Adrian and Xavier walked in silence for a few minutes, the echo of their footsteps trailing off behind them like ghosts. The corridor seemed longer than usual an optical trick of the old building, perhaps, or maybe just the way Adrian's pulse thudded like a funeral drum in his ears. Each flicker of the overhead lamps stretched their shadows into serpentine shapes, crawling along the walls.
A chill scuttled down Adrian's spine. He glanced at his reflection in the stained glass to his left. The glass warped his features, turning his eyes into dark hollows, his mouth a gaunt slash. A second later, the light hummed and surged, and the reflection was gone. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"You see that?" he muttered under his breath.
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "See what? The fact we're both losing our minds, or that half of my latte's gone and I'm still dead tired?"
"Never mind," Adrian said, trying to shake off the sudden itch of paranoia. He forced a shrug, as if the shadows weren't pressing in on him with the weight of a hungry crowd.
They descended a narrow staircase, each step accompanied by a hollow thunk from the boards beneath their feet. Down here, the walls were a quilt of mismatched bricks the oldest part of Nevermore Academy. The shadows thickened noticeably, stretching out like ink spilled across the floor. Then a shift in the air. A presence. Not hostile, just... expectant. Adrian's gaze flicked up. She was already there, a silent figure leaning casually against the rough brick wall.
Wednesday cleared her throat sharply, Xavier jumped, spilling what was left of his latte.
"Addams," Xavier said, clutching his now, empty coffee cup like a shield, "lurking as always."
Ignoring him, Wednesday's eyes locked onto Adrian. "We need to talk."
Adrian's mouth twitched into a faint smirk. "Sounds ominous. I approve."
"Privately," she added, voice cool but oddly intrigued.
Xavier looked between them and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll leave you two to your secret goth ritual or whatever." He trudged off, mumbling something about caffeine and insanity.
"Follow me," Wednesday commanded, turning sharply and heading deeper into the labyrinthine corridors.
Adrian matched her stride easily, his presence annoyingly calm beside her. "Sneaking off into dark corners now, Addams?"
"Only for special occasions," she replied, eyes fixed forward. She felt her pulse quicken a strange, disquieting sensation.
They emerged into a forgotten chamber beneath Nevermore, dimly illuminated by candles set in ancient iron holders. Without preamble, Wednesday retrieved two slender fencing swords from a hidden rack and tossed one to Adrian.
He caught it effortlessly, eyebrows lifting in mild amusement. "A duel? Secret rendezvous? Careful, Wednesday. Someone might think you're enjoying this."
She narrowed her eyes. "If I enjoyed things, you'd be the last to know."
Adrian chuckled, the sound echoing softly. "Why the swords, then?"
"To test a theory," she said simply, her expression unreadable.
"About me or about you?" he challenged.
She didn't answer, lunging swiftly instead. Metal clashed sharply as Adrian met her blade, sparks scattering like tiny stars.
Their movements became fluid, a dance of attack and parry. Wednesday fought fiercely, her controlled grace matching Adrian's intuitive agility. She noticed with irritation how easily he evaded her more cunning strikes, his shadow occasionally flickering oddly beneath him as if eager to join the fight.
"You're holding back," she accused breathlessly, her voice edged with genuine irritation.
"If I weren't, you'd be more frustrated than you already are," Adrian teased, effortlessly deflecting another fierce strike.
She snarled lightly, the unfamiliar frustration sharpening her resolve. Adrian's grin broadened; he was toying with her, she realized. Her blood boiled at the insult, and she struck again, harder and faster, pushing him back toward the shadows.
"You think darkness is your ally," Adrian mocked softly, stepping effortlessly into shadow and emerging again on her flank, sword grazing her sleeve. "But have you ever truly embraced it?"
Wednesday spun quickly, eyes blazing. "More than you know."
Adrian's eyes darkened. "You've danced around it death, darkness, gloom but you've never truly taken a life."
Enraged by his truth, Wednesday lunged, her blade striking true. With horrifying ease, Adrian stepped forward, allowing the sword to pierce through his chest, sinking deeply into his heart.
Wednesday froze, her dark eyes widening slightly, betraying the rarest flicker of shock. Adrian's gaze dimmed, his expression fading to emptiness as the sword trembled in her grip, still lodged in his chest. His weight sagged forward, lifeless, pressing heavily against her arm. A strange tightness seized her chest sharp, uninvited, and irritatingly unfamiliar.
Just as quickly, His eyes opened with a suddenness that stole the air from her lungs, glinting with something far too....pleased. And then he smiled. Slowly. Like this was the moment he'd been waiting for all along.
"Congratulations," he whispered, his voice rough and broken, but full of something strange and intimate. "Your first kill."
Black blood began to seep from the wound, oozing thick and unnatural. Wednesday's gaze locked onto it, transfixed, horrified yet deeply intrigued. "Your blood," she murmured softly, fascination lacing the usual monotone of her voice.
"Once red," Adrian whispered, a shadow of something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. "Not anymore." He reached up slowly, deliberately swiping a thumb through the dark, viscous fluid. Wednesday felt her breath hitch slightly as his fingertip gently traced her lips. The touch was cool and unsettlingly intimate, sparking sensations she neither welcomed nor understood.
"Black suits you," Adrian murmured, eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that sent a foreign tremor through her carefully controlled composure. Before she could brace herself or even fully grasp his intent, Adrian closed the distance, his mouth pressing firmly against hers.
Shock seared through her like lightning, swift and overwhelming. Heat followed immediately, unexpected and invasive, spreading through her limbs and setting every nerve ending aflame. Her normally disciplined mind spun chaotically, emotions cascading in rapid, uncontrollable waves fury, intrigue, fear, exhilaration. Wednesday's pulse raced fiercely beneath her skin, a frantic rhythm completely alien to her.
When Adrian slowly drew back, his gaze searching hers, a soft, arrogant smile playing on his lips, Wednesday felt warmth rising in her cheeks a humiliating betrayal by her own body. Her mind roared with indignation at the vulnerability she had just exposed, yet beneath that anger, a disturbing curiosity lingered, stubborn and insistent.
She quickly regained control, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Next time," she whispered fiercely, voice trembling only slightly, betraying the intensity still echoing through her veins, "It won't be so easy."
"Looking forward to it," Adrian replied smoothly, stepping back and dissolving effortlessly into the waiting darkness. Wednesday stood motionless in the silence he left behind, her heart thundering, feeling the unsettling burn of his touch still etched vividly upon her lips.