the cure for what ails ya [open]

[has_a_horn]

(slight sickness related grossness in the following)

He wakes up sore, and not in a fun way. He groans, and every muscle in his body protests as he swings his legs around the edge of the bed and sits up. What the hell is this? He stomach feels wrong and his head is pounding like he's got the worst hangover imaginable. Actually, worse than imaginable because when he attempts to heal himself, nothing happens.

There's something on his face- he lifts a hand and "Ughh-" that's definitely snot on his face. There is snot where it definitely should not be. At least when he goes to wipe it away, it disappears.

Whatever this is, he clearly needs help. A moment later, he arrives lying face down on Johnny's bed.

He groans. "Johnny, I've been cursed. Probly the rift. You need to-" He waves a hand vaguely then coughs, and for a moment he feels like he might just keep coughing forever, but it passes. "-call Aziraphale. He needs to come'n do something." He's ill. Surely this is what it feels like to be deathly ill, and if Aziraphale can't heal him, maybe he can reverse whatever curse the rift or whoever has put on him.

(He'll be with Johnny for a while, but later he'll be up at his place again, likely flopped in bed. Anyone is free to visit then)

Comments

[johnny_truant]

Johnny narrowly avoids sloshing coffee all down his front at Gabriel's sudden appearance. He steps out of the kitchen and stares at the prone angel, not sure yet if he's alarmed or amused.

"The hell?" He sets his coffee aside and steps over, halting sharply when Gabe has a coughing fit. "What the... are you sick?" He crouches down and nudges Gabe's head to the side so he can press the back of his hand to his forehead, which is sweaty and hot. Wow, he looks truly terrible.

"What the fuck," he says, standing up and immediately going into his bathroom to get a thermometer. "Since when can you get sick? I mean - well I guess if it's the rift..." He turns the thermometer on and hands it to him. "Stick that under your tongue and hold it there until it beeps. I'll call him."

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel obediently sticks the thermometer under his tongue, though he doesn't do as good of a job of keeping his mouth shut. He speaks around it, saying "Since now. I don' get sick." He huffs out a breath around the thermometer because breathing through his nose is presenting uncomfortable challenges. It finally beeps. "99 and a half." He squints at it a moment longer before setting it aside. Ninety-nine doesn't seem like a very high number to him. Definitely not a sufficiently high number to explain how terrible he's feeling. He doesn't really consider that speaking while it was working probably means his temperature is higher than that.

He turns his head back and mumbles into the bed, half muffled by the sheets, "why do you even have a thermometer. It's useless."

[johnny_truant]

"It's not useless, dummy," says Johnny gently, fussing with his phone as he sends a text to Aziraphale. "99 and a half is a fever. A low one, but still. You probably have some kind of rift flu."

Text sent, he sets his phone down and goes back to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. "I don't really have anything that's good for it right now but I can go get some stuff." He brings the glass back and plunks it on the bedside table next to Gabe. "Until your pal gets here, we're treating you like a human. You need to hydrate. Drink up."

He barely notices how take-charge he's being - it seems like a pretty simple matter, really, Gabe's sick and fussy and has no idea what he's wrangling with. Johnny is an expert compared to him. Easy enough to fall into that caretaker role. He doesn't bother examining it.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel stares at the glass of water like it's personally offended him. He's not exactly comfortable where he is, but it's better than moving. He huffs out another breath and closes his eyes so he doesn't have to look at it taunting him.

"In a minute," he says. He's survived the last...however long it's been since he last drank water. Year? Years? He can survive a few more minutes. And if this is the rift trying to kill him, it'll probably kill him whether or not he drinks the damn water anyway.

"Johnny- What if the rift is trying to kill me. Very slowly." He sighs and opens his eyes again to look at the glass of water. He'll have to try everything. Just...not yet. Maybe after Aziraphale comes. "What a dick. Rift. Dick rift."

[johnny_truant]

"It's not trying to kill you," says Johnny with a paternal tone of don't be ridiculous, trying very hard to ignore the sudden clench of his heart, the tightness in his chest, what if-? No. He refuses to believe it. The Rift killed Daniel in a matter of agonizing minutes, and if it wanted to kill Gabe it could find a way, something less unbelievably stupid and low-key as this.

"It's a cold," he says. "You're gonna feel like shit for a bit but you're not dying. Drink your damn water, don't be a baby."

His phone buzzes, and he picks it back up.

"Oh for fuck's sake." He laughs softly, pressing a hand to his face. "It's going around. Nerd-angel's got it too." He waggles his phone toward Gabe and then slips it in his pocket. "He says he'll try to come over when he can. Look, I don't have enough stuff here to help you. I'm gonna go get some things, okay? At the bodega nearby. I'll just be a little bit."

He wanders over near the door to start putting on his shoes, fully braced for a tidal wave of protests.

[has_a_horn]

"I don't want things. I want you." It makes complete sense to him. Johnny could just tell him what he needs and Gabriel could bring it here. There's no need for Johnny to go anywhere. He pouts and turns his head in the opposite direction, then extends out his arm when he sees that Yarrow is making his way over to him. Softly, he says "hey" and strokes the top of Yarrow's head. It reminds him that in his rush to come see Johnny, he forgot that Scout won't know where he's gone.

He makes an aborted attempt to look back to where Johnny is getting ready to go. "Should go upstairs. Scout's all alone."

[johnny_truant]

"Aww," says Johnny, sarcastic but affectionate. He laces up his chucks and wanders back to the bed, smiling down at the rabbit. He sets his hand on Gabe's head. "You go upstairs. Bring Yarrow. I'll come back with some stuff okay? Promise I'll be quick."

He leans down and gives Gabe a little peck on the forehead. It's kinda nice being the put-together one for once.

He ruffles Gabe's hair, grabs his wallet and keys, and heads out.

[driftseeker]

After the disaster of that memorably atypical morning, she has made it her personal business to stay inside. She cannot expect Johnny to hold her hand every time she leaves the building, particularly since she has not seen much of him since the day of her arrival, with the exception of passing one another in the halls and exchanging the odd polite nod or hello. She is having too much difficulty realigning herself, she thinks. Once her mind is hers as she knows it, she may remember what it is to be part of the world again. The Drift is strange.

All the same, she finds herself tentatively approaching the door of her archangel landlord and knocking twice with trepidation. She has a vague idea of what she would like to ask, regarding the nature of the building and the surrounding area, but finds herself immediately wishing she had not bothered.

[has_a_horn]

The knock wakes him up and Gabriel takes a moment to reorient himself. Mako is at the door. He doesn't know what she wants, but he knows that he's not in any shape to go greet her.

"Johnny," he says, loud enough to get him to come back to the bedroom if he's in the apartment. But he doesn't. He waits another moment. The door doesn't open and Johnny definitely isn't back yet. Why isn't Johnny back yet? It seems like he's been gone for hours. He groans and pushes himself up from the bed, steps over Aziraphale (and Scout sleeping on Aziraphale's back) then stumbles over to the door frame.

The front door is all the way at the other end of the apartment. It might as well be millions of miles away. With a wave of his hand, he lets the door unlock and swing open. Next, he considers the distance to the couch before slowly sliding to sit on the floor instead.

He groans. "Do you know where Johnny is?"

[driftseeker]

She does not know Gabe very well, nor has she known him for very long, but the short stretch of time before she gets any response does not seem to be what she would call characteristic for him. The door opens with a click and swings to accommodate her, apparently on its own, in what must count for some implicit invitation by archangel standards. She tentatively enters.

And Gabe is on the floor.

Aziraphale is on the floor.

And a dog is asleep on Aziraphale's back.

Mako doesn't really know where to begin.

"I thought he was out?" she says, head to one side. Having answered his question and run out of sufficient distractions from the haphazard state of Gabe's floor, Mako hurries on, brow furrowed. "Why is Aziraphale on your floor?"

[has_a_horn]

He looks over his shoulder when she mentions Aziraphale. "Oh he's-" He waves a hand haphazardly, then immediately regrets the motion. He sets the hand down and rests his head back against the door frame to look up at Mako. "He's sleeping. He's okay." He takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly.

"Johnny left." He pouts, and his brow furrows. He's so tired, why is that happening? "The rift cursed me and then he left and he was supposed to come back but he's still gone." This is terrible. What if Johnny decided to make him go through this on his own? Or worse, what if Johnny got into trouble and he needs him? If he can't heal Aziraphale right now, could he heal Johnny if he needed it?

His frown deepens. Maybe he should test it out on a human. He reaches out to Mako. "Here lemme try ta heal you. In case." He doesn't think to explain what he means.

[driftseeker]

"The Rift cursed you?" She edges forward cautiously. He certainly seems less energetic compared to their first meeting; paler, clammy, moving as if every action is a massive, insurmountable effort.

"Heal me of what?" She starts edging back, one hand raised as if to ward him off. "I'm not sick."

But Gabe is, it strikes her. He is sick, exhibiting all the symptoms typical of the common flu.

"Are you?" Her tone falls somewhere between disbelief and concern. She does not have the most refined grasp on the concept of angels, but it was her general understanding that they do not inexplicably fall ill.

[has_a_horn]

"No shit, Sherlock. What tipped you off." He huffs out an exasperated sigh that turns into a hacking cough. By the time it subsides, he feels like he might cry.

"Go find Johnny." He abandons leaning against the door frame in favor of lying back of the floor. Lying down is better. Not much better, but better. The only thing is, lying here is uncomfortable. He thinks fondly of his bed, but disregards the idea of moving immediately. Not possible. "But bring me a pillow first. Pillow. Then Johnny."

[driftseeker]

She sinks slowly into a crouch opposite him, eyeing him carefully. It makes sense that someone as powerful as him would be unused to mortal inconveniences like the flu, and would not be the most adept at handling it. She would not go so far as to call it a curse, but maybe for someone like him, who has probably dealt in actual curses, it may as well be.

"Do you want help getting up?" she offers. While Aziraphale may be comfortable enough on the floor, he is also asleep. "Your bed is not that far away."

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel groans. The thought of moving again so soon is almost unbearable. "No. That's too far." He coughs once, and turns his head away from Mako in case he has to cough more. How can she not understand how he feels right now? Hasn't she been sick before?

He pouts and attempts to rest his head on one of his arms. "I just want Johnny and a pillow. If you can't give me either of those go away."

[driftseeker]

"I can call Johnny," she says as she rises and retrieves one of the pillows from his bed. "But I don't know where he is. I just thought he went out." She heard him leaving the building earlier and had not thought to question something so routine, but it must have been in search of some in-home remedies.

She hands it to him and bites the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile. Distantly amusing as Gabe's plight might be, he clearly is in a lot of discomfort, and she doubts her landlord would take kindly to her laughing at him.

She digs her phone from her pocket and scrolls through the woefully short list of contacts. "Do you have anything like tea or soup?" Even once she knows when Johnny might be back, she does not feel fully comfortable just leaving while Gabe is so openly miserable.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel takes the pillow and settles it under his head, finally. He's still uncomfortable in so many ways. It's probably impossible for him to actually be comfortable right now, but at least he has a pillow. He takes a breath and closes his eyes. Mako will call Johnny, that's good.

The next question confuses him, and it takes him a moment to process before he answers. "Tea. Cabinet." He doesn't bother gesturing to the kitchen. She can figure out which one if she wants tea. The request for soup is even stranger. "Who eats soup?"

[driftseeker]

"It helps to drink some if you're sick," she explains as she rummages through the kitchen cupboards. It's possible he does not actually need to eat, so tea might be the better choice. The least she can do is test the sorts of remedies she would try in his position and hope one of them sticks.

Most everything in the cabinet seems to be caffeinated, which is not heavily conducive to clearing one's sinuses, but further investigation uncovers honey and lemon juice. That will have to be sufficient.

She hits the call button and waits for the water to heat.

[johnny_truant]

Daniel's departure obviously wasn't intentional, but there's nothing much Johnny can do about it, and he won't pretend it doesn't make his life a little bit easier. He sighs and picks up the pace a bit to get to Gabe's building, letting himself in and heading up the stairs. His phone starts buzzing in his pocket - probably Gabe wondering where the heck he is - so he shifts his groceries to one hand and digs it out.

It's Mako, oddly enough. He glances toward her apartment as he gets up to their floor, but she probably wouldn't be calling him if she were in. He keeps moving up to Gabe's, answering the call and lifting the phone to his ear.

"Hey," he says, reaching Gabe's door and shouldering it open. "What's-"

Oh. Mako's... here. Probably calling him at Gabe's behest.

And Gabe is on the floor now.

Excellent.

"I was gone for like twenty minutes, tops," he says, immediately shutting off the phone and sliding it back into his pocket. He sets his bags down on the coffee table and moves over to Gabe. Either Mako just happened to come up at the wrong moment or Gabe was desperate enough to call for her help - either way, poor Mako - but he'll see to her in a second. "Come on, you big baby, get up."

post-Johnny pre-Mako

[bibliophale]

Once he's reassured Melanie, for at least the fifth time, that he is all right, really, Aziraphale sneezes once into a now-hazardous handkerchief and gives his wings a miserable flap, transporting himself into Gabriel's flat.

"Oh," he blurts, immediately feeling a horrendous queasy sensation that he can't bloody shake, and he staggers forward. There is a dog. Oh dear lord. Why is there a dog.

"Gabriel," he says blearily, seeking out the archangel with a loud sniff. "I am here to help. Please call off your animal."


[by the time Johnny returns/Mako arrives he will be passed out on the ding dang floor]

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel lifts his head from his pillow as Scout jumps off of the bed and runs out to bark at Aziraphale. He groans and half-heartedly calls the dog back. It doesn't quite work, but Scout does stop barking after a few moments and decides to try licking Aziraphale's shoes instead of acting as guard dog.

"Bedroom!" Gabriel calls out a little louder. His voice cracks, and he coughs, then groans again. This is awful. When Aziraphale finds his way to the bedroom, he'll find Gabriel lying on his back, nose red, skin pale, with one hand thrown to his forehead and the other brushing over the rabbit lying on his chest.

[bibliophale]

Oh, why is this happening. The dog is licking his shoes. That can't be good for it.

"Shoo," he says ineffectually, frowning down at the creature before proceeding to the bedroom as direction.

Gabriel looks just as terrible as he feels, which is not very encouraging. Aziraphale stands there a moment, looking at the rabbit like he cannot comprehend its presence, then turning his attention to the archangel.

"I'm going to-" He pauses, feeling the sudden overpowering urge to sneeze. He manages not to, but actually feels worse for it. "-Going to try to heal you. And then you can heal me. And we'll be fine."

Yes. It is a solid plan.

He hobbles over to Gabriel's bedside and waves his hand away from his forehead, pressing his own hand to it instead. They are both horrendously clammy. Ugh.

"Hrmf," he grunts, focusing carefully. He keeps grunting, as though that is going to help, before finally drawing his hand back with a weary groan. "I can't do it. I'm useless."

He sways dramatically, suddenly feeling dizzy and desperately fatigued. The prospect of remaining upright is dreadful, horrifying. He cannot do it. He gets down, humiliatingly, onto the floor, and lies there, facedown.

"I'm just gonna," he mumbles, "have a bit of a lie-down. Down here. You try to heal me. See if you can do it. You're more powerful that me. Prob'ly."

[has_a_horn]

"I'm definitely-" Gabriel starts, but then he gets distracted by Aziraphale just lying down on the floor. He really doesn't blame him. If they both have whatever rift curse this is, then he's got to feel like death too.

He flops his arm down towards Aziraphale, and whines when he can't reach him. "What are you doing. You can-" He might have pointed out to him that there's a bed here, but he realizes that he doesn't really want to share the bed with anyone right now, and definitely not someone else that's sick. He can stay right where he is.

He sighs and contemplates for a moment the amount of movement that's going to be necessary to actually try healing Aziraphale. It's not much, but it seems like a lot. Moving at all make him feel unsteady and queasy and he does not like it at all.

"Okay." He says after a minute of not moving. "Gon' try this."

He nudges Yarrow off of his chest, then turns himself slowly around so that he's lying on his stomach instead of his back. From this position he can touch Aziraphale's face with the said of his hand. He realizes almost immediately that trying to heal him is going to be impossible and that trying is a very bad idea. He groans and rocks back as a wave of nausea hits him, then spends the next few minutes curled up on his side with his eyes shut tight and a hand over his mouth.

"Nope. No. no. really no." Scout, having followed Aziraphale into the bedroom, tips his head in confusion about the angel on the floor, then goes over to sniff at his face.

[bibliophale]

"Mnrrrr," Aziraphale moans, both in response to Gabriel's failed attempt and the dog now nosing at his face. "It. It's okay. I'll be all right. I'm just. Going to."

He doesn't manage to finish his thought. He finds himself too exhausted to continue. In spite of his fairly uncomfortable position and the dog still very curiously investigating him, he manages to slip out of consciousness.


[Aziraphale will be passed out on the floor for the foreseeable future]

[has_a_horn]

Once Gabriel is able to open his eyes without throwing up, he looks back down at Aziraphale. Scout is making a few testing licks at his face, but he can still feel his mind , so he figures that he'll be alright. Angels needing sleep is a strange concept to him, but it would be par for the course with the rest of this bullshit. After watching Aziraphale and Scout for a moment, he flops back onto his back and closes his eyes. Maybe sleep's not such a bad idea.