Work Text:
Raine wasn’t at school.
The only reason it took Eda this long to realize this was because the two of them were in different tracks, so they never saw each other much, anyway. They usually met up before school started, but it’s not a stretch for Eda to have just thought that her best friend was late. However, lunch had come and gone and Raine had never shown up.
Now *that* was weird.
After lunch, Eda snuck off into the tunnels running through Hexside, pulling out her scroll.
LORD CALAMITY: WHERE R U???
LORD CALAMITY: ARE YOU SKIPPING WITHOUT ME???
After a minute of waiting, Raine finally replied.
RAINESTORM: I have the common mold
RAINESTORM: Calm down
RAINESTORM: I’ll be back tomorrow
Eda stared at the message for a little, before tucking her scroll away and standing up from where she had lain on the floor. She searched around the hideout before finding the door she wanted, crawling out into the greenery.
—
Was her mom probably going to kill her for missing *even more* of her classes?
Yes, yes she would.
But Eda refused to sit around in class (one that she didn’t even want to be in, hello?) while her best friend was sick.
She knocked on the wooden door that was so familiar it might have been her own, rocking back and forth on her feet.
The door opened, and Eda grinned up at the woman in front of her. “Heya, mama Whispers!” She held up finger guns.
Raine’s mom looked at her, vaguely concerned. “Hello, Edalyn… shouldn't you be in school right now?”
“Technically yes, but Raine said that they’re sick, so I wanted to come visit them.”
Raine’s mom sighed heavily. “Edalyn…”
“I’ll tell my mom that you didn’t know I was here. I’ll tell her I snuck in.” ‘Which I will do if you don’t let me in,’ she thought.
Raine’s mom paused before reluctantly stepping aside to let her in. Eda made a beeline for Raine’s room, only pausing to wave at Raine’s mother in the kitchen.
Eda practically busted down their bedroom door. “Rainestorm!”
Raine sat up in bed almost immediately. “Eda!? What are you doing here?” Their nose was red and they had dark circles under their eyes.
Somehow they were still really pretty. Ugh.
Eda barges in, collapsing on their bed beside them. “You know I can’t stand school without you. Lily barely talks to me anymore, she’s so focused on school and the Emperor’s Coven.”
Raine scooches to the side. “Eda, I’m sick. You can’t be here.”
“Whatever, I don’t care.” Eda replies, waving her hand. “How are you feeling?” She asks, leaning on her elbow and looking up at them.
Raine’s face is flushed slightly from fever. “I’m fine.” They say.
Eda sits up and pushes her face to theirs. “You don’t look fine. You look kinda rough.” She pokes their red, heated cheek.
Raine swats her hand away. “Shut up, Eda.” They blush.
Eda grins toothily. “Anyway, what do you want to do?”
Raine tilts their head. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you must be so, painfully bored,” Eda says exaggeratedly, grasping at the air in fake agony.
Raine giggles. “A little, I guess. But I’ve really just been asleep for most of the day. It was actually kind of peaceful without you here to bother me to the end of the world.” They tease.
“Boo, you suck. You know you love me.” She looks around the room. “Ugh, Rainestorm, why do you literally only own books? You’re almost as bad as Lily.”
Raine’s face scrunches up. “What? I like to read.”
Eda groans loudly and gets up, grabbing a random book off of the shelf. She flips through it. “Do you seriously own a book on Magic Theory? Is that what I’m looking at right now? You absolute nerd.”
“It’s interesting.” Raine protests. “Besides, no one is making you read it.”
Eda shoves the book back on the shelf. “And I never will. Ooh, what’s this one?” She pulls another book off of the shelf.
“Eda-”
Eda cackles as she reads the blurb. “Is this a romance!? Oh, we’re reading this.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?”
“Oh, my dear Rainestorm. I, your dear, precious best friend, am going to read to you.”
“I can feel my boredom quaking in its boots.” Raine deadpans.
Eda smacks them lightly with the book. “You bet it is.” She sits down next to them on the bed again, the two of them hip to hip with their arms pressed together.
Eda reads the book, making voices for all the different characters, mocking the main character and poking fun at the ‘gushy brain rotting plot’. Raine’s head rests on her shoulder as they read with her, laughing at her as she talks.
After a while Raine falls asleep on top of her, and Eda sets the book aside, lying down next to them, even though it’s still only late afternoon.
It’s warm and comfortable, and the two of them fall asleep entangled together, their hearts full.
—
EXTRA:
(Like 2 days later)
“Eda, this is why I told you not to hang out with me while I was sick.” Raine says, handing her the homework she missed.
“Shut up.” Eda groans before sneezing.