#illness whump

[spinzolliii]

There’s something about a whumpee just sitting down. Not fainting, necessarily. Maybe they’re just about to faint, and they quietly just kneel on the ground at a time and place that doesn’t make sense. They don’t even have the capacity or willingness to articulate why they need to abruptly stop and sit. Maybe they’re catatonic while the others look at them.

Maybe a caretaker can see the dull, vacant look in their eyes and immediately senses that something is seriously wrong. Maybe the fainting comes just a few moments later.

[whump-kia]

FEVERS. WHUMPEE BEING TOO OUT OF IT, THE UNCONTROLLABLE SHIVERING, HALLUCINATIONS, SWEATING, PALE SKIN, THE FEVER DREAMS, SKIN BEIN TOO SENSITIVE, WET CLOTHING/TOWEL(?) ON FOREHEAD.

JUST FEVERS.

FEVERS.

F E V E R S.

anon you're in for a doozy of a response because I LOVE this trope so much.

first of all--denial. "i'm fine". wearing too many layers in obliviousness or too little in an attempt to lower the temperature. dizzy spells leaving them with an elbow on the nearest support, shaking off the fatigue.

pair that with the forced acceptance--they stay zoned out for a minute too long, saying things that don't make sense, a paleness or flushed look just on the cheekbones and finally someone presses their forearm to the back of their neck and whispers, "you're burning up."

when they try to wait it out. leaning against doorframes, eyes closed, an unsteady breath. pacing to keep moving because if they stop for even a second they won't be able to stay standing. that hitch in the breath as it slowly gets worse until they're forced to go home and rest--or, better yet, collapse into the arms of a caretaker, mumbled apologies into their shoulder as they finally give in.

and finally the intensity of the caretaking--there's not much you can do with a low fever. body aches and constant shivering, muscle spasms and hot or cold flashes, lighter symptoms that develop into that weak moaning, heavy sheens of sweat, inability to get comfortable, so disoriented they can't open their eyes past the spinning of the room. when they're calling out for a loved one. when they shudder out that breathy "...sorry" to the caretaker. when they're forced into an ice bath and the sudden rush of pain leaving them crying out, even as the fever begins to recede.

FEVERS. anon you are so correct.

[veersnz]

The night is dark and full of fevers 💀 (or what running a temperature above 39°C for several hours feels like: for all of those who are curious and into it xD)

Your scalp and skin feel overly sensitive ? It's like every sense is heightened and everything is too much, light, sound, everything.

The thirst. You'll feel like drinking every 15 minutes.

Sweat, sweat and more sweat- You'll be drenched by the end of it (I had to change my damn bedsheets 💀)

Your heart will be beating crazy fast and you'll be out of breath from just moving in bed (turns out that anime trope of a character gasping for air while running a fever is actually not too far from reality xD)

Did I mention sweating-

Needless to say your head feels like it might explode with every cough or sneeze

The body aches 💀 they're vile (even my hands hurt wtf xD)

Also something pretty crazy, your skin and body feel like they're on fire but you're still shivering (imagine getting goosebumps while feeling hot all over, it's definitely really weird)

Your stomach won't be very calm either, expect some discomfort

Your decision-making skills and overall brain functions are out of order (I couldn't think straight and had to ask my mom to repeat herself several times to make sure I understood what she meant xD also I cried because I dropped a tissue on the ground and couldn't pick it up 💀)

[hurtmyfavsthanks]

Febuwhump Day 24: “I’m doing this because I care about you,”

Content warning: none

Villain knew the exact moment Hero snapped back into consciousness. Not because they were watching them, nor because of some particularly developed sense of hearing. No, Villain knew the exact moment Hero woke up because of the hacking, painful cough that tore through them the moment they opened their eyes.

By the time Villain had bookmarked their place and moved into their living room, Hero was gasping for air. They were clutching at their chest, blankets thrown haphazardly around their waist, tears dripping down their face as they struggled to breathe.

They looked horrible. Red faced and clammy, shaking with a constant chill despite the thick blanket Villain had thrown over them. Villain could practically see the fever wafting off of them. If there were a picture in the dictionary for the word ‘sick’, Hero’s face would be plastered there as a prime example.

It took Hero a moment to lift their gaze. When they did, their eyes widened in shock. “You—where, what–” Their eyes flicked across their surroundings at breakneck speeds, before returning to Villain with a confused glare. “Am I on your couch?!”

“It’s a sofa, but yes.”

They stared in disbelief. “Why?”

“I thought that bringing you to bed would be a tad too forward. Was I wrong?” Villain asked, voice a purr. They grinned at the way the redness on Hero’s cheeks darkened.

Hero scowled, “You're wrong for thinking I want to be on your stupid couch,” they grumbled, working to untangle themselves from the blankets. With an amount of effort Villain couldn’t help but notice, Hero lifted themselves onto unsteady legs, one hand still resting on the sofa’s arm.

They took a step. The jangling of a chain accompanied the movement.

Hero looked down, finally noticing the cuff connected to their left ankle. The other end was locked snugly around the sofa’s leg.

Hero turned to face Villain. They didn’t even look angry, simply annoyed. “Are you kidnapping me again?” they sighed.

Villain grinned. Ignoring the distrusting glare Hero sent their way, they snapped their fingers. Their abilities responded eagerly, and their once empty palm was filled.

A simple medicine cap appeared in Villain’s hand, filled to the brim with a thick, purple liquid.

Hero looked up at them like they'd grown a second head. “You brought me here to take medicine?”

“I brought you here because you dropped from the sky in a dead faint mid battle, before I so much as touched you,” There was an edge to Villain’s voice. They swallowed it, forcing their smile to remain in place. “I certainly wasn’t going to waltz up to your agency, carrying you like a princess. So I decided to take you home with me.”

Villain didn’t miss the way Hero’s eyes widened at their words. Or how their stare was filled with confusion like they had no memory of the day’s events.

Hero turned away. “It’s barely a cold. I didn’t need help.”

Didn’t need help. Yes, because someone ready to fall over in public, their allies nowhere in sight, in the middle of a fight with a villain, didn’t need help. It was ridiculous, the typical, endlessly stubborn non-logic they knew Hero for. It was usually something Villain found amusing. But looking at Hero now, the shadows under the eyes, the gauntness to their face that a simple cold could not explain, Villain felt only anger.

They couldn’t stop thinking about Hero falling. Their eyes rolling into the back of their skull, whatever retort they’d been about to make dissolving into a nonsensical slur. How they’d just dropped, falling like a bird shot from the sky.

Villain would never admit to the scream that’d torn from their lips at the sight. They didn’t want to consider how close of a call it’d been. If Villain had been just a little slower to act…

Villain pushed the thought from their mind, instead pushing the cap into Hero’s hands. Hero held it like Villain had just presented them with a dead rat.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. I’m doing this because I care about you.”

Hero sighed, “You’re doing this because you like bothering me.”

“Those two sentiments aren’t mutually exclusive,” Villain grinned. “And there’s no fun in defeating you when a cold is doing the work for me.”

Hero glared for a long moment. Finally they sighed, defeated. They lifted the cup to their lips, throwing their head back and swallowing the medicine as if it were a shot of bourbon. They returned the cup to Villain’s outstretched hand without question. “Done. Can I leave now?”

Villain took the cap back graciously, sending it back to their bathroom with a wave of their hand. “And what made you think you’d be leaving so soon?”

“But I thought–,” a sudden cough interrupted them, hacking and thick with flem. Villain almost winced at the noise. “-- I took the stupid medicine, what else do you even want?!”

They wanted Hero to avoid keeling over in their foolish goal of saving every pathetic little life in the city. “Plenty. Your downfall, the keys to the city…,” they said instead. “But that’s besides the point. You won’t be doing any more heroics for the remainder of the day. I suspect you'll be dead to the world within the hour.”

Hero's eyes bulged. “D-did you drug me?!” Their voice squeaked with indignation.

“If you consider Nyquil a drug, then yes.”

“Oh,” and just like that, their anger faded. “Then I’ll be fine, a little cough medicine isn’t going to knock me out.”

“Have you had Nyquil before?” Villain asked. ”Darling, it’s infamous, and you already look dead on your feet. I wouldn’t bet on your chances”

Hero crossed their arms, pouting like a stubborn toddler. “I’ll be fine. I'm not even tired,” Villain noted that they also sounded like a stubborn toddler. They decided not to mention either fact.

Villain sighed, hands moving to rest on their hips. “Your abuse of the word ‘fine’ aside, I’ll make you a deal.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Hero countered, scowling. And then they sniffed, entirely ruining the impact of the expression.“You let me go, and I don’t kick your ass.”

Villain ignored them. “Stay for an hour. If you’re still awake by then, I’ll let you go.”

“I don’t have time to just sit around!” Hero groaned, pulled at the chain on their leg. The cuff was made of a soft, comfortable material, but it was sturdy. It stayed firm despite their tugging, which only encouraged them to tug harder. “I’m supposed to be on duty!”

“You’re also actively being kidnapped, as you put it. Most hostages don’t get to negotiate the terms of their stay. Be thankful.”

Hero glared, expression more of a pout than anything else. Red faced and ruffled hair, they looked as intimidating as a kitten.

Villain grinned. “But fine, if you’re so insistent on leaving, I can negotiate. Stay for forty five minutes.”

“Hell no. Twenty five.”

“Absolutely not. Thirty, and I get to pick the movie.”

Hero raised an eyebrow. “The movie?”

“Well, I’m not going to just sit here waiting for you to pass out.” Villain huffed.

Hero glared for a long moment, arms crossed. Villain could see them considering their options, stubborn pride battling against bone-deep exhaustion.

They saw the moment Hero’s exhaustion won out. They sighed, shoulders slumping, and they flopped back into their seat. “Fine. Thirty minutes and I’m out of here.”

Grinning, Villain sat themselves besides Hero, making a show of getting comfortable. They spread the blanket across both of them. Hero huffed, but didn’t move.

“I hope I get you sick.” Hero sniffled.

“I’m not exactly human, my dear; your little bug won’t touch me. Feel free to continue to hope however.”

The pair sat in near silence for a moment, the only sound the occasional hacking cough. After several minutes of consideration, Villain settled on a film. A simple, vapid romantic comedy. Utterly unremarkable and dull. The perfect film to fall asleep to.

They turned to their nemesis, finger hovering over the play button. “Any complaints?”

Hero shrugged. “Whatever. It's not like I'll be watching.”

“Because you'll be asleep, I know.”

“Because I'll be leaving.”

“Certainly. Whatever you say…” Villain’s voice dripped with condescension. Hero only huffed.

Villain flicked the movie on and snuggled into the blanket.

The film was just as unimpressive as Villain had hoped. It was just interesting enough to be vaguely entertaining, but it was clearly a film designed to be background noise. Which was perfect, of course.

Villain wasn’t paying the film any mind. What they were truly focused on was Hero. They’d tucked themselves underneath the blankets, half-curled into the covers. Their arms were crossed over their chest, expression set as if their very honor depended on them staying awake.

Hero was fighting a battle against exhaustion, and it was obvious they were losing. Within the first ten minutes, they’d already begun snuggling into the covers, pulling the material close to their trembling frame. Their eyes were barely open by the fifteen minute park. They were still sitting upright, but their head would tip forward every few minutes, eyes falling shut. They’d always jerk themselves back to wakefulness moments later. Villain didn’t miss the way they’d glance over to Villain each time it happened, expression embarrassed. Villain carefully did not meet their gaze.

Villain resisted a smile when Hero finally leaned back fully, resting their head against the sofa.

By the half hour mark, Hero had gone entirely slack. Their mouth was slightly ajar, quiet, congested snores the only noise they made. They were out like a light, just like Villain had predicted.

Slowly, carefully, Villain leaned towards them. “Time’s up darling,” Villain whispered into Hero's ear, tone thick with amusement. “Should I let you go? You seem rather comfortable.”

“Hnnn…”Hero only grumbled in response, words unintelligible. They shifted in place, and Villain froze and Hero flopped over, falling to lean heavily against their side. They tucked themselves into Villain, nose pushing itself into the crook of Villain’s neck.

They hummed sleepily, content, before falling still again.

“Oh,” Villain didn’t dare move. They could feel heat coming off Hero in waves, fever leaving their skin clammy against Villain’s. Their breath ticked against Villain’s neck. Neither feeling was particularly unpleasant.

They tried to move away, carefully shifting Hero’s body to rest against the sofa’s arm. But then Hero gave a half-conscious whine, fingers blindly gripping at Villain’s shirt. Even in their sleep they were stubborn as ever.

Villain sighed, accepting their impromptu downgrade to Hero’s cushion. They made a mental note to continue their ‘kidnapping’ for the remainder of the week.

[pixelatedraindrops]

One thing to keep in mind about me...

If I ever have a favorite character:

They WILL end up like this

in my head

CONSTANTLY

[sickiehugs]

When a character is feeling super sick and shitty but they don't have a fever, so they aren't taking it seriously or resting because to them, they aren't really sick unless there's visible proof. Maybe it comes from when they were growing up, and their family never took their illness seriously unless there was a fever. Maybe they would accuse them of lying to get out of things. So now, they worry if that really is the case. They work themselves to the bone and feel like they're going to collapse, but they aren't really sick unless they have a fever.

Bonus points if they have a partner who cares about their well-being, and as soon as they see them in the state they're in, they immediately make a fuss and insist that they rest. The character somehow feels good, even though they don't want their partner worrying, because someone is finally making it a big deal. It's finally real, it's finally serious.

[bugbytez13]

anyways more rambles sorry yall

one of my favorite whump tropes is non sexual intimacy ESPECIALLY in platonic relationships. and one of my favorite acts of non sexual intimacy is bathing or washing it’s just. UGHHH

a character whose too sick to do much and has just been lying in their own filth for days until their friend finds them and decides to give them a bath… they are so drained that they have to fight not to fall asleep in the warm water.. it helps soothe their churning tummy and relax their muscles and auauauaghgh i’m going insane

or maybe two characters just got back from some sort of mission/fight. one is covered in blood and cuts and all sorts of injuries and their partner has to gently clean their wounds and wash them. they can’t hide the small grimaces of pain and hisses when their partner hits a sensitive spot

auuuugghh i just love this trope so much

[shywhumpauthor]

Whump aesthetic of the day: a Whumpee having a coughing fit, but it’s so bad they can’t manage to inhale which makes it so they can’t cough right which only makes them need to cough more so they’re stuck in this awful cycle of choking on their own spit and breath

[feverdreamsanddelusions]

wounds getting infected is actually so good. the pain and the swelling and the redness is already great, the fact that it usually gets kind of gross is also cool (because whumpees trying to hide it always gets messy and it's a hassle), but also... it comes with a fever and stuff. sometimes. i like it when it comes with a fever. it's great. whumpee could've fessed up and admitted to the wound but they didn't and now they're feverish and passed out and it's so much worse than it had to be

[sneezysickboys]

Something I love is when people who naturally sneeze in singles get really sick and there’s the odd once or twice where they sneeze in doubles and it catches them so off-guard — one of my favourite things bc you can tell that their poor nose is begging for relief 😮‍💨

[spinzolliii]

God, I love sickfics that cut between a Whumpee’s current illness, and illnesses they’ve had in the past. Before, being sick was traumatic and lonely. Maybe they were neglected or even ostracized for their illness. In the present day, they don’t know how to handle being loved.

[aller-geez]

Not even sure if this will post, but I got a little too self indulgent on main……

@thekinkyleopard owns Levi as always 🩶🩶

Here, lemme set the scene for you……

I imagine the boys got into a friendly debate about something, and decided to bet on it, with the loser having to agree to a punishment of the winners choosing. Maybe Remi was a dick about something and Levi knew, if he was right and won the bet, he had to make Remi’s punishment something that would actually suck for him, and when he does win the bet, he tells Remi that his punishment is no sex for 2 weeks.

Geezus, did that punishment hurt Remi. But what Levi didn’t account for was his own needs……….

Then 3 days before the 2 week bet was over, Levi is feeling absolutely DEPRAVED…… but by this time, of course, Remi is sick like usual………

So when Levi comes home at 7 am from a boys night with Drae to let off steam that turned into an all night booze cruise and he’s still drunk as all fuck, he’s more than surprised to find Remi awake when he gets there………

Needless to say, Remi didn’t make it the whole 2 weeks without getting some… (;

[whumpndump]

I feel like headaches are underutilized in whump. Pain most anywhere else can be ignored to some extent, but a headache? That's in your brain. Right next to all the synapses and receptors you're willing to ignore it. A little harder.

Nobody can see the pain, it's not a visible injury, so people can struggle to sympathize. They might even not believe you, say you're being dramatic.

And a bad headache, it can do awful things.

Can make a normally kindhearted person short and snappy, too agonized to take the time they normally do with things.

Can reduce the smartest, most insightful people to an animal running on instinct, their braincells too caught up in the burning, stabbing, throbbing to come up with any thoughts more complex than "Fuck, this hurts."

Can drive someone to near madness, the pain so intense and long lasting that they feel like they're dying, that dying might be a better option. Crying out for mercy, for peace, for death.

And when the headache is over? No evidence of it. No physical scarring. No long lasting physical effects. No sympathy from others past a couple of "I'm glad you're okay now"s. You just have to move on now, it's over so get yourself together.

And what if it comes back? Sometimes you can tell, can feel the faint tingle in your skull, but sometimes it'll strike again, months later, with zero warning. If it was bad enough the first time, you might spend weeks on edge, nervous of another one creeping up on you.

Plus, there's just so many types of headaches. Dehydration, exhaustion, sinus congestion, just plain old "no real reason" ones. Do they stab just behind one eye? Do they wrap your head like a tight rubber band? Do they burrow from the inside of your brain like a parasite?

Anyway yeah. Headaches.

[squintingcats]

A caretaker saying “it’s alright, you’re gonna be okay” to reassure the not just whumpee, but also themselves because they don’t fully believe their own words.

[silvercap]

Thinking about whump where caretaker just can't do anything :(

Everything's been done to deal with the injured/sick character's condition, they've been given the pain meds they're allowed (maybe none at all, depending on the condition) and there's nothing left to do but wait out their suffering. And it sucks. They're uncomfortable, poisoned, sick, hurting, whatever; but there's nothing to be done about it and they just have to sit there with a frown on their face or tears slowly sliding down their cheeks. Maybe they try to sleep restlessly. Maybe they're grumpy and irritable and just want to go home. Maybe they're in the hospital and they hate the constant monitoring. All caretaker can do is hold their hand or stroke their hair, hushing them with soothing reassurances that 'it'll be over soon' and 'I'm here' or even an 'I know, I know.'

Everything sucks, but at least they have someone there to wait it out with them :')

[sickiehugs]

Caretaker is basically pinned where they are in bed, unable to move lest they wake up Sickie, who has finally fallen asleep in their arms after days of suffering restless and wide awake. Caretaker accepts that they won't be able to reach for anything for a while, and accepts their fate as Sickie's new snuggle pillow for the time being.