highfiving | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ it's a few days after their trip to the hot springs, and leia has come down with a cold— it's nothing serious, just sniffling and sneezing, the occasional headache, and a slightly-higher-than-normal temperature— but considering all of the good things that the trip brought, it's a small price to pay. resolving the problems she had with alvin and taking the first (admittedly really big) step toward having a relationship together was probably worth a few days of feeling less than stellar.

especially since she can bug him without feeling too terribly guilty, since she's not just his friend anymore. that's still a really novel idea, given that this is her first real relationship, and she... may or may not have been taking advantage of that by talking to him a little more than usual. it's nothing too ridiculous— since she's sick and she can't drop by his place and bother him in-person, she's just been sending more texts and calls than usual his way— but still. considering how bad things had been between them before the trip, being able to talk to him freely feels pretty nice.

it's also something she does when she's starting to feel a little stir crazy from being cooped up inside. it's only day two of her cold, but calling into work sick and not having anything to do gets old fast for someone like her; she's quick to get restless. she's already jotted down some ideas for her next big article and talked to all of their friends about her new relationship (elize and elle wanted details, specifically). she's watched all of the shows she's behind on, done some light cleaning— which was probably a mistake, since it leaves her feeling worse than before— and now she's lounging around in bed, wrapped up in blankets and surrounded by a small army of pillows and stuffed animals.

so, naturally, she texts alvin. she'd call him, but it's closer to the middle of the day than the evening, and she's not sure if he's busy with work, so... it's probably better to play it safe. ]

hey!!! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ im still sick and i could use a little company |･ω･｀) its getting pretty lonely around here! (シ_ _)シ feel like dropping by?? ♡(*´∀｀*)人(*´∀｀*)♡

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[He can tell what she's thinking—similar thoughts passed through his mind. It is a sad thing from an objective standpoint, but he himself isn't personally bothered by it as much. That had been his life and the circumstances called for it. Not much he could do. Besides, now he can experience it with someone he truly cares about, and that's good enough for him.

Still, the sentiment behind her actions do not go unnoticed and a small smile forms as he answers.]

Plenty of disgusting tasting cold medicine that should knock you back to health in two days—or so that's what the bottle said. [The small smile has turned back to that teasing grin of his.] I also brought some food since I had no idea what you might have had.

All I have right now is simple stuff, and some leftover takeout. [ so... typical leia food, basically. it's probably a good thing he went shopping. ]

I'm gonna need you to make me something pretty awesome if you expect me to take gross medicine, though.

[ why couldn't he get the good kind. why does her life suck. ]

[He asked Jude, go blame him.]

I'll make you something but no promises.

Have you even ever had anything I've cooked before?

[This is actually a good question... She's been by his place, sure, but he doesn't think he's ever cooked for the both of them. Usually they just have take-out or eat out somewhere either before or after.]

Nope! Not unless you've been sneaking it to me in secret.

[ that's a joke. probably. ]

But now I'm kinda curious. How handy are you in the kitchen?

Well I'm no pro, but I've had to make meals for myself before. Better than whatever you can do, I know that.

Hey, I can cook just fine!

[ which is why she relies on takeout and going out to eat more often than not, right. ]

But I'm not gonna complain that much if you're better than me, you know. That just means I'll get to eat a bunch of really good stuff.

Don't think that just because I can cook means you're getting free meals. I'm not Jude.

Yeah, but you're my boyfriend! [ which is still kind of weird to say, but. she'll get used to it, probably. ] That means you're not allowed to let me starve or anything.

And what would I get out of it?

[He doesn't like working for free, you know, even back before he was a salesman.]

Love and a whole lot of gratitude!

[ and she leans up to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

if he needs more than that, she might just have to kick him out and call jude over instead. ]

[He blinks a little before he laughs.]

I guess that's a fair enough deal. But you know, I might start wanting a little more if this becomes a thing for us. [Of course he's insinuating a few things there.]

[ she catches that, but it takes her a moment to think of a good response because this is... still pretty new to her. then: ]

Well, when I'm not super sick, that won't be a huge deal, right?

Guess that means I need to get you better faster.

[Will there ever a time he isn't teasing her or his words won't have hidden implications behind them?

No. Never.

But he just gives her that smirk of his and pushes a little against her.]

But all that aside, how are you really feeling? Just the sneezing or have you had a fever?

I felt a lot worse yesterday. [ which is why she waited so long to call him over. ] Today it's all been the typical cold stuff. Sneezing, runny nose, coughing... I dunno how my temperature is, though.

[ so she brings a hand up to press it against her forehead, but that goes about as well as can be expected— which is to say that it doesn't work at all. you'd think a former nurse would know that it was a futile effort from the start, but apparently not. ]

Wanna check it for me?

[ and if he does, she might be a little warmer than usual, but it's nothing too bad. ]

I thought it felt a little warm before, [When he gave that little kiss.] but let's see. [He'll use the traditional feeling with the back of his hand, and...as he thought it does feel warmer. Without really thinking about it, he then proceeds to press his forehead against hers to double check.]

Hm... Yeah. Like I though it's a little warm, but doesn't feel like a full blown fever. The stuff I brought should help, though.

[ she goes a little tense when he presses his forehead to hers. it's partially because he catches her off guard— she really wasn't expecting that, especially after he checked her temperature with the back of his hand— but their relationship is still new, so that doesn't help, either. sometimes she can't help but feel a little more aware of him, since she's still settling into the fact that they're together, and even though she couldn't tell if her temperature was high before, she can definitely feel some warmth in her face now. ]

The food and the medicine, right? [ cue some fidgeting. ] Are we gonna eat soon?

[ that's the priority here, especially since she's not taking any medicine (especially not medicine that tastes bad) on an empty stomach. ]

[He's pulling back when he sees the faint blush, and unlike most cliché tropes, he's not mistaking it for the fever. Even back when they were just friends, he wouldn't have thought twice about doing the forehead method since it really is the most effective, but now he's seeing how more aware she is of him. He half wonders what she would have done if he had done this when it all had just been a (sort of) one-sided crush on her end.

Of course, on his side he's also become more aware of her, but his reactions are on a different spectrum. Rather than be awkward about it, if anything he's just more attracted toward her, which is probably why she's getting more teasing from than usual. Not that he won't ever feel that awkwardness (he certainly had before he had his feeling sorted out), and there will certainly be those moments, but now that he's more or less accepted this, he's gone back to just going with the flow. Pretty easy to do for a guy like him. It also helps that it's Leia, someone he had already felt very comfortable around. ...And teasing her is always amusing and he's a bully.

So there is a small smile playing on his lips as he eyes her a moment before answering.]

Give me a few minutes and I'll make you some porridge. You can be a good little patient and wait here in bed, can't you?

[ see, if he smiles at her when she's already feeling a little flustered, that doesn't help matters much. neither does the fact that she can appreciate his looks without feeling guilty for it.

there's a very small break in the conversation between his question and her answer where she's doing just that, and then: ]

Yeah, totally! I'll be the best patient you've ever had, just watch me!

[ has he ever even had to play doctor for someone before? she doesn't really know, but still. ]

[Has he ever had to play doctor—you take that question back right now!

There's a light chuckle as he stands.]

Then just take it easy and I'll be back.

[ his mom doesn't count! the question stays. ]

All right, all right. Just try not to take too long, okay?

[ she's going to take this opportunity to sink deeper under the covers. she might be a little tempted to follow after him once he leaves, but she's starting to feel the wooziness that sometimes goes along with having a cold thanks to how energetic she was being before, so she'll stay put.

and if he takes more than a minute or two, she can always entertain herself with her GHS, anyway. maybe send a few vaguely braggy messages to a coworker about how her boyfriend is nursing her back to health, play a couple games, bother jude— that kind of thing. ]

[Totally does. Though that's a good question of what if Presa had gotten sick...]

Now you make me want to take an hour.

[But he just grins as he leaves to go to her kitchen. It will definitely take more than a minute since he has to do this from scratch, but he'll do the quick version. Some oats, egg, veggies—he'll even warm up and reheat some of that leftover chicken (it has been determined she has chicken sssh), chop it up, and add it in. Throw in a few spices and flavoring, and voila. A simple yet surely to be tasty porridge for one sick girlfriend. Normally he'd have used rice, but since he wasn't sure if she had any on hand, he went with oats instead. Easier and faster to make.

After pouring it in a bowl, he carries it back to her.]

Careful—[He sets it on whatever bedside table she might have.]—it's still hot. I'll be back with some water and that medicine.

[ she's still fiddling with her GHS when he comes back, but she's quick to flip it closed and set it aside so that she can reach over and bring the bowl into her lap. ]

Jeez, took you long enough!

[ she's smiling as she says that, though, so she's probably just kidding around.

she only waits a moment before she takes a bite, but she does have the sense to blow on it first, so she won't be burning her mouth up too badly. that bite makes her realize how hungry she really is— she hasn't eaten much all day, and what she has eaten has just been reheated leftovers— but she at least tries to pace herself. that's probably a sign that she likes it, though, so when he brings the water and medicine, she'll still be happily (albeit carefully) digging into the porridge. ]

I could have taken longer you know. [He quipped as he left. But when he returns, he is pleased to see that she has a healthy appetite.]

So, what do you think? Not bad, right?

[ as if she would ever not have a healthy appetite. ]

It's better than just "not bad"! It's totally awesome!

[ that distinction is important to her, clearly.

once she finishes chewing her next bite, she scoots over to make more room for him, since she gravitated toward the middle while he was gone. her bed isn't that big (all the more reason for them to hang out at his place, really) but that's also an excuse to get cozied up. so, she pats the spot beside her, carefully holding onto her bowl with her free hand. ]

C'mon, come sit.

[If that ever happened, he'd have to take her to the hospital, huh.]

Now I'm starting to feel like a stuffed animal. [But he says that in good humor as he obliges, settling in next to her. Her bed really is small, at least from what he's used to. Definitely getting cozy here, but he's not minding it.

He also takes a moment to lean back and glance around her room for a bit.]

I've never really been in here, have I? I expected more posters of boy bands or something hanging on the walls. [Or maybe not, but he's teasing her, so.]