Tis the season

[hotheadwarmheart]

Who: Lea, Dove, and People
When: Various points in December
Where: Lea and Dove's apartment (locked threads) and a park in Genessia City (open thread)
What: Various holiday event things!
Warnings: Lea being sick in one thread, various kinds of feelings and warm fuzzies throughout

Down with the sickness- (Locked to Dove)

It had begun innocuously enough. Lea had dismissed the tickle he'd felt in his throat the previous night as being due to the unusually dry air, the somewhat stiff feeling of his muscles to the unusual cold snap in the city. He'd drank a glass of water and settled in for the night, confident that he'd be fine by morning.

He was wrong. When he awoke the next day, he almost wished he hadn't. The tickle in his throat had morphed into a raw, sore feeling that reduced him to fits of coughing whenever he tried to breathe too deeply. He simultaneously felt chilled while being aware that he was likely burning with fever, something being a fire user made worse than usual. And everything ached. It was all he could bring himself to do to drag himself to his bathroom to take care of business and get a glass of water before crashing back into bed, burrowing as deeply into the blankets as he could manage and resigning himself to being a miserable lump. He doubted he'd be getting up again any time soon.

Winter Wonderland- Open

Lea couldn't help but chuckle as he watched all the little snowmen running around. They were certainly cute little buggers. And his Pokémon seemed to be having a lot of fun playing with them too, even the normally stoic Buster. He wondered if the little snowmen were a kind of Pokémon themselves? They certainly looked like they could be, after all.

Whatever they were, they seemed to be busy as well as numerous. As lea sat back on the park bench watching his Pokémon play, a number of little snowmen toddled up to him toting a gift package wrapped in bright red paper. "Hey, thanks," he said, accepting the package and setting it on the bench next to him. "Think I'll wait to open it til the big day though."

He bent down to pat the little snowmen on the head in thanks, only to be swarmed by the cluster who brought his gift as they returned his affection a bit too enthusiastically. He fell off the bench onto the snowy ground with a startled yelp as he attempted to gently fend off his adorable attackers. A little assistance would likely be greatly appreciated.

A special gift- (Christmas Morning, locked to Dove)

Lea hadn't felt this kind of slightly nervous excitement on Christmas morning for a long time. Granted, part of that was due to being a Nobody for much of that time, but it still counted. He'd finished Dove's gift a few days before, packed it carefully into a smallish box, wrapped it in metallic gold wrapping paper, and slipped it under their Christmas tree. He really hoped she'd like it.

And he couldn't help but be curious about the contents of his own gifts as well, including the one the little snowmen had given him. He'd seen and heard of other people getting stuff from home,but that didn't narrow it down a whole lot. What could it be?

Comments

Personal angel to the rescue!

[phoenixstrut]

Despite having been out late making yet another appearance at some designer’s holiday gathering, Dove had been up early- just early enough to catch a strange, miserable, very un-Lea like vibe coming from down the opposite end of the apartment. While she had done her best to give him his space in the now shared penthouse, she found herself padding lightly through the living room, noting the still lingering chill seeping in through the large glass walls. Clad in fluffy socks and a massively oversized sleep sweater with a steaming mug of tea between her palms, she eyed the heavy snow covering her balcony with suspicion before she disappeared around the corner and into the hall leading to his suite.

She slowed her silent steps as she felt out the room before her, hand lingering a few inches from the wood when she had stopped. After only a moment of hesitation, she knocked softly, leaning close to listen for a response. “Lea?”

Re: Personal angel to the rescue!

[hotheadwarmheart]

The knock on the door roused Lea from a feverish, half asleep stupor. Wha...? Oh right, Dove. He lived with her now. And she sounded concerned, so he should probably respond.

When he tried to muster enough breath to be heard through the door though, all that happened was another coughing fit. Well, at least it was loud enough that Dove should have no problem hearing it through the door.

[phoenixstrut]

She winced at the sudden attack and allowed herself to crack the door just enough to peer through. "You too?" she asked, hesitating just outside the door, shoulders sagging with dawning dread. That's what that vibe had been, and why it had felt so familiar...

[hotheadwarmheart]

It took a moment for the coughing fit to pass, and another for Lea to somewhat get his breath again. "Yeah...", he managed when she peeked in through the door.

"You can come in, if you want...", he added a moment later. "Don't guess angels can catch this kind of thing."

[phoenixstrut]

He wasn't wrong... but while it would be exceptional for her to catch any kind of bug, she didn't want to intrude too much when he was feeling unwell.

Then again, she also couldn't deny the instinct to help him immediately. Quietly, she slipped through the door, shutting it carefully behind her to keep out any of her more curious Pokémon. That done, she headed for him and sat carefully on the edge of his bed, blinking at the warmth coming from him.

"Didn't think anyone with that much fire in them could catch this kind of thing..." she marveled solemnly, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him. "Can I help?"

[hotheadwarmheart]

There was definitely a lot of warmth coming off of Lea. His normal body temperature would be called a low grade fever for most people, so when he was really sick? His body went all out trying to burn it out of him. The heat wasn't quite enough to scorch anything, or actually burn her if she touched him, but definitely enough that a normal person would never survive it.

"Neither did I," he said, his voice rough from his earlier coughing. "But here we are. Might help me shake it faster, at least..." He really, really hoped so. He hadn't felt this terrible since his first hangover, and had no illusions that this would pass as quickly.

As for her helping though, it took a long moment to think through the haze of fever, aches, and general awfulness enough to answer. "I should probly eat something...", he said. "If I can manage to sit up long enough." He wasn't entirely sure of that at the moment. Nor did he feel particularly like eating; his stomach felt vaguely queasy from the combination of pain and dizziness. But he knew it would only get worse if he didn't eat at least a little something. "So if you could maybe get me something...? Nothing too heavy though..." He broke off briefly into another, shorter coughing fit. "Don't... think my stomach could handle it...", he finished as he caught his breath again.

[phoenixstrut]

She nodded, still looking him over. "Let's... start with some broth and work up from that, okay?" She lifted a hand again as she stood and laid the backs of her fingers to his forehead, unafraid of the heat as she assessed him. "Stay here- I'll bring you some tea for your throat, too."

As her fingers left his skin, she drew away a bit of the heat, taking it with her as she headed for the door. Nothing terribly ground breaking, but perhaps enough to soothe him a little until she came back.

Fortunately, she'd be back quickly, tray carefully balanced in her hands as she gently swept the door shut behind her again with a foot. "Think you can sit up on your own, or do you need some help?" she asked, setting the tray atop one of his bedside tables, and turning back to him.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Sounds good...", he said. "Tea too." Her hand felt good against his forehead too, cool and warm at the same time, and he found himself subconciously leaning his head into it a bit, even as she pulled away to go geth the broth and tea. He sigh softly, curling up a tiny bit more. Temperature-wise he barely noticed the loss of heat, but it did make him feel a bit less dizzy.

He wasn't sure how long she'd been gone, having zoned out slightly, but blinked back to consciousness when she returned. Processing what she asked, he considered a moment before replying. "Lemme give it a try..." With an effort, he got his arms angled properly and pushed himself up, though he shivered a bit, trembling both with the effort and from the change in temperature as his upper-body, clad only in a plain, black t-shirt, was exposed to air.

He managed to sit up though from the way he leaned heavily against the bed's headboard, the effort had been exhausting. "Made it...", he said. He might have said more, but the breath he took to do so caught and sparked another coughing fit. He let out a miserable sounding groan when it passed, letting his head flop back against the headboard. "But at what cost...?", he rasped, managing a weak smile at his own attempt at humor.

[phoenixstrut]

She noted the shivering, standing ready to help him if he needed it and assessing all the while. At least he had the energy to move that much, even if it was short lived.

A small encouraging smile flutter across her face, though she flinched at the coughs that racked his chest. "Well..." she sighed, fond of his unbroken spirit, despite the raspy voice. "Should make soup easier at least."

A pause, before she reached out to run a hand over his forehead again, pushing back his hair and guiding him gently. "Tilt your head back for a second..." His throat had to be killing him... but she could help that.

Winter Wonderland

[burnt_offering]

[Lea isn't the only one enjoying the little snowmen. They're pretty cute little things, and this place needs a dose of cute once in a while, especially with so many people dealing with illness or recovering from it. They're a welcome addition to Genessia, in Ace's mind.

Ace watches them from a distance at first, snickering as Lea gets swarmed, and finally makes his way over when he realizes that the man could use a hand.

The snowgies might be the types that can avoid melting in the summer, but Ace's inner fire and radiating haki can stop blizzards when he's at his best. And his unnatural body heat gets quite a few of them off of Lea as Ace approaches.] Didn't think they'd get spooked. [A few of them are already starting to surround Ace's feet, and the heat rolling off of him slowly lowers.] Guess they're not that startled.

Re: Winter Wonderland

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Startled or not, the tactic works as intended and at least lets Lea get back to his feet.]

Thanks man. And given the heat, I gotta say, it's always nice to meet another fire wielder.

[Before he can say much more though, both of them are swiftly surrounded again.]

Nope... Any ideas how we can get them to back off without hurting them?

[burnt_offering]

No problem. Us hot-headed types gotta stick together, right? Otherwise who else is gonna bring the heat?

[Ace stares, worried. They're cute little things! He doesn't think they mean any harm either, so this is tricky.] I can control what my fire burns. So I could scare 'em off without hurting 'em. But that seems mean.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Yeah. Plus, we don't want to find out if they can actually do something worse than attack-cuddles if you scare them enough or get them mad enough. I mean look at Pokémon; they look fluffy and adorable, but some of them can shoot lightning and stuff at you if they feel like it.

[burnt_offering]

Yeah, there's that too.

[Ace thinks for a moment, trying to figure out just how to go about this. It's way easier to deal with a hateful threat, where he doesn't have to worry about if he hurts them or not...] Think we can bribe 'em with something?

[hotheadwarmheart]

Maybe. What've you got on you?

[burnt_offering]

Some jerky, ghost pepper flavor. A bag of cookies. Nothing much more than that. [He isn't even sure if the little thing can eat.]

Christmas!

[phoenixstrut]

Though her week had been an absolute whirlwind of FAMA parties and benefit events, her agent had been true to her word and ensured Dove's Christmas eve would be quiet and comfortable.

And it had been. For the most part.

She had spent the majority of it flitting about town, dropping off last minute gifts and collecting the final pieces she had commissioned for those friends she knew she would only see after the holiday. Those could wait. Her evening, however, had been simple: pizza and sugar cookies, special pastries for the pokemon, a bottle of wine and cocoa spiked with an assortment of the house's favorite liquors... all of which led to memories she could never have dreamed up a deep and pleasant sleep shortly after.

Christmas morning, in an oversized (and rather garish) Christmas sweater, she slipped out of her room to set her own last minute collection of gifts carefully under the tree, blinking curiously at the little golden gift before rising back to her feet and looking about the room. Lea was obviously up...somewhere.

"Anyone want Christmas pancakes?" she called, laughing as she almost tripped over the eevee scampering about her feet on her way to the kitchen.

Re: Christmas!

[hotheadwarmheart]

Pizza, cookies, and spiked hot cocoa had been an excellent choice for a Christmas Eve. Lea'd proposed a toast to the friends they had with them in Genessia... and then to the ones who were still back home. He was equally thankful for both.

Normally, after such a good night, he would be looking forward to sleeping in the next day. But Christmas morning, he'd make an exception; he was up bright and early wearing his own Christmas sweater. He yawned and stretched. "Hey, I'm always up for Christmas pancakes," he said. "Only question is, blueberry, chocolate chip, or banana nut?"

Shenanegaaansss

[phoenixstrut]

They could spend the rest of the day napping on her couches; Christmas morning was well worth rising for.

"....all four?" she shrugged, sweeping open the fridge door and sifting through its contents for necessities. "I'm personally leaning toward cinnamon and honey, I think." Typical, for the angel. Nevertheless, the counter is quickly laden with...well. Way more than four types of pancake add-ins and toppings.

"Think you can get a kettle for tea started?" she asked over her shoulder, prepping herself to hop up onto the counter so she could reach the higher shelves. Because... why would she ever ask for help from her more than capable best friend. Who just so happened to be right there? And taller than her.

Re: Shenanegaaansss

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea chuckled. "Good thing we've got a lot of Pokémon to help us eat them," he said. Both of them could eat more than one would expect just from looking at them, but there were limits.

He saw her attempting to climb up on the counter and shook his head in mock exasperation before moving to assist. "How about you get the tea started while I get this stuff down, OK?", he said.

[phoenixstrut]

"Ace loves a good pancake," she agreed, not bothering to hide her amusement as the houndoom huffed and settled his head on the arm of her couch.

From the counter, she only grinned down at him, already half up and balanced on one knee, one hand reaching for the flour. She took advantage of his closer proximity by using his shoulder for balance with her free hand, however, and studied the shelf, along with the live holiday plants strung along the top of her cabinets. "But I'm already up here, and the holly needs some love," she laughed, waving a hand in the direction of the garland. Immediately, the berried leaves perked up a bit.

No mistletoe here, she found herself musing, though she blinked a split second later at the thought. Maybe the Christmas spirit was getting to her head a bit too quickly.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea sighed in fond exasperation as Dove braced against him. "You know, I was about ten years old when my mom finally got it through my head that climbing on the furniture to reach high shelves was a bad idea," he said. But he did reach up to steady her further, putting his hands on her waist.

He honestly hadn't noticed the lack of mistletoe in their holiday decor. But then, he'd never really had reason to look for it either.

[phoenixstrut]

She laughed and, satisfied with the boughs, turned to him again, this time, flour in hand. "Ten years, huh," she laughed, brow raised as she looked down at him, even with the somewhat foreign feel of his hands on her. "Can't imagine how much fun you must have had the first nine. Bet you would have been a nightmare with wings." Though... somehow, the thought only made her smile warm. She liked the idea.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Dude, if I'd had wings, I'd have probably ended up with one of them in a cast after like... a day of unsupervised flying," Lea said with a chuckle. "Little me was an idiot. Like, willing to climb over the viewing platform's safety rail on the class field trip to the city water works cause another kid dared me to level of idiot. Keep in mind, that would have been like a hundred-foot drop, at least, into a bunch of water, pipes and machinery. Thankfully Isa talked some sense into me before I could actually go through with it but still... yeah."

Strangely, he found the thought of Isa didn't diminish his smile. Maybe it was just the Christmas spirit. Or maybe he was just enjoying himself too much to care.

[phoenixstrut]

"Oh, it's not that hard." Setting the bag on the counter, she once again uses his shoulders to balance herself as she hops off the counter, landing just a touch closer against him than she might anyone else. Hands still on his shoulders, she added, "and I've met little you. Well, ...younger you." A quick ruffle of his hair, before she sweeps the bag of flour off the counter and onto the island behind her instead. "And as adorable as tween-Lea was.....I'm definitely glad there was an Isa around to keep you in check."

She paused once the bag was open and glanced at him over her shoulder with a wink. "....I bet you'd do something just as daring today, though. I'm certainly not responsible enough to stop you."