belly but not heavily when he parted and used his thumb to stroke her full bottom lip while his eyes darkened to shade of blue to remind her of twilight behind a pine sky.
When they parted her craving for him teased and plucked at her sanity but she allowed his fingers to glide across her cheek, down her neck, and along the side of her arm until he wiggled his fingers. She felt the sparks where they slid along her palm before he threaded their fingers together and held her hand. Wednesday felt the tiny skittering inside her gut nearly vibrate while she took in the way he lifted their joined palms up to his mouth with smooth intent. Felt the brush of his lips on the back of her hand. With all the pressure and delicate touch of a moth’s wing when disturbed in the dark corridors of her family home. Feather light but alive and above his lips his eyes glittered the way fresh snow from an overnight storm broke into shimmering patterns upon the break of a new day. Precious and sacred and full of the promise of new life beneath. It was over far too quickly and not fast enough and yet she wanted. His smile should have disgusted her. Should have sent her the opposite direction as fast as humanly possible and somehow, inexplicably she found her day improved when he was a part of it. The laborious existence she’d been chained to was more enthusiastic about the way it tormented her. His brand of torture did not draw blood, nor darkeness, or doom but felt so much more insidious and devastating than if he did.
The back of her hand still tingled while she accompanied Bianca to the shuttle stop and the two peers did not fill the void with small talk, but instead an easy silence between them reigned even as Bianca gave her a nod and they parted ways. It continued to irritate her throughout the day when her mind, if not firmly leashed, drifted in his direction.
&*&*&*
Monday brought with it the rumor of Xavier’s return but Wednesday did not see any sign of him in their shared classes except for chemistry, her last class of the day and the sight of him filled her with equal parts amusement, dark delight, and rage. Amusement at his obvious discomfort with Wednesday’s presence if the way he stiffened and shifted restlessly in his seat without looking at her at all was any indication. Dark delight at the stabilization strip across his nose and the fading yellow and black bruise splattered across his face like a work of art coupled with the still swollen bridge of his nose and the shadows under his eyes which spoke of sleepless nights and pain. Her rage prickled and snapped with the acuity of a whip in the broken air as his scent…his scent…no longer did he smell of rot and the iron of blood which had softened her to him. Instead his original odor and scent profile made her stomach roil at the offensive sandalwood and peony. Whatever he had been doing to alter his scent he obviously decided against continuing and for that she should present Enid with yet more gratitude. Perhaps a finger from one of the other wolves who disparaged her or something to help her sharpen her claws more effectively. Wednesday could be thoughtful when the situation called for it.
But the thing that caught her eye was the bandage peeking out from under his high collar. The white textured gauze was an obvious deviation from his Nevermore uniform and when he caught her calculated stare he glared at her, “Keep your eyes to yourself, Addams.” His snarl would have been impressive if she hadn’t seen his face or heard the way he stomped off after Tyler had asserted his claim on her if nothing else than to keep Xavier out of her orbit. Then before the woods last week when she’d held him under the fountain before the Rave’N and threatened to dislocate his shoulder if he did not stop. She should have just followed through with the threat. Perhaps they would not be in this situation now if he had just taken the very strong and throughout rejection Wednesday had doled out the first time.
Some humans were stubborn and hard to break - those were perhaps the most fun to witness when they inevitably shattered.
Wednesday eyed him for a second longer, “I’m just admiring the handiwork. You actually look tolerable now.”
Xavier stood up and opened his mouth while his face twisted into something dark but Bianca’s voice cut across two tables, “Xavier.” Cracked through the air and reminded Wednesday of the sound of a lightning strike. The concentrated sonic boom that made Xavier jolt before he sat back down and did his best to seethe at Wednesday who regarded it with genuine amusement. He was hardly a threat to her and he would realize that soon enough but until then it was fun to watch him hiss and spit from the dark as if he had any real power.
&*&*&&&&&
Tuesday night brought with news of the coroner's return as Tyler had helpfully pointed out during their correspondence and so Wednesday bargained with Enid before she managed to sneak off of campus and made her way to the office with Thing at her side. The duct blueprints had been thankfully up to date and she had no issues with sneaking past the guard to find her way into the morgue. Thing disabled the camera with the bubble gum she'd chewed during their walk. And with little effort she found the body locker in question and began her recording to use later while she sent Thing off to photocopy the case files. Depth, cleanliness of the lacerations, the surgical sentient precision of the cuts which amputated the toes was the most intriguing from her point of view. In fact, each muder case had a body part surgically removed from the corpse that had nothing to do with how they died. It spoke of ritual. Of a plan. Of some dark intent yet to be ascertained. It made her nervous and that was perhaps the most concerning thing of all. She took her prize with her in the back at her back without issue before she shut the entirety of her investigation in her safe back at her room. There would be time to sift through the reports with a finer eye than she’d done in the morgue itself.
&*&&&&
Their usual midweek meeting ended with Tyler actually holding a foil in his hand while he practiced the footwork from last week. Wednesday smuggled two out of the fencing equipment room without issue for them to use and Bianca made small talk with Tyler while she corrected his movements and Wednesday tried to pretend like Bianca’s hands on Tyler’s body didn’t bother her. She failed miserably at the task while Bianca teased and winked at her which only increased her ire. But Tyler had improved…if only marginally from last week. His body mechanics were still too loose, too large and his posture needed far more work than she’d originally assumed but there was a grace to him she couldn’t dissect. He moved with purpose, but not with precision, almost like a predator, keen and perceptive and intuitive with his body in a way which gave her pause and allowed her mind to wander to how else he might surprise her.
When Bianca left them for alone time after the lesson Wednesday expected Tyler to haul her to him and devour her. The anticipation alone was enough to send her into a frenzy as much as it dissuaded by the very nature of her soul. Which she still was unconvinced she carried within her. But to her surprise he wanted to explore the tower with her and she found she did not hate the substitution to her initial plan. The stone walls in the circular main chamber did not hold any secret bookshelves or passages Wednesday could find and so they made their way hand in hand up one of the two staircases. They came to a room on the first floor which opened to what looked to be a dorm. The wooden beds were half eaten with rot, holes in the bedsheets, missing mattresses, dressers askew, cobwebs everywhere, and dust so thick they nearly choked on it. With some digging they found evidence of it being a boys dormitory though not many clues about who had perhaps made a home within were present. Two more floors revealed the same. More dilapidation and lack of care with a total of twelve beds on the boys side.
Tyler pulled her to the other side and they found a mirrored set up with more evidence of recent life than the others. A half rotten notebook with faded penciled entries, a few articles of clothing Tyler picked up to smell, a basket of used yarn caked in dust and pollen and cobwebs, but not much else of note. Her cazador, though, catalogued the room with an intensity she couldn’t decipher the reason for. His hands glided over the chest of drawers, over the bedspread, inside the table next to the bed, and even to the other side obviously well maintained if in the same state of disrepair. They spoke little, but they didn’t need to, as if Wednesday found something of note Tyler somehow knew and was there in a moment and the same was true of Wednesday. She did not think to dissect the newest sense as anything other than keen perception but in the end they found themselves atop a stiff couch, entangled in each other, fire scorched her skin but did not burn, agony tumbled along her gut and made her thighs pulse and her belly throb with a craving for more. Her hand drifted down his chest to flutter over his heartbeat. His mouth opened and his teeth caught her lip before he let out a huff at her breathy whine. Wednesday swallowed her trepidation and shifted away from him before she moved her hand down to press and find his erection and in the next second found herself shoved off of him and the couch next to her empty in a rush of air and confusion. The events replayed in slow motion in the next few seconds while she let her eyes follow his pivot and the way he sank to his knees next to her in the next second.
Her hand had pressed down on his jeans and she felt something firm under her palm while her eyes remained locked on his face. His face…contorted into an emotion she knew well…eyes wide and not with passion, with fear, he flinched away from her half a second later. Reflexive. A whispered, “No.” almost too quiet for her to hear.
It was almost comical how quickly the fire under her skin evaporated and left a strange clinging chill to sit heavily in her belly. Insidious, and not in a good way, as she barely heard Tyler’s frantic apologies, the way his wide, bright eyes were shiny with sudden tears while he looked afraid still, it was less terror and more aghast and apologetic than before. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m just really sensitive. I didn’t expect you to do that. I didn’t mean to throw you off of me. Please. Don’t be mad. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
Wednesday turned her attention outward and spoke softly, “I…I should have announced my intention. It was my error, Tyler. Not yours. Though this is an ideal place to halt our activities. Bianca will likely be back before long to check in.” Wednesday kept her tone light and even though bile churned at the base of her throat. She was not angry, but the rejection did sting and her reaction to his flinch at her touch only disgusted her. Tyler had been understanding of her poor reaction to his advances and she couldn’t do the same for him? “I will do better to communicate in the future. I am fine. Are you well?”
Tyler nodded, swallowed, then spoke, “Yeah. Of course. I’m fine. You just surprised me.” He offered her a smile that did not reach his eyes and she knew he was hiding something. But knew an interrogation at this moment would likely be adding gasoline to an electrical fire. Still, the air now held an awkward sort of sourness and a strange disconnect it did not before and Wednesday collected herself while Tyler did the same and they made their way off campus before Tyler gave her an unsure peck on her cheek before he got into his car on the side of the road and drove back to his house. She watched him disappear into the distance while the strange empty disconnect inside her pulled wider.
When she arrived back to her room it was to Thing who waved her in while she nodded in his direction, too inside her own head to do much more than the barest of interactions.
Why had he flinched at her touch? Was it her? Was he not attracted to her in the way she assumed? Did someone else harm him before her? That thought only sent her contemplations toward a darker path. The monster in her chest, the empty gnawing void with teeth and a frozen heart, twisted and writhed at the very notion someone else had harmed him before her. To the point where he had an instinctive reaction to her hand. Insecurity warred with understanding while she pulled her cello off of its stand and began to play as if that would unwind the ball of confusion in her chest, as if the notes could unspool the truth and lay it out for her to decipher.
What brought a halt to her spiral was Enid's arrival and despite the questioning from Thing on her mental state she remained tight lipped. Bianca arrived later for her requisite hour of time with the compendium and she and Enid sat together on Enid’s bed while they perused the work. Wednesday had tuned them out until a firm tap to her shoulder brought her out of her reverie. Thankfully her reflexs had not kicked in or else Thing would have bought himself another scar.
“Yo, Addams, I’m done. You okay? I didn’t have to pry you and Tyler away from each other with a crowbar. You were gone when I got back.”
“We chose to end our socialization early due to a…an incident. Which does not concern you.”
“Okay, message received. I’ll head out. Good night Enid, weird hand Thing,” Bianca exited the room and Wednesday could feel Enid’s eyes burrowing into her flesh.
“Stop.”
“What happened with you and Tyler?”
“It is none of your concern,” Wednesday bit back, acerbic.
“Did you do something? Did he do something?”
“Enid! Drop it.” Wednesday finally snarled at her.
“Fine!” Enid snarled back. “I just want to help. You seem like it’s really bothering you and I’m your friend and friends talk about this stuff as long as it’s not like…really really secret? Is it? Did he tell you some dark secret and…well no a dark secret would be fun for you wouldn’t it? Did he tell you his family is a bunch of circus performers or saints or something?”
Wednesday allowed a modicum of amusement to filter into her otherwise pensive mood. Enid’s flair for the dramatics was often a source of friction between them but over time Wednesday’s ire at her overexuberance had shifted to something akin to tolerance and stability. A part of her daily routine she felt the lack of. “No. Nothing so sordid. I did attempt to push our physical relationship forward but was met with…a lack of enthusiasm I do not understand.”
“What happened?”
“He flinched away from my touch, but then he said that he was just sensitive and I surprised him, which to be perfectly fair I did not warn him ahead of time of my intentions lest I lose my nerve.”
“Your nerve? You’ve got nerves of steel or whatever other metal is really strong. But I mean, Ajax once came in his pants while we were making out so it can happen. Oh. Crap. He probably wouldn’t have wanted me to tell you that. Did you know he and Tyler are doing stuff with Pokemon? I don’t know if I think it’s really cute or if I’m horrified but it’s really sweet how our boyfriends are trying to be friends, isn’t it? Ajax is such a cutie. But if he was really worked up I can see why he’d get weird about you touching him. I wouldn’t read much into it. Dude is crazy about you. Trust me.”
Wednesday nodded and strangely Enid’s conversation and reassurances loosened the prickly creature latched onto her chest like a leech. Tyler’s words to her later in their shared journals eased the tension further as he apologized again for his reaction and assured her in triplicate he wasn’t upset, and that she didn’t do anything wrong and that he was attracted to her. A part of her still hesitated at the look she’d seen in his eyes. True fear. Not just apprehension or anxiety, but something visceral, bone deep and etched into his psyche like an imprint he could not escape. She would have her answers and if those answers led her to a conclusion where murder was appropriate all the better.