Chapter Text
Lawrence McKaney Library was, all things considered, not the worst place on campus to work. It helped that it was so big it had enough niche roles to attract a diverse range of students. From the computer science students who fancied themselves to be a pitiful recreation of the Geek Squad at the IT support desk, to the design students who helped down in the basement copy labs, there was seemingly a job for everyone. This thankfully included those who could be considered more “people-averse,” and if you were solitary and preferred little to no human interaction, stocking shelves and quietly doing intake inventory from the book return carts was a good way to earn minimum wage. At least, this is what Wednesday Addams told herself in the moments of insipid self-comfort she allowed when the screaming masses of her fellow students managed to disturb her peace and quiet. She sometimes wondered whether her expectations of them were too high before she felt the mental slap of bored disappointment in humanity hit her squarely where her faith in other people used to reside.
It was a library.
As she held back the urge to strangle a boy who managed to blast music out of his headphones so loudly it could be heard over where she was replacing books on the shelves, she accepted the fact that the bar for her expectations of others resided in one of the seven circles of Hell. She knew it would somehow manage to sit below even Satan himself by the time she was thirty. Sadly, strangulation via guitar strings was not on the table within the library. Far from her to deny herself such simple pleasures as assault and battery, but her workplace was one of the few areas she frequented enough that any activity of hers caught on the overhead security cameras could eventually be matched to her likeness. A shame.
Besides, she did somewhat tolerate this place. It was quiet when the boisterous little troglodytes surrounding her did not insist on interrupting her routine of fading into the background as she reorganized shelves. On the rare times one did, her glare was usually enough to make them slowly peeter off whatever inane tangent they had been on until they awkwardly turned and stumbled back to wherever they had come from. Wednesday could admit this was at least mildly entertaining.
No, the McKaney library was one of the better job placements, and Wednesday was lucky her English major gave her priority status for selection for the writing center housed in the library. While her initial position had been as a tutor students could book for appointments to critique their essays, after her first week it became clear this position was unsustainable. After too many students left in tears following her evisceration of their in-class work and subsequent questioning of how they were ever allowed in in the first place, her supervisors decided it would be best to reassign her to a more solitary post. A pity really.
That week was the most fun Wednesday had had during the semester so far.
Regardless, now her hours were no longer tied to how many students decided to brave her cutting criticisms, and truthfully this was more economically sound of an arrangement than her previous one. Wednesday was not subjecting herself to willful interaction with the public because she liked it, she did so because she, begrudgingly, understood she needed the money. While as an Addams her trust fund was akin to a dragon’s hoard, she had decided long ago she would make her own way in the world first. She would become one of the greatest authors of their time on her own terms, she would make her fortune her way, and only once she had established herself as her parents’ equal or better would she accept her rightful inheritance as an Addams.
By the laws of Nobilitas, she would earn her own prestige to be worthy of her name.
So far this was going well. Her near perfect grades and myriad of extracurricular activities guaranteed her a “full ride” scholarship to her preferred institution, so she was comfortably separated from financial burden outside of the one-time purchase of a laptop that she still somewhat resented. She came to realize though that, while safely insulated from any usual expenses for now, she could not guarantee that would be true upon graduation. Thus, she began a savings account.
Also, and somewhat embarrassingly, Wednesday missed the food back home. Going from her father’s homemade feasts to the edible mass of organic material they called cuisine in the dining hall was a bit… jarring. Some days the change felt a bit too much, so she kept a sizeable grocery budget for when she ran out of ingredients for memelas.
Without the giant squid cracklings they would never be her father’s, but it was close enough.
There was also admittedly fun to be had with continuously making the Residents Assistants question their sanity every time she stashed her contraband griddle and minifridge before they knocked on her door and demanded to search it. Apparently checking the space in the ceiling hidden by the cheap popcorn paneling she had reinforced was something none of them were willing to do, so she took relish in their frustration. At one point she had even managed to provoke one into trying to stab her with a pencil during midterm exams.
After the pitiful technique demonstrated by the quickly subdued RA, Wednesday once again felt the gaping hole left by her family’s absence.
Oh well, at least she could claim self-defense if they decided to report her for the missing fingers. It surprised no one on the floor when her roommate did not last a week before putting in for a building transfer, and nobody felt comfortable enough to take their place.
No, Wednesday was as comfortable as she could be here. She had a bearable means of generating income, she had a room to herself that nobody else dared to set foot in anymore, and on tough days she had illicitly produced foods that acted as a balm to the queasiness in her stomach.
No, she reflected as she stacked book after book on a shelf in the geography section, this is fine.
Unfortunately, due to the footsteps steadily coming towards her, there were… two people, who were about to disturb her peace.
“Addams” Weems then.
Wednesday sighed, and turned around to face her unwelcome visitors, only to be nearly blinded by the one standing next to her boss.
The first thing she noticed was the pale pink knit cardigan and what Wednesday could only describe as “sunshine yellow” shirt underneath, followed by blonde hair that had blue and pink streaks running through it towards the ends. Couple this with a purple head band and bright, rainbow-colored nails, and somehow this girl managed to run nearly the full color spectrum. Wednesday was previously unaware someone could cover themselves in that much color and not pass for a circus clown in full makeup, but she stood corrected. Studying the girl in front of her though, Wednesday had to admit she was most likely managing to pull this outfit off by the simple fact that when one is absolutely gorgeous, one can dress in any way they want.
Wait. Excuse me?
Turning to Weems to avoid looking at the military-grade flare that was in front of her, she leveled her with her trademark blank stare.
“Yes?” why are you bothering me?
“I need you to give Enid here a tour. She’s our new help desk person and you were the only one available. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get back to the expansion paperwork.”
Oh fuck no.