lakshmi patil (patill) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-05-25 14:03:00 |
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It had taken exactly twenty two steps from the restaurant for John to feel the first pang of something in his stomach, but he blamed his nerves for that. He didn’t expect to be out on a date any time soon, and yet, here he was, walking side-by-side with Lakshmi. It was strange to be on a date with someone you’d known forever, but there was no topic that was off-limits, either. That felt good. That felt normal. But when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach once again -- closer to her flat, John had wanted to escort her back to her flat, as it was the gentlemanly thing to do -- he was mildly concerned. But they were almost there. And finally they were, outside her door. He remained a respectable amount of distance away from Lakshmi, and he ignored his stomach, smiling at her. “So… I had a nice time tonight. Maybe this could happen again sometime?” A loud grumble emitted from his abdominal area. The date in Lakshmi’s most humble opinion had gone well. She and John had always been friends since Hogwarts, and they’d clicked well the last few years as it was. Plus, it felt good to do something so wholly positive after the last year. And, well, she liked John. Maybe that’s why her stomach seemed to be acting weird now, as they’d begun to head from the restaurant to her flat. “I did too,” Lakshmi said, fighting off the childish, warm blush that was seeping into her cheeks. And her body, actually, she felt flushed. “It was really nice, John, we should definitely —” she cleared her throat as her stomach fought her for a second “— do it again sometime.” Lakshmi certainly wanted to plant a kiss at the very least on John, but… her stomach gave another lurch. The smile on John’s face looked strained in that moment, as though he would rather not contort his face so much. Still. He kept smiling and nodded. “I'm sure we can figure out exactly when sooner or later.” There were other things to consider in terms of their respective lives, as well as various other components. But he leaned forward, anyway, intent on giving her a peck on the cheek. His stomach seemed to growl now, as though he had a monster inhabiting inside his organ. “Sorry,” he mumbled quietly, leaning back with embarrassment. “I think I am a wee bit nervous about this.” A shaky laugh, as well. It wasn’t only John that was suffering from something, nerves or otherwise, as Lakshmi’s skin suddenly felt more clammy, and her stomach unhappy. What she’d considered jitters — She smiled nonetheless. “It’s alright, I think—” She made a face, trying keep the wriggling sensation at bay. “I.” Clearing her throat, she glanced inside her flat. “I… don’t feel good.” John sighed, half relieved and half disappointed. “Yeah, neither do I,” he admitted, his hand immediately reaching for his middle, as though he could attempt to alleviate the pain that he felt. He drew in a breath, and followed Lakshmi’s gaze to the inside of her flat, but -- the thoughts that filled his mind would not have been a good idea. Instead: “I… think it must have been the food,” John grumbled, making a mental note to never go back there again. “So much for trying a new place.” “Oh Merlin, you’re right,” Lakshmi said, finally putting two and two together. Perhaps she’d been just as keen to invite John in rather than— “Excuse me,” she said, as her stomach gave another violent lurch, and she spun around disappearing into the flat beyond, heading clearly for the washroom. John stood rooted to his spot, though he did watch the back of Lakshmi’s head disappear somewhere in the darkness. He heard a door slam, and then, what he assumed to be the contents of her stomach having expelled in the toilet bowl. Some time later, his own stomach growled once again, and the back of his throat clenched, though he could not stop the warm feeling from rising up to his chest. John tilted his head back, stayed still for a few seconds and then tried to swallow away the taste. Finally, he stepped inside Lakshmi’s flat and headed towards the washroom. “Lakshmi?” he called gently, before knocking on the door. “Hey, are you okay?” It took Lakshmi a few moments to answer, and then the toilet flushed, but she never opened the door. “That bloody restaurant!” she exclaimed, and then her stomach lurched again. That bloody restaurant, indeed. John agreed with a gruff groan, though it was in part due to more pangs in his stomach. He let his head rest against the door, and raised one hand to hold himself up. His face contorted into many different expressions, but there wasn’t a whole lot he could do right now. “I think I should probably … uh, get going.” And decidedly not shit at your flat on our very first date. “I understand,” Lakshmi answered, strained as she tried to keep the remainder of her dinner down. “We can make this up —” she swallowed heavily “— another time? I’m sorry.” “No, don’t be sorry. It’s --” John hurled, but thankfully, barring the motion, no actual content escaped his lips. “It’s not your fault. We can have a do-over. I really did have a good time,” insisted John, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “Until this, anyway.” He laughed nervously. “Same!” There were unfavourable sounds from the washroom again, and then some muttered words, probably curses, about the establishment they’d been at. “I’ll hext you later. When this stops.” “Okay, yeah. Sounds great.” John took a few steps back, staring at the door. “I’ll talk to you later. Goodnight.” He very quickly retreated to the exit, hellbent on getting home as soon as he could. It was going to be a long night, and for all the wrong reasons. |