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Chapter Text

Xavier spent most of the extended Christmas break trying to recover from the shitshow that was the first semester of his junior year at Nevermore. His roommate was dead, his principal was dead, his therapist was dead. He still didn't understand why he had a psychic link with Tyler fucking Galpin. And while the media was happy to splash headlines about Vincent Thorpe's son being arrested for multiple murders, there wasn't a lot of coverage about his subsequent release and innocence. His father was furious. Because it was Xavier's fault that he'd been framed for murder.

He tried to sleep but found his horrific visions replaced by horrific nightmares. He tried to eat, to regain his health, but it was hard to convince himself to eat regular meals alone in his dad's apartment. He tried to get lost in his art but found only images of the Hyde or Wednesday Addams flowing from the tip of his pencils or brushes. And don't get him started on Wednesday Addams.

He couldn't get the girl out of his head. He knew that she was bad news. Hardly anyone's soulmate or even a manic pixie dream girl. ("The stuff of your nightmares," Bianca called her.) The girl framed him for murder and had the emotional depth of a wolf spider. She was selfish and callous and probably on a neurodivergent spectrum and hated him and had taken a goddamn arrow for him and hadn't texted him once the entire break even though he had gifted her a phone.

So when it was time to head back to Nevermore for the second term, Xavier was both relieved to be among his friends again and too exhausted to deal with any more drama. He spent his first couple of evenings back with Ajax (when he wasn't with Enid) and Kent, who were always chill and down to play videogames with minimal talk.

Wednesday switched tables with Yoko to sit next to Enid in Botany and Xavier tried not to take it personally -- nothing was personal with Wednesday, right? He ate meals with the sirens since Ajax tended to sit with the Ophelia Hall crowd now. The new principal, some faceless named Smith, approved his independent study art request. He captained the archery team and did his best at fencing and hung out with the Nightshades and felt fucking empty inside. But that was ok. Tortured artist and all.

So of course, of fucking course, he was the only other person crossing the quad right before curfew when Wednesday Addams had one of her seizure visions. She was walking while looking at her phone (the phone he got her, fuck you very much) when the girl stopped short, went rigid with her head thrown back, and then fell to the very stone floor of the quad. He heard her head hit with a sickening crack.

Xavier stood riveted in place like an idiot all through the tremors of her vision. It was only when the movement stopped and Wednesday still didn't get up, that he realized she had been knocked unconscious.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath as he ran forward to help her. Deja vu, carrying a blacked out Wednesday Addams to the infirmary. He scooped the girl up, one arm under her knees and the other cradling her shoulders and face to his chest. As he carried her to the infirmary, Xavier Thorpe's world tilted on its axis. He felt tingly all over and his body thrummed with unexpected, unwanted epiphany.

Only when Xavier got Wednesday situated on the infirmary bed and told Nurse Mae what had happened, did his mind slow down enough to process. Despite the late hour, the nurse let him stay and watch over the tiny monochromatic fiend. Blacked out, she looked so peaceful and harmless. He could appreciate how gorgeous she was without having to school his facial expression. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. And wasn't that just icing on the shit cake.

It was well after midnight, and Nurse Mae was asleep in her adjoining on-call room. He could hear her snoring. But Xavier hadn't moved. Even when Wednesday once again shifted from unconsciousness to sitting bolt upright in a heartbeat, Xavier still didn't move. Both hands covered his mouth and his eyes stared a thousand miles off.

"What happened?" Wednesday demanded more than asked.

"You had a vision in the quad and fell. I think you hit your head on the flagstones," he gave the minimal explanation, his voice gravelly and quiet. Wednesday felt the back of her head and hissed. "What was the vision?"

"I don't recall. Why are you still here?" That's his girl. No gratitude, no warmth.

Xavier still hadn't looked at her since she woke. Didn't really want to see her face when he said what he had to say next. He cleared his throat. "When I carried you here, I had to touch your leg. Skin contact." At this, she smoothed her skirt down so it covered her thighs and knees. He cleared his throat again. "Sorry. Anyway. When I touched you. When I touched you. We're soulmates, Wednesday."

"And?"

And. That was not the response he was expecting. Yelling, threats, possible literal explosions. But not AND. He looked at her finally, saw her unmoving, expectant face. And he realized. "You knew." He barely breathed the words.

"Of course. Your raven peaks out of your shirtsleeve onto your hand when you are drawing. And when your neck was injured it would fly around the wound protectively." She said it all as though the words coming out of her mouth were anything close to reasonable.

Xavier was the one who exploded. "You knew?! You knew and you didn't tell me! You knew and you still framed me for murder?!" His voice grew louder and higher in pitch. Xavier stood from his seat.

"I thought you were the Hyde." Again, that unmoved composure.

Xavier scrubbed his hand down his face. He turned away from her and back again. "Wednesday. We're soulmates." He wasn't sure what he was pleading for but he heard the plea in his voice.

"I don't see how that is relevant to anything." Nothing personal.

"Yeah. Not relevant to anything," he echoed and then he stormed out of the infirmary.

XxXxX

Unable to sleep, Xavier lay in his bed thinking. He supposed this information made a kind of perverse sense. No wonder he couldn't get over Wednesday Addams. No wonder he was psychically linked to the monster central to the Addams/Crackstone revenge plot.

And he supposed he wasn't surprised that Wednesday Addams wouldn't want him as a soulmate. She didn't care about anyone and probably saw the idea of a soulmate as a burden. But that wasn't fair, either. She cared about Eugene and Enid. And she took a fucking arrow for him. But she didn't want him as a soulmate.

Xavier's parents weren't soulmates. That kind of thing is rare, even among outcasts. But his mom was such a romantic about them. And when tiny Xavier was born with a raven flitting around his skin, she instilled all of that wonder and expectation in her only son.

Sometimes, when Xavier's dad was berating him over a call from wherever he was on tour for whatever perceived slight Xavier was guilty of, the idea that his soulmate was out there was the only thing that kept Xavier hanging on. Last semester, when his world was falling apart and the Hyde ripped as his mind, he kept sane because his soulmate was out there and she deserved a sane man.

Isn't that fucking ironic.

Xavier stayed up the whole night, his mind circling around. He was so angry at Wednesday. How could she have known for so long and not told him? How had she planted evidence in his art studio when she knew what he was to her? And he fucking ached for her. Like now that he knew why he wanted her so badly, the floodgate was thrown open. His whole body hurt with wanting to wrap himself around her. His soul hurt.

The next morning at breakfast, Kent noted that Xavier looked even more like shit than usual. "Cheers. Thanks, man," he replied.

"I'd bet anything those bags under your eyes have something to do with a certain goth savior who apparently spent last night in the infirmary." Bianca was guessing, but Bianca was intuitive as hell.

Xavier only snorted and took a long swallow of coffee. Kent crowed, "You have it bad," and Xavier supposed he wasn't wrong.

"Wait. This does have to do with Wednesday?" Bianca pressed, clearly more concerned for her friend and ex than with teasing fun.

Why couldn't Bianca be his soulmate? The whole time they dated, they knew they weren't forever. Her marlin swam around her body with all of the confidence of the siren, so he knew they weren't matched. And his raven was so shy, she never even saw the bird. Even when they were naked, it always flew up into his hair or positioned itself on a part of his skin she couldn't see. It was unheard of for someone to touch the mark of anyone who wasn't their soulmate, but different marks were more or less shy about being seen. His raven did not like Bianca. Which, given what she did to him in the end, made sense. Maybe he was still glad Bianca wasn't his soulmate after all.

The siren was still looking at him expectantly. "Wednesday got hurt last night and I carried her to the infirmary. When we touched, it turns out we're soulmates." He muttered the explanation under his breath, hoping no one else would hear.

"What!" Bianca's reaction was so loud, it drew every eye in the dining hall. Including Wednesday's. His eyes met hers for a moment and he knew she understood what prompted Bianca's outburst. She looked furious.

Bianca grabbed Xavier's arm across the table. Now the whole pod of sirens were paying attention and he realized that the entire school would hear the gossip by lunchtime. Fuck his life. "I can't deal with this right now," he said as he pulled free of her grasp. Xavier grabbed his bag and left for class early. He'd keep his head down for the rest of his day until he could escape to his shed.

His plan almost worked. He could hear the whispers around him. The shocked gasps. The giggles. And he didn't look up. He took notes and he drew and he kept his eyes down. Once or twice one of his friends would ask if he was ok and he'd shrug without looking up. He had dealt with being the object of everyone's gossip before, when he and Bianca broke up. But this was so much worse. Because they knew. Everyone in the school knew Wednesday Addams was his soulmate and she had rejected him.

He was so grateful he could cry when the last class of the day ended and Xavier could bolt for his studio. He jogged through the woods and came up short when he saw the girl waiting in front of the shed door.

Enid clearly heard him approach and looked up from where she had been toeing at the detritus of the forest floor. She didn't say anything but the look of sympathy on her face was more than he wanted to deal with. "Enid," he greeted, as he walked past her to unlock the chain on the shed door.

The werewolf followed him inside, hugging her arms around herself. He closed the door behind them before she spoke. "I heard about… you know. Are you ok?" He shrugged as he had when Ajax and Kent and Divina had asked. Enid continued, "I'm betting Wednesday was an idiot about the whole thing. I'm sorry."

"She's known for months," he told her. Xavier started to pull out his paints in an effort at nonchalance and maybe a hint that he did not want to talk about it.

Her eyebrows lifted to her hairline and she blew out a breath. "I did not expect that. But that kind of clocks with our girl."

"She's not my anything," he groused.

"But she is. She's your soulmate. And you're hers, Xavier. Don't give up on her."

Xavier scoffed. "And what does it say about me that I'm soulmates with..." He couldn't even finish the sentiment. All of the steam ran out of him all at once.

"Talk to her. You know what she's like but you also know that she's worth it. And so are you." Xavier could see how despite their polar opposite natures, the perky girl had wound her way into Wednesday's heart and become her best friend.

"You're a good friend, Enid. I'm not ready to talk to her yet. I am too fucking pissed off. But eventually, yeah, I will." It felt like an admission of weakness. But she nodded at him like he was doing the right thing, like she was proud.

Xavier hadn't spent that much time with the school gossip and only knew her superficially. But if she was dating his best friend and he was -- whatever Wednesday and he were -- they were bound to spend a lot more time together. He narrowed his eyes, assessing her, and she stood up straighter, like she could tell what he was thinking. "Loving Wednesday isn't for the faint of heart," she said, "but there is nothing quite like being important to her. You're her soulmate, Xavier. That tells me you are extraordinary." And she smiled like she meant it. Then she stood up and left the shed.

He stood staring at the closed door for some time. He meant what he said; he was too angry at Wednesday to talk to her right then. But eventually. Eventually, he'd fight for her. Even if it meant fighting her.

XxXxX

Thank the gods. One of the seniors got caught cheating on his girlfriend. The girlfriend in question pulled off her turban, stoning the pair in flagrante delicto. He didn't know any of them well but it was all the school could talk about. Xavier felt like he could breathe again.

It had been a week since the night Xavier touched Wednesday and learned the truth of their relationship. He was almost ready to talk to her. Enid approached him at dinner. "I'm planning to spend the evening in Ajax's room and I've told Thing to make himself scarce. Wednesday will have our room all to herself tonight and I know she's planning to spend it alone. I'll leave the door unlocked." She gave him a look that Xavier could only describe as a mom glare and walked away. He gulped and, as he considered whether he would really make use of the opening she gave him, Xavier's heart sped up.

What seemed like only moments later, Xavier found himself standing outside of Wednesday's door in Ophelia Hall. He thought he might throw up. He thought throwing up might be better than what he was about to do.

He considered knocking, but then remembered that Enid said she'd leave the room unlocked. He tried the handle and it turned for him, so he pushed the door open.

"I thought you were spending the evening exchanging saliva with the gorgon and leaving me in peace," Wednesday said without looking up from her typewriter. The keys continued to clack and he wondered how she could type and talk at the same time.

"Not Enid," he said as he closed the door and leaned against it.

Her head shot up, though she didn't turn to look at him. "Xavier," she said.

He crossed and recrossed his arms, a nervous gesture he hated. "I thought we should talk." He waited and when she didn't say anything, he went on. "I was too angry to before. But I'm ready now."

"I don't know that there is anything to talk about," she responded. And the part of him that had spent months cataloging every gesture and nuance of Wednesday Addams knew that her stiff delivery was a front. He wasn't sure what it was covering, though.

"Wednesday. We're soulmates. Leaving aside all of the shit that happened last term and the fact that I haven't quite forgiven you for not telling me," he heard a sharp intake of breath at this. "We are literally made for each other. I'm not willing to give that up."

He stared at the back of her braided head, willing her to speak. "I am not good soulmate material," she said, still without turning toward him.

"Who says what soulmate material is?" he asked, exasperated and unwilling to move away from the door if she was unwilling to even look at him. Childish, yes, but he felt like he had to take a stand somewhere.

"My parents are soulmates." He didn't know this and found himself thirsty for any information she was willing to share. "They are disgusting. They are so wrapped up in each other they forget anyone else is around. I've literally seen them sweep the dinner plates off the table and engage in... foreplay... on the surface where we eat. Without remembering that my brother and I are there, too. And my mother, before she and my father realized they were soulmates, she was incredible. She captained the fencing team. She ran the Nightshades. She was a fierce witch. And then she became a housewife." Xavier could swear he could hear her teeth grind from across the room. "I am not interested."

The subject seemed closed for Wednesday and she lowered her head, reading what she had previously typed on the page. He was clearly dismissed.

Xavier finally pushed himself off the door and approached the desk where she sat. He leaned on the surface, at least partially in an attempt to rile her up, and leaned back on the heels of his hands. "Who says I want that? You never asked what I wanted. You just assume.” She didn’t turn her head, but Xavier could see Wednesday cut her eyes to the side, looking at him. “Did it really never occur to you that your perfect match wouldn’t be into public displays of affection either? Or that I wouldn’t want a housewife? Isn’t the whole idea of soulmates that we fit each other?”

“You called me toxic,” was all she said.

“You got me falsely arrested for murder. I was testy.” Xavier didn’t bother to hide his clipped tone. And that got her attention. She finally turned her face to him, eyes narrowed. Maybe she was going to go in for the kill or maybe him showing a bit of backbone was proving his point.

Xavier braced himself for whatever scathing remark she would launch at him, but her phone made a little chime from within one of her desk drawers. Seriously?

“Who are you texting?” Xavier demanded. “You don’t even text me and I got you the phone.” That just seemed petty to him in a way that none of Wednesday’s previous actions had before.

“I don’t text anyone,” she said and her delivery was so honest, he would almost believe her. Except–

Ding.

“Beg to disagree,” he said. Should he try to get the phone? That felt like it crossed a line he wasn’t interested in crossing, but he couldn’t understand what game she was playing.

Finally, she said, “They text me. I don’t text them back.” His patience was rewarded as she pulled the phone from her drawer and placed it in his hand. “It’s my stalker.”

“Your what?” Her words drew his eyes from the phone in his hand to Wednesday’s face. She made a gesture for him to look. He opened the message app and read, “‘Would it hurt more to rip your soul out or your intestines?’ Wednesday, the message includes a picture of me. What the fuck?” Every fight or flight instinct in him was triggered at once.

Xavier couldn’t believe she had kept this from him, too. No, strike that. Of course Wednesday Addams kept it a secret that someone was threatening her and of course she kept it a secret that he was being threatened, too. Just like she kept everything from him.

He scrolled back through the message history. Sure enough, the stalker sent threatening texts, gifs, and a lot of photos, but Wednesday never responded. He looked at the date stamp on the first message. “Fuck! Wednesday, this has been going on since the first day you had the phone? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’ll deal with it.” As far as Xavier was concerned, that was not a response, but it was the only one she was offering.

“You are unreal, Wednesday.” He threw the phone down on her desk and walked out, tossing one last look of disgust back at Wednesday before he left the room. She didn’t bother to turn and see him go.

Xavier strode down the hall and made it halfway down the stairs, carried on a wave of anger, before he couldn’t go any further. His ire and his energy gave out. He sat heavily on the step and put his face in his hands. He couldn’t deal with this. He couldn’t deal with any of this. Not Wednesday, not threats against her, not threats against him.

XxXxX

Xavier wasn’t sure how he made it through the following days. He barely ate or slept. He couldn’t pay attention in classes and didn’t even bother trying to do his homework. Attempts at conversations with friends were met with one word answers or shrugs. He didn’t bother trying to look at Wednesday. He could always sort of sense where she was and he made sure he kept his eyes down.

It was only 7pm but Xavier lay in his bed in the dark. He was fully dressed and on top of the covers. Why bother changing for bed? Or going down to dinner? Or showering? He wondered which would be worse, getting murdered by Wednesday’s stalker or living a long empty life rejected by his soulmate.

Occasionally, his thoughts circled back to the stalker. How much of a threat were they really? Or were they just messing with Wednesday? Whoever it was, they had access to Nevermore, going by how often the pictures he saw were taken on campus. He wished he had thought to look at the sight lines. The height of the camera might narrow them down to male or female. Soon enough, these thoughts slide away into the nothingness where he mostly lingered this past week.

“The view of your ceiling can’t be that interesting in the dark,” Wednesday said from the side of his room near his balcony. She must have come in through the window. He hadn’t heard. Was she that silent or he that oblivious? He’d be an easy target.

He didn’t answer and he supposed that put the weight of conversation on Wednesday. She was the one breaking and entering to see him, after all. “You dated Bianca,” she said.

“You kissed Tyler,” he responded. There was no real heat in it. He didn’t expect to have this conversation but it was happening to him all the same.

“You dated Bianca for a long time. You were serious about her. You had sex with her.” Wednesday’s words grew colder as she spoke. Huh. She was upset about something and he was apathetic. That was a change he didn’t mind.

“I dated her before I knew you were my soulmate. Before you were even a potential option in my life. I knew I had a soulmate somewhere out there but for all I knew, I wouldn’t find her for another thirty years.” He shrugged, an awkward gesture while laying on his back. He looked at her then. “But you kissed Tyler when you knew what I was to you.”

“I wasn’t sure what I felt for him but whatever it was felt easy,” she admitted.

For the first time, a near heretical thought occurred to Xavier. He said it aloud. “You’re kind of an idiot.”

She seemed affronted. “I’m a literal genius.”

Xavier leaned up on his elbows to make sure she was looking at him. “At things you can learn in books and with practice. But not at people or anything remotely intuitive. You have zero gut instinct. You spent all last semester flirting with the monster you were so determined to catch and couldn’t even notice that your dorm mom was on a genocidal revenge spree.”

Somehow, realizing what a giant blind spot Wednesday had, made him feel like they were on more equal footing. She wasn’t just too selfish or disinterested to care. She wasn’t a horrible friend just because she didn’t care about being a good one. Wednesday Addams was an idiot when it came to people.

“If I’m so stupid, you should be glad I’m not interested in a relationship with you,” she hissed. Wednesday had remained by the window until then. But now she stepped forward, hands balled into fists at her sides, like she would charge at him.

“Or maybe you and I complement each other. Maybe we would be stronger together,” he said. He released his arms out to the sides and flopped flat back on his bed again. “But back to the topic that was so important that you interrupted our mutually beneficial plan of ignoring each other. Despite the fact that you don’t want me, you are upset I had a girlfriend.”

She didn’t argue the point. “What did Bianca think of your soulmark?” she asked instead.

“She never saw it. India is shy. I don’t know that anyone has ever seen her except my mom and you.” He said it like it cost him nothing, but he hoped against hope she wouldn’t use any of this vulnerability against him.

“India?”

“Like the ink. Did you name yours?”

“Blue,” she said and she put her hand over her chest. Likely where the raven currently rested on her skin. Xavier could feel his mark swooping against the small of his back. “What we call the Black Death, people living through it in the Middle Ages called the blue sickness.”

“That’s on brand for you,” he nodded.

They were both quiet for a while. Xavier had no idea what Wednesday was thinking. “You had sex with Bianca. I don’t like that.”

“Why?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

Wednesday took a moment before answering, and he could see her tilt her head to the side as she thought. He could only make out the barest of features aside from her silhouette and he wondered if the darkness helped them both through this conversation, this honesty.

She spoke slowly, carefully placing each word one after the other. “You were wrong before when you said I don’t want you. I am attracted to you. I just don’t want everything that comes with a soulmate. I think I wanted you to be the Hyde so badly because that would explain why I always felt so excited around you.”

He appreciated what she had just given up and how difficult it must have been to tell him that. “It kills me that you won’t give us a chance.” He admitted. Then, “I’m not trying to woo you right now. I’m just saying.” And gods, it really did hurt. He closed his eyes. “Wednesday?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you be willing to let me see your mark?” Why did it feel like this question left him more bare and raw than any of the rest of this conversation?

“You know what it looks like. It’s identical to yours.” She didn’t seem to be saying no so much as pressing to understand.

“I know. But I’m struggling right now.” He felt tears prick his eyes and willed himself to speak without his voice giving himself away. “I kind of feel like I’m drowning. It would mean a lot to me to see our mark on your skin.”

She didn’t answer. Not in words. But he heard her cross the room towards his bed. He knew that she only made noise because she wanted him to hear. He turned on his reading light by his bed. It created a small pool of warm light in the otherwise dark room. Wednesday came close enough to sit on the edge of his bed next to Xavier’s hip.

She was wearing a black leather jacket that ended high on her waist and a thick black crocheted sweater. Silently, Wednesday slid her arms out of the jacket and pulled the sweater over her head. She sat in a blank tank top and Xavier could see her raven on her chest. It looked right at Xavier and cocked its head to the side just as the girl on his bed did.

At seeing the proof of their bond on her skin, the breath was punched out of Xaiver’s lungs. This raven on this girl was the most stunning thing he had seen in all his life and he was sure he would remember the moment for the rest of his life.

He lifted a hand as though to touch the bird but quickly put it back down. He knew better than to try. But the aborted gesture was enough to snap Wednesday back to her senses. She stood and put the layers of clothes back on, still silent.

“I know you’re scared. You’re not ready yet. But when you’ve grown up some and you are, let me know.” Xavier’s voice was gravelly with emotion. “I’m not giving up on you. Don’t try to tell yourself I’ve walked away. But I’m not interested in begging. You let me know when you’re ready, Wednesday Addams.”

The girl, his soul, gave the slightest of nods – perhaps he’d only imagined the tiny tilt of her chin – and then she disappeared back out his window and disappeared into the night.

Chapter Text

Xavier promised Wednesday that he would give her time. He wouldn’t declare his undying love, he wouldn’t make demands of her as his soulmate. And the truth was, he meant it.

Seeing his raven on her skin, seeing that she came to talk to him – even for her own purposes – it mattered. Xavier felt a kind of stillness that he had never experienced before. He didn’t need to rush her. He didn’t need validation. They belonged to each other and he trusted that they would eventually find their way together.

In the meantime he painted and drew like a fiend. India and Blue soaring together. Wednesday’s silhouette against the window in his darkened dorm room. Her eyes. That fucking raven on her chest. All of the canvases and papers in his studio blinked and swooped. The shed felt like the psychic opposite that it had only a few short months ago when the Hyde filled every surface.

He closed his eyes and let himself daydream. He fantasized about his hand on her hip, their ravens circling close to each other on their skin. He fantasized about touching the bird, kissing it, biting it.

He could wait.

Bianca and Divina, hell, even the guys noticed the difference in his demeanor. They were in the Nightshades library, officially discussing whether to offer invitations to a few additional students this semester. Unofficially sneaking beers and listening to music.

Divina was on Kent’s lap. She leaned in to kiss his smile. Those two always confused him. He was pretty sure they were cousins. And dating. But pod culture was not his area of expertise and they were happy, so ce la vie.

“Nightshades, focus,” Bianca called over the sounds of Imagine Dragons. “Eugene, Enid, and Wednesday all took exceptional risks to save the school and all outcasts. Do we want to invite them to join our society?”

“Didn’t Wednesday reject us already?” Bianca scowled at Yoko’s reminder. The vampire was put into her place and so she continued, “I mean, she might have changed her mind? Because of Xavier?”

All eyes went to the boy. He shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll change her mind on my account. But she might want to now? She’s changed a lot.”

They continued to weigh the desire to have Wednesday join against the ego blow that a second rejection would deal (to Bianca). Enid and Eugene were easier. They would both obviously love to join and with their new reputations as school saviors, the Nightshades agreed to invite them in. Ajax blushed a bit, excited to be the one to tell his girlfriend.

But of course Xavier’s newfound equilibrium had to be tested. She wouldn’t be Wednesday if she weren’t trying to come up with new ways to destroy him.

XxXxX

Xavier heard the shed door open and close. No knock or greeting, so he knew who had come to visit. He kept painting, long strokes of a brush that he had dipped in both black and white to create a fluid movement of the thick paint between the colors.

“I want to have sex,” she said. He stopped painting and turned toward Wednesday. She had his full attention. He remained silent, and so she continued, “I’ve had sexual dreams lately and I’ve been aching in parts of my body that I believe will be alleviated with a satisfying sexual encounter.”

A new form of torture. Congratulations, Wednesday Addams, for so wholly breaking your soulmate. Xavier crossed his arms, determined not to show how affected he was. “I presume since you are in my shed that you think this sexual encounter should involve me,” he said. Xavier made sure to lean his hip casually against the paint table, making for a stark contrast to Wednesday’s balled fists and ramrod posture.

“Obviously. I assumed that you would be amenable. And that you would react badly if I approached anyone else.” How could she have this conversation and make it sound like they were discussing whether to partner on a Botany project?

He screwed his mouth to the side, finding that last bit as distasteful as she had intended, but he kept his voice calm when he asked, “Is there someone else you’re considering?”

“No. I just said that I wanted you. I’m pretty sure this is all your fault.” He couldn’t tell if this was an admission that she found him attractive, like the one from that night last month that he held quietly close to his chest, or simply reiterating her earlier point. He put that question aside for the moment. He had to keep his bearings for this conversation.

“Well, you’re partially right. I would react very badly if you were to hook up with anyone else. But no, I’m not interested.” Xavier made sure to maintain eye contact and not fidget as he spoke. He was getting better at it.

“Yes, you are,” she asserted. She showed no ego or sense of affrontary. She simply stated a fact about the state of his being.

He nodded once. “I should be more specific. I am very interested in having sex with you. But I’m not going to. I’m not amenable to sex because you’re horny. I don’t want something just physical with you.” He could hold out no longer and gave himself the task of cleaning his brush, any excuse to move and stop looking directly at her.

She scoffed, frustrated. A less composed person might well have stomped. Score one for Xavier. “Well if you’re saying no and you think I shouldn’t find someone else to help me, what do you suggest?” she ground out. He luxuriated in her frustration.

“Masturbate.” He tossed the word over his shoulder at her. In his peripheral vision, Xavier could see his nightmare girl turn on her heel to leave. He faced her again and smiled, “Oh, and Wednesday. Feel free to think about me when you do.”

XxXxX

The next morning was amazing.

Xavier saw Wednesday in the dining hall at breakfast time looking even more murderous than usual. Even Enid and Ajax gave her a wide berth as she sipped her coffee. He’d swear he could see the little storm cloud over her head. He knew if she stared at her long enough, she’d get that prickling feeling and look up.

Sure enough, their eyes met. Xavier winked at her, testing a theory. The monochromatic girl’s eyes went saucer-wide and she flushed a gorgeous shade of rose. Even across the hall, Xavier could hear Enid’s dumbfounded cry of, “Wednesday Friday Addams, are you blushing?”

The girl in question slammed her coffee on the table and stormed out of the dining hall, her books askew and bag slung over one shoulder – perhaps the least graceful or put together he had ever seen her.

Xavier was pretty sure he could catch a falling star one handed right then.

It gave him the courage to approach Wednesday later that afternoon. Xavier saw Wednesday walking out of their fencing practice and changed his strides to match up with hers. “I’ve been thinking about your stalker,” he said. They never seemed to say hello, did they?

“Really?” she asked, and her tone seemed to hold a hint of genuine surprise.

“Yeah. It’s hard to get threats of disembowelment and having my soulmate murdered out of my head. I’m kooky like that. Can we talk?” He didn’t know where she was headed next, but practice had been his last activity for the day.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” she asked and he saw her lip tug up on one side.

“Smartass,” he said, with no heat behind it. Then, “Wait, are you flirting with me?”

Her eyes went wide and shoulders stiffened. “No,” she denied. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? I thought you said you wanted to discuss something interesting.” She stopped walking, not wanting to go any further with Xavier until he conceded.

“Ok. Fair. Yes, I want to talk about your stalker. Ideally somewhere less exposed than the quad.” He looked around at all of the shadows and hidden places, seeing the school as more sinister than he used to.

“My dorm room. Enid is with your friend, probably for a while.” The look of nausea on Wednesday’s face told Xavier what the two were up to and how she felt about it. He chuckled a bit, then put his arm out toward Ophelia Hall in a lead-the-way gesture. She did.

Once in the privacy of her room, Wednesday sat on her bed and indicated for Xavier to do the same. He tried to sit not too close but not too far, but Wednesday scooched further away from him anyway. He rolled his eyes.

“Ok, can I see the message chain again? I want to confirm something I think I remember.” Xavier’s hair had been pulled into a bun for fencing practice and he took the moment to shake it out and pull it half back while she retrieved the phone from her bag. Wednesday’s movement stuck in place as she watched him. “See anything you like?” he teased.

Wednesday huffed and handed him the phone, crossing her arms. As he scrolled, he nodded to himself, and Wednesday leaned closer to look at the screen. “What do you see?” she asked.

“Obviously this person has access to Nevermore since a ton of photos are taken on campus. And they know you well enough to know who is important to you, who to bother taking pictures of.” Wednesday nodded, clearly none of this was new to her. “I’m pretty sure they are also female. See the angles of the photos? That’s what I wanted to double check. They are taken from about the same height as your head.”

Wednesday leaned even closer and looked through the pictures as Xavier scrolled. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. Must be your artist’s eye,” she noted. He wasn’t sure if it was meant as a complement but he took it as one.

“Have you made any headway?” he asked.

“No,” she answered and her demeanor shifted with her frustration. “I don’t understand the stalemate. All they do is send text messages. It’s getting boring.” Only Wednesday would pout because she didn’t feel sufficiently threatened.

“Isn’t that a good thing, though? What are the chances that this is just someone fucking with you with no intent to follow through?” He sincerely hoped that this would be the case. Last semester was enough drama for a lifetime. He didn’t want to see any harm come to Wednesday and he knew that he would somehow get caught up in whatever crossfire happened.

“That is possible,” she conceded. “But the fact that they got ahold of my number so quickly and have had so many photos makes me think they at least have some resourcefulness and dedication.”

“Is it possible there is a girl who is jealous of you?” he asked, though he knew she would have pursued this line of inquiry already.

“What do you mean?” she asked and, to his surprise, she seemed genuinely questioning.

“Well, we’re pretty sure they are female, given the height. And a lot of the early photos feature Tyler, then I’m kind of there in most of them when you aren’t alone. Is it someone who is mad you got Tyler in trouble because she liked him?” He felt awkward about the next part but had to say it. He could feel his cheeks heat up. “Is it possible it’s a girl with a crush on me?”

Wednesday looked intently at him, as though trying to discern what girl might like him from his face. “That is possible,” she allowed, a look of disgust growing on her face. “Pedestrian but possible. Some pathetic girl with a crush also aligns with the fact that nothing has escalated this entire time. They are all talk and no action.”

Hearing that idiom coming from Wednesday made Xavier huff a laugh. He couldn’t help himself, “And how has your action been?” He schooled his face into an overly innocent expression. Wednesday’s thundercloud came back. Her eyes narrowed on him and her mouth tightened. “Come on, Wednesday. You can tell me.”

Xavier wasn’t sure if his teasing would earn him a slow death, but he took the chance. He waited, expectantly, hopefully not showing his mounting fear. The bluff paid off.

Wednesday huffed, “It was terrible. I don’t know what all the fuss is about. It was like going to the doctor’s office, but with none of the uncomfortable air conditioning or fun with medical equipment. It didn’t help at all.”

A thought occurred to Xavier that threatened to shut down all brain function. He was teetering on the edge, anyway, just thinking about Wednesday masturbating. “Hold up. Was last night the first time?”

“Of course it was. All of these… desires,” she said the word like it was repulsive, “are new to me.”

“You just didn’t know what to do,” he explained. Now she looked offended, ready to hit him. “I know it’s not an experience you’re used to. You are good at everything.” He said this to placate her but honestly meant it, too. “But you are good at things because you are dedicated to learning and practicing. Making yourself cum, or a partner for that matter, takes skill and practice.”

She looked ready to suck a lemon. “Are you telling me to ‘try, try again?’”

For the first time, Xavier realized that despite the turn in conversation, Wednesday hadn’t pulled back from sitting closer to Xavier after they looked at her phone together. He looked her up and down and gods help him, he had an idea. “Kind of, yeah. But I changed my mind. I am going to help you.”

Wednesday brightened at this and Xavier couldn’t help but preen a bit internally. “We’re going to have sex?” She seemed excited.

“No. I’m going to make you cum.” Xavier turned so that he sat fully facing her, one leg hanging down off her bed and the other pulled more fully onto it. He rubbed his hands together, relishing his plan and the fact that Wednesday had not yet thrown him out of the room or removed any of his fingernails. His mind raced with possibilities.

“How naked are you willing to be?” At his question, she shook her head mutely and his possibilities narrowed. “Ok. I can work with this. Would you take off your underwear if I won’t see anything?”

Wednesday considered, clearly intrigued and wondering how the logistics of this might work. Given her limited knowledge in this arena, Xavier figured she couldn’t picture what he had planned. It was nice that there was something he was better at, knew more about, than Wednesday. The fact that it was sex was a genuine bonus. Eventually, she nodded, stood up, and pulled her panties down while leaving her skirt on.

Black cotton.

Xavier’s mouth went dry but he kept his game face in place. He toed off his shoes and told her to do the same. Wednesday locked her door and Xavier moved to sit at the top of Wednesday’s bed, leaning his back against her head board and spreading his legs wide. “Come here,” he said, patting the space in front of him.

Gingerly, warily, Wednesday climbed onto the bed and settled in the spot between his legs. She looked profoundly skeptical. “Turn around and sit as close to me as you can.” As she did so, he continued to direct her with words and by moving her body. “Here, lean back against me. Relax.” She did not relax. “Relax,” he said again, wiggling her shoulders playfully. She huffed out a little laugh. “Now put your legs over mine.”

Doing so would spread her legs indecently wide but the long uniform skirt kept her covered. Right now, their position was intimate but still rated PG. She leaned her head back enough to look up at Xavier’s face. She was so much smaller than him.

He placed his hands across her stomach, just holding her. “Ok, rule number one. When with a partner, enthusiastic consent is mandatory and sexy.” She nodded. “No, I need to hear you. Tell me what you want, gorgeous.”

Wednesday wriggled a moment in her discomfort and Xavier had to hold in a moan. “I want you to show me how to cum,” she said and Xavier could hear just the tiniest tremor in her voice.

Xavier kissed the top of her head and squeezed his hands tighter, reassuring her. With his lips still brushing the center part in her braids, he said, “Fuck, do you know how sexy that is? Do you realize that I’m hard already, just from having you this close to me, knowing what we’re about to do?” He pulled her a little closer to him and ground his dick against the small of her back. He heard her make a little ‘oh’ sound.

“Ok, I’m going to touch you now,” he told her.

“You’re already touching me.” She was being a smartass and he knew it was her way of getting a bit of control back. He nipped at her ear playfully in retaliation.

Xavier put his hands out as low on Wednesday’s thighs as he could reach, then he started bunching her skirt up. With her knees hooked over his legs, the material slid down easily. He made sure to stop it before Wednesday was exposed. Then he trailed his fingers up her thighs. “Ready?” he whispered.

And she whispered back, “Yes.”

Xavier took his right hand and felt for her sex, covering her mound completely. It gave her a chance to get used to him touching her and him a chance to orient himself without being able to see. “You’re so warm and soft,” he whispered again and he pulsed his fingers rhythmically. Wednesday squirmed against him, her hands going to the outsides of his thighs to hold on.

He ran his fingers up and down her sex a few times before pressing his middle finger in more than the others, finding her slit. “Fuck, Wednesday, you’re wet already. Are you wet for me?” She nodded. He was panting right along with her, already lightheaded. “Thank you, gorgeous. I love that you’re wet for me.”

Xavier had planned to keep his dirty talk up, figuring that seducing Wednesday was going to be cerebral as well as physical. But the words tumbled out of him from his own need. He felt raw and exposed.

Xavier kept his middle finger moving up and down her cleft, running through the moisture, dipping in just a bit. He looked down and saw Wednesday’s raven on her thigh, close to where his hand moved on her, like he wanted to be part of this. The sight punched a noise from Xavier’s lungs that he wasn’t sure sounded entirely human. His movements grew messier, and brought he two fingers up to her clit. He rubbed across it harshly and Wednesday nearly howled, curling forward in surprise.

Xavier reached his free arm across Wednesday’s chest, holding her firmly against him as he continued to rub her clit. “That’s it. I love those noises, gorgeous. I want your noises. Fuck. I want to hear you. You feel so good, so perfect.” Wednesday whimpered in response, and her hips started to twitch, little jerky spasms seeking a rhythm.

Unable to help but match her movement, Xavier started to grind his dick against her back, seeking some relief for the pressure building in him. He moved his arm down so he could cup one of Wednesday’s breasts. Through the layers of clothing, he didn’t get to feel her the way he wanted to but he squeezed firmly and was rewarded with another moan. He leaned his head down to kiss the side of her neck. “One day, I’m going to get you naked and I”m going to spend hours on your tits. I’m going to lick and bite and suck on you until you scream.” Xavier moved his fingers from her clit to press into her. He put two fingers inside her, sure that he was stretching her and that she relished the sting. He fucked them in and out of her roughly, squeezing her breast hard. “And not just your tits. I’m going to feast on you, fucking devour you, Wednesday.” His voice was growing frantic along with his pace.

Wednesday was writhing now and, to Xavier’s shock, she used her hands on his thighs to lift herself higher on his body, now seating her ass against his thrusting dick. They both whimpered and panted. Xavier moved both hands to her sex, one continuing to plunge in and out of her, the other rubbing against her clit hard. She threw her head back and gasped.

“Does that feel good?” he demanded and she nodded vehemently. “Tell me. Tell me, gorgeous, how you feel.”

“So good,” she panted, her head thrown back on his shoulder. “It feels so good. Xavier, I need to cum. I’m so close, I can feel it.” She was practically begging now and Xavier knew he was close to his own release, too. His hips snapped with long, hard strokes against her ass. Her own moved frantically, chasing the fingers pumping into her and his dick rubbing against her.

“You’re so good, so perfect, so perfect for me.” Wednesday nodded and continued to move, a whine growing in her throat. He looked at her face - eyes screwed shut tightly, mouth open on a silent rictus of pleasure. “When I tell you to, you are going to cum all over my hand, ok gorgeous?” She panted repeated yeses, answering his question and in response to all he was making her feel.

Xavier angled his wrist so he could thrust his fingers as deep inside her as they could go, his knuckles wet, and he held them straight while he pinched her clit as hard as he could. Wednesday howled and he felt her cunt clamp down on his fingers, felt the muscled pulse rhythmically on him.

With an inarticulate unggh, Xavier came in his pants. He held her tight against his dick and grunted, nearly in pain from how hard he came. Slowly, slowly, he came back down and eased her body back, too.

Wednesday lay against Xavier, limp as a ragdoll, sweaty, and catching her breath. Xavier wrapped his arms around her in a hug and kissed her hair. The braids were a mess, hairs coming undone everywhere. “You were so good, gorgeous. Thank you.” She hummed a response. “Are you ok?” he asked.

“Sleepy,” she answered, still melted against him.

And here was the part that Xavier did not want. The reason he had turned her down the prior night and the reason he would not have sex with her until she was ready to have a real relationship with him. This part was going to gut him.

Xavier pushed Wednesday gently away from him, enough that he could pull his body out from behind hers. He stood awkwardly on shaky legs and positioned her to lay against her pillow. She looked wrecked and satisfied and the sight of her made Xavier want to rip his own chest open.

He kissed her temple and said, “Goodbye, gorgeous.” Then, using all of the will power he had, Xavier picked up his backpack and left Wednesday’s room. He didn’t turn back to look at her, couldn’t. He unlocked her door, saw himself out, and went back to his room.

Thank gods he didn’t encounter anyone on the walk from her dorm to his. As soon as his door closed, he kicked a trail of sweaty, cum stained clothes to the floor on his way to the bathroom. He took the hottest shower he could and stood in the water, pounding the tile wall with his fist and sobbing.

Chapter Text

He knew that she was going to lash out. He knew it. There was no way Wednesday Addams was going to be so vulnerable with him and not punish him for it. He was braced for the storm. But when it came, he was still blown away.

The day after the encounter in her dorm room, Wednesday ignored Xavier. It chaffed a bit but he had expected this. She ignored him most days, anyway. He responded in kind.

This went on for nearly a week. Occasionally Enid would look from one of them to the other, whether her nose for gossip or best friend spidey senses were to blame, she seemed to recognize something different in this silence.

A group from their Literature class decided to all sit together in the library to work on an essay due the following Monday. Enid had dragged Wednesday along, despite the girl’s aversion to socializing beyond her two friends. Ajax, Enid, Wednesday, Divina, and Xavier all sat working in silence. Occasionally someone would speak to ask if anyone had their copy of The Call of Cthulhu with them or to pass a highlighter. It was companionable and Xavier could admit that he was more productive with the peer pressure of his friends working quietly around him than alone in his room.

Ajax dropped his head to the table with a muted thump. His snakes and beanie made for quieter melodrama than another kid’s head might have. “I still don’t understand if I should be writing about Lovecraft as the greatest American outcast writer since Poe or deriding his racist ass. My brain hurts.”

Enid, ever the doting girlfriend, rubbed his neck and made cooing noises at him. Xavier and Wednesday both spoke at the same time, “Racist ass.”

They looked at each other, each annoyed at their identical responses. Enid got that speculative look in her eye that Xavier knew meant pain was coming his way.

“Wednesday, since you and Xavier seem to be working on the same thesis, why don’t you two work together? There’s an empty table over there. You wouldn’t be bothering anyone talking at another table.” There was no hiding her intent, it didn’t seem like she was even trying.

“No, thank you.” Wednesday spoke to Enid, ignoring Xavier as being even relevant to the conversation. “I work better alone.”

Xavier couldn’t help himself. He should have shut up and kept working. But he was so annoyed by how juvenile Wednesday was behaving. You can’t skirt around fate, but clearly Wednesday Addams knew better than whatever higher power created souls and soulmates. He laughed darkly and without lifting his head from the page he was reading muttered, “You sure about that, gorgeous?”

There was no hiding his meaning. Everyone at the table froze. Wednesday finally looked at him, her cheeks flushed but she held her expression and voice steady. “I know I’m not missing out on anything.”

Xavier could feel the tension rolling off of all of their friends. They knew the fallout was about to be spectacular. “I know better than to take it personally or anything, but you sure moan a lot for someone who is unimpressed.”

Ok. So maybe making out with Wednesday had been a cosmically stupid idea that knocked Xavier out of that healthy equilibrium and back to nihilism and self destruction. He could see that in retrospect. But at this moment, sitting at a table in the library, the world was tilting in too many directions for Xavier to pull himself up out of the spiral.

Enid gasped. Wednesday’s eyes held promises of hellfire. Even Ajax and Divina looked stunned.

When she spoke, Wednesday’s voice was cold and well enunciated. “You are nothing, Xavier. No soul mark is going to ever convince me that you are anything but a spoiled, entitled cliche. Get over me.”

Xavier’s response was downright glib. “What does it say about you that your soulmate is some nothing cliche, Wednesday? Could it be that your determination to be an iconoclast is nothing but a pathetic cover up for how incapable you are of maintaining basic human relationships?”

She stood abruptly and looked him up and down.

He knew she was going to lash out. He knew it. He was braced for it. And yet–

“No wonder your father doesn’t bother finding time for you.”

–It still fucking hurt.

XxXxX

Xavier cut classes the next day. It was a Friday and he figured if he could just hide for the one day, he could disappear all weekend. He woke early in the morning and slipped out of the dorm before the dining hall even opened for breakfast. He escaped to his shed without anyone seeing him.

Inside, he turned his speakers up as loud as they would go. He painted with abandon, hardly looking at the giant canvas that he was working on, painting more by the feel of his arms moving than anything else. It had been a long time since he’d created anything nonrepresentational, but it felt right to just get all of the nausea and anger and guilt and hurt out this way. He painted for hours, foregoing breakfast and lunch. He wouldn’t be able to stomach food anyway.

He only realized Ajax was in the art studio when his friend turned his music off. “Foo Fighters is a little on the nose, my man.” Ajax shook his head, possibly making a joke. “You ok?” When Xavier snorted derisively, Ajax said, “Yeah, dumb question. I got your homework assignments for you. All of our teachers hope you get over your terrible vomiting and diarrhea quickly.”

“Thanks,” Xavier said. It was the first word he had spoken since the prior evening and his voice came out as a rasp.

“So, you should know, I would have come to check on you no matter what–you’re my bro–but Enid put me up to this. She’s having her intervention with Wednesday right now and I’m supposed to talk to you.”

The thing was, Xavier knew what he said was uncalled for. All of it. He was in the wrong. But so was she. And she knew exactly where to slip in the dagger to make it hurt the most.

“An intervention?” he echoed.

“Shit. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I don’t have a soulmate. And part of what I love about Enid is that she’s just easy to be with.” Xavier appreciated the way Ajax called things the way he saw them.

Xavier screwed his face up, tears suddenly threatening. “I don’t know what to do, man.” His voice was all wet gravel. “She doesn’t want me and it’s like there is nothing inside of me anymore,” he admitted.

Ajax shook his head and smiled. “Man, you know Wednesday wants you. That’s the problem. She wants you so much she’s scared out of her mind. She looks at you like she’s starving, man.”

“Yeah?” Xavier was desperate for that bit of hope.

“Yeah,” Ajax promised.

“I thought I could wait. I thought I could give her time and space. But I don’t think I’m that strong,” he admitted.

XxXxX

Wednesday never apologized. After all, Wednesday never apologized. But Xavier went to his studio a few days later and found a bucket of Vantablack paint on his table. There was a black ribbon on the top. Xavier knew there was no legal way to buy Vantablack and that there was only one person who would figure out how to get their hands on it, let alone give it to him as a present.

XxXxX

They didn’t do anything as simple as making up, but silence between Wednesday and Xavier was different now. It wasn’t the crackling pre-storm electricity before their fight. It wasn’t the ridiculous pretension that neither one knew the other existed. It was intentional but civil. Equilibrium 2.0. Xavier supposed they both realized that neither of them was ready yet.

The Literature essay was turned in but Xavier barely had the heart to keep writing about Lovecraft’s works being inextricably tied to his racism so he didn’t expect a great grade. It had only been a few days since Xavier received his apology gift. He’d been off all morning and was now annoyed with himself that he’d forgotten his Botany textbook, which meant he had to run back to his dorm room between classes.

One moment he was rushing up the stairs in Lear Tower and the next his head felt cracked open. He fell to his knees and everything went dark.

He woke in Crackstone’s crypt. He had no idea how he had gotten there or how long it had been since he’d been assaulted. His head hurt and his vision was a bit blurry but slowly resolving. Xavier was lying on his side, thick ropes tied his wrists together behind his back, his knees hobbled, and his ankles crossed. Only a few feet in front of his face, Xavier saw a blood stain. He knew it was Wednesday’s from that night last semester when Laurel Gates tried to resurrect Crackstone. The sight made him sick.

Why was it always Crackstone?

Xavier inch wormed himself around the crypt floor but realized quickly that escape was hopeless. He’d be rescued or his kidnapper would do whatever they intended but Xavier had no agency. He figured this was likely the work of Wednesday’s stalker – they’d finally stepped up their game – so at least he’d have that mystery resolved before he died.

He heard a commotion outside and called out. Xavier figured his attacker already knew where he was, so it wasn’t like he had any element of surprise to lose. And if it was someone (let’s be honest, Wednesday) on a rescue mission, letting her know he was here couldn’t hurt.

The door crashed open and Wednesday stood silhouetted in the moonlight. She had an ax in one hand and a rapier in the other. Thing rode her shoulder into battle. He was so relieved. And so turned on.

“Hey Wednesday. Thanks for coming.” He tried for humor.

She looked down at him, tied up on the floor, injured but alive. “Did you see who took you?” she asked, all business.

He shook his head and immediately regretted the motion. He groaned. “No idea. But I don’t think they’re here. How did you know where to find me?”

“Stalker,” she answered. Leaning her ax against the sarcophagus, she pulled her phone from her pocket. Sure enough, she had a photo of him, tied up, bleeding, and unconscious in the crypt. Wednesday put her sword and phone away, pulling a dagger from her boot to cut his ropes.

Once freed, Xavier sprung to his feet, ready to get out of there. Perhaps springing was too ambitious. The world spun and his vision tunneled.

He awoke on the floor of Crackstone’s crypt again. But his circumstances were measurably better than the last time. No ropes tied his wrists or legs. And his head lay pillowed on the lap of one Wednesday Addams.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her face. Wednesday’s eyes were narrow and her teeth bit at the corner of her mouth in concentration. In her hands, she held the phone that Xavier gave her and that she never used to text or call anyone. She jabbed at the screen with her thumbs.

He wanted to make a joke. But his brain was too foggy for one to come to him. He just knew that the sight of Wednesday working so hard to text was funny. He’d find the joke later. For now he settled for, “Wednesday?”

She put the phone down on the ground and her hands came to his head. Her fingers carded through his hair and in another situation the sensation might have made him purr. “Help is on the way. I texted Enid.”

It seemed that Wednesday realized what an affectionate gesture she was caught making, and her hands came up awkwardly away from his head without quite settling anywhere else. Xavier caught one of her wrists and planted a kiss on her palm. He could tell just by the feeling that ran through him that he had kissed Blue. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

He didn’t move, not yet wanting to break the moment or test his ability to stand. He held her wrist so her hand lay on his chest and she let him. “How do you feel?” She asked, likely assessing him for a concussion and other injuries. She touched his wrist and he hissed. There were rope burns and some spots were bloody with the skin abraded.

“I’ll be ok,” he reassured her.

Perhaps something in his voice let her know that he was trying to be strong for her. She looked away from him before admitting. “I was so scared, Xavier.” He put his hand to her cheek, trying to comfort her. Her hand rested on his, then, quick as a viper striking, Wednesday leaned down to kiss him.

It was an awkward kiss. Since he was laying perpendicular to the direction Wednesday was sitting, their lips met at a 90 degree angle. He didn’t think he’d ever kissed anyone in this position. He held the back of her head and she had one hand in his hair and the other holding his chin. They kissed and kissed and it was messy and desperate and perfect.

When they pulled away, they were both panting. “Are we still in danger? Do you know who is trying to hurt us?” Xavier could tell he was speaking slowly, but his head hurt enough that he felt the effort of carefully placing one word after the other.

Wednesday snorted. It was a sound he never expected to hear from her, least of all in a kidnapping scenario. Her voice was pointed and angry. “We aren’t in danger. Someone felt bad that with Tyler in prison and Laurel dead I might get bored. And then someone decided to use their ruse to meddle in our relationship. They figured they would make me think you were in danger so I would realize how I feel about you.”

He was so confused. “Why are you saying that like you’re mad at me?”

“Not you. Thing fessed up when you blacked out again. Thing,” she called for the disembodied hand and it skittered sheepishly over from where it was hiding behind a plinth. “Do you have something to say, Thing?”

The hand spoke in its rapid fire pigeon of hand signs, fingerspelling, and morse code. “I can’t follow. I’m only starting to learn fingerspelling and he’s going too fast,” Xavier cut in.

Wednesday translated. “He says he’s sorry. He was trying to keep me engaged enough to stay at Nevermore. And he didn’t mean to hurt you so badly when he hit you over the head.”

He was admittedly processing information more slowly than he normally would have, but Xavier needed to confirm. “Are you saying your stalker was Thing? And today was his messed up way of matchmaking?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. Her hands were back to stroking Xavier’s hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling.

“So why is Enid coming if you know we’re safe?” he asked.

Wednesday’s fingers tensed for a moment before continuing to run through his hair. “It is not for our safety. She is rescuing Thing so I don’t pull each of his fingers off and sew them back on in the wrong position. She’s taking him back to our room for the night while I stay with you.”

“Wednesday,” he started but he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to say.

“He might have been well intentioned but he hurt you and that is inexcusable.” Her words were stilted, Xavier knew it cost her to be so honest about her feelings. He knew then how he was going to continue that sentence.

“Wednesday, you kissed me,” he said.

“Yes,” she answered.

“You came for me,” he said.

“Yes,” she answered.

He lay there, content to stay on that cold stone floor forever if she kept touching him and saying nice things.

“You’re my soulmate, Xavier. I will always come for you,” she said.

Without opening his eyes, Xavier lifted his hand back to cup her cheek. She leaned into his palm. Blue and India rushed to the spot, thrilled to be united, skin to skin.

Xavier felt content. They were going to be ok.