#in my defence i had a migraine

[neptunesenceladus]

help i’m having deep thoughts at 12am i should be asleep

[ejunkiet]

Am I the dummie who has been wondering why she has been fighting a migraine all week while simultaneously devouring books on a tiny old phone with a speed she hasn't reached since she was 12?

Yeah. Eyestrain is real folks. I've swapped over to my paper white, which I've had the whole time, just didn't think to use for some reason sksksks

[isbergillustration]

Making flawless works in progress to avoid starting writing the thing for which the deadline is in 17.5 hours

[benetnvsch]

wouldn't it be funny :) if I just :) did not finish this final :) submitted it as it is :)

[nitewingbabi]

↳ please respond…I showed you my cock            ⚤ ghostface x female!reader  【 18+ ONLY — Minors DNI 】 ✉ taking requests part 2 ▻ a pretty mouth

2023 was a different year for everyone. Covid was 2020's big killer, and now ghostface seemed to be claiming 2023 as his year. You were one of his taunting targets. Text messages, phone calls, notes in your locker or mail. He had even been in your room once to leave a message on your mirror.

‘I like the red ones’ which was referring to your panties that you were trying on the other day after doing some much needed retail therapy with some friends. 

Your group was getting smaller and smaller as more students were murdered, kidnapped or not heard from in weeks. Curfew was getting shorter that soon enough school was sure to be cancelled until the police solved whoever was running around killing everyone. 

It’s Tuesday night and you just finished showering, you had been blowdrying your hair for the last 20 minutes. The recent news far from your thoughts, the truck load of school work that was due was giving you a migraine. Finally your hair was dried and you were ready to slip into bed and start your assignment. You turned your TV on, immediately putting on your current Netflix show that you were binging. 

Eyes flicking back and forth from your laptop screen to your TV. You hadn’t checked your phone since you started to shower and noticed you had multiple messages from an unknown number. But it wasn’t unknown to you. You knew exactly who it was. 

Unknown Number +1**********

➤ quiet night? 

➤ parents aren’t home. 

➤ neighbours are out of town. 

You had only had one actual physical contact with ghostface which was two weeks ago. He chased you around your house until your neighbours came barging in and he ran away. Ever since you had your parents change the locks and debate whether or not to send you across the country to live with your aunt and uncle until it was all over. You pleaded that they didn’t and instead they paid for a self defence class for you. 

Your phone buzzed again, drawing your attention away from the TV. 

Unknown Number +***********

➤ i liked the little show you put on for me the other day. 

➤ wish i had been there to ruin those little red panties 

You weren’t sure what to write back, you sat there debating if you should even write anything back and entertain this creep. 

Just as you put your phone down, the screen lit up and the room echoed from your ringtone. 

Unknown Caller 

You weren’t sure if you should pick up, but something inside you made you do it. 

“Hello?” You hesitantly asked as you held the device up to your ear. Waiting to hear that deep voice that you couldn’t recognise. 

“Hello y/n. Enjoying your show?” Your eyes met your TV screen to see your show playing still on low volume. You turned the TV off, quickly standing to your feet to look out your window. It was barely lit outside from the streetlight and nothing seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. 

“Who is this? Why are you tormenting me?” You had asked the question too many times that it was just routine, you’d hope that one time he would budge and just tell you. 

“The question isn’t who I am. the question is where I am.” You heart began to race, eyes searching endlessly out your window, he had to be close by. You suddenly felt the booty shorts and crop top that you had slid into wasn’t the best attire to be wearing at home alone whilst being stalked by a psycho. 

“Look asshole, you wanna play games. I can play.” You weren’t sure what you exact plan was, but it was the first thing to pop into your head. Were you terrified of ghostface? Yes. But did it also arouse you how much he called you, texted you, the fact he had probably seen you naked countless times, even possibly pleasured himself to the sight of you. 

“Oh yeah? In the mood for monopoly?” He chuckled darkly on the other end, you could only hope he was still watching you from where he was. With your free hand you danced your fingers down your torso, dipping into the waistband of your shorts and panties and itching your way to your centre that was throbbing. You could hear a deep growl on the other end. 

You chuckled into the phone, knowing he was definitely watching you now. You breathed a soft moan as your fingertip circles your juicy clit, using your arousal as lube to slick your finger around the bundle of nerves. Your moans grew louder and your mouth fell agape as you began walking backwards onto your bed, allowing yourself to fall back into the plush mattress and send yourself into a bliss. 

You had forgotten about ghostface, your phone falling from your ear to beside your head. 

“Hey!” Your eyes popped open as you remembered he was still on the other end. You quickly grabbed it, slowing your circles to keep yourself on edge. 

“I want to hear your pretty cries when you cum, I want you to cum to me and only me. You got that princess?” His words were sharp and threatening, just like the blade he used to murder your friends. God you were getting turned on and touching yourself to a psycho killer. The unexpected happened next. A snapchat notification came through. 

Gfce23 added you on Snapchat! 

It was him. It had to be. You accepted, still working yourself and slipping a finger inside your dripping cunt to get more arousal on your clit. 

Immediately a video came through, along with a few photos. You bit your lip as you thought about what could possibly be on the other end. You had to take the chance though, you were too far down the rabbit hole. 

“Open them, I want you to see what you fucking do to me.” His voice was hoarse and breathless, you could tell he was jerking himself on the other end or something. You clicked on the purple square. Your eyes met a hard cock, veiny and thick. The tip an enraged red with a slight purple tinge. A single drop of precum oozing out the slit and his black leather glove wrapped around his cock. 

The video began playing and his hand jerked his cock slowly, throaty moans echoing as the video continued to play and that drop of precum dripped down his pinkish shaft. A small bush of pubic hair that led to a faint snail trail and a set of what you could only guess were abs. 

His hand got faster and his moans got faster as he pumped himself hard in his hand, but before you could view more you heard your parents car pulling into the driveway with their faint music blaring. 

Ghostface was in the back of your mind as you quickly closed your phone and got settled into bed. Ghostface didn’t call you back, didn’t text you and didn’t send anything else to you that night. But that does’t mean he let you off easy. 

It had only been a few days since you last heard from ghostface, but when you did you were surprised to see the message he had sent through was not his usual taunting, threatening approach. 

Unkown Number +**********

➤ i want to see that pretty pussy spread out tonight 

➤ leave your window unlocked

➤ i know your parents wont be home

➤ hope you like it rough princess

[sapphicshawol]

Giving myself an activities per week level I need to reach....

[diqldrunks]

rafe waking reader up in the morning when reader is like moody/has period cramps or migraine? also love your work it makes me giggle

✧*̥˚ nav | inbox | main masterlist *̥˚✧

rafe cameron’s response to you being hormonal…

a/n: i adore you sm!! i'm so glad it makes you giggle!! i think it's important that i don't take myself seriously on here and just have fun with these silly dialogues that i really enjoy doing! (esp with moody!rafe/sassy!rafe 🤭)

cw/tw: reader is hormomal/has cramps from their period, and also likes orange juice(?) (i'm scared i didn't do this ask justice i'm so sorry!!)

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ

"cmon doll, up we get"

"go away"

"nope, we're going out in a bit — need you up"

"rafey i don't wanna move — hurts"

"what hurts sweets?"

"got cramps — had the worst sleep ever and now i have your loud ass waking me up to go out when in reality i don't wanna move at all!"

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ

"wait, rafey, i thought you said we were going out?"

"nah, i cancelled"

"why?"

"because my girl right here needs a rest. you're body's already giving you a hard time and i don't need you seeing barry and topper so their faces can give you an even worse time—"

"rafe that's so mean"

"hey, even i don't like seeing them sometimes — much prefer just to see yours, sweets."

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ

"want some orange juice, sweets? google said it's good for cramps and i know you like it anyways—"

"absolutely not"

"but, but you love orange juice, doll"

"can't go near it on my period, rafey — tastes like soap"

"how do you know what soap tastes like— god, don't tell me you've eaten soap."

"..."

"sweets..."

"you told me not to tell you, and in my defence, i was seven."

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ

rafe taglist (lmk if you want to be added!); @izabellaemerson @spiderflunk @kitty-m30w @vincapandora @uraesthete @wickedtactics @harmoneeee24 @starkeybae @fairydvstss @alexiskirkland @devils-blackrose @makaylalovessmut @winterrrnight @clearbolts @slayystuff @neilove @littlemissborntolose @emyslittlebubble @ldrsog @stargrltara @isabelllauer @zizuras @sadgirlelenora @djosfuture @leaskisses444 @rafesgiirl @fclklqre @forstarkey

[distant--shadow]

When Imogen wakes it is with an ache in her neck

a drop into reality unusually cushioned

a hand combing through her hair

and she can’t help the smile that breaks when she meets Laudna’s watchful eyes peering down at her, flushes shortly after.

“Sorry, did I fall asleep?”

Laudna smiles back at her, halts the hand playing with her hair.

“You did.”

An unspoken mutual agreement allows the moment to stretch in silence –

that or time is still fucky from Imogen only just waking up. It gives her enough of it to contemplate.

The sun must be high, the atmosphere muggy and the fauna all bustling as if it were a market day and the critters had stalls to set up and produce to bring home for their litters in the burrows. She feels the layer of sweat on her skin wherever the sun directly touches it, smells in waves where it heats the floor and diffuses the groundcover as if it were potpourri-

Above her, backlit - Laudna’s wearing a halo. The giant leaves of the giant trees are so high above them that the scale almost looks normal, the light breaking between the canopy in beams, sparkling in places where it catches insect wings and pollen, silhouetting edges of wiry strands of hair that act as though curtains on a canopy bed, all giving cover from the storm (should it come). It all feels so hazy, could be the vision starting to turn to grains of sand in her eyes like before a migraine but it’s also unusually clear, her head weightless despite the aching neck – funny what a handful of hours of good sleep can do.

The unspoken mutual agreement is ended.

“Did you rest well?” what did you dream about?

“I did, yeah...”

Unintentional, excusable really - waking with her defences down.

Wouldn’t be outta the ordinary to share.

“…dreamt we were back at Oddrún’s, was nice-” she withholds the details, just to save a little face. Exposes it anyhow, when she finds herself inadvertently taking the hand that had stilled in her hair, holding her palm up above her head with Laudna's lying flat on top of it “-then the roof caved in again and the place got swarmed with birds.”

“Birds?”

Imogen's thumb traces the knife-edge of the long nail on Laudna’s.

“Birds.” Imogen confirms, distracted, half-awake, giddy. The word already sounds funny; thrown back and forth between them. She chuckles at how her lips form around the repetition of it, says it again in Marquesian to see if it feels as abstract- that causes Laudna to quirk her brow from behind the fan of their fingers. “All different kinds, real cute and stuff, mostly. Place got furnished in feathers, was pretty chaotic - parakeets nestin’ in the cups and saucers and kingfishers in the rafters…” Laudna exhales a single syllable of a choral chuckle and Imogen has never felt so relaxed. “There was a kinda shady lookin’ big one standin’ on one leg in the corner by the hearth though, kept squawkin’.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, think it was a shoebill. You ever seen one of those?”

“You know, I’m not sure. I wonder if there was any significance…”

Their fingers interlace, under Laudna's initiative. Imogen stares at the long nails now reaching to her wrist like plates of fine ebony gauntlets.

“I could try draw it for y’all, but I don’t think it’d help…” comes out audibly distracted, the points of Laudna's talons gently making contact with Imogen's scarred skin-

“Allow me to get my notebook~” Laudna enthusiastically sings – nearly cutting Imogen, their hands separating - and Imogen is left staring at the empty space that was occupied by the shape that the two of them made, wonders if there is a word for that, like ‘bird’ - each hand a wing of some amalgamation, dream chimera, released between palms.

Probably a word she doesn’t have the language for.

(passage and illustration from @picturesofthegoneworlds ' intertwined)

[bon2bonn]

My hand to hold p.2

Max Verstappen x driver!reader

Her head was killing her, figuratively and she thought it might actually physically do ends her , not only did she had to suffer through the whole race weekend with a severe cold that's accompanied with a migraine that rendered her immobile for the past two days. It escalated from a slight pressure to a full fledged drill going inside her head , now the slightest light blinded her and added to her still growing pain , her blocked nose and watering eyes gave her another hell to deal with . She contemplated rewriting her will at the time as she buried herself deeper into the blankets, reminiscing about the times when she could breathe normally through her nose not like how she's struggling to get a decent breath without panting like an old lady taking her last breath of life.

She cursed Carlos in her head for the thousandth time that day for going along with her childish impulses but groaned as she took it back knowing he suffered the same fate as she did that weekend, but obviously minus the migraine and the ragged breaths, she remembers how she fell into a laughing fit when she called him the day before, when he answered her video call with Buffy eyes and a red nose that caused him to sniffles every few seconds added to the sneezing fits that made him groan after every single one . his hair was a total mess , falling over his eyes in a curled disarray with dark circles of sleepless nights evident under his tired eyes , they both flinched at the other's appearance , grimacing in regret as they scowled at eachother through the screen , promising to never do anything stupid or indulging eachother with their childish antics but that promise went like water under the bridge and they both knew they'll do much worse than running under the rain unprotected which now rendered them both sick and unable to function properly.

But back to the present , she groaned in pain as she heard her door unlock slowly with the hinges squeaking as it was pushed open , making her burry her head under the pillows trying to drow out the light of the hallway but regretted her action as she struggled to breathe even more, so she threw away the pillows and peered through bleary-eyed vision as someone got in and closed the door behind them .

She couldn't make out who was it so she asked in a hoarse voice " death , is that you? " Max made a face at her after he turned on one of the dim lights by the door , giving her a decent view of his unimpressed face " not today Bibi " she Groaned again , turning into a small ball leaving her face out as she threw her blanket over her head .

Max made his way over with a small bag that she only noticed now along with a full bottle of water and a bowl of steaming soup . he set them on the bedside table before sitting on the bed beside her curled form , she tried to turn around but failed and kept herself curled resorting to scolded him in a tired tone " no !, you'll get sick too " he ignored her and took the medicine from the bedside table , cranked to bottle open and turned to her " come on , Ben's orders , and you need to eat something, come on up! up! up! " She miserably cried out " I can't ! , too tired" , he helped her up into a sitting position " and who's fault is that? " handing her the medicine along with the water before letting her lay back down.

She glared up at him " it's your fault! " he chuckled quietly asking in a teasing tone " is it now? " She nods but stopped as the room started spinning at her movement " it is ! , you know the dumb shit I do ! , you could've stopped me then I wouldn't have gotten sick !" He glared back at her " you ! And correct me if I'm wrong , actually refused to listen and ran away like a toddler on a sugar rush " , she snapped at his statement " you could've dragged me back" he gave her a deadpanned look " I tried to! , and you almost bit my fingers off ! " She looked away at his answer unable to argue back " in my defence I was left unattended" he rolled his eyes pointing out " you were with Carlos" she shrugged nonchalantly " in his defence he was left unattended too , sooo ......" he sigh knowing there's no use arguing with her .

His soft tone called again " come on, at least take some of the soup, I swear the poor kid is two sneezes away from calling your dad, or worse, calling Roge " she grimaced at the thought of her father breaking down her door once knowing how sick she really is , not like the light almost nonexistent flue she told him she caught days ago, let alone her eldest cousin, that made her shudder as she looked at Max .

He frowned at her tired face, her eye bags amplified his concern further , making him ask her quietly " what hurts?" She made a pained face as she pointed at her head . he nods and looked at the soup deciding that it's still too hot for her to swallow so he turned back to her , adjusting her pillow and leaning his head on the headboard , settling on his back after kicking his legs up to lay beside her while crossing his feet at the ankles , he took out the mint drops out of the bag and unwrapped one and held it out for her, shaking his head when she pushed his hand away " they'll help " she made a face of distaste " no, I love mint but these taste weird " he gave her a pointed look " you won't even taste them with your stuffed up nose , you can barely breathe! " she pouted at his words taking the drop while muttering under her breath " you're mean " he took one of them himself before laying down comfortably " and you're an idiot, so I guess that balances us " watching her gag dramatically when she finally popped it in , not helping his amusement at her displeased face .

After a moment he took her hand starting to gently massage her palm starting from her wrist up towards the pads of her fingers all while concentrating on the area between her thumb and pointer finger, snickering silently at her relaxed face , the meds must kicked in as her eyes started to drop and it didn't take long before she fell asleep with him taking her other hand to do the same process as the other , her now free hand gripped gently at his t-shirt, a habit she's yet to drop since she picked it up years ago .

He gently placed a kiss on the back of her hand before placing it over his heart, closing his eyes and minutes later he drifted off too with the sound of her soft breaths lulling him away .

Tommy peeked his head in to check on the two , it's been a while and no one stepped out yet , so he took it upon himself to check on them , and he wasn't surprised to find them both passed out but still disappointed at the untouched soup , he tiptoed his way to collect the bowl to reheat later , pausing at the sleeping pair and eyes softened at their tired figures , but at least she finally got some rest after suffering through all these sleepless nights , he made his way out quietly, making sure to shut the door behind him gently .

[picturesofthegoneworlds]

When Imogen wakes it is with an ache in her neck

a drop into reality unusually cushioned

a hand combing through her hair

and she can’t help the smile that breaks when she meets Laudna’s watchful eyes peering down at her, flushes shortly after.

“Sorry, did I fall asleep?”

Laudna smiles back at her, halts the hand playing with her hair.

“You did.”

An unspoken mutual agreement allows the moment to stretch in silence –

that or time is still fucky from Imogen only just waking up. It gives her enough of it to contemplate.

The sun must be high, the atmosphere muggy and the fauna all bustling as if it were a market day and the critters had stalls to set up and produce to bring home for their litters in the burrows. She feels the layer of sweat on her skin wherever the sun directly touches it, smells in waves where it heats the floor and diffuses the groundcover as if it were potpourri-

Above her, backlit - Laudna’s wearing a halo. The giant leaves of the giant trees are so high above them that the scale almost looks normal, the light breaking between the canopy in beams, sparkling in places where it catches insect wings and pollen, silhouetting edges of wiry strands of hair that act as though curtains on a canopy bed, all giving cover from the storm (should it come). It all feels so hazy, could be the vision starting to turn to grains of sand in her eyes like before a migraine but it’s also unusually clear, her head weightless despite the aching neck – funny what a handful of hours of good sleep can do.

The unspoken mutual agreement is ended.

“Did you rest well?” what did you dream about?

“I did, yeah...”

Unintentional, excusable really - waking with her defences down.

Wouldn’t be outta the ordinary to share.

“…dreamt we were back at Oddrún’s, was nice-” she withholds the details, just to save a little face. Exposes it anyhow, when she finds herself inadvertently taking the hand that had stilled in her hair, holding her palm up above her head with Laudna's lying flat on top of it “-then the roof caved in again and the place got swarmed with birds.”

“Birds?”

Imogen's thumb traces the knife-edge of the long nail on Laudna’s.

“Birds.” Imogen confirms, distracted, half-awake, giddy. The word already sounds funny; thrown back and forth between them. She chuckles at how her lips form around the repetition of it, says it again in Marquesian to see if it feels as abstract- that causes Laudna to quirk her brow from behind the fan of their fingers. “All different kinds, real cute and stuff, mostly. Place got furnished in feathers, was pretty chaotic - parakeets nestin’ in the cups and saucers and kingfishers in the rafters…” Laudna exhales a single syllable of a choral chuckle and Imogen has never felt so relaxed. “There was a kinda shady lookin’ big one standin’ on one leg in the corner by the hearth though, kept squawkin’.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, think it was a shoebill. You ever seen one of those?”

“You know, I’m not sure. I wonder if there was any significance…”

Their fingers interlace, under Laudna's initiative. Imogen stares at the long nails now reaching to her wrist like plates of fine ebony gauntlets.

“I could try draw it for y’all, but I don’t think it’d help…” comes out audibly distracted, the points of Laudna's talons gently making contact with Imogen's scarred skin-

“Allow me to get my notebook~” Laudna enthusiastically sings – nearly cutting Imogen, their hands separating - and Imogen is left staring at the empty space that was occupied by the shape that the two of them made, wonders if there is a word for that, like ‘bird’ - each hand a wing of some amalgamation, dream chimera, released between palms.

Probably a word she doesn’t have the language for.

Laudna unthreaded their hands and after that, she doesn’t move.

Imogen remembers her position in her lap

sits up abruptly on her bedroll, turning back towards Laudna’s skirts with the same instinct as for making a bed

“No, really, I can’t draw. It’ll just be embarrassin’. It won’t help any.”

“It’s good to draw regardless-”

Imogen would call what falls on Laudna’s face a pout. Hates that she is, unsurprisingly, intrigued to see what lines the pages of Laudna’s notebook. Apparently hearing inside her head is not enough.

Greedy. (maybe she’s hungry?). Gods, Laudna’s been sat cross-legged with Imogen's thick heavy skull in her lap for hours. How does Imogen show her gratitude?

“-have you even eaten? I should make us breakfast.”

She clumsily scatters away before Laudna has the chance to really answer.

(thanks as always to @distant--shadow for the illustrations <3)

[ninjadeathblade]

Febuwhump Day Twenty Eight: (Alt. Prompt) Last man standing

Warnings: Being sick, combat training

Word count: 602

Author's notes: The one and only thing I have written for The Bad Batch this month, happy Season Three Episode Four.

Crosshair ducked down behind the ledge of the tower, barely avoiding the bolts of fire that went past not a second later.

“Tech? Hunter? Wrecker?” He hissed into his comm. “I could use a distraction right now.”

Silence echoed back over the feed and he risked a quick peek down onto the field to spot where Wrecker had been swarmed by droids and his other two brothers seemed to have been tagged.

Right, stupid training regulations.

If you were tagged you were effectively dead and couldn't respond to comms.

And Wrecker was clearly too busy to reply.

“Useless di’kuts,” Crosshair sighed, quickly dodging a few more bolts.

The young clone swung his training rifle up with him, quickly sniping the droids that had been firing at him.

An overdramatic shout rang through the room and Crosshair rolled his eyes as Wrecker lay down on the floor.

That left him.

Last man standing.

He quickly sniped a few of the droids that were more sluggish about moving away from Wrecker before cursing as a bolt of training fire zipped past his helmet.

Crosshair wasted no time with picking off the last few before scaling back down the tower as the buzzer that signified the end of training sounded.

Wrecker clapped a hand onto his shoulder, jostling his skinnier brother. “Awright Cross! Nice job!”

The sniper kept his expression blank as he tugged his training helmet off, Maker forbid his brothers’ tease him. “I would have appreciated it more if you didn't go down so easily.”

“In my defence, ”Tech stated, a throaty sniff punctuating his words. “I am not functioning at usual standards due to the strain of the influenza virus I have picked up after you decided to drag us into a fight with a group of regs that had just returned from another planet.”

Crosshair shook his head before fixing Hunter with his piercing gaze. “And your excuse?”

Hunter shifted, averting his gaze. “Tech’s sniffing and coughing kept distracting me.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Crosshair dragged the word out, trying to highlight his disbelief - at Hunter's obvious lie - and annoyance to his brothers.

“Tech, I'm going to harass a medical droid to get you something to take. Hunter, you are clearly having migraine symptoms so I'm also gonna grab your painkillers, di’kut’ika. Wrecker, get Hunter to his bunk and then try to be quiet, however hard for you that may be.”

Wrecker mock-saluted before flinging their brother over his shoulder, Hunter's screeches of protest making Crosshair snicker.

After those two were gone he turned to Tech. “You look like you need to puke.”

Tech's nose scrunched. “I will inform you that I do not need to regurgitate our first meal, I am perfectly fine.”

Crosshair looped an arm around his brother's shoulders, guiding him towards the exit their other batchmates had taken. “Y'know, you really don't have to phrase it that way. Also, you definitely do, I've never seen you this pale aside from that one time when I mixed some of your rations into your drink.”

Tech gasped, turning to him with knitted eyebrows. “I was certain it was you! Why you-”

Crosshair quickly stepped back as Tech doubled over, proving Crosshair correct.

The silver-haired clone gently rubbed his brother's back, trying to give off an air of indifference.

When Tech straightened back up he adjusted his goggles with one hand, using the other to wipe the edges of his mouth.

“Yeah, I'm definitely going to harass a med droid.”

“That would be appreciated Crosshair, thank you.”

“Sure, whatever, just go back to the barracks and try not to throw up again.”

[gumnut-logic]

Sick

Now I had two migraines today, but either side of them, I managed to churn out over 4000 words of completed sickfic. Why I wrote sickfic, I’m not sure, but I think it was sparked mainly by this post. Not any of the prompts in particular, but more a whole feel of them.

Also, I plead predictable and anyone who knows me and what I write can probably predict the entire plot, but I plead sick myself and poke my tongue out you anyway. So don’t expect amazing writing.

Many thanks to the amazing @onereyofstarlight​ for reading through and being the wonderful person she is ::hugs her tight::

All the warnings on this. I know we are in pandemic times and this fic involves a nasty bug and hospital scenes. While the content is lightish and not graphic or anything, it does focus on a flu-like bug. So, if that topic might trigger you or hurt you in anyway, do not read. I don’t know why I wrote sickfic in the middle of a pandemic. Maybe I’m just an idiot, but it happened and I wanted to warn you just in case.

Otherwise, I hope you enjoy :D

-o-o-o-

It started with Alan.

It often started with Alan. Of course, the poor kid blamed himself for what happened, but nobody else did.

Alan came home to the Island with a snotty nose. Within the day he had developed a fever and was down for the count.

Virgil, back from three consecutive rescues, ordered him to bed and went about monitoring him disguised as pandering his little brother.

They weren’t concerned, it was a cold, nothing more.

Until the next day when his fever spiked and Scott, who had been up all night with Tracy Industries business plus two of the same rescues Virgil had been entangled in the previous day, was found in the kitchen blowing his nose.

Virgil, who had taken five minutes for a bathroom break and a drink before going back to Alan - who he had dragged into the infirmary by this time - caught Scott red-nosed and glared at him until he joined Virgil with their little brother.

Within the hour, Scott was flat on his back with a fever climbing faster than Alan’s.

Virgil may have been heard to mention the words ‘overwork’ and ‘idiot’ in the same sentence, but considering they were both said with love and a bucket of worry, Scott let him have it.

Grandma, of course, was on the case, liaising with some mainland counterparts and the bug was quickly narrowed down the a very contagious flu…

That was merrily infecting half of Alan’s school mates.

Alan, being the youngest of them, was tough, and though his temperature stayed up and he felt absolutely miserable, he eventually stabilised and moved onto the hack up a lung stage which merely involved turning your body inside out trying to get the bug out of your system.

Not much sleep was being had by anyone at this point.

But Scott was older, overworked, and low on defences for all of the above and went down hard.

With a fever that bordered on delirium, he scared several shades of colour out of Virgil’s hair.

There was a moment where Virgil found himself speaking to Auckland Hospital and mentally prepping Two.

But there were mentions of quarantine and contagion and apparently the mainland was tackling this as a possible epidemic. Having been through one of those pandemic nasties as a child, Virgil decided that they had the supplies and the skillset to treat Scott where they were.

And ultimately, the thought of being kept from his ailing brothers was something Virgil just…couldn’t. So there were selfish reasons as well as medical.

Until Grandma wavered beside him and he had to move fast to catch her as she fell.

Reflexes.

Sure enough, she was burning up and as he cradled her in his arms, he got a very clear education as to why Scott was like he was, because Grandma had obviously been ill for some hours but had refused…

Goddamnit.

He lifted her up, carried her gently to a bed beside Scott, and she became patient number three.

A patient even more alarming than his eldest brother. Scott, whose fever finally broke that afternoon and he slipped into a disturbed sleep punctuated by the occasional coughing fit.

Virgil would have been relieved, but Grandma was obviously in the older age range, something that could be a major issue, so Virgil didn’t let himself relax, terrified their beloved matriarch might need more than he could give her.

Perhaps it was that and the fact that John was as Tracy as any of them, that is was Gordon who found John out cold in his observatory late that night.

As things would have it, this was one of the few times their spaceman had his feet on terra firma. He had been called down by Virgil, yes there was guilt for that, after those three long rescues because Virgil’s medic radar claimed his space brother was as exhausted as they were.

The words ‘downtime, now, John’ had bounced through the atmosphere and up into space.

Virgil had so many regrets.

Because, of course, his space brother was vulnerable and took it as hard as Scott. When Gordon yelled across comms, John was already trying for Olympic gold in the temperature department, initially spiking two degrees above Scott’s highest temperature and mumbling to EOS in his delirium.

The questions he asked Eos were all about his brothers, particularly Scott and Alan and a frantic AI was Virgil and Gordon’s company back to the infirmary, their now unconscious space brother in tow on a stretcher behind them.

There followed a sleepless night surrounded by so many worrying numbers.

It didn’t help that Scott decided he needed to check on John and climbed out of bed, took a step and then collapsed, hitting his head on the way down.

Virgil, who had chosen that minute to rush out and pee, came back to find Scott unconscious on the floor.

There went any hair colour he had left.

He ran vitals and scanned to make sure his brother hadn’t broken anything major. He hadn’t.

Lifting a limp Scott onto his bed had Virgil grunting with the effort, but he soon had him settled and the dent in his head dressed.

John continued to spike nasty temperatures, but he seemed to be stabilising and the advice from Auckland kept them on the Island.

Grandma managed to be the saviour of Virgil’s sanity. Yes, she got the fever, yes, it taxed her system, but being the toughest of them all (and not having spent half her life in space), her fever broke earlier than any of them and while she had a cough, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Alan’s.

Within two days, Virgil was confident enough to send her off to her rooms to rest.

Well, more order her, there may have been yelling as Virgil wasn’t at his best, but eventually she went.

He would apologise later.

One small part of his mind was doing a lot of yelling at himself – he had yelled at his grandmother for the first time in his life and that was…bad.

But John was not good. Scott…was awake, and goddamnit, Virgil almost wished he could knock him out again because he kept trying to get out of bed, worried about this, that and everything. But his body had been hit by a freight train and couldn’t deliver.

There may have been more yelling.

But again, he was distracted as a pale Gordon dragged in a paler Kayo.

There was lots of yelling after that.

Both of them had symptoms. Gordon wasn’t stupid and had been in the process of presenting himself at the infirmary when he came across a stumbling, but determined Kayo in the comms room.

The fact she was further advanced in the illness was the only reason Gordon had been able to wrangle her into submission.

Particularly because she could barely stand.

Kayo hated the infirmary almost as much as Gordon.

Of course, the moment the two appeared, Scott made a move to climb out of bed and it was only a scorching glare from Virgil that stopped him.

Gordon’s temperature stabilised at a lower level than all of them and broke reassuringly early within several hours. Kayo did the exact same as Scott and John and tried to be the highest, just missing by a point or two below John, the current record holder, who was now well into the horrific coughing stage with a body as weak as a kitten.

But they all stabilised eventually and Virgil was finally able to take a breath for a moment to find some food. Eos, who was recovering from a fret fest, but was still hovering, promised to keep an eye on them all while Virgil attended a little to himself.

He was exhausted.

Sleep had been sparse over the last five days, food scarce, and stress levels through the roof. He had a suspicion that if he stopped, he would fall on his face and then where would they be? All of them were sick and…he frowned. Where was Brains?

How could he have forgotten Brains?

Virgil swore. “Brains?” His fingers shook on his collar comms and he realised he hadn’t changed his shirt in two days.

There was no response.

Virgil’s heart climbed up his throat. “Eos, location on Brains.”

“Hiram is in his lab, Virgil.” The AI sounded almost herself.

But Virgil was running before she had finished the sentence.

A dash down to the lab revealed their genius engineer collapsed across one of his many keyboards.

Oh, god.

How could he have forgotten Brains? Guilt reared up and shook him.

Reaching his friend, he ran vitals.

No fever.

Breathing regular.

In fact, the only problem he could find was the fact the engineer was prone to electrocuting himself through drooling on the keyboard. In all appearances he was just asleep.

Virgil wilted on the spot, relief almost taking him out right there.

Scooping him into his arms, Virgil deposited Brains on the cot he kept in his lab for this exact reason. He immediately curled up in the light blanket Virgil draped over him and started to snore.

The fear of the moments before melted away into fondness. Brains was just adorable.

Virgil blinked. With adrenalin waning, exhaustion reared its head again. He really needed some decent rack time. But, turning towards the door, he was interrupted by the soft chime of Brains’ computer. “Hiram, you there?’

Virgil strode over and answered the call.

“Oh! You’re not Hiram! Where is he?”

The woman could have been Moffie except her hair was a lighter colour and she wore a name badge with the name Lily from Auckland Medical.

She looked as wrecked as Brains.

“This is Tracy Island, can I help you?”

“I don’t need you, I need Hiram. Where is he?”

Virgil sighed. “Doctor Hackenbacker is asleep. I’m Virgil Tracy. Can I help you at all?”

“Sleep is inconvenient at a time like this!” Virgil couldn’t help but mentally agree. “You need to wake him, tell him it worked, and we have a possible vaccine.”

His brain was slow, or maybe it just needed reassurance. “A vaccine for what?”

“The new epidemic! How can you not…” She peered closer to the screen. “Are you quite alright? Mr Tracy?” He could almost see the penny drop. “Virgil Tracy, pilot of Thunderbird Two????”

“Ah, yeah.” He did not have the energy for this. “Ma’am, I will inform the doctor when he wakes-“

“No, no, no! I need to speak to him now! We need his permission for the next step. This is his solution, we need permission-“

Virgil glanced back at his exhausted friend. So this was what he had been doing down here. Medicine wasn’t his main focus, but genius is genius, and Virgil had some vague recollection of Brains needing samples in the last few days. Seemed like eons ago.

Virgil poked at the computer and brought up what his friend had been working on. Diagram, numbers that blurred, but the science was there and as expected the solution was brilliant. He sighed again. While the Tracys were down for the count, Brains had been down here saving lives anyway.

She was still rambling, obviously stressed and at a panic. He cut her off. “You have it. I can speak for him. Do what you have to do.” He paused as she froze like a deer in headlights. “And get some sleep yourself. Lack of sleep leads to mistakes and that is something we can’t afford right now.” She was still staring at him. “Tracy Island out.”

Well, at least with some production time in play and ownership by Brains, IR could see to distribution to make sure this vaccine made it to all the countries in need.

Not like the last time.

Brains snorted and rolled over in his cot.

Virgil’s eyelids drooped.

Okay, food, check on his family, and then maybe some sleep of his own. At least now everyone was accounted for, he could relax a little.

He made his way back to the kitchen and managed about two mouthfuls of cereal before pushing the bowl away.

Ugh, just no. Pushing to his feet, the world spun a moment, but he steadied himself. He really needed some decent sleep.

Check family and go to bed.

He took the elevator instead of the stairs to get back to the infirmary where he found Gordon, John, Kayo and even Scott asleep, thank goodness. They were all on the mend. Readings were good. Scott was only still in here because Virgil couldn’t trust him out of his sight. The head injury had made for an excellent excuse to keep him in. But tomorrow they could all return to their rooms.

The coughing warranted it.

Gordon opened one sleepy eye and frowned at him.

Virgil shushed him quietly and tucked him in tighter. It was a sign that the fish was not himself in that he acquiesced without an argument.

All was quiet as Virgil slipped out to go check on his grandmother and littlest brother.

He made it halfway down the corridor before a wave of heat washed over him.

Oh shit, he did not feel good.

“Eos?”

“Yes, Virgil?”

“Do me a favour and check on Alan and Grandma for me? I need vital stats and health status.”

The AI rattled off some good numbers and reported that both family members were asleep.

“Keep an eye on them for me?”

“Always, Virgil, you know that.”

Yeah, he did.

“Okay, I’m going to bed. Let me know if they need me.”

“Yes, Virgil.” A pause. “Your vitals are elevated.”

“I know. I just need some sleep. I’m okay.” He was. Really.

“Are you sure?”

Her voice followed him into his quarters where he started shedding his shirt. “I’m good.” His flannel shirt landed on the floor and he reached down to pick it up.

And the world stopped.

-o-o-o-

Consciousness flickered and echoed a familiar roar as Scott yelled something.

For a moment he opened his eyes and found a flash of yellow swimming above him. “G-ords?”

“Virgil, hey there. No, no, stay down.” There were strong hands on his shoulders, far stronger than they had any right to be.

“You should be in bed.” The words fell from his lips with little thought.

A half-hysterical laugh was all he heard before everything washed away as the world took off and left him behind.

He surfaced again when other voices worried over him. A cool hand on his forehead, his grandmother’s voice reciting vital stats that were terrifying. One of his brothers? His brain brought up Scott and John and Kayo and how sick they had all been. Grandma? Grandma was at risk. Allie? Brains?

Worry chased him into darkness and heat.

-o-o-o-

He had no idea how much time had passed when the world finally came back and started making sense.

It was quiet, the only sounds were distant, beyond walls. He wasn’t on Tracy Island anymore, that was an immediate realisation as enough brain came online.

He was in a bed, but the sheets were not his own. There was something on his face. Irritably he tried to swipe at it and found all his strength missing, barely able to lift his arms from the bed.

A gentle hand caught his. “No, Virgil, you need to keep the oxygen mask on.”

It was John’s voice, one he was used to obeying, so he stilled.

“Can you open your eyes?”

Never one to ignore a request from his brothers, Virgil cranked open his eyelids to a darkened room.

“Hey, there you are.” John was looking down at him, standing beside the bed, holding his hand and ever so pale in the dim light. He blurred and Virgil blinked.

“Wha’ ‘appened?” His throat was raw and the attempt to speak set off a cough that had his head spinning and hands grabbing at him.

The world teetered and disappeared for a bit longer.

-o-o-o-

He woke to quiet singing. The world appeared steady and didn’t seem to want to attack him again. At least for the moment.

The voice was Scott’s. Ever so quietly, he was singing a song from a long, long time ago. Virgil realised his hand was being held against something warm, soft and vibrating with music. He opened his eyes to find that hand against his brother’s cheek. Scott’s voice was little more than a whisper, but the words and the tune travelled down Virgil’s arm and straight into his heart.

He dared not open his mouth, the oxygen mask reminding him of what happened earlier and his brain now capable of filling in the gaps.

It was obvious that he was sick with the bug. He cursed it in his head. His family had been so ill, and he had made it worse.

Because this wasn’t a room on Tracy Island. No, this looked more like a hotel, decked out in medical equipment. The ever so distant sound of traffic told him they were in a city. His brothers had had to launch to save him, no matter how ill they had been themselves.

Virgil felt the worst.

He must have moved because he was suddenly the subject of an intense pair of blue eyes. “Virgil? You with me?”

Virgil squeezed the hand in his.

“Oh, thank god.” And there was moisture in his brother’s words.

What the hell had happened?

“Hey, you stay still.” A hand on his shoulder. “No talking. Stay calm.”

Virgil stared at his frightened brother and felt fright himself.

“No, no, you’re okay, Virgil. You’re okay. You just need rest.”

The dim light was etching out Scott’s face in grey lines. He looked exhausted and spent.

“You need to rest.” It was repeated and Virgil wanted nothing more than to say the exact same words to his brother. There must have been something in his expression because Scott rebutted without needing to be told. “We are fine, Virgil. We’ve recovered. Yes, even me. That was two weeks ago. You, on the other hand…” Scott rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re okay. And you’re going to get better.”

A door opened and someone entered. Grandma appeared out of the darkness. “Honey, you’re awake.” Her hand landed immediately on his forehead, cool and kind. “We’re in Auckland. In the hotel across from the hospital. We’ve rented out the whole thing for epidemic victims.” She began checking him over, ever attentive and ever kind.

“Brains?” His voice cracked and for a moment there he thought his lungs were going to protest, but Scott shook his head in exasperation and offered him some water. The mask was lifted enough for a straw.

The liquid was ever so cool.

Grandma’s voice was quiet. “You scared us, kiddo. You collapsed in your bedroom. Eos woke half the house. It became very obvious that your immunity had been compromised by exhaustion and the bug really got its claws into you. Your fever spiked – you now hold the record, by the way, a dubious honour, I’m afraid.” She sighed. “We had to medivac you off the Island as your condition deteriorated. I wasn’t confident we had what you needed, honey. You needed a hospital. Unfortunately, Auckland is currently overwhelmed by this bug.” She turned to adjust his IV. “We’ve flown in some specialists and support staff, and you’re now in the penthouse of the Auckland Hospital Hotel Extension.” Her hand was again stroking his hair off his forehead. “With Brains’ vaccine and your brothers flying assistance, we are getting this bug under control.”

“What about-“ and his throat clogged. He spent the next minute trying to control the spasms of his diaphragm.

The world shook as his brother and grandmother held him. As the coughing spasm passed they let him down gently on the bed.

“Honey, no talking. You’ve been through a lot. Give your body a chance to recover.”

But the thought of his ill brothers having to airlift him to Auckland, probably in Two…his mind rattled. They had all been so sick.

“Now, now, young man, I can see the worry in your eyes. We are all fine. All of us have recovered. It is you who needs to rest.” And she was back to running her fingers through his hair and as always it was calming and he was so tired. His eyes closed without permission, his eldest brother and his grandmother looking down at him was the last thing he saw before sleep claimed him.

He drifted off with the reassurance that his family was well and that he could finally rest.

-o-o-o-

Each member of his family visited him as he regained his strength. No one would let him out of the bed, but they all came to see him. Scott had obviously set up camp in the room. There was a desk and comms that Virgil would occasionally wake to find lit up, his brother talking quietly and obviously directing rescue operations.

Rescue operations that involved delivering medicine and vaccines apparently. Gordon rocked up in full uniform at one point and there had been a suspicious roar from outside. His little brother was a ray of sunshine, spouting about saving the world and preventing spread and all that. The epidemic was contained, a pandemic prevented, and many lives had been saved.

Lives.

It was more than a flu. It was one of those nasty bugs that could kill, almost at random, and Virgil learnt that he had been the one member of their family who had come close to being a statistic.

He stayed in bed as he was told and took it all slowly.

He couldn’t afford to worry his family any further.

Alan was a mess. He knew he had been the one to bring it home. Sure, it hadn’t been a mission and he hadn’t needed decontamination protocols and, of course, how could he possibly have known?

But he was still upset because of what it had done to his family and eventually Virgil.

Everyone was hovering.

But as Virgil recovered, he managed to snag family members and draw them into conversation. Alan ended up on the bed beside him as Virgil drew him a caricature of Scott surfing on One to cheer him up.

Scott was not impressed, but did not seem to mind the caricature of Gordon Virgil handed him the next day.

That, of course, prompted some outrage and a John caricature in the hands of Gordon made it onto social media for a whole five seconds before Eos stamped on it.

Gordon claimed he only did it because he was testing Eos and it was the thought that counted.

John drew a caricature of Gordon being strangled.

Gordon drew John dancing on the outside of Five in his underwear.

Grandma thought it was all hilarious and commissioned a family portrait.

It took Virgil the rest of his convalescence to complete it on his tablet. It ended up being printed and hung below the IR portraits in the comms room.

John frowned.

Gordon grinned.

Kayo rolled her eyes.

Alan posed beside it and took a selfie to send to Brandon.

Brains failed to notice it existed.

Scott glared but for some reason could be caught staring at it when he thought no one was looking.

Grandma just smiled.

Because it was a picture of Virgil with massive arms giving his entire family the biggest hug possible, and they had all been caught squirming in various poses.

Virgil loved it simply because it said what he couldn’t say.

And eventually he got better. It took him a long time, hell, all of them a long time to get back to their former physical level. And his family hovered, checking up on him as much as he checked up on them.

Because that is what family does.

And if he hugged them more often than he should, they just had to put up with it.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[thewiseaustralain]

I need yalls advice for a mo. Pretty much every adult I speak to about this tells me it's tough love but all my friends are telling me that is abusive and/or neglectful.

So yeah I need yall to tell me if the following list of actions from my parents is abusive or not.

Telling me to harden up bc I said that ~~~body areas~~~ hurt after cycling for like 5 hours which is not something I've ever done except for that time

Told to "stop being such a bitch" when I was stressed, in considerable pain, extraordinarily dysphoric and period hormones where making me more of a mess than usual

Also been told "don't be such a fucking cow" when I had a migraine so bad half my face was dropping like I was having a stroke. Was also told "the people in Ukraine have it much worse right now so stop complaining" in the same conversation

Had unsolicited weight comments after asking if a shirt that I was wearing was pulling across my shoulders bc I hadn't worn it in a while and I could fell it was pulling weirdly

Been mocked/sternly talked to about liking sewing and having a special interest in historical fashion and historical sewing techniques. Have also been mocked/had remarks about my choice of music, film and TV

Had medical problems ignored/put aside until they couldn't be ignored anymore in my defence I was the main one doing it to myself and my family is really busy

Not gotten any support aside from an initial diagnosis about my mental health problems

Been told off for not cleaning the house 100% perfectly the FIRST time I did it

Been asked to get a towel for my dad eventhough he was closer to the towel cupboard than me. My dad has also treated me like a maid multiple other timed. See 8 as an example of other times

Called one of my best friends, who has severe phone anxiety as well as adhd, hopeless bc she didn't reply back to a text I sent at like 10pm after 12 hours

Had multiple things I know more about manslpained to me

Been asked "why don't you just hit back?" mockingly after other boys kept miming punches and slaps at me (I was 9 when this happened)

Been told to stop having tics so I suppress them anytime I am home with ANYONE

Been told "don't kick your mother, you can't do that" after I used my foot to GENTLY fend of her poking me

Been mocked and guilted about my food choices. Example 1: got a huge $20 bowl of soup when me and my dad were out, got made to feel guilty about my father spending that much money for a single meal for me that I didn't eat for the rest of the day. Example 2: been made fun of by multiple people including both my parents for my weird and irregular eating habits and been told not to eat really any of my comfort foods (which I really eat anyway)

[windfighter]

"Let me take care of it, alright? You need to rest."

Kouichi blinked awake. His head was feeling sluggish, he was cold and shivering and it took him about a minute to realize why he was feeling sick.

Oh, I caught Kouji’s cold.

He sat up and leaned forwards with a groan. Kouji hadn’t been at home for months and he wasn’t staying for long either, so they hadn’t wanted to cancel hanging out, but Kouichi almost regretted that. He buried his face in his hands and let out another groan. His head was hurting, the headache spreading from his sinuses across his forehead and through the rest of it. He peeked through his fingers. Everything looked normal and the light didn’t increase the pain. A normal cold-induced headache in other words and not a migraine. Kouichi let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed the bottle of water Izumi had left beside the bed for him, wrapped himself in a blanket and got to his feet. He grabbed a painkiller from the kitchen and swallowed it together with half the water in the bottle before peeking outside. Midday. His classes started in two hours but there was no way he was facing that today.

What a doctor, huh. Knocked out from a simple cold.

He shivered and tried to wrap the blanket even tighter around himself before sinking down in the couch. He leaned back, closed his eyes and tried to will the pill to work quicker. He was almost drifting off, but his phone choose that moment to interrupt.

”Moshi moshi?”

Talking hurt, but he had already answered the phone and couldn’t just hang up.

”You sound terrible, niisan.”

”You should hear yourself.”

Kouji laughed, but despite the raspy voice that made it sound like he’d spent the last hour coughing he sounded better than he had done during the weekend. Kouichi coughed and dragged his free hand across his face.

”Did you catch my cold?” Kouji asked.

”Yeah”, Kouichi shivered as the blanked slid down from his shoulders. ”It’s fine though, might as well get my immune system caught up with whatever’s going on in…. Uh…”

”Ukraine.”

Kouichi could hear Kouji’s smile through the phone and knew it must have been a successful trip. They hadn’t talked much about it when they hung out, Kouichi had been stressing out about an assignment and Kouji had been feverish so they had just relaxed with some movies.

”What did you do in Ukraine?”

Kouichi laid down and closed his eyes again. Kouji hmmed on the other side of the line, then got distracted by a cough-attack that left him out of breath.

”Really hope I won’t get as bad as you.”

”In my defence”, Kouji still sounded short of breath and Kouichi’s worry grew, ”I did absolutely everything you shouldn’t when you’re sick.”

”Are you staying at dad’s or your place?”

”My own”, Kouji groaned. ”They have their hands full with sis.”

”I don’t like you being alone”, Kouichi pouted.

”It is what it is.”

Kouji was correct, but Kouichi still felt the need to protest. He didn’t get to it before his throat started itching and he had to lean away from the phone to cough. At least he could still breath when he was done.

”I went to Chernobyl”, Kouji grabbed on to the previous conversation when he could. ”Got some pretty good pictures.”

”One day I’d like go with you.”

”You don’t, but we should take a vacation together sometime. Maybe to Italy and visit Junpei and Takuya?”

”Maybe.”

Kouichi was feeling a little better, which meant he noticed the way Kouji was straining for breath. As much as he would have loved making plans for a trip to Italy, now wasn’t the best time.

”You should get some rest”, he told Kouji. ”We can make plans when we’re both feeling better.”

”What are you, a doctor?” Kouji teased and then had to cough again.

”...if you get worse, please see an actual doctor.”

”Yeah…” Kouji sounded absolutely worn out. ”Sorry I got you infected with this.”

”You warned me, I insisted we hung out.”

”True. Talk to you later?”

”Yup. I’m gonna zonk out a couple hours now. You should too.”

”Hai, doctor-senpai.”

Kouichi laughed, shook his head and ended the phone call. He glanced at the clock. One hour before class. He sent a text to one of his classmates to let them know he wasn’t coming and to ask them to take notes for him and then he put the phone on the table. He didn’t quite zonk out but he spent the next couple of hours falling in and out of sleep.

At three his body was restless and wouldn’t let him sleep any longer, but he also wasn’t shivering which was a win. He sat up and glanced at the phone. No news is good news, he assumed when there wasn’t a text from Kouji to wake up to. He stretched, then his throat started itching again and he had to stop to cough. He let out a sigh, then got up and filled the electric kettle with water to make tea, before heading back to the sleeping area and grabbing the computer.

Izumi’s classes would end in an hour, and then she had said something about stopping by the library and the store on the way home. There was nothing on the television Kouichi felt like watching and the headache that still hung around in his head made reading feel like too much of a chore. He put the computer on the table, grabbed the tea and then sank back down in the couch. He booted up the laptop, opened Skype and called Junpei.

He hadn’t been sure Junpei would be awake and up, but the other answered, his face way too close to the camera.

”You look like shit”, Junpei said.

”Love your face too”, Kouichi answered and Junpei blushed. ”I’m not disturbing, am I?”

Junpei shook his head and leaned back in the chair.

”I was just doing some research, but it can wait. You’re not getting Izumi sick, are you?”

”Trying to avoid it, but we only have one room so I can’t really isolate myself.”

Kouichi sniffled and pulled his sleeve across his nose. He smiled at Junpei.

”I miss you.”

”Miss you too. You should come visit sometime, Italy is wonderful.”

”I’m not doing any travelling while I’m sick though. Kouji also suggested visiting Italy.”

Junpei grinned at that.

”Tell him Takuya misses him.”

Kouichi rolled his eyes.

”I’m staying out of their love-story, they’ll sort it themselves. You’re still doing good over there?”

”Did you really just call me for small-talk?”

”I’m sick and bored”, Kouichi coughed to really drive home the sick-part. ”I can hang up if you don’t want to talk.”

”It’s fine”, Junpei smiled and shrugged. ”You just usually don’t do small-talk. School has changed you.”

”Small-talk is a good way to form connections with the other animals in class”, Kouichi said and then groaned at himself. ”School’s already driving me insane.”

”Just wait ’til you become an actual doctor then.”

”One of my classmates tried to convince me to become a surgeon. Because it pays more. That’s not why I’m doing this.”

”So you’re already thinking about your specialization?”

”I’m thinking pedriatrician? We don’t need to decide for another year, so I have time to think it over.”

Kouichi yawned, pulled a hand across his face and pulled the blanket over his legs again. Junpei smiled fondly and his face got all soft.

”How are you really feeling, Kou?”

”Not as bad as you’d think? Kouji’s really sick, but I’m just headachey and cold.” He paused to cough. ”...and coughy. Not much worse than colds usually get.”

”You’re keeping an eye on it though?”

”Yeah. Izumi’s here to care for me as well. The only downside is missing classes.”

”Let the schoolwork rest while you recover, okay? I know how you get with studies.”

Kouichi’s phone beeped to let him know he had a text. He nodded to Junpei.

”I’m trying. Classmates will keeping me up to date.”

Bored, the text on his phone read. It was from Kouji and Kouichi rolled his eyes.

Take an eve and go back to sleep, he answered.

”Is it Kouji?” Junpei asked. ”Tell him I’ll have his ass for making you sick.”

”I don’t think he needs to hear that right now.”

Kouichi frowned and Junpei leaned closer to the screen again.

”Is something wrong?”

”I don’t know, he usually doesn’t text me just to tell me he’s bored.”

”He does that to Takuya all the time”, Junpei laughed.

Have you remembered to eat and drink? Kouichi sent another text to Kouji.

Technically, Kouji answered. It really wasn’t an answer at all but Kouichi didn’t know how to push. He turned back to Junpei with a laugh.

”Wait, he does? Somehow that’s hilarious.”

”I think Takuya enjoys it despite complaining.” Junpei shrugged. ”I can’t tell if they’re already together or if they’re just in that weird state where both are thinking they’re just friends despite how obvious it is to anyone watching them.”

”I am definately gonna bug Kouji about this when he’s not sick.”

”Weren’t you staying out of it?” Junpei grinned and Kouichi would have swatted him if they’d been talking in real life.

”I’m not gonna do something, I’m just bugging him.”

What you up to? Kouji sent another text.

Talking to Junpei, Kouichi answered. He bit his lip and stared at the phone. He should ask Kouji to clarify the technically thing.

”I can call at lunch if you need to talk to your brother”, Junpei offered when Kouichi had looked away from the screen for a minute too long. Kouichi let out a sigh.

”That sounds good. Izumi should be back home by then as well. We can talk more about visiting Italy.”

”I’d like that. I’ll see you later.”

The call ended. Kouichi leaned back, yawned and closed his eyes. A quick call to Kouji, then he’d take care of dishes and prepare dinner. Or maybe he’d take a nap first and then be responsible. A nap sounded nice if he was honest with himself. He laid down in the couch and covered himself with the blanket. Kouji hadn’t answered his text and Kouichi called him up.

”What do you mean technically?” was the first thing he said when Kouji picked up. He hadn’t meant for that to come out, and especially not in that panicked tone, but there was no taking it back. Kouji was quiet for a bit. His breathing was still strained but Kouichi couldn’t tell if it was worse or better than earlier.

”Can’t get to the kitchen”, Kouji eventually said.

”Kouji…” Kouichi pinched the bridge of his nose. ”Call dad, he can spare a couple of minutes to help you out.”

Muffled coughing echoed through the phone, and Kouichi assumed Kouji had buried his face into the pillow.

”Don’t want him to catch this. Or drag it home to Sueko.”

”What about mom?”

Kouji didn’t answer and as the older brother Kouichi had to make an executive decision.

”I’m calling mom for you.”

”’Niisan…” Kouji sounded exsasperated, but mostly he just sounded sick and helpless.

”I’d come over myself but we both know you’d try to take care of me instead.”

”You’re sick”, Kouji said and had to cough again. Kouichi laughed.

”As opposed to you? I’m calling mom, try to get some sleep.”

Kouichi sniffled and dried his nose on the sleeve again. His headache was coming back and he was starting to feel drained.

”Everything hurts”, Kouji whispered and he sounded so broken Kouichi wanted to ignore his own ailments and do anything he could to make Kouji feel better. He almost never dropped his walls and it was a sure sign that he was really not handling the illness well. Kouichi snuggled up against the pillow and buried himself further under the blanket. He was grateful for sharing an apartment with Izumi. Maybe they should look for a place where Kouji could have a room as well.

”Hang in there. Mom should be able to come over soon, okay?”

”Mm…”

Kouichi’s throat was itching. He said goodbye, ended the call and turned his head to the side and coughed into his shoulder. He drank some water before dialing Tomoko.

”Hey mom.”

”Kouichi? Are you okay?”

Kouichi smiled. It was nice to hear his mother’s voice.

”Sick, but it’s fine. Izumi’s taking care of me.”

”Do you need me to bring something?”

She sounded worried and Kouichi wasn’t sure what to say to relieve that worry because he knew his voice sounded somewhat wrecked. Talking was starting to hurt again, but he had been talking a lot since he woke up.

”Iie, we have everything we need. Kouji needs someone to help him out though.”

”What about Kousei?”

”Kouji refuses”, Kouichi said and shook his head. ”He doesn’t want Sueko to catch whatever we’re down with. He’s really sick, mom…”

Kouichi’s breathing hitched and his eyes teared up as the worry he had supressed most of the afternoon surfaced. He pulled the blanket over his head to hide from the world and pressed the phone closer to his ear.

”I’ll go over as soon as I’m done putting away the groceries, okay? Don’t worry, Kouji will be fine.”

Kouichi nodded and sniffled. He felt so small all of a sudden and he blamed it on the cold. He dried his tears and coughed again.

”Drink some tea and I’ll call you later. I love you, Kouichi.”

”Love you too, mom.”

He ended the call, set a timer for twenty minutes and let himself drift off for a bit.

-----------

Kouichi woke up when the timer went up, and then woke up again 15 minutes later. He stretched, coughed and tried to shake off the tiredness that was still holding on to him. He sat up and checked his phone. No text from neither Izumi nor Kouji.

I’m just gonna assume that’s good.

He pushed himself off the couch. Izumi would be home in about an hour and Kouichi wanted to at least have taken care of the dishes before then. He grabbed a cracker from the cabinet and ate it while filling the sink with water and dirty dishes. His phone dinged just as he put his hands in the water and he ignored it.

With the dishes done and set to dry he poked his head into the fridge to see what they had to make dinner from. He got some vegetables out, because sallad was always good, but he decided to let Izumi decide on the main course because his head felt way too empty to figure it out. After a quick visit to the toilet he got started on rinsing and cutting the vegetables. Occassionally he had to stop to cough, air ripping through his lungs with the force of ten angry hens and making his eyes water. He felt worse, but it was probably because he kept doing things.

”Tadaima!” Izumi called as she opened the door.

”Welcome home!” Kouichi answered and cringed at how rough his voice sounded. Izumi hurried to the kitchen and shook her head. She grabbed the knife Kouichi was holding and gently pushed him towards the couch.

”Let me take care of it, alright? You need to rest.”

”You’ve been doing stuff the whole day though”, Kouichi tried to protest.

”Yeah, and when I’m sick you’ll be the one to take care of the food ontop of school, so let me do this now, okay? What do you want to eat?”

”Uh…” The thought of a full meal felt way too heavy and Kouichi frowned. ”Maybe just some soup?”

”One soup coming up!” Izumi answered and returned to the food. Kouichi sank down in the couch again and grabbed his phone. One message from Kouji.

Mom’s staying over the night.

It did not fill Kouichi with confidence, but at least someone was there to look out for him. Kouichi laid down on his back and put the phone on his stomach while thinking about what to answer. The computer started ringing and he had to put his hands over his ears. The headache that had been mostly gone returned with a vengance at the sound. Izumi appeared and leaned over the back of the couch. She smiled and answered the phone, making the ringing stop so Kouichi could let go of his ears.

”Hey Junpei! How’s Italy treating you?”

”Izumi-chan!” Junpei lit up. ”Italy is great, there’s a street concert tonight my class is heading to. I just wish you were here with me.”

Kouichi lifted a hand and waved to Junpei through the screen.

”What about me?” he asked. ”You don’t want me there?”

His broken voice made him sound more serious than he was and Junpei blushed.

”I want both of you here, of course!”

Izumi sat down in the couch and lowered the camera so Kouichi would be visible as well and Junpei’s face softened.

”Are you feeling any better? You sound horrible.”

”I’m probably dying”, Kouichi exaggerated and Izumi pinched his side. ”Lunchbreak time? Have you eaten?”

”I had some ramen before calling. Please don’t die before I get to see you again.”

”No one’s dying”, Izumi said with a laugh. ”Ichi just needs to learn how to rest.”

Kouichi put his feet in Izumi’s lap and stuck his tongue out towards her.

”I’m sick, you have to be nice.”

”I wish I could be there to help”, Junpei said and Kouichi felt warm inside.

”Would have loved to have you here as well”, he said with a smile. ”I feel so… urgh?”

”You look it too”, Izumi said and stretched to ruffle his hair. ”We’re handling it, don’t worry.”

”I was thinking about stuff we could do when you come over here!” Junpei smoothly shifted the conversation. Izumi looked confused and Kouichi laughed.

”If”, he corrected. ”Nothing’s been decided yet.”

Izumi still looked confused and Kouichi figured he should probably explain.

”Kouji suggested a trip to Italy, I mentioned it to Junpei and now you’re included in it as well.”

Izumi’s confusion disappeared and she nodded.

”That sounds nice, it’s been a while since I was in Italy. It’ll have to wait until summer break though.”

”Kouji’s probably thinking about going the moment he’s fine.”

”If he does I’m vetoing it”, Izumi noted. ”The three of us still have school to attend to.”

”Also it’s not that long until summer”, Junpei added. ”He can wait until then, he knows how much school means to you.”

Kouichi’s phone started ringing and he groaned.

”Everyone wants to talk with me today…”

Izumi laughed.

”I’ll make you some tea. Talk to you later, Junpei!”

”I’ll call during lunch tomorrow. Feel better soon, Kouichi.”

Kouichi fumbled with the phone and waved goodbye to Junpei and Izumi ended the call before pushing Kouichi’s feet off her lap and getting up. Kouichi finally got his hands to cooperate and answered the phone while Izumi disappeared to the kitchen.

”Moshi moshi?”

”Are you feeling any better?”

Tomoko. Kouichi coughed and pulled the blanket over himself again.

”Worse, but I’ve been talking most of the afternoon. How’s Kouji doing?”

Tomoko let out a sigh and he could hear her closing a door.

”Not great, he can’t keep water down…”

Kouichi bit his lip.

”So when he said he technically remembered to eat and drink…?”

”He gets dizzy when he tries to get up so he couldn’t get to the kitchen. He’ll be fine, Kouichi, don’t worry so much or you’ll make yourself worse.”

Kouichi sighed. That was easier said than done. Tomoko laughed at the other end.

”He will be fine. I was just about to head to the pharmacy to pick up some things for him and I am taking him to the hospital if he still can’t keep fluid down in the morning. He’s trying to sleep right now.”

Izumi put a cup of tea on the table and Kouichi sat up to drink it. He hmmed while he grabbed the cup.

”You took his phone?”

”Otherwise he wouldn’t rest, he’s even more stubborn than you are. Speaking of that, have you been taking it easy today?”

Kouichi felt his cheeks get hot and sipped on the tea.

”Izumi’s making me”, he said. ”I’ve been on the couch most of the afternoon.”

”That’s good. Keep taking it easy until you’re sure it’s out of your system.”

Kouichi rolled his eyes and yawned.

”I’m studying medicine, mom. I know how deal with a flu or whatever this is.”

”I work in medicine, Kouichi. There’s always new and exciting illnesses to be found. Just take care of yourself, and leave worrying about Kouji for me, okay?”

”I’ll try”, Kouichi promised. ”I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He ended the call and put the phone on the table before he leaned back and closed his eyes. He was drained.

”Soup’s almost done”, Izumi called from the kitchen.

Kouichi nodded, but didn’t answer out loud. He could sleep after that.

-----------

Tomoko called again in the morning. Kouichi was feeling a little better after a night’s sleep, and apparently so was Kouji. Izumi stretched in the bed next to Kouichi and glanced at the clock. Kouichi coughed into his elbow and ended the call.

”No school for you today, mister”, Izumi said and pulled the cover over him again.

”Mhm”, Kouichi answered and made himself comfortable against the pillows. ”Kouji’s better.”

”With better you mean…”

”Fever’s still high, but he can drink.”

Kouichi rolled over to his stomach.

”I was thinking… what if we found a bigger apartment?” he asked.

Izumi stood up from the bed and started moving around the sleeping area. Kouichi wasn’t sure she had heard him, but he was too tired to repeat it.

”I’m not sure we can afford it”, Izumi said after a while. ”Also I think we’re doing pretty well in this one.”

”We are”, Kouichi agreed, ”it’s just that… Kouji could live with us.”

”Ah.”

Izumi stopped packing her bag. Kouichi looked at her and waited. She sat down next to him again.

”We could check. Is it something Kouji wants as well?”

”Uh…”

He hadn’t asked Kouji yet. He probably should. Izumi laughed and pulled her fingers through Kouichi’s hair.

”We’ll ask him later when you’re both feeling better. You take it easy today.”

She placed a kiss on his temple and stood up again.

”And let me take care of dinner this time, okay?”

Kouichi snorted and closed his eyes again.

”Yes, my queen. Anything you desire.”

She pinched his side, laughed and told him to go back to sleep. Kouichi did.

[theautisticbarbie]

A Bird of Praise

Act II

Chapter IV: Someone Familiar

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Word Count: 3,420

Woof! I meant to post this sooner but woke up with a pounding migraine. But better late than never, right?

Chapter summary: Tara immediately presses charges against Jason for his crime, but begins to experience an otherworldly fallout due in no small part to his actions.

Warnings: mentions of rape, interrogation after being raped (Hopper doesn’t exactly understand the concept of being survivor-informed), traumatic medical settings (getting the rape kit was HELL for Tara, Billy being a cheating douche, smut (p in v, shower sex, dubcon) Russian ballet teachers (real ones understand why this is a warning), body shaming.

In the office, you could hear a pin drop.

“Can you describe the man who raped you?” Hopper asked.

“I know who it was. Jason Carver. He goes to my school,” Tara said.

Hopper let out an exasperated sigh.

“Why don’t you start off by telling me what happened?”

“I went to a Halloween party with my boyfriend.”

“Is he here with you?”

“No… he’s back at the party. He doesn’t even know what happened.”

“So, you left without him? You left him there at the party, correct?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay. Were you drinking at all?”

There was silence.

“Tara, I can only help you if you tell me the truth. If you were drinking, Jason’s defence attorney is absolutely going to use that against you. So it’s better to get out in front of it now. Were you drinking? Yes or no.”

Tears ran down Tara’s face as she took a shaky breath. “Yes. A lot, actually.”

“Okay. I appreciate your honesty. It really makes a difference.”

Tara started to hyperventilate as more tears flowed down her face.

“I know this is hard, but I just have a few more questions.”

By the time they were done, Tara was in full blown tears.

“I think that just about wraps this up. The deputy is gonna escort you to the hospital where they’ll do the rape kit. You’ll need a change of clothes. The costume is gonna have to be taken in as evidence of the assault.”

“Can I please make a quick phone call first?” Tara asked, wiping her tears away.

“Buckley Residence.”

“Robin, it’s Tara. Do you still have the key to my place?”

“Of course! Why do you need something?”

“Yeah. I need a change of clothes. I was just raped and they need to take the ones I have on as evidence. Can you stop by my place and bring them over to the County Hospital ER?”

“Of course!”

The exam was brutal. Despite the fact that the nurses were very kind and understanding, the highly invasive amount of evidence they had to collect took a massive toll. Several vaginal swabs, a blood draw to show evidence that she had been drugged, pictures and notes of the bruising and several other things. Thankfully, she had some privacy to change into a hospital gown and hand in her costume as evidence.

When Robin got there with her change of clothes, Tara just about collapsed into her arms in tears. Robin comforted her the best she could.

The deputy was kind enough to escort them back to Tara’s car in the school parking lot after the exam was done and all of the paperwork was completed. The deputy also told her that an officer would follow up with her tomorrow to sign off on the finalised police report, seeing as how the secretary had gone home for the night hours ago.

The drive home was completely silent until Robin spoke.

“I told your mom that you asked me to get you out of the party because it was a snooze fest.”

“You’re the best.”

Once Tara got inside, she immediately went up the the bathroom and started puking. Like Billy, Daniel was still at the party. Eleanor came up while she was cleaning herself off and knocked on the doorway, getting her attention.

“You know, Tara, if you ever need me to come get you, you can call me,” she said.

“Okay,” Tara said, simply acknowledging her mother.

“I have to go to work, but if there’s anything you ever need to talk about, I’m here.”

“Okay mom.”

The truth was that to Tara, Eleanor’s actions and her words didn’t match. She always berated her for small human errors and made her feel worse about herself.

Eleanor left for work, leaving Tara to take a shower. She stood under the running water and just sobbed, punching the bathroom wall in anger and frustration.

Once she got out and changed into her pyjamas, Robin was in her room waiting for her.

“Tara, if you want me to stay over and spend the night, I can.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, no problem!”

Robin did everything she could think of to take Tara’s mind off of the events that transpired tonight. Thankfully, she was already pretty tired so it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

In her dreams, she saw the burning New Belgium lab. This was a dream she was having quite regularly, but every time she tried to approach it, she felt an unshakable sense of dread. Still, the frustrating plateau that Tara found herself with in terms of controlling her powers drove her to move forward. Before she could enter the burning building, she heard the chime of a grandfather clock. When she turned around, there it was. For some reason or another, this particular clock had her frozen in sheer terror.

She woke up drenched in a cold sweat, gasping for air. She turned to her left to see that Robin was fast asleep.

After taking a deep sigh, she decided to have a snack to calm her nerves.

When she passed by Daniel’s room in the hallway, she heard the sound of his bed creaking and a girl moaning. “I guess Billy didn’t come back up to bed,” she said to herself.

When she went downstairs, she saw Billy splayed out on the couch, unconscious and clutching a nearly empty bottle of tequila.

“Go figure,” Tara said, exasperated.

She went in the kitchen and fixed herself a pizza bagel, her designated safe food.

While she was eating her snack, she heard a knock on the door and looked at the clock on the stove. 3:14 am.

Who on earth could that be at this hour? She decided to approach the door to see if she could gauge who it was without answering it.

“Billy,” the girl on the other side slurred. “I know you’re there. I followed your car home.”

Of course he drove drunk.

“You can’t just make me cum like that and disappear. Come on.”

That hurt. By now Tara was used to Billy having sex with other girls, but she didn’t expect those girls to literally show up at her door.

“You really get me, Billy. I need you. Now.”

Tara couldn’t take this anymore and decided to step outside.

“Who are you?” the girl slurred.

“I’m his girlfriend,” Tara replied flatly. “And I’m sorry, but he’s playing you.”

The two sat on the steps of the porch while they compared stories.

“I’m so sorry,” the girl said. “I swear I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

“I believe you. He does that.”

Tara looked at the cigarette which she had taken a few puffs of and sighed. “He turned me into a monster.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You didn’t come bite my head off when I showed up.”

“I’m so sick of this. All he does is drink and cheat on me and I’m stuck with him.”

“Why is that? Why can’t you leave?”

“It’s complicated… I’m sorry, I never caught your name.”

“It’s Patti.”

“Patti,” Tara repeated.

“Guess he duped both of us,” Patti offered.

“Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

The drive back to Patti’s house was relatively quiet, apart from the occasional sounds of the nocturnal wildlife.

Once Tara dropped Patti back off and went back to her place, she completely crashed, leaving her half-eaten pizza bagel in the kitchen.

She woke up to the sound of her very hungover boyfriend vomiting in her bathroom.

She entered the bathroom and placed a gentle hand on his back with one hand and held his hair back with another.

“God, baby, you’re so good to me.” Billy said.

“I’ll get you some water. That and a shower should make you feel better.”

“Why don’t you join me?” Billy offered suggestively.

“Because I already showered last night.”

Well, it’s a good thing that the nurses got everything they needed for the rape kit because once again, Billy got his way.

The shower water ran over them both while his cock was buried to the hilt inside of her.

He was riding out his third orgasm, kissing Tara hungrily while obscene moans fell from his lips.

“God, baby! Your fucking pussy feels like heaven! I love being inside of you! I could goddamn live inside of you and I would never complain once!”

He thrusted harder, bringing on his fourth and final orgasm.

Speaking of orgasms, Tara didn’t have any. Maybe it was the roofie still in her system. Maybe it was because of everything that happened, but she didn’t cum.

Once Billy and her got dressed and walked out to the driveway, Tara stopped.

“What’s wrong, doll face?” Billy asked.

“Um… it’s just that I have an important errand to run after school, so I think it would be better if I drove myself.”

“Important errand?”

“Yeah. Something happened and the police want me to come down to the station and give a statement.”

“Ah. Cops. Gotta love ‘em.”

“I mean, it’s not really a suggestion, Billy.”

“Yeah, I got that. See you around,” Billy said, slamming his car door in an annoyed manner before riding off at standard Billy Hargrove driving speed.

Once Tara pulled up to school, things seemed okay for a bit. Nancy was absent during first period, which worried her.

She only remembered her trying to shoo her away from the party. Everything else was a blur until she was assaulted.

Did something happen, she wondered.

Things continued to go askew when the PA announcement chimed.

“Attention Hawkins High! If you are a member of the cheer squad, the gymnastics team or the ballet team, there has been a gas leak in the dance studio. Classes will be held in the gymnasium and on the blacktop until the problem is fixed. That’s all. Please continue to go about your business.”

Okay, that’s tedious, but at least class would still be held.

When she got to the gym, however, the students who got there seemed frazzled and nervous.

“What’s going on?” Tara almost didn’t dare to ask. “Why is everyone so upset?”

“It’s a conspiracy! The universe hates us!” a ginger freshman shouted.

“Summer, what’s wrong?” Tara repeated, trying to remain measured.

“Coach Yelling Bitch is subbing today!” Summer cried.

Maya Jelavich. The poster child for Russian Ballet teachers. She takes the motto of “no excuses” and ramps it up to eleven.

So much for being able to use today’s class to decompress.

The first half of class, the warm up, was held on the blacktop, with track fences being used as substitutes for ballet bars.

Once the dancers were warmed up, they did the second half of class in the gym, where the boy’s basketball team was playing shirts and skins. Billy was on team skins because of course he was.

Tara noticed Billy was giving Steve a particularly hard time. Perhaps she should have payed it less mind because she was immediately berated by Coach Jelavich for “ogling the basketball boys”.

There was always a running bet to see who would either be reduced to tears or leave class early first when she was subbing and how long it would be.

The fact that everyone made it through the first half of class was impressive, but this is where she gets real.

The first one came when the dancers were practising their fouetté turns.

“I can see your lunch, Miss Cunningham.”

Poor Chrissy literally ran out.

“That was mean! Chrissy works really hard!” Tara said.

Tara was not normally bold enough to stand up to her teachers, but between Nancy possibly being missing, getting sexually assaulted, seeing her boyfriend cheating on her with 2 girls at once and one of said girls coming back to HER HOUSE looking for him, Tara was fed up.

“Well, Miss Newman, perhaps you can go next.”

Tara was never the best at fouetté turns, but Coach Jelavich was grilling her hardcore. The criticism and badgering were overwhelming, and that combined with improper spotting made her fall over.

“Absolutely pitiful! Again!”

A reprieve thankfully came when Vice Principal Whitmore came into the gym and asked to speak to both Coach Jelavich and the basketball team coach in private.

The boys were told to keep playing and Tara was told to keep practising.

Billy wasn’t letting up at all. He was really giving Steve the business. It all came to a head when Billy literally threw the ball at Steve’s face, knocking him over.

“Eat shit, Harrington!” Billy whooped.

“Billy! Stop that! Leave him alone already! What are you trying to prove?” Tara finally said, losing her patience.

“It’s just harmless fun, babe. No need to get your panties in a twist.”

“Doesn’t look harmless to me.”

“What do you care if he gets bitched on, anyways? You’re MY girlfriend. You fucking him or something?”

“For the millionth time, Billy, no! I am not having sex with Steve Harrington! He has a girlfriend!”

“Look,” Steve interjected. “I think, for whatever reason, we’re all a little upset and frustrated. Why don’t we just take a breather and—“

“Except that’s not your call, is it, Harrington? That’s for coach to decide and he’s outside getting his shit wrecked by Bitchmore.”

“Come on, man. Don’t call her that. I know she’s a hard-ass but be cool.”

“Well, Harrington, it seems to me like you went from being the expert on being cool to the last guy who would know jack shit about it, so—“

“We get it, Billy!” Tara interrupted. “You’re the alpha! The be-all-end-all of ultimate manliness and every girl absolutely worships you! Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Billy scoffed and walked away to take a swig from his water.

“Um, thanks, I guess,” Steve said to Tara, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Where’s Nancy?” Tara asked, definitely more accusatory than she intended.

“You’re kidding, right? Why don’t you ask him?” Steve said, pointing at Billy. “He was the one egging you on to verbally massacre her.”

“Verbally massacre?”

“Yeah, you told her that you two weren’t actually friends and that you didn’t need her. Oh and apparently she was only pretending to be your friend to feel better about herself.”

“I would never say anything like that!”

Just then, the two coaches came back.

“Well, you did.”

Without another word, Tara returned to her fouettés.

Coach Jelavich ramped up her heckling, compounding her berating and insults with a phrase that stung.

“You are embarrassing, disappointing and amateur! I would have never cast you as principal! You will never be Odette!”

That hurt. Tara fell to the floor, losing her balance and tears fell from her eyes, prompting her boyfriend to finally intervene.

“Jesus Christ! Lay off her!”

“Mind your own business lunkhead basketball boy.”

“At least I’m not a former Commie.”

“You are simple. You toss around ball and think that entitles you to endless accolades. Ballet is a culture. It’s a way of life. And if you do not live that way of life, you do not deserve pointe shoes.”

Billy decided he was uninterested in what she was saying and ran over to Tara’s side.

“Are you okay, babe?”

He tried to help her up, but she snatched herself away. “Don’t touch me!”

Tara got up and grabbed her gym back before turning back to Billy. “We’re through!”

And with that, Tara stormed out, leaving Billy with an initial look of confusion that gradually became seething anger once he realised that he had been dumped.

Truthfully, Tara had never run out of class before, so she had no idea what to do or where she was going.

At least until she saw mullet man smoking in the designated smoking area.

“What are you doing out of class?” he asked, causing Tara to give a mortified expression.

“I’m just messing with you, princess.” he said with a chuckle.

Tara responded with a half hearted chuckle, still VERY uneasy about the situation.

“First time cutting?” he asked.

That question initially caught Tara off guard and she had an expression that looked like it could have been panic until she had a realisation.

“Oh you mean class?”

“What else could I have possibly meant? Yes, I meant class.”

“Oh… yeah…”

“Hey, sorry about last night. My girl, Brenda, if she sees me interacting with someone who has even one iota of cleavage, she assumes I’m trying to cheat.”

“Seriously? That’s awful!”

Mullet man shrugged. “She’s been cheated on a lot in the past. You know the old saying. Once bitten, twice shy and all.”

Tara thought to herself and came to to conclusion that as unfaithful as Billy was, he wouldn’t ever presume he was cheating unless she was given indisputable evidence like the many times she found the leftover undergarments in his car or the one time she literally caught him in the act. To accuse someone of cheating simply because the girl had cleavage seemed a bit extreme, even under her circumstances.

“I should go. This isn’t me. I’m not meant for truancy.”

“I can respect that. See you around, princess.”

On the way back to class, Tara was stopped by the school nurse.

“Tara what are you doing?”

Her blood ran cold and she froze like a deer in headlights. Getting caught cutting class was not something she wanted on her record and it definitely wasn’t something she wanted to explain to her mother.

“You walked right past me. Again,” she said shaking a pill bottle.

Right. Her heart medication. It was time to take that, anyway.

Once lunch rolled around, Tara saw Nancy eating with Jonathan. She was relieved that Nancy was okay, but boy oh boy did she have some splainin’ to do.

“Nancy!” Tara called. “Nancy! I’m so sorry!”

“For?” Nancy asked, shooting a look of confusion.

“For what I said at Tina’s party last night!”

“What?”

“Apparently I said some things at the party while I was drunk but I want you to know that I was way out of line and I didn’t mean any of them!”

“Okay. Good to know,” Nancy said, still very confused.

“Friends?”

“Of course,” Nancy said, still perplexed before Tara gave her a one-sided hug.

By the time school was out for the day, it occurred to Tara that Billy might decide to take the fact that she broke up with him out on Max and decided to stake out the parking lot to intercept her before she could get hurt.

She saw Billy out there with another girl. Guess he wasn’t all that upset about getting dumped. Then again, it’s entirely possible that he made plans with her the moment she said she was going back home without him.

The two of them were waiting out there for quite a while before Billy finally said “Screw it! The little shit can skate home!”

After he drove away, Tara emerged from the car she was hiding behind and decided to go find Max herself.

She trekked the grounds of the middle school looking for her.

“Max? Max?”

Where on earth could she possibly be?

After rigorously searching through the halls, she ran smack dab into what initially looked like another middle schooler.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” she instinctively asked before taking another look at this little girl. The first thing that immediately struck Tara was that this kid looked vaguely like she could be a younger version of her.

However, she could only get a glimpse before the very clearly agitated girl decided to fling her back at least 10 feet away.

Once Tara recovered from the shock, she looked up to see the girl had her arm extended outward and blood ran from her nose. As she got up, she put the pieces together and realised that this girl had the same abilities that she did.

But how was that even possible? She was the only survivor from the New Belgium facility.

Or was she? She needed answers. Just then, the girl started to walk away.

“Wait!” Tara called.

The girl decided to run. Tara followed but whoever this kid was, she knew how to run for it.

“Wait! Stop!” Tara pleaded. “I’m a friend!”

She extended her arm in an attempt to use her powers to stop her, but with the roofie still in her system, it was no dice.

She got away.

“Jason Carver, you dirtbag!” Tara shouted, kicking a locker in frustration.

[ducknotinarow]

[Childhood AU]

"What?" Bailey asks, "I can totally crow!"

How did they even get onto this dumb little argument? They had been talking about their differences, Richard being a Golden Eagle and Bailey a Brahma Rooster, but somehow it got to the fact Bailey had never, properly, crowed in front of him, and now he was being teased about it. All Bailey had done was small little crows when he was a toddler and learning how to do it.

"Hmpf, you wanna hear a crow Richy?" Bailey asks, feathers puffing up in defence, "Fine, but you can't complain about the headache."

Shuffling, he gets himself comfortable. Making a small ahem noise, Tilting his head back, Bailey takes in a deep breath. There's a beat of silence, got to build the anticipation after all. And then he does it. He opens his beak and crows - loudly. Very loudly. Migraine inducing levels of loud in fact.

Instead of stopping after a couple of seconds, Bailey keeps going. He keeps going until air leaves his lungs completely; a good thirsty seconds of demonic screaming. Bailey sways to the side, crow only ending as he faints off to the side, hitting the floor with a thump, the only thing seen is his lower legs hooked onto the edge of the bed. Panting hard, Bailey manages to lift an arm, casually, flipping Richard off - simply playing around,

"Fuck you I did it!" Arm hits the floor, "....Help me up? I'm tired now..."

|Muse interaction

The pair of them were just resting on the bed, Bailey snug against his side head buried in the crook of his neck, they had music on Richard couldn't remember if it was an older CD Bailey put together or newer he was just thankful they didn't throw on the boy band music..was bad enough they had already caught him singing one before. It was just nice relaxing even laying like so with his boyfriend. Expect they kept moving thier bill in against his neck moving feathers around it wasn't uncomfortable but it did tickle a little each time he felt the edge of thier bill bury into his feathers. Richard let out a slight laugh escape his beak each time Bailey's bill moved against his neck. "Would you stop that" Bailey hummed and said no because he was preening them and they needed it clearly, Richard rolled his eyes and shifted a little on Bailey's bed placing his hand on thier chest and giving a light push to roll them over "Yeah well go preen yourself dork." Bailey of course pouted thier two-toned bill now since they were taken away from Richard's side and warmth, Richard moving to sit up and smooth over the feathers on his neck as he looked over to Bailey pointing to his own beak as a way to nice point out they had one of his feathers on thier own. Bailey went to brush the loose brown feather off "You get my feathers all pink when you do that I already had them change once" Bailey asking if that was an issue, “..no” he kind of liked being covered in their gloss after all, Bailey smiled and moved to sit up now going about fixing up the gloss on their beak side most of it was now on Richard’s neck “Still dosen’t answer your need todo it all the time, not that I mind that either actually. Just tickles sometimes” Richard asked watching Bailey as he recoated their bill in that goopy sparkly pink gloss, they shrugged defending it by claiming he can’t help his chicken instincts. Explaining even that chickens just preen a lot even pointing out how hi family dose it. Not looking Richard’s way confused a bit themself asking them about Richard’ parents preening him. The thought alone had the eagles beak curling back in disgust physicals recoiling at the thought of his father or mother doing something so physicals affectionate like that. To be fair he would have the same reaction over a simple hug. Bird species was not the only thing that made the Evans different from the Alders, soon shaking his head. “Uh no we don’t do that eagles aren’t very uh” trying to think of the right words to explain it “Social? Outside the sounds we make to commutative I guess buts that about the only thing I think of instinct wise?” Maybe there was more but nothing that was coming to mind but now Richard interest was piqued on the subject about the difference between their spices “What else can chickens do, I mean I’ve heard you squeak when you sneeze after all and you trill…like a lot what else though?”

Bailey hummed in thought and went to speak on listing things that came up as they crossed his mind all that Richard was sure of as they did was notice Bailey just made noise a lot, sure a lot of them were cute. Their trills, how they purred sometimes even not to mention talk that was more a Bailey thing however he couldn’t thing of much a time Bailey wasn’t. When they went on to bring up crowing Richard snickered “What you mean that thing where you like squeaked a crow out once before when we were kids?” Richard pointed out “Cause happy to tell you and break it you Bails but you can’t crow then if that’s how you do it.” Richard pointed out slightly leaning back on Bailey’s bed as he smirked feeling the need to tease them a little now

"What?"

Bailey asked, looking offended by Richard’s remark now. "I said that wasn't a crow if anything you sounded like a mix off" he paused to think a moment "A cat being strangled, a dogs squeak toy." smirking as he made his point more so "So sorry, expect we both know I'm not you can't crow."

"I can totally crow!"

"Oh yeah?" Richard egged on leaning forward a bit challenging them as he smirked "Then prove it unless all you can do is a croak." He jabbed with before moving back some now watching Bailey's face as they took the bait.

"Hmpf, you wanna hear a crow Richy?"

Richard nodded his head to say yes, he felt he had made that clear as to why even he didn't know he just liked when the tables turned and he was the one pushing thier buttons for a change but he was going to regret..a little bit. Not near enough close to maybe he should be.

"Fine, but you can't complain about the headache."

That headache already had a name, and it was Bailey. Richard didn't say it out loud but he sure thought it as he watched Bailey shuffle about on the bed trying to get comfortable on the bed a little 'ahem' to get themself ready as they soon started to tip thier head back sucking in a deep breath of air before they finally let out the crow. Richard flinched a bit from being so close hands lifting up to hold the sides of his head attempting to muffle the sound didn't do much as it still seemed to ring out inside his head, or so that's how it felt. Prying an eye open as he looked over to Bailey having expected they stop anytime soon only for Bailey to continue and force the sound out, you could hear the sound drying out slowly as the rooster was running out of breath to feed the noise. Bailey was worse than a cat howling at night, or a car alarm going off in the middle of the night. God, it was like a demonic cry at this point and hell was unleashing on Richard's ears. Watched Bailey start to sway off to the side before then toppling over to thier side slipping over the edge of his bed before hitting the floor with a thump. A blessing in disguise as that was what made them stop finally, Richard was slow to lower his arms from his head as he could feel them ringing still, moving over to the side ready to make sure they were fine only to see Bailey's hand rise up a few seconds later. "You oka-" Richard cut himself off as their fingers curled in outside thier middle, flipping Richard off, yeah he was fine he figures as he rolled his eyes. Moving to lay on his stomach as he propped his chin on the back of a hand. Staring down at Bailey as they were panting roughly.

"Fuck you I did it!"

Arm falling down to hit the floor, Richard snorted a little as he reached down his arm now to idly poke at the rooster, outside their painting breath that seemed to be slowing down now, they were fine.

"....Help me up? I'm tired now..."

"You're an idiot" Richard answered instead, as Richard can't help but let a slightly snicker escape his beak, moving his head to cover his mouth as he continued letting the laugh rumble out through his body. he still maned to get off over the side moving to sit on the floor beside the rooster, "But fine I'll lend you a hand," Gathering the worn-out pile of feathers into his arms, as he went about shifting back onto his feet before dropping them on the bed. "that's what you get for unleashing all that dumb in one action though." As if Richard had been the catalyst to this all. Taking a seat on the bed "ut fine I guess you win you can crow if you want to call that a crow causes damn I think you made my ear drum bust with that banshee screech of yours. And don't even try it because I wasn't complaining about a headache." Smiling as he laid back down Bailey still tried out and worn the eagle couldn't help but return to his own need to mess with them "hmm so this is what it's like" he started off with looking to Bailey who looked confused, "Being able to hear my own thoughts for once it's nice." He remarked moving his arms behind his head as he soaked it in a little.