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Chapter Text

Yoko grabbed two bags of blood and put them on her tray, then stood in line at the coffee counter. Nevermore cafeteria coffee was truly terrible and she usually limited herself to one at breakfast and just stuck with blood and maybe some for-the-flavour-only human food at lunch, but fuck did she need more caffeine today.

"Hey."

Yoko jumped at Divina's voice. She realized that in her exhaustion she had been just standing there, dazed, staring in the general direction of the seating area. "Hey," she replied, mustering a small, sad smile.

"Is it okay if I sit with Trina and them today?" Divina asked.

Yoko nodded, and got a small, sad smile in return, and a little squeeze to her hand. Some days Divina sat with Yoko and the rest of their shared friends out in the quad, and sometimes she sat with a group of other sirens. Yoko had already known that today was going to be in the latter category.

It was days like this that made Yoko wish that she was a bit better at being a creature of the night. Most of the other vampires at Nevermore had this too-good-for-this-shit attitude towards sleeping at night and going to classes during the day, so they stayed up until all hours anyway and mixed three parts caffeine and one part brooding into these oh-look-at-me-I'm-so-vampiric personas that she couldn't fucking stand.

Yoko, on the other hand, actually preferred sleeping at night. Her dads had always been amused by this but didn't stop her, and she was quite happy to tell any of the other fangs who hassled her about it to shove it up their asses. She did like a good strong cup of coffee, but if she didn't get her full eight hours – nine, when she could manage it – no amount of caffeine was enough to stop her from being not just irritable and no fun to be around, but also barely functional.

She cast one more sad glance towards Divina, now chatting animatedly with her fellow scales, and headed to the courtyard. Divina, source of joy. Divina, the absolutely infuriating. Divina, the reason she hadn't been able to close her eyes until 3am. 

They'd had plans to hang out and do homework, and then to watch a movie and maybe make out a little. It had all been going great, homework almost done, when all of a sudden, they were fighting. It wasn't even about anything important. Yoko said some things that she shouldn't have, which she always did when they fought, then Divina got downright nasty, and – well, then Divina had stormed off, and that was that. Yoko couldn't stop replaying it in her head on an endless loop, which meant she hardly slept. And, sure, they'd seen each other at breakfast and made up, just like they always did, but Yoko knew she wouldn't really feel past it until tomorrow.

Sigh.

She made her way out to the quad, towards the table their group had informally claimed as their lunch space when the weather was good, and plopped down with the very opposite of vampiric grace. Only Wednesday and Ajax were here so far. The two seemed to be studiously ignoring each other, the former reading a book and the latter occupied with his phone. She exchanged a small nod with each.

It was funny how different those two nods felt. The one from Ajax would have pissed her off if it wasn't exactly what she expected from his permanently stoned ass, so mostly it just made her internally roll her eyes. He was, for the most part, a friendly guy – a little quiet, sure, but friendly enough. Or, at least, friendly enough with other dudes. When Yoko was feeling charitable, she chalked it up to him being shy with girls, but he turned it on and off too easily for that to be true. When Enid was around, he would chat and joke and banter with Yoko too. But when Enid wasn't there, he would almost completely ignore her. Asshole.

But with Wednesday – well, the flicker of eyes in Yoko's direction and the tiny movement of Wednesday's head made her feel a little bit smug and a little bit happy, even through the haze of her exhaustion and her sadness about Divina. Wednesday had increasingly been joining the group for lunch, and even sometimes for other occasions, in the months since the undead pilgrim bigot tried to burn down the school. Her rare contributions to the group conversation were always morbid, invariably smart, and sometimes hilarious, and Yoko thoroughly enjoyed them, even when they involved threatening her with grievous bodily harm. It was very clear that Wednesday was present mostly for Enid – which also spoke well for her, as far as Yoko was concerned. But things had shifted ever-so-subtly in the last couple of months. Wednesday still treated Xavier with active hostility – boundary-ignoring motherfucker that he is – and clearly got along with Eugene, who had also started eating with them, but she mostly ignored everyone else in a one-on-one kind of way. However, it seemed like Yoko and Bianca had been promoted somehow. They would get head-nods, greetings, and sometimes only-sort-of-hostile interactions independent of the group setting that suggested that Wednesday considered them worthy of her time and respect. And, sure, maybe it didn't make a lot of sense to be pleased because an unpleasant person was being less unpleasant towards you, but Yoko was starting to believe Enid's explanations for her roommate – that she wasn't a terrible person, she was just deeply weird, not very good at people, and had mile-high self-protective barriers. Yoko felt pretty honoured to be seeing those barriers lowered for her, even if it was only very slightly. And Yoko was, generally speaking, a fan of the deeply weird.

It didn't take enhanced vampire hearing to detect the half-hum, half-squeal of delight from a certain werewolf as she walked across the quad. Enid was grinning broadly. "It's my three favourite people!" 

Yoko smiled back, a much more genuine one than she'd managed for Divina, and Enid winked across the table at her as she sat down. Enid gave Wednesday's hand a quick squeeze – and got no complaint in response, Yoko noted. Then she turned to Ajax for what was clearly meant to be a quick peck on the lips. Except he put his arm around her, pulled her in, deepened the kiss, and...it just went on and on.

Yoko felt an unpleasant little angry spark in her gut. She was no prude – kiss when you want and where you want, and fuck anyone who objects, right? Goodness knows she's made out with Divina in more than a few classrooms and hallways. But Enid, for all that she was going along with it, was looking pretty damn uncomfortable. Like, even if you don't care about reading the room, what kind of dick is so oblivious to what the person he's kissing clearly wants? Oh, right, that kind of dick.

In making her eyes be anywhere but on Enid, she glanced at Wednesday. Despite Enid's insistence that her roomie was not actually that hard to read, Yoko had yet to figure out her tells. But the look she was currently directing at Ajax seemed to speak clearly and openly of murder, even more so than usual.

When Wednesday looked over at her, Yoko made a face that she hoped signalled commiseration. Wednesday's head tilted slightly to the side and her expression got less murderous. Yoko had no idea what to make of it, but if she had to guess, there was something speculative about it.

A red-faced Enid, lips now liberated from her boyfriend's, cleared her throat. "So, ah, have any of you started that assignment from Mr. Dalal?"

And then it was all talk of homework and teachers and studying. Xavier, Bianca, Kent, and Eugene soon joined them. Nobody asked about Divina's absence, although she figured Bianca's brief look of sympathy was related. And it all felt good. Yoko was soon much less sad about her fight with her girlfriend, less irritated with her bestie's boyfriend, and more able to face the afternoon's classes.

Except as they were all getting packed up to head on their way, and she and Enid were figuring out what time they'd meet in the library that evening to struggle their way through calculus homework, Ajax piped up.

"But, baaaaabe," he said, whine-mode in full effect, "aren't you going to come and watch me and the boys play Mario Kart tonight?"

Enid replied, "Can I maybe do that another night? I really need to figure out this calculus before our quiz."

"But baaaabe," he whined again.

There was a flicker of weariness on the werewolf's usually sunny features, and then it was gone. She smiled apologetically at Yoko. "Maybe we can do the calculus tomorrow?"

"Seriously?" Yoko replied. But she couldn't say no to Enid, who was currently making big puppy eyes at her and blinking. "Fine. But I'm going to at least try to start on it tonight."

"You're the best!" Then a quick hug for her, a light touch on Wednesday's arm, and Enid was on her way, hand in hand with Ajax.

And Wednesday was looking at Yoko again, with that same look she couldn't decipher.

# # #

Despite the fact that her dorm room was a single and she therefore had complete control over everything from lighting to music to general ambience, Yoko knew herself well enough to know that she was much more likely to get work done if she was some place less comfortable – the temptation to lie on her bed and lose herself in a novel was just too strong. So, grumbling about unreliable werewolves and excessively needy man-boy gorgons, she hauled her ass to the other side of the school and found an out-of-the-way corner in the library where she could swear to herself about integrals.
 
Which she was deep in the middle of doing when she happened to look up from her notebook to see a pair of dark brown eyes staring at her from the other side of the table. 

"Fuck, Addams! You almost gave me heart attack!"

Wednesday quirked an eyebrow. "Vampires cannot have heart attacks."

"I know that. Fuck. You know what I mean." Yoko closed her eyes for a few seconds, willing herself to calm down. When she opened them, Wednesday was still staring at her. "Okay, ha ha, the human snuck up on the vampire, hilarious. Was there anything else?"

There was a flash of barely-there something-or-other on Wednesday's face that this time Yoko was pretty sure was amusement. "Members of my family have fought duels over smaller insults than being called 'human.' And the hilarity was purely accidental, though enjoyable just the same." Wednesday hesitated. "I was waiting for a suitable moment to interrupt your work."

"Well, you managed to interrupt me, congratulations. And?" 

"I am here to..." Wednesday took a long, slow breath. "I am here to ask for your assistance."

Yoko blinked. "My assistance?" Her imagination jumped to half a dozen possible scenarios in which Wednesday Addams might be asking her for help. "I'm not helping you kill someone. And I'm not helping you hide a body."

"I would hardly ask an amateur like you for assistance in those areas. My dilemma is...somewhat more serious."

Yoko did not like the sound of that. Her first impulse was to say no outright and just avoid whatever disaster she was being invited into. But Enid wouldn't want her to do that. And...well, underneath the strong current of unease, she was also feeling a little bit of that smugness and happiness from earlier in the day. Wednesday thought she was worthy of asking for help! So Yoko gestured to a chair.

Wednesday sat, but stayed silent. She was wearing a different micro-expression, and Yoko had no idea what this one meant. "Wednesday?" she prompted.

The other girl took another deep breath in and out. "Right," Wednesday said at last. "Lately, I have found myself in an...unpleasant situation, and have become less and less sure how to navigate it. So I have been observing what our peers do in similar situations. And mostly, they seem to have one or more people with whom they can share those experiences and who can provide some assistance – sometimes just pointers for enduring the misery, sometimes more practical advice. This is not at all my usual approach for dealing with things, but I'm at a loss, and I'm willing to take desperate measures."

Okay, weird. But not quite the flavour of weird that Yoko had been expecting. And she did not like the sound of where it was going, frankly. Plus, decoded a bit, it also sounded really fucking sad. She knew Wednesday wasn't very social, but the idea of having to investigate what people did to deal with problems in their lives – fuck. 

Wednesday went on, "Here is my proposal: We would determine some sort of mutually agreeable schedule – nothing too onerous – for us to meet. At these meetings, I would relate my experiences pertaining to this specific unpleasantness over the time since our last encounter. You would provide whatever feedback seemed relevant." Wednesday clenched her jaw and then continued. "You would, of course, be sworn to secrecy. I am open to whatever form of compensation would be most appropriate. I know your family is wealthy, so money is unlikely to be of interest. I could, perhaps, bring harm to one of your enemies. But I am open to other suggestions. I know this is likely to require some thought on your part, so feel free to take a few days to come up with a counter-proposal."

Yoko stared back at the other girl, taking a minute to see if she could puzzle out the actual implications of what she'd just heard, underneath the Wednesday-flavoured weirdness. "Wednesday, has someone done something to you?"

This time the micro-expression was clearly disdain. "Don't be ridiculous. No, it's nothing like that."

"Hey, don't be like that – it can happen to any of us. But...yeah, what kinds of unpleasant situation are we talking, then?"

"I will not discuss specifics until we have an agreement and I can be sure of your silence."

"Ooookay." Yoko tried to get the dozens of other questions that she had into some kind of order. "So this is not me saying no, but why not just talk to Enid? I know you're more comfortable with her than anyone else around here, and I'm sure she'd be happy to help."

Wednesday's face got sufficiently murdery that Yoko sat back a little in her chair. "Enid would not be suitable for dealing with this particular set of experiences."

Well that narrowed things down. Enid wouldn't want to hear about some of Wednesday's morbid investigation stuff, for instance. Though if that was the issue, Wednesday would hardly be looking to the example of other students to figure out what to do. It was clearly something personal. 

"Okay," Yoko said, "fair enough. But if this is, like, an excuse for you to complain about how hard she is to live with – I mean, I'd get it, I've shared a room with her a few times, and as much as I love her, she can be a lot. But she's my best friend, so I don't think I'd be the right person to listen to you complain about how she growls in her sleep and how obsessive she gets during hockey season."

If anything, Wednesday was now looking even more murdery. "That is not what this is about."

"Okay, okay. Just making sure we're clear. Next thing: Have you thought about talking to a therapist about whatever this is?"

"The last time the threat of state violence forced me to spend time talking with a therapist, not only was it the opposite of helpful, but the therapist in question ended up brutally murdered. And I didn't even have the pleasure of doing it myself."

"Riiiight. Okay, so no therapy." Yoko ran her hand through her hair. "And you're sure you won't tell me what this is all about yet?"

Wednesday just glared.

"Fine. One more question: Why me?"

And suddenly, the murdery look was gone. Wednesday looked down at her hands. "There are a number of reasons why I've approached you, and I would be willing to share them once we have an agreement. But I'll tell you one of the more important ones now. You've clearly made the very obvious inference, based on my responses to your questions, that I have some cautions in this yet-to-be-disclosed area that relate to Enid." Wednesday looked up. She looked...was that sad? Nervous? "I want to speak to you about this precisely because you're Enid's best friend. I'll want you to give me whatever good-faith feedback seems appropriate, based on your experience with these things. But because Enid is so important to you, I know I can trust that whatever you tell me will have her best interests at heart."

Huh. 

Yoko had still been leaning strongly towards saying no – even if it didn't seem to be quite the kind of disaster she had first anticipated, it still had 'hot mess' written all over it. But it really did sound like, whatever was going on, Wednesday was trying to look out for Enid, and Yoko was in full support of that. Plus, she was once again feeling her earlier sadness and compassion at Wednesday's isolation and, let's face it, her inability to function like a normal not-quite-human being.

Hmmm.

"Let me think about it," Yoko said at last. "I'll get in touch when I've made up my mind."

Wednesday nodded sharply and left.

Chapter Text

Yoko was lying on her bed, the Inter-Outcast Relations textbook open in front of her, but she was mostly looking over at Enid, who was sprawled sideways in a chair, legs over one arm of it, and scowling adorably down at the book in her lap. 

"I mean, give me a break," Enid said. "How can anyone enjoy this shit?" The book in question was an urban fantasy novel she'd picked the week before from the ample and eclectic selection on the shelves along every wall of Yoko's dorm room, to read for an independent project in a Media Studies unit about the representation of outcasts in normie pop culture. "The vampires are the most unrealistic thing ever, just kind of zombie things controlled by humans. How insulting is that?"

Yoko made a vague noise of agreement. 

"And don't get me started on the lycans. Like, everybody knows there's no such thing as were-rats – it's just dumb, why would someone even write a story with were-rats in it. And I've never met a were-hyena that acts anything like the one-dimensional sex-crazed maniacs in this story. Plus, it's full of all the usual toxic stereotypes about us always having alphas and rigid pack hierarchies, and that we are supposedly sooooo much more homophobic than normies. I mean, have you seen the kinds of messed up laws that normies are passing these days? Werewolves are nowhere near as bad as that."

Yoko resisted the temptation to comment. She regularly thanked whatever divine entities might be listening that vampire culture was super fucking gay. From where she sat, the old people in charge of most normie and werewolf spaces in the US were equally fucked when it came to gender and sexuality, but she did her best not to rub that in the face of her almost-entirely-closeted bi werewolf bestie. 

Enid seemed to have paused her rant to wait for a reply, though, so Yoko decided to respond to a different part of what she'd said. "So I know this doesn't make the novel good and I know lots of packs don't, but, like, your pack buys into all of that toxicity and hierarchy stuff, right?"

The werewolf groaned. "I know – I haaaaate it. And books like this just make it worse." Enid leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed dramatically. "I just want to be able to exist, you know? Have my pack around me, be me, live my life. And then to have books like this romanticizing the worst things that some werewolves do, and making it out like that's the only way we can be – makes it hard to imagine that it'll ever get any better, y'know?" 

This was veering awfully close to potential existential crisis territory for Enid, so Yoko decided to change the subject to one that, at least lately, had been a much happier one for the werewolf – and one that might also be useful to Yoko herself, given the decision she had to make. "How's the little psycho doing these days?"

Enid glared at her, no doubt for the description of her roommate, but then couldn't hold back her smile. "She's good! I'm just so happy that we aren't fighting any more, y'know? Like, she hasn't threatened to kill me in weeks."

"It was literally just yesterday that I heard her tell you that she would break your wrist if you didn't stop texting her."

Enid grinned. "Awww, she didn't mean that. I mean, I'm the one who convinced her to actually carry that phone that stupid Xavier gave her. And she sometimes even texts me back!"

"But, like, everything is alright with her?" Yoko pressed.

"Far as I know. Why?"

Before Yoko could come up with an answer, there was a knock at her door. "You in there, babe?" It was Divina.

Yoko jumped up and let her girlfriend in, greeting her with a quick smooch. Enid waved at Divina from the chair. Divina smiled warmly back, but her eyes flickered over to Yoko.

Oh. Right. Yoko cleared her throat. "Hey, I didn't realize the time. Aren't you supposed to be meeting Ajax?"

Suddenly, Enid was scrambling. "Oh, shoot. Yes." She looked apologetically at Divina. "I'm so sorry, Divi – it's been, like, so long since the three of us hung out, but I'm half an hour late already."

"That's okay," Divina said.

"Thanks," Enid replied with a smile. She pulled Yoko into a tight, quick hug, which the vampire returned, then reached out to hug Divina. A split second pause, and Divina leaned in and reciprocated, making a face at Yoko behind Enid's back.

One of the more eye-roll-worthy challenges in Yoko's life at the moment was that Enid absolutely adored Divina, but Divina did not adore Enid. She kept it well hidden, and Yoko was pretty sure Enid had no idea, but it meant that Yoko did her best to do things like, say, schedule time with each of them with zero or minimal overlap except when the whole group was going to be present, which she had tried to do today except she and Enid had lost track of time. 

Once Enid bolted off in the general direction of Ajax, she and Divina cuddled up on her bed, caught each other up on on their respective days, and turned, once again, to homework. Divina was quite a bit more studious than either Yoko or Enid, and was entirely focused on some sort of geography-related something-or-other. Yoko still had the Inter-Outcast Relations book in front of her, but was again mostly ignoring it – now, in favour of worrying about what she was going to tell Wednesday.

The shape of her dilemma was pretty much the same as it had been after their surprise encounter in the library. The specifics that Addams had proposed were ridiculous, of course – seriously, periodic one-sided listening to some sort of rant in return for acts of violence against targets of her choosing? Who but Addams would come up with something like that? It was, as she'd felt at the time, both deeply sad and also pretty hilarious. But Yoko was sure she could nudge the actual arrangement in other directions if she ended up agreeing to help. But the question was, should she?

Part of her wanted to say yes. Two parts, in fact. She was pretty sure, for one thing, that if Enid had been allowed to know about whatever this was, she would've wanted Yoko to do it. She was a little worried that Enid might get jealous or something if she somehow found out that she and Addams were spending time together – Enid was nothing if not dramatic – but she was pretty sure that Wednesday having whatever help she needed would take priority for the werewolf. And Yoko wanted to do it for Wednesday, too. She knew enough about the other girl, both from her own observations and from Enid, to know that an act of reaching out like this was super rare for her, and it seemed just kind of mean to think about refusing it. And it also, again, made Yoko feel special that Wednesday had asked her.

At the same time, agreeing to a request from Wednesday Addams before knowing what it was actually about seemed like a very, very risky thing to do. You didn't have to spend much time with her – seeing how she interacted with people and listening to the occasional details she would let slip about her family and her life beyond Nevermore – to know that her world and her way of understanding it were put together very differently than most people's, including most outcasts. When this came out in the form of threats or scorn or misunderstanding with their friends, it was mostly amusing – at least, it was to Yoko, though she knew some of the others were considerably more disturbed by it. But it also meant that trying to guess what was going on behind those grim, beautiful eyes by trying to extrapolate from how a normal person might react to the world around them was pretty much a lost cause. And the girl seemed to both generate and attract all manner of chaos. Yes, Enid was fully past Wednesday putting her in harm's way last semester, and Yoko was quite happy to go along with that, but she hadn't forgotten either. 

"Hey." Divina spoke softly. "You done yet?"

Yoko saw that her girlfriend's books were closed. She grinned and, despite not having read a word in half an hour, closed the one that was sitting in her own lap. "Well look at that, I'm done too."

Divina smiled back and leaned in for a kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled back and said, "I have to go back to my room pretty soon – there's a dawn swim tomorrow that I can't miss, and I need to get a good sleep. But...you want to have a sleepover on Friday?"

Yoko put her arms around her girlfriend and let the intensity of her kiss be her reply. 

# # #

The next morning, Yoko was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for her alarm to ring. Despite not being a morning person, it did sometimes happen that anxiety would wake her before her alarm, and prevent her from getting back to sleep. She thought about picking up a comfort book from her shelves to help calm herself, but she suspected it wouldn't work. Right now, her brain was focused on the problem that was Wednesday Addams – specifically, on how she might figure out what the seer wanted from her before committing to anything.

Her anxiety stemmed largely from her conclusion that she had very few options.

It didn't seem like Enid would be much help, for one thing. She couldn't ask anything that would arouse her friend's suspicions – it seemed pretty clear that Wednesday wanted to keep Enid unaware of whatever was going on, and even if she ended up saying no to Wednesday, she had no desire to actively piss her off. And based on their interaction the night before, it seemed like Enid either didn't know anything anyway, or maybe she did but she didn't want to talk about it. 
  
That left only one other possible approach to trying to figure this out, and it wasn't one she was particularly keen on. And she wasn't keen on it because it was at best kind of tacky, and at worst downright creepy.

Communities like Nevermore which had a high density of multiple kinds of outcasts in one place -- with or without normies in the mix – depended on a certain spirit of discretion and compromise in order to function. For instance, this was why, as much as most of them complained about it, vampires and other nocturnal outcasts at Nevermore put up with having their days reversed. Vampires also grudgingly agreed to only consume blood from bags in such contexts, even though most covens had arrangements that enabled them to consume at least some of their blood the way the universe intended. (Such arrangements were for the most part not precisely illegal, even in normie law, but they did tend to make normies and even other outcasts freak the fuck out if vampires were too open about them.) Sirens had to wear their amulets, younger werewolves and other lycans had to spend their full-moon transformations in cages, and so on. The more normie-adjacent varieties of outcast had to put up with less, of course – there was definitely a strong dose of normie-supremacist bullshit in the specifics of how these things usually worked in practice. But Yoko agreed in principle that a certain amount of compromise wasn't a bad thing.

One area that presented certain additional complexities had to do with what Yoko's Inter-Outcast Relations textbook liked to refer to as "the sensory acuity issue." That is, some outcasts had senses that were far, far more sensitive than the human baseline. In some cases, this was technically true but didn't matter much. Sirens, for instance, could hear and smell under water much better than humans, but there were very few circumstances in which that had any impact on anybody else. Some psychics and witches could sense the presence of other sentient creatures even when they couldn't see or hear them, and some witches apparently also had enhanced smell and taste. Where it mattered, though, was when it came to werewolves and vampires. Furs could hear and smell somewhat more effectively than humans even when they were in human form, and all of their senses radically sharpened when they were in wolf form. And fangs could see, smell, and hear far, far better than humans, all the time.

The tricky part was that even though the Nevermore curriculum dealt with "the sensory acuity issue" in a pointed way in the first month of the first year, and came back to it from a few different angles at several points in subsequent years, most non-vamps and non-wolves seemed to forget about it most of the time. Or maybe it was that they got it intellectually, but they never really internalized what it meant, Yoko wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, most of Nevermore's residents who didn't themselves have senses that were supercharged in the ways that mattered seemed to forget how much of their personal lives they were broadcasting to a significant minority of their classmates – not only through when their hearts beat faster, when they were aroused, and who they smelled like, but also by doing or saying things that they meant to be secret when any passing lycan and (particularly) vampire could easily hear them. Yoko had absolutely no desire to know that Missy Grumilka was cheating on her girlfriend with Liz Morgan, who was also cheating on her boyfriend, but they were always making out – quite noisily, to vampire senses – in the empty classroom next to her Tuesday afternoon history class. (Okay, before she was dating Div she might've been interested to know that Liz was queer – she was pretty hot. But, then, Yoko wouldn't want to date a cheater, so.) Nor did she want to hear the grossly objectifying things that so many of the cis het teenage boys in the school felt free to say to each other about the school's girls and women when they thought none of said girls and women could hear them, not to mention the racist bullshit that slipped out of the mouths of some of the white students. 

As messed up as it often felt, the largely unspoken norm that the wolves and vamps felt obliged to obey was to do their best to not draw undue attention to the things they heard, saw, and smelled that normies would not have. Not that it never happened, of course. If you smelled that your significant other was getting busy with someone else, you weren't expected to pretend otherwise. And sometimes things heard or smelled did turn into whispers and then into drama – and Enid's blog certainly contributed to that. Of course, she was careful about what she published, and she never admitted it when such sordid snooping played a role in sourcing a particularly juicy story, but the werewolves and vampires all knew that Enid sometimes resorted to it. (To be fair, Yoko occasionally passed her bestie a tidbit or two she had discovered that way too – especially if she could cause trouble for assholes who deserved it.) But, even so, probably inspired ultimately  by a commitment to self-preservation in the face of non-supersensing outcasts who would likely be pretty pissed if they ever really understood how they were telling on themselves all the time, the werewolves and vampires of Nevermore were surprisingly discrete about such things. Hell, Yoko had even heard about a case that happened the year before she started at the school where everyone with a super-sensitive nose knew that a poor siren girl was pregnant for weeks before she knew herself, and no one said a word until some idiot werewolf boy assumed she already knew and asked her what she planned to do about it.

Anyway. The point was, Yoko had certain advantages, even if it was generally frowned upon to use them in this way. She could see in pitch dark as if it was noon and hear footsteps, heartbeats, and conversation from significant distances, and she could detect scent as well as anyone else in Nevermore who wasn't a fully transformed werewolf. As a vampire, she could stay preternaturally still and blend with the darkness in a way that was not guaranteed to avoid detection by ordinary eyes, but often did. So, dammit, she was going to spy on Wednesday Addams and learn her secrets.

So, confident that she had arrived at a plan of action, and moving at a rather more leisurely pace than her usual morning scramble, Yoko changed into her uniform, put on a little make-up, and made her way to the cafeteria to obtain some coffee and blood. She joined most of the friend group – including Divina, whom she gave a chaste morning kiss – at their usual table.

It took only a few minutes for Yoko to realize that supersensory surveillance was going to be a rather more limited tool than she'd hoped. In this sort of setting, she could pay as close attention to Wednesday as she liked and she still wasn't going to learn anything. Wednesday smelled of herself – ink, something faintly floral, and a hint of what Yoko could only describe as 'freshly cleaned crypt', which she had never smelled before from anyone who was not themselves undead – and a little bit of Enid, in the way that roommates always smelled a little of one another due to sharing space. And her heartbeat was, as always, about one-quarter the rate of a normie, and it only changed the two times that Enid touched her arm. Again, no surprise – Addams made no secret of detesting touch, and her heart rate did tend to go up a little whenever anyone got too close. Unlike anyone else, Enid was actually able to make contact without getting stabbed. That particular tussle between the two of them had been settled some time ago, and it was hardly news that Wednesday had given up on trying to fend off her extremely tactile roommate, as long as she didn't go too far, but her physiological response to it seemed pretty much the same as for any other intrusion into her space. 

And then there was class. Which turned out to be similarly unenlightening. No other students and no topics of conversation elicited any particularly strong reaction from Wednesday. Despite the girl's claim to be having some sort of unpleasant experiences, Yoko could detect absolutely nothing different from how she always ways. It was very frustrating.

Her first potential break occurred at lunch. Part way through, as sometimes happened, Addams slipped away from their table without explanation. So in what she hoped was a suave and subtle way, Yoko waited briefly, made some excuse, and took off as well. Both Enid and Divina were frowning at her as she did so – okay, perhaps she wasn't that suave and subtle – but she didn't have time to waste. She followed Wednesday's scent, keeping a suitable distance. It led her out of the school, across the grounds, and towards the beehives. Yoko peered from the trees as Wednesday entered the beekeeping hut, and was debating trying to get a look in a window when her target came right back out again, heading for the path to the school. Yoko ducked behind a tree and waited. She heard Wednesday's footsteps pause briefly when she was even with Yoko's hiding spot, but then they continued.

Yoko waited for a minute then snuck into the hut herself. She'd never actually been in here before and had no idea what beekeeping gear was supposed to look like, so she couldn't tell if anything was out of place. But she spotted a small pile of snacks on a workbench and a note written in Wednesday's elegant cursive: "I know you must be worried, but you still must eat. W."

Oh. Yes. Bee-boy hadn't been at lunch, and now that she thought about it, Yoko vaguely remembered Enid telling her that one of his moms was sick or something. So, okay, poor Eugene and all that, but not helpful for figuring out what was going on with Wednesday. 

Still, the fact that she'd found something did suggest that Yoko would be better off tracking her prey outside of the routine activities of Nevermore life rather than just observing her in class. Given that, she decided it made most sense to focus her stalking energies on the evening.

After dinner that night, Enid headed off to one of her many clubs, and Yoko expected Wednesday to go to their dorm, but instead she walked towards the library. As before, Yoko kept her distance and tracked by scent and sound, and once Wednesday was settled at a table with several large, old-looking books around her, Yoko found a dark corner among the stacks where she could keep an eye on her but use her vampiric abilities to blend with the shadows. 

Which, she soon concluded, was really fucking boring. Yoko liked drinking blood right from a warm neck as much as the next vampire, but not only was she only into it if that neck was willing, she was also supremely glad that she didn't have to spend her nights staking out victims like her predecessors in centuries past – it was sooooo dull. And Wednesday was just reading and making notes. The book titles, which Yoko's vampiric eyesight could pick out from her hiding spot, were completely unhelpful. Half of them looked like they were for the history essay they'd been assigned that day, and the other half were about exotic poisons, which from anyone else might be worrisome but was standard light reading for Addams. As for the girl herself, her heartbeat was slow and steady, no signs of fear or discomfort, just Wednesday being Wednesday. A few times she'd stare into space as if she was thinking – one of those times she happened to be looking directly at where Yoko was hidden, which briefly freaked Yoko out – and then she'd go back to her books.

Yoko was worried that this was going to go on all evening, but well before curfew, Wednesday packed up her bag and left, with Yoko trailing at a safe distance. She couldn't tell where her prey was going now. It wasn't the right direction for Ophelia Hall. Hmmm. The school auditorium was this way, and the drama and music rooms...

She had to stop suddenly, because she realized she could no longer hear Wednesday's footsteps. It still smelled like she was nearby, though. Yoko listened closely, and heard the faintest hint of breathing and her distinctive slow heartbeat coming from a little alcove up ahead – nothing like an old gothic school for lots of hiding spots – so Yoko ducked into an alcove near her and waited. There was no sign of Wednesday moving. Then there was a godawful crash farther along the hallway and a bunch of distressed yelling. 

Oh, fuck, Wednesday was coming back this way. Yoko pressed back into the shadows and prayed that the seer didn't turn her head.

She didn't.

Yoko didn't want to lose her quarry, but she had to see what the yelling was about, so she ran past the alcove that Wednesday had taken refuge in and around the next corner to the foyer in front of the auditorium. At which point she needed to take a moment or two to absorb what she was seeing. There were three boys whom she vaguely recognized as first years caught in a net that was somehow suspended from the high ceiling. There was a scent of...was that pepper spray? Yes, it was definitely pepper spray, which had likely come from the cannisters also hanging from the ceiling and pointed at the nets. The boys were rubbing their eyes and still yelling and crying in pain. 

She had no idea what any of this was about, but it was much more the sort of chaos goblin shit that she expected from Wednesday. Yoko was tempted to stick around and see if she could find out anything from the trapped boys, but decided she'd rather not risk getting blamed for whatever this was, so she took off in pursuit of Wednesday. She lost her briefly and had to double back a couple of times before she figured out which hall the girl had gone down. She was almost frantic and in her worry at losing whatever information Wednesday's trail might be leading towards, she almost bumped into her as she emerged from the door to the now-dark school infirmary – a rather larger and more fully equipped health centre than a school would normally have, to minimize the need to bring students into contact with the hostility far too often found in normie healthcare settings. There was a small white pill bottle in one of her hands.

Wednesday scowled at her and slipped the bottle into a pocket. "Tanaka."

"Ah, Wednesday, fancy running into you here. I'm just..." No plausible excuse came to mind, so Yoko decided to change the subject and hope Wednesday wouldn't notice. "Isn't the infirmary usually locked at this time of night?"

"Not very effectively, it isn't," Wednesday said, with a hint of a smirk. Before Yoko could come up with a follow-up, the other girl stomped off in the direction of Ophelia Hall. 

Yoko waited briefly and headed in the same direction. She toyed with the idea of following Wednesday all the way back to her and Enid's room and lurking outside to see what she could hear, but she decided against it. Her hearing was quite a bit more sensitive than Enid's when she wasn't a wolf, and Yoko could be pretty damn quiet when she needed to, but she really, really didn't want to risk having to explain to her bestie why she was snooping outside her bedroom. 

And, also, she figured she didn't really need to, now. She had a solid lead, maybe even an answer. 

Breaking into the infirmary? Stealing pills? That pointed in a direction, all right. No vampire would ever dream of shaming someone for engaging in a stigmatized form of consumption to get through the day, of course. But, still, addiction could be rough. Poor Wednesday.

Except an hour later – after Yoko was lying in bed, pretending she didn't have any homework, and reading a delightfully fluffy YA novel that featured two girls who fell in love at soccer camp – she got a text that blew that theory to smithereens.

ES: who has the best roommate?
ES: don't worry, ill tell you
ES: i have the best roommate

YT: <eye roll emoji>
YT: do tell...

ES: i have cramps from hell rn and i asked if she had any ibuprofen and she didnt but she broke into the infirmary and stole some for me
ES: isnt that the best?

YT: your very own on-call criminal

ES: <grinning face emoji>

Yoko went back to her book, but it was only a few minutes later when another text from Enid arrived.

ES: oh, hey, do you know maria rojas?

YT: ummm, don't think so
YT: oh, wait, didn't you say that's the name of that girl you wrote about last week on the blog as an 'anonymous first-year'?
YT: asshole ex, getting bullied, etc, etc?

ES: yup!
ES: heard from someone in drama club that the ex and two of his buddies got caught up in like a net or something and hit with some kind of automated pepper spray contraption
ES: isn't that wild?

Yoko paused for a minute, weighing whether she should share what she'd seen. But, no, then she'd have to explain what she'd been doing.

YT: any idea who did it?

She paused, thinking if there was any way she could probe for more information.

YT: kind of sounds like your psycho roomie's style

ES: lol yes true
ES: and she does hate bullies
ES: but i doubt it, she'd have told me
ES: plus she barely says hello to our friends and refuses to learn the names of most other people in our classes
ES: doubt drama between younger students would be on her radar, or that she knows or cares who maria is

Yoko laid her head back and pondered.

Every vibe she'd gotten from Wednesday when she'd presented her ridiculous proposal suggested that whatever was going on was something personal, something private. Harassing random assholes just wasn't that. Hell, for Wednesday, that was probably just some mild amusement. And, sure, she didn't tell Enid what she'd done, but Enid was definitely not the calmest knife in the drawer, and Yoko could concede that not being all 'hey roomie, I just did some crime' might be the sensible choice.

She sighed. Her day of stalking Wednesday had yielded precisely nothing of use.

But the longer she lay and thought about it, the more she thought that maybe it had after all. True, she hadn't learned anything to help her figure out what Wednesday's big secret was. But she had maybe gained a bit more insight into Wednesday herself. After all, what had she seen? Wednesday sneaking away to do something kind for Eugene. Wednesday breaking and entering to get pain meds for Enid. And Wednesday dishing out some punishment to some bullies – or, at least, her making sure that the bully-trap she had seemingly set at some earlier point did its job. No doubt Enid was right that Wednesday neither knew nor cared who Maria Rojas was, but she hated bullies and enjoyed inflicting pain. But perhaps she read Enid's blog, and certainly she would be more than able to ferret out more details on her own if she decided she wanted them. So, yeah, two of those three things involved exactly the kind of activities that anyone who'd met her would imagine Wednesday Addams would use to fill her idle hours. But who would've guessed that she employed her anti-social tendencies in such fundamentally decent ways? Well, sure, Enid. But not many others.

So, yes, Wednesday was definitely a chaos goblin. But she was kind of an awesome chaos goblin. Like, maybe one who was worth helping when she took the rare step of putting herself out there and asking for it.

Chapter Text

Yoko was standing precariously with one foot on her desk chair and the other on the the shelf unit that held the lit fic, horror, and random gay shit sections of her book collection, trying to attach the end of a string of fairy lights to the wall in one corner of her room. 

Her relationship with Divina had always had its tempestuous side, but it seemed like that had been worse lately, and she wanted tonight to be perfect. Enid assured her that fairy lights would help create just the right sort of romantic feel. Yoko also had a range of snacks and treats, a few potential movies picked out, and a hot outfit chosen during that same intense strategy session with Enid earlier in the day. Sure, it was maybe a little overkill, given that they weren't actually going out anywhere, but she wanted to show Div that she was putting in effort. She had even gotten her hands on a contraband bottle of wine from one of the vamps who was well above legal age. She didn't care much for alcohol herself – vampires had to drink pretty hard to get even a mild buzz, and would generally resort to more exotic substances if they wanted to indulge – but, if sipped in the context of candlelight and suitable music, it would probably score her romance points with her girlfriend.

Except, when she heard footsteps approaching her door, she could tell they did not belong to Divina. And they were accompanied by sounds she knew well, sounds that made her heart sink. When she opened her door in response to the quiet but urgent knock, she saw exactly what she knew she would see – Enid, ugly crying, tears and snot running down her face, struggling not to sob loudly and mostly failing. It wasn't that unusual for Enid to show up at her door in at least minor distress, but it had been some time since it had been this bad.

She drew Enid into the room and wrapped her arms around her. Enid shook and continued to cry noisily. Yoko knew it would be awhile before she got any words out of her, so she brought her over to the bed, laid her down, and held her while her tears continued to flow.

A few minutes later, when she heard another set of familiar footsteps approaching, before they got anywhere near the door she kissed Enid on the top of the head and said, "Be back in a sec." With vampiric speed, she leapt up, exited the room, and met her girlfriend well down the hallway. 

Divina jumped at Yoko's sudden appearance. 

"Hey," Yoko said. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

Her girlfriend gave her a puzzled smile. "Couldn't wait the extra few seconds to kiss me? Well, come on then!"

Yoko looked down at her feet then back up. "Ummm, we may have to delay things a little bit."

"Delay? Why?" 

"Enid just showed up and–" The very tired expression suddenly on her girlfriend's face stopped Yoko in midsentence. "She just showed up and she's really upset, so I don't–"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Divina said, looking at her sadly. "She's upset, she's fragile, she needs you, her mother's a bitch, her roommate's a psycho, the other furs are mean, she had a bad day, blah blah blah." She shook her head. "Don't worry, I know the drill – Enid takes priority."

"What? No, it's not like that. You don't need to be such a bitch about it. She's just literally sobbing in my room right now."

Divina spun around and walked away.

"Divina!" Yoko called out. "I'll text you in a bit, okay? Just give me, like, an hour."

Divina didn't respond. 

Fuck.

Well, she'd have to sort that out later.

When she got back to her room, Enid was sitting up, still sniffling. "Was that Divi? I know you guys have plans." 

Yoko sat down beside her and took one of her hands. "Don't worry about it, Enie-bean. A friend in crisis takes priority."

"I'll make it up to you guys. I'm sorry I'm such a fuck up..." 

"Don't say that. Tell me what happened."

Enid drew in a ragged breath. "I – I came out to my Mom." She collapsed in tears again.

"Oh sweetie." Yoko put her arms around her and squeezed tight.

After a few minutes, through sniffles, Enid continued, "I didn't mean to come out to her. But she was saying gross homophobic things. I couldn't stop thinking about all the beautiful, fabulous queers I love so much, like you and Divi. And, like, she wasn't saying it about anyone in particular, but every word she said, I thought about you. She's just so fucking cruel. It made me so mad and...I started yelling at her, and it just happened." 

Yoko sighed internally. What a spectacularly, disastrously Enid way for her to come out to her mother – not because she wanted to, not because she was even remotely ready, not as a way of standing up for herself, but because of how keenly her too-big heart was aching about what her mother's cruelty meant for people she loved. And Enid really only had two modes of dealing with her mother when things were difficult – she either kept quiet and agreed with everything, or she exploded. Neither ever turned out particularly well.

"She told me she didn't believe I was bi, that I was just saying it for attention. And then she said that she was doing me a favour by not believing me. And she told me that if she ever gets the slightest hint of me with a girl or hears about me – her words – 'making a spectacle of myself with rainbows and flags and all that nonsense', I'm out of the pack. And if I ever break up with Ajax, she's going to take charge of setting me up on dates with some 'nice werewolf boys.' Though she made sure to tell me several times that I'd have to take what I could get, since as a late bloomer there wouldn't be many who'd want me as a mate."

"Fuck, Enie, I'm so sorry," Yoko said. "That's terrible." 

"Yeah, well, it's not like I expected anything else." Enid let go of Yoko and leaned back on the bed, sighing vigorously. "Which is why Sensible Enid had no intention of coming out to her for many, many years, if ever. If only Angry Enid wasn't such an idiot." She sighed again.

Yoko reached over to the bowl of date-night snacks, grabbed a package of sour keys, and offered them with an apologetic smile. "Want to eat junk food until we feel sick and trash talk your Mom all night?"

Enid took the sour keys and nodded sadly.

In short order, Yoko took her date night preparations and re-purposed them to a mini celebrate-Enid-and-celebrate-queerness-and-also-fuck-Esther party. They ate snacks and cuddled up on Yoko's bed and watched But I'm a Cheerleader on her laptop. Yoko offered the wine, but Enid declined, saying booze would just make her sadder. Despite how distraught she had been when she showed up, though, Enid was fairly quickly back to looking on the bright side of things, or at least trying to.

"I mean, she didn't kick me out, right?" Enid said. "That's a win. And it was awful, and it'll be awful next time I have to see her, and I have no idea what I'm going to do. But I kind of feel lighter, you know?"

Over the course of the evening, Yoko texted Divina several times, but got no response, so she invited Enid to sleep over. Enid happily agreed, and texted Wednesday to let her know.

"I think I might come out to Wednesday, too." She sighed and got that pained look in her eyes again. "I mean, I still need to be careful. My stupid brothers will be watching me. I can't give my mother any reason to do anything awful, you know?"

"Anything else awful. But, yeah, I guess that makes sense," Yoko said. She saw an opening to ask the question she'd been meaning to ask since her experiment with surveillance the day before. She couldn't be completely honest about what was going on, of course, but hopefully this way of framing it would make sure Enid was on-side. "Speaking of the princess of darkness – I could be wrong, but I'm kind of getting the sense that she maybe wants to be friends with me. Like, actual friends, not just a slightly less hostile acquaintance. Would that be alright with you?"

Enid let out a little squeal, and her face shone with the first unambivalent joy she'd displayed all evening. "Oh my god! Of course!"

"Okay, good." Yoko smiled at her. "Like I said, I could be totally misreading it. I just don't want you to feel, like, excluded or something if she and I decide to hang out."

"Don't worry. I'll be chill about it, I promise! And, like, if you do hang out and you don't kill each other, maybe the three of us could do something together!"

So a little later, when Enid slipped away to brush her teeth, Yoko picked up her phone.

YT: hey wednesday I've made a decision

WA: Who is this?

YT: <eyeroll emoji> it's yoko

WA: How did you get this number?

YT: how do you think I got this number
YT: she gave it to me ages ago just so I had it in case of an emergency

WA: I see. How unfortunate. And what is your decision?

YT: meet me on sunday morning at the weathervane at 10am and we can talk about it there

WA: Acceptable. I look forward to hearing your counterproposal.

Chapter Text

As she walked through the cool, bright sunshine, Yoko realized she should have suggested that she and Wednesday make the trip into Jericho together. She was not expecting today's conversation to be an easy one, and it might have helped to warm up a little by having a low-key walk together before tackling the substance of it over coffee. Of course, knowing Wednesday, she would've just wanted to dive into the tough stuff right away. 

Maybe, Yoko reflected, she was actually wishing for company on the walk less out of interest in building rapport with Wednesday and more as a way of getting away from her own thoughts, which were primarily orbiting around Divina. They had developed a sort of routine to their fights – which, even as she thought it, Yoko knew maybe wasn't a great sign, but they had. They would always meet the next morning at breakfast and at least briefly reconnect, even if they weren't ready to talk it through quite yet. But on Saturday morning, even though Yoko had lurked in the cafeteria until well after the oatmeal and bacon and toast were all cleared away, there had been no sign of Divina. Over the rest of the day, she had sent her girlfriend about a billion texts (plus or minus) and had knocked on her dorm room door, all with no response. Enid had given her permission to tell Divina that she was bi and about what had happened with her mother, and she knew Divina would understand once she explained – this hadn't just been Enid being dramatic or needy, but big, life-altering shit.

Sigh. She would just have to be patient.

When Yoko arrived at the Weathervane, she saw the little ray of darkness was already ensconced in a booth, a book and a drink in front of her. Yoko nodded at her before going and getting her own beverage.

"I'm surprised," Wednesday said as Yoko sat down. "I would have taken you for a fan of the same sugary abominations that Enid drinks."

Yoko shrugged. "Sometimes I am. Today feels like a double espresso day."

Wednesday nodded in approval, but said nothing further.

Yoko waited, and Wednesday just stared at her. So she cleared her throat and said, "Okay, I suppose you're not interested in starting with small talk." 

Wednesday nodded again.

"Right. So I've thought about your, ahhh, proposal." She took a sip of her coffee, choosing her words carefully. "I know you're a pretty solitary person – that's totally cool, you know yourself and what you need, all that. But I think maybe you've misunderstood what you've observed about how other people deal with difficult things." 

"Oh?" Wednesdsay said, skepticism clear in her voice. 

"Yeah," Yoko continued. "It's, like, not just some sort of one-way, transactional thing, where one person talks, the other person offers advice, and they go their separate ways. I mean, it kind of is that with a therapist, right? But when you're not paying a professional, it's mostly a mutual thing. Maybe not in every encounter, but overall. It can only really happen, and it only really works, because the people doing it care about each other – because they're friends."

Wednesday stared at her for a few seconds, then picked up her book and tucked it into her bag. "I see," she said, and stood up. "You could have just texted me that you were turning me down instead of dragging me out here."

"No!" Yoko said. "Sit down. That's not it at all." The other girl hesitated, then sat. "What I'm suggesting is that we actually try being friends. I mean, we're already friends, I think, but better friends. So we would hang out. We'd do things we both enjoy. We'd talk. We'd get to know each other better. And in the course of that, you'd tell me about whatever this thing is, and I'd tell you about what's going on in my life. So, you know, friend stuff."

This time, the silent stare lasted longer than a few seconds – long enough, in fact, that Yoko started fidgeting under the scrutiny.

Finally, Wednesday spoke. "So according to you, what I proposed was foolish and likely to be ineffective. And you have suggested something that, in contrast, would actually work, and hence benefit me more. Is that correct?"

"Ummmm, I didn't say foolish. But other than that, sure, I guess that's one way to look at what I said."

"And what," Wednesday continued, "do you get out of it?"

Yoko blinked. "Isn't it obvious? I'd get a friend. I want to be your friend, Wednesday."

The other girl's intense brown eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you."

"Why the hell not?" Yoko asked. 

"Because, as you surely must have heard from Enid, I am a terrible friend," Wednesday said. Yoko couldn't read her expression. "And because no-one in their right mind wants to be my friend, and no-one should." 

Yoko started to reach across the table to squeeze the other girl's hand but stopped herself before she got very far. "It's really sad that you think that, Wednesday. I'd bet most of the people we eat with every day think of you as a friend already, even though you don't let most of us in. And, sure, I've heard all about the rough patches in your relationship with Enid, but I also hear endlessly from her about how great she thinks you are. She really makes you sound like someone worth knowing. So I want to know you that way too. I really do want to be your friend, Wednesday."

Once again, Wednesday just stared. Yoko had the impression of furious activity going on behind the impassive eyes, but to what end she could not tell.

"And," Yoko continued, "if you insist on thinking about this as transactional, then this is the only payment I'll accept – I'll listen to you talk about the thing that you want to talk about if and only if you make a genuine effort to be friends. And, who knows, maybe it won't work, that's just how relationships are. But you need to try. And I will too."

After another long silence, Wednesday sighed. "Fine. As I have already told you, I have few options. For the record, I think that what you are suggesting is ridiculous and doomed to failure. I predict that you will quickly change your mind. But I accept your terms."

She held out her hand to shake, which Yoko did.

"So the bargain is struck?" Wednesday asked, still holding onto her hand. "You agree to listen to what I have to say if I make an effort at friendship? And you swear to keep what you hear to yourself, on pain of terrible retribution?"

Yoko nodded.

And so suddenly that it didn't even occur to her to resist, she was pulled half way across the table – thank goodness the Weathervane was otherwise empty and the barista was busy cleaning something – and a knife was at her throat. "What the fuck?" Yoko croaked out.

Wednesday smirked down at her. "I want to start our friendship by telling you that if you ever again follow me around the way you so clumsily did the other day, I will drain your blood into a bucket and sell it on the black market."

A frozen moment, and then just as suddenly the knife was gone, and Wednesday had let go of her hand and was sipping her quad over ice. Yoko slowly sat back. "You...noticed that, did you?"

"I would have assumed," Wednesday replied, "that as a vampire you would have a firmer grasp than most of the other idiots we go to school with of the ways that differences in sensory acuity work, but evidently I was wrong. My senses are not as sharp as a werewolf or vampire's, but as I recently reminded you, I am an Addams, not human."

Yoko put her head in her hands. "Fuck."
 
"Indeed. I can see in the dark. I hear considerably better than human baseline. And I can often sense presence. You were stalking me as if I was a normie."

"Why didn't you say anything then?"

"Because, as we have already established, and much to my regret, I need you." Wednesday scowled at her. "I didn't want to scare you away before you had committed yourself."

"I'm sorry, Wednesday. I just...I wanted to see if I could find out what I was getting myself into." 

Wednesday nodded, still frowning. "Well, yes. As much as I don't like it, I do understand. It was a tactically smart move, or it would have been if you'd executed it better." 

The door to the coffee shop opened and three people that Yoko recognized as Nevermore students entered. She didn't know them, though she was pretty sure one was a werewolf who had been nasty to Enid a few times.

"I am done my coffee," Wednesday said. "Let's walk back to the school, and I can tell you what this is about on the way."

They walked for several minutes in silence. Yoko was tempted to just start blasting away with questions, but restrained herself. She thought about pointedly telling the girl walking beside her that her vampiric senses could detect no one within range to overhear, but decided that probably would not be welcome either.

Wednesday stopped walking, picked up a stone and threw it with a sort of restrained viciousness at a large maple tree further along the road. Then she sighed.

"The other day, I promised you a more complete answer as to why I chose to approach you in particular about this. I suppose that's as good a place to start as any."

Wednesday resumed walking, and Yoko joined her.

"Unfortunately, none of my family would be suitable to talk with about the issue in question. My parents would be insufferable. Pugsley would be useless. My Uncle Fester is hard to reach most of the time, and his track record in this area is hardly encouraging. No amount of threats would be enough to stop Thing – who already suspects – from telling my parents. And there are few people here at Nevermore whom I could even consider. Eugene would be as useless as Pugsley. I told you I chose you because I could trust you to give me advice with Enid's best interests at heart, and that, too, was a significant part of my decision. But I also chose you because I strongly suspect that you are suffering under a similar affliction."

Yoko glanced sideways at Wednesday, who was looking resolutely forward. "Yeah, none of that makes any sense to me. Keep going."

Wednesday sighed. "As I said back at the Weathervane, most people recognize that trying to befriend me is a terrible idea. So whether it is because I have had little opportunity to practice, or because some deep part of me is broken, I have – as I'm sure Enid has described in detail, and as you will soon learn if you haven't changed your mind about this whole endeavour by the time we get back to the school – little sense of how to be in relationship with other people. Or, at least, other people who are not Addams."

"I don't want to tell you how to feel," Yoko said, "but I don't think you're being fair to yourself. From what I –"

"Enough," Wednesday said, standing still and looking at Yoko. She seemed...sad, Yoko thought. "The part of so-called 'friendship' where one person tells sugary lies about some trait of the other, out of a misguided desire to make them feel better about themselves, is vile and destructive. I know myself, I know my weaknesses, and I do not need someone who barely knows me to try to muddy my sense of who I am. May I continue?"

Yoko shook her head and said, "Ummm, still not agreeing with you, but, sure, let's not get sidetracked." 

"Being Enid's roommate has been at different times an immense frustration, an incredible challenge, and a revelation. She told me recently that not long after we met, she looked across our dorm room at me and decided that she was going to, quote, 'friend that weirdo so hard', and she has somehow not been deterred by how unsuitable said weirdo is for the course of action that her creative denominalization suggested."

Yoko thought she understood what Wednesday was saying, so she stayed quiet.

"And somehow, despite the fact that I put her at risk repeatedly, despite how often I have met her kindness with its opposite, despite how the woe and darkness that I contentedly embrace completely misfit with anyone who is not an Addams and most particularly with her, she has persisted. She demonstrates the most exquisite respect for my boundaries, yet induces me to shift them in ways large and small that I would never have anticipated – she makes me want those things, but only from her." 

Wednesday paused again for a minute. "And I do not wish to go into detail at this time, but I have not been as...unaffected as I might have wished by the events of that night with Crackstone. And Enid's kind, persistent presence has been a great support in the months since then."

"All of which is context. I appreciate her friendship greatly, even if I still think her foolish for attempting it with me, and have communicated that appreciation to her as best I can." Wednesday stooped and picked up another stone, which she again threw hard against a tree. "But now we come to the nub, to the unpleasant experiences that prompted me to approach you."

Wednesday stopped and turned to face Yoko. "I did not wish it to happen, and I would not for a second wish it upon her, but I have developed feelings – feelings beyond friendship – for Enid Sinclair. And it is torture. I need your help to navigate it."

Yoko blinked down at the intense brown eyes glaring up at her. "So what you're saying," she said, "is that all of this is because you have a crush? Seriously? That's what this is about?"

"I would not use that language. It does not capture the intensity, the depth, the agony, and the hints of madness it brings." Wednesday sighed. "But, sure, a crush." 

"Fuck, you are dramatic, Addams. But, okay, okay, sure." Yoko swallowed. "Give me a minute here."

She turned and started walking again, while Wednesday did not, and Yoko only got a few steps before she turned back around and said, "Hold on, what did you say?"

"I'm unsure how I could have been any clearer," Wednesday said. "A crush, romantic feelings, affection, desire."

"No, I mean earlier. What exactly do you mean that you suspect that I am 'suffering under a similar affliction?'" Surely she couldn't mean what that sounded like, could she?

Wednesday raised an eyebrow. "I'm no expert on these matters, but I'm a keen observer, and it seems clear that you have feelings of more-than-friendship for her too."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Yoko said, with more heat than she'd intended. "Yes, she's my best friend, I love her in that way. But that's it."

Wednesday merely stared.

"And why the fuck would that make you want to talk to me about your crush on Enid? Wouldn't that make us, like, rivals or something?" Yoko shook her head. "I mean, it's all ridiculous anyway. I thought we covered this when you first came up to me in the library that day – I'm her best friend, I'm not interested in doing anything that might hurt her. I can't be part of whatever plans you have to wreck her current relationship and get with her."

Wednesday sighed. "You have misunderstood me, I think." She looked down, and would not meet Yoko's eyes. "I have no plans of any sort and I would not dream of interfering in Enid's relationship with that foolish boy." She looked back up, and this time Yoko had no trouble identifying the sadness in her eyes. "I have no expectation of ever having that kind of relationship with Enid. I have no desire to tell her of my feelings, and would never presume that she might feel the same. I would not inflict myself upon her like that in a million years – she deserves infinitely better than what I can offer. What I want is your help in surviving these feelings, in navigating them in ways that do not hurt her and do not damage the friendship that, inexplicably, she continues to give me. That's all. If your feelings for her remain unrequited as well, perhaps we will commiserate. If by chance she comes to return your feelings and you get into a relationship, well, you will be all the better positioned to help me endure my agony without doing her any harm."

Yoko blinked a couple of times. "That's...fucking bleak."

Wednesday turned and continued the walk back towards Nevermore.

"And I do not have feelings for Enid!" Yoko called after her.

Chapter Text

The week following Yoko and Wednesday’s visit to Jericho was decidedly weird.

To Yoko's surprise, very little of that weirdness was because of Wednesday – a surprise given what had happened on their outing and also given…well, Wednesday. Oh, sure, the rest of their walk back to Nevermore had been all kinds of awkward, mostly because Yoko was too preoccupied with trying to wrap her head around the various outrageous things Wednesday had said to keep the conversation going. But they weren’t anywhere near the gates of the school yet when Yoko concluded that she was still perfectly happy to try being friends with Wednesday, and to help her navigate her feelings for Enid. Because, really, why not? Just because she had some severely incorrect ideas about Yoko’s feelings was no reason to say no. And contrary to Yoko’s initial misunderstanding, she seemed not just to mean Enid no harm in all of this, but to be committed to putting the werewolf’s wellbeing ahead of her own desires to an extent that most people might label ‘deranged.’ Plus, it really did sound like she needed somebody. So Yoko was happy to be that somebody. Once they were back at the school, Yoko told her that she was still in, and Wednesday responded with a silent nod and then departed.

And since that point, nothing with Wednesday had been any weirder than usual. Even better, Yoko was pretty sure that despite the misgivings she had expressed, the little seer was genuinely trying – or, at least, genuinely trying to appear as if she was trying – to take their new attempt at friendship seriously. So far, all that had amounted to was a further small but noticeable upgrade in acknowledgement of Yoko. On occasions when she might have previously been given a silent nod of greeting, for instance, now she was getting a muttered "Tanaka" along with it. There also seemed to be a subtle shift in Wednesday's participation, rare as it was, in conversations when the whole group was together – specifically, there were a couple of instances where she responded directly to something Yoko had said, when Yoko was pretty sure she previously would not have. Yoko might've thought she was just imagining the change, but after the second time it happened, Enid covertly texted her, "wow she's really warming up to you!" None of that felt weird to Yoko, though, just kind of amusing in the way that she found a lot of things related to Wednesday to be amusing. And maybe a little bit heartwarming. 

There was something weird about Divina. Yoko had finally heard back from her on Sunday evening – just a couple of texts asking to meet up the next morning when everyone else would be at breakfast. The messages were curt and all business, and that didn't feel great to Yoko, but at least they pointed to a chance for them to talk.

The vibe when she first got there was definitely weird. Div was all tense and her mouth was pinched, and it was very different from the mutually sad, sheepish, and apologetic feel of their usual post-fight reconciliations. Yoko did not like it. So she launched right into the apology she'd been practicing. It was only when she got to the part about Enid being bi and coming out to her Mom, and how Esther had reacted, that Div's expression changed – her eyes widened, her face softened, and then her eyes closed. Yoko finished by saying, "And I won't apologize for caring about my friends, but I am so, so sorry that I've made you feel like I don't value you enough. I love you, Div." Eyes still closed, Divina had taken a few slow breaths, then she looked at Yoko and started to talk, and it all felt almost normal. 

That "almost" seemed to be pretty key, though. What Yoko had come to think of as their post-fight hangover period – when they were talking again but things still didn't feel quite right – rarely lasted more than a day after they started to patch things up, but this time it continued in at least a mild form through the week. They hung out a little, they did homework together once, they even found time to get naked to make up for missing their sleepover, but it all felt...different, somehow. And Div only sat with Yoko and their friends during a meal one time the whole week.

One thing that Yoko did feel good about, though, was that after her last class on that Monday, when she was about to cut across the quad to make a quick trip to the library, she – much to her surprise – spotted Divina and Enid together. The distance and the noise from other people meant that even with vamp hearing she couldn't tell what they were saying, but the combination of a smile and slightly teary eyes on Enid's part gave her a pretty good idea. And it was actually Divina that initiated the hug between them. So that was a good sign.

Except there was something weird about Enid, too. Or maybe it was Yoko that was being weird, she couldn't even tell that. Well, that wasn't true. She knew she was being weird. The not-terribly-subtle implications in Divina's accusation that she always put Enid first combined with Wednesday's calm, confident assertion that Yoko had feelings for her best friend were making her weird, at least on the inside. It was definitely, totally, 100% not true, of course. But now she was second-guessing herself – not so much her feelings, which she knew for absolute certain were platonic and nothing else, but her actions. What if she was doing things that made it look like she had feelings that she didn't have? What if she was making Enid uncomfortable? What if other people thought the same thing?

She caught herself staring at Enid a few times, as she tried to puzzle it out, and she knew that doing that was not a recipe for making things less weird for anybody. It didn't help that one of the times she was doing it was before a class that she, Enid, and Wednesday all shared, and that she happened to be doing it just as Addams entered the classroom and looked over at her. Wednesday didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow, but it was enough that Yoko didn't look up from her desk for the remainder of the class.

But Enid seemed off too. Generally speaking, if Enid liked you, you knew it. She hugged you often. She sprinkled random touches through any interaction that lasted for any length of time. She winked at you. She put her arm around you or held your hand. She regularly told you that she loved you and otherwise enthused about how great you were. And this was not something that was specific to Yoko, though as Enid's bestie she supposed she got a larger dose of it than most – Enid was like this with everyone that she cared about. Yoko had no idea how the simmering cauldron of hierarchy and unkindness that was the Sinclair home had produced someone like Enid, but it had. Despite all that she had faced from her mother and brothers, and from other werewolves at Nevermore too, her heart was open and overflowing, and she was perpetually eager to show it.

Except this week, it seemed to have shifted a little. Her texts were just as full of affection and enthusiasm, but her presence at the lunch table and the library, in class and in the halls, seemed more subdued. Which, Yoko supposed, should be no surprise. Enid claimed she was doing better, but you didn't get over something like Esther's latest awfulness with a single good cry and some snacks. But, still, Yoko didn't like it. Enid also seemed to be practically glued to Ajax, by hand and lips, but was otherwise not her touchy self – not with Yoko and not with anyone else, as far as she could see.

Yoko was keen to find time for a more private in-person check-in, but Enid was even less available than usual. Sure, she always kept her schedule full-to-bursting with clubs and activities, but it was weird for them to go for more than a day without at the very least a stolen half hour doing homework together or a pre-curfew gossip session. But it was Thursday night before Yoko was able to push her to drop by for a quick late-evening visit.

As soon as Enid was through Yoko's dorm room door, her arms were tight around Yoko and she practically melted into her. Yoko tried not to pay too close attention to how good it felt. Enid said, "Oh my god, I've missed this all week."

Yoko laughed. "I've missed you too. How're you holding up?"

"Oh, you know," Enid said into her shoulder, "repress a little, deny a little, keep yourself too busy to think. That's the same as being okay, right?"

Yoko laughed again and dragged them over to her bed. She sat, and Enid lay with her head in Yoko's lap, both of her hands around one of Yoko's.

"Soooo...I've been doing some thinking. About my Mom and all that." Enid was still holding her hand tightly, but not looking up at her.

"Yeah?" Yoko prompted.

"Yeah. And...I think I need to start going all-in on my relationship with Ajax."

Yoko did not like the way that made her stomach drop. "Uhhhh...why? And what do you even mean by that?"

"I think it's the only way I can get everything I want." Enid sighed, still not looking at Yoko. "I know Ajax isn't perfect – sometimes he's needy, sometimes he's thoughtless, sometimes he's flakey. But, like, I'm not perfect either, and we like each other. And no relationship is perfect, not even you and Divi's."

"I mean, you're not wrong about that," Yoko said. "But I'm still confused. What's 'going all-in' going to look like?"

Enid shrugged. "I'm going to make the relationship my priority. Give it more of my time, more of my energy."

Yoko decided it wasn't the moment to offer her opinion that Enid had already been giving the gorgon more time and energy than he deserved, so she just went with a vague, "Hmmmm."

"Don't worry! I'll still have plenty of time for friends. Just...making sure the good thing I have with Ajax turns into something great. So I end up with friends I care about—" She gave Yoko's hand a sqeeze "—and a partner I care about, and my mother doesn't end up pimping me out to her friends' sons. Or, y'know, disowning me."

She could see Enid peeking up at her out of the corner of her eye. Yoko said, "You know I'm here for you whatever happens, right Enie-bean?" Enid nodded. "So keeping that firmly in mind, I have to ask – are you really sure that you want to make relationship decisions based purely on what will piss your mother off the least?" 

"It's not like that! It's just, like, speeding things up a little, that's all." Enid added in a small voice, "And what other choice do I have?" 

"Oh, sweetie, I don't know," Yoko said wearily. For about the ten millionth time, she wanted to tell Enid to tell her mother to go fuck herself. But she also knew that it wasn't that simple. "I just don't want you to wake up in a few years and realize you're miserable and trapped. But you know I love you. If it goes well, I'll be here. And if it doesn't, I'll be here too."

Enid sighed and squeezed her hand again. After a few moments, though, she smiled. "In better news, I came out to Wednesday!"

Yoko felt a brief flash of concern, but Enid was grinning. She asked anyway, though. "How'd it go?"

"She seemed puzzled at first," Enid said, "but then she congratulated me. She told me she was proud of me and gave me a hug."

"Honestly, I think there's a doppelganger thing going on. The Wednesday that you see in your dorm room is not the same person as the Wednesday that the rest of us see."

Enid grinned. "I keep telling you, she can be pretty great. Anyway, then she said some things I didn't really understand about how her family thinks about this stuff. And I told her about Mom's reaction."

"Was she murdery?"

"Adorably murdery," Enid confirmed.

Yoko smiled. "I'll have to offer to help her when we hang out again on Sunday."

Enid looked up at her. "You're hanging out again?" 

"Yeah. Is that still okay?" Yoko had avoided key details, of course, but had had no choice but to give Enid the barest of bare bones accounts by text of her time with Wednesday the previous Sunday. She was pretty sure that she had managed to divert Enid's curiosity by using Wednesday's deep need for privacy as a reason to be impenetrably vague.

"Oh, for sure. I just can't wait to hang out, like, the three of us. Can it be soon? Pleeeeeease?"

Yoko smiled and rolled her eyes.

And so it went – easy, natural, and just like always, though Enid was particularly cuddly. There were only two further moments of weirdness. 

The first was when Enid absently kissed Yoko's hand. It was a perfectly ordinary Enid thing to do, nothing unusual, nothing she wouldn't do with lots of other people – that was true, wasn't it? – but it still made Yoko's breath catch for a second. But then she forced herself to breath in and out, and moved on.

And the other was when Enid casually mentioned that she hadn't told Ajax anything about her latest blow-up with her mother, and that she had no plans to come out to him. Which, sure, totally her choice, when and if, now and always – Yoko actively affirmed that to Enid. But at the same time, indefinitely keeping major parts of yourself and of what was going on in your life from the boy you had just decided to get serious with seemed to Yoko to be...well, a little weird. 

Chapter Text

In the weeks following Yoko and Wednesday's initial hangout at the Weathervane, they developed a routine. Every Sunday morning, they would repeat the ritual of going to the coffee shop. Sometimes, they would stay there. Sometimes, they would walk around Jericho. Sometimes, they would find someplace else in town to sit. But, every week, they would sip their drinks and they would talk...for a certain value of "they" and a certain value of "talk," at any rate.

The first week, as they walked together from Nevermore to Jericho, Yoko made a few tentative efforts at small talk.

"How was your week?" she asked.

"What did you think of that biology quiz?" she tried again a few minutes later.

"What's your favourite movie?" she attempted once more, as they reached the outskirts of town.

The answers she received – "Adequate," plus a glare; "Trivial," plus a glare; and just a glare on its own – were clearly intended to shut down further attempts. Maybe the little psycho would be more amenable to conversation once she had some caffeine in her system, but regardless, Yoko wasn't about to give up that easily. And the silence with Wednesday was not actually an unpleasant one, so she decided to just accept it for the moment.

Neither of them, for their own reasons, were fans of bright sunlight, and that day was overcast without any hint of rain and just warm enough to be comfortable, so they decided to walk around once they had obtained, respectively, their quad over ice and caramel latte. Yoko wracked her brain for some other kind of low stakes conversational opener, but she couldn't come up with anything good, so she decided to just go with her impulse from the week before and plunge right into the heavy stuff.

"Sooooo...how were things with Enid this week?"

Yoko's assumption going into the day, given the dramatic way that Wednesday had approached her with her mysterious proposal, was that she would want to speak in detail and at great length about her crush on her roommate. But in response to the question, Wednesday's eyes flicked towards her in a glare that, in Yoko's still very imprecise reading of it, gave not simply 'fuck off' but 'fuck off, with a side of anxiety that I'm trying very hard to pretend I'm not feeling.' Then Wednesday looked at the ground. And she said nothing.

They kept walking.

So what exactly was Yoko supposed to do now? Despite the repeated rebuffs, Yoko was still only minimally frustrated and not at all uncomfortable – she had been under no illusions that this was going to be easy. But, dammit, she wanted to get to know this girl, at least a little bit. And as much as she wasn't sure exactly what Wednesday needed from her in terms of her crush on Enid, she wanted to do something useful on that front too.

As they walked, Yoko reviewed what she knew. First and most importantly, she knew that it would be pointless to try and push Wednesday into anything she didn't want. And, like, she wouldn't want to do that anyway, right? The goal wasn't just to get Wednesday talking, but to become closer friends with her. Second, yes, sure, she'd attempted small talk earlier, but she never actually thought that would work – Wednesday detested any form of trivial conversation. Third, the other girl was making it very clear that she wasn't yet ready, or perhaps able, to talk about her feelings for her roommate. Which was fair enough. And fourth, Yoko knew of exactly one prior instance of someone making it past...whatever it was that was going on inside of Wednesday right now, and that was Enid. And how would she deal with this? Well, if Yoko knew Enid – and there was hardly anyone Yoko knew better – she was pretty sure that her strategy would be to pay careful attention to Wednesday and her responses while not seeming to, and to just keep talking despite Wednesday's silence.

Given all of that, Yoko decided that what she needed to do was model for Wednesday, as best she could, what it looked like to talk about substantive, personal, vulnerable-making things with a friend by doing it herself. And she decided that the best place to start would be Divina. She didn't really know what exactly she was going to say – she just started talking. She didn't end up saying much about their most recent conflict and reconciliation, and instead focused more on their history together, from how she first started having feelings to the mix of really good stuff and much less good stuff that had been their baseline for awhile now.

At first, Wednesday didn't respond at all. But Yoko persisted. And she noticed that as she went on, the other girl would occasionally glance at her. Yoko wasn't certain, but she was pretty sure that those glances contained flickers of interest in what she was saying, and maybe even more than flickers.

At a certain point, as Yoko paused in her monologue to take a sip, Wednesday's face became very tense. She even blinked a couple of times. She looked around at everything but Yoko, and her mouth repeatedly almost opened but not quite. Yoko stayed quiet and focused on savouring her latte. She was careful not to do anything that might feel like an attempt to force eye contact.

After a minute or two of this, Wednesday said very quietly, "I dreamed of her."

Yoko waited a few moments to let her continue if she wanted. When she didn't, Yoko said, "That sounds..." She paused because it wasn't actually clear what Wednesday might think about having dreamed about her crush. And, honestly, it was entirely possible that she didn't really know how she felt about it herself. So Yoko decided to take an educated guess. "...difficult?"

Wednesday nodded but said nothing more.

So Yoko went back to talking about Divina. And before long it was time for them to return to Nevermore.

Each Sunday morning after that, things changed – at first incrementally, but pretty soon by considerably more than that.

Occasionally, Yoko would ask Wednesday questions. She kept them careful and gentle, and accepted Wednesday's often curt and usually evasive answers. Much more of their time together was spent with Yoko continuing to do what she could to model meaningful friend-talk. She talked to Wednesday about her family and her coven, and the complicated drama that was life among the undead. She talked about the blood-and fangs side of being a vampire, which she knew Wednesday would enjoy. She talked more about Divina and also about her first real girlfriend before Divina. She talked about school and about what she wanted to do after she graduated, and her fears about what that would look like. She talked plenty about Enid, too, telling stories from their earlier time at Nevermore, and – without breaking any of Enid's confidences, of course – sharing her deep dislike of the werewolf's mother and home pack, and talking about some of the challenges she'd faced in dealing with other wolves at the school.

Though it began in a very tentative way, it wasn't long before Wednesday began to volunteer more about herself, her family, her life. It was only a fraction of what Yoko offered, and was punctuated by her usual threats and lots of aggressively stated refusals to say more on the topic at hand once she'd reached some arbitrary point. But as the weeks went by, Wednesday seemed more at ease, and had considerably more to say.

As well, in each of those weeks, there would come a point in the conversation where it was very clear that Wednesday wanted to speak but couldn't. Once again, her face would tense and she'd look anywhere but at Yoko. When she noticed this happening, Yoko would go quiet and wait patiently. And eventually, Wednesday would talk about something related to Enid.

The second week, Wednesday was still radiating discomfort but she was more able to force words out. "She told me about a prank played by that foolish gorgon on one of his friends. Her manner in telling it suggested that it was supposed to be funny, but not only did I not find it the least bit amusing, it was perfectly clear that she didn't either. She seemed to be sharing it with me as an effort to convince herself that it was funny, I imagine because he thought it was. It made me unbearably angry. But I did not wish to make her think my anger was directed at her, so I just stared at her and she began talking about something else. Then a few minutes later I excused myself. I took my throwing knives into the woods and practiced until my arms ached."

Another week, Wednesday said, "On Tuesday, when I returned to the room, she clearly had just taken a shower and was scrambling to get ready for art club. She was talking the whole time, telling me about her day. I watched as she packed her bag, and I hardly spoke. The room smelled of honey and lilac – her shampoo. And in three minutes, maybe four, she was ready to leave. She kissed my cheek. And then she was gone. I stood frozen for another minute, breathing in the scent, feeling the ghost of her lips on my skin, my mind blank. I had meant to do a double session of work on my novel, but...I couldn't. I sat at my desk, stared at the wall, and thought only of her."

And the week after that, she said simply, "I dreamed of her again. It was a thunderstorm and we were walking hand in hand through the cemetery at my family's manor. It was glorious. But then I awoke, and the realization that it was not real and never would be made me unbearably sad."

By this point, during what Yoko had come to think of as the Enid-crush segment of their Sunday outings, Wednesday's voice still had a distinct intensity to it. But it had shifted, somehow, from the first week. There was a hint of what Yoko almost thought might be eagerness in how she spoke. It was always risky to try and guess what Wednesday was thinking – because, honestly, who fucking knew, most of the time – but Yoko wondered if maybe she'd reached a point of actively looking forward to the opportunity to get these moments off her chest. Certainly, despite what she'd said earlier about wanting help navigating the situation, Wednesday never seemed to expect Yoko to do anything but listen.

Yoko was pretty sure that most of their classmates would think their interactions were pretty weird. And, okay, they weren't exactly wrong about that. But said interactions were also, in Yoko's opinion, pretty great. Sure, the rhythm of their conversation was sometimes awkward. Yes, it included far more insults and threats directed at Yoko than she had ever imagined would feature in her typical Sunday morning. But it wasn't long before she was hearing more from Wednesday about her life, her ideas, even her feelings than anyone else at Nevermore got to hear, other than Enid. Which was a pretty low bar, admittedly. But it all felt real, it felt honest, in a way that Yoko was pretty damn honoured by. Plus, though she'd never breath a hint of this to Wednesday, there was also a lot of that mix of (darkly, viciously) adorable and amusing that Yoko was increasingly associating with her new friend. Sunday mornings had quickly become Yoko's favourite time of the week.

It wasn't too long before their outings hit what Yoko was pretty sure was an important milestone – a weird one, but a real one. That week, when Yoko met her out front of the school, Wednesday was carrying some sort of long bundle wrapped in cloth. Yoko asked about it, but Wednesday only replied, "If I have to be friends with you, I'm at least going to get some benefit from it," and refused to elaborate further.

As they walked together down the road towards Jericho, Yoko said, "Hey, I keep forgetting to ask you – how are you feeling about Enid coming out to you?"

After a brief pause, Wednesday said, "Happy that she took a small step towards living as she wants to live. Frustrated that I was not able to handle the moment better."

"What are you talking about?" Yoko said. "She was happy with how it went."

Wednesday sighed. "I admit, I recovered adequately. But my initial surprise almost ruined it."

"Surprise? Because you thought she was straight?" Yoko asked.

"No, not at all," Wednesday replied. "But I reacted as an Addams, and forgot for a moment that that was not what Enid would need."

Yoko waited for further explanation, but none appeared to be forthcoming. "C'mon, Wednesday, I don't know what that means."

Wednesday glared at her, then looked away and sighed again. She got the look that Yoko had come to recognize as her psyching herself up to reveal more of herself, especially as it pertained to Enid, than she really wanted. "Addams do not move through the world in the same way as everybody else, even other outcasts."

"Yup, mhmm, I think we've all noticed that," Yoko said. She smiled back when Wednesday glared at her, and internally celebrated when she didn't get so much as a verbal reprimand for interrupting.

Instead, Wednesday continued. "So, not unlike vampires, we have never allowed the focus of our love or desire to be constrained by the prejudices that rule among many normies, werewolves, and others. But whereas I understand that vampires pay keen attention to those norms and take great delight in flouting them, we mostly ignore their existence entirely. We do likewise in many other domains of our lives as well, from our relationship to death and the macabre, to our understanding of play and fun, and so much else. Thanks to a mix of temperament, privilege, magic, and tradition, all of those norms that govern even much of outcast society are simply irrelevant to us, and we can ignore those who would try to enforce them upon us. So it would almost never occur to me to assume that anyone is straight, or to really give much thought to any other related identity labels either – though I do respect both their importance and their specific substance for those who embrace them, even if some aspects of how they work feel peculiar to me. I'm sure many Addams would functionally fit within the territory bounded by each of these labels – straight, perhaps, and certainly gay, lesbian, bi, pan, and whatever else, as well as all of the many varied and delightful ways of doing gender – but given how we live our lives, we do not need the words in order to be who we are. I know this is not true of most people, but we are able to simply live as we feel called to live."

"Huh," Yoko said. "Okay. I think I'm going to want to circle back to that once I've had a chance to think it over. But what does that have to do with Enid?"

Wednesday continued, "Because of my...regard for Enid, I observe her closely. And she is a very open person, at least in some respects. She reacts and emotes freely, even in ways she might prefer not to. I can never tell what others find obvious and what they find obscure, but at least for me, it is very easy to see the little things that she does that signal attraction or desire as we watch a movie, as we walk through the school and encounter other students, as she talks about her day. And those have never, in my observation, been restricted to boys. So it never occurred to me that she might be, as the dominant categorization would have it, 'straight,' or that she might need to say that she was not." And another sigh. "It took me a few moments to realize that she was being brave and generous in telling me, and to respond accordingly."

"Sure," Yoko said. "But you totally did respond accordingly. Nothing about this was you failing, Addams."

Wednesday hummed and stopped walking. She looked off the road to the right, said, "This way," and started heading into the forest.

"Hey! Where are you going? I thought we were getting coffee at the Weathervane!"

Without stopping, Wednesday said, "I have a more interesting idea for our activity this morning. Keep up."

Reluctantly, Yoko followed. "This had better be good, Addams. I am not an outdoors girlie."

There was no path that Yoko could see, but Wednesday seemed to know where she was going. The trees in this part of the forest were mostly quite large and the undergrowth sparse, so it was an easy enough walk. She tripped over a half-buried log at one point, though, and briefly considered refusing to go any farther without at least some sort of explanation, but she didn't think her odds of getting one were very good.

Instead, she decided to try again with a request she'd unsuccessfully made to Wednesday the last couple of times they'd gotten together. "So tell me the story of your relationship with Enid. Like, your version of meeting her, of the big fight, when you caught feelings, all that." Despite the other girl's growing willingness to speak about her crush, so far what she'd revealed took the form of a collection of isolated fragments rather than any sort of beginning-to-end story or bigger picture.

Wednesday ignored her. So Yoko kept walking.

In another ten minutes they came to a large clearing. It was an oval, more or less, and flat, covered in long grass and a sprinkling of blue and purple wild flowers. Wednesday marched to the middle, turned, and regarded Yoko.

Yoko turned up her palms. "Sooooo what are we doing here?"

Wednesday opened the bundle revealing...was that swords? Yes, two longer and narrower blades and two that were shorter and wider, all safely contained in leather scabbards. Yoko was no expert, but they sure didn't look like the ones that got used for fencing, either. What on earth was she expecting them to do with swords? This time, Yoko just looked her question at the other girl.

Wednesday responded, "Choose."

"Ummm, do I look like a gorgeous bald siren? Are you mistaking me for Bianca, Addams?"

"I am, it seems, mistaking you for a vampire. You are a predator – act like it."

Yoko just stared.

Wednesday put the bundle down and sighed. "Fine." She took one of the longer and narrower swords and handed it to Yoko. "Am I correct that vampires are not, in outcast society, permitted to participate in competitive fencing? Because your reflexes are so much faster than everyone else's?"

Yoko held the sheathed sword by its end and leaned on it as if it was a walking stick. "Sort of. From what I've heard from older vamps, decades ago we'd win everything, so there was some big argument about it and they made a rule that we had to compete separate from everyone else. But from what I understand, a lot of vampires found that idea to be pretty offensive, and at some point most decided to just not bother. And that just sort of stuck. So these days at Nevermore, they teach us some of the basics in first year if we want, though most of us don't, and then we take other electives instead."

Wednesday drew the other long, narrow sword and inspected the blade. "I want to teach you to fight – not fencing, but proper duelling, the Addams way. And I want to fight you, for the thrill of it and for the challenge. You're stronger and faster than me, but I'm more skilled. Imagine what we could gain from each other if we did this regularly – two deadly creatures, helping each other become even more deadly."

Yoko frowned, a puzzled look on her face. But then she laughed softly.

Wednesday scowled at her.

"Sorry," Yoko said. "I just – this is exactly why I wanted to be your friend in the first place." She laughed again. "I mean, not the swordfighthing, I have zero interest in swords. But the way you're so intensely you all the time. It's awesome."

"Zero interest in swords?" Wednesday said, a little perplexity leaking into her flat tone.

"None. Zilch. Nada." Yoko smiled. "Honestly, this is maybe something you could work on when it comes to friendship. Did it not occur to you to ask first?"

Wednesday looked off to the side and said nothing.

Yoko felt another burst of fondness. "Look, don't feel bad about it. I'm still a newb when it comes to speaking Addams-ese, but even though I'm saying no, don't think I don't recognize what a sign of respect it is that you're calling me a deadly creature, and don't think I don't recognize that suggesting this is you genuinely, and in a perfectly, chaotically Addamsy way, trying to be my friend. So...thank-you."

Wednesday was blushing slightly, and still not making eye contact with Yoko. "It was a purely selfish request."

"Sure it was." Yoko handed the sword back. "Can we maybe still go to the Weathervane? I didn't have any of that dirty dishwater that the cafeteria pretends is coffee when I had my blood this morning, and I really need a hit of caffeine."

Wednesday began to wrap the sheathed swords back in the cloth she had carried them in. "I would not object to some espresso." Then she set off in a direction that Yoko was pretty sure was not the one they came from.

"Uhh, Wednesday?"

"It'll be faster if we go this way."

Yoko jogged to catch up and they walked in silence for awhile.

Just as they came in sight of the road, Wednesday said, "How about knives? Would you be interested in learning to fight with knives?"

Yoko couldn't help it – she laughed again.

Chapter Text

Yoko's companions for the upcoming evening were both, in their own distinct ways, tightly-wound drama queens. Certainly Enid was, and she knew it. Some days, Yoko was pretty sure that if Enid's brain got any more caught up in overthinking, she would spontaneously combust. The werewolf didn't hesitate to let it out in overblown declarations, a range of (often downright adorable) demonstrative grimaces and noises, and a spectrum of verbalized insecurities and self-negativity that had Esther Sinclair's claw marks all over them. Wednesday would probably deny having any tendency whatsoever towards high drama, but as far as Yoko was concerned, that denial somehow just made it worse. The way she'd decided to deal with having a crush was pretty fucking dramatic, as was the way she regularly threatened people with the old ultra-violence – and followed through often enough to give her threats weight the rest of the time. Plus, though Yoko was still only getting glimpses past Wednesday's formidable defenses, the industrial grade self-loathing she occasionally displayed was pretty damn dramatic too.

Yoko, in contrast, thought of herself as being relatively chill. Sure, okay, she had the occasional bout of anxiety, which she mostly managed to keep to herself, and then there was the roller-coaster of her relationship with Div. But on a day-to-day level, she felt she was pretty able to take life (undeath, whatever) as it came. She just didn't get bent out of shape about grades or about friend group stuff or whatever. She cared, of course. She cared a lot – a perpetually stoned apathetic gorgon waste of space she was not. (Cough. Ajax.) But she faced it as it came, and didn't tie herself in knots.

All of which meant that she had no idea why she was so nervous about tonight. After all, she was just going to the dorm room of her dearest friend and her newest friend for a low-key hang-out. She'd hung out with Enid approximately a million times in the years they'd known each other, and she'd never been nervous about that. Admittedly, such time had become increasingly rare with Enid's focus on her relationship with Ajax, a fact that Yoko was finding it harder and harder not to resent, but that mostly hadn't gotten in the way of her enjoying the time she still managed to get with her bestie. And spending that kind of time with Wednesday was still new, but for all that some of it had been delightfully, Wednesday-ishly bizarre so far, she liked to think it was going pretty well, and the thought of their Sunday morning outings filled Yoko with delight. So why the nerves about seeing both of them together, then?

Part of her thought it might not be about them at all, but about Divina-related feelings leaking out from where they belonged and muddying up everything else. Or maybe it was because she still hadn't quite figured out an iron-clad argument she could lay out (to whom, she wasn't sure – Wednesday, maybe?) showing that her feelings for Enid were purely platonic. Or maybe it was because it was a new configuration of people – not just Enid or Wednesday, not some larger group including the two of them, but Enid-and-Wednesday.

Okay, that didn't make a lot of sense. But whatever it was, it was very annoying.

Yoko shook her head and turned her attention back to what she was supposed to be doing. She cut a square of plain brown paper from the roll and put the little painting in the centre of it. Then she tore off a few pieces of tape, folded up the wrapping paper, and stuck it in place.

Maybe this was why she was nervous. It was just something she'd painted on a whim in art club – she'd originally joined back in her first year at Nevermore to keep Enid company, and then she'd discovered she actually really liked painting, even though she wasn't very good at it. She wasn't entirely certain why she was bringing it. She hadn't spent much time in Enid's room since it went from being just Enid's to being Enid and Wednesday's – when she and Enid wanted to hang without going anywhere, they usually used her room now – so it felt like the right thing to do to bring a gift. Like a housewarming gift, maybe? Okay, that sounded weird, it wasn't like they'd just moved in. But something felt new and like it necessitated a gift. It was maybe a little over the top, but she wasn't going to let that stop her, and she'd been struck with inspiration while trying to figure out what to paint next, so she went with it.

Okay, enough being ridiculous – time to go. She grabbed a couple of pillows and a blanket (for ease of on-floor lounging), as well as a little bag containing some nail polish and associated paraphernalia, then tucked the gift under her other arm and headed out.

When she came through the door of the room at the top of Ophelia Hall, Yoko barely had time to set down what she was carrying before a streak of pastel werewolf slammed into her, squeezing tight.

"Oh my god! You're here!" Enid said.

Yoko fondly rolled her eyes – they'd had class together all of two hour ago – and squeezed back. "I'm here." She looked over at Wednesday, who was staring from her desk chair, expression unreadable. Yoko gave her a smile and got a quiet "Tanaka" in return.

Enid grabbed Yoko's pillow and blankets and brought them over to where she had already set up a cozy space on the floor near her bed. "You going to bring your own, Weds, or just sit on mine?"

Yoko saw Wednesday actually blink and then flash a tense glance over in her direction.

"Oh, shoot, I'm sorry!" Enid said, biting her lip. "It's just, we're in our room, and it's just Yoko, you know? I didn't think."

It took a second for Yoko to realize that this was probably about Enid abbreviating her roommate's name. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Wednesday looked over quickly at Yoko again and then away. "It's...fine. Not outside this room or with anyone else, but here, with her, you may call me that." Enid nodded. She had an apologetic look still on her face, but she was quite obviously working hard to suppress a more celebratory reaction. Wednesday continued, her expression severe, "And, yes, I will bring my own pillows and blankets. No sense risking my health." At which Enid stuck out her tongue.

Once they were settled, Yoko held out the wrapped parcel. "It's for both of you."

Enid let out a little squeal and grabbed it. Her hand was poised to tear the paper and then she paused, turned to Wednesday, and held it out to her. Yoko was pretty sure the glimmer of something-or-other on Addams' face was some mix of amusement and affection, as she reached out carefully, delicately tore one of the pieces of tape holding the wrapping together, and – her face back to completely blank – replied, "Please do the rest, Enid."

The werewolf made short and enthusiastic work of it, managing to shred the paper in an instant with her claws but leaving the contents unscathed. When she turned the painting over so she could see it, she gasped. It showed a vase with flowers in it, but the two halves were painted very differently. One half was bright and sunny, with the stems vibrant green and the flowers a colourful mix with a particular emphasis on purple, pink, and blue – Yoko was pretty sure Enid wouldn't mind some tasteful, subtle bi pride in the privacy of her room – while the other half was dark and serious, with the flowers looking just as alive but with black stems and the flowers painted in dark shades of every colour. Enid looked up at Yoko with tears in her eyes. "Oh my god, it's perfect." She passed the painting to Wednesday and put her arms around Yoko again. "I wondered why you wouldn't let me see what you were working on. It's so good!"

"Thanks, E," Yoko replied. "And, no, it's not good, it's very medicore. But I still think it captures something that fits you two, y'know?"

"So much!" Enid enthused.

Both Enid and Yoko faltered, however, when they turned to look at Wednesday, who was holding the painting and looking at Yoko with eyes that it took no special expertise to interpret as suspicious. "Tell me, Tanaka," she said, "what's the meaning you're trying to convey here?"

Enid looked taken aback and puzzled at that, but it was at that moment that Yoko realized two things.

The first was that, even though it had not occurred to her once while she was painting it, her gift could in fact be read as some sort of comment not just on Enid and Wednesday's divergent aesthetics but on the relationship between the two of them. And, sure, most people who thought that would probably just see something about them being very different but working surprisingly well as roommates, and wasn't that wonderful. But suddenly she could totally see why Wednesday – self-protective to the point of paranoia at the best of times, and no doubt very conscious that she was engaged in her first-ever dedicated socializing with her secret crush and the only other person alive who knew about said crush, who was also said crush's best friend – might see it as some sort of comment on those feelings, even as teasing or as meanness.

The other thing Yoko realized was the actual reason for her nervousness about tonight – she really, really wanted it to go well. And not just because of how much Enid had clearly been wanting time with the two of them to become a regular thing, but because she kind of wanted it too.

Fuck. Okay, maybe she could ask Enid for a glass of water, and when she went to get it, Yoko could quickly explain to Wednesday. Or, no, that didn't make any sense – there wouldn't be enough time and Enid would probably tell her to get her own damn water. Maybe she could ask for Wednesday's help bringing something back from her room, and on the way she could explain. But if she needed help carrying something, why on earth would she ask the tiny quasi-human rather than the supernaturally strong werewolf? Plus, there's no way Wednesday would say yes. And what would she say they had to get? Or –

"Everything okay, Weds?" Enid asked. She smiled gently at her roommate. "Did she mess up some deep Addams-y symbolism?"

While Enid wasn't looking at her, Yoko made a panicked and very apologetic face at Wednesday, whose eyes only narrowed further. But then Enid touched her roommate's arm. Wednesday looked down at the hand. Her face softened slightly as she looked back up at Enid, and stayed that way when she looked at Yoko and gave a small nod. "No, not at all. I was merely...surprised. A gift created by the giver's own hand is the height of generosity. Thank-you, Yoko."

Yoko breathed a silent sigh of relief. "You're welcome." She tried to school her features before her bestie noticed.

Evidently, she did not succeed, because Enid was looking back and forth between the two of them and grinning. "You two anxious weirdos seriously need to relax."

"Says the queen of calm," Yoko replied.

Enid stuck her tongue out again.

The next order of business was, at Enid's insistence, nails. Thing usually joined Enid for such occasions, whether it was just with Yoko or a larger gathering, but there was no sign of him tonight. Wednesday, on the other hand, had never participated in such things (at least when Yoko was present) and she seemed to be eyeing Yoko and Enid's respective collections of polish with discomfort. Yoko didn't quite understand that, given that Wednesday herself always had polish on her nails – black, of course – so it couldn't be that she was unfamiliar with how it all worked. But when Enid asked, "Okay, who wants to go first?", Wednesday's body language was tense and she assertively avoided making eye contact with the other two girls.

After a pause in case Wednesday was just working up her nerve, Yoko said, "I guess that would be me."

Enid beamed at her and took her hands. Especially when it was just the two of them, they'd long had a practice of giving each other hand (or, when they were doing pedicures too, foot) massages before stripping the old polish and adding the new, and Enid dove right in. Yoko closed her eyes and just enjoyed. There was something about the soft heat of werewolf hands against the more rigid cold of her own that always got to her. She made a little noise of enjoyment. Which usually she wouldn't have thought twice about – until certain accusations had been made by a certain other person who was siting right there. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, Wednesday's brow was quirked in much the same way it had been when she'd caught her staring at Enid in class. Yoko sat up and started to pull her hand away.

"Stop that," Enid said, holding tight. "I'm not done."

So Yoko allowed the massage to continue, but sat stiffly and awkwardly, eyes open. Enid gave her a slightly exasperated smile when she let her hand go and grabbed the polish remover.

"So," Enid said. "How are things with Divi?"

"Oh, you know. Fine, I guess," Yoko replied. She sighed. "Things still don't feel quite right, and I don't really understand it. I mean, we haven't been fighting as much, which is great. And when we were hanging out last night we –" Yoko paused and glanced at Wednesday, not sure what her level of comfort would be for what she had been about to disclose. "Well, let's just say, we had a good time, and she was very attentive to my needs."

Enid laughed warmly. Wednesday remained silent.

Yoko continued, "But she's just a bit absent, y'know? Hardly eats lunch with us, isn't as available to spend time together, seems more closed when we're alone, and a bit sad all the time. But, I mean, we all have ups and downs, right? It's probably fine."

Enid laughed again. "Well, have you tried being attentive to her?"

"You know it, Enie-bean! You know I get even more out of –" She looked at Wednesday again. "Out of being attentive than I do out of being attended."

Another laugh from Enid. "I know, I know, I'm just teasing."

Suddenly, Wednesday was standing and walking towards her desk.

"Weds?" Enid said, letting go of Yoko's hand.

Wednesday stopped walking but didn't turn back around, and didn't speak.

Yoko cleared her throat. "I – I'm sorry if I was making you uncomfortable, Addams."

Wednesday turned around. She stayed silent for another few seconds, then said, "It's fine. I am not discomfitted in the least by your allusions to your sexual practices with Divina. Goddess knows that more explicit things are said at our lunch table every day. And I may be bothered by the rampant stupidity of our peers, but not by their innuendo and sexual banter, even if I don't participate." She looked over to Enid and then back at Yoko. "But it suddenly felt very clear to me that this space is one for the two of you, and my presence is inhibiting your conversation and preventing your full enjoyment. Do you deny that you modified your communications because I'm here?"

Yoko stayed silent, and so did Enid.

"I will withdraw to the library and allow you to continue so that I no longer interfere with your evening, with no hard feelings."

"Weds, no," Enid said in a very soft voice. She slowly went up to her roommate and took one of her hands. "We totally want you here. Like, so much." She looked over to Yoko for confirmation, and Yoko nodded. Enid continued, "I mean, if you're uncomfortable and you need some alone time, you can totally go. In fact, we'd leave, and let you have the room." She dropped her hands to her sides. "But we want you with us. If there's a little weirdness, it'll be gone soon." She laughed. "Before you know it, you'll have heard far more than you want to about how much Yoko loves going down on Divi."

One eyebrow raised, Wednesday said flatly, "Lucky me." But she came back over to their shared nest on the floor and sat down.

As Enid moved on to painting Yoko's first coat, they talked a bit more about Divina. Then Yoko took advantage of a lull in the conversation to ask Enid how her efforts to ramp things up with Ajax were going, doing her best to keep her tone judgement free.

Enid stayed focused on her nails, and said, "Oh, you know, nothing much to report."

After a pause, Wednesday spoke for the first time in awhile. "Ramp things up?"

The quick look Yoko got from Enid told her that her bestie had not actually shared this particular detail with her roommate.

Enid said, "Uh, yeah. After, y'know, all that with my mom, I decided that it made sense to try to get more serious with Ajax."

Wednesday looked puzzled. "I see." She paused. "What does that mean?"

"Just the usual stuff." Enid laughed in a way that sounded anxious and fake to Yoko's ears.

Wednesday just stared silently at her roommate.

After a few seconds, Enid sighed and continued. "Just all the things that make a relationship more serious, y'know? Spending more time together. Going from, like, dates to more continuous time. Talking about the future. Prioritizing each other more when you make decisions. Making friends with each other's friends that you don't know already. Meeting each other's families. Saying you love each other. Being more, y'know, physical. All that."

Wednesday continued to stare, and said, "You want these things? With him?"

"Umm, yeah. Or, I mean, it's complicated. I'm not there yet either, but I want us both to get there. So...yeah." Enid flicked a glance at Yoko then looked down at Yoko's nails, her body tense.

"I'm still worried about you, sweetie," Yoko chimed in. "I get why you're doing this, but...I'm going to keep worrying that pushing things with Ajax just because of your mom will end up with you getting hurt."

Enid nodded but didn't look up. Wednesday turned her stare on Yoko, who felt herself being evaluated and assessed, though to what end she had no idea.

After the silence stretched for a few minutes, Wednesday's attention returned to Enid. "Is this 'ramping up' related to the fact that you no longer touch either of us in public, or anyone else except Ajax, but you do so twice as much in private?"

Enid laughed, blushing furiously. "I suppose so. It's nothing personal. I'm just, y'know, showing him he's my number one."

"Is that what that's about?" Yoko said. "I'm not sure that really makes much sense. I mean, I honestly doubt he'd notice or care. Like, you're a werewolf, and you're you, and he knows that – he's not going to freak about you giving me a hug or patting Wednesday's arm or whatever."

Enid continued to focus intensely on Yoko's nails, her face still scarlet.

Then it clicked. "Oh sweetie," Yoko said. "Is this about making sure that your brothers don't see anything that they could possibly interpret as gay and then report back to your mother?"

Enid was blinking furiously. "I'm just being careful. I don't love you guys any less. I'm just..."

"Motherfuckers," Yoko muttered.

Enid looked startled.

"Not you two," Yoko added hastily. "I mean –" She paused. "It's just shitty how the world pushes queer girls to second-guess ourselves in being affectionate with our friends, y'know?"

Wednesday looked as if she was thinking her way towards another question, but Enid was looking increasingly sad, so Yoko decided to change the subject. "Hey, Enie, did you hear about the new Blackpink release date getting bumped back?"

A little bit of werewolf ranting about the unreliableness of record companies, and things eased back towards normal. Pretty soon, they were in a comfortable rhythm – Yoko and Enid talking about music and shows and school gossip and Yoko's coven, with Wednesday saying a lot less but, as Yoko had come to expect, chiming in at surprising moments. She seemed to have a much more sophisticated understanding of the internal politics in vampire communities than most outsiders, which Yoko supposed she shouldn't be surprised by. She talked a bit about her own family, too – which, as always, Yoko found fascinating.

It turned out that Wednesday's concerns about being on the receiving end of a manicure were about being touched – again, Yoko should have realized that. But to her surprise, Wednesday didn't refuse to participate. She gave a very firm no to any hand massage. But she had multiple bottles of black, and she encouraged Yoko and Enid to do one hand each, at the same time, to get it over with quickly.

Yoko heard Wednesday's heartbeat jump when Enid started on her right hand, and she realized, with amusement, that she might have misinterpreted some of her observations on her day of stalking – the racing heart in response to physical touch might've been superficially the same with Enid as with anyone else, but Yoko suspected that the associated feelings were rather different. As the two of them removed the old polish and then added the new, there was something tense about how Wednesday was holding herself, and she avoided eye contact. But the faint flush in her face gave Yoko the strong impression that she wasn't hating what was happening.

Soon enough, chatting plus nail care gave way to chatting plus snacking, and eventually Enid suggested putting on a movie. Yoko approved of her suggestion of Pan's Labyrinth – darker than Enid's usual fare, but a strategic choice if her goal was to hook Wednesday's interest. And sure enough, once the movie's premise had been explained to her, Wednesday nodded her approval. They moved their blankets and pillows so they could sit with their backs against Enid's bed, and put her laptop on a milk crate.

When they settled back to start watching, Yoko hesitated. She hated the fact that she did, but it didn't stop her. Enid was in the middle, right there, being Enid, exuding her need for physical affection. But Yoko sat a little apart, not touching her friend. Sure, fuck the bigots, show your friends you love them, blah blah, but...until she put this flickering uncertainty about how she actually felt about Enid to rest, maybe she should be a little more careful, a little more reserved, just on the off chance she really was indulging feelings that she really, really shouldn't have. A quick glance at Enid's other side showed Wednesday sitting very stiffly, a good foot between her and her roommate.

Enid let out a very loud, very dramatic sigh. "You two are dumbasses." She sighed again. "Weds, I get it's a big step for you with Yoko here, so do what feels best. Yoko, you're an idiot, you don't have an excuse. But both of you – I don't know if this is, like, not wanting to look soft in front of the other or what, but you are both perfectly fine cuddling with me when it's just the two of us watching a movie, and I'm having a rough time right now, and I want some goddamn cuddles."

Without saying anything, Yoko shifted closer and put her head on her friend's shoulder. A few moments later, she saw Wednesday do the same on the other side. Enid reached her arms around them both and made a contented noise. "Thank-you."

And when, a few minutes later, Enid softly said, "I love you two," in a voice thicker with emotion than the moment seemed to warrant, Yoko just snuggled closer.

Chapter Text

Yoko walked across the grass of Mather Park, an out-of-the-way green space in a residential area of Jericho on the side of town farther from Nevermore. It was once again Sunday and she was headed to an out-of-the-way corner of said park, where she could see a picnic table and a small, black-clad girl reading a book, both in the shade of a large oak.

She put a to-go cup containing a quad over ice in front of Wednesday, who just nodded. She looked a little off, somehow. Wednesday was someone who could go either way with eye contact, mixing together piercing stares and skilful avoidance with no particular logic Yoko could discern, beyond a frequent desire to make the people around her uncomfortable. But today, there seemed to be something particularly emphatic about Wednesday's refusal to look at her.

"Hey," Yoko said, sitting down. "Everything okay?"

A rapid flicker of eyes towards Yoko, then away. Another moment of silence. 

"You have previously asked me," Wednesday said, "to tell you the story of my relationship with Enid. I would like to do that today. Or, I suppose, I would not like to in the least, but I will do it." She sighed. "Doing so is an important element of why I approached you to begin with, after all."

Yoko blinked in surprise. "Oh! Sure, that'd be great."

Wednesday hummed, then continued. "Before that, though, I wish to touch on a of point from your visit to our room the other night."

"Oh?" Yoko said. And then, "Oh." She swallowed. "I am so sorry about the painting. I just wanted to do something nice for you two, y'know? It wasn't a dig about your feelings or anything like that, I promise." 

"Yes," Wednesday said, waving her hand. "I...realized that. I was...uneasy, and it made me misinterpret your intent. I do appreciate that you gave us something that you created. But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh. Okay. Well, go ahead."

Wednesday clenched her hands into fists and then slowly released them. "It is about Enid's decision to, as she said, 'ramp things up' with him. May I ask a question that will...expose my limitations, and trust that it will be kept in confidence?" Again, she flicked her eyes to Yoko and then away.

"Of course," Yoko said, with a small smile. "You don't need to ask every time. We're friends. I'm not going to spill your secrets."

Wednesday stared at her for a few seconds this time, then said, "Thank-you." Again, her gaze returned to the empty park. "That night, you expressed your reservations about Enid's decision directly to her, and...I want to understand more about that. When a member of my family is making a foolish choice, I am blunt with them – they expect that. But any time I have done something similar with other people, it has not been well received."

Yoko laughed softly. "Yeah, I can imagine."
 
"Indeed. So I was hesitant to do so with Enid, especially given how fraught all of this is for her." 

"It's a hard thing," Yoko said. She took a sip of her coffee, contemplating how best to give the little not-quite-human an impromptu lesson in being not-quite-human. "People usually don't like being told flat-out that they're making a shit choice. So when someone is – someone you care about – you don't want to be mean or to come on so strong that they end up pushing you away. But if you're seriously worried, then you can't say nothing, either. The thing is to be honest but to do it with care. Gauge what they're able to hear, how serious the risks are, all of that." 

Yoko took another sip of coffee. "I mean, with Enid, maybe I'm just grumpy that I'm not getting to see her as much, and I might be totally wrong to be worried about her. Maybe she and Ajax are destined for 60 years of happily ever after and a dozen grandchildren, and she's just getting that jumpstarted with what she's trying to do now." Yoko felt a surge of tension in her gut at the thought. "And maybe at their wedding, I'll make a speech and include a joke about how I was worried, and all the guests will laugh." She couldn't stop herself from making a face at that. "But for me, right now, I seriously doubt that, and being a friend means being honest with her that I'm worried about her. Just, y'know, not making her so mad or hurting her badly enough that she stops talking to me." 

Wednesday looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then said, "I...share your concerns for Enid in this matter. Though I find myself feeling rather more emphatic about it than your statements the other night."

"Sure, that's what I mean," Yoko replied. "I do too."

"It's entirely possible that my own feelings for her are clouding my judgment," Wednesday continued. "They have been leading me to make all kinds of strange choices lately." 

Yoko thought she detected a glimmer of humour in the eyes that were ever so briefly flicked in her direction, and a tone she didn't recognize in Wednesday's voice. It took her a moment to realize that this was Wednesday teasing about her decision to become friends with Yoko. She thought about responding with a mock-indignant "Hey!" but was too preoccupied with enjoying being on the receiving end of Wednesday being, dare she think it, almost playful, and by then Wednesday was speaking again.

"I don't begrudge her happiness with another. But the thought of her intensifying her relationship with that pathetic boy – who certainly isn't terrible, but who is patently unworthy of her – is upsetting. And the fact that she is doing so not because she wants to, but because she wants to want to, in a bid to fend off even worse from her mother, ignites a fury within me that I can hardly bear. Not at her, of course, but at her mother, at the gorgon, at the world. I know murdering him would be unhelpful, but I'm still tempted."

"Ahhhh, yeah, don't kill him. Enid would not approve. I don't approve."

Wednesday said nothing.

"Look, I know what you mean," Yoko said. "Like I said, I'm more worried about her than I said that night too. And I know that Enid can tell that's how I feel. But I need to be careful. I don't want to just tell her flat-out she's fucking up, because, for one thing, I have no magic answer for what else she should do, given her mother. Would I love it if she were to dump Ajax, tell her mother to fuck off, and start dating girls? Damn right. But then her mother would rain all manner of hell down on her, and maybe kick her out of the pack. Which might just break her. I can't tell her which traumatic path is the best one, because they all suck. And even more than all of that, like I said, I don't want to make her push me away. Because when things fall apart – whether that's because of Ajax or because of Esther or because Enid can't take it any more, or whatever – she'll need me, and I want to be there."

Wednesday frowned at her espresso. "So we can do nothing, then."

Yoko shrugged. "I know it feels that way. But sometimes, being present and loving someone when there's nothing else to be done is the opposite of nothing. And, y'know, you have to judge the moment. The time might come when she wants to be told to make a different choice, or when she doesn't want it but she really needs it, and we need to be there for that too."

Wednesday shook her head and sighed. "That sounds far beyond my capacity to perceive." She stared silently at the empty park, her expression becoming even more sombre. 

In hopes that it would be a welcome shift for her friend, Yoko said, "Can I hear your story now?" 

Wednesday sat straighter, sipped her espresso, and nodded. She spent a few minutes looking like she was deep in thought. Then she started to talk.

"The most consistent thing in my relationship with Enid has been surprise – she surprises me, and she pushes me to surprise myself. From the first time I saw her, that has been true.

"When I arrived at Nevermore, I did not want to be here – vehemently, passionately, with every fibre of my being. Even before my parents left, the entirety of my attention was focused on figuring out how to escape. I was trying to observe everything I could about the layout of the buildings, the way the school operates, Weems' character, the flow of people, and anything else that could help me, and my mind was racing with a dozen different plans.

"But when I saw Enid that first time in the dorm room, she...shocked me. Yes, it was the chaos of her terrible colours, but it was more than that. My revulsion at the visual cacophony was entirely predictable, but the surprise was that, for just a few seconds, seeing her banished all thought of plans and just made me profoundly present, made me just be there, grounded in the exquisite torture of her half of the room and in the painful, wonderful glow that is her."

Yoko grinned. "So, love at first sight?"

"Goddesses above and below, no, not at all," Wednesday said. "That first sight made an impact on me, certainly, and a surprising one, but no part of what I felt was love. After a few seconds, I was back to my planning, doubly committed to escape due to the thought of having to share space with all of that. And I began to treat her in all of the awful ways that show my unworthiness. I initially dismissed her as an annoyance, though soon enough I upgraded her to an annoyance who was also a resource for me to use. The focus of my plans shifted in multiple ways over the semester, but what stayed consistent was me using her at every step along the way.

"But the surprises continued. Even later on that first day, I told her about one of my most vulnerable moments. I had never shared that with anyone before. I had no idea at the time what possessed me to talk to her about it, and I still don't know. I told myself it was a strategic move, that she would be more useful to me if she felt some connection, but I did not for a second believe my own lie. I simply, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to make her feel better.

"When I agreed to become part of the Poe Cup team, I expected her to welcome it – I am a formidable ally, after all. But she shocked me in attributing my offer to friendship, and shocked me even more because it was clear how much she wanted it to be about friendship. Friendship, with me? Despite the cruelty, the selfishness, the harshness I had sent in her direction, and in every direction, from the moment we met? But for some reason, that is what she wanted. Most of all, she shocked me because even then, even with my own shortsighted refusal to see the true value of her warmth, her goodness, and her kindness, some part of me was glad to be doing it not only because it served my interests, but because it made her happy. When we won, I delighted in Barclay's defeat, but a little corner of me that I refused to acknowledge was also pleased that the victory brought Enid so much joy. And that shocked me too.

"Before their first date-that-wasn't, I threatened vengeance on that useless gorgon should he hurt her. It was a spontaneous, off-the-cuff thing, an expression more of the pleasure I take in violent revenge than any particular concern for her. But she surprised me in taking the offer in stride – already used to me, I suppose. And she made me surprise myself, because after I made the offer, I realized that if he broke her heart, it really would anger me.

"And then there was the touching...oh my gods and goddesses, the touching. Again, even from that first day, her respect for my boundaries was absolute. Unlike with most people, I didn't have to threaten her to enforce them – I did threaten her, and plenty, because she's wonderful and I'm terrible, but I knew from the start that I didn't have to. And not because she was scared of me, though initially she was, but because even through her fear, she was being kind to me, respectful, trying so hard to 'friend' the 'weirdo,' as I told you once before. And yet she offered touch, in the way that she always does, and...at some point, I stopped saying no and I stopped signalling it through my actions, at least sometimes. It was just little things, at that point – a quick touch on the shoulder or arm, once in awhile a side hug that ended almost before it started, an incidental bump of shoulder or hand as we walked down the hall. These kinds of touches are nothing for her, the tiniest of punctuation in the flow of her day, but for me they were so much. I was constantly shocked that I allowed them, that I wanted to allow them, that sometimes I even craved them, and I was often furious at myself for feeling that way. But I didn't stop craving them. And I didn't stop treating her badly through it all.

"And then the Rave'n. So much of that night, in my mind, is saturated with awareness of my foolishness and my failure – Tyler, Eugene, all of it. But she looms in my memory of the dance as well. She was so beautiful, present with a different idiot boy who was unworthy of her, and I was surprised at the vehemence of my disapproval of her choice. 

"And soon after," Wednesday's eyes again flicked to Yoko and away, "was the night she left to stay with you. The surprise party was a foolish choice on her part, of course – she really should have known that I would never want such a thing. Yet even just the fact that she was actually able to surprise me itself surprised me. And to my shock, some small part of me did want the party, did appreciate the care it showed, did respect that she pulled it off, and I had no idea why I was feeling such things or what to do with those feelings. And then, of course, the trip to the Gates mansion. I lied to her, I violated her trust, I disregarded her feelings. And in so doing, I pushed her so hard, I placed her at such risk, I hurt her so much, that she left. I am a terrible, terrible friend."

Wednesday paused to take another drink. Yoko tried to find something comforting to say, but had come up with nothing by the time Wednesday started speaking again.

"Her departure was not a surprise. Well, no, even that isn't true – I was surprised that she showed so much backbone, after letting me walk all over her from the moment we met. But I was also not surprised that she of all people would leave, because soon enough everyone who is not an Addams leaves. As I know she will leave again some day. As will you, as will anyone who is foolish enough to befriend me."

Yoko reached out but drew her hand back before she actually touched Wednesday. "You don't know that. You need to trust us."

Wednesday briefly made eye contact. All Yoko could think was Oh! before the deep, deep sadness and self-loathing in those gorgeous eyes returned to blankness, and Wednesday looked away again.

"I do trust both of you. Now more than ever, in fact. I refuse to do what I was doing before. I refuse to deny her intelligence, or yours – her strength, or yours. But someday – today, tomorrow, ten years from now – she will realize what I am, as she should, and she will leave, as she should. You, I expect, will do likewise. It will be what she needs to do to protect herself, so I will want her to. And it will break me. Hence why I agreed to this," she gestured between them, "to ward off that day as long as possible."

A few minutes of silence.

Wednesday sighed and began again. "When she returned, after those three horrible days, it was like the sunrise. And the sunrise is a certainty, but somehow this one surprised me. I was shocked she returned. I was shocked she forgave me. Most of all, despite my misery in those days, I was shocked how much it meant to me that she was back – it shocked me that I, an Addams who craves the dark as much as any vampire, was shatteringly, humiliatingly thankful at the return of the light."

This time, when Yoko reached out, she let her hand keep going. Much to her surprise, when she gave Wednesday's hand a squeeze, the other girl allowed it.

"And then there was Crackstone. I could spend hours teasing out all of the ways that Enid was at the centre of that night for me, and how she surprised me in so, so many ways. She came to help, even when she had no reason to think she'd be able to do anything other than die along side me. She transformed. She saved me. She fought Tyler, and she won. In a night of chaos and pain and danger, she constantly drew my thoughts and my heart – longing to see her one more time as I lay dying in the crypt, fierce pride that she transformed, fear for her from the moment I walked away from her fight until I saw her afterwards. And the glorious, terrible symphony stirred in me by our hug. It had been perhaps a decade since I last actively wanted to be hugged, but in that moment I wanted nothing more. And then, once our wounds had been tended and we were released from the clutches of the doctors, there was all of the quiet care – from her to me, which I still could not believe she was giving me, and from me to her, which shocked me even more.

Wednesday shook her head slowly. "In my family, we talk about having an inherited curse related to love. There are many genuinely magical things about being an Addams, many curses that really are spells, but the love curse we talk of is metaphor rather than witchery. It is a part of my heritage that I find difficult to bear, but it just means that to be an Addams is to feel intensely, the good and the bad. And that night, confronted with all I had been feeling and with the way in which the battle shredded my boundaries, I could no longer maintain my denial about my feelings for Enid. Which was...difficult. I briefly considered completing what Crackstone began, to spare her having to deal with me. No, don't make that face, it was a moment, and it passed – I was too weak to seriously contemplate it.

"And since then it has been, as I have already told you, a series of unpleasant experiences. Bliss cut with torture, torture cut with bliss, and I can no longer even tell which parts I wish to banish and which parts, were they to end, would end me.

"I cannot begin to describe how challenging it has been. We are closer. She has told me much more about her life, including many painful things. And to my lasting surprise, I have told her more about my life – many more things that I have told no one else. We touch. We touch more than even my worst nightmares six months ago could have conjured. Until her recent strategic withdrawal from such things, the little touches outside of the privacy of our dorm had gone from occasional to constant. And in our dorm," Wednesday drew in a ragged breath and released it, "it was and remains unimagineable. Taps, touches, hugs, cuddles, even little kisses on hand or cheek – it overwhelms me, but it is never enough. 

"And I do not know what Enid has told you, but both she and I have continued to feel the trauma of that night. It should shame me, as an Addams, and in the abstract it does, to have my dreams sometimes disturbed by a terror that I want to avoid rather than embrace, but at this point it feels like the smallest part of my tumble away from my former image of myself. But...yes, sometimes I wake up in terror, sometimes she does. And when that happens, we share a bed, we hold each other to keep it all at bay, and it works. It is torture most exquisite, it is pain, it is delight."

Wednesday looked directly at Yoko, her stare intense. "I care for her very much. I do not want her harmed. And I know that if I am near, the most likely source of harm to her is me." And then she looked back out over the park.

Yoko sat still, looking at her friend's blank face, quietly digesting all she had just heard.

"Addams?" she said at last.

Wednesday looked at her, then away. "Yes?"

"I really want to hug you right now."

Another momentary flicker of grief and pain crossed Wednesday's face, and then disappeared. "I...don't think that would be advisable at this moment. But...thank-you."

"Okay," Yoko said. She reached out and took Wednesday's hand, though, and this time let it linger. "Thank-you for telling me this. Thank-you for letting me see you." Part of her wanted to say that it felt more intimate, more honest, than all of the time she'd spent naked with Divina combined, but she figured that wouldn't be appreciated.

Yoko continued, "There are so many things I want to say to you right now, even though I know you don't want to hear most of them. Like, I think you should think about going back to therapy. Seriously, even though it didn't work well with Kinbott, I think it would help if you found the right person. And I really think you should think about telling Enid how you feel – I honestly have no idea if she would reciprocate, because she holds that kind of thing close, even from me. But you mean so much to her, I'm certain that telling her wouldn't drive her away even if she's not interested in being your girlfriend. And I think you really need to think about how you see yourself. I mean, when Bianca, or Eugene, or me, or Enid look at you, we see someone who is weird as fuck, yes, but we don't see someone awful – we see someone who's pretty great. We see someone we like, a lot. And it kind of hurts to hear you say all of those things about yourself. And, like, I'm not saying you haven't fucked up in the past – I'm the one who had to put Enid back together after your fuckery around the trip to the Gates mansion, after all. But...mostly, for now, I just want to tell you again that you're my friend. I care about you. I'm totally down for being here next to you while you figure this shit out."

Yet another flicker of eyes towards Yoko and away again, and a quick nod.

They sat together in silence for a good long while after that, before starting the walk back to the school.

Chapter Text

Yoko slipped into the one remaining seat at their long lunch table, next to Bianca. No sign of Divina, no sign of Wednesday, and for some reason some extra gorgon and siren bros that she didn't really know. Enid, who was at the far end of the table next to Ajax, gave her a little smile and wave, which she returned.

She sighed. This had become the new normal at meals and any occasion where the whole group was together – her bestie attached to her boyfriend's side, and mostly focused on him.

Yoko raised an eyebrow at Bianca and tipped her head at the unfamiliar tablemates, who (along with Kent, Xavier, and Ajax) seemed to be deep in the middle of some kind of impassioned conversation about a werewolf influencer who did skateboarding tricks on TikTok and Instagram. Bianca shrugged and murmured, "No idea. Friends of Ajax, I think?"

"Ah. Lovely."

Bianca smirked.

The two talked quietly on their own, at first about a biology project that they were supposed to be working on together but hadn't started yet, but then just general gossip. Yoko kept getting distracted watching her bestie – Ajax seemed to be mostly ignoring her and she wasn't participating in the conversation, which was not at all like her, but she had her hands folded in front of her and was watching him attentively.

"Hey, you want to head over to the library, see if we can find anything for the project before afternoon classes start?" Bianca asked.

"What?" Yoko said, turning her gaze from Enid back to the siren. "Oh, yeah."

Bianca gave her a penetrating stare – not quite Wednesday-level, but pretty intense – but then shifted to a teasing smile. She said very quietly, "Okay, okay, one girlfriend isn't around and the other's all the way over there. Must be rough."

Yoko only realized how horrified the face she made in return must have been when Bianca's eyes widened.

"Shit. Sorry," the siren said. They packed up, waved their goodbyes to the rest of the table, and headed off towards the library. Once they were out of the quad, Bianca said, "Sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I wasn't trying to imply anything."

Yoko shook her head. "I know. It's just that Div gets a bit touchy about her, sometimes, and I'm all in my head about it."

Bianca reached out and gave Yoko's arm a squeeze. "Are things okay with you two?"

"I...think so?" Yoko replied. "I mean, Div's been kind of distant, but honestly I don't mind the space, and we're not fighting as much as we used to, so." 

Bianca shook her head. "I actually meant you and Enid. She's different, lately."

"Oh. Yeah. It's complicated." Yoko sighed. "She's...not as available as she used to be, I guess, and I'm finding it hard. But she's going through some stuff, so I can't really blame her. Can't really say much more about it than that. I'm worried about her, though. But, then, when am I not?"

Bianca bumped her shoulder into Yoko's. "You're a good friend, Tanaka. Enid's lucky to have you."

# # #

Yoko took a little white paint and mixed it in with the grey she had already been working with. She snuck a peek at her canvas over her sunglasses and added a few dabs to it. The painting was a night-time landscape, with a full moon over trees and snow. She was nowhere close to being able to capture the silvery glow that she wanted it to have, but she tried not to let that bother her.

She set her brush down and looked at her phone. No reply from Enid. Who was, for some reason, absent from art club. It was very like Enid to be late, but not at all like her to be missing entirely – and given that it was about ten minutes from the end, that seemed to be where things were headed. Enid had been in Spanish class earlier in the day and hadn't looked sick or said anything about another commitment, which was also not like her. 

Yoko was feeling rather more sad about her absence (and sorry for herself) than she probably should be. Goodness knew Enid deserved to skip things now and again to get her actual school work done, and it was not like Yoko wasn't mostly occupied in trying to make her landscape look less like a toddler had painted it. But, still, she was really missing Enid these days. It wasn't just that she was now fully and devotedly Ajax-oriented at meal times, but that she was hardly around at any other time. Yoko had been counting on art club. And she'd texted her, like, 90 minutes ago, and little miss always-on-her-phone had yet to reply.

Sigh.

She briefly thought about adding a small bat, wolf, and raven to the painting, but decided instead to just work on the trees some more.

When Ms. Zhao let them know that time was up but anyone who wanted could stay later, Yoko was tempted but only briefly. Art club was on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Tuesday nights, she had an hour between it and the weekly meeting of the Vampire Student Society – her only other extracurricular. She had a standing study date with Divina in the library for that hour.

Except when she got to the table where she and Div always met up, there was no sign of the siren. 

YT: hey...you on your way?

After five minutes, she was ready to give up, and then her phone buzzed.

DM: oh, sorry
DM: got caught up working on that group debate project
DM: can't really leave...talk tomorrow?

Yoko shook her head – she knew this should make her feel even more sorry for herself, but she was having trouble working up the energy to care very much – and texted back.

YT: sure
YT: see you in math
YT: xoxo

And no response from Divina.

Yoko thought about getting her books out to get at least some work done before her meeting, but she didn't really feel like it. Instead, she wandered over towards the vampire student lounge right away. She didn't usually spend a lot of time there because it had a sort of dark Draculean aesthetic that, personally, she thought was a bit over the top, though she suspected Wednesday might like it. But there'd be people hanging out before the meeting, so she might as well go and make herself less lonely – she couldn't stand the meetings themselves, what with all of the pompous speeches and debates that went nowhere, but she did quite like a few of the other younger vamps.
 
On her way, she finally heard back from Enid.

ES: ooooooh noooooo
ES: didn't i tell you?
ES: i'm dropping art club
ES: too much to do too little time!!!
ES: i'm sorrrrryyyy and i looooooove youuuuuuuu!!!
ES: let me come over on...maybe thursday evening...or actually maybe some time next week...we'll see...but yeah lets hang, so i can make it up to you

Well, fuck.

Yoko stuffed her phone into her pocket and scowled. 

# # #

Yoko wasn't going to lie to herself – when Enid showed up at her door for some long-delayed time together, it felt good. It felt sunny afternoon good, hot bath good, warm blood fresh from the neck good, maybe even toasty werewolf snuggles good. She'd try to set aside her Enid-related worries for tonight and just enjoy the time together.

She had to admit, she was still a bit annoyed at Enid for dropping art club and not even bothering to tell her, and additionally worried that she seemed to have dropped a couple of her other activities as well, but the rush of getting to spend time with her – with her, not with the toned down version of herself she'd recently decided she needed to put on in public – made Yoko not care so much. She wasn't addicted to physical affection the way Enid was, but being on the receiving end of a barrage of it like tonight, which started with Enid's vice-like hello hug and just didn't stop, was pretty intoxicating. 

They cuddled and did homework. Then they forgot about the homework, the way they so often did, and just talked. That was what Yoko missed most of all. They still kept up a text conversation throughout the day most days, and Enid was about the funniest and warmest and most affectionate texter ever, but it didn't make up for everything else.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind," Enid said. "I told Weds to come over after her writing time."

"Good idea," Yoko replied. "Is she going to?" 

"I think so." Enid chewed on her lower lip. "I, ah, might have to head out not long after that, though."

And just like that, it all felt less good, less healing, less delightfully separate from everything else that had been going on. Suddenly, Yoko couldn't stay quiet. "Seriously, Enie? You're, like, one of the most important people in my life, and I feel like I hardly see you any more."

Enid wouldn't look at her, and said in a subdued way, "We see each other every day."

"Yeah, we see each other in class, which hardly counts," Yoko said. Her tone was way more upset than she'd meant it to be, but she couldn't seem to stop it. "We see each other at meals, and you spend them glued to Ajax's side and we hardly get to say three words to each other. We see each other in art club – except, no we don't any more, thanks for that. We hung out, like, five days ago, sure, but we used to make time for each other every day. I miss you." 

Enid was still looking down, and her voice was still quiet. "I miss you too. So much." She looked up, eyes a little teary. "I love you, Yokes. This is all so much harder than I expected, and you and Weds – you're keeping me sane. You're keep me alive."

Yoko sighed. She wrapped her arms around Enid and put her chin on her shoulder. "Oh, Enie-bean. I don't want to make things any harder for you. But, like, if it's so hard, then...maybe it's time to think about doing something different? And...I just...I don't like it."

Enid didn't reply, she just squeezed tighter. They sat like that for a few moments, until a knock at the door.

Yoko pulled away and called out, "It's open. C'mon in!"

It was Wednesday. She gave the pair on the bed an intense look – Yoko felt as if the emotional exchange of a few moments before was still written on their faces and had been somehow thoroughly read and catalogued – and then a nod.

"Hey Weds," Enid said, now smiling. "How'd your writing go?"

"A mediocre night," Wednesday responded. "Viper has a mind of her own, sometimes."

She was looking around intently. Yoko realized that Wednesday had never been in her room before. She seemed particularly focused on Yoko's many overflowing bookshelves, carefully looking down each one, occasionally making a small noise of surprise, interest, or disapproval.

Meanwhile, Enid had started stuffing her books into her bag. "Sorry to run out on you two, but the ping-pong club is practicing and I told Ajax I'd go and watch." She gave Yoko a peck on the cheek and then Wednesday a quick shoulder squeeze. "See you back in the room, Weds?"

Wednesday hummed her assent and watched Enid leave.

Once the door was closed, Yoko muttered, "Fucking ping-pong?"

Wednesday looked over at Yoko, her head tilted slightly. "I wouldn't dream of trying to control her choices, but it is a bit insulting that we don't rate higher than watching a group of unserious adolescents do a mediocre job of playing an uninteresting game."

Yoko snorted. "Ping-pong's actually pretty fun – we should play sometime. But, yeah, just going to watch? Plus, he's probably high as a kite and can't hit the ball for shit. And I'd be surprised if he cares one way or the other if she's there."

Wednesday walked over to Yoko's desk chair and sat. "I'm sorry that she left before I could observe the expectations for tonight's encounter. I'm unsure what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Well, we were doing homework at first, but then we were just talking."

"Hmm," Wednesday said. "I have no homework to do at the moment. And I'm afraid at this point on a school day my capacity for social interaction has been drained too much to be capable of the kind of intense conversation that we have been filling our Sunday mornings with – I was mostly planning on listening to you and Enid."

Yoko smiled at her gently. "You don't have to stay. I know you need your alone time."

Wednesday tilted her head again, considering. Then she glanced back at the bookshelves. "Why have I never seen you reading, except for school books?"

"I don't know. I guess I mostly just read in here, instead of carting a book to every meal like you."

Wednesday nodded. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Shoot."

"How about I go and get the book that I'm reading at the moment and return here. Then we can both read while still enjoying each other's company. If a little bit of conversation is within our respective capacities, wonderful, and if not, we have spent time together and enjoyed ourselves."

"Ooooo, I like that idea," Yoko said. And she really did – this was way better than any kind of nonsense with swords. It fit them both so well that Yoko couldn't believe that it had never occurred to her to suggest it herself. This could totally become, like, a thing for them.

Wednesday nodded and disappeared out the door. Soon, she was back carrying not a leather-bound tome about poison or monsters, as Yoko had been expecting, but a paperback thriller that Yoko hadn't read but that she recognized as having been popular the year before for its particularly intense brutality. Wednesday saw her looking and held it out to her to read the back. In return, Yoko showed her own current read, a collection of personal essays by a vampire trans guy from the UK. 

Wednesday nodded approvingly. "You have an interesting mix of tastes." She smirked slightly. "Somewhat like your taste in caffeinated beverages, I suppose, or in friends – some abominable, but some rather more adequate."

Yoko rolled her eyes. She liked that Wednesday teased her sometimes now, but she knew that her friend was referring to herself as "abominable", and she really needed to figure out better ways to push back against that. But she also knew she had to pick her moments, and now was not the time. "Sure, sure," Yoko said. "If you ever want a break from sad-sack lit-fic, thrillers, and macabre nonfiction, I have some sapphic grumpy/sunshine romances that'd be right up your alley." 

Wednesday scowled in return, but Yoko could tell it wasn't in earnest – to her surprise, she seemed to be getting better at reading the other girl's subtle tells. (What she couldn't decide was if the scowl was because Wednesday didn't know what a "grumpy/sunshine romance" was and therefore didn't get exactly how she was being teased, or if it was because she did.)

They settled into their reading. Yoko snuck the occasional glance at Wednesday, who was focused on her book. Hanging out like this was such a simple thing, and so different from how she spent time with her other friends, but she was already sure that she and Wednesday were going to end up doing this a lot, and she kept having to suppress a smile at the thought. 

After about twenty minutes, Wednesday looked up from her novel and said, "I have been reflecting on what you told me at the end of our conversation in the park the other week. I am still considering your practical advice. But I have been wanting to say that I am...glad that, despite how difficult it can be, how difficult I can be, you still want to be my friend. Even if I don't understand it. And I am glad to be your friend too."

Yoko blinked a few times. She was pretty sure that Wednesday wouldn't appreciate it if she was too expressive in communicating the warmth that had just bloomed in her chest. But, still, she couldn't contain the Enid-calibre smile as she said, "Thanks. That means a lot." And then she returned her attention to her book, still smiling.

This felt good too – different from the earlier feeling with Enid, but still good. It was cool spring evening good, it was swimming in the ocean good, it was licking a bloodcicle on a hot day good. She wasn't sure what kind of snuggles to compare it to, exactly. But, who knows, maybe eventually she'd get to find out.

# # #

Yoko was a little late in getting to the picnic. She'd only realized as everyone in their year was setting out from the quad for the walk to the little lake just north of the school that she'd forgotten to grab a blanket, and then it took her awhile to find the one she wanted to bring.

When she got there, everyone was already scattered across the grass and the thin strip of beach, some munching on sandwiches and others just laying back and enjoying the sun. It was a sort of semi-official, mostly-mandatory, school-sanctioned social event – the school, in the spirit of 'holistically enriching young lives' or some nonsense like that, organized a few different things along those lines each semester. Some of them could be a bit dire – there'd been one last year that involved an inspirational speaker and then breaking into small groups for trust-building exercises – but she liked the looks of this one.

She spotted a group of sirens near the water that included Divina and Bianca, and she decided to join them. But just as she got there, they all started standing up and, judging by the removal of outer layers of clothing, getting ready to swim. 

Bianca spotted her first. "Hey. We're going to spend the afternoon in the lake. You can join us, if you want."

Divina looked up then as well and shot her a distracted smile as she pulled her arms out of her hoodie.

"Uh, yeah, no, I don't think so. I didn't bring my suit."

While the sirens made their way into the water, Yoko looked around to see who else she could sit with. She saw Enid, who waved at her. Yoko waved back, but she hesitated. She was, as always, attached to an Ajax whose attention was elsewhere. The group they were sitting with included Kent and, as seemed to be increasingly the case these days, several gorgon and siren boys she had no interest in getting to know. She was torn – should she endure the high density of bros in order to have a shot at some of Enid's attention? Maybe, maybe...

In the other direction there was a cluster that included a few of the the other vampires she hung with sometimes. And...oh, there under the tree, it was Wednesday sitting on her own and reading a book.

Easy choice.

Yoko walked over towards Wednesday. As she put her blanket out, Wednesday nodded at her and said, "Not sitting with Enid today?"

"I could ask the same of you."

Wednesday's eyes flicked over to the grouping that included her roommate. "I find the way she has taken to diminishing herself when in company to be rather difficult to tolerate, and no doubt she would mostly ignore me anyway. Even though moments with her in our dorm room are rarer than they used to be, given how often she is out and about with him, I would still rather wait to spend time with her when she is actually present. And I have less than zero interest in enduring the idiots currently in her vicinty." 

"Ouch," Yoko said. "And also, yes, exactly."

Yoko lay down and stretched out. Wednesday returned to her book, and Yoko decided just to savour the companionable silence.

It was a pleasant afternoon. Enid joined them for a little bit, which was delightful while it lasted, though of course it didn't last long. Divina did not come over at all, even after the sirens had their fill of the water and got out to dry off in the sun, and Yoko didn't really feel motivated to go back over to where they were either. She hadn't brought a book, but she and Wednesday talked a little bit, not really about anything of consequence. And it was good – a little more low-key than Yoko was used to, but not in a bad way.

At the end of the afternoon, she and Wednesday walked back to the school together. They were alone for a bit, and Yoko started talking about her worries about Enid – a common topic between them. By the time they reached her dorm room door, she was grumbling about Bianca's teasing from the other day, and what on earth was she supposed to do about the fact that everyone seemed to have the wrong idea about her and Enid.

Wednesday hadn't spoken in awhile, but at this she interrupted. "Given the circumstances, why not inquire whether they would be open to you being in a relationship with both of them at the same time?"

Yoko blinked. "What?" Her heart was suddenly racing.

"Both could be your girlfriends, Enid and Divina. Then people's ideas would no longer be wrong. You do know that there is nothing inappropriate about such things if all parties are aware and consenting, do you not? I don't know of any such arrangements among students at Nevermore at the moment, but I don't really pay attention to the liasons of our peers. Surely Enid would know. Regardless, various relational configurations involving multiple partners are not uncommon in my family, and I know they happen among vampires as well."

Yoko blinked some more, unsure if Wednesday was being serious. But, of course she was. When was she anything but? There she was, just standing and looking at Yoko, with her beautiful serious face set in a beautiful serious expression, very clearly expecting a serious response to what had been offered as a serious suggestion. But it felt so outlandish, like something out of a fantasy and not anything to do with real life.

There were about a million things wrong with the idea, but Yoko was having trouble coming up with any of them. Her brain seemed paralyzed. But she also felt a little giddy, a little breathless? Like she was teetering on the edge of something? Finally, she was able to force out some words. "How...how would that even work?" Hmmm, definitely not the most important problem with what Wednesday had said. But at least she'd manged to speak.

Wednesday shrugged. "From what I've observed in my family, it works like any other romantic relationship – love, desire, communication, honesty, trust – just with more people. Though with an even higher premium than otherwise on communication and honesty, I suppose."

Yoko wasn't sure what expression she was making as she failed to find an adequate response to that, but whatever it was, it prompted Wednesday to keep talking.

"In any case, you can hardly expect me, of all people, to have anything useful to say about how romantic relationships work, when I am so incompetent at basic friendship." Wednesday looked away. The tiniest note of tension entered her voice. "Given my incapacities and my rank unsuitability to be the focus of any sort of tender feeling from anyone at all, the difference between one paramour and two seems much, much smaller to me than the difference between zero and one."

Okay, Wednesday putting herself down and also being fucking weird felt like more familiar territory, and helped Yoko ease back towards normal speech.

"Okay," Yoko said, "first of all, I've told you before: Don't say mean shit about yourself, because that's my friend your trashing. But we can come back to that later. And, yes, you're right, some vamps do relationships like that. But, like, I think it's mostly vamps who are way older than me, so I don't know anyone. Or, like, maybe friends of my dads, and I just don't know about it? I dunno. But that doesn't matter, because the whole idea is completely irrelevant. For one thing, there is no way in hell that Divina would ever go for something like that – just no way. She's great in lots of ways, but she's also pretty conventional. And you'd think it'd go the other way, but, for her, growing up a twin has given her serious issues about sharing her people. For another, there's Ajax to consider. And for another another, there would be nothing more likely to guarantee Enid facing terrible consequences from Esther. But most important of all, your suggestion would in no way be a solution to the actual problem I was talking about." She bent over and stared directly in Wednesday's eyes from point-blank range. "Because I Do. Not. Have. Feelings. For. Enid."

Wednesday stared back. "Whatever you say."

Yoko turned away and made a groan of frustration. "You are such a pain in the ass."

Wednesday said nothing. 

Yoko sighed and continued, "Okay, okay. I am going into my room now. To be continued, no doubt." She paused as she was about to put her key in the lock. "Reading in my room tomorrow evening?" It had, as Yoko had hoped, become a regular thing. 

Wednesday nodded and headed for the stairs that led to the top floor of Ophelia Hall.

Once inside, Yoko collapsed into her desk chair. She had no idea why Wednesday's suggestion had affected her like that. Because all of the things she'd just said to Wednesday were totally true – it was unthinkable for Divina, unthinkable for Enid, and utterly irrelevant to Yoko.

But even as she sat there, head tilted back and looking up at the ceiling, she couldn't stop thinking about it. It wasn't so much the specifics of what Wednesday had suggested, but more the underlying idea – that doing relationships like that wasn't just some sort of ridiculous fantasy, but something that real people actually did in their lives. For whatever reason – and she couldn't even begin to identify what that reason might be – it felt exciting. It felt, somehow, like possibility. 

Chapter Text

Yoko threw herself down on her bed and sighed in satisfaction. It had been a good night. She'd gotten the absolutely necessary portion of her homework finished earlier in the evening, and then met up with Bianca and a younger Nightshade who was new to the group to plan their upcoming party. She'd quite enjoyed that – she liked working with Bianca, of course, and the new guy was a werewolf named Darius who was a total sweetheart and who also happened to be newly out as gay. He hadn't said a whole lot about it, but Yoko had the distinct impression that the timing of his coming out wasn't entirely his choice and he was quite nervous about it all, despite being very clear and comfortable with his sexuality. So she put on her supportive queer older sister hat whenever she saw him and leaned hard into the role. 

In any case, the party seemed to be coming together. She was, as always, in charge of refreshments. They sometimes brought out booze from the official Nightshade stash, but they weren't going to this time, because they planned on heading out to the lake for some skinnydipping later in the festivities and, notwithstanding all of the legends about drowning sailors, sirens (including those in the Nightshades) were very conscientious when it came to water safety.  

She got ready for bed and picked up her current read – it was a mystery that Wednesday had recommended as being particularly cleverly plotted, and much to Yoko's surprise it wasn't some sort of out-there slasher but one of the cosiest mysteries she had ever read. (In addition to their now regular shared reading sessions, they'd started recommending each other books. And it had quickly become apparent to Yoko that as much as Wednesday had a soft spot for anything bloody or terrifying, she also had an excellent eye for beautiful writing and a well-told story.) 

As good as the book was, though, Yoko's day had been a long one, and she ran out of steam fairly quickly. So she switched off her bedside lamp, turned on her side, grabbed tight to a pillow, and closed her eyes.

She didn't know how long she had been out when vigorous knocking on her door woke her. For a couple of seconds, she lay there in a puzzled haze that wasn't far from sleep, but when the knocking continued, she remembered with a jolt what it usually meant when she had an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night – a blond werewolf having some flavour of breakdown on the other side of the door. The familiar mix of dismay and adrenaline got her up and reaching for her door handle.

The sight that met her was not at all what she expected, though, and it turned the dismay to dread and amplified the adrenaline by at least an order of magnitude.

It wasn't Enid, it was Wednesday. 

She was wearing black sleep pants and a black t-shirt, and no shoes. Her braids, rather than being in the impeccably tight and neat state that was all Yoko had ever seen, were starting to come undone. But it was her face that was so upsetting. Even at the worst moments of that business with Crackstone and the Hyde, Yoko had never seen Wednesday's eyes convey anything other than competence, confidence, and occasionally rage. But now they were filled with terror. She was shaking for fucks sake – Wednesday Addams was shaking in fear. She wasn't crying, but she looked like she had been.

For a moment, Yoko was paralyzed. If this was Enid, Yoko's instantaneous and automatic first move would be to wrap her in a hug. But this was Wednesday.

Oh fuck. Was this about Enid? Had something happened to her? Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Is she okay?" Yoko breathed.

Through her shaking, Wednesday nodded, but – oh fuck, she was blinking, now, as if she was trying to hold back tears. Her eyes flicked over Yoko's shoulder and back to her face.

"Oh, right, come in," Yoko said.

When she turned around from closing her door, Wednesday was still standing, still shaking, staring at Yoko and looking utterly forlorn. Yoko again had to restrain the urge to hug her.

She came closer and said softly, "What's going on? What do you need?"

Wednesday's mouth opened and closed. She made a noise of frustration, and two tears escaped her eyes.

She tapped her mouth, and then started signing at Yoko. It looked similar to the way that Thing communicated, but unlike Enid, Yoko had never figured out how to understand the sentient hand.

"I'm sorry, Weds. I don't know what you're saying."

The seer's eyes closed, and she hunched over.

Yoko felt herself inching towards panic. Should she rush up to Wednesday and Enid's dorm, see if Enid could help? Should she wake their dorm mom?

No. Wednesday needed help now. Yoko would figure it out.

That day in the park, Wednesday had mentioned trauma from the night that Crackstone attacked the school, and night terrors. And she'd said sometimes she and Enid held each other to get through it.

Well, Yoko was no Enid, but maybe it was worth a try? Or, who knows, maybe she'd end up with a stake through her heart.

Yoko pulled gently on the sleeve of Wednesday's shirt and pointed to the bed. She said softly, "If you want, that is."

A scowl drove some of the misery from Wednesday's face and she pulled her sleeve free from Yoko's fingers.

Okay, so, a stake it is...

But then another shake went through Wednesday's body. She looked utterly defeated. She scowled once more at Yoko. But then she climbed into Yoko's bed, facing the wall.

Yoko got in beside her. "If I do anything at all that you don't want, Weds, just tell me. Or, like, throw an elbow – I can take it."

She waited a moment for Wednesday to respond, and when she didn't, Yoko inched closer and put an arm around her waist.

Just barely, she made out Wednesday saying, "Tighter." So Yoko drew her closer and squeezed, and Wednesday grabbed her hand.

For awhile, they just lay there. At first, Wednesday's shaking intensified, and Yoko suspected her tears did as well, though she didn't look.

Yoko could hardly imagine what it must take to reduce someone as strong and as proud as Wednesday to this state. It made her want to wrap her even more tightly in her arms and never let go.

Eventually, Wednesday's shaking eased, her silent sobs faded, and her body relaxed. Her breath was ragged but slow. She still held tightly to Yoko's hand. 

"Thank-you," Wednesday said softly. "My apologies that you had to witness this."

"Any time, Weds," Yoko said just as softly, and squeezed her. "Can you tell me what happened? No worries if not."

Yoko felt the girl in her arms take a big breath in and then out.

Wednesday said, "The usual. A night terror. Crackstone, all of that." Yoko heard her swallow before continuing. "As I told you once before, usually Enid and I...support each other when it happens. But this time she...was absent."

Anxiety shot through Yoko again. "Absent?"

"Off with the gorgon."

"Ah," Yoko said, her worry morphing into a less urgent and much more familiar sort of concern.

"I tried to endure it," Wednesday said. "It's my own mind, I should be able to, but—" Yoko could feel her tensing. "But I could not. I'm not only cruel and selfish, but weak. A burden on—"

"Wednesday Addams, cut that shit out." Yoko took a steadying breath. "Sorry. Probably shouldn't say that to someone processing their PTSD, or whatever. But, like, you needed help, you came to me, which is exactly what I would want you to do."

They lay there silently for a few minutes before Wednesday spoke again, her voice small. "I...couldn't be alone, in the grip of it. And with Enid away, the only person whose presence I could conceive of bearing was yours."

"Like I said, Weds, any time."

Wednesday turned her head to be able to look at Yoko, while squeezing the vampire's hand. "This is...tolerable."

Yoko could feel herself blushing. She cleared her throat. "Want to try to sleep now?"

"You don't mind if I stay?" Wednesday asked.

"Of course not."

Yoko thought she might have a bit of trouble falling back to sleep, given the adrenaline Wednesday's appearance had triggered, and also because this was someone she had never shared a bed with before, but her eyes closed and her consciousness faded in no time.

Only to be interrupted, some indeterminate amount of time later, by more knocking. 

This time, Yoko's return to consciousness was immediate. Both she and Wednesday sat up.

"Expecting anyone?" Wednesday asked from beside her, a small knife somehow in her hand. Yoko shook her head.

When she opened the door, it was Enid on the other side. Except, it wasn't quite the same Enid that had Yoko was used to seeing at her door in the middle of the night. For one thing, she was wearing not pyjamas but what looked like a once-fancy outfit that was now dishevelled. And there were no tears, no wild eyes, no hint of any emotional storm, just a small, pensive frown.

"Hey," Enid said.

Yoko responded by wrapping her arms around her. "Hey. What's up?"

Enid squeezed tight. "Can I come in? I need to talk."

"Ummmm..."

"Oh. Is Divi here? I don't want to interrupt."

Yoko felt a brief flash of panic that Enid would misunderstand Wednesday's presence. 

"Enid?" Wednesday's voice came from behind Yoko.

"Weds?" Enid pulled away from Yoko and went in. "What are you doing here?"

Wednesday looked down, her face holding a faint echo of the terror that had filled it earlier.

"Ohhhhhh," Enid said softly. "Oh my god. And I wasn't there." She pulled Wednesday into a hug. "I'm so, so, so sorry Weds. Oh my god." She turned her face towards Yoko, who was still braced for anger. But Enid's eyes glistened, and she mouthed, "Thank-you." 

Enid stood back from Wednesday, her hands on her shoulders. "You okay?"

Wednesday nodded, face serious.

In short order, at Enid's insistence, the three of them ended up back under the covers in Yoko's not-very-wide bed – Wednesday by the wall, Enid on the other edge, and Yoko in the middle because, according to Enid, it was her bed so she deserved the best spot for snuggles. Wednesday looked skeptical but not murderous about this arrangement, and she went where Enid told her.

Once they were settled, Enid said, "Thanks. I really need this."

"You know you're always welcome," Yoko said, "but why? What happened?"

"Oh! Right." Enid sighed. "So, uh, I was with Ajax tonight. And, like, I know virginity is a patriarchal myth and all that, and that treating one specific act like the be all and end all of sex is, like, super heterosexist or whatever, but...yeah, that's what we were doing."

Yoko looked over in concern. She was hurt that her bestie hadn't confided in her in advance about having made this decision. But she supposed she hadn't exactly hidden her misgivings about Enid's plan to push things forward with Ajax, even if she'd done her best to soft-pedal them, so it maybe wasn't a surprise. Sigh. She pushed her hurt down and focused instead on her worry about what it meant that Enid was here rather than cuddling with her boyfriend. Enid was lying on her back, looking up at the ceiling. Yoko squeezed her hand. "How'd it go?"

Enid sighed again. "About as good as I could've asked for, I guess. He was sweet and gentle and kind. We talked it all over before, and he'd, like, check in and stuff while we were doing it. And we held each other after." She laughed quietly. "And, okay, it was awkward and weird. We'd done other stuff before, but he still needs to learn some things about anatomy. And it's not like I really knew what I was doing either." 

Yoko could tell her friend was building up to something, so she stayed quiet.

"And, like, I don't regret it. I wanted it, he wanted it, and it was good. Or, at least, it wasn't bad. But—" Enid paused again. "When I was lying there after, and he'd fallen asleep, I didn't feel like I expected I would. Not bad, just...meh. And I realized that I didn't really want to be there any more, and I really, really, really wanted to be with...well, with both of you. And here you both are."

A small black-clad arm reached across Yoko's torso and took one of Enid's hands. Yoko herself turned on her side and cuddled up to the werewolf, and felt Wednesday at her back cuddling close as well.

"Have I mentioned that I love you two?" Enid asked.

This time, it took Yoko rather longer to fall back to sleep. Her bed was not really built for three people. And for all that Wednesday had shown an unprecedented openness to touch tonight, Yoko didn't want to overdo it, and wanted to let her have at least some control over how much contact they shared. So she tried, with limited success, to keep her limbs from intruding too far towards that edge of the bed. On the other side of her, Enid showed no such compunction, and was sprawled right across Yoko, with at least one arm or leg touching Wednesday at any given time. And to her surprise, after a valiant attempt at the sarcophagus pose – apparently the little weirdo's usual sleeping position – Wednesday gave up and snuggled into Yoko's side. Yoko was used to sharing a bed, and she was even used to sharing one with an overbearingly touchy werewolf, so it was not like this was totally new territory for her. And, in fact, the whole arrangement did seem to be filling her with a deep feeling of satisfaction that she didn't really want to interrogate too closely at this moment. But, still, it was all a little cramped. Eventually, however, with silence and stillness on one side of her, and a constant mix of small noises and movements on the other (as well as on top of her), she managed to drift back to sleep.

This time, when the knocking began, Yoko startled but couldn't quite manage to wake herself. Her eyes wouldn't work. Her brain was hazy and drifting. Who was that next to her? And...why was there knocking? Why was it so loud? Why wouldn't it stop?

Oh, right – her room, her job to stop the knocking. She untangled herself from her bedmates, stumbled to her feet, and opened the door.

It was...Divina? 

What the fuck.

A very drunk Divina, judging by the reek of alcohol and the way she kept talking in a loud, slurred voice. 

"—said to them that I just had to see you. I need you so badly, baby." Divina started unbuttoning her top, though not terribly effectively. "C'mon, help me. Get me naked."

None of this was helping Yoko's brain function any more effectively.

The siren then pushed past Yoko into the room. Yoko had a vague feeling that this was not a positive development, but for a split second she couldn't figure out why.

The surge of adrenaline that finally jolted Yoko into a more functional state came at about the same time as Divina – the only one of the four of them not in possession of some version of night vision – flicked on the lights.

It was a tableau that a distant-future Yoko would undoubtedly find uproariously funny. Current Yoko found it anything but. 

Divina, shirt half open by this point, had wide, round eyes and a wide, round mouth. She was suddenly silent, staring at the two girls in Yoko's bed. 

Enid's eyes were similarly wide. She was looking at Divina and was biting down hard on her lower lip. She had pulled the covers up to her chin, and looked like she was braced for yelling to start.

Wednesday, on the other hand, was sitting up, arms crossed, just looking annoyed, and she was focused on Yoko.

It was Wednesday that broke the silence. "I really don't think there's room for four of us."

That seemed to set everyone else in motion. Yoko started to speak. She wasn't really sure what she was saying – explaining, maybe? Apologizing? Not that she'd done anything wrong, exactly, but she knew Divina was going to be pissed off about this, and she couldn't blame her. Enid seemed to be trying to deliver some sort of sleep-addled, semi-coherent explanation as well, while Wednesday was just sitting and scowling.

And Divina – she stood there for a few moments, looking sad, but without the rage or the tears that Yoko was expecting. Without saying anything, she walked up to Yoko, pulled her into a short, intense kiss, and left.

Chapter Text

Yoko was sulking.

But Yoko was also at a party – the Nightshades’ party, which she had helped to plan – so she was doing her best not to look like she was sulking. Instead, she was trying to give off vibes of boredom, ennui, and disaffection. She wasn't entirely sure what ennui and disaffection were supposed to look like, and she was under no illusions about how effective her performance was, but dignity demanded that she at least try.

She was sitting at the library table that they'd designated as the party's bar. Though the Nightshades were comprised of more people than just Yoko's core friend group, it wasn't that many more, so even at a well-attended party like tonight's, they weren't even close to needing someone mixing drinks full-time. Usually, people would cluster in small groups that would slowly shift over the course of the evening, and sometimes cohere into a larger circle, punctuated by intervals of dancing when the music got too good to resist. And whenever someone needed a refill of something they couldn't just pour themselves, they would come and get Yoko and she'd help them out. Tonight, though, her role as bartender felt like the perfect excuse to avoid people.
 
It was, admittedly, a bit uncomfortable. Unlike Wednesday, she wasn't used to being visibly anti-social and sitting by herself, and she knew people were noticing. Yoko had a solid group of friends, and most of the time she was also quite happy to be dropped into a circle of acquaintances and strangers. She didn't have the rose-coloured disposition that Enid sometimes adopted, of strangers just being friends you hadn't met yet, but she usually found people at the very least to be interesting. They mostly liked to be asked questions, so you just needed to do that to find out how they were interesting. If they ended up becoming a friend, all the better, but if not, no big deal. Tonight, she'd had a grand total of one half-decent conversation – with Darius, the young gay werewolf that she and Bianca had planned the party with. But for the most part, she was too busy fretting about the people she wanted to connect with but couldn't to feel up to interacting with anybody else. 

Divina was very high on that list. Things had been...Yoko didn't even know how to describe how things had been. After Div's disastrous middle-of-the-night visit to her dorm room, there hadn't been a big fight, there hadn't been a prolonged period of silence or tension or avoidance, there hadn't been any arguing, there hadn't even really been an intense conversation. 

The next morning, Divina had sought her out. Rather than demanding an apology, as Yoko had expected, she had shocked Yoko by apologizing herself – for showing up drunk in the middle of the night and for barging in. Her eyes were downcast and her voice small as she did it. Yoko tried to assure her that no apology was necessary, but Divina shook her head and interrupted. "I can't do this now," she'd said. "I want to have a better conversation about this, a proper conversation, but I need a little space first. I'll get in touch and let you know when I'm ready." And then she walked away.

And since then, she hadn't exactly been avoiding Yoko, the way she usually did when they were in a fight – she'd been around, she'd respond if Yoko spoke to her. But she'd do it in a way that gently but firmly made it clear that she still wanted space, without actually saying so. Even tonight, when she'd come over to get Yoko to make her a virgin pina colada, she'd been polite and present, but also palpably sad, and she hadn't made eye contact and had kept the interaction to a bare minimum. Yoko supposed it was better than yelling and the silent treatment, but she had no idea what the fuck to make of it. She really hoped that the opportunity to talk it all through came sooner rather than later.

And then there was Enid. She had been inducted into the Nightshades right after the fight with Crackstone, and had taken up participation in the group with gusto. She was here tonight too. But of course it was no different than being in any other public space with Enid – she was focused entirely on Ajax, whether he was paying her any attention or not, and she put on what Yoko had started to think of as her "Fake Enid" persona.

Sure, it wasn't all bad. They'd exchanged a few sneaky texts from across the room, which felt good. And when Enid came to get Yoko to make her a virgin mango mule, she flashed her a wink and a grin that were Real Enid through and through, which made Yoko pleasantly warm. But it wasn't enough.

All of which would be tolerable, Yoko mused to herself, if it was actually making Enid happy. But it so, so obviously wasn't. Enid was tying herself in knots, making herself miserable, and making herself less like herself, all thanks to her fucking mother.

Anyway.

Yoko knew she could still have gone over and sat with the group that included Divina and Enid, along with Bianca, Xavier, Ajax, and a few others. She could've talked with Bianca. She could've tolerated the boys. 

She could have. She probably even should have. But she really didn't want to. For tonight, she'd rather just hang out at the drinks table, make random smalltalk with whoever was thirsty, and pretend she wasn't sulking.

And then there was Wednesday. She still refused to officially join the Nightshades. It delighted Yoko that, Wednesday being Wednesday, she managed to reap all of the benefits of being a member anyway. She used their secret library whenever she wanted. She roped them into helping her when necessary. She always knew about Nightshade events via either Enid or Yoko herself and came to the ones she was interested in. And no one objected. Well, Xavier had tried to make a thing of it at a meeting a couple of months back, but Enid, Yoko, and Bianca had each torn a strip off him, and he backed off. 

Unsurprisingly, Wednesday had opted not to attend tonight's party, which promised very little beyond loud music, socializing, and naked swimming, none of which seemed likely to appeal to her. Which was too bad. Her presence would've at least given Yoko someone to hang with. And Yoko was very curious about how Wednesday would've handled the prospect of taking her clothes off in front of her peers. Would she refuse point blank? It's unlikely she'd be like Enid – shy and awkward, but also adorably giddy about it. Or would she be confident and brazen, the way Yoko was? I bet fencing means there's muscle underneath those baggy clothes...

Yoko coughed and shook her head to stop herself from thinking about her friend naked. 

Much to Yoko's surprise, since that night in her dorm room, the two of them had been texting as well. It was very different from how Yoko texted with Enid. Rather than a chaotic, never-ending conversation filled with memes, emojis, and relentless declarations of affection, their exchanges were less frequent and more limited. At first, Yoko hadn't been sure whether the texting was really welcomed by the other girl, but it had been Wednesday's idea to begin with, and she initiated their exchanges as often as not. They checked in with each other every morning and evening, usually only briefly and without excessive sentiment. But it warmed Yoko that she was pretty sure these exchanges were deeply genuine on Wednesday's part, that she was not just doing it to be polite – that just wasn't something Wednesday would do – but because she really wanted to know how Yoko was doing and wanted Yoko to know how she was doing. And they sometimes shared random observations and experiences at other times, too, though Wednesday was not always good about responding to those kinds of texts in a timely way. 

On a whim, Yoko decided to send her a message now.

YT: you'd absolutely hate this party
YT: but I wish you were here
YT: not really enjoying it myself

A few minutes later, she got a response.

WA: I see. Keep your senses alert. Perhaps your evening will get more interesting, if you want it to.

Whatever the fuck that meant. Yoko sighed. 

Suddenly, the room was bustling. It looked like it was time to sneak out and head to the lake – everyone was up and grabbing their bags and towels. Damn. If Yoko had been paying attention, she could've cleaned up the drinks table in advance. Ah well, she wasn't really looking forward to the swimming portion of the evening either, so she'd take her time here on her own before heading over, and maybe clean up the party detritus scattered about the library too.

To her surprise, Bianca stayed and helped.

As they settled into tidying, Bianca asked, "You doing okay? You don't seem yourself tonight."

Yoko shrugged and gave the siren a half-hearted smile. "Meh, I'll be fine. Just not feeling like partying, I guess."

Bianca nodded, peering carefully at her face as if trying to dig underneath the words. Then she smiled. "Is it anything to do with Divina walking in on you having a threesome the other night?"

"Oh my god!!! Is that what she's telling people?" Yoko felt her cheeks go red. Not that she was against the idea of a threesome – it sounded like it'd be fun, if the opportunity ever presented itself – but, for fuck's sake, it's the kind of thing that she'd only ever be into if it involved her girlfriend! 

Bianca laughed. "No, don't worry, I'm just teasing. I don't think she's talking about it at all, mostly. She just talked it through with me because she felt like a total ass for drinking too many wine coolers and then making an unannounced booty call." 

"It wasn't great timing," Yoko admitted. "Another night, I'd've been totally into it."

"So why were the werewolf and her little psycho in your bed?"

Yoko shook her head. "Oh, they were both having shitty nights and needed to talk, and they ended up there. Just friend stuff. I'd do the same for any of a dozen people." Yoko knew that was not exactly true as soon as she said it. 

Clearly, so did Bianca, whose eyes went back to a mix of teasing and shrewd assessment. "Really. Because it does make me wonder if maybe I was right the other week about you having two girlfriends, just wrong about which two."

"B! Come on, don't say shit like that." Yoko threw an empty water bottle into the recycling box with unnecessary vigour. "I have exactly one girlfriend, and it's Divina."

Something Yoko couldn't read flashed across Bianca's face for a split second, and was then replaced by a sad smile. "Sure. I guess I'm just saying that whatever you have with those two is special, so appreciate it."

Yoko looked at the siren, unclear where this was coming from.

Bianca continued, "Just...well, think of Enid. I mean, she's been weird lately – you'd know more about that than me. But that aside, she is about the most loving person I know. All those people in her heart, including some that probably shouldn't be there, and the biggest chunk of it has always had your name on it. I think only Wednesday's in the same league."

They'd finished the clean-up, and were sitting at the table in the little kitchen off the library's main room.

"And Wednesday," Bianca said, "is the opposite. She and I are friends in our own way, but as far as I can tell, the only two people she actually lets in are you and Sinclair. I mean, is there anyone else in this world who would have a chance of spending a night in the same bed as her and living to tell the tale?"

"I suppose not, no." 

Bianca nodded. "So all I'm saying is, recognize that you have something special there." 

Yoko shook her head, still confused by the point of this line of conversation.

"C'mon," Bianca said. "Let's get out there."

It was a warm evening, and the walk through the woods was very pleasant. Not that temperature meant much to a vampire, but it would be a good night for the warmblooded among the Nightshades to go for a dip. The path to the lake was silent and dark, but Bianca had her phone light and Yoko had, well, her eyes. All around them, Yoko could hear the night-time forest noises of rustling leaves, swaying branches, and nocturnal critters moving through the dark. 

Somehow, though, Wednesday Addams still managed to appear without warning on the path right in front of them. 

She smirked as Bianca and Yoko startled.

"Barclay," Wednesday said, and nodded at the siren.

"Addams," Bianca replied, rolling her eyes.

To Yoko, Wednesday said, "I would like to offer you an opportunity to spend the rest of your evening engaged in something far more interesting than group nudity."

Bianca snorted. "Don't knock group nudity, Addams." She glanced at Yoko and grinned. "You never know when you might have an opportunity to engage in it, after all."

"Oooookay," Yoko said. "You can fuck right off to the lake, now, Bianca."

The siren laughed. "Happily. You two kids be good. Or at least don't get caught."

"That is the plan," Wednesday said, nodding at Bianca again.

Once they were alone, Yoko crossed her arms and looked skeptically at Wednesday. "So what plan would that be? And why would I want to be a part of it?"

Wednesday tilted her head to one side and stared at Yoko for a few seconds. "My activities tonight probably lie outside of your comfort zone. I will not be offended if you decline to participate. But I'm offering you the opportunity because you said you were not enjoying your evening. And please know that I would never ask you to do go beyond what you feel able to do. If you agree to come along, I will keep your limits carefully in mind throughout." She looked away from Yoko and hesitated. "And I would enjoy sharing this with you."

Wednesday being vulnerable was almost enough to make her say yes without knowing anything more. Almost. Yoko smiled warmly as she said, "Good to know. But I need some details, here, Weds."

"What I'm proposing will involve some risk of high-level consequences from the school and low-level legal consequences if we get caught. Which we won't. And it is something along the lines of the scheme that you witnessed the final phase of that day you were stalking me – different target, different specific motivation, different mechanism, but similar spirit."

"Okay, so...terrorizing assholes?"

"Just one, this time, with the hope that he spreads the word to his confederates."

Yoko gnawed on her lower lip. "Is it going to involve hurting anyone?"

"Not in any lasting way, no. Just scaring him. In a good cause." Wednesday tilted her head again and gave Yoko a small smile. "And I promise, no swords are involved."

Yoko rolled her eyes. She looked towards the lake then back at Wednesday, and considered her options. 

This could end up being a very bad decision, but...fuck it. "Okay. I'm in."

Wednesday led them back to the school, and into a narrow space between two of the buildings. She spoke quietly. "Our target will be appearing in the next 15 minutes or so. He is under the impression that an attractive and buxom classmate from his English and Outcast History classes wishes to meet him nearby for some vaguely hinted amorous activities. The idea that she might be interested in him is risible, but thankfully for our purposes this evening, sexual delusion among teen boys knows no bounds. In any case, he is entitled, obnoxious, and a psychic of sorts, with very weak pyrokinetic powers – he can manipulate fire but not summon it, and even then his control is atrocious."

"How do you even know all of this?" Yoko asked. "I thought you had zero interest in our peers."

"Less than zero, most of the time," Wednesday conceded. "But I have taken to reading Enid's blog and then augmenting it with investigations of my own in order to...find opportunities, shall we say. I would never lie to her directly, but I don't think she would approve of certain aspects of these interventions into the life of the school, so I have generally avoided mentioning them to her. I'd appreciate if you did likewise."

Yoko nodded. "Okay. What's our plan?"

"You use your impressive speed and strength to grab him from behind and immobilize him, and cover his eyes." Wednesday held up what looked like a black cloth bag with a drawstring. "I will put this over his head and secure it. This hood is of a sort woven by my grandmama and regularly used by my family in our...less socially approved activities. She sent me a few in my last care package. Thanks to the spells woven into it, he will be able to hear us but our voices will be disguised, and his voice will be severely muted. And once we are done with him, there is a particular thread that we pull, triggering a silent countdown after which the hood will disintegrate, giving us time to get away and leaving no trace."

"Cool," Yoko replied. She chewed her lower lip again, though – her doubts were back. The mention of magical, custom-made abduction hoods casually gifted from family had reminded her that Wednesday was comfortable playing in a whole different league than school pranks, and it made her worry a bit that things might go farther than she'd want to follow. She was a vampire, sure, but this was the 21st century – she'd felt the urge in the heat of the moment just like any of her kind, but she'd never actually drained anyone to the point of death or anything like that, and she wouldn't want to. 

But she looked over at Wednesday, shrouded in darkness but clearly visible to her vampiric eyes, and her worries felt less urgent. She thought about how tender and careful Wednesday was about everything to do with Enid. She thought about the secret care for others she'd observed on her day of stalking. She thought about holding her as she cried and cuddling together as they slept. Wednesday Addams was, yes, fucking weird and moderately terrifying, but she was also awesome. And she'd promised to respect Yoko's limits. So maybe whatever was about to happen would end up being upsetting and Yoko would want no part of anything like it ever again...but maybe it would be great. And either way, tonight, Yoko wanted to be here. She trusted this girl, and wanted to be in whatever parts of her life she could fit. 

She wondered idly why they were terrorizing this particular asshole, but figured she'd find out soon enough.

A few minutes later, from their dark hiding spot, Yoko could see a tall, brown-haired boy that she supposed the dude-inclined among her classmates would call moderately handsome. He was standing with his hands in his pockets. After about a minute, he took his phone out and looked at it. 

That's when she struck.

He didn't even have a chance to yell before he was face down on the ground, her knee in his back, one hand covering his eyes and the other his mouth. Wednesday was close behind. She bent over and secured the hood. Yoko brought their target back to standing and held him in a vice-like grip.

"Todd McCormack?" Wednesday said.

"What the fuck?" His voice was audible to Yoko's ears but very, very quiet. The hood was very effective in dampening his voice, because it was clear that he was yelling. "Do you have any fucking idea who I am?"

"I just said your name," Wednesday replied, "so clearly yes."

"Then fucking let me go, or I'll destroy you."

"Mmmm," Wednesday replied. She motioned for Yoko to move. She brought their target towards the back door of one of the buildings, at the base of one of the campus' taller towers. Yoko forced him along, in, and up the stairs, him yelling and swearing (barely audibly) all the while. He struggled, but he might as well not have.

As they climbed, Wednesday said, "We're going up here to play a game. Would you like to know what the game is?"

He continued to swear.

"That's alright. I'll tell you anyway. We're going to play a guessing game. All three of us can play. We'll be guessing how many of a homophobe's bones break when he's thrown off the top of Pym Tower."

The struggling got more urgent, but was no more effective.

"Personally," Wednesday continued, "my money is on 15 to 20. But my colleague here thinks that they will be able to throw you harder and break as many as 50. I don't think that's really how the physics of it works, but they're an optimist."

The final ascent onto the tower's flat roof was up a ladder and through a trap door. Manoeuvring their target was kind of awkward for Yoko, but she managed it. The platform was about 30 feet in diameter. Wednesday motioned them over to the south side.

Todd, who could no doubt feel the breeze, had stopped struggling. 

Wednesday pulled a knife. She cut open a few buttons on the front of his shirt, and slid the blade against his skin without drawing blood. "Of course, there are a lot of other variables at play. Would it matter if you were alive or dead before you fell? Would it count if my colleague broke a few of your bones in advance? Would it matter if they just pushed you off the edge versus hurling you? So many things to consider."

He was whimpering now. "Why are you doing this? I...I can pay you. My dad is rich."

At a signal from Wednesday, Yoko forcibly leaned their target over the railing.

He started to struggle again, then thought better of it. "Fuck! Let me go!"

"Do you really want us to let you go, Todd?" Wednesday sounded amused.

"No! No no no no no. I mean, don't throw me off. What do you want?"

"It has come to our attention that you and a number of your friends have been tormenting a werewolf boy by the name of Darius. Is that correct?"

Yoko's grip tightened when she heard that. Oooooh, she was definitely glad to be here for this.

"No, I swear! It was just some harmless messing around."

Yoko drew him back towards her and put a hand around his neck. She spoke for the first time, very softly right next to his ear. "Are you the prick that outed him, Todd?"

"No, I swear, it was Lacey, it wasn't me. She saw him making out with that little f—" 

Yoko's hands tightened, blocking his windpipe and interrupting the slur. She glanced over at Wednesday, who was staring at her with a hint of a smile on her lips and a light in her eyes that Yoko had never seen there before. After a few moments, the seer reached out and gently squeezed Yoko's wrist. She felt a little jolt from the touch, but loosened her hold on Todd's neck, allowing him to breath again.

"You have a choice to make, Todd," Wednesday said. "You can promise to apologize to Darius, to leave him alone, and to get the other troglodytes who have been bullying him to do the same – and trust us, we'll know whether you do." She motioned for Yoko to lean him back out over the edge, which she did. "Or, we can throw you off the tower. Which would you prefer?"

"Fuck! I promise! I promise!"

"If we hear even a hint that you have failed to fulfill your promise, we'll be back for you." Wednesday reached up and grabbed a thread at the neck of the hood, dark red rather than black, and she pulled it. Then she motioned to Yoko to throw him off.

She couldn't be serious, could she? Yoko mouthed "Really?" at the other girl. 

Wednesday smirked, and mouthed back, "Trust me."

Another split second of indecision, and Yoko tipped him over the edge. Faintly through the dampening of the hood, she could hear him scream. She felt her own adrenaline spiking. What the fuck had she just done?

But almost immediately, she heard a thump.

Yoko looked over and directly down. 

Ahhhhh, right. She'd forgotten that. 

Just below the top of the tower there was a level with a broad balcony that went all the way around. Todd was currently a groaning, crumpled heap on that balcony.

Wednesday peered over the edge as well and nodded in satisfaction. "An old trick but an effective one."

They hastily descended the tower and ran through the night to the other side of the school. Wednesday, catching her breath, leaned against a building and slowly slid down it until she was sitting on the ground. She was staring out into the night, towards the forest, and she sighed.

Yoko joined her on the ground. "That was...a lot," she said. 

Wednesday nodded. "Too much?"

"No," Yoko said after a few seconds. "Not something I'd want to do all the time. But..." She hesitated and smiled at her friend. "I kinda had fun."

Wednesday looked at her then, a ghost of the glint from earlier back in her eyes. "I'm glad. I will incorporate your capabilities into more of my plans for such things in the future, if you wish." She looked back towards the trees – northward, Yoko realized, towards the lake. Towards Enid.

"You wish she was here with us?" Yoko asked.

Wednesday said nothing for a minute or two. "I'm not sure she would enjoy this particular activity. I...just wish that she was happy. I know she is there doing what she has chosen, acting as if she's happy. But she is not happy. And it is becoming increasingly difficult to endure."

"I was thinking exactly that at the party," Yoko said.

They both stared into the darkness for awhile.

Yoko grinned. "You want to sneak up there and use our impressive skills as creatures of the night to steal Ajax's clothes?"

Wednesday frowned at her. "That would be juvenile."

"Uh huh," Yoko said. 

"He is her chosen," Wednesday went on. "As obnoxious as he is, it is not his fault that she has chosen badly, and it is not our place to interfere."

"Of course not," Yoko replied. 

Wednesday's frown had intensified into a scowl. "If she were to ask later if it was me who had done it, I would not be able to lie to her. And I would tell her it was you too."

"Sure, sure," Yoko said. 

They sat in silence for another few moments. Yoko looked sideways at Wednesday. "But, like, you want to do it anyway?"

Wednesday looked back north and sighed. "Sure."

Chapter Text

Yoko was nervous. But, like, also a bit excited. Divina was due over any minute. Sure, they were going to have to have the Serious Talk that Divina had been postponing since her drunken visit, and that probably wasn't going to be quick or easy. And probably Yoko was going to have to apologize for having two other girls in her bed, no matter how innocent it had actually been. But after? Well, they had a pretty strong record of great make-up sex, and fuck was Yoko ready.

When she let Divina in, Yoko went in for a smooch, but was smoothly diverted to her girlfriend's cheek. Which, okay, fine, she was jumping the gun a little bit by trying for one before going through the conversation. Served her right, really.

Yoko sat on her bed and patted beside her, but Divina sat in the desk chair instead.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, Yoko with a small smile on her face but Divina more sombre.

"So," Divina said. "I'm guessing you know what I'm here to talk about."

"Oh sure," Yoko replied. "And, like, I'm totally sorry about that night. I mean, obviously nothing happened with Enid and Wednesday and I, but I still—"

Divina let out a loud sigh and Yoko stopped mid-sentence. The siren's voice was filled with exasperation. "Really, Yoko?" She sighed again. When she resumed speaking, her voice was back to smooth and calm. "Okay, sure, I guess you don't know. I didn't believe my therapist when she said you might not, but...well, here we are."

Yoko blinked at her. Suddenly, she wasn't feeling nearly so good.

"Yoko," Divina said, straightening her shoulders, "I'm here to break up with you."

Yoko blinked again. "What?" She must've heard wrong. Maybe? Or maybe Divina was joking. Would she joke about that? No, no she wouldn't. But... "Why? Do you really think that I did something with Enid and Wednesday that night?"

Another sigh. "Yoko, I really don't care what the three of you did. This isn't about that night." 

Yoko grabbed a pillow and squeezed it to her chest.

Divina said, "We had fun together, you and I. But we just don't work as girlfriends."

"We totally do! We have—"

"Just let me get it out, Yoko." Divina sounded exasperated again. She looked down at her hands, but then spoke strong and sure. "Think about how much we fight. Or, at least, how much we did when we saw more of each other. I mean, sure, every couple fights a bit. But we fought a lot. And, yeah, some couples do that and don't seem to mind." She looked back up at Yoko, her eyes sad. "But I don't want that to be my life. Do you? Honestly?"

Yoko said nothing.

"And I respect how much you care for your friends. It's part of what I found attractive about you, back in the beginning."

Found, Yoko couldn't help thinking, not find.

Divina went on, "And I know that there's a huge chunk of my jealousy of Enid that's totally about me. I need to work on that. But, like, it's also about you and I not matching."

Yoko just shook her head. She wanted to speak, but no words would come.

"I mean, I want whoever I end up with to have friends and to care about them and all that. Of course I do. But I also want to be, without any hesitation or doubt, their number one." Divina gave her a sad little smile. "And it doesn't make you bad or wrong – you just love broadly. A little bit like Enid, honestly. And that's great. But it's just not what I need." She sighed again. "I know you care about me, Yokes. But not in the way I need from a girlfriend. Honestly, haven't you been relieved that we've been more distant the last while? It's certainly looked that way from where I'm sitting."

Yoko still couldn't speak. She clenched the pillow tighter.

There were a few tears slowly making their way down Divina's cheeks. "Anyway, I've been working up to this for awhile now. I was all set to do it after that last time Enid showed up in your dorm room and we had to cancel our date, but then when you told me about her coming out to her mom, I...just felt shitty about dumping you when, like, the trigger was you helping her with something so important. Which isn't a good reason to stay in a relationship that isn't working, I guess. And, like, showing up drunk looking for sex from someone I knew I couldn't be with any more – I'm so sorry about that, Yoko. That's not who I want to be. I knew the next morning that I couldn't put it off any more. I just needed to talk to my therapist first. Work up the nerve. Practice." 

Divina leaned over and put her hand on Yoko's. "I'm sorry. I...I love you, Yoko. That's part of why it's been so hard for me to get to the point of actually doing this. But I can't be your girlfriend any more. I hope we can be friends later on, but...for now I need some distance, and I bet you do too."

Divina leaned back, clearly waiting for Yoko to speak.

And still, the words wouldn't come. 

To Yoko's surprise, no tears came either – Yoko wasn't generally a crier, but back when her first real girlfriend had told her that her family was moving away and they had to break up, she'd been in tears for days. Now, though, she just felt empty, numb. Or, not only numb, but also disoriented, topsy-turvy, swirling, like her world didn't quite make sense any more.

Finally, Yoko found her voice. It was an angry voice. "Fucking hell, Divina. I can't believe you. We have this shared life, and we have all these plans for the future, and you just drop this on me, out of nowhere?"

"Seriously, Yoko?" Divina replied, her tone suddenly just as angry. "What relationship have you been in? Because it sure doesn't sound like the same one as me. We've been spending less and less time together for ages now. Even though she's glued to Ajax, you're still managing to spend more time focused on Enid than me. You're hanging out with Bianca more than me. For fucks sake, you're hanging out with Wednesday more than me. Wednesday! And you haven't done anything to try and change that. How is that a shared life?"

Yoko was reeling. The swirling had intensified, and beyond that she couldn't tell what she was feeling.

"And plans for the future?" Divina yelled. "What the fuck, Yoko. When have we seriously talked about the future in the last six months? Sure, we had these daydreams when we were first going out. But lately? Nothing. For fucks sake – a few shared routines and admittedly good sex do not a relationship make." 

Divina clenched her fists and took three deep breaths. "I think we've both been drifting towards this for awhile now. It's seemed pretty obvious to me, but I guess it wasn't to you. But I don't want this to end with bitterness."

Yoko's words were gone again. She tried to reach out to Divina, take her in her arms, and...she wasn't sure quite what.

But Divina shifted backwards, out of her reach. "I'm...going to go now," Divina said. "We can maybe talk more later. But I'm not changing my mind. This is over." She let herself out.

Yoko sat and stared at the door, her pillow once again clutched to her chest. She had no idea how long she sat there, tossed and buffeted by the nauseating turmoil inside of her.

Oh, Yoko thought, with sudden realization. Bianca knew. That's what that weird conversation at the Nightshades' party was about.

She felt a brief flash of anger at the siren, but gratitude chased it away quickly. Bianca had just been looking out for her, she knew. And even in the depth of whatever this was she was feeling, she was glad that Bianca was there for Divina too.

But, still, it was a good reminder of what she should probably do next.

She texted Enid and Wednesday.

YT: i need you guys
YT: D broke up with me

Enid replied almost right away.

ES: !!!!!!!!!
ES: oh sweetie
ES: i'm so sorry
ES: we'll get supplies and be right there
ES: [string of 10 red heart emojis]

It was just a few lines of text, but it helped. Her dear, sweet Enie-bean was on the way. She would overwhelm the swirl in Yoko's insides with hugs and listening and declarations of affection. And she would make it better.

A few minutes later, her phone pinged again.

WA: Because of the powerful role it has played in many lives in the history of my family, I have heard a great deal over the years about how terrible heartbreak can be. I fear I will have little talent for easing it – but, dear Yoko, I will sit with you in your agony.

She sat there in shock at Wednesday referring to her as "dear." A few seconds later, another text from her arrived. This one contained a single black heart. Warmth surged through her.

# # #

Yoko's sense of time still wasn't working right, so she couldn't have said whether it was ten minutes or ten hours later when the knock came at her door.

The gentle hug from Enid, though, seemed to re-start something in her that had been stopped. She still felt numb and off-kilter, but with those strong, warm arms around her, things started to feel better. For a long time, she and Enid sat on her bed, their arms around each other, while Wednesday sat on her desk chair and laid a small hand on Yoko's shoulder. 

The disorientation slowly started to ebb. Yoko began to feel a little bit more like herself. And...yes, she felt a clearer wash of sadness, now. But it wasn't a sharp sadness, and she still felt no urge to cry. Disoriented and bewildered and, yes, hurting some...but not devastated in the way she would've expected.

When they finally pulled apart, it was Enid who had tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, love. I can't imagine how she could give up someone as amazing as you."

Yoko tried to smile a little, and kind of succeeded. "I don't think that's quite how she sees it, but thanks." She looked over to the tote bags resting at Wednesday's feet. "What's in there?"

Enid beamed through her tears. "Oh! Yes! I had Wednesday break into the kitchens. We've got ice cream, chips, sodas, and blood." 

They had also brought blankets and pillows, and they made a little nest on the floor. With snacks arrayed in the centre, the three of them settled in.

Yoko decided that she maybe did feel up to talking about it. She hadn't thought she would, that she'd opt for distraction and leave processing for another day. But...she wanted to tell them. And with them here, she felt like she could. It was like their presence supported something in Yoko that Divina's words had shaken, reinforced something that she had cracked. They reminded her of what was stable and real and still very much present in her life, even if one piece had suddenly gone up in smoke. So she talked. 

She got through describing her encounter with Divina and was just starting to try and sort through how she was feeling when a phone alert sounded, one that Yoko recognized as Enid's. 

The werewolf took her phone out of her pocket and looked at it. Her face was suddenly clouded – not just clouded, Yoko realized, but frustrated, worn. Her eyes flicked between the screen and Yoko, and she looked very, very tired.

"Everything okay?" Yoko asked. She had visions of a new round of awfulness from Esther. She was just not equipped to support Enid through that right now, so she really hoped not.

Enid stood abruptly. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again. "I am so, so, so sorry Yoko, but...that's Ajax. And I need—" She looked over at Wednesday. "I need to go. I can't risk—" She swallowed. "Weds will be here, and I'll see you as soon as I can."

Before either of the others could respond, Enid was out the door. 

For a few moments, Yoko sat there, stunned. And then she burst into tears. 

# # #

Yoko's crying after Enid's abrupt departure was intense. The sudden pain of it was overwhelming, leaving little room for thought. Through her tears, Yoko was vaguely conscious of Wednesday sitting there with wide, almost panicked eyes. And then she felt arms around her, squeezing hard, and a flow of soft words in her ear. She held on and cried harder. 

Eventually, her tears stopped. Yoko pulled back from Wednesday, and they both settled more comfortably, sitting on the bed. Yoko grabbed some tissues to clean the wetness and smeared make-up from her face. 

Despite becoming more fluent in the other girl's mannerisms, she couldn't quite read Wednesday's expression. Those dark, beautiful eyes were looking at her intently, and Wednesday's face was fierce, but Yoko couldn't quite tell why.

They decided to get the snacks out. Yoko had a bowl of ice cream drenched in AB negative. Wednesday was intrigued by the addition of blood and had a taste, but decided it wasn't enough for her to overcome her dislike of ice cream. So instead, she was eating some extra spicy chips that were not part of what she had stolen from the kitchen but were from her own personal snack stash.

Yoko blew her nose and gave Wednesday a wan smile. "Sorry for all of that. I know you don't like tears."

"What I like is irrelevant," Wednesday said. "A greater concern is that I am poorly equipped to respond to them, for which I apologize. But that isn't important either – it is your hurt that matters right now."

"Thanks, Weds. And for what it's worth, you did fine." Yoko blew her nose again. "I don't even know why it hit me so hard. I'm sure Enid has a good reason, and...yeah." Despite her words, an ache welled up in her chest as she thought again about Enid leaving.

Wednesday peered even more intently at Yoko, then looked over at the door and back at her. "Do you really have no theories as to why it hurt so much for Enid to walk out as she did?"

Yoko shrugged. "I dunno. I was already upset, I guess." She sniffed a little. "I mean, I don't think I'm as heartbroken as I'm supposed to be about getting dumped. Which maybe means Divina wasn't completely wrong about our relationship shifting and me not really paying attention. But a break-up is still a big deal." 

Yoko felt her throat tighten a little. "And then to have the most important person in my life just, like, abandon me – I'm always there for her, y'know? Whatever else I've got going on." She felt her tears returning. "And she just left because she got a text from him." For a few moments, she tried to stop her tears, but they just kept coming. 

"And, like, okay, she left, that sucked and it hurt and it was a dick move, but shit happens and we'll hug and we'll get over it. But—" She couldn't stop herself from sobbing, now. "But I'm already losing her because of what she's doing with Ajax. She's twice as loving in private and when she texts me, but it's like that's supposed to make up for the fact that I never fucking see her any more. I just miss her so fucking much, and it's breaking my..."

Oh. Yoko felt a sudden return of vertigo.

The most important person in my life...

It's breaking my heart...

The fragments of a profound realization began to swirl into place. Oh fuck.
 
She grabbed Wednesday's hand, and the other girl did not pull it away. Yoko felt sudden panic, and felt her world up-ended for the second time in a few hours. "I think," she started, and then swallowed. "I think I might be in love with Enid."

Wednesday, face serious and eyes intense, nodded. She gently squeezed Yoko's hand. "I know, dear Yoko." 

As Yoko continued to reel from her realization, she saw Wednesday turn once again to face the door through which Enid had departed, her face creased by an even deeper frown.

Chapter Text

When Yoko's alarm woke her the next morning, she turned it off but made no move to get out of bed. She'd had vague hopes when she'd set it the night before that a good night of sleep would make the difference, and she'd be able to, if not exactly bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, at least tolerate the thought of facing the day. But her sleep had not been in the least bit good, and the prospect of going to breakfast and then class made her want to curl into a ball and hide under her blankets.

She picked up her phone and stared at it. Her first instinct was to text Enid and let her know, but she just couldn't. Enid had sent her a few texts late last evening – check-in messages with a vaguely apologetic tone that Yoko found inadequate and upsetting, so she'd decided to ignore them. She had no idea what she wanted to say to Enid. Honestly, she didn't even want to think about it right now. And not wanting to deal with that welter of confusing feelings was a big part of why she wanted to stay in bed to begin with. Well, that, and being utterly emotionally drained.

She texted Wednesday instead.

YT: i'm not going to class today
YT: can you let my homeroom teacher know?
YT: tell him i'm sick or something

WA: Of course.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. She thought about ignoring it but the slow heartbeat she heard on the other side changed her mind.

When she opened it, she was faced with Wednesday Addams holding a cafeteria tray containing a bag of blood and a...whoa, that wasn't just cafeteria coffee, but a to-go cup from the Weathervane.

"You didn't have to do this, Weds."

"It's nothing. I decided I wanted to be out of the room before Enid awoke this morning, so I made a trip into Jericho."

"Still, thank-you," Yoko said, her voice saturated with feeling. She took the tray in one hand. "I'd hug you if, y'know, I didn't know you'd hate it."

Wednesday frowned slightly. Her eyes flicked to Yoko's and away. Yoko could've sworn that for a split second it looked like Wednesday was poised to move towards her. But, eyes still averted, she just nodded instead.

Yoko knew Wednesday would be mortified to know this, but there were times when she was being her weird, prickly self that she was just so damn cute. Yoko smiled at her fondly. 

Her cheeks ever so faintly flushed, Wednesday said, "I must get to class. Text me if you require anything else." Another sharp nod, and she was gone. 

Back in bed, Yoko sipped her coffee and her blood and played games on her phone. After awhile, she picked up one of her comfort books – a cozy, found-family, space adventure that she'd read a dozen times. Then it was back to her phone. And she tried napping, but without much success.

Her mind insisted on meandering through memories of Divina. Like the first time they kissed – it had been on their second date, bowling in Jericho on a Saturday afternoon. Yoko had just thrown a strike and was celebrating by jumping around like a fool and pumping her fists, and Divina looked at her as if she was the cutest thing ever, put her hands on Yoko's cheeks, and kissed her soundly. Then there was the first time they went swimming together, just the two of them, in the lake near Nevermore. Yoko didn't care too much one way or the other for swimming, but she knew sharing that was a big moment for a siren, and Divina had just been so adorable about it. Then there was the time they were on a class trip to Boston and somehow managed to get separated from the rest of the group. It wasn't on purpose and they'd gotten in a ton of trouble when they finally found their way back, but it had been such a fun afternoon adventuring on their own that neither of them minded. 

Of course, there were a lot of less fun memories too, and her mind dragged her relentlessly through those as well. Their first really nasty fight was when they'd been going out for, oh, probably four months, though there had been plenty of squabbling before that. It started over, of all things, what show they were going to watch one evening, and then it just spiralled. Another time, Yoko went too far in teasing Divina about Kent – normally Divina was happy to trash her twin, but that time Yoko had crossed some line that she hadn't been aware of and still didn't really understand after the fight. Then there was Divina's dislike of (and what Yoko could in retrospect identify as insecurity about) Enid, which was at the root of plenty of arguments that at the time had seemed to be about other things. Or often enough, it was just one of them being in a bad mood and taking it out on the other. 

Arguing became a habit. And Divina wasn't wrong – Yoko didn't want that to be her life. 

She flopped onto her stomach, her eyes on her phone and on the little birds she was aiming with the little catapult at the little pigs, but her mind still churning with everything Divina. 

It was so strange, to be re-living it all on this side of the break-up. As she'd noted multiple times to herself already, it was all quite sad, but it sure didn't seem to be the kind or degree of heartbreak that she was supposed to be feeling. Far more powerful than the sadness was that same sense of disorientation that had hit her so hard yesterday. 

Yoko didn't really understand that feeling, and it took a good solid chunk of time thinking about it (while playing Tetris, and then her favourite farm simulator) to begin figuring it out. 

It was as if Yoko had thought her life was a certain way, and had been so obliviously certain of it that it didn't even occur to her that she might be wrong or that there might be anything of any substance that she really had to think about or work on. There she was, walking cheerfully along the path, thinking she had a pretty good handle on herself and on the world, and that she knew where things were headed...and all of a sudden, with the break-up, it's like she'd walked off a cliff. She went from putting one foot in front of the other, more or less care free, to feeling like she was spinning, spinning, spinning as she tumbled ass over teakettle with no idea which way was up.

It was like she'd treated her relationship with Divina as permission (or even an excuse?) to just turn her brain off when it came to a whole bunch of different shit – not least, as Div herself had pointed out, the relationship itself. Yoko actually felt pretty foolish, now, about some of the things she'd said to Div the day before that showed just how tuned out she'd been when it came to the state of things between them.

But it was more than that, too. It wasn't just a matter of going from girlfriend to no girlfriend – it was as if whole vast swathes of life that Yoko had assumed were all more or less stable and settled were revealed to be very much not. In light of yesterday, what could Yoko confidently say that she really, 100%, without a doubt knew about herself, about what she wanted, about what she could count on in her life? 

Much to her distress, it felt like the answer was something along the lines of "not very much." 

Like, would she have been able to recognize the true nature of her feelings for Enid if it wasn't for the break-up? Humiliatingly, Yoko had to concede that the evidence suggested no. Divina, Bianca, and Wednesday had each tried in their own ways to get her to recognize how she felt, and she just hadn't been able to listen – until, that is, all her lazy certainties exploded. 

What other basic things had she missed about her own life, about who she was, about what she wanted? 

It was scary to think about.

And the more she thought about it, the more Yoko realized that Divina was right about a bunch of the other things she'd said too. Like, Yoko really had been appreciating the distance, and she hadn't taken any action to try and undo it. 

She could imagine the Nevermore gossip mill turning that into some story about them ‘growing apart’ or ‘losing the spark’ or something like that. But that really didn’t feel like it fit. 

Like, at least on Yoko's end, the spark had not been lost at all – she hadn’t wanted their relationship to end. But it was clear to her now that it would've needed to be different than it had been, for it to have survived. 

It felt relevant that things had, in a strange way, been better lately, when they’d seen less of each other and been a bit choosier about when and how. And, sure, the way they’d drifted into that had been pretty dysfunctional and it hadn’t turned out very well. But what if they’d been able to be deliberate about how they wanted to be together from the start? What if they'd been better at figuring out what they really wanted to be to each other? Would they have manged to avoid ending up in the endless cycle of arguing? Maybe they hadn’t grown apart — maybe they just hadn’t found the right way to fit together.

It's like there was this singular story about what a relationship was supposed to look like, with this linear progression that was supposed to happen through different stages, with everyone aiming for the same thing. But, like, what if that didn't fit with what you had with someone, with how your compatibilities lined up? Why did the choices have to be fitting the standard story or ending the relationship? Sure, she and Divina hadn't been working as girlfriends under that definition. But, like, maybe some way of being together where they didn't have to be each other's everything might've worked, especially if they'd managed to find their way to it early on, before things kind of calcified into the patterns that led to them breaking up. Hell, that might've been awesome. Maybe they could've found a way to be together with a bit more distance, a bit more deliberateness. But, like, with all the affection and the care that they really had shared. With the fun dates. With the way they'd been able to make each other laugh so hard. With the ways they'd supported each other, before the persistent conflict got in the way. With the delightful naked time. Hell, Yoko would happily take more drunken midnight hookup attempts. 

And, sure, Yoko could imagine classmates dismissively whispering, “Oh, well, I guess she just wants something casual, then.” Not that there was anything wrong with casual, of course. But that didn’t feel like what Yoko wanted at all. She didn’t want something light and shallow and temporary with Divina — she wanted something meaningful with her that actually fit what they could be to each other, rather than what they’d been trying to do. 

And...maybe she wanted more than that, too. Fuck, maybe Wednesday had been right when she’d suggested that what Yoko really needed was Divina and someone else. 

Sure, that felt outlandish. And, yes, the "someone else" in question a) had a boyfriend; b) was forced to be so deeply closeted by her vile family that it was painful to watch; c) had never shown that kind of interest in Yoko, as far as she could tell; and, d) was someone Yoko was currently mad at. But as long as she was spinning, spinning, spinning in disorientation, she might as well think big, right?

Yoko rolled onto her back, pulled a pillow over her face, and groaned. That was all fine as a fantasy, but even ignoring the unavoidable and painful truth of the break-up, it could never have happened – Yoko had been 100% correct in what she'd said to Wednesday at the time, that it was just not a genuine possibility with Divina. Even if they'd talked about it early on, even if they'd avoided the trap of perpetual arguing, Divina was right – they were mismatched. Div really did want to follow the standard relationship script. Which was a totally legit thing to want. But it meant that regardless of how and when Yoko might've brought it up, Divina wouldn’t have been open to finding some new, different way of being together, off the beaten path. They probably really weren’t compatible in that way.

Sigh. 

But, dammit, now that she was swirling, uncertain, topsy-turvy Yoko, she was going to start paying way closer attention to what she actually wanted. Maybe she wouldn’t settle for doing things the same way as everyone else. Maybe she’d investigate what Wednesday had meant about ‘different relational configurations.’ Maybe she'd...

Sigh. Maybe she’d just lie on her bed playing on her phone and feeling sorry for herself. That felt more realistic.

A knock at her door. It was Wednesday, again, this time with lunch for both of them. 

Yoko settled on her bed with her tray in her lap, while Wednesday put hers down on Yoko's desk and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Her face was slightly flushed and her eyes were avoiding Yoko's.

"Everything okay, Weds?"

Yoko was well acquainted, from those early outings when Wednesday had tried so hard to talk about her feelings for Enid, with what it looked like when she was trying to get words out and they just wouldn't come. Yoko waited patiently.

Finally, Wednesday was able to speak. "Among the many things I appreciate about you and Enid is how you allow me to be different than other people, different than you, different than the so-called 'normal' that I can barely perceive and have little interest in adhering to, without subjecting me to even a hint of pressure to be other than I am. None outside of my family have ever done that for me before."

Yoko had no idea where this was going, but she knew her friend loved herself a lengthy preamble, so she just smiled. "Of course. I like you for you. I wouldn't want you to be anybody else."

Wednesday's cheeks flushed even more. "One of the things that I am still getting used to is that there seem to be things about myself and my boundaries that are more fluid than I had previously understood – things that in general I could never imagine wanting, but that I really do want at specific times." Her eyes flicked to Yoko. "Or in specific contexts."

Wednesday had stopped talking, so clearly this was supposed to communicate something substantive, but Yoko had no idea what.

Or...actually, maybe she did. (She silently added a tick to her tally of wins due to her lengthy, careful study of Addams-ese.)

"Is this about this morning? About me assuming that you would would hate it if I hugged you?"

After a moment of hesitation, Wednesday nodded. "I am still me, and there are no doubt still circumstances in which you would share touch with other friends that I would not want. But as with Enid, I have come to realize that I do not, by default, hate affectionate touch from you. It feels fitting to make sure that you know that. And we did, after all, share a bed, and it was not terrible."

Yoko bit her lower lip to keep her smile in check. She set her tray on her bed and slowly got up and walked towards Wednesday. This shouldn't feel like a big deal. As Wednesday had just pointed out, they'd shared a bed and snuggled for...well, not an entire night, but most of one. Nothing about this was new. Except, it kind of was. It was Wednesday not just accepting some offered touch but, in her own weird way, asking for a hug, and doing so outside of a moment of trauma or pain.

She wrapped her arms around Wednesday, and felt arms around her in turn. Yoko pressed a gentle kiss into the top of Wednesday's head. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." She smiled. "And I don't hate affectionate touch from you either."

She wasn't sure how, but she could tell there was a tiny smile on Wednesday's face too. "I will keep that in mind as well. I apologize for making a ridiculous spectacle of our lunch hour, and for forcing your attention onto me when you already have so much to process for yourself. But it felt important, when so much has happened in the last 24 hours that most likely makes you feel uncared for, that I not shy away from demonstrating that you are, in fact, still cared for."

Their hug was long, quiet, and firm. Yoko, indeed, felt very cared for.

Once they settled into eating, Yoko sitting on her bed and Wednesday at the desk, they didn't talk much. They still had a little time before Wednesday had to leave for her afternoon classes, so they read together.

As they did so, Yoko found herself sneaking glances at Wednesday. She was feeling – well, yet again, she wasn't quite sure. Cared for, certainly. Deep gratitude, too, at the other girl's staunch support. But also a kind of warm, confusing glow. 

She'd always thought Wednesday was gorgeous. But today, even more than usual, her eyes kept feeling pulled back to that beautiful face.

There wasn't another hug when Wednesday left to go to class, and Yoko was faintly disappointed. Next time, she'd try to take Wednesday at her word and be brave enough to ask for one.

She went back to a numbing mix of phone games and scrolling. Divina hadn't posted anything about their break-up, but Yoko was sure everyone who cared must know by this point. She kept looking back over photos of the two of them, feeling a weird mix of things – happy and sad, all at once, to see those times and to know they were done.

Another knock. This one, she could tell, was Enid.

She wasn't ready for this, so she stayed still and quiet.

"I know you're in there, Yoko," Enid said. "Are you...are you mad at me? Can we talk about it? I want to say sorry for running off last night. So much of what I'm doing these days is short term pain for long term gain for myself, and I got so caught up in that that I fucked up by doing something that caused you pain. And that's, like, the absolute last thing I ever want to do. I'm so, so sorry, Yoko."

Her heart ached. Those words felt genuine. She was tempted, desperately tempted, to open her door and her arms, and let it all feel like it was better. Except that wouldn't really make it all better, and Yoko still had no idea what would, so she stayed silent.

"I love you, okay?" Enid continued. "I want to see you soon to make it up to you. At least, like, answer my texts? Please?"

Yoko heard her footsteps heading away from the door.

Fuck. She had no idea what she was going to do about that. Her feelings for Enid may not be new, but realizing what they were sure as shit was, and she needed some time to figure all of that out.  

Maybe at some point she'd end up wanting to make some sort of grand confession, who knows, but that was far from certain. She had a lot of thinking to do before she'd be anywhere close to certain about anything. Enid's infuriating entrapment within the bounds of her mother's prejudices, at least in the public side of her life, likely wouldn't leave her a lot of space to hear any sort of confession of feelings from Yoko regardless. Not that Enid would be mean about it, of course. But Yoko could just imagine the kind and loving initial words in private, the effusive and compassionate understanding as she said "I love you but just not that way," and then the redoubled distancing where anyone might see, maybe followed by gradually growing distance in private too. Yoko didn't think she could take that.

But if not a confession of feelings, then what? She was still pretty pissed at Enid, too – yes, for bailing on her last night, but more for the whole situation, for being so absent, and for only behaving like the genuine version of her friend in secret. That hurt, whatever Enid's reasoning was. She hadn't exactly hidden from Enid that she didn't like it very much, but she'd minimized the pain of it. But what exactly was she supposed to say? The thought of just letting it continue was shitty. But how was she supposed to tell Enid that she was upset, that she felt abandoned? And that she was concerned for Enid, too, in a more profound way than she'd said so far. Just because it all sucked for Yoko didn't mean that she should be pressuring Enid to do things that might put her at risk. And how on earth could she explain the ways in which Enid's distance was hurting her without either lying or getting into the confessional territory that she wanted to avoid?

Yoko tried reading her book again. She managed a few distracted pages before her phone pinged.

WA: Shall I bring you dinner?

Already? Yoko had hardly registered the passage of time.

She thought about it for a minute before replying.

YT: that would be awesome
YT: thank-you
YT: i'll leave my room tomorrow i promise
YT: but i'm not ready to run into D or E quite yet

WA: I had made plans to dine with Eugene in the beekeeping shed and then do some work on the hives, but I can cancel if you would rather have company.

YT: awww...you don't need to do that
YT: i'll be fine, go have fun with the bees
YT: thanks for all of your care, Weds...it means so much to me

Wednesday soon appeared with a tray laden with blood bags (the actual substance of the meal) and a plate of fish and chips (of marginal nutritional value for her, but Yoko loved the taste). Before passing her the tray, Wednesday gave Yoko a careful once over, perhaps to ensure that she was in fact as okay as she had claimed in her texts. 

Yoko was about to turn back into her room when she felt a small hand on her wrist.

Wednesday's stare was even more intense than usual. "I have been reflecting on it all day, and...I truly am sorry that you have had to endure being treated so poorly by a beloved. By Enid, I mean. It's not right that she is behaving as she is."

Yoko was too surprised to come up with a reply before Wednesday had disappeared down the hall.

Her evening was dismal. She briefly regretted not taking Wednesday up on her offer of company, but that probably wouldn't have improved her mood at all and would just have inflicted it on somebody else. At this point, it wasn't really about any specific aspect of what had happened, just a sort of generalized self-pitying misery. Her capacity for the kind of reflection she'd managed earlier in the day was long gone, so she mostly let the hours pass with a mixture of screens and moping. She would venture out tomorrow, probably without any sort of plan beyond avoiding Divina to the absolute maximum extent possible, and reconnecting with Enid. It would suck in some ways, but she needed to do it. She wouldn't say a word about either her newly discovered feelings or about how upset her friend's recent behaviour had made her – she just needed Enid back. And maybe a hug, if she could get one. (Though who the fuck knew if Enid's ridiculous rules for what she could now be seen doing in public had an exception for making up with your closest friend. Sigh.) 

She wasn't asleep when the knock on her door startled her to alertness, but rather in a sort of Candy Crush-induced trance. She could hear it was Wednesday, which was surprising – she'd expected a bedtime text but not another visit. She really didn't feel up for it, even if they were just going to sit quietly and read. Except a glance at her phone told her that it was after curfew, so that likely wasn't what she had in mind.

Yoko opened the door.

Wednesday's arms were filled with her backpack, another bag, and some loose clothing. She said nothing and avoided eye contact with Yoko. Her expression was...Yoko couldn't place it in an exact way, but the minute signs definitely pointed to distress. 

"Uhhhh, Weds? What's up?"

Still not looking at her, Wednesday said, "I am happy to sleep in the beekeeping shed if you would prefer solitude. But I thought I would check and see if I could sleep on your floor." She blinked once and looked down. "Enid and I...had words. I have informed her that I will not be sleeping in our dorm tonight."

Yoko released a long, loud sigh. "Oh, sweetie, what did you do. Come on in. And, no, you're not sleeping on the floor – we can share the bed."

Chapter Text

Yoko lounged on her bed as Wednesday hung up her uniform, removed items from her backpack, and rearranged the toiletries she had evidently thrown in haste into the other bag before storming down to Yoko's room. 

Wednesday's usual blank and serious demeanor looked vaguely...haunted was probably the best word for it. Yoko couldn't pinpoint what made her think this, but the calm, flat surface of her friend's face looked like it was covering something churning and terrible beneath.

So far, Wednesday had offered no more details about whatever argument had happened with Enid. Part of Yoko was okay with that, and almost hoped that they wouldn't have to talk about it. Not that she didn't want to be there for Wednesday, but she was just so dreadfully worn herself. 

But...she also wanted, needed, to know. The whole situation just made her ache terribly – that Wednesday was upset, that it was because of a fight with Enid, and all of that compounded by the sad, angry, yearning mess of Yoko's own current feelings towards Enid. It all made her feel like terrible new flames were feeding into the trash fire that her life had become in the last 24 hours. So, yes, she needed to know what had happened. And, sure, there was probably nothing Yoko could do in this moment to make Wednesday feel better. But, dammit, she wanted to do what she could. 

After Wednesday had settled in beside her and they'd turned out the light, Yoko said, "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Wednesday said immediately, her tone sullen. A few moments later, much more quietly, she said, "Yes. I should tell you. It would be wrong of me not to." Another few moments of silence, and Wednesday spoke again, her inflection as emotionless as Yoko had ever heard it. "Before I begin, dear Yoko, please know that if at any point you decide that you wish to evict me from your bed and your room, I will go without argument or objection."

"Weds, I don't think—"

"Do not speak in haste. Wait until you've heard what I've done."

Yoko restrained her impulse to offer further reassurance, knowing it would just meet more resistance, and nodded.

Wednesday took a deep breath and began. Her voice was still flat, but Yoko thought she could hear a faint note in it conveying just how hard Wednesday was working to keep it that way.

# # #

***in Wednesday's voice***

I say these things to you, dear Yoko, because I suspect that I have finally done it – I have finally driven her irreversibly away. And I have always known that when that moment comes, it will mean that I have driven you away as well. I admit, I had hoped for more time before...before my horrific, broken self destroyed the two most wonderfully, dreadfully precious presences in my life, outside of my family. But I will accept my fate. Allow me a few moments to gather my things, and at your word I will retreat to the beekeeping shed.

As I indicated when I brought your dinner, Enid's behaviour towards you greatly concerned me. Upset me, even – not to the same degree that it upset you, of course, but I still found it quite disturbing that she could treat you so. 

Last night, immediately after she left, I was unsure what to do with those feelings. I decided that it would be wisest to contain them, to keep them hidden, at the very least until I understood them, and perhaps indefinitely. So I did not share them with you in the moment. You were sufficiently occupied with your own distress that, at least as far as I could tell, you did not notice mine. But I also knew that it would be difficult to keep Enid from perceiving at least hints, so I decided to do my best to avoid her until I could be sure that I would not be imposing these feelings upon her. And I did not wish to take the risk of unleashing my emotions in ways that might hurt her.

It was for those reasons that I decided to wake up early and go into Jericho, at which point I bought the coffee that I brought to you. So I did not see her this morning. I had only one class with her, and I made sure to come late and to sit on the other side of the room. I, of course, ate lunch here with you and I ate dinner with Eugene. I stayed out of our room as late as I dared, hoping she would be asleep, or nearly so, when I returned. But I was not so lucky.

When I entered, she appeared agitated. The usual glow of her face was cloudy, her eyes wild and a little red. She looked like she was about to jump up and accost me – perhaps with a hug, perhaps a scolding, I don't know, because she restrained herself. But she sat on her bed and stared at me. 

I nodded in her direction and slowly moved to deal with my backpack. As I did so, I looked around for Thing, hoping he could perhaps provide me with some covert insight into her state, or even distract or comfort her, but he was absent – he has been increasingly so, in recent months, claiming a desire to give Enid and I privacy, though I do not understand why as he has never bothered about such things before. In any case, I looked through some of my notes from the day. I wrote a few things in my journal pertaining to topics I need to research for Viper's current adventure. And through it all, I could feel her staring. Moreover, I could feel her getting more and more agitated. Through some noxious alchemy, her agitation interacted with my own, and I made my first mistake – I snapped at her. 

"What?" I said, my tone more unkind than I have used with her since before that fateful night with Crackstone.

She flinched. When she spoke, her voice was small. "What's going on, Weds? Why are you avoiding me? Why won't Yoko talk to me? Is it because I left last night?"

I immediately made my second mistake. Or, perhaps, my second and my third. The second was lying – I said, "Don't be silly. I haven't been avoiding you." From the hurt in her eyes, I could tell immediately that she didn't believe me. And of course, why should she, it was a foolish and obvious untruth. I have sworn to myself never to lie to her, and it was such an idiotic way to violate that.

The third was my failure to find a more skilful way to avoid the remainder of her questions. I merely said, "As for Yoko, I cannot speak for her," hoping that would put her off.

But her eyes immediately began to fill with tears. 

And then, another error. Instead of leaving her to cry and hoping that it would be the end of the discussion, the sight of her pinched my heart in a way that meant I could not stop myself from speaking. But my anger made it harsh. "What, Enid?"

That, of course, pushed her from mere crying to sobbing. And then shortly after that she stood and started yelling. "You're not as clever as you think you are, Wednesday Addams! I know that when you say you can't speak for her, that means that you know something and that it's serious – otherwise you'd say you don't know or you'd reassure me. So just tell me!"

I'm not sure her logic was entirely sound, but it seemed unwise to argue the point, and unlikely that I would be able to find any way out of this increasingly conflictual encounter except through it. So I sighed, stood as well, and walked to the centre of the room. With a deep breath, I calmed my irritation, or at least did my best to keep it from my voice. "Enid, there's nothing I can tell you. Yoko has had a difficult couple of days, and will no doubt speak with you when she's ready."

She collapsed back onto her bed. She seemed less angry, suddenly, but the tears were more plentiful. She was quiet for a long moment, and I though perhaps our encounter was over. But then she said, "You know, I was so happy when the two of you started to be friends."

I had no idea what that had to do with anything and said so, but she ignored me.

"It was, like, the best parts of my life suddenly connecting, y'know? And, sure, okay, maybe I was a little bit jealous that you guys got close so quickly – that Yoko didn't have to work for it the way I did – and once or twice it bothered me that there were clearly things you talked about that neither of you would tell me. But even that stuff was mostly okay. It makes me so frickin' happy when I think about you two hanging out, going on your little Sunday morning friend dates, reading your books together, all that. And it makes me super happy when all three of us spend time together. I love you both so much." 

Her words continued to puzzle me and I was trying to figure them out when she started crying again. Once she had her tears partly under control, she kept talking: "But I just can't handle the two of you ganging up on me. With my goddamn mother's bullshit and, like, with things with Ajax, I just need you two. And now she won't speak to me and you're avoiding me, and you won't tell me...it's mean, Weds. It's just mean. And I just want to know what's going on."

In the moment, interpreting the feelings that these words evoked in me was more than I could manage. It was too much, too confusing. After the fact, though, I think it is fair to say that I was bewildered by her understanding of things, which seemed to me to be absurd; I was hurt by the very notion that I would "gang up" on her, even with you; I was wounded orders of magnitude more by the suggestion that I was being deliberately cruel to her, despite my best efforts not to be; and I was angry and felt like lashing out. I was very close to doing so in a way that would have made her accusations of cruelty true. But...I could not. And I also couldn't disagree with the fact that she had a right to know.

So I exerted as much control as I could manage. I suspect she could still hear the emotion bubbling underneath, but I said as calmly and as evenly as possible, "Is that truly how you see this situation, Enid? As Yoko and I being mean to you?"

Her tears came in renewed force and she nodded.

I had no idea what to do. I was tempted to yell, of course, and berate her for her idiotic interpretation, her unjust accusations, but I would not, could not do such a thing. So should I lie? Leave without another word? In the end, I could come up with nothing better than the truth. That Sunday morning in the park, you advised me that in such a circumstance I should be honest but do it with care, so that is what I tried to do.

"Enid," I began at last, "I have told you countless times that you should not be my friend, yet you have stubbornly continued to stay by my side. I cannot express how much that means to me, even if I think it a foolish choice. The regard you have shown me, the support, the affection, the patience, the understanding – even if you choose to end our friendship tomorrow, for what you have given me so far I will nonetheless always remain in your debt. So even if what I say here sounds harsh, please realize it is an expression of care – no doubt clumsy and cruel, given my brokenness, but it is the best I can do."

At this point, her eyes were very wide, as if she was anticipating something terrible to come. And, I suppose, she was right to do so, though I have no idea what else I could have said.

I continued: "Your abrupt departure from Yoko's room is the proximal catalyst for our current circumstance, but the underlying context, and the real problem, is the trajectory of your choices since you came out to your mother. And in saying that, I am fully aware that your current course of action is an effort to navigate your mother's awfulness – I know you are making choices in circumstances that are not at all of your own choosing. But the path you are taking is hurting you and hurting those you care about. 

"You are investing all of your energies in a relationship with someone you like, but that you don't really like that much – who in turn likes you, but who doesn't seem to like you that much either. To do that, you are spending less of your time involved in the activities and hobbies and clubs that fill you with passion, that give your life meaning, that allow you to exercise your skills and develop your capacities and build towards your dreams. That is hurting you now and will hurt you more in the long run. It may even, I fear, trap you in misery. Moreover, you are taking energy and time away from your other relationships, including those with the two women who care for you most fiercely. You have described us as your, and I quote, 'lifelong ride-or-die besties' on multiple occasions, and you regularly declare your love for us, and yet you are pulling away from us – especially from Yoko, as she does not have the built-in structural benefit of being your roommate. 

"I have had no visions telling me where any of this will go, but I know this – if the direction remains the same, it will do nothing but hurt you, as you corrode relationships that are great for the sake of one that will never be. It is already hurting Yoko a great deal. And, while I would happily accept hurt of any kind or magnitude done to myself if it was in the service of enriching your life and bringing you joy, the current state of affairs – which is impoverishing your life and stealing joy from you – is also causing me the kind of hurt that, unlike a blade or a bruise, carries no redeeming features." 

I paused, then. A third wave of tears had overtaken her, and she was biting the back of her hand and staring with wide eyes. I went on, "I have no magic answer for navigating the bigoted and oppressive environment of your family and your pack. But surely with the combined resources that Yoko and I bring to the table, together the three of us could come up with a better plan than this."

I sighed. "So, yes, I have been avoiding you today. I will not speak of Yoko's feelings, but I have been upset since yesterday because of your abandonment of Yoko – not just what you did last night in her hour of need, but the much more enduring and fundamental abandonment of recent months. My family is macabre and violent, but relating to love as not just a word, not just a feeling, but a promise and a practice, and treating those you care for accordingly, is among our highest values. And I am...disappointed in you, Enid. I am disappointed in your choices." At this, Enid let out a choked sob, but despite a growing urge to comfort her, I continued. "I am...bad at this. I want to express the magnitude of my feelings about yesterday and about your recent trajectory, but not make you feel abandoned or uncared for. So, taking a lesson from you, I will be spending one night sleeping away from our dorm, to allow my anger to cool. Please do not let this make you doubt the depth of my affection for you. And when I return, dear Enid, I hope to continue this conversation at your earliest convenience."

She was crying very hard, at that point. I took two steps in her direction – perhaps to offer comfort, I'm not sure. But she flinched away from me, then, and rolled over to face the wall.

It was at this point that I gathered some clothing and other necessary items, and mounted a tactical retreat from the room.

***end of Wednesday's voice***

# # #

Wednesday was still lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling, though with her night vision Yoko could see that in the darkness the other girl was allowing her pain to become much more visible on her face. Wednesday sighed and said, "And thus have I ruined my relationship with Enid. But...I couldn't do otherwise. I couldn't remain silent as she continued to hurt herself." Her head turned towards Yoko. "As she continued to hurt you, dear Yoko – someone she professes to love." She looked back at the ceiling, a look of unbearable sadness on her face. "I don't know how I'll survive without her." Another pause. "Do you...wish me to leave now?"

Yoko had been restraining herself, but could no longer – she reached over and pulled Wednesday close. And Wednesday did not resist.

"Sweetie," Yoko said, "I most definitely do not want you to leave. I also don't think you've ruined your friendship with Enid. Not even close. She's upset, so she might yell at you tomorrow and it might take awhile to fix things, but she won't hate you." Yoko pulled her tighter. "And I definitely don't hate you. I mean, maybe this wasn't the best moment for brutal honesty...but then again, what the fuck do I know. You're so much braver than me, Weds. I should've been more direct with her ages ago. Who knows, that might've prevented things from getting this bad." Yoko brushed her lips against a soft, soft cheek. "I know it must have been hard for you. And knowing that at least some of that risk was for me – you say you're such a terrible person, that you're so broken, but you're one of the most loving people I know."

Wednesday again turned towards Yoko, their faces mere inches apart. Her hand reached over and tucked Yoko's hair behind her ear, and her eyes flickered down to Yoko's lips.

It was just a fraction of a second, and by the next morning Yoko was no longer sure she'd seen it, or that it meant anything. But in that moment, all she thought was, Oh. Yes. Of course. Me too.

And then Wednesday started crying. Which freaked Yoko out no less than it had the only other time she'd seen it, even if this time they were tears not of terror but of quiet despair.

"I don't deserve either of you," Wednesday whispered. 

Yoko held her close. "You totally, completely, absolutely do, Weds."

The tiny girl in Yoko's arms clung more tightly as her tears continued to flow.

Still stroking her friend's hair, Yoko said, "We should probably sleep now, sweetie. Trying to make things right with a distraught werewolf is going to make tomorrow a long, difficult day."

Chapter Text

The next morning, Yoko was blearily looking through her jewellery box, trying to find a pair of earrings to wear – she'd still been wearing a pair that Divina had given her, which just wouldn't do.

She and Wednesday had slept well, and Yoko felt much more able to face the day than she had twenty-four hours ago. They'd woken up still snuggled together, and it wasn't the least bit awkward or weird – it just felt right. Despite everything that had happened over the last two days, Yoko's heart felt full.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," Wednesday said. "Don't leave for the cafeteria without me."

"Of course, Weds," Yoko said without looking over.

She heard the door open. Then she heard an alarming, breathy noise from Wednesday, followed closely by a clatter of rapid motion and knees hitting the floor. 

Yoko's adrenaline surged and she was beside her friend in a fraction of a second. She let out a gasp herself at what she saw: Enid, unconscious, in a little alcove just down from Yoko's room. One side of her face was scraped and badly bruised, and there were further scrapes and cuts all along her arms. Her face was not just pale but sickly-looking, and she reeked of alcohol and of something else that Yoko didn't recognize. Most disturbingly, she wasn't lying as if she'd fallen asleep, but in an awkward, twisted pose that suggested that she'd collapsed into unconsciousness. 

She was alive – Yoko could hear a heartbeat, slow for a werewolf but strong – but that was about all she could tell for sure. "Fucking hell," she said. "What do we do?"

For a panicked second, she waited for Wednesday to take command of the situation with her usual biting words and unshakeable competence. When that didn't immediately happen, she tore her attention from Enid. 

Wednesday's eyes were wild and her heart was beating faster than Yoko had ever heard it beat before. She was frozen, and gave no sign she'd heard a word Yoko had said. 

Fuck. Up to me, I guess.

"Right," Yoko said. "Infirmary." She scooped Enid up. The incipient panic in her gut made her want to run at full speed, but that might not be safe for her precious cargo, so instead she kept pace with Wednesday.

The infirmary doors were open when they arrived. The nurse at the desk took one look at Enid, and gestured them into one of the rooms. Yoko lay her on a bed. 

Dr. Blair – a tall, Black vampire who looked after the health needs of the students and also taught some outcast biology and sex-ed classes – joined them almost immediately. He rushed to Enid's side, feeling her pulse and sniffing the air above her. He made a face, then sniffed in the direction of Yoko and Wednesday as well.

"Out, out," he said.

Wednesday's still-wild eyes took on a murderous glint, but when Yoko grabbed her by the shoulders and directed her towards the waiting room, she didn't object.

Yoko did her best to stay calm, but inside she was reeling. 

What the fuck had happened to Enid? That Crackstone bullshit notwithstanding, Nevermore was generally a pretty safe place. 

Fuck. Was Enid dying? She didn't think Dr. Blair was acting the way he would if she was dying – there was no yelling for nurses or scrambling to find a crash cart or frantic 911 calls, or any of the other things she'd seen in medical dramas. 

But what if she was dying? She couldn't die now – not with everything going on, everything that was unresolved between them. 

Fuck. 

She couldn't think about that. 

But what the fuck had Enid been doing last night? Why did she stink of booze? Why was she outside Yoko's door? Why was she unconscious, for fuck's sake?

Fuck fuck fuck.

Yoko only realized she'd been muttering the word aloud when Wednesday's hand wrapped around hers, tightly enough that a non-vampire would probably have yelped, or at least objected. But it helped Yoko's spiralling thoughts to slow and stabilize.

Far too many minutes later – though probably not actually very many – Dr. Blair joined them.

"Tell me what happened," he said. His expression was serious but his tone was measured and calm. A good sign, maybe? Yoko hoped so.

Yoko looked at Wednesday, once again expecting her to take the lead. But her glare was focused on the door to the room that contained Enid, and she said nothing, so Yoko responded. "Uh, we found her passed out in the hall outside my room this morning. And we brought her straight over. What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

Dr. Blair ignored her questions and continued with his own. "Do you have any idea what might have happened? Do you know what she was doing last night?"

Yoko waited a beat for Wednesday and then spoke again. "No clue, sir." She pointed at the other girl. "Wednesday is Enid's roommate. She saw her yesterday evening in their room and she seemed fine, but...well, they had an argument, so Wednesday spent the night in my room. Next time we saw her was when we found her just now."

"I see," Dr. Blair said. "The next question, I want you to answer honestly. I won't tell the headmaster or the police – this is just a health question, not a legal one. Does Ms. Sinclair use illegal drugs?"

Yoko blinked, her heart clenching at the thought of why he would ask that. The words vomited out of her. "I mean, she's underage so I guess it's not legal that she likes to drink fruity drinks with umbrellas and a little rum in them at parties." Dr. Blair's expression in response to this answer was unimpressed, and Yoko swallowed nervously. "And most days her boyfriend smokes enough weed to knock out a rhino, but she's only tried it twice that I know of and she doesn't like it much. Why? What's going on?"

The doctor's eyes narrowed and he leaned, in a vaguely menacing fashion, towards Yoko. What the fuck. She felt an urge to flinch away or to bare her fangs – neither a good idea when dealing with a much older vampire to whom you want to show respect, so she held still. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wednesday put her hand into a pocket, so she reached out and grabbed her to prevent her from withdrawing whatever weapon she had concealed there. Dr. Blair said, very sternly, "And did you give her anything, Ms. Tanaka? Perhaps to hold for you? Perhaps at an earlier point, which she then might have taken last night?" 

"No, sir," Yoko said, swallowing thickly. 

He stared at her for a few seconds then nodded, and his face relaxed. "Okay. Well, I think I know what's wrong with Ms. Sinclair. I'm sending some blood into the lab in Jericho to confirm. And it doesn't look like she was attacked or anything like that, but got those bumps and bruises on her own. Why don't you two go to your classes, then come back at the end of the day."

His words sounded like they were meant to be reassuring, but the anxiety slithering around Yoko's insides did not recede even a little. She felt Wednesday straining against her grip, but she held tight. 

Wednesday spat her words at the doctor. "Tell us what you know or I'll stake you." 

Dr. Blair made a face that suggested he was not at all impressed by this, but, given the source, not surprised either. "Ms. Addams, I understand that you're worried for your friend. We're going to take care of her, I promise." 

"And we are staying by her side," Wednesday continued, "or we will do things that will make you wish to be staked."

He looked like he was on the verge of refusing when Yoko added, in a small voice, "Please, Dr. Blair? We're just worried about her."

Then he sighed, and looked at them both appraisingly. "I appreciate what you did for the school, Ms. Addams. So...you two can stay. And I shouldn't tell you anything since you aren't her parents, but if I'm right about what's going on here, it might actually be useful for you to know. I'll tell you more once I get the test results. Just don't be a nuisance to the nurse, and if your teachers make a fuss that you're not in class, that's on you." 

He put a hand on Yoko's shoulder and said in a kind tone. "I can't say anything for sure until I get the results, but if I'm right about what's going on...well, it looks worse than it is."

Once he was gone, Yoko finally relaxed her grip on Wednesday, who tore away into the room where they had left Enid. Yoko followed more slowly and they settled into chairs next to the bed. 

Or, at least, Yoko settled and took one of Enid's hands in hers – combined with Dr. Blair's parting words, feeling her friend's warm, solid touch made her panic feel a bit less overwhelming. Wednesday, however, sat and then immediately sprang up again. She was staring intensely at Enid and repeatedly closing one of her hands into a fist and opening again. 

"Weds," Yoko said gently. When she got no response, she said a little louder, "Wednesday! Sweetie. Come and sit down." Still no response. "If it was serious, they'd be sending her to a hospital, right?" Yoko wasn't sure whether she actually believed that, but she desperately wanted to.

Wednesday turned to her, eyes murderous. "Are you an idiot?"

Yoko flinched – it had been quite some time since she'd been a genuine (rather than Wednesday's version of playful) target of the other girl's venom, and it hurt. She felt a brief impulse to lash out in return, and in the back of her mind she recognized that with Divina she probably would have. But instead, she calmly said, "Hey. I'm not the enemy here."

Wednesday glared for another moment, then muttered, "Sorry," and returned her focus to Enid. Both of Wednesday's fists were tightly clenched now, her eyes wide and anguished, and her heart still beating far, far faster than it should be.

"You're not the only one who's worried, sweetie," Yoko whispered.

After a few moments, Wednesday spoke again, her voice flat. "I must investigate. You stay and protect her, in case an enemy did this, and I will...interrogate our peers."

Thankfully, Wednesday made no immediate move towards the door. Yoko slowly made sure she was standing where she could block it, if necessary. She wanted answers too, but she didn't think that turning Wednesday loose on the student body when she was in this state would be good for anyone – not for Enid, not for Wednesday, and certainly not for whoever she got her hands on.

It seemed likely that Wednesday would take some convincing, however. "Okay," Yoko said. "How about this. How about you stay with Enid, and I go and get us some breakfast before they clear it away. Then we can eat something and drink some coffee and talk more about what we should do." 

Those beautiful, terrifying eyes were pointed at her again. The feelings they sparked in Yoko were a jumble – a hint of the tingly warmth she often felt looking at them, augmented by a sudden flash of last night's sort-of kind-of almost hint of a fraction of a moment before a probably-imagined maybe-kiss, but also a thick blanket of concern at the pain that clearly lay just beneath their surface, and a swirl of hurt at the hostility still being directed her way. Plus, one of Wednesday's hands had gone back into her uniform jacket pocket. Wonderful.

"Okay, hear me out," Yoko said quickly. "For starters, it's almost time for class, so soon there won't be anyone around for you to interrogate. Second, our top priority here is Enid, right? I'm honoured that you gave me the role of protecting her, but...you're a better fighter, so it should be you." Wednesday's eyes narrowed and Yoko worried she might be laying it on a bit thick. She hastily continued, "And honestly, Weds? Think about what she would want. Whatever's going on, she would not want you hurting people, and she would most definitely not want you getting expelled. So let's, like, play it smart, here. Who knows, a time for extreme measures may come, but we don't know anything, yet."

Wednesday didn't say anything, but her attention returned to Enid, and she made no move to leave.

Thank fuck. 

Okay, one crisis averted. Yoko gave Enid's hand one more squeeze, and slipped out of the room.

There were still plenty of students in the halls, as homeroom wouldn't start for another few minutes. Just before she got to the cafeteria, Yoko saw Ajax coming in the other direction. She also saw him notice her, get very wide eyes, and duck into a side corridor.

Fuuuuuuuck. 

She'd had no intention of doing any investigating of her own, but no way she was going to let suspicious behaviour like that slide, under the circumstances. And whatever else was going on, Dr. Blair's questions about drugs suggested Ajax might be someone worth talking to.

She used her speed to catch up and then stopped right in front of him. He gave a sort of delayed startle, and stood there blinking at her.

"Hey Ajax," she said, in a falsely bright voice. "Whatcha doin'?"

He swallowed. "Uhhhh...hi?"

"Anything important you want to tell me?" she continued, adding an ominous grin.

He blinked a few times, then said slowly, "So you've decided not to ignore me today?" 

"What?" Yoko replied, this time in her normal voice. "What are you talking about?"

"You, like, always ignore me. Except sometimes when Enid is around."

Was that true? She'd always thought it was him who did the ignoring. Huh. 

Either way, not the most important thing right now. Yoko said, "Speaking of Enid...want to tell me why you just tried to run away from me?"

He gave her a few more slow blinks. "C'mon, man. I know you're protective and shit. I respect that. But give us a chance to work it out ourselves."

She bared her fangs. "So I don't know what you're talking about, but you're about to tell me. Enid is unconscious in the infirmary right now and Wednesday is about thiiiiis close to going on a homicidal rampage. So are you going to open up, or do I need to tell her about this?"

His eyes went big and the snakes under his beanie squirmed. 

# # #

Back in Enid's infirmary room, Yoko was sitting and sipping on some blood. Wednesday was still standing at the foot of the bed and directing a deeply distressed stare at the unconscious Enid. She had refused to touch the grapes and the pastry that Yoko had brought for her, but she was at least drinking the coffee.

"So anyway," Yoko said, "he didn't end up saying much. She snuck over to his dorm room unannounced. They hung out for a bit, then had some kind of argument, and she took off. He claims he didn't give her any pharmaceuticals of any kind. Even though I threatened to sic you on him, he wouldn't tell me what the argument was about – said it was 'like, too personal, man.' Whatever the fuck that means." 

Yoko was worried that she would have to physically prevent Wednesday from rushing off to immediately commit gorgonicide, but yet again the other girl did not give any indication that she had heard anything Yoko was saying. So she sighed and took out her phone to text their friends and tell them what was going on. Part of her wished she'd thought to stop by her dorm room to pick up some school books after going to the cafeteria, because she had some English homework that she really should be doing if she wasn't going to be in class today. But, then again, she probably wouldn't be able to focus anyway, so she might as well spend her time holding Enid's hand and trying to contain her panic.

She moved her thumb slowly back and forth across one of Enid's knuckles. Thanks to the miracle that was werewolf healing, the scrapes and bruises on Enid's face were already visibly improving. Her expression was peaceful, her heartbeat steady, her breathing easy and regular, and her fingers laced through Yoko's felt warm and reassuring. Slowly, Yoko could feel the adrenaline-driven intensity of the morning recede just a bit. It wasn't gone, but it was less overwhelming. 

This didn't necessarily mean that she was feeling better, though. The panic was taking up less space, but that just meant she was more able to feel all sorts of other things she didn't want to be feeling, and to imagine all of the ways things could've been worse, and might still get worse. Sure, Dr. Blair had been reassuring, and that was great...but Yoko couldn't let go of the feeling that she had come very, very close to losing her best friend. 

Not only that, she had come close to losing her while they were in a...she wasn't sure it was a fight, exactly, but whatever you wanted to call the harsh feelings that were going on between her and Enid, and between Enid and Wednesday. Not only were all of those feelings still there, but now she was feeling confused and guilty about them, which didn't make any sense. And grief – there was grief in the mix somewhere too, like she was mourning a loss that hadn't happened but could've. 

Most intense at all, Yoko was shaken to her core at the thought of losing Enid without having the chance to tell her how she felt about her. She didn't even know if she really wanted to tell her, but the thought of a world in which she no longer had the option – it felt devastating. 

Yoko kept holding Enid's hand. And Wednesday kept staring at Enid's face.

About half an hour later, there was a knock and Bianca let herself in and said a quiet hello. She came over and gave Yoko a hug, then nodded in Wednesday's direction, with no response. "I couldn't wait until noon, so I told Mr. Dalal I needed to use the bathroom and snuck over here. How is she?"

"Well, they won't tell us what the problem is," Yoko said, "but they haven't shipped her off in an ambulance, so it can't be that bad. I hope. They said the IV is just to make sure she gets fluids, not any medicine or anything like that."

Bianca nodded. "How are you two doing?"

"Worried as fuck," Yoko replied, shrugging.

The siren stepped closer to the bed and peered at Enid's face and arms. "Huh. She looked a little worse for wear when I saw her last night, but nothing like this."

Suddenly, Wednesday was in Bianca's space, her face inches from the siren's and a knife in her hand. "You saw her?"

"Jesus fuck, Wednesday!" Bianca said, jumping back a little.

"Wednesday!" Yoko said at the same time. "C'mon. Could we maybe try asking nicely first, before scaring our friends?"

After a moment, Wednesday stepped back from Bianca, not looking the least bit apologetic. "What do you know, Barclay?"

"Maniac," Bianca muttered. But then she shook her head and made a sympathetic grimace. "I don't really know anything. I was passing through the quad last night, after curfew. She was on the other side arguing with a couple of guys. I know one of them was one of her brothers, and I think the other might've been too. She didn't look the greatest – a little banged up and maybe a little drunk. Which seemed weird – I've only seen her drink at parties, and never on a school night – but it also seemed like she was in the middle of a family thing, so it was none of my business. Plus, I was in a hurry. So I didn't stick around."

"What were they saying?" Wednesday demanded.

"I...didn't hear much."

Wednesday glared and took a step closer.

"Oh, fuck off," Bianca said. "Fine, I'll tell you. The only fragment I caught was her brother yelling that something wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't—" She flicked her eyes at Yoko and back at Wednesday. "If it wasn't for the, ummm, 'd'-slurs that she hangs out with. That's all I heard." 

Yoko shook her head. She'd never had much to do with them herself, but Enid's brothers sounded exactly as charming as Enid had always described.
 
"I'm sorry now I didn't stop," Bianca continued, her tone sad. She pointedly turned her attention from Wednesday back to Enid. 

Yoko and Bianca chatted for a few minutes more, while Wednesday stayed silent and still, her face blank. 

As Bianca moved to leave, she put a hand on Wednesday's arm and said softly, "We love her too."

Wednesday didn't say anything. 

# # #

The visits from their other friends at lunch were much less eventful. Eugene ended up bringing food for them so Yoko didn't have to make another trip to the cafeteria. And Yoko gave Bianca keys to both dorm rooms so she could go up and get books for them. Notably, Ajax didn't put in an appearance. Wednesday did not acknowledge any of them or eat anything, and her gaze stayed fixed on Enid. 

Yoko was still very much worried about Enid. Of course she was. She wanted nothing more than to see ocean blue eyes and get smothered in a bone-crushing hug or maybe melted by an hour-long cuddle, to make it all feel better. She wanted to talk things out, get back to being friends – she wasn't sure how that conversation would go, but she desperately wanted it. But with the way Wednesday had been behaving, she was starting to freak out a little bit about her, too. What the fuck was going on in her head? Why couldn't she just let herself cry a little while it was just the two of them, let herself be comforted, let Yoko hold her? And, yes, Yoko knew why applying those questions to Wednesday was ridiculous as soon as she thought them. But it's not like she hadn't done those things before with Yoko, in other contexts.

Like, sure, okay, be upset, be worried, be sad. Mistrust the doctor's reassurances – doctors got things wrong sometimes. Demand answers from anyone who might know what happened. All of that. But Wednesday seemed to be on the verge of crossing her always-blurry line separating unhinged as an endearing element of personal style from unhinged for real. 

Over the course of the day, a nurse came in regularly to check on things. Yoko made a few attempts to get more information out of her, but was not successful – she was patient and reassuring but told them they'd need to wait until the blood test results came back.

Yoko thought it was the nurse again when, perhaps an hour after classes had ended, the door opened. But it was a tall, blond boy who looked like Enid – one of her brothers. Carl, Yoko thought this one was called. He had thicker features than his sister and a much broader build, along with slightly darker hair.

She looked over at Wednesday. A couple of hours before, she had finally given up on standing at the end of the bed in favour of sitting on Enid's other side. The anguished staring remained the same, however. As Yoko feared, when she saw Carl, Wednesday's eyes shifted to murderous.

Carl grunted. "The psychotic roommate and the lesbian leech," he said. As hostile as his tone was, his expression as he looked at his baby sister appeared to be genuinely concerned.

Wednesday was between him and the bed before he'd taken two steps into the room. Her voice was full of controlled fury. "We know you were with her last night. What did you do to her?"

He looked her up and down. "I know you've got a big rep and all, but you're, like, three feet tall and human. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not intimidated."

It wasn't anywhere near what a vampire could've done, but Wednesday was clearly illustrating her not-quite-humanness through how fast she got the silver knife against Carl's throat.

Though she had been worrying about something exactly like this happening, and though she knew that bloodshed would not make any of this better, her own accumulated rage at the Sinclair family on Enid's behalf got the better of Yoko and she didn't intervene.

Judging by how pale his face was and how rigidly he was holding himself, Carl could feel that the blade at his throat was silver. "Bitch," he croaked out. "You really are crazy."

Wednesday repeated her earlier question: "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't fucking do anything. Just a little chat among family." 

"Three...," Wednesday said.

Carl looked over at Yoko, eyes wide. She shrugged.

"Two...," the seer continued.

"Okay, okay. But seriously, there's nothing to tell. She texted me and Brett that she wanted to talk, so we met in the quad. She stank of booze and that gorgon, and she looked a little rough, but all she wanted to do was rant about...family stuff. It got a bit heated. Then she took off. That's it."

"And how did she end up like this?" Wednesday asked ominously.

"I swear, I have no idea," he said. "Look, I'm sure Enie tells you all kinds of one-sided bullshit about us. And, yeah, we want her to be the best wolf she can be, and she never even fucking tries and then blames us. But we do actually care about her."

Yoko thought that was a pretty bold thing for him to say with a silver dagger nestled against his carotid artery, and judging by the intensification in the rage in Wednesday's face, so did she. 

Time to step in. 

She put a hand on Wednesday's shoulder. "Think about her, Weds."

After a moment, Wednesday pulled the knife back, and Carl scrambled from the room.

# # #

By early evening, Yoko was feeling a little bit better – not great, but better. Carl's visit, or more accurately the violence that almost resulted, had left her shaking, but that had faded quickly enough. And though she was still pretty worried about Wednesday, she didn't seem to be quite as close to a crisis either. Wednesday was still mostly ignoring her in favour of standing and staring at Enid with an expression that was probably supposed to be blank but that Yoko easily read as brooding and miserable. Yoko tried talking to her about unimportant school things – nothing. She tried getting her into a conversation about what they knew so far about what had happened to Enid – silence. She even made an attempt to express her concern directly. She took Wednesday's hand, appealed to their shared love for Enid, and as she did so, she infused her voice with every ounce of care she felt for Wednesday herself. It was a win in the sense that Wednesday didn't react with hostility, but that was because – beyond the tiniest of eye twitches, which Yoko might have imagined – she didn't respond at all. But when Bianca came back with dinner for the three of them, Wednesday showed no signs of actively threatening her and actually ate the food she brought, so Yoko also counted that as a win and did her best to keep her worries to herself.

When Dr. Blair finally reappeared, he insisted that the three of them sit to discuss the lab results, and thankfully Wednesday did not object.

"So," he began, "it is what I thought." He turned to Yoko. "Have you ever heard of Fericire?"

She shook her head.

"It's a party drug that's meant mainly for vampires. It's a lot more common in Europe than it is here, but it's started showing up in New York and Boston. I went to a seminar on it last summer, and I was pretty sure I recognized the smell on Ms. Sinclair. And I didn't smell anything else on her but alcohol." 

He looked over at Enid and back at them. "As a physician, I of course do not recommend that anyone at all take Fericire. However, in vampires, it causes a sort of blissful high, sometimes with low-key psychedelic effects, usually lasting a few hours, and it is very difficult for us to overdose on it. But it is much more serious when taken by non-vampires. In the doses that vampires take, it can kill normies, as well as outcasts with more or less human baseline biochemistry, and even at much lower doses it just makes them sick rather than getting them high. And werewolves – well, a high enough dose could kill them, of course, but that's pretty difficult to do, and the dose that vamps usually take recreationally won't do any real damage. It'll just knock a werewolf out for anywhere between a few days and a week, with no lasting harm done." He looked over at Enid again. "Technically, I suppose, someone might have slipped it into her drink or something like that, but she would definitely have noticed the taste – it's very bitter, and a werewolf would've sensed it easily even just by smelling whatever it was dissolved in, even without tasting it, so this is not a 'roofie' situation. Once she's awake, she and I are going to need to have a long conversation about making smart choices and about good harm reduction practices."

"So she's okay?" Yoko said.

He smiled, "Yes, she will be. The levels in her blood are consistent with taking one hit. And with her wolf healing, the scrapes and bruises will likely be gone by morning."

Yoko slumped forward in relief and put her face in her hands.

"And what that means," Dr. Blair continued, "is that we have a few options. It's entirely possible for her to stay here. We'll look after her, return her to you as good as new once she's up and around. But another option is that we could send her back to her shared dorm now. She doesn't actually need anything medical. Probably by morning, she'll be waking up very slightly – enough to give her a little water, and for a nurse to get her to the bathroom – but only for a few minutes at a time, and she won't be even close to coherent. But mostly, she just needs to sleep, and she might as well do that in the comfort of her own bed." He smiled at them.

"You mean—" Yoko began.

"Yes, if you want to, you two – with a little help from a nurse – can look after her. I actually asked her mother if perhaps her brothers might want to take that on, but...well, let's just say that the option is staying here or returning to her own room with the two of you."

Yoko and Wednesday made eye contact. Wednesday – the hints Yoko could detect beneath her usual blankness were towards the anguished end of that day's spectrum rather than the rageful end – gave a tiny nod.

"We'll do it."

# # #

In less than an hour, Enid was safely tucked into her own bed, snoring quietly. Dr. Blair left strict instructions to come and get him if anything changed, and said a nurse would drop by several times the next day, but he encouraged them not to worry.

To say Yoko was relieved would have been a major understatement. Sure, Enid was still out cold, but it felt like there was some meat on the bones of Dr. Blair's reassurances, now. Of course the entire 'what the fuck' aspect of it all still remained to be resolved – the unexplained argument with Ajax, whatever bullshit had gone down with her brothers, her reeking of booze, the scrapes and bruises, not to mention her having some sort of weird vampire version of ecstasy in her system. Yoko was still oscillating among an urge to hold Enid tight and never let her go, a desire to shake her until answers fell out, and a bone-deep weariness.

Because, fuck, what a few days.

She couldn't tell what Wednesday was feeling, but if it was relief, that wasn't obvious. She was continuing the same sort of standing and staring at Enid that had filled most of her day.

"Hey Weds?" Yoko said. No response. "Can I stay here tonight? Like, so I can be here to help, if she needs anything?" And so I can make sure you're okay, she didn't add.

Yoko was almost sure she was going to be ignored yet again when Wednesday gave a tiny nod. 

"Thanks. I'll go get my stuff."

She took her time. She changed into pyjamas and put together a little bag with toiletries, clothes for tomorrow – which would be Saturday, so no uniform – and a range of school and non-school books. Then she gathered her usual assortment of blankets and pillows, not sure what Wednesday had in mind for their sleeping arrangements and not wanting to push for anything that might make her uncomfortable.

When she got back up to the room, Wednesday was changed as well, and was sitting in her bed with a book open in her lap. She didn't look up at Yoko, so Yoko went about arranging her bedding on the floor.

When she looked back at Wednesday, though, the other girl had a 'don't be ridiculous' stare fixed on her and was holding the corner of her blanket up in invitation.

Yoko smiled and joined her. 

"My apologies, dear Yoko, for how difficult I have been today."

There was something that Yoko couldn't quite figure out in Wednesday's tone, but it lacked the edge it had held since the morning. Just on its own, that made her feel a little better.

Yoko reached out and gave her friend's hand a quick squeeze. "Thanks. You've had me worried. Are you okay?"

Wednesday looked over to where Enid snored softly in her own bed and then back at Yoko, and she took Yoko's hand. "No, I'm not. The sight of her lying on that hallway floor – it echoed so many of the nightmares that have plagued me since Crackstone's attack, and I have been unable to shake the feeling."

"Fuck. I hadn't even thought of that. I'm so sorry, sweetie."

Wednesday gripped her hand even tighter. "I watch her now, and I wish as fervently as I've ever wished for anything for her to wake up. But I'm also dreading it. Twenty-four hours ago, I already feared that my actions had caused an irreparable rupture in our friendship. Now, I am all but certain. The odds that her current condition is unrelated to our fight last night are so slim as to be nonexistent. This is my fault, and when she wakes, she will either end our association, or she won't but she absolutely should."

"Weds—"

"No, dear Yoko, please don't." Wednesday took Yoko's hand that was clasped with hers and placed a gentle kiss on its back, which sent a surge of warmth through Yoko. "I know you disagree, but I don't have the energy to argue about it now. And...I've made my peace with it, I think. There is nothing to be done but to nurse her through the current crisis, do whatever we can to make her safe and happy in the future, and accept what comes."

There was a melancholy to Wednesday's tone that made Yoko ache, but her words made sense. "Yeah, I think you're right. Once she's better, we'll talk it all out, and before you know it the three of us will be back to studying together, going into Jericho for coffee, and having unbearably cuddly movie nights."

The smile Wednesday gave her was incredibly sad. "Wouldn't that be lovely." Wednesday set her book on her bedside table and shifted onto her side. She put one arm over Yoko's waist and cuddled against her shoulder. "We should sleep, dear Yoko. I don't know what you have planned for the weekend, but I have much to do in support of Enid."

Yoko wasn't sure what exactly that meant, but Wednesday's eyes were already closed, so she didn't ask. She looked down at her friend's face and stole a few seconds to count freckles and to savour the touch that was being given so freely. 

Yoko flicked off the bedside lamp and shifted so that she could wrap her arms around Wednesday. And for the second night in a row, she fell asleep like that.

Chapter Text

When Yoko drifted from sleep to the semi-conscious haze that sometimes comes just before waking, some part of her resolved to stay there for as long as she could. She had that feeling that you get when you desperately need to have a good night's sleep and then you get one – a sort of pleasant emptiness, a heaviness, a soothing sense of being delightfully inert but still accompanied by a certainty that energy will come once you open your eyes. She could vaguely sense light on the other side of her eyelids, so she knew she wasn't in her own windowless room. And some warm, content, deep-down place knew exactly whose room she was in and who she was with. She could also tell from how she felt that the morning was probably quite far advanced. 

As she dozed, Yoko could feel her mind lazily floating around and through the stressful events of the last few days. The unsettled questions orbiting Enid were probably the most prominent – what had happened to her, how to make things better with her, the continuing shock of almost losing her – but Divina and Wednesday featured too.

Yoko didn't want to dwell on what she'd lost, what she'd almost lost, what she might still lose. To get away from all of that, she eased herself into older images of Enid. She thought of the timid, washed-out little girl Enid had been when they met at the start of their first year at Nevermore. There'd been moments, early on, when she wasn't sure how she felt about how needy Enid was back then, and about the fact that she didn't have any friends at that point other than Yoko. But pretty soon, Yoko realized she just liked her way too much to be bothered by that. (Which perhaps should've been a sign?) And, anyway, away from her family's toxicity, Enid's bubbly and kind and extroverted self soon emerged, despite how rough the other wolves at the school sometimes made her life. Yoko remained her home base, but she made other friends.

Yoko thought about bright blue eyes and golden hair dyed in lots of different patterns and colours over the years. She thought about Enid's easy giggle, and all of her different laughs – the one that clearly meant she was fighting off pain rather than embracing humour; the one that was surprisingly deep and so rich and adorable, that erupted when she found something truly hilarious; the irritating (but still somehow adorable) screech that she sometimes fell into when she was running on too little sleep and too much caffeine.

Her mind drifted to when Enid came out to her. It was about a year before Wednesday's arrival. Yoko herself had pretty much never not been out, and was already dating Divina at that point. Enid was over in her dorm room and they were cuddled up and watching a movie – some romantic comedy, though Yoko could no longer recall which one. At some point, after some cheesy scene in which heartfelt declarations had been made by one protagonist but rejected by the other (until the movie's climax, no doubt), Yoko looked over and saw tears running down her friend's cheeks. She paused the movie, took Enid's hand, and just waited. Eventually, the werewolf said, "I think I'm bi." Yoko hugged her and told her she loved her. Enid didn't seem to want to talk about it further right then, so they went back to the movie, but they talked it over plenty in the weeks after, and really had been doing so across their entire friendship since.

And her feelings for Enid – those kept swirling around her, making her feel warm and soft, but also making her want to follow them back into earlier memories. Given everything else that had happened, Yoko hadn't really had a chance to examine them since realizing their true nature. How long had she felt that way, without knowing, without admitting? 

She could remember flashes, now, from early on, from all along. There were, in retrospect, so many moments when the two of them were together, cuddled up, or being silly and hyper, or talking each other through a crisis, when her heart had just felt so goddamn full. And, sure, friendship could fill your heart too, but this had always been a kind of full that was different from anyone else, different even from Divina when the two of them were at their best. She remembered moments she had long suppressed from before Enid had come out to her, of looking at her lips and wondering, but then resolutely turning her mind away from the cliche and the built-in heartbreak of crushing on your (supposedly) straight best friend. 

She might still deny this if she was fully awake, but in the safety of her current haze, she could even let herself remember other kinds of moments – moments when they were sharing a bed, moments when they were cuddled close, moments when they were each other's shelter in the aftermath of something hard or hurtful, when Yoko had felt flashes of heat that were nothing to do with werewolf body temperature. She had pushed those moments away hard and fast whenever they had arisen, refused to give them enough purchase to require her to understand or explain them. It was just hormones, just bodies, just surges of energy that didn't mean anything and that you absolutely did not indulge when it was your best friend. Even more mortifying were the handful of hastily-disavowed-to-self times when thoughts of Enid had intruded on her late night solitude while she'd touched herself – unstable there-and-gone slices of moments that burned, even as she immediately turned away from them and back to safer fantasies; moments she'd refused, pushed away, and locked deep down.

Somehow, all of these little fragments over the years hadn't managed to disrupt the powerful hold of stories that kept her from noticing her feelings – stories like, initially, 'Enid is straight, I can't feel that way', and later, 'I already have a girlfriend, I can't feel that way' and 'She's my bestie, of course I love her, just not that way.'

It felt undeniably good to be able to push all of those stories aside and actually feel those feelings. 

It also felt hard, though, and complicated. Enid had a boyfriend. Not only that, Enid was throwing herself into having a boyfriend, losing herself in having a boyfriend, hurting herself through having this particular boyfriend in this particular way. And however fucked up those choices might be, Yoko couldn't make them magically change just because she now knew that she was in love with her best friend. 

And here she was, back stuck in the mess of her feelings about what she'd lost, what she'd almost lost, what she might still lose. Enid had nearly died. Sure, Dr. Blair might not see it that way, but it sure as hell felt that way. Yoko was still nowhere near recovered from that almost-loss. But really the part that still hurt the most wasn't that – it was that she'd already been losing Enid, was still losing Enid, to her slow, painful withdrawal into some version of herself that she hoped her mother might approve of. 

Could they talk their way back from that? Would the hard truths Wednesday had been brave enough to drop on Enid be enough to make a difference?

And that brought her thoughts to Wednesday. Dear, sweet, wonderful, loving, terrifying Wednesday – thinking of her brought out another bundle of scary, electrifying feelings. How on earth could she feel this way about Wednesday? But she did. Of course she did. She had for awhile, now. Yes, part of her felt like it was just yesterday when Wednesday had been a gorgeous but utterly frustrating bother whose main role in Yoko's life was as yet another source of distress for Enid. But that oh, of course, me too moment the other night hadn't been a shock, like how it felt when she realized her feelings for Enid – it was more like most of her had already known, and the rest of her just took a final little nudge. 

Gods and goddesses above, it had been so wonderful getting closer to Wednesday, getting awarded smiles and kind words and touches when nobody else but Enid got anything close. The way that Wednesday had made space in her life for Yoko – she practically glowed when she thought about that. And the little intimacies that had become...not everywhere and all the time, the way they were with pre-Ajax Enid, but still regular and steady and oh so clearly deliberately chosen by Wednesday. Yoko treasured every touch, every hug. And now getting to spend nights cuddled up next to her, sleeping – it was fucking amazing. 

She wasn't necessarily about to go and say anything to Wednesday, of course. Notwithstanding the little hints that Wednesday was maybe feeling some things for her, too, it would be very easy – given Wednesday and all of her Wednesday-ish baggage – to push too fast or too hard and fuck everything up. But in a lot of ways, it felt less complicated to admit to herself that she wanted to kiss Wednesday than it was to accept that she'd wanted to kiss Enid for years.

Of course, the fact that she wanted to do both of those things made everything way, way more complicated. Bianca's teasing about having two girlfriends and Wednesday's matter of fact acceptance that it was just one more perfectly unremarkable way among many to do relationships were all well and good in theory, but to treat it as something that she was actually allowed to want, something that could in some conceivable version of the world potentially be real, felt like the height of delusion. It felt too complicated, too unlikely, too greedy. It felt...too unknown. It felt like the mere mention of wanting something that was so much risked shattering any lesser something that might actually be possible – even if that was just moving back to being best friends with these two wonderful women.

It was all kind of overwhelming, honestly. In her delightful pre-wake-up state, she just wanted to savour the feelings for what they were. But she still couldn't completely avoid being aware of what kind of chaos these sleep-adled brain-wanderings were pointing her towards. They weren't there yet, and it still felt a little precarious, but the three of them had a shot at getting back to things being normal again – yes, Yoko still needed to deal with the aftermath of the break-up, Wednesday seemingly needed to be jolted out of her latest fit of unhelpful self-loathing, and Enid needed to wake up and (hopefully) work through the problems that her choices had caused between her and Yoko and between her and Wednesday. But that didn't feel impossible. Yoko could see it all happening just by waiting a bit and actually talking to one another. What kind of idiot would she have to be to ruin all of that again by saying, oh, hey, nice day out there, what's the homework for math class, I want to kiss both of you until you can't stand up any more, and, oh, can I borrow a pen please. 

Nope. 

Nope nope nope. 

No way she was doing that. 

Denial had been working just fine up to now, at least for a certain value of "fine," and she could just continue it. Sure, there'd be moments that would suck, but putting up with those would be miles better than blowing up her two most important friendships.

Wednesday's voice jolted her out of her reflections.

"I know that you are awake, dear Yoko." 

She opened her eyes and stretched. Wednesday, her face as beautiful and serious as always, was holding out a Weathervane to-go cup that smelled delicious in one hand and a blood bag in the other. Thing was on her shoulder, and Yoko returned his small wave. Then she bit back a sleepy smile at getting yet another reminder of just how fucking caring Wednesday could be to the people that mattered to her, and at knowing that included her.

"The nurse will be arriving in 15 minutes. In addition to a trip into Jericho, I have checked on Enid, prepared the room for a visitor, and completed my homework for the weekend so that I can be as attentive as possible to Enid's needs."

Yoko blinked at her, still not fully awake. "Ummm, she's just going to be sleeping. I don't think there's going to be much for us to do."

"Nonetheless," Wednesday replied.

"And...fuck. How long have you been up?"

Wednesday didn't answer, but held out the blood and coffee for her to take. "Be presentable by the time the nurse arrives."

Yoko rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom."

The nurse – a round, bright-eyed siren with ivory skin and light brown hair who told them to call her Avery – talked them through more or less the same things Dr. Blair had told them the evening before. She'd be coming by a few times a day to check on Enid. She would, at least in the morning and evening, wake her to the extent that she could to give her a little water and maybe some meal replacement drink, and to take her to the bathroom. For the moment, Enid wouldn't be fully conscious and it wouldn't last for long, but if she stirred like that when it was just them, Yoko or Wednesday could try giving her water or meal replacement as well. And, really, that was it. They watched her shake Enid to what clearly was not actual consciousness, just greater proximity to it, and then pour a few sips from a little can into her mouth, which she managed to swallow. Then she took her for a trip to the bathroom. And that was that.

Wednesday had many, many, many questions for Avery. Those to do with care for Enid, Avery could answer, though there really wasn't much to say beyond what she'd already told them. But Wednesday also wanted to know everything she could about the drug, its chemistry, the way different outcasts metabolized it, and a bunch of things that Yoko couldn't understand in the least, and the nurse had few answers for these questions. Yoko couldn't understand Thing, but she could guess that whatever it was that he was signing to Wednesday as she did this (and that Wednesday was studiously ignoring) involved telling her to lay off already. Obviously a bit bewildered by the machine gun-like character of the inquiry, Nurse Avery ultimately agreed to tell Dr. Blair to send along copies of any scientific papers he could dig up. Which, given that Wednesday had no idea how to access her school email account and refused to learn, would be sent to Yoko.

Once the nurse was gone, Wednesday came over to where Yoko was sitting in Enid's desk chair and crossed her arms.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, I'm afraid," she said.

"Ummmm...what?" Yoko answered. "In what way is anything about this desperate? She's going to be fine."

As if she hadn't spoken, Wednesday continued, "At any point over the weekend when you are not otherwise using it to do school work, I will require—" She made a small noise of disgust. "—use of your laptop. I must learn all I can about Enid's condition."

"Ahhhh...okay, I guess."

"You may stay in our dorm as long as you wish, day and night, though I will be otherwise occupied during the days and unable to entertain you. When classes resume on Monday, assuming Enid is still unconscious, I will remain with her. I would recommend that you, however, go to class. It is more important that you do so than I."

"That's ridiculous, Wednesday," Yoko said. "We can switch it up, take turns. Or, even better, Thing can keep an eye on her, and we can both go to class."

Wednesday looked at her silently for a few moments. "No, there must be a fully-bodied person with her at all times. And I have much better grades than you do. I can better afford to miss the classes."

"I suppose..."

"I would ask that you remain here for the next few hours, however. I don't expect to find much about this drug in the Nevermore library or the Nightshade library, but I might, and I want to get some volumes on werewolf biology to better understand the papers that Dr. Blair will send. Is that acceptable?"

When the dorm room door closed behind Wednesday and Thing, Yoko sat back and heaved a bemused sigh. Everyone dealt with things in their own way, of course, and this kind of hyperfocused overfunctioning to deal with her guilt about Enid's state certainly seemed to be on brand for Wednesday. And it was also a very her flavour of adorable, and yet another way of her showing the depths of her care, though Yoko doubted that Wednesday thought about it quite that way. But it also seemed to be ridiculous and unnecessary...and, honestly, a touch unsettling. Yoko would happily humour her, but she wondered if maybe it hinted that it might take more than a full-bore commitment to denial and a little waiting for things to go back to how she wanted them to.

Yoko tried doing homework, but quickly got bored. She pulled her chair over next to Enid's bed and opened a new novel – her favourite author of queer middle-grade had changed lanes and was now writing adult sapphic romances that looked like they'd be just the right mix of smart and spicy for Yoko. And...even from the early pages she could tell it was good, but, dammit, it was also friends-to-lovers, which was a little too on-the-nose for her to be able to fully enjoy, all things considered.

Sigh. Enid was just so fucking cute lying there, making little noises that weren't snores or purrs but something else. Yoko just wanted to kiss her. And there was no way, now or ever, that Yoko would get to kiss her.

Thankfully, a knock at the door interrupted Yoko's moping. It was Bianca. Yoko had texted an update on Enid's condition to the Nightshades group chat the night before, but Bianca wanted the full version so she came in person. Plus, she clearly just wanted to hang out for awhile. Talking about Enid, but also talking about school work and random gossip, helped Yoko feel better. It was almost an hour before Bianca said she had to get going, and Yoko asked her to wait a few minutes more to keep an eye on Enid while Yoko ran down to her room to get some things.

When Yoko returned, Wednesday was back. And...there was a distinctly weird vibe. Bianca was looking at Wednesday with a 'what the fuck' expression on her face while Wednesday was pointedly not making eye contact with Bianca – not an unusual state of affairs between the two of them, really, so Yoko didn't think too much of it. And her presence had apparently interrupted whatever was going on. Wednesday continued extracting a seemingly endless number of books from her backpack and arranging them on her desk, and Bianca gave Yoko a quick hug and headed out on her way.

The bulk of the afternoon dragged a little bit, and Yoko really felt like she could do with a trip to Jericho or some time outisde or something. But there was also something comfortable about Yoko doing her thing, Wednesday doing hers (which seemed to involve reading a lot about werewolves and drugs), Thing lurking on Enid's bed and reading a magazine, and Enid rumbling peacefully away. Not long before Yoko was thinking she'd go and get them some dinner, Enid seemed to get restless. Like that morning when the nurse had roused her, she was in a state that was definitely not awake, but wasn't as soundly asleep either. Both Yoko and Wednesday came over and stood beside the bed. Enid was muttering. Yoko made out the words 'Yokes' and 'Weds', but nothing else, but that was enough to make her smile fondly down at her friend. She glanced Wednesday's way, expecting to see her making her own version of the same expression, and wasn't sure what to make of how intensely sad she looked.

Yoko got behind Enid and propped her up, while Wednesday gave her a few small sips of meal replacement and then a few larger sips of water, which she swallowed without difficulty. Even while still being held like that, she then seemed to fall back into a deeper sleep.

"Well that was easy," Yoko said. Wednesday only hummed in response, and returned to her pile of werewolf books.

And so, for the most part, it continued. Sunday was also mostly spent lazing around the dorm room. Yoko did her homework and some reading, and spent some time quietly holding Enid's hand. She made a quick trip into Jericho with a few of the other vamps she was friends with, partly just to get out and about, but also to take a turn getting Wednesday some decent coffee. Mostly, Wednesday read her books and used Yoko's laptop to find online sources. The situation was apparently not so desperate in Wednesday's mind that she didn't also take time to work on her novel and to play her cello, which Yoko adored being able to hear from such close range. And of course the nurse came by. During one of her visits, she gave Enid a more thorough exam, and affirmed that she continued to be doing well. All in all, a good day.

And since Wednesday had spontaneously offered, Yoko stuck around for the nights as well. It was a little bit weird, but also had a certain Wednesday-ish logic to it, that during the days on Saturday and Sunday, Wednesday was all business and sharp edges, mostly focused on learning more about what was happening to Enid, but at night she was as soft as Yoko had ever seen her. While they shared a bed, Wednesday almost constantly clung to her, clearly not just tolerating the touch and cuddling, but actively seeking it. It was blissful and also kind of difficult for Yoko, given her still-new clarity about her own feelings and her uncertainty about what (if anything) she should do about them, but there was no way she was going to refuse it. 

Beyond Wednesday's seemingly new hunger for touch, something about their conversation had shifted too. Partly it was the setting – at least somewhat intimate conversation had been part of how they'd related to one another since that fateful Sunday at the Weathervane, but it was different when you were in your jammies, in the dark, cuddled close. Partly it was how long they would talk for. It was literally hours. And Wednesday's voice was different, too. It was less flat than usual, more lively. And her manner was open in a way that no one else (other than Enid) would believe. Wednesday spoke more, in these evenings, and had also taken to asking Yoko questions in a way that was not exactly new but was a sort of levelled-up version of how she'd come to be during their one-on-one outings. She so clearly wanted to hear all sorts of details about Yoko's life just because they were about Yoko. And she almost never deflected when Yoko would ask questions in return. 

And if that split second they'd shared a few nights previously might possibly, barely, marginally count as a moment, on Sunday night they had an interaction that Yoko couldn't describe in any other way. Wednesday was talking, slowly and passionately, about...something, Yoko wasn't even paying attention to what. She was focused on watching dark eyes glint in the moonlight coming through the window, on watching lips move. And then, mid-sentence, Wednesday was silent. Much more fully, clearly, and obviously than on the previous occasion, it felt to Yoko as though they were about to kiss – and this time she saw, without a doubt, the same pull on Wednesday's face that she herself was feeling. It wasn't some tiny fragment of time, there and gone, but a rich, thick, resonant pause in the flow of the universe. 

But then Wednesday's expression became deeply sorrowful. She looked down. Yoko thought her friend was going to pull away, then, too. She didn't, though. Instead, she pulled Yoko closer, into a tight hug, and suggested it was time for them to sleep.

What did it mean? Yoko lay awake for at least another hour, spinning out possibilities, but she was no closer to sure when she closed her eyes.

In the morning, neither of them mentioned it. Things weren't awkward between them, but Yoko had the strong sense that Wednesday did not want to talk about it. And, anyway, Yoko had no idea what she'd say – Wednesday had clearly wanted to kiss her, and had just as clearly decided not to. Which sucked. But that didn't stop Yoko's mind from going back to that moment and imagining the other ways it could've gone.

That morning was also, of course, Monday, and as Yoko predicted, when she attempted once more to argue that they really should be taking turns staying with Enid or that they could trust Thing and leave one of their phones with him, Wednesday wouldn't listen. The day before, the nurse had even offered to come and sit with her while they were in class, and Wednesday had flat-out refused. Yoko tried to insist, and Wednesday's only response was, "I will not physically remove you from the room if you don't want to go to class. But no force on this earth is getting me away from her bedside." 

This proved to be a slight exaggeration, as after classes – which Yoko had dutifully attended – Wednesday decided that she would in fact join Eugene for bee-keeping club and allow Yoko to keep sole watch over Enid. As she slept, Enid was far more restless than she'd been on the weekend, her muttering and growling both more plentiful and more animated.

Yoko felt a tapping on her ankle. Thing, of course, though she jumped a bit before she realized. He climbed up onto Enid's desk and started signing energetically.

"Sorry, buddy, I don't understand," she said.

He made a gesture that was obviously expressing frustration, and then hopped down to the ground and skittered over to the door to Wednesday's walk-in closet. He jabbed his pointer finger aggressively at Yoko, and then at the door.

"Seriously?" 

He repeated his pointing, then came over and started tugging her by a shoe lace in the direction of the closet.

"I really don't think that would be a good idea. That'd be, like, a knifeable offense." 

He didn't relent, though, so she finally said, "Fine, alright, I'll have a look." She picked him up, put him on her shoulder the way she'd seen Wednesday and Enid do, and went over.

When she opened it up, she initially saw – not surprisingly – clothes. She absently felt at the sleeve of an oversize black and white striped hoody of Wednesday's that she particularly liked. The thought of stealing it crossed her mind. Not that she'd forgotten the risk of being introduced to sharp objects if her intrusion into Wednesday's privacy was discovered, but some part of her fleetingly wanted to take the risk anyway.

Thing tapped her arm and pointed downwards.

Oh. A backpack. And not Wednesday's school backpack, but a big camping backpack, stuffed full.

Now that she looked more closely, a lot of the hangers in the closet were bare.

She knelt down to have a better look. The top of the backpack wasn't fastened. It contained lots of clothes, and two water canteens were attached to the outside. A pile of knives of the sort that Wednesday kept hidden about her person lay to one side. And...Yoko was pretty sure that those were topographical maps

Was Wednesday planning a camping trip?

Thing had flipped over one of the maps and was pointing at it. Yoko couldn't really tell much about what she was looking at, but there was one spot that had been circled in pen that was labelled as an airport.

Thing pointed at the backpack, then again at the airport.

"She's going to an airport?" Yoko said. Thing flicked her ankled. "Oh. Fuck. She's planning on running away, isn't she?"

Thing gave her a thumbs up. 

A wave of hurt and confusion flooded through Yoko. Fucking Wednesday. What the fuck.

She had a sudden moment of intuition and took out her phone.

YT: hey, B...remember the other day when i walked in on you having some sort of weird moment with the princess of darkness?
YT: can you tell me what that was about?

BB: yeah sure
BB: she was trying to make me promise that if she was ever not around, i'd look out for you and enid
BB: and i was, like, wtf r u on about, where are you planning on going
BB: she said nowhere, but was clearly full of shit
BB: that's when you came in

Yoko didn't respond. She went over and sat on the end of Enid's bed, and gazed down at her restless friend.

How the fuck could Wednesday even be considering such a thing? And obviously she was way past the point of just considering it.

"She wouldn't just leave would she?" Yoko shook her head. "Okay, stupid thing to say. Of course she would, if she thought she had a good reason. But why now?"

She got up and walked around, inspecting the typewriter on Wednesday's desk, then peering closely at the cello sitting on a stand next to the round window.

Thing got her attention again, and this time he pointed at Enid.

Yoko blinked, puzzled. But then it clicked. She shook her head in a mix of frustration and relief. 

Wednesday had said repeatedly that she expected Enid to blame her and end their friendship when she woke up. And she'd also made it clear that she expected Yoko to shut her out the minute that happened. So this was apparently her – in her own fucked up way – getting ready for that. Which was utterly idiotic, because in Yoko's opinion it was a total misjudgement of Enid, and also a bit of a slap in the face to Yoko herself, because it so badly misunderstood her feelings. But then, right from that first moment when Wednesday had approached her for support in navigating her feelings for Enid, she'd clearly been in the grip of a pathological refusal to believe that anyone outside of her family might actually like her, let alone love her. 

On the up side, though, it was also reassuring – precisely because it was such a wild misjudgement. Yoko remained completely certain that while Enid might be mad at Wednesday about their argument, she would not be ending their friendship over it. And of course Yoko had no intention of doing any such thing, regardless. So there was nothing to worry about. 

Yoko sighed in relief. And when Thing kept signing at her with what even she could tell was increasing frustration, she just patted him and told him to relax, because there is no way it would happen. She decided she wouldn't mention what she'd discovered to Wednesday either.

When the nurse came by that evening, she did another thorough exam and said she thought Enid would likely wake the next day.

That night, Yoko decided she was tired while Wednesday was still poring over werewolf books. She showered, put on some grey pyjamas with little bats on them that had been a gift from Enid, and crawled under Wednesday's covers. 

Some time later, her eyes fluttered open. The room was dark, but she could sense Wednesday over next to Enid. Without doing anything that would let on that she was awake, Yoko shifted so she could see her friends through the darkness. Wednesday was staring down at Enid, a sad expression on her face. She slowly leaned over, kissed Enid's temple, then brushed some stray hair behind her ears.

Almost silently, Wednesday moved over towards her bed. Yoko shut her eyes completely. She heard Wednesday stop but did not feel her get in. Then she felt lips brush her temple as well. It was all she could do not to react. But in another moment, Wednesday was under the covers beside her, an arm draped over her, and soon enough Yoko drifted back to sleep.

It was some indeterminate amount of time later – hours, probably – when she was roused from sleep once more. 

This time, it was a voice rough from days of disuse. She heard Enid say, "Wednesday Addams! For fucks sake, if you are running away right now, I will never forgive you. Get back here, sit your ass down, so we can fucking talk already."

Chapter Text

"Wednesday Addams! For fucks sake, if you are running away right now, I will never forgive you. Get back here and sit your ass down, so we can fucking talk already."

Jolted from sleep by Enid's voice, Yoko felt several things at once. The first was a surge of intense relief to be hearing her beloved Enie speak at all, regardless of tone, content, or circumstance. Not that she doubted the doctor when he said she'd get better, not that she doubted Wednesday's research that said the same, but knowing it was likely according to test tubes and books was one thing, and actually seeing it happen was altogether something else. 

The second, closely related to the first (and to the other emotional upheavals of the past week), was a desire to jump out of bed, rush over, and wrap Enid is as intense and prolonged a hug as her health would allow. Never mind whatever else was going on between them, Yoko needed to put her arms around her best friend. But she tabled that one for the time being, given the third – an unpleasant mix of disappointment, hurt, and anger directed at Wednesday fucking Addams for, apparently, trying to slip away in the middle of the night. 

Yoko blinked a few times, tore her night vision from Enid's worn face, and looked at Wednesday. 

She was dressed in outdoor gear, the heavy camping backpack on her back, her hand on the doorknob. She stood as still as if she'd just seen an unhatted gorgon.

Seriously, how could she be doing this? And why? Yoko had assumed that what Thing had shown her yesterday were just-in-case preparations. So what the fuck was Wednesday doing running away even before hearing what Enid had to say? Was she just straight-up lying when she said she cared about Enid? And...what about Yoko? All the ways Wednesday'd opened up – all the talking, all the snuggling, the almost-kisses – was that just some kind of weird lie too? What the fuck.

After a few seconds, an unsettlingly ragged version of Wednesday's voice whispered, "Please just let me leave."

The outraged "No!" that jumped out of Yoko's throat coincided with the same from Enid.

Wednesday remained frozen.

"What are you doing, Weds?" Enid whispered. "Please don't go."

Another few seconds, and Wednesday's shoulders slumped. The backpack slipped to the floor with a thud. She flicked on the room lights and turned around, her eyes pointed downwards and her face looking defeated. 

"I hurt you," Wednesday said quietly. "Allow me to leave, so that I can never hurt you again."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Enid said. 

Wednesday said nothing.

Enid sat up, her face outraged. She wobbled a bit and put a hand out to steady herself. "You know what the most hurtful thing you could possibly do to me, to both of us, would be? Fucking leaving!"

Wednesday nodded, her eyes still downcast. "Yes. And I hate it. I hate myself for being so broken that I have no choice. But it would hurt you a single time and that would be the end of it. If I stay, there will be endless versions of the night that put you into your current state. I will hurt you again, and again, and again, and again. It is less cruel for me to leave and just hurt you once."

Enid made a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a groan.

Yoko just said, "Fuck right off with that, Wednesday. I can't believe you would do this. I thought we—" Her voice broke and she cut herself off before she could say more than she wanted to. She clenched her hands into fists and blinked rapidly.

For a few moments, the three said nothing – Wednesday completely still and staring at the floor, Enid breathing hard, and Yoko focused on making sure no tears escaped.

Enid flopped back down onto her pillows. She grabbed the stuffed yellow octopus she'd been sharing the bed with and put it in a tight hug. "Do you even know what happened that night, Weds, that you're taking it all on yourself?" 

"I know enough," Wednesday replied. "And it would not have happened, if not for me."

Enid groaned again. "You are so ridiculous sometimes, Wednesday Addams. I had one of the most fucked up nights I've ever had. And, yes, it started with us arguing, and that did mess me up – believe me, we're going to talk about that. But there was lots of other shit that went down that had nothing to do with you. There was Ajax. There were my brothers. And, oh right, mostly there was me being the walking bisexual disaster that I am." She closed her eyes. After a few moments, she said very quietly, "I woke up hours ago, you know, and I've been lying here awake, thinking it all through, about how awful it was. And thinking about how happy it made me to wake up and see you two over there snuggled up asleep, and how much I was looking forward to you waking up in the morning, when I could get in on that action." Her eyes opened again. She didn't lift her head, but her voice went from weary to heated. "I'm dealing with all of that, snoozing a little more, and then I wake up again and see you trying to leave?"

Once again, none of them spoke. Wednesday remained where she was, and Enid was just lying there with a drained expression on her face. Yoko still felt like it was all she could do to keep her feelings contained. To try and ground herself, she decided it was time to raise the next most urgent item on the agenda. "Are we at, like, a suitable pause here? Can I come over and hug you, E?"

That got a small but genuine smile from the werewolf. "Yes yes yes. Capital-Y yes." Enid sat up a little again. "In fact, I want both of you over here."

Under Enid's instructions, Yoko slotted herself next to the wall. She lay on her side with her head on Enid's shoulder and one arm draped over her middle. And...it helped. Her gut was still swirling at how close she'd just been to yet another life-altering loss, but being cuddled up to Enid stabilized things a little bit.

Wednesday required further cajoling from Enid before she approached, and Enid told her once again to "sit her ass down", for now in a chair beside the bed. After another brief hesitation she did, with her hands folded on her lap. It was clear she was trying to stick to her usual blank expression, but she was radiating sadness and apprehension. Even through the relief at having Enid in her arms, Yoko felt torn between a desire to wring Wednesday's neck and a desire to wrap her in a hug and tell her she's lovable and loved, and not at all broken in the way she seemed to think. But instead, Yoko held tight to Enid and breathed deeply.

Once they were settled, Enid started to talk. "It's been so weird. These last few days, I haven't been awake but, like, it's been different from being asleep, too. Sometimes I was dreaming, but really vividly. Sometimes, I could sense the two of you near me, taking care of me, but I just couldn't get myself to wake up." She squeezed Yoko with the arm that was around her shoulders, and, after a hesitation, reached out with the other and briefly squeezed Wednesday's hand. "I felt really loved. Thank-you."

Then she sighed again. "And some of the time I was with it enough to, y'know, think about things a little bit. And then when I actually for-real woke up a few hours ago, I thought about waking you two right away, but...I decided to let you sleep and just keep working through stuff in my own mind. But, y'know, a bit more clearly, being awake and all. So I'd be ready when you woke up to say what I need to say."

Enid bit her lip. "Okay, first thing." She took in a deep breath. "I owe both of you the biggest apology ever for how I've been treating you lately. I don't know how I'm going to fix it, and it might take me awhile to get there, so you'll probably need to be patient with me for awhile longer, but...I'm so, so sorry and I love you both so, so much."

Yoko felt her eyes prickling in a different sort of way, now, and she once again blinked rapidly to hold the tears back.

"And on top of all of that, I am so sorry for walking out on you when you needed me, Yokes," Enid continued. "I was totally wrapped up in my own shit, and I was a bad friend. You have been there for me so often, and when you needed me...yeah, I was shitty to you, and I'm so, so sorry. And, like I said, I know there's way more to it than that. But...it was bad. And I will make it up to you, I swear."

Yoko's heart clenched a little bit. "Thanks, Enie," she said quietly, giving her a squeeze. And, okay, it was just a start – but it felt good to hear it. She squeezed her again. 

"And, Weds..." Enid paused, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm not gonna lie. All that stuff you said to me made me really, really upset. It fucking hurt. And then when you said you were disappointed in me..."

Yoko glanced up at Enid, who was biting hard on her lip and blinking fast.

"When you said you were disappointed in me, it kind of broke me a little bit."

Yup, there were the tears, slowly rolling down Enid's cheeks. Yoko restrained the impulse to brush them away.

"The thing is," Enid went on, "you were totally fucking right. That's why it hurt so much, y'know? And I don't even know what you could've said differently. Because I know for months now Yoko's been hinting at all the same stuff, and I've just refused to hear it. And I needed to hear it. Because...I don't think you're wrong. About any of it. So like I said, I'm so sorry. I don't really know what that means for me, or what I'm going to do. And I think I'm going to need some time to figure it out. But...I can't keep going like I have been. I'm going to make it right."

Enid's quiet crying started to get a little more intense. Yoko snuggled closer.

"And, like, you told me before you left that you needed space to cool down, which is totally legit," Enid continued. "And you even told me when you'd be back, which I didn't do for you when I left that time, but...it still made me upset. It still hurt." 

Wednesday said, "This is why you must let me leave. I do these things, and—"

"No!" Enid said, practically shouting. More quietly, she continued, "No, Weds. What I'm trying to say is that, yeah, it hurt, but a big part of that was on me. Sometimes friends argue. Sometimes friends need to argue. Sometimes it hurts to hear things that you need to hear. And sometimes people who care about each other do things that hurt each other. It sucks, but it happens, and it doesn't have to mean anyone is broken or bad. It's what people do after that counts, how they're accountable for whatever happened and how they make things better." 

Wednesday stayed silent.

After a moment, Enid said, "Anyway. Yes. I was really upset. And after you left, I cried and yelled and listened to loud music. But it didn't help."

Enid paused again. "Okay, so, I made...a bunch of bad choices. I mean that night specifically, beyond all the bad choices you told me off for, Weds. I was upset, and I did some really stupid shit." She pulled away a bit from Yoko, who looked up at her. "The first was that I snuck down into the Nightshades' library and broke into the stash of booze you use for the parties."

"Oh sweetie..."

"Yeah," Enid said. "I broke the lock on the cabinet. I'm sorry. I swear, I've never done anything like that before. And after this, I'm never doing it again. Plus, straight vodka is disgusting."

Yoko snorted. "I'll only get the gayest vodka I can find in the future, then."

Enid made a little noise that was trying to be a giggle. "Not sure I'm ever drinking again, no matter how gay it is." Her face turned serious. "I mean, it kind of took the edge off what I was feeling, at first. But...after I drank a bit more, for some reason it started to feel like a good idea for me to go and see Ajax." Enid shook her head sadly. "It was a goddamn terrible idea."

Yoko looked over at Wednesday. Her hands were still clasped in her lap. She was staring intensely at Enid, her eyes now showing less sadness and more pain.

"So, okay," Enid said, "I need to tell you some stuff that I kind of wanted to tell you both about before. I didn't because...I dunno. I guess it would've made it harder for me to pretend everything was okay. So, like, you know that Ajax and I have been having sex lately, right? And doing some serious fooling around for awhile before that. And, sure, okay, yay, sexy fun times. But I haven't always been that into it. Sometimes, fuck yeah – but a lot of the time, not so much."

Before Yoko noticed Wednesday moving, one of Enid's hands had shot out to grab the other girl's wrist. "No, stop. It's not like that. He hasn't been forcing me. It's just that a lot of the time it has been like what I told you that night when we had the accidental sleepover and Divina showed up – being with him hasn't been awful or anything, I just sometimes haven't been feeling it. I want to want it, but a lot of the time I'd really rather not to be doing it."

Enid let go, and Wednesday stayed where she was, though the dangerous glint didn't leave her eyes.

"The fucked up thing," Enid continued, "is that he doesn't seem to be that into it either. I don't know if it's all the weed, or if he can sense I'm only kind of into it, or what. Or maybe he's just not that into me." She shook her head sadly. "Actually, no, this is the fucked up thing – even though I don't really want to be doing it, it's me who initiates it most of the time. Like, what the fuck, me." 

"Why...would you do that?" Wednesday asked. Yoko had a pretty good idea of what the answer was going to be. 

Enid shrugged. "To, y'know, bring us closer, show how much he matters to me, keep our relationship moving forward, all that stuff." 

Yoko could practically see the gears turning in Wednesday's head.

"So you have been having sex you don't want to have...for the benefit of your mother?" 

Enid made a noise – a mix of startled and indignant, Yoko thought.

Wednesday ploughed onwards. "As part of your plan to appease her, I mean." To Yoko's ears, at least, her tone wasn't judgmental, just curious.

Enid made a quiet, strangled noise and put her face in her hands. "That feels like the most messed up possible way you could've said it, but...yeah, sure, I guess. And, like, it's not like I'm never into it, it's just...." She sighed.

Yoko sat up a bit and pulled Enid's hands away from her face. "Hey. No judgment, love. It's a messed up situation, but you are not wrong or bad for any of it. You got that?"

Enid nodded, though her expression seemed far from convinced. "Anyway, that night, the vodka and I decided to show him how hot I am. Or something. Maybe I was trying to prove to myself that I'd been doing the right thing all this time, I don't know. I snuck into his dorm and convinced his roommate to go stay with a friend. Ajax was super stoned and seemed more interested in playing video games, but I put on my best moves, and—" She sighed performatively. "God, it's humiliating."

"You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to, sweetie," Yoko said.

"No, no, I want to. I need to." Another deep breath. "Okay. So. I was, y'know, doing my thing, putting the moves on him, even though he was only kind of into it. But my drunk ass self couldn't just leave it at that. I kept saying over the top things. Like, humiliating, stupid, bad porn-sounding things. Worst of all, though, was when I told him that I couldn't wait to get married and make babies with him." Enid's hands were covering her face again. "Drunk me is so stupid."

"Huh. And, shockingly, talk of marriage and babies didn't make the teenage boy horny?" Yoko said.

"Nooooooo," Enid said. "And it didn't magically make him realize that he wants to take our relationship more seriously, either. In fact, he kind of freaked out. It's all a little hazy, but basically he told me he thought I'd been taking things way too fast for awhile now, and we're just in high school, and...y'know, actual sensible things, mostly, even if he said them in a dickish way. And I was drunk and humiliated, and I yelled at him. And then I got dressed and left."

"Fuck," Yoko said. 

"Yeah. So then I headed back towards the Nightshades' library for more gross hetero vodka. But I was so furious, on my way drunk me decided to text my brothers."

"We heard a bit about that," Yoko said. "Bianca saw you. What was it about?"

Enid shrugged. "Everything? I dunno. I started out by trying to convince them to stop snitching on me to Mom, which was stupid of me to begin with. And they could smell that I was drunk and that I'd just been fooling around with Ajax, and they were assholes about it. Teased me, called me names. I got angrier, they got meaner. When they taunted me with more of the stuff they'd been telling Mom, I lost it. When they started talking shit about you two...well, I'm surprised the whole school didn't hear me. Then I ran. I fell down the stairs into the Nightshades' library and got all banged up. I grabbed the bottle and I was going to come back here and, I dunno, drink until I passed out, probably."

"How did you end up taking Fericire?" Wednesday asked.

"What's that? Is that the pill I took?"

Wednesday nodded.

Enid shook her head. "I was pretty sure that was what did me in. Okay, so. I got the bottle of vodka. I was headed back in this direction, this time taking a more out-of-the-way route. But I ran into Abby Maynard."

Ancitipating Wednesday's puzzled look, Yoko said. "Vampire. A year ahead of us in classes but, like, she's one of the vamps who's stuck around longer than she needs to, so she's a few years older than that. Enid had a small crush on her...just after you came out to me, right?"

"Just before," Enid said. "So, like, awhile ago, and it's long gone. And I never even spoke to her back then – too much, too scary. But the other night...I dunno. I guess she could tell I'd already been partying, and she knew my name, said hello. I was flustered and said hello back, and then...I don't remember what we chatted about, but she invited me to this party. And I said yes."

"Ahhhh," Yoko said. "Of course. There's always a secret vampire party somewhere at Nevermore, even if it's just a little one, even if it's a school night." 

Enid nodded. "Yeah. It was in some out of the way room in a basement. Mostly vamps, a few sirens, a few humans. No wolves, 'cept me."

The tumble of words stopped, then. Enid had a faraway look in her eyes and was chewing on her lip. 

"It was...terrible?" Wednesday said.

"You would've thought so. It was loud, and the room was pretty crowded." Enid smiled faintly. "But I thought it was amazing."

"Seriously?" Yoko said. "I hardly ever go to those parties, but none of the ones that I've been to have been all that great."

"Not surprised you say that," Enid replied. "'cause it's all so normal for you. I know it's pretty common for vampire spaces, but...I'd never been anywhere like it before." She paused again. "So, like, compared to my home pack, Nevermore does a pretty decent job of being queer-positive, right? But it's still, y'know, just a regular school in that way, and even good regular schools kind of suck when it comes to this stuff. I know I probably don't even notice half of it that you do, Yokes, because I've still got the fucked up blinders from my family on a lot of the time, but everything here is still so heterosexist and cissexist. And there's still bullying and all that shit, even if it's not as bad as some places. And the gross looks and comments boys would give you and Divi and all the other sapphic couples, for doing things that straight couples do all the time. And then there was that thing last year where Mrs. Shearer let a group in one of her Outcasts and Society classes do a super fucking transphobic presentation, and then kicked out Allee Stevens for not being 'civil' when she called them on it. And—" Enid cut herself off, breathing hard. "Sorry, it just makes me so mad. And so...anxious, I guess."

She chewed on one of her nails. "Anyway. You two are my besties, and I saw plenty of Divi when you were together. I usually sit with Josie at crochet club, and there's Alan and Sakshi and their crew I hang with in dance. So, like, I have queers in my life, even if I'm not out to most of them. But I haven't been brave enough to join Pride Club, even though I want to. I'm not old enough to go to a gay bar. But even though this party was just some kids I've gone to school with for years – I knew a few, knew of a few more, and recognized the rest – and it was just some dingy basement room in a random school building that somebody'd done a half-assed job of decorating, it was different. Abby made this crack just as we got to the room about this being a straight-positive queer space. And...it totally was. And I'd never been in an unapologetically queer space before."

There were tears in her eyes again. "It was just so amazing. And I don't even know that I can say what exactly was so amazing about it. I mean, the music was really gay, which was awesome. And everyone was just being so themselves – in how they were dressed, and how they were dancing, and in, like, all of the conversation. It felt kind of like being in the middle of a real-life version of all those spaces I've lurked in online, or seen a little bit in queer media. And there were people of all different genders dancing together, making out, whatever. It...I dunno, it blew my mind a little. I got pulled into this conversation where I didn't know anyone but Abby, and I don't even really know her, and...I just felt so at home, and it was just So. Freaking. Gay. At one point someone came back with new drinks for some of the people, and we all toasted and someone said, 'Cheers, queers!', and they just automatically included me in it. And, like, I know it didn't mean anything, it was just some random thing somebody said at a party. But I almost burst into tears.

"And then a little later, I was sitting on my own, sipping my vodka, just watching everything. And...I started to get sad. Which, okay, probably the vodka. But also, my life. Because it was all so amazing, but I was suddenly super aware that my mom and, like, every choice I've been making lately has been taking me farther and farther from having anything like that in my life. I was thinking about everything Weds had said to me, and about how true it all was. And about how shitty I'd been to the two of you."

Enid looked at Yoko apologetically. "So, yeah. The pill? That was my last bad choice of the night. There was a little bowl of them that the vamps were passing around. No one even offered it to me, I just snuck it. I was so far gone that I didn't even ask what it was. Which was really fucking stupid of me. Anyway, I was feeling more and more sad, and not long after that, I left. I was coming over to your room to...I dunno what. And I was part way there when I realized something felt really wrong. And...I don't really remember much else until my not-awake, not-asleep haze over the last few days."

They were quiet for a few minutes, Enid and Yoko cuddling, and Wednesday in her chair, looking forlorn. With every word Enid spoke, Yoko had been getting more and more tense. The grounding effect of being snuggled up next to her was fading, and all Yoko could think about was losing her. She knew that Enid hadn't really been as close to dying as it looked...but even so. And, sure, the apology for how Enid had treated them lately felt real...but who knew what it would actually look like in practice, and whether they'd be able to undo the growing distance. Worst, though, was hearing all of these details of Enid's Very Bad Night – it made it painfully clear that Yoko had been maybe doing a shit job of being a friend too. She knew Enid was having a rough time, but she hadn't fully appreciated how hard Enid had been working to hold it together, how close her best friend – her most precious Enie-bean – was to coming apart at the seams. It was yet another way that she was at risk of losing her, that she was losing her.

"I know – dear Enid, dear Yoko – that you don't want me to leave," Wednesday said quietly. "But you're wrong. It would be for the best. None of those other things would have happened if I had not confronted you."

"Weds—" Enid began.

Yoko couldn't stop herself from interrupting. "Wednesday, for fucks sake, get over yourself. Yes, you argued and Enid reacted, and that set off some chaos. But all of that other shit wasn't caused by you."

"I hurt her. And that made all the rest go from unfortunate circumstances which she might resolve in any number of ways, to fodder for harm and self-destruction. I am toxic."

"C'mon, Weds," Enid said. "Did you miss the part where I said I agree with the stuff you said, even if it hurt?"

Yoko didn't give Wednesday space to reply. "How arrogant do you have to be to think that what happened between Enid and Ajax that night was more about you than about Enid and Ajax? How arrogant do you have to be to think that Enid and her brothers fighting is about you, and not about Enid and her brothers and her goddamn mother? Even the party and the pill – that was about Enid. And if anything, it was a sign that you were right in what you said to her, not a sign that you're evil or broken or whatever other stupid shit you've convinced yourself of." 

Wednesday was staring at her own hands, her face uncertain.

"What was it you said to me that night?" Enid said. "Something about how your family's highest value is treating love as not just a word or a feeling, but a promise and a practice, and treating those you care for accordingly? So, okay, if that's true, then prove it. I mean, if you leaving is about you and what you need, I won't stop you – it'll hurt like hell, but I won't keep you anywhere you don't want to be. But don't keep on with this bullshit about it being for us. I've told you what I need – I need you here. Yoko's said it too. So if you leave anyway and claim it's for us, you're either lying or you're a hypocrite. It would show that you can't even be bothered to listen to what we say about what we need. How is that 'treating us accordingly', Weds?"

Wednesday stood. Her eyes were stormy, but Yoko couldn't read her expression beyond that.

Yoko whispered, "We need you, Weds. I need you. You're such an important part of my life, now, and I don't want to lose you. If you leave, you're not just hurting us once, you're hurting us forever. And if you stay, sure we'll hurt each other again – that's life – but we'll be here, together, to make it better."

There was a frozen moment – Wednesday standing, upset, poised to do...something, Enid crying, Yoko on the verge of doing the same. 

Yoko felt ready to burst. She couldn't hold it in any more. The first sob erupted from her chest and took her by surprise, and then tears started flooding down her face. She pulled back from Enid and buried her face in her hands, her body shaking. 

It was like she was fucking losing everyone who mattered in her life. She couldn't lose them. She couldn't. 

Divina was gone. Enid was already going, before this – and then that night, a different pill or a different angle on her tumble down the stairs, and she could've lost her for good. And if Enid had been dozing a little more deeply, Wednesday would've been out the door with no way to get her back. 

And all of the bullshit that was pulling them all in different directions – she couldn't take it. Enid was still just as caught in the heavy bind that was tearing her apart. Wednesday was still convinced that she was nothing but harm for those she cared about, so she still might give into that and leave in five minutes or tomorrow or next year. 

Yoko did not want to live her life without these two. 

Maybe she couldn't stop any of the shit that was happening. But she knew she needed to tell them how she felt.

Arms wrapped around Yoko and a soft voice murmured words she couldn't quite make out. And a small hand grasped one of hers.

It took a few minutes for her sobs to calm. "I'm sorry," she said. She pulled back from both of them and wiped the tears from her cheeks and eyes.

When her vision was clear again, both of her girls were staring at her in concern. Enid looked ready to cry again herself. Wednesday's brow was furrowed, and her eyes had that look that Yoko was starting to realize signalled her actively hating herself.

"You okay, sweetie?" Enid asked.

"No, I'm really not," Yoko said. She reached out her hands. Enid took one immediately. Wednesday hesitated, and then took the other. "I know this is the worst time for me to say this – we have other shit to figure out, and it's almost time to get ready for class. But...I lost Divina less than a week ago. And I feel like I'm almost losing you two. And I can't. I can't. I have to at least tell you."

Enid wore a puzzled little frown. Wednesday's eyes widened ever so slightly. 

Yoko took a deep breath. "I...love you two. Yes, like, friend love. But I have feelings for you. For both of you." She sniffed a little. "I know you probably don't feel the same. I don't even know what it would look like to, like, be together. But right now, I don't even care – I just can't not say it. I need you to know."

Yoko squeezed Wednesday's hand, "Wednesday, I want you in my life so badly, and I don't want to lose you to all of the terrible things you think you are. You are so amazing, and my life is a million times better with you in it, and so is Enid's, and I'll do whatever I can to make you see that. I don't want you to leave." She turned to Enid. "And I want you in my life so much. I don't want to lose you to your mother's mindfuckery. I don't want her threats to make you suppress everything that makes you you. And I don't want you to self-destruct because of the strain of it all." She did her best to smile at them both. "And...I'm not even asking for anything. I mostly just don't want to risk not telling you both that I'm in love with you, even if it makes things weird for awhile, and even if it hurts to hear that you don't feel the same."

She had always imagined, when she'd watched romantic movies, that at this point, the protagonist would feel panic. And, sure, maybe sometimes that was true. But Yoko didn't feel that way at all. She felt lighter. Sure, she was anxious about what Enid and Wednesday were feeling and about what they were going to say. She was almost certain they weren't interested in her like that anyway, and that confessing to both of them was too complicated, too much. Rejection and heartbreak felt inevitable. But she knew they cared about her, and even if they didn't reciprocate the kiss-you-and-hold-you part of her feelings, they'd figure things out, and they'd still want to be in her life. And that's what she cared most about, whatever form that took.

Neither of them had spoken, and both were still tightly clutching her hands. Enid's eyes were watery and her face was bright, but Yoko couldn't really tell what that meant. Wednesday mostly looked shocked, but...not upset. Not upset at all, in fact.

And then there was a knock at the door. "Hi girls," they heard from the other side. "It's nurse Avery, here to check on Enid!"

Yoko muttered, "Fuck." 

Enid laughed quietly and wrapper her arms tightly around Yoko. "To be continued, Yokes. And...don't worry. Whatever happens next, we'll be fine."

Yoko believed it.

Wednesday didn't say anything. But as Yoko scrambled to get the door, then grabbed a few of her things to head down to her own room to get ready for the day, Wednesday's eyes didn't leave her. Which felt like its own kind of reassurance.

Chapter Text

As Yoko showered and got ready for the day, she felt surprisingly good. Sure, she could tell that the early wake-up followed by life-shakingly intense conversation was going to mean she'd be more zombie than vampire by lunch time. And, okay, yes, fine, she was anxious – that felt like a pretty reasonable state to be in after a totally unplanned double love-confession. She was also still kind of pissed at Wednesday for her attempted disappearing trick, and more than a little hurt. She remained worried about Enid, too, both in terms of her health but also about what her effusive apologies were actually going to turn into in practice. But despite all of that, she felt good – she had said her piece, and neither of them had run screaming. 

And, okay, fine, she was also a bit pissed at nurse Avery. Who was a total sweetheart and didn't deserve it even a little bit. But, still, that was some terrible timing. Could she have maybe waited five minutes?

Yoko couldn't stop her brain from churning through possible scenarios. Like, Wednesday leaving, despite all the reasons they'd just given her for why it would be a profoundly stupid and hurtful thing to do. Or Enid getting berated by her mother and then deciding she would just keep on barrelling down the same path she'd been on after all. Or some colossal fight between Enid and Wednesday, because Yoko'd had the ovaries to not just want them both, but to say it. Or none of those things, but one, the other, or both of them inching slowly away from Yoko such that she'd end up losing them completely. 

Deep down, though, she didn't actually think any of those things would happen. Oh, sure, she believed that neither of them were going to reciprocate her feelings – that felt almost certain, and she was already bracing herself for the hurt. But they wouldn't be dicks about it. 

A small part of her kept getting drawn to much more fantastical possibilities. She pictured herself holding a warm werewolf hand in one of hers, and a less-warm Addams hand in the other, walking through Jericho. She got another flash of her and Enid giggling and Wednesday scowling as the three of them exchanged kisses underneath mistletoe. She imagined being dressed head-turningly hot and ready to go down together to the Spring Formal. Then she imagined the three of them danced out and exhilarated, back in one of their dorm rooms, making out and starting to undress...

Okay, she really needed to avoid getting carried away with that line of thinking if she wanted to make it to class.

She heard a knock, and a slow, steady heart beat.

"Hey," she said softly when she opened the door.

Wednesday nodded and avoided eye contact.

Yoko wasn't sure what to say. Should she try to continue their interrupted conversation – rip off the bandaid, get the rejection out of the way? Or maybe just suggest they head down to breakfast, and let Wednesday respond in her own time?
 
It ended up being Wednesday who spoke first. "Enid made me promise that I would not leave Nevermore without at least telling her." Her words were slightly rushed, in a way that was not at all like her, and her eyes flicked to Yoko and away. "I wish to promise you the same. I may still go – I haven't decided – but I swear that I won't sneak away."

Yoko felt the good-despite-it-all fade a bit, and the tension and hurt grow. "Seriously, Weds? Even after all that, you still might leave?"

Wednesday took a step closer to Yoko, though she still wasn't looking at her. "I don't want to, dear Yoko – I cannot convey how desperately I don't want to. And the two of you have given me a great deal to think about. But I have never been one to make decisions quickly or easily, so I must weigh everything carefully to determine which course will cause the least harm to those I...hold in high esteem."

Yoko had no idea what to say that hadn't already been said, and honestly she didn't have the energy to get into it again. 

There was another stretch of them just standing there awkwardly, saying nothing. Which Yoko did not like. She and Wednesday had often shared silence in recent months, but it had almost always been a warm, welcoming, comfortable thing. This silence just felt wrong.

She couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Have I made things worse by telling you how I feel?"

Wednesday looked startled. She briefly turned an intense stare towards Yoko. "I don't understand the basis of your question."

Yoko blinked. "I know you don't like dealing with warm and fuzzy feelings, and I dumped a bunch of them on you. Has that, I dunno, upset you? Pushed you away?"

"I admit to some...unease at this moment," Wednesday said slowly. "But it's because I am preoccupied with having angered you and Enid with my attempt to depart, and because I'm now deeply uncertain about how to do right by those I...value. And also because of...some other questions that I do not feel ready to discuss yet. But I don't understand why your declaration of affection might, in itself, be offputting for me."

Yoko wasn't sure what to say. How could she not be worried about that?

"You spoke bravely and honestly," Wednesday went on. "Even if I am...inept in matters of the heart, I am enough of an Addams that I cannot but respect you for speaking, whatever my own feelings on the matter." Wednesday's eyes flicked to Yoko and away again. "I apologize, though, that I cannot at this time respond to the substance of your confession. As I've said, I remain unconvinced that either of you are better off with me in your lives, whatever any of us feels, and reaching a decision about that must take priority."

Another pause that stretched and twisted in Yoko's stomach.

"Can I ask another question?" Yoko said.

Wednesday nodded. "Of course."

"When Enid was unconscious, when we were sharing a bed, it was..." Yoko trailed off. "It was pretty wonderful. But why were you like that with me, when you were just planning on leaving?"

Wednesday heaved a long slow sigh. Then she got a small smile, stepped close to Yoko, and put her arms around her. "All I have been doing, dear Yoko, I have done out of...care for you and for Enid. That includes my efforts to support her recovery. It includes the closeness we shared on those nights. And it includes the decision I made, and might still make, to leave. I know that probably makes little sense to you, but trust that it is true."

Yoko slowly brought her arms up and put them around Wednesday. They stood like that for a minute or two. Yoko murmured into her friend's hair, "Please don't go, Weds. I love you."

Wednesday pulled back, her face both faintly flushed and faintly sad. "You make it very difficult, dear Yoko, to think rationally about the implications of staying and going, and about where the balance of harm might lie."

The rare and generous touch, the earnest words – those helped. The tension and hurt remained, but it felt like she was with Wednesday again – her Wednesday, if she could be so bold as to think of it like that. But the awkwardness was still intense and wrong.

"I desperately need coffee," Wednesday said, "even if it's just the swill from the cafeteria. Shall we go down?"

She'd known, even in the middle of last night's conversation, that whatever happened next, it wasn't going to be resolved all at once. And it kind of sucked to actually face what that was going to look like, but...well, she'd had more than her fill of heavy conversation for before 8 am on a school day. And she needed coffee too. Yoko nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

She grabbed her backpack and they headed down. Neither spoke much. Even by the time they were sitting at an out-of-the-way table away from the rest of their friends, the discomfort between them had not fully ebbed.

Yoko was caught up in processing her bewilderment at Wednesday's words. It was a good sign that she hadn't just told her that she wasn't interested, right? And that hug – it didn't feel like rejection. Surely there would be no need to wait until after she decided about whether she was leaving if she didn't have some feelings for Yoko. And whatever that was she'd said about having other questions she couldn't discuss maybe pointed in that direction too. Maybe? Or was trying to apply that sort of normal and entirely non-Addamsy logic a mistake? Maybe Wednesday's limited capacity for dealing with emotion was so occupied with deciding whether or not to leave, she couldn't even consider anything else. That actually sounded distressingly plausible. But, still, even the fact that she might have to think about her feelings for Yoko was better than her already knowing that she didn't reciprocate. 

At least, Yoko hoped that was true.

"Is Enid going to class today?" Yoko asked.

Wednesday shook her head. "No. She remains weak, so it will probably be another two or three days."

Yoko drummed her fingers against the table. She was tempted to skip her first class and go and talk to Enid instead.

Wednesday seemed to know what she was thinking, though, because she said, "Perhaps you could take lunch up to her? Thing and I will be with Eugene at the hives, so it would give you a chance to talk."

"Good idea," Yoko replied, a small smile on her lips. "Thanks, Weds."

The look she got in return lasted only a couple of seconds, and most of Wednesday's face remained as blank as ever, but the set of her eyes was softer, like they sometimes got at night in the privacy of a dorm room. Though her brows were furrowed, too, like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. Then a quick nod, and Wednesday looked away.

Yoko shared her first class of the morning – math – with Bianca and Kent. They were both keen to hear more about how Enid was doing. (Not that she was particularly close with him, but Yoko had still been quietly pleased that her break-up with Divina didn't seem to have caused any weirdness with her ex's twin.) Enid had, of course, been texting voraciously with all of her friends now that she was awake, in a range of group chats and one-on-one, but Bianca in particular pushed Yoko for more details about Enid's Very Bad Night than Enid herself had so far shared with the rest of the group. Yoko did not oblige, though she gave some broad hints that she hoped would satisfy Bianca for the time being while maintaining both the letter and spirit of BFF confidentiality. 

Yoko didn't share anything about her own revelation, and for once Bianca did not seem to have picked up from Yoko's behaviour that there was anything else to know. Still, she was pleased when class actually started. Not, y'know, for the mathiness of it all, which even at the best of times she had trouble caring about, but because it meant that she didn't have to try so hard not to come across as nervous. And if her geography class in the next period felt a little better, well, that's because Ms. Ambrose was a good teacher, not because she got to sit next to Wednesday. Admittedly, the fact that things were no less awkward between them than they had been at breakfast detracted from her enjoyment of it a little bit, but goddamnit after the last week, Yoko was going to savour any chance at the simple pleasures of life. And sitting next to one of the girls she loved certainly counted, however weird things were at the moment.

Using her speed to be at the front of the lunch line was definitely the sort of thing that would get frowned upon by teachers, but Yoko didn't care. When she finally pushed open the dorm room door, Enid was wrapped in blankets and sitting up on her bed, thumbs typing furiously on her phone. But she looked up at Yoko and her expression became what Yoko could only describe as radiant. Sure, this was a werewolf who had been unconscious for several days, so it was probably about the heavily laden tray that Yoko was carrying rather than Yoko herself, but it was a good sign.

"C'mere," Enid said, patting the bed beside her. 

Well, that seemed promising. Maybe it wasn't just the heaping pile of undercooked meat products she was carrying. 

Yoko carefully set the tray down on the bedside table and sat. Enid, her expression still glowing, slowly reached over, put her arms around Yoko, and pulled her into a tight, tight hug. After a few seconds, Yoko put her arms around Enid as well.

"So...I'm about to tell you something that I know isn't what you want to hear," Enid said into Yoko's shoulder.

Yoko's heart dropped down into her stomach. Fuck. Okay, she could handle this. She squeezed Enid, then pulled back from the hug so she could face what was coming directly.

Enid smiled at her, and did a whachagonnado shrug. "I've been thinking all morning about what you said, trying to figure out how it makes me feel. And...it makes me happy, I know that. It makes me scared – definitely scared." She shook her head, as if in disbelief at herself. "And it makes me really, really confused. Like, I can't even pick apart most of the feelings that I'm feeling from the big mess that they make all tangled together. And it is all a big mess right now. I can't even separate the you're-in-love-with-me mess from the whole big mess of what I'm feeling about my life in general right now after, y'know, the last three months, and the last week. I really, really want to be able to sort it out, but at least this morning, my brain just kind of bluescreens if I think about it for too long."

She leaned over, grabbed one of the burgers that Yoko had brought for her, and took a bite. Once she swallowed, she went on, "And, like, the fact that you feel that way about Weds too – that doesn't feel bad to me, I don't think, but I don't even know what to do with it. Maybe I'm just too overwhelmed to feel anything about it yet." Another bite. "Anyway, the bottom line is that I'm not saying that I definitely don't feel the same way – I'm saying that I don't know, and it's going to take me awhile to figure it out. And I feel super fucked up about that."

All of that...actually made a lot of sense, now that Yoko heard her say it. It sucked, but it made sense. "Okay. I get it, I think. It's a lot."

Enid frowned, and she looked more worn and less radiant. "I just feel so stupid. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've told you that I love you more than I've told any other person in my life. Shouldn't I know what I mean by that?"

Yoko didn't disagree, but in light of her own long inability to understand exactly the same thing, she decided she had no basis for saying so.

Enid put her head back on Yoko's shoulder and quietly sighed into her neck. It gave Yoko a delightful shiver that she promptly felt guilty for enjoying.

"And I've been thinking a lot about my, y'know, history with girls," Enid said. "You've never actually rubbed my face in this, but you must've noticed that every single girl I've ever talked about having a crush on has been straight, a celebrity, or, like, too old for me, right?" 

Yoko nodded. Of course she'd noticed. 

"I think maybe that's because they're safer," Enid said. 

Yoko had drawn the same conclusion a long time ago. She'd never made a big deal out of it – she wasn't going to shame her closeted baby queer bestie about her training-wheel crushes – and figured Enid would move on from that in her own time. 

Enid continued, "I mean, comp het is a bitch for everyone, right? And I have that little voice in my head that my fucking mother put there, too. If they can't like me back, then there's nothing that'll force me to deal with all of that. I think any time I had any possibility for real feelings for a girl who could conceivably like me back, I repressed the hell out of it. I think I've only ever let myself even think about anyone who was totally safe." 

"Even Ajax," Yoko said, realizing a moment too late that she probably shouldn't have, under the circumstances.

Thankfully, Enid made an amused noise. "Yep. Even Ajax." She pulled back from Yoko and had another bite of burger. "Did he come to see me while I was out cold? Or, like, text either of you to ask how I was doing? Because he didn't text me at all."

"Ummmm, no," Yoko said. "I mean, to be fair, I kind of threatened to unleash Wednesday on him when we were trying to figure out what happened to you. But, like, it wasn't the kind of threatening that should've stopped him once he told us what he knew." 

"That's messed up. Even with our fight right before – I mean, I'm his freaking girlfriend, I could've been on my death bed, and he didn't even ask how I was doing?" Enid shook her head again. "Anyway, not the point right now. The point is that you are one of the most important people in my life and I love you so, so much, but I'm going to need a little time to figure out what that really means. I'm really sorry."

Yoko nodded, a sad smile on her face. "I get it. I'm just happy this didn't freak you out."

"Oh sweetie...there is no world in which hearing that you love me would freak me out." The radiant smile was back.

They fell into a more ordinary sort of conversation – even with her frantic texting that morning, and whatever Enid and Thing had talked about while the rest of them were in class, there was plenty to catch up on.

As Yoko checked her phone to see how long she had before class, however, Enid brought things back to more serious topics. "I want to apologize again. I know I said it this morning, but...I'm going to say it a bunch more times. Until you're sick of it, probably."

Yoko nodded, not sure what to say. Her impulse was to tell Enid it was fine and not to worry about it, but that felt like it was maybe coming from the same place as whatever had kept her from speaking up more assertively about things to begin with. 

"And I want you to feel free to challenge me, okay?" Enid said. "I know I haven't made that easy on you, and the way I reacted to Weds kinda proved you were right to be careful. But...well, I've decided that whatever happens moving forward, I'm done with grand plans. And that'll work better if the people who matter most to me feel more able to call me on my shit."

"How so?" Yoko asked.

"So, like Weds told me that night, my big plan that I thought would get me everything I want has been a frickin' fiasco. I have no idea where I stand with Ajax. I pushed you and Weds away. I quit things that I really enjoy. So I'm done with that. But I'm not going to just try to replace it with some new big scheme. I'm not going to make any big, dramatic changes right away, either. I'm going to take it one day, one choice at a time – just step by step, figuring out what I feel, what I want, what my values are. Moving gradually and carefully."

"Sounds smart. Just, like, let us support you, okay?"

Enid nodded. "For sure. I'm going to need it."

From somewhere beside her on the bed, Enid's phone rang. She picked it up and looked at it. 

All the colour left her face.

Yoko could guess the cause. "Esther?" she asked.

Enid nodded, still staring at the screen. "Avery said someone would tell her I was awake. She's called three times now, and I haven't answered."

Another ring.

"I'm sorry, Yokes. I need to take this."

Yoko nodded. She hesitated for a second. Pre-confession Yoko might've stuck around and held Enid's hand while she took the call. Or she might've at least given her a quick squeeze before leaving. But it was nearly time to head to class anyway, and post-confession Yoko didn't want to take liberties, so she settled for what she hoped was an encouraging grimace and wave.

As she eased the door closed behind her, she heard Enid say, "Hi Mom." She could hear the years of carefully practiced calm in Enid's voice. 

Yoko hesitated again. She really, really shouldn't, but...she stopped and listened.

Her ears could pick up Esther's voice. "That doctor said you were finally awake this morning. Why didn't you pick up?"

"Sorry, Mom, I was napping. I'm still pretty weak."

"Of course you are. Between your brothers and the doctor, I know all about what happened. You are such an embarrassment."

There was a pause. Then Enid said, "Sorry Mom. It was one bad night. It won't happen again."

Esther barrelled on, undeterred. "Honestly. Drinking? Drugs even? What were you thinking? And don't get me started on what you've been doing with that boy you're dating – I raised you better than that."

"Mom!"

"Don't you start. Your brothers told me before that they'd smelled it on you, and I let it slide because they said you'd at least put some distance between yourself and your horrible roommate and that disgusting homosexual vampire. But no daughter of mine is going to go around behaving like a whore and druggie. Let me tell you, Enid Sinclair, I—"

Yoko couldn't take any more. She'd heard it before, often enough. She moved out of earshot. 

She could just picture Enid's expression. Once in awhile, Enid would have a meltdown and yell back at her mother, in a way that Esther always twisted into some sort of confirmation that she'd been right all along about how terrible Enid was. But most of the time, as seemed to be the case today, Enid managed to keep her words and her tone those of the dutiful daughter and saved her rage and her tears for after. But Yoko knew from past experience that the pain of the performance showed on her face, and it was agonizing to watch.

The hope and, dare she say it, optimism that Yoko had been allowing herself to feel during her visit with Enid came crashing down. Wherever her friend's new step-by-step, choice-at-a-time path took her, this is what it would have to wrestle with. Enid abandoning her stupid grand plan was a good thing, but it didn't change any of the bullshit that she'd made that plan to deal with. And none of that was going to make it easy for her to even just be herself, let alone dive enthusiastically into whatever stupid fantasy of three-way sapphic bliss that Yoko's imagination kept conjuring.

Fuck.

# # #

That night at dinner, Yoko, Wednesday, and Bianca were sitting at one end of a large cafeteria table. Ajax was at the other end. The rest of their friends, plus those additional dudes who had been hanging around with Ajax and Xavier lately, were scattered between. It didn't really feel like one big group sitting together, any more, and Yoko realized that it hadn't in awhile.

The vibe at Yoko and company's end of the table was steeped in weirdness, to put it mildly. She and Bianca had started out talking about a bio lab that they'd done that day, while Wednesday ate in silence. But Yoko was only half paying attention to the conversation, and it soon petered out. The other half of her brain was taken up in worrying about how the rest of Enid's call had gone – she hadn't been answering texts – and in sneaking furtive glances at Wednesday, who was radiating discomfort to such an extent that Yoko was pretty sure she couldn't be the only one noticing it. And she was also pretty sure that Wednesday was sneaking glances at her too, though she never quite managed to catch her.

Bianca, in contrast, was not being furtive at all – she was being very obvious about watching both of them, her eyebrows raised.

"What?" Wednesday finally snapped at her.

"Nothing," Bianca replied, her tone indicating the opposite.

Wednesday looked down at her dinner.

Then Bianca waved at someone. When Yoko turned to look, she saw a clearly weary but very determined Enid returning the wave and slowly making her way over to the table. 

About ten feet away, she stopped. She looked at them. She looked at Ajax. She looked back at them. Then she scrunched her nose in apology, and moved towards Ajax.

Well, fuck. Yoko couldn't help it, she felt kind of betrayed. And, sure, of course, Enid and Ajax had shit to work out. Ajax not checking up on her when she was unconscious was completely fucked, and the two of them were technically still in a fight, but she was pretty sure that what Enid had said earlier about 'no dramatic changes' was at least in part code for 'I'm not dumping him right away.' So she supposed she could see why she'd want to, y'know, talk to him. In theory. Sort of.

Ajax didn't seem to notice her until she was right beside him. 

Enid didn't sit. Yoko strained to hear what she said over the din of the cafeteria. She was pretty sure it was, "Can we talk later?"

Ajax gave her a little smile and a nod and invited her to sit next to him. She smiled back, though to Yoko it looked a bit forced. "Maybe tomorrow. I'm going to sit with my girls."

As Enid slowly made her way down the table, Yoko suddenly realized that she had stopped eating to stare, that Wednesday had done the same, and that Bianca's eyebrows were, if anything, even higher, and her expression was highly amused.

Enid plopped down beside Bianca. Her eyes flicked to Ajax, then to a corner of the caf behind Yoko where lots of werewolves usually sat. She gave a short exhale, as if steeling herself, and reached our her hands. One clasped Wednesday's, and the other Yoko's.

Well, that was certainly a step – more touch than she'd done in public, particularly with them, since she'd come out to her mother. Yoko squeezed back.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, wolfie," Bianca said, and gave Enid a quick side-hug.

"Thanks. Took a lot out of me to get down here, but—" she looked around at the three of them, her face weary and anxious but with a small smile "—I'm glad I did."

For a little while, Bianca and Enid got caught up. But Enid was still eating way more than even her usual werewolf appetite would normally require, so the conversation faltered. And now it was as if Enid had joined Wednesday and Yoko in sneaking quick looks at each another, as well as occasionally making painfully awkward attempts at small-talk that never really led anywhere. Bianca, meanwhile, was still clearly entertained by all of it.

Well, damn. Had Yoko really managed to do this? Had she really managed to take her two closest friendships and make them awkward as fuck? 

Yes, yes she had. 

She knew the odds of them reciprocating her feelings were slim, and she'd been braced for that. But she had really, really, really hoped that she wouldn't ruin what they had.

But, then again, one awkward dinner was nowhere near the same as things being ruined. After all, they were all there and they were all healthy. Wednesday might still leave, but she'd promised not to do so without at least a conversation about it. And Enid was not only awake, but she was sitting with them and she'd shown them some physical affection regardless of who might be watching. Even better, while neither of them had responded to her feelings by kissing her passionately or by showering her with flowers, neither of them had given her the ol' "I'm really flattered, but..." speech either.

Things weren't great, but they weren't awful. And, dammit, they were going to get better.

Chapter Text

In the days following that first awkward dinner together, things did not, in fact, get better – they got decidedly worse.

The first morning, Yoko showed up for breakfast and looked for somewhere to sit. There was no sign of Enid, which was no shock given that she was going to be spending another couple of days in bed. There was no sign of Bianca, which again was not surprising, because there was some siren thing going on that morning. But there was also no sign of Wednesday. Which, Yoko supposed, she shouldn't be shocked by either – Wednesday would sometimes skip meals, and often hardly ate even when she was present, which had regularly been a source of worry to Yoko and Enid. But it was still disappointing. More recently, she'd taken to letting them know when she was going to be absent, but she hadn't texted Yoko this morning. Add to that the facts that the cafeteria coffee was even worse than usual and that they only had B+ blood – the unfiltered pond water of blood types, in Yoko's opinion – and it was most definitely a shitty morning.

Still, she managed to cheer herself up with the thought of seeing Wednesday in her first class. 

Yoko got there early and sat in her usual seat, which was right beside the one that Wednesday usually took. The minutes ticked by. Each time the door opened, Yoko looked over. Each time, it wasn't Wednesday. Each time, Yoko's heart dropped a little farther. Finally, with seconds before the bell for the start of class, Wednesday slipped into the room and sat at a desk by the door without looking at Yoko.

Maybe she'd been busy with, like, mysterious Wednesday business – that happened sometimes, after all – and that's why she was late? Could be. Yoko could ask her after class.

Except when the bell marking the end of the period rang, Yoko was jotting down a final few notes, and by the time she looked up, Wednesday was already gone.

Hmph. Well, she could text her, Yoko supposed. But...what if this wasn't an accident? What if she was avoiding Yoko? Oh fuck. What if, despite what she'd said the day before, Wednesday really was bothered by Yoko's feelings for her, and this was her emotionally illiterate gremlin way of showing it? 

Fuck.

After fretting her way through the rest of the morning, Yoko's lunch plan was again to fill a tray for her and Enid to share, take it up to her room, and eat together. There was no sign of Wednesday in the cafeteria, so Yoko was hoping she might be up there too.

No such luck, unfortunately. There was just a very mopey-looking Enid sitting on her bed. And all she got when she entered was a low-key and decidedly unpeppy "Hey" from the werewolf.

"Hiya," Yoko said. "How're you feeling?"

Enid shrugged.

"Seriously, Enie-bean, you okay?"

"No," she said shortly. Then she looked up at Yoko apologetically. "Just got off another call with my Mom." 

"She didn't get enough of yelling at you yesterday?"

"Even worse. She's moved on to what she calls 'problem solving.'" Enid closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. "She said she had a long talk with the headmaster. She's trying to convince him to give me ongoing detention and to move me to a different dorm, and is furious that he won't. And she's trying to come up with a way to make me spend more time with my brothers and with the school pack, and less time doing other things."

Yoko set the tray on the bed beside Enid and plopped herself down in the desk chair. 

Enid took a fry off one plate and nibbled at the end, but otherwise ignored the food. "I mean, how am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to figure out what I want my life to look like with her doing shit like this?"

Yoko hated how defeated she looked. "I wish I knew, sweetie." She looked over at the dark half of the room. "Any sign of Weds?" 

Enid shook her head, and looked even more defeated. "No. Something weird is going on with her. I tried to talk to her last night, tell her again how sorry I am and all that, and...she hugged me, which was great, but I got the feeling it was more to shut me up than anything else. Then she left, and I've barely seen her since. She wasn't back by the time I went to sleep, and was gone again when I woke up this morning. Only reason I know she was here at all is that I saw her when I woke up to pee in the middle of the night."

"Huh. She was acting weird this morning too. Didn't show for breakfast, then snuck into class right before the bell and disappeared at the end before I put my pen down."

Enid sighed. "I'm worried she's gone right back to psyching herself up to leave."

Yoko though about her own conversation with Wednesday the day before and nodded sadly.

Fuck.

Both of them picked morosely at their lunch, and hardly talked until it was time for Yoko to go back to class.

As she trekked down the Ophelia Hall stairs, Yoko was already deep into depressing thoughts about what the heavy-handed pressure from Esther might mean for Enid's ability to figure her shit out and start doing things differently. But it was only when she was almost at the ground floor that she realized that she and Enid hadn't touched each other once the whole visit. Yoko hadn't done it consciously, but she realized when she thought about it that some part of her had decided that she needed to hold herself back and follow Enid's lead. She didn't want to be pushy or creepy, and she figured it was up to Enid to decide how touchy she wanted to be while she figured out what her feelings were for Yoko. And...apparently she didn't want to be touchy at all. 

Fuck.

Over the rest of the week, Wednesday continued to avoid them. She didn't show up for meals. She would breeze into class at the last minute and sit as far as she could from Yoko and (once she was well enough to be there) Enid. And according to the werewolf, every night she'd come back to the room after Enid was asleep and be gone again by the time Enid opened her eyes. Enid tried texting her and got responses that were prompt and polite, but also vague and evasive. It was all making Yoko quite sad, and seemed to be hitting Enid even harder.

And Yoko had no clue what to do. She wracked her brains, but...she couldn't quite get herself to do anything. In the past, she'd never been one to hold herself back. She certainly wasn't the most extravagantly outgoing or assertive person she knew, and she wasn't someone who always needed to be the one taking the initiative in relationships. But neither was she passive – she'd suggest, she'd initiate, she'd plan, she'd make things happen. 

Except now, she felt like she couldn't. Or shouldn't, maybe. She was pretty sure that if (when) Enid and Wednesday rejected her, she'd get through her devastation and eventually find her way back to spontaneous hugs and initiating friend-dates and all that. But in this moment of uncertainty, this weird middle ground where she had laid her heart bare and she was waiting to have it broken...she felt like she couldn't move. She couldn't impose, she couldn't initiate, she couldn't do anything but wait.

It would be so easy to text Wednesday, or to use her speed to waylay her between classes and try to force a proper conversation. But it seemed like Wednesday wanted space, and Yoko wanted to respect that. 

And she had no idea what to make of things with Enid, either. On the one hand, they didn't feel quite as dire as whatever was going on with Wednesday. But they didn't feel good, either. Sure, Enid was more present. But on the whole, it didn't really feel like she was committed to living up to all the things she'd said the night she woke up.

The next day when they met for lunch, Enid said, "Talked to Ajax this morning."

Yoko took a long slurp of blood to justify just grunting in response.

"It went okay, I think. We apologized to each other and talked things through."

Yoko's heart sank a little to hear that. She had already known that Enid's new anti-grand-plan stance meant she wasn't going to make any massive changes right away, including breaking up with Ajax. And she knew that despite that, Enid was still actively assessing whether she wanted to be with him and figuring out what the fallout would be either way. But she'd still kind of hoped he'd say something stupid and she'd end it on the spot.

As Enid got into the blow-by-blow description of what they'd actually said, Yoko liked it all even less. To Yoko, it sure as hell sounded like Enid had done a lot more apologizing than Ajax. He'd said he was sorry for overreacting that night and for not checking up on her. But she'd apologized not only for what she did during their fight but for all the ways that she'd put too much pressure on him and on their relationship before that, too. And, sure, that was fair enough. But he'd been a pretty shitty boyfriend as well, and it didn't sound like he'd taken any ownership of that or of the larger clusterfuck that was their relationship. Which was just bullshit. And, anyway, "sorry for yelling during our argument" was a reasonable sort of apology, but since when was "sorry that I heard you might be dying and didn't bother to come see you" even remotely adequate? Fucker.

Even more telling, Enid had mentioned her Mom's pressure on her in a vague way, but it sounded like she didn't actually go into any more detail than she had in the past with him, and Yoko was sure Ajax came away from it yet again with no real appreciation for the fucked up ways Esther treated Enid. And once again, Enid didn't come out to him. As always, Yoko totally affirmed her right to do that, but it still said something that she didn't feel able to be her full self with him.

Yoko was tempted to push back a bit, to challenge Enid – she had, after all, asked Yoko to do exactly that. "Dump his ass" was on the tip of her tongue. "Don't take his shit" was close behind. "You are a goddess and you deserve someone who adores you the way I do" was lurking nearby too. Except that last one was enough to stop her from saying anything at all. Enid needed to end things with Ajax – never had anything been more obvious to Yoko, even if it wasn't to Enid. But no matter how much Yoko knew that to be an objective and absolute truth, she also knew that she was deeply invested in that outcome, so it just felt wrong to say anything.

Fuck.

Enid said they left things by agreeing that they wanted to stay together, but that they would step back a bit, give each other a little more space, and each think about how they wanted things to be. 

Yoko took a deep breath and reminded herself that as unsatisfying as it all was in lots of ways, it actually amounted to real steps for Enid in the right direction. It might not look like much from the outside, but it was miles away from the get-closer-to-Ajax-and-appease-Esther-at-all-costs orientation that had been driving Enid for months.

She still didn't like it, though. Call her biased, call her cynical, or even call her jealous, but to Yoko it still sounded an awful lot like Enid finding a new way to contort herself into a shape other than her own in order to please other people. It was just that instead of orienting towards Ajax in a way designed to please Esther, now she was giving Ajax what she thought he wanted in a relationship rather than communicating what she wanted herself. And he clearly wanted a chill relationship, a relationship with a girlfriend with no big drama going on and no particular needs, a relationship not requiring any substantial effort or investment on his part – and, no doubt, with sex only and always when he wanted it. Yoko adored Enid, but she was not chill, her life was full of drama, she had substantial needs, and any relationship took effort. Fucking gorgon. And fucking Enid.

Yoko was honest enough with herself to admit that she probably was being biased, cynical, and jealous. She really, really hoped that this was a case of her being so caught up in her own feelings that she was just being unfair – that she wasn't giving Enid's new step-by-step, choice-by-choice approach enough of a chance, and that she wasn't being patient in the way she'd promised Enid she would be. But whether that was true or not, she didn't think she was entirely wrong.

After Enid and Ajax talked, while she certainly wasn't as glued to him in public as she'd been before her overdose, the difference was far too small for Yoko's taste. Enid sat with Yoko and Bianca to eat sometimes, but more often she still sat with Ajax. She didn't avoid all non-Ajax touch in public any more – there were more hand squeezes, and once a spontaneous hug between classes that filled Yoko with joy and warmth. But it wasn't like how it used to be. And Enid's availability to study together or just hang out was more than it had been in quite some time...but not much more. And the weight of the bullshit from Esther, of whatever the fuck Wednesday was doing, and of her anxiety about Ajax meant that the brief burst of radiance Yoko had seen from Enid after she woke from her drug-induced unconsciousness was gone without a trace.

Her despair about the state of things with the two girls she was in love with came to a head for Yoko on Sunday morning. Every week at that time since their first outing to the Weathervane, Yoko and Wednesday had spent time together. Usually, it was because they went out somewhere. On rare occasions, as when Enid had been unconscious, it was because they'd slept in the same bed. But this week, Wednesday did not get in touch to suggest anything, and Yoko wasn't brave enough to do so.

She spent some time on Sunday morning alone in her room, crying, instead.

After she'd had a good cry, though, she decided she needed to do something about it. If nothing else, she needed to talk about it.

# # #

"Seriously, Tanaka," Bianca said, "Talk to me." She took a swig from the bottle and passed it back to Yoko, then leaned on the bridge railing and looked down at the river below.

Yoko took her own sip of the rum she'd liberated from the stash in the Nightshades library, but kept quiet. 

She could feel the siren roll her eyes. "I've talked about the latest bullshit in my life. You know how this works – now it's your turn. I mean, you were the one who texted me. So what's going on?" She turned and fixed Yoko with a stare. "Is it maybe something to do with how fucking weird you, your werewolf, and your little psycho have been acting since Enid woke up?"

Yoko sighed. 

Earlier in the day, she'd sent Bianca a text that read What are you doing tonight? I need to go to the bridge.

It was something they'd done regularly when they were younger, but not so much lately – with Bianca's elite social status in the school firmly cemented and so much of Yoko's attention this year taken, in different ways, by Divina and Enid, it hadn't seemed as necessary. But Yoko needed to vent and didn't want to do it where anyone else might hear. Plus, she knew B's on again, off again thing with Lucas had recently swung back to off, and she figured the siren might be into it too.

The bridge in question was a railway bridge over a fast, narrow river, on an abandoned line that ran near Nevermore. They would sneak out at night, tramp down a path through the woods east of the school, and walk along the tracks until they got to the bridge. Then they might drink (Yoko mostly to keep Bianca company, given how little booze did for vamps) or they might smoke some weed (it was the only time either of them did, and marijuana did affect vampires), but they would always complain bitterly about their problems and come out of it feeling better. 

Despite Yoko's night vision, Bianca had a much better sense of direction, so that night she led the way through the woods with a powerful flashlight. Both of them were silent for the first part of the walk, and Yoko knew that Bianca was leaving space for her to say what she needed to say. But Yoko kept silent, and pretty soon Bianca started to talk. It was Lucas this, Lucas that, blah blah – he fetishizes her sirenness, he's hot and cold for her, she just likes him so goddamn much anyway, etc., etc.

It felt good to listen. Yoko offered some advice, but not much, because she could tell that Bianca wasn't really in that place yet.

And now...well, it was most definitely Yoko's turn. But she still couldn't make herself speak. She took another swig of rum and passed it back, wishing that she'd taken the time to hit up...not Ajax, but someone, for a joint or two.

She sighed. "Okay. Here it is. I thought when E woke up, it would be better. There was some drama right before her bad night – between Enid and Weds, and between Enid and me. And that feels forever ago. Except now things are even worse."

Yoko leaned far over the railing, looking at the moonlight glinting from the water below. "Wednesday blames herself for what happened to Enid, even though that's ridiculous and we've both told her so. But she hates herself so much, she's considering running away because she thinks she's too terrible to be in our lives and she needs to protect us or some shit by leaving. Which is, y'know, upsetting. And stupid."

Bianca hummed in response. Yoko grabbed the bottle back and took a mouthful.

"And then there's Enid. I can't talk about a lot of the details, but things with her family are even more fucked up than she lets on. She thought she had this great plan to deal with it. Except she realized after that night that she really didn't. So now she's trying to figure out what to do next. But any little step she might take to make herself happy will have her mother come down on her even harder than she already is, and she just feels trapped and depressed. And she's freaking out about Wednesday."

Yoko snuck a look over at Bianca, and she could see sympathy for Enid's shitty mother issues written on her face. Yoko took another big breath and stared intently at her own hands. "And with Enid overdosing and Weds almost leaving – I couldn't stay quiet. I told them I have feelings for both of them."

Yoko realized she was braced for judgement from Bianca – which was totally unfair, because as much as they could both be snarky and petty when they were joking around, they mostly weren't when things were serious. The siren didn't say anything, though. She just put an arm around Yoko's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

Yoko went on to explain more fully (and probably, she admitted, to repeat herself multiple times) – how Wednesday was avoiding both of them; how Enid was so down, how it felt like she was doing fuck all to live up to the big promises she'd made when she woke up, and how she was less touchy than she'd ever been in private; and how Yoko had no idea what to do and how worried she was that she might still be losing them both.

After Yoko ran out of words, Bianca didn't speak for awhile, just continued to look down at the river burbling under their feet. Eventually, she said, "So, first of all, thanks for telling me all of this. I don't know if you three idiots think you're being subtle or what, but you really aren't, so I'm not exactly surprised by most of it. But it sounds really hard, and I'm glad you've decided to talk about it."

Yoko didn't have anything to say to that.

Bianca gave her another squeeze. "So do you want some wisdom, or are you happy to just vent?"

She put her head on Bianca's shoulder. "Wisdom, please."

"Okay. Here's my take: You need to be patient and respectful, but not passive. I mean, I have no idea if one or both will end up wanting to get naked with you or not. But I do know how much you mean to both of them. When I've teased you before about them being your girlfriends, I was only kind of joking – they love you, whatever that ends up meaning. Sounds like they just have their own shit to deal with. So part of being patient means you need to give them a little time and space to do that."

Yoko nodded.

"As for 'respectful' – nothing there you don't already know and do, just classic blahblah boundaries and consent shit. If that means less cuddling with the werewolf until she's figured some stuff out, so be it. And if it means tolerating the little psycho's need to hide from her feelings for awhile, not much you can do about that."

The sigh that Yoko released was a heavy one.

"But," Bianca continued, "and I must stress this: Being patient and respectful isn't at all the same as being passive. It doesn't mean you can't show up, be present, show you care. It doesn't mean you don't get to ask for what you want, too, as long as you're respecting boundaries. None of which, if you do it right, is at all the same as Xavier, wear-them-down, stalker-boy behaviour. It's not, like, putting in sympathy tokens and hoping the girl-shaped object spits out sex in return. It's listening close and showing up, and showing what love from you looks like when things are hard. Love is active, even when you're giving space, even when you have really good reasons to be extra cautious. So show them you love them."

Yoko took a minute or two to let the words sink in, her head still resting on Bianca's shoulder. Quietly, she said, "Thanks, B."

Bianca stepped back from Yoko and turned to look at her. "You can do this." 

Doubt bloomed on Yoko's face – she could feel it.

"You can," Bianca said, and squeezed both of her arms. "And, like, nothing is certain. But don't go into it assuming it's going to end badly, either. You love them, they love each other, and they love you – that's an amazing place to be starting from, even if none of you quite know what that means. And I think there's a pretty good chance that once you fight through all the rest of the bullshit, you're going to end up someplace even more amazing."

Chapter Text

Patient. 

Respectful. 

Not passive.

Following Bianca's advice wasn't necessarily going to be easy, but Yoko was pretty sure she could do it. And she maybe even had an idea or two for how to get started.

A couple of days after the trip to the bridge, Yoko and Enid were hanging out in the former's room doing homework. Yoko lounged on her bed, while Enid was sprawled on the chair. Her friend's face was still tense and exhausted in the way it had been since her overdose, and she was scowling at whatever she was working on and absently gnawing on the end of a pencil.

Yoko cleared her throat and Enid, ever distractable, looked up. 

And...Yoko froze. What if she sounded like she was pushing for more than Enid wanted to give? She couldn't stand the thought of that. She tried to force words out anyway, but none came. 

Enid looked back at her homework.

After another few minutes of internal conflict, Yoko tried again. She cleared her throat and Enid looked at her, this time with a little smile on her face.

"What's up, Yokes? Everything okay?"

Dammit, she had to do it. Not passive, right? 

"Could we...cuddle?" Yoko asked. Then her words were a rush. "I don't want to make you feel weird or anything, or as if I'm coming on to you, so if you don't want to, that's cool. But...I miss it."

Enid's face lit up for the first time in days. "You mean it?"

Yoko nodded. Enid slowly got up from the chair, sat beside her on the bed, and wrapped her arms around her. Yoko felt herself melt a little bit.

"Oh my goddess, I miss this too," Enid said. "I thought...I thought maybe you wouldn't want me to. Since you, y'know, told me, you've been really hesitant to touch me, and I didn't want to be a tease or whatever. But I miss it. So. Frickin'. Much."

"And I thought you didn't want to, and I didn't want to be a creeper." Yoko laughed. "I think maybe there's some teen TV show lesson here about good communication."

They stayed in the hug for several minutes, just enjoying it. Then Enid went and got her books, and moved them over to the bed so she could work cuddled against Yoko.

"I probably was holding back because of my own stuff too," Enid said quietly, not looking at Yoko. "Not because I don't want to cuddle and stuff. I'm just...I'm still a total mess. And wherever we stand when I finally sort my head out, I don't want to have done wrong by you."

"I get that, Enie-bean," Yoko said. "Me too."

As Enid worked beside her – muttered, wrote, erased, muttered some more – Yoko snuck glances at her. She was still trying desperately not to be weird, but she kept having these little moments where she couldn't stop herself from sinking into how good it felt that Enid was here and healthy. And, if she was being honest, little moments of savouring her feelings, however uncertain Enid's seemed to be. 

She had to hand it to Bianca – she hadn't expected this to go so smoothly. Chalk one up for respecting boundaries but also not being passive, she supposed. And for actually talking about things.

But, as always happened these days, her moments of savouring were quickly followed by moments of doubt, moments of being unable to stop thinking about how little had actually changed. Sure, it felt so good to be cuddled up to Enid. But cuddling in the privacy of a dorm room was something that had happened at least occasionally even as the distance was growing between them in every other conceivable way. And it wasn't clear that what was happening now was any different.

Sigh.

The next few minutes, Yoko spent trying to look like she was doing homework, but in fact mostly stewing about the other side of her current dilemma and the other part of her sort-of plan for the day. Finally, she said, "I've been thinking about Weds."

Enid looked up, face expectant.

"I think we need to come up with ways to show her that we care, and that we want her around. I mean, still give her space – we can't do anything that'll make her feel pressured or crowded. But help her remember that she's needed and loved."

Enid nodded thoughtfully and started chewing again on the end of her pencil.

# # #

Step two, she knew, was going to be a lot more difficult, and a lot less likely to succeed in any immediate way.

The next morning, after a class that she shared with Wednesday, she kept a close eye on her friend's rapid departure at the end. Then she packed her own books, and pursued with vampiric speed.

When she stopped right in front of Wednesday in the hallway, there was no sign of surprise or any other emotion on her face. But Yoko could hear that her heart was beating considerably faster than normal.

"Okay, so," Yoko started. "You seem to want space. I don't know why you can't just use your words and say so, and I'm not thrilled about how you're going about it, but whatever, I want to respect it. But I want to say two quick things. Then I'll leave you alone."

Wednesday said nothing in response, but Yoko saw a spark of something in her eyes – tiny and almost imperceptible, and near impossible for even Yoko to identify with any certainty. 

"Right. Okay. First is this: I miss you. I miss you so much. I miss talking with you, I miss reading with you, I miss...I miss holding you at night. You don't want any of that right now, I get it. But I just want to make sure you know that I am still just as eager as ever to spend time with you."

One of Wednesday's hands slowly closed – not clenched in anger, but held carefully as if to stop herself from doing something else with it. The spark in her eyes grew, and Yoko could read anguish and maybe a little yearning in her expression. And there were hints of the softness Yoko knew so well from quiet conversations on a shared pillow.

"And second: Enid's still not doing so well. You don't want to hang with me – I mean, it hurts and I'm kind of mad at you for it, but I get that it's what you need right now. But you know she doesn't have too many people in her corner who really know the full story of what she's going through. So I think she needs both of us, in whatever ways we can be there for her."

Another pause. The sadness on Wednesday's face deepened. After a few moments, she closed her eyes. 

In a whisper so quiet only a vampire could've heard it, Wednesday said, "You make this so difficult, dear Yoko. But I will reflect on what you have said."

When Wednesday marched past her, Yoko felt the briefest of touches on her wrist.

Well. Perhaps not a complete success, but it could definitely have gone worse.

# # #

Enid and Yoko had a shared lunch period on Friday, and they were sitting together in the cafeteria, just the two of them. Getting back to being able to just casually hang like this with Enid was still new enough that Yoko was a little nervous.

It was maybe the first day since her overdose that Enid hadn't looked visibly tired, and her colouring was almost back to normal. Perhaps more obvious, she was also back to only eating regular werewolf portions, rather than making up for lost calories.

She was currently enthusing about a trip into Jericho that she and some of the other members of the crochet club had planned for the next day, to check out a new yarn store that had just opened. "—owner sounds super cool. Josie went down and had a look a few days ago, and they've got a lot of stuff that we'd usually have to order and wait weeks for. I want to make a scarf to go with my new jacket. And I'm thinking I—"

Yoko smiled as she watched her friend, happy that her capacity to be excited about life, even in the face of so much hard stuff, was also well on its way to recovery. It made her own nerves fade to almost nothing.

"—but I can't decide. Lavender, maybe, or peach. And what weight of yarn, do you think? Maybe something super chunky?"

Before Yoko could formulate a response – she was pretty sure she was team lavender, but needed to know more before she committed to a weight – she noticed Ajax approach.

Enid stopped mid-sentence, and Yoko saw her face cycle quickly through anxiety and then guilt before it settled on a version of warm and friendly that seemed mostly but not entirely genuine. Yoko kept her expression carefully neutral.

"Hey," Ajax said quietly. "Sorry to interrupt."

"No problem," Enid replied, just as quietly. "Want to join us?"

"Uh, no. I'm going to go sit with the boys. But...I just wanted to let you know that there's a ping-pong tournament tomorrow. Teams from a couple of normie schools from the next county are coming here." He smiled shyly at her. "Can I count on you to cheer me on?"

"What time?" 

"It's all day. I have matches at 10 am and 1 pm, and more later if I do well. And I figured we could hang out when I'm not playing."

A flicker of disappointment, and Enid was back to warm and friendly. "Uh, sure, of course. I'll be there."

Ajax smiled shyly again, and made his way to another table. 

Enid looked down at her plate and wouldn't meet Yoko's eyes. Her bubbly chatter from before did not return – she was now focused on shovelling food into her mouth. Yoko felt an urge to say something, because what the fuck, but her nerves were back in full force and she wasn't sure what she should say.

Before she managed to figure it out, another figure loomed over their table. It was Carl, Enid's brother. This time, Yoko didn't bother keeping the hostility off her face.

Enid looked up, startled. "Uh...hi?"

Her brother scowled down at her. "Tomorrow. After lunch. A leader and some youth from the Carter pack in Maine are going to be here."

"Ummmm...okay?" Enid looked like she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with this information.

"We're doing a meet-and-greet. It might help iron things out with Mom—" He flicked his eyes to Yoko. "—given everything, if we can tell her you were there, putting in some effort to get to know them. Getting to know the boys, specifically."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Carl waited for a few seconds, and when Enid said nothing more, he added, "You're coming, right?"

Enid sighed. "I guess."

Carl nodded and left.

Yoko scowled at his back as he walked away. She wished Wednesday and her silver dagger had been at the table for that. When she looked back at Enid, her expression was incredibly glum. She was staring at her plate, no longer eating, just pushing the remaining food around with her fork.

"Shit. What am I going to do?" Enid asked sullenly. "I can't go to both. Or maybe I could go to, like, his 10 am match, and then hang with the wolves after lunch, and come back for the later matches if he wins?"

Yoko felt very, very tired. She knew she should speak up, push Enid to think about this a bit harder – redirect her attention back to how excited she'd just been to hang with her crochet friends, and make her think about why that was suddenly no longer a priority for her. But part of her wasn't sure there was any point. If Enid couldn't stick with her decision to figure out what she actually wanted in a day-by-day, choice-by-choice way in a situation like this, how was she ever going to do it when things were higher stakes or less obvious?

She was about to speak, about to say something about how Enid should think not about what her mother would want, not about what her boyfriend would want, but about what she, herself, wanted, when Enid spoke. "No," was all she said. Her face looked a little anxious and a little determined.

"No?" Yoko said.

"No," Enid repeated. "I'm going to tell them both no. I know damn well that I don't want to go and get hit on by assholes from Maine who can't get girlfriends in their own high schools. And I really want to be hanging out with my crochet girlies and spending too much money on colourful yarn, not watching Ajax lose at ping-pong, especially when he didn't even tell me until just now that it was happening."

Yoko was very, very happy to be wrong. She smiled at her friend. "You sure about that?"

Enid grinned back. "Damn sure. I'll text Ajax and Carl right now." Yoko's anxiety was gone, now, swept away by the unbearably cute vision of determination sitting before her – Enid's brows were furrowed and the tip of her tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she typed away on her phone.

Okay, chalk one up for patience, Yoko thought. Maybe Enid really was working through her shit, even if it wasn't happening as fast as Yoko would like.

When Enid looked up from her phone and said, "What?" in an amused tone, Yoko realized that she was still staring at her with a smile on her face.

Yoko blushed. "Sorry. It's just...assertiveness looks good on you, I guess." Once the words were out, Yoko blushed even harder – she hadn't meant to say anything that flirty. She hoped that she hadn't just leaped right over not passive and ended up on the wrong side of respectful.

Enid's eyes widened a little, but then she turned a little pink and grinned back at Yoko, before turning her eyes back to her phone.

Thank goodness.

Yoko smiled again. Enid standing up for herself and actually doing the thing that she wanted wasn't just a good look...it was maybe a little bit hopeful.

# # #

Early the following week, there was a hint that things were improving at least in a vague way with Wednesday as well. For one thing, Enid told her that Wednesday was no longer sneaking into their room late at night. The first time it happened, it was mid-evening and Enid was lying on her bed and scrolling through TikTok. Enid said that Wednesday just walked in, put her bag down, and started going through her drawers and pulling out clothes like she used to, as if everything was normal. Enid tried to be all nonchalant about it...but she couldn't help it, she was a chalant kind of girl. She suddenly realized she was standing along the line where the strip of tape had been, staring.

Slowly, Wednesday straightened up. She turned around and looked right at Enid. Then she looked Enid slowly up and down. At that point, according to Enid, something that she couldn't identify passed over Wednesday's face and then disappeared. Then Wednesday gave her a quick nod and headed for the bathroom. When she came out, she sat down at her typewriter. A little later, she went out on the balcony and played the cello. And then she went to bed. That was it – she didn't say anything to Enid, and Enid's one tentative effort to initiate conversation was ignored. But she was there. After that, according to Enid, it became the routine every night.

Yoko started to notice little things as well. She couldn't help herself – all along, since Wednesday's withdrawal, Yoko had been constantly shooting her glances in the classes that they shared. But now, every once in awhile when she did so, she would catch Wednesday either looking back or looking at Enid. She'd have hints of softness and uncertainty on her face. The first couple of times, Yoko looked quickly away. But that didn't feel very good. So after that, in the spirit of not passive, whenever she caught Wednesday's eyes in those moments, Yoko would respond with a small smile that she hoped conveyed, No pressure, but I love you, and I hope you're okay.

Enid seemed more present too. The balance of meals eaten next to Bianca and Yoko versus those eaten next to Ajax was tilting slowly and steadily towards the former. Affectionate touch in public wasn't quite as extravagant as had been Enid's norm once upon a time, but it was getting better. And in private, it was soon as plentiful and easy as it had ever been.

# # #

Yoko was sitting in art club, glaring at her most recent painting. She'd been working on it for awhile now, and on a certain level she knew it was utterly ridiculous. It featured a sort of stylized wolf and raven, both looking all heroic and fierce as they faced off against some poorly defined, eldritch enemy. She hadn't managed to get the wolf quite symmetrical and she was worried the raven looked more like a sort of bloated starling that had given up on life. And even if she'd been a better painter, it would still have been a very silly painting. But she'd poured her feelings onto the canvas, and she hoped that with the way they were posed and the composition of the thing, she'd managed to at least subtly capture some element of her adoration for the pair. Which simultaneously made her both warm inside and slightly mortified to think about, but, hell, it was cheaper than therapy.

"Hey, bestie!" Suddenly, vampire senses notwithstanding, Enid was beside her, grinning.

Yoko swallowed. "Uh, hey. What are you doing here?"

"I'm re-joining art club! I've re-joined dance, too. Haven't quite decided with some of the others. I think I might not bother with film club – I'd rather have that time to just watch movies with you and Weds, once she decides to stay. Which she will."

Yoko broke into a slow smile. And then there were werewolf arms wrapped around her, which was very nice indeed.

"Oh," Enid said. Yoko pulled back and saw she was looking at the painting. "Oh wow...is that..." Enid's face was pink. "Of course it is."

Yoko was definitely leaning more towards mortified at this moment. This was not a piece she'd intended to show to anybody, least of all the wolf and raven in question.

"Ummmm, my fur is a little lighter than that. And my snout is a little broader."

Yoko swallowed. "Sorry about that."

There was a beat of silence. 

Enid whispered, "It's amazing. Thank-you." 

Yoko felt a brief brush of lips against her cheek. And before she could formulate a response, Enid was sitting at the easel next to her, getting her paints out.

# # #

One evening in the middle of the following week, Yoko was in the library with a few classmates from her Vampire Studies course, working on a group project. When she picked up her phone to see the text that had just arrived, she almost dropped it again when she saw it was from Wednesday.

WA: I wish to discuss certain important matters with you. Meet me in the park on the other side of Jericho at 9:30am on Sunday morning.

Yoko thought about playing it cool and waiting to reply. But she couldn't.

YT: See you there!

She was pretty sure that she didn't think about anything else for the rest of the week. When Sunday morning came, she changed her outfit three times before settling on one. And she left for Jericho far earlier than she needed to.

Even so, Yoko could see from across the park that she was not the first to arrive. Wednesday was sitting at the same picnic table they'd used the last time. The park was just as empty, and the sun just as bright. 

Yoko took a physiologically unnecessary but emotionally reassuring breath to try and calm her nerves. In her obsessing about what might happen, part of her had just focused on being excited about the prospect of spending time with Wednesday. But she was also not feeling particularly optimistic about the likely content of their conversation – she was pretty sure that once she sat down, she was going to hear either "I have no feelings for you beyond vague disinterest" or "I'm leaving Nevermore and never coming back," perhaps both, and she really, really didn't want to.

As she approached, she spotted two to-go cups already on the table. She put the matching cups that she was carrying herself – one contained a quad over ice, the other a hot double espresso – beside them and smirked. "Great minds, eh? Guess we should've figured out who was buying today." 

Wednesday said nothing in response, which caused the anxiety in the vampire's gut to bubble up. And Wednesday seemed to be in one of her no-eye-contact moods, too. Great. 

Neither spoke as Yoko sat. Once again, a silence with Wednesday felt acutely awkward, and Yoko hated it.

Finally, Wednesday spoke. "Enid has been leaving me notes." She enunciated the final word with clear disdain.

"Ummmm...what?" Yoko replied.

"She has been leaving me notes," Wednesday repeated. "I'm sure she told you that I have been spending more time in our room. After our conversation in the hallway, I decided that even if I did not feel up for conversation, I could at least share space with her more often and hope she understood that as a supportive gesture. But I have not been...talkative, shall we say. So instead, she has been leaving me notes."

Yoko blinked. She opened her mouth and closed it, then blinked again. "That's what you want to talk to me about? Enid leaving you notes?"

Wednesday shot her an annoyed glance, then looked away again. "No, I..." She sighed. "I haven't been responding to them, haven't even acknowledged that I've read them. But I'm weak. Oh, dear Yoko, I am so, so weak. So I have been reading them." She took a sip. "She has been telling me about how she's doing and what she's been going through since awakening from her overdose. And she's been telling me about you as well."

Yoko had no idea where this was going. She supposed that the notes were Enid's answer to the question that Yoko had posed about doing something to encourage Wednesday to stay, though she hadn't mentioned them.

"And one of the things I have learned from those notes," Wednesday continued, "is that while I thought my motivations over the last while would be transparent to the two of you, they apparently have not been. And I wish to explain."

She hadn't touched her espresso yet, so Yoko picked it up and took a sip.

Wednesday said, "I am, as you know, still determining whether it will do less harm to the two of you if I stay or if I go. And before you start, dear Yoko – yes, I know your position on this question, and let me assure you that I have been giving it great weight and careful attention in my deliberations. I am not discounting the needs and wants that the two of you – treasured presences in my life, and those I trust more than any others not bearing the name 'Addams' – have expressed. But I must be sure. In making this decision, I need to be very, very certain that I make the right one, because I know that once I have made it, there will be no turning back." Wednesday's cheeks flushed slightly. "And the reason for the distance I have tried to keep, this last little while, between myself and the two of you is that I cannot think clearly when I'm around you."

She briefly met Yoko's eyes. "I want to be sure that you know that this is not at all because I enjoy distance from either of you. In fact, it has been...quite unpleasant. In short, I miss you, dear Yoko, and I miss the werewolf that we both adore. And the discomfort caused by that has meant that my strategy of distancing has been rather less effective than I'd hoped, when it comes to avoiding distortions to my thoughts. Which have become ever less clear." Wednesday's voice took on a hint of wryness. "And as I've read Enid's notes, she has expanded on the arguments the two of you made against me leaving that night – some of that she has done explicitly, but much has been just implicit in how she has talked about herself and you. And in many ways, her notes have kept front and centre in my attention the inevitable truth of how poor my understanding of interpersonal relationships can sometimes be. And I am willing to entertain the possibility that perhaps that, too, is distorting my thinking around these questions." 

"To inform my deliberations, I have a question for you." Wednesday turned her face to Yoko, and this time did not look immediately away. "You said, dear Yoko, that you have feelings for me beyond the platonic."

The words made Yoko brace herself. But then she just felt puzzled – this didn't feel like rejection was immanent. 

For just a moment, Wednesday's eyes filled with pain, and it leaked into her voice when she spoke. "Why?"

Yoko's mind couldn't grasp what Wednesday was asking.

Her face must've shown it, because Wednesday spoke again. "Why do you feel that way for me, of all people?"

They stared at each other. Wednesday looked away first.

Yoko said nothing for another long moment. She had the sense that a great deal depended on what she said next, even if she didn't understand exactly what, and she wanted to make sure she didn't say something stupid.

She knew Wednesday often found strong emotion to be offputting, and she briefly considered trying to lay it out in a measured and rational way. But, fuck it – it was a moment for truth, raw and sharp and bloody. Not only was that the more not passive way to go, but those were also characteristics that an Addams should appreciate, right? 

"You're brilliant and fascinating and deadly," Yoko began. "You're weird as fuck, but in your own way you care more fiercely than anyone I've ever met. Your version of the right thing might not be the same as most people's, but once you've figured out what the right thing is, you do it, and damn the consequences. You take no shit. You can't abide bullies. You are brutally, wonderfully honest. And whatever you do, you do intensely. Oh, and you're one of the hottest, sexiest, most gorgeous people I've ever met." Yoko took another steadying breath. "I love talking with you. I love listening to you. I love sitting quietly and reading with you. I love cuddling you. You make my life more interesting. I think about you all the time – about things I want to show you or tell you or ask you. I constantly learn from you. I desperately want to know what it's like to kiss you, to touch you." Yoko felt herself blushing. "To taste you. And, yeah, I'm hurt and I'm pissed at you pulling away from us. But that's only because my life is better with you in it, and I'm a better person for knowing you. How could I not be in love with you?" 

Wednesday let out a ragged breath, eyes resolutely pointed at the empty field.

Yoko reached across the table and took one of Wednesday's hands. She paused, for a moment, to try to find the Addamsiest way she could think of to say what she wanted to say next. "Loving someone is like forging a knife, sharpening it, putting it in their hand. It is telling them that you trust them to hold that knife against your jugular for as long as you're together. It's a risky thing, always – risk that you'll be hurt and risk that they will. But loving someone is telling them that if you are going to get cut, you want it to be them doing the cutting, but that you trust them to do their utmost to keep you safe and to make it better if you do end up getting cut. And for me, that's you – you and Enid. There's no one I would trust more, no one I would want more, to hold a knife to my throat." 

Then Yoko shook her head and drew Wednesday's hand up for a quick kiss. "And also, love is nothing like that at all. I'm guessing that even for an Addams, love is also totally ordinary. It's knowing who you want to see every single day, whatever's going on, good or bad, intense or boring. Who you want to tell everything. Who makes you feel hot and tingly. Who makes you feel warm and safe. Again, for me, that's you and Enid."

Yoko could see that Wednesday's cheeks were deeply flushed, and could hear her heart racing. She seemed to be deep in thought, and Yoko decided not to disturb her.

After a few minutes, Wednesday seemed to startle back to awareness. She looked around herself, then at Yoko, and whispered, "Thank-you, dear Yoko."

She nodded. 

They sat in silence for another few minutes, hands still clasped. Yoko said, "So, uh, have you explained what you were saying before to Enid? About what you've learned from her notes, and all that?"

"I left her a reply to find this morning."

"She might've appreciated getting to, y'know, talk to you. Like this."

Wednesday nodded. "I suppose so." She still seemed pretty distracted. She released Yoko's hand, reached into her backpack, and pulled out a journal and a very expensive-looking pen. "I need to reflect further on my own, I think. Perhaps you could return to the school and visit with Enid? She would like that. And she might wish to discuss the note I left."

Yoko nodded. "Are...are you okay?"

"I am. I just need time and space to think." Wednesday paused. "I appreciate your forthrightness. I know I make things difficult, and the fact that you are still willing to even speak with me, let alone all the rest...well, it's remarkable. And whatever I decide, dear Yoko, it will be because I value you most highly."

Yoko drained the last of her espresso. She wanted to be mad at Wednesday – she was mad. But she couldn't help smiling at her friend, exasperated but fond. "Does this mean we can start hanging out again?"

Wednesday's expression was sad. "I'll let you know."

# # #

Yoko didn't quite get why Enid reacted in the way that she did, but whatever the reason, she liked the change that this newest development made on her. 

She'd gone back after her encounter in the park with Wednesday and had a long, lovely conversation with Enid. Who, in the moment, was all over the place with what she felt about the note Wednesday had left her – frustrated by her, heartsore for her, missing her, all of that. But by the middle of the week, particularly after she'd had her own one-on-one heart-to-heart with her roommate, she had apparently opted for optimism. And as far as Yoko could tell, it wasn't an act.

"She's going to stay," Enid whispered to her, for the umpteenth time in the past two days, as they waited for their English class to start.

"I wish I believed that," Yoko replied. "Sure, she finally talked to us. But she still sounded far too much like she's trying to work herself up to fucking off somewhere."

Enid shook her head, somehow all confidence. "I just know it from her note, and from what she said to us. And...well, Thing won't tell me anything, but I get the sense he thinks so too. She's going to stay."

A few minutes later, Wednesday pulled her now routine last-minute arrival schtick and took a seat several rows behind Enid and Yoko, just inside the door. Seconds later, Mr. Dalal started taking attendance.

Half an hour into the class, as he droned on about the symbolism in the poem currently displayed on the smartboard, Enid slid a note over to Yoko.

Super slowly and carefully, I want you took look back at Weds. Tell me what you see.

Yoko looked over at Enid, her eyes questioning, but the werewolf just jerked her head slightly towards the back of the classroom.

Okay, then. 

Yoko focused on the front of the class for a few more moments, then slowly looked back over her shoulder.

What she saw shocked her: Wednesday wasn't looking at Mr. Dalal. She wasn't looking at the poem. She wasn't even doing what Yoko knew she did a lot of the time in classes that bored her and writing something entirely unrelated in her notebook. No – she was clearly staring directly at Yoko and Enid, pain and want in her eyes. Yoko thought it might even be legible to people who didn't know her well. When Wednesday saw Yoko looking, she blinked – blinked! – and looked down.

There was a new note from Enid: Bia tipped me off in a text.

Yoko looked around and saw that Bianca was sitting on the other side of the room, where she'd have a good angle to see Wednesday. 

The note went on, See? She's going to stay.

Yoko shook her head and replied. Maybe. I still say she could just be feeling lots of feelings because she's leaving.

# # #

That evening at dinner, Enid, Bianca, and Yoko were sitting together. Yoko realized that Enid had not sat with Ajax once so far that week, and was about to comment on that, when Bianca said, "Hey! Addams! Join us."

Yoko and Enid turned around and saw Wednesday holding a takeout container and glaring at Bianca. Barring their single, one-sided conversation in the hallway and their encounter in the park, this was the first time Yoko had seen her outside of class since the day after Enid woke up. She was clearly on her way to the cafeteria exit. But her body looked as if it was ready to head over and join them, though she was holding herself rigid and still.

When Bianca spoke again, there was a bit of a teasing tone in her voice, but it was also gentler than she usually spoke to Wednesday. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but...I miss hanging out with you. Come sit down."

Wednesday made a disgruntled noise, spun around, and stomped out the cafeteria doors.

The look on Bianca's face was amused. "I think you're right, wolfie. I don't know where she's been eating, or if, but I haven't seen her in here in ages. I think that food in her hands was a prop – she wasn't here to get dinner, she was here to see you two. She's going to stay."

# # #

Things went on that way for another couple of days. More often than not, when they were in class together, Wednesday's eyes would be on them. She never actually got to the point of joining them for a meal, but she would often pass through the cafeteria with take-out when they happened to be eating. And Enid said that Wednesday had taken to sitting on her bed with a book on her lap, but regularly looking across the room at Enid when she thought Enid wasn't paying attention.

"I tell you, Yokes, she's going to stay."

Yoko, for her part, was trying not to let herself get too hopeful. This could still be Wednesday's fucked up way of saying her goodbyes. But Enid's optimism was contagious.

Even so, when her phone woke her at 2am that night, Yoko's impulse was panic. When she blearily saw it was Enid, her gut sank further and she knew what it would be. Either Wednesday had snuck out despite her promise, or she had just told Enid that she was about to.

Fuck.

She took the call. "Yeah?" she said, her voice scratchy from sleep.

"It's Weds." Enid sounded distraught.

Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.

"Is she gone?"

"What? No. She had one of her nightmares."

"Oh. Fuck. Is she okay?"

"No, but she will be. But that's why I called. I'm just about to join her in her bed, but...she asked for you too. Can you come up?"

Yoko used every last ounce of her speed, and was tapping quietly on their door before the call had dropped.

"It's open," came Enid's voice.

The two were cuddled together in Wednesday's bed, Enid the big spoon and Wednesday the little, and Thing resting on her shoulder. Like last time Yoko had witnessed one of her night terrors, Wednesday's face was streaked with tears and she was shaking. Like last time, it practically broke Yoko's heart.

In a flash she was at the bed, and then under the covers.

"Oh sweetie," she whispered a she cupped Wednesday's face and brushed away some tears with a thumb.

She snuggled close and put an arm over both Wednesday and Enid, and she felt Wednesday burrow her face into her neck. She could see a couple of tears on Enid's cheek too. 

Slowly, Wednesday's shaking subsided.

Enid looked like she was asleep at this point, and Yoko thought that Wednesday might be as well. 

But then Wednesday moved a bit, shifting onto her back. Enid's eyes opened and she snuggled in closer. Yoko pulled back so Wednesday had room to move. She settled, then reached an arm out and pulled Yoko back in.

In a small voice, Wednesday said, "I've decided – I'm going to stay."

Yoko felt relief and warmth wash through her, and she placed a kiss on Wednesday's cheek. 

Chapter Text

For a few days after Wednesday declared her intention to stay, Yoko felt like she was floating. Having both of her girls healthy, and not just present but present in more than name and committed to staying present, was just about the best thing ever.

But it didn't take long for the blood to start clotting, as the vampire saying went. What started out as tiny tingles of uncertainty soon grew to rivulets of anxiety, and she knew that she needed to be careful or they would further swell into full-on currents of insecurity. She didn't want to rush them – Enid had a boyfriend and Wednesday was, well, Wednesday – but goddammit it had been some time since she'd told them that she had feelings for them. They hadn't committed to a timeline when they said they'd tell her more about their own feelings at some later point, of course, and maybe she was being unfair, because after all that sort of thing took as long as it took and couldn't be rushed. But she felt like she'd been plenty patient, and – fair or not – she was starting to feel like she needed some answers soon or she might explode. Even if the answers didn't end up being the ones she wanted to hear.

The smart thing to do – the not passive thing – would probably be to talk about it with them. She wouldn't be demanding – she'd be gentle and open and curious. She could ask it in passing, casually, just a check-in without any pressure. Or, at least, she hoped she could. But...there hadn't really been a moment, yet, that felt suitable. And, really, when it came down to it, she also knew that she could trust both Enid and Wednesday to speak up when they had something new to say. 

She fervently hoped that this was her being mature and patient, rather than an avoidant scaredy-cat, but she really wasn't sure.

The first almost-conversation she had about it with either of them was with Wednesday, who spontaneously raised it when the two of them resumed their Sunday morning outings – a development that took place without fanfare but with much joy on Yoko's part (and, she was pretty sure, on Wednesday's too). 

They were walking, caffeine in hand, around the running track next to Jericho's normie high school when Wednesday brought it up. "Now that I am certain that it is better for me to stay than to go, I have been thinking very deeply about your declaration of affection, dear Yoko." They stopped walking and Wednesday turned to her, her stare intense. "I regret that I have nothing new to say quite yet. But I want to assure you that I am giving it all of the attention that it deserves, and I hope to be able to tell you more soon."

Yoko was pretty sure that she didn't manage to keep all of the disappointment off her face, because Wednesday, in a rare-for-her public gesture of physical affection, reached out and took her hand. "Soon, dear Yoko," she repeated quietly. In response to the accompanying stare – no longer intense, but fond and a little hesitant, even apologetic – Yoko nodded. Wednesday squeezed her hand, dropped it, and resumed walking.

What made it all bearable was that, even in the absence of more substantive responses from Enid and Wednesday, the situation overall felt – at least when Yoko was in a more optimistic mood – like it was continuing to get better.

For example, the next night, Yoko was lying on her bed, reading a super queer, super rad alternative timeline novel about fighting the climate crisis. When she opened the door in response to a sharp double knock, she saw Wednesday standing there looking ever so slightly nervous.

"Hey, Weds."

Wednesday nodded. But she didn't speak.

Yoko smiled and just waited for whatever words her friend was trying to get out. 

"Would it be acceptable," Wednesday slowly said at last, "if I joined you and we read together?" She swallowed. "Or if not now, perhaps an evening next—"

The ensuing hug was closer to a tackle. If asked, Yoko would blame too many years of being on the receiving end of such enthusiasm from Enid, though she knew it was really because of how much she'd missed getting to read with Wednesday in recent weeks. Thankfully, after an initial moment of surprise, Wednesday squeezed Yoko back with almost the same vigour. And the scowl she was wearing when they broke apart was very clearly a pro forma sort of thing, and not at all genuine.

Yoko also took delighted note of the fact that, in contrast with her prior routine on evenings like this, Wednesday did not sit on Yoko's desk chair, but rather joined Yoko on her bed. They were just barely touching, but Yoko suspected this was Wednesday's way of asking if they could cuddle as they read, without actually asking. And before too long, cuddling they were. And it was very, very nice.

# # #

It was a cool and misty Saturday morning, far too early for Yoko's taste. Dew still covered the ample greenery at the edge of the woods around Nevermore, where she and Enid stood. 

Enid was looking back and forth between her phone, the school, and the woods. Yoko was sipping on a coffee and wishing she'd dressed more warmly, or maybe that she'd just said no to the whole expedition.

"Okay, I think this is the right place," Enid said, and started to walk towards the treeline. 

After Enid's decision to go into Jericho and look at yarn instead of meeting werewolf boys she already knew she wouldn't want to date, her mother had called the school to revoke her permission for Enid to go off campus. The headmaster had been fairly supportive in fending off Esther's other efforts to mobilize the school's disciplinary machinery against Enid – more as a matter of defending his own turf, Yoko suspected, than any particular concern for Enid's wellbeing – but it was well within her mother's rights to void the permission form that she'd signed at the beginning of the year. And just like that, Enid was stuck at the school. 

Nevermore was not small and not at all uncomfortable, but Enid had already been complaining at great length about cabin fever – likely more at the idea of not being able to leave than the experience, given that it had only been a few days. Her current bright idea for how to make herself feel better was to drag Yoko along for a walk around the perimeter of the land owned by Nevermore. Which was surprisingly extensive, and included a chunk of the nearby forest. 

Yoko eyed the gloom beneath the canopy of the woods. It certainly wasn't impassable, but there looked to be enough patches of mud that she wished she hadn't worn her Doc Martens, and enough thickets of dense undergrowth that she wished vampires really could turn into bats so she could just fly over them. She sighed and followed Enid.

As they slowly picked their way through, Enid kept a close eye on her phone to ensure they didn't cross the property line. "Had a really good conversation with Weds last night," Enid said.

Yoko stepped carefully over a three-quarters rotten log. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. She, like, invited me to sleep in her bed, even though neither of us were having nightmares. She hasn't done that in ages, and it was so awesome."

Yoko returned Enid's big smile. She was a little bit jealous – her only chance to do that with either of them since Enid's overdose had been the night of Wednesday's last nightmare – but mostly it made her happy. She could just imagine Enid doing her best not to overwhelm Wednesday with her glee at being asked, and Wednesday's quiet, amused fondness at every bit that leaked out anyway. Even better, it just felt good to know that things were continuing to improve between the two of them.

"When we were talking," Enid said, "I realized that there was something really important that I hadn't directly asked her, or you, that I really should have. I should've asked you, like, months ago." She paused in her walking and looked intently at Yoko. "I know it's a bit weird for me to ask you this, considering, but...what do you think I should do about my relationship with Ajax?"

Yoko forced a laugh. "Seriously? Haven't I disqualified myself from having any kind of say in that?" She ran a hand through her hair and looked away from her friend, in an unsuccessful attempt to feel less awkward.

"No!" Enid said with surprising intensity, pulling Yoko's eyes back to hers. "I mean, sure, you obviously want things to go a certain way for Yoko-reasons. But that doesn't mean I value your advice any less, or think you'd take the Enid-reasons any less seriously."

Yoko found herself captivated by bright, earnest blue. "Okay. Well, then – dump him," she said quietly. "Of course that's my answer. It's my answer because I want to be with you. But it's my answer because he doesn't make you happy and he hasn't shown any interest in helping you be the you that you want to be. So even if you don't want to be with me, I still think you absolutely need to break up with him."

Enid nodded seriously. "Thank-you," she said. "That's what I thought. But thank-you for telling me." She turned back around and resumed walking.

"What was Wednesday's answer?"

"Well, she kind of refused to tell me. She said something about the sacredness of romantic bonds and it not being appropriate for her to comment, and then she talked about how terrible she is at being a friend so no one should listen to her about this stuff, and blah blah blah. But then she went on for, like, ten minutes telling me to meditate on where I derive joy and delight and strength in my life, and on who I envision at my side as I face the brutal challenges of a horrific world." Enid giggled. "So I'm pretty sure all of that means she agrees with you."

"Does sound like it," Yoko said. "And what are your thoughts about what you should do?"

In response, Enid just shrugged and looked away.

They kept walking for awhile, with a mix of casual conversation and companionable silence, until they reached a clearing. The sun was a little higher in the sky, now, and the air was warmer, and Yoko was feeling a bit less grumpy about the whole trip. Enid skipped over to a tree stump and sat. "I'm pretty sure this is where we have to turn west," she said, once again staring at her phone.

Yoko sat on a log beside her.

"Oh," Enid said. "There was another question I asked Weds last night that I wanted to ask you too."

Yoko took a blood pack from her pocket and nodded at Enid to continue.

"So, like, I've told you both I'm sorry about a million times for how I was treating you, right? And I'm going to say it a million more. And I know I haven't been perfect in trying to do the things that I said I'd do to, y'know, be better, but I think I'm making progress." Yoko nodded supportively as Enid tore open the wrapper of a granola bar. "But I feel like I should be doing something more. I want to make proper amends, y'know? I want to do something for you and for her, to show you that I'm serious and to show you how much you mean to me. And to, like, make up for being shitty for so long. But I'm not quite sure what that should be. Pledging my eternal servitude would be too much and, y'know, creepy. And baking a cake wouldn't be enough. So, something in between those two."

Something about that didn't sit quite right with Yoko. "I appreciate the thought, sweetie. But it sounds kind of ridiculous. And, like, maybe unhealthy? You do so much to be who your mom wants you to be, or who Ajax wants you to be, and I really, really don't want you start doing that for me. It's always meant so much to me that I get to see the real you, all of you, without you twisting yourself in knots to be someone else. So keep figuring out who you are, and be it. And hopefully that includes space for me – then I'll be happy. No cake required."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what Weds said too. Though she used more words." Enid frowned as she finished one granola bar and started on a second.

Even when they were both done snacking, Enid didn't seem in any hurry to continue their walk, and Yoko wasn't going to complain. Enid was wearing a serious expression and staring off at the other side of the clearing. 

Yoko saw a little purple flower by her feet. She picked it and looked at it more closely. "I wonder kind this is."

Enid glanced over at it and shrugged. "Dunno. We should bring Weds next time – she'd know."

Yoko stood, then bent over and tucked the flower behind Enid's ear. 

Enid blushed a little, but didn't look away as she smiled up at Yoko. "Thanks."

"Should we keep going?"

They walked in silence for awhile, Enid clearly still deep in thought. As they approached a dirt road that cut through the woods, Enid spoke again.

"So, okay, this is maybe going to be another weird one. And if it's too weird, you don't have to answer. Okay?"

Yoko wasn't sure she wanted to hear what was coming next. But she nodded anyway.

Enid took a deep breath. "Okay. So last night, I also asked Weds if she'd ever been in love. And, like, she was totes evasive, and the answer was clearly yes but she didn't want to say it." The smile Yoko saw directed at her was mischievous. "I think it maybe means she loves you back, Yokes."

Countless conversations with Wednesday about Wednesday's feelings for Enid flashed through Yoko's brain, and it took a great deal of effort not to make a scoffing noise. "Maybe, I guess. Or she just didn't want to talk about it because she's Wednesday and that's how she is." Yoko turned her head to get a clearer look at her friend's face. "Or because she's in love with someone who isn't me at all." 

She wasn't sure, but she thought Enid maybe blushed a bit at that. She certainly didn't make eye contact with Yoko.

"I suppose," Enid said. She walked in silence for a few more steps, then made a puzzled hum and turned towards Yoko. "This isn't why I brought this up, but...what would it mean if we both want to be with you?"

"That I should buy a lottery ticket, because I'm clearly the luckiest lesbian vampire in the world?" 

Enid laughed. "Yeah, sure, okay. But beyond planning a casino trip, what would it mean?"

"I don't know, sweetie. It's something we'd have to figure out together." Yoko reached out and took Enid's hand, and Enid squeezed back. "I mean, I wasn't thinking super clearly when I told the two of you, but...part of what made it something I could even imagine was exactly because it was the two of you. Which, okay, that sounds weird...but I mean that I have faith that if we were all patient and careful, we'd be able to find ways to make it work. If that's what all of us want."

"Hmmmm." Enid squeezed her hand again. She was evidently thinking about Yoko's answer, because it was a few minutes before she spoke again. "Anyway, then I asked Weds how, hypothetically, she'd know that she was in love. She was quiet for a long time after that. Then she told me that she didn't think that her example would be very helpful to me, because we're so different. She said that despite what lots of people think, it's always been easy for her to know what she's feeling. She works hard not to show it, but she always knows. And where she runs into trouble is figuring out what to do with whatever it is that she feels – because, like, her feelings, as well as what seems obvious and sensible to her for acting on them, are so different from how it works for most people. Which I guess means that she just knows she's in love, but she has trouble knowing what to do about it? Something like that."

Yoko knew that if she thought too hard about that, she'd get lost in fantasies about what it might, but probably didn't, mean. So instead, she asked, "Same question for me, then? How do I know when I'm in love?"

Enid nodded.

"I don't know if I'm a good comparison for your situation either. I mean, I don't think I was actually in love with Izzie, my first real girlfriend, even though it hurt a lot when we broke up. We were really young and just figuring things out. And then with Divina, I just sort of knew. It got complicated as things went on and we were, y'know, not getting along. But especially at the start, it felt so obvious. And I've never doubted it, even after she dumped me." 

She dropped Enid's hand and focused on coming up with the words she wanted to say next. If Enid thought this might help her, Yoko was happy to be vulnerable for her and talk about it, but that didn't make it easy. "And, honestly, this might sound weird, but it's kind of the same with you and Weds." She stopped walking and Enid did as well. "I mean, I didn't really know that I felt that way for an embarrassingly long time – you for years, her for months. But it wasn't like I repressed the feelings. When I think back, I was totally feeling them all the way along. I just wasn't looking too closely at what they were, because they didn't fit with, y'know, the story I thought I was living. Then when Divina broke up with me, it shook me up, I looked in a direction I hadn't been looking before, and there the feelings were. So, again, I just knew." Yoko shrugged. "But there's nothing wrong with you if that's not how it works for you. You've had to deal with so much shit that Weds and I never have."

Enid took a step closer to Yoko and stared intently into her eyes. For a moment, Yoko thought Enid was about to kiss her...but she didn't. She just stood there and stared, her face filled with turmoil that Yoko couldn't really read.

Yoko hesitated for a moment before offering the hug, but only a moment. And Enid didn't hesitate at all in accepting it. She didn't say anything, but she squeezed Yoko tight.

# # #

One day the next week, Yoko had plans to hang out with Enid in her and Wednesday's room while the latter was at fencing practice. The plan was ostensibly to get ahead on their homework, though Yoko suspected that relatively little work would actually be completed. 

It hit her as she was packing her books how much she'd missed this kind of time with Enid. Before the grand Ajax-focused plan disrupted it, a major part of the texture of any random week in Yoko's life had been made up of a constant flow of exactly this sort of low-key, mostly purposeless time with her best friend. There had definitely been other manifestations of Enid's changes that had hurt more dramatically and viscerally, but losing this had caused an ache that underlay all the rest. 

Enid hadn't made a big deal of being available like this again – it had just gradually happened. It wasn't quite where it had been before, but without Yoko really noticing, all of a sudden it had gone from being rare and precious to being delightfully, consistently plentiful...though, she supposed, just as precious. There was no part of this change that Yoko didn't appreciate, but perhaps it was the fact that Enid had just gone ahead and quietly made it happen that she appreciated most of all.

When Yoko got to the room, Wednesday was still packing her fencing gear into a bag.

"What's that?" Yoko asked, pointing at a large, ancient-looking arm chair with a matching ottoman that sat between Enid's space and Wednesday's.

Without looking up from what she was doing, Wednesday said, "Ah, yes, the chair. My parents have far too much furniture in storage, and they wanted rid of some. I'm not interested in hosting their cast-offs, but I gave in and agreed to take it."

Yoko sat down in it. "Oh my goddess – this is really comfortable."

"I'm glad you like it," Wednesday replied, a ghost of a smile on her face. Then she nodded at Yoko and Enid, and left.

Once she was gone, Enid burst out laughing.

"Care to share with the class, Ms. Sinclair?" Yoko said, coming over and joining Enid on her bed.

Enid was still giggling. "According to what Thing told me earlier, Wednesday's full of shit. That chair wasn't in storage – it's her Dad's third-favourite place to sit in their manor, and Wednesday's second-favourite, and apparently she out-and-out demanded that they send it. And she didn't do it for herself – she did it so you would have your own comfy place to sit that's all yours while you're in our room.

Yoko looked back over at the chair, her insides warm. All she could think to say was, "Wow."

"She...likes...you...," Enid said, in a sing-song voice, with a grin on her face.

Yoko didn't say anything. But...it did maybe kind of look that way.

# # #

It was one of those nights at dinner when it was just the three of them – Bianca was sitting with some of the other girls from the choir, and at some point along the way, the practice of the whole big Nightshades group sitting together had become less and less common. They had their food and were looking for a suitable table when Ajax approached them.

"Uh, hey guys," he said. He had a smile on his face that was tentative and predictably spacey, but also, Yoko had to admit, genuinely friendly. "Do you mind if I borrow Enid for dinner tonight? It's been awhile."

For a tiny fraction of a second, Enid's face was overcome with weariness. And then it was gone, replaced by her standard sunshiney grin. By the way he flinched, Yoko was pretty sure Ajax had noticed her initial reaction too. But he didn't say anything, and Enid flashed her and Wednesday an apologetic smile, and headed off with him.

It was only when Yoko noticed Wednesday doing her own version of vampiric predatory stillness and glaring at Ajax that she realized that she herself had been doing the same thing. She set aside the question of how the fuck Wednesday could do that, because of course she could, and tugged gently on her friend's sleeve. When Wednesday glared at her, she pointed at a two-person table that was far enough away from where Enid and Ajax had gone to give them privacy, but close enough that they could see them.

Yoko couldn't stop herself from shooting the occasional glance in their direction. They looked much like they usually did, these days – smiles and ease, certainly, but far fewer PDAs than before. Yoko kept herself from looking too closely, though Wednesday was blatantly staring at them.

"What's on your mind, Weds?" she said, trying to infuse her tone with a teasing lilt.

Without looking away from Enid and Ajax, Wednesday replied, "Walker Evans."

"Ummm...should I know who that is?"

Wednesday looked at her then, her expression exasperated. "Perhaps one of the most famous photographers in the history of this country. Also a psychic, though that's not widely known. He did some work for my great-grandfather, once upon a time. He's most often remembered for his images of poor and working-class people in the US South during the Great Depression. That project largely excluded non-white people, however, and I prefer his series of covert portraits taken on New York subways in the 1940s."

"Oooookay." Yoko took a long slurp of blood. "And why exactly are we thinking about this dude today?"

Wednesday looked back over towards Enid. "Because he once wrote, 'Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.' And that seems...relevant."

"Ah," Yoko said, joining Wednesday for a moment in watching Enid. "Gotcha. 'fraid I can't hear them. The caf is too noisy."

"Yes," Wednesday said, and sighed. "I wouldn't actually spy on them. On her, anyway. And no doubt when she's done, she'll tell us everything. Her words will convey all the funny things he said, the stories he told, and, oh, it's getting a little bit better, maybe I just need to be patient. And in the spaces between her words, we'll hear that she well knows that patience won't be enough, that he doesn't make her happy, that he doesn't fully see her and she doesn't want him to, but that despite how far she's come, she lacks the courage to do differently."

Yoko nodded. "Maybe. Or maybe you're underestimating her. But...yeah, she deserves so much better."

Wednesday turned to look at Yoko with a burning intensity. "She deserves the world. And he cannot give it to her."

"She does," Yoko echoed. "And he can't." She left unspoken the follow-up that lurked in her chest – But we could.

To avoid being any creepier than she had already been, Yoko shifted her chair so she wouldn't be tempted to turn her eyes back towards her friend and her friend's boyfriend. Wednesday continued to stare at them, however. 

Yoko was about to suggest that they go back to her room and do homework until Wednesday's writing time, when a shift in the other girl's posture made her look over. Enid was approaching, a pensive look on her face.

"Not going to tag along and watch him play Smash Bros tonight?" Yoko teased.

Enid flashed a distracted smile that made Yoko think she hadn't really registered her words. "Uhh, could we all go back to our room?" Her voice sounded a little off.

"Sure," Yoko said, and Wednesday nodded. "Everything okay?" 

Enid looked down at her hands and made her claws go in and out a few times before looking back up at Wednesday and Yoko. "We broke up."

Expecting a rush of sobs, Yoko jumped up and wrapped her arms around her friend. But no tears seemed forthcoming, and it was only slowly that she felt Enid's arms wrap around her in turn.

"Thanks," Enid said quietly. "I'm okay. I think. Sort of. But I don't want to talk about it here."

# # #

Back in the dorm room, Enid remained quiet and thoughtful. Once again contrary to Yoko's expectations, she didn't seem like she was in quite the right mood to be smothered with physical affection. So while Enid sat at one end of her bed with her back against the wall and her arms around a stuffie, Yoko sat at the other, and Wednesday pulled up Enid's desk chair and sat with her hands folded on her lap. Yoko felt nervous energy steadily growing in her middle. She did her best to rein it in, though, and to stay in supportive friend mode rather than letting herself dwell on the fact that Enid was now single.

Wednesday continued to stare at Enid in a way that, even more than usual for her, crossed the line into unsettling. 

"Sooooo...what happened?" Yoko finally prompted.

Enid smiled sadly and gave a quiet hum. "Honestly? Hardly anything."

"But he is no longer your chosen?" Wednesday said, her voice as intense as her face.

This time Enid gave a gentle laugh. "I don't think he was ever that in the way you use that word, Weds. I built him up to be, but he was only ever my boyfriend. But he isn't that either, not any more." She sighed. "Too bad, really – I already had my eye on a dress for the Spring Formal."

Wednesday's hands settled on the arms of the chair and grabbed tightly, but she didn't say anything more.

"But, like, what happened?" Yoko repeated.

Enid sighed. "When he first came over, I thought he was mad at me. I'd been ignoring him for a few days, so I deserved it, but I didn't want to have to deal with it. But he wasn't mad. And we just started, y'know, talking and joking. And it was good. He's a funny guy, and we've always gotten along, when we haven't...when I haven't tried to force things to be more than that.

"And then there was a kind of pause, and we looked at each other, and...I hadn't planned on it at all, but the words just kind of tumbled out. I said, 'I really like you, Ajax, but I think we work better as friends.' I was worried he'd be upset, but...he wasn't. At all. He said, 'Yeah, I was trying to work up the nerve to say it too. Thanks for getting there first, babe.' And that was it. I mean, I've known for awhile that we don't really work, and that we were headed in this direction. I felt so relieved, and it looked like he did too. So I said, 'Friends, then?' He leaned over and we had a hug. And then we went back to joking around."

Wednesday's head tilted to one side. "If you knew you didn't want to be with him, why had you not already ended your relationship?"

With that question – suddenly, finally – something like grief infused Enid's face. "Oh, Weds. Because I'm so fucking scared." She looked between them and then buried her face in the stuffie in her lap. "All the time, I'm scared."

Wednesday flicked an uncertain look at Yoko, then resumed staring at Enid. Thing tapped vigorously on Enid's leg as Wednesday leaned forward and awkwardly put one hand on her knee. Enid took it and squeezed.

"Thanks," Enid said, looking up. A couple of tears made their way down her cheeks. "I was so scared that if I broke up with him, it would hurt him. Not true, it turns out. But the thought still scared me." She wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "And I was scared that even though I've wanted to end it for awhile, that I'd still miss it, y'know?"

"That makes no sense, Enid," Wednesday said. But Yoko knew what she meant, and nodded.

Enid continued, "And I'm scared that instead of everyone thinking of me as the pathetic, needy, too-much, late-blooming half-wolf, now they'll think of me as the pathetic, needy, too-much, late-blooming half-wolf who can't keep a boyfriend."

"Oh sweetie," Yoko said. She moved closer and took Enid's other hand. "You know no-one who matters thinks those things, right?" 

Enid gave her a watery smile. "And I'm so scared about you, Yokes."

Yoko felt the beginning of a heavy ache.

It must've shown on her face, because Enid quickly went on, "You told me how you feel about me, and there are so many things that I want to say back, and I'm so fucking scared to say them. Having Ajax was an excuse to keep avoiding...all of that. Not having that excuse any more is terrifying." 

Enid pulled their joined hands upwards and placed a gentle kiss on Yoko's knuckles. "I'm still not quite there." Tears started flowing again. "I'm so sorry."

Yoko nodded, blinking back tears herself, but also energized by what she hoped this meant about the kinds of things Enid might eventually say to her.

But then Enid's warm hand was gone from hers, and she'd let go of Wednesday's too, to once again cover her face. Her crying got louder and more urgent. "But most of all, I'm scared of what Mom's going to do."

Yoko and Wednesday both moved closer, then, and wrapped their arms around Enid as she cried.

Even once Enid's sobs faded, the other two stayed where they were. Wednesday said quietly, "You know I am not one to give that woman the benefit of the doubt...but what can she do, in the circumstances?"

"How will she even know?" Yoko asked. "You don't have to tell her. And even if one of your brothers figures it out and snitches, what's she going to do beyond what she's already done since your Very Bad Night? She's 3000 miles away." 

Enid shook her head, her face grim. "She'll know. And I don't know what she'll do or how she'll do it, but she'll do something." 

They hugged a little longer before Wednesday pulled back. She peered carefully first at Yoko and then at Enid. "Are you both well, for the moment? Or well enough, at least?"

Enid sniffled and nodded. 

"What's up, Weds?" Yoko asked.

Wednesday looked away. "There is something important I must attend to. I'll be back later."

She was not back until well after her writing time was supposed to begin, and she refused to tell them anything about where she had gone.

Chapter Text

Yoko and Enid were sitting at a table in the library, Yoko working on an English paper and Enid puzzling over math homework. Despite the cute little scowl currently displayed on Enid's face – it looked distressingly kissable – Yoko had the sense that her friend was doing somewhat better. Not that she had ever been doing badly about the Ajax side of her break-up – if anything, she seemed to be having little moments of glee about not having the relationship hanging over her any more. But with a few days of distance from the big event and no signs of Esther-related fallout, her mother's spectre didn't seem to be haunting Enid quite as much.

"Hey," came a deep voice from beside the table. Yoko vaguely recognized the source as an older werewolf boy. Ethan? Nathan? Something like that. He was tall with light brown hair and a round face.

After a few seconds, Enid seemed to realize that he was speaking to her. "Uhhh, hi Warren. What's up?"

The grin he aimed at Enid was not a pleasant one. "Just came over to say I'm glad you said yes. Lookin' forward to seeing you on Friday."

Enid blinked. She blinked again. "...What?"

He leaned over close to her ear and whispered – not so quiet that Yoko couldn't hear – "Wear something slutty, Sinclair."

When Enid growled in response, he just laughed and walked away. She turned and looked at Yoko with wide eyes.

"What," Yoko said, "the fuck."

The answer to that question came a little later in the evening. They were all in the top floor dorm room in Ophelia Hall. Wednesday was working on her novel, Enid was lying on her bed next to Thing and scrolling on her phone, and Yoko was sitting in the arm chair – in her arm chair! – and reading a novel about a heist in a fantasy city. (The book wasn't particularly gay, which was always disappointing, but the vampires in it were cool and she appreciated the middle finger it gave to colonialism).

Enid groaned. "Fuck me. I knew it."

Wednesday's typing stopped. Yoko looked over at Enid, eyebrows raised.

Enid read from her phone: "I heard you and that gorgon have ended your relationship. You should have told me, Enid, but I will overlook it. I arranged with his mother for you to meet Warren DiMateo in the quad at 7pm on Friday. I have given special permission for you to leave campus and go on a date with him to Jericho. I expect to hear from you how it went after you have returned. Don't embarrass me."

Yoko gave a low whistle. Wednesday made her way to the centre of the room, a knife grasped in one hand. 

Enid started laughing. It was not a happy sound. "You want to know why he's single? Because he's a fucking creep. My own mother has set me up with someone who's felt up half the werewolf girls in this school without an invitation."

The laugh petered out. Wednesday and Yoko exchanged a look, and Yoko carefully said, "You don't have to go if you don't want to, sweetie."

Enid laughed again. "Don't I?"

Wednesday sat beside Enid on her bed. "I think, dear Enid, that the time has come to think strategically." She gestured for Yoko to join them and continued, "You need to determine your goals and then develop a plan to reach them. At the most general level, that means that you need to figure out what you want in your life. And then you need to figure out what you can do to get it." Wednesday folded her hands on her lap. "So, let's begin at the beginning. What, dear Enid, can you say about what you want your life to look like?"

Enid stared back at Wednesday with wide eyes. She looked at Yoko for a long moment, then Wednesday again. Then she shifted her stare to the far wall, her expression tense. 

After an uncomfortable minute, Wednesday spoke again. "My apologies, dear Enid." She squeezed one of her roommate's hands. "That was perhaps an ill-considered place to start on my part. I know you've been thinking a lot about that question in a general sense and that it remains a work in progress. Perhaps a better entry into this conversation would be to start closer to this most recent development. So, Enid...do you want this boy in your life?"

"Gods, Weds," Enid said. "Of course not." The tension in her face had eased somewhat, though enough lingered around her eyes that Yoko suspected that it was at least in part an act for their benefit.

"Okay," Wednesday said. "And what happens if you refuse to go on a date with him?"

Enid chewed on a nail while she thought about that. "I mean, maybe he's a jerk to me and he talks shit about me to the other werewolves. But...I'm guessing you were asking what my Mom would do."

"And?"

"Worst case?" Enid leaned back and shook her head. "She throws me out of the pack, disowns me. I mean, it seems like that'd be overkill, but when has she ever been reasonable?"

"Or maybe she pulls you out of Nevermore, makes you move back to San Fran," Yoko said.

"She might still be able to find ways to make the school put more restrictions on me here," Enid added. "Or maybe she'd lay off until the summer, and then make my life a living hell when I'm home."

Wednesday nodded. "And what does she want? What are her goals in this war?"

Enid jumped off the bed and started pacing. "Well, she wants me to be dating someone who's a werewolf and a guy, that's obvious. Even if he's a complete asshole."

"Is that all of it?" Wednesday asked.

"She wanted me to have shifted when I was supposed to. She wants me to get good grades. She wants me to go to a good college. She wants me to mate with someone from a good pack. She wants grandpups. I mean, in her own twisted way, she probably thinks she just wants me to be happy, so she's pushing for all of the things she thinks mean happiness."

Yoko chimed in, "She wants you to be her version of the ideal she-wolf. To be just what she wants, and nothing that she thinks will embarrass her." 

Enid nodded her head sadly. 

"I think I would go one step farther," Wednesday said. "I think she wants you to do what she tells you to do. She wants your obedience." She paused, watching Enid pace for a few moments. "I think it's likely that she's willing to go to extremes to win, so we must tread carefully. But kicking you out of the pack or pulling you out of school would themselves be an embarrassment for her and a sign of her failure, so she won't do them lightly. If we're careful and smart, that gives us space that we can use – space in which you can carve out the life you want, at least to an extent, regardless of what she thinks."

Enid threw herself down on the bed between them and let out a groan. "I know you mean well, Weds, and I really appreciate what you're trying to do. But I can't take the risk." She made a noise of frustration. "Listen, I know this is going to sound a lot like things I said about dating Ajax, but—" She paused and chewed on he lower lip. "Well, like you said, I'm starting to figure out what I really want in my life. And as much as I hate it, the only way I can get even a little part of that is if I humour my mother. I'm not going to tie myself in knots, like with Ajax. I'm not going to sacrifice time with you two or turn myself into someone I'm not. But...I'll go on this date. Then I'll tell her I'm not interested in him, and hopefully she'll lay off until the next time she finds someone to set me up with. I'll buy space for myself by going along with it in a bare minimum kind of way."

Wednesday and Yoko once again exchanged a look.

"I promised that I'd challenge you about this kind of shit when it felt important, Enie-bean, and...I think that's a really bad choice," Yoko said. "But we're here for you, whatever you decide to do."

# # #

Yoko was lying on Wednesday's bed, in theory reading but mostly just staring at the page, while Wednesday worked away on her typewriter.

Enid was with Warren. Judging by the time, they were probably in Jericho by this point. Maybe she was enduring painful conversation over burgers. Maybe they were in line for a movie. Who knows, maybe they were rollerskating. The point was, she was out. With him. And Yoko didn't like it.

A hand appeared on her wrist – not the sentient one, but rather one attached to a small person clothed in black. Yoko hadn't noticed the typewriter stop.

"I can hear you worrying," Wednesday said. "She's fine."

"I know. I'm not actually worried about her, like, in the moment – she'll come back, it'll have been awful, or it won't, and life'll go on. It's more...the whole thing that I'm worried about."

Wednesday stared at her – for long enough that it would've made Yoko of six months ago extremely uncomfortable, though current Yoko just felt pleasantly warm and had to restrain herself from looking at her still-just-a-friend's lips. Then Wednesday sighed. "I have no insider knowledge, so don't make more of this than it warrants. But my assessment is that she reciprocates your feelings, and she's just working her way to a place where she can tell you that."

"Uh, thanks. That's not what I meant. I was just—"

"Yes it is," Wednesday cut in. "And there's nothing wrong with that." She finally let go of Yoko's wrist. Yoko felt an urge to reach out and take her hand, but she didn't. Wednesday continued, "I have to leave for a short while. When I return, would it help you feel better if we were to...cuddle?"

Yoko smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Weds."

Another squeeze of her wrist, and Wednesday was gone.

Yoko glanced at her phone. Hmmm. Yet again, Wednesday was bailing on her writing time. Very weird. She looked over at Thing, a puzzled expression on her face, and he just gave his version of a shrug.

# # #

When Enid returned, Wednesday and Yoko were cuddled next to each other on Wednesday's bed, both reading.

As she walked through the door, Enid was yelling into her phone, her face red. "—you say that! Of course I don't want to see him again, Mom. He grabbed my frickin' boob! I can't believe—"

Several seconds of silence.

"Fuck, Mom!" Then a loud growl of frustration, followed by a door slam. Enid threw her phone, thankfully in such a way that it landed on her bed rather than slamming into the wall. She followed it shortly after, and faceplanted on her pillow.

Yoko and Wednesday knelt beside her, and Thing scampered up next to her head.

"You okay?" Yoko asked, as Thing tapped.

Enid groaned but didn't actually say anything.

"Does someone need to die?" Wednesday asked.

For a moment, Enid didn't move. Then she turned her head to face them. "No, don't kill him. He's not worth it."

After another moment of silence, Yoko said, "Or we could go with you to file—"

"No!" Enid said forcefully. "He groped me, I punched him, end of story." She sighed. "I'll be okay. I think I gave him a black eye, at least. I'm just mad at my mother. Can you believe that she thinks Warren must've, quote, 'made assumptions' about me because he'd smelled Ajax, quote, 'all over me' for months?"

"Fuck. That's some sick, victim blaming bullshit," Yoko said. Thing tapped what seemed to be vehement agreement.

Enid sighed. "On the bright side, this did get her to agree that I only need to go out with her choices once, and if I don't like them, I don't have to go out with them any more." Once again, she groaned into her pillow.

Yoko and Wednesday shared a look.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yoko asked.

Enid sat up, scowling. "Never been better. I need a shower."

She grabbed a pair of pyjamas and slammed her way into the bathroom.

Once they heard the water turn on, Thing signed something.

"Indeed," Wednesday responded. Turning to Yoko, she said, "Once we've showered her with every bit of care and affection that we can and she's soundly asleep, would you like to run an errand with me? Related to the safety and security of the campus?"

"No murder," Yoko replied.

"No murder. But perhaps...something else?"

"I think I could fit that into my schedule."

# # #

Yoko had hoped for a longer reprieve, and she was certain Enid had hoped for the same, but Esther texted with the details for another date only a few days later. 

Enid didn't respond to her mother right away, still upset about what had happened on her date with Warren, so Yoko decided to make another attempt to change her mind about this course of action. 

They were having a sleepover in Yoko's room – the first with just the two of them in ages. They'd actually finished all the homework they needed to finish, they'd watched a movie, and they were cuddled up in bed like so many times before.

"Sweetie," Yoko began, "are you really sure that going on these dates is the best thing?"

It had been an easy, joyful evening to that point, but Yoko's question caused Enid to deflate a little bit. "I don't like it either. But it's not like before – I'm not getting lost in it, I'm just doing what I need to do to have the space to live."

"Yeah, I get that." Yoko kissed Enid's forehead. "But, like, I really think you should listen to Weds when she says there might be some space for you to just tell your mother no. I mean, is going on these dates getting you any closer to a future with all the things you realized that you want in your life when you were at that party on your Very Bad Night?"

Enid pulled back from their cuddle. She reached over and tucked Yoko's hair behind her ear, her face despondent. "Oh Yokes...I just...I don't get to have everything, I don't think. That's just my life. Part of the problem with my plan with Ajax was that I twisted myself in knots thinking that I could. But...that's just not how things are going to be for me. But I get to have some good things, and doing this is what I need to do if I want to keep them."

Then she buried her face in Yoko's neck and wouldn't talk about it any more.

Enid ended up responding to her mother the next morning, and the date took place a couple of days after that. It was an after-class coffee at the Weathervane with a werewolf guy who apparently had to drive in from out of town.

By dinner time, Enid still wasn't back. They were in the cafeteria, Wednesday with a book propped open beside her and picking halfheartedly at her food, Bianca eating a double helping of fish and chips with great gusto and trying to make conversation despite her distracted dinner companions, and Yoko mostly just looking at the door every thirty seconds while giving entirely inadequate answers.

"So I know why you're moping," Bianca said, "but she's fine. She'll be back soon."

"Sorry," Yoko replied, looking guiltily at her friend. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not," Wednesday said, not looking up from her book. 

Yoko morosely took some rice from her fork, chewed, and swallowed. "Okay, fine, I'm not." She sighed.

The next time Yoko looked over at the cafeteria door, she saw Enid. And it was Enid wearing a bright, bright smile. Yoko was glad that it looked like this date hadn't been as horrible as the last one, of course, but...did she have to look quite so pleased? 

It hadn't even occurred to Yoko until that moment that Esther's plan might actually work – that if Enid went on enough of these dates, she might actually find someone that she liked, someone who would feel like an easier prospect than...well, than choosing Yoko and coming out and facing all that would entail. It was an upsetting and disorienting thought.

"Good date?" Bianca asked, as the werewolf sat next to her.

"Yeah! Kabir's great. He's hot, he's smart, he's really nice." Enid laughed. "And he's super gay. He's not looking for a girlfriend at all. He's out to his family and his pack and they're hella supportive, but his boyfriend's pack sounds like mine, and there's some big, formal, event happening bringing both packs together and – I dunno, I don't really understand it, but it sounds like his bf's pack suspects something, so they decided they'd each bring a girl-shaped date to this event. So Kabir's mom is helping him find someone. And to do that...well, apparently there's this network of werewolf parents who think their kids need help matching up with a mate or whatever, and that's what my mom has plugged into too. His mom didn't mention the whole, like, beard-for-a-night part, because it's a pretty conservative group."

"Okay, kinda weird," Bianca said. "Too bad he's got a boyfriend. You guys could fake date, keep your mother off your back." 

Both Yoko and Wednesday glared at her, but Enid just laughed again. "We joked about that. But it wouldn't work. For one thing, he's twenty-three, and I can't see myself going out with someone that much older than me, even if it's fake."

Bianca gasped. "Your mother set you up with a twenty-three year-old? Gross."

"Yeah. He didn't know in advance that I'm, like, not done high school, and he was pretty embarrassed. Thanks, Mom." Enid rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we got along well, and we're going to keep in touch."

# # #

A few days later, Enid plopped down noisily across from Yoko and Wednesday in the library and got shushed by a librarian. 

Once the scowling grey-haired siren had moved on, she leaned over and whispered, "This one was a total snooze-fest. So boring. Can barely remember his name." She half stood and dropped a little kiss on Wednesday's cheek and another on Yoko's, and then sat back and opened her book bag.

Yoko looked back at her laptop, a smile on her face.

# # #

The next week, Enid joined an already-in-progress study session the other two were having in Yoko's room, after another coffee date in Jericho.

"I don't think I realized my mother was going to be this persistent," Enid said. "I mean, it's fine, I can put up with it, but..." She flopped down onto Yoko's bed. "I dunno, I just want to spend time with you two, not random boys who can't ask girls out themselves."

"Another charmer?"

"Well, I don't want to be mean, but I can see why this one's single. He doesn't bathe. He only talks about League of Legends. And he could barely look at me." She shook her head. "Oh, and he's, like, thirteen. Once again, thanks Mom."

She sat up and started to pull her books out of her bag. The other two were still watching her expectantly.

"I gave him some basic dating and, like, hygiene advice, so hopefully he can do without the creepy werewolf matchmaking service after this." She shook her head again. "I dunno...I want to be going on dates. Just not these dates." 

"Well, you could—"

"No, Weds, I know. I don't want to talk about it. It is what it is, and that's just how it has to be."

Wednesday and Yoko's eyes met, and Yoko gave a tiny shrug. Enid didn't say anything more, so they all settled back into homework.

Not long after, though, Wednesday was stuffing her books into her bag. She stood, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "I have something I must attend to. Enjoy your studying." And then she left.

Enid made a What the fuck was that about? face at Yoko, who replied with a No clue grimace.

# # #

Enid's next date was a Friday night dinner in Jericho. Yoko was once again in her arm chair in Enid and Wednesday's room. Thing was absent, and Wednesday had a collection of dirt-covered bones spread out on the floor and appeared to be sorting them – Yoko hadn't asked what she was doing, and Wednesday did not volunteer the information.

When Enid came in, she looked sad and thoughtful. She ignored the expectant looks from Yoko and Wednesday, just giving them a subdued "Hey." She grabbed her pyjamas and went right into the bathroom.

"Ooookay," Yoko said. "That's ominous." 

Wednesday frowned in the direction of the bathroom door and said nothing.

When a showered and bed-ready Enid emerged a little while later, they both joined her on her bed.

"So?" Yoko said.

Enid pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She stared straight ahead. "Not counting the platonic queer bonding with Kabir, it was the best date I've been on in ages. Like, since early Ajax era." She put her forehead on her knees. "I'm not really that attracted to him. I don't think we'd last. But...we got along, we had a good time, we have stuff in common, the conversation flowed easily. He's only one year older than me. I wouldn't object to kissing him, and maybe more than that, depending. So I could date him. Like, for real. And not only would it not suck, it might be fun – he's a good guy. And it would keep my mother away. I'm so tempted to do it. Which is totally fucked up, and I hate myself for being tempted."

Yoko took a breath. Don't be an ass, don't be an ass, don't be an ass... But she couldn't stop her feelings from bubbling up. "Fucking hell, Enid, do you—"

A noise from Wednesday, wordless but clearly deliberate, stopped her. Wednesday's postured was rigid, her face intense. 

"Enid. Yoko." She said, then paused. "Before this conversation goes any farther, I wish to intervene in it in a particular way. Doing so requires that I go to another part of the school, get something, and return. That will take about twelve minutes. I know it's asking a lot, but could you two pause things exactly where they are and allow me to return and say what I have to say?"

Enid looked uncertain, and sounded it too. "Uh, sure Weds. Is everything okay?"

Wednesday said nothing, and walked quickly out of the room.

Yoko was not at all certain that she wanted to put this conversation off. "So...are we waiting?"

Enid shrugged. "She asked. So we wait."

Which...okay, yes, why not. So Yoko nodded and bit her tongue. Enid took her hand and kissed the back of it, and that made the wait a bit more tolerable. 

When Wednesday returned, she was carrying two narrow rectangular boxes, one deep red and the other pink. She said, "Allow me to speak before you open these, please." And she placed the former next to Yoko and the latter next to Enid.

Wednesday made eye contact with Enid and held it for a few seconds, then did the same with Yoko. Then she looked down and started talking.

"I sometimes find my family to be...excessive. But I cherish how central it is to how we live our lives and how we relate to one another that we go to great pains to make space for every member of the family to truly be who we are. So, for instance, most of us are dark and macabre in our tastes and interests, but I know that if I were to go home tomorrow dressed in pink and gold, with a passion for teddy bears and for that show you both love with the colourful ponies in it, my family wouldn't bat an eye – they would be insufferably curious and supportive and loving. I would likely find it overwhelming but I wouldn't be judged or rejected, and I wouldn't have it any other way." 

Enid shot a puzzled looked at Yoko that suggested she had no more idea than Yoko what this had to do with the subject of Enid's date. "Are you likely to start dressing in pink and gold?"

Wednesday briefly glared at her and then went back to looking at the floor. She continued, "The point that I'm trying to make is that while we are an old family and we speak regularly with our dead, we do not relate to tradition as rigid and immutable. Our celebrations and our practices change with each generation, each addition to our family, each passing year."

Once again, Enid and Yoko made eye contact, both clearly still mystified.

Wednesday was looking at them again. "One of the many reasons why I value this aspect of my family is that I am aware of...how difficult I am. Most places that are not my family have no space for me. That is true for most Addams, but it is especially true for me." She paused. Yoko could hear her heart racing. "The two of you make space for me in ways that I can scarcely comprehend. And I, in turn, have made space in my life for first you, Enid, and then more recently you, Yoko, in ways that I had not dreamt of ever doing for anyone other than my family." A long breath. "I'm sorry for how I've hurt you both. When I was keeping my distance and making my decision about whether or not to leave, I thought I was doing what was best, but I know I was causing not just myself pain but both of you as well. But I still needed to do it, I think, to be sure that my presence would be less harmful than my absence. I had to be absolutely certain – because of this."

She gestured at the packages. Yoko picked hers up, examined it carefully, and removed the top half of the box.

Inside was a dagger. The blade was dark grey and the handle was black. Both were covered in intricate, inlaid designs, and there were many small, dark red stones set into the handle. She looked over and saw Enid holding a very similar knife, though the stones in it were pink.

Why on earth would Wednesday be giving them knives? Was she back on her bullshit about wanting to teach Yoko how to fight with a blade? Because, dammit, having feelings for her did not change her disinterest in—

"I made these over the last couple of weeks."

"You made them?" Enid said. "They're amazing!"

"Thank-you," Wednesday said. "I'm not a member of the Nevermore Metal Work Club, and I refused to join, so they would only give me time slots in the workshop that no one else wanted. That's why I've been absent at peculiar hours."

Making knives...that had come up in conversation recently, hadn't it? Yoko couldn't quite remember when, though.

Wednesday was staring determinedly at the floor again. "I have told you both before," she said, "that while we sometimes talk about being subject to a 'love curse' in my family, that's not actually true. As with everything else, members of my family do relationships in many, many different ways. Some, like my parents, are disgustingly, passionately monogamous. Others have multiple partners. Some have only casual relationships. Some never partner at all. We refuse to acknowledge the lines that normies draw, and that shame and social regulation enforce. All that is asked of us is that we do so with honour and with honesty. And most of all, that we do so with passion and intensity."

Yoko looked down at the dagger in her hand and her breath caught. She looked back up at Wednesday, whose face was slightly flushed. Oh, gods and goddesses...

"As such, we have no rigid courting rituals, no simple steps that all Addams must follow in giving and receiving devotion. But we are encouraged to develop our own practices that encapsulate what we want, who we are, how we feel, that go beyond what others might do. And a few weeks ago, when I was feeling deeply lost and unable to decide whether it was better to protect you by my absence and thereby hurt you, or to stay even while fearing that I would be setting you up to be hurt by me in the future, you told me, dear Yoko, that loving someone is like forging a knife, sharpening it, putting it in their hand, and telling them that you want no hand but theirs pressing steel to your jugular." Wednesday looked straight at Yoko, a small, tender smile on her lips. "You are so good at speaking in ways that you know I'll be able to hear. It inspired me. You inspired me."

Yoko could hardly breath. What a fucking insanely Wednesday-ish thing to do, to take a metaphor Yoko had pulled out of her ass to explain her feelings, and turn it into actual sharp steel.

Abruptly, Wednesday's face was serious again. "Dear ones, I have forged you knives. I have sharpened them. And I have given them to you. I want nothing more than to go through life with your sharpened steel against my skin. I can leave you, now, to reflect, perhaps to discuss if you—"

Yoko crashed into her, arms around her, lips on hers. A little voice in the back of her mind told her she should've asked first – she should've regardless, and this was Wednesday, for fuck's sake, so especially with her. The girl in her arms stiffened briefly but then returned both embrace and kiss, and she told the little voice to fuck right off.

One of them – Yoko couldn't tell who – made a little hum of desire, and Yoko leaned further into the kiss.

When they separated – seconds later? years? – there was another long, blissful moment in which they just looked at each other. Wednesday was flushed, bangs slightly mussed, eyes intense. Yoko figured she probably looked much the same, except for the goofy smile that had taken over her face. Wednesday smiled back, hers tiny and fond rather than goofy, and Yoko felt a pull back towards her lips. She had barely started moving forward when she heard a little noise off to one side.

Oh. Right. Enid.

Enid, whose eyes were very, very wide. Yoko couldn't read what her friend was feeling, but she looked overwhelmed.

Wednesday stepped away from Yoko and towards Enid. She reached out and took one of her hands. "Dearest Enid, I don't wish to rush you or push you. But it felt important, before you made any further decisions that might have enduring consequences, that you know that not only do you have Yoko's heart, but you also have mine."

Enid was blinking rapidly, looking at her hand in Wednesday's, at Yoko, at Wednesday's face. Yoko took her other hand.

Finally, Enid whispered, "I can't. She'd throw me out." And then she burst into tears.

Very gently, Yoko said, "But is it what you want?"

"I can't want it," Enid wailed. "I can't."

Wednesday's face fell slightly, and she nodded. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around Enid. After a moment, Yoko did likewise.

"I want to be in a relationship with you Enid," Wednesday said. "I want that very much."

"We both do," Yoko added.

Wednesday nodded. "We both do. But we will support whatever you decide, whatever you need."

That prompted a fresh round of sobs.

Eventually, it was Enid who pulled away. She grabbed some tissues and tried to clean up her face. Yoko took one as well, and wiped at some of the smeared make-up Enid missed.

Enid took a deep breath. "I totally support you guys. I'm so happy you've found each other." She sniffled a little. "You probably need to, like, have a conversation about what this all means, and I don't want to—" Her voice broke a little. "I don't want to get in your way." She took a shuddering breath. "And I kind of need a little alone-time to get my shit together, I think."

"Are you sure, Enie-bean?" Yoko said. She really did want to talk with Wednesday – and, who knows, maybe kiss her again – but it could wait. "We could all just hang out, watch a movie or something."

"No, I'm sure. I need some time. Why don't you two go to your room for a little, have your talk, and then we can do a movie a later?" 

Yoko met Wednesday's eyes, and she could tell she was torn as well.

Wednesday said, "We don't want you to feel like we're abandoning you, dear one. But if you need some space, we'll give it to you. Let's go for a walk in the forest, dear Yoko, and return here in an hour."

Enid nodded, sniffling again. Wednesday grabbed a jacket, then reached out her hand and Yoko took it.

At the door, Yoko looked back at Enid – who smiled at her, though it was clearly a smile that was working very hard to hold back a torrent of non-smiley emotions. 

"We'll be back in a bit," Yoko said. "I love you."

The moment the door was closed, loud sobs erupted behind it.

"Should we go back in?" Yoko whispered.

Wednesday shrugged. "She asked for space." But she didn't sound at all certain.

And then Yoko was distracted from the sounds of crying by the sight of the girl before her. Goddess, she was lovely – those eyes, those cheekbones, the little freckles. And the love so clear in those eyes, as they stared in indecision at the door. 

Yoko couldn't stop herself. She stepped closer to Wednesday, reached out a hand, and put it on her arm. She smiled. "Thanks for the dagger." 

Wednesday looked at her and stepped closer as well, that little smile back on her face.

Before Yoko could decide what to do next, the door crashed open. Yoko and Wednesday jumped apart. 

Enid's face was, unsurprisingly, covered in tears. "I can't do it. I can't do it."

Once again, Yoko and Wednesday wrapped their arms around her. "What can't you do, sweetheart?" Yoko murmured into her hair.

"I can't keep pretending." She drew in a deep breath. "I'm in love with both of you. It terrifies me, but I can't pretend I'm not, any more. I don't give a fuck what my mother does – I want to be with you." 

Yoko drew in a sharp breath. More intense sobs escaped Enid, and she shook in their arms.

So Yoko and Wednesday did the only thing they could do. They held her tight and gently guided her back into the room, placing soft kisses on her face as they went.

Chapter Text

They guided their sobbing wolf over to her bed and lay down, Yoko on one side and Wednesday on the other. They held her, squeezed her tight, murmured reassurances. These tears seemed to Yoko to be different than the earlier flood – filled with relief, maybe, rather than agony. And they eased quickly.

They all continued to lie there, quiet and still. Yoko was draped halfway across Enid, holding her firmly, and Wednesday was cuddled close on the other side. Enid's arms were around Yoko as well, and her face nuzzled into her neck.

Yoko would happily stay like this forever.

At last, Enid drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It feels...good." There was surprise and wonder in her voice.

Yoko pulled back a little. "Cuddling?"

"No," Enid said. "Or, I mean, yeah. But that's not what I meant. It's..."

Yoko saw Wednesday pull back a little and open her eyes, so she reached for her hand and got a smile in return.

"It's like I'm still totally terrified of what's going to happen. But it just feels so good to have said it to you, that I kinda don't care right now." Enid smiled and sat up a little. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you." She punctuated her declarations with kisses alternating between their foreheads. 

After another few minutes of quiet snuggling, Yoko felt Enid sigh. "I really wish I wasn't such a coward, so I could've figured this out, done this, ages ago." 

Yoko pulled her close again. "Hey, don't say that. You're the opposite of a coward, sweetie." She gave a half-hearted laugh. "And at least all the shit from your family means you have a good reason for not knowing how you felt – I was just clueless." 

In a small voice, Enid said, "I'm still so frickin' scared, though."

"You're feeling fear," Wednesday said quietly, "and you're acting anyway. That's bravery."

Enid sat up fully, then, and gazed fondly down at Wednesday. "Yeah, I guess." An uneasy breath. "And...I'm going to keep doing that. I promise. As much as I can, anyway."

Yoko sat up as well. She gently leaned forward. Enid's hand grazed her jaw, and she pressed her lips to Enid's. After a few seconds, she whispered, "This okay?"

"More than," Enid said back. She moved her hand to the back of Yoko's neck and pulled her in for another kiss.

At a tiny noise from Wednesday, they broke apart. She was staring at them, eyes wide. "You are both...exquisite," she said. When Enid turned to kiss her, Wednesday met her part way. Wednesday made another tiny noise and rapidly deepened the kiss. But then she pulled away and looked down, breathing hard. "I...cannot express what it means to me that you've both accepted my gifts and wish to...be together. But I am not as experienced as the two of you, and this is all very new for me."

"Oh, Weds," Enid said, her voice tender. "We can absolutely go as slow as you need. And, like, I need to go slow too. I have a ton of shit to figure out. About all of this. Like, what does it even look like to be in a relationship with two people at once? I know I've asked you both before, but I still have no clue." 

Yoko smirked. "I have a couple of super spicy books with some possibilities that might be fun."

Enid batted at her arm. "I don't mean that. Right now, anyway. I just mean...in an everyday way, what do we do?"

None of them spoke for a few moments.

"It has never been my strong suit," Wednesday said, "but I believe, dear ones, that the key is for us to talk. A lot. About our circumstances, about our expectations." She made a faintly amused face. "About, as horrified as I am to say it, our feelings."

Yoko leaned across Enid and kissed Wednesday. "That sounds like a good place to start. So let's maybe get some snacks, make a blanket nest, and just hang out. And, y'know, talk about this." She waved her hand among the three of them.

After a few more kisses had been exchanged, Yoko slipped out to get more blankets and pillows from her room, and Wednesday left to break into the kitchens and get them some food. It was all a very familiar and comforting routine.

Yoko and Enid, sleepwear on, were cuddled in the blanket nest and talking about school things when Wednesday returned. She stopped just inside the door, smiled at them – Yoko could really get used to seeing that so frequently – and then scanned her eyes around the room and hummed.

"Whatcha thinking about, Weds?" Enid asked.

"Just contemplating whether we might want to make other changes to our decor besides the armchair, under the new circumstances."

"Like what?" Yoko asked.

Wednesday blushed slightly, and made her way towards them. "If you must know, I was wondering what I could tell my parents to get them to ship me a bigger bed without explaining the actual reason. I...delight in sharing a bed with the both of you, but having a little more room might make sleep more comfortable."

Yoko laughed, pulled Wednesday down, and pressed their lips together. Wednesday pulled back, brushed a thumb across Yoko's cheek, and kissed her again. 

When Wednesday was back from putting her pyjamas on, they all sat quietly for a bit.

"So...Weds," Enid said tentatively. "You...ahhh...don't want your parents to know? About us?"

Wednesday looked puzzled, but then her face cleared, and she looked down. "Because I don't wish to explain to them why I want a bigger bed? Reluctance to discuss our sleeping arrangements with my parents hardly implies that I want to keep you secret." She frowned. "To be honest, they would probably be delighted about any such sleeping arrangements, and they certainly will be to hear about our relationship. I just know that I'll find them utterly insufferable when I tell them, and if that's in the context of asking for a larger bed...well, they certainly won't say no, and no doubt they'll pull whatever strings they need to with the school to make it happen. It's just that I need some time to prepare myself for dealing with them." She looked back up at them, face serious. "But I feel no need to hide my adoration for the both of you from them, or from anyone. I have chosen you. You have chosen me. What anyone else thinks doesn't matter."

"My dads and aunts'll be cool about it too," Yoko said. "Which leaves, y'know, the rest of the world to worry about. And..." She looked at Enid, not sure what to say.

Enid's face was tense. "Yeah. And." She sighed. "It's been so weird trying to dig my feelings for you two out from underneath all the fear and shame. The feelings aren't new – I know that much. I'm pretty sure they've been around for awhile, just...smothered, or something. And I think maybe the stronger they got, the worse my decisions got, to kind of...contain them, maybe?" She signed again. "I dunno. And, like, I'm glad I'm far enough past the fear and shame to know that I love you love you, and to let you both know that. But...it's not like my brain just made the fear and shame up out of nothing, y'know? There's going to be consequences that are real and super shitty. And, I mean, I'm going to keep on doing what I've been doing, and make one choice at a time, and trust that to take me where I want to go. But I'm terrified." 

"Might I make a suggestion?" Wednesday asked. The others nodded, and she continued, "Dear Enid, we will not solve that problem tonight. So let us, to the extent that we can, set it aside, just briefly, and savour this new thing we share. Trust, for a little bit, that you no longer have to solve it alone. You have us. You have the many resources we can bring to bear. We will solve it. Just not tonight."

"Okay," Enid said. "Yeah. I think I can do that. For tonight, I'll try not to worry." She smiled at both of them. "And, y'know, kisses would probably help with that."

Yoko happily obliged.

They turned their attention to snacks and to enjoying the glow of the moment. Their conversation was was filled with all of the new-relationship things that they could finally share, most of them joyful – from re-telling their respective paths to the relationship now that everyone's feelings were out in the open, to their little moments of "Oh I nearly kissed you that day" and "For a second, there, I thought maybe you felt the same, but I couldn't be sure" and "I looked at you then and I just knew I loved you" and the like, all interspersed with giggles and blushes and gentle teasing. Even Wednesday shared with far greater generosity and ease than Yoko might've predicted.

In some ways, it was like many other evenings the three of them had shared. In other ways, it was completely different. And the difference wasn't just the topic of conversation or the easy sharing of little kisses whenever one of them felt inspired. It wasn't just the adorable hilarity that it was Wednesday who seemed most likely to push a kiss into something closer to making out, until she remembered herself, got flustered, and pulled away. It was also the feeling of rightness – the feeling that not only were they here, together, but they were finally here, together, in the way that fit best, the way that Yoko wanted, the way that she had wanted for far longer than she'd allowed herself to realize. At least some of the cuddles and touches would've looked much the same to an external observer. But how they felt was different, what they meant was different. Or...maybe not that different, really, but now the feel and the meaning were open, acknowledged, accepted.

A little later, Wednesday got out her cello and played for them, Enid leaning back into Yoko's hug as they listened. After that, they debated watching a movie, but decided they were all too tired.  

Once they were cuddled up in bed – Wednesday was right, it would be great to have a little more room – with the lights out but still wide awake and enjoying every moment of this really being real, Yoko decided she had to ask. "So...I don't want to get into things we've decided not to talk about tonight. But tomorrow morning, we're going to have to leave this room and interact with other people. So what's our plan? Do we tell people? How do we act towards one another?"

There was a moment of silence. Wednesday responded first. "Until we have the opportunity for a more complete strategy session, let us keep this development to ourselves and behave much as we always have."

Enid let out a quiet noise of frustration. "I hate that it's my patheticness that means we have to do that. I want to, like, hold hands, and sneak kisses, and shout about my incredible new girlfriends on every social media platform. But...the minute I do any of that, she'll...I don't even know what she'll do. I hate it. I hate that I'm forcing you two, of all people, to act like pathetic closet cases like me."

"Love, you are not pathetic. You're dealing with some terrible, terrible shit, and you're so, so brave for doing what you're doing," Yoko said, kissing Enid's cheek. "It's not your fault your family's terrible. And you're not forcing anything on anyone. There's nothing wrong with keeping a new relationship quiet for a bit, to have a chance to figure it out. This is just us being careful."

"Dearest Enid," Wednesday said, "we would do anything to keep you safe. We will do anything that is necessary."

Enid made another noise, again frustrated but also, as far as Yoko could tell, reluctantly conceding the point.

"Allow me to take the two of you on a date next week," Wednesday said.

"A date? Like, out in public?" Enid said. Her face flashed very quickly to eager and then to tense and concerned. "That sounds amazing, but...I dunno. I mean, I'm not even allowed to leave campus." 
 
Yoko could see Wednesday smirking in the dark. 

"Trust me, dear Enid?"

The tension in Enid's face receded, and the smile she gave Wednesday was mostly eager. "I do trust you. Okay, I'm in."

"Me too!" Yoko exclaimed. "Where are we going?"

"Wait and see, dear ones, wait and see."

# # #

The next morning, Yoko woke up to two bodies pressed into hers and to the delightful realization, Oh goddess, I have two girlfriends. They hadn't done anything more or different than they had on previous occasions when they'd all shared a bed – all of that fun stuff was still ahead – but nonetheless, it felt different, even magical.

She pressed a kiss into Enid's temple, which just happened to be the exposed skin that was nearest to her lips, and waited for her girlfriends to wake up.

It was Saturday, which meant that the only pressure to leave the room in a timely way was the need to get down to the cafeteria before they cleared away breakfast, and their preparations for the day were slow and leisurely. Yoko knew that everything she did as they got ready, everything Enid and even Wednesday did, was broadcasting unmitigated delight. There were, if anything, even more touches and kisses and little smiles than there had been the night before.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Yoko asked.

"Homework, date planning, writing," Wednesday responded from somewhere within her closet.

"I have to meet Josie and Tara after lunch for about an hour to work on a project," Enid said. "But other than that, I was just going to hang out here. You'll be here too, right?"

Yoko kissed Enid. "Bia wants to go for a walk, so I'll do that. And I need to spend a little time in the library. But, yeah...other than that, hanging here sounds nice."

This time, Enid kissed her, and whispered, "I can't believe I just get to do that, now."

As they left the dorm room, Yoko's mind turned to Enid's words from the night before: There's going to be consequences that are real and super shitty and I'm terrified. And she began to feel uneasy. 

By the time they first encountered other people – a handful of Ophelia Hall girls sitting in the ground floor lounge they had to pass through to get to the exit – Yoko was not just uneasy but anxious. Mostly, their hallmates were sipping coffee and looking at their phones or chatting. One was typing away on a laptop. A couple of them nodded as Yoko, Enid, and Wednesday passed through, but not in a way that suggested that anyone was paying them any kind of actual attention.

And yet, Yoko felt like she had never before been as conscious of being in the presence of the eyes and ears of other people. 

Not that she was a stranger to judgement and disapproval from the people around her, of course – it happened, sometimes, for how she dressed, for who her friends were, for being Japanese-American, for being a lesbian, for being a vampire, for who she dated, for where and when she kissed them. And, sure, sometimes, on a certain level, it still hurt. And after realizing the true nature of her feelings for Enid, she'd felt a few moments of self-consciousness about how acts of physical affection might be perceived by Enid herself, or by others. But even then, and certainly when it was Yoko on her own, or back when she was with Divina, or really pretty much any time in her life up to this moment, mostly it felt pretty easy to give a metaphorical or literal middle finger to anyone who tried to turn their oppressive bullshit into her business. She couldn't remember the quote, exactly, or who said it, but it was some Black Power big wig from back in the day who made the point that if someone hates me, that's his problem, and it's only if he has the power to hurt me that it becomes my problem. Having the strength, speed, and physical resilience of a vampire, an immediate environment growing up that was super loving and queer as fuck, and a wealthy and powerful family meant that even if Yoko had moments of self-consciousness or discomfort, she had always been able to say fuck 'em all and not have to worry too much about anyone actually being able to harm her.

All of that was still true, when it came to herself. She would quite happily flaunt her relationship with Enid and Wednesday, and watch the haters howl. But, of course, it wasn't only about herself. Enid – her beloved, precious Enid – was at risk. Her number one hater – her mother – had real, serious power over her, and it could so easily be used to hurt her even while cloaking it all in rhetoric of love. And that, Yoko could not abide. 

All of which meant that, this morning, she was feeling the eyes of her peers in a way that she never had before. And she kind of fucking hated it. She wondered if this was how Enid felt all the time. Though, she realized, it probably wasn't quite the same, because Enid had so powerfully adapted to navigating it – which was no doubt awful in its own right, because so much of the adapting that Enid had done was itself harmful in other ways. 

As well, Yoko soon realized that she was complete shit at navigating it.

Some of what they needed to do was obvious. Given that they were keeping the relationship quiet for the time being, there were no more kisses and no more direct references to this new thing among them.

But even on the walk to the cafeteria, Yoko became increasingly self-conscious about the joyful glow that she knew that her every action, and her new girlfriends' every action, had been broadcasting since the moment they woke up. Even still, Yoko could feel herself doing it. She just couldn't stop. And it would be weird to stop completely. She always smiled at Enid and Wednesday, so it might attract attention if, suddenly, she didn't. She and Enid touched each other all the time, too – Enid's period of Ajax-focused derangement notwithstanding. And...well, it wasn't the same with Wednesday, but Enid had carved out an exception for herself when it came to public touches with her, and in recent months Yoko had increasingly taken advantage of that space as well. And while neither of them dared do so in public with Wednesday, beyond the occasional inadvertent "Weds," she and Enid had always used pet names for one another, so of course she had to keep using them now. Right? Right.

She was trying very hard to find the right balance, to figure out what people might notice and what they'd ignore, and...given that she was only about 15 minutes into actually caring about any of that, she found herself completely incapable of knowing. This business of pretending to be other than you were was harder than it looked. Plus, it was fucking exhausting. She had no idea how Enid had done it for so long.

Not only that, Yoko was pretty sure she was still doing it wrong. She couldn't help it. As they neared the cafeteria, and were surrounded by more and more people, she knew her gazes at her girlfriends' beautiful faces still lingered, and that the blossoming affection in her heart still shone through. She knew her smiles were a little longer, a little warmer than they had been yesterday.

Yes, it wasn't new to share little touches with her girls, but she knew they were all doing it more. Even Wednesday's face was softer, and at times even she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to touch a hand, an elbow, a cheek.

Once they had their food, they found a small table to themselves. Yoko was trying to get the straw into her blood pack – it was always trickier than it should be – when she noticed a particularly anxious expression on Enid's face.

The werewolf furtively looked over each of her shoulders, grinned bashfully, and then moved two pieces of bacon from her plate to Yoko's and then a piece of dry toast to Wednesday's.

"Thank-you, dear Enid," Wednesday said quietly. Her eyes were wide and there was an intensity in her voice that Yoko found surprising. 

Yoko looked curiously at both of them. "I mean, sure, thanks for the bacon. But why?"

"It's a werewolf thing." Enid blushed. "We like to share food with people we...you know."

Yoko smiled and put a hand on Enid's. "Thanks."

And then, as she took her first sip of blood, she got all caught up in worrying that she'd just been...too obvious, or something. Would Enid's brothers have thought anything of it if they'd seen? Had her hand been on Enid's too long? Should she have held herself back and thanked just with words, and no touch?

Fuck. This was hard.

Bianca joined them, looking exhausted. "Morning," she grunted.

Enid beamed at her, and said, "Rough night?"

"Meh. Just up late with Lucas."

"Oooooh," Enid said, and waggled her eyebrows.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Nothing like that. We just had yet another long, stupid, defining-our-relationship conversation, and...yeah, I don't want to talk about it."

As the topic shifted to an upcoming test, Yoko still felt herself doing it – smiles, looks, tones of voice. At some point, she thought Bianca started looking at all of them in a more deliberate sort of way.

Enid slipped another piece of bacon onto her plate with a little smile. And Yoko was pretty sure Wednesday and Enid were holding hands under the table.

Bianca put her coffee mug down with a small bang. Eyes narrowed, she turned to look at each of them in turn.

Then her eyes got really big, and she let out a soft, "Ohhhhhh." She bit her lower lip and smiled big. "Oh my god. I am so incredibly happy for you three. I thought it would never happen."

She knew. Mere minutes into time spent with someone, and they'd been too obvious. Fuck. Not that Bianca would do anything that would harm Enid, of course. But...fuck. Not a good sign that they'd be able to keep this to themselves until they were ready. Not a good sign that they'd be able to keep Enid safe.

Yoko turned immediately to Enid, whose eyes were huge and whose face was panicked. Yoko saw her gaze flit over to the werewolf corner of the cafeteria and back to Bianca, and she started to shake a little.

Wednesday, predictably, already had the point of a knife unobtrusively resting on Bianca's belly. "You will tell no one of whatever suppositions you have drawn."

Bianca blinked, looked down at the knife. She glared incredulously at Wednesday for a moment, but then seemed to piece together what was happening and looked at Enid. "Shit. Sorry, E. I didn't mean—"

"I will gut you. I will—"

"Weds," Enid said. "Stop." Her voice was quiet but forceful.

Wednesday looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Knife away, Weds." Her words were still quiet, but something about her tone was as if she was talking to a child throwing a tantrum. She turned to Yoko. "Same for your fangs."

Fuck. Now that was humiliating. Yoko couldn't remember the last time her fangs had extended without her meaning to do it, and she hadn't even noticed it happening. She forced them back up into her gums and whispered. "Sorry. You okay, sweetie?"

Enid nodded, and looked back at Wednesday and Bianca.

Slowly, Wednesday pulled her arm back, and the knife disappeared up her sleeve. She muttered, "Sorry," though it was unclear if it was directed at Enid or Bianca.

Enid leaned across the table and took Bianca's hand. "Sorry about those two." Then, to Yoko's surprise, she smiled. "And...thank-you. We're not, like, telling people yet, because it's going to be a shit show with my family. But it feels good to have someone to be excited about it with."

After annoyed glares at Wednesday and Yoko, and a muttered, "Jesus Christ, you two are ridiculous," Bianca focused back on Enid and returned her smile. "You guys are going to be disgustingly cute."

Yoko and Wednesday exchanged a look, and Yoko shrugged. She was kind of shocked at how willing Enid was to be chill about this, given the stakes. But, then again, Enid knew a whole hell of a lot more than either of them about trying to manage what other people knew, or thought they knew, about her. And it was kind of nice she wouldn't have to worry about whether it was okay to gush to Bianca about everything when they were on their walk later.

Over the rest of the day, the nearly debilitating consciousness of visibility and risk faded somewhat into the background for Yoko, and things were pretty wonderful. They each made forays out to meet their various commitments, but mostly they stayed in the room, together – including, after Saturday's breakfast, eating there. Yoko mostly managed to pretend that watchful eyes and homophobic families didn't exist.

At Enid's encouragement, Yoko and Wednesday decided to continue with their tradition of spending Sunday mornings together, just the two of them. 

As they walked through Jericho towards an easy forest trail they sometimes took, they came to a stop at an intersection and their hands briefly brushed together. It gave Yoko a delightful spark. She looked over at her new girlfriend, and found those eyes – oh, those eyes – looking right back at her. 

Wednesday was wearing that little smile that seemed reserved for her and Enid. "I wish I could hold your hand as we walk, dear Yoko."

Yoko looked down at Wednesday's hand, and then back up at her face. "We could, though. Just for a little bit. Even if someone saw, it wouldn't blow back on Enid."

"I'm not sure that's true," Wednesday said. "If rumours started about the two of us, it could lead to people paying more attention, which would make things harder for her. Or it might, anyway. Actually caring about other people's perceptions of my actions is new and highly unpleasant, and I'm finding it rather difficult to assess risk."

"Oh my goddess, yes!" Yoko said. "Me too."

"Plus, though I know the different component relationships among the three of us will not and need not always be identical in what they contain, it nonetheless at this point feels wrong to do something with you that I cannot do with her."

"Shit. Yeah. I hadn't even considered that." Yoko sighed. "We'll get there, though. Once we solve things with Enid, we can hold hands as much as we want."

Wednesday nodded. "Yes." They resumed walking. "In the interim, however, I really think that that you and I need to do much better than we have so far."

Yoko looked at her, uncertain.

"At protecting our beloved," Wednesday clarified. "Neither of us are good at blending in with what others expect of us. But we absolutely must, or we'll hurt her."

Yoko reached over and gave Wednesday's hand a quick squeeze. "I've been feeling the same way. I hate the thought of hiding us, and it feels so fucking weird to even care, but...we need to figure out how to do it and then just do it."

"For her," Wednesday said.

"For her," Yoko echoed.

Chapter Text

Late on the Sunday of their first weekend as girlfriends, Yoko arrived back at Enid and Wednesday's room after a quick jaunt to get a few things from the library. She found herself blocked from entering by two men in overalls carrying a bed frame away.

Once she was able to get in, she saw Enid starfished on a truly massive four-poster where Wednesday's regulation student bed had formerly sat. Wednesday herself was standing and scowling down at a piece of paper in her hand.

"Whoa," Yoko said. "When did you tell them? And how did they get it here so fast?"

Wednesday deepened her scowl and thrust the piece of paper at Yoko.

It read:

Darling Wednesday,

I had a vision that suggested you might appreciate another furniture upgrade. This bed once belong to your Great Aunt Fidelia and her wives. Please do enjoy it.

Should you wish to invite anyone to visit the manor over the holidays, or even to spend the entire summer here, know that we will welcome them with utmost enthusiasm. And if you ever have anything you wish to discuss with us, know that we are only a crystal ball away.

Bisous,

        Mother

Yoko was at best an indifferent student in Spanish class, but she was fairly certain that most of the words that Wednesday was muttering were swearing of some sort. Rather than try to convince her that the bed was a net positive development, she went and lay down beside Enid and stretched her arms out as well.

"Comfy," she said.

"Damn right," Enid replied.

After a few more minutes of quiet cursing, Wednesday gave up, joined them on the bed, and sighed. "Well, it will be nice to have. And I suppose my mother letting me know that she knows about us without making me tell her is also a blessing."

Another few moments of comfortable silence, and Enid said, "You had a great aunt with two wives? Like, at the same time?" 

"Three wives, actually," Wednesday replied. "And, yes, at the same time. All four of them died before I was born, but they regularly attend family functions. You'll like Aunty Verissa in particular, I think – she's a werewolf as well, and devilishly funny." 

Yoko rolled onto her side and smooched Wednesday's forehead. Wednesday responded by placing her palms on Yoko's cheeks and drawing her in for a proper kiss, while Enid cuddled close against Yoko's back. Then, as had happened so often in the last couple of days, the rest of the world faded away and she was adrift in the exchange of slow, soft affection with her girlfriends – gentle, lingering kisses, little touches, quiet words. It was all so much more than she'd allowed herself to believe was possible.

After some unknown duration, Wednesday pulled away. Her face was sombre.

"You alright?" Yoko asked.

"I'm fine, dear Yoko. I just...I cannot express how wonderful sharing this weekend with the two of you in the sanctuary of our room has been. Being dragged back, tomorrow, to the world of prying eyes and hostile hearts weighs heavily upon me."

Enid sighed. "Yeah. It sucks." She reached over Yoko and ran her thumb over Wednesday's cheek. "But you know what? We'll make our choices, we'll live our lives, we'll love each other, and we'll get through it. I'm not going to let what we have get derailed just because my family's shitty."

Wednesday and Yoko made eye contact and exchanged almost imperceptible nods. They would make sure Enid got through it safely.

# # #

When Monday morning came, Yoko was feeling anxious – and though she was hiding it well, Yoko was pretty sure that Wednesday was as well. But to her surprise, Enid seemed relaxed, even bubbly. 

Yoko was putting some books into her bag in preparation for heading out the door and suddenly there were lips on her ear – Enid's lips. She jumped a bit.

"You okay?" Enid asked, a concerned expression on her face.

Yoko shrugged. "Just a bit on edge. Don't want to, y'know, do something dumb and let the wrong people know about us, put you at risk."

Another kiss, this one on Yoko's lips. Enid smiled. "Don't even worry about it, sweetie. We're going to be fine. C'mon, let's head down to breakfast."

The trio got their food, found an out-of-the-way table, and sat. Enid got a little smile on her face and picked up a piece of bacon. Just as she was about to move it towards Yoko's plate, though, Wednesday grabbed her wrist.

In response to Enid's indignant look, Wednesday said quietly, "Not a good idea."

"Seriously?" Enid said. "You don't think I can judge when it's safe and when it isn't?"

Wednesday just stared back at her, her expression flat and even.

With a sigh, Enid dropped the bacon back onto her own plate. "Fine," she said, but she didn't look fine – she looked hurt.

They all had a different first period class on Mondays, so as she walked down the science hallway away from her girlfriends, Yoko found herself feeling a bit of relief at having an interlude away from the turmoil in her gut, and then felt bad for feeling that way. She spent more of the class feeling guilty than actually paying attention. 

On her way to her second period class, which she shared with Wednesday but not Enid, she felt something collide with her side, then strong arms dragging her...and in an instant, she was in a dark supply closet.

She could, of course, clearly see Enid in front of her, eyes and grin both wide. Before she could speak, Enid kissed her hard.

After a few delightful seconds, Yoko pushed her away. "What are you doing?" 

Enid grinned again. "Kissing you. I thought you'd be able to recognize it by now. But don't worry, I'm happy to give another demonstration." She leaned forward, but Yoko pushed her back again. This time, Enid's mouth turned down. "What?" she said. "I just couldn't wait for tonight."

Yoko felt her face soften. She leaned forward and placed one very quick peck on her girlfriend's lips. "I know the feeling, love, but...this is super risky. I know you know how many people give themselves away to wolves and vamps by doing exactly this sort of shit."

Enid's expression went from a pout to a more genuine sort of sadness. "Seriously? This is really how it's going to be, now? I told you, I refuse to let my mother hold us back."

"I love you, E. And I'm not doing anything to put you at risk."

Enid slammed the door open. "Fine. I suppose you're right. See you at lunch." And she stomped away.

Thankfully, by lunch Enid had either forgiven Yoko or forgotten about it – Yoko would take either. As they ate, Yoko was pretty sure she spotted at least a couple of moments when Enid was on the verge of picking up something from her plate to give to one of her girlfriends, but then resisted the temptation. 

The next obvious moment of werewolf irritation was at lunch the following day. Enid – seemingly without really thinking about it, and while deep in conversation with Bianca – reached out a hand and took one of Wednesday's.

Wednesday pulled back as if she had been burned. 

That, in turn, made Enid startle a little bit and turn her attention to Wednesday. Yoko could read her expression – it was clearly saying, Shit. Sorry. Are you okay, Weds?

Wednesday, in turn, made a face that conveyed something along the lines of, I'm fine. But you shouldn't do that, it isn't safe.

Enid's eyeroll in response clearly communicated, Seriously?

And Wednesday's raised eyebrow was, Yes, seriously.

Yoko wasn't sure exactly what words went with Enid's exasperated little sigh and headshake, but they were unlikely to be positive.

That night at art club, Yoko and Enid were engaged in their standard ratio of serious painting to joking around with each other. At first, Yoko wasn't paying much attention to her friend's canvas, which was a fresh one. But when she took a break from her own painting – a still life involving a blood bag and a bowl of apples that Yoko had been intermittently working on for awhile and was starting to hate with a burning passion – she noticed a photo taped to the far side of Enid's easel. She looked a little closer and, sure enough, it was a photo of the three of them that she recognized as one that, of all people, Ajax had taken a few month ago.

Enid's inquiring look made Yoko realize she'd cut off in mid-sentence. She cleared her throat. "Ummm...are you sure it's a good idea to make a painting of that pic? You know, under the circumstances?"

"Seriously?" Enid said. "I cannot believe you two. I've been planning to paint this for weeks, since long before—" She looked furtively around the classroom. "Since, y'know, long before."

"Sure, yeah, I get it. But, like, is it a good idea?"

Enid let out a noise of controlled frustration. She leaned close and whispered very quietly. "Seriously, Yoko, since when would it be in the least bit suspicious for me to paint a picture of myself and my best friends? How is that anything other than a 100% me thing to do?"

Yoko risked giving Enid's arm a quick squeeze. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just...worried, that's all."

After that, Enid didn't exactly give her the silent treatment, but there was a lot less joking.

For the next couple of days, though, things seemed to settle into an equilibrium that, while not exactly ideal, seemed to be okay. They spent as much time as they possibly could in the dorm room. They flirted, they snuggled, they said cheesy things to one another, they made out a little bit, and it was awesome. When they had to be out and about...well, Yoko certainly didn't feel great about it, but she thought maybe she was finally doing a better job of not broadcasting her new relationship to anyone paying half an ounce of attention. And if Enid got a little sullen sometimes, well, it was better than a showdown with her mother.

On Thursday, in a class they all shared, Yoko and Enid were sitting beside each other and waiting for Wednesday to show up. Except she only came through the door with seconds to spare, and had to sit on the other side of the room. This kind of shook Yoko a little bit – it was probably just Wednesday cutting it close, which she sometimes did, but it felt disturbingly like the all-too-recent period when Wednesday was on the verge of running away from Nevermore. Still, she managed to ignore it, and she didn't pay too much attention to the very clearly suspicious glares that Enid kept directing at their girlfriend.

Except in fourth period, which she had with Wednesday but not Enid, it happened again.

Yoko decided to wait until they were back in the room to ask about it. But when she got there, there was already an argument in progress.

"Seriously?" Enid yelled. "Weds, that's ridiculous."

They both turned to look at Yoko as she entered. "What's ridiculous?" she asked.

Enid put her hands on her hips and glared expectantly at Wednesday.

Who looked a bit sheepish, as if it had never occurred to her that she might get a negative reaction to whatever was going on. She cleared her throat. "I have decided that it would be safer for me to sit apart from the two of you in classes that we share. And I think you two should sit apart as well."

"Seriously?" Yoko said.

Enid raised her hand, palm up, and gestured at Yoko, while still glaring at Wednesday.

"I know it's less than ideal," Wednesday said. "But...it's safer for Enid."

"Weds," Enid said, "it's frickin' bonkers. On what planet is it drawing less attention to us – known besties – to deliberately sit apart? And how am I supposed to feel that after we finally get together, you want to start not sitting with us?"

Wednesday's slightly bewildered eyes turned to Yoko, who just shook her head. "Gotta say, Weds, I'm down for Operation Protective Girlfriends, but this does seem to be a bit over the top. I mean, how are we going to work on that group project we have in Inter-Outcast Relations if we're not sitting together?"

Wednesday looked down at the floor. "I...may have taken the liberty of changing our groups." Enid looked like she was on the verge of exploding, and Wednesday hurriedly added, "But I can definitely change them back." Enid looked slightly less annoyed. Wednesday went on, her tone uncharacteristically uncertain, "And...I've finalized our date plans for tomorrow."

For a second, it looked like Enid wasn't going to let her get away with changing the subject. But it was as if she just couldn't contain the smile that erupted at the thought of a real, proper first date with her new girlfriends. "Fine. I think I maybe need to cool off a bit before we talk about this anyway. So as long as you promise to sit next to us in class tomorrow, we can hold off on a longer conversation about all of this until then."

# # #

Yoko had figured that Wednesday's date plan could go one of two ways. She might lean into the more dark and DIY side of who she was – Yoko had heard enough stories of recreational grave-digging and picnics in cemeteries to know such things were a real possibility. Or she might just throw money at the problem. Both seemed to be very Addamsy approaches.

She went, it turned out, with the latter. She told Yoko and Enid to dress fancy, but to start out with comfortable shoes and just carry the ones they actually planned to wear, and to bring a jacket that didn't necessarily have to go with their outfits, because they'd have a place to leave them. Yoko went for a dark grey suit that she knew the other two hadn't seen yet. Enid wore a pale pink dress and sparkly makeup that was adorable. And Wednesday went for a dress as well – black, chic, and shorter than Yoko would've expected but still not short – though when she nodded her approval of Yoko's suit she did say she must make sure to bring some of her own to Nevermore in the future.

They snuck out of the school with ease – seriously, for an institution that had been violently hate crimed recently, Nevermore sure had a light hand when it came to the illicit comings, goings, room-switchings, parties, and other nocturnal shenanigans of its students. Not that Yoko minded. 

Then they tromped through the woods for a bit under Wednesday's direction to a stretch of otherwise featureless road. A limo was waiting for them.

"You couldn't just call us an Uber?" Yoko teased.

Wednesday shrugged. "A car service seemed easier. You choose the right one and pay them enough, and they don't ask questions. Or answer them, either, should anyone else try to snoop into our business."

"Are we expecting people to snoop?" Enid asked. "We're not, like, doing anything indictable tonight, are we?"

Wednesday took her hand and kissed it. "We're just going to dinner, dear one. But I believe that one can never be too careful."

The car did not take them to Jericho. Instead, they drove for about an hour and a half and ended up in a small city Yoko had never been to before.

The restaurant Wednesday had found was quiet, dark, and elegant. Yoko inspected it all with interest – not with the same giddy glee as Enid, for whom this sort of luxury was novel, but nonetheless with a keen anthropological eye and mild concern, given that when Yoko's family went out it was rarely to restaurants that catered to a human and human-adjacent clientele, in favour of vampire establishments.

Wednesday caught her looking and took her hand. "Don't worry, dear Yoko. They don't usually serve blood, but I've made sure that they will make an exception this evening." She took Enid's hand as well. "And I'm hoping that this is far enough from campus that you will feel comfortable. It's highly unlikely that anyone who knows us will be here, to either observe your evasion of your ban on leaving the school, or to make intrusive deductions about the character of our relationship. For tonight, at least, we can be out in public and be ourselves."

Yoko had to admit, that sounded pretty great. 

Enid was still gushing about the restaurant and the menu and, oh, wasn't Wednesday the best, when their appetizers came. Yoko's crab cakes were accompanied by a polished wooden board holding three small crystal glasses, each filled with bright red liquid. She raised her eyebrows at Wednesday, impressed, and got a smirk in return.

"I'm afraid it wasn't practical to have them offer options for each course, but they were willing to work with a prestigious blood bar in Manhattan to at least make sure you have suitable...vintages, is that the right word?...for a different flight with each course."

The first of the little glasses she sampled was divine – far better than what they served at Nevermore. Yoko kissed her girlfriend soundly. "You are indeed the best, love."

After her appetizer and its accompanying blood were done, Yoko excused herself to go to the bathroom. She was washing her hands and looking critically at her hair in the mirror – she really needed a trim soon – when a stall door behind her started to open. 

With eyes as round and a face as shocked as Yoko felt, Divina stared back at her.

What the fuck.

Yoko whipped around. 

"What are you doing here?" they said simultaneously.

Yoko swallowed, not sure how to answer.

"Uh, I'm here...with Hanna," Divina said quietly, peering intently at Yoko's face.

Yoko knew that, as the one who had been dumped, she should have some kind of feeling about being suddenly confronted with the reality of her ex out at a fancy restaurant with someone new, and she probably would soon enough. But mostly, at that moment, she was worried about how to prevent Divina from drawing any conclusions about her own companions.

When Yoko didn't speak, Divina came up to the sink, started washing her hands, and kept speaking. "We're...kind of dating, I guess? We're keeping it quiet because things with her ex have been super messy and kind of nasty. That's why we came all the way out here. And, I mean, she wanted to treat me, so." She looked Yoko up and down and took in her suit with a little smirk. "Who are you here with?"

Should she lie? No. This was not a huge restaurant, just two small rooms – Divina was probably seated in the other one, but it's not like she wouldn't see who Yoko was with if she wanted to. "Enid and Wednesday," Yoko answered. "We're just..." She didn't know how to finish that sentence, so she just let it trail off. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't feel able to tell the truth, either.

Divina's eyes got wide. Hurt flashed through them. But then it was chased away by something that might have been understanding. She nodded. "Gotcha. Well, enjoy your...your dinner."

When Divina got to the door, she turned back around and said, "I meant it when I said I hoped we could be friends later on. No worries if you're not ready yet, but...can I text you? Maybe we can have coffee and talk some time?"

Yoko found herself nodding, even though she was not at all sure she wanted that, and then Divina was gone.

Well, fuck.

She knew it must be showing on her face, because when Enid and Wednesday saw her they stopped whatever they were talking about and looked at her with concern.

"Divina. In the bathroom."

"She's here?" Enid said, a hint of panic in her voice. Wednesday reached over and grabbed her hand.

Yoko nodded. "On a date. She said with 'Hanna' – probably meant Hanna Weitz. Div's always had the hots for her."

"She knows you're here with us?" There was a deadly calm in Wednesday's voice. When Yoko nodded again, Wednesday released Enid's hand and stood.

But before she could storm off, perhaps to intimidate Divina into silence or perhaps to do something more drastic, Enid grabbed her wrist. 

"Sit," Enid said firmly.

Wednesday didn't move, her eyes blazing.

"Sweetheart," Enid said, "please sit. No violence. No threats."

Wednesday looked over at Yoko, who nodded at the seer's chair.

"Please?" Enid said.

Wednesday muttered to herself and sat. 

Enid leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Weds." She straightened her shoulders. "This is, like, exactly what I wanted to talk about tonight: I have spent too many years tying myself in knots and doing ridiculous things to keep my secrets from my family and from our classmates and even from myself, and that is not how we're going to do this relationship. I appreciate that you two want to keep me safe, but the way things have gone this week – that can't continue. I mean, I don't want us to be careless." She smiled at Yoko. "Pulling you into a supply cupboard to make out was kinda dumb, and I won't do it again." And then her face went back to serious. "But I kind of feel like this week has been me pulling both of you into a different sort of closet. And that's the opposite of what I had in mind when I said I wanted to be with you. Even when it's scary. I've already made the decision to be out and face whatever happens next. And I know you two are worried about me and I love you for it, but you can't unmake that decision for me."

Yoko looked over at Wednesday, who was staring at the tablecloth. She waited for a few moments, but it didn't seem like Wednesday was about to speak, so Yoko said, "So what do you want us to do, then, love?"

Enid took Wednesday's hand in her left and Yoko's in her right, and said, "Sooner or later – probably sooner – my Mom is going to find out, whatever we do. So instead of pretending we can stop that from happening, let's strategize about what we're going to do when it happens." She grinned impishly at Wednesday. "A really smart person told me awhile ago that I need to be strategizing, and I didn't really listen to what she had to say. But I want to now."

Wednesday finally looked up, her expression intense. "We will find a solution, dear Enid. I swear it."

So as they ate their entrees and lingered over dessert and coffee, they explored their options. Enid made it clear right at the start that she was adamantly opposed to any plan that included killing her mother.

"Of course, dear Enid," Wednesday said, her face faintly offended. "I know you well enough not to suggest such a thing, however elegant a solution it might be."

Yoko resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm not generally one to choose violence, Enie, but after watching her treat you so badly all of these years, I have to ask...how would you feel about a plan that involved, I don't know, roughing her up a little bit?"

It was clear that Enid was not at all happy with that idea either, but she allowed it to be provisionally added to their list of possibilities. And she seemed much more open to the idea of intimidating her brothers.

"You two could catch them in a net and hit them with pepper spray," Enid mused, with a glint in her eye. "Or pretend to throw them off a tower. Or, y'know, whatever you did to terrify Warren into dropping out of Nevermore." 

At Yoko and Wednesday's shocked expressions, Enid giggled. "Aw, c'mon. I run a gossip blog. And there is no one I know better or pay more attention to than the two of you. Did you honestly think I didn't know what you get up to sometimes? I've even been deliberately seeking out stories of assholes who deserve a little bit of your special attention and publishing them, just to make sure you can have your fun."

"You're...not upset?" Yoko asked. 

"Why would I be upset? I mean, I don't want to be out there dispensing vigilante justice myself – not my vibe. But..." Enid's face turned pink. "It's kind of hot, honestly."

They moved on to the nuts and bolts of what Esther might do once she found out about their relationship. There were lots of possibilities, lots of unknowns. But the worst outcomes were those they had identified before – she could kick Enid out and make her a lone wolf, or she could withdraw her from Nevermore and make her move back to San Francisco, perhaps with a serving of gay conversion camp torture on the side. One would leave Enid without pack and family, the other without friends and girlfriends. Both would leave her traumatized.

Figuring out possible responses was even trickier. In some ways, it would be clearest if Enid's pack kicked her out – they'd need to work out the details, but it would be a matter of making sure Enid had some place to go and, as both Wednesday and Yoko insisted, that she could continue to attend Nevermore. But if her mother forced her to move home, it was a lot murkier. Would she take Enid's phone away? Would she deprive her of other means of staying connected with her girlfriends? And the more they talked about it, the more likely some sort of anti-gay torture camp seemed to be. All of it, in fact, felt far too likely, which meant it wouldn't be anything so simple as just having to be long-distance until Enid came of age. And it was not at all clear what they could do about any of it.

It was additionally tricky because they weren't actually sure what resources they would have at their disposal. Wednesday was adamant that her family would be willing to use whatever they had – money, lawyers, influence, magic, violence – to defend Enid ("What could be more Addams than burning the world to the ground in the name of young love?") but was frustrated with herself that she couldn't be more certain of specifics. Yoko couldn't help but wonder if Wednesday might be exaggerating, and it was clear that Enid was far more skeptical than that. And as for Yoko's family, she knew they'd do what they could ("They love you, Enie. Aunty Ange practically wanted to adopt you when you visited last summer.") but she had no idea what that meant in practice. None of them knew if there was any legal recourse for Enid – ways to block Esther's actions, or to emancipate Enid, or to allow her to transfer to another pack – but Enid was again skeptical. ("I don't know anything about what the law says, but I've never heard of any of those things ever happening in any pack I know about. And, anyway, all of that sounds like a one-way ticket to lone wolf town.")

When Wednesday started to (still vaguely and hypothetically) go into some of the less legal and more violent things that her family might be able to do to help, Enid started to get very quiet. 

"I just don't know about that stuff, Weds," Enid said finally. "I know you're just looking out for me, but...it's a lot."

Wednesday took one of Enid's hands in both of hers. "We will find a solution, dear one. Together, we will end this."

Enid said nothing. If Yoko was reading her sad expression correctly, she appreciated the sentiment but didn't actually believe it was true.

"At the very least," Yoko said, "I think Wednesday and I should talk to our families and find out for sure how they might be willing to help."

Enid managed a smile. "Yeah, that makes sense. Can't hurt to know what our options are. And can we maybe talk to our close friends, too, to brainstorm ideas?" Yoko shrugged her agreement. Wednesday seemed more reluctant, but at the pleading in Enid's eyes, she nodded. "And, anyway," Enid continued, "Whatever happens with all of this big stuff, I need you both to promise me that you'll let me, y'know, do all the little things that'll make my life more like I want it, instead of stopping me? I know you want to be safe, but...I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to be with you two."

"Of course, love," Yoko said.

Wednesday hesitated before speaking. "I still don't want to do anything that might end up hurting you or lead to forces we cannot yet stop taking you from us. But I desperately want you to be able to live that life. So, yes, definitely."

"Thanks, Weds," Enid said quietly. "I don't deserve you two." 

As they circled back again to intricacies of pack law that none of them understood even a little bit, and to the modes of intimidation that might be most effective on Enid's brothers, Yoko realized that the restaurant was close to empty.

"We should probably get going," she said.

Enid blinked and looked around. "Oh, yeah. I wonder if Divi and Hanna have left. We could offer them a ride."

"What?" Yoko exclaimed. 

"Or not," Enid said, smiling. "No worries, I know you guys still have some stuff to work out. But, like, she had some issues with me that it turns out were totally legit, and she was never shitty to me, so I want to...just, y'know, be friendly, or at least be decent to her. But I totally know that things between you two weren't always great..."

When they got into the car, Yoko had a moment of hope for a tasteful makeout session or two on the ride back. (Drivers were used to that sort of thing, right?) But soon enough, Enid was snoring loudly with her head on Yoko's shoulder. And Wednesday began the ride staring thoughtfully out the window, but eventually curled up against Yoko's other side and put an arm around her middle.

"Thanks for the date, love," Yoko whispered. "It was pretty awesome."

"The first of many," Wednesday promised quietly in response.

Chapter Text

Despite the fact that she'd arranged the time the day before, Yoko's first attempt to make the video call to her dads was unsuccessful. It was 11pm, so they should be up and awake, but she knew her home was usually pretty chaotic at the beginning of the night, so she wasn't exactly surprised. After several dozen rings, she clicked to cancel it and texted them again.

A few minutes later she got a reply from her Dad, Oh, sorry pumpkin. Give us a few minutes...

When she tried again, the call connected, but the face that appeared on her laptop screen didn't belong to either of her fathers.

"Yokie!"

She smiled. "Minato! I miss you kiddo." She wanted to reach through the screen and squeeze her sort-of-sibling, sort-of-cousin's chubby little cheeks.

Another familiar face appeared on the screen. "Oh, hey Yoko. I wondered who my little monster was talking to."

"Hi Aunty Jun. Are Dad and Papa there?"

"Ummm, your Dad is. I think your Papa left with Allie already." She rolled her eyes. "For 'practice.' And Delfina went with them – you know how nervous she gets."

Yoko grimaced in sympathy. Her Papa had done the same with her when she was Allie's age – twelve – and taken her around Manhattan to practice what he claimed were essential vampire skills like hiding in darkness and stalking humans, even though that hadn't been how most vampires had fed in a long, long time. 

The image on the screen shifted and Yoko couldn't tell what was going on, but when it settled she could see her Dad, her Aunt Jun, and her Aunt Angela sitting on a couch. Minato was on Angela's lap, peering intently at the laptop.

"Oh so wonderful to see you!" Her Dad beamed. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Yoko said. "I'm—"

"How's poor Enid?" Angela interrupted. "Feeling better yet?"

Yoko smiled. "She's good. Fully recovered. Werewolf healing and all that." 

"Oh, wonderful, wonderful."

"And how's your math grade?" She could tell that her Aunt Jun's stern expression was mostly an act, though with a little bit of genuine concern underneath.

"Oh, y'know, it's okay," she said. "Wednesday's been tutoring me a bit, and that's been helping." She cleared her throat. "Listen, I called because I need to talk to you about something."

She paused, bracing for another interruption – that's just how calls with her family went. But they all sat, silent and expectant, watching her with gentle attention. They were frustrating sometimes, but especially at moments like this, when Esther was on her mind, she just loved them so goddamn much.

"I'm...in a new relationship."

The teasing "Oooooh" from her Aunty Jun and the "What's her name?" from her Dad came at the same moment, while Angela just smiled.

She set her shoulders. She wasn't really sure why she was nervous – they weren't going to disapprove – but she still had butterflies. "Well...with Enid and with Wednesday. Both of them."

The responses – two exclamations of excitement and one question about how they got together – were a relief. Yoko sometimes had mixed feelings about how much her family wanted to know about her life, but she mostly didn't mind sharing with them, so she plunged into a somewhat-edited-for-parental-consumption – because even vampire families didn't need to know everything – version of how they got together.

When she got to her worries about whether she'd be able to figure out how to be in a relationship with two people at once, the adults on the other end exchanged looks with each other.

"Are you seriously worried about that, pumpkin?" her Dad asked.

Yoko made a face at him. "Of course I am! I mean, I know Wednesday's said some stuff about how important communication is, and that makes sense, but...that's not the same as knowing how to do it."

Her Aunty Jun snickered. "Think about the household you grew up in, sweetheart."

Minato wriggled off Angela's lap and toddled away. The adults on the other end of the call were all regarding Yoko with varying degrees of amusement.

"I'm sorry, I don't get what you mean," Yoko said. They were all monogamously partnered (her Papa and her Dad were a couple, Aunty Jun and Aunty Del were another) or contentedly single (Aunty Ange). But then she had a moment of panic that maybe they weren't monogamous and she had somehow not known. She tried not to let it show on her face. 

Her Dad got that look that he got when he wanted to wrap her in a tight hug, and he spoke very gently. "I wonder, Yoko, if you might be thinking about this in – and I mean no disrespect – a very normie way. We're two couples and a single who share a home, but we're not human roommates saving on rent. We're five vampires who chose to build lives together over decades – long before you and Allie and Minato came into them. Without getting into things that I'm sure you'd rather not think about, we aren't—" He looked over towards her aunts, as if looking for help, but all he got was a smirk from Jun. "Well, let's just say I don't buy Valentine's candy for anyone but your Papa, and Jun doesn't for anyone but Del. But you grew up in a household with five adults who love and are committed to each other in some pretty profound ways, and all of whom love you dearly. It's not quite the same as what you might end up building with Enid and Wednesday, but it's also not as different as you seem to think."

"Honestly, Yoko-love," Aunty Jun said, "I'm not even a little bit surprised that you're drawn towards being with more than one person, given everything."

Yoko blinked again. She had never in her life thought of the home she grew up in quite that way. All of the adults had raised her, yes, and she loved them all, and they all did the same for Jun and Del's kids. But it had never occurred to her to think about what it meant for the adults themselves – none of whom were actually biologically related, notwithstanding that she called Jun, Del, and Ange her Aunts – to share their lives like that.

She heard Anegela mutter, "I told you we shouldn't have let her watch normie pop culture until she was older..."

Yoko was going to need to think about this some more – a lot more.

"Ummm...okay, mind blown over here," Yoko said. "But I should actually get to why I called. I've told you about Enid's family, right?" Three sympathetic faces, three nods. "Well, her Mom is not going to be happy when she finds out we're together. Like, pulling Enid out of Nevermore, sending her to conversion camp, kicking her out of the pack level of not happy."

"Oh, love," her Dad said. "I'm so sorry."

Yoko nodded. "We're in the middle of figuring out what we can do to...help her, support her, protect her, whatever we can." She gestured between herself and the screen. "So what can we do, if and when she needs it? What we can do to solve this?" 

There was a long, silent moment in which her Dad and Aunts looked at her, then at each other, then back at her. "I'm not sure we can do very much," her Dad said slowly.

"We have to!" She looked among the faces on her laptop screen. All were very sombre.

"It would be a very serious thing for vampires to interfere with an underage werewolf," Aunty Angela said. "Like, start-a-war level of serious."

Suddenly there were tears on Yoko's cheeks and she didn't know how they got there. Her voice shook. "Wednesday and I are going to protect her, however we can," she said defiantly.

"Oh, little love, don't cry," her Aunt Jun said. "Of course you are. And it probably isn't much, but let's sit and figure out what we can do."

# # #

When Yoko got up from her comfy armchair to answer the knock that she knew would be Bianca, she didn’t think anything of it — Wednesday looked like she was really focused on whatever she was doing at her desk, and Enid was in her walk-in closet putting some clean laundry away, so of course it made sense for her to do it. 

She did feel a bit weird, though, when she opened the door and Bianca raised an eyebrow and said in a teasing tone, "Thanks for welcoming me to your room." But only a bit weird, because honestly, it was starting to feel like it really was her room too.

Bianca took two steps in and stopped, her eyes fixed on the massive bed. "Holy shit. Has a sixteenth century European monarch moved into your room as well, Addams? Or is it just your spoiled ass wanting Nevermore to feel more like home?"

Wednesday scowled at her, but before she could reply, Enid called out. "Hey, B! It's spoiling all of our asses, actually. Isn’t it awesome? It’s so comfy."

Bianca sat on it, bounced a little, and nodded her approval. Then she noticed the armchair. 

She moved to sit on it, but before she could, Wednesday snapped, “That is not yours!”

“Wednesday!” Yoko said. “Play nice. I don’t mind if Bianca sits in my chair.”

Bianca grinned at her and mouthed “Your chair?” But she went past it and joined Enid on her bed.

They soon settled into a comfortable hang-out session, even Wednesday. Yoko felt a bit guilty that, other than meals in the cafeteria, they hadn’t really done a ‘girls’ thing that included Bianca since back when it would’ve included Divina as well, and she vowed to make it happen more often in the future. Not that Bianca was ever at a lack for things to do or people to do them with, but Yoko didn’t want to be that person who got into a new relationship and started ignoring their other friends. 

When the conversation eventually turned to said new relationship, and all of the details that they hadn't yet shared with her, Bianca responded exactly like Yoko expected – lots of questions, some fond teasing, and plenty of giggles as Yoko and Enid described the path that had brought them together, with a few barbs thrown in Wednesday's direction; and sombre sympathy with many hugs as Enid talked about her family stuff more frankly than she had before with Bianca. 

It was when Wednesday started talking about their options for responding to Esther's awfulness that things got tense. Bianca's eyes were wide as Wednesday described...well, the various Addamsy possibilities that they'd discussed on their first date. But she didn't criticize, she didn't mock, she didn't scoff. Instead, she kept asking questions – things like, "How would that work?" and "What about the legal implications?" and "What would that mean for Enid?" and "How exactly would that solve things?". As she did so, Enid kind of shrank in on herself, while Wednesday got more and more heated.

Finally, in response to a death threat and a drawn knife, Bianca yelled back. "Wednesday! For fucks sake, I'm not trying to fight with you. I totally respect how far you'll go to protect someone you love. But most of us don't roll in that world, and I'm just trying to wrap my head around how it might work. Like, legal proceedings? Okay, sure, fine, but what'll that mean for how her family treats Enid while it's all taking forever to go through the courts? Or, like, Enid with a changed name living in a safe house might be better than Enid getting tortured on the daily because she likes girls, but...it would be a pretty harsh life too. And...same with a lot of the other things you've talked about."

Wednesday looked like she was working very, very hard not to let her dagger-waving go from symbolic to functional. Yoko went over and wrapped her arms around her. The knife disappeared, then, and her girlfriend hugged her back and buried her face in her neck. Yoko murmured, "I know you're just worried about her, sweetie, but so's Bianca."

She heard Bianca's voice from behind her. "I'm on your side, Addams. You three are my friends, and I want it to work out for you. But these are, like, practical, legit questions. I want whatever you do to actually make things better."

Yoko looked over. Enid's arms were around Bianca. Enid said, "I appreciate it, B. We love you too." Enid looked over to where Yoko and Wednesday stood. "And they're good questions."

It was a few minutes before Wednesday disengaged from Yoko. She didn't apologize to Bianca, but her tone was conciliatory (if somewhat stilted) as she sat on Enid's bed and asked what Bianca's plans were for the upcoming Spring Formal. Bianca rolled her eyes in response, but she answered. And pretty soon the conversation eased back into a smoother sort of normal.

It took a bit for Yoko to psych herself up to join in, though. Because...well, she agreed with Wednesday that they should do whatever they needed to do to solve this and protect their girlfriend. But she also agreed with Bianca (and, seemingly, Enid) that it really wasn't clear what that should look like.

# # #

Yoko was sitting in a corner booth in the Weathervane, tapping her nail on the table top and staring at the frapuccino in front of her. She'd been undecided about whether to accept Divina's invitation to get together and talk. Enid had encouraged her to say yes and Wednesday had refused to give an opinion, and she ended up texting Sure. When and where? in response. But Divina was already ten minutes late, and Yoko was regretting being there.

"Sorry, sorry!" It was Divina. She dropped her backpack under the table and rushed up to the counter to place her order.

"Sorry I'm late," she said again when she slid onto the bench across from Yoko and put her coffee down. "Had to stay after history to ask a question about my essay." 

Once upon a time, in what at this point felt like a whole different geological era but which was actually not very long ago, Yoko might've snarked back – maybe semi-jokily, which would've been met with semi-joking snark in return and they might eventually have ended up either in a real argument or making out, depending on the day; or maybe not-so-jokily, which definitely would've led to a fight. So she pasted a smile on her face that felt a bit fake but not completely, and said, "No problem."

There was an awkward moment that both of them filled by sipping their drinks.

"So...how have you been?" Divina asked.

Yoko shrugged. "A lot's happened since..." She wasn't sure if she wanted to directly reference the girl across the table dumping her – she didn't want to start a fight, and honestly she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it at all. "Well, a lot's happened lately. But things have been getting better."

"Yeah, I saw all the Nightshade group chat messages about Enid's scare, and Bianca told me some too. That must've been terrifying."

Yoko nodded. "And then Wednesday blamed herself for what happened and was being all weird about it. It was a whole thing."

Another awkward silence.

"So, ahhh," Yoko said. "You and Hanna?"

Divina smiled. "Yeah. Me and Hanna. It's still new. And, like I said at the restaurant, her ex is being super shitty to her so we're keeping it kind of quiet for now. But...I really like her."

Even given all of the developments in her own life, Yoko half expected to feel a rush of jealousy or even anger at that. But she just felt a faint, bittersweet ache. Which she decided to push through without letting it take over. "But the question is, can she argue well enough to keep up with you?" She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.

Divina's eyes widened briefly, but then she smirked. "Give us time. Took you and me a few months to really get up to speed, after all."

Yoko smiled back. This one felt almost entirely genuine.

Then Divina's expression got distant and she looked down. "I really am sorry." She sighed, then met Yoko's eyes. "Not for breaking up with you. But I guess for not doing it sooner, if that makes any sense? And for not treating you better when we were together."

Yoko took a sip of her drink and looked out the window. "I'm sorry too," she finally said. She'd started to say it just because it seemed like the right thing to say, but she realized before the words were completely out that she really meant it. "Like, I really want you to know that it was never about not loving you. But...I wasn't always the greatest girlfriend."

Divina nodded. "Yeah. You weren't. And it was never about not loving you either." She took a sip of coffee and raised one eyebrow. "So...you and Enid and Wednesday?"

After a quick glance around to make sure no one would hear, Yoko nodded. "Yeah. I mean, don't say anything to anyone yet – Enid's Mom is going to go fucking ballistic when she finds out, and we're still figuring out what to do about it." She felt her cheeks colour. "Listen, I'm sorry for being such a dumbass about all of that when we were together. I didn't even know I had feelings for them until after you broke things off with me. But I totally should've."

Divina's face showed precisely zero surprise and also a little bit of pain. But there was real warmth in the smile that followed. "I know. I haven't always been your wolf's biggest fan. But that's never been because I don't realize she's a sweetheart. So I really hope she figures things out with her family, and that you guys can be happy."  

"We're trying," Yoko said. "It's been weird, actually. Wednesday and I just want to, y'know, fix it. And Wednesday is really pushing hard for using all of her family's magic and scary illegal shit to solve it. But it's making Enid super uncomfortable, and she wants to just, like, play it by ear. And I just feel caught in the middle."

Divina shrugged. "Well, I'm in no position to tell you what to do. But Enid's been dealing with her family's shit since forever. She's a smart girl and she knows what she needs. So...maybe she knows best? And maybe you and Wednesday should just follow her lead?"

# # #

The next night, the three girlfriends were in Wednesday and Enid's room sitting around one side of a small, round table. A crystal ball sat on the other side. 

Yoko was quite nervous. She had seen Wednesday's parents from a distance, and of course she had heard lots about them over the last few months, but she'd never met them. Even Enid had only met them in passing, as Wednesday usually insisted on being alone for their infrequent calls.

"Are you sure you want us here, Weds?" Enid asked. "I totes want us to meet them officially, like, as your girlfriends, but I know it's a lot for you, and I don't mind if you talk to them about all of this on your own." Yoko nodded her agreement.

Wednesday shook her head. The only outward sign of nerves that Yoko could see in her was, perhaps paradoxically, the intense flatness of her affect. That was, of course, what most people saw most of the time when they looked at her, but usually she and Enid got a little bit more than that. Now, though, her metaphorical walls were at full height.

"Thank-you, dear Enid," Wednesday said. "But, no, it is only right that I should introduce you to them properly as my paramours. And—" She looked between them, and for a moment the flatness was replaced with an expression that Yoko could only label as shy. "—I want to."

Yoko couldn't resist – she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Wednesday's lips. "Then we want to do it too, love."

"Thank-you, dear Yoko." Wednesday straightened her shoulders, and the mask fell back into place. She reached out and laid her hands on the crytal ball.

Almost instantly, the clouds swirling within resolved to show two faces, a man sporting an enormous grin and an elegant woman with a small smile and sparkling eyes.

"My dearest scorpion!" Gomez cried, clutching his hands to his chest. "Since I first held you in my arms as a newborn, I have dreamed of receiving this call." A loud, lush chorus of violins and other stringed instruments burst from the crystal ball. "I knew that once you started at Nevermore, it would only be a matter of time until love gripped you in its bloody, glorious claws."

Wednesday sighed quietly.

"Forgive your father, darling," Morticia said. "You know how he is. Perhaps I should not have told him in advance of my vision of this call, but I feared that if I did not, the suddenness of his joy would stop his heart." She turned to draw a finger down her husband's cheek, at which he visibly swooned, and then she looked back at her daughter. "But, please, introduce us to the hearts that beat with yours."

Wednesday sighed again. "Only if you turn off that thrice-damned music."

"Of course!" Gomez answered. Yoko couldn't really see what he was doing, but it looked like he was peering intently at the crystal ball on the other end of the call and he seemed to be doing something with his hands. "Just a second," he said. Another pause. "I've never quite gotten the hang of this thing..."

Wednesday was staring into space just above the crystal ball, a muscle in her jaw twitching ever so slightly.

"What's going on?" Enid asked in a whisper.

"My father," Wednesday answered loudly, clearly intending everyone on both ends of the call to hear, "insisted that Grandmama hack the magic of our crystal balls so that they would spontaneously add mood music at key moments of our conversations." She glared at her parents. "It was a foolish idea. With all due respect to Grandmama, it has never worked properly. It is, as you can see, very difficult to turn off. And it makes speaking with my parents even more insufferable than it would otherwise be."

Enid's eyes darted between Wednesday and her parents. "Oh, Weds, I don't mind. It's lovely music. I—"

"There we go!" Gomez said, and it was suddenly quiet again. "Proceed, my little poisoned dart."

Wednesday sighed once more. "Mother, father, I would like you to meet my paramours – Enid Sinclair and Yoko Tanaka. And, dear hearts, these are my parents, Gomez and Morticia Addams."

Yoko felt suddenly awkward. "Uh, hi Mr. and Mrs. Addams." Enid just gave a little wave.

"No need for formality – just Gomez and Morticia, please!" Gomez beamed at them. "Now I must learn everything there is to know about the two glorious creatures who have stolen our Wednesday's shrivelled heart." He proceeded to pepper Enid and Yoko with questions about school, clubs, their taste in music – anything that came to his mind, it seemed. Yoko wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but his delight at their answers was reassuring. Pretty soon she was having fun, and Enid seemed to be as well.

Wednesday, on the other hand, stayed quiet. Her expression was mostly that of someone enduring some long-expected but unavoidable misery, but Yoko was pretty sure she caught hints that suggested that Wednesday was actually taking pleasure in watching her father and her girlfriends enjoy each other's company.

There was a gap in the enthusiastic back and forth, and Morticia jumped in, her voice laced with teasing. "Tell me, darling, has the latest furniture delivery met your needs?"

Wednesday quirked an eyebrow and levelled a challenging stare at her mother. "Very much so. The extra room in Aunty Fidelia's bed is most welcome. It is almost painfully comfortable, and all of us have been sleeping dreadfully." Yoko looked down, to avoid any chance of eye contact with the pair on the other end of the call – she wasn't ashamed that she shared a bed with her girlfriends most nights, but it felt like a bit of an awkward topic for a meet-the-parents conversation. Wednesday continued, "But I did not initiate this call just so the two of you could pester my paramours with inane questions or try unsuccessfully to embarrass me. There is serious business that we must discuss."

Morticia and Gomez exchanged a look, and their expressions became solemn. "Of course, darling," Morticia said. "This, too, I saw."

Wednesday explained the situation – Enid's relationship with her family, her mother's past actions and statements, and the range of likely reactions to her finding out about their relationship. She ended by saying, "We fear that she will do something that will separate us, something that will sever Enid from her pack, or something that will harm Enid even more directly. We are going to do everything that we can to support Enid, and I demand that you commit the family to doing likewise."

Gomez was nodding thoughtfully, stroking his chin with one hand.

"Enid, darling," Morticia said. "This must be so hard for you."

The werewolf nodded. 

Morticia continued, "I cannot imagine a mother treating their child in such a manner. And I cannot imagine how painful it must be for you. Know that whatever else we decide, whatever else happens, you will be welcome at any time, for any reason, at the manor. I know you have not been here yet, but please know that, now and always, we wish it to be for you a space of care, of safety."

Enid's battle to hold back her tears failed at some point during this speech, and she could only nod vigorously and swipe her hand across her cheeks in an attempt to dry them.

"But before we go further, dear Enid, tell us – what do you want us to do?"

Yoko reached across and took one of Enid's hands. Wednesday already held the other.

Enid said, "I...I don't really know, Mrs. Addams. Morticia. I don't want you to go out of your way for me. Just, y'know, if there's something you can do, and it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate it."

Morticia smiled fondly, and was about to speak again when Wednesday cut in. "I, on the other hand, insist and demand that you go very much out of your way for her. Every resource. Every dime. Every scrap of magic, every favour, every imaginable violence. All will be at her service. Do you understand me?"

"I do, my little rusted blade," Gomez said with fervour.

Yoko tried to speak, but the words got caught – good lord, she'd already been speaking plenty, and when had she ever been shy? But Wednesday's parents were just so intense, and the words still wouldn't come, so she slowly raised her hand. 

Wednesday rolled her eyes at her, and Morticia – amusement once again rich in her voice – said, "Speak, Yoko darling. Never hesitate to use your voice with us."

"Uhh, thanks." Yoko cleared her throat. "Ummm...I asked my dads and my aunts about what they could do. And...well, it's tricky..."

"Of course," Gomez said. "Wolves and vamps – very tricky indeed." 

She smiled. "Yeah. They'd be happy to help behind the scenes. Like, money maybe, or lawyers. But nothing that could be traced to them."

He nodded. "Not surprising. And very good of them to do even that much, given the risk involved." He grinned again, and there was something predatory about it. "Addams, thankfully, face no such constraints."

The conversation then turned in a similar direction to the one that they'd had on their date, but this time informed by a much better sense of what would be possible. It was mostly Gomez and Wednesday that spoke. Yoko had to admit, it was a bit overwhelming. It was one thing to hear Wednesday casually offer violence, or for her to speak about hiding Enid away – not that Yoko would ever believe Wednesday to be any less than 100% serious about helping their girlfriend, but, still, she was pretty sure that Wednesday made up about half the things she said to fellow students on a day-to-day basis to freak them out, so those aspects of their earlier conversation had still felt a little unreal, somehow. But it was quite another thing to hear her and her father talk in deadly earnest about things like hit men, safe house networks, and secret bank accounts. Though to Yoko's fascination, what slowly became clearer was that nothing in the conversation related to protecting an outcast who was at risk sounded like it was at all new to them. Yoko had never really thought much about the more nefarious side of the Addams' affairs – perhaps that reflected badly on her, but honestly she didn't care very much – but she'd always assumed that it was all about making money. But from what she could piece together from the careful way that Gomez and Wednesday talked, it sounded like maybe using less-than-legal means to protect outcasts from violence threatened by both normies and other outcasts was actually a routine thing for the Addams – like maybe it was the thing that they did.

Hmmm. Well, that did explain some things about Wednesday herself, and about her covert activities at Nevermore. She'd have to make a note to ask her later.

In the course of this conversation, however, Yoko noticed that Enid's eyes were getting wider and wider. At some point, Gomez briefly turned to look at her and, in a very offhand way, said, "Of course, my dear, should you lose the support of your family and pack, we will pay for your remaining Nevermore tuition and for whatever college you wish to attend, however your relationship with our little stormcloud goes," and turned immediately back to Wednesday, who started talking about the ins and outs of blocking the magical tracking methods favoured by werewolf packs.

Enid started actively blinking and staring at the table. Yoko gave her hand a squeeze, and got a squeeze back. But it didn't seem to settle her.

Wednesday had moved on to questions about the viability of having a certain cousin come and give Enid a crash course in hand-to-hand combat, and it was clear to Yoko that Enid was trying to work herself up to say something when the crystal ball started blaring "The Imperial March" from Star Wars. 

It made Yoko jump. Wednesday just swore and glared at her father, who again started fiddling with the crystal ball.

Morticia slowly reached out a hand and the music stopped. "Darlings," she said, gently but with an intensity that called for full attention. "This has been a very useful conversation, and of course we can continue it another time. But I believe what would be best now is if Enid and I could speak, just the two of us." She looked at Enid. "Would that be okay?" 

Enid's eyes went wide. She looked over at Wednesday, who was now glaring at her mother. But then Enid looked back at Morticia, blinked a little more, and nodded. 

Morticia's eyes found her daughter's, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Wednesday said. "But if I find that you have upset her, I will skin you."

"Of course, darling." Morticia smiled. "And, Yoko dear, I very much want to spend time with you as well – not this call, given the circumstances, but soon, I promise."

Yoko smiled shyly. "I'd like that."

Once she was pretty sure she was out of range of the crystal ball, Yoko caught Enid's attention and mouthed, "You okay?" The nod she got back looked a little shaky but not hesitant, so Yoko followed Wednesday out of the room.

They went down to Yoko's room, so as not eavesdrop. Yoko lay on her bed and pretended to read. Wednesday paced. It was about half an hour later that they got a text from Enid telling them to come back up.

When they arrived in the room, Enid was curled up on the big bed. She didn't look happy, exactly, but she wasn't actively upset either.

"Well?" Wednesday said. "What did she say to you?"

Enid smiled an exhausted smile. "I want cuddles first."

They obliged, one on each side – "I'm the traumatized one today, so I get to be the middle spoon" was Enid's rationale. Once they were arranged, Enid squeezed Wednesday tight and said, "You're mother is awesome, Weds."

Wednesday made a skeptical hum.

"She is! She, y'know, asked about my mom, and about our family. And...she really listened. She told me to follow my instincts and, like, live my life the way I want to live. And if something happens, to deal with that the way that seems best to me, since I know my feelings the best and I know my family the best. But she said that your family will be in my corner with everything they have, in whatever way I want them to be."

Wednesday looked very conflicted. "I appreciate my mother's declaration of support, and of course I trust you, dear Enid. But I have to—"

Enid silenced her with a kiss. "Wednesday, I love you. The things you're willing to do for me – I've never felt as safe and loved as you two make me feel. I know we're in this together." She kissed Wednesday again. "But, sweetie, I need to take the lead in how we do this. And I need to do it day-by-day, choice-by-choice, just following my instincts, following my heart.

Dark eyes searched Enid's face. Yoko leaned over and kissed first Wednesday's cheek and then Enid's, and she said, "I think that sounds really good, Enie-bean."

Wednesday wrapped her arms around Enid and snuggled close. But she didn't say anything in response, and Yoko was pretty sure that she didn't look even close to convinced.

Chapter Text

The morning after their call with Morticia and Gomez, Yoko drifted awake with a feeling of intense warmth along one side and over her middle – werewolf body heat, no doubt – and cool-but-not-as-cool-as-her lips on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open to see Wednesday standing next to the bed, already dressed, her face soft.

"It's time to get up, dear hearts."

Enid grumbled and squeezed Yoko tighter. Yoko kissed her, and then slipped from her grip.

At breakfast – after she and Enid had added cream and sugar to their coffees, after the three had found a table, after Wednesday had complained about a history assignment due later in the week that she found to be particularly juvenile – Enid took a breakfast sausage from her plate and put it on Yoko's plate. Then she took a couple of dry crackers and put them on Wednesday's plate. 

Before she did this, she did not look over her shoulder. She did not scan the room. She did not check to see if her brothers might be lurking nearby. Instead, she just did it. And there was something about how she did it that was clearly pointed – maybe a response to last week's insistence from her girlfriends that it really wouldn't be a good idea, Yoko thought, but it didn't really seem to be directed at the two of them, so maybe it was more of a sort of symbolic fuck you to all things Esther.

Equally clearly, as she slowly moved the sausage to one plate and then the crackers to the other, she had some of the most intense heart eyes that Yoko had ever had the pleasure to witness.

The warmth that blossomed in Yoko's chest as a result was lovely – more than lovely – and it took a fair bit of effort not to lean forward and kiss her. 

Breakfast was otherwise uneventful...at least until Enid remembered that she was supposed to be at a before-class meeting for Nevermore's new baking club, which she had for some reason signed up for despite the fact that she had no time and did not actually like baking. She stuffed one of the danishes from her plate into her mouth while managing to knock the other on the floor, before clattering away from the table with dual waves at her girlfriends. Yoko's eyes followed her departure from the cafeteria with a bemused fondness. 

When Yoko looked back at Wednesday, her face bore a similar expression, which made Yoko's smile grow. "Pretty adorable, our wolf," she said just barely loud enough for Wednesday to hear.

"Yes," Wednesday said, her face still soft and her eyes flickering back towards the door through which Enid had just exited. Then she sighed, and looked sadder. "But I most emphatically do not wish to go from the shocking realization that 'adorable' is something I want and can actually have in my life to mourning its absence. I wish she would continue strategizing with us."

Yoko, who had been working pretty hard to follow Enid's lead and avoid thinking too much about that, reached under the table and squeezed Wednesday's hand. Some of the anxiety around Wednesday's eyes faded and she squeezed Yoko's hand in return, but the sadness on her face did not disappear.

Over the next couple of days, Enid continued, as far as Yoko could tell, to do more or less whatever she wanted. She gave them food from her plate. She let her face show whatever feelings filled her. She wrote them cute little notes in class, covered in drawings of hearts and flowers and little creatures. She sometimes held one of their hands as they walked in the halls. There was even a hasty cheek kiss or two. And, sure, a lot of this was not exactly novel in Yoko's experience of Enid. But the notes were flirtier, the eyes were heartier, and the hand-holding...well, she couldn't pinpoint how, exactly, but that seemed to be different too. And Yoko was pretty sure it must look different to anyone who happened to be paying attention. But she made the executive decision not to get caught up in caring too much about that. Okay, sure, she'd still stop any attempts to make out in a public area of the school, because why the fuck would they risk that when they had two perfectly good dorm rooms they could use for the purpose. But she entered into the rest of it with gusto.

Even Wednesday did not refuse. When she and Enid arrived at a class after Yoko was already seated on Tuesday afternoon, their hands were together – which, unlike Enid and Yoko, was actually a relatively new thing. Wednesday's cheeks were faintly flushed, which Yoko thought was incredibly cute, though she elected not to say so. And in the past, Wednesday had stalwartly refused to pass notes in class for any but the most utilitarian reason – she might respond to a note bearing a question like "When's the essay due?" with both a written date and a withering glare, but only if she was in a particularly good mood. But much to Yoko's surprise, in an early-morning class which she and Wednesday shared, but not Enid, it was actually Wednesday who started it by passing Yoko a note (in her perfect penmanship) that read, I am bored, dear Yoko. Entertain me.

But there was still a sense that they were, as Yoko put it to Wednesday in a rushed conversation they had between classes one day, "flirting on borrowed time." Yoko still tried not to think much about it because Enid still didn't seem to be thinking much about it, but that didn't change the fact that it was true, and she couldn't bring herself to ignore it completely.

Later that day, the three of them sat in their dorm room – Enid and Wednesday insisted that it now belonged to all three of them, whatever official school documents said. Yoko was attempting to get some homework done before art club, Wednesday was doing something at her desk that involved a sketch pad and a coffee table-style book containing glossy photographs of dissected bodies, and Enid was poring over her phone and occasionally interjecting something about potential future date ideas.

"Do you think, given that I'm not allowed to leave campus, it would be too risky to sneak out and do date stuff in Jericho? I'd really love to go bowling with you guys. And, like, that little cinema on State Street sometimes has stuff you'd like, Weds, not just blockbusters. We could go there."

Wednesday made a noncommittal noise and Enid went back to peering at her phone.

A few minute later, she looked up again. "Oh! And the Spring Formal." She beamed at her girlfriends. "Probably too much to be all official about it, but maybe we could just be, like, gals being pals and go together but not announce that we're together-together, y'know? I totally made this mood board to figure out ways to coordinate our outfits without being too-much about it. I already have my eye on this super cute dress, too, but not the same one I was going to wear when I was going with Ajax. It's this, like, sleek fabric and—"

Wednesday stood abruptly. She walked over to Enid's bed and stopped in front of her, with her hands clasped behind her back.

She cleared her throat. But then no words followed.

"Hiya, Weds," Enid said quietly, an encouraging smile on her face.

Wednesday's gaze flicked to Yoko and back to Enid. Her tone had a formality to it that was both very Wednesday and kind of funny, and Yoko was pretty sure it was a sign that she was nervous. "Dear Enid, I am enjoying very much the new ease in our shared conduct out in the world, and the reduced gap between life in this room and life beyond. And I would dearly, dearly love to dance with you at the Spring Formal. But...I passionately, fervently do not wish to lose you, and I fear that you may be viciously stolen from our lives before the dance is even a question. So I am hoping that we can, at your convenience, continue our conversation about how we will respond to your mother, if and when she learns of our relationship and takes retaliatory action."

Enid's face shifted to a mix of fondness, exasperation, and sympathy. "Yeah....I know. And I know it means you care." She put her phone down. "But Yoko and I have to get going or we're going to be late for art club. And also—" She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Wednesday's mouth. "—whatever happens, we'll deal with it when it happens." Then she kissed Wednesday again and solemnly booped her nose.

Wednesday still hadn't moved by the time Yoko and Enid left the room.

# # #

The collective waiting for the other shoe to drop ended the next Sunday.

Yoko and Wednesday were on what was now (and, Yoko reflected, what perhaps had been for far longer than either of them realized) their weekly Sunday morning date. As they so often did, they purchased their caffeinated beverages of choice and just walked. Predictably, that morning they mostly talked about Enid, her family, and the need to figure out what to do.

None of it covered any new ground. And as much as the point of talking was in theory that it should make them feel better prepared, like they'd be able to do what they needed to do for their girlfriend when the time came, this morning it didn't really do any of that for Yoko. Honestly, it just made her feel more anxious than she'd felt about it all week. 

The best part of the whole outing was on the walk home when Wednesday dragged her into the woods for a few steamy minutes of making out against a tree. And then Wednesday holding her hand most of the rest of the way back.

When they got to their dorm room, they knew something was wrong. 

Enid wasn't crying, but her eyes were puffy. She didn't look panicked, though – more determined than anything else. "Got a text from Mom. She doesn't seem to know about us, yet, but she's set me up on another date."

Yoko looked at Wednesday, suddenly wishing they'd found ways to do more over the last week to come up with some sort of definitive plan they could present to Enid. Wednesday was staring at their girlfriend, her face grave. She didn't look like she was about to speak.

"What are we going to do?" Yoko said at last.

Enid shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. What do you think?"

Yoko wasn't sure either. So she went with the first idea that popped into her mind. "You could just go on the date." She really hated the idea of encouraging Enid to go down that path, but she hated the idea of forcing a premature showdown with Esther even more. "Then you could say you didn't like him, like you've already been doing."

"We could fake an illness," Wednesday said. "His or yours. I know several poisons that could elicit dramatic symptoms without doing lasting harm, and no one would be able to tell."

Enid brought her knees up to her chin. The other two sat beside her, waiting for her to say something. She finally shook her head. "No. I'm not going on another date with someone I'm not interested in. And I'm not making myself or someone else sick just to buy us a few more days. I tried to tell her I have too much work to be going on dates right now and she agreed to postpone it from Tuesday to next Saturday, but that's as far as she'd go."

"So...what do you want to do, sweetie?" Yoko said.

With no explanation, Enid stood, walked across the room, and went out on the balcony. 

Yoko and Wednesday exchanged a look, then joined her standing at the railing. 

"Are you okay, dear Enid?" Wednesday asked.

For a few moments, Enid was silent. Then she said, "I want to go to a party."

"Excuse me?" Yoko replied.

"A party," Enid said, her voice firm. "Is there another one of those gay vampire parties between now and next Saturday?"

"I mean...probably? I'd have to ask around."

"Good. I want to go." 

"Oooookay," Yoko said. "...why?"

Enid turned to Yoko and gave her a long, slow kiss, then did the same to Wednesday. "This is me living my life. This is me not pretending any more. I'm not going to go out of my way to antagonize my mother, but I'm not going to play along either. I want to go to the gayest party you can find, and I want to go with my girlfriends."

"I have to go?" Wednesday exclaimed.

Yoko elbowed her in the stomach.

Wednesday huffed. "Which I will gladly do if you need me, dear Enid. But what are we going to do to fix it when your mother finds out and does something awful?"

Enid shrugged and gave a small smile. "I dunno yet. But I told you – I'm not going to live in fear any more."

# # # 

It turned out that there was indeed one of those parties happening on Friday night. Unlike the one that Enid had been to before, this one was not a small gathering hidden away in a basement room in the depths of the school, but rather something much larger taking place in a nominally abandoned but actually carefully maintained building in the middle of the woods. It was usually referred to as "the cabin" among vampires in the know, but it was much larger than the sort of structure to which that word was usually applied. A past vampire student with far too much money and an intense dedication to partying had found it, clearly long abandoned, and covertly fixed it up in a luxurious way that only vampire old-money could have managed. In the years since, Nevermore vampires would still sometimes use it when they wanted to throw a proper blowout. Which this party was definitely going to be – queers but not only, outcasts but not only, from Nevermore and much farther afield would be there. Yoko was certain based on her own past experience of such events that it would, like the party that had so captivated Enid on her Very Bad Night, be a thoroughly queer space.

The best thing about getting ready for the party was, of course, Enid – her excitement as she bounced around the dorm was not exactly infectious, but it was definitely adorable. And Yoko would never dream of saying so aloud, but so was Wednesday's herculean but only partially successful effort to avoid being too grumpy about the whole thing.

Yoko herself wasn't feeling grumpy about it, exactly, but she was feeling kind of ambivalent. She hadn't gone to one of these parties in quite awhile. She'd still been with Divina, last time. They had a pretty decent time – whoever was in charge of the music had made a lot of strong choices. She and Divina spent most of the night on the dance floor, and both of them had a blast.

And she did kind of like how these events often brought together unabashed queerness and a mode of being a vampire that Yoko actually enjoyed. She did not like the cliqueish snobbery, gratuitous displays of wealth, and over-the-top gothicness that some of her fellow fangs, like the muckity-mucks who ran the Vampire Student Society, insisted was the only way to be a "real" vampire. She'd heard her Aunty Jun once refer to it derisively as 'vampire high culture' and that about fit – meaning no offence to her girlfriend's family re. all things OTT and gothic, of course. These parties, though, were usually the kind of vampiricness that she liked. It was sexy clothes, an aesthetic that was dark but not rigid, unapologetic sexuality, unapologetic weirdness (okay, so the Addams were in on this too – come to think of it, maybe that was why she'd been so drawn to Wednesday), a mix of chill vibes and sensual intensity, and an up-for-anything attitude that could take your evening anywhere. 

Of course, she was a bit a whimp, and usually she didn't want her evening to take her anywhere but her own bed, preferably in good time, so she could get a full night of sleep. So she liked these parties in principle, but she didn't go very often. Even tonight, she was doing so entirely because of the werewolf who was vibrating with excitement on the other side of the room and who was currently deep into her third attempt to create the perfect Euphoria-inspired make-up look for herself.

Yoko watched as Wednesday silently approached Enid, placed a kiss on her neck, and murmured, "You look beautiful, dear one."

When they got to the party, it was already busy. There was a bonfire outside, with plenty of people around it and a sound system blaring. Judging by the view through the windows, the cabin was packed too, and Yoko knew that there'd be a whole different set of tunes playing in there. 

Enid stopped on the edge of the firelight. Her eyes were big, and her smile small but intense. Then she turned to Wednesday and quietly murmured in her ear. "I know it's a lot of people, sweetheart. If you start to feel overwhelmed or, y'know, too stabby, we can go, okay?"

"I'm fine, Enid," Wednesday muttered, though Yoko could tell she appreciated the reassurance.

They plunged in, with Enid leading the way. She headed straight into the cabin while Yoko paused to say hi to a couple of people sitting near the fire. Wednesday lingered with Yoko, though avoided being drawn into the conversation. By the time they got inside, they could see Enid had already thrown herself into the dance floor, packed as it was with people of all genders, species, shapes, and sizes. Yoko saw mesh tops and flannel shirts, muscle t's and high femme glory, septum piercings and undercuts – and plenty of looks that fit no community archetype, just one person's quirky style. It was a beautiful sight.

"Want to join her?" Yoko asked.

Wednesday considered for a moment. "Later, perhaps. You can, though. I'll be fine."

But Yoko decided to stick with Wednesday for the time being, and they found an unoccupied couch in one of the other rooms. 

Soon enough, a vampire and siren that Yoko knew sat on the floor nearby, and she got into a conversation. Wednesday wandered off, and seemed to be intently inspecting the art on the walls – thanks to the rich vamp who'd restored the place, they were mostly original paintings and photos featuring various kinds of queer vampiric debauchery that the Nevermore authorities would no doubt be aghast to learn their students were seeing. 

Not long after, Yoko joined Enid dancing. And it was...pretty great, she had to admit, to be doing this, with this beautiful girl, in this place.

When they needed a break, they headed back towards the couch, hoping to find Wednesday. And, sure enough, she was there. She was holding a half-full glass of red wine and, to Yoko's surprise, seemed to be deep in conversation with two vampires that Yoko only knew slightly. 

There was room for Enid on the couch, so she sat and leaned into Wednesday, while Yoko sat on the floor in front of them and rested her head on Enid's knee.

When the two other vamps drifted away, Enid leaned in, captured Wednesday's chin with her fingers, and gave her a quick kiss.

In response to Yoko's raised eyebrows, Enid said, "I told you, I'm not living in fear. If I can't kiss my girlfriends here, at this party, then where can I kiss them?"

Before Yoko could say anything in response, though, Enid was sniffing in the direction of Wednesday's glass.

"Would you like some, dear Enid?"

"No, I'm still not drinking, thanks," she said. "But is that..."

"Three parts red wine, one part blood. It's quite good. My family will have to start serving this at parties, I think."

This time, Yoko directed her raised eyebrows at Wednesday, who just smirked back at her.

"Oh!" Enid said suddenly. "Guess what?" Her face was gleeful.

When the others didn't ask but just looked at her expectantly, she went on, "I was dancing in a group with Abby and a few other people – remember, Weds, Abby from the party I went to on my Very Bad Night? Anyway, she was super apologetic about what happened to me, but I told her it was fine." Her smile got even brighter. "So we danced some more, and a little later, she asked me out!"

Yoko and Wednesday just looked at her and then at each other.

"I am not in principle against making our triad an open one in the future," Wednesday said slowly. "And whatever joy or pleasure you find in whatever domain of life, dear Enid, will bring me joy and pleasure in turn. But...I'm just getting used to our relationship as it is, so it is perhaps a little early to consider such things."

Enid rolled her eyes. "No, silly. I didn't say yes, and I wouldn't want to." She bit her lip. "Or, actually, maybe future me would, I dunno. But that's not the point. It's, like..." She couldn't find words for a few moments. "Okay, so, yes, baby bi Enid of two years ago who had a little crush on Abby is super stoked that she asked me. But it's more that she just, like, asked me." In response to their blank looks, she went on, "Like, as if I really belong here, as if she didn't doubt it for a minute!"

Yoko hugged Enid's legs and placed a kiss on her knee. "Oh sweetie. Of course she didn't and of course you do. Don't ever doubt it." 

"But here's the most exciting part – when I turned her down, I told her it's because I'm with you two! I just, like, told her!" She shrugged, looking embarrassed now. "It just felt like a big moment, y'know? Telling someone, 'I have girlfriends'?"

Yoko gave her knee another kiss. "I get it. I'm proud of you."

Enid beamed.

Not long after that, Enid led the other two back through to the room with the dancing. At first, they just danced together – at the same time, in the same place, in the same little circle of three. But soon enough, it felt like they were dancing together. Wednesday's wild, distinctive style, Yoko's (if she did say so herself) vampiric grace, and Enid's boisterous enthusiasm were perhaps a peculiar mix, but to Yoko's eyes they were a perfect fit. And when a slow song came on, Enid insisted that they at the very least put their arms around each other and sway together to the music.

The night was winding down, and the non-vampire attendees had started to drift away from the party, as well as a few of the vampires. Yoko was fading fast herself. Enid didn't want to go quite yet, though, so Yoko went to find them more drinks – blood for herself, another wine and blood cocktail for Wednesday, and lemon flavoured seltzer for Enid. 

She almost dropped them when she got back to the couch that they had once again claimed.

Wednesday was sitting in Enid's lap and they were kissing intensely.

When Yoko sat, they broke apart. Wednesday seemed a bit dazed and Enid had a devilish smirk on her face.

Yoko offered them their drinks and smiled. "So, no judgment whatsoever for any queer hotties who might choose to put this fine party couch to the use that nature intended. And, like, folks at these parties are at least a bit more discrete than your average Nevermore bro. But you do know that even given that, all sorts of people are going to be whispering by Monday, right?"

Enid nodded. "You don't need to tell me about gossip at Nevermore. I know what I'm doing."

"Okay," Yoko said. "Just making sure. Is it maybe time to go back to the room?" She was pretty happy when Enid nodded that, yes, maybe it was. 

Yoko realized that she hadn't felt anything even vaguely resembling ambivalence about being at the party in hours. Given Enid's ongoing refusal to talk about what she was going to do about the date her mother had scheduled for tomorrow, Yoko imagined that it was going to be a pretty miserable day. But tonight had been utterly queer, completely glorious, and full of love. Which, she supposed, was probably what Enid had wanted.

Chapter Text

The three of them were quiet as they ate their (quite late) breakfast the morning after the party. Wednesday didn't seem to be any different than she usually was – given how little she'd slept, how much blood-infused wine she'd drunk, and how tiny she was, that seemed to Yoko to be highly unfair. Yoko herself felt barely coherent thanks to the lack of sleep, despite having consumed no substances that she could blame for making it worse. And Enid still seemed to be glowing a little bit from the whole experience, but it was definitely a sleepy, low-key glow.

Part of Yoko wanted to ask Enid what she'd decided to do about the Esther-arranged date that was supposed to be happening in mere hours. The other part just wanted to let her savour her happiness for a little while longer.

When Bianca sat, she made a point of inspecting them with a grin. "Good party?"

Enid nodded with enthusiasm as Wednesday said, "Quite tolerable, to my surprise."

Bianca proceeded to tell them about her evening – a date with Lucas that sounded very romantic. Yoko hoped she nodded at the appropriate points, but she was tired enough that she wasn't certain.

During a lull in the conversation, Bianca said, "Oooh, nice," clearly directed at Enid. "Good for you, E."

Enid smiled shyly. "Thanks."

Yoko peered more closely at her girlfriend, trying to figure out what Bianca was talking about.

Then she spotted it – a small, round, enamel pin on Enid's shirt that was pink at the top, purple in the middle, and blue on the bottom. Yoko couldn't believe that even in her post-party stupor, she'd missed it.

She mouthed, "Love you," at Enid, who smiled and mouthed, "Love you too," back at her.

Bianca rolled her eyes and said, "Sickening." But her voice was very fond. "So what are you lovebirds up to today?" 

At that, Enid's face fell a little bit, and Wednesday and Yoko exchanged an anxious look.

# # #

It was, as seemed to happen far too often, a knock on her door that woke Yoko. 

She glanced at her phone. 4:03 pm. Fuck. Her girlfriends had decided to power through to bedtime, but Yoko had finally given into her desperate need to nap. She'd meant to wake up sooner in order to help Enid strategize about the date. Not that she'd been asked to – Enid had remained vague and noncommittal when Yoko and Wednesday had pressed her about it. But Yoko suspected that as the scheduled time drew closer, that would abruptly shift to the active version of distress she had witnessed so often from Enid. So the knock was, no doubt, her girlfriends.

When Yoko opened the door, though, it was just Wednesday. Yoko could read some unease in her expression.

Wednesday's face softened in response to Yoko's smile. "You weren't answering your texts. She sent me to get you."

"Oh. Yeah. I was sleeping, still. What's up?"

"I...am unsure. I believe she has something in mind, but she hasn't said anything."

"Okay. Give me a minute." She gestured Wednesday into her room. 

Once they were within, Wednesday leaned in for a quick kiss, then stepped back. "Hurry, then."

Yoko brushed her bed-mussed hair, and – assuming she'd be up there over night – she grabbed a change of clothes, some homework, and a book, and stuffed them in her bag. "Alright. Let's go see what she has planned."

As soon as they entered the room, Yoko and Wednesday stopped. Enid was sitting on her bed, feet on the floor, back unusually straight, hands folded in her lap. Her face was tense but determined. Opposite her, almost against the other wall, sat the room's two desk chairs, side by side and facing Enid.

"Hey, sweetie," Yoko said. "How are you doing?"

Enid smiled, but it was obviously forced. "I'm okay." Then she gestured at the chairs. 

"What's going on?" Yoko asked

Enid just gestured again. After a second, Yoko and Wednesday sat.

"Thanks," Enid said. "So...yeah. You've said a bunch of times in the last week that you'll do whatever I need to help me figure out this shit with my Mom."

They both nodded.

"Right. So the first thing I need is for you two to sit there, and not speak, and not interrupt what I'm about to do. Whatever happens, you are not to yell, or swear, or threaten. Okay?"

Yoko and Wednesday exchanged a glance that included some quite severely raised eyebrows, and then looked at Enid and nodded. Yoko was about to speak when Enid pressed something on her phone and raised her finger to her lips.

The phone rang.

"Enid?" a voice emanating from the phone said. It was Esther. "Shouldn't you be on your way to your date, young lady?"

Enid took a big breath in and let it out again. "I'm not going on the date, Mom."

A beat of silence.

"Enid Sinclair, what do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not going on the date. I'm not going on any more dates that you set up for me."

"Enid. Eliana. Sinclair. That is absolutely ridiculous. You need to find yourself a mate. By the time I was your age..." 

Yoko had listened in on a number of difficult conversations between Enid and Esther, and this one felt exactly the same. She'd also been present for at least somewhat normal interactions between the two, so she knew they were possible, but without fail in situations like this Esther jumped straight to ranting, and was a steamroller once she got going. This time, she started out by telling Enid exactly how lucky she was that she, Esther, was willing to put in the effort to find her werewolf boys to date. She then went on about how things were when she was a pup, about the importance of werewolf traditions, and about how much better Enid's brothers were at meeting their duty to the pack. She spent several minutes enumerating Enid's faults, and talked about how hard it would be to find a mate as a late bloomer. She spoke at length about the need for Enid to learn some self-control, which seemed to be her way of trying to shame her daughter for having sex with Ajax without actually saying the words.

Throughout, Enid's face looked both weary and determined.

"Seriously, Enid. Is this still about that boy who got handsy with you? You really need to get over it. I told you that I won't force you to keep seeing anyone you don't like, but you need to keep putting yourself out there."

As Yoko listened, though, she realized that it wasn't quite the same as the other times she had been present during calls like this. Enid was neither rushing to show her agreement and obedience the way she usually did, nor melting into a puddle of semi-coherent rage and tears the way she did the rest of the time. And as far as Yoko knew, those were the only two ways Enid had of dealing with conflict with her mother. But this was...different.

When Esther finally paused to take a breath, Enid spoke. "I'm in a relationship, Mom."

There was a further pause at the other end of the line. "Are you back with that gorgon? I know I put up with that before, but seriously, Enid, you need to think about your future. You need a proper werewolf boy. If you'd just—"

This time, Enid did not wait for her mother to pause. Which was also new – again, neither waiting for little openings to interject "Yes, Mom" and "Uh-huh", nor just exploding in a flood of emotion and word vomit, but something that looked and sounded confident, assertive, and tightly controlled.

"No, Mom," she said. "It's not Ajax. I'm in a relationship with Yoko and with Wednesday. They're my girlfriends."

There was a much longer moment of silence from the other end of the line. When she spoke, Esther's voice lacked its usual certainty. "You...you're just saying that to upset me."

"No, Mom." Enid's voice remained calm and firm, though the sadness on her face had intensified. "I'm saying it because it's the truth. It's still new, but...I love them."

Another long, long pause. "Enid, you don't want to end up a lone wolf, do you?" To Yoko's ears, Esther's voice sounded almost desperate.

"No, Mom, I don't. I really, really, really want to be part of the pack. I want to work things out with you. I want to be around to meet my nieces and nephews when the boys start to have pups." She took a little breath. "I want you to get to know Wednesday and Yoko, too. Because they're pretty great."

"Honestly, I don't—"

Enid interrupted again. "And I want you to know that even though it would devastate me to get kicked out, I'd survive. The Addams and the Tanakas are generous and caring, and if they need to, they'll make sure I don't end up on the streets. If you kick me out, it would be terrible, but I'd live."

More silence. This time, Esther's voice was a fierce whisper. "Enid, it isn't just up to me. It might happen whether I want it to or not." The sound of a ragged breath. "And, honestly Enid, a vampire? And an Addams? And two women? Do you want people to think you're some kind of...some kind of....perverted slut?"

Enid's face looked like she'd just been hit, and tears started leaking out of her eyes. 

Yoko felt herself start to move. But before she could leave the chair, she felt a small hand in hers, and she stopped.

When Enid spoke, her voice remained calm and clear. "I know you learned a lot of messed up things about queer people and about vampires growing up, and I know almost everyone thinks awful things about the Addams. But I'm not going to let you say hurtful lies about my girlfriends." She drew in a breath. "And I'm not going to let you say things like that about me."

Yoko felt her own eyes start to get a little damp, to hear Enid standing up to her mother not just for people she cared about but for herself. She could hear loud, upset breaths coming from the other end of the phone.

Finally, Esther spoke again. "Honestly, Enid, I don't know what kind of nonsense they're teaching you at that school." Esther's voice started to take on some of its usual tenor as she spoke, as if the woman had figured out what she needed to do. But it still wobbled a bit with uncertainty. "I had my doubts about it at the beginning, but it has a good reputation. But I can see now it was a mistake. There are a couple of excellent, traditional, wolves-only schools up in the woods in Oregon. They specialize in making sure troubled pups learn proper values, and they'd be just the thing for all this nonsense about dating girls. I think we'll see if they take mid-semester transfers. They'd help you figure things out, you could meet some nice boys, and—"

"No!" Enid raised her voice for the first time. There was anger in it, now. But she was still in perfect control of herself. "No."

There was a forced laugh from the other end of the phone. "Enid, dear, it just isn't up to you. I'm your mother and I know best. We will have you out of that school within the week."

"No, Mom, you really won't." Enid stood. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, but you couldn't tell from her voice. "Here's how this is going to go, Mom. Maybe the pack kicks me out, or maybe they don't. Maybe you disown me, or maybe you don't. Maybe I get sick of your shit and I leave the pack myself, or maybe I don't. Like I said, if any of those things happen, I have places I can go, people I can go to." 

Wednesday's grip on her hand tightened, and Yoko squeezed in turn. 

"And maybe every time you and I talk, you say more awful things, and we argue, and whatever still exists between us ends up unfixable. Or, maybe, if I'm lucky, you start to listen to me, for once. You meet them. You get to know how smart Wednesday is, and how incredibly kind she is underneath the front she puts on. You get to know how unbelievably generous Yoko has been with her support and her love for me, even when I didn't deserve it. You get to know how funny they are, how beautiful they are. How much they mean to me. You learn that people like us aren't bad, or sinful, or broken, and that we're amazing. And maybe things get better."

Enid was on a roll, now. Yoko swooned a little to hear her being so bold. "But I promise you this, Mom – if you try to separate me from them, if you take me out of Nevermore, if you ship me off to some fucking torture camp in the woods, you will regret it."

"I've dealt with your tantrums before, Enid Sinclair, and they don't scare me."

Enid laughed, then – but it was an odd, vicious thing that sounded very strange coming from her. "No tantrums here, Mom. And no sad, lonely little late bloomer with no one to turn to, either." She spun, and looked directly at Wednesday and Yoko. "You've heard of the Addams – you know the stories, what they're capable of, how fucking deranged they are when it comes to love. Well those stories are true. So if you force me away from my girlfriends, Wednesday's family will use their resources – their money, their magic, their connections, their willingness to fuck things up in ways the rest of us can't imagine – to embarrass you. Wednesday will make that her mission, and her parents will too. I swear it. Any embarrassment you feel from having a queer daughter who's in a relationship with a vampire and an Addams but who just wants to quietly mind her own business will be nothing compared to what they do if you force me away. They fight dirty, and they'll drag your name, our family's name, through the mud, and make sure every pack in the world hears it."

Another silence, this one just a few moments long, and Esther started to yell. She yelled about how ungrateful Enid was, what a terrible daughter she was to speak that way to her mother. She yelled about how she must've failed as a mother that she had such a daughter. She yelled about how Enid didn't deserve all of the love that Esther had given her, all that she did to try to protect her. She yelled about Enid's many, many, many faults. When she paused, Yoko could clearly hear her forced, enraged breath from the other end of the phone. 

But when Esther spoke again, she sounded much more in control. "This is not over, young lady. But...so as not to jeopardize your chances of getting into a good college, you can continue at Nevermore for the moment." And then she hung up.

Enid collapsed on the floor and began to sob.

# # #

Yoko didn't understand. 

She was well versed in all of the things you needed to do when faced with a sobbing werewolf, and she and Wednesday did them. There were cuddles on the big bed and soft words and snacks and more cuddles. All of that, she understood.

But once her storm of tears had abated, Enid was not, as one might've expected, worn and passively miserable. Rather, she seemed...well, still tired, which was hardly a shock given everything, but actively happy. Like, maybe even approaching giddy.

This, Yoko didn't understand. 

As the three of them snuggled together, Yoko and Wednesday – as had been happening so often lately – exchanged a confused look when their girlfriend's attention was elsewhere, which suggested that Wednesday didn't have any idea of what was going on either.

At last, in a tentative tone, Yoko said, "It's great you're feeling better, sweetie. That was pretty intense, and you did so well."

"Awww, thanks." Enid smiled her megawatt smile, then snuggled into Yoko and placed three soft kisses on her neck. "I can't believe we actually won."

Another exchange of glances, and Wednesday said, "Won?"

Enid pulled back and sat up. She peered at Wednesday's face, then at Yoko's, then chewed on her lip. "Ohhhhhh," she said. "Okay. You do know that we just won, don't you?"

"I do not understand, dear Enid," Wednesday said slowly. "Was what we just witnessed not a declaration of war? It did not feel to me at all like a victory. Does it not promise years of conflict and misery to come?"

Enid sat back against the headboard and pulled her knees to her chest. "Oh, Weds, it was always going to be more years more of misery before we're past all that. Us not seeing that was part of the problem, I think." She narrowed her eyes and stared intently at her confused girlfriends. Then she sighed, and extended her legs out again.

"So, okay, I'm sorry I haven't been better at talking about this," Enid began. "It's all just been so much that...well, I kind of pulled away from strategizing with you two to focus on figuring out what I felt and what I thought, because that was just super hard when we were talking about it all the time. I mean, I kind of told you that, I think, but I guess I should've been clearer. And...I dunno. I had all these thoughts, and it was so overwhelming. And part of me was just psyching myself up because I knew this confrontation with my Mom was coming, and I just couldn't focus on anything else. But I should've found a way to talk it out with you. I'm sorry."

Yoko felt her stomach drop a bit. If Enid hadn't felt able to talk to them about this stuff, that sure as shit wasn't only Enid's fault. "Fuck. Sweetie, I'm so sorry. Having us all in your face and intense about protecting you and solving everything probably didn't help at all. We should have noticed and, like, done a better job of making space for you to talk and us to listen." 

"Thanks, love." Enid smiled a little. "It's true, you two didn't make it any easier, so it means a lot to hear you say that." 

They sat in a morose silence for a few minutes. Then Enid laughed. "Though we should cut ourselves some slack. I mean, we're still in high school, y'know? One of has never been in a relationship before, and the other two were in relationships with epically bad communication, so I think we're allowed to not know what the fuck we're doing yet. But...yeah. Anyway. It was only this week that I started to figure out what was feeling wrong with how we were thinking about all of this. But I was too anxious and I didn't have the words to say it, y'know?" 

She made a face and twirled a strand of hair in her fingers. "What I realized was that we were making the same mistake that I made when I thought I could fix everything by trying to force myself to fall in love with Ajax and him to fall in love with me. We've been looking for a way to solve it, to make it all better all at once, or at least to have one moment of pain and then it's resolved." Enid shrugged. "Except as nice as that sounds, that's just not how this was ever going to play out. It's never how anything like this works, except in stories. There was always going to be years of conflict and misery ahead, before things really get better. I could run away and live hidden at the Addams' manor until I turn eighteen, or you could kill my mother, or we could find a way to charge her with child abuse and emancipate me, or I could stay closeted and keep our relationship a secret, or I could live in a safe house and change my name, or any of the other million plans we talked about. But none of them would solve it. All of them would mean I'd be facing years of misery of one kind or another, even the ones where I'm totally cut off from anything my family does, even if the misery is only me working through my whole-life-to-now of homophobic family and shitty parenting trauma."

Enid's smile was big again. "So I realized not only that we couldn't just magic-bullet fix it, but we'd be better off if we didn't try to. So instead of trying to come up with a way to make everything better all at once, I needed to find a way to make it suck in the ways I could stand – to accept that, okay, some things are still going to be shitty for a while yet, but to get through that, I need to make sure I keep the things that make me happiest. That is, I need to be able to live as who I am, and I need you two. And ideally I want to be able to keep trying to make things better with my family and my pack, as hard as they make that – I might change my mind later, but for now I still want to try."

"So you didn't need some final-boss win over your mother," Yoko said slowly. "You just needed to find the right kind of leverage to make her back off from the worst of her threats. And we said it way back in the first conversation we ever had about this – your mother fears being embarrassed more than anything else."

"Yep." Enid nodded. "I just came up with that part this afternoon, actually. Thank god. I mean, I also needed to defuse her trump card of kicking me out of the pack – that was easy enough, I just needed to be clear that I have places I could go if I need to. So that left taking me out of Nevermore and sending me to a torture camp as her worst weapon. And now she knows what'll happen if she tries that."

Yoko gave Enid a tight hug. "You stood up to her, and she backed down, and you won. You're amazing, sweetie! Sorry again if I've we've been so caught up in being afraid for you that we've sometimes lost sight of that."

"Damn right, I won! So I get to join Pride Club, and I get to go to gay vampire parties, and I get to steal kisses from my girlfriends between classes without caring who sees. And I get to imagine futures for myself that don't make me want to die. Mom's still going to be a total nightmare, but I have the space to be me, and we'll figure out the rest as we go. And she can't stop me."

Enid was beaming again. 

Wednesday had not spoken since Enid began her explanation, but her eyes were blazing. "Your weaponization of your mother's commitment to a rigid and reactionary public image and of her fear of humiliation was inspired. I'm ashamed I did not come up with it myself."

"Thanks, Weds." Enid snuggled in closer to her.

"Yeah, it was pretty badass," Yoko agreed. 

Enid sat up suddenly, her face worried. "Oh. Actually, was it okay that I did that, Weds? Like, use your family to threaten her?"

"Oh, dearest Enid," Wednesday replied. "We would humiliate your mother with a most vicious joy. At your word, we would concoct irrefutable proof of her engaging in the most depraved acts imaginable, and use our contacts among your kind to ruin her."

Enid's face relaxed again into a grin. "Thought so. Thanks, love."

They cuddled for a little longer before Enid spoke up again. "Okay, so, I need two more things from the two of you." There was mischief in her voice.

"What might those be, love?" Yoko was pretty sure she was going to like the answer.

"First – I need the two of you to cuddle up next to me and look as cute as I know you can, so I can take a selfie and post it absolutely fucking everywhere to show everyone on earth what amazing girlfriends I have." 

Yoko just smiled and nodded.

Wednesday's voice was fervent and intense. "For you, dear one, I would submit to the humiliation of social media every day for the rest of our lives."

"I'll take you up on that," Enid teased. "And second, I need the two of you to be my dates for the Spring Formal. And not just ambiguous, are-they-aren't-they gal-pals – matching-corsage, kissing-on-the-dance-floor, going-all-out dates who are going to be so obviously in love that we'll make everyone else jealous."

Yoko laughed, "I'm in."

"As am I, dear Enid," Wednesday said. "As am I."

Chapter Text

Epilogue

Yoko tore off a strip of tape and finished sealing the box. Then she sighed loudly and sat back, looking around her dorm room. 

It looked taken apart – jumbled and cluttered and almost ready to be emptied, with lots of her possessions already in boxes but some still scattered across floor, desk, shelves, and bed. It wouldn't take long, though. There were just a few more shelves of books to deal with, some random clothes, and just enough other odds and ends to make it look like a bigger job than it actually was. The surprisingly high proportion of her belongings that had migrated up a floor, to the room where she'd spent much more of her time in recent months, were mostly stowed and ready for her Papa and the movers he'd hired – yes, she was spoiled – to show up and cart everything back home to Manhattan for the summer.

Yoko sighed again. She was pretty sure that the word the more literary of her girlfriends would pick to describe how she was feeling would be "wistful," but probably if someone asked Yoko herself, she'd just say she was feeling blue. She knew it was silly, but she got this way at the end of every school year. She should be excited for summer (which she loved) and for getting to see her New York friends and her family for two whole months (which she also loved). But instead, she'd get caught up in...well, she wasn't sure what to call it, but there must be some enormous German word for missing moments that would never come again, even though the moments ahead promised to be just as good or even better.

She picked up the next book to shove into a box, then took a closer look at it and made an amused hum. It was an incredibly sweet sapphic romance – the first she'd been able to convince Wednesday to read, purely on the basis that the illustrations on the cover looked vaguely like Enid and Yoko. She hadn't managed to get Wednesday to admit that she liked it, but from that point on, queer romance novels would disappear with regularity from Yoko's shelves and then reappear a few days later. Yoko elected to just let Wednesday think that she was being oh-so-devious and subtle, rather than saying anything.

Another sigh. Maybe she just needed to go and see her girlfriends. That would cheer her up. 

She got as far as the stairwell, and she heard familiar footsteps making their way quickly down, without the stealth that they so often exhibited. She managed to open the door and call out, "Wednesday!" before her girlfriend disappeared from sight below. 

"Have you seen Enid?" Wednesday called up. "She said she was going to take five minutes to go and say goodbye to someone, but that was an hour ago. She still has a great deal to pack, and she hasn't been responding to text messages."

Yoko had not, in fact, seen Enid that morning, or at least not since rolling out of bed early to come down and finish things up in her own room. She was pretty sure her "No" in response sounded a bit forlorn, because Wednesday peered up at her before replying, "Let me find her, beloved, and we can share some quiet time together before we part ways." And then she continued clomping downwards.

Yes, quiet time together sounded perfect. And, like, it wasn't as if they were parting ways for very long. Yoko and some of her family were going to be heading off the next day on a trip to Japan. Every year, Wednesday went travelling with her Uncle Fester, so she had arranged to do that at the same time as Yoko's trip. And they'd managed to find a way to keep Enid close by as well. So she'd be without her girlfriends for at most two weeks, and she'd be spending those two weeks very busy doing fun things with people she loved.

But, still – the school year was ending, the cycle of time was turning, and she felt blue. Yoko sighed once more, returned to her room, and kept packing.

Once the final boxes were filled and sealed, she went down to the cafeteria to get herself a coffee. She was standing in line waiting to pay, staring moodily into space and wondering if she should grab some extra blood to go, when she was startled by a tap on her arm and a quiet, "Hey."

Yoko jumped. "Fuck, you scared me."

Divina smirked at her, and Yoko rolled her eyes. She glanced around to see if her ex's no-longer-so-new girlfriend was nearby. Which would've been fine – there wasn't any active hostility between Yoko and Hanna or anything like that. She was actually pretty proud of herself for how well they managed to get along. But, still, it always made things feel just that little bit extra awkward. And, frankly, things were sometimes still awkward even just with Div, when the two of them hung out. The thought of the lost ease between them, and really all the other losses between them, made Yoko feel even more blue.

"Glad I ran into you," Divina said. "I'm about to head out."

Yoko nodded. "Yeah, I'll be going soon too. Papa's going to be here in a couple of hours."

Divina looked a little sad at that, but then she smiled at Yoko. "Say hi to all of them from me, okay? I'm going to miss getting to see them."

For some reason, this particular loss hadn't occurred to Yoko until this moment – she'd always cherished how well Divina got along with her family. The wistfulness sharpened to a pang.

Which must have shown on her face, because Divina said, "Awww, I remember what this time of year does to you. You and your girls are going to have such a blast this summer, I just know it. And you and I can do a couple of calls between now and September, and I can say hello to your family then."

Yoko nodded. 

Then there was one of those awkward moments. Yoko was pretty sure she should say something. Or do something? She wasn't sure. 

Divina smiled. "C'mere, you." She pulled Yoko into a long, warm hug. 

After they said their goodbyes, Yoko wandered out to the quad. Ah, there was Enid – sitting with Bianca and Darius, the young werewolf from the Nightshades whose tormentor Yoko and Wednesday had dealt with. He and Enid had become quite close over the last couple of months, through their shared involvement in not only the Nightshades but also Pride Club, and he had ended up as a very welcome addition to their friend group. (It didn't hurt, in that department, that he and Eugene had started looking, in Enid's words, "like smitten kittens" when they were around one another, and that Wednesday had decided she approved of the match.) Yoko was particularly glad of it, because she knew that Enid craved any connection she could find to other queer werewolves, and particularly to packs that were supportive – all of which made Yoko even more pleased with what they'd come up with to keep Enid out of Esther's clutches over the summer. 

Before she'd taken more than two steps towards where they were sitting, her girlfriend stood up, quickly hugged the other two, and started heading in the direction of Ophelia Hall. 

"Enid!" she called out.

Her girlfriend turned and beamed at her. "Hey! I really need to run – if I don't finish packing soon, Weds is going to kill me." She blew her a kiss and kept going.

For the umpteenth time that morning, Yoko sighed. She was tempted to follow, but she knew she should at least briefly stop to chat with Bianca and Darius. Fuck, she hated goodbyes.

"You done packing?" Bianca asked as she sat.

Yoko nodded.

"Good. I have to say, having a terrible family mostly sucks ass, but I do like that it means that I have an excuse to just stay here, and not scramble like a mad woman to pack my entire life up just so I can do it again in two months."

Yoko asked about her job (Bianca was going to be working at the public library in Jericho for the summer, and had very mixed feelings about it) and about Lucas (things were going very well on that front). Then Darius started talking about his summer plans, and about how excited he was that he'd be getting to see so much of Enid.

It was pretty exciting, Yoko had to admit, and some of the better scheming she'd ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Since Enid's confrontation with her mother, things had been a little easier with her family, but only a little. Her brothers had initially been somewhat more aggressive and confrontational, and there had been a few tense moments where Yoko had to hold Wednesday back from doing things that Enid didn't want done to members of her family. But her mother had backed off and at least for the moment mostly seemed to be ignoring Enid – they'd had maybe two calls since then, which were shallow, short, and focused on practical things. Which suited Enid just fine. Still, she hadn't been looking forward to spending two months back in San Francisco. She didn't think her mother would try to ship her off to a conversion camp, under the circumstances, but she couldn't be sure, and even just the prospect of having to spend that much time with her family and without any local sources of support had led to two or three monumental freak-out sessions.

It was Gomez, ultimately, who came up with the solution. He had a good relationship with the leadership of a couple of the more progressive werewolf packs in the New York and New Jersey area, including the one that Darius belonged to. So he pulled some strings and managed to get Enid hired as a summer student in the office of the New York regional werewolf council. It was genuinely a pretty prestigious thing, and both Enid and the council were sure to lay it on thick framing it as a Good Opportunity and a Big Deal in a properly werewolfly way, such that it all left little room for Esther to object. And to keep it all looking proper, she would be staying with Darius' family. 

As soon as she could, Yoko made an excuse, forced Bianca to promise that she'd make as many train trips down to NYC as she could over the summer, hugged them both, and headed towards Ophelia Hall.

Except when she let herself into the room on the top floor, it was empty. Well, not empty – Wednesday's side was filled with neatly stacked boxes, and Enid's was a sort of explosion of cardboard, stuffed animals, and clothing. But there was no sign of her girlfriends themselves.

She wandered over to the mess, trying to determine if she should do some packing for Enid without guidance about what went where, or if she should wait. She spotted Enid's Spring Formal dress draped over a couple of boxes, and she ran her fingers down the silky fabric. Goodness, that had been an amazing night – at the dance and after.

Annnnnd, there she was, drowning in another wave of complicated German feelings. About things that had been awesome and that would continue to be awesome, no less. Fuck, she was ridiculous.

She flopped onto her armchair. For another minute, she allowed herself to wallow. 

Her eyes wandered around the room until they settled on the framed photo that she'd put on the little table that sat beside her chair. It was her favourite (so far) of the three of them. Yoko herself was laughing, but part of what she enjoyed about it was that her girlfriends had seemingly switched demeanors – Enid was scowling (though there was a glint of humour in her eyes so it was clear that it was not in earnest) and Wednesday was smiling broadly enough that there was a hint of dimple in her cheek. 

Seeing that – truly looking at it, and feeling all that it made her feel – flipped some sort of switch inside Yoko. 

Yes, it was a moment of endings, a moment of goodbyes. Yes, this specific year and this specific version of her life would pass – that was just how life and time worked.

But it was also a beginning. There would be new moments, new years, new selves. And she'd get to explore all of those with two girls whom she loved so much it sometimes hurt.

Okay, yes, she'd be away from them for two weeks. But that was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Then they'd all be in the same place for the rest of the summer, more or less. And, sure, being scattered across Jersey, Brooklyn, and Manhattan wasn't as good as sleeping in the same massive bed every night. But Yoko was also pretty sure that once they'd settled in, they'd find a way to spend lots of time together at her family's condo, at the Addams' manor, and just out being young and in love in the city. Which was going to be awesome – she couldn't wait to take them on all kinds of dates that just weren't possible in Jericho.

And that was just the start. Before they knew it, it would be September and they'd be back here. And whatever happened after that...well, the thought of getting to see all of those tomorrows beside Enid and Wednesday was the absolute best.

Her eyes were closed, lost in fantasies of sitting in this exact chair in some future shared home, reading a book as Wednesday played her cello and Enid cooked dinner for the three of them, when she heard the door open. "There you are," Enid said, at the same time as Wednesday asked, "Are you okay, beloved?"

Yoko raised her eyebrows at them. Enid clarified, "Bia and Divi both texted that you seem down."

"Oh. Yeah. I was," Yoko said. She grinned. "And now my wonderful, amazing, beautiful girlfriends are here, and I'm not any more." 

Enid gestured towards the big bed, and the three of them lay down, with Yoko in the middle. She could feel Enid's lips just resting against her cheek, and Wednesday was nuzzled into her neck.

After a few minutes of cuddling, Yoko sat up and pulled each of them into a sound kiss. 

"Alright, let's get you packed up, Enie-bean. We need to get started on the rest of our lives."