I could use a fresh beginning, too

[crowsicle]

Who: The Striders and anybody coming to visit them over the first week of sickness
When: Wednesday, May 16th to possibly around the 23rd
Where: The Strider apartment
Summary: Bros get sick together. Catch-all log post for guilt plague at the Strider apartment: will include movies, feelings jams, and lots of babying.
Warnings: Almost certainly language, and definitely gross sickie stuff.

[It hits Davesprite first. A little dizzy, a little stuffed up, but obviously it's not a big deal (even if he didn't know sprites could get sick--should he be worried?) so he just shrugs it off like it ain't no thing. Probably serves him right for picking random shades off the ground, who knows whose weird gaunt face those things have touched?

And then it doesn't get better.

Better is a thing it spectacularly fails to get.]

[[OOC: Will be posting comments for different days/events below, not necessarily in chronological order because not necessarily everything has been plotted out yet! Make sure you add your character to the tags when you tag in. And let me know on AIM or Plurk (asherdashery on both) if you want in on any of this.]]

Comments

[greenshift]

[ sjkldflk not as planned. ]

Sorry!

[ Frowns and picks up the puppet, eyeing its kind of creepy expression. ]

What was this doing here, anyway? Someone could fall or something!

[ Or be really embarrassing like she just was, and geez he looks terrible. ]

How are you feeling?

[crowsicle]

[He waves a hand vaguely in answer before dropping it. Obviously he is feeling on top of the world. He shifts enough so that he can comfortably see her.]

Don't touch that, you don't know where it's been.

[greenshift]

[ Her eyebrows go up at that, and she shoots him a look (it's been inside his place but okay???) before carefully setting it down on...a table or something. ]

That is not answering my question, Mister Cool Guy.

[crowsicle]

[He shrugs.]

I'm okay.

[Obviously. He is so okay. That's why he couldn't A) get the door and/or B) flip out like a badass bird ninja when she teleported in and startled him.

To try to prove his point, he pushes himself (fuuuuuccckkkk, if he weren't a sprite he'd hurl) up into a sitting position.]

I feel like a million dollars.

[Of shit.]

[greenshift]

[ C l e a r l y. ]

I am sooo convinced. There is definitely no way I could ever doubt you.

[ She says, frowning, and after a moment moves so that she can sit next to the couch, back to the armrest so that her ears kind of peek over the top. ]

I didn't even know sprites could get sick.

[crowsicle]

[He sinks into the back of the couch and closes his eyes behind his shades, waiting the few seconds it takes for the living room to stop spinning.]

Me neither. I still say it's bird flu.

[Okay, there we go. He opens his eyes again and glances down at her, sees her ears just sort of sticking out there. He smiles faintly while she's not looking and scratches them idly.]

So what's a pooch like you doing in a dump like this?

[greenshift]

I don't - [ She's still kind of ticklish around the ears and giggles without being able to help herself. ] - think that's how it works. And I came because I was worried, duuuh!

[crowsicle]

C'mon, you don't have to worry about me. It's me. I'll be over this in like, five minutes.

[His hand gets tired so he just leaves it on her head. He's so cool, he can use a space-bending goddess as an armrest extension.]

[greenshift]

[ It feels kind of nice anyway, so she doesn't really mind. ]

Five minutes?

[crowsicle]

That's about as long as I'm willing to entertain this thing before I kick its ass.

[He leans his head back against the couch, shutting his eyes again, and sniffs.]

[greenshift]

Uh huh.

[ She reaches a hand up, searches for a second, and ends up patting his forearm in a kind of awkward upside-down way. ]

Do you want me to bring you anything before those five minutes are up?

[crowsicle]

[In response he rubs between her ears.]

Nah. I'm a big bird, I don't need a babysitter. Or a--

[--girlfriend, he almost says, but stops himself. Right. That happened. He hesitates, then retrieves his hand and rests it properly on the armrest.]

--Or a mom.

[greenshift]

[ She kind of makes a humming noise - she is getting so good, there will be no barks at pettings in no time, watch - that cuts off when he moves his hand. She drops hers too, since it was getting uncomfortable anyway, but pushes herself up a little and leans her head back to peer upwards. ]

Then it's a good thing I'm not either of those things. [ She's giving him a curious look from that angle, but goes on teasingly anyway. ] But! I am a grandma, kind of, so that probably gives me some super special caring skills.

[crowsicle]

Oh my god, Jade, stop, that's still hella weird. Like. You'd have to be one of those badass grandmas with a Hells Angels jacket and a shotgun, that's the only way I'm accepting this. If you're gonna make me cookies, I want them to be shaped like grenades.

[greenshift]

[ She laughs, swats at him. ]

You should ask Jake about it! I'm sure he would be happy to tell you all about what a badass grandma he has.

[crowsicle]

[He stares at her hard for a good, long moment.]

No.

[greenshift]

[ She starts to giggle about halfway through that moment, and his answer doesn't exactly help her regain seriousness. ]

Come oooon, he has been happy to tell me all kinds of stuff about how cool she is.

[crowsicle]

I don't need that guy to tell me jack anything, you've been my hero for like four hundred years.

[It's less admiring and more like "fuck that guy." Though still. Kind of admiring.]

[greenshift]

[ Her answering smile is very, very bright. ]

I remember, you are the president, secretary, and treasurer of my fanclub. Buuut I have to wonder why you don't like Jake so much.

[crowsicle]

Hrrrngh.

[He looks away, crosses his arms, and lets out a testy breath. Jake is a tool and that's really all he has to say on the matter.

After a beat, though, he says:]

Actually, I ceded the presidential position to Dave. I'm Attorney General now.

[He looks back to her.]

[greenshift]

[ Oh. She pauses a second as that sinks in, then sits up on her knees and turns around so that she can actually face him properly, elbows sinking into the couch cushion. ]

Are you sure about that?

[ She - actually, looks a little worried and apologetic more than anything else. It's not like she doesn't probably owe him one anyway, not that she's admitted it. ]

[crowsicle]

[He tucks his wings in closer to his body and looks down.]

I mean, yeah, I knew how he felt about you.

[Obviously.]

Just thought I'd let you guys know you have my benevolent spiritual blessing.

[greenshift]

[ She scrunches up her mouth for a second, and then leans forward so she can reach to pull him into a hug. ]

Thank you! I'm really happy about that. And I'm sorry I kept stuff from you.

[crowsicle]

[His wings twitch at the hug, and Christ, he's burning up, but he doesn't really pull away, just kind of tightens up and ducks into his shoulders a little.

And then pats her arm.]

It's okay. I mean, look. I got what I came back for. Anything else's just the extra flowery shit on the cake. It's cool just, y'know, chilling with you guys.

[He's just gonna let his forehead rest against her shoulder for a second. Just a second.]

[greenshift]

[ - Yeah, she feels that temperature right away, but she doesn't comment on it just yet. She knew he was sick already, had an idea of how much, so this is mostly confirmation, seeing what exactly's there. That, together with what he says, makes her pull tighter, if just for a moment. ]

No, don't say that! I know that you were only thinking about fixing everything that went wrong at the time, but that was a long time ago. [ Well, it was for her at least. ] It's only right if you're thinking about how to live your own life by now.