Wilted

Sunshine

     Creak.
     Creaaaaaak.
     Creak Creak. Snap!
     SPLAT!

     Orchid yelped, jolting awake as a large, furry lump landed on her midsection. She started to panic, flailing and kicking before picking up the offending blob and launching it away from her. It hit the window with a sickening slap.
The alcohol had made her disoriented, and the pale early morning sunlight spilling into her eyes didn't make the bile in her throat, or her throbbing headache better. Orchid rolled out of the bed, stumbling down the stairs, feeling the walls for the door to a bathroom, ignoring Jørn snoring peacefully on the couch.
     It was embarrassing, to say the least, hacking and sputtering into the toilet, not even at your own house! It surely was even more embarrassing when the door creaked open.
"Fuck!" A man's voice sounded behind her, "Who the hell are you? You lost or something?!"
Orchid didn't pay him any mind, only pulling her braid back to wretch once more into the toilet, before slipping in a dizzy stupor on the floor, paying no mind to the dirt on the floor, or the fretting of the man on the other side. Her head throbbed as she gurgled out,
     "It was the cats!"

-

     "No, Jan, get some pants on before she comes to…" Jørn's voice was the first thing that came through hazily, followed by the familiar feel of a kitchen table.
And something else …
Bacon? Bacon.
Orchid stirred in her seat, the sharp pounding in her head dulled to a manageable nausea. "Hmm? Who's there?" Her voice was crackly and her face felt vaguely sticky.
"Shit, she's awake." Jan muttered, tossing a spatula to Jørn as he lazily shambled off, not a hint of shame in running about half dressed.
Jørn turned away from the pan sizzling on the stove, "Hey kid." He sat a full cup of coffee in front of her, "I see you met our drummer. Isn't he a riot?" He joked.
     "I feel like I've been hit by a truck of dead cats…" Orchid sipped the coffee, the bitterness making her shiver, "Thank you…" there was a time of shame in her voice, "Sorry I puked in your bathroom."
"Eh, you weren't the first person to do it, sure won't be the last." Jørn shrugged, poking the bacon around in the pan, "You'll feel better after some food."
"Hope you didn't make that on my account…" she smiled, "I didn't even bring my lavender syrup, or any fresh mushrooms, they're in season now."
     "Lavender? The soap?" Jørn raised an eyebrow as he stuffed a couple of strips of bacon into a roll and passed it to her.
     "Lavender's a flower, and it's amazing in your morning tea." She smiled, gently nibbling on the roll. She didn't eat meat much, but the salty strips were too enticing, especially with her stomach the way it was.
     "Hm, I dunno about that…" Jørn bit into his own roll, talking through a mouth of bread and meat, "Is Pelle up?"
"I'm not sure...I didn't exactly have time to check."
"Hm, right. You want to or should I? Figured we should try to get some food in him before practice."
Orchid sat down her half full coffee mug, "He has trouble eating?"
"You don't know? Nobody can get him to eat anything, sometimes he'll sneak some toast if we're lucky but…" Jørn trailed off, noticing her visual discomfort, "If you feel up to it, go see if you can get him up. I figure he'd rather see you instead of my ugly mug."
Orchid chuckled, lifting herself up from the table, making sure to bring the bacon roll with her as she trudged up the stairs.

-

     "Pelle…" the smell of death still lingered in the air as she approached the makeshift coffin. "Pelle!" She tapped on the top a few good times, "I'm opening the lid, you better be decent!" She huffed, a twinge of annoyance in her voice as she flung open the sturdy coffin door.
     Pelle laid there motionless, icy blue eyes wide open like a corpse, staring blankly into nothing. He slowly, creepily, turned his head towards her.
     "Hey."
Orchid shivered, every ounce of general vexation leaving her body for one second. "One of your fucking cats fell on me this morning. I puked my guts out!"
"Cool."
"Bastard, I felt like shit! You didn't even notice?!"
"Orchid, Orchid…" he spoke in a hushed tone, running a hand over her face, effortlessly calming her temper, "Don't talk so fast, You sound like you have a frog in your mouth."
     Orchid narrowed her eyes, brushing his hand away, "Whatever, Pelle. I'll give you a mouthful!" She wedged the roll into his grinning mouth, "Are you gonna get up now?"
The blonde flailed, accidently knocking her backwards and sending the tasty roll tumbling to the ground. Orchid burst out laughing, resting against a shelf of comics and stray scribbles pinned to the wall. "Hey, you're gonna wake up the whole house!" She wheezed.
Pelle paid her no mind, rising from his coffin with a threatening hiss, like that of a vampire in an old movie.
"Why have you summoned me?!" He growled.
"Breakfast. Jørn made some, I was trying to share with you, jerk." She sighed, playing with the sleeves of her jacket, "Thought you'd want to get up before I had to go."
Pelle made a whiny, uncomfortable noise, "Why do you have to go?"
"Don't you have to practice or something?"
"Stay and watch."
"There's no way Øystein would let me sit in, between you and me, I don't think he's my biggest fan." Orchid laughed, "It doesn't matter, come on."
Pelle groaned as he rose from the coffin, following her downstairs to a, probably very impatient Jørn.

(A/N: Wow, okay, long hiatus. I am definitely not proud of that! When I said a lot was going on, girl I was not joking!
My mental health is in a better place than it was...at least for now, so hopefully we won't have any huge long interruptions like that again, lol. Anyways, I'm also gonna start picking up the pace, because god it's so slice of lifey, so if anyone is still reading, I hope you are, Thanks so much, I promise, it's not gonna be slow for long!)