WHO: Harrison Exley and Eliza Weiss WHEN: April 6th WHERE: Harrison's apartment in LA. SUMMARY: Eliza maybe had some bad sushi and Harrison has to help her pack? WARNINGS: illness, specifically vomiting.
She was supposed to be packing. Granted Eliza wasn’t entirely sure how much stuff she should bring with her. Sure it was filming for a few months but they were going to be in a hotel for it. Most ‘stuff’ wasn’t really necessary when the hotel packed it. It was more a decision of what clothes, what of her own filming equipment to bring. Not that there would be much time out on her own. Supposedly.
But instead she was curled up on Harrison’s bed, head pulled to her knees. Moving just sent a feeling of upheaval through her body. Was this what the flu felt like? She hadn’t had the flu since she was little, she didn’t even know if she had been in America yet.
Maybe it was food poisoning. She hugged Harrison’s pillow to her belly.
“Tired?” The question came from the other side of the room but as Harrison approached the bed his tone became softer. He’d packed fairly quickly, it was easy when you accepted that you’d just buy anything you might have missed. Or when you knew that you had a room full of stuff and plenty of people you could borrow from in town.
“Want some water?”
“A little.” Eliza admitted, pressing her chin against the pillow as she took a sharp breath through her nose. And she was tired, a weird sort of ache in her bones. But that was overwhelmed by the fact that her stomach twisted at the mere suggestion of drinking something.
It was just water. Or maybe it was the smell of the room. It smelled like a room.
“I think I’m gonna hurl.” she mumbled before burying her mouth into the pillow, as if somehow that would keep the urge at bay.
Harrison abruptly paused in reaching for the bottle of water on his bedside table, after a split second he walked towards the bathroom and retrieved a small trash bin instead.
“Here,” he nudged Eliza’s hand softly, “Don’t puke in your suitcase.” Harrison gingerly sat on the edge of the bed before he added. “Was it something you ate?”
“Thanks.” She managed, even if she wanted to say of course she wasn't going to throw up in her suitcase. Except she wasn't so sure as she shoved the pillow at him before pitching forward to lean over the trash bin.
Throwing up was always the strangest feeling, like liquid sandpaper. Eliza coughed pitifully as it seemed to even go up her nose. A painful reminder that it was all connected back there.
“Was the sushi bad?” She coughed out. “Tissue.”
An awkward hand patted her on the back before reaching for a box of tissues, and a second later another hand offered a water bottle.
“I mean -- I feel okay.” And he did, but maybe she’d had something that he hadn’t or maybe it was something else entirely. Something emotional. “Are you nervous about the film?”
Snatching the tissue Eliza blew her nose quickly to find some semblance of humanity. She hung over the side of the bed for a moment before taking the water bottle. Water swished in her mouth before she spat it into the trash bin.
Her stomach still felt unruly.
“I don't know.” Eliza murmured against the rim of the bottle as she took an actual drink of water. “Maybe.”
Having asked the question and received an answer Harrison was unsure of what sort of comforting words he was expected to offer in return. After a few seconds of silence and an uncertain frown he walked towards the dresser.
“Tell me what you want packed and I’ll pack it.”
“Just remember bras and underwear.” She managed to croak out before another upheaval ended up in the trash bin. Eliza didn't even remember eating enough to warrant this.
He winced slightly at the second addition to the bin, well, third addition if you counted the water. “Right, bras and underwear.” He opened a drawer and emptied it into the suitcase before opening another and repeating the process.
“Do you want to go to urgent care?” The question had a faint air of concern to it, which was a lot for someone like Harrison who rarely displayed any emotion in spades.
“No.” It came out as more of a whine than anything. She was fine. Probably. It was probably just a bug. And she didn't want to be stuck in a waiting room and throwing up.
The suitcase dropped to the floor with a thud as Harrison changed his mind once again and walked back towards the bed. He brushed Eliza’s hair back from her face and kissed her forehead before standing again. “I’m going to throw away the rest of that sushi.” He muttered.
At a different time Eliza would have leaned into that easy affection. Even still her eyes fluttered closed a moment, a breath in and out even as her nose stung. It was almost enough to make her feel better.
“Lovyo.” The words blurred together before she started coughing again, fighting to keep her stomach calm. Fucking sushi.
The usual feeling of something like blind panic came with the words, even they were blurred together. He hadn’t said them back yet -- even though the gesture had been sitting there on his to do list for ages.
Harrison’s mouth opened and closed and opened again as he headed in the general direction of the bedroom door. He took a deep breath.