Chapter Text
“Inspection.” Wednesday said firmly, stomping her foot. Enid- only a few minutes from being asleep -rolled over and rubbed her eyes. Wednesday was already dressed in her uniform, but her hair was only in a loose braid. Her arms were folded as she looked intensely at Enid.
“Wuh?” She mumbled groggily trying to remember what Wednesday meant.
“Inspection.” Wednesday repeated. “Per the contract.” Enid blinked a few times, then her eyes widened as her memory came flooding back.
“Oh my god!” She crashed out of bed, dragging several of her blankets and pillows with her. “Right, sorry Wends.” She popped to her feet, kicking off the extra bedding. “Excuse me, sorry mistress.” She corrected noting the glower on Wednesday’s face. She didn’t respond, just began looking Enid up and down. She was wearing a sparkly pink, wolf onesie. If anyone else had given it to her, Enid might have taken it as an insult, but from Wednesday, she treated it sacredly.
“Turn around.” Wednesday ordered firmly. Enid complied, feeling her heart flutter just a bit as Wednesday stepped closer. She stared straight ahead, the mirror on her vanity showing Wednesday’s intense gaze scanning up and down. Enid had yet to figure out what Wednesday was looking at, given how baggy the onesie was. She heard the sound of the zipper go.
“Wednesday!” She yelped, stepping away. Wednesday grabbed the onesie and pulled her back.
“Be still.”
“What are you doing?”
“Be silent as well.” Enid bit her lip, her cheeks burning as Wednesday undid the zipper and then slipped the sleeves of the onesie off. Its bagginess let it slide all the way off and pool around her feet, leaving Enid in a very plain bra and panties. She squeezed her eyes shut, face flush with embarrassment. Of course Wednesday had seen her in underwear before, though only in passing. Now that dark, predatory gaze was fixed on her back and backside. She was too afraid to say anything else or move. Wednesday had such a way with her, especially since they’d signed that contract. Despite the electricity constantly humming in their room, this was probably the most sexual encounter they’d ever had. Wednesday was downright puritanical about physical contact, appropriate given her fascination with all things Victorian gothic. After what felt like a year, but was actually only about a minute, Enid heard footsteps retreating and then typewriter clicks. Her body was filled with adrenaline, and she knew for sure that she wasn’t supposed to move until Wednesday released her.
“You are free.” The inhumanly steady voice said. Enid frantically broke her stiff pose, dressed quickly and hurried out of the room mumbling about getting some coffee. Her whole body was burning up as she stumbled down the stairs. She was for once incredibly grateful that their room was isolated at the top of the tower, since it gave her some time for the blood to drain from her cheeks. A cool mist had settled over Nevermore as she exited the tower and made her way towards the courtyard. Hopefully a drink would calm her nerves. The queue before the coffee shop was mercifully short, and she had her drink in hand quickly.
“Where’s the fire?” Enid yelped and spun around. Yoko was standing, hand on her hip and staring with a bemused smirk. “I don’t think that’ll be enough to put it out.” She gestured at Enid’s brilliantly colorful and undoubtedly, sickeningly sweet drink.
“Nowhere. Nothing.” Enid stammered, taking an extremely long drink that made her head buzz with sugary goodness.
“Girl, your face looks like an apple.” Enid continued her drink, until she finally had to take a gasping breath. “What are you doing?” Yoko asked with a laugh.
“Nothing.” Yoko didn’t respond, just continued that critical gaze and wry smile. “Just worried about getting to class on time.” Enid eventually offered.
“It’s Saturday.” Yoko responded critically. Enid took another excessively long drink.
“I’m late for… practice.” Enid mumbled attempting to hurry past Yoko, but she reached out an arm and looped it through hers.
“Why don’t we take a walk?” Yoko said, guiding her towards the gatehouse that led to the gardens and lake.
“I do really have a thing to do.”
“Sure you do.” Yoko responded as they started down the path through the flowers. “And I’m the Empress of Rome.” Enid fell silent, sipping idly on her drink. The crisp fall air was helping her relax, and Yoko was letting her be quiet and enjoy the atmosphere. They crunched their way through leaf strewn paths, down to the lake. Yoko guided her to a wrought iron bench and they sat in comfortable silence for a while.
“Thanks for getting me away from people.” Enid said after a while.
“I just find the lake relaxing.” Yoko replied. “You just happened to come along.” Enid rolled her eyes.
“So what’s up?” Yoko asked, gaze fixed on the horizon.
“Can you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Divina?” Yoko glanced over for a split second.
“Sure.”
“Wednesday and I signed a contract.” An eyebrow raise was the only response. “A relationship contract.” The other eyebrow raised.
“When?”
“Like a year ago.” Both eyebrows went higher. “Your eyebrows look like they’re about to launch off your forehead.” Yoko laughed, stretching an arm out to rest behind Enid.
“There’s a lot about that confession I wouldn’t have expected.” She offered after recovering her composure. “Are these developments bad?”
“No it’s good, but we haven’t really… done anything.” Enid said.
“After a full year?”
“Well… I don’t think Wednesday has ever been in a relationship, and I’ve never been in one with a woman.” Yoko nodded understandingly. “We don’t really know what we’re doing.”
“So what happened this morning that left you looking and scrambling like a squirrel?” Enid shot her a side-eye, but was met with only an encouraging smile.
“Well, one of the lines in the contract is that Wednesday gets to call for an inspection of me whenever she wants. Normally she just does this to look at my outfit and it’s fairly casual and fun.”
“Sounds relatively normal, minus the whole contract thing.” Yoko interjected.
“But this morning,” Enid continued, knowing that if she stopped her nerves would take over and she would never start again. “This morning she unzipped my onesie.”
“Oh.”
“And then she…” Enid’s mouth and throat were parched despite how much coffee she’d drank in the past few minutes. “She stared at my butt.” Enid felt like she might burst into flames, but Yoko was reassuringly calm.
“I gotta say, staring at the butt after a year is a VERY slow progression.”
“Yeah, but it’s a lot for me.”
“Was it the first time Wednesday had seen your butt?”
“With that much focus it was.”
“I can see why that would be intense.”
“It gets worse.” The silence was thick enough to cut. “I have a penis.” Finally, Yoko’s mask of neutrality dropped and her mouth hung open as she stared at Enid, who was dutifully studying the texture of the foam on her drink.
“What?”
“I’m not saying it again.” Enid declared firmly. Yoko took a while to regain her composure and even longer to say anything else.
“Are you worried that Wednesday won’t accept you because of that?”
“Maybe.” Enid confessed, bowing her head. “I don't want her to think I’m weird.”
“Wednesday Addams loves weird. You should know that better than anyone.”
“I want her to love my weirdness.” Enid said, shocked at her own candidness. She partly wanted to walk into the lake and never come back, but Yoko’s presence was keeping her grounded. “I want her to love me.” She repeated.
“Do you think she doesn’t?”
“I don’t know.” Enid admitted quietly. “She’s never said it.”
“Have you ever said it?” Enid started to reply, but the words died. After a long wait:
“I guess not.”
“Maybe you need to initiate.” Yoko offered.
“According to the contract, I can’t.” That earned a snorting chuckle.
“Did you read this thing before you signed it?”
“Mostly. It was really long.” Yoko turned to face Enid directly and placed her hands on her shoulders.
“Enid, you are a bright young woman who deserves the best from your girlfriend. Contract be damned, if you want something from Wednesday you should ask for it.” Yoko smiled warmly. “Call it negotiations if she gets upset.” Enid nodded hesitantly. Yoko leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Enid and squeezed comfortingly. “You guys will be a great couple. I’ll keep your secret as long as you need.” She assured. Enid hugged her back, taking a few deep breaths of Yoko’s cozy aroma. She smelled like freshly cut wood, crisp and natural. They broke the hug and leaned back, staring at the lake. “And I’ll wait here until you’re ready to go back to your room.”
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Once Enid had left, Wednesday stared blankly at the page she’d just typed. It was gibberish. She had been working up the courage to inspect Enid without the onesie for a while. She hadn’t expected it to have such an intense affect on her. She wouldn’t say that she was fantasizing, but… Enid had a very nice butt. Not that Wednesday had seen many. After a while of daydreaming, she wandered out of her room, down the tower and through the halls of Nevermore. She had always enjoyed the aesthetic of the academy, even if most of the people inside it were annoying at best. She stopped at the cloister above the courtyard, watching the students below mingling. The contract with Enid was supposed to have helped. Instead, the past year had been more complex than ever. Wednesday was growing to regret the non-initiation clause she’d added to the contract. She wanted badly for Enid to communicate and ask for things. She wanted Enid to tell her she loved her. Despite being contractually identified as the dominant, she felt terrified to make any moves.
“Spotted any mysteries?” Wednesday glanced to her left where Agnes had suddenly materialized.
“Nothing besides the eternal question of why people voluntarily engage in such large social interactions.” She answered, feigning boredom. Agnes tilted her head slightly.
“You seem more tense than usual.”
“Quiet usually means something is about to erupt from the floorboards.”
“You’re looking forward to the next daring adventure.”
“Something like that.” Agnes took a step forward and leaned on the railing.
“Do you remember when you turned me away?” Agnes asked. Wednesday cringed internally, but didn’t say anything. “It helped me realize that I need my own identity. I couldn’t base my life around you.”
“Is there a point to this guilt-trip?”
“You’ve based your life around being a horror novel protagonist. Maybe you should look for something else.” Agnes offered timidly.
“Like what?” Agnes didn’t say anything for a while, her big, bright eyes staring blankly at the courtyard below.
“Enid.” Wednesday’s mask briefly slipped and she shot Agnes a viscous look.
“If you’ve been stalking me again, I will hang you from your own ponytails.”
“That’s a familiar Wednesday.” Agnes said with a slight smile. “But I haven’t. It’s obvious. Both of you talk about each other constantly. Eugene knows it too.”
“I sometimes forget how much other people like gossiping.” Wednesday ground out. “I will never understand the appeal of romantic speculation.”
“Is it speculation?” Agnes asked innocently. It was a more pointed question than she realized. Wednesday tapped her biceps in thought, her desire to confide in someone fighting with her natural inclination to secrecy. Then again, Agnes had proven an invaluable ally and a trustworthy… friend. Wednesday was somewhat shocked at the realization, but it was true. Agnes was her friend. She could trust her.
“No.” She finally said. Agnes didn’t react. “Enid and I signed a relationship contract last year.”
“That’s a long time.” Agnes observed.
“Romance- like revenge -takes time to be done well.” She answered swiftly. “We’re navigating the relationship.”
“It sounds more like you’re avoiding it.”
“We signed a contract.”
“Did that make it easier to navigate?” Agnes asked. Wednesday was silent for another long while. She saw no point in continuing to be guarded with Agnes but was still struggling to find a way to articulate herself. It was an uncommon and uncomfortable problem for her.
“Somewhat.”
“Maybe you should renegotiate the contract. It’s not a god.” Agnes looked at Wednesday with a smile. “And if it was, you’d love nothing more than to ignore its commandments.” Wednesday returned the smile, but smaller.
“I’m sorry I mistreated you.” Wednesday offered. “You have much more going on than I thought.” Agnes shrugged and returned to her perfect posture.
“I have something else for you.” Agnes reached into her pocket and produced a document with ‘classified’ stamped across the front. “It’s a report about a serial killer making his way up the coast.” Wednesday scanned the report briefly. It was from the CIA.
“Is this why you were gone last week?”
“You aren’t the only one interested in mysteries.” Agnes answered and started to turn away, but came back. “You should talk to Enid soon, but I’ll keep your secret as long as you need.”
“Good. Otherwise-”
“I know.” Agnes said, slipping away on silent footsteps. Wednesday folded the report carefully and tucked it into her blazer. She wasn’t quite ready to return to her room yet. Just a little longer.