#read to see if Villy made Elphaba's wedding dress

[wickedobsessed101]

"Sewing It Up" Oneshot #3: Care For You

Villy was surprised when she awoke on her own. Normally, Nyris assumed the self-appointed role of being her alarm clock. A bouncy, giggly, snuggly alarm clock.

Confused, reached over towards her nightstand and groped for her watch. Nine forty-seven. Much later than Nyris usually woke up on a Saturday. She pushed herself out of bed with a grunted yawn and shuffled over to the door. She twirled her robe around her shoulders and walked down the hall to her step-daughter’s room.

“Nyris?” she asked as she opened the door, wondering if she was awake and decided to read or play quietly. Silence answered her, and she went over to the bed, relaxing slightly when she found her still sleeping. “Good morning. Rise and shine, Jellybean.”

Nyris moaned, but it wasn’t an “I’m still sleepy” moan. It was more of an “I’m not feeling well” moan. Villy’s eyebrows furrowed and she felt her forehead. It was clammy, but didn’t feel dangerously hot.

The touches roused the little girl and she slowly opened her eyes. “Mimsey…”

“Hey, honey. You’re not feeling well this morning?”

“Mmm… back hurts. It’s hot and itches, but hurts when I scratch it.”

Villy lifted her nightgown and lightly touched her back, feeling a large patch of warm, scaly, swollen, blister-covered skin. A rash had developed overnight. She thought back to the previous day, where they were playing in the grass, lying on their backs, wondering if that had triggered it. “Does that hurt?” she asked when Nyris stiffened.

“Uh-huh. It didn’t hurt yesterday.”

“Does it hurt anywhere else?”

“… No. I want Papa.”

Geri had returned to the Glikkus for the weekend for a conference. “He won’t be back until tomorrow, Jellybean.”

Nyris moaned and curled into a fetal position. Villy searches the back corners of her mind for something that could help soothe her. She remembered her mother rubbing coconut oil on her older sister’s body when her eczema flared up, and figured it would also soothe rashes.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, kissing her forehead and going back to her bedroom. She searched her vanity for the coconut oil. Had she run out? Geri never threw anything away without telling her they needed to replace it, so maybe it was just –

“Ah,” she smiled, finding the tub in question. She opened it and stuck a few fingers in, checking the amount. It was almost gone, but figured it’d be enough to provide some temporary reprise from the pain. She went back to the little girl’s room. “Lay on your tummy, Nyris.”

She heard the little girl shift and sat, lifting her nightgown again and cautiously feeling the infected area, trying to gauge its size.

“No! Don’t touch it!”

“I need to put the coconut oil on. It’ll make you feel better. I promise I’ll be very gentle.”

Nyris pushed away from her with a strained moan. “No! No touch! I want Papa!”

Fighting with the hysterical girl wouldn’t do either of them any good. “Okay. I won’t touch it. Would you like an ice pack instead?”

She relaxed, considering that option. “Mmhmm.”

“Okay. Stay on your tummy. I’ll be right back.”

She kissed her forehead and went down to her workshop to grab a large square of cotton, then up to the kitchen, where she searched for a small, plastic bag from under the sink, and filled it with ice. She tied the bag and wrapped it in the cotton.

When she returned, she found Nyris on her side, curled in a fetal position, hugging her stuffed lamb.

“Lay on your tummy, honey,” she gently reminded, helping her shift and lifting her nightgown again.

“It’s cold,” she complained, trying to squirm away.

“It’ll cool you off and make you feel better.”

The ice helped enough where she now allowed Villy to gently touch it, just to gauge its size. The rash covered her shoulder blades to her mid-back. She gently applied the coconut oil, keeping her touches light, and got through it without any tears.

“I’m hungry,” Nyris announced, sitting up and pawing her stepmother’s arm.

Villy’s stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten yet. “Let’s get breakfast.”

“I want your fuzzy robe, please.”

“You can wear my fuzzy robe.”

The two slid off the bed, making a pitstop at the master bedroom to grab the fuzzy, pink bathrobe in question. The robe was large on the little girl, dragging behind her like a wedding gown train, and Villy suspected that was one of the main reasons she liked it so much.

Nyris seemed to have enough energy to want to help make the food, and Villy helped her crack two eggs into a bowl and whisk the eggs.

“You’re not working today?” Nyris asked, wiping her mouth with her palm, cleaning it from the orange juice mustache.

“No. Elphaba’s on a class trip, and it was going to be closed, anyway.”

“You were very busy.”

“We were. We had a lot of custom orders due.”

“Like that purple dress?”

One of the local politician’s wives had ordered a royal purple mermaid dress with a beaded bodice and large, satin bow in the back. Villy had decided to work on that one at home to free up the shop a tiny bit. It took a week to complete, and every night after dinner, she would lock herself in her workshop until it was time to tuck Nyris into bed and read her a bedtime story.

“Yes. Like the purple dress.”

“It was pretty. I liked the sparkles. You should wear a dress like that.”

“I might. I like mermaid dresses.”

Once they finished, Villy checked Nyris’s back. She made sure to still be extra gentle, still feeling the swollen blisters.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Not as much. It’s a tiny bit better now.”

“It doesn’t feel as warm as before. I have an idea. Wait right here.” She returned to the kitchen, searching the cupboard for the canister of oatmeal. She found it behind the cereal (though she didn’t remember putting it there), and opened the drawer for the measuring cups. Scanning the handles, she found the one cup and went back to her stepdaughter. “Come with me, Nyris.”

The little girl sashayed over, slipping her hand into Villy’s. “What are you doing with the oatmeal?”

“You’re gonna have an oatmeal bath.”

“Do I have to eat it afterwards? Can I have a blueberry bath instead?”

“You don’t have to eat it, honey. The oatmeal will help soothe your back.”

“Oh. Okay.”

They went into the bathroom, and Villy filled the tub with warm water, mixing in two cups of oatmeal, and helped Nyris in.

“How long do I have to sit here?”

“Half an hour. I’ll start the timer.” She reached over and groped for the timer on the sink. She turned the dial, setting it for thirty minutes.

“How long is half an hour?”

“Thirty minutes. The timer will ring when it’s over. Do you want your colorful mermaids?”

“Yes, please.”

Villy searched for the two water dolls in the basket next to the tub. Nyris entertained her with a long story about the two mermaids and their best friends, the Colorful Fish. Villy alternated between roleplaying as one of the mermaids, and gently splashing the oatmeal water onto Nyris’s back, making sure it was fully coated.

Nyris was in the middle of the climax of the story when the timer rang. “I’m not finished yet,” she pouted.

“You can finish your story. Then we’ll dry off.”

Nyris continued the story (mostly getting sidetracked and long-winded), only getting out when the water lost its warmth. Villy drained the tub and told Nyris to stand so she could shower her off.

“I don’t like the indoor rain!”

“The oatmeal already did its job, and you don’t want it sticking to you for the rest of the day, do you?”

“I don’t like the shower.”

“It’ll be super quick, I promise.”

She crossed her arms and shook her head, the water splattering across Villy’s face. “No.”

The seamstress set her face, giving the little girl a stern look. “Nyris, we need to shower the oatmeal off.” She turned the water on and turned the center knob to the right to activate the showerhead.

The little girl tried to step out when the water droplets hit her, but Villy held her in place and was able to shower her off, despite her wiggling. She knew she would have to clean out the tub later, but her main focus was getting Nyris done as quickly as possible.

Once she was dry and back in the fuzzy bathrobe, all Nyris wanted to do was cuddle with Villy on the living room sofa.

“Do you wanna relax on the sofa downstairs?”

“No. Stay here.”

“Okay.” The seamstress had planned on getting a bit of work done in her workshop, but hopefully, Nyris would fall asleep soon, and she could carry her down to the sofa in the library.

The little girl ended up falling asleep mid-sentence, telling her about her ballet class, her head resting on her lap. Villy kissed her nose and tenderly brushed her bangs from her forehead. She stayed like this for a while, waiting until she was sure Nyris was deeply asleep, so she wouldn’t wake up.

She slowly slid from under Nyris’s head and stood, leaning down and gracefully lifting her into her arms. She shifted, but stayed asleep, and Villy tightened her grip around her as she walked towards the stairs. She felt for the railing, giving as much strength to her other arm as she could, and slowly made her way downstairs.

It was a bit harder to carry Nyris in one arm, and Villy wondered how long she’d be able to carry her in general. Her little jellybean was growing up, and she knew she wouldn’t stay tiny forever.

She settled Nyris on the sofa, draping a blanket over her and kissing her forehead. She went into her workshop, closing the door so the sewing machine wouldn’t wake her, but ajar enough where she could hear if she wakes up.

She worked for two hours straight, finishing the two dresses on the dress forms, and went back into the library. Nyris was still peacefully asleep, somehow having wrapped herself in the blanket like a burrito.

“Jellybean,” Villy whispered, nuzzling her nose against her cheek to rouse her.

Nyris stirred and opened her eyes. “Hi.”

The seamstress chuckled. “Hi. Did you have a nice nap?”

“Yeah. I had a dream you made Elphie a pretty wedding dress with a long train and lots of flowers.”

“Elphaba’s wedding dress?” Nyris didn’t know the full extent of the stress the last wedding dress had caused her, but the thought of making Elphaba’s wedding dress made her smile. “Who did Elphaba marry?”

“Fiyero!" She laughed. "Will you make Elphie’s wedding dress for her?”

“If she asks me, I’ll gladly do it.”

“And I can help?”

“I’d love your help.”

“Okay.” She wiggled out of her burrito and grabbed her stepmother’s hands. “We can start right now.”

“Wait, honey. Elphaba only got married in your dream, not in real life.”

“… Oh.” She sounded disappointed.

“But I’ll tell you a special secret; I think that dream will become a reality.”

She perked up. “When?”

“Soon. Probably after they finish school. Would you like some lunch?”

“Can I have a fruit cup, please?”

“You don’t want a full lunch?”

“No. Just a fruit cup.”

“Okay.”

Nyris bounced towards the stairs, and Villy quickly folded the blanket before following her. “Where are the fruit cups?”

“They should be in the fridge’s bottom compartment.” Villy followed her and opened the bridges, squatting down and opening the bottom compartment. “Do you want the peaches, pears, or mix?”

“Mix, please.”

Villy reached all the way in the back right and grabbed a large, plastic cup of the lemon, melon, and pear mix. Nyris drank all the juice first before fishing the fruit out, eating the individual pieces slowly.

By the end of the day, the swelling had gone down and the skin had softened.

“It’s less red,” Nyris reported, craning her neck to see her back in the mirror.

“That’s good. We’ll have Papa look at it tomorrow when he comes back. It should be better by then.”

“Okay.” She turned and wrapped her arms around the older woman. “Thank you for taking care of me today.”

Villy returned the embrace. “Of course, Nyris. You know I’ll always take care of you.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

That night, once Nyris was asleep, Villy stepped in the shower, but paused when she felt small, hard chips beneath her feet.

Right, she remembered. The oatmeal.

~~~