Chuchi is very much awake when Onyx shows up. This is her domain, her home. Andres to her would forever be that same cry baby 10 year old that she'd bullied into eating all of his food. She'd seen first hand some of the shit Andres went through alone. He couldn't a fly, much less do anything to protect himself. She had to do it for him. She was his little guard dog, and proud. [break][break]

So when Onyx steps through the door he probably gets a first hand look at just exactly how vicious an overweight Eevee can look. It's not a lot. Which is fine. Being underestimated was always a good chance for a surprise attack. She hates Onyx, but she knows in some sick way, he doesn't hate Andres anymore. So she hops onto the couch, barking at him as he drops to Andres' side in a panic, following him as she tries to give tell him where the medicine and alcohol and hand towels are. He doesn't listen. She glares. [break][break]

She slowly turns to Amplexus, brought into this by desperation. His expression said everything she needed to. Andres for his part only now stirred ever slightly. He's half dressed. Like he had been going somewhere. His phone is clutched in his hand, though dead now. Bleary eyed, and weak he takes stock of what he can immediately see after unfurling. "Hey." it's barely above a whisper. He's staring at Amplexus' and Onyx's feet. His head is heavy and even so, he's more than motivated to look up at his visitors. "there's..." he began, trialing off as he lost the strength to even talk before letting out a violent cough. His throat suddenly itches, and he redirects himself to cough directly into his comforter, dragged off the mattress ages ago by one determined Eevee. "There's...um t-there's leftover in the fridge..."

[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Chuchi follows around behind him, yapping and yowling, and it is a testament to his ability to compartmentalize that he pays her no mind.

He’s still in his staredown with Amplexus, trying to get him to cure the flu-- Onyx didn’t know why he couldn’t and Amplexus couldn’t fathom the sheer stupidity required of a human being to not understand, and so the pattern repeated, over and over again, in a silent war of furrowed brows and gradually slouching shoulders-- the stalemate only broken by Andres stirring on the floor below.

Onyx immediately goes to kneel and freezes in some bastard representation of a sorority squat, torn between what to do. An undercurrent of frustration-- with himself, mostly, and not knowing how or why or when even he started to care about Andres like this-- ripples beneath an exterior of propriety.

What was he planning on doing? Scooping him up bridal style and… taking him where? The bedroom? Was that right? Was that proper? Would the gesture be read into in a way he didn’t want it to be? When the fuck did he start caring about all this shit? God, life was so much easier when he didn’t fucking have feelings.

Then Andres says the thing about leftovers and Onyx--

--the spell is broken. He laughs, something harsh but soft at the same time. “I don’t want-- why are you always trying to feed me?” he shakes his head, sweeps some stray strands of hair behind his ear, and stoops. “I don’t want your leftovers, dumbass. Let me help you to the bed.” And he’s smiling as he plants one knee on the ground, slides one arm under Andres’ head-- the back of his neck is fever-hot against Onyx’s bare bicep-- and twines the other under his knees, lifting him off the ground, comforter and all, with an ease brought around through practice, well-honed strength, and just a touch of fear.

[attr="class","mintag"] andres buenaventura

He heard Onyx laugh, and it's almost fuzzy. His head shifted to unplug his ears so he can track what Onyx is saying better. He's content to lay on the ground, nodding imperceptivity along. He's trying to be conscious. The only reason he was awake was the thirst that made it tough to swallow. "So you stay." he replied simply, slow to talk. [break][break]

He closed his eyes as he felt Onyx fix his hair. Part of his scalp tingled in response. "Oh.." He doesn't appreciated being called a name. That much is evident by the weak pout he gave his companion. Andres shuffled, ready to try to prop himself up to not be as heavy only to find that's not needed. "Oh-" he gasped weakly as he hung from Onyx's arms. He shouldn't be surprised. The guy has lifted him by the legs before. But it felt nice to be carried. [break][break]

He felt his head draining, a strange sickness headache. "Thanks...but...why are you here then?"

[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Onyx almost freezes, midstep, as Andres’ words sink in.

So you stay.

“Oh.”

That hurts in a weird way he doesn't want to unpack, right now.

He maneuvers them through the doorway, taking great pains to not bump Andres’ head or legs; sets the bundle of man and blankets gently down on the bed.

“You weren’t responding to my texts.” He holds Andres up with one arm as he arranges the pillows-- sitting up high will help him breathe, help reduce his coughing, he recalls from some distant memory-- into what he hopes is a comfortable pile. Then he helps him lay back.

“Amplexus says you have the flu.”

[attr="class","mintag"] andres buenaventura

Even feverish, he's still cold. When he's carried he curls up the warmth of Onyx's body ever slightly before gripping the comforter around him when he's put down on his bed. "Oh...Chuchi...grab m'phone..." he murmured. The Eevee, ever dutiful, hopped off the edge of the bed and retreated to grab the dead phone. [break][break]

Andres would laugh, glancing over at the Gardevoir. "Probably..." he said, turning his head towards the bathroom attached to his room and pointing. "I three up in there...Monday night. Toilet." He'd thought it was a mild case of food poisoning until the headaches came. And then the sniffling. "I may have neglected a flu shot...in the face of th' world ending." he added with a shrug. That sounded plausible. [break][break]

Chuchi deposits the phone at Onyx's feet while nosing a cable at the foot of the nightstand for him to put 2 and 2 together. She then scurries her way under the bed to retrieve and half drunk bottle of water.

[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Onyx, who has never gotten a vaccine in his adult life, levels Andres with his most scathing look.

“No flu shot? Unforgivable.”

He’s kidding. He tucks in the blankets around Andres, making him into a little cocoon of sickness. With Chuchi’s help, he learns some of the little bits of Andres’ room, plugs his phone in, and makes sure it’s charging before setting it on the bedside table.

He takes the half-drunk bottle of water-- days old, lukewarm-- and frowns at it.

“I’m gonna go get you a refill,” he says, “do you need anything else?”

[attr="class","mintag"] andres buenaventura

Andres looks up at Onyx, frowning and eyes shining for a moment as if he could cry only to laugh in his friend's face. It's loud but it also sets off a coughing fit that wracks his cocooned body. He sniffs after, staring at his bundled up feet for a moment before looking back at his house guest. [break][break]

"A hug?" Andres asked, pouting for a brief moment before laughing again. Chuchi is already off, ready to guy this dimwitt through Andres' kitchen. "Jus' the water is fine..." he said, seemingly more alert with Onyx to hold his attention. Only when Onyx move out of sight did his head slump, chin dipping into his chest as he nearly fell back to sleep. [break][break]

Chuchi will force Onyx to be useful. He barks at Amplexus to help explain. It seemed like Andres had been planning to take care of himself, as he usually did. There's bags of groceries kicked astray on the ground. Tissues, toilet paper, over the counter cough syrup. Chuchi digs, pushing aside the rubbing alcohol and extra socks. In her mouth is a box of instant soup. She tosses it aside for attention before beginning to paw at cabinets to acquire a clean pot.

[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He is afraid Andres is going to cry for the briefest of seconds, but then he laughs, and Onyx is soothed until the laughter turns to coughing and hacking and Onyx reaches out immediately before he thinks about it, a knee-jerk reaction.

One of his hands goes behind Andres’ body and presses against his back for the briefest of seconds as Andres comes out of the coughing jag and he realizes he’s hovering. He considers the hug until Andres laughs it off.

“Yeah. Water.”

Amplexus looks down at Chuchi as Onyx moves to the kitchen. He takes the soup packet and holds it out to Onyx who snorts derisively and fishes his phone out of his pocket, finding the highest-rated local ramen place and ordering, like, six different ramens for delivery in the span of time it takes him to find an insulated cup with a lid (to prevent spillage), put ice in it, and fill it with water.

He brings it back to the bedroom and sets it on the bedside table, not knowing where these protective, caring instincts are coming from. Maybe some remnants of Jett growing out of his sidewalk cracks like weeds turned to roses.

“I ordered us take out,” he said, sitting on the corner of the bed to take his boots off. “Something warm for your chest and something spicy for your sinuses.”

He reaches over and presses a hand to Andres' forehead. "Have you taken anything for your fever?"

[attr="class","mintag"] andres buenaventura

Chuchi stays near Amplexus, eyeing Onyx as he began to take charge. Evidently he knew a little bit more about caring for someone with the flu than she'd imagined. A change from how he'd simply stood around Andres hoping for a pokemon made miracle. That's...a relief at least. Chuchi could only do so much on her own, and Andres had been passed out since yesterday. [break][break]

Andres rests any chance he gets, popping back up weakly when Onyx sits on the bed. He picks up the water cup, grateful and sips slowly for a very long time. He keeps gulping it down as Onyx speaks. Even if he's more active now, there's still a sluggishness too him. "Sounds good." He squinted, trying to remember when he'd last eaten. His eyes go to Chuchi. "Are you...hungry?" he wondered but the normal type lay style, big eyes on her owner. She had eaten. She was ok. Andres seemed to understand well enough. His smile is one of relief. Even if he's the one ailing. [break][break]

"I-...I don't remember... Probably not. I tried- but it was expired so I got new stuff..." The groceries left haphazardly near the kitchen as Andres struggled to stand. "Maybe. I had to take a nap." He'd collapsed as soon as he'd set his sights on the couch, desperate for shut eye.

[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Onyx frowns at him, watching him gulp the water like a man who just stumbled out of a desert. In stocking feet, he rises, goes back to the living room, and rustles through the grocery bags until he finds a bottle of ibuprofen. He cracks the lid and the seal and brings it back to Andres.

He takes one of Andres’ over-warm hands and pulls it to him, flattening it to rest palm up and allowing him to deposit the teal gel capsules onto it. With gentle force, he folds his fingers shut, pushing them back towards Andres. “Take those.” He arcs an eyebrow, leaving no room for argument.

His touch lingers for longer than it should, his traitorous body relishing every second of contact between them. Something deep in him wriggles loose, like a child’s tooth, the act of pretending as though they hadn’t known each other so intimately not that long ago suddenly painful, a splinter of something festering and worming its way up through his skin. Onyx drops his hand, then, because it’s suddenly too much, though he still watches with expecting eyes to make sure Andres takes the pills.

After a beat, he swallows and says, “I’ll get you more water. Do you want anything else?”

[attr="class","mintag"] andres buenaventura
sensually gives u motrin

Andres watched Onyx move about, returning with determined eyes and some meds for him to swallow. He doesn't argue as he drops little capsules only turning to his cup and sucking a bit of water before popping thebpills and awallowing hard. He sips more to help the capsules go down before smiling up at Onyx for his effort.[break][break]

"I'm ok for now." He said as Onyx retrieved his cup for a refill. "Are you- are you staying over?" His voice carried a tinge of hope and another of worry. "You don't have to- if you are-" he added, his voice traling off althe further Onyx got.


[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Onyx hadn’t planned for any of this to happen, which was a common and recurring theme for him, especially when he showed up at Andres’ place unannounced. Which was, you know, every time.

He delays having this conversation by trekking back to the kitchen to refill his water. The doorbell rings and Onyx accepts the delivery of many ramens, bringing all the takeout bags and water cup to Andres room. “Spicy or normal?” he asks, arranging the different to-go containers of broth, noodles, veg, boiled egg, pork butt, green onions, and other trimmings.

Peeling the top off a veritable bucket of broth, his eye flashes up.

“Do you want me to stay?”

[attr="class","mintag"] andres buenaventura

He can't smell the ramen, but Chuchi scurrying out from underneath the bed and after Onyx is enough of a tell. She watches from a distance, peeking out from Andres' room before moving away and hiding as Onyx returned. She takes up residence in the open closet where clothes are still strewn on the ground from Andres' attempting to get decent for errands. [break][break]

"Spicy...please." He said as he made an effort to sip up a little straighter, carefully grabbing pillows so they wouldn't fall off. He settles in as Onyx looks at him, and he doesn't have the energy to walk around this. Barely keeping away he nodded. "Yeah...if you're not busy-" [break][break]

It would not be far fetched to believe Onyx would leave. He was a busy guy. Andres didn't doubt he wouldn't want to stay to take care of him. He wouldn't ask that of him. A few days of sleep and he'd pop back up fresh as a daisy. [break][break]

"You came for a reason, right?" he asked, smiling as he did. "We can eat, and you can tell 'em about it." he added as he pat his chest as if calling for Onyx to settle in closer.


[break][break]

+ onyx straub [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]