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Aki wakes up to loud retching from down the hall.
He looks over at his alarm clock. It’s one-fourteen A.M.
Aki sighs.
Denji’s still out doing God knows what. And three bags of blood have done shockingly little to help the situation.
Which leaves Aki and Power at a standoff.
“Just drink it.”
“‘Tis poison! ” Power somehow manages to snarl at him while half-doubled over the toilet bowl.
“No, it's not.”
“Liar! You’re trying to kill me!”
Jesus fucking Christ.
He takes a capful of the medicine and swallows it. “It’s not poison,” he repeats.
“I won’t be fooled—” she heaves, “—by vile human deceptions!”
“Fine. Keep feeling like shit then.” He goes to cap the bottle—
—she snatches it from him and downs it. He has to swipe it back to keep her from drinking the entire thing.
Power's sprawled across the sofa with Meowy on her legs. Aki kneels, holding the thermometer to her forehead until it beeps, then checks the display.
‘37.6’ —Not great, but not the end of the world.
He gets up, heading to the kitchen for gloves, disinfectant, and trash bags.
Aki starts with the bathroom. It’s a testament to something that she managed to aim for the toilet, for the most part.
Then he gets to her and Denji’s room.
And the bed is soaked in vomit. He swears he sees the half-digested remains of a rat, or possibly a squirrel.
Aki counts backwards from ten.
He turns to the kitchen for more trash bags.
Stepping back into the living room, Aki catches a glimpse of her tensed grimace. She’s sweating bullets, one hand squeezing her gut.
Then she seems to notice him, and the look disappears. She raises her chin and plasters on something more obnoxious.
Aki sighs, heading back into the kitchen.
He comes back with a half-liter bag of blood from the fridge and two Tylenol capsules.
Aki sits on the sofa and turns on the TV. The display on the cable box reads ‘3:29.’ He rubs his eyes.
Ten or so minutes pass. Then there's rustling.
He looks to his left, where Power’s shifted to lay her head on his leg.
Denji gets back sometime after four. Aki tells him, blearily, to get the blankets out of the drier.