#it was manageable but now pain meds don’t help stretching doesn’t help and walking is getting difficult

[mat-atitagainwiththe-shitposts]

Always be grateful for the days your back isn’t sore

[cookie-crumblr]

The Smell of Smoke

Innocent F! Reader x M!Yandere Bully OC

Part 6~

His Info: 🖕✨

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

MINORS DNI

CW: Fem! Reader, reader has a vagina, reader referred to as she/her, loud “noises”, bullying against reader, explicit language, asphyxiation, fight, blood, extreme violence against reader, hospital setting, coma-d reader,, medication use, non con kissing and touching,

Yesterday feels like a dream, but your throbbing head at least proves the alcohol part…

But what about him being … Nice-ish… to you.

Nice for him definitely.

Nice for you, eh, not so much. no more like not at all.

It’s still weird though.

You don’t understand him in the slightest.

Gods, your leg and head are in agony, like you’re in a crocodile’s mouth and she’s giving you the famously terrible roll of death.

You clamber over to your meds, but they aren’t in your bag. At first you’re confused but when you turn around, your bleary eyes land on an open bottle of beer and your med bottle… Did he try to do something “nice” for you, again?

“What the fuck…” Your lip’s upturned as you groan.

Uhg just get them in you already.

An Hour Later~

You make it to class without a hitch! you feel like for the first time in a week you can breathe, at least a little, though labored, it still feels amazing!

Ezra isn’t in class today, another sigh of relief escapes you.

You’re taking notes diligently today, it’s actually so relaxing, you had no idea something so boring and mundane could be so therapeutic.

It’s a good day without him.

Outside the sun feels so wonderful on your face you forget about your broken and branded leg. It feels like the sun’s giving you a nice warm embrace, keeping you safe from all the horrors you’ve experienced now.

You find a stall vending your favorite foods and go to buy some, and a stranger pays for your food!

It’s such a good day without him.

The Next Day~

*SLAM, BANG!*

“SURPRISE! ‘M Y’R NEW ROOMIE~”

You jump as your door flies off its hinges, and Ezra announces his presence loudly and ridiculously.

Come on, of course you cant have more than a gods damn day to yourself.

He starts throwing your roommates shit all over the room, “the fuck are you doing!?” You yell at him without thinking.

“What’d you say, bitch!?” He immediately faces you, and throws down whatever was in his hands in front of you, causing you to yelp and flinch.

“I-I didn’t—”

“Y-You what? didn’t mean it? It’s too fuckin’ late for you, slut.” He’s already on you, hand wrapped around your throat.

You cough without any air, it’s painful to even try.

Your crutches are next to you on your bed…

You reach and stretch over—

You manage to grab one, it’s a little awkward to wield and swing, but you fucking hit him!

He’s surprised and let’s go of you, a wild smile pulls at his lips.

Oh gods!!

You Bolt.

By the time you’re out of the door, your bad legs make you stumble, then in a second he’s tackling you to the ground.

He punches the back of you then grabs you by the back of your head and smashes your face into the ground.

There’s a ringing in your ears, and blood starts pouring from your nose like a geyser.

“Ezra! Stop!!” Ace’s muffled, worry filled voice rings out from down the hall.

“Stay outta it Ace!” Ezra’s voice is equally as hard to hear, even though he’s yards closer.

“No! Quit it!!! Y/N didn’t do anything to you!”

He throws you forward. You have absolutely no fight. You lie shaking and in complete shock, frozen as of time is ice around you.

“Y/N, You oka— no of course not,,” he rushes over to you.

“Ezra… why…” Ace didn’t ask it, he just sounds so disappointed in his brother.

“Yeah, yeah” Ezra doesn’t look at Ace as he walks past him.

“Easy up there, Y/N,” Ace helps you up and slips your arm around his neck. He’s shorter than Ezra so it’s a little easier to walk with him helping you.

“Fuck, I’m sorry… I’m so… Sorry,” he whispers seemingly to himself.

Your ears are still ringing and your head is in more agony than you’ve ever felt up there, you aren’t sure you can stay upright even with Ace’s help.

“woah there! here,” He lifts you into his solid arms and makes sure your tight against his chest.

You try to stay awake but find that a feeling deeper than even the promise of the deepest sleep is pulling you under fast.

“Hey, w-wait, i think you’re s’posed to stay awake with head injuries!” He panics, and speeds up to his car, but stops and calls for an ambulance.

Shit, you’re gonna have a massive bill. Your head is… in unthinkable agony. Is it gonna explode!?

You black out, and come to a few times, one second your in Ace’s arms, the next you’re in a fire truck? next your in a gurney, and then a hospital.

“Y/N!?” Its Ace that’s there next to you when you wake up, but you see a familiar strawberry blonde standing almost outside of your line of sight. He’s wearing a deep scowl. “Y/N! Y/N! You’re awake!”

“You… Were in a coma… For a week.” Ezra doesn’t look at you as he gets the words out.

“A WEEK!? This time you put me in a coma for a week, and you can’t even look at me, you’re despicable. Why are you even here!?” You grab your head as it pounds.

His fiery gaze meets yours head on and you aren’t backing down. What’s he gonna do? put you in another coma??

For fucks sake.

His expression changes, something akin to lust maybe? It’s always confusing you and giving you whiplash, nothing is ever how you expect with this guy.

“Ace, can you give us a minute?” he asks.

“No can do.” He crosses his arms and shakes his head, steadfast, and not going to leave your side.

“It’s alright, i think he’s made whatever point he wanted to make for now.” You resist rolling your eyes at Ezra, thinking back to just … Well you guess a week ago now. It feels like it just happened a second ago to you. Uhg, your head.

He takes a minutes long pause before deciding and finally standing. “okay… But… yell if you need help.” He’s torn, but you want to hear what Ezra has to say, if anything, or if he’s just gonna jump you again, at least you’re already in a hospital bed…

Oh fuck! it’s just hit you… A Weeks worth of medical bills!? FUCK.

“Y/N—” He starts, but…

“Nope, wait, let me go first. What the hell do you want from me!? Just take it and get it over with already! just look at me! are you done yet? happy?? satisfied??”

“I’m not happy.” He looks out the window at a tree. “‘sides, to be honest, thought youd ‘ave a thicker skull than that,” he snickers.

“Oh fuck off.” You’ve never been so angry before in your life. You’ve also never felt so powerless. Maybe because you have nothing left to loose you feel more unhinged and ready to fight.

“I’m sorry.” he says flatly.

“Did you just..?” NOTHING can redeem him, and he just thinks— or maybe he’s not even thinking! does he have a brain to think?

He crosses the room.

Leaning over you in your bed, he grabs your face to pull it up right in front of his own.

You meet his challenge and stare deeply back into his dark red-brown eyes.

He looks down at your puffed lips and back up.

Soon he’s grabbing you all over your upper half, chest waist, belly, throat, he messes up your gown and when it’s loose around your shoulder he bites you there.

His teeth sink into your flesh, you’re biting your lip and trying to shove him off but you have no strength.

Your head lolls back wards, and as youre about to start counting the dots in the ceiling, he backs off.

“Fuck this, ‘m goin’ out f’r a smoke,” he tosses your head back down to your body and back onto the hospital bed.

Ace steps in right after him, before the door closes, “You alright?”

“Yeah, thank you, Ace… I think i need more meds tho hah” you try and laugh but your head pounds.

“Here!” He pushes the button for you and tells the nurse what’s wrong. he listens to Ace for a second then comes to you to confirm and once you do he gives you more morphine.

Then, your whole body just melts.

Woo goodness does that feel nice. You drift back into sleep happily, forgetting everything, along with the pain just for a second.

Yet…

Both dreams end the same…

[crippleprophet]

hi i was wondering if you or any of your followers had tips for dealing with chronic muscle pain (specifically hip and knee).

nothing i’ve tried has seemed to help (pt, otc pain meds, ice, heat, rest, acupuncture, cbd lotion, epson salt baths, stretching). and i’ve peen told that the only pain meds that would help would be narcotics (which i can’t take due to family).

also everybody has seemed to circle back to “it’s because of your mental health that everything is shit”. and doctors refuse to do any tests past moving my legs around and poking at them.

so i will try almost anything. thank you

i’m so sorry you’re dealing with this, i have chronic muscle pain & i know it can easily be so debilitating. regardless of whether there’s a relationship with stress or whatever, your physical symptoms should still be fucking treated! the abject cruelty of not managing your pain aside, it’s almost like it’s harder to handle mental experiences when you’re in pain all the time… you don’t deserve this bullshit & i’m really sorry 🖤

i am suspicious of your being told that only narcotics would help tbh — i don’t doubt that many folks need narcotics to effectively treat their pain, & opioids have definitely been the most effective treatment for me when i have access to them (although more for nerve stuff than muscle) but there are definitely medications you haven’t been offered yet that might be helpful.

idk if you suspect that your muscle pain may be related to chronic illness but my muscle pain (including what was dismissed as untreatable fibromyalgia symptoms) improved dramatically when i got on an immunosuppressant (hydroxychloroquine in my case). if you haven’t gotten a basic rheumatology blood panel done by your GP it could be worth a shot as my elevated inflammatory markers led to that prescription even though i’m definitely underdiagnosed.

i’m also like, really pissed nobody’s given you a muscle relaxer jesus christ. i’m on 4mg tizanidine from my PCP & it’s been immensely helpful for my muscle pain, i choose to take it probably once a week because it’s more effective at knocking me out all night that way lol but i also use it as a rescue medication when i’m having severe cramps. really helpful to just get a fucking break & some decent sleep every so often. in that thread i’m planning to ask about starting prazosin at my next appointment, it’s prescribed for nightmares (which i def have lol) but can prompt a certain level of muscle relaxation which is part of how it helps with sleep

idk if this is an option for you due to family etc but delta8 (weed equivalent that’s technically legal in the US) has been vital for managing my own pain. expensive as shit but so it goes.

idk if you already use a mobility aid or if that’s an option for you but it could be worth looking into! redirecting some of the force applied to your muscles might make things like walking easier or could help with balance if you experience sudden weakness / cramps.

super depends on your situation but it could be worth paying attention to your feet as well, getting plantar fasciitis house shoes vastly improved my knee-hip-back pain, knees in particular. mine was more joint related than muscular but from studying biomechanics it’s all interrelated & from my perspective anything that helps may make it a bit easier to keep going until you find a better long-term solution. so even if it doesn’t seem related to your pain if there’s anything that might make your life easier right now i encourage you to consider it!

other folks feel free to respond with things that have been effective for you! i really hope you find some solutions that make things more bearable for you 💓💓

[or-something-better]

Able, Lucifer & Sam

August 27, 2022 

Sam

A constant beep beep beep sound was the first thing I became aware of as I returned to consciousness; the pain in my head was the second, damn it was pounding. Opening my eyes, it took a few seconds before I was able to make out the Bunker’s MedBay. Partially sitting up I glanced towards the noise and was able see it came from a heart rate monitor. Oh good…guess that means I’m still alive. I was about to lay back down, when I saw movement and turned my head too damn fast to see what it was. Shit! Beside me on another gurney was Ruby, and seeing her suddenly brought back the memories of OZ. Ruby?

Ruby

Hearing my name, I slowly become aware of being on some sort of bed and I hear beeping noises. My eyelids are heavy and don’t want to open. After some difficulty, I manage to get them open and look around. Where am I? Looking over, I see Sam on another bed.

Sam

You okay? Pulling the leads stuck to my chest off, I reached over and turned off the monitor. Any idea what happened to us?

Ruby

“I think I’m ok. I, I don’t remember.”  Trying to think is difficult. I feel like my brain is wrapped in cotton. I get vague snippets of a presence inside my head. Was it real or just a dream? I decide not to tell Sam, for now.

“Are YOU okay?”

Sam

I’m fine, at least I think I’m fine. Gotta terrible headache…I wonder how long we’ve been out. I look around wondering where the others are

Ruby

Sitting up, I take the monitor leads off and shut off the machine. “It doesn’t feel like very long. I’m not stiff like I’ve spent days laying here.”

Mary

sits in the map room with Ellen and Jo

Sam

Man, I understand the headache, my psyche seemed to throw up the complete Evil Hit Parade. I tip my head back, trying to stretch out tight neck muscles. Bad dreams I guess. Sights from Hell and being locked in the cage… but underlying all of it was this great… I don’t know how to describe it… thirst, I guess. Saying the words out loud, brought with them the realization that the thirst part of my nightmares wasn’t fading and was going to force me to address it.

Mary

sits in the map room with Ellen and Jo

Ellen

at the table with Mary and jo. I hear a commotion going on as I follow the noise I'm soo surprised to see Sam & Ruby awake  well hey you 2! excited I leave to call to Charlie

Mary

Sam! Oh thank goodness you're awake. Calls Dean into the room

Jo

Sam? Ruby? You’re awake!

Sam

Guys, guys… no big deal. Neither of us were hurt this time and it’s not like I haven’t been knocked down in a fight before. It’s fine.

Mary

Dean, Sam's awake

Ellen

taking my phone out I go to call Charlie on the other end I hear "Pizza Hut, how can I help you. oh shit wrong number. Ok Google call Charlie. Charlie’s cell phone starts ringing

Jo

I’m surprised Sam Got so annoyed.

Sam

Alright, you know what? I shake my head, and stand up from the gurney. I’m going to go and take a shower. I can still smell OZ all over me. Without waiting for any of them to reply. I head for the door, passing Ruby I stop to give her arm a reassuring squeeze before going to my own room.

Charlie

answering the phone as I’m driving from Best Buy  hey Ellen what’s up?

Jo

Why was Sam so upset?

Mary

calls Dean hey Dean your brother is awake

Ellen

Hey! Just thought I'd tell ya Sam and ruby are awake!

Dean

answers the phone that’s great I’m on my way!

Charlie

What?!? That’s amazing!! I’ll be there soon!! ending the call I speed up a bit more to get home

Dean

I get in the impala and head back to the bunker speeding

Ellen

picks and calls pizza hut back

Ruby

After Sam heads for the shower, I feel like the walls are closing in around me. I have to get out of here!

“I need to go. Tell Sam I’ll be back later.” Without giving them a chance to stop me, I pop into my apartment.

Patience

coming back from a walk I head to med bay only to see empty beds wait what where are Ruby and Sam

Jo

Sam is I’m the shower and Mary said Ruby went home

Mary

Ruby went home

Patience

wondering was that a good idea was she checked over

Mary

I don't think. She just left before we could stop her

Charlie

pulling into the bunker I park my car, leaving the bags inside for later and run in

Dean

I pull up to the bunker running inside SAMMY!  SAM! Where’s Sammy? SAMMY!!!

Charlie

I get to the bottom of the stairs after being nearly run over by dean

Patience

wringing my hands thinking it was not a good idea Ruby left

Charlie

heading into med bay I start checking a few things and cleaning the room

Dean

Where's SAMMY?? HELLLOOOOO WHERE THE HELL IS HE

Mary

Shower

Jo

Sam is acting very strange

Charlie

You think? I mean he’s been through a lot…

Mary

Sam's acting strange

Charlie

I’m sure he’s fine, he’s a Winchester grins but I’ll gladly check him over when he gets out of the shower

Patience

pacing back and forth worries about Ruby

Mary

His reaction when he left was violent

Jo

That’s what I thought also

Charlie

I’ll check him out, I promise

Ruby

Once at home, I take a moment to feel the quiet of the apartment and calm my nerves. I can’t help but have a sensation that I have leftover feelings from something that happened while in Oz but can’t remember. The more I chase the memory, the farther away it gets.

Going into the kitchen, I fill the kettle with water, set it on the stove, and turn the flame on high. Waiting for the kettle, I sit at the table and try to make sense of what happened in Oz. I haven’t had anything like that happen in a long time. In fact, the last time was… A stabbing pain shoots through my head as if a hot poker had been run through it. Suddenly I see an image in my mind….Lucifer! My heart begins to pound. I can see him in my head as if I’m right there with him!

Lucifer

I smirk at her reaction Did ya miss me?

Ruby

I am shocked at his appearance. He looked disheveled and definitely worse for wear. What has happened to him?

Lucifer

Aww cmon now... it's time to play nice and pay up. And hey- maybe if you're good I'll bring along your little playmate.. Sammy.

Ruby

Confused, I ask, “What are you talking about?”

Lucifer

Oh I've got so many plans. And I can't wait to share them with you This time I'm getting a Winchester on my team-- and not that wimpy Adam.

Ruby

Before I can stop myself, I spit out, “You bastard!” Lucifer throws me against a wall and holds me there.

Lucifer

I snarl at her, a feral grin Oh you're going to cooperate. Or my associate and I, will make damn sure you pay.

Ruby

Gritting my teeth, and against my better judgment, I nod my head.

Sam

They shower had helped ease the pain in my head and I was hoping that a monster cup of coffee would finish the job. Pouring it, I take the mug and go back into the map room to sit down and drink it.

Patience

sitting at the map table with some of the group and Sam. Sam take your time but try and think if you remember anything from Oz.

Mary

Do you remember anything about what happened in Oz Sam?

Sam

Patience, I remember seeing Amara, and that's pretty much it

Patience

Amara!! That a lot maybe you might remember more later we hope.

Sam

No sorry, you guys are going to have to be the ones to fill me in

Dean

That’s it? How do you not remember anything that happened?

Sam

Give Dean that Really look Oh I don't know Dean, maybe because I wasn't conscious for it

Dean

I’m just saying you dont remember what happened before?

Sam

Look, I’ve shared everything I can remember about being over there, alright. I’m sorry if it’s not what you’re wanting to hear, you can just… Clamping my mouth shut on the sharp words that almost made their way out. I stand up from the table. Just drop it for tonight, okay. I go back to my room.

Dean

I look at Mary I’m a bit concerned about Sammy’s behavior I’m gonna call Ellen I call Ellen listening to the phone ring

Mary

I have a feeling something strange is going on too Dean

Ellen

hearing my phone ring oh hey Dean how the hell are ya?

Henry

counties eating my fries glad to have a fun day for once who is it ?

Dean

Hey Ellen, hey can you come to the bunker? Its Sam. He’s acting really weird and not himself

Ellen

That was fun huh kiddo. It's dean

Ellen

Oh man Dean I don't know. The kid and I just started to eat. We had a great day and wanna continue it.

Henry

Oh, what's wrong?  looks up at her

Ellen

And it's Sam. I'm sure Sam is just fine. Maybe just needs a walk.

Ellen

putting my hand over the receiver it's Sam.. Dean says he's not acting like himself and asked us to come.

Dean

Yeah he’s acting weird like male PMS or something

Henry

We are going. If dean says Sam is not ok he's not ok. grabs my basket of food and coat. Heads out the door already in the car

Ellen

bewildered look about henry ok Dean were on our way! hangs up the phone alright kiddo let's go!

Ruby

Once Lucifer has vanished, I am shaking. Just when I thought being tangled up with Lucifer was over, he comes back into my life to mess it up! And like always, I have no choice but to go along with his plans! I have to see Sam! Popping directly to his room, I see him laying on the bed with his eyes closed and his jaw is clenched. “Hey, Sam.”

Sam

Laying on the bed with my hands behind my head and eyes closed, I look like I’m sleeping to anyone who might come checking on me. My only outward sign of agitation was the movement of my right foot back and forth, but I was certainly far from relaxed. At the sound of Ruby’s voice so close, I bolt upright. Ruby! Sitting up and swinging my legs off the bed, I can’t hide the irritation racing through me. Where the hell have you been? I came back from the shower, and they said you’d just vanished. What was I supposed to think?

Ruby

“Sorry!” I say snidely, “I just had to get out of here. Everything was closing in on me!”

Sam

I run my hands through my hair. I know what you mean. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to take it out on you. Ruby, I can’t explain it, but whatever happened to us while we were in OZ has just driven this need of mine to an insane level. I can’t believe it’s gotten to this already.

Ruby

Knowing that might be a problem, I planned ahead. Without saying anything, I reach into my pocket and take out a vial, handing it to him.

Sam

I could have kissed her in that moment if I wasn’t already trying to get the top off the vial and drinking it down. This time I could feel the numbing heat all the way through my body. Breathing heavy as if I’d been running. I grab Ruby’s arm. Ruby, I need to get out of here…

Ruby

Taking my phone out of my back pocket, I set mine next to his on the nightstand. I lock the bedroom door and holding onto his arm, I pop us out of there.

Ellen

pulling up to the bunker with kid Hey let's get inside.

Patience

seeing Henry and Ellen coming in hey you 2 can I get you a drink or cookies for you Henry

Ellen

walking in with Henry and our food no thanks we brought our own. So what's going on? start to eat my fries

Henry

jumps out and runs inside what's happening? No thanks not at the moment. What if Sam I came for him

Mary

I'm not sure what's going on with Sam exactly.

Charlie

coming out of med bay with sheets of printouts from the monitors I lay them on the table to study them

Dean

walk out if medbay with Charlie

Patience

looking even more worried about Sam what does it mean

Charlie

after studying them I point out to the group  look at all the jumps in his heart rate—he was asleep… something was eating at him even then…. pulling out Ruby’s hers too….

Ellen

All those spikes there showing patience one of the print outs means something had him worked up for sure.

Mary

I'm not familiar with anything that can target a demon and a human. What could it be

Jo

I agree. Although I wonder what it could’ve been. He was asleep.

Dean

Well.... It looks like we got some work to do....but first.... I wanna check on Sammy! I run to Sammy’s room and knock on the door SAMMY! HEY SAMMY OPEN UP! Getting no answer HENRY come pick the lock before I kick this damn door in!

Henry

On it! runs and fiddles around the lock and gets it open wakey wakey... Looks like he's gone

Dean

walk into the room seeing it empty and their phones on the bed SON OF A BITCH!

Ellen

walking up behind dean and henry What's going on Dean

Dean

They are fucking gone and their phones are here! Sam never leaves his damn phone!

Ellen

seeing how pissed dean is I'll go tell Charlie turns away to go let Charlie know what they found getting back to Charlie. Charlie,  Sam is gone and they phone 2 phones on the bed.

Charlie

sighs that’s really odd… they’ve never left me without a way to track them… they know how important that is! Damn it! ….

Dean

I come out ranting its gotta fucking be ruby! Why the hell would he leave without his damn phone! Where the fuck did she taken him to now???

Patience

shaking my head why would Ruby do anything as stupid to compromise the team it doesn't make sense?

Henry

Once a demon always a demon. Their only out for themselves

Jo

Ruby’s gotta know that taking Sam is like taking an important limb.

Mary

What are some of his favorite places to go. Maybe we can look there

Dean

I swear she gains trust just to fuck us over again That will take way too damn long to find him!

Charlie

At this point, Dean …. It’s our only option!

Patience

the vision suddenly is gone and I tell the team what I saw

Lucifer

walking up a couple of stairs, I make my way to an apartment door and knock gently. I glance around myself, then an unseen figure opens up the door. I immediately lean in a bit, lowering my voice and leaning on the door frame. It's time... we need to rebuild my army again. I smirk And as my favorite recruit- I reach through the doorway and poke the unseen man in the chest with my finger - I want you to lead it. I already have the first few prospects chosen, but they cannot know I am involved. Here... I hand him an envelope I pull from inside of my jacket, with the address to an abandoned warehouse not too far and a time later in the evening

I'll begin my meetings there. Do not make the chances that I took in Heaven, be all for nothing. I give him a stern glare in warning then dissipate into thin air

Ellen

dramatically speaking why is it when you 2 are involved Dean, The world has to be ending. giving him a slight shove of the shoulder

Charlie

Well I guess it’s just another apocalypse we have to stop…. shrugs

Dean

Really? I didn’t choose this shit it chose us

Sam

Walking from the kitchen to the living room, Crowley make a move to go between my feet and I nudge him across the room with a little more force than I meant to. Looking up I see Ruby’s face, and I know she saw it too. Shit, sorry, sorry.. Continues to pace. I should be fine by now. This has never happened before. I feel like I’m coming out of my skin!

Ruby

Trying to reassure him, I tell him, “It’s likely due to the magic of Oz, and it should settle soon.”

Sam

Yeah, well SOON can’t be soon enough for me

Ruby

I say with a sigh, “I may know someone.”

Sam

Stops cold You wanna share with the rest of the class?

Ruby

Snaping at him I remark,  “I could have just left you at the bunker.”

Sam

Drops down to sit on the sofa and hangs my head in my heads. Taking a deep breath to keep the snark out of my tone, I look back up and try to be pleasant Can we go already…

Ruby

Looking at him, knowing he isn’t as repentant as he seems, I tell him “I need to take care of something first, but as soon as I get back, we’ll go.

Sam

Fine! Lays back against the sofa and closes my eyes.

Ruby

I pop over to where Lucifer is.

Lucifer

I give ruby a bored smile Well.. look what the cat drug in... through the mud. Looking a little worse for wear there.

Ruby

Holding my tongue, I tell him she Sam is ready for the meeting.

Lucifer

Perfect...everything is all set up. Here. This is where they'll be held. I toss her a scrap paper with the address scribbled on it

Ruby

Taking it, I stuff it in my pocket.

Lucifer

Crazy, how intense Sammy's cravings have gotten lately. Huh...

Ruby

I look at him sharply! “What have you done?!”

Lucifer

I shrug then fake a glance at my wrist like I'm wearing a watch Would ya look at that. Tik tok- times a little short. Think you need to be on your way now sweetheart.

Mary

looks out the window for any sign of Sam from in the Impala

Dean

driving around stopping at different places that they would normally go coming up empty handed son of a bitch Sammy where the hell are you?

Ellen

in the impala with the team having no luck finding Sam and ruby

Patience

riding with Henry and Charlie in Henry's truck

Ellen

Dean let's stop and get a milk shake. I mean we're right here by sonic..

Henry

driver around  nowhere it’s like he vanished. Meet back up with the others?

Charlie

in the middle seat of the truck I direct Henry to turn left that Mexican place ruby likes is just up here… let’s check jt

Patience

Should we go to his favorite bar next Charlie?

Dean

Yeah maybe I’m just....I dont know I need to find Sammy

Mary

Does he only have one phone? Or just the one?

Charlie

nods ruby loves food… there are a ton of places here in town they frequent so we will need to check them all

Mary

more than one

Henry

pulls into the parking lot. Gets out and walks inside hey we are looking for a black haired girl

Patience

nods in agreement

Ellen

I know kid,  I know but his usual antics don't seem to be working.. let's try his next place he would go

Bar Patron

looks around there’s a girl in the booth over there… maybe she’s who you want? points to a lady of around 45 in the booth in the far corner

Dean

stop into another place i think of and go inside checking if either have been seen and get turned down yet again coming back to the car damnit! This is starting to piss me off this isn’t like him

Mary

looks around for Sam not having any luck Hey Dean. Does he have more than one phone or just one?

Ellen

watching Dean getting angry, (something I don't like to see). I feel for him and love for Sam he has. All I could do was be thankful I have my jo and friends and family. we'll find him Dean. was all I could offer

Henry

Ok thanks we will check it out  turns towards Charlie

Patience

looking around the bar with Charlie

Dean

I can try the numbers I know but... Doubt we will have any luck he might have gotten a nee burner

Charlie

I walk over to the booth and see it’s not Ruby  not her… let’s check the bar next door…

Mary

Do any have what you all call GPS?

Dean

I try to call the different numbers of burners we used to use to attempt to call Sam

Ellen

He left that phone at home Mary.

Patience

following Charlie to the bar next door. Charlie, we have to find them

Charlie

heading outside I walk to the next door bar, it’s seedy and run down and I do my best not to touch anything  let’s make this fast…

Patience

Yes ma'am

Mary

Okay. I just thought it would help find him.

Henry

Good idea because I’m running out of hope of finding them  drops my hoodie off inside my truck

Dean

checking GPS on them also with no luck and no answer nothing

Charlie

I look around the bar and see a few patrons, a tall man is at the back so I step closer only to realize he’s drunk and around 65…. Definitely not Sam…I turn and high tail it out of the bar

Patience

walks into the bar thinking what a dump Charlie this looks like some place they'd go they'd think we would not look in a dump like it Right beside you

Dean

walk into a bar and grab a glass of whiskey while I ask around on if they’ve been seen still coming up empty handed I take a few more shots before leaving still not a damn thing!

Ellen

Let's go check this hotel and any aliases

Charlie

sighs as we get back outside I don’t know what they’re up to… and it’s not like they left us any clues….. where is that diner they like Henry? Can you drive there?

Mary

Continues looking for Sam. Checks with locals to see if they saw Sam. Not having any luck

Dean

Sure I’m um gonna go down and check that bar there real quick if you wanna go to the hotel?

Henry

I don’t remember the name nor directions to get there. Plus, I’m almost out of gas.  gets inside the truck and puts it into gear

Patience

getting back in the trunk

Charlie

I’ll put gas in the truck, but we can’t just stop… it’s Sam… sighs never mind you can go to the library and wait I’m going to keep looking

Ellen

Sounds good walking across the street to the hotel I go in and see no one. But a little bell sign that says ring for service. ring ring ring ring

Dean

I walk down and enter the bar growing more worried and aggravated I order another line of shots and down them before asking around, still coming up with nothing, pissed I walk past a guy who bumps into me watch it bitch! the guy sucker punches me so I grab him and throw him slamming him into the pool table and take off out the door and to the hotel meeting up with Ellen with a busted lip Anything?

Henry

Ok but first gas stop drives to the gas station and pulls up to the pump

Patience

If you don't mind Charlie I'll continue with you

Ellen

No one seems to be around. Why don't you go behind the counter and check the log book

Mary

checks in a bar. Not having any luck finding Sam or Ruby. Goes to meet up with the others

Charlie

I keep walking and check out every business along the strip, a bookstore, gas station, another bar and a shopping mall not finding anything I turn to Patience I’m going to text Ellen, maybe we should all meet and regroup…. Wonder if anyone else had better luck than we did? grabbing my phone I text Ellen let’s meet at the library, bring coffees

Dean

Yeah well that bar we need to hurry i may have some douchebag looking for me hey wait did anyone check Ruby’s apartment?

Patience

nods I agree Charlie

Ellen

checking my phone as it starts to go off hey Dean it's Charlie. They came up empty too. She said let's meet at the library. But we need to stop and Hortons and grab some coffees first.

Charlie

I walk toward the library and look for Henry

Henry

drives to the library and takes a cat nap while waiting on the others mmm cookies. How much longer I'm bored. These things always end up with some demon thing

Mary

That's a good idea. We definitely need the energy

Dean

Ok fine let’s go heading out to the car

Patience

walking with Mary

Ellen

grabbed the coffees. We see the others getting out of Henry's truck as we're pulling in

Charlie

I see Ellen and Dean and give a wave

Dean

confused but get out of the impala hey Charlie, feeling my lip

Mary

walks with you to get coffee

Charlie

Hey dean…. Any luck??

Ellen

handing Charlie and the others their coffee

Dean

Um besides a fat lip.....no

Charlie

taking the coffee I take a sip thanks Ellen, and leave it to you dean to find a fight when we’re looking for your brother…..

Ellen

Hope the other girl looks worse than you. I say jokingly to Dean

Henry

gets out of my truck from everyone's loud voices 5 more minutes. Any luck?

Dean

I didn’t do it he pushed past me hitting me said something he punched me then I may have sent him through the pool table

Charlie

I’ve checked restaurants, bars, convenience stores and bakeries…. And I’ve found nothing

Dean

HE went through the pool table

Patience

Absolutely nothing I'm getting really worried

Mary

The people I talked to didn't see either of them.

Charlie

Didn’t realize how many rundown places were around here

Ellen

Ok! Calm down before I pull my gun ya.

Dean

I need to fucking find him! This isn’t like him at all no burners work nothing

Charlie

sighs I know Dean, he’s not one that just disappears normally….

Ellen

Or without a phone..

Charlie

watching the people walking up and down the street

Dean

Yeah last time he did was with her....coincidence? Would explain a whole hell of a lot

Patience

watching and listening to people walking passed us

Charlie

But Ruby has done so much good for us… and you immediately assume she’s guilty? Messed up sense of friendship I guess….

Dean

She’s still a fucking demon and she was supposedly his "friend" then! And that’s when we started the apocalypse and final seal was broken or have you forgotten that damnit!

Charlie

I wasn’t here then… and maybe she’s changed…. I mean luci isn’t here anymore….

Dean

Yeah how else do you explain it???

Patience

But what about seeing her in my head and Luci was talking?

Henry

Can we not argue. Maybe a demon got them or something trying to be helpful

Charlie

scoffs well I don’t really have a good answer…

Dean

There’s that..... What patience said....her visions aren’t wrong

Mary

I agree with Henry. I heard about him drinking demon blood What if that's what is going on?

Cain

walking up the steps

Dean

I see and run after you hey!

Charlie

seeing Dean take off I reach out to grab him, but miss and take off running

Cain

turning. Can I help you?

Henry

Who are you?

Mary

follows you who is that

Patience

running with the rest of the team to catch up to Dean

Dean

You son of a bitch! Dont play stupid i went through hell because of your stupid mark! That was one hell of a fucking ride

Cain

only grinning at the child’s question

Ellen

shit happening too fast we see Charlie taking off after Dean as we all start to catch up to them we can hear Dean going off on Cain

Mary

What mark are you talking about

Charlie

I watch as dean converses with someone he seems to know

Cain

confused look crosses my face as I look you over

Henry

I guessing some powerful being

Dean

Hey dumbass! You know what the hell I’m talking about

Ellen

stopping next to Charlie what the hell is going on? I kinda whisper to her

Cain

a smirk crosses my face as I snap my fingers as if remembering  DEAN WINCHESTER! You’re right , I shouldn’t have given you the mark .

Patience

walking up to where Charlie is and listening to Dean go round and round in argument with this strange man

Jo

I walk over to my mom, worried about Dean

Cain

There’s ALWAYS a weaker brother, I guess we found out the hard way that one is YOU Dean

Ellen

put my arm around her

Charlie

confused by the cryptic comments I whisper to Ellen you don’t think he’s got Sam?

Dean

I’m not weak you bastard! That fucking mark caused a lot of damn problems. I should have killed you.

Jo

I look at my mom And give her a half grin

Ellen

No. Cain is pretty upfront. No surprises. Idk what this has to do with Sam though...

Charlie

Can’t just be a coincidence…. I thought he was dead….

Mary

What mark is he talking about?

Charlie

That’s Cain… as in the mark of Cain Biblical stuff

Cain

Your too weak to handle the responsibility that comes with the mark. You nearly killed your friends, and your family. You gave in to the mark after begging for it. You blame me, but you demanded it, and you got what you deserved. turning if you’ll excuse me I have an appointment with people much more important than puny, whiny hunters. walking away

Ellen

starts thinking why the hell is Cain here anyway. He likes to keep to himself alone. I don't know Charlie.

Patience

Do you mean as in Cain and Abel. What!!!

Dean

Yeah I wasn’t weak I needed it to stop evil and it made me worse!

Mary

The Cain that killed his brother?

Gabe

The mark only amplifies what’s truly inside you vanishing from sight, my last words a whisper on the wind   and inside you is weakness

Patience

Holy shit

Ruby

I pop us outside the meeting place, wishing we could be any place else but here.

Sam

I feel the sidewalk beneath my feet and look around to see we’re suddenly standing on a corner in front of a Lawyer’s office, and a small chuckle escapes me. Is this your way of telling you want a divorce?

Ruby

I shove him, “Asshole!” Brushing past him, I walk inside.

Lucifer

I watch them from afar, faint smile on my lips and gleam in my eye ... this time, it'll work out just perfectly.

Sam

I follow Ruby down the hall and into a room. Just as I step inside I see Cain and don’t quite believe it. What the hell? Looking back at Ruby, I can’t believe that she tricked me like this. You knew he was here? What’s going on Ruby? You’d better start talking right now or I’m out of here…

Cain

kicking back me feet up on the desk  good to see you too Samuel . You’re not exactly what I expected

Ruby

I try to stop him, grabbing his arm, “Calm down Cowboy! Let’s hear him out.”

Gabe

rolling up my sleeve

Able

I think you’re confusing me with my brother Cain , I’m Able .

Sam

Wait, what? I look over at Ruby

Able

standing up from behind my desk I walk towards Sam  well, maybe Lucifer was wrong about one thing . You stroke me as the stronger brother, but he also said you were the smart one. Let me start from the top.

Sam

I know that story, dumbass... why are we all standing here listening to this?

Able

Grabbing Sam by the throat and slamming him against the wall lifting him off his feet with one hand glaring up at him If you knew half of what you think , you string bean, big mouthed worthless vessel, you wouldn’t have walked in thinking I was Cain!

After my brother killed me I spent my eternity watching my brother, Cain, grow in celebrity caused by that wretched book of Charles, or as you called him chuck. Seeing Cain grow powerful, training his knights, the envy grew until as a deadly sin I knew I wasn’t long for heaven. While Gabriel was gone his brother, Lucifer found me. Cain having abandoned him, and when he asked me to train the new knights of hell I jumped at the chance

Ruby

"Let's everyone stay focused! We have work to do so get your hands off of him! If we want this to work out, Sam is just as much a part as we are."

Sam

Holding completely still but not taking my eyes from Able's

Able

nodding at Ruby I drop Sam on his ass walking away and talking over my shoulder I can fix everything Samuel, but only if you agree to work with me and become a knight of hell. Sam not even worth turning to look at I fold my arms behind my back looking out the window the choice is yours but this is the ONLY time I will offer this to you turning back  I do so hope you make the right decision

Sam

Getting slowly to my feet, suddenly understanding what's at play here... at least I think I do. What's the bigger picture? Seems like Hell's pretty well defended...

Able

I train you, more than you’ve ever known and to be able to do more than you ever thought possible, and you become a knight of hell. All will be revealed in time. What do you say?

Sam

Looking at Ruby, I can see that she believes what he’s saying and the carrot of being able to do more than I can do now is a strong pull. Stepping forward, I turn and hold out my hand, willing to trust Ruby and take the gamble.

Able

grinning as I take your hand shaking it  let’s get started

Ruby

Glancing out the window, I catch sight of Lucifer. I can’t stop the feeling of dread in my stomach. I hope I’m doing the right thing I tell myself.

Ellen

sitting at a diner with the team trying to come up with a plan to find Sam

Dean

sitting in the coffee shop sipping my coffee why can i not figure out where my brother is? And why the hell was Cain here??

Charlie

sitting at a table with my coffee in hand and an untouched piece of pie in front of me

Patience

gathering at the coffee house with the rest of the team worried about what bad is coming and will we be prepared

Ellen

I can’t think of anywhere else to look. sips my coffee

Mary

sits with the others in the coffee shop. Not sure where Sam is at

Charlie

I’m at a loss now…. sighs glancing out the window

Henry

I guess we can start the list of possible kidnappers of demons.  swirls my straw boardly. Wishing to get back to that new book I’m reading

Dean

This shit is pissing me off more and more he just doesn’t do this

Patience

giving Charlie a nod. What do we do where do we start?

Dean

Do you think somebody is trying to make them work for them?

Charlie

I don’t even know this time…. Usually I have an idea …. But blank….

Sam

Leaving the meeting, I told Ruby that I just needed to have a few minutes alone before we head home. Taking off towards town I just walk and let the breeze clear my head.

Mary

I don't even know what to do

Henry

looks out the window  What the.. Sam!!!  yells and accidentally makes a cup go flying

Patience

Somehow I get the feeling that for whatever reason Ruby really is trying to help Sam just a hunch

Ellen

Wait what henry!?

Dean

What?!? looking out the window damnit! run out of the coffee shop after Sam SAMMY!

Charlie

seeing what Henry is looking at I throw some cash on the table and go outside

Barista

If you didn’t like it we could have just made you a new one!

Ellen

watching Dean take off out the door. Again hey wait for us! i yell

Patience

running with the others outside fuck leave it to me to trip over my own feet

Dean

I catch up to Sam DUDE WHAT THE HELL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Mary

follows the others outside the coffee shop trying to catch up to Sam

Jo

I catch up to Sam and Dean. Sam? We’ve been so worried

Henry

To be honest I don't really like coffee. But our missing friend is back so I gotta go now  runs out the door not wanting to have an awkward conversation

Mary

grabs my coffee and puts cash on the table

Sam

I just keep walking

Henry

makes Sam float with my telekinesis  guys get him

Ellen

running after the rest of the team

Dean

I grab you to try to stop you SAMMY LOOK AT ME

Jo

Dean, look at that new tattoo on Sam’s arm

Barista

Writes goofy spoiled brat  on a few cups for when the brat comes back and goes to get them mop flipping you the finger as you go and no tip?? Cheap bastards

Dean

looking at Sam’s arm SON OF A BITCH! WHAT THE HELL?!?! Something is most definitely about to go down we need to go back to the bunker and figure this shit out!

To be continued ….

……………………………………………..

1. Sam and Ruby wake in med bay, disoriented and irritated. Sam asks Ruby what happened in Oz, and Ruby is shocked to learn she can’t remember, but she has a heavy feeling of someone listening to her thoughts, but isn’t quite ready to tell Sam. Sam however starts telling ruby about the dreams he had while he was out, and how his thirst for demon blood seems to be taking over every conscious thought that he had.  Ellen, jo and Mary have been sitting at the map table, hearing the commotion they come in and are overjoyed that Sam and Ruby are awake. Mary calls dean, and Ellen calls Charlie. After hearing the news they head straight back to the bunker. Sam tells everyone to chill out, it wasn’t the first time he’d been taken out in a fight.  Jo is surprised at how violent his outburst appears, Sam shakes his head and goes to shower.

2. Ruby makes an excuse and says she needs to go back to her apartment, while the others wait for dean and Charlie.  Patience comes in from a walk, and sees the empty beds and asks where Sam and Ruby are. Jo tells her Sam went to shower and Mary says ruby has gone home. Patience wonders if that is a good idea, since no one has checked her over yet.  Just then dean and Charlie come back in, Dean immediately starts yelling through the bunker for Sammy while Charlie heads into med bay.  Mary and Jo tell her that Sam is acting strange. Patience is still worried that Ruby took off so fast, Charlie calms them and says she will check Sam over when he’s back.

3. Ruby is back at her apartment. She makes herself a cup of tea and is trying to make sense of what she saw while she was asleep. She hadn’t felt anything quite that strong in ages, suddenly she’s stuck with a sharp pain inside her head, and it all becomes clear as luci appears in her mind. (The rest happens in Ruby’s mind) Ruby is shocked at his appearance and he asks her if she’s missed him. Ruby retorts and Luci tells her it’s time to play nice and pay up, and if she’s good, he will bring along her playmate Sammy. Ruby gets defensive and tells him to leave Sam alone but Luci only laughs and tells Ruby he has so many plans, and can’t wait to share them with her… this time he’d be getting a Winchester on his team, and not that wimp Adam. Ruby makes a remark and Luci grabs her and holds her against a wall, telling her she’d better cooperate or he and his associate would make her pay.  Ruby, gritting her teeth agrees but against her better judgement.

4. Back at the bunker, Sam has gotten out of the shower and gotten a cup of coffee, sitting at the map table. Dean, patience, Mary and jo are asking him what he can remember from Oz.  Sam doesn’t remember anything after seeing Amara, the more questions he is asked the more irritated he gets until he storms off away from the table and into his room. Dean is concerned about his behavior and says so to Mary, and tells her he is going to call Ellen. Ellen is at the roadhouse with Henry, having promised him a fun day they had gone to an amusement park. They were just sitting down with some food when the phone rang.  Ellen answers and dean tells her he’s worried about Sam and she needs to come over, Ellen begins to protest and Henry asks her what is wrong. When she tells him it is Sam, Henry doesn’t waste a minute and tells her he’s ready to go. Ellen tells Dean they’ll be right there.

5. Ruby, back in her apartment is shaken by the mental meeting she had just had. Knowing she didn’t stand a chance against lucifer on her own, she had decided to go along with whatever plans he had. She composes herself and pops into Sam’s room at the bunker where he is laying on the bed, eyes closed-visibly annoyed.  Ruby gets his attention and Sam is livid-asking how dare she leave him like that. Ruby apologizes and tells him she needed to Center herself before dealing with the rest of the team.  Sam tells her he woke up craving like never before, and Ruby hands him a vial, Sam drinks it and says he needs to get out of there. Ruby obliges popping them both out before anyone realizes they’re missing.

6. Ellen and Henry arrive at the bunker, and head inside. Jo and Patience greet them and offer them coffee/drinks. They refuse and ask what is happening. Mary says she isn’t sure, but Dean is really confused.   Henry asks what about Sam, that’s the whole reason he came.  Charlie and dean walk out of med bay, Charlie is holding the print out of Sam’s heart monitoring while he was asleep, and she points out a lot of erratic jumps in his heart rate. Patience asks what that means and Ellen says something had him worked up. Jo agrees but wonders what since he was asleep. Mary says she isn’t familiar with anything that would target a human and a demon. Dean says it looks like they had some work to do then, but first he wanted to check on Sammy. He goes to his door and knocks, when no one answers Dean has Henry pick the locks and the room is empty! Both of their cell phones lie discarded on the bed.

7. Ellen walks in behind dean and Henry, then goes to tell Charlie they’ve left their phones.  Charlie is upset as they never left her without a way to find them. Dean blames ruby, and patience asks why Ruby would do anything to compromise the team. Henry tells her once a demon always a demon, they’re always out for themselves. Jo says taking Sam, is like taking an important limb and ruby knows that. Mary starts asking what some of their favorite places were, maybe they could search some.  Dean complains of how long that will take and Charlie says they don’t have a choice. Patience gets a vision: (Luci is going to play out this vision) Luci walks up to a big city apartment building and meets with a man, that cannot be seen. Luci tells the man it’s time to build the army again, and his favorite recruit he wanted him to lead it. He already had the first few prospects chosen, but they couldn’t know that he was involved. Luci gives him a note with an address and a time (make this up) and tells him that he will begin his meetings there. He threatens that this man had better not make the chances he took in heaven be in vain. Then he vanishes and patience’s vision ends. Patience tells them what she saw, and Ellen makes a comment on how the world is always ending with the Winchesters. Charlie says it’s just going to be another time we stop it.

8. Ruby and Sam are at the apartment.  Sam is still agitated, and can’t understand what is going on with him. Ruby tells him it’s likely due to the magic of Oz, and it should settle soon. Sam says soon isn’t good enough, he wanted to fix it now. Ruby sighs, and says she may know someone. Sam retorts about when she was going to share that delightful bit of information, and ruby snaps at him saying she could have just left him at the bunker. Sam settles and asks when they can go. Ruby says she needs to take care of something first, but as soon as she is back, they’ll go. Sam grumbles and ruby pops to where lucifer is, lucifer smiles and makes a snide remark, ruby holds her tongue and tells him she has Sam ready for the meeting. Lucifer assures her it is all set up, and gives her the address. Ruby takes it and Luci makes a comment about Sam’s sudden intense cravings, and ruby wants to know what he had done. Lucifer shrugs and says time is short, and sends ruby on her way.

9. Dean, Ellen, Mary and Jo are in the impala, Henry, Charlie and patience are in Henry’s truck searching the area, all the restaurants and pubs that they knew of that Sam and ruby liked to go to. With no luck, they all park by the library and start to talk.  Suddenly dean sees a familiar face as Cain walks up the steps. He turns and begins to run after him as Mary and Charlie try to stop him. The rest of the team catch up just as dean starts to tell Cain off about the whole “mark” business. (Free run with Cain a bit here-until Cain has to go because he has an appointment.

10. Sam and Ruby pop in front of what looks like a lawyer’s office. Sam questions ruby about where they are, Ruby responds telling him she knew what she was doing and takes them inside. Lucifer—who is watching from a distance, smiles and makes a comment to himself about it all working this time. Inside the building Sam and ruby make their way to a small office, inside they see Cain and Sam is furious and threatens to leave. Ruby tries to calm him as the man rolls up his sleeve and reveals himself, and how he got to be here, he promised Sam he could fix things for him, if he promised to work with him. Sam is concerned, and the man assured him he wouldn’t regret it. Sam shakes the man’s hand as lucifer watches unseen from the window (ruby can catch a glimpse and think to herself here)

11. The rest of the team is at a coffee shop, they’ve placed orders and discuss where Sam and Ruby might be. They all come up with a few ideas, but nothing that seemed like a real answer. Suddenly Henry sees Sam outside the window, and alerts the team. They all run after him, jo and dean manage to reach him but Sam acts like he doesn’t hear them. Jo notices the new “tattoo” on Sam’s arm as he walks away and she points it out to dean. Dean curses and says it looks like something is about to go down-they’d all better get back to bunker….

[heroes-r-us]

Chubby female s/o who is very strong women but has gotten injured during a battle and now will deal with back pain for the rest of her life. She can usually manage it very well but sometimes she gets really bad pain and tries to hide it even tho it may not be completely discrete. Coukd I have the boys, Zoro,mihawk,sanji and crocodile headcanon/scenario of what they would do?

I also ask this because I had back problems go unsolved for years and had serious back surgery and the pain sometimes flares up and sometimes I like to imagine be being a strong devil fruit user and being comforted when the pain is extremely bad.

Again please and ty!!

GIRL everything you've sent in is so CUTE!! Also I hope your back is feeling better, I don't have serious back issues but I tend to hunch alot when writing and drawing and then end up with neck and back pain. (;-;)

I hope it feels better with the healing power of these headcanons! ( • ̀ω•́ )✧

>3<

Zoro:

- This man is as oblivious as they come.

- He won't notice small winces or when you need to sit or lay down. When you do, he simply assumes you were tired of standing and doesn't think much else about it.

- When the others are talking about past battles, your own battles get brought up. You'll casually mention your near death experience and get shocked faces all around, afterall the scars from the battle were on your back, and so far you had no need to expose your back.

- Of course you'll be peppered with questions about your injuries from Chopper, who's worry only increases when you mention your surgery.

- "You don't feel it anymore?" This question eventually leads to mentioning the back inconvenience d how you deal with it.

- Chopper is the first to begin talking about pain meds he can mix up, only to be stopped in his tracks by Zoro.

- "She's strong, she doesn't need any medicine."

- Cue enraged Chopper and Sanji.

- Zoro has a much better alternative than back massages from Sanji and pills from Chopper.

- Zoro had one thing they didn't.

- Sake.

Sanji:

- He's pretty tuned into all of the women on the ship, so any inconveniences they might face are usually taken care of by Sanji.

- There's very little this man won't do for a lady.

- He'll be one of first to notice any signs of pain or uncomfortability. He'll also be the first to offer you a back massage and the absolute royal treatment.

- Snacks, sweets and anything that you desire is already being prepared. Are the others being too noisy? He'll shut them up.

- He'll work together with Chopper to ensure that your medicine gets to you on time everyday.

- "Alright my sweet dove, don't worry, once you finish that disgusting medicine I'll feed you okaaay?"

- "I made this especially for you, dear! I hope you feel better today! If not I can always give you the most pleasurable massage-" "You're just a perv, stupid cook." "THE HELL DID YOU SAY MOSSHEAD-"

- At least you'll always know what his intentions are.

- He'll be certain to notice the occasional wince or when you place a hand on your back and sigh. Any sign of pain and he's there to soothe it.

Mihawk:

- Well, he's not as inclined as Sanji to jump to your rescue, but he will ask if you are in pain once or twice. He's not the type to completely ignore or miss signals like that either.

- If you deny, he'll assume you have it handled and will let you deal with it on your own.

- Should you mention it, he'll make an effort to assist you in finding an adequate doctor who can get you the proper medical care.

- He's not the type to smother you or constantly badger you with questions of your physical status. However, occasionally he will indeed bring up your treatments to ensure that the doctor is doing their job properly.

- He won't really remind you to take your medicines, but if you have a particularly poor memory he may set the pills beside your plate at breakfast.

- He takes a more observational stance, but don't take that to mean he doesn't care. Look into the library late at night and you'll find him reading up on doctor's books and notes about the human spine.

- He'll be the one to research and mention something he may deem helpful.

- Should you ask, he'll even assist you in carefully stretching out your back and neck in the evenings.

- He'll help out in small ways to ensure you don't put any unnecessary excessive strain on your back, but he won't baby you either.

Crocodile:

- This man is pretty observational and likes to plan things out. So, once he does notice the scars on your back, he'll be quick to set up a doctor's appointment for you. Whether or not you consented to a check up doesn't bother him in the slightest.

- He'll probably have learned about 'That Battle' through rumors or word of mouth before he met you. He's no stranger to body and life altering scars.

- Suprisingly the most understanding. He's experienced similar problems with his arm, and will probably sound mocking when he mentions your back pain. It's hard not to when comparing the loss of a limb to an injured back.

- Losing a hand seems a bit more extreme after all. Though he's not exactly nice about it at first, he will make certain you have proper care. What's a weak partner to him after all?

- You'll have to be pretty strong to gain his admiration, so I'd imagine that the back pain you feel would have killed a regular person.

- Once the doctor informs him of your spinal damage and that overall a regular human shouldn't be able to live let alone walk, he'll stop the mocking behavior and his tune will change real quick.

- Suddenly your pills and doctor appointments become a bit more important to the man.

- He does care somewhere deep, deep down. He just doesn't like to show it.

[thebadbatch]

Hii, I have a request.

Could you please write reader and Crosshair being besties, but she thinks he doesn’t care much about her, until one day she’s pretty sick and he helps her and show a lot of affection? Thanks. And please be aware that your writing is a delight

A/N: I loved writing this one! I really love it when the members of the Bad Batch take care of the reader. Also thank you so much! You made my day! :D

Crosshair x Sick!Reader

Plot: After a visit to a new planet you end up facing an illness along with worries that Crosshair doesn't care about you. The others are there but you want Crosshair, will he help?

Warnings: Mentions of occasional injections but the description is light! Detailed descriptions of being unwell.

-----------------------

It's just what we do.

Smiling wide you all rushed back onto the Havoc Marauder, hiding away from bullets and shooting a few of your own back at your enemies. The ramp soon shut closed and tech took over the flying controls to get you all the hell out of there within what felt like such a swift routine movement. Sighing lightly with relief, you shoved your blasters back into their holds against your armour and removed your helmet, smiling over at Crosshair first. He just nodded slightly in your direction before speaking lightly, 

"Good job, y/n." He soon walked away to get himself some caf that he knew was left as he always took first dibs on that. You couldn't help but feel your heart swell with pride and confidence at your best friend's words though, he rarely gave out compliments but when he did? They just felt right and stronger than any others. Swiftly you moved in the room with him, following his movements. 

"You think so?" You asked, attempting to get a little more affection out of him. Those three words were enough though and you knew that, but you always liked to tease him. That's just what best friends did. 

"Mhm." He hummed, sipping at the hot liquid and relaxing against the side. Laughing a little you turned and bumped into Tech, causing you to wobble a little on your feet. 

"Ah y/n, just who I need to see." You stood back, a sheepish grin upon your face with Crosshair behind you - a little intrigued about what he needed you for. "I need to do a medi scan on you." Sighing lightly you tucked your helmet under your arm, tilting your head. 

"Have you updated it or something, Teccie?" He rolled his eyes playfully at your words before typing into his datapad. 

"No, I simply need to check your health after our visit to that planet. I didn't realize at the time but you aren't a clone like us, I suppose that slipped my mind." He took a breath inwards, gently pulling you with him much to Crosshair's confusion. "That planet is known for its illnesses and diseases, us clones won't be affected but you may be." Fear rushed through your body at the thought, gazing behind you to see Crosshair who wasn't even looking in your direction - if anything he just shrugged and continued to drink his caf. Did he even care that you could get sick? Clearly not. Nodding lightly you sat where Tech had sat you upon the med table, running the scanner across your body. 

"Am I sick?" You asked, trying to keep your voice straight. You absolutely hated being unwell, it was horrible and tiring and you never got better quickly as you used to have to fight illnesses alone. "I don't want to be sick, I hate it." Tech nodded softly at your words before a quick beep alerted him that the information was ready and he sighed lightly. 

"Your body is currently fighting off an illness, but it seems as if it should go okay. I may have to apply a shot now of medicine to help and you'll have to rest as soon as possible." He paused for a moment gazing at your worried expression, "I'll alert the others to your possible condition." You couldn't even respond to much in return, why on earth did you have to take part in that mission oh maker. 

"But I feel fine…" You replied wearily as Tech got some medicine adjusted in the form of a shot. 

"You'll feel fine whilst your body fights it off, and hopefully you continue to feel fine - but you need to rest and have this to ensure you successfully fight the illness off." Nodding softly you allowed him to give you the medicine as you turned away, wincing lightly. He smiled and turned you back to him. "All done. Please go and rest now, I will bring you your food once it's time to eat." Standing quickly, you folded your arms across your chest and made your way to your assigned bunk. Sitting against it you huffed lightly before laying against the pillows and blankets. Maybe falling asleep like Tech suggested would pass time and help, besides there wasn't much else to do. Closing your eyes, you allowed sleep to overtake you as quickly as you had thought about it. Maybe once you woke up, you could go and see Cross.

"Y/n, it's time for you to eat." Opening your eyes was an intense struggle, your entire body feeling weighed down didn't help as you turned your head to gaze at Tech. 

"No thanks." You mumbled out, squeezing your eyes shut to try and help you battle the wave of pain that engulfed your body. Wincing lightly, you exhaled a breath you didn't realize you were holding. Re-opening your eyes to see Hunter, Wrecker and Echo beside Tech gazing at you with concern. 

"I brought you Lula, y/n!" Wrecker softly spoke, softly placing her into your arms. Holding her closely you hummed lightly in thanks, everything beginning to just feel worse and worse. 

"Don't wanna get you all sick." You mumbled out, wishing you hadn't spoken at all as all of your previous energy completely vanished. Tech laughed lightly which resulted in Hunter lightly smacking his shoulder.

"We can't get sick, so don't worry. We're clones so we're genetically engineered to not get sick." Nodding again you buried yourself into the blankets trying to overcome another wave of pain.

"Do you need anything?" Hunter asked, gently touching your forehead a little shocked at how much you were burning up. Echo softly ensured the blanket was over you okay before you managed to whisper out:

"Cross." They nodded gently and left the room,

"Call us if you need anything else." In all honesty you felt as if Crosshair had completely abandoned you, everybody else had come in to check on you so why not him? A while had passed with you withering in agony, unable to fall asleep whilst the illness had a hold upon you. Your door soon swiftly opened and slid shut which made you sigh gently, it was probably Tech with another shot of medicine.

" No more." You barely whispered before a gentle hand was pressed against your forehead, fingertips brushing strands of hair away from your face.

" No more." Crosshair repeated gently, placing a cold cloth against your forehead in light hopes that it would help Your scorching temperature to come down. " I'm sorry it took me so long to come to you cyar'ika..." He took a gentle breath before helping you sit up a little, pressing a cold cup of water to your lips which felt nice but was rather difficult. " I hope I'm still your best friend?" His voice was rather hopeful which made you smile as he placed the cup down, helping you lay back against the blankets.

" Mhm, my best friend." You managed to speak, Smiling against the pain waving itself through your body, The door opening to reveal Tech holding a shot made you sigh and Crosshair grumble as he stood, taking the shot and nudging Tech back out.

"I've got this." Tech held up a finger as he was about to speak, the door just slamming in his face which made you giggle a little. "I'm sorry, yln - one more shot to feel better okay?" Softly sighing a little, he rolled up your sleeve and injected the medicine, planting a friendly kiss to the top of your forehead to help you through it. " All done" He hummed, gently helping you lay on the further side of the bed with him climbing beside you, hugging you gently against him. Smiling again, you felt a shudder of warmth coat your body as You hid into Cross allowing him to rub calming circles against your back. "It's alright, I won't go - you wouldn't leave me if I needed you." Gently gripping onto his blacks you finally shut your eyes,not feeling so alone as before.

"Thank you for staying, Cross." He just smiled as sleep soon followed your sentence, light snores leaving your mouth.

"It's just what we do…"

Once you had awoken folly, you finally felt better thanks to the medicine and a sleeping Crosshair laying next to you Still deep within his own rest. Stretching gently, you lay Lula beside him and climb out of the bank to tell the others the good news. Over the next few days your friendship grew even Stronger with Crosshair after he took care of You during your weakest moment. You'd both live to each other's weakest moments but you'd always both be there for one another. That's just what best friends did.

[deanstead]

I’ll Take Care Of You

Pairing: Will Halstead x Reader

Requested by anon: reader comes back home with her boyfriend Will after one year being away. she tries to hide the fact that she feels sick to Will so he doesn't worry, but he soon realizes about it. he takes her to the hospital against her will, and there he treats her of the anemia he discovers she's suffering. also, reader is afraid of doctors, and Will is really worried about reader's health.

Warnings: anxiety, mentions of illness, fluff

A/N: Received a specific request to write for Will so I thought I would try this out! Please let me know what you think, if I should write more for Will too? Am in no way a doctor or nurse so I’m sorry if there’s any mistakes in medical terminology or situations! Even so, hope you like this one! Taglists are open!

*gif not mine*

---

“Y/N?”

You looked up from where you were sitting on the floor in front of his apartment, although you could already imagine the look on Will’s face. You smiled, getting to your feet as he ran towards you, pulling you into his arms and nuzzling his face into your neck.

It had been a year. One whole year since you had been forced to leave Chicago for work. Professionally, it had been good for you. It was good career progression and all that crap your boss had forced down your throat but it had been difficult for you as well. Leaving your friends, your family, your boyfriend behind.

“When did you get back?” Will asked, gently pulling himself away to look at you.

You smiled. “I came straight from the airport.” You paused, “I hope that’s alright.”

“It’s better than alright.” Will answered, pulling you into another hug. “Come on.”

Will fumbled with the keys for a while before he pushed the door open.

The moment the door was closed, Will pushed his lips down onto yours, as you felt the rush of warmth from just being near Will – a feeling you hadn’t had in a year, and the feeling that you had missed the most.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Will whispered.

You looped your arms around his waist, pushing yourself closer to his chest. “So am I.”

---

Being back in Chicago was great for you. What was not so great was the light-headedness that had followed you back as well.

You had always tired easily but you had figured the stress in New York had made it worse. Stress coupled with being alone in a new city had definitely made it worse. But you hadn’t expected to still be feeling this after being back.

Will glanced at you over the table in his apartment and you could see the small furrow in his brow that indicated he was worried. “Y/N? You okay?”

You realised you had been frowning while waiting for the headache to pass.

You nodded, smiling back at him. “Yeah, just tired.”

Will smiled, although he still looked a little worried. “Nothing caffeine won’t fix. Come on, you’re going to be late.” You said as you walked around the table, heading to him as he leaned forward to give you a kiss.

He turned to walk out the door and you felt a dizzy spell hit you. You grabbed the edge of the table but not quietly enough. Will spun back around as he heard a dull thud from the impact of your palm hitting the table, and he saw you sway a little on your feet.

Quickly, he made it back to you, throwing his bag onto the floor.

“Y/N!” Will was by your side, a steady hand on your shoulder as you sank to the ground.

“I’m fine.” You managed to get out, feeling a slight shortness of breath.

Will looked at you a little while more, studying you. “Okay, that’s it, you’re coming to Med with me.”

“Wait, what?” You asked. “Will, I’m fine, it’s just a dizzy spell.”

Will shook his head. “Humor me.”

“Will…” You tried to protest but he looked at you.

“You gonna walk with me, or do I have to carry you there?” Will asked, and you knew you were fighting a losing battle.

“Fine.” You relented, finally letting Will lead you towards his car.

---

“Will, you know how much I hate doctors.” You whined, as he put you into a treatment room.

Will looked at you. “Ouch.”

You smiled. “You know what I mean.”

“I’ll be right here, okay?” Will reassured me as a nurse came in. “Doris, can we get a CBC, CMP, the complete tests.”

You shot a glance at Will. “It’s okay, I’ll be right back.” He planted a kiss on your head before heading out.

“You’re better at this than I gave you credit for.” You told Doris, who smiled. “Let me know if you need anything.” She said before she disappeared out the room.

---

Will watched you from where he stood at the doctors’ station.

“Will?” Maggie called, following his line of vision.

“What’s Y/N doing here?” She asked, looking back at him.

Will looked back at Maggie. “I’m waiting on the test results.” Will’s expression was strained although he tried not to let it show. “I practically had to drag her in here. Why didn’t she tell me?”

Maggie looked at him. “I’m sure she just didn’t want you to worry.”

Will sighed and Maggie patted his arm reassuringly. “I’ll try to put a rush on those tests.”

“Thanks Mags.”

Just then, a faint beep sounded from the treatment room you were in. “Dr Halstead!”

Will’s head snapped up as he ran to your room.

“What happened?” He demanded, looking at you, your eyes wide, your chest heaving.

“Will…”

Doris looked up at Will. “Sats are dropping.”

“Oxygen. Now.” He instructed, as Doris nodded. He turned back to you, “Shh, it’s okay. We’re going to give you some oxygen. I need you to try to relax okay? It’s okay.”

You nodded, as Doris gently put the oxygen on you and you felt oxygen slowly fill your lungs once again.

Will watched you, a small worried frown still resting on his forehead but he smiled when he noticed you watching him.

“We’ll figure this out. I’ll be back soon, okay?” Will gently stroked your hair.

You nodded, watching him hurry out of the room.

Will sighed, taking a last look towards your treatment room before heading straight for Maggie.

---

“Hey.” You looked up as Will entered again.

“I got your results.”

Will sighed as he sat on your bed. “The tests show you have anemia. You must have been having these symptoms for a while. When did they start?”

You blinked back at him. “What? Anemia?”

Will took your hand, “Has it ever been this bad?” You immediately shook your head. You could kind of tell Will was holding something back and it made you wonder if he was mad at you.

“Your red blood cell count is lower than I would like. Let’s do an iron infusion today to improve your levels then we can make a plan to manage it, alright?”

You sighed. “More needles?”

Will gave a small smile. “I’ll stay with you while they set it up?”

You gave him a skeptical look but didn’t answer. “Please?” Will said.

“Thar’s so unfair, Will. You know I can’t say no to you when you do that.”

Will took your hand and kissed it. “Just the iron infusion then I should be able to take you home, okay?”

You nodded, wincing a little as you felt the IV pierce your skin. “That’s it.” Doris said, smiling.

“Will.” You called, before he left. “I’m sorry.”

Will frowned slightly again. “For what?”

You looked pointedly at the room around you, your eyes finally resting on the IV needle.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, okay?” Will planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll see you in a bit?”

You nodded but you could see the hesitation in his eyes.

“I’ll be fine.” You reassured, giving him a smile before he finally nodded, giving Doris more instructions before he left.

---

Will hadn’t said a word since you had been discharged. He had just silently led you out of the ED and into his car.

He swung open the door to his apartment, leading you to the couch. You leaned against the fabric of Will’s couch as he put two iron pills in your palm and handed you a glass of water.

You echoed his silence, swallowing the iron pills, your eyes following him as he pattered back towards the kitchen.

You stretched your legs out, lying flat on the couch before turning your head in, so that your face was hidden from view, buried into the cushion.

You could hear Will pattering about, you even knew exactly where he was in the house based on the sound of his footsteps and you felt the sting of tears behind your eyes. It wasn’t supposed to be anemia. They were supposed to be symptoms that resolved once you were back in Chicago. Which they weren’t. And now, Will was probably mad at you.

“Y/N, you can sleep inside.” Will said, absentmindedly.

When you didn’t respond, he gently touched your shoulders but you didn’t move so he gently tugged, turning you around. You tried to resist, you didn’t really want to let him see you crying because you couldn’t explain it anyway, but it was like fighting a losing battle.

You saw the moment that Will realised you were crying and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Y/N, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” He asked, a tone of worry evident in his voice.

You didn’t say anything as Will studied you. “Are you feeling breathless? Y/N, talk to me.”

“I’m sorry.” You whispered again.

“What…” Will trailed off, before helping you sit up, sitting on the ground in front of you, and looking straight into your eyes.

“I didn’t… I just didn’t want you to worry.” You whispered, pulling your eyes away from his. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They said it was stress symptoms. I…”

“Woah.” Will stopped you, realizing what was happening. “I’m not mad.”

You looked up at him, as he continued, “I’m just worried. You should have told me this was happening.”

“I’m sorry.” You said again, as Will got to his knees and enveloped you into a hug.

“It was hard.” You whispered. “Being away from you for a year.”

Will didn’t say anything but you could feel him leaning further into you.

“But you’re here now.” He finally whispered in your ear. “I’ll take care of you.”

You pulled out of his embrace to look at him, putting a hand on his cheek, his stubble tickling your palm. “We’re lucky, it’s not that serious. We just need to manage it, and you’ll be fine… we’ll be fine.” Will whispered.

You smiled, “Thanks, Will.”

“Don’t keep it from me if you’re unwell, okay?” Will asked.

You nodded. “Okay, I promise.” You answered, smiling as you nuzzled back into his embrace.

---

WILL HALSTEAD TAGLIST

@winterberryfox | @bestillmystuckyheart | @jayhlstead | @winterreader-nowwriter​

If you would like to be added to a taglist, you may request here or send me an ask!

[thesupersaiyanprincess]

Hello again! Chapter 2 has finished undergoing it's revision and so here it is :)

Word count: ~1400

Warnings: not much actually, blood, more ooc angry Vegeta, ooc soft!vegeta

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Chapter 2                      

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Darkness. 

Nothing. 

Lost. 

“Y/N! Y/N!” you heard someone calling your name in the distance. “Please, no no no!” The voice sounded familiar. Gravely and deep. “Y/N please! Wake up!” But there was a very big difference to it that you'd never heard before. “No please, you have to be okay!” You could hear pure distress and pain. “My girl, not my precious girl.” 

You began to regain feeling in your body again. Your fingers started to tingle and you felt strong arms wrapped around you, you were being rocked back and forth. You tried to open your eyes, but they were too heavy. You felt like you'd been hit by a bus. The most you could manage was to squint your eyes and scrunch your nose. You felt Vegeta's grip on you loosen ever so slightly as he realized you were alive and you could hear the relief in his voice when he finally spoke. 

“Y/N! You're alive! I'm so sorry Y/N, I'm so sorry!” You managed to open your eyes just a crack, enough to look up and see your Saiyan, a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks and pain in his eyes. He really thought he’d lost you and it broke your heart to see him like that. That was until you remembered that he’d been the one choking you out in the first place. 

You scrambled to get away from him as fast as you could, using all the strength you could muster, but he held you in place against him. As you were struggling, you started to become more aware of your surroundings. The walls were crumbling around you, giving you a perfect view of your back garden. The roof was blown to oblivion and the nice wooden flooring was littered with singe marks and blood. It looked like a bomb went off, but you knew it was the aftermath of a saiyan fight. You stopped fighting against his grip as you took in your destroyed home, and your eyes moved back up to Vegeta.

“What is.. What the fuck happened?” You managed to croak barely above a whisper, fear trembling in your voice. Your throat hurt from being manhandled, and it made talking painful. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was hesitant to reply. It looked like he might break down and cry if he spoke.

“I.. It’s.. I don’t know.. I just, something happened today.. I came home straight away and.. I was too late.. And you were.. And he was.. And now the house is destroyed, and you're so hurt. I’m so sorry Y/N.. Can you forgive me?” he finally managed to stutter out. You’d never seen him like this. He was crying and concerned about you. 

It was strange, unnatural even, seeing his face shine by a substance that wasn’t sweat. The sight of your strong Saiyan breaking into pieces around you made your eyes well up with tears. “Fuck you. You hurt me so bad Geeta.. You nearly.. n-nearly..” Your words were falling from your mouth incoherently between sobs. He was holding you tight around your shoulders and chest, and you had your legs hanging off the edge of his lap. He was still rocking slowly back and forth as he stroked your hair gently and whispered apologies and promises against your temple. Seeing Vegeta like this broke your heart almost as much as it scared you.

When you calmed yourself down enough, you asked him again “What happened? Why are you crying? You tried to kill me!” His face took on an expression of guilt as he realized what you meant. He opened his mouth to explain, but you heard another voice speak from behind you. 

“Well, well Geeta.. I didn't think we’d ever get this emotional, let alone over a low class piece of scrap like that.” The voice was the same as the person whose lap you were sitting in, but something was different, no subtle hint of warmth like it always had. You were frozen in place and didn't dare move your head for fear he’d see and decide to hurt you again, whoever or whatever this... this thing was. Because whatever it was it sure as hell was not your Vegeta. Your Vegeta was holding you tighter than he'd ever done before, gripping you to his chest with an almost painful force. You felt his arms cling to you tighter as you heard and felt thudding footsteps approaching the two of you from behind. 

“It's so good to finally be rid of you. All this time, having to deal with your stupid emotions in the back of my mind. You make me sick!” The second Vegeta called out to your Vegeta who held you tighter as the other neared. You felt Vegeta's head rise from your shoulder to look the imposter in the eye.

“You barbaric fool! You need me! How else will you know when to stop?” You felt the words reverberate through his rib cage and into yours as he spoke, with the softest aggression you’d ever heard from the prince of all Saiyans. “You know you need me, you just wont admit it over your stupid Saiyan pride.”

“A Saiyan doesn't need to stop, therefore has no need for feelings.” The imposter snarled back at your Vegeta. As you clung to Vegeta’s chest you began to think “this must be a dream” You couldn't help but think back to the events of the morning, before all this. 

You woke up bright and early before Vegeta and gave him a kiss on his forehead. His tail wrapped itself firmly around your thigh when you tried to climb out of bed. It was so cute that even in his sleep his tail wanted you near. Vegeta loved it when you touched his tail. A Saiyan’s tail is one of the most sensitive parts of their body you know. So as it tightened around you, you stroked the tip of his tail ever so gently so that it would release you, allowing you to go make breakfast. He loved when you woke up early and cooked for him, especially on days when he was going to go train with Goku. His favourite was bacon and eggs with pancakes before training. He always insisted on strawberry jam, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce with his pancakes, so that's what you decided to make.  

You were halfway through stacking Vegeta’s tower of pancakes when he walked into the kitchen, wearing only his boxers while he wiped the sleep from his eyes and stretched his back, flexing all his gorgeous muscles as he did so.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” he breathed through a yawn. “You're making my favourite? You're the best!” he said sleepily as he came up behind you to wrap his arms around you.  He pulled you back against his bare chest as he planted soft kisses down your neck, making you squirm against him.

“Knock it off Vegeta, you'll make me knock over your pancakes!” You said playfully as you struggled against him. He finally let you go and you went back to cooking breakfast. You loved mornings like this with Vegeta. It was the only time he was this soft with you, being the one initiating hugs. Any other time of the day and you were lucky if he would even hug you back, but you wouldn't have it any other way, it just made his tenderness all the more special. 

“You! Are weak!�� The shout tore you away from the memory as you pressed yourself tighter into Vegeta's chest, tears threatening to fall again. “Without me, you are nothing! You may look and sound the same as me, but power comes from anger, and you left that all with me.” It was then, when you opened your eyes again, that you realized the Vegeta holding you was hurt. Bad. There was blood soaking through his tattered clothing and into yours. There was so much blood you could smell the distinct warm, metallic scent of it. “Without you in here, I can finally reach my full potential, unclouded by your stupid adoration of this low class pig.” 

You felt the air around you crackle with energy. He must have transformed. You couldn’t help but turn and look. Fear squeezed tightly in your chest for the second you saw the other Vegeta. His hair had turned the brightest blue, and a blindingly bright ball of energy was forming in his outstretched hand. “Time for you to go, both of you. So pathetic you don't deserve a goodbye.” 

In an instant you were there, about to be blasted to oblivion by some evil version of your mate, and then you weren't. Your head was spinning and you were confused, your vision started to blur with images of your house and then of the med bay at bulmas and then of Vegeta limp underneath you. The last thing you remember is being laid down in a soft bed, your tail entwined with Vegeta's.

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I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for having 2 chapters in a row ~fade into unconsciousness~ i just didn't know how else to end this chapter 🤷‍♀️ as always comments and reblogs make my heart sing 😁 thank you for reading!

[naralanis]

little bumps in the road (pt. 22)

Previously on LBitR...

Despite J’onn’s somewhat encouraging parting words, Lena felt anything but prepared once he left her and Alex to their brightly lit little cells in this god-forsaken bunker.

Yeah, she ‘knew.’ So what?

At the very least, it just means that she needs to anticipate Lex’s next move. Fantastic; it’s not like she’s been trying and failing to do precisely that for as long as she’s known him.

At best, it means J’onn is hinting at some kind of advantage he seems to think she possesses. That’s the part Lena hasn’t quite figured out yet, and the clock is ticking. For all she knows, Kara may as well be flying right over their heads, and they would be none the wiser… that is, until Lex decides it’s time to play with his toys.

Alex grumbles in her cell, the sheets of her cot rustling as she shifts to sit up. She blinks at Lena for a few moments, studying her, yet not surprised to see her there in the slightest.

She looks like shit.

“Please tell me you’ve got a watch,” Alex mumbles in lieu of a greeting, voice hoarse and slightly groggy.

Lena shakes her head in the negative. Her eyes are glued to the bandages at Alex’s temple—they are crisp and clean, except for a slight, dark red spot right at the center. The agent follows her line of sight with a wry chuckle.

“I tried to get at mine, too,” she explains with a droopy wave at her temple and a tight shrug. “Almost got it, too, before Brainy informed me I was about to melt my brain or something. Lovely little gizmo your brother got us.”

Lena sighs, ashamed despite herself. Alex keeps on speaking, sounding amused—Lena isn’t sure if it’s because she’s using humour to cope with this thoroughly unpleasant, hopeless situation, or if the painkillers they gave her were just that good.

“I have to admit, I am glad I didn’t try it with a fucking piece of glass,” Alex quips as she stands up and stretches. Lena can hear the pop of every vertebrae as the agent cranes her neck.

“So,” Alex continues in the face of Lena’s silence, approaching the crystal-clear barrier separating them and clapping her hands loudly. Her walk is still a little wobbly. “We can’t get these things off. What’s the plan then, Luthor?”

Lena—who so far has just been standing in the same spot, biting her lip and mulling over what J’onn had said—whips back to face the agent so fast she almost gives herself whiplash.

“Plan?” she says, feeling her voice squeak in the way it often does when she’s about to descend into hysterics. That has been happening a little too frequently as of late, so she takes a moment to close her eyes and breathe deeply through her nose, centering herself.

“There is no plan,” she says, crossing her arms—the cast makes the familiar action a tad awkward, and it takes her a few seconds to get it somewhat right.

Alex simply eyes her impassively for a few moments, and then loudly sucks air through her teeth and releases it. “OK, then,” she says, not sounding as resigned as the situation probably warrants, which throws Lena for a loop. “So, we make a new one.”

Lena wants to make a sarcastic comment about what kind of meds they must have given Alex for her to entertain such a ridiculous notion, but she reins it in at the last moment and opts for a skeptical quirk of her brow instead.

“By all means,” she drawls, unable to keep her sarcasm fully at bay. “If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears, because I frankly don’t have any. We’re locked in an underground bunker until Lex decides to have his way with the nifty little implants he gave us.”

Alex nods, smacking her lips. “I don’t accept that.”

Lena releases a humorless laugh. “I suggest you start,” she waves her broken hand around her cell. “Because it’s pretty hard to ignore.”

Alex takes a few more steps forward; she’s so close her breath fogs the glass. “Then work it out, Luthor.” She puts a finger on the glass; it thunks oddly loudly against the smooth surface as she taps away to punctuate her words. “The way I see it, Lex is going to activate these things in our heads any minute now. I would very much like either of us not hurting my baby sister, thank you very much. So out with it.”

Lena huffs, irked by the demand. “You think I want to hurt Kara? You think I wanted to do it the first time?!”

“You have hurt her before,” Alex retorts. Her tone is calm, but Lena feels it like a slap in the face. “I don’t think you wanted to kill her, but you did encase her in Kryptonite. Don’t act like you’re above hurting her.”

Lena wants to say something back, but her words are stuck in her throat. Alex doesn’t give her a chance to recover and speak, but the gentleness in her tone keeps throwing Lena off.

“And that’s exactly what Lex is going to use against you—what he has used against you already.” She smiles, a little sadly. “You wouldn’t be standing there thinking about what J’onn said if you didn’t think there’s something you can use to get us all out of this mess.”

Lena only realizes she’s crying when her tears cool her cheeks in the dry air of the cell. She steps forward, almost as close to the barrier as Alex is. “It might be nothing,” she says, biting at her lip.

Alex puts her whole palm onto the glass. “But it might be something.”

Lena lets out a wry laugh. “Maybe.” She looks back at Alex, focus narrowing at the bandages at her temple and her matching ones in the reflection of the glass. “When you tried to reach your suppressed memories, how did it feel?”

“Like shit.” Alex shrugs. “Well. That’s an understatement,” she adds on, running a hand through her cropped hair. “It was agony. Hot. Like… lightning in my head. White and bright.”

Lena nods. “When Lex captured me… He triggered something like that—he used specific words to trigger that reaction; though I felt it before… when you met me and Kara in Metropolis, when I tried to remember what really happened.”

Lena’s gaze meets with Alex, and the agent looks more than a little lost. Lena surmises her memories aren’t entirely back just yet. She sighs, waving it away. “That’s not important. But I did accidentally manage to… snap out of it—I stopped whatever he triggered, somehow. And then I tried to dig out the implant,” she adds, almost as an afterthought.

Alex’s forehead bumps against the glass. “How did you stop it?”

Lena chuckles wryly, and raises her casted hand. “I shocked my body out of it,” she explains. “I slammed my broken hand onto a table, and the pain gave me something else to focus on. Then I just…” she flounders, then, because how can Lena explain that she packed whatever Lex had triggered in her brain away into a mental box without sounding like a lunatic?

“You just what?”

Lena sighs, knocks her head against the barrier in frustration. “I put it away,” she mumbles.

Alex blinks. “Excuse me. You did what now?”

“I put it away, Alex. I—I don’t know, I compartmentalized it. I separated it from whatever else I was thinking and feeling, until I could get a handle on it.”

She turns her gaze back to Alex, ready to see the judgement in her eyes, ready to hear her tell Lena she thinks she’s crazy.

To her surprise, the agent looks… impressed.

“OK,” Alex says slowly. “Do you think you could do it again?”

Lena opens her mouth, closes it again. That’s the question, isn’t it? Is that what she’s prepared for? Is that what J’onn meant when he said she knows what to expect?

“Maybe,” she says, only half believing it. “I don’t know.”

“Do you remember what Lex said to trigger the implant?”

Lena nods a somber affirmative. “Do you?”

Alex shakes her head, but her gaze is hopeful. “If you do, maybe… maybe you can turn it around. It’s like a magic trick,” she says, trying to be helpful. “Once you know how it works, the illusion is gone.”

Lena wants to point out that Q-wave and memory manipulation is far from a simple magic trick, but Alex’s words resonate in her mind—how much has she replayed exactly what Lex had said when he left her?

She opens her mouth to speak, but a loud buzzing interrupts her. It seems to be coming from Alex’s pocket—the agent gives her a sheepish look as she pulls out something that looks like a pager.

“I do hope you figure it out soon,” Alex says, eyeing the device grimly. She turns to show Lena a miniscule screen—the contraption was obviously left by Nia or Brainy for one purpose and one purpose only, and Lena’s heart is in her throat when she sees the recognizable sigil blinking over a familiar map. “Because Kara’s back.”

 << Previous || Next >>

[dubersbutt]

Okay so let’s say Connor got injured, whatever injury, and you’ve been doting on him more. Taking care of him, giving him extra cuddles and affection. Leon feels really left out and jealous. So one day when you’re going to go cuddle Connor on the couch, Leon grabs you and bends you over the arm of the couch. He gives you a few spanks and fingers you to get you ready for him. He then loops his arm through yours and pulls you up so your back is to his chest. He processes to rail you in front of Connor. He spanks your ass, rubs your clit, he has a strong grip on your hip, he bites your neck and shoulders, leaves a massive hickey on your neck. He keeps saying “who does this pussy belong to?” And makes you scream his name. Leon has not broken eye contact with Connor since this all began, he doesn’t forget to give Connor once of his signature smirks. Leon makes you cum so hard you have a hard time forming words. Leon than turns you around and shows Connor his cum dripping from your pussy.

Okay so this takes place during Connor's knee injury from a few season ago because I simply cannot put *nj*r*d Connor out into the universe

1.3K

Warnings: Smut, hand on throat but no real choking,

(Everybody thank @leondraisaitlsglove for this painful gif of the boyfs)

Leon isn’t jealous in the traditional sense of the word. He knows that Connor’s getting more attention that him because his knee basically exploded and he needs help. He’s not jealous of the fact that he’s getting attention, but he would like it if you cuddled with him once in a while, or if you asked him what he wanted for dinner instead of just telling him to help out with whatever Connor wanted.

Okay maybe he was a little jealous of Connor. Not because you were giving him more attention, but because you hardly fixing Leon any. He feels a little guilty thinking it, but he knows Connor would feel the same if the roles were reversed, he was the definition of a whiny bottom.

Leon comes home after his run and makes his way to the kitchen to grab the smoothie he made earlier from the fridge when he sees you with Connor, snuggling on the couch. When he walks closer he realizes you’re not on the couch with Connor, you’re standing behind holding his head in place as you make out with him. And then he hears Connor’s laboured breathing he knows that he’s got a hand on himself.

Leon feels a flash of jealousy as he lets his bottle down on the counter, walking quickly towards you. He smacks your ass when he gets there, feeling satisfied at the yelp you let out.

“When did you-” your question gets cut off as Leon pushes you down so you’re bent over the couch be more pulling your shorts down and giving your ass another smack. You moan when you feel the hard sting against your cheek.

He pumps one finger in your pussy, feeling how wet you are, spreading your slick up to your clit. He circles it a few times, before dipping back into your pussy, fingering you open.

"You ready for me, baby?" he asks, watching you nod your head from where you've slumped over the back of the couch.

He looks over at Connor, whose hand has stilled on his cock - probably forgetting it was there. He adjust your hips, lifting your body so your toes are just barely touching the ground. Leon teases your entrance, running the head of his cock through your folds.

"Beg for it," he commands.

"Please Leon," you say immediately, "Please fuck me. I need you inside me, Leo, I feel so empty without your dick."

He had planned on making you wait but he doesn't know really know why he thought he'd be able to sit through your begging and not give you what you want.

He thrusts forward, entering you abruptly. He only gives you a few moments to adjust before he starts to fuck into you. His hips slam into yours, fucking you hard, revelling in the throaty groan that you let out. When he looks back at Connor, Connor's eyes are glued to where you're taking Leon's cock with a jacking off feverishly on his own.

You're holding on to the edge of the couch, nails about to rip into the fabric of the couch. Leon's name is falling from your mouth like a mantra, egging him on. Your pussy is clenching around him, he has to dig his teeth into his lip to try and stop himself from cuming prematurely.

Leon rubs your clit once, twice , and then you’re tumbling over the edge with a muffled scream. Half your face is pressed into the couch cushion and he can’t even be mad at your for finishing without his permission.

He somehow manages to wait until the very end of your orgasm before he fills you, giving you one last firm smack as he does. He pulls out a little early, letting his cum slip out of you and coat your pussy lips. He looks at Connor, who never took his dick out of pants but now has a pronounced wet spot on the front of his gray sweatpants.

He picks you up and manhandles you over to the edge off the couch so your spread legs are inches away from Connor’s face. He looks up at Leon with wide eyes.

“Go ahead,” Leon nods, “clean her up.”

And Connor dives in, like a man starved. His lips suck on your clit, and your toes curl. Leon has to hold your legs open so you don’t suffocate Connor.

“You were such a good girl for me,” Leon murmurs in your ear, “you were made to take dick, fuck.”

“You’re so fucking pretty when you cum,” he hums, and Connor starts to lick your pussy with large flat strokes of his tongue.

You whimper, Leon can feel you body shudder as Connor hold your hips in place so he can tongue fuck you. Your nails dig into his forearm, but he doesn’t register the pain, won’t even notice until he sees the crescent shaped scars later that night.

“Connor’s a good boy for cleaning you up, isn’t he (Y/N)?” Leon asks and Connor meets his eyes, “Say thank you, baby.”

“Th-thank you,” you let out a little shout as Connor gets his angles just right, “Thank you Connor.”

“Mm, such a good girl,” he holds your throat in his hand, using it to tip your head back to kiss him, “Cum for us.”

When you cum, Leon’s swallowing to noises you make, somehow still managing to hold you up and kiss you as your body shakes with pleasure.

~~~

“So, are we gonna talk about what happened earlier?” You ask as you shut the bedroom door behind you.

You had just checked on Connor who was sleeping in the guest room during his recovery process. He wasn’t happy about it, but both you and Leon could be restless sleepers and you didn’t want to accidently injure him in the night.

“Nothing happened earlier,” Leon says, nestling the bookmark in the spine of his book before leaving it on the bedside table, “How’s Con?”

“Already asleep, pain meds knocked him out cold,” you say as you change from your sweatpants to the shortest pair of shorts Leon’s ever seen

You walk over, jumping into the bed next to him and straddling his hips.

“Leo,” you say putting his phone on the bedside table next to his book, “you have to talk to me about these things.”

“About what things?” Leon’s pretty certain he’s been hiding his jealousy well.

You roll your eyes, “Are you jealous?”

“Of who? Bowie? Yeah I would love to spend my life eating and napping and doing nothing else.”

“Leo, I’m being serious,” you say, “You can tell me if you are, but we can’t work on things if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

He takes a deep breath, “It’s stupid, I know it is because Connor’s injured and he needs the help but the only time I’ve really spent with you in the past few days is like two hours before we go to bed.”

Not that he’s complaining about those two hours. You might be spending the days with Connor but he won’t be cleared for sex for a while so Leon’s had you all to himself for the past few weeks.

“First of all, it’s not stupid. You’re feelings are perfectly valid,” you say, “but I have to ask, are you jealous because it’s Connor, or just because I haven’t been spending much time with you.”

“No it’s definitely not Connor, I love him, you know that.”

“Just checking,” you say, stretching, “well I will make sure to pencil you in to my very very busy schedule.”

He chuckles at your joke, leaning in to accept your kiss. When he pulls away for air you start to move down his body, settling yourself between his legs.

“Well I guess I should apologize.”

And what is Leon gonna do, say no?

[destinationtoast]

In case it helps anyone to know -- if you struggle, you are not alone.

I think many people who who've followed me or known me for a long time probably think I have my shit pretty together. And in a lot of ways, my life is great, and I have done some cool stuff. But despite that, I struggle with mental health, and my brain is sometimes a terrible place to live. I've spent a bunch of time recently:

Feeling incompetent and like a complete imposter

Feeling like a failure and a disappointment

Feeling like I'll never be able to do any job well and will end up penniless and without healthcare (but still with chronic pain) and an enormous burden to everyone

Feeling like a waste of resources -- "I have so much privilege, and so many advantages, and I squander them by being useless and by not even enjoying my life"

Feeling like I'll never enjoy anything again

Feeling like life will never be anything except stress and despair

Lying awake feeling all my muscles clenched and my heart racing

Having a tremendously hard time getting out of bed

Having an even harder time attending work meetings or doing work

Not being able to eat much and experiencing nausea and digestive issues (where usually I tend to eat larger amounts than usual in response to stress, occasionally it flips and I have to force myself to eat)

Crying unpredictably, e.g. while doing dishes, and having to awkwardly explain to housemates

Feeling numb and impatient and distracted while trying to read/watch TV/browse Tumblr

Feeling So. Much. Guilt. And. Shame. Just constantly.

This is all in spite of the fact that (a) I have substantial and even recent evidence to the contrary about a lot of this stuff (e.g. I got feedback at work not that long ago that I was doing really well and could consider going up for promotion soon). And (b) I've had intense episodes of anxiety in the past and then gotten better, so I have plenty of examples of how these intense feelings don't necessarily predict the future.

Despite all this data, and despite my loved ones telling me wonderful, helpful things, I have spent a lot of time feeling viscerally quite horrible over the past few weeks (as well as for much longer stretches, at times in the past). And parts of my brain have compellingly argued that this will probably last forever.

I've dug myself partially out by talking to a doctor (though I realize healthcare is a privilege not everyone has, though we all should) and getting a short term Rx to help me relax at night enough to sleep. And signing up for therapy again. And discussing longer term possible changes to my meds (I'm on an antidepressant that had been working well till recently). And doing simple breathing exercises. And forcing myself to go do some small amount of work -- especially to make progress on a couple of the things i was most dreading, or to ask others for help with them. And forcing myself to eat and go for walks. And spending time petting kitties. And admitting to my closest peeps that I am struggling, and getting them to say that they'll still like me even if I lose my job. And remembering all those past episodes of anxiety and depression (as well as panicky bad drug trips) that I was sure would last forever at the time, but didn't. And realizing that life is long, and there are many ways to survive and find joy in this world -- and even if I thoroughly fuck up one path, there are other things to try.

I also had to do a big hard thing at work this week that was very stressful (definitely the dread of this has been one contributing factor in my recent spiral). Afterwards, I immediately felt drenched in relief, and feelings of interest and joy and hunger have started to flood back into my life again. "HAHA JUST KIDDING," the unhelpful parts of my brain suddenly said. I still would like to get to a much more stable place mentally, and I'm going to continue to work toward that, and to develop my toolbox for coping. But the sudden easing of some of the terrible sensations feels miraculous, and I'm grateful, and amazed at how fast my internal state can change. And even if maybe it turns out I feel worse again tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy today and try to remember that I did so.

So. If you're struggling, I empathize so much. And it's worth trying to keep in mind that:

Strong feelings of incompetence and/or certainty that the future will suck don't stem from reality. Our brains+bodies sometimes make us feel these things strongly even when actual evidence says otherwise.

That means anxiety/depression is like a bad drug trip. It feels very real, but you're likely to feel at least somewhat differently -- and sometimes substantially better -- if you can hang in there a while.

Just because your brain may be lying to you doesn't mean the resulting struggle isn't real. It's legit hard sometimes to do the basics of survival -- Eat. Sleep. Move the minimal amount needed to get food & water, go to the bathroom, etc. When you're finding those things hard, you're ill. And you deserve time off and self care and a trip to the doctor, if you can manage any of that. If you can't? If you're taking care of others/working or going to school/doing anything else on top of being ill? You're a superhero. I hope you can get others to help take some of your duties for a bit, or to help you book a doctor's/therapist's appointment, or to at least listen and sympathize and send you cute animal pics or memes.

Other people who may appear to have their shit together may not. Many of them are going through big struggles of their own.

The pandemic & state of the world right now are making things much harder for so many people. My doctor (general practitioner) told me that nobody she's seen in the past year is doing that great mentally, and the number of people having acute mental health issues has skyrocketed. Be as kind and forgiving toward yourself as you can manage (in general, and even more so now).

Good luck. Hang in there as best you can. I'm rooting for you. 💗

(Feel free to reblog or to reply, but I may not have energy to respond to comments... responding is hard right now.)

[rosemochi]

16

16. Daybreak.

"How much for a room?"

The innkeeper stares. Zack stares back. He knows he's getting blood all over the floor, but it's not as if he can help it, and if the man declines to help him, then the puddle will just get larger. Finally, the innkeeper sighs, and Zack's shoulders sag in relief. "Hundred gil. Only got single beds, though."

He limps towards the desk. It takes a great deal of effort to grab his wallet, considering Cloud is still slung over his back. "That's fine." After a pause, he says, "Sorry about the mess. I'll clean—"

"Don't worry about it." The innkeeper hands him a key. "Room charge includes a cleanin' fee."

Their accommodations are filthy, but it's still better than the lab. Zack sets Cloud down on the bed, strips him of his wet clothes, and covers him with as many blankets as he can find. He still looks uncomfortable — because anybody would've been uncomfortable on such a thin mattress — so Zack takes his own pillow and shoves it underneath Cloud's head, leaving his own side bare. Finally, he collapses into a nearby armchair and watches Cloud with half-lidded, heavy eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

Cloud doesn't answer, of course. The only noise that greets Zack is the sound of the slums outside the window; the bustling crowds, loud, inhospitable, naturally wary of broad-shouldered men in sleeveless turtlenecks. It was a miracle that he'd even managed to find this inn, considering most people in Sector 7 avoided him like the plague. "We'll figure it out." Zack's voice is light, airy, confident; the opposite of what he feels inside. "It'll be fine."

---

It's not fine.

The next day dawns. Zack counts out his remaining gil. There's only enough for a week's worth of food, and that's if he stretches it. Going to the hospital isn't an option, and it's far too late to take a potion, so he eventually resorts to digging out the bullets in his torso with a pocket knife. They make a strange kind of music as they hit the bathroom sink, clinking against the porcelain, accompanied by the steady drip, drip, drip of Zack's blood. Cloud sleeps through Zack's grunts of pain, which he's grateful for — he doesn't want Cloud to see him like this.

As Zack bandages his wounds, he thinks back to the encounter that gave him all of these injuries to begin with. He's pretty sure Cloud didn't get hit by anything, but it's not as if he's conscious enough to say otherwise.

"Sorry, buddy," Zack says. "Gotta do this."

He lifts the blankets up. Cloud's torso looks fine — other than the keloid scar in the center of his chest, stark against his pale skin, and the frightening way his ribs stick out from his body, made thin by five years of stillness and artificial nutrition. Zack doesn't look for very long, because it feels weird; he's oddly flustered by the time he finishes his pseudo-examination.

Once he's finished, Zack goes to sit on the side of the bed and misses it entirely. He slowly sinks to the threadbare carpet, his shirt catching on the rough comforter as he goes down. His head is pounding, as if somebody's hammering on the insides of his brain with a hammer. "Good," he murmurs, relieved. "Just me, then."

---

Zack wakes, his head still aching, and hastily dresses in the only outfit he has. He wants to run his errands before the slums awaken, but Sector 7 is full of early birds... that are naturally wary of Shinra-issued super-soldiers. Zack arrives at a grocery store, dressed in his infamous uniform (sans pauldrons, though it doesn't help much), beelines for the produce, and promptly gets spat at over a bushel of carrots.

"I'm an ex-SOLD—" Zack sighs. The old Wutain woman walks away, muttering curses under her breath. "Nevermind."

He heads to a nearby clothing store and spends far too much money (five gil) on a new set of clothes. The turtleneck, belt, and pants find their way into a nearby dumpster. Now incognito, Zack quickly buys some necessities — food, water, more bandages, a bar of soap — and races back to the hotel room, eager to check on Cloud.

"I'm home," he announces. Cloud doesn't respond. Zack sits on the side of the bed and rifles through the grocery bags, emerging with a container of fruit. "I bought blueberries." He hastily covers his mouth with his other hand as he coughs, his chest burning from the exertion of running up the stairs. "Your—" Another cough. "Your favourite."

---

Could he be a mercenary? He doesn't see why not, really, other than the fact that somebody might recognize him (when he's supposed to be dead). Could leveraging his ex-SOLDIER status help drum up more business? Is it worth the risk? He'll figure it out in the morning, he decides. Zack lies his throbbing head down on the mattress and falls asleep, dreaming of the painkillers he'll buy with his mercenary money.

The fourth day comes. Zack opens his eyes and hisses in pain; the sunlight feels like it's burning a hole through his skull. He flips onto his stomach, seeking darkness, and hears an unfamiliar groan.

It takes him a moment to recognize the sound.

Zack leaps out of bed and immediately sways on his feet. Something is wrong, terribly wrong, but he can't let whatever it is stop him — Cloud needs him. He grabs a bottle of water, brings it to Cloud, and holds his head up so he can drink it.

As soon as the bottle's empty, Cloud asks, "Where are we?"

"Sector 7," Zack says. "The slums."

Cloud's eyes roam up and down Zack's bare torso, pausing at the blood-stained bandages. "I remember the cliff," he croaks. "I thought I dreamed it."

Zack lays back down on the hard mattress. He laughs, but there's no humor in the sound. "I wish."

The mattress squeaks as Cloud turns to face him. Zack carefully looks at him, emaniciated but animated, taking in all of the features — sunken eyes, sharp cheekbones, dry lips — that display his illness, equivalent to Zack's own sorry state. Still, there's something about the sight of Cloud that Zack finds strangely wonderful, something that makes his heart race — a feeling made stronger by the fact that it's him, awake, present, right beside him.

"We're alive," Cloud whispers in wonder.

"Yeah." Zack smiles. "We're alive."

---

Though Zack might not stay that way for long.

Day five. The morning sun burns his eyes like acid. Whatever's been plaguing Zack has grown infinitely worse, and he suspects it has something to do with one of his bullet wounds — whatever's making his bandages stain yellow rather than red. Or perhaps it's because he sat in soaked clothes for hours upon hours as he hauled Cloud to Midgar, frozen to the bone in the frigid December weather.

Or perhaps it's both.

The reason doesn't matter, really, because that's not the point. Isn't he supposed to be immune to these sorts of things? What on earth was the point of his augmentations if he still gets things like colds and infections?

Zack ventures back outside in search of medicine, for things he hasn't taken since he was a child in Gongaga, fighting against strep throat and bronchitis. He heads to the nearest pharmacy, because he still can't afford a doctor. Unfortunately, he finds out he can't afford basic remedies either.

"You got wounded?" The pharmacist says, eyes wide. "How long ago?"

"Five days."

"Way too late for a potion," he murmurs. He looks Zack up and down, then rifles underneath the counter. "I'm not supposed to sell these without a prescription, but..." He rings up the antibiotics. "Two hundred gil."

Zack grimaces. "I have fifty."

The pharmacist directs Zack to the veterinarian next door: somebody who sells drugs under the table for cheap. Zack pays ten gil for a bottle of canine antibiotics (which is still too much, but he can't take care of Cloud if he's dead himself) and stumbles back outside. His head swims as he wobbles down the street, knocking shoulders with Sector 7's many residents. He hits one woman particularly hard. "Sorry," he slurs.

The black-haired woman whirls around to face him. She gasps. "Wait—"

"Sorry."

The woman says something else, but Zack rushes forward, eager to get back to Cloud. He makes it back to the inn (though he's not quite sure how), tears his way back into the room, and promptly rushes for the toilet. The bile tears through his esophagus as it comes up, leaving his throat raw and scorched in its wake.

Something crashes in the bedroom. Zack looks over the rim and sees Cloud crawling towards him, a blanket tangled around his legs. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Nothing," Zack insists, though he's sure he's not doing a very convincing job of it. He flushes the bile away. "Got meds."

Cloud hunts around for the bag that Zack dropped on the floor. Exhausted, he leans back on the bathroom cupboard, rips the bag open, and inspects the bottle. "This says 'for Fido'."

"He said something about 'equivalent doses'," Zack groans. "No idea what that means."

Somehow, he musters up the energy to pull himself up to the sink so he can brush his teeth. Cloud crawls up with him, using the counter as leverage. The image in the mirror is a frightening sight; Zack can barely recognize himself. Cloud reaches up and pulls a sweat-soaked strand of hair from Zack's temple. "When was the last time either of us showered?"

Zack grimaces as he thinks back. "Five years ago?"

It's a good thing they decide to shower together, because they end up having to hold each other up. Cloud doesn't have the dexterity to unbutton his own pants, so Zack does it for him; Zack doesn't have the strength to lift his arms above his head, so Cloud hooks his arms underneath Zack's shirt and pulls. They take turns scrubbing each other clean, trying to make up for each other's deficiencies. Zack's bandages get soaked, but he simply doesn't have the energy to care. "Bend down," Cloud says. "I'll get your hair."

The hot water doesn't last long. Strength spent, they end up on the floor, gasping for air and clutching each other for warmth. Zack's feverish forehead lands on Cloud's cold shoulder; the sensation makes him groan in relief, even though the rest of his body is frozen to the bone. "We might have to stay here forever," Cloud gasps. "I don't have the strength to haul you up."

Zack slowly drags his head up. Droplets of cold water drip down Cloud's chin, his jaw, his neck, collecting in the hollow of his throat. Zack's mouth is impossibly dry; if he didn't know any better, he might've tried to drink from it. "I'd be fine with that," he admits.

---

"Why did you give me your pillow?"

Zack drags his eyes open. Dim streaks of light pierce through the blinds, highlighting the dust in the air. The clock on the nightstand reads 5:30 AM. "You needed it more."

"How?" Cloud croaks. "I was unconscious."

Zack doesn't have a good answer for that, so he stays silent. Cloud sighs and tugs at his shoulders. "Roll over," he says, and Zack slowly complies. His head lands in the center of Cloud's chest — a much comfier surface than the hard mattress. "Stupid," Cloud whispers into his hair. "You're so stupid."

They slowly drift back to sleep. Zack dreams of everything — his childhood in Gongaga, his days as a SOLDIER, the bloodshed in Wutai, the pain, the glory, the atrocities, all blending together into a whirlpool of dreams and nightmares. At the center of the maelstrom, always present, is the laboratory and the years he spent with Cloud, so close and yet so far, within arm's reach but miles away. In his dreams, the glass is impenetrable, no matter how hard he tries to smash it; his screams are muffled by the mako that spills into his throat, filling his lungs, robbing him of freedom.

But not anymore.

Cloud is here. He's in front of him, beneath him, warm, breathing and alive. Cloud's arms rise up to hold him, enveloping Zack in a comforting warmth that feels like home; Zack's hands clutch at Cloud's shirt as if it's the only thing tethering him to the Planet. The fabric underneath his eyes quickly grows damp.

"Still feverish," Cloud whispers, his lips moving against Zack's forehead.

"Yeah?" Zack mumbles, as if he can't tell — though he obviously can. His head is swimming; he feels like a child again, sitting in the bow of his dad's fishing boat, feeling the ocean tug him to and fro. "Not enough dog meds."

"I'll go get them."

Zack's arms tighten around Cloud's waist. "Don't," he says. "They're not doing anything anyway."

"You have to keep taking them for them to work," Cloud argues. He eventually wiggles out from underneath him, though Zack does his best to make him stay put. An eternity passes before he returns, medicine and water in hand. "Open your mouth."

Zack's throat, still raw from bile, aches as he swallows the pills down. Cloud puts the medicine aside and collapses on top of him, utterly spent. They lay there for a while, arms twisted around each other, Zack taking comfort in Cloud's steady heartbeat. "Don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Cloud whispers.

Zack gently runs his fingers through Cloud's sweat-soaked hair. "You'd be fine."

"No," Cloud quietly argues. "No, I wouldn't."

Zack slowly sinks back into unconsciousness. For once, he dreams of nothing; his mind is a dark, cool abyss, a refuge from the fever. When he's pulled back into the world of the living, his surroundings are much of the same. Zack awakens to soft fingers running through his hair, stroking his burning forehead, caressing his sunken cheeks. Is he still dreaming? "Don't stop," Zack croaks. "Feels good."

The stroking continues. The fingers trace his brow, the slope of his nose, the bow of his parched mouth, thumb swiping against his bottom lip — where they suddenly stop. Zack opens his mouth to speak, to breathe, to ask for more, when something else presses against his lips: a mouth as chapped as his own.

The kiss is light, because it has to be; even in his dreams, there's no energy for passion. In its absence, the gentlest of movements becomes profound. Zack sighs as he gently presses his lips to Cloud's, swipes his tongue against his bottom lip, seeking his warmth. A shiver tears through him as Cloud's tongue brushes against his own—

—until Cloud abruptly pulls away. He coughs, his chest rattling as he desperately tries to catch his breath. Zack holds him tight and rubs his back until the coughing fit passes. "Shh," he whispers against Cloud's forehead. "Shh."

Cloud eventually stills. Zack can tell he's feverish too; the skin underneath his lips is hot to the touch. "Sorry," Cloud croaks. The misery in his voice makes Zack's chest hurt. "I'm sorry."

Zack shakes his head. What on earth could he ever be sorry for? "Don't be."

They lay there for what feels like an eternity. Zack drifts in and out of consciousness, through the past and present. The fever tries to pull him under, but he briefly comes up for air. "I'll kiss you properly," Zack croaks, "when we're better."

Cloud's arms tighten around him. "We're not getting better."

He's right. Zack's fever persists, no matter what meds he throws at it; he can feel death hovering nearby, waiting to pull him into the ether. "If you can move," Zack slowly says, "I want you to go to the hospital. Don't—" He coughs. "Don't worry about the—"

Cloud inches himself up Zack's body and kisses him again. He coughs, then kisses the corner of Zack's mouth, coughs, then kisses his cheek; the hacking sound is loud and startling, as if it's tearing his lungs into two. "Shut up," he says. "I'm not leaving you."

Zack's eyes close against his will, robbing him of the opportunity to argue. As he slowly sinks into darkness, he feels something wet drip onto his face, like a familiar droplet of rain from a stormy sky. If he were to open his eyes, would he see dark clouds? Would he still be on the cliff, lying in the torrent, waiting for death?

He opens his mouth to the rain, eager to soothe his parched throat, and tastes salt on his tongue.

---

Zack awakens. The light behind his closed eyelids is warm, soothing, like the sunlight that dries the earth after a storm. A soft breeze brushes against his neck, stirring his hair.

"Hey."

Zack cracks his mouth open. "Hey," he croaks.

The weight of Cloud's body pushes him into the ground. Is he alive? Dead? Has he always been dead? Zack doesn't know much about the afterlife, but he knows it's supposed to be a paradise, and an eternity with Cloud is the closest he'll ever get to it.

The sunlight grows warmer, enveloping him from within. The pain in his body ebbs, replaced by something that Zack can only describe as peace. "I love you," Cloud says.

He turns his head towards the sound. "I love you too," he says, smiling. "Always have."

Another sound slowly enters Zack's consciousness; two sets of heavy boots, smacking against wooden floors. "Somebody's coming," Cloud says. "Shinra?"

Zack wraps his arms around Cloud, holding him tight, tighter, until they're as close as two people could possibly be. Their bodies meld into one entity, one soul, impossible to separate, together for eternity. "I'm not going anywhere without you," Cloud says.

The boots come to a stop. "No," Zack agrees, shaking his head. "Never."

Knock.

Every single thing Zack meant to say over the past five years comes out in a rush. "I love you," he croaks, because he can never say it enough. "I love you, I love you—"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"I love you too," Cloud says, his voice thick with tears.

"What are you tryin' to do, tear the damn door down?!" the innkeeper growls. "Hold on. I've got a key."

It doesn't matter. None of it does. It doesn't matter what will happen, if they're alive or dead or somewhere in between, if they're spirits wandering through the ether, souls flitting through hazy dreams — because they'll always have each other.

"I love you."

The door opens.

[sapphic-yearning-lesbian]

This is chapter two (Chapter one)

Nurse Namaari struggles with the idea of visiting her past patient Raya, but caves.

Warnings: Brief mentions of addiction, and survivor’s guilt. 

Word Count: 2533

--

Three days later

Namaari was sitting in her office writing reports when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," She said as the door slowly opened.

"Hello, It's Sisu; I'm a Psych nurse, we've seen each other multiple times around the ER, but you officially meet me while I was comforting Raya, a past patient of yours. Could I possibly speak with you?" Sisu confidently states while poking her head through the crack of the door.

Namaari raised an eyebrow, shocked to see Sisu at her door. Nevertheless, she nodded. How could she forget that day? Raya's pale body...Sisu's screams...

Snap out of it!

Because of Hippa, Namaari was not allowed to check on Raya. Once a patient leaves the ER, they are no longer her patients, and she has no say in their care, and nine times out of ten, she'll never know if they survived. "Of course. Come take a seat," She finally answers as she motions with her hands that Sisu sits across from her.

Sisu nervously walks over to the chair, sitting down. She looks at a Namaari whose eyes are locked on her purple ones. She chuckles. "This isn't me talking to a coworker, okay. This is me talking to my friend about another friend." Sisu states as she watches Namaari's eyebrows raise before she nods yes, "Raya is in the cardiovascular/pulmonary unit. She survived the emergency surgery! She's still recovering, but she has made it clear she wants the gorgeous nurse that saved her life to visit her."

Namaari was extremely relieved but also confused. "Wait, what? She isn't your girlfriend?" Namaari asked as Sisu's face turned bright red, and she burst out in laughter.

"Hahaha, no! We dated for like a week during nursing school, but we never clicked romantically; We've been best friends ever since tho." Sisu managed to say between her laughter. Once she was able to control herself, she continued talking, "Anyways, she is in the J6 unit in the room: J601," Sisu says with a smirk before standing up from the chair; walking to the door, before stopping to say, "If you visit her, don't do it as a nurse. She's not looking for another member of her health care team. She wants to get to know the YOU who isn't a nurse." With that said, Sisu walks out, closing the door behind her.

Namaari sits at her desk, even more confused. She leans into her chair, thinking for a moment. She really found this girl alluring in every sense, but how was she supposed to chase after a girl she talked to for two minutes before she practically died in her arms. Not practically! She did die!

Maybe that's the reason.

What a great love story would it be...

When Namaari finished her shift three days ago, she broke down: She hadn't cried like that in years! She does remember crying somewhat similarly when she lost her first patient five years ago, but it was a different kind of sadness.

The truth is death was something Namaari had grown accustomed to. Of course, she felt emotional distress when a patient died, but when Raya flatlined; It shattered her.

She often found herself running through the event over and over in her head, trying to pinpoint how she didn't realize the gasps for air between Raya's flirting, where she struggled to breathe.

She should have seen the signs.

She should have realized Raya's heart was straining itself to keep her alive; that's why her blood pressure and pulse skyrocketed before they plummeted.

No matter how many times she runs the scenario in her head, she always blames herself.

When in reality, Namaari is excellent at her job. She has ample experience and education.

Yes, Raya's smile ultimately left her defenseless, but Namaari stood her ground.

Yes, Namaari's heart was fluttering for her patient, but she still put those feelings aside to save her life. Maybe she should stop scolding herself and accept that life is unpredictable.

And one thing holds true: Namaari felt immense attraction for Raya, but she still acted professionally.

Namaari blinked a few times, trying to pull herself out of her thoughts before bringing her hands up to her face, gently rubbing circles into her temples. "What has she done to you?". She asked herself as she laughed and looked at the time; 4 PM, her shift will be over in three hours. After her shift finishes, she'll shower quickly in the staff showers and change into clean scrubs. She scoffs when she realizes she'll have to wear blueberry-colored scrubs; that's the only colored scrubs the hospital provides.

The hospital has their staff color-coded, adult nurses wear grey scrubs, child nurses wear pink, x-ray technicians wear black, pharmacists and phlebotomists wear light blue, nursing assistants wear burgundy, and surgical residents wear blueberry-colored scrubs. Actually, most residents wear blueberry scrubs, but most commonly, you'll see surgical residents marching around the hospital in their blueberry scrubs.

--

"OWW OWW OWWW," Raya screams as a surgical resident removes the chest tube that was once allowing the excess air pooled in her chest cavity to escape her body, caused by her collapsed lung. It was no longer needed as the punched lung was fixed during her emergency surgery; they should have taken it out before but hadn't, fearing her lung could collapse again.

Raya felt utterly stupid. She was an extraordinary nurse, and she knew the signs of a collapsed lung, pneumothorax, but she ignored them.

If she thinks back to that day in the ER, she can vividly remember her chest burning in pain; shortness of breath, lightheadedness, an elevated pulse, and finally, the icing on the cake, her left shoulder hurt: All tale signs that her broken rib punctured her lung. Yet, she chose to ignore the warnings.

At least now, she can fully understand the power of adrenaline on someone's mind and body. It can genuinely make you believe that severe pain is minimal and that you'll be okay.

"Sorry, Ms.Hart. Do you want me to press on your magic pain button" The resident stated, causing Raya to stare back at them with frowning eyebrows before nodding no.

Raya was given a medicine button she can press for narcotics every so often, but she was trying not to press the button unless she really needed to. She knows firsthand how quickly people can get addicted to those meds.

The resident chuckled. "Sorry, I forgot you're a nurse, and I don't need to call it a magic button." Raya faked a smile before chuckling. She wasn't trying to be mean at all, but she hated being on the other side. Raya loved being the nurse, and suddenly she's the patient.

The resident smiled once more before excusing themselves out.

"You can stop fake smiling now," Sisu said.

She was curled up on a couch against the window. She had her eyes closed as she was sleeping. "Ughhh, I'm going to be late to my shift," She said, opening her eyes, noticing the clock on the wall before standing up from the couch, where she stretched before smiling. "Nightshift is the bestttt" She joked as she folded the sheets she was using to sleep.

"You must be exhausted! You haven't left the hospital in three days because of your back and forth from your shifts to watching me!! Go home, sleep in your own bed, and shower with shampoo that actually cleans your hair because your hair looks a mess right now." Raya sighed as she sat up in the bed, looking at Sisu with pleading eyes.

"You're my best friend, Raya!" Sisu stated as she finished folding the sheets and turned to look at Raya with tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "You dead...I watched you die." She exhaled as solo tears escaped her eyes; she quickly wiped them away with her thumbs.

Raya was looking at Sisu with sorrow and regret. She knew getting into a fight with Tong was stupid, and they didn't mean to injure each other terribly, but somehow they did. However, she knew she couldn't keep this conversation going as Sisu had 10 minutes to get to the psych department for her shift. So instead, she smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Note to self! Never die again." This statement caused Sisu to chuckle as she picked up her overnight bag; that holds her clean scrubs.

Sisu quickly walks over to Raya, side hugging her gently to not hurt her before pressing a quick kiss on her cheek. "I got to go. If anything happens, please call my office, okay! I MEAN IT." She stated firmly before running out the door.

Raya sighed before she burst out in tears. She had been playing strong for Sisu, but she was in shock. She was sure her best friend knew, but Raya really wasn't ready to talk about it. Raya knew deep down that she was having survives guilt, an overpowering and almost dominating emotion.

Her tears soon became sobs, and she felt her body begin to shake. She knew it was a panic attack, so she began to take deep breaths to calm herself.

Eventually, the trembling stopped while her tears persisted; her body was weakened by the energy needed to cry. She was also physically distressed now as each sob caused a painful sting to travel up her spine.

So she finally pressed her medicine button.

As time went by, her tears lessened, and her pain was managed. Soon enough, she found herself drifting off to sleep.

--

"You're the girlfriend?" Some unknown voice asked.

"Yeah, sure." She heard Namaari's voice hesitantly answer. "I've been in here for an hour, and she just doesn't wake up. Is everything okay?"

The other voice hummed as the conversation amused her. "I'm looking at her patient chart, and it only says to release personal information to Sisudatu." The unknown voice said,  probably her night nurse. "HIPPA Man. I wanna help you, but--"

"Yea, I know. It was worth a try, though." Namaari answered, sighing.

"She's just tired. Look closely at her face; maybe you can figure out why she is so exhausted--ANYWAY, press on the call light if you need anything, or poke your head outside the door. Great to meet you...girlfriend Namaari." The nurse chuckled; it was clear she didn't believe that.

Raya so badly wanted to open her eyelids, but they felt so heavy. She tried to speak, but she was too tired to make words. So as she heard Namaari sit on the chair next to her bed, gently grabbing her call button (that's also a tv remote), turning it on. With the very little energy she had, she smiled as she drifted to sleep once again.

--

Nammari woke up curled up in a chair. She looked to her left, seeing a snoring Raya in her patient bed. She smiled, noticing the puffy eyes were gone.

When she came in yesterday around eight pm, she found Raya passed out with red puffy eyes. Tears had stained her cheeks, and her eyebrows frowned. Namaari knew she probably cried herself to sleep before she got there; she even tried to confirm it with her night nurse but to no avail. She yawned as she brought her left hand up to her eye level to look at her watch. 7:30 AM.

She lightly rubbed her tired eyes as someone burst into the room. She removed her hands from her eyes, spotting a very tired Sisu pulling the curtain open. Once Sisu noticed her, a wide smile spread on her face; she turned and noticed Raya was sleeping, so she whispered, "Hey, Namaari. Great to see you! Did you just get here?" She said excitedly as she yawned, placing her bag on the floor; Quickly shuffling to the couch that folds out to a bed.

"I came yesterday, but she was sleeping. It looked like she shouldn't be left alone, so I kinda fell asleep here," Namaari replied as she watched Sisu unfold some sheets, probably getting ready to sleep, she presumed. "I don't work today. I can stay with her..." She began to say as Sisu's eyes shot up from the couch to meet her's with a massive grin on her face.

"Are you completely sure?" Sisu asked, raising an eyebrow. Namaari noticed the eyebags and the apparent exhaustion. She nodded yes before opening her mouth to speak but was cut off by another voice. Raya's voice.

The voice Namaari's been repeatedly hearing in her mind. Precisely when Raya called her a 'godly woman.' Thinking back to that moment made her blush.

"She's... *yawn* ...giving you... *yawn* ..an out.. *yawn* ...take it," Raya stuttered as her eyelids fluttered open. She noticed Namaari first on her right and smiled but brought her gaze back to her best friend. "Go home. It's been four days now. I'm okay."

Sisu tilted her head to the side, looking at Raya with knowing eyes. She turned to look at Namaari. "Raya had a panic attack after I left. That's why she was so exhausted; I'm assuming it's survivor's guilt, but I'm her best friend, so I'm not allowed to evaluate her." Sisu said while crossing her arms across her chest, raising her eyebrows before turning her gaze to Raya. "I'm scared to leave again," She admitted as her tone became soft.

"I'm very much capable of taking care of her," Namaari stated. She knew this current situation was unusual. Truthfully a part of her wanted to leave, believing she didn't deserve even a slimmer of a chance of happiness. However, something kept her there—the desire to TRY and get to know Raya.

Namaari was very self-aware that if she let the opportunity of getting to know Raya personally slip, she would always wonder, what if . Because the truth is, if it doesn't work out, then she can at least say she tried.

Sisu uncrossed her arms and looked over at Namaari. "As a friend?" Sisu questioned Namaari, "Or as a nurse?"

Namaari chuckled. "I'm not part of her medical staff," She stated as she raised her hands in defeat. "I'm here as a friend."

"I thought you said we were girlfriends tho? Or was I dreaming?" Raya randomly blurted, both the other girls looking at her. Sisu's face showing confusion, and Namaari's embarrassment.

"OKAYYY, that's my queue to leave! Tong should be here around 2 PM so you can go home, Namaari." Sisu said, winking at Raya before grabbing her bag and walking out of the room.

Namaari's heart was beating faster, realizing she was alone with Raya. Her cheeks burning as if they were on fire. She turned to look at her and found she was already staring and smiling at her. "Was it a dream?" Raya asked again as she slowly sat up, clutching her chest.

"No, it wasn't a dream," Namaari whispered as she brought her hands down, looking at them.

Namaari was unsure how the next few hours would unveil. All she was certain of was:

She is sitting in a past patient's room.

She agreed to stay for hours.

She's highly attracted to this patient.

She thinks she's lost her dam mind.

--

I’m already working on the next chapter. It should be up in the next coming days. But realistically once I finish it; I’ll post it.

[thebookreader12345]

Forbidden Love Pt. 2

Pairing: Will Halstead x reader

Summary: Jay finds out that Y/N has been seeing Will behind his back and wants to discuss what has been going on, but a case gets in the way, which leads to some major emotions being let out

Requested: original storyline requested by @scarletsoldierrr, but new plot requested by anonymous

Warnings: slight swearing, mentions of sex, mentions of getting shot

Word Count: 1,279 Words

Pt. 1

Will and I had been seeing each other for a few weeks now. It was hard keeping it a secret from Jay because we basically shared everything with each other, but I had managed to do it. Will and I had a great connection, and I wasn’t going to let Jay ruin that.

When I woke up, I realized that I wasn’t in my own bed. I rolled over and bumped into someone’s body, and that’s when everything came back to me. I had stayed at Will’s last night. I glanced at the alarm clock that sat on Will’s bedside table and groaned. I had to get to work. I climbed out of bed and grabbed my clothes from the floor, putting them on hastily. As I was grabbing my phone and other possessions from the top drawer of Will’s nightstand, Will stirred.

“Morning,” Will muttered and stretched his arms above his head.

“Morning,” I reply and stuff my phone in my pocket. “Sorry for leaving so early, but I’ve got to stop at my apartment before heading to work.”

“It’s all right,” Will mumbled. “We’ll talk later, yeah?”

“Of course,” I say and lean down to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Bye Will.” After getting showered and changing into some new clothes, I sped off to the district. I parked my car in the lot, and then ran all the way into the district and up the stairs. Thankfully, when I entered the bullpen, I saw that no one had anything to present, and everyone was just lounging around.

“Good morning,” Jay said to me as I sat down at my desk.

“Morning,” I utter quickly. At that moment, Will walked up the stairs and entered the bullpen. I glanced him over, and seeing him in his scrubs made me ache for him. He always looked so hot in his work clothes.

“Hey, Will. What’s up?” Jay asked.

“I um, I’m actually here for Y/N,” Will stated and walked over to my desk.

“Uh, hey. What are you doing here?” I question. Will reached for his side pocket and pulled out my badge, extending it towards me.

“You uh, you left this at my apartment this morning,” Will spoke. Everyone froze as soon as Will said that. I took the badge from Will’s hand and set it down on my desk before looking between Will and Jay. I could see Jay’s hands clenching into fists, and the muscle in his jaw tick. Oh shit. Things were about to get messy.

“What was she doing at your apartment, Will?” Jay seethed.

“Jay, it’s not what it looks like,” Will shared.

“Oh really? Because what it looks like is that you’re sleeping with my partner when I explicitly told you to stay away from her,” Jay smoldered. “You two are done.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not your choice to make, Jay,” I retort and stand up.

“Like hell it is,” Jay countered.

“Hey!” Voight shouted and emerged from his office. “What the hell is going on out here?”

“Will was just leaving,” Jay announced.

“All right, well, our suspect was just spotted near a cluster of abandoned buildings on Kinzie, so gear up,” Voight ordered.

......................................

The ride to the factory lot was super awkward. Jay and I didn’t say a word the whole way there. However, as soon as Jay parked the car, and we stepped out, he spoke up.

“Why’d you go behind my back?” Jay asked.

“I really don’t want to talk about that right now,” I say and shut the passenger side door.

“Y/N,” Jay started.

“I said not now, Jay.” I hissed. That’s when I heard a gunshot, and then suddenly, I was on the floor, and it was hard to breathe.

“He’s got a sniper! Spread out” Voight yelled.

“Y/N,” Jay called out and fell onto his knees at my side. I tried to inhale some air, but it felt like nothing was getting into my system. The bullet must’ve hit a lung. Jay peeled off my vest, which was a painful process, and tossed it aside. Then, he pressed his hands to the wound. I could see blood staining his hands, meaning I was losing a lot. Too much to be good. “5021 George. 10-1. 10-1. Shots fired at the police. My partner’s been shot. I need an ambulance at the north block of Kinzie. We’re in the abandoned lot,” Jay spoke urgently into his radio.

“Copy that. An ambulance is on it’s way. ETA is 4 minutes,” the dispatcher responded. I gasped for air as my surroundings began to blur. I was beginning to lose consciousness, and I knew that if that happened, chances are I would die.

“Y/N! Y/N! Stay with me,” Jay murmured. Through my blurry vision, I could make out tears gathering in his eyes. I reached out and gripped onto one of his arms with as much strength as I could muster up, which wasn’t much because I was losing a lot of blood.

“This hurts like hell, Jay,” I groan. “I don’t know how you survived this before.”

Jay laughed weakly. “You’re going to survive too. Just hang in there.” After another few minutes, the ambulance finally arrived, and Jay helped the paramedics load me into the back of the vehicle. An oxygen mask was placed over my face, and my wound was covered with gauze and tape to keep any air from escaping, that way it was easier to breathe. When we finally arrived at Chicago Med, I was exhausted from staying awake, and I could slowly feel myself drifting away from the pain medication I had been given in the ambulance.

“Jay!” Will shouted and ran over to us. “What the hell happened?”

“Y/N’s been shot,” Jay informed him. “So I need you to do whatever you can to save her.”

“Y/N,” Will said and appeared next to me. “You’re going to be okay. We’re getting Dr. Rhodes right now to fix you up.” I brought my hand up and pulled the oxygen mask away from my face so that I could talk to Will.

“Please make up with Jay,” I whisper to him. “I love you both so much, and I don’t want to be the reason your relationship is ruined.”

“Hold on a minute. Did you just say that you loved me?” Will questioned with a grin on his face. I gave him a small smile and put the oxygen mask back over my face just as I was being transported to the operating room.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room, and I could feel gauze taped to my chest. It was way easier to breathe now, and I didn’t feel like I was dying, so the surgery must have went well. Just then, both Will and Jay entered my room, and both of them were talking like they hadn’t just had a big fight this morning. I guess Will took my advice.

“Look who’s awake,” Will spoke. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible, but it doesn’t feel like I’m going to die anymore,” I joke.

“So,” Jay started. “Will and I have been talking, and I now realize that I was being a bit controlling by not letting you guys be together. If you love my brother, then I’ll let you be with him. But if it starts getting awkward, then we’re going to have a problem.”

I laughed. “Deal. I love you guys so much.”

“We love you too. Me especially. I love you, Y/N,” Will stated.

I smiled. “So, when’s the first dinner we’re all going to have together?”

Jay groaned. “Don’t even get me started.”

________________________

Tag List:

@prettypyschoinpink @securityfriendly-jay @scarletsoldierrr @lorenakaspersen @virtualreader @carnationworld @caitsymichelle13 @king-crockett​ @winterberryfox @anotherfan07 @i-like-sparkly-things

[sicjimin]

Hi! If you're taking request I have one :) Yoongi with a really high fever but doesnt tell anyone and almost passes out during dance practice which worries the others

A.N : aaahh im sorry this taking too long T.T i hope you like this one & meets with your expectation! the idea is so .. interesting i love it!!, and sorry for the lame ending ......... T.T

TW : slight emeto, fainting

Yoongi knows his body was about to give up when he had already been sleep-deprived for the past 3 days, and in addition to that, their concept photos yesterday was involving contact with water and in the middle of winter wind. But he didn't expect that his body will give up in a literal meaning , and in the middle of dance practice, which causes panic from the members as they hovering over him.

Let's retract back —

Yoongi wakes up this morning, already acknowledge that he had a fever latching on him when he's still shivering under his blanket when the air conditioner is off. His assumptions are proven true when the world is tilting the moment he tries to get up and walk to the bathroom, his muscles feel achy, and the wooden floor becomes too cold for his feet. He half-conscious walking to the bathroom, freshens his pale face before rummaging the thickest hoodie he had, and go down to the kitchen where the rest of the members already clattering loudly. The first thing Yoongi sees is Jimin, who's currently putting the coffee pot on.

"You look like shit." Seokjin comments as Yoongi glares at him through half-opened eyes which are barely visible with his blurred sleepy eyes. "I feel like shit", he mumbled as he shoves down few bites of toast that Seokjin prepared, gulped down his daily iced americano before walk away and settled on the couch, resting his already exhausted body for a few minutes before they need to go.

Someone plopped beside him, but the mild thumping on his head didn't let him to open his eyes. That's too much effort. "Hyung are you okay? You look pale"

Yoongi only hums as an answer, letting silence seeped between them before he huffs a warm breathe and stands up as he heard Namjoon calling them to go. He ruffles Jungkook's hair, "I'm fine. a little bit tired" before he walks behind the other.

It's Jungkook.

It's 2 PM now, he has one hour before he needs to get up for dance practice. He let himself succumbing the sickness in his body, his teeth clattering as he trying his best to cover himself with a padded jacket and curled his body smaller in the darkness of his studio. The medicine took longer to kick in. He didn't know how long it had had already been since he's tossing and turning on the couch until someone knocking on his door, calling him that its time for practice.

The rest of the day went like a blur for Yoongi as he's too busy fighting his body to not completely shut down. He managed to go through some interviews as scheduled, downing a bowl of porridge that he requested to the staff as lunch with rice is way too heavy for his upset stomach and bitter tongue, take some medicine, and working few parts of the track before his head spinning.

--

Two knocks

One knock

Yoongi still didn't have it in him to get up. Then he heard the passcode ringing in and the door opened. He groans when the light blazing over his head for a minute before someone that barging into his studio quickly apologize and turning it off again.

Three knocks

"Yoongi-ah! What's wrong? Are you sick?", Yoongi didn't manage to answer any of that train of questions before a cold palm touching his burning forehead. He unconsciously whines when it goes away. It feels nice. " Oh my god, you're burning up!!"

"Hyung", Yoongi rasps, few coughs slipping as he tried to sit up. Seokjin quickly offered him water from his table. " Gosh, Yoongi. You're sick! Why are you even here? Let's go home!", Seokjin tugging his hand, while his other hands start collecting Yoongi's belonging. "Hyung .. i already took meds. Let's go to practice. I will go home with you guys after that"

Seokjin stops turn to Yoongi and give him a stern look. "What if your fever gets worse?" Seokjin asks, voice firm. "No, it wont hyung.. Please don't worry.. let's just go with the others to practice". Seokjin sigh, before reluctantly nodded.

They both headed out, Seokjin hands firm on Yoongi's shoulder as he is afraid the younger might trip on his feet if he let it go. They are greeted with the loud sound of music blaring echoes the room, he could see the other already do some stretching. Yoongi huff, before he drags himself to do the same. " Are you sure you can practice?", Seokjin asks once again. His eyes still trailed over the younger with worry. Yoongi nods, pushing his masks higher so the others couldn't see his pale feature. "Just, don't tell the others hyung. I don't want them to worry", he murmured. Seokjin didn't answer, but settled to stretching beside him.

The first round of practice went well, despite the aching in his muscle and thumping in his head getting worse, Yoongi manages to do it. He ducked his head down, almost groans in pain as he pants for air. It hurts.

"Water?", Yoongi opened his bleary eyes and meet with Seokjin's red face that also panting, with cold water on his hand. Yoongi gratefully accepts, sighing in relief when the liquid seeping down on his throat. "How are you doing?", Seokjin asks, gaining a shrug from the younger, " At least i'm sweating"

Seokjin rolled his eyes, " Don't force yourself"

"I won't"

In the second round of their practice, everything went downhill for Yoongi. He feels faint with every step he takes to dance. Every time he tries to move his legs he feels like it’s going to fail him and collapse underneath him. He can feel all the blood leaving his body as he moves. Not to mention how it's getting hard for him to catch his breath, the thumping in his head gets more prominent, almost lapping with the blaring sound of music. He didn't know when exactly he stopped on his feet, stared blankly on the floor that starts spinning under his feet . The whole room was now spinning around him, the lights seem to have faded out of focus, only a black hole was staring right through his eye. His sight slowly blurring, vision getting blurry. His breathing becoming heavier, he tries not to fall on his feet or knees but fails miserably. He doesn't know which one of the members screaming his name before it all goes black.

—

When Yoongi came back into consciousness, there was a throbbing pain on his head that made him want to groan in pain. He was feeling dizzy from the movement and could barely open his eyes. His ears felt numb, it sounded muffled but he tried to listen to them. What they were saying.

"Hyung!" A voice says. Yoongi flinches and tries to turn his head away, the loud ringing in his ears makes him nauseous. It hurt so bad.

"Hyung! Are you okay?!" Another voice comes and this time he tries to open his eyes, blinking at first, until he can see properly and get his bearings. Yoongi sits up, immediately leaning against something for support and then falls again. He can feel hands on his shoulder, supporting him.

"Hyung?! Hyung what happened? Do you need help?" A third voice. Yoongi doesn't want to look at who it is, he doesn't think he can stand without falling again and he isn't about to risk that. So he lies there, resting his head on the wall behind him.

"Dizzy .. " Yoongi mumbles to himself. Someone touches his cheek, gently moving his hair out of the way. With a hand on his forehead, checking temperature, Yoongi flinches and instinctively leans away from the touch.

"Min Yoongi what did i told you! Gosh, your fever getting worse", Seokjin exclaims. Yoongi heard everyone else talking again, with Seokjin shouting something about getting home. He didn't know. He wants to sleep.

" Yoongi, don't sleep. Can you move for me? We're going home", Seokjin asks, panic clear in his voice. He nods, then he feels himself being lifted up by the arms. He manages to open one eye just enough to make out the blurry shape of the surrounding, as he drags himself out, leaning most of his weight to Seokjin that holding him. Walks to the car feel way longer than Yoongi liking. Nausea that settled deep in his stomach now become worse as his inside jostles with every step he takes.

"Hyung", he croaked out, " Can we stop? i feel sick"

Before he knows, he already lurches forward along with his breakfast and his lunch earlier, soiling the green bushes under his feet. His throat burns, his eyes sting with tears, a burning sensation on his tongue. "Shh Yoongi.. it's okay. Everything is fine. Let it all out," Seokjin said, soothingly, though he did seem concerned. Yoongi can barely see through the tears streaming down his face. He squeezes his eyes shut when another stream of his stomach content gurgling up and rushing from his lips. His mouth was dry, but he could only focus on making sure that nothing would come up his throat, "I think I'm done", he rasped out weakly, not caring if it came out scratchy or wet.

He woke in the morning with a groggy feeling, feeling much better than yesterday had. When he rolled over, he saw 6 others figure scattering on his and Seokjin's room, with Seokjin sleeping on his side. He tried to shift his position when something wet fall over his forehead, a damp cloth. " Hyung? You're awake?", Hoseok raspy voice seeping through Yoongi's ears. He watched the younger yawn and stretch his body before plopping himself beside him.

The ride back felt like hours, even Yoongi spent most of it with sleeping. Once they got home, he stumbled into his room, falling face first onto his bed and letting himself finally fall asleep before he could hear any more of Seokjin trying to coax him into eating anything.

--

" Yeah I am", Yoongi managed, still feeling groggy, " Why are you here, isn't everyone have schedule today?"

"They come rushing yesterday and didn't want to leave you until you wake up, they said", Seokjin rasps as he collects himself.

"Yeah, you're scaring us hyung, and Seokjin hyung completely ignored us when we ask! So we just crashed here", Hoseok whines, " Are you feeling better?"

Yoongi bites off smile that wants to erupt from his lips, "I guess? not as shit as yesterday", he mumbled, almost yelps when a cool hand touching his forehead out of nowhere.

"At least your fever already breaking down", Seokjin hums before stand up, slapping Hoseok lightly on its way, "Wake up the others, i will make Yoongi something to eat"

[coffeeinallcaps]

wip/rip meme: sw poe panic attacks

(Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!) In which Poe is FINE, he’s JUST FINE, GUYS, NO PROBLEMS HERE.

Two weeks after the Battle of Starkiller Base, Poe wakes up without a headache for the first time since Jakku. Sitting up doesn’t make him feel sick, and the lights don’t set off stabs of pain behind his eyes. There’s no wave of dizziness when he gets to his feet.

Sweet, he thinks before making his way to the refresher.

--

BB-8 is running preflight diagnostics when Poe gets to the hangar. The others are already there. Bastian is walking around his ship, checking the underside of the hull. Jessika waves at Poe from where she’s talking to one of the ground technicians, her helmet tucked under her other arm. Poe waves back.

“Morning, sunshine,” Iolo says, slapping Poe on the shoulder as Karé says, “All right, boss?”

“Yeah,” Poe says, and he means it. He feels good, well rested in a way he hasn’t felt since, well.

The feeling lasts until they’re about to take off.

One moment he’s fine. The next the canopy is coming down, closing in around him, and he panics.

The feeling doesn’t register as panic right away. It’s—it’s something primal, a sudden visceral overwhelming sense of wrong, something is wrong, he needs to get out of here—

“Stop,” he says, “BB-8, stop, abort,” and BB-8 overrides the control system, beeps inquisitively. Poe can’t answer the question, because he’s breathing too fast and too loud—heart beating wildly in his chest, throat, ears—and he’s already strapped in but he needs to get out, he’s stuck and the cockpit is way too small, there’s not enough room, not enough air, he can’t think, can’t breathe.

That’s when he realizes, I’m panicking.

It’s like his consciousness has split in two. He’s right here, gasping for air and ineffectually tugging at the buckles of his harness, but another part of him is divorced from all this, hovering somewhere in the back of his own mind thinking What. The. Hell.

What the hell are you doing, Dameron. Calm the fuck down. Get your shit together. You’re being irrational.

And yes, he knows, he knows that, knows it doesn’t make sense, but he needs to get out.

The buckles finally give way, and he’s moving, scrambling out of the cockpit, down the ladder that hasn’t been retracted yet. His foot slips on the last rung. He stumbles backward until his back is pressed up against something.

He still can’t breathe, still feels trapped—he reaches for his helmet, it takes him three tries to undo the chin strap, he manages to wrench the helmet off his head and lets it drop to the floor.

He’s sweating. His chest is heaving under his flak vest. It feels like he’s being punched in the diaphragm over and over again, like he’s going to be coughing up blood any second from now. Like Kylo Ren—

The vest needs to come off, too, but his hands keep slipping on it.

People are standing around him. He can see the scuffed toes of their boots, the dirty orange and olive green legs of their flight suits. “Take it off,” he hears himself say, between gasps, “take it off, take it off,” and they help him out of the vest, pull open the collar of his flight suit.

The part of Poe’s mind that is hanging back notes that this is embarrassing. A deeply humiliating experience. The part of Poe’s mind that’s panicking is unable to register it as such. The observation emerges behind an impenetrable transparisteel panel. It’s right there, he can see it, but he can’t reach it and it can’t reach him.

Someone—Jess?—says, sharply, “Step back, guys, give him some fucking space,” and someone else says, “No, I think—” and Poe closes his eyes, thinks, Yes, space, I need space, give me space and then two arms are winding tight around him. No, let go, he thinks, eyes still closed, Let me go I need and then Finn? but it can’t be Finn, Finn is still in the med bay, still in a coma, Finn is—

He struggles, half-heartedly. It’s a relief to have something physical to struggle against, instead of just the awful sense of terror ballooning in his chest, clawing at his windpipe. It gives him something to focus on. His panicking self and his observing self merge. The transparisteel panel between them drops away, and shame comes rushing in.

He takes a gulping breath and goes limp.

It’s Bastian who’s holding him. He’s trapped again, trapped between the wall and Bastian’s body, but Bastian’s body is warm and familiar and hiding him from view so it’s not too bad, really, to be trapped here. When he looks straight ahead, he can see the vast expanse of the hangar. The rectangle of sunlight at the end is a comforting sight.

This whole thing can’t have lasted longer than, what, five minutes? ten minutes? but Poe is fucking exhausted. He’s shaking, he realizes.

“Hey,” Jess says. “Poe.”

It’s just her and Bastian now. The others are gone.

Another hot, nauseating rush of shame washes over him.

“Poe. Look at me.” Jess is dabbing Poe’s face with her sleeve. It comes away soaked, he sees. Her other hand brushes against his cheek. “You with us?”

Poe nods. He’s still catching his breath. He doesn’t think he can speak. He thinks that if Bastian let go of him, he’d crumble to his knees.

Bastian doesn’t let go. He takes a small step back, but keeps his hands on Poe’s shoulders.

We’re late, Poe thinks. We need to leave. He wants to say it out loud, but the thought of getting back into his ship makes his throat close up again and a fresh layer of sweat break out on his forehead.

Jess wipes it away. She and Bastian are talking with their eyes. Poe appreciates the fact that neither of them is asking him what the hell just happened. He also appreciates the fact that neither of them is asking him if he’s okay.

The moment stretches on.

They’re late. They need to leave.

He can’t fucking get it past his teeth.

“You guys should go,” Poe says eventually, the words scraping at the dry inside of his throat. His voice sounds raw, wrecked.

Jess lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good,” she says. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

It’s the only right thing to say. He’d be putting all of them in danger if he tried to fly, let alone lead a mission, in this condition. He takes a breath. Still that pressure in his chest, like there’s a wet cloth lodged between his lungs and his ribcage. It’s like trying to breathe in deeply on a hot and humid planet. Like trying to breathe when Ren—

Poe swallows, shakes his head, says, “We have to...”

“Snap’s on his way down here,” Jess says. “We’ll be all right. I’ll take it from here. The only thing you have to do is go see Dr. Kalonia.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Bastian offers, and Poe wants to say no, wants to tell them to get out of here, it’s fine, he’ll be fine, but then he realizes one of his hands is fisted into Bastian’s flight suit, clenched so tight his fingers have gone numb. It hurts to let go.

One of Bastian’s hands stays on Poe’s lower back, barely there, as they walk. Poe doesn’t stop at the med bay. Bastian wordlessly keeps up with him.

“Thanks, buddy,” Poe says when they get to his quarters.

“Anytime,” Bastian says, with a small, soft smile that makes Poe want to sink through the floor.

He lies back on his bed with his arms folded over his face. They’re trembling. His whole body is trembling. He closes his eyes and tries to block out his thoughts.

He doesn’t move until the doors slide open.

“Poe,” Dr. Kalonia’s voice says.

Poe says, “Doctor.”

His head doesn’t swim when he pushes himself up on his hands. It doesn’t quite feel like the victory it did this morning. The familiar sour taste at the back of his throat is back, but he guesses it has little to do with a lingering concussion and more to do with what happened in the hangar just now.

Kalonia doesn’t start off by asking him questions, which—again—Poe appreciates. She sits down next to him on the bed. Her fingertips are light on his cheek when she checks his pupil response. She listens to his heart and lungs, takes his pulse.

“Headaches been bothering you?” she asks.

Poe shakes his head.

“Dizzy spells?”

“Not anymore.”

“When did your symptoms go away?” After a pause, during which she puts her flashlight back into her pocket and loops her stethoscope around her neck again, she adds, “I’m assuming they went away, because you never did come back for a final check-up.”

“Um,” Poe says, scratching the back of his neck. Dr. Kalonia reminds him of his grandmother sometimes; there are very few people in the galaxy who can inspire this amount of guilt in him this quickly. “I felt pretty good this morning?” He can’t help but add, “And in my defense, we’ve all been pretty busy.”

“From what my droids tell me, it seems you are perfectly capable of finding the time to stop by the med center for other reasons.”

Finn.

“Well, I mean, all’s fair in love and war, right?” Poe says. And then, “I am sorry, Doc.”

She smiles. “Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I would’ve known where to find you if I needed to.”

“That sounds vaguely threatening, Doc.”

“Good.” She sits back. “Look, Poe, I could run some more tests, but as far as I can tell there’s nothing physically wrong with you right now.”

“Clean bill of health, then,” Poe jokes.

“Not quite, I’m afraid.”

The doors slide open again.

“Oh,” Rey says, looking at Dr. Kalonia. “I’ll go.” She doesn’t move.

“It’s fine,” Poe says.

“I can wait.”

“It’s fine.”

Rey shrugs, then crosses the room and perches on the windowsill with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. There’s dirt under her fingernails. She smiles at Poe.

He smiles back at her.

“I don’t think there’s anything physically wrong with you,” Dr. Kalonia says. “I think you had a panic attack. A severe one.”

(MORE TALKING)

(KALONIA LEAVES)

Poe throws one arm over his eyes again. “Come over here?” he says, flinging out his other arm in Rey’s direction, palm upward.

It’s a suggestion, not a request. He and Rey have been thrust together through their mutual connection with Finn. They’ve been spending a lot of time at his bedside together. Poe still hasn’t figured Rey out, not entirely, and he’s pretty sure Rey still hasn’t figured him out, either. Rey is still figuring herself out, life on the Resistance base seeming both exciting and overwhelming to her.

The mattress dips under Rey’s weight. She leaves some space between their bodies, but she puts her hand on his stomach, pillows her head on his arm. He can hear her breathe, soft and calm.

“Are you okay?” she says eventually, cautiously. There’s something about the way she asks the question that briefly makes Poe’s chest feel like it’s caving in.

He clears his throat, says, “Yeah.”

He doesn’t sound very convincing. She doesn’t call him out on it.

“Wanna go outside?” she says. “It’s sunny. There’s fresh air, and trees.”

“Really,” Poe says.

She shoves him.

“Careful,” he says reflexively. “Don’t damage the goods.”

Rey says, unimpressed, “Seriously?”

Poe’s chest still hurts. He lets his arm slide off his face, presses the heel of his palm against his ribs. It doesn’t help.

“You know what, fresh air sounds pretty good,” he says, sitting up.

“Good call,” Rey says.