Work Text:
As far back as she could remember, Aelwyn couldn’t think of a single time that Adaine had gotten sick. Elves, in general, were less prone to most of the common illnesses of Solace and it was pretty unlikely that a nasty Fallinel bug would travel across the Celestine Sea to reach them.
But that wasn’t to say that elves couldn’t get sick. And, when Sandra Lynn fell ill with a nasty flu after a hunt, Aelwyn knew that it was certainly a possibility that she or her sister could contract it because, as much as high elves liked to act as if they were grander than wood elves, they were still all elves.
Adaine didn’t get sick until a few days after Sandra Lynn got better but, when she did, it was kind of horrible. She barely had the energy to get out of bed and scarcely ate anything, not even the elven waybread that Jawbone had ordered special from Fallinel for her.
Since she had gotten sick, Aelwyn had been staying in a different room. It was obvious that this disease was contagious, especially between elves, so she had been ordered to crash in Kristen’s room as she and Fig, seeing as part elven as well and her typical living space was pretty exposed to the rest of the house, avoided Adaine at all costs. Technically, Kristen was also supposed to be in the room since it was her bedroom, but she was scarcely there at all, which wasn’t something that Sandra Lynn needed to know.
To be honest, it kind of sucked. Just as she was building a relationship with her sister again, she’s barred from seeing her. Jawbone was by her side nightly while Aelwyn could do absolutely nothing but sit on the other side of the house and go to work, hoping that Adaine was feeling better enough to eat by the end of her shift.
That hadn’t been the case in the past three days. In fact, her condition hadn’t improved much at all. Given that it had taken Sandra Lynn practically a week to get better, this wasn’t surprising, but Aelwyn still longed to see her sister in good health.
It was on the third night that Aelwyn decided to do something and, well, it was more by pure chance than anything else.
She had been coming from Ragh’s room, pretty late at night. The two of them had both opted for taking a gap year before potentially pursuing higher education for their own reasons and, in the meantime, they were both working in the Elm Valley Mall. Fundamentally, they were two very different people but, given their circumstances, a strange friendship had blossomed between them and Aelwyn found it quite refreshing to have someone her own age in the house to chat with.
Their conversation that night had included mostly just Aelwyn complaining about her stress-prone manager and then Ragh talking about this strange guy he went on a date with earlier in the week, but it was relaxing just to talk about stupid shit like normal teenagers do.
She crept across the house after Sandra Lynn’s imposed lights out, which wasn’t really followed by anyone in the house other than Ayda when she stayed over, but stopped when she heard voices in the kitchen.
“I can’t go,” Jawbone said. “I’ve gotta stay here and take care of Adaine. She’s never had someone willing to do that for her before, so I’ve gotta stay. I’m her dad now.”
“You’ve been so excited to chaperone for this trip since it was announced,” Sandra Lynn replied. “I’m sure that Adaine will understand, especially since Lydia and I are here to help take care of her.”
“What if work calls you away for longer than expected?” he asked. “And what if Lydia isn’t having good days healthwise while I’m away? I can’t risk leaving her here and her having to care for herself right now, ‘cause she should be able to get cared for this time.”
Aelwyn decided to walk into the kitchen and make her presence known. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I could care for my sister while you’re away.”
Jawbone smiled softly. “That’s sweet of you, kid, but you could get sick too if you’re in there too much.”
“That doesn’t matter to me,” she replied. “Adaine’s my sister. If caring for her means that I could get sick, it’s a risk that I’m willing to take.”
Jawbone looked to Sandra Lynn, who just shrugged. “It’s your trip and your legal daughter, so it’s your call. For what it’s worth, though, I do think it might be a good thing for her to have her sister around.”
He nodded. “Alright, kid. I’m gonna keep my phone on while I’m away so if anything goes wrong, you can give me a call. I’m gonna chat with Adaine tomorrow morning, though, just to make sure she’s alright if I go. Now, I think it’s about time that we all get some sleep.”
Jawbone squeezed her shoulder lightly and headed off toward his room, leaving her alone with Sandra Lynn.
“You were on my side,” she said in surprise. Sandra Lynn was normally a bit harsh and, given Aelwyn’s past and the way it often shaped her behavior, it often fell upon her in the form of light reprimands.
“I know what it’s like to do wrong by someone and want desperately to make up for it, even after they’ve forgiven you,” she told her. “Take care of your sister. She needs you now.”
Adaine must have accepted her offer to care for her because Jawbone had left for his trip before she woke up that morning, leaving her a note by her air mattress that was set up in Kristen’s room explaining what medication he’d been giving to Adaine to help soothe her symptoms at which times.
She went down to the kitchen, hoping to prepare something that Adaine would actually enjoy eating but she wasn’t exactly sure exactly what she liked for breakfast, as she mostly just seemed to have a quick bowl of cereal before school in the mornings, as was the chaotic nature of the manor most days, and happily ate whatever was prepared on the weekends and, well, Aelwyn didn’t believe that she or her unseen servants had the skillset to prepare huevos rancheros that were half as good as Lydia’s.
Instead, she just prepared a simple breakfast as they would have eaten back home when they lived there. A few fried eggs, some fruit, and a piece of lightly buttered toast. She figured Adaine wouldn’t eat all of it, but hopefully, something on the plate would pique her fancy. She also prepared her a hot cup of tea with a spoonful of honey in it, hoping that it would help to clear out her throat.
She knocked on the door lightly, balancing the plate and mug in her hands as best as she could.
“Come in,” Adaine said weakly from the other side.
Turning the knob with her elbow, Aelwyn awkwardly made her way into the room and set all the food down on Adaine’s nightstand.
For the first time in a few days, she finally got a good look at her sister who honestly looked like shit. Her skin was paler than normal and her eyes were a bit sunken in. Her hair was greasy and sticking out in every direction and, even if Aelwyn were completely blind, she would be able to tell that she hadn’t showered in a few days.
Adaine looked at the food. “I’m not hungry.
Aelwyn raised an eyebrow. “You need to eat.”
“Maybe later,” she said, settling back into the bed.
“Frankly, Adaine, you look absolutely terrible,” she told her sister. “The only way you’re going to get any better is if you properly eat some food and, by the gods, take a shower.”
She flipped back toward her with a raised eyebrow. “Really? I’m laying in bed sick out of my mind and you’re going to stand there and heckle me for not eating food that I can’t keep down and not showering when I literally don’t think I can stand up long enough to take one?”
Aelwyn sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. “Look, I’m not asking you to eat everything on the plate. Just try to eat at least one thing. And drink the tea.”
Adaine glared at her for a moment before scooting up on the bed and reluctantly grabbing the toast, eating small bites of it between sips of tea.
“You didn’t put milk in the tea,” she said.
“I didn’t think you took your tea with milk,” Aelwyn replied.
“I don’t,” she told her. “I just didn’t think that you would remember. Did Jawbone tell you?”
She shook her head. “Honestly, Adaine, we lived together for most of our lives. I can remember something as basic as what you like in your tea.”
A soft smile spread across Adaine’s face. “Thank you, Aelwyn.”
She couldn’t help but smile back at her. “You’re welcome.”
She left for a bit after that, coming back to collect Adaine’s dishes after she had fallen back into trance. Aelwyn took some time to eat her own breakfast and shower before returning to Adaine’s room around lunchtime.
Because she was still trancing, Aelwyn sat on the edge of the bed and lightly ran her fingers through her hair, which was horrendously knotted. “Are you hungry, Adaine?”
“No, ‘m not,” Adaine muttered.
“Do you want to get cleaned up?” she asked her. “It might make you feel a bit better.”
Adaine looked up at her with bleary blue eyes. “I don’t think I have the energy to wash myself right now.”
“All you have to do is sit in the bath. I’ll wash you,” she suggested. “It’ll be kind of like when we were children and used to take baths together.”
She hesitated for a moment and then nodded, allowing Aelwyn to help her to maneuver out of the bed and toward the bathroom.
“I think I need to pee first,” Adaine said weakly when they got into the bathroom.
Aelwyn nodded. “Just let me start the tub first and then you can pee while I pick out a fresh set of pajamas for you.”
She stuck the plug in the bottom of the tub and turned on the water before shuffling out of the room and back toward the one she shared with her sister. Carding through Adaine’s drawers, she tried to find a comfortable set of pajamas for her, nearly settling on fuzzy cotton pants and a t-shirt before switching to her own drawer and pulling out a set of pajamas woven of fine elven silk, one of the few things that she had managed to save from home. She had never lent Adaine clothes before, it was always the reverse and, even then, she never actually asked when she wanted to borrow something but there was a first time for everything.
When she returned to the bathroom, Adaine was standing up and looking at her reflection in the mirror. “I really do look terrible, don’t I?”
Aelwyn shrugged. “You’re sick. Let’s get you cleaned up and then you can reevaluate.
She adjusted the faucet so the temperature of the tub was warm without being scalding as it continued to fill, turning it off when it was full enough. As a finishing touch, she waved her hand and cast prestidigitation to turn it into a bubble bath.
When she looked back at Adaine, she was smiling. “Mum never let us have bubbles. She always thought it would be too distracting.”
“It’s more fun,” Aelwyn said with a shrug. “We’ve got a new family now. We’re allowed to do things differently.”
Quickly, she helped her sister to disrobe and step into the tub, where she sat with her knees to her chest, shivering.
“Is it too cold?” she asked.
Adaine shook her head. “The water is perfect. It’s the rest of me that’s cold.”
She nodded and reached for the big cup on the corner of the tub, filling it with water before lightly dumping it on her sister’s head, hoping that the act of cleaning her hair would also help her to warm up a bit.
She tried to card her fingers through her hair as she washed it but it was simply too nodded. “If you’re not going to shower, then you could at least take a brush to it,” she said. “
Adaine rolled her eyes, which was honestly a good sign in terms of her awareness. “You try getting this sick and finding the motivation to brush your hair when you know you’re going to be stranded in bed for the day anyway.”
“I suppose you make a fair point,” she said as she grabbed the shampoo and squirted some into her hand before massaging Adaine’s hair with it.
After she washed it out, she moved on to the conditioner.
In a way, she’d always been jealous of Adaine’s hair. Sure, their hair was pretty similar, but hers never had the light and fluffy quality to it that Adaine’s did. And it was always an ordeal to tame when it got knotted. Adaine’s hair, however, was much easier to take, knots quickly untangling as she rubbed conditioner into her hair.
“Your hair is pretty,” she told her.
“ My hair is pretty?” Adaine asked. “Please, Aelwyn. Your hair is perfect. I have like half the volume that you have and somehow yours always manages to be so straight anyway.”
“Your hair is easier to handle,” she replied. “And it’s a bit wispy which is super pretty. Also, don’t give me credit for the straightness. I’ve completely ruined my hair with the straightener by now.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t ruin it.”
They continued to chat idly as Aelwyn assisted Adaine on getting clean, something that she admitted did make her feel a little better. She didn’t comment on the pajamas as she slipped them on, but she was clearly appreciative.
“Do you want to eat now?” Aelwyn asked her.
“I think I need to go back to bed,” Adaine replied with a shake of her head.
She nodded, understanding. At least she had eaten some breakfast today and gotten cleaned up. Maybe some more rest would do her good.
Aelwyn helped her back into her bed and tucked her beneath the covers before heading toward the door and turning out the light.
“Wait,” Adaine said as she was about to open the door and leave.
“Yes?” she replied.
She scootched over on the bunk and patted the spot next to her. “Stay? Just for a little bit. Until I fall back into trance.”
Aelwyn nodded and headed back across the room, slipping under the covers with her sister and laying down next to her as she snuggled into her shoulder.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Adaine said quietly after a few moments. “I’m glad that I have a sister like you.”
She turned toward her to reply but found that Adaine had slipped into trance just after she had said it.
Instead, she smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You make it easy to be a good sister, Adaine. I’m sorry that I didn’t see it before.”