What the Hell is Going on Here? We Got to Keep Going....

[oprorsk_sode]

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[willoftheblackbird]

At some point, you got a text from Jay: I'll get there as soon as I can. Please don't break the lock. But by the time it came in, the lock had clearly already been picked.

The living room and kitchen were dark. But there were lights on further back, in the master bedroom and adjacent bath. The sound of a toilet flushing broke the awkward silence.

[oprorsk_sode]

No broken locks.

Ansgar texted and then headed to the bathroom. "Dee?"

He's quiet and knows to approach cautiously like he would if this were Mikkel. His brother was probably already hunting for stuff to make tea.

[willoftheblackbird]

As Ansgar made his way into the master bedroom, he immediately found himself face to face with Dee as he came out of the bathroom. Any look of surprise on the singer's face was masked by sheer misery.

He was wearing one of Jay's old t-shirts, but nothing else. From the way he wrapped his around himself, it was clear that, despite his earlier text, his insides were still trying to make their way outside. From any direction they could.

"...you're... how did... Jay?"

Pardon his confusion. He wasn't exactly expecting his drummer in his bedroom.

[lynoprorer]

Ansgar was ready to catch the taller singer if he wavered. Stomach upset like this could make people dizzy and Dee was already weak on his feet sometimes.

"He's stuck at work so I stopped by with Mikkel." It wasn't a lie even if he had decided to come over before he knew that Jay was stuck at work. Ansgar is gentle though and pushes some of the hair away from Dee's face. "We should get you back to bed."

Ansgar was treating Dee like his baby brother even if Ansgar was the younger of the two.

[willoftheblackbird]

He certainly looked like a wreck. And he felt enough like one that he didn't even argue about how or why they were there. But at the invitation to go back to bed, he shook his head weakly.

He was ashamed to admit it, but the exhaustion and dehydration were clearly getting to him. And that meant it was getting harder and harder to keep getting in and out of bed. "Barely made it in there... that time..."

His voice sounded a little hoarse, likely from throwing up multiple times.

[lynoprorer]

"Let's get you to bed." Ansgar insisted gently. "You can stay in bed and I'll help if you get sick again."

He wasn't bothered by it. How many times had he held his brother's, and sometimes Fredrik's, hair while they were ill? He'd lost count. "You'll be more comfortable there."

Ansgar tried to stay upbeat and positive but he could see that Dee was sicker than he made out. Years of dealing with a bratty brother who hid everything lead Ansgar to be good at scrutinizing people's conditions. "Mikkel and I brought some tea we use to settle stomachs. We can all have a cup once you're comfortable."

Ansgar knew that Dee refused medicine but if it seemed more like a social thing then maybe the singer would agree. Even if this was the flu the tea might work. It was worth a shot and if things went sideways, then he and Mikkel would be there to help Dee while he was sick.

[willoftheblackbird]

Dee miiiiight have been feeling worse than he let on.

Suffice it to say, he definitely wasn't this bad when Jay left for work. Being a nurse, Jay would have seen straight through that. So this had gotten a lot worse, quite quickly. As Ansgar guided him to the bed, he didn't resist.

"I... don't know if I can keep it down..." he whimpered. The thought of tea was both soothing and nauseating all at the same time. But at least Dee didn't seem to consider it medicine, not in this context, which was a very good thing.

[lynoprorer]

Ansgar led him to bed and smiled. "It's what I give my brother when he's bad hungover. It might help."

He could encourage and if needed he could slip away once Mikkel was in here and text Jay about any updates.

[willoftheblackbird]

"This isn't... I'm not..." he reiterated the obvious, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Equally obvious was that he had the side that was closest to the door, the bathroom and everything else. "I think... some of the spread backstage... must have been sitting out too long. Went bad, or something..."

Not that he really thought much of it. When he was younger, he used to essentially survive on what the coffee shop he worked at was going to throw out at the end of the day. And he never got sick.

Never say never.

[lynoprorer]

"I know you aren't hung over." Ansgar helped him sit down and heard Mikkel's heels coming their way.

"Let's get you comfortable and some tea." Ansgar would do whatever he needed to help Dee get comfortable.

Mikkel came in with a tea pot, obviously theirs given the runes on it, as well as some of Dee and Jay's mugs. Honey if it was wanted. From the smell, the tea at least had ginger in it though there were other things as well.

[willoftheblackbird]

Slowly, Dee positioned himself so he was sitting up in bed, in a way that still maintained at least a little dignity. (Let's face it, he was beyond fucking with pants at the moment. And for good reason. Jay's shirts were like tunics on Dee, but still, sorry if you see more than you'd bargained for, Ansgar.)

The lamp on the beside table was on, blanketing the room in a warm, gentle light. There was plenty of space there to set a teapot and some mugs.

"...That smells good."

[oprorsk_sode]

Ansgar's brother and his boyfriend ran around naked, and Ansgar had worked backstage with costuming before. Dee was unlikely to show anything that Ansgar hadn't seen before. Nevermind one of his boyfriend's being polyamorous and random people climbed into bed with them sometimes.

"It's a traditional tea for us." Mikkel mentioned while pouring some into the mugs. "Do you take honey?"

Ansgar got up to go find a bucket or something just in case Dee couldn't keep the tea down.

[willoftheblackbird]

He felt his stomach churn uncomfortably at the thought of drinking literally anything. But the scent was as soothing as the thought of something warm against a throat made uncomfortably raw from vomiting. Awkwardness was quickly forgotten as Mikkel asked him how he took his tea.

"If it's bitter... yeah. Please." he nodded. "Thanks..."

It wouldn't be difficult to find a trashcan or something similar. If Ansgar looked around a bit, he might actually find the stainless steel emesis basin Jay had washed and set out to dry before he left. Leave it to a nurse to be prepared.

[oprorsk_sode]

Mikkel did add a little honey. Though he didn't think it was bitter who knew what an American set of taste buds might experience. He didn't fill the mug more than half either since the Dane was concerned that Dee might be feeling weak from what Ansgar had mentioned.

"Here. Sip slow." Mikkel offered Dee the cup before pouring his own. The tea was a majority ginger and chamomile with a hint of peppermint and other herbs that settled an upset stomach plus a pinch of salt. This was a tradition, though Mikkel didn't know that medically this was to help replenish electrolytes.

He sat down on the edge of the bed just as Ansgar came back with the pan. He slid it under the edge of the bed so Dee wouldn't see it and think about what it was used for. Then Ansgar poured his own mug of tea to join the other two.

[willoftheblackbird]

Out of sight, out of mind went a long way. Granted, since it had been recently washed, it was safe to assume it had also been recently used. The tea was a very good distraction, and Dee listened to Mikkel explain what all went into it.

"Okay..." He reached out to take the mug with shaky arms. He could feel the steam on his face as he attempted a sip. The taste was pleasant. Even though the ginger was potent, the honey cut off a good part of the bite.

Ansgar has been around Dee long enough to start seeing some patterns. Dee had a tendency to push himself. The more fatigued he got, the more his limbs tended to shake when he used them. Sometimes, if he kept pushing himself, they would just give out. This was all normal. Getting sick wasn't actually normal, but that had yet to really be observed.

"Thank you." he sipped slowly, carefully. Curious, he asked, "Where did you... learn this recipe?"

[lynoprorer]

Mikkel knew that shake too from Rik who, though healthy physically, pushed himself to this point sometimes.

"A lot of us know herbalism." Ansgar shrugged because he was noticing that not everyone had that knowledge, though those who did were teaching others along the way.

"Rik and Vars taught me this one when Fredrik was sick." Mikkel added while drinking his tea.

[willoftheblackbird]

"...her..herbalism?" Dee wasn't very familiar with the term.

When Jay was sick, his mother would often stop by with a jar of what they both called caldo de pollo. It was essentially chicken soup, but it was orange due to a particular spice. That was the closest thing to folk remedies that he really knew.

[oprorsk_sode]

Ansgar let Mikkel talk this one out. He might be younger but Mikkel was far more invested in traditions and the things that came along with it than Ansgar was, or ever would be.

"It's the use of plants to treat mild health conditions." Mikkel answered. "Vars has been teaching me a lot more of the Nordic practices and Aarne has taught me some of the Sami herbalism."

[willoftheblackbird]

Dee sipped on the tea slowly. So far, so good...

"Plants for... you can do that?" he asked with genuine curiosity, looking down into the tea he was drinking. "And it works? ...w..with no side effects?"

[oprorsk_sode]

"You have to learn how to do it right." Mikkel mentioned but did nod yes to his question. "If you use the wrong things together or the wrong things on the wrong people you can cause more problems. If you use it wrong or too much of some things there can be side effects."

Mikkel looked down at his tea. "Vars helped me pick things that don't have interactions because I don't know what's in the infusions you get." He shrugged. "There's chamomile in here. A little eases the stomach but too much can make you vomit or ginger is good for your stomach but you can't use it if you're going to get surgery or have a baby soon because too much can make you bleed more."

Mikkel liked to learn and this was his focus now that he had the chance to learn something specific.

[willoftheblackbird]

Dee was fascinated by this. He was still sipping the tea slowly, until Mikkel reached the part about ginger. He swallowed hard. For a moment, it looked like he was going to throw up that tea, but the nausea soon settled again.

"Um... how soon is too soon for ginger?" he asked, quickly clarifying the obvious, "For surgeries, I mean. Not for having a baby."

[oprorsk_sode]

Mikkel had a worried look when he saw the nausea pass in Dee's body language. It was gone soon and that was a relief. It could sometimes take a little time for the herbal teas to work on nausea.

"24 hours, I think. Most things don't stay around long except.. um.. I don't remember which one but it's a sedative Vars was telling me about that might help me sleep when I have nightmares. I can't use it if I was drinking or drink for a couple days after."

[willoftheblackbird]

"That's good. It'll still be a couple of weeks, I think, before I, well..." he took a deep breath, clutching the mug in his hands.

He stuttered a little bit as he tried to explain what was going on. Ansgar knew a little bit. He knew the first part at least.

"It's official. We're going on the tour... The Ziggy Stardust tour. But they... they need me to get a... a port put in." he tapped his chest, albeit not in the spot it would actually be in. "So I can get my infusions when we're on the road. It's a... a surgical procedure..."

Dee was looking forward to that about as much as he was looking forward to throwing up again. And thinking about one made the other one feel a lot more likely too.

[oprorsk_sode]

Mikkel saw that look and climbed up into the bed next to Dee, as gently as he could to not jostle him too much.

"I know." Mikkel sat cross legged up near the pillows and closer to Dee. "Rik and I have been in the hospital a lot and sometimes it's still scary to have to go."

He would have hugged Dee if he knew him a bit better. "I've done a lot of things that were scary but after things were better." Mikkel wasn't going to mention most of those things because they were dark or he had to do them to escape the darkness in his past. "I hope it makes your medicine easier."

[willoftheblackbird]

“Jay said… to just keep telling myself… it’s just one more step I need to take to get Kuro off the ground… just like… like approving a logo, or opening for Svarte Ravner, or having full dress rehearsals… I’m trying to do that.”

He looked like he might actually be sick.

“If I need it to tour… I… I have to do it…” Dee turned toward Ansgar, not about to let him or anyone else in the band down. “I have to.”