Chapter Text
“So I have some news.”
Immediately, Eda saw Raine look up from the book they were flipping through. They set their novel aside as they adjusted their glasses and looked up at Eda, who was sitting at her vanity and looking at them through the mirror.
“We both know I’ve been hurting a little more than usual lately.” Raine nodded, seemingly calm, but Eda could see how fidgety they were and could feel her own pulse quickening.
She may be better at opening up, but that does not mean her anxious response had lessened any.
The longer Eda’s silence went on, the more Raine’s brow furrowed. They patted the space in the nest next to them, wordlessly asking Eda to come sit.
Slowly climbing over the lip of the nest, Eda lowered herself until she was slotted into her partner’s side, her head and hand resting on their chest as their arm wrapped around her back. They grabbed her hand with their free one and cautiously ran a calloused thumb over her knuckles.
“Don’t worry,” They brought her hand to their lips, “Whatever it is, I’ll take care of you.”
Eda’s lips twitched up momentarily before her smile faltered; she intertwined their fingers and pressed her face a little further into their side.
“Don’t tell me not to worry,” she echoed weakly. Raine’s blunt nails lightly scratched up and down her spine in response. Anxiety tended to make both of them go quiet.
Eda pulled a slightly rumpled packet of papers from her hair; the metallic healing coven insignia gleamed at the top of the front page. She felt a slightly shuddery breath underneath her head as she passed it to her partner. They flipped to the second page with shaky fingers. They scanned down, down, down through her list of symptoms until they landed on the bold red writing at the bottom of the page.
ATROPHIED BILE SAC—IMMEDIATE REMOVAL RECOMMENDED
Eda’s head rose slightly as Raine took a deep, steadying breath.
“Is this all they told you?” Raine asked, adjusting to hold Eda better as they geared up for a serious talk.
"Mm-mm," She shook her head slightly, “They said a lot. ”
“I imagine.”
Eda smiled slightly. “Basically, there’s some old, dried-up crud in my bile sac causing problems.” She tapered off and started picking at a thread on her partner’s shirt, “The circulation is all blocked up, so it’s just... slowly dying. I guess.”
Raine hummed in response, but Eda could still feel the anxious hammering of their heart and the shake in their words as they spoke, “How do you feel about all this?”
Eda shrugged in response. “I guess I could have known it was coming. Losing magic doesn’t come without consequences.”
“Did they give you a procedure date?” Raine asked quietly. Eda nodded.
“They wanted to take me back right there, but they're going to have to do some special blood tests or whatever. Make sure OB won’t make an unwanted appearance while my chest is open.” Eda said in a slightly jesting tone; she glanced up at her partner, hoping to find a trace of a smile on their face. Instead, she found a frown that carried the weight of the world.
“Hey, Rainestorm, what's wrong? It’ll be alright.” She sat up so she could be the one holding them to her chest. They obliged and wrapped their arms around her midsection.
They sighed, defeated. “I just- I hate stuff like this. It’s dumb, but I do.”
Eda sullenly thought back to the two’s late teens, Eda had just barely gotten a grip on her curse, when one day, out of the blue, Raine’s mama was admitted to the healing coven.
Less than a day later, Eda had the bard in her arms, sobbing through her shirt, “She’s gone.”
They had always been anxious, but their scepticism and worry around healers had understandably augmented after their mama died. Eda kissed their hairline as they sniffled.
“We’ll have to tell Luz.”
“Tomorrow, yeah.” Titan knows Luz had her fair share of trauma around doctors and hospitals. They’d have to break this to her and King gently.
“Did you say when you’re having it done?” Eda shook her head.
“A week from today is when they told me.” Raine nodded into her chest.
“I’ll let the council know in the morning that we’ll be out of work for a few weeks.”
Eda frowned. “You don’t have to do that, Rainestorm. I can manage just fine.”
Raine closed their eyes. “I want to, Eda. I love you.”
Eda cautiously ran her long nails through their hair. “I love you, too.”
“Hey, kids. Could you come downstairs?” It was evening the next day, and Raine and Eda were standing in the living room, calling to Luz and King, who had migrated upstairs after dinner.
“Coming!” A shout and a few concerning crashes came from upstairs.
Raine took Eda’s hand in theirs. “Do you want to tell them, or should I?”
Eda squeezed their hand. “I’ve got it.” Raine gave her a reassuring peck on the cheek as King and Luz bounded down the stairs.
As expected, after Eda and Raine broke the news to King and Luz, there was a palpable level of tension in the air. King had elected to cling to Eda with an iron grip while Luz snuck back to her bedroom.
“Should we go see about Luz?” Raine asked worriedly as the two witches (and King) crawled into the nest for the night.
“I’m not sure,” Eda admitted as she maneuvered a sleeping King to be curled up on her chest. “I don’t want her to feel like she needs to talk before she’s ready.”
Raine hummed, laying on their side next to Eda and running a gentle hand through King’s fur. “We can wait for a little while; she can come to us if and when she wants.”
As if on cue, there was a gentle knock on the door before it was clicked open. The aforementioned teen was revealed, worry etched into her face as she wrung her hands.
Eda tilted her head questioningly. “Hey, kiddo. You feeling alright?” Luz shook her head slightly as she clicked the door shut and shuffled over to the nest. Eda and Raine both moved so she could crawl in between them.
Eventually, Luz settled down with Eda’s arm slung over her shoulders, curled into the cursed witch’s side. Eda could feel the occasional twitch of anxiety ripple through the girl. She shared a sympathetic glance with Raine as she tried to comfort the young girl.
“Are you going to be okay?” The words were so quiet that Eda barely heard her. But even though the question was barely audible, it still caused her heart to drop. Raine reached over Luz to take Eda’s hand in their own.
“There’s no reason why I wouldn’t be,” she answered semi-honestly. Sure, the curse greatly complicated things, and maybe she’d double-checked her will once or twice, but that came with any operation! Luz did not seem assured. Eda sighed.
“The main thing is, whatever happens, we’re equipped to work through it as a family,” Raine interjected, squeezing Eda’s hand in their own. Luz peered at them through damp lashes.
Although grief and worry were evident in her expression, the fog in her mind cleared a little as Raine gave her a reassuring, understanding smile.
“If you want to take the time off school, I’m sure your mom would understand,” Eda suggested. Luz nodded in response.
“Can I be there when it happens?” Eda looked over at Raine, only to see pained sympathy reflected in their eyes.
“If that’s what you want.”
“Mhm,” Luz hummed, “I just... want to know what's going on.” She added quietly.
Raine felt a pang in their heart at that admission; one of the hardest things they had to wrestle with after their mama died was the fact that they missed most of her last day alive, going to school and band practice like it was a normal day.
“We’ll all be there, nobody has to be alone if they don’t want to.”
The next week would be filled with anxiety, emotions, admissions, and chaos. But, as Raine found themself surrounded by their mixed-matched family, with Eda and King’s gentle snores and Luz’s whistling breaths softly filling the air, they also found themself being uncharacteristically optimistic.
Whatever happened, good or bad, in the next few weeks, Raine would always be there to provide for their family.