Work Text:
Hecate sleeps soundly in her little square bedroom. She’s at the beach. The waves are rough and they forcefully crash against the almost coal-black rocks and the sky is dull with grey clouds, some darker than others. She’s stood, almost hovering above the damp sand, just before the tide and she has absolutely no idea what she’s doing there. Only knows that it feels nice, like she can somehow really feel the sea breeze dusting over her sleeping body.
Quite suddenly, she feels something tugging in her stomach. She sleeps still, but somehow, she’s conscious of it. Trying to concentrate on the waves, she hopes the tugging might go away. It’s almost like an ache, almost a pain but not quite. It’s powerful and it tugs harder until it becomes overwhelming and Hecate snaps into consciousness, feeling like she’s about to be sick. She jumps up and towards the door, and once she’s up she seems to feel a little better.
When she thinks her tummy has settled, she makes her way back into bed. Pulls the covers back over her and they feel smooth and cool against her skin now after being exposed to the air. She shivers slightly but decides it feels quite nice. Her eyes fall droopy once more and she lays on her side, nuzzling her nose into the soft blanket of hair that splays out over her pillow. She tries to go back to the beach. Tries to hear the ocean waves. Tries to feel droplets of salt water lightly jump across her cheeks. Tries to fly like she had done earlier.
She’s up again before she’s even had a chance to fully re-open her eyes. She hunched and clutching her stomach and wondering what on earth is happening. It still isn’t quite pain, but it squeezes and pulls at her insides, until it’s spreading up to her chest and down her arms and she starts to feel numb but also like all her senses are heightened. There’s a tingling in her ears that feels familiar from when she’s been in certain situations, like when she gets a spell wrong and can’t help being angry at herself, which doesn’t happen often, or when Pippa does something extremely, well, Pippa and she can’t quite work out how it makes her feel. Which does happen often. Quite often. Or-
Hmm.
Pippa.
Something flutters over Hecate for the second time when she thinks of Pippa. But it’s subtle and almost not even there. Hecate rolls her eyes. She really must stop letting thoughts of Pippa get to her like this. Pippa is her friend. That is all.
The tug in her stomach seems to have stopped again, so she risks sitting back down on the edge of her bed, waiting to see if it returns. Which it does.
She thinks maybe Pippa will know what to do. And this time the thought of Pippa makes her magic practically jump inside of her, pulling her into standing position.
Oh.
Her magic. That’s obviously what this is- this- tugging. Of course it’s her magic. That’s what fizzles beneath the skin of her ears when she gets a spell wrong and when Pippa does something, like grabbing her hand so she can drag her into the gardens and show her one of the plants that has recently bloomed.
Pippa. The tugging subsides just a bit when she thinks of Pippa. It isn’t just Hecate being frivolous with her thoughts. Pippa is connected to this- this feeling- somehow.
She rises from the bed and does a quick transference spell right into Pippa’s room. From what she can tell, as her eyes readjust to the dark, Pippa is asleep. Quiet and peaceful. Hecate thinks about just transferring back to her own room, not wanting to disturb her, but she knows at this point that the feeling will only return the moment she leaves. Her magic is almost as calm as ever now that Pippa is almost within reach.
Hecate takes a breath before tiptoeing to her bedside.
“P-Pipsqueak?” She whispers. Pippa doesn’t wake. She repeats herself a little more firmly, but still, nothing.
She reaches out to place a gentle hand on Pippa’s arm, and as soon as she does, Pippa’s eyes burst open and her small, wooden bed frame wobbles slightly at the force of her awakening.
“Hecate?” She asks, hazily, blinking her eyes.
“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She says, unsure of how to explain the situation and then soon realising what a silly thing that was to say.
“Bu-“
“Well, I mean, I suppose I did.” Pippa giggles a little at that.
“You were in my dream.” Pippa says, rising slightly to lean on her elbow and look up at Hecate, who looks more like the shadow of a lion in the dark with her hair down the way it is. A lovely, wonderful lion, Pippa thinks.
“Was I?” Hecate asks, still not knowing what she’s going to say when Pippa asks why she’s here. Pippa is connected to this, Hecate knows that much, but clearly Pippa knows nothing of it.
“Mm. Well, actually you weren’t. I was looking for you everywhere though. Everywhere. It was quite annoying actually. It was my dream, surely I should get to decide whether you’re in it or not. Anyway, I needed you for something, I have no idea what, but I really, really needed you.” Pippa’s voice is laced with confusion and when she’s done talking she yawns and lays her head back onto her pillow. And Hecate stares at her and thinks for a little bit. “What do you need?”
“What?” She says, snapping out of her thoughts.
“How come you’re here? Why aren’t you asleep?” She asks, and Hecate thinks Pippa’s eyes might be closed again now, but she can’t quite tell.
“Oh, I. I had a stomach ache.” Hecate is so thankful for the darkness in that moment and for the fact that Pippa’s eyes are- possibly- closed because she knows she’s turning redder than red. What a ridiculous thing to say. What could Pippa possibly do to help her stomach, even if it was still aching?
“Would you like to stay here?” Pippa barely whispers, already shuffling to one side of her single bed and opening up the covers. Hecate freezes and suddenly feels unsure. Until she quickly decides she’s actually very sure.
“Um. If you- would like me to. I mean. If you w-wouldn’t mind.”
“Get in then.” Pippa whispers, mid-yawn. And Hecate does.
When she’s settled into Pippa’s pillow and the covers are over the both of them, Pippa hums very quietly. And then Hecate feels Pippa’s hand on her stomach through her pyjama top and her breathing hitches just a bit and Pippa whispers, “Is this okay?”
Hecate nods before realising Pippa probably needs verbal confirmation, seeing as they’re in the dark. “Yes.”
Pippa begins to very slowly, very, very gently, rub her hand in small circles on Hecate’s stomach. Hecate tenses at first, but tries not to. It’s hard for her though and her stomach is now doing backflips, but it feels better than ever now that the tugging has stopped, and her mind is racing and her heart is thumping, but it’s okay because at least she’s with Pippa and Pippa has made her unbearable magic bearable again.
“Tell me if this just makes you feel worse, but rubbing my tummy when I feel unwell always seems to help.” Hecate smiles at the sweet words.
“Alright.” She manages.
“You know,” Pippa starts, wonder filling her voice, “It really was the strangest dream. It felt like, when I was searching for you, all the magic in me was searching too. I felt it leaving my body. I felt it streaming out in all directions, trying to find you.” And suddenly Hecate begins to think that maybe Pippa is the one who made her magic so unbearable in the first place.
But she can’t concentrate on that for too long. Not with Pippa’s hand, warm and circling against her stomach. Not with Pippa’s nose nuzzled into her hair, like her own nose had been earlier that night. Not when Pippa’s steady, calming breath is so soft against her cheek. She concentrates on Pippa’s breath and tries to mimic it.
“Goodnight, Hiccup.” Pippa breathes.
Hecate places her hand on Pippa’s, the one that’s circling her stomach still, just slightly. And the contact doesn’t startle her magic as much as it usually does, not when Pippa is already so close and has been this close for a short while now. She lightly clings to Pippa’s hand for half a second, before sliding her arm back to her side. “Goodnight, Pipsqueak.”