[Time Skip New School Year]
[Wednesday POV]
I stood before the gates of Nevermore Academy. Perseus walked beside me, composed, his green-grey eyes faintly amused. "Do you want to attend the ceremony for new students?" he asked.
I didn't bother replying. What was the point of wasting breath on pleasantries when my opinion was obvious? Instead, I turned down the main path, boots crunching on gravel, and headed toward the dorms.
The courtyard was littered with creatures pretending to be students, all trying far too hard to appear unique, when in truth, they were as painfully ordinary as any crowd of hormonal adolescents.
If hell had a high school, this was it.
The hallways of Ophelia Hall stretched long and cold, lined with purple banners. My new room waited at the far end, its door creaking as I pushed it open.
The moment I stepped inside, I regretted it.
One half looked like a unicorn had exploded and its remains had been lovingly arranged as interior décor. Glitter curtains bled pastel light across walls plastered with posters of smiling faces. A bedspread in shades of pink threatened to induce seizures. Bottles of nail polish glimmered on a shelf like vials of poison.
The other side was blessedly bare.
And in the middle of it all, Enid Sinclair was pacing in frantic little circles, muttering to herself.
"Keep calm, it'll be fine. Just smile. Just breathe. You can handle this, Enid. You can handle this."
The door creaked louder as I stepped in. She froze, wide-eyed, panic written plain across her face. Then, in an instant, the mask slammed into place.
"Percy!" she squealed, hurling herself at Perseus. "So this is Wednesday Addams?" She spun toward me, practically vibrating. "I'm Enid. Roomie. Welcome to Ophelia Hall!"
She lunged in for a hug with a smile that was too bright, already cracking at the edges. I stepped neatly out of range.
Her smile faltered, then patched itself together. "Soo… yeah! This is our room. Your side's kind of empty, but don't worry, I've got extras. Mood boards, crystals, fairy lights. We could totally decorate together!"
I let my gaze drag across her like a scalpel. The pink jacket, the sparkling nails, the infectious cheer that reeked of desperation.
"You're the stray pet Perseus decided to keep."
Her smile shattered.
For a heartbeat her face crumpled — wide eyes, mask slipping to reveal something raw, insecure, frightened. Then it hardened, rebuilt itself with rage.
A sharp click. Her claws extended, long and gleaming. She flexed her hand, the tips glinting an inch from Perseus's shoulder.
"Angry that I took a bite out of him?" she hissed.
I raised an eyebrow. "Bite? Perseus, your stress relief toy is getting out of control."
Her claws twitched. My hand drifted behind my back, curling around the hilt of a blade.
The air thickened, humming with the promise of blood.
Then Perseus moved.
He didn't raise his voice. He simply stepped between us, calm as if the room weren't seconds from becoming a crime scene. Before Enid could strike, his arms scooped her up in one smooth motion, bridal-style, like she weighed nothing at all.
"That's enough," he said, voice low. Dangerous in its restraint.
Her claws retracted with a faint scrape. Enid went stiff against him, caught between fury and humiliation.
And just like that, they were gone. The door swung shut behind them, leaving me alone with silence.
I sheathed the blade reluctantly. Perhaps later, then.
[Enid POV]
The sun hit hard in the courtyard, no shadows to hide in. It made me feel exposed, every shake of my claws on display.
Perseus set me down gently. My knees wobbled and I curled my hands into fists, claws trembling as though they still wanted blood.
"Who does she think she is?!" The words tore out of me before I could stop them. My claws snapped forward with a metallic click. "Walking in here like she owns the place. Looking at me like I'm a bug she could squash without dirtying her shoes!"
I paced in a tight circle, claws flashing, chest rising too fast. My laugh came sharp, too loud, too fake.
"Oh, and by the way — congratulations on the engagement." I spat the words with venom, each syllable meant to cut. "You and Wednesday Addams. Power couple of the year. Do I send flowers now, or wait until the funeral?"
The sarcasm tasted bitter on my tongue. It didn't help.
I spun on him, claws curling. "So what am I, Perseus? Tell me! Just a stress toy like she said? Something to fill the hours when you're not busy playing the dutiful future husband?"
The questions came like knives, but the real wound was inside me, spreading wider with every word. Because the truth? I was terrified of the answer.
He didn't move. Didn't flinch. Just stood there, annoyingly calm.
"Say something!" I screamed, voice cracking. "Get angry! Deny it! I don't care if you lie, just — do something that makes me hate you!"
But he didn't. He just looked at me with that same unreadable calm, and it made me want to rip my own skin off.
Why does he never lose control? Why does he never scream back, or break, or show that I matter enough to shake him?
I wanted him to snap, to shove me away, to call me pathetic. At least then I'd know where I stood. At least then I could stop hoping.
Instead, silence. Always silence. And it hurt worse than words.
"Why are you always so calm?" I whispered, breath shuddering. My claws slid back into trembling fingers, my palms stinging where I had cut myself. "Why do you stand there like nothing hurts you, while I'm — while I'm drowning?"
Images flickered in my head: his smile under rooftop lights, the way he touched me like I was something worth holding. How he helped me wolf out. How he was always there. I thought it meant I mattered. That maybe, finally, I wasn't just the glitter girl, the too-loud roommate.
But now, in the daylight, with her perfect silence still clinging to me like a curse… it all felt like a joke I'd been stupid enough to believe.
My chest caved. The anger cracked, spilling everything I tried to hide.
"Don't you love me?!" The words ripped out before I could stop them, half scream, half plea. "What am I missing, huh? What don't I have? Why am I never enough for you?"
My voice collapsed into a whisper, raw and trembling.
"…I just wanted to be enough."
The tears came hot and humiliating, spilling down my cheeks in the broad light of day. Before I could crumble on my own, his arms wrapped around me. Solid. Warm. Infuriatingly gentle.
I pressed my face against his chest, sobs breaking loose, claws clutching at his shirt like I would fall apart without him.
And with the passing of time, I fell asleep.
[Time skip a few hours]
I woke groggily, something warm beneath me. Instinctively I breathed in, catching a scent I liked. It pulled me back toward sleep, especially with the steady hand stroking the back of my head.
Then yesterday returned in a rush. My eyes snapped open.
I was lying on top of Perseus in a room crowded with paintings. I knew instantly where he had brought me — the shack he and Xavier used to draw in secret, a place hidden from interruptions.
I looked up. His hand was still in my hair, caressing absentmindedly. Shame rose in my throat.
"The things I said yesterday… I'm sorry," I whispered.
He interrupted without hesitation. "Don't be sorry. People say aloud what they usually bury. You needed to let it out. I'm glad you did."
That only made the shame worse. "But still… I don't want you to think less of me. I don't want you to judge…"
He cut me off again, calm as ever. "Judge you? I'm no god to sit above and weigh souls. Everyone carries their own ideals, their flaws, their pain. Why would I judge you for speaking yours? And even if I thought you were wrong… who says I am right? Who says I'm not the wrong one?"
A weak laugh escaped me as I hugged him tighter. "Why are you so wise… you should write a book."
He laughed softly, the sound warm against my ear. "Yes. A book that everyone can access for free, where I express my madness. Maybe only a handful would ever read it. Maybe just one. And that would be enough. Because at the end of the day, numbers are meaningless. What matters is the writing itself, the joy of putting thought into words. If even one person feels something, then it is worth it."
I lifted my head slightly. "But… people would judge it. They always do."
He smiled, calm as ever, and brushed a hand through my hair. "Then let them. If they don't like it, they can simply close my book and pick up another. There are thousands of stories out there. Some will hate it, some will love it, most won't care. But none of that matters. What matters is that I wrote it — that it exists."
His eyes softened, though a quiet fire burned underneath. "I wouldn't write for them. I'd write for myself. And if someone out there enjoys it with me, then that's a gift, not a goal."
I tilted my head, looking at him with a faint smile. "And… if you really wrote that book… what role would I have in it?"
His hand stilled for a moment in my hair, then resumed its gentle rhythm. His voice was steady, but the weight of it pressed against me.
"You would have two choices. You could leave me and search for someone else, someone who might promise you the kind of love you want. Or you could stay with me. If you stay, I will not promise that my heart will ever belong to you alone. But I will promise something greater. That no matter what, I will always be by your side."
The words sank into me like stones in deep water. Heavy. Brutal. Honest.
I pressed my face back against his chest. My heart was calmer than it had been in days. For once, his words felt like the only truth I could trust.
But deep down, I knew it was already too late. My choice had been taken from me long ago.
[Flashback Months Earlier]
I hadn't planned to follow him. It was supposed to be just another afternoon, and yet there I was, lingering at the edge of the archery field, pretending I had business there while my eyes never left him. Perseus drew his bow with the same composure he seemed to carry everywhere, every arrow striking its mark with calm precision.
Then, of course, Divina, who was near me, had to ruin everything.
She glanced at me, her grin sharp. "What are you doing here, Enid?"
The question caught me off guard. My mouth worked before my brain caught up. "I was just stretching my legs. Very close to the archery range," I muttered, still staring at Perseus.
Her grin widened, wicked with opportunity. She turned her head and shrieked across the field, "Xavier! Enid wants to join your club!"
The words cut through the air like a whip. My face burned hot as every head turned toward me. "I—I do not!" I stammered, but it was too late. The trap had already closed.
They paired me with Perseus.
My hands shook so badly when I took the bow that I could hardly string the arrow. When I finally loosed it, the shaft veered wildly off course and pierced a stone statue. Laughter broke out around me, sharp and merciless. My face burned as I forced a grin and blurted, "Modern art."
I braced myself for him to laugh, or at least smirk. But Perseus only stepped closer, quiet as ever, and adjusted my stance with a touch at my elbow. His fingers guided mine along the bowstring.
"Relax your grip," he said. "You're strangling it."
Heat rushed to my face for an entirely different reason.
He drew his next arrow and sent it into the center of the target as if it were the easiest thing in the world, then pressed another shaft into my hand.
"Again."
So I did. Still shaking, still missing. Again. And again.
Each time, his voice came steady, unhurried. "Lower your shoulder. Breathe before you release. Aim where you want it, not where you fear it will go."
And slowly, the arrows began to land closer. Never perfect, but no longer humiliating.
He never mocked me, never made me feel like a burden. Just stood beside me, steady, until the sun sank lower and lower. By the time Divina finally called it, the sky had already gone dark.
She dragged us to the campfire, chatter and laughter bubbling around us. I tried to pretend I belonged, tried to let the flames warm me. But then the sound carried across the forest — wolves, howling long and mournful.
The noise pierced me like a blade. My chest tightened. I stared into the fire and tried not to cry.
"You'll awaken too," Perseus said suddenly, like it was a fact.
I laughed, sharp and bitter. "You're the only one who believes that."
He turned to me. His gaze steady, unwavering.
"Isn't that enough?"
And then the clouds parted. The moonlight struck him full on, lighting his face, his eyes, every detail so sharp it hurt to look. He looked like something I could never reach, and yet in that instant I wanted nothing more.
The moon crowned him in silver, and in that light, I was claimed.
************
Author Note:
I've been reading what you guys wrote for the bonus chapters. Some were really nice, but they need some reworking and I don't have the time right now… I'll get to them in the future, but still, thanks a lot for sending them!
Also, a few of you mentioned that I skipped a bit too much here and there. So I'll start dropping in flashbacks when I feel it fits, and maybe one day I'll do a full rewrite of the fanfic to add the missing chapters. :)