Ekko happened to be in the last place Rin checked, her room.
When she opened the door and turned her head to look around she saw the Ekko was twisted up in the sheets in a way that seemed uncomfortable, and her head was face first down into her pillow.
"Ekko get up. Paperwork is over piling on your desk,"
She didn't move, but it didn't surprise Rin. The way she was lying there could only mean one thing.
"Bleeding like a stuck pig?"
Ekko ignored that too, but her foot shifted the slightest bit.
"I know you're awake, Ekko. Stop fake sleeping like a child,"
Finally her voice floated up into Rin's ears.
"That paperwork can kiss my butt,"
"You're not even properly dressed. The hell are you doing?"
"I'm dying Rin, DYING!"
"Stop pouting,"
Ekko groaned and pulled the sheet over head.
Rin pulled it back down; Ekko didn't bother resisting. "Get up and stop complaining"
Ekko swatted her away and said "It's making up for lost time. All those months it ignored me and, now it's back with a vengeance,"
"That's impossible,"
"But it's happening,"
"Do you even hear yourself speaking right now?"
"Perfectly,"
"Almost a year ago you fractured your tibia but still forced yourself to follow me around, and now you're complaining about this?"
Ekko finally turned over and regarded Rin with a face that looked altogether too pouty.
"But it hurts,"
Rin pinched her lips closed with her index finger and thumb. "Get up,"
"Mmph," Ekko said, and Rin wasn't too sure what that meant; was it a yes, a no, an apology, a threat?
She let go of her lips and tousled her hair a bit.
"This is good news,"
"Let me see you deal with it, and then I'll ask your opinion,"
"You're grumpy,"
"I'm in pain,"
"So get up and get to work. Exercise is supposed to make it feel better,"
"That's crap; it hasn't even been proven,"
"Prove it today then,"
"You suck at encouragement. Who taught you to be comforting,"
"Myself,"
Ekko groaned again and rubbed her hands over her face. "Fine, I'll get up. But if I die I will blame it on you,"
"You're not going to die. It means you're healthy; that should be comforting,"
"It still hurts,"
"I was stuck outside wandering the kingdom alone; listening to children screaming, and idiot adults trying to console them. That was also painful,"
"I guess I'll let you slide just this once," Ekko smiled, though it turned into a more neutral expression as she placed both her hands on her stomach. "Can you kiss it and make it feel better,"
"I'm not doing that again. It doesn't work,"
"But it's nice," she defended, curling herself more in the twisted sheets.
"Do you know what else is nice? Getting your goddamn work done,"
"Five minutes,"
"I'm not kissing your stomach,"
"Why not?" She aimed her best sad face up at Rin.
Rin pressed her lips together and sighed through her nose as she sat down on the bed. Ekko pressed her face into Rin's thigh.
"I know how it'll end, Ekko,"
"How's that?" She rubbed her face against her leg.
"If I actually listen to you, the next thing you know you'll start talking about how horny you are, and I don't feel like dealing with that mess right now,"
Ekko began to rub her inner thigh, and Rin outreached her hand to interlace their fingers.
"No,"
"My stomach hurts,"
"You're whiny today. What do you want me to do about it?"
"I want you to rub it for me, and I want a hug,"
"I have work to do today,"
"Chunks of blood are oozing out of me,"
"I don't need your gross details,"
"It happens to you to ya know,"
"Exactly, and I'm able to deal with the pain,"
"But your Rin. You have a higher pain tolerance than a dead person"
"Ekko..."
"You're the one who said it's a good thing,"
"Yeah I know," But she did shift a little, and as usual, Ekko understood what she meant by it. She rolled onto her back, and with little more than a glance between them, and no words, Rin untangled Ekko from her twisted sheet and settled behind her so that she could hold her and rub her stomach at the same time.
"Thanks," she sighed, leaning her head back against Rin when her fingers began to trace up the exposed skin of her stomach.
"I swear to god if you fart on me.."
"That was one time,and it was an accident!"
"It was awful and you trapped it under these goddamn blankets,"
"You're the one who dove into them without thinking,"
"Because I hadn't realized you released a toxic cloud under there,"
Ekko's response was a soft humming noise, and she turned around to face her.
"Did you really go on a stroll of the kingdom without me?"
"No I was going to go this afternoon,"
"Hah, I knew it; you want me to suffer with you,"
Ekko brushed their noses together and her next words were a whisper "That's not very nice,"
"I'm not a nice person,"
"You are, most of the time, well, sometimes,"
Ekko placed her lips atop Rin's for a quick chaste kiss and pulled back.
"Get up, get dressed and get to work,"
"I need something to get me through all that paperwork on my desk,"
Rin didn't say anything just pushed Ekko onto her back, lifted her shirt up, and placed her mouth on her stomach.
"I was just going to ask for a cup of tea..."
Her sentence was cut short when Rin blew a raspberry on her skin.
"I'll think about it."
*still inaccurate
