Stay out of it

She laid down next to him, pulling him close as he groaned softly, however he touched her hand to let her know he was alright with it. In fact it felt good just to have someone close as he was shivering. He tried focusing on his breathing, small and shallow breaths that didn't feel like his lungs were burning. Knowing she meant well, her concern was rather valid. He did need to eat, but the fear of just puking it all up was very clear in his mind. However he also wanted to make things easier for her, holding her hand he gave her a light squeeze. "N .. Ny .. x," he managed to say, though his throat felt so dry and his lips slightly chapped. He had her number on his phone, but he also wasn't sure if she could even get here.

The touch on her hand made her breathe out softly in relief. She listened to his breathing, knowing he was doing it the way that felt most comfortable for him. She had sort of expected his answer to just be a squeeze of her hand and then she would have to go through names and figure it out. But he mentioned Nyx, a little weal but she understood. “I’ll try and call her when you fall asleep.” She said, for now she wouldnt be moving while she was holding him close. So when he did fall asleep, she carefully moved away, grabbing his phone before she went out into the kitchen, closing the door before she found the number. She checked the time before she sighed. It was maybe a little late to call but she tried anyway.

Nyx hadn't had the greatest of times, but it wasn't like she was being held as a prisoner. Michael seemed enthusiastic about this arrangement, but she had to admit that she wasn't feeling it. Perhaps because she had her heart set on Jason. Not that there was anything she could do about it, and she felt almost too embarrassed to reach out to him. Laying on a couch in an apartment that was for her and Michael to get to know one another, she felt her phone buzz. Frowning as she saw the name on her screen she picked up, "you have a lot of nerve to be calling me right now Rhys," she spoke in frustration. She felt like he had forgotten about her, not tried to fight to get her back and out of this arrangement.

The greeting caught Emily a little off guard and she was silent for a moment before she seemed to realize that she had to say something. "Uh, yeah.. he's not really in a state to do that right now. It's Emily." she said, scratching the back of her neck a little. She didnt know what had happened to Nyx, so she just assumed that it was the hour that was being called at. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. But he hasnt eaten at all while he's been here and I dont even know when he really last ate something?" she said, crossing her arm over her chest as she rested her hand under her elbow to support the arm holding the phone.

Hearing Emily's voice she sat up on the couch, feeling much more aware in the moment, muttering a soft apology. Listening to her she felt her heart sink getting up on her feet, shuffling out to get some shoes on, "is he high?" she asked, putting on a jacket before she grabbed her wallet and her keys. "Fuck, I'll be there in a few minutes," making sure that they were at Emily's apartment and not someplace weird. However before going over there she needed to buy some supplies.

It took a little while but with a couple of bags in her hand she knocked on Emily's door, feeling anxious. She had seen Rhys high a couple of times, even been there for some of his detoxing, but she wasn't sure he wanted her there to begin with. Not that he had much of a choice. Once the door opened, she looked to Emily, walking in she sent her a reassuring smile, moving the bags out to the kitchen. "I uh brought some different vials," she said, not sure what type he liked the most. She swallowed, looking down, "the best for him might be fresh blood," not sure how she felt about it, but she guessed that she herself would be the best donor.

"Not right now. He's sober." she said, being rather quiet as she opened the door to check on him. He was still on the couch, so she closed the door again. Humming, she confirmed that they were at her apartment. She just went back to sit by his side, though she thought that he might want to be cleaned up just a bit. So she went to get some things, softly running a hand over his head. "Nyx is bringing over some stuff. I brought some wipes, figured you'd want to clean up, but this is all we've got for now." she said, even if he was sleeping heavily to even hear her, she wanted to say it. She was careful with the wipes, just dealing with every surface available to her.

When there was a knock on the door, she went to open up. Letting Nyx in, she smiled back, a soft gentle smile. Looking at the bags, she frowned a little. She would need an explanation on what all this stuff was. Vials? She picked one up to look at. The mention of fresh blood made her hum. "So he drinks blood?" she asked, never really having guessed. She wouldnt really offer herself up, solely because she believed she was undead. It possibly couldnt be good for him.

Nyx shrugged, "he usually mixes the vialed souls and the vialed blood; I don't know what ratio he likes, but we can try some different ones," she said as she unpacked the bags. The vials luckily came packed pretty neatly, placing them in the fridge. "I also got him some sports drinks .. I don't know if electrolytes has any affect on him, but it wouldn't harm trying," she said, running a hand through her hair, turning to look at Emily. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but instead she just quickly wrapped her arms around her in a small hug before releasing her. "Thank you for .. For looking after him," was all she said before continuing to prep.
Once she felt she had a pretty good mixture, she went in to the living room, wrinkling her nose as he didn't smell too pleasantly. Opening up a window to let in some fresh air she moved over to move Rhys to sit up. He groaned, gritting his teeth in pain, "I know, I know," she muttered, not quite sure if she was trying to soothe him or not. He looked like shit, and smelled even worse. "I can babysit him for a while if you need to sleep or something," she said, looking to Emily who looked paler than she had seen her before.

She hummed and nodded. It sounded complex, and she wasnt sure she wanted to get too into it rather than necessary. Mostly because she wouldnt have liked it the other way around. "Yeah, thanks." she said, feeling rather thankful that Nyx was coming by with all this stuff rather than simply choosing to give her a list when she called. She was looking all the stuff over when Nyx hugged her, which surprised her a little. "I just didnt want him to be alone." she shrugged. She had seen how he had been treated before. Would this have been any different?
She followed Nyx into the livingroom, just standing by while the girl was handling her brother. The assurance that she could have a moment to relax made her shrug. "I dont think I could sleep." she admitted. But maybe a shower would be fitting. "I'll clean up the bathroom, I guess." she said, knowing that she had to eat something as well. But she wasnt really thinking of that right now when he was doing way worse than she was.

"You need sleep .. And food," Nyx reminded her trying to see if he could get through to Rhys in the state he was in, but he at least seemed to take the vials as she handed them to him. Nyx looked to Emily with a sad smile, "I promise I'll wake you up as soon as he asks for you," because he would never ask for her unless he needed her. Wasn't that right?
She hoped that Emily would take some time to take care of herself. That would leave Nyx some time to at least get Rhys some food and fluid down in to him. He wasn't very cooperative, but she felt like if she couldn't be here for him now, then what was the point of calling him her brother? "It's really fucked up .. All of this," she muttered, laying him down once she was sure he had taken more than he had spit out. Moving down to sit on the floor next to the couch she felt her eyes well up. Rhys reached out, messing with her hair like he had done when she was a kid and it made her scoff softly. "I just wish you could've stopped his stupid plan," closing her eyes to just sit for a while.

“I guess I do.” She sighed though she couldnt feel it. But how helpful could she be if she wasnt taking care of herself too? She had been there with him since it started! That was quite a long time ago by now. With the assurance she hummed and went to the kitchen to get some food for her to eat. She kept it on a mild level, but she would feel full soon enough. Packing away and cleaning after herself she went to go change her clothes. Maybe a shower wasnt the best idea if it would be a while before he was better. She was pratically covered in his smell too from being so close to him. She laid down on the bed to grab her phone and check, but she did eventually just drift off to sleep without realizing, phone in hand and everything. She had only just gotten to unlock it.

The night passed pretty easily. She at least managed to keep him passed out most of the time. However when morning came she knocked carefully at Emily's door. "Ems, I gotta go before Michael notices I'm gone," she spoke through the door, feeling too tired to really have to deal with a Barley brother right now, but it was the cards she had been dealt. She touched the door handle softly, opening it to look at her if she was still in bed. She looked down, "if .. If you see Jason, tell him I'm alright," she said, not sure if he even knew what was going on with her right now. She knew the last thing they had spoken about was stopping what they had been doing. She stood for a while, before she just nodded, seemingly realizing that she was overstepping. "He's getting better now .. But he could really use a shower; And I think you might want to just throw that couch out," grimacing before she really had to go.

She was woken up by the knock, groaning and sitting up. Looking at the window she frowned a little. Morning? She heard what Nyx said, but didnt quite know who Michael was? She rubbed her face and sighed. Nyx opened the door and she looked at her, frowning a little at the mention of Jason. Why couldnt she tell him herself? “Uh.. yeah, sure I will.” She said, though she was confused, very confused. Getting up she went to grab a shirt that she pulled over her head to cover up her neck. She had completely forgotten about it. “Yeah, thank you very much. Did he eat a lot?” She asked. She could tell something was up but it wasnt like she really had the time to do anything right now. And yet she frowned at her own mind wondering. “Is Michael someone from the safehouse?”

"Yeah he had a few vials and a sip from me," she said, shrugging though it was clear her shoulder was a bit sore from the bite. Nyx had noticed the scar along Emily's neck, but where she was from asking too many question didn't always bode well. However when she asked about Michael she had to stop, her brain freezing for a second before she seemingly realized that of course Emily knew nothing. "Oh, erhm, he's .. You know .. Why don't you ask Rhys about it? He can explain it better than me," she said, looking down as she felt like she wasn't really allowed to say what had happened. "I really gotta go," she said, heading for the exit.

“Okay.” She nodded. That was good. Then he at least wouldnt be starving on top of everything else. She noticed how her question seemed to make her stop and look all weird. Her answer made her furrow her brows lightly, but she just nodded. “Yeah, I’ll ask him.”
Nyx went off to leave but Emily followed and stopped her. “Thank you. You were a great help.” She said sincerely before letting go so she could leave. Emily went to check on Rhys, touching his head, smiling softly. Was she in love? Most definitely. Probably more after he had been cleaned up and felt a bit better but all in all she knew now that she loved him.

Nyx just looked at her, nodding before she had to go. In the livingroom it seemed like he was finally sleeping a bit more peacefully. However as he felt her hand on his head his eyes started to move under his lids. Waking slowly he blinked a few times before he could focus on who was touching him, and when he saw it was her he couldn't help but crack a small smile. He still looked like shit, shaking a bit, but he reached up to take her hand in his own. "Hi," his voice a little hoarse, but his eyes were at least looking like they had more life in them.
He moved a bit, feeling how he was sorta sticking to the blanket he had over him, grunting softly as his body felt so sore. He was lucky to have the genes he had as a human would've probably been having a worse time for longer than he had to endure. "Fuck I stink," he muttered, closing his eyes because he felt embarrassed again.

Seeing him smile just made her feel so happy. She had seen sides of him in the last day or more that she never even possibly could think that she would see. And she wasnt judging him for those either. “You look better.” She said, mostly because he seemed to be doing better. At least it was a nice contrast to be properly interacting rather than just holding or touching him while he was convulsing in pain. The mutter made a soft scoff leave her lips. “I’ve smelled worse.” She assured him, before giving his hand a squeeze. “Do you want a bath? Would that be alright or do you want to sleep a bit more?” She asked, because that would mean he would have to sit. But sitting probably seemed better than standing if she was honest.

He felt lucky. He knew he didn't have to feel like that, but the fact that the woman he cared so much for was still here for him wasn't a feeling he had felt before. The suggestion of a bath made him hum, nodding as it would be good for him to get up and get the circulation going. He moved, grunting as he sat up, having to close his eyes as he felt too dizzy, just needing a moment. "I think I need a quick hose-down in the shower before a bath," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with one hand, almost refusing to let go of hers with the other. He felt a little clingy, needy even, but that was a given now that she had stayed with him this long.
He got up, gritting his teeth as his limbs felt stiff, the blanket sort of just pooling on the floor where he stood up. He had to let go of her hand by then, using the furniture and walls for support as he made his way out to the bathroom. That was where he saw a new unopened toothbrush he chuckled. Nyx knew what he needed before he asked, didn't she? He fiddled a bit with opening it before he got it out of the package, starting to brush his teeth with whatever toothpaste he could find. Rinsing his mouth felt good. At least he couldn't taste the puke still after a few rounds of rough brushing.

He sat up and she moved to give him space and yet he kept holding onto her hand. She didnt mind it at all. “We’ll figure it out.” She said, not too bothered with anything else than making sure he got to the bathroom first. Not that she could really carry him, because she couldnt. He got up and had to let go, which was okay. She stood around for a bit until it seemed that he could handle it on his own, going ahead to check the bathroom. Frowning a little she noticed that it had been cleaned up. Just roughly, but noticeably by a lot. She went to check the shower. “Do you want cold or warm?” She asked, adjusting it to whatever he preferred while he was brushing his teeth. She also ran the water through, to make sure it was the temperature. Taking off her shirt she didnt know how much help he wanted but she would be there if he did.

"Just cold," he muttered with a toothbrush in his mouth, he hoped that it was relatively audible. He finished up, rinsing out with some mouthwash just to be sure. Then he just started to strip down. She had seen him at his worst, so seeing him naked wasn't really so scary to him. Standing against the wall in the shower he took the initiative to wash himself off, looking down as all the sweat got cleared. It felt so good. But he still wanted that bath, because he didn't have much energy to stand for too much longer.
He said she could just pick whatever temperature she liked. Once the bath was drawn he dragged himself over to the tub, getting in amongst the bubbles and what not she had put in. Leaning his head back he closed his eyes for a second, getting accustomed to feeling his body awake and reactive. "Don't you want to join me?" he suddenly asked, opening his eyes to look at her. He wasn't worth much right now, but it would be nice to just feel her close. "I won't bite," trying to be funny but probably failing miserably.

Cold. She hummed as she put it to that, before she waited for him to finish cleaning his teeth. He began undressing and she let him have space to do that. She would just clean up a bit and get some sort of order in everything unless he needed help. Once he was ready to have a bath, she wondered why he let her pick the temperature but she put it to a slight warmth, as she usually liked being in water that warmed her up too. She had some nice soaps for the water that could make it bubbly and smell rather nice. She hoped he wouldnt mind smelling like flowers.
Once he was comfortable she moved away again to continue cleaning up when his question caught her a little off guard. “I- what?” She asked, looking at him a little surprised. The addition made her chuckle. “I think we’ve already confirmed that if anyone bites, it’s me.” She said, before she moved over to sit down by the tub by his side. She looked at him with searching eyes. “Are you just trying to get me naked?” she asked like she was serious but then she chuckled and sighed. “I guess I stink a little too from holding you.”

Hearing her chuckle was almost like music to his ears, smiling as she returned the tease making him shrug, "I thought we agreed that I was into that." It felt good. Good to just be a bit lighthearted about the shit they had gone through. The question made him sigh, reaching his hand out to poke a few bubbles, chuckling at her addition, "since when is a guy not trying to get his hot yet stinky girlfriend naked?" He flashed a slight sassy smirk, looking at her with soft eyes. He wasn't going to push it, but was there really anything wrong in this? It wasn't like he had the strength to do much more than hold her close. "What do you say?" because in the end it was really up to her.

“Like it would be fair at all to rile you up now.” She chuckled, tilting her head a little at him with a sweet smile over her lips. No, this had to be the better he had told her about. The remark made her smack his arm lightly. “You made me stinky!” She accused him like it was some elaborate scheme of his. She was considering it, and as he asked, she chuckled and scoffed. “Fine.” She agreed before she tied up her hair. She didnt really want the soap water to ruin her hair. He could look if he wanted but she did need a moment. She couldnt remember the last time anyone had properly seen her naked. Felt like a lifetime ago. “Fuck..” she chuckled, carefully grabbing her shirt before taking it off and throwing it to the basket. She got up and untied her pants before letting them fall too. She felt her heart in her throat but she eventually did undress and carefully joined him. The water was nice and she sighed softly before she leaned up against his chest. Then she realized that she was feeling his skin directly onto hers and that did make her blush a little.

He chuckled as she hit his arm. He was never going to tell her, but her hit had actually hurt his still aching body. She agreed to join him, but he could see she was nervous, so he just played a little absentmindedly with the bubbles, not wanting to upset her or feel like he was staring her down. She got in, and as soon as she sat against his chest he felt like he could breathe easily. His hands moved down along her arms, down her sides, touching her hips gently. "Why so quiet?" he muttered softly in her ear, his voice still a little raspy, kissing her softly just below her earlobe. "Are you going shy on me now, princess?" He just wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, feeling more of her skin press against his own. Fuck, nothing had ever felt this good, had it? "Are you afraid I don't like what I see?" he whispered, kissing her down her neck.

Yeah, this was leaving her a little speechless, especially as his hands were actively running over her skin. She was used to it when he touched her back under her shirt, but now there was nothing at all. The mutter made goosebumps run down her neck and shoulders and she scoffed at her own reaction. He had to be aware of how good it felt to have his voice just by her ear! There was no way he was just being all innocent. “We’re just naked in a tub. It’s new.” She said, trying not to sound too distracted by the fact, even if she was. He felt good. He felt right. The whisper made her cheeks a little warmer and had to lean a little away as he kissed her neck. “No fair.” She said, turning her upper body to have them face to face, shifting between his eyes as she looked at him. “You’re being so confident and sweet and still… Yeah, I am a little afraid that you wont like me.” She ended up admitting. There was no reason to lie.

She turned to face him, still holding her close he smiled softly at her admittance. The fact that she thought he was being confident made him a little confused, bur he wouldn't voice that. Leaning in he kissed her cheek ever so gently, nuzzling his nose in to her hairline, just enjoying having her here. "But I do like you .. In fact I should be the one scared cause you've just witnessed me being sick and all that," he argued softly, pulling his face away to look at her eyes. She looked so beautiful like this, the soapy bubbles sticking to her skin, the light color in her cheeks. "You look lovely," he whispered, one hand releasing her, moving up along her stomach with just his fingers barely grazing her skin. "And you feel lovely," he muttered, kissing her forehead, just letting his fingers wander over her naked skin, sighing to himself at how good this felt. "But I won't mind reminding you if that's what you need," he moved slightly, just letting her feel the fact that he was turned on by having her here. "You think my body would react like this if it didn't like the feeling of you this close?" He was being sincere, simply wanting to put her mind at ease, even if he couldn't make all her worries go away.