That Time of the Month
Chapter 1: JackyXPeter
Jacky woke up in her room in Heart Castle to an unpleasant bloated feeling in her stomach. Lifting the comforter and sheets, she took a small sniff, then quickly put the covers back down and recoiled in disgust. Dammit to Hell, she thought angrily, her thoughts almost sounding like Black Joker's. Not that stupid time of the month again!
Yes, the young Outsider was on her much-dreaded period. She hated her time of the month, because it always hurt like Hell on the first day, and then for the next week, she'd be tired, bloated, and extremely irritable. It was her first month in Wonderland, and she hadn't bought anything for such a predicament. The medicine she used to soothe the pain and bring down the bloating was still up in her medicine cabinet in her old world, probably gathering dust by now, and her assortment of pads and tampons was hidden safely away in her old bedroom's closet, also collecting dust.
With an unhappy groan, she got out of bed, showered to get the smell of period blood off her, dressed in one of the new outfits she'd picked out when she and Vivaldi had gone shopping, then asked one of the maids to change her bedding. The moment the maid saw the tiny red spots on the sheets, Jacky gave her a glare that made her look less like an Outsider and more like a Role-Holder. "You are to tell absolutely no one that I'm on my period," she said in a tone that dripped acid. "If gossip that I am reaches the Queen, I will not ask her to spare your head. And keep in mine that as an Outsider, I can easily pick you out of a line-up of your fellow maids. And yes, I'm being unusually scary, but my period does that to me. Oh, and Peter better not find out about this, either. Same with Ace and the guards, or I will personally ask to be your executioner."
"Y-Yes, Miss Jacky," the maid stammered fearfully. Jacky was normally so kind to the Faceless that she often treated them like her equals. No one but Blood Dupre had ever seen this vicious side of her. The maid quickly did as she was told and changed the sheets, making sure another maid brought the irate Outsider enough pads and tampons to get her through three months. After making use of these items, she hurried to breakfast, knowing it was only a matter of time before the pain kicked in and the smell seeped through her clothes. she just hoped that Peter wouldn't be too grossed out when he found out.
"Good morning, everyone, she said, greeting Vivaldi, Peter, and the King observing that Ace was missing. "Ah, I see that idiot Knight got lost again."
"Indeed," Vivaldi agreed, noting that Jacky rarely called Ace an idiot, save when she was angry. "We hope you slept well.
"I did, thank you," Jacky said, sitting down beside Peter, making him smile quite happily. "I was starting to get homesick for the International Fashion Contests I so often competed in back in my old world, so Nightmare recreated one for me, with faceless models and even some of the clothing lines I sold in my old boutique."
"That sounds delightful!" Vivaldi said with high interest. "We would have loved to see such a thing!"
"More importantly, Jacky, shall we go to the town today?" Peter asked. "I know a café with the most wonderful strawberry shortcake!"
Jacky almost drooled at the mention of her favorite desert, but at that moment, she felt herself beginning to cramp. "After you finish your work, Peter," she said calmly, trying to hide the pain she was beginning to feel, but Peter could see in in her eyes. "You know I like my boyfriends to have strong work ethics."
"Of course, dear," he said with a smile. He'd hoped to be able to get out of work by asking his sweetheart on a date, but once again she'd played the "Work Ethic Card." Ever though he always saw her as his top priority, work being secondary, he would gladly do his job if it meant that the date could be his reward for doing his work properly.
"I'm going to the library," Jacky said once she finished eating. "If anyone needs me, you know where to find me."
Without waiting for anyone to reply, she stood and left the table, hoping no one had noticed her discomfort.
As Peter made his way to his office in the Castle, he couldn't help remembering the discomfort he'd seen in his beloved's bluish-grey eyes. Had she used work as a cover-up so to avoid a date with him? Just as he was beginning to question that Jacky's passion for him was starting to cool, his sensitive ears picked up on the chatter of two maids./p
"Miss Jacky's been in a foul mood today," one whispered, unaware of the Prime Minister's presence.
"Indeed," her companion agreed. "She's usually so polite, even to us Faceless. I hope she's okay."
"I heard from the maid that changed her bedding that she's menstruating," the first one said. "She was reluctant to speak of it though. It was like she thought she'd be killed for telling anyone! Honestly, Miss Jacky is a kind and merciful soul. She's never ask the Prime Minister, the Queen, or the Knight to kill someone unless they were a direct threat."
Peter had already fled to the library the moment he heard the maid say "menstruating." While for most animals, such as rabbits, cats, mice, and dogs, their time in heat was the prime -time for mating and breeding, he was well aware that for humans, it was very different. For human women, it was a painful, embarrassing, inconvenient time, and they were more likely to turn down a mate than accept one. Peter's mind wasn't in the gutter, rather he was simply worried about his dear Jacky's well-being. His mother, who had had many human friends in life, had told him that they often experienced varying levels of pain for varying lengths of time, and that the length of the period and the level of pain also varied woman-to-woman.
And while Peter had no clear idea how long Jacky's period would last, he knew that he absolutely did not want her to be in pain for even the shortest length of time. It then occurred to him that it might very well have been the reason she'd been so uncomfortable at breakfast. As he reached the double doors to the library he tried his best to calm down. Other than what his mother and father had told him when he was just a boy, he knew very little about human menstrual cycles. Would it be messy? Would their be an unpleasant odor?
I don't have time to worry about that right now, he told himself. Jacky could be crying in pain right now! Banishing the last of his hesitance, he entered the library, found his beloved curled up on a couch not far away, a book laying open on the floor. One look at her face, and he could tell she was in pain. As gently and quietly as possible, he approached and lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal-style. Jacky whimpered softly, opened her eyes a little. "Peter...?" she whimpered.
"Shh, rest my dear," he said gently, as a sweet, salty, oddly enticing scent reached his nose when the AC came on. "Let's get you to bed."
"Thank you," Jacky whispered, nuzzling his shoulder. "But how did you know...?"
"I overheard two of the maids talking about you," Peter explained. "It seems one of them heard from another who was scared to speak about it." He looked straight at her with a loving smile. "Now why would that be?"
"Maybe... because I kinda sorta threatened that if word about my period reached your ears, or Vivaldi's Ace's or any of the guards, I'd personally execute her?" Jacky blushed.
Peter gently kissed her forehead and smiled. "I love your violent side, my dear, sweet Jacky," he said sincerely as they reached her room. He gently set her on the bed, then sat beside her. He gently touched her lower stomach, checking to make sure she was alright. Jacky whimpered and flinched away.
"Does it really hurt that much?" Peter asked in concern. Jacky simply nodded. "I'll fetch some painkillers for you," he said. "Please change into your nightclothes and rest till I get back."
"And after you come back...?" Jacky prompted.
Peter smiled warmly and gently. "After I come back and you've taken the medicine, please take a nap until you feel better," he said, making Jacky sigh in relief. "We'll get the cake when you wake up."
"Sounds good to me," Jacky said sleepily. With that, Peter left the room to go to the Castle doctor to get the painkillers. When he came back with a glass of water and a heat pad for the pain, he found that Jacky was already changed and on the verge of sleep. Smiling gently, he roused her just enough so he wouldn't have to force-feed her the water and pills. When she was done, she laid back down and went to sleep.
Relieved to see her resting peacefully, he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. "Feel better soon. I love you, Jacky." He whispered, before taking his leave.
"I love you, too, Peter White." Jacky replied softly after he left.
A/N: I am writing this based largely on my own experiances with my own periods. To all tweenage girls reading this, here are a couple tips about periods:
1: Never ever leave home without a couple spare tampons, even if you're not on your period
2: Know your flow. Periods can be heavy or light, depending largely on family history. If your mom has heavy periods, so will you.
3: If you're in school, get permission monthly to bring painkillers, no more than two a day.
4: Cold weather is bad for periods. When winter hits, buy some pocket warmers.
5: Exercise helps with the pain. And to all who think they'll bleed to death if they move around too much on their period, you should've paied better attention in Health class.
Next up, see what happens when Vivaldi finds out about Jacky's period!
