Eridan hadn't left Feferi's side. He hadn't intended to fall asleep… it just sort of happened about an hour after the sun had rose. His scarf was mainly off his neck as well, his scar hidden because his head was turned and rested on his arms enough to hide the silver line.
Feferi opened her eyes, blinking a couple times as she came to. Where… was she? Wait… Yesterday… the market… that's right. She was in the infirmary now. She looked over to see Eridan with his head in his arms, his scarf half off. It was cute; he had staid to watch over her.
"-Eridan…" She whispered, reaching out. She barely managed to pick up one end of the scarf and throw it over to cover his neck. His hair… it looked so soft in the morning light. She wanted to run her fingers through it… Maybe if she sat up just a little bit. "Ah-!" she whimpered when she attempted. Pain shot up her torso and she fell back onto the bed.
Eridan bolted awake at the cry, eyes wide. "F-Fef?" He stuttered. "Fef, you really shouldn't movve." He said.
"I just wanted…" She trailed off and he leaned a little closer to her. Reaching out, Feferi touched the scarf over the scar. Feeling him tense up under her hand and moved her hand to his hair. It was soft, just as she thought. "That. I wanted to do that." She murmured.
"All you had to do wwas ask." Eridan said, tilting his head a little so she would have better access to his hair. She didn't say anything, just played with his hair for a little bit.
"Sorry… You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you… Have you gotten any sleep recently?" She asked. Eridan shook his head.
"Not really." He admitted. "Howw about you and Nepeta?" He asked. "That could be wwhy she became ill." It was Feferi's turn to shake her head.
"Things haven't been the same… It's my fault… I just wanted to go back to normal between us…" She dropped her hands from his hair and let it move to her stomach.
Eridan looked at her, taking her hand. "She'll understand one day. Wwhen she does, things wwill go back to normal." He soothed. She nodded, looking up at him. His scarf was falling down again. She reached up to fix it when…
"Do you have the scarf from the market still? And the puffer?" she asked. Eridan nodded, pulling back just enough to reach under the bed, picking up the puffer and scarf from under it and handing them to her as Feferi did a little grabby movement with her hands. She gladly accepted the puffer, successfully squeezing some of the stuffing out of the poor thing. She tried to sit up again, but didn't get far. "Little kelp?" Eridan nodded again, moving closer. He placed one hand on her back, the other holding onto her arm as he helped her sit up.
Feferi thanked him and snuggled with the pufferfish to get her mind off the pain. She then noticed the scarf beside her. She pulled it out. "Now do you wanna try it on?" she asked. Eridan looked around, then slipped off his current stripped scarf. Feferi took the old one as he put on the new, and wrapped it around the pufferfish. "There. Sea? More resemblance."
Eridan actually let out a small laugh. "Wwith the scarf, it does look more like me." He agreed. "Are you ready to movve to your room noww? I'm sure it'll be more comfortable then here."
"Her bandages need changing, then she can be m0ved." The rust blood said, entering the room, looking at her clipboard. She stopped next to Feferi to check on her. "Cutie." She mused, referring to the pufferfish. "Fr0m the market?" She asked, taking Feferi's pulse. She paused, looking at the scarf around it, pointing from it up to Eridan. "W0w. She g0t a new scarf 0n y0u. L00ks… Nice." She remembered those colors well, and the loud mouth that they belonged to.
Eridan shifted a little, sure that she knew why he picked the one he had. He then nodded. "I'll wwait outside for you. Then I'll help you to your room." He said, standing then leaving the room.
The nurse ran back out to mix a glass, and Feferi backed into the pillow when she saw the color. "N0w d0n't d0 that, it's harmless and y0u kn0w it n0w. W0uld you rather be in pain?" That was what persuaded Feferi and she downed the mix.
Eridan returned when a nurse gave him the okay and he offered a small smile to Feferi. "Can you stand?"
"I-I'm not shore…" She trailed off, swinging her legs around to the edge of the bed, and hopped off. She stood for about a second before she crashed to the flood. Eridan tensed, kneeling beside her.
"Here." He said, pulling her into his arms as he picked her up bridal style. He held her gently but tightly to his check and with that, carried her out of the infirmary room.
Eridan wasn't surprised to see Nepeta sitting in her corner of the room and he set Feferi on the bed. Upon a second look to Nepeta, he noticed the book that held her attention. Feferi looked over at Nepeta, a weak smile on her face.
"You look better, do you feel better?" She asked. If she hadn't been so stumbly, she would have ran over to give her the biggest hug in the world. Nepeta looked up from her book, making the first form of eye contact with the princess since she had started the cold shoulder act. She offered a small shrug, looking back to the book before she could see Eridan's faint smile.
"I told you she wwould come around."
It was a start, she had to repeat that to herself. It was a start. She sat up a bit and raised her arms up at Eridan. "Stay for a bit?" She asked. Eridan nodded, moving to sit beside her on the bed.
"I'll stay wwith you as long as you wwant me to." He said, smiling at her. Nepeta stood, closing the book and holding it close to her chest as she made her way to sit at the desk. She sat with her back to them, not wanting to start another fight with Feferi, but not wanting to watch the two of them cuddle either. Feferi reached for and squeezed Eridan's hand, then looked to Nepeta.
"Nep? You wanna join us over here? Could brush your hair." She suggested, knowing that Nepeta loved being pampered; especially when her hair was brushed. Nepeta bit her tongue at the 'us' and focused on breathing calmly. The part of her that saw Feferi still as a friend perked up at the offer, and her grip on the book tightened.
"I'd rather read my book, princess." She said, focusing on her words so as to not use her normal pun of Feferi's title. Even Eridan winced at that, rubbing the back of Feferi's hand with his thumb.
A huge lump clogged Feferi's throat and she buried her head in the pillow next to her, irritating her ribs. She straightened out and was lying pretty flat on her stomach, clutching the puffer to her chest. But even that couldn't stop the choked sob that wanted to escape her. She just wanted Nepeta to smile at her again, for things to be okay with everyone, but everything she did was wrong.
The sob that Nepeta heard hurt her, and she forced herself not to snap and say something mean. She looked to Feferi for a long moment. Standing, she moved to the bed, sitting in front of the foot board on the bed, ignoring the several emotions that were on Eridan's face. She crossed her legs, opened her book and began to read the sea foam princess aloud.
Feferi moved her hands to her ribs, trying to stop the pain as she desperately wanted the pain killers. Then she heard Nepeta and she peaked an eye open to see her seated on the bed… reading aloud? Every once in a while, Feferi would read aloud to Nepeta when she would have nightmares… back when they were good friends any way. Slowly she turned over and put her head on Eridan's leg, eyes for only Nepeta at the moment.
Once the story was finished, Nepeta managing to not get upset enough to cry this time, she closed the book and raised her gaze to Feferi. She hid the flash of anger that flickered, due to Feferi allowing herself to still be around Eridan while she had to watch the two of them, the best she could but she knew Eridan knew by the faint look of guilt in his eyes.
Feferi could see it as well. "-Eridan… sink you could leave us for a sec?" She asked, sitting up a bit on the pillows. Eridan looked between the two of them.
"I'll be just outside if you need me." He said before he stood, exiting the room. Once he had, Nepeta stood, making her way back to the desk.
"Nepeta wait!" She called out. "Just do it. Yell. Scream at me… you're mad… I know you are." Nepeta looked back at her, setting the book on the desk.
"Mad? Is that the word you want to use?" She asked. "I'm not mad. I was scared when you hit Gamzee for helping me sleep. I was angry when you used you highblood power over me to forbid me from seeing him. I'm not mad." She said before she gritted her teeth, now standing beside the bed. "I'm disgusted."
Disgusted… that was a good word to use, Feferi thought. She didn't falter or look away from her- whatever they were now. "You have more to say, I'm sure." She made sure to keep her own puns out.
Feferi was trying to anger her, wasn't she? "You had no right to take me from him!" She snapped, her hands balling into fists. "You wouldn't even let him or I defend ourselves! You knew- no, you know that he means a lot to me! You know how hard it was to leave my mother, and yet you still decided it was perfectly fine for you to be with your highblooded prince while I stay locked in this room or have to stay by your side while you two play all but kissy-face!" Her yellow nails had cut into her palms, olive green falling to stain the carpet, green tinted tears falling from her eyes. "You keep proving to me that I am not, and never will be, a princess that someone could ever want! And when I finally found someone who thought else wise, you refuse to allow it!" Her voice cracked as she literally screamed the last words.
There was no simple sorry words that were going to fix any of this. She had really hurt her friend. She hung her head, tears falling onto the slip she still wore. "Go to him then, spend as much time with him as you want." She simply aid, somehow keeping her voice even. Nepeta had every right to be disgusted with Feferi; she was disgusted with herself.
Wait, had she really just said- "No." Nepeta replied, moving to the desk. She picked up the book again, then seated herself beside Feferi. "I'm going to stay here, right here, until you're better. Not Eridan, me." She said, opening the book. Feferi was grateful that Nepeta was choosing to stay with her, even if they both were disgusted with Feferi.
"Can I brush your hair? Like old times?" She asked. Nepeta nodded, getting up to retrieve a brush before she settled in front of Feferi.
"I… I wanna read you another story. I think it'll do us both good." She said. What little she had already read of Romeo and Juliet seemed to fit their situation. Feferi sniffled, running the brush through Nepeta's hair.
"I'd like that." She murmured. She just wanted to enter a bubble, where there was no Eridan or Gamzee. One where they were back in her old room, four sweeps old, Nepeta proudly reading a story to show how much her mom had taught her that day. Nepeta closed her eyes for a moment, then began reading.
Feferi loved Nepeta's voice when she read aloud. Nepeta had a way of bringing the words to life. She always got into it, cried at sad parts, and laughed at the funny ones. She continued to rub the brush through Nepeta's hair as she read. It had gotten pretty tangled in the past few days, but she worked through the knots. After a while she set the brush down and placed her forehead on the back of Nepeta's neck, trying to ignore her sore ribs, but a soft whimper managed to escape her.
Nepeta would pause when the other would whine, waiting for her pain to ease before she would continue.
"
'His name is Romeo, and a Montague. The only son of your… great enemy…' "
Nepeta frowned softly, stopping before she closed the book. "I… I don't want to read this anymore…" She said softly.
Feferi lifted her head up, confused. "Oh? Why?" She inquired. She remembered reading the story a couple sweeps ago, and remembered that Romeo and Juliet's love was forbidden. Nepeta swallowed hard.
"Beclaws… It's not going to have a happy ending… I can tell." She said, eyes locked on the cover. "Just like the sea foam princess." She was able to remember that one well now that she had read it twice.
The Sea foam princess… Feferi remembered that one as well. But… "Can I sea the book for a second?" She asked. Nepeta's grip tightened defensively on the book, then slowly eased before she carefully held it to the other female. Feferi scanned the table of contents and flipped through the pages. "Here we go." She said, keeping her thumb on the page as she passed the book back to Nepeta. "This one has a happy ending." She said. Nepeta gave Feferi a confused look.
"I…" Her eyes scanned over the pages. A girl's father died and she was left in the care of an evil step mother. Nepeta continued to read. A ball. Fairy godmother. The stroke of midnight. Then… "The purrince… Went looking for her…?" She breathed.
Feferi nodded. "Love at first sight." She smiled. "Keep reading~ it gets better." Nepeta nodded, turning the page, her eyes widening at the final illustration. The prince was kneeled down in front of Cinderella, smiling up at her as he slid on her glass slipper. Feferi smiled.
"He looked all over for her, and put that shoe on everykrill in the kingdom. He didn't care that she was poor or a maid. He found his fincess." She explained. Nepeta nodded, then swallowed hard, closing the book.
"It's.. it's ju-" she stopped herself. She remembered Gamzee's words. It's just a story. "It's nice." She said, closing her eyes.
Gamzee stumbled out to the garden to check on the soper flowers. The jars he had stock piled the past week were near empty now so they needed to be refilled. As he walked, his mind drifted from him. He had heard earlier screaming and yelling coming from Fefsis' room. He couldn't quite make out any words, but he could tell that Nepeta was not happy about something. He had wanted to, so badly, go check on her. To make the bad feelings go away, but he had to wait for her to come to him. Even though he hated waiting.
By now he had reached the flowers, and froze. Their jaws… they were closed tight. He squatted down and tried to pry the jaws apart, but they wouldn't budge. He had sucked them dry, and the plants were in shock. He would take at least a week and a half for the slime to replenish enough for them to open again.
"Well… shit."