Winter Born

[Oi!]

Why shouldn't he come, he's a doctor, right? And - and why aren't you in bed anyway, you're gonna fall over!

From:

[Aya might be sounding just a little in hysterics.]

Why are you asking me that? You're the one who said "Why are you ringing me up, I'm only in the kitchen," weren't you?!

[Here comes another swing. Will you take this one in the face, too?]

Is he coming now? Do I need to get dressed? What am I going to do about the smell in my room? Ahhh, Ken you dummy!

From:

I meant I'd come talk to you! Hey!

[I'll be catching that, thanks. Years of playing soccer's gotta be good for something, right?]

Aya, come on! He knows you're sick, he's not gonna be expecting you to look like a supermodel! He-- look, why don't you go sit on the couch or something? I'll get your blankets and that way he don't even have to see your room.

From:

[NO FAIR CATCHING THE PILLOW :C

She stares at him for three seconds in silence.]

I'm getting in the shower. If Hatori gets here before I'm out you can tell him I'm NAKED so he better not peek in my room! Got that?!

[And you can just KEEP that pillow. Aya is done, and heading back for her room.]

From:

Do you mean that?

[Damn, does being round guys they like make girls act totally insane or something? Because between this and the shop back home, Ken's starting to wonder.]

From:

Yes!

[Bedroom door: Closed.

...Sadly, someone forgot that she never turned off her Dreamberry. Ken, you are now the unwitting audience to the muffled sounds of Aya grumbling and whining to herself while taking her clothes off.

At least the video's showing nothing but her ceiling?]

From:

Well you'd better 'cause I'm gonna hold you to it!

[Ken sighs (does the flu make people crazy? Or is it crushes? Maybe it's both..) wandering back into the kitchen and tossing the Dreamberry from hand to hand as he goes. He's still got a bunch of shopping to put away, after all. He puts the thing down on the worksurface just in case anyone else plans on interrupting his morning and sets to, humming to himself.]

From:

[Okay, so what the Hell is that noise? It's annoying. It takes Ken a moment to realize it's the Dreamberry. The screen's white and it appears to be grumbling to itself about how annoying he is, which means that either this thing is even creepier than he thought it was or Aya's forgotten to hang up.]

Um.

[Isn't she, you know, in the shower?

[Oh, great. At least she can't see him blush like a twelve year old girl. Okay, now what's he supposed to do?]

Um. Aya? You, uh... [Are not speaking loud enough, Hidaka. Right then--] You left the phone on! Hey!

From:

[By the time Ken's figured out what's going on and tried to warn Aya she's already heading into the bathroom and out of earshot. The vent comes on and the water starts.

Good luck reaching her over those two noises.]

From:

[Is that running water? Oh, yay.

[Ken gives the phone a disgusted look, tossing it down on the worktop again because okay to Hell with this and I'm going to bang on the door. What do you mean he could just hang up himself? You try dislodging a thought from a mind as stubborn as Ken's once it's gotten itself lodged there.]

Hey! Aya! Your phone is on!

From:

[Oh Ken...there is a knock at the door. Maybe you should go answer that now.]

From:

[Well that is just perfect.

[Ken glances toward the front door, then back at the bathroom. He half-considers banging on the door again but she didn't hear the last three times, so why should it be any different now-- Blame a combination of hope springing eternal and natural stubbornness that he has one last heroic crack at it anyway.]

Oi! Aya!

[Nothing. Well, he hadn't been expecting one. All right then, he'll answer the door.

[Of course, it's Hatori. Hello to you too.]

Aya told me to tell you she's in the shower.

From:

[Hatori lifts a brow at him. Aya is in the shower?]

Remind me to teach you what "keep her in bed" means.

From:

[Oh this is just not fair.]

What was I supposed to do, hold her down? She found out you were coming and freaked out!

From:

I will not question methods for keeping someone in bed.

[And he'll slip inside. Yes, he's sure that he's allowed.]

From:

... what's that supposed to mean?!

[Ken's not stopping him. He's far too busy looking like a kid who's been unfairly scolded by the grown-ups for no more reason than trying to help - oh, and then there's the small fact he hasn't managed to stop blushing yet.

[... It's just getting worse, isn't it?]

Anyway I didn't get the chance to try, she was up before I could stop her!

From:

You are hardly helping your case.

[He looks around for a moment before taking off his coat. It's nice to be somewhere warm.]

Can she keep anything down at all?

From:

[You know what? You guys are perfect for one another. I'd lock you in a closet together if I didn't think I had enough to cope with from you individually.]

Not much. She's been sick a lot.

From:

Can she keep water down?

[She's not out here and Ken seems forthcoming. So he'll interrogate him until she's out.]

From:

She seems okay on water, but she's not eating. Well, she's tried, but...

[You can probably fill in the blanks, right, Doc?]

From:

Water won't help her much at this point.

[He looks at her door.]

How long has she been in there?

From:

Um. Not long. A few minutes. Is something up?

From: