Archive of Our Own ^beta

Nightmares used to be a thing of bliss for Wednesday Addams.

She remembered as a child, bedtime was the most enthralling part of the day. For a time, she could escape the monotonous drudgery of life and embrace the terrors that greeted her in the darkness. There was a special kind of solace to be found in her nightmares, one that most would deem odd (or even psychopathic), but Wednesday wouldn’t be bothered to explain. Like the rest of her eccentricities, it was simply the way that she was.

Until now, at least. Because for three weeks, her dreams had been plaguing her with violent imagery that she would much rather forget entirely, much less revel in. Imagery of that fateful night at the conclusion of last semester. Crystal clear depictions of the horrors that had ensued, of the terror she had endured at the hands of Laurel Gates.

In truth, those atrocities could’ve been easily disregarded, and Wednesday could’ve at least been able to fall back to sleep—even if she was unsettled by the constant, vivid reliving of her trauma. But it was far more complicated than that, because Wednesday didn’t just dream about her own agony.

She dreamed about somebody else’s.

Wednesday shuddered in her seat, a subtle tremor that went easily unnoticed by her desk mate, a peaked-looking gorgon who smelled strongly of cannabis. The seer clenched her jaw, training her empty stare on the teacher at the front who was droning on about something unimportant.

Her attempt at distracting herself was useless as more unbidden images ravaged her mind, and Wednesday’s stomach resumed its most recent habit—churning. But a flash of blonde hair at the front of the classroom was all it took for Wednesday’s brain and body to reset, for her to feel like she could breathe again.

Enid sat in her usual seat next to Tanaka, doodling mindlessly in her notebook margin as she rested her cheek against her fist. Yoko leaned toward her, murmuring something asinine most likely, and Wednesday felt her insides thaw at the smile that immediately brightened the werewolf’s marred features.

The raven swallowed, nearly flushing at the absurd amount of relief that came over her at witnessing her roommate, alive and well and happy before her. She averted her gaze, angry at herself.

Of course Enid was all right. She knew that. The facts were, they had both survived that night. Injured, yes—but alive. Wednesday’s nightmares were only a cruel, persistent reminder of the pain Enid had endured on her behalf. Nothing more.

There was absolutely no reason she should still be afraid.

Wednesday bit her cheek, silently seething at her own pathetic inability to accept what was so blatantly reality—that neither one of them were in danger anymore, that they were both safe. Only children were scared of their dreams after they had awoken. It was senseless for her to be tormented by a memory, by something that could touch neither of them now that Tyler was gone.

So why was she still so haunted?

An overwhelming discomfort overcame the seer as her most recent nightmare assaulted her once again. The last time she had slept, three days prior, Enid had appeared in her dream like always, expertly saving Wednesday from a gruesome death at the hands of the Hyde. But in this particular dream, Wednesday didn’t run away from the fight.

She stood and watched.

She watched, as Tyler viciously lunged at Enid, as Enid’s blood painted the forest floor. Watched, as the wolf howled, as the beast snarled, as they came together in a clash of claws and teeth, and as Tyler nearly gutted her best friend. Wednesday had been frozen in terror at the sight, and she hadn’t been able to breathe at all when she was finally ripped from sleep and thrust into the real world once more.

Enid had woken at the sound of her ragged, disjointed gasps, had tried to approach her in the moonlit landscape of their dorm room, but Wednesday became nearly inconsolable at the sight of her, a primal sort of dread welling up inside of her that had her scrambling for the door without so much as a backward glance. She didn’t lay eyes on the werewolf again until late the next afternoon, when she’d apologized stiffly and implored her to forget the encounter altogether. Enid had been reluctant to drop it—her watery blue eyes radiating a concern so raw that Wednesday wanted to both vomit and crawl into her arms—but she eventually relented when Wednesday added a rare please in her desperation.

“You know you can talk to me, Wens. About anything,” Enid had said, her voice so defeated it rendered the seer speechless. “You’re not alone in whatever you’re going through. I want you to know that.”

A small, pathetic part of her wanted desperately to believe that.

The tightness in her chest was back again, jarring her back into the present. Wednesday glanced at the clock above the chalkboard. Four minutes until class dismissed.

With a pitiful kind of hopelessness, Wednesday’s gaze fell to Enid once more, her lungs quivering beneath the enigmatic weight in her chest. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists in her lap, nails digging into her palms, willing herself to remain present, to not slip away into the perpetual darkness that crept along the edges of her vision. Her stare turned desperate as she felt herself losing the battle, the most loathsome parts of herself abandoning any sense of dignity, her thoughts suddenly consumed by the foreign need for comfort. Relief.

And as if Enid sensed it, she glanced back at Wednesday, their eyes meeting in an infinite moment. And Wednesday couldn’t bring herself to look away.

Enid’s entire face fell at what Wednesday assumed was her atypical appearance—as she was quite literally having some form of a silent anxiety attack in the middle of class—and she opened her mouth as if to say something. But then the bell rang.

Wednesday physically jolted at the noise, a strange sensation overcoming her like she was reentering her body, and she was given enough respite to be able to move again. She wasted no time in shakily gathering her things and making a beeline for the exit, already dreading the inevitable encounter with her roommate.

Wednesday was usually quick when she needed to be, and exceedingly stealthy most of the time, but right now she was neither. Her emotional onslaught had left her trembling and lightheaded, and she didn’t make it very far at all down a deserted hallway before the blonde caught up with her.

“Wednesday,” Enid panted, and Wednesday knew that tone. It was her no-argument tone. “What’s going on?”

She halted in her tracks when the werewolf stood directly in her way, her stomach churning sickeningly as her eyes remained dutifully averted.

Wednesday couldn’t respond, both because she refused, and also because the ability had quite literally deserted her. So she just sidestepped the taller girl, foolishly attempting to ignore the situation entirely.

“Wens,“ Enid pleaded softly as she mirrored her, reaching out and almost touching her before her arms fell back to her sides. “Come on, talk to me. You’re not okay right now.”

The raven bristled at the observation but made no remark, an unfamiliar, anguished frustration stirring inside of her as she huffed quietly, heart hammering unevenly in her throat as she fought the panic rising within her. But Enid’s very proximity was doing things to her that she couldn’t decipher. Her closeness was alarming, her anxiety skyrocketing as she began to fully consider the precariousness of her situation, and all at once, Wednesday was helpless.

“I can’t—“

Her throat tightened as she blinked rapidly, a deep flush swallowing her neck upon hearing her own voice in such a mortifyingly whiny tone. She glanced around self-consciously, her chin dipping and shoulders curling as several students ambled by.

“Hey,” Enid said softly, sounding concerned as she stepped slightly closer to shield her from unwanted attention. Wednesday felt a flash of something warm fester behind her ribs. “Um, why don't we just go back to our room for a bit, yeah?”

Clenching her jaw, Wednesday shook her head, making another move to brush past her worried roommate, the situation becoming all too much for her. Enid sighed but acquiesced, reluctantly falling into step beside her.

“Wednesday, you can’t seriously go to class like this,” Enid said, her tone low and urgent as they walked. Most of the feeling had thankfully returned to Wednesday’s legs, allowing her to assume a somewhat steady pace.

“I will,” Wednesday finally bit out, still ashamed of the tremor in her voice, but pleased enough with her confidence.

When they made it to a more populated area, Enid let out a frustrated sound and latched onto the seer’s sleeve, pulling her into a more secluded place and essentially caging her against the wall.

“Hey, look at me.”

The raven refused, an angry fluster rising in her chest as her hands clenched at her sides, a traitorous blush settling high on her cheeks. Enid wasn’t touching her, but she might as well have been with how close she was standing, her head ducking to try and meet her stubborn gaze. Wednesday turned her chin to the side, feeling like a petulant child.

She hated being cornered.

The werewolf huffed again in exasperation, straightening to her full height as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Wednesday Addams, I know something is wrong. Something’s been bothering you for weeks, and I know you haven’t been sleeping well. I can practically feel all the stress you’re always carrying. We live together, for crying out loud, and I’m your best friend—did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Enid said in a harsher tone than Wednesday had ever heard from her, save for during their one fight last year. The raven’s resolve nearly crumbled then and there, fear lancing up her spine at the thought of Enid leaving again. But she couldn’t speak, could hardly move, utterly powerless in the presence of her adamant friend.

“I’ve been patient with you, Wens. Trying to give you space until you’re ready to talk about it. But obviously you’re never gonna get there without me pushing—and I don’t wanna push you. I don’t wanna force you to open up. But—“ Enid faltered, and Wednesday’s stubborn heart squeezed at the pain in her voice. “But for whatever reason, you’re hurting yourself, Wednesday, and I can’t—I can’t just sit back and let you. I won’t.”

Enid shuffled closer, Wednesday’s throat tight with suppressed emotion as she pressed herself into the wall. But then, carefully, hesitantly, Enid reached out, fingertips grazing the knuckles of Wednesday’s clenched fist in an alarmingly soft touch.

“I care about you, Wens. I wanna help you. Please, don’t shut me out,” Enid whispered, her breath ghosting the seer’s skin, and Wednesday suddenly felt her walls tumble, the stifled emotion inside bursting like a dam as her eyes burned with putrid tears.

Panic blinded her at the thought of crying in such a public place, of crying in front of Enid, and all at once Wednesday felt her body take immediate and drastic action.

With no warning, she pushed roughly away from the wall and collided with her roommate, only a flicker of remorse making itself known before she harshly shoved her back by the shoulders, causing the wolf to stumble backwards into an empty table. Their eyes met only for a split-second, during which the seer witnessed the heartbreak in her best friend’s gaze, but before she could dwell on the suffocating guilt in her chest at eliciting such a reaction, she made a stormy exit, keeping her tear-filled eyes lowered as she weaved through throngs of students, her feet taking her to no place in particular. All she knew in that moment was that she needed to escape.

Enid never once left her mind, her look of betrayal permanently etched into Wednesday’s brain.

——

Wednesday spent the rest of the afternoon in the woods. She dropped by the beehives to gather her inspection tools for locating insects, silently grateful that Eugene was absent so she could have a moment to collect herself without an audience. Shame was beginning to consume her, and she was having extreme difficulty stifling the ache in her chest at the memory of Enid’s reaction to her outburst.

How could she have acted so recklessly? She had never raised a finger to Enid before, had never even considered behaving in such a brutish manner with her. Intellectually, Wednesday understood that Enid only wanted to help her. But when she realized that receiving her help meant she would be exposed, vulnerable, and utterly bare before her friend… Wednesday panicked.

She didn’t want anyone to see how pathetic she’d become, how afraid she was of her own nightmares, to the point they kept her awake for hours on end. She blanched at the thought of Enid knowing, imagining precisely how she would react with unbearable pity. No, Wednesday could not deal with that.

So what was she doing instead? Hiding.

The raven huffed a sigh of embarrassment even though no one was around to witness her deplorable state, the woods nearly empty save for a pair of squirrels winding up a tree. She hated her own cowardice. But in rare times like these, momentary solitude was far preferable to facing the consequences of her rashness.

The seer lingered until dusk, her gut tossing recklessly within her as she reluctantly began the trek back to Ophelia Hall, her gait far more lethargic than usual. She ran into Eugene at the hive, exchanging minimal conversation with the puzzled boy, who hadn’t been expecting her at all.

“I found six new species of beetle,” was all that she offered when he inquired why she wasn’t already back in the dormitories. She deposited her findings and left without another word.

By the time she reached the door to her and Enid’s room, Wednesday was positively anxious.

She couldn’t describe ever feeling such anxiety as this, where she felt physically incapable of taking another step forward. She simply stared at the hard oak exterior of their room, helpless against the constant influx of nerves that washed over her, filling her stomach with sick.

At some point, some ten minutes later, Wednesday inwardly scolded herself for her irrationality, and in a stilted movement, was unlocking the door and shoving herself inside.

She took extra time locking it back, reluctant to turn around even after she had finished, her neck practically prickling beneath an icy blue stare, her muscles taut as she took in a subtle breath to calm her racing heart.

Several seconds passed like this, a thick silence enveloping the room and suffocating the seer. Her pulse ratcheted at the sound of Enid’s approaching footsteps, her body tensing even further before she made the decision to pivot on her heel—dark, haunted eyes instantly locking on the unreadable ones belonging to her roommate.

Enid’s face belied nothing of her inner thoughts, which was unusual—typically, she was an open book. The phenomenon deeply unsettled Wednesday, and she felt the dread inside of her thicken. There would be no easy escape from this.

“Talk. Now.”

Oh, there it was. Enid’s anger was unmistakeable, sharp and cutting as it sliced through the raven’s carefully frigid exterior, and all at once, Wednesday struggled to take in enough air.

She didn’t even realize she was retreating until her shoulder blades collided with the door, her body stiffening in rare discomfort, her skin itching to turn tail and run like never before. Enid must have caught on to this, because she closed her eyes and sighed wearily, her agitated demeanor shifting into one more exhausted than upset. A flicker of relief washed over Wednesday, and she took in a steadying, albeit shallow, breath.

“Wednesday…” Enid began, chewing her cheek, and the seer could hardly bear the disappointment in her tone.

She decided rather abruptly that she had no interest whatsoever in hearing her name in such a tone from Enid ever again, so she did something entirely unprecedented.

“I’m sorry,” Wednesday blurted, her voice unrecognizable with its undercurrents of pure, unfiltered sorrow. A wave of humiliation came over her then, but she fought her instincts to recoil and instead pressed in, taking an unsteady step toward her roommate. Her best friend.

“I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It was never my intention to… I…“

Wednesday stumbled, belatedly registering how close Enid had come, her blue eyes bleeding so much emotion Wednesday felt like she would drown if she held them a moment longer. Her shoulders trembled as words left her, and she looked away, her fists clenching at her sides, her small frame suppressing a tsunami of cumbersome feelings. Frustration. Sadness. Rage. Longing.

She’d already exposed herself enough with her uncharacteristic wallowing. Surely, that would be enough to satisfy Enid. Surely, she wouldn’t ask more of her—

“Wednesday.” Enid’s voice was soft as it cut through the self-deprecatory fog of Wednesday’s mind; her throat tightened. She felt underserving of Enid’s tenderness, felt as if she would implode if offered such gentleness. Yet simultaneously, she craved it.

She wanted it more than anything else.

Enid stepped closer to her, so close that she could smell that obnoxiously comforting floral perfume she always wore.

“What’s really going on? I’ve never seen you act like that before. It freaked me out, more than anything, to be honest. I’m just… confused. And I’m—I’m so worried about you, and it’s so frustrating and scary because you won’t—you know, you won’t confide in me. And that hurts, Wens. It hurts like hell because all I wanna do is be there for you. I can listen. I can help. Why won’t you let me?”

Enid’s words were a breach in the walls around her heart, and Wednesday struggled to maintain control of herself, wanting so viscerally to lay herself bare before Enid, to let her see everything, all at once, to free herself from this self-imposed prison. But it felt impossible. A panicked kind of helplessness rose within her, and she worked her jaw wordlessly.

“I don’t know how,” Wednesday finally confessed, biting her cheek hard against the influx of feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. Her fingers twisted together for a moment before she wrenched them back to her sides, the muscle in her jaw jumping in obvious distress as she trained her burning eyes on the floor.

She heard Enid sigh her name in a soft voice, her tone so tender and understanding. It made the seer want to scream. It made her want to weep.

“Just talk to me,” Enid implored gently, shuffling closer, brushing her fingers along Wednesday’s sleeve. “I’m not asking you to tell me everything. Just some of it. I promise you’ll feel better if you just get it off your chest.”

The raven deliberated, her breaths shallow as she floundered for something to say, anything that would ease the oppressive weight in her chest that seemed to be worsening by the second. After several moments, she exhaled roughly and shook her head, flexing her hands in frustration.

“I don’t… know—” she began again. The words felt stuck in her throat. “—how to do this. Enid, I’ve never…”

Wednesday swallowed, daring to steal a glance at Enid before her gaze immediately flitted away again, her heart suddenly filled with an uncommon fuzziness the second she caught sight of the kindness in Enid’s eyes.

“It’s okay,” Enid assured her, her voice not filled with the pity Wednesday had expected, but rather a tone of patience. The blonde tugged on her sleeve. “How about this. You get changed, you know, take some time to get comfortable, and then we can talk. You smell like dirt—not asking, by the way—and I know how much lighter you feel after a shower. Does that sound good?”

The raven blinked in thought, hesitantly meeting Enid’s gaze again, her face warming at her friend’s thoughtfulness. She simply nodded, willing herself not to blush further when Enid smiled at her, carefree and encouraging.

Silently, Wednesday gathered her things for a shower, furtively eyeing the wolf once more before slipping into the bathroom for a grateful reprieve.

As she made her way through her nighttime routine, Wednesday felt her anxiety subside—not completely, as she still warred with what she was going to say to Enid in their imminent discussion, but the space relieved some of the suffocating tension she’d been dealing with since the early afternoon. She felt overwhelmingly appreciative to Enid for suggesting it in the first place; she recognized that she didn’t deserve such kindness after how she had treated Enid, and being the recipient of it made her all the more grateful.

As Wednesday finished up with her shower and toweled off, her pulse threatened to quicken before she reminded herself that Enid had promised to help her. Even though this would be difficult for her, Enid was there as a friend to help her through her emotions. And Wednesday could trust her with them.

She braided her wet hair after donning her nightclothes, quietly bewildered by how much she had come to trust Enid. It was shocking, especially considering her stance on friendship just a year prior, and how adamant she had been that no one could touch her, that no one would ever see inside her dead and blackened heart.

Well. Wednesday was coming to realize that she was not so dead after all, the colorful wolf seeming to have expertly thawed the ice around the pumping organ in her chest and revving it to life for the first time in years. And the strangest part of all was that she found herself accepting it.

Wednesday exited the bathroom, discarding her dirty clothes and shrugging into one of her favorite oversized hoodies, her nerves fluttering when she observed Enid sitting patiently on her bed, the spot next to her clearly reserved for the goth.

Twisting her hands in her sleeves, Wednesday stalled on her side of the room.

“Have you seen Thing?” she asked, the abrupt question entirely inconsequential, but momentarily staving off the bigger conversation at hand.

“He left with Kent and Ajax a while ago. I think the Nightshades were doing something tonight,” Enid answered, obviously not fooled by the diversion. Wednesday hummed, nodding as her mind raced with what else she could possibly ask to delay the inevitable. Enid caught on to her hesitance and stood, easily breaching the distance between them until she could tug on the seer’s sleeve again.

“Hey. I know this isn’t your thing, but we really do need to talk,” Enid said in the same soft tone as before. Her fingers trailed down to tentatively find Wednesday’s fingertips, the rest of her hand buried in the large sleeve.

The raven inhaled sharply at the skin-to-skin contact, subconsciously shuffling forward, hopelessly pulled into Enid’s orbit. Her dark gaze met her best friend’s lighter one, her breath hitching at the proximity.

“Let’s sit. We can stay on your side if it makes you more comfortable,” Enid offered, lightly guiding them to the black bedding. Wednesday felt like a helpless child as she wordlessly followed after her, her fingertips still burning with the touch of Enid’s skin.

They sat next to each other on the edge of Wednesday’s bed, the raven’s eyes wide and alarmed as they existed in a heavy, awkward silence. Enid tilted her head, her eyes softening as she watched Wednesday struggle pathetically, the seer’s heart leaping in her throat when the blonde took her hand and placed it in her lap, her thumb soothing as it skimmed over her knuckles.

“Would it help if I asked you questions? It kind of gives you a place to start,” Enid suggested, and Wednesday just nodded, mind still buzzing over the casual way Enid was holding her hand, the touch oddly comforting.

“Okay…” Enid nodded in thought. “Earlier, in class, it looked like you were having a panic attack. Can you tell me about that?”

Resisting the urge to deny Enid’s assumption, Wednesday wet her lips, sighing quietly after a moment.

“I allowed my thoughts to spiral due to my… fatigue,” Wednesday admitted, hand twitching in Enid’s as she shifted uncomfortably.

“Okay,” Enid said, nodding slowly. “What kind of thoughts were those?”

The same anxiety from before swelled in the raven’s stomach, causing her muscles to stiffen. Giving in to the spineless temptation, she averted her gaze.

“It doesn’t matter. I never should have let them take over me in such a way.”

“Wednesday, it does matter,” Enid said earnestly. “Why do you think they got the best of you? Because you’ve been bottling them up for so long and you refuse to talk about them. That’s what happens when you don’t have a healthy outlet for your emotions—you break down.”

Wednesday’s jaw ticked. “I did not… break down,” she denied, flushing. She was beginning to regret ever considering having this conversation.

Enid sighed, and Wednesday felt a twinge of guilt for being so difficult. But her pride won out, having embarrassed herself far too many times already in a day’s span, so she sat in the uncomfortable silence and waited.

“Okay,” Enid finally said. “Fine. You didn’t break down. But you did have a noticeable reaction to something you’d obviously been thinking about for a while. Something that probably wasn’t very pleasant. And now, because you’re afraid to be open and honest with me about it, it’s only gonna get worse and worse until you actually do break down. Is that what you want?”

The seer’s pulse tripled, her stubbornness waning as she considered Enid’s words. She was perfectly still, acutely aware that her palm had started to sweat in Enid’s hand, the werewolf—despite her frustration—seemingly nowhere near letting go, both of her hands cradling Wednesday’s as if it were the most normal thing to do.

Maybe it was, in Enid’s mind. Tenderness was normal for her. Perhaps that was why Wednesday struggled so in relinquishing her reservations about opening up—she had rejected tenderness for most of her life.

Perhaps it was too late to learn how to accept it now.

“Wednesday, I saw,” Enid said in a near-whisper, the sadness in her tone instantly drawing the raven’s eyes back to her. “You were about to cry, when you pushed me. I saw it. Please, talk to me.”

Blood instantly rushed to her face, and Wednesday withdrew into herself, abruptly snatching her hand from Enid’s to fold her arms over her midsection.

“It was a moment of weakness,” she ground out, tensing when Enid moved closer to her on the bed.

“You know I don’t think that. I cry a lot, does that make me weak?”

“Of course not,” Wednesday huffed. “You and I are not the same.”

“Maybe not, but both of us have gone through some serious trauma, and both of us deserve to be allowed to grieve it.”

Matching her gaze at last, Wednesday felt her heart throb in her throat, her friend’s words loosening the rigid hold she maintained on her emotions and pulling a languishing breath from her lungs.

“There is nothing to grieve, Enid. We’re no longer in danger. It’s over and done with.” Wednesday was shocked by the vehemence in her voice, her buried frustrations clearly coming to the surface through no intention of her own. The lack of control was frightening.

“That’s not how trauma works. It stays with you, for a long time. Even longer if you don’t deal with it,” she said, emphasizing the last phrase as she leaned her shoulder into the shorter girl’s. “You can’t shove everything down and expect it not to come back and bite you later on. Dealing with complicated and scary emotions doesn’t make you weak, it makes you stronger.”

There was some sort of magnetism between them, the way Wednesday pressed her shoulder into Enid’s without a second thought, her mind racing.

“I suppose… I have been under more duress than normal,” Wednesday finally offered, her fingers restless as they plucked at the hem of her shirtsleeves.

Enid simply waited for her to continue; when she glanced over at the blonde, she was wearing an encouraging smile. For some reason, the familiar sight made it easier to go on.

“I… have been plagued by unsettling dreams for the better part of a month. I am not unaccustomed to nightmares, but these have been… unusually disturbing. To the point I…”

Wednesday trailed off, her heart thrumming pathetically fast as she remembered the contents of her dreams, forcing herself to not dissolve into panic again. She glanced up at Enid for silent support, who gave her a gentle nod.

“I can’t sleep. I can’t… focus on anything other than what I see whenever I close my eyes. It’s infuriating, and exhausting. And I just… I want it to stop.”

Once again, Wednesday felt her eyes sting and she broke the contact, taking in a centering breath. But the emotion in her chest wouldn’t leave her, and she was trapped, cornered like before.

When Enid breathed her name in a soft whisper, the raven felt the last of her control disintegrate, and suddenly, her eyes filled with moisture, the foreign sensation jarring enough to propel Wednesday to her feet.

With every silent tear, Wednesday distanced herself further and further away from Enid, desperately trying to reel in her wayward emotions as humiliation engulfed her. Facing away from the wolf, Wednesday stood perfectly still in the center of their room, crying noiselessly, fists rhythmically flexing at her sides. Panic stirred deep in her gut at the approaching footfalls.

“Wens,” Enid said lowly, directly behind her, her tone heavy.

The seer squeezed her eyes shut, chest shuddering with the effort of suppressing her torrid emotions, her face damp with the damning evidence of it all.

“It’s okay, you know,” Enid said softly, gently, shuffling closer behind her. She placed a careful hand on Wednesday’s shoulder, her thumb soothing in its faint caress. “To feel. I know you hate it, but it’s good. I promise.”

Wednesday released a harsh breath, hesitating before hastily wiping at her face and folding her arms tightly across her chest, shoulders curling as she burrowed into herself.

“And you don’t have to hide it from me,” Enid added, her hand falling away from Wednesday’s shoulder. “Okay?”

Wednesday didn’t trust her voice. But she wanted Enid to know that she wasn’t shutting her out, just that she was struggling. So she was brave for once, slowly turning to face her compassion-filled best friend.

Clenching her jaw until it hurt, Wednesday finally managed to lift her gaze to Enid’s, where unfiltered kindness and understanding met her, Enid’s warmth enveloping her all at once, melting her frosty resolve.

She relaxed infinitesimally, sighing a quiet breath as she blinked at her softly. Enid smiled and stepped closer, her fingers tugging tentatively on the hem of Wednesday’s hoodie.

“Do you wanna try again?” Enid asked, searching brown eyes that weren’t nearly as guarded as before. Without a word, Wednesday nodded once and led them to Enid’s bed this time.

They sat closely, Wednesday’s bare thigh pressed against Enid’s fluffy pajama pants in a comforting touch. She threaded her fingers together in her lap and sat up straight, forcing an air of confidence that she did not possess. Meeting Enid’s eyes with a steadying breath, Wednesday finally allowed herself to be open.

“I dream about you. About the night you saved me from the Hyde.”

Wednesday tried not to let her escalating heart-rate affect her outward appearance, but it quickly became impossible when the cursed memories came flooding back in rapid succession, like a metaphorical floodgate had been opened in her mind at a single mention of the nightmare.

She fisted her hands in her sweatshirt as Enid’s brows drew together and she shifted even closer on the mattress.

“Every night?” Enid asked quietly, in an almost hesitant tone. Subconsciously, the seer leaned her shoulder into Enid’s space.

“Whenever I can sleep,” Wednesday admitted, flushing at the pure exhaustion that bled into her voice.

As if in a trance, the raven observed the wolf—her blue eyes filled with concern, her brows furrowed in thought, her lip worried between subtle fangs. Enid swallowed, letting go of a shaky breath as she found Wednesday’s sleeve and fidgeted with it.

“Wednesday, when’s the last time you slept through the night?”

The muscle in her jaw twitched as she warred with the temptation to lie. “Twenty-nine days ago.”

Enid gasped, her arm reflexively finding its way behind the smaller girl in half an embrace. Wednesday felt warm in the face, but she said nothing.

“What? Twenty-nine? How are you even functioning? Oh my god, Wens, that’s terrible!”

It was hard to focus on anything coming out of Enid’s mouth with the way her entire side was pressed against her, the werewolf’s warmth permeating even the thick layer of Wednesday’s hoodie and igniting her skin in a fiery heat.

“I manage,” she finally said, her throat dry with how close Enid’s face was to hers, only mere inches separating them. She tried to swallow, pulse stuttering when she realized she was staring at Enid’s mouth.

She heard Enid’s breath hitch when their eyes met again, a fluttery sensation flooding her stomach at the sheer amount of emotion coursing through her blue gaze.

“Enid…” Wednesday’s voice was strangled to her own ears, another wave of warmth coming over her and settling high in her cheeks.

“I could’ve helped you, I could’ve been there for you. You didn’t have to suffer all alone, Wednesday,” Enid breathed out in a rush, scooting even closer to the raven, both arms tentatively, loosely encircling the seer beside her. “I get them too. I know what it’s like. I’m so sorry you felt like you couldn’t—like it wouldn’t help to share it with me. You know how much I care about you, right? You know I never want you to feel alone?”

Wednesday’s eyes fluttered shut briefly as she nodded, her body on fire as she was surrounded by nothing but Enid, her already muddled brain helplessly trying to keep up with her volatile emotions. She’d never opened up like this before, had never spent time intentionally thinking about and dealing with what she was feeling. But now that she’d opened that door, it felt impossible—and frankly, irrational—to withdraw.

Her forehead wrinkled as she struggled to focus, tried not to surrender to the infectious temptation that begged her to fall into the arms around her. But she was fighting a losing battle, her mind having already made itself up with the way she was gripping Enid’s arm.

“Enid,” Wednesday tried again, unconsciously leaning closer as she wrestled with her exhaustion, her body propelling her forward before she could think twice.

That was how she found her face in the crook of Enid’s neck, her arms weakly trapping the blonde in a sideways embrace.

She tried to feel embarrassed. She wanted to feel embarrassed. But the way Enid returned her pitiful attempt at seeking comfort, how she immediately wrapped her in a loving hug, cradling the back of her head with one hand while the other traced mindless patterns on her lower back—it made Wednesday feel good.

In a single moment, all of her doubts dissolved into nothing. Her anxiety about her dreams, her fear over sharing them with Enid—all of it became a mere afterthought, something altogether unimportant. The only thing that mattered now was how safe Wednesday felt. It was how Enid smelled, how warm she was against her, and how grateful she was that they were here, together.

She didn’t even realize she was crying again until a sharp, stuttering inhale broke the silence between them. A flash of discomfort ran through her before Enid hummed softly and laid her cheek against Wednesday’s hair, her arms readjusting slightly to better hold her. Wednesday breathed out shakily, giving up on suppressing the silent flow of tears, too tired to do anything but exist in Enid’s space, greedily taking in every ounce of comfort that she’d been starving herself of for the last several weeks.

And it felt immaculate.

She didn’t know how long they sat there, Wednesday crying softly as Enid gently held her. But it was the most peace she’d felt in months, perhaps years, and Wednesday didn’t want it to end. Eventually, Enid murmured something into her hair, the seer’s brow furrowing as she stirred from her lethargic state, the tears and distress long gone, having been replaced by a serenity in her mind that she had no interest in disturbing yet.

Upon hearing her name again, the raven grunted in acknowledgement but only burrowed further into Enid, her hands long lost in her roommate’s sweatshirt, her nose still buried in her neck. She heard Enid laugh softly, felt her arms encircle her tighter and squeeze briefly before a kiss was pressed to her crown.

Wednesday’s entire body flushed with heat and she swallowed roughly, her heart and stomach somersaulting uncontrollably as she ducked her chin, nose brushing down and over the collar of Enid’s crewneck.

“Wens,” Enid mumbled, her voice muffled as her lips moved against dark hair, her breath warm where it spread over the raven’s scalp, the sensation sending a shiver down her spine. “Do you wanna try to get some sleep?”

The suggestion shouldn’t have scared her as much as it did, but Wednesday couldn’t deny the now-familiar anxiety that stirred in her stomach at the mention of sleep. Although now, it didn’t seem quite as daunting. There would be no more hiding it from Enid, which was a strange but welcome relief. Perhaps her subconscious would benefit from the new development.

Slowly, Wednesday detangled herself from the embrace. She sniffed quietly, her face painted with a fitful blush as she scrubbed at her eyes, hesitating a moment longer before finally meeting Enid’s eyes through her mussed bangs.

Her friend only gave her a crooked smile, affectionately squeezing the hand that fidgeted with the hem of her sleep shorts. Wednesday relaxed again, blinking softly as the same all-encompassing warmth as before washed over her.

“I… will try,” Wednesday said quietly, glancing over at her bed, a chill sweeping down her back before she looked back at Enid.

“Thank you. For… helping me,” she managed, her eyes conveying more than words possibly could. She shifted awkwardly on the mattress before standing. “Goodnight, Enid.”

Enid stood with her, smiling softly at the seer, running a hand down her sleeve before messily entangling their fingers for a moment. Wednesday’s throat went dry as she looked up into vibrant blue eyes.

“I love you, Wens,” Enid said easily, and Wednesday almost choked on her tongue, reeling at how naturally the confession came from her closest friend, her heart stuttering wildly at the implications. “You’re, like, the most important person in my life. I only ever wanna help you.”

Wednesday could do nothing but nod, her face surely a noticeable deep red as her stomach filled with writhing creatures. She flexed her fists at her sides as she looked over at her bed again and tried to ignore the building dread in her gut. Before she could do something pathetic like crawl into Enid’s bed and hide beneath the covers, Wednesday returned to her side of the room.

She could feel Enid’s eyes on her as she stiffly got into bed, only looking over once she was about to lay down. Enid was still standing where she left her, twisting her hands together as she watched her with an unreadable expression. Wednesday half-thought it was worry.

Whatever it was, Enid quickly came back to herself before breathing a soft laugh and pinning Wednesday with a comforting smile. She got into her own bed, pausing as she reached over to turn her lamp off.

“‘Night, Wednesday.” And then, darkness.

Quiet fell over them after they settled, and Wednesday took several deep breaths before finally closing her eyes.

She still saw the same images as always—herself bleeding out in the Crypt, Tyler almost killing her, Enid nearly dying—but the warmth from Enid’s embrace still lingered, providing a little barrier between the nightmarish images and herself that hadn’t been there before.

Wednesday tried to sink into the feeling, to remember the safety she had felt in Enid’s arms. Some time passed and she thought that she might finally be able to drift off, but a particularly violent thought assaulted her at the last second, and her eyes shot open, her breathing picking up as she tried to recenter herself again. After this happened three more times, she started to despair.

What if she could never fall asleep? She used to think chronic insomnia would be an excellent way to expire, but it was proving to be anything but enjoyable.

Helplessly, Wednesday laid there, focusing only on maintaining even breaths so as to not alert Enid. Glancing at the clock, she saw that nearly two hours had passed. Unbidden, her eyes pricked.

She was not about to cry again. Surely, she had shed all of the tears her body could produce in one day.

“Wednesday?”

She froze at the whisper, wondering if she’d imagined it until she heard Enid shift in bed across the room.

“You can’t sleep,” Enid said, and it wasn’t a question. Wednesday worked her jaw, sighing quietly through her nose.

“No,” she admitted, frustrated by her own weakness. “But I will. Go back to sleep, Enid.”

“I haven’t been. I’ve been listening to make sure you’re okay.”

“That’s not… necessary.” Wednesday couldn’t grapple with how Enid’s kindness made her feel, her face warming at the thought of Enid caring so much. Only hours ago, Enid’s admission would’ve made her angry. She would’ve considered such a thing an overstep of her privacy. But after what had happened between them tonight, after Enid had held her in her arms and kissed her hair as she cried, Wednesday could only feel grateful.

She was glad that Enid noticed, even if she didn’t understand why. Had she changed so much in only an evening?

“Wens, I—“ Enid interrupted her thoughts, sounding nervous, instantly alerting the seer. “Do you think—I mean, would you maybe…” She sighed. “How would you feel if I stayed with you tonight?”

Wednesday blinked, her forehead spidering in confusion. “What do you mean? We are in the same room—“

“In your bed. Like, sleep with you. Next to you, I mean. Like. Would that—how do you feel about that?”

Wednesday felt like she had touched a live wire, and suddenly, sleep was the very last thing on her mind.

She swallowed several times, her mind racing as she struggled to respond. Enid must have taken her hesitance as an answer, her laugh forced and full of nerves.

“You know what? Just forget I said anything. Um. It was—it was a dumb idea. I’m sorry—“

“Yes,” Wednesday found herself saying quietly, her muscles rigid as her heart pounded in her chest.

Enid paused. “What?”

Wednesday’s eyes fluttered shut, her fists twisting in her sheets as she forced past the lump in her throat. “Yes, you can… stay with me.”

A pause. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” The raven’s voice was barely above a whisper. Her stomach tossed with nerves as Enid quietly padded across the room and stopped next to her bed.

In the dim light, Enid’s silhouette hovered above her, the silence between them thick with something unidentifiable. Wednesday hesitated awkwardly before moving to a sitting position, felt her pulse thrum in her throat as she looked up into the nervous face of her best friend.

“I—“

“Scoot over,” Enid blurted out, her tone breathy as she shuffled forward, Wednesday startling into action to make room for the blonde.

Enid lifted the covers and quickly got in, the both of them slowly moving to lay down, the indescribable tension only thickening when Enid’s arm brushed against Wednesday’s beneath the blanket.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Enid asked softly, sounding worried. “I just—I thought maybe having some company might help you get to sleep.”

Wednesday wet her lips, clearing her throat lightly. “It is strange, having someone else in my bed. But I don’t mind it. As long as it doesn’t become a habit.”

She heard Enid hum in agreement as she got more comfortable. “Yeah, no, of course. Just wanna make sure you get some rest. Twenty-nine days is seriously insane, Wens.”

“I likely still won’t sleep through the night, even—even with you here, Enid,” Wednesday confessed, resisting the urge to fidget. “My dreams are… intense. I do not wish to wake you.”

“That’s okay. Just try, I’ll be here,” Enid murmured sleepily, turning on her side to face the seer, Wednesday all too aware of how close they were now. Her stomach mocked her, relentless in its turning.

As the silence settled over them once more, Wednesday couldn’t help but wonder how in the world she got here. Enid in her bed, of all places, was not something she had ever anticipated. Yet here they were. Enid was in her bed, and Wednesday was trying in vain to fight the nonsensical urge to erase the distance between them.

For what it was worth, she did try to sleep. She even counted guillotine executions in her head like she used to do when she was young. But nothing she tried could even partially distract her from the very real and very warm body next to her. Enid’s breathing was slow and even, her breath hot where it gently puffed against her shoulder, her face so close to Wednesday’s it was impossible to forget.

Eventually, Wednesday relented a little, giving in to the urge to draw closer. Her movements were slow and careful as she shifted to lay on her side. She froze when Enid stirred, the blonde sighing deeply as she unconsciously slung her arm over the seer’s waist, eliciting a sharp inhale from the smaller girl.

“Enid,” she said thickly, her throat constricting with an influx of emotion at the proximity. She didn’t dare move. She didn’t know why.

She didn’t know why she didn’t fight it when Enid hummed contentedly and pulled her to her chest. Or why she let out a relieved breath upon feeling Enid’s arms around her again, why she felt her exhaustion immediately return upon settling into the embrace.

Wednesday didn’t know why she felt such overwhelming, world-altering emotion for the girl who held her, but for once, she didn’t care.

So she surrendered to it. Pushing away all of her lingering insecurities, disregarding all of her meticulously constructed boundaries, Wednesday fell into Enid. Cautiously tucking her head under Enid’s chin, she pressed her face into Enid’s shoulder, exhaling roughly when the wolf tightened her hold and tangled their legs together. She was shy in the way she clutched at the front of her roommate’s sweatshirt, hesitant to wake the blonde from such a peaceful slumber. But eventually, she relaxed completely, sighing softly when her eyes finally slid shut as the adrenaline left her.

She supposed the morning would bring embarrassment and shame, but it felt safe now, in the darkness. She felt safe here, locked in the embrace of someone who cared about her so much that she would risk her own life to save her.

And with that certainty, Wednesday fell asleep.

——

There were three of them.

Three Hydes. She didn’t know where to run. They had surrounded her, encasing her completely in the dark forest. Her head felt thick, her vision swam. An all-too-familiar hopelessness clawed at her throat, threatening to suffocate her.

The beasts crowded her, their ravenous snarls deafening her ears and rattling her chest. And for one horrifying moment, Wednesday was afraid.

But just as one of the Hydes prepared to lunge, certainly intent on killing her in the most gruesome fashion, another presence made itself known. A werewolf.

Enid.

As all three Hydes turned their attention to the enraged wolf, Wednesday felt her heart sink, a crippling sensation of deja vu overtaking her as she stood fixed to her place, unable to move, rigidly watching the petrifying scene before her unfold.

They were tearing her to shreds. Blood, pieces of her. Enid, she didn’t stand a chance—

But then, ripping her out of her head for a second, a disembodied voice rang out. A voice, calling her name. Sounding urgent.

Wednesday clung to the sound, desperate to get away from the terrifying reality that was Enid being ripped apart in front of her, the monsters raucous and belligerent in their mauling of her. She had to get away. She must—

All at once, the seer was yanked from the scene, and in a very disorienting moment, struggled to place herself. The voice was still there, but she couldn’t make out what it was saying anymore. The Hydes were gone, and so was Enid’s writhing form, but all she saw now was darkness. She felt trapped, and constricted, her body thrashing to free itself from whatever held her, her mind filling with panic and tapping into survival instinct as she fought to protect herself from the unknown force.

Distantly, she registered a dull thump and a spark of pain as her body scrambled away. Only when she no longer felt restrained could Wednesday make out another sound, a noise much louder than the voice that was still speaking. After a delayed moment, she recognized it as breathing. Large, heaving, disjointed breaths that were coming from close by. They were coming from… from herself.

Her vision eventually cleared enough to take in her surroundings, and suddenly, she realized where she was, and what had happened.

Curled into herself against the wall, Wednesday sat on the floor of their shared dormitory, trembling profusely and crying silently, her haunted eyes meeting Enid’s horrified ones in a moment of raw shock, primal fear, and overwhelming shame.

Enid was still on Wednesday’s bed, frozen on all fours in a position that told the raven she had tried to keep her from falling off the edge. The throb of pain along her side was hard to ignore as Wednesday swallowed roughly, her stomach stirring with nausea, her face flushing with humiliation.

She had just suffered a nightmare so severe that she had actually thrown herself off the bed.

She couldn’t bear to look at Enid a second longer. Like a coward, she burrowed into the arms surrounding her knees, her form quaking with silent sobs as she hid in the darkness.

It was quiet for several moments, the stillness between them nearly stifling, the raven helpless to do anything other than childishly wish that none of this had ever happened, that she hadn’t opened up to Enid in the first place, that she hadn’t decided to share her bed with her—

The soft creak of the mattress alerted the seer to Enid’s movements, startling her into hugging her knees even tighter, spots of white dancing behind her eyelids from how forcefully she was pressing her face into them.

“Wednesday.” Her name was whispered from only a few feet away. Enid sounded hesitant. Scared, even. Another reason for shame.

Eventually, her roommate moved closer, slow in her movements, giving Wednesday plenty of time to move away if she wanted. But that was the most mortifying part of all—she didn’t want to.

In this moment, she wanted Enid close to her. She almost felt like she needed her, like every fiber of her being needed to crawl underneath the other girl’s skin and remain there forever. It was an extremely disconcerting and ultimately unmanageable feeling, and it terrified Wednesday to her core.

When Enid first touched her, it was only a featherlight brush of her hand on her quaking shoulder, but Wednesday recoiled, her back pressing hard into the wall. The tension in her body was almost painful, her mind at odds with the raw feeling in her heart—the feeling that begged her to let go of herself, to collapse into Enid’s waiting arms. But she struggled. She struggled so much, unable to reconcile her conflicting emotions, powerless against the compulsion to let Enid in.

Her name came in a gentler tone the next time Enid spoke, a tone that promised comfort and compassion, Enid’s voice coaxing her to give up the fight, and all at once, Wednesday deflated.

Blindly, she reached out, her shaking hand grasping at Enid’s shirt, clenching the soft material in an iron grip. The moment was tense, Wednesday’s last reservations falling away when she felt Enid’s fingertips trail across her arm and heard her whisper a soft encouragement.

“It’s okay, Wens,” Enid said, carefully moving into the raven’s space. “It’s all right, I’m here. It’s okay.”

Her words were all it took for Wednesday to lurch forward, every ounce of shame and self-hatred leaving her as she desperately clung to Enid, unabashedly clambering into her lap and throwing her trembling limbs around the blonde, tucking her face into her collar.

Enid responded immediately by wrapping her arms around the distraught brunette, pulling her as closely as possible in her lap. She shifted so that she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands gently adjusting Wednesday’s thighs around her torso as she hugged her fiercely.

Wednesday was shaking profusely, her eyes still burning with stubborn tears, her chest still tight with anxiety in the aftermath of such a tragic nightmare. She tightened her hold on Enid, hardly breathing, her fingers digging harshly into Enid’s sweatshirt as she strained to press herself even closer.

“Wens, you gotta breathe, okay?” Enid murmured, her hand tenderly holding the back of Wednesday’s head as the seer nearly squeezed the life out of her.

“Enid,” she gasped quietly, her voice muffled against her friend’s shoulder. Another flash of anxiety came over her and she exhaled a stuttering breath, legs squeezing around Enid as she fisted the front of her shirt and tugged her impossibly closer. “Enid—“

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” Enid said, her hands running soothingly up and down the seer’s back, a touch of worry bleeding into her voice. But Wednesday was inconsolable. She was barely aware of anything other than the terrors that she had witnessed in her dream, and even clinging to Enid like a helpless child was not enough to calm her down. All logical thinking had deserted her, and Wednesday was helpless against the all-consuming terror that filled her veins and clouded her mind.

She had lost her. Enid had been dead—

Her hectic state devolved into a full-blown panic attack, and Enid got to her feet, easily keeping Wednesday in a tight embrace as she made her way back to the bed, sitting on the edge before attempting to gently pry the raven from her shoulder. Wednesday’s grip only became more insistent, her entire body shaking uncontrollably as she whispered Enid’s name again in a broken tone.

Enid kissed along Wednesday’s hairline, her hands framing either side of her head as she murmured steadying words. She softly pressed her lips against the brunette’s ear.

“Wednesday, please breathe. You’re gonna pass out, baby. Just breathe for a few minutes. Everything is okay. I’m okay. We’re okay.” She reached for one of the fists clenching her shirt and guided it over her heart. “See? I’m all right. We’re safe in our room. Nothing is gonna hurt us. Please, breathe.”

Enid’s soft words gradually broke through to the traumatized girl, and Wednesday’s lungs stuttered as she took in heaving pulls of air. Now that she was finally getting oxygen again, Enid helped her regulate her breaths, the werewolf patient and steady as she led her through the attack.

Wednesday’s legs were still wrapped firmly around Enid’s waist, her hands nowhere near letting go of the pink sweatshirt, her face stubbornly tucked into Enid’s neck as she tried to mimic the slow pattern of her breathing. Her stomach filled with a strange fluttering sensation as Enid’s nails dragged lightly across her back in a repetitive, hypnotic movement. The touch was grounding, and combined with Enid’s soft whispers of encouragement, she felt her panic start to subside at last, eventually bleeding out of her completely until she sagged against the strong body of her closest friend.

They sat like that for a while, Enid pressing loving kisses to her hair until Wednesday shifted in her lap, slowly removing her face from Enid’s shoulder. Her eyes were closed in embarrassment, her brow wrinkled in a self-conscious scowl as her forehead nudged Enid’s. Her hands still shook as she hesitantly dragged them upwards, palms sliding over broad shoulders and settling against her neck for a beat before finally, carefully, they framed the blonde’s jaw.

Wednesday huffed quietly, her pulse tripling when Enid’s arms pulled her flush against her and she bumped her nose with her own.

“Enid,” Wednesday said in a small voice, her lip wobbling as she greedily took in the reality of Enid here, alive and with her. She swallowed, wanting to be even closer to the wolf, wanting to kiss her.

The fact that she wasn’t even appalled by that thought went to show how truly rattled she was.

“Wednesday,” Enid said, and Wednesday could hear the soft smile in her voice. Needing to see it for herself, the seer put aside her self-preservation and opened her eyes.

All she saw in Enid’s eyes was love.

She didn’t even realize she was crying until Enid was dabbing at her cheeks with her sleeve, the tenderness in her expression taking the raven’s breath away, the gentleness in her smile never wavering even when Wednesday let go of a quiet sob.

“It’s okay,” Enid murmured, her thumb brushing along Wednesday’s cheekbone. “God, you’re so strong, Wens. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but thank you for letting me be here.” She lit a fire beneath Wednesday’s skin when she leaned forward to kiss away a stray tear on her cheek. “Are you better now? Can I get you anything?”

Wednesday shook her head, silently reeling from how casually Enid had just kissed her. “I am sorry for waking you. F-for… behaving like this. I—”

“Nope. Not doing that.” She tucked a piece of hair behind Wednesday’s ear before her arms settled around her waist again. “I told you, I wanna be here for you. I wanna help. And I know you hate it, I know you’d rather, like, stab yourself in the eye or something than be vulnerable in front of someone else, but I’m never letting you go, so you’re just gonna have to get used to it.”

Wednesday worked her jaw, a surprise blush crawling up her neck at how well Enid could read her. Her fingers twitched against the blonde’s jaw, hands lowering to fidget with the blonde’s collar. A strange feeling swelled in her chest, and the words bubbled up from her throat.

“I watched you die,” Wednesday confessed, her voice ragged with grief. “I’ve never been so—you weren’t breathing, Enid, I—” Her face crumpled into a wince and she looked away, blinking back the moisture in her eyes as she wrestled herself back under control. When she met Enid’s gaze again, her own sadness and fear was there, taking up space in those precious blue eyes.

It shattered her heart.

“It wasn’t real,” Wednesday whispered then, almost urgently tugging on Enid’s shirt and shuffling closer in her lap. She couldn’t discern who exactly she was reassuring—Enid, or herself.

“I know,” Enid said, but there were tears in her voice. Her hands gently squeezed Wednesday’s hips. “I just hate that you had to see something like that.”

Taking in a shaky breath, Wednesday nodded, banishing all thoughts of her nightmare as she wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck.

“You’re here. That is all that matters.”

Enid hugged her tightly, burying her face in Wednesday’s shoulder. “Love you, Wens.”

Wednesday swallowed roughly, her stomach tossing once more at the casual admission, her face burning with the realization that she wanted to hear it again.

“Enid, you…” Wednesday shifted uncomfortably as she struggled for the right words. “Your well-being is… important. To me. You are—“ She broke off with a frustrated noise. “I care for you. So much that it agonizes me.”

“Wednesday,” Enid said, dragging her name out with a smile in her voice. She pulled back enough to drop a lingering kiss on the brunette’s burning cheek, which only deepened her color and made her pulse skip.

The feeling of Enid’s lips on her skin was nothing like Wednesday had ever felt. She was shocked that such a soft sensation appealed to her so much, was even more appalled by the less-than-innocent thoughts running rampant through her mind, the idea of Enid kissing more than just her cheek nearly causing the seer to choke on her own tongue.

Wednesday’s gaze was lidded when she caught Enid’s eye again, the darkness thankfully hiding the warmth in her complexion but doing nothing to conceal the tension between them. And then, slowly, intentionally, Enid leaned forward and pressed a prolonged kiss to Wednesday’s opposite cheek, her lips warm and impossibly gentle against her. Wednesday’s breath caught in her throat and she remained perfectly still, eyes fluttering shut as she reverently accepted the touch, something sinking inside of her when Enid finally pulled away. But her disappointment didn’t last long, because then Enid’s lips were on her forehead. And her temple. Both of her eyebrows. When they landed on her cheek again, Wednesday couldn’t help the way her chin lifted just slightly, blindly searching.

Their noses brushed and Wednesday’s eyes blinked open, both of them freezing an inch apart, the intimacy of the moment only deepening when Enid’s arms slowly encircled the seer’s waist and purposefully trapped her against her.

“Wednesday?” Enid murmured, cerulean eyes flickering to her mouth for only a second, but it was enough to send the raven’s head spinning.

She swallowed, her mouth dry. “Yes?“

“I like you,” Enid muttered through a heavy breath, eyes sliding shut as she rested her forehead against Wednesday’s and lightly squeezed her waist. “I like you so much, and I—it’s like I can barely function around you. I mean, in the best way, and. And I just wanna be with you all the time, and take care of you when you’re sad, or hurt, or anxious, and I—“ She paused, taking a deep breath before pulling back to look at Wednesday with a heart-wrenchingly earnest expression. “I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks, but I just haven’t had the guts to say anything because I was afraid you’d be grossed out, or take it the wrong way, or—and I didn’t. I don’t wanna ever make you uncomfortable, you know?”

Wednesday’s heart was in her ears, her face flushed pink as she blinked at Enid with wide eyes, her brain unable to form a single coherent thought. Enid floundered for a moment in the brief silence, a touch of worry wrinkling her eyebrows as her mouth moved wordlessly.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, this is—oh my god, this is the worst fucking moment I could’ve possibly chosen to say all this, and I’m—shit, I really. I’m really so, so sorry, Wens,” Enid finished with a wince, her arms retreating from Wednesday so that she could hide her face in her hands.

At Enid’s obvious distress, Wednesday felt her body act on its own, her heart twisting and her stomach clenching as she cradled Enid’s face in her hands and unconsciously shuffled forward on Enid’s lap. She heard the blonde’s breath hitch before her hands fell away from her face, her fingers immediately tangling together in a nervous fidget. Wednesday observed her openly, her thumbs carefully stroking warm skin as she worked her jaw.

“Enid,” she finally said, her voice hoarse and her breath labored. “Don’t apologize.”

Wednesday’s gaze dropped to stare at Enid’s lips just as the werewolf’s hands fisted in Wednesday’s shirt. They lingered in the tense moment, Wednesday almost erasing the distance before Enid interrupted the silence again.

“I just—Wednesday,“ Enid stuttered to a halt, brow still crinkled. “I mean, I wanna be… extra, extra clear, you know, so you don’t—so you know exactly how I feel, um… about you. I—when I say I like you, I mean—well, it’s just. I mean I—“

“Enid,” Wednesday cut in gently, her brown eyes wide and warm with something akin to affection. “I know. I… feel the same.”

Enid’s face lit up with a surprised expression and she exhaled a soft breath. “Really? You do?”

Nerves twirled deep in Wednesday’s stomach as she fully reckoned with the last several hours. She had bared herself to Enid in ways she had never even considered doing with another person, and although she had initially been unwilling, Enid had made her feel so comfortable and so completely protected that Wednesday felt the last of her walls crumble. There would be no more denying what she truly felt for Enid.

She gave a soft nod, her cheeks burning with self-consciousness as she let Enid study her for a long moment. Her arms fell to loosely wrap around her roommate’s neck, the muscle in her jaw ticking as the silence stretched on, Enid’s gaze burning a cavern into her soul.

Eventually, Wednesday huffed, her insecurities getting the best of her as she shifted in the embrace and cleared her throat.

“Say something,” she begged quietly, dark eyes averting to her lips before she looked away from the piercing stare. Her fingers fidgeted with blonde locks, her belly swarming with butterflies at her own vulnerability. Enid smiled brightly, that same awestruck wonder on her face as she reverently ran her hands down Wednesday’s back.

“Can I kiss you?” Enid whispered in a breathless rush.

The raven’s lips parted, her entire body flushing with an intense warmth. The brunette could do nothing but nod dumbly, her stomach tossing and turning violently within her when Enid’s eyes landed on her mouth, the seer’s hands automatically fisting the back of Enid’s sweatshirt.

Enid gave her a gentle, nervous smile before their foreheads made contact, the both of them sharing slow, deep breaths for an infinite moment. Wednesday swallowed, her heart thudding so loudly within her that she was sure Enid could hear it. The wolf only tightened her hold around Wednesday’s waist and hummed softly, her lips parting as she carefully tilted her chin up, the distance between them diminishing to mere millimeters.

Wednesday’s focus never left Enid’s mouth, her patience waning when their lips touched in the barest of brushes, Enid endlessly cautious not to startle Wednesday in any way. When she finally pressed in to the kiss, Wednesday’s breath left her in a harsh exhale, her body melting under the perfectly soft touch, her eyes fluttering shut in total contentment, her soul flooding with comfort and peace and everything she had been craving for weeks.

If she had known opening up to Enid would have led to this feeling, she would have given in ages ago.

Wednesday’s brow furrowed in mild concentration as she surrendered to it, her fingertips tangling in the ends of blonde locks as she focused on the sensation of Enid’s lips against her own. She was shocked to find that she felt no hesitation or regret in kissing Enid, unlike her first kiss with Tyler, which was everything this wasn’t.

With Enid, she felt safe, protected, and cared for. And although Wednesday had sworn off love since adolescence, she was beginning to believe that maybe it wouldn’t be so loathsome if it was Enid.

Enid’s hands framed her ribs as she leaned up into the kiss, Wednesday’s pulse tripping as she was brought even closer, her fingers trailing along Enid’s jaw to cup her face and kiss her with bold passion. She felt Enid’s breath hitch and her lips part, the heat of her mouth ripping the air right from the seer’s lungs. Wednesday heard herself release a small sound, her legs locking around Enid’s waist in a response so natural she was tempted to feel embarrassed. Her face burned when Enid pulled back slightly, her dark eyes wide with unfiltered vulnerability and the lingering urge to flee the situation entirely. Enid wouldn’t let her, instantly recognizing the look and bumping their foreheads together as she embraced her fully.

“You okay?” she checked softly, her blue eyes bright and searching. Wednesday nodded against her, her nerves kicking up again when she thought too hard about their position.

“It’s all right, Wens. Today has been a lot for you. I get it,” Enid murmured, taking in a deep breath. “Do you… do you wanna try to sleep again and we can talk in the morning?”

Wednesday shook her head, her thumbs carefully stroking the blonde’s cheeks as she worked her jaw.

“I… Enid, I need to know. What… this means for you. What we are doing. I’m not adept at—I cannot sleep not knowing exactly—“

“I wanna be with you,” Enid interjected breathlessly, and Wednesday’s heart skipped several beats at the pure devotion in her eyes. “In whatever way you’ll let me. But I just—I wanna be with you. Like… date you.”

“You would be my intended?” Wednesday asked, her voice small. A smile pulled at Enid’s lips as she nodded.

“If that’s what you want, yeah. You’d be my girlfriend,” Enid whispered, tears pricking her eyes. “Is that something—I mean, would you want that?”

The raven’s throat went dry, her stomach clenching as she considered the implications. “Enid… I wouldn’t be any good at it. I do not wish to hurt you.”

Enid shook her head and closed her eyes, bringing the brunette impossibly closer in her lap. “I think you’re perfect like you are, Wednesday. Yeah, you’re a little stubborn sometimes when it comes to opening up, but it’s only because you’re not used to it. And I know you well enough now to realize that you don’t mean to hurt me, if you do. I know you care about me, Wens. I can see it so clearly. You’re so… the way you treat me, it’s different from how you treat everyone else. And the way you look at me…”

Enid broke off, pulling back to look at the seer. She took one of her braids and gently laid it over her shoulder, colored nails fiddling with the plaits. When she looked back up, her eyes were filled with intense emotion.

“You look at me like… like I’m the sun. Like you’re glad I exist and you’re proud to know me, and it makes me feel so—Wednesday, you make me feel like I’m more than just what everyone else expects me to be, like I’m… important.” Enid paused, the insecurity in her voice signaling that she was speaking of her mother. Wednesday’s grip tightened on the taller girl, a fierce protectiveness rising up within her. Enid smiled at the subtle display. “Just being your friend has taught me so much. You’ve helped me see my worth, and I—I just really, really love you for it.”

Wednesday barely let her finish before she was hugging Enid with all of her might, her wayward emotions from earlier threatening to resurface after Enid’s heartfelt confession.

“You are all of those things. But you deserve someone who wouldn’t hesitate to provide you with whatever you desire, querida,” Wednesday mumbled into her shirt, the endearment slipping out easily. “I… want to be with you, but your happiness comes before anything else. To stand in the way of that would be narcissistic and conceited.”

“Wednesday, you’re not listening to me. You are what makes me happy. I only wanna be yours.”

Enid kissed her then, gently and with so much earnestness that Wednesday couldn’t help but believe her. The last of her reservations fell away, perhaps selfishly, as Enid kissed her, her lips warm and inviting. Wednesday felt bold when Enid’s tongue traced along her lower lip, barely hesitating to open her mouth and allow her access. She exhaled roughly through her nose, groaning softly at the tentative touch of their tongues, her belly pooling with heat as she fisted Enid’s sweatshirt and kept her pressed closely against her.

When they separated for air, Wednesday shifted in her lap, her eyes blinking open to stare openly at Enid.

“You are mine,” Wednesday murmured shakily before clearing her throat, her heart pumping rapidly as the next confession all but tumbled out of her. “I already belong to you, Enid.”

The brightest smile of all stretched across Enid’s face, her nose scrunching endearingly as she nudged Wednesday’s.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Wednesday Addams,” Enid sighed against her lips, sending an addictive chill down the raven’s spine.

Wednesday could only bask in the unfiltered love that permeated the space between them, deciding for once not to question why it felt so good, and why she was not repulsed by it. Instead, she fell into it, connecting their lips in a fearless kiss, mind, body, and soul plummeting recklessly into the sublimity of Enid Sinclair.