#implied vomit

“Uuuggh.” Vanessa could be heard groaning loudly from the bathroom. She’d been feeling off all day, not necessarily sick, but ever since trying to eat some dinner she’d holed herself up in the bathroom. She’d been throwing up for hours and Clarisse had stood outside the door the entire time, worrying for her roommate. Even Emile had eventually joined her, now worried for her as well. Vanessa was normally pretty quiet about not feeling well so she had to feel pretty bad to be groaning about it. He knew how much she preferred to be left alone but both he and his sister felt like they had to do something.

“Vanessa? Are you alright?” Emile asked after giving a short knock on the door. Clarisse slapped the back of his head nigh instantaneously. “Ow! What was that for?!”

“She’s been in there for the past three hours, Emile. What do you think?” He couldn’t really argue with his twin. For once she was speaking with completely sober clarity. “Vanessa, please come out of there.” “Can’t.” Was the only reply Clarisse got. “Well then let one of us come in to help or something.” Clarisse pouted, crossing her arms as she spoke.

“No.” Was the ever expected answer before hearing a heave and something splashing.

Emile sighed, “Vanessa, honestly, let us help you.” He paused a moment before continuing, “I mean you’re always helping us.” There was silence for a good few minutes. Clarisse and Emile though for a moment that she had resorted to ignoring them when they suddenly heard the toilet flush. There was silence for a bit before Vanessa opened the door and revealed herself for the first time in a while. She certainly looked at lost worse than she’d started out. Her lilac hair was plastered to her face with sweat, she was shaky and hunched over herself, not to mention a touch of vomit laden spit had been smeared across her face. Emile had never seen her so sick and both his and Clarisse’s eyes widened at the sight. Wordlessly, as there wasn’t much need to say anything, Emile graciously used his sleeve to wipe her face while Clarisse took Vanessa’s hands. She lead her, with little resistance, to the couch in the living room. Emile entered the bathroom, grabbing a bucket from under the sink and wetting a washcloth. Clarisse got Vanessa set up in the couch, taking the blanket that was draped over the back and brought it around Vanessa’s lithe frame. She pulled Vanessa down to sit with her and got her to lay down, letting her sick roommate rest her head in her lap. She also ran her fingers through Vanessa’s hair, getting her hair out of her face and trying to comfort her in one action. Vanessa had done that for her a few times upon request as she could remember it helping her feel better when she was a kid so she figured it would help Vanessa the same way. Emile entered the living room, dropping the bucket off in front of the couch where Vanessa could get at it before handing off the washcloth to Clarisse who rested it on Vanessa’s forehead. There wasn’t much he could do as he wasn’t super into the idea of getting sick but he could at least help out. Vanessa coughed harshly, her throat stinging from having gotten sick. Both Emile and Clarisse winced slightly. “I’ll get some water.” Emile offered quietly, going to the kitchen and filling a glass. He handed it to Clarisse who let Vanessa sit up to take a sip.

She looked miserable but she still replied with her thanks in a raspy voice. “You two may be too uptight and too carefree… yet you somehow manage to be too kind as well.” “Eh, you might be rough around the edges but you know you’re just a big softy.” Emile replied, letting himself joke a bit. “Yeah! You’re like a mom!” Clarisse replied, joyous but holding herself back so she wasn’t too loud.

I’m writing this with Vanessa. Not because she’s the least used but because she’s lowkey my favorite. But to keep things interesting lets set this in the past before the incident with Atlas. Which is also my favorite thing to write for.Vanessa was a very different child. I should draw her younger self.

Wiping her mouth of spit, Vanessa leaned away from the toilet. She draped an arm over her still churning insides and held a hand over her mouth. Cyrus, who knelt beside her, valiantly holding her hair back, moved away from her a little to ask, “You done?”She shook her head and pushed herself back up onto her knees, retching to no avail. Her dry heaves were making her cough which only made her gag more. 

Nothing was coming up. She was empty.

“You’re done.” He replied, putting a hand on her shoulder and lead her away from the toilet, only now letting go of her long hair and letting it fall along her shoulders. He did this in favor of taking her in his arms, resting with her in his lap. They were still on her bathroom floor but he could move her to her bed or couch when her stomach was more settled.

Vanessa shook her head at his letting her hair go. “You should just put it up... just in case.” He nodded and took up the long dark hair again, reaching down to take a hair tie off her wrist to put it up. As he pulled it through into a ponytail, she continued. “Honestly, I should just cut it. It’d be easier on me, I think.”

“It’d be a shame. You have such gorgeous hair.”

She smiled and shoved him gently, “Oh stop it, flattery will get you no where.”

“It wasn’t flattery, it was honesty.”

Vanessa’s face bloomed with feverish color and embarrassment as Cyrus leaned over her to flush the contents of her stomach away. He then got an arm under her knees before supporting her back.

“Ready?”

She nodded and he gingerly lifted her up, carrying her to the couch in her living room. He felt bad that she’d gotten so sick while her parents were away so he'd been coming over after school to stay with her. After getting her settled on the couch, tucked in with a blanket and a pillow, he bent down and kissed her forehead.Her face went bright read and she lifted her hands to cover her face. Chuckling at that he said. “Your fever spiked a bit, I’ll be right back.” He left her a moment to get an icepack from the freezer in her kitchen and returned to see her still covering her face.

“Come on now, that fever needs to go down if you want this to start going away.” He told her, rationalizing it. She uncovered her face and flinched as he rested the icepack there. A shiver ran up her spine and she pulled the blankets a little closer to her frame. He nodded contentedly at that.

“There we go... now get some rest. I’ll stay until my curfew so I’ll be right here if you need me.”

“Wake me if you have to go before I get up?”

“Of course.” Ever gentlemanly, he took her hand in his and raised it to his lips to plant a kiss to her knuckles. He would have kissed her were she not sick but neither of them wanted that. This was the next best thing though. 

“And that’s a promise.” He reassured her, seeing her smile before shutting her eyes to go to sleep. While she slept, he set a trash can close by, just in case. And before he took a seat in the armchair nearby, he brushed some of her hair out of her face, moving the sweat laden strands into place. As sick as she was, she looked so peaceful as cliche as that sounded in his head. He sighed and smiled down at her.