Apologies that it took a few days to get back to you, since this was such an impulsive story, I wanted to properly map out a story outline and dot point plan at least the first ten chapters so I had a good sense of direction for where I was going. I'm now very excited to write the rest of this story, and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it so far!
Chapter Two
It was difficult to describe the feeling Wednesday got when she stepped inside Xavier's art shed.
On one hand, the shed bought back a series of troubling memories she'd rather forget. There was the time Xavier caught her rummaging through his trash and stealing the blood-soaked rag to hand to the sheriff. The look in his eyes when he'd realised she'd only asked him to the dance as a cover-up, that far from liking him, she in fact suspected him of murder, was haunting.
It never is with you, is it? He'd said, when she'd tried to tell him it wasn't personal. Do you even actually like anyone or anything, Wednesday?
Then there was the time he'd been arrested, when the cops had invaded his one safe place at her invitation. She remembered the way the colour drained from his face as she laid the items out in front of him, the ''evidence'' she'd planted with Tyler's help.
And then there was Tyler himself, tied to the chair, sobbing and begging for mercy as she'd shocked him again and again with the taser. Of course, she was angry on other people's behalf –for Xavier, who'd been wrongfully imprisoned, for Eugene, who'd spent weeks in a coma, and for all the people whose loved one Tyler kept a piece of preserved in a jar. But selfishly, more than anything, she was angry for herself – he'd manipulated her, lied to her, and made a fool out of her. And no one made a fool out of Wednesday Addams and lived to tell the tale.
And yet, despite all the awful associations she had with the shed, she couldn't help but feel a sense of calm as she stepped onto the faded wooden floor. She wasn't a painter, but she was an artist. She understood how much of a person's soul ended up in their work, the same way she channelled her emotions into her cello or her deepest observations on the world into Viper's stories. It was comforting to be surrounded by another person's art, to see small glimpses of someone else's heart and mind displayed on the walls and surfaces around her. It was a little extra comforting to know the heart and mind in these particular pieces were Xavier's.
Xavier crossed the studio floor and sunk into the dingy, plaid couch that leaned against one wall. He readjusted the white wool blanket so that it covered the tear in the centre of the seat cushion, then patted the spot next to him. Wednesday awkwardly sat down, keeping her hands folded in her lap and her knees pressed slightly together.
''All right, talk to me,'' Xavier said, shuffling slightly closer on the couch. ''What's going on with you?''
''Did you and Bianca have sex?'' Wednesday blurted. She hadn't meant to be quite so forward with the question, but there was no going back now.
When Xavier didn't answer right away, Wednesday risked looking up at him. He was staring at her with wide eyes and a mouth that hung slightly open.
''Wait, what?'' He said eventually, shaking his head a little. ''Why… when do you think… wait, did she say something?''
''No, I don't mean recently.'' Wednesday clarified, turning her body towards him. ''I mean when you were dating. Did you have sex when you were dating?''
Xavier narrowed his gaze, frowning slightly. Wednesday felt her heartbeat pick a little, but stood her ground, steadily holding eye contact.
''I need more context.'' Xavier sighed, running an open palm over his face. ''Why are you asking me this?''
''Because you asked me what's bothering me. I warned you it was stupid and embarrassing. You wanted to know anyway.''
''You're upset because you think Bianca and I had sex?'' While Xavier sounded a little lost, he wasn't coming across as judgemental or annoyed. More like he was simply trying to understand what was going on inside her head, which Wednesday would be the first to admit was not an easy feat.
''Bianca was talking about a guy she's been seeing,'' Wednesday explained, dropping her eyes to the ground. ''She said it's been a while since she had sex. That made me think the last time she had sex was probably with you.''
''And that bothered you?''
''Yes.'' Wednesday swallowed hard. ''I am aware that's illogical. Jealously is a rather pointless and distasteful emotion, but I am unfortunately not in control of it. I have romantic feelings towards you, as you're aware, and the thought that you've had sex with someone else makes me feel uncomfortable. Especially considering I have to see that person every day.''
Xavier nodded, looking deep in thought. After a few moments, he raised slightly and shot Wednesday a look, as if asking for permission. She nodded once, curtly, and he shuffled in towards her, so that they were sitting right beside each other, their knees touching.
''Okay, well, if it makes you feel better, I haven't,'' Xavier said softly. He hesitated, seeming to mull over his next few words. ''Well, I mean, I haven't done everything. Everyone has a different definition of what constitutes sex, and what counts as losing your virginity. I don't know, maybe Bianca counts what we did as her first time, so she could have been referring to me, I guess. We didn't go all the way, though. It was just... you know, fooling around. Foreplay stuff.''
''Like what?''
''I can't tell you that, Wednesday,'' Xavier said seriously. ''It's personal, and it would be disrespectful to Bianca.''
''I understand,'' Wednesday said. ''I appreciate that you told me anything at all. You didn't have to.''
''Hey,'' Xavier said, tapping on Wednesday's knee slightly. She looked up at him, and he gave a smile that set something inside of her alight. ''I get it, feelings can be annoying, especially when you know they're not totally rational. But I appreciate that you're being honest with me. Really, Wednesday, that means a lot.''
Wednesday nodded, straightening out her skirt.
''Do you… do you have any sexual experience?'' Xavier asked, breaking the silence. He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. ''You don't have to answer if you don't want to.''
''Tyler was my first kiss.'' Wednesday wrapped her fingers around one of her pigtails and tugged at it anxiously. ''So no, that's all the experience I have.''
If there was one thing Wednesday desperately did not want to talk about right now, it was Tyler. She counted to ten in her head, trying to ward off the impending discomfort that made itself known whenever someone bought up his name. When the ten seconds were up and Xavier hadn't asked for more details, she figured she was in the clear, and let her body relax.
''Did you love Bianca?'' Wednesday asked, looking back up at Xavier.
''Honestly, no,'' Xavier says. ''I liked her, sure. She was fun to be around, nice to look at, and, you know, I was curious, about sex and stuff, and she was good to explore that with. But I know I wasn't in love.''
''Have you ever been in love?'' Wednesday cocked her head to one side.
Xavier held her gaze but didn't answer the question. There were a few times when it seemed as though he was going to, when he opened his mouth and took a breath in, but then he closed it again and said nothing. The seconds turned into a minute and the silence became thick and suffocating, and all of a sudden, Wednesday felt as though his eyes were looking straight through her, scouring her inner thoughts and feelings, the parts of herself she kept the most securely locked away.
Wednesday shuffled back on the couch, suddenly needing space, to get away from this boy who was making her feel far too many things at once. She stumbled to her feet and took a few unsteady steps backwards, somehow still unable to break his gaze even as she fought to distance herself from it.
''Wednesday, watch out!''
Xavier's warning came seconds too late, as Wednesday smacked up against the table behind her. The table clambered against the wall and the old wooden shelf above it rattled, causing something to fall forward. Wednesday spun around to try and catch the knocked item before she could register what it was, and a split second later, a tub of hot pink paint hit the table, burst open, and splattered all over her.
''Shit!'' Wednesday squealed, scrambling for a nearby towel. She wiped frantically at her face, already feeling her skin begin to sear. ''Shit! Shit! Shit!''
''Hey, hey, it's okay!'' Xavier said, finding another towel to help her clean up. ''It's okay, it's just paint.''
''No, no, I'm allergic!'' Wednesday gasped.
''To paint?''
''No, to colour!"
She stripped off her black school blazer, throwing it across the shed like it was a bomb. She clawed at the buttons of her school shirt, snapping a few off in the process and rid herself of it, using the clean side of the fabric to scrub the remaining few drops of paint from her arms and chin. When she was left in just her black bra, she fanned herself, feeling a hot, puckered rash surfacing on the underside of her jaw.
''Can I… can I get you anything?'' Xavier asked, looking uneasy. ''Do you need ice or…''
''No.'' Wednesday huffed, feeling exasperated. ''It'll go away in a moment. I'm sorry I ruined your paint, I'll buy you another pot.''
''No, don't worry about my paint.'' Xavier half-laughed. ''The paint doesn't matter.''
Wednesday closed her eyes, willing for the throbbing in her cheeks to subside. When it finally began to, she opened them again, only to realise Xavier was staring at her. Specifically, at her chest.
Wednesday awkwardly raised her arms to cover herself and scowled.
''You know, I am currently breaking out in hives.'' She hissed. ''If you're gonna take the opportunity to stare at my tits, you could at least try and be discreet about it.''
Xavier snapped his head up, and Wednesday watched as his cheeks filled with colour.
''Oh no, no, I wasn't…'' He stuttered, running a hand through his hair. ''I promise I wasn't. I was looking at…I was looking at the scar on your shoulder.''
Instinctively, Wednesday raised her fingers to feel the raised mark on her left shoulder. Her frown deepened, as she felt her stomach twist itself into a knot.
''Well, that's worse.'' She snapped.
Xavier sighed, and then shrugged off his peach-coloured cardigan. He held his grey t-shirt slightly away from his body and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
''Is grey okay? That doesn't count as colour?''
Wednesday nodded, pulling her arms tighter around herself.
''Yeah, grey's fine.''
Wednesday was helpless in trying not to stare as Xavier pulled his shirt over his head. She watched as the muscles on his stomach tensed with the effort, and it sent a warm, unfamiliar sensation through her body.
''Here.'' He held it out to her, and Wednesday gratefully accepted. She pulled the shirt over her head and looked down as it dropped straight to her knees, completely concealing her skirt. Tugging up the edges, she tied a small knot in the shirt before tucking it into her waistband, just managing to make it wearable despite it being about five sizes too big.
''You know what, you should probably just keep that shirt,'' Xavier said, giving her a sincere smile. ''It looks way better on you than it does on me.''
''Xavier…'' Wednesday began, wringing her hands self-consciously. The heat from the hives had finally faded away, and yet her cheeks were still on fire, though for an entirely different reason. ''Do you… do you care about me the same way I care about you?''
Xavier laughed slightly under his breath and scuffed his shoes against the floor.
''Yes, Wednesday.'' He sighed. ''I think that's pretty obvious.''
''Well, that's unfortunate.''
Xavier folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes slightly.
''I'd be a terrible girlfriend.'' Wednesday huffed. ''You know that.''
''Do I?''
''Yes.'' She said, feeling irritated. ''Everyone knows that. I'm only just getting the hang of this whole friend thing. Girlfriend is way out of my skill set. I'm selfish, conceded and single-minded. I'm not girlfriend material.''
''You know, I don't buy that,'' Xavier said. ''I think your whole life, you've been surrounded by people who don't understand you, and they've drilled it into you that you're all of those things. And maybe you are, to an extent. But you're also so much more than that, I just don't think anyone else has ever bothered to look any closer.''
Wednesday bit her lip, struggling for words. Part of her wanted to say something snarky and smart, just to reclaim control over the situation. Part of her, stupidly, wanted to thank Xavier for the sentiment. The wiser part of her decided just to remain silent.
''Look, Wednesday, I'm not going to push,'' Xavier said once he'd given up on getting a response from her. ''But you know where I stand. I like you, a lot. And I'm here if you change your mind.''
''Why are you so patient with me?'' Wednesday said, tilting her head. Truly, it evaded her. No one was ever this patient with her.
Xavier moved in closer, and that stupid, goofy grin that made Wednesday feel absolutely ridiculous beamed down at her again.
''Because,'' he said, straightening out a crease in the oversized t-shirt hanging from her shoulders. ''The best things in life are worth waiting for.''
Hi, just like every writer in existence, I live for validation and approval. Please leave your reviews for this chapter, they give me much more motivation to write!