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Xavier knew this was going to be a bad day when he was awakened by the ringtone he had set up for his father. He considered not answering, but his father was nothing if not persistent. He would only be delaying the inevitable.
“Hello, Dad.”
“Hello, Xavier. I have some great news.”
Right to the point then. His father didn’t give him the time to respond.
“I have met a wonderful woman and we are planning to get married next month.”
That was unexpected. He felt like they had skipped a few steps in the conversation. Or in their last few conversations.
“Her name is Madeline, and she is a learning development specialist.”
What the fuck was that even. This was a lot to take in, especially at - Xavier pulled the phone from his ear to look at it - 6:30 am.
“So, we were hoping you’d be able to make it. It’s on May 19th.”
Right, the wedding.
“Dad, this is all very sudden. What’s the big rush?”
There was an uncharacteristic silence on the other end of the line.
“Well, I guess you have a right to know. Though we are not making this official yet, one of the reasons we decided to expedite the wedding is that Madeline is pregnant.”
Well, wasn’t that fantastic. Through gritted teeth, he responded. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Xavier. I realize this is a lot to absorb. But you’ll see, once you meet Madeline, you’ll love her. We are very excited to start a family together.”
And maybe this family would be less of a disappointment than the last one.
“Anyway, I can’t stay long on the phone. But you’ll be there, right? May 19th.”
Like he had a choice.
“Sure.”
“Great, I’ll see you then. Have a great day, Xavier.”
“Bye, Dad.”
The call disconnected and Xavier was left wondering what had just happened. Trying to think of more positive things, he considered texting Wednesday. But then, he remembered that she was away on a camping trip with her biology class with no cell signal. She wouldn’t be back before the end of the week. He threw his phone out of his sight spitefully. He thought about going back to bed, but he probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Resigned, he got up and started to get ready for the day.
Xavier usually didn’t mind his PE class, but they were currently going through a basketball phase. Xavier, despite his height, was not particularly good at it and he hated anything he didn’t excel in. Archery, he was decent at. Running, he could do for hours. But collective sports were not his forte and basketball in particular left him with two left feet. This was made worse by Jordan, a Fang and rising basketball star, who had taken a dislike to Xavier since the beginning of the year and now took every opportunity to foul him. They were currently playing a game, and Xavier’s team was down by six points. He somehow found himself with the ball in the right position to shoot. He jumped and suddenly pain exploded in his stomach before he could even let go of the ball. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor holding his side and Jordan was hovering over him, gloating like an asshole.
“What’s the problem, Van Gogh? Can’t stay on your feet?”
He moved away laughing, and Xavier stayed down groaning, wondering what he had done to deserve this.
Back in the locker room, Xavier was keeping his head down, not wanting to talk to anyone. He avoided Ajax’s concerned stare and his teammates’ reassuring words. Of course, Jordan couldn’t leave well enough alone.
“Don’t be sad, painter boy. Everyone takes a fall, once in a while.”
A few of his cronies laughed in the background. Xavier didn’t bother to turn around or respond. Not getting the memo, Ajax tried to intervene.
“Man, just let it go.”
Xavier heard Jordan chuckle.
“This is so cute; your friends feel the need to defend you. That’s right, you don’t fight your own battles. No, having a rich dad certainly helps, right?”
Just the mention of his father made his blood boil, but he kept a lid on it. He had no idea where Jordan was getting this stuff, he couldn’t remember the last time his father had helped him with anything.
“Or maybe you think the little black-haired freak you’re dating is going to come to your rescue.”
Xavier turned around in a flash.
“You shut up about Wednesday.”
“What is it about that girl anyway? Didn’t she get you arrested last year for being some type of monster or something? I mean, how whipped can you be?”
Xavier reacted on instinct and punched Jordan right in the face. Jordan stood still for a second, before smiling meanly. And before long, an all-out brawl was taking place in the locker room.
Seating in the principal’s office and holding an ice pack to his face, Xavier couldn’t help but think of principal Weems, her imposing figure and her calculating smile. He hadn’t personally interacted with her much, but he had liked her style. Principal Blair, her replacement, was a no-nonsense man in his fifties who paled in comparison.
“Mr. Thorpe, I don’t have to tell you that violence is never the answer.”
He looked at Xavier like he was expecting an answer.
“No, sir.”
Principal Blair nodded.
“Luckily for you, several of your classmates and your teacher came forward about witnessing Mr. Grant provoking you both on the court and in the locker room. That’s the only reason you are not facing temporary expulsion right now. Instead, you will lose your privileges for one month, which includes not leaving the campus during that time.”
Xavier did the math in his head. Short of four days, he would have had a valid excuse not to go to his father’s wedding. At the very least, Wednesday would be thrilled about not having to go out so much.
“Mr. Grant faces a similar punishment, and I already had a talk with him where I reminded him that bullying had no place at Nevermore.”
For all the good that would do.
“Now, I understand last year has been fairly traumatic for you, with the loss of both your roommate and your therapist and your wrongful imprisonment, as well as your entanglement with Ms. Addams.”
Oh great, they were going through his greatest hits. He hated that meeting Wednesday was included as part of his traumatic experiences, though he couldn’t really disagree.
“How are you doing with all this, Xavier?”
They were getting personal now. Xavier forced himself to remain calm.
“I am doing okay.”
“Have you started your sessions with the new therapist, Dr. Halliwell?”
He hadn’t. When the school had informed him that they had found a replacement for Dr. Kinbott, all he could think about was his vision of her bleeding on the floor, sliced up by the monster. So, he had declined to meet with Dr. Halliwell. He knew that Wednesday was still compelled to go, but she had such a bad opinion of therapists as a whole that it was difficult to get an accurate sense of this new therapist based solely on her impressions.
Xavier shook his head in response.
“Maybe now would be a good time to start then. I debated with myself whether I needed to call your father to discuss the matter, and-”
“Don’t call my father. I’ll make an appointment.”
Principal Blair seemed taken aback by the urgency of his tone, and he took a long time to look at Xavier, clearly considering the situation.
“Very well, Mr. Thorpe. I won’t call your father for now. But please know that I will keep an eye on you, and at the next sign of trouble, I will take more drastic measures.”
That was just fucking fantastic.
By lunchtime, Xavier’s mood was beyond foul. Word had gotten around about the fight, and the bruise on his face would inform anyone who hadn’t already heard. He had thought about skipping lunch altogether, but he was hungry, and he didn’t want to give Jordan the satisfaction of disappearing.
He sat down at Bianca’s table and already hated the concerned look in her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What did Principal Blair say?”
“I lost my town privilege for a month.”
“That’s not too bad.”
He grunted. It was bad enough in his eyes. He didn’t mention the mandatory therapy sessions. He saw Enid and Ajax enter the quad. When they saw him, they made the same concerned faces as Bianca, before heading towards their table.
“Are you okay?” Enid asked, sitting down.
“I’m fine,” Xavier repeated, stabbing at his pasta.
At the corner of his eye, he saw the three of them exchange looks.
“Jordan is just a little prick trying to make a name for himself,” Bianca said. “You can’t let him get to you.”
Thank you, Bianca, for that helpful advice. Xavier stabbed his pasta some more.
“I just don’t understand what I ever did to him.”
“Yeah,” Ajax said. “He really has it in for you.”
Xavier saw Enid wince and he braced himself for what he knew was coming.
“So, Wednesday might have insulted his intelligence at the beginning of the year. In front of multiple people. It was pretty mild, by Wednesday’s standards, but still.”
Well, that was just great. Most students had come around on Wednesday, especially after she had saved the school last year. But with her acerbic wit, she was not a people pleaser and there were still some that resented her. And while very few dared to go after her directly, it was not unheard of for some people to take their grievances out on him. He knew Enid had to deal with that too.
“Well, I can’t say she was wrong about his intelligence,” he replied.
He saw Bianca frown disapprovingly.
“What?”
“Look, I’ve mostly made peace with Wednesday. But if she didn’t go around pissing off everybody, this wouldn’t keep happening.”
Xavier felt his hackles rise.
“That’s unfair, Bianca!” Enid responded before he could. “If Jordan was angry at Wednesday, he should take it up with her.”
“I don’t disagree with you,” Bianca said placatingly. “But you have to admit she has a habit of making enemies everywhere she goes.”
He couldn’t refute that, and neither could Enid. Wednesday was extremely intelligent and brutally honest, making her exceptionally critical and rather vicious in her way of expressing it. And in that instant, Xavier missed her terribly. He hadn’t seen her in a few days, and he wished he could hear her verbally destroy Jordan with her unflinching tone and her reassuring confidence. He wanted to see her unimpressed face when she heard that whatever wisdom she had imparted on that asshole was the reason he was harassing Xavier.
“Well, I kinda love that about her. So, I am going to continue blaming this shit on Jordan if you don’t mind.”
He got up and collected his stuff. He heard Bianca and Enid call his name, but he didn’t stop until he couldn't hear them anymore.
The rest of the day went by in silent misery. Bianca had come to apologize, which he had accepted cursorily. Sensing his dark mood, most people had left him alone. He had considered going to the shed to paint after class, but, as sad as it was, without Wednesday his heart wasn’t in it. So, he headed towards his room and prepared himself for a long evening of ruminating.
He opened the door only to find Wednesday sitting at his desk. For a second, he thought he was imagining her with the force of his longing. But then, she turned around.
“Hello, Xavier.”
How he loved the way she said his name.
“Hi,” he said, smiling for the first time that day. “What are you doing here? I thought you were only coming back on Friday?”
“The camp was mysteriously infested by a colony of toxic spiders, which made staying there impossible.”
His smile widened. Mysteriously, right.
“I thought you were looking forward to it. Something about harvesting specimens only found at that altitude.”
She shrugged without moving a shoulder. It was impressively beautiful to see.
“I collected all the samples I needed on the first day. After that, I found the environment lacked some the comforts I have grown accustomed to.”
Xavier parsed that through his Wednesday-to-English dictionary and considered that she came directly to his room upon her return. He grinned.
“Wednesday Addams, did you miss me?”
She made a face at him but didn’t refute it, which was as good as a confession. He stepped inside and came to stand by her. “I missed you. A lot.”
He leaned down and kissed her softly, taking his time and breathing in her unique scent. He leaned back only a fraction, looking into her dark eyes. He felt her hand caress his face, just on the edge of his bruise, sending shivers down his spine. She guided his face back towards hers, and she kissed him once more. Against his lips, she whispered.
“I did miss you.”
His smile was splitting his face open. He kissed her hand, the corner of her lips, the corner of her eye before whispering in her ear. “I love you.”
He stepped back and saw her mouth turn up and dimples appear. They stayed that way for a while before Wednesday leaned away. Xavier knew there was only so much sentimentality she could take. He stood up and went to sit on the bed.
“I am so happy to see you, you have no idea,” he said in a more casual way.
“I heard you had quite a day.”
He groaned.
“How did you hear already?”
“How do you think?”
He didn’t have to think at all.
“Enid?”
“Enid.”
“Yeah, today sucked in many ways,” he sighed, rubbing his face.
“You might be happy to hear that I took care of Jordan.”
His head shot up.
“What?”
“I had to consider whether you would find it emasculating, me taking revenge on your behalf. However, it was made clear to me he invoked my name to taunt you. Some provocation can’t be left unanswered.”
The wrath of Wednesday Addams. Xavier should probably find it emasculating, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Wednesday didn’t give a shit about what people said about her. But she cared about protecting a small number of people to the point of violence, and Xavier was thrilled to belong to that elite group.
“What did you do?” he asked in wonder.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you. Plausible deniability and all that. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Jordan was unable to play basketball ever again due to the psychological trauma.”
Xavier laughed in delight. Bianca had been right when she had said Wednesday made enemies, but she had forgotten how Wednesday took care of her enemies. With prejudice.
“In what other ways did today… suck?”
She was as perceptive as ever. He actually was looking forward to sharing the burden with her. Unlike when people had asked all day, this didn’t feel like pulling teeth, but rather like taking a breath of fresh air after being under water for a long time.
“Well, because of Jordan, I am on the new principal’s radar. And I have to go back to therapy now.”
Wednesday grimaced slightly. “My condolences. Though, you used to find therapy useful with Dr. Kinbott. You might come to enjoy it again. In any case, Dr. Halliwell is very easy to manipulate if you wanted to fake your way through it. Let me know if you need instructions.”
He smiled faintly; she always had a unique take on things. She stared him down.
“My father called this morning.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah.”
“What did he want?”
Xavier took a deep breath, trying to swallow the wave of emotions rising in him. “Apparently, he has a new girlfriend.” His voice was less than steady. “And she is pregnant, so they are getting married next month.”
“That sounds highly unpleasant.”
He chuckled joylessly. “Doesn’t it? He meets this random woman and now he gets to start a new life and have the perfect kid he always wanted. One he won’t be ashamed of.”
Wednesday made the face she usually had when she was trying to solve a difficult problem.
“Your father is a fool if he can’t appreciate the chance he has to have you as a son.”
Tears came to Xavier’s eyes. He hadn’t realized how much he had needed to hear that until now. And coming from Wednesday, who would never lower herself to lie to make someone feel better, it meant the world.
“Thank you.” His voice broke and tears were now running freely down his face.
“Would a hug help?”
That shook him out of his thoughts. Wednesday was very sparse in her physical affection, and cuddling wasn’t something they usually did. He looked at her through blurry eyes and nodded.
She stood up and came to him.
“Lie down,” she commanded.
He took the time to take off his shoes and lay down on the bed, leaving space for her. She followed his example, removing her boots before lying next to him. Tentatively, he reached for her. She came willingly and she hugged him tightly to her, until his face was nestled in the valley of the neck. He rejoiced in the warmth of her embrace, and all the tension from the day melted away.
“You should give me the name of your father’s fiancée. We will run a background check.”
He chuckled. “Okay.”
“And if you so desire, I would be willing to accompany you to the dreaded nuptials. I have been told I make people extremely uncomfortable and that I am able to ruin any event I attend.”
Xavier pictured introducing Wednesday to his father, letting her loose on his fiancée and having her by his side during the whole day. That almost made it worth it.
“I would love nothing more.” He kissed her neck. “Though, for the record? You don’t make me uncomfortable. If anything, you’re the only person I can truly be myself around.”
He felt her swallow with difficulty.
“Good.”