Who: Beryl, Lani, Eric,and minorly Jason and Nat
When: A few weeks after establishing game night and expanding Eric's social circle.
What: Eric freaking out.

She felt...off all night. She knew what it meant of course and she made sure to warn Lani but, well, it was disconcerting when every action and statement seemed to drift to her through a fog; like her body was on a two second delay from the rest of reality. Never fun in a high paced world like the club could be some nights.

Granted, she was trained, she trained hard, hell her bedroom in their tiny apartment was a mattress on the floor and a punching bag shown a lot more care an attention. Her tips went to the gym membership for more training her new preferred style of kickboxing mixed with MMA tricks but...

...but.

Sometimes even finely honed tools could break. he customers didn't notice as she served, and hell she was overcompensating with smiles and engagement, pretending to be more social than she was but, well, she,/i> could tell, and Lani could with the slight hitch in her routine. Her last 'bad cycle' had been on her days off thankfully, though Lani had fussed like a damn hen with one chick, but, well, world they lived in meant working through for most women, right?

Sure.

After all, growing up and with her teachers the resounding opinion had been 'suck it up bitch'. at home, and 'you'll have to learn to deal' at school. And deal she had. No one knew how many track meets she'd pulled awards in while being basically blind due to her head exploding, and ramrod upright by sheer will power after all.

As far as she knew every fucking girl out there suffered just like she did and she learned to power through.

Not like she was encouraged to have friends after all.

Somehow she'd managed to forget just how different things were when she had a few of those now, AND all men. Another female probably would have been able to reassure the masses as it were. The 'masses' being 'all the guys in their usual Wednesday game night' these days. The boys were all plowing through the latest Smash Bros game with the usual array of cussing and screaming at each other and she was...

...she wasn't able to handle it, stretched on the couch with her face pressed against Eric's belly with a wincing curl that she hated to show anyone. Eric was sparing a hand every few moments to stroke her head reassuring but that only made things worse honestly. Noise, pressure, ANY input at all made the blinding headache worse.

"Shit, last life, tagging in for the fourth Beryl?"

"NO!"

"Um?" Eric blinked, looking down at her...ear given her position then glanced at Lani to explain.

Lani spared a wince and sighed, "she probably really can't see right now. It's okay."

"WHAT?!" He set his controller aside and pulled Beryl's head, peering at her eyes, "
Gods in Purgatory girl your pupils are utterly blown. What happened? Did you take something?!"

Ow that really fucking it hurt, it gave her the strength to jerk her head away and growl, "fuck you. I don't touch shit." Never had, nothing illicit anyway, a few drinks sure, maybe she'd try weed one day but it wasn't exactly top of her list to waste money on! Homeless in a junker car wasn't exactly that far in their past after all...

"Like hell she would!" Lani growled, tossing his controller and effectively forfeiting the match on his part. "Lay off! She doesn't do the monthly girl thing it's kinda erratic, but she's just having her period!" Which maaaaybe violated an information trust there but hell!

"What?" Eric blinked again, then stared down at the wincing, shivering girl on the couch, "fuck that. I'll be right back." Him, not Beryl, he was scooping her up and trotting her upstairs. Sure, his townhouse was a bit dated, but the bed was utterly up to date. He spent a great deal of time in beds after all.

"The...hell?" Beryl gritted, not exactly able to uncurl from the 'tucked against a chest' position. Bastard was, like everyone else in her life, strong.

"You get a bed," he snorted. "I'll take the couch with a chaser of whichever one of them wants me to nibble them," he sighed, setting her down and tucking her in. Or as much a lump of pain could be tucked.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" he sighed, digging in his bedside drawer now.

"Treat me like a fucking...girl."

He paused, considering that, "you're not weak Beryl. Far from, you're....unique as hell and a strong woman. But you're only human, and this is not normal for women. It simply...isn't."

"All my life, normal by fucking now," she pointed out, hating the fact she was...actually relaxing a touch under his softer than sin blankets on top of his 'has money' mattress. Fucking hormones.

"Normal for you," he sighed, pulling a bottle out of the drawer finally, "does not mean that is how the body is supposed to work. Blown pupils, constant pain? Not normal. Some yes, even a day off work levels, but the headache and wincing is above and beyond. Blindness a step even further. Now, you're going to take this pill."

Beryl tried to focus, she truly did, but she couldn't really see the damn thing in his hand, "what is it? Some magic bullshit compound?" Hah, big word, go her!

"Vicodin," he snorted. "From when I last broke a bone. It's legit so don't stress about it being cut with street drugs."

"I don't dooo drugs."

"No, and the boys respect you for that," Eric sighed, popping the thing in her mouth and covering her lips until she swallowed. "You're not going into work tomorrow. Or maybe even the next day. You're staying here and sleeping, I'll cover lost wages okay?"

Oh the dirty fucking asshole..."Boss will still have my ass, no sick days left..."

"The Boss likes you AND I"m donating some of my accrued time," he snorted. "Sleep like the dead, Beryl. Please. But not like a vamp, the no breathing thing is creepy."

"You and your weird phobias...they're just people. Weird, motionless people sometimes but..." it made sense in her pain-wracked brain okay?

"Only fuck vamps with time to leave before dawn!" he yelped. "Tasty or no! I don't like screwing anyone to death!" In his arms. Nope nope nope.

Beryl grumbled and poked his side, "you don't have to take the couch, big bed..." seriously, his bed was built for porno film levels of participants!

"We'll see," he chuckled, patting her side under the blanket. "I love you, not sure if it's cuddle in bed platonically love though. Ubii instincts are not....good in some circumstances."

Huh, if she was in less pain she'd be able to follow that better she was sure but, well, fine, all mine then. Fuck, Jason's going to give me so much hell..." that boy, well, he was young she tried to remember that, but he pushed at perceived weaknesses, always. Not like he wanted to be an alpha wolf whatever the fuck, but like he reveled in being a dick and hurting others low key with his poke, poke, poking. She'd considered shaking him for off hand bullshit before, but, well, now she .wasn't exactly able. And here she was now, a shiny new target.

Eric winced at that, considering, "he's a hot head," he admitted. "But this isn't in your control, it's not some character flaw to exploit, he tries and you kick his ass, I fuck what's left into oblivion. I think he still sees me as Angelina Jolie right now..."

"...he'd love to die that way," she surprised herself with a small laugh. "Don't...let Lani and Nat fuss?"

"That's trickier. He's family, and Nat is a natural born caretaker, but I'll see if I can...direct their worry?" for her.

That was an interesting offer and for the life of her she couldn't find a downside so she nodded, the pill unspiraling in her blood like carbonated soda direct to a vein. Wheeeee. "Okay." She was distantly proud of herself for managing the 'O" in that work.

Eric watched her pass into sleep then sighed, stroking the blankets again, "I'll figure this out." Somehow. He'd talk to Lani, given their finances...

...well, Planned Parenthood seemed a good choice. Something to stabilize or delay cycles? Yeah, it was going to be a fun night of talking things over with young males.