jesswriteswrongs

[jesswriteswrongs]

I finished Onyx Storm yesterday and now I’m writing ch. 54 from Xaden’s POV because I’m a slut for heartbreak like that.

[jesswriteswrongs]

Sick Day

Fandom: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean)

Characters: Xaden Riorson x Violet Sorrengail, Rhiannon Matthias, Imogen Cardulo, Garrick Tavis, Dain Aetos, Tairn, Sygael, Ridoc Gamlyn

Summary: Violet is having a bad day, and she’s not always willing to let Xaden in

Warning: vomiting, adult language, canon typical medical talk

A/N: this fic is based on my own experiences with having EDS. My experiences may not line up with yours or other zebras you know, but please be respectful of my personal experience. ConCrit on the way I portray Violet’s EDS is not welcome. I’m just happy to have a hero who is disabled in the same way I am.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

He stays sat next to her on the bed until he hears footsteps approaching, stopping for a second, then retreating. Violet is making the telltale snuffling sounds of sleep, allowing him to carefully stand and check outside his door, stopping first to pull a shirt over his head. He spots the stack of parchment on the floor titled ‘Battle Brief’ with the days date and picks it up to bring inside. There’s also two neatly printed scraps of parchment on top of the notes. He reads the first one.

‘Markham is pissed neither of you were in battle brief, but I think he’ll get over it. Emetterio was almost relieved when Violet didn’t turn up for sparring, I don’t think he likes seeing her get hurt. Other professors all understood.

Cadet Matthias’

The corner of his mouth turns up slightly at the note. Clearly Violet’s friends can take instruction much better than she can. He places it on the desk before reading the other piece.

‘Vi, hope you’re really ok. I don’t know if Riorson will give this to you, but Ridoc and I are worried. I’ve told him what I know but I don’t know much. Send word when you can, and if Riorson is giving you shit I’ll cut his balls off. I don’t care that he’s our wingleader.

Rhi’

He puts that note on top of his own, clearly it wasn’t for his eyes, or maybe Rhiannon wanted him to know the lengths she would go to to protect Violet. He settles back on the bed next to the sleeping girl, retreating to the Tyrrendor hillside that holds his bonds and pulling on the silver strands, attempting to pull the pain from her body to his own. He pulls a little too hard at first, and has to grit his teeth to stop himself waking her.

“Dammit, Violence. How the fuck did you even manage 5 minutes in formation?” He mutters, loosening the connection a little at a time until his own body is noticeably aching, but not immovable. If she can deal with this for days at a time, he can manage a few hours. He grunts slightly as he readjusts to make himself comfortable and starts reading Rhiannon’s battle brief notes.

He has no idea how long he’s sat reading, picking up a book of Tyrrendor fairytales when he finishes going through Rhiannon’s notes. He only looks up occasionally when he hears Violet whimpering, stroking her hair until she settles down. She sleeps through until dinner, when Xaden leaves her to head to the mess hall, sucking air through his teeth as he stands on the hip bearing Violet’s pain. He doesn’t intend to stay long, just enough to grab some food for himself and Violet, but Rhiannon and Ridoc are waiting for him in the hallway leading to the mess.

“Where is she?” Rhiannon demands as soon as he’s close enough.

“Matthias, Gamlyn. Good to see you too. Now move.” He tries to push past but Ridoc blocks his way.

“Cut the shit, Riorson.” Rhiannon spits. “Where’s Violet and what the fuck happened to her at formation that nobody has seen you all day and I had to deliver notes from Battle Brief?”

“Sorrengail is safe, that’s all you need to know. She got hurt and she is sleeping it off, no you cannot see her. I’m sure she will explain everything when you see her next. Now I suggest you move, Cadets, lest your wingleader decide to reassign you both to scrubbing bathing chambers for a month.” His threat is almost venomous in tone as he takes a step into their space.

“It’s her joints, isn’t it?” Ridoc asks. Xaden looks at him. “She had this look on her face at breakfast, like she was in pain, but she hasn’t had any challenges in the past couple days and her flying has gotten way better, so I doubt she got hurt on Tairn. We know about her… problem, so I’m guessing it’s something to do with that.” Xaden opens his mouth as if to say something, then closes it again as the three of them make room for the gaggle of second year riders heading to dinner. As soon as they’re out of earshot Xaden lowers his voice to speak.

“Yes. She dislocated her hip last night and it’s been bothering her since. She fell in formation this morning because her body physically could not hold itself up any longer. I took her to my bed chamber so she could rest without the disturbance of first years running past hers.” He raises his hand, palm flat, at Rhiannon when she takes a step towards him. “Violet will be fine, she is safe with me, and she will be rejoining you when she can. Her professors believe she has been taken ill and that is all anyone needs to know about where Violet is right now. Is that clear?” Rhiannon and Ridoc both nod. “We all have Violet’s best interests in mind here, I am not the enemy. All I need the two of you to do is tell anyone who asks that she is just unwell, no details, and to keep taking notes from Battle Brief until you see one of us in that lecture hall. They can be delivered to the same place as they were today.” He looks pointedly at Rhiannon. “Am I making myself clear or do you need a duty reassignment to get it through?” She nods.

“We’re good, we can do that.” Xaden nods curtly.

“Good, now move so I can make sure she’s eating something.”

[jesswriteswrongs]

Sick Day

Fandom: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean)

Characters: Xaden Riorson x Violet Sorrengail, Rhiannon Matthias, Imogen Cardulo, Garrick Tavis, Dain Aetos, Tairn, Sygael

Summary: Violet is having a bad day, and she’s not always willing to let Xaden in

Warning: vomiting, adult language, canon typical medical talk

A/N: this fic is based on my own experiences with having EDS. My experiences may not line up with yours or other zebras you know, but please be respectful of my personal experience. ConCrit on the way I portray Violet’s EDS is not welcome. I’m just happy to have a hero who is disabled in the same way I am.

Part 1 | Part 2

Violet’s room is his first port of call, where he was surprised to see Rhiannon stood outside. “Cadet Matthias, don’t you have elsewhere to be?”

“I was worried about Violet” Rhiannon says, “I figured she was either here or the infirmary.”

“She’s neither, but she’ll be ok.” Xaden opens the door to Violet’s dorm room, lesser magic easily bypassing the lock, and looks around. He spots the quill and a scrap of parchment on her desk, and grabs both.

“You have the same classes as Sorrengail, correct?” He asks.

“Yes.” Rhiannon answers, refusing to look at Xaden's face. He hastily scribbles a note for her absence, signing it ‘Xaden Riorson, Leader of the Fourth Wing’. If he couldn’t pull rank now, when could he?

“Give that to all your professors. If any of them give you shit about it, tell them they can speak to me. I’ll also need an extra set of notes from battle brief. You can deliver them to my dorm room, top floor, very end of the hallway, leave them outside. You got that?” Rhiannon just nods, taking the note from Xaden’s hand. “Good. Now get to class before you get court marshalled.” Rhiannon turns on her heel and hurries off. Xaden starts rifling through Violet’s room as soon as Rhiannon’s back is turned, snatching up a bag and shoving her nightgown inside it. He’s looking for some pain relief, and groans when he realises she doesn’t have any. He’ll need to talk a healer into giving him some and he is not in the mood to grovel.

An hour later Xaden is climbing the stairs to his dorm, having managed to convince a first year healer to give him a vial of pain relief and a kitchen hand to spare some chicken broth. He has the pack slung over his back, the mug of broth in one hand as he approaches the door, waving off the wards to enter. He almost drops the pewter mug as he realises Violet isn’t in his bed anymore, but instead sets it on the desk, heading towards his private bathroom, a perk of being wingleader. He finds Violet sat on the floor next to the lavatory, sweat beading on her forehead.

“Violet?” She groans in response, vomiting into the bowl. Xaden quickly drops the pack and kneels beside her, unlacing the corset that can’t be helping her.

“Gods, Vi. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“She’s stubborn.” Tairn supplies

“You weren’t here” Violet groans

“Did you forget that we can talk without being in the same room?” Xaden quips, pulling the last of the leather lace through the eyelets and allowing Violet’s corset to fall away from her body.

“Couldn’t. Think. Straight.” She says between heaves. “Pain… bad.”

“No fucking shit.” He grabs the pack and pulls out the pain relief “here, drink this.” He pulls her back to lean against his chest and lifts the vial to her lips. As soon as she realises what it is, she tries to push his hand away.

“No. No pain relief. Can’t be… a liability.” She protests weakly.

“Sorrengail, drink.” Xaden growls “That’s an order from your superior commander.”

“I told you she’s stubborn.” Tairn butts in. Xaden ignores him again.

“You are in so much pain you are vomiting and that pain is passing over our bond so I can feel it. You need this, so drink.” She doesn’t argue this time, allowing him to help her drink the elixir. He continues to hold her against his chest, rocking her slightly whilst the pain relief takes effect.

“You can feel my pain?” She asks after a few minutes.

Oh shit. I shouldn’t have said that.

“Sort of.” Xaden starts explaining. “I had a really sharp pain when we were at formation, at a best guess, given that as far as I’m aware we’re the only riders who have ever had this kind of connection, your body was trying to find relief so for a second transferred your pain to me through our bond. You put the shields back up and it went away just before you fell. When you brought them down earlier, my hip started aching. I can handle it just fine, but I also know it’s only a small amount of what you’re feeling. You need to see a mender as soon as-“

“No. I’m not going to Nolon.” She insists. Xaden just sighs.

“Fine, no Nolon, but you’re an idiot. At least let me help you shower, you’re all sweaty and you have vomit in your hair.”

Violet agrees, after some back and forth, to let him help her clean herself off. He throws her corset back into the main bedroom, pulls off her shirt and starts on her armour.

Don’t get distracted, Xaden thinks to himself. She’s not in a place to deal with your emotions.

“You can say that again” Sygael chuffs. He focuses on the fastenings of her armour rather than her breasts underneath it, breathing steadily to try and quell his lust. A quick glance at her purpling shoulder tells him that she hit the floor hard when she fell, just another of the bruises littering her perfect skin, now a light honey colour from being outside most of the day rather than the ghostly pallor she developed in the archives.

“This might hurt a bit.” He warns her as his deft fingers start unbuttoning her leather pants. She hisses when he slides them past her hips, nails digging into his shoulder. Once she’s undressed, he pulls the lever to start the shower and removes his own shirt, throwing it on to the growing pile of clothes outside the door to the main bedroom, before lifting Violet under her arms and pulling her underneath the warm water.

“C’mon, Sorrengail.” He says gently, unwrapping the leather tie that holds her hair in place and finger combing the braid away. Gods, that hair…

“Get it together, Riorson.” He mutters under his breath. He makes quick work of washing her hair, making sure to scrub the bile off her silver ends and dribbling down her chin. She can barely keep her eyes open when he towels her dry, slipping the nightgown purloined from her room over her head.

“Shhh now, Violence, you can sleep.” He whispers, adjusting the silky fabric to drape appropriately around her. She whimpers a little at the loss of his touch when he lays her down on the bed. “You’re ok, I’m not going anywhere.”

[jesswriteswrongs]

Sick Day

Fandom: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean)

Characters: Xaden Riorson x Violet Sorrengail, Rhiannon Matthias, Imogen Cardulo, Garrick Tavis, Dain Aetos, Tairn, Sygael

Summary: Violet is having a bad day, and she’s not always willing to let Xaden in

Warning: vomiting, adult language, canon typical medical talk

A/N: this fic is based on my own experiences with having EDS. My experiences may not line up with yours or other zebras you know, but please be respectful of my personal experience. ConCrit on the way I portray Violet’s EDS is not welcome. I’m just happy to have a hero who is disabled in the same way I am.

Part 1 | Part 2

It started at breakfast.

Xaden watches as Violet limps to her table, her face pale, dark circles under her eyes.

“Violet?”

His jaw tightens as he watches her wince slightly, as if the singular word through their shared bond was too loud. His eyes don’t leave her as she just stirs her oatmeal, sipping tiny bits of juice from her mug.

“Staring at her won’t help” Sygael chides him gently.

“What’s wrong with her?” Xaden asks, hoping his dragon might be able to get through that stubbornness.

“I’m unsure, Tairn has been restless since the early hours of the morning, and she’s shielded us both out.”

“She’s ignoring me but at least she hasn’t blocked me out, I don’t think. Although it looked like it hurt when I tried to call to her earlier.” He sighs aloud, even though the only people around to hear it are Garrick and Imogen, and they’re in a heated debate over Gods know what. He watches Violet as she shakily stands from her bench, noticing her reluctance to put weight on her left leg. He waits until she’s cleared her tray before he stands up.

“I gotta go.” He says quickly to Garrick, practically leaping over the bench they’re sat on.

“Dude, aren’t you gonna take your…” but Garrick was too late, Xaden had already left.

It doesn’t take long for Xaden to catch up to Violet, she can barely move, hanging on to the walls as she takes slow, deliberate steps through the hallway.

“Violence.” He says quietly, reaching to help her.

“Don’t.” She hisses “I need to get to formation and I’m not dealing with your shit today.”

She can’t be serious.

“Violet, you can barely walk. How the fuck do you expect to stand in formation?” Xaden can barely keep the worry out of his voice.

“I’m fine.” She insists.

“You’ve shut out Tairn and Sygael, but you forgot to shut me out.” He says quietly.

“My shields weren’t high enough, you crept through.”

“Tairn’s pretty pissed that he can’t reach you.” His gaze softens “You’re pretty brave to be pissing off your dragon, and you look like you haven’t slept.”

“I am fine, Xaden. Now leave me the fuck alone to get to formation.” Violet takes a deep breath and limps off towards the courtyard.

Xaden stands in his place at the head of Fourth Wing, twitching at the fact he can’t quite see Violet from his position. He knows vaguely where she is, spotting Aetos’ head peeking over the other cadets, but he can’t lay his own eyes on her, or feel her through their shared bond. Suddenly, he feels a sharp, excruciating pain in his hip and his stance falters momentarily.

What the fuck was that?

He surreptitiously reaches his hand over, and it doesn’t come away bloody. He frowns slightly, trying to figure out what had just happened, when he hears the sound of a body hitting the courtyard floor, and the collective gasp of cadets. Probably some first year who forgot to drink enough water for the hot sun beating down on them, he sighs at the thought. But it’s behind him, meaning as wingleader, it’s his responsibility. He pivots on his spot and irritation immediately melts into panic. He can’t see Violet’s silver braid, which means it must be her on the floor.

Xaden hurries over, pushing Dain out of his way as he reaches Violet, who’s gasping on the floor, hands pressed against her left hip, her face practically grey. He realises that the pain he felt was also in his left hip.

“Sorrengail, can you stand?” He asks, she nods, attempting to get up. He watches her press her lips together, clearly trying not to cry out in pain.

“Come on,” Xaden says softly, lifting her into his arms. He carries her through Basgaith to his dorm room, sealing the wards once he’s settled her on his bed.

“I have class.” Violet protests as soon as he sits on the bed next to her.

“You’re in no shape to go to class, Violence.” Xaden growls. “You just collapsed in front of the entire riders quadrant, you’re blocking out our dragons and you’re blocking out me so I can’t feel how much pain you’re in!” Violet looks up at him.

“What?” Xaden just sighs.

“Your shields dropped for a second before you fell. I felt the pain in your hip. What happened? Did you get stabbed?” He can’t keep the concern from lacing his voice. Violet laughs humourlessly.

“No stabbing. It’s just… me being fragile.” She stares up at the ceiling above his bed, avoiding eye contact.

“Vi…” she cuts him off.

“I dislocated my hip whilst I was sleeping last night. The pain woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I put it back in, but hips are hard to bind properly.”

“You could’ve come to me.” Xaden says quietly.

“You couldn’t have done anything. It was easier to shield you all out so you could carry on with your day. No point in neither of us sleeping, and I didn’t want to hurt Tairn or Andarna.” Xaden softened completely, lying down next to Violet and pulling her into his arms.

“You weren’t expecting me to still be able to talk to you, that’s why you reacted at breakfast…” Violet nods.

“Plus the insane headache, I couldn’t deal with anyone else’s voice in my head.” Xaden presses a soft kiss to her forehead as a tear slides down her cheek.

“You don’t have to be brave here.” He whispers into her ear. Those seven words crumble Violet’s resolve, as her shields come down and she starts openly crying into Xaden’s shirt. A dull ache begins to form in his own hip, only a fraction of what Violet is feeling, but he doesn’t say anything, continuing to hold her close.

“The silver one is hurt” Sygael’s voice ekes into Xaden’s mind

“I know” he replies, “it happens. Don’t let Tairn be angry with her. She didn’t want to hurt any of us.”

“I cannot control what Tairn does”

“Sygael. Please. She is in pain and acted in a way that is honourable, if somewhat stupid.” He doesn’t hear Sygael respond, and assumes she’s communicating with Tairn.

“Stay here, Violet.” He says gently. “You need rest, and you didn’t eat anything at breakfast. I’ll make your excuses, you just stay here and rest.” Violet nods, lifting her face from his chest. He gently pushes her towards his pillow and draws the curtains over the window, blocking out some of the daylight.

“I’ll be back soon, I have some responsibilities to attend to.”

“Responsibilities to the girl” Sygael snorts. Xaden ignores her, fully intending to shirk his responsibilities as wingleader to make sure Violet is ok, as he releases the wards on the door long enough for him to pass through, and heads down the stairs.

[jesswriteswrongs]

It’s been a year since I posted Black and Blue. Thank you to all of you who have read it, who have liked it and who have reblogged it. I’ve not been writing so much recently but as soon as I have something new I’ll post it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all those who have believed in my writing x

[jesswriteswrongs]

Me: writes The Bear fanfiction

My phone:

[jesswriteswrongs]

After School Special

Fandom: Shameless USA

Characters: Lip Gallagher x Female Northside!Reader

Summary: Reader and Lip return to her house after school, but Reader’s mom comes home early and has a lot to say

Warnings: body shaming, discussion of food, discussion of exercise, discussion of weight

A/N: Readers mom reads like Emily Gilmore because I’ve been binge watching Gilmore Girls

It was mid-October and you had no idea how Lip survived without a coat, when you were dreading pulling your hand out of your pocket to unlock the door. Once you were both inside the warmth of your house you lead Lip upstairs to your room. “Wanna help me with my literature homework?” You asked him, putting your backpack on the floor and hanging up your coat.

“I do love you in that uniform…” he replied, sitting on your bed. You never thought that the kilt, sweater vest, blazer and saddle shoes were particularly attractive, but Lip always seemed to think so.

“Really?” You asked, straddling his lap.

“Mmm…” He replied, pushing your blazer off your shoulders “Southside bad boy corrupts private school girl? It’s like something from a romance novel.” You let your blazer fall to the floor. “Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do-“ You interrupted Lip’s recitation of Shakespeare by clapping your hand over his mouth, hearing the front door open and close.

“Shit! My mom’s home early.” You whispered.

“Y/N!” Your mom shouted. You put your finger to your lips to signal Lip to be quiet, and climbed off his lap. You headed downstairs to see what she wanted.

“Hi Mom.” You said nonchalantly.

“Y/N! How long have you been home?” She asked, looking you up and down. You squirmed under her gaze.

“Just a few minutes, I was just about to start my homework.” She frowned.

“Hm… well, remember your sister is coming home from Yale this weekend.”

“Yes, Mom.” You replied monotonously.

“How’s your application to Princeton going?”

“I don't need to apply until next year.”

“Yes, darling, but Princeton will look closely at your junior year. Extracurriculars are important.” She placed her handbag on the bureau, paying more attention to the wood grain than to you.

“Mom, I’m already president of the Model United Nations and VP of the astronomical society.”

“Yes, but you’ll need more. Your sister was captain of the swim team, president of the key club, class president and valedictorian.”

“Mom, I’m not Laura.” You sighed, playing with your sleeve cuffs

“Don’t I know it.” Your mother retorted. She looked you up and down once more. “You’re looking fat. I’ll tell Maria to skip the after school snack, you can wait until dinner, and you’ll be taking salad for lunch for the rest of the week. Your father and I pay for the gym, you should use it.”

“Yes, Mom.” You said once more. “Can I go back to my homework now?” Your mother literally looked down her nose at you before she spoke.

“Fine. But I expect you to be exercising after dinner.” You nodded, fisting your hands inside your sleeves and wiling the tears not to fall. You quickly turned and ran back up the stairs, shutting yourself in your bedroom, back against the door, before you let the tears fall. You had completely forgotten Lip was waiting for you in there.

“Y/N?” He asked quietly.

“How much of that did you hear?” Your voice was low and quiet, almost trembling.

“Enough.” Lip replied. He opened his arms. “Everything she said is total bullshit. You’re not anywhere near fat, and you’re going to get into Princeton.” You allowed yourself to be hugged and comforted by Lip, tears falling on to the blue shirt you loved on him. “And if your mom really wants you to get some exercise I can think of an exercise regiment that she’ll hate.” You laughed wetly, before wiping your eyes with your sleeve.

“This is why I prefer your house.” You said quietly.

“What, too loud to think with the police turning up anytime they want?” Lip chuckled. You rested your temple against his shoulder.

“Yeah but it’s family. You may not have much but you love each other, and most of the time you even like each other.” Lip laughed at that. “You’re not competing against each other or trying to outdo each other’s achievements. Everything Laura does I have to be the same or better, whether I want to or not.” Lip seemed to think about that for a moment.

“I guess you’re right.” He said after a moment of silence. “We’re dysfunctional, sure, but I’d do anything for my family. Our achievements are what they are. Shit, I’ll be the first Gallagher to finish high school. Plus, Fiona likes you a lot more than she’s liked my other girlfriends.” You ran your thumb over his shirt collar.

“It’s refreshing. Fiona thinks it’s great when I get a C, Debbie likes when I bring my art homework, it feels safe.” You said quietly.

“Even with Carl running around?” Lip asked

“Even with Carl running around.” You laughed, and kissed him. “I’m totally serious though, my literature homework is due tomorrow.”

“Hmmm, can I be your reward afterwards?” Lip asked.

“Can we go to your house tomorrow?” Lip smiled and nodded. You smiled back and climbed off his lap, grabbing your book and sitting back on his lap.

“What are you doing, Y/N? I thought you were doing homework?” You grinned wickedly at Lip.

“You really want to wait until after?”

[jesswriteswrongs]

Someone commented on one of my AO3 fics and all it said was “this is so fuckin good” and ngl I cried on public transport. Sometimes a little thing is the best 🥲

[jesswriteswrongs]

Black and Blue

Fandom: Shameless (US)

Characters: Lip Gallagher x Female Reader, Veronica, Fiona, Ian, Carl, Steve

Summary: reader turns up at the Gallaghers house freezing and broken

Warnings: mentions physical abuse, mentions of sexual abuse, medical talk

Inspired by Bruised by @theapangea

Minors DNI

You ran, no idea where you were going, no time to grab a jacket, just running through the snowy night in nothing but your tank and underwear. You could barely focus, running and stumbling and running more, trying not to slip on the ice underfoot. Your feet were numb by the time you found yourself outside the Gallagher house, and the adrenaline that had got you there worn off. You gave two knocks, hoping they were loud enough, before slumping against the doorframe and willing the cold to take you over.

Inside the Gallagher house, Ian was watching a movie with Carl when there was a knock at the door.

“Hey Carl, did you hear that?” Ian asked his younger brother. Carl just shrugged.

“Hear what?” Ian frowned.

“I’m just gonna check the door, make sure nobody’s out there.” He reasoned, pausing the movie. He got up and opened the door to the empty street.

“Must’ve been the wind…” he muttered, before stepping back to close the door. Ian paled at the sight of you, covered in cuts and bruises, freezing to death in your underwear on the porch. “FIONA!” He shouted back into the house. There was a thundering on the stairs.

“What the fuck, Ian? I’m trying to…” Fiona’s voice trailed off. “Bring her inside.” Ian didn’t move. “Now, Ian!” Fiona shouted at him. The middle Gallagher bent down to pick you up, and you instinctively cowered away from him.

“Fi…” Fiona has already seen, and grabbed the thick blanket from the couch. She crouched beside you.

“Hi…” She said softly “look, I don’t know what’s happened, but what I do know is that you showed up at my house and if we don’t bring you inside you’re going to freeze to death. So, what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna wrap you in this blanket and Ian is going to bring you inside. He’s not going to touch you, just the blanket. Is that ok?” You nod slowly, barely hearing her as your brain was catching up with the events of the night. Fiona draped the blanket over you, and then there was an arm behind your back and another under your knees. Ian picked you up with ease and brought you inside the house, the warmth prickling against your skin.

“Carl, go next door and get V, tell her to bring her med kit.” Fiona barked, turning off the TV and clearing a spot on the sofa.

“Hey! I was watching that!” Carl protested.

“Bigger problems, Carl! You can watch the movie another time.” You barely registered this conversation as Ian gently put you down. Steve had appeared on the stairs to see what all the commotion was about.

“Ian, go and grab some of Lip’s clothes, sweats and a hoodie. Steve, I can see you on the stairs. Go put the kettle on the stove. Carl, V’s house, now. Everyone move!” The boys all went to do their respective jobs, Ian heading up the stairs, Carl grabbing his coat and Steve going to the kitchen. Fiona crouched down in front of you.

“It’s going to be ok, we’re gonna get you cleaned up and taken care of.” You nodded, still unable to process words to leave your mouth. Ian was the first back to the front room, clothes in hand. He put them on the arm of the couch so they were in easy reach, then went to the kitchen to “help” Steve. It was only another minute before Veronica entered the house.

“Ok, which Gallagher needs my help now, Fi?” Fiona stood up to greet her best friend.

“Not a Gallagher.” She sighed, leading V into the room. V saw you and immediately swore.

“Holy shit, Fiona! What the fuck happened here?”

“I don’t know,” Fiona said. “She’s a friend of Lip’s, showed up at the door a couple minutes ago and hasn’t said a word. She can hear and she’s reacting, fucking jumped out her skin when Ian tried to bring her inside, but I think she’s probably hypothermic.”

“Where d’she live?” Veronica asked, putting down her bag.

“117th.” Fiona supplied, running a hand through her hair.

“Fi, that’s a half hour walk from here.” V said.

“Yeah, I know.”

“In panties and a blanket?” Fiona bit her lip.

“Blanket’s ours.” Veronica swore again.

“That’s worse than I thought. I need a tub of warm water NOT HOT and some clean towels. Think you can get that for me?” Fiona nodded and went to get what was required. “Don’t you worry, Babygirl, we’re gonna get you all fixed up.” Veronica said to you. You didn’t respond.

Lip had been having a rough couple days, and had gone out for a few beers at the Alibi. He’d had a fight with his best friend about he didn’t even know what, but he knew it ended in her telling him to go fuck himself. He climbed the back stairs and opened the door into the kitchen, where he was greeted by Steve waiting for the kettle to whistle, Ian filling a plastic tub with water, and an air of intensity filling the house.

“What’s uh, what’s going on, guys?” Lip asked. Nobody responded. He moved further into the house and saw you sat on the sofa, Veronica in front of you, gently massaging your hands.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Lip asked, his voice low.

“Lip…” Fiona warned.

“What the FUCK is she doing here?!” Lip shouted. You flinched, pulling away from Veronica and curling yourself protectively into a ball.

“Phillip Gallagher!” Lip stopped. Fiona only called him Phillip in court. It was only then that he actually looked around. You were balled up on the couch with Veronica and a medical bag in front of you, Fiona had her phone in her hand with 911 already typed in, just then Steve came in with a steaming mug of tea, Ian following behind with a tub of water. Then he looked at you properly. The skin that wasn’t bruised or bloody was pale, your lips practically blue, and you were in your underwear. As he put the pieces together he wordlessly removed his boots and jacket, no longer caring about your fight, and sat on the couch.

“Hey, Bug,” Lip said gently “let’s get you nice and warm.” He pulled you in front of him, pressing his chest to your back in order to share his body heat. He coaxed your legs out, to allow Veronica to pour warm water over them, when he noticed something.

“V, stop a second.” He said

“Lip, time is of the essence here.” She replied

“I get that but just stop and look. She’s had sex tonight.”

“Are you really thinking about your dick right now, Gallagher?” Veronica was getting annoyed.

“Veronica!” He watched as the realisation slowly dawned on her.

“Fiona!” Veronica shouted. Fiona came into the room, phone pressed against her ear

“…yeah, she just turned up at my door, not said a thing and she’s fucking black and blue, Tony.” She put the receiver to her shoulder. “What?”

“Who was it, Bug?” Lip was asking. “Your brothers? Guys from school? Guys from a club?” You shook your head no on each of those. “Your dad?” You stilled, breathing becoming shallow. “Motherfucker… I’m gonna fucking kill him!” Lip clenched his teeth. He turned to Fiona.

“Her dad.” He made a circle with his thumb and forefinger then put his other forefinger through. Fiona’s face immediately set into anger and she put the phone back to her ear.

“Tony, you gotta go now…. Assault, yeah… physical… and sexual… if you don’t, I think Lip will and he can’t go to juvie… yeah, 117th, we’ve got her, just get him.” She clicked the phone off. “Tony’s on his way to find her dad-“

“I’ll go with him.” Lip interrupted, sitting up away from you slightly.

“Lip, I’m not having you in juvie. None of my kids have gone to prison and you’re not being the first. Plus… you’re the only person she’ll willingly let touch her, she wouldn’t even let Ian and we all know he’s not exactly a threat.” Fiona sighed. “You gotta stay here.”

“No, I gotta go and kill the bastard-“ As Lip spoke he moved himself from behind you towards Fiona. There was a rush of cool air as you felt his body heat leave you, and it was all just too much. You suddenly felt everything at once, and started sobbing. The room stopped. It was the most noise you had made since you turned up.

“She needs you here, Lip.” Fiona stated. Lip nodded mutely and sat back down. He put his arms around you, his chest once again pressed to your back, his chin resting on your shoulder.

“Shhhh, it’s ok, Bug. Everything is going to be ok. I’m here, you’re safe.” He soothed. You were shivering violently as the warmth was finally penetrating your skin. “Fi, can you go grab some clothes from my room?”

“One step ahead of ya.” Fiona pointed to the clothes on the couch. Lip nodded his thanks, and held out his hand to Veronica. She handed him a damp washcloth.

“Veronica and I are gonna clean you up, if that’s ok? Then we can get you dressed and warm. You’re staying here for now, you’re not going home.” You nodded your consent and Lip slowly started rubbing the washcloth over your skin. “Can we get her in the bath?” Lip asked Veronica “Would that be better?”

“I barely got her in the house.” Ian chimed in “but you’re welcome to try and get her upstairs.”

“A bath would be better…” Veronica thought aloud “is there hot water?” She looked to Ian and he nodded. “Go run a bath, again, warm not hot.” Ian nodded and headed towards the bathroom.

“We can get her in the bath and clean this blood and… other stuff off while she warms up, see what the situation is, patch her up.” He didn’t want to think about what had happened, if he did he was going to prison, so he focused on helping you instead. After a few minutes, you had calmed to the point of sniffling and Ian came downstairs “Bath’s ready.” Lip nodded

“You ready?” He asked you. “Can you walk or shall I pick you up?” You turned towards him and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Ok, I’ll take you.” He kissed your temple softly, then slid an arm under your knees.

Lip didn’t bother undressing you, not that he could have with the blood sticking to your tank, he just lowered you into the water. He pulled his own shirt off so as not to get it wet, and grabbed the plastic cup from the windowsill. He stayed quiet as he poured cupfuls of water over your shoulders, occasionally pulling at your shirt to loosen the fabric from your skin. The once clear water was a pale pink by the time Lip put the cup down. “Can I take your shirt off?” He asked. You hesitated. “I’m just gonna clean you up, check out your injuries.” You nodded, closing your eyes. He carefully lifted your shirt, pulling the back up over your head and then down your arms. He didn’t react to the gash across your back, or boot print on your kidney, he just picked up a washcloth and ran it gently over your skin.

“Can I wash the blood out of your hair?” He asked quietly. You nodded again, allowing Lip to wet and shampoo your hair, his strong fingers gently working the blood from your scalp. He tipped your head back to rinse the suds, the bath water tingeing a deeper shade of pink. Once your hair had been rinsed Lip stood up “I’ll just be a sec, ok?” He said gently “V, can you keep an eye?” Veronica nodded and headed into the bathroom, looking at the various injuries that he littering your torso. Lip headed downstairs and found Fiona in the kitchen, nursing a coffee.

“You want one?” She asked, holding up the pot “‘s gonna be a long night.” Lip shook his head and went over to hug her tightly. “Lip, you’re too strong to be crushing me like this!” She scolded, before she felt the damp spots on her shoulder. “Oh. Oh Lip…” Fiona hugged her little brother back, trying to remember the last time Lip had cried like that. She held him tightly for a few moments, one hand on his head and the other rubbing his back, while he cried over his best friend.

After a few minutes Lip pulled away, wiping his nose. “Sorry, I just…”

“You don’t need to apologise, Lip. We all have our moments.” Fiona said gently.

“I should, um… I should get back upstairs.” Fiona nodded and shooed him away, shoving the clothes at him. When Lip got back upstairs he found Veronica putting the last few stitches in your back, and grabbed a towel.

“Come on, let’s get you out.” He said gently, lifting you out of the water and on to the towel. He wrapped you up like you were as little as Liam. “You’re starting to warm up, Bug. Your lips aren’t blue anymore…” You noticed his eyes were rimmed red. “V, can you or someone go into my room, second drawer of the dresser at the back there’s a grey shirt. Can you grab it for me?” Veronica went and retrieved the item while Lip carefully dried the water off your skin.

“What so special about this shirt?” She asked

“Softest one I own.” He said, pulling it over your head. He continued to dress you in his clothes, before taking you to his room. Fiona had already left a brush and hairdryer on the bed, figuring Lip would need them. He started brushing your hair gently, blotting the water with a towel, before he turned the dryer on to a low setting. As he dried your hair you looked at the clock on his bedside table, telling you it was gone midnight. You had no idea what time you had left your own house, and immediately felt guilty about bothering the Gallaghers with your family problems. You should have just stayed, not made a fuss, gone to bed, hidden everything under your clothes at school tomorrow and pretended you fell if anyone asked. You and Lip were fighting, you just wanted him to try harder at school, get out of the shitty neighbourhood you both called home, but it had ended in you both screaming at each other, and you telling him to go fuck himself. The hairdryer switched off and Lip followed your eyes to the clock.

“Hey, Bug, no.” He crouched down in front of you. “I don’t care that it’s late, I don’t care that we had a fight. I care that you’re ok, I care that you came to me and you trusted me. Now, Fiona will be next door, you can sleep in here and I’m gonna take the couch.”

“Stay.” It was the first thing you had said all night, coming out quiet and raspy.

“O-ok. I can stay if you’re sure that’s what you want.” You nodded. “I just gotta grab some stuff from downstairs, then I’ll be back.”

Fiona was still drinking her coffee when Lip reentered the kitchen.

“How’s she doing?” Fiona asked. Lip leaned against the counter and lit a cigarette. He took a drag before handing it to Fiona.

“Well, she spoke, which is good. I told her I was sleeping on the couch and she asked me to stay, so I guess that’s what I’m doing. V had to sew up a cut across her back, she has a fucking boot print on one side, the other isn't even skin, it’s just a bruise, her shithead dad fucking raped her and she nearly killed herself getting here, so um… I’m just hoping she’s still in the house tomorrow morning.” Fiona squeezed his shoulder then handed back the cigarette.

“Take some tea up for her, it’ll help her warm up. It’s good you’re staying with her, cuz you gotta keep an eye on hypothermic afterdrop.”

“Hypothermic what?”

“I don’t know. V said something about core temperature dropping because of cold blood? Just… make sure she stays warm and breathing and has a heartbeat, and Lip?”

“Yeah?” He looked round at his big sister.

“Don’t sleep with her.” Lip opened his mouth to argue. “I know you won’t, but I’m just… reminding you, I guess. She might tell you she wants to, but she’s really vulnerable right now. Don’t take advantage of that.”

“I won’t.” Lip said quietly. “I couldn’t do that to her…” Fiona gave him a small smile and his shoulder another squeeze.

“Get some sleep. I’ll call school in the morning, tell them you’re sick.” Lip nodded tiredly and pulled out a mug, making a fresh cup of tea for you.

“Hey, Fi?” He called as she started to leave the kitchen.

“W’sup?” Fiona turned to look at him

“Thank you. For… everything.” Fiona went back over to Lip and kissed his cheek.

“I wasn’t gonna let her freeze.” She got to the door before calling out to him “Make sure you turn the lights off.”

“Will do.” Lip finished making your tea and took it upstairs, turning off lights and appliances as he went. You were sat against the headboard and he handed you the mug.

“It’s chamomile, it’ll help, promise.” You nodded, sipping at it as Lip put on sweats and a tshirt. He got into the bed next to you, pulling the comforter over you both and stroking your hair as you finished your tea. He took the mug from you and put it aside before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “You’re safe now. Night, Bug.”