SPIKED

ｔａｐｉｎｇ

hello! i am so very sorry for a delayed update,
my life has become a little busier than usual!
please enjoy this chapter.
— narita

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『ｔａｐｉｎｇ』

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the beach with us?"

Looking down at the top of Emma's head, Edith laughs lightly at the petulance in Emma's words. Brushing at Emma's baby hairs with her fingers, Edith holds her little sister in a tight embrace. She would love to go to the beach with her family — if only she didn't have an irrational fear of open water.

Thursday has come around sooner than Edith intended, the beginning of the week flying by in a blur that consisted solely of photography editing, digital drawings, and planning a surprise for Will with the twins. Edith can't say she isn't happy the days between Saturday and Thursday didn't drag, but part of her wishes that she had more time to prepare for her day alone with Will.

"Edith can't," Eren mumbles on the sofa behind them, breaking Edith from her thoughts as she cranks her head down towards her other sister, who sits stoically playing Smash Bros Ultimate on her Switch. Eren's eyes do not deviate from the console as she says, "Will is spending the day with her."

Blushing ever so gently, Edith lets go of Emma and takes a seat on the sofa adjacent to the one Eren lounges on. Emma stands behind Eren, with a hip leaning against the back of the sofa as she folds her arms across her chest. Examining the exchange her sisters share.

"He and I are just having a movie day," Edith promises, not missing the way Eren hums sarcastically; bobbing her head in an unconvinced fashion.

"Is that why you got us to help you make volleyball signals for him?"

Blanching slightly at Eren's dry tone, Edith scrunches her nose up at the coldness of her sister's words. She isn't used to this. Usually it was her scolding Eren, not the other way around. This felt alien. "What are you trying to say, Eren?"

"You know he leaves for America at the end of summer, right?" She still isn't looking up from her game, fingers dancing across the buttons as Edith watches with a dark frown on her face; unsure as to what turn this conversation is taking; her stomach beginning to knot.

The sound of Emma's nervous laughter breaks Edith's (somewhat) harsh glare slightly, but seems to have zero effect on the coiling irritation that is beginning to nestle in the pit of Edith's stomach. "Let's not argue," Emma mumbles softly, making her way around the back of the sofa to stand in the way of Edith's gaze.

Emma dons a red swim suit with a pair of black shorts over the top, in comparison to Edith's baby pink Nike shorts and oversized white tee. Totally beach ready; skin on display to soak in a tan, sunglasses perched on her hairline too. Edith just knows Emma will forget to apply sun cream though, resulting in bad burning and heavy freckling.

"I'm not trying to argue," Edith's eyes snap back to Eren, who has now abandoned the game complete. She crosses her arms tightly over her chest now, dramatically huffing some hair that hangs limply in her eyesight; a scowl on her lips. "I just want Edith to be careful."

This makes the irritation in Edith's stomach coil tighter as she clenches her fists together. "Why would I need to be careful?" She asks brusquely. Eren's face falls slightly, her usual tough exterior breaking for a second whilst she pushes her hair from her eyes.

Knowing that the long and ticklish fringe always annoys Eren, Edith always carries several bobby pins in her pocket or bag. She feels the ones in her pocket burning holes in the fabric, but her stubbornness refuses to let Edith offer the pins to Eren.