fissionmailed | And PLOT COMMENCES. Terrible plot. Horrible, whiny plot.

[There is a Liquid wandering the halls. Usually, Liquids are full of zest. This one... not so much. Odd, really. He's been feeling drained all day. His throat is scratchy and it's difficult to breathe properly. Worse, even his reflexes seem to be dulled! His head aches and his body is shaking with the cold. Why is he suddenly feeling the cold? He doesn't know! He's pale as death. He makes a quick call-]

Ocelooooot, where are you? I need you right now.

[-and hangs up. He can't help the rare whininess in his (particularly shaken and scratchy) voice. Liquid has never been sick a day in his life, excluding some of his imprisonment - and the less said about that the better. He leans against the wall, looking miserable, and sinks down to sit on the floor.]

This is a really rotten week... first the gray hair and now this...

DOES THE UNIVERSE JUST HATE ME LATELY?!

[His words break down into a fit of coughing and he buries his face in his hand for a moment as if that will hide his identity.]

(Long story short, Liquid is sick. It's not serious, even though he looks like hell, but prepare for whiny bitch syndrome if you approach him! He's not used to feeling this rotten.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I never thought I'd love my own face. Or friendship. Or family. Or another, male or female. Lust, perhaps, but not love. But even you should know how it ends. Look about you. Who remains here?

[Slowly, painfully, he brought a hand up to stroke slender fingers through Liquid's hair.]

You don't have to stay alone.

I don't want to. Not now, damn you. But I cannot fathom how I can give Mantis a want to have those emotions back, or give Brother a place here and still allow him space to have a lover.

Not sure about the first, but the second could be solved with a bigger room. Just knock down a wall and stick a door in if the apartment next to you is empty.

It's not... quite right, Brother. That vampire next to me when he visits Snake... one day, I may finally kill him.

Vampire... Is it one of the Vamps? You won't be able to kill him. He's immortal. I've tried.

He's stupid, that's all.

It is. It seems he has a bad habit of becoming attached to these vampires, despite one not even bothering to tell him he was leaving and the other not able to keep his alternate from killing Snake.

This shouldn't make me so angry. Not due to more than his death not being by my hands.

...tch. Vamps aren't people to get attached to.

No, I'd be angry too. Brother should be beyond that kind of foolishness.

Hmph. [Liquid turned his head down, lips caressing his hair]

You, at least, give as much love as you get.

[He smiled a little at that.]

Should I not? Those I love deserve to be loved.

Mm, I wonder. Should the dead love...?

If they're capable, let them. Since when have we ever done anything but follow our feelings?

Perhaps.

But enough introspective. I can wonder if I deserve this later. The tea is ready.

[Liquid nodded, drawing away to sit on the edge of the bed.]

Understood.

[Liquid leaned down, carefully sliding his arm across his alternate's back to help him up]

[Liquid did try not to rely on it too much, but to his distaste, he found himself leaning on the arm a little too much for his liking.]

Tch.

Hm. [Far too weak for his liking. How potent was this virus?]

[The flat was rather small, however, and allowed him to put his alternate on the couch to study how he was fairing again]

[Liquid was pale and drained, listless and idle. His usual energy seemed to have gone away and he stayed unnervingly still.]

Brother, try not to get sick too.

I will be fine. [He was so still. So unlike normal... he had a feeling he'd become ill as well, join this disquieting quietness. It was quite unsettling when a memory of Shadow Moses surfaced]