The Sick Day Meme

[stardusts]

 

 

THE SICK DAY MEME

RULES
► Post with your character, name and fandom in the header.
► They are now, for some odd reason, sick (headache, fever, runny nose, cough, whatever you want).
► Another character replies and is struck with the sudden urge to take care of them (bringing them soup, extra blankets, Sudafed, sexual healing, what have you).
► Go from there!

originally from mememaster!

Comments

[unrequite]

I'll take your word for it. I'll be there when the sun's up.

[ Consider Midnight successfully duped. He manages to get one last sheet and a shirt on the line before the sky starts working for the laundry and against him. He closes the blind and steps away, inspecting his skin for damage as he wanders back into the the depths of the apartment, following the rich scent of steeping coffee, and, finally, into the kitchen, where he meanders his way next to Narumi.

Midnight leans over politely to watch Narumi work. Midnight hasn't had a chance to see Narumi in his element, but he's gotten a sense that the detective is accustomed to fine things, at the very least. This is the first time this has been on display. It's compelling, as far as contrasts go. ]

I don't know much about coffee, but it certainly smells divine.

*writes a long-ass tag about coffee*

[lollygagger]

[ narumi is so uncharacteristically silent while he focuses on getting just the right amount of grounds, tapping at the scoop to get it even. this doesn't change when midnight joins him, but by then his attention is on the silex vacuum pot to keep track of steeping time. he makes a low noise of acknowledgment, leaned over the counter with half-lidded eyes, seeing yet not seeing what's nearby for the moment.

a modern thing, initially european in design, but further refined and developed over in america. now it's cutting edge.

being modern is entirely synonymous with being american, after all, and there are times when approximating that is much simpler than dwelling upon what he'd gotten a taste of firsthand. he doesn't reject as much as he used to when he was younger, angrier, but how does one approach it all when japanese familiarity has been just as much a source of comfort while overseas as it has been linked to some of the cruelest bastards he's ever crossed paths with?

complicated line of thought, that. and maybe it's midnight's presence with his classic, elegant yukata-wearing ways making narumi more conscious of how determined he'd been to abandon tradition in every sense of the word before he mellowed out with age. he'd had the funds to easily afford it, for starters.

at any rate, he knows by heart when the coffee's at peak drinkability, and it's with a practiced hand that he fills their cups about three fourths of the way up. less than he might usually pour, but it won't do to give midnight too much caffeine. ]

Y'know, maybe I should feel a little bad, spoiling you on every other cup you'll have like this. But fact of the matter is that I don't. [ lifting midnight's cup by its saucer, he holds it out in offering, watching the wisps of steam rise above the rim. ] Hope you don't mind the lack of sugar, 'cause any I've got's over at the office.

[ though while what rests inside the porcelain is a rich, bold blend, it's not the punch-you-in-the-jaw sort of bitter type one might associate with coffee. rather, it's almost soothing. a grounding bitterness, in a way. ]

god bless your devotion to truly being narumicore

[unrequite]

[ It's a bit trite to say that a hush falls over him, but that's the only way one could describe the way Midnight notes Narumi's focus, then quiets himself, watching him work. The way Narumi's focus has been taken from his lingering sickness and on the coffee is quite new to him, all told. Midnight's enjoying it, even if his eternal smile has settled into a more subdued, thoughtful expression. A tea ceremony isn't anything like this, but the energy... It's not entirely different, either.

He's almost surprised by Narumi's sudden attention on him. Certainly, he recovers quickly - one usually pours a drink at the end of the beverage serving process, so he expected a stopping point somewhere there - but there was a lull where Midnight wasn't thinking about much else but the process itself, the way Narumi's hands moved.

(They're very nice hands. Elegant wrists. Midnight's noticed them.)

He shakes himself a little harder than he expected he'd have to before accepting the saucer with both hands. Maybe he's a bit more tired than he'd realized. He gives the steam a gentle sniff to wake himself up. It's true that he's not much of a coffee drinker, but he wasn't lying about the aroma. ]

I wouldn't guilt yourself, if I were you. I love being spoiled.

[ And without justifying that, he blows gently over the lip of the cup and takes a brief sip, waiting for the bitterness to hit. Which it does, but not in the way he's accustomed to. He frowns and takes a longer sip, looking at the liquid with the befuddlement of being woken in the dead of night. Then he looks at Narumi. ]

This is delightful. I'm a little confused, though. [ He taps a nail against the cup, thinking. ] I didn't realize that coffee could taste like this.

[ He truly has never had a cup of coffee like this before. He'd had an impression of what coffee is like, and a few sips was enough to set every single one of his bars higher. What in the world? ]

i hate (love) this stupid mess man so much it's unreal

[lollygagger]

[ he watches as midnight takes that experimental first sip, noting with ill-concealed (not to mention smug) satisfaction that it certainly looks like the good old narumi blend's snared yet another one. while it was set out together with its saucer because he'd feel as if the poor cup was left only half-dressed if he'd let said pretty saucer sit in the cupboard, narumi all the same doesn't bother picking his own cup up by anything but the handle. just the slightest trace of that familiar aroma managing to get through his clogged up nostrils makes him feel more alive.

midnight's tired in a different way, though, so who knows how much a cup of caffeine will do for him. the end goal of getting him to settle down hasn't changed. ]

That's what having somebody who knows what they're doing brew a cup'll do for ya.

[ that satisfaction in him takes on a different character when narumi finally lifts his own cup to his lips for a long sip. like a man being given water and shade in the humid summer heat. he doesn't set the cup back down, either, indicating that he's very much planning on finishing the whole thing too quickly to bother. ]

Well, that, and putting together a good blend helps for sure. Getting smacked awake by the taste's all fine and dandy if that's what you're looking for, but I say coffee can be more than just that.

[ kinda not unlike bitter green tea, in some ways. a beverage you can have to calm yourself down and reorient your focus. and now that he's older, it's easier to realize how much of what he's done to distance himself from tradition has in fact been dyed in its colors all along. ]

g a p m o e

[unrequite]

[ Midnight doesn't watch Narumi enjoy his coffee, necessarily, but there's hardly anything else to really observe in his kitchen. Midnight doesn't mind, though. He's an avid people watcher. Watching people truly enjoy the things that bring them happiness... A lot of things have changed in the past few years, but the people have when they're in their element hasn't. It's comforting.

His eyes sink close for that second sip, though, and he leans against the counter, allowing the taste to really soak in. Narumi cares about this enough to get it right. It's attractive, this attention to detail. ]

I don't think I've paid this much attention to a flavor profile to anything other than a fine wine. If this is an introduction, I wouldn't mind another visit, as it were.

[ He takes another sip and opens his eyes. He feels the current of caffeine in his body, but it's not smacking him awake at all. It's... grounding, and that's a pun, and Midnight rubs his face with his other hand, suddenly very aware of his own thoughts.

It's a little hard to continue to hold his eyes open, but Midnight gives it a shot. He doesn't want to sleep, yet. It's nice, being awake at the moment, even if the current moment is lulling him in the other direction. ]

GAP!! MOE!!

[lollygagger]

[ in contrast, narumi's watchful eye being directed at midnight doesn't change at all. he's good at watching, having spent many a year earning his keep through it, and he is currently very much a man on a mission― a mission which seems to be going along well so far. call it a hunch, but he's getting the feeling that operation: make the vampire settle down without being too obvious about it (name pending) might end up a success.

while he'd never down a cup too quickly to appreciate the flavor, he all the same takes deeper sips than normal, eager to soothe the itch for coffee. ]

Had a feeling your palate'd be refined enough to appreciate it. You want a cup, just give the word. Or help yourself.

[ with a little clink, he sets his cup back down on its saucer, then turns to put both in the sink. there'll be time to wash it up later, so he doesn't make a move to give midnight any space for inserting himself to do the dishes. ]

Say, why don't I give you a glimpse at that record collection you were so interested in? Might be too early to dance, but it's never too early to talk music.

[ it's really just an excuse to move midnight ever closer to the couch, but he's entirely truthful about his stance on music and the people who are behind it. music makes people feel things, and there is never a wrong time for it. ]

[unrequite]

[ Far be it for Midnight to say that he enjoys getting tricked into anything, but he's also not one to look for malice where none is intended. He's a much better judge of character than he used to be, and Narumi has done nothing but make him coffee and give him little tasks to busy himself with. What else can Midnight do but meander along for the ride? Granted, he does feel like Narumi is putting himself between himself and his meander toward the dishes, but it's not as though Narumi's suggesting that he doesn't do it at all. There's something else to do now. Midnight's content with letting later take care of itself at the moment.

He takes his cup by the handle and, after a pause to reach for the saucer, he allows himself to get gently herded toward the living room, sending a peek over his shoulder to look at Narumi. Hm. Very cute, indeed. ]

We'll have to agree to disagree on dancing, but I would love a tour through your music collection. Your tastes are very American, aren't they?

[ The music, the magazines, the clothes, the coffee. Midnight's never left Tokyo, let alone Japan, but he knows a man who's very committed to aesthetic when he sees one. ]

[lollygagger]

[ herding midnight towards the living room and the couch is working out well this far. truth to be told, narumi had been a little concerned that keeping him from doing the dishes immediately would've made for a more difficult task, but thankfully, nothing's come from that worry.

and he's pleased with himself for making progress with getting midnight to settle down in the face of exhaustion and intoxication. so pleased, in fact, that there's just the slightest spring in narumi's step as he ushers midnight to have a seat on the couch. ]

Well, I spent a while in California. You pick up stuff when you're surrounded by it every day, y'know?

[ but thinking back, running his fingers over familiar record sleeves, he'd had an interest in modern things from overseas even before working brought him outside japanese borders. stuff that was new and exciting― fascination typical of schoolboys with energy and curiosity for days.

though eventually, it became about more than that. about coming back to japan and not knowing where he belonged anymore, things coming crashing down in a culmination of all the weight that had taken root in his heart. even so, every record here is very much a treasured possession, and there's something tender in his eyes and body language alike when he hands one over to midnight.

it's a record dated no later than 1923. english, of course, so he'll gladly translate it if needed. ]

If you ask me, you can't talk American music without talking Bessie Smith.

[unrequite]

[ The translation is appreciated; Midnight sinks onto the couch, looking at the sleeve with intense interest, mouthing the letters to himself slowly, but he doesn't understand a word of it. (California, huh? A cosmopolite, then.) ] Miss Bessie Smith... A charming name. You'll have to introduce me.

[ He sneaks a peek up at Narumi during his explanation, eyes glazing over ever so slightly. He's listening as best as he can - how can he not, Narumi looks like he's introducing him to a friend - but he is truly tired, the slight buzz of coffee settling in, waking his brain but lowering his eyelids. He's... refusing to call it quits, so he still has his cup in his hand, and he sips it stubbornly, but he's leaning against the nearest object to make sure he stays awake. Is it the back of the chair? The arm? Narumi's arm? He's not sure. Well. This could be a little touch and go. He's very adamant about getting that introduction for now, though. Later... he might end up staying here. He does not intend to do this, but que sera sera. ]