sweethymns | Pictures in the Dark

[Unsurprisingly, Iona sends a text right away, fire up by the words, "under the weather."]

Oh nooooooooo :((((((((
I can visit later!!
Is it a cold?
Do you like chicken soup???
Hot tea??
I'll make both!!

[He has to focus on the text, given that his mind is a little foggy now, thanks to both the cold and the over the counter medicine he's taken for it.]

Don't worry about me. [He doesn't want her worrying about his state all day; that wasn't his intention, really.] I can make myself some tea. I'm sure I have some somewhere.

[(He probably doesn't have any anywhere.)]

[And suddenly, there's a text from Oren.]

Chicken rice porridge.
Vietnamese style.
Easy to make.

[wow he does not sound any different over text]

[Oops, surprise text from Oren. Not that he should be shocked even one bit, honestly.]

I think you're overestimating my energy levels right now.

[He sure doesn't know how to make chicken rice porridge; he could look it up, but right now he feels like the most he can handle is putting something in the microwave for 30 seconds and just hope that it's edible. The medicine's made him drowsy and he just wants to sleep more than eat. The fact that his texts are coherent at all right now is all thanks to the magic of autocorrect.]

Oren meant he'll make it!!
It's delicious!!
I'm gonna come over :x

[He frowns upon seeing that. It's not that he doesn't want to see her (he finds often that he really does), but he's not sure he wants her to see him the way he is, which he feels is an absolute mess. You don't exactly feel at your best or most attractive when you can't breathe through your nose and you're just kind of lounging in a tee shirt and pajama pants all day.]

I want to see you, but you really don't have to do that. A) I don't want to get you sick and B) I don't want to take you away from the Grind.

that's okay!
i never get sick
magicky huh ;)))
I have a friend who can watch the place for us!
She's dependable and just as tough
So I want to see you and make sure you're ok :(

[It looks like he won't be winning this one; he doesn't have the energy to protest much more, even over text, and if he was being honest with himself, he wanted to see her anyway. Nasty cold and all.]

Okay, if you insist. :) You know how to get to my apartment?

[He's not sure if the exit from the Grind leading back to his place only worked because he was the one using it or what. Thinking about magic made his head hurt just trying to figure it out.]

Address please!
I'll figure it out, don't worry
Get some rest >

[The door wouldn't lead her to his place. It specifically lead people to their place of origin, and for Iona, it was her apartment. But there's where her own magic can come in and help her travel about in other ways.]

[He obliges by giving her his address. It belongs to an apartment in New York, which is definitely a studio apartment, given the inane amount of rent he has to pay in the middle of the city. The fact that he can afford it is attributed to his work ethic, which is pretty strong, and fairly requested from several sorts of clients, which keeps his income pretty steady.

It sounds fancy, but it really isn't. He's got a good sense of space and how to distribute furniture in it, and it's relatively modern-looking, but it's interrupted by the usual single guy clutter. Which, in this case, would just be normal clutter now.

He sits on the couch, trying not to fall asleep. He wonders if she'll be knocking at his door or if she'll just appear in his apartment, much like they both did when he visited hers briefly.]

[There's one knock. Two knocks. Three. Three total knocks on Michael's door and they sound heavy.

Outside, Oren is standing next to Iona, who's holding a large tote bag full of supplies and extra food, while he's holding a rather large pot of chicken rice porridge. Iona's pulled him into this and there's not much reason to refuse.]

[He's pulled out of his own little world when he hears three heavy knocks on the door, and he'd make a guess that they don't belong to Iona. He gets up, shuffles to his apartment door, and opens it.

Remember that mention of a loose t-shirt and pajama pants? Totally what he's wearing right now. He's a little embarrassed, knowing that he doesn't look quite as presentable as he usually does, but honestly it's being overridden by his cold medicine right now. He gives Iona a smile, despite it all.]

Wow. That's... a lot of stuff.

[He didn't expect them to come that prepared. He somehow remembers to step back and swing the door open wider for them both to come in.] Um, come in and have a seat.

[Oren silently glides in, looking for a stove to set the chicken soup on. Iona sets her tote aside and then moves her palm up to feel Michael's temperature.]

Nothing wrong with bringing in an arsenal to fight a cold. Wow, you're flushed! Have you been drinking enough water? Got enough blankets?

[iona, you're a bit much...]

[He lets Oren do his thing; he'll find the stove pretty easily, as the kitchen area isn't that hard to locate.

...He also just lets Iona do her thing, letting her put a palm on him even as he moves to close the door behind them both.

He has to admit he kind of like the way she fusses about him, even though it's unnecessary. (Maybe.)]

I've been drinking water, and I mean, I guess I have enough blankets on my bed? [That counts right?] I'm fine, really, I don't want you to worry too much. It's kind of like you said, I just need the rest, right?

[Oren silently puts the pot on the stove and turns it on. Iona picks up her tote bag and pats Michael on the shoulder.]

Well, get back into bed then! I'll stick around to help Oren out and you should get some more sleep.

[But Michael feels kind of like a bad host, living them alone while he trounces off to bed. He crosses to his sofa and moves aside some of the shirts strewn on one cushion.]

Um, make yourself comfortable? [He has to admit, this is not how he envisioned her first visiting his apartment.] If either of you guys wanna watch TV or listen to music or read-

[Uh oh. Incoming sneeze interrupting his sentence.]

[And Iona grabs a tea towel from her bag and hands it to Michael]

Here you go!

[She glances around the apartment in the meanwhile humming.]

Hm. You really do keep yourself busy huh? Can't be the most organized.

[It's just an observation on her part and in no way a knock on Michael. She follows up with...]

If I was just by myself, I'd definitely let clutter pile up. Oren lectures me all the time for leaving laundry around.

[Oren is ever suffering]

[He takes the tea towel with gratitude, and makes sure he isn't sniffling too badly before he responds.]

I don't... think it's that bad. [Single guy mindset. It's just a little bit of a clutter, and at least this way he remembers where things are.] Maybe I should have cleaned up a little before you guys came over, though.

[It didn't even cross his mind. Oops.]

[Ah, but not so single anymore... Iona snaps her fingers and smiles at her own idea.]

Today you're sick and I want to treat you! If you're okay with it, Oren can tidy things up while you rest! He doesn't mind. If anything, he's bothered if he allows a mess to go uncleaned.

[It's true, Oren really loves cleaning...]

[That's a little embarrassing, letting Oren clean up his mess for him. But Michael really doesn't have the energy to take care of it himself, and he'd hate for the golem just to feel bothered the whole time while he was here.]

Sure, if it'll make him feel better. Tell him he doesn't have to go overboard for my sake or anything though.

And... thanks for this, by the way. You didn't have to take time out of your day, but I'm glad that you did. [Despite the fogginess of his head, he can't help but feel a bit warm thinking about it.]

We'll see! Oren goes above and beyond sometimes.

Meanwhile, you really should rest in bed. I'll help him out, but you really should get some sleep.

[She pauses. And then shyly adds, while fidgeting with her fingers.]

And then we can spend some time with each other. You're fine with that right?

[Oh, her asking him that nearly makes him blush, despite everything -- but of course, he could pretend it's just the cold.

He's more than fine with it, though a part of him can't possibly comprehend why she'd want to get even near him when he feels so gross and unattractive right now. Stupid cold. Stupid sinuses.]

Of course I am. The best part of you coming over.

[He lingers in his spot just a little longer, before deciding to turn to go to his bedroom. On the way out, he makes sure to offer:] Just let me know if you guys need anything, okay?

Will do! We'll be quiet on our end though.

[The smell of the porridge Oren's made is already filling the apartment, savory, but soothing and not overwhelming. Iona waves to Michael before joining her golem in prepping.]

[It doesn't take Michael very long to fall asleep once he allows the drowsiness of his medicine to morph into full-blown sleep. It's a sound sleep, and the young man barely moves from his initial position, his comforter strewn across him haphazardly.

It's a lengthy nap, too, the kind where when he wakes up, he has to blink away his sleep for a few minutes before he can awaken fully. He rubs at his eyes, heaving a sigh; it takes him a moment to remember that Iona and Oren were here as well, when he hears faint footfalls coming from the main living area.

At least he feels a bit better. He has more energy, too.

He plans on getting up to see how they're doing, but right now he's just gonna sit up and stretch out his arms.]

[It doesn't take long for Iona to poke her head in with a tray with a small bowl of the porridge, napkins, and a cup of hot tea.]

Hey there, Sunshine! Just woke up?

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