Credits to: Minkinns
It was a warm summer day in Nevermore Academy when Enid—Wednesday's girlfriend—asked her out on a picnic date in Jericho. Jericho is a city near Nevermore where many students spend time after school. Along with a nice café, Jericho is also home to a number of parks.
"Would you like to go on a picnic date with me in Jericho Park today?" Enid had asked Wednesday earlier. Wednesday had been hesitant at the time because she wasn't feeling too well when she woke up. However she had reluctantly agreed because what would Wednesday Addams be if she wasn't stubborn?
So now here she was: walking with Enid to a park in Jericho, clutching a picnic basket in her hands, trying desperately to ignore her pounding headache and the nausea that she could feel bubbling in her stomach.
Enid skips energetically along a Jericho sidewalk while gripping Wednesday's hand tightly. "Ahhh!" Enid giddies. "I'm so excited for this! I just got Wednesday Addams to go on a cute picnic date with me!"
"Don't make me regret agreeing to this Sinclair," Wednesday says in a monotone voice. Enid just smiles back at her.
At first the walk was decent enough but the longer they walk the more the temperature rises which in turn makes Wednesday's headache feel even more intense. She is starting to really regret her decision. In fact, the only thing stopping her from turning around and trudging straight back to her air-conditioned dorm is the ecstatic look that Enid bears. Her smile is so wide that it nearly stretches across the entire lower-half of her face.
"Enid?" Wednesday asks after they've been walking for a little over twenty minutes.
"Yeah Babe?" Enid responds in a soft voice.
Wednesday almost tells Enid that she wants to go home but she holds her tongue; instead she settles on saying, "Are we almost to the park?"
Enid nods. "Yep! It's just up ahead actually!" She points at a cluster of trees and grass amongst the city. The park offers a harsh contrast between nature and the gray of the city which Wednesday finds fascinating. There are wide concrete paths cutting through the vegetation with benches scattered along the walkways.
Enid swings her free hand at her side and she hops up to the park's entrance. "Are you ready for the best date ever?" Enid exclaims.
This most definitely will not be the best date ever, Wednesday thinks.
"Always," she replies.
"Let's hit the trail then!"
The pair walk together in the park for a few minutes. Enid is clearly enjoying herself, pointing out all the plants that she knows the names of from their botanical class. Wednesday however is keeping quiet, taking extreme care to not vomit on her black platform shoes.
After what feels like forever to Wednesday, Enid finally finds a place that she deems suitable for their picnic. Wednesday gently places the picnic basket that she'd been holding in the grass beside the pathway. Wednesday had told Enid that they should just bring a backpack so that they wouldn't have to carry a basket in their hands on the walk to the park but Enid had insisted that, 'A picnic simply isn't a picnic without the proper basket'.
Enid pulls out a blanket that she'd knitted from the basket that had been laid across the containers of food she'd brought. The blanket was divided down the middle, with bright, saturated colors on the left and tones of gray on the right, similar to how their room was divided in Ophelia Hall.
"You made a blanket too?" Wednesday says while pointing to the picnic mat.
"Of course I did," Enid laughs. Enid crawls onto the blanket and pats the open space next to her on the woven wool. "Sit down."
Wednesday sits and immediately feels herself relaxing. She's so tired that she wants nothing more than to curl up on Enid's blanket and sleep.
Enid takes the basket and starts digging through the things she'd packed for their picnic. "You hungry?" Enid asks. "I baked cookies for you!"
The thought of eating immediately made Wednesday's stomach flip. She loves Enid's cooking, but right now she knows that she definitely wouldn't be able to stomach it. However, Wednesday can't vocalize this because doing so would mean alerting Enid that something is wrong.
"Sure, we can eat now."
"Okay," Enid begins pulling containers of food from her basket. "I've got sandwiches, strawberries, blueberries, my chocolate chip cookies, juice for me and water for you."
Enid immediately opens the bag of strawberries and starts nibbling on one. Wednesday decides that she shouldn't try to eat the sandwich first because she knows that that'll further upset her stomach so she chooses to start light with a handful of blueberries. She eats them slowly one at a time to try to gauge how much she can handle.
Wednesday thought that she'd been being subtle about how uncomfortable she is but naturally Enid picked up on her discomfort quickly. "Are you okay? You're eating extra slowly."
Wednesday feels her face heat up at being caught. "I always eat slowly," she objects. Enid bites her lower lip nervously but doesn't say anything else, which Wednesday is grateful for.
After a moment of silence Enid says, "How about trying a sandwich?" She takes a large bite of one of them, humming happily as she chews. Wednesday feels a twinge of annoyance at Enid's incessant suggestions, but neglects to mention it. She notices that the sandwich seems to contain turkey meat which is one of her favorite sandwiches. Vaguely, Wednesday recalls mentioning her liking of it to Enid.
"You remembered my favorite sandwich," Wednesday acknowledges.
Enid beams. "You noticed! I made sure to think of all your favorite foods when I was packing."
"...Well thank you."
Enid looks at Wednesday like she's expecting something.
"What?" Wednesday asks after a moment of Enid staring at her.
"Well aren't you gonna take a sandwich?"
The thought alone is vomit-inducing to Wednesday. But she reaches for a sandwich anyway. The moment that the smell of the sandwich reaches Wednesday she knows that she's made a mistake. Her stomach convulses and she feels bile rising painfully in her throat. She shoots Enid a deer-in-headlights look.
"Enid," Wednesday's speech is rushed and her voice has an apprehensive tone to it. "I'm going to throw up."
Immediately Enid's face falls and she stumbles to her feet, dragging Wednesday up with her. "Here's a bin you can use," Enid points just ahead of them at a green trash bin. Wednesday dives for the bin with Enid running close behind her. The moment Wednesday reaches it she's throwing up.
A few people passing through the park turn with curious looks across their faces at a gothic girl with her head buried in a trash bin. Wednesday is sure that this is a ghastly scene to witness.
"Oh Wednesday..." Enid coos while rubbing her girlfriend's back. "It's gonna be okay. I'll take you home and we can get you some medicine, alright?" Wednesday drags her head up from the bin. Enid notices that her eyes are misty from the force of throwing up.
"Take me home," Wednesday begs. It's rare that Wednesday will express any form of weakness, even to her own girlfriend, so hearing Wednesday cry like this comes as a shock to Enid.
"Of course Wends."
***
Enid lets Wednesday sit by a tree while she packs up their picnic. After that, she grabs her basket and calls an Uber which brings them back to Nevermore. On the drive there Wednesday feels like she's freezing despite her apparent fever, shivering violently even under Enid's blankets. Enid has a look of pity painted across her face the whole drive.
Upon arriving back at the school, Enid helps Wednesday back into their shared dorm where she immediately collapses into Enid's bed which they'd begun sharing after they'd started dating.
Enid gently sits down on the bed next to Wednesday, who is face down in bed, not moving. "How do you feel?" Enid begins.
"Dreadful," Wednesday helpfully supplies. Enid smiles.
"No, I mean what are your symptoms?"
Wednesday finally turns to face Enid. "...I have a headache and I'm nauseous." Enid knows that this is about all she's going to get out of Wednesday so she simply nods and stands.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to get you some medicine."
Wednesday groans and turns onto her side. Somehow, she feels even worse now than she felt at the park.
It only takes a moment before Enid is back at Wednesday's side, now gripping a bottle of pain medicine and a glass of water in her claws.
"I'm back with your medicine. Can you sit up for me?"
Wednesday stays silent as she pushes herself into a sitting position. Even this simple act seems to cause her discomfort. Once Wednesday has propped herself up on some of Enid's stuffed animals she's handed two pills and the water. Wednesday pops the pills in her mouth and chases them down her throat with a drink of water. She visibly winces as she swallows.
Enid whimpers; she hates seeing Wednesday in such a state of discomfort.
"What's wrong?" Wednesday asks.
Enid fidgets with a loose string on her colorful sweater. "I just don't like seeing you in pain," she admits.
Wednesday puts a cautious hand on Enid's shoulder, which takes Enid by surprise. Wednesday seldom practices showing her affection through physical touch. "I'm fine Enid," Wednesday says in a firm voice. "You don't have to take care of me. I've always been able to get by myself."
"You shouldn't have to!"
"Shouldn't have to what?"
"Feel like you can't get help from other people," says Enid. "I'm your girlfriend. I'm here to help you."
Wednesday purses her lips in thought. "Okay," she submits. Enid smiles softly.
"You should get to sleep." Wednesday lowers herself back down into the bed.
Enid looks like she's thinking hard about something. "Would you like to...cuddle?" She finally asks. Enid is careful in asking this because she's never shared physical touch with Wednesday for an extended period before, but now seems like a good time for Enid to ask. To her surprise, Wednesday pats the open space of the bed to her left.
Enid beams and flicks the lamp beside their bed off before happily snuggling into the fluffy blankets with Wednesday.
"'Night Wends," Enid whispers into the dark. "I love you."
