𝙰 𝚂 𝚃 𝚁 𝙾 𝙽 𝙾 𝙼 𝚈 - 𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝒪𝒲𝐿 𝐻𝒪𝒰𝒮𝐸

𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝙼𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚔'𝚜

    "Oh no! Not again," Eda loudly said from downstairs. She ran up to Y/N and Luz's room only to find a sleeping Y/N, "Kid, you've gotta get up." Y/N groaned and snuggled deeper into their blankets. A honey agaric mushroom grew on the back of their head. "Of course, you get the common mold when we need you most," Eda sighed, "Listen, I lied to King a while ago. Now he's gone to his castle. If you could quickly get over this illness, that'd be great, super helpful even." In response, a morel grew on their head. "You think you could at least get up?" Y/N sighed. They tried using their arms to push themself up, but they shook and fell. Y/N shook their head. Eda groaned and slung them over her shoulder. 
    "You got a place you can go?" Eda asked.
    "Willow-Pillow's place!" Y/N giggled. Eda nodded, and the two got in her tub since Luz had taken Owlbert. Eda flew into Bonesborough and quickly scouted for Willow's place. Once Eda found it, she knocked on the door and waited not so patiently for one of Willow's dads to answer. 
    "Uh, hello?" Harvey answered.
    "Hi, I hope you don't mind the intrusion, but my kid here needs a place to stay for a few hours while they're down with the Common Mold. If you could take them, that'd be great," Eda said, holding Y/N under their shoulders like a puppy. 
    "I'm sure Willow wouldn't mind the company," Harvey said.
    "Great! Byeeeee," Eda said, setting Y/N down and flying off. 

    "Willow! Y/N's here!" Harvey called, dragging the teen inside as their limbs had decided not to work again. 
    Willow raced down the hall, "Hi, Y/n! Oh, you're sick! Don't worry, Dad. I'll take care of them." Willow picked Y/N up and carried them to her room, "How are you feeling?"
    "Cold but hot, but not the good hot, y'know?" Y/N answered. A toadstool grew on their hand. Willow tucked them into her bed.
    "I'll get you some water. You should go back to sleep," Willow smiled, leaving the room. Y/N closed their eyes and tried sleeping, but they could only think about Hunter and Luz, strange. 
    "Willowwwwwwwww," Y/N groaned as she came back in with a glass of water.
    "Yes, Y/N?" 
    "I can't sleep, and my arms aren't working, and neither are my legs."
    "That's strange. The Common Mold doesn't usually do that,"
    "Must be different for grimwalkers and witches then,"
    "What!?"
    "Oh, yeah. That's something on the DL. Shhhhh."
    "You're a grimwalker?"
    "Obviously," Y/N stuck their tongue out.
    "How can you do magic?"
    "My parents sacrificed someone or something like that to get their bile sac. I don't know how it works."
    "Does anyone else know?"
    "Nopers, just you, Willow-Pillow."
    "Here, sit up so you can drink some water."
    "Ok," Y/N sat up, and Willow lifted the cup to their mouth, "Thank you."
    "Of course. I really think you should go to sleep now. Sleeping and drinking are the best ways to get rid of a Common Mold since we don't have medicines for it yet."
    "But that's boring! My family is out there probably on some crazy adventure without me."
    "Well, imagine it in your dreams," Willow said as she pulled the blanket over Y/N.
    "That's unfair. My arms literally don't work."
    "Let the darkness consume youuuu," Willow said in a "ghost" voice.
    "Is this a good time to mention I'm terrified of tight spaces and the dark? It reminds me of the basement my parents kept me in while they plotted my death," Willow shrieked and pulled the blanket off of them Y/N laughed, "Just kidding. Well, about the fear part."
     "We have a lot to talk about once you're no longer sick."
     "Nah, I'll just end up lying and avoiding you so I won't have to confront my problems. Might run away again. Who knows? Man, I wish I had stopped talking. Belos was right; I really don't shut up." 
    "Y/N, you're not going to run away again. And, as your friend, I will listen to you when you're ready to talk about all this."
    "You'll be waiting for a long time," Y/N sighed, "People scare me. Might explain why I'm such a pushover."
    "But you literally confront people from the Emperor's coven without blinking an eye!"
    "I'm not scared of people from the coven. It's hard to explain. I get really nervous in some cases if I don't know the person and someone I know knows the person. But if no one I know knows that person I don't care what I say. Even my anxiety is codependent."
    "I don't think you're a pushover. I think you're scared of the people you know leaving because you said the wrong thing to the wrong person."
    "Pshh, whatttt. Noooo. Ugh! I wish my arms worked."
    "One day, you're going to get confronted with these feelings, and if you don't talk about them, they'll worsen. It'll get worse and worse until you're nothing but a pile of bitterness."
    "Jeez, morbid. But, you're not my mom, you're not my therapist, you don't have to worry about me."
    "I'm your friend so after you go to sleep and hopefully get better we'll be talking about it."
    "If I get better after my nap I'm running out the door," Y/n said before they passed out. Willow sighed and tucked Y/N in once more.
    "I really hope you know how much I love you and how I'm willing to listen whenever you need me. You may have lived a barricaded life for what? 8 years? But now I'll be the crowbar struggling against the rusty nails. Sleep tight, Y/N." Y/N flushed red in their sleep but Willow just passed it off as something to do with their sickness.