Work Text:
Blood.
Not again.
Basil softly groaned as she stared down at the blood that dotted her white panties, feeling worse than ever in the bathroom. She wanted to cry, from both the pain and embarrassment of it all, yet found herself unable to. Her mind was too scattered to do anything about it.
Her body already ached from her recently healed injuries, Sunny delivering the truth surprisingly going well wasn’t even enough to placate her. Even Aubrey had apologized, something she didn’t expect, despite she (and the others) saying they needed some time to think.
At least, that’s what Sunny told her. She woke up hours after he had, after all.
It’s not as if it never happened before, she was 17, after all. It was just a part of life and she knew that. With all of the stress having taken a toll on her, however, she had skipped quite a few for a while. Since the bullying began, she had basically trained her body to fight of stressors, her periods having come to a halt in the process.
Unfortunately for her, as the stress cooled away, the process was unleashed once more.
Basil groaned, wondering what she could do. She hadn’t bought pads in months, she hadn’t needed them, and her grandmother hadn’t menstruated in decades. Her recent passing impacted her even more as well and gave her less of a need to buy them, but here she was, needing them.
What could she do? She couldn’t go into town bleeding like that. Her stomach hurt and she didn’t want anyone seeing the blood. Even Polly knew she wasn’t a huge social butterfly either, she had to-
Wait.
Polly!
Basil found herself with a slight wave of relief as Polly came to mind. She was always kind towards her, she could just ask her for a product, right? She didn’t need to worry about anything as long as-
It was then another wave of shame hit her. Polly was already going through enough. She didn’t need to pressure her more, especially about something like this. It would just burden her, and likely make her uncomfortable. She already wasn’t very comfortable with her own cycles, and the sudden return jolted her.
Then again, what choice did she have? She could just sit here in the bathroom and bleed, but she couldn’t do that. She needed to water the flowers today and Polly would walk in looking for her after realizing she was missing, making everything even more awkward.
Basil sighed as she stood up, taking her bloody underwear off her legs and holding them. She had to do this no matter how unfortunate it was.
***
Polly softly hummed as she sewed, trying her best to keep her spirits high. It wasn’t easy after everything, Basil had only recently gotten out of the hospital, after all. She was concerned for the girl even with her injuries healing.
It’d never have been easy.
Polly sighed, tucking her brown hair behind an ear as she fiddled with her cat shaped earring. She was thankful she found her before anything else could happen that night, but regardless, he wouldn’t forget it. All that blood, that sweat, that-
“Miss Polly?”
A small, familiar, trembling voice was heard behind the door as Polly turned her head, seeing the girl in question being there as she walked toward, holding something in her hand. Polly stood up, trying her best to shake off her own worries as Basil walked up to her, shivering a little.
“Is everything okay, Basil?” Polly asked, gently, as Basil’s blue eyes shifted. She seemed embarrassed, which Polly could tell, leaving her wondering what was happening. Basil was always shy, but she seemed perturbed even out of the usual.
Her words showed this as she softly stuttered over her words, holding the bloody undergarment in her hand.
“Polly…” She spoke, twirling her blonde braid with her other hand, a habit that Polly recognized from the girl. “I’m…I’m on my…My…”
Polly waited for the girl to reply, cocking her head.
“Your what?” She asked, before her eyes fell on the blood stained undergarment, finding herself startled. “Basil, that blood! Are you-“
Polly’s words stopped in their tracks as Basil held up the underwear, covering her face in shame. Polly stared for a moment as she registered what was wrong, speaking in a softer voice. She knew the girl was embarrassed enough, and she didn’t need to make it worse.
“…Do you need a menstrual pad, sweetie?” She spoke, Basil nodding uncomfortably. Basil expected to be laughed at or even dismissed, although that was very out of character for Polly, but found herself mildly settled by the soft tone as Polly reached into her bag, removing a pad as she handed it to the girl, taking her panties in response.
“Go to your room and take a new pair, I’ll wash these.” Polly spoke gently as Basil made her way to her room, pad in hand as she adjusted her skirt, which was mercifully spared. “It’ll be easy, don’t worry.”
Polly internally cursed the undies being white, but had dealt with her own experience in menstruating for long enough to know how periods could be remedied. She knew she’d have to be softer with Basil, and make sure to give her space.
It wasn’t her fault, after all, it was just a part of her body.
Polly sighed as she dropped the pair into the wash, closing the top as she turned on the machine. Basil already had gone through so much in the last month alone, losing her grandmother, her hospital visit, and now this awkward situation. She couldn’t help but to feel sorry for the girl, wanting to do more to help.
She knew, however, she’d do what she could.
The door opened as Polly walked back into the living room, Basil awkwardly walking towards her, wiping her tears with a hand as Polly smiled warmly.
“Do you need anything? Snacks?” She asked as Basil leaned against the couch, seemingly to eb the pain.
“The cramps kinda hurt, but…I think…I’ll be fine.” Basil mused a bit more to herself, her eyes still watering. “I…I just think I’ll…We’ll…Be okay…I’d…”
As Basil was unable to find the words, Polly softly pulled her into a gentle hug. This move surprised her, but she welcomed as she hugged Polly back, the two being locked in a soft embrace as Polly stroked her hair.
“Everything is going to be okay.” Polly softly whispered to the girl as she held onto her, wiping her tears.
“Everything is going to be okay.”