#like its just decongestion

[big-tees-and-short-skirts]

i have fucking covid again :) so glad that covid was dealt w in the past and that the only ppl that need to worry about it are disabled ppl :) so glad that someone as young and healthy as me doesnt have to worry for more than a few days :)

[seilon]

pro tip: do not take four stimulants at the same time unless you want to vibrate so hard you tear your molecules apart and phase into different plane of existence

[option-monad]

i was wondering why all the allergy medicine here is so expensive

why are you cutting this shit with pseudoephenedrine omfg

[actually-safer-to-kiss]

Pounding

Summary: Reader has a migraine, and Spencer wants to help.

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader

Category: Hurt/comfort

Content warnings: none

Word count: 1.2k

The transition of seasons is something that has to be endured. It’s the time when you wake up to frost on your windshield in the morning but must remove your coat by the time you leave work. It is a painful time of inconsistency, especially for your sinuses. Not only with the pollen in the air (as well as on your car at all times) but the dryness as well. It causes your headaches to go from sometimes once a month to now twice a week.

And the first one happens this week, today. The migraine descended on you like a storm, brewing from your nasal cavities, its relentless waves of pain crashing against the shores of your temples. With each throb, the world around you seemed to blur and spin.

You shut the door to your apartment and let your bag fall from your shoulder, with no care with where it lands. Light, food, the smell of home is all too much to bear. With a sigh, you shuffle to the sanctuary of your room and bask in the silence while you can still control it. You unleash yourself from your business casual attire and fall into bed, nestling yourself under the covers.

The darkness relieves pressure, only slightly. It will probably be hours before it has settled, so you think it is best to call it a night now at 5:56 in the evening. There was no point in doing anything else as streetlights alone from the windows have proven to be enough to make the back of your eyes ache. You remained still, motionless, unmoved. Minutes could stretch well into hours without your knowledge.

Until the sound of the front door opened, cutting through the quiet. Spencer was home, which means it’s 6:06 now. The creaking floors from his aged apartment tell you he goes to the kitchen first, the sink runs, then his steps only grow closer to you until you can feel his presence at your back. “Migraine?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

It drains all energy and motivation out of you, so you merely nod in response. He’s more than familiar with severe head pain; chronic migraines that were resolved with a vitamin regimen. Fortunately, he has yet to complain about them bothering you in the year you’ve been together. And he never leaves home without them.

Unfortunately, this makes him eager to figure out your head pains. Last spring, he left out an array of vitamins in a pill organizer. They didn’t. It wasn’t an issue at first. It was clear he was trying to help. The downside of your boyfriend being a child prodigy and objective genius is that he will never back down from a challenge, even when you have asked him to. He can’t do it. Later in the month, he came home one day with an array of tea brands, mostly ginger and peppermint. He’s bought humidifiers, massaged the cartilage of your nose, and even consulted Reddit. It’s certainly worn down your patience, especially when you require complete silence.

“I can get you some hot compresses from the pharmacy if you want.” He jumps in completely. The last three words are merely to cushion the obvious; reiterating the point rather than saying something like, “I’ve had headaches before. I know how awful they are, so you should let me help you.” Which he’s also said.

You continue the annoying pattern by shaking your head with an audible moan. Opening your eyes hurts.

“What about nasal spray or decongestant? I can get those at the pharmacy as well.”

“I don’t need anything from the pharmacy. I took ibuprofen. Just need to keep my eyes closed.”

“Well, that can only help so much today. Saline will help encourage drainage and expansion in the vessels. Ibuprofen solves the head pain, not the root problem.”

“Unless the BAU can order planting fruit trees, it’s the best we can do.”

“What I’m trying to say is—”

You groan louder. “This isn’t a time for solutions, Spencer.”

Another unfortunate aspect of your relationship is that you can feel the way Spencer’s face softens from your tone. He then mutters out an apology, a brief sorry, but he doesn’t leave. He touches your shoulder and keeps his hand there until you turn to face him. And because you love him very much, you strain to open your eyes. You can make out a blur of his silhouette in the growing darkness, but still see clearly his glossy eyes and the quirk of his lips. “Can you do something for me first, though? Real quick?”

Before you answer, his hand slides toward your upper back, meaning you have to sit up for this. You were ready to say something along the line that he’s lucky you love him right now and leave it at that because thinking further made the pressure in your temples increase. 

You didn’t have to speak at all, though. Because Spencer is also holding a glass of water in front of you. You look up at Spencer’s puppy-eyed silhouette. “Not a solution,” he says softly. “It’s something you always need.”

Well, if that didn’t make you feel like an asshole. You accepted the glass without a word, feeling the coolness against your palm as you brought it to your lips. Each sip, at the very least, a distraction from the throbbing. Spencer watches you closely. You had no choice but to finish the whole glass. And you did, leaving Spencer satisfied enough as he took the glass and walked out.

You didn’t say a word. The sink ran again, and Spencer returned with another full glass. He doesn’t hand it to you, instead puts it on the nightstand before turning precariously on his heels. It takes you a second through half-closed eyes to realize he’s walking back out. You’re afraid to ask, wondering if you’ve made him too upset to talk. You push yourself and do so anyway, keeping your tone in mind. “Where are you going?”

Spencer turns on his heels once more, looking around momentarily like there were others in the room. He then looks at you. “I figured you wanted to be alone.”

You reach out, moving through the pain quite literally, and you catch the polyester of his cardigan just between your fingers and pull him closer until you can wrap your arms around him. You hold your breath, knowing the intense smell of his laundry detergent would be enough to collapse down to your pillow in further pain. His cardigan is soft against your face. “Do you have other stuff to do?”

He chuckles, his abdomen bounces. So, he’s not too mad. “I do not.”

Encouraged by his response, you tug him gently (and not so gracefully) into bed. He’s delightfully warm. Spencer kicks off his shoes in response before pulling you close. Then you bury your face into his chest, hesitant to breathe in the scent of cedar that clings to the cardigan. You try best to ignore it as you cocoon yourselves beneath the blankets, finding refuge in each other’s company amidst the inner turmoil that comes with spring. You listen to the steady rhythm of Spencer’s heartbeat, and find a fleeting sense of peace in the storm.

[sewercentipede]

ketamine nasal spray is so funny cuz i can just use it in front of anyone and nobody bats an eye because allergy/decongestant nasal sprays are normal but it makes me so congested and have to sneeze but i dont want to sneeze the ketamine out of my nose so i adjust my sneeze to not do that which causes my body to just keep sneezing repeatedly (trying to get the ketamine out of my nose but i wont let it) and to me it seems really obvious the nasal spray is causing allergy-like symptoms instead of helping them but to other people its like "oh yeah u probably need more nasal spray for those allergies" because they didnt really notice i wasnt having "allergies" until i took the spray

[gnfkitten]

GNFKITTENS TIPS TO SURVIVE ILLNESS

1. use saline solution to flush out your sinuses. NEVER just use tap water you will get bacteria all up in there. people have gotten their brains eaten by viruses that way. use sterile saline and itll prevent sinus infections

2. mix up salt and water until its Almost too salty to bear then gargle as long as you can. loosens up chest phlegm and prevents throat infection

3. when you take showers put your head under the water and alternate between as hot as you can stand and as cold as you can stand. loosens up congestion

4. every morning, use cupped palms or closed fists to GENTLY drum your chest and cough up whatever comes loose. this used to be used as physical therapy for people with cystic fibrosis, and now it is used for You to keep from getting pneumonia.

5. drink more. drink more than that. you should be a Little worried about getting water poisoning. drink that much.

6. eat garlic, tumeric, honey, ginger, avocados, fish, etc. DO NOT eat the bread and candy you want to. your body is LYING to you viruses depend on making you crave things you DO NOT need. drink broth with garlic/ginger and tea with honey and youll be fine

7. stretch. your body feels like shit your head is gonna explode idc. you have to stretch. get up and walk every now and then. not stretching makes congestion and phlegm settle in your body. stretch.

8. find a clean sock. put dried beans or rice in it. microwave it. BOOM heating pad youre welcome. if its too hot: wrap a washcloth around it. use this to treat clogged/painful ears.

9. TAKE YOUR DECONGESTANTS this is not a drill. also if youre a girl or a trans guy youre not crazy: decongestants make your mucous membranes work overtime and that INCLUDES the ones that make vaginal discharge thats why it smells like mucinex. not tmi just factual

10. if youre not a crazy rich motherfucker who can afford hot water showers always, boil a big pot of water on the stove. put a towel over it and put your head under the towel like a cave. helps with sinuses.

11. you can use a vibrator on your face to fix your sinuses. if you dont have one: turn the washing machine on spin and faceplant ig??

[goldenempyrean]

Empyrean’s Advent: Day 20

Prompt: “Jeez! Bless you! I think I felt the room shake that time.”

Pairing: Sick Florence Pugh x Reader

Wordcount: 644

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‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿ ‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

“Of course I get sick during my week off, why wouldn’t I?” Florence groaned sarcastically as she dumped another tissue into the overflowing trashcan beside her, “Ugh! My nose just wont stop running.”

“I know babe, its not fair, is it?” You sympathised. It really wasn’t fair either. Usually whenever Florence got ill, her colds usually gave her no trouble, only really causing some mild sniffles and a light sore throat but this was different. Cold and Flu season in the UK had been especially bad this year, and unfortunately it happened to be particularly bad in the area where you and Flo lived. And so the virus had finally claimed its first victim in your household. Florence was miserable, she truly was, her head hurt and her muscles ached - not to mention the constant burning soreness at the back of her throat.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." You rest a hand against her forehead, its coolness an immediate remedy for the dull, burning sensation lingering in her skull. It was like her brain was being slowly roasted over a bed of coals. "Is there anything I can do to help?" You offered, draping a thick, warm blanket over Florence as she laid on the sofa, barely able to pay attention to her whichever random movie was playing on the TV infront of her.

Florence thought for a moment before asking, “Do we have an- Hh’iitshiew! Hh-iitishiew! – any decongestant?”

“First of all, bless you. And I don’t think we do but once you’ve fallen asleep, I’ll go out and get you some, anything else?”

“Some more tissues wouldn’t hurt? Im almost out again.” She sighed, gesturing down to the almost-empty box which sat on the floor beneath her.

“You’re really putting a serious dent in the tissue population Flo’ y’know?” You smirked, sitting down on the sofa opposite to her, watching with a grin as she rolled her eyes at your remark.

“Im aware of that.” Her voice is hoarse and nasally as she drags a palm along her brow, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this miserable.”

“I’ve never seen you this sick.”  

A moment of silence stretches on between the two of you. Then, she sighs, and in a small, croaky voice, she admits, "This is the sickest I've ever been. I can barely sit up..."

You sighed, feeling her sickness pulling at your heart strings you decided to get up to get and sit beside her. Running a hand through her messy hair, you helped her sit up a little, “Hopefully you’ll feel better soon.”  

“Yeah..." She turns her face toward yours and nuzzles her nose into your neck, letting you cradle her head upon your shoulder.

It went quite again as you sat there holding her. The room was oddly silent as she settled into your hold, everything was calm for a moment until you Florence began to stir beside you, her breath hitching slightly as she tried to pull away from you.

“Hh-ttshiew! Hheh’TSHHIEW!”  

Florence’s body stiffened against you as she sneezed loudly down into the blanket surrounding her.

“Jeez! Bless you! I think I felt the room shake that time.” You exclaimed, not hiding your surprise at her loud outburst before reaching down to grab the last few tissues from her box and handing them to her.

Your girlfriend gave a moan of discomfort as she blew her nose with the tissues, “I hate this so much. My head feels like it's going to explode.” She whined as she shuffled around slightly so she would be able to lean against your shoulder comfortably, letting herself sigh as she sank into you.

“You’ll be okay sweetie, just try and get some rest and let yourself sleep off this yucky bug, hm?” You said, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as her eyes fluttered closed, “You’ll feel better soon I promise.”

✧*̥˚ Taglist! *̥˚✧ @somber-sapphic @lyak12 @natashamyl0ve @scrambled-brain-eggs @ceiestiaie @santana1437 @lovethewhumps @likefirenrain @snifflesandchills

[blue-eyed-cutiepatootie]

The Best Goddamn Soup

Destiel ficlet

wc 1200, established relationship, sick fic, Cas takes care of Dean

also on AO3

Dean wakes in a coughing fit.

He pushes himself up, his head pounding, and fumbles around for the water bottle he now keeps by his bed every night. He brings the straw to his lips and cool water soothes his burning throat. He coughs again and continues drinking.

Suddenly the lamp clicks on and a soft glow fills the room. Even that small amount of light makes Dean groan. He’s still catching his breath as Cas rubs his back.

“Dean? What’s wrong?” Cas rumbles, his voice thick with sleep.

Covering his eyes, Dean turns to his husband. “I’m dying. Can you turn the light off?”

Even with his eyes covered, Dean can hear the eyeroll and the light clicks off.

 The bed dips as Cas gets up. The door creaks open. The hall light turns on. Cas returns and walks over to Dean’s side of the bed. A warm hand covers his forehead, and he groans again.

“Ow! Fuck, Cas that hurts!”

“Dean. All I did was touch your forehead.”

Suddenly the pressure moves to his nose and he can’t breathe.

“My head feels like its going to explode. I need a tissue.”

Cas hands him the tissue box and he tries to blow his nose five times before anything actually moves. The pressure lessens slightly.

“Dean, tell me what’s wrong.” Thank God for Cas’ low voice because anything higher would break his eardrums.

“I think I have a sinus infection.” He usually gets one once or twice a year. Fuck allergies.

“What do you need?”

“There should be decongestant in the medicine cabinet. I’ll need one of those. And can you run the water in the bathroom sink so it gets hot? I usually put a hot washcloth on my face to help with the pain.” Dean doubles over in another coughing fit and Cas hands him his water bottle.

“Anything else?”

“Maybe something warm to drink?”

“Of course, Dean.”

Cas presses a kiss to the top of his head and disappears into their bathroom. He returns with the bottle of decongestant and puts one little pill in Dean’s hand. While Dean takes the pill, Cas starts wringing his hands.

“Should I call our doctor? Or do you need to go to urgent care?” He runs a hand through his already messy hair. “I can’t heal you if you’re dying, Dean.” His voice is getting higher and Dean cannot deal with that right now. He reaches out and catches Cas’ hand before it can run through his hair again.

“Babe, I’m sorry, I’m being dramatic. I’m not dying, my head is just killing me. I just need that washcloth and then quiet to rest in. Light and noise make the headache worse.”

Cas nods, a little frantic. “Ok. But if it gets worse, I’m taking you to urgent care. I’ll go make you tea.”

Before Dean can protest, he’s out the door. Dean shakes his head and slowly makes his way to the bathroom. The water is hot and he fishes a washcloth out of the closet. Once it is fully saturated he covers his face with it, doing his best to inhale the steam. Finally, sweet, sweet relief. He can feel the snot gradually melt. He quickly dries his face and blows his nose again. It feels like his brains are coming out of his nose. He repeats the magic trick until Cas appears in the doorway.

“Dean?”

“Yeah?” Somehow even with less snot in his nose his voice sounds worse. But his head feels less like its going to explode.

“I have your tea. Did the washcloth help?”

Dean dries his face again and takes the tea. “Thanks, Cas.” He inhales the steam and takes a sip. The hot, honeyed liquid is an instant balm on his sore throat. Cas still looks like he’s a second away from calling an ambulance. Dean reaches out and pulls him in so he can kiss his cheek.

“Cas I’m gonna be fine, nothing to worry about. You know me, just being a drama queen.” Cas frowns at the self-deprecating comment. “I’m just gonna finish this tea and go back to sleep for a bit, ok?”

Cas follows him back to the bed. Dean waves him off as he gets settled back under the covers, stealing Cas’ pillow to help prop up his head. Cas worriedly watches him finish the tea, taking it from him when the mug is empty. Dean groans softly and leans his head back, rubbing his temples.

Cas gently smooths his hair back. “There’s a thermos with more tea on the bedside and I refilled your water bottle.” Dean cracks an eye open and gives Cas a smile. “Get some sleep and call me if you feel worse, ok?”

Dean nods and drifts into a fitful sleep.

After what feels like minutes but is really two hours Dean is ripped from a dream about Dr. Sexy. Daylight is streaming through their thin curtains. Why had they decided not to get the blackout curtains? Oh, right the whole point of moving out of the bunker was to enjoy the sun. A decision Dean currently severely regrets.

Dean blows his nose for the umpteenth time and catches a whiff of… is that basil? Squinting, he slowly makes his way downstairs. The sight that greets him when he reaches the kitchen causes him to question whether or not he’s still sleeping.

Cas is standing at the stove stirring something in a soup pot.

“Are you making soup?” says the frog that is currently residing in Dean’s throat.

Cas whirls around, “Oh, you’re up!” He smiles that gummy smile that light’s up Dean’s life and places the lid back on the pot. “How are you feeling.”

“Less like my head is going to explode. Are you making soup?” Dean has taught Cas how to cook a few things, but this is the first time Cas is cooking all on his own.

“I thought, since you’re sick, that it would be nice.”

Dean immediately bursts into tears.

Cas looks horrified, frozen by the stove.

“Um, Dean?”

Now he really can’t breathe. Tears stream down his face and he gasps for breath. Suddenly Cas is in his space holding a tissue over his nose like he’s fucking two, telling Dean to blow. He’s whispering in his ear, something sweet probably but all Dean can think is he’s making soup?

Finally, when he can sort of breathe again, he gasps out, “You’re making me soup?”

Cas’ mouth opens and closes like a fish. “Yes,” he says slowly. “You’re sick so I’m making you soup.”

“You looked up a recipe and you’re making me soup?”

Cas has a death grip on Dean’s shoulders. “Dean you’re scaring me. Yes, I’m making you soup.”

Dean starts to cry again, “No one has ever made me soup before. Not since-“

Understanding dawns on Cas’ face. He pulls Dean into a hug. Dean is a mess, he’s leaking everywhere- tears from his eyes and snot from his nose. “Cas, your shirt-“

“Dean, my shirt doesn’t matter. Are you ready for some soup?” Dean nods against his shoulder. He cleans up his face while Cas dishes out two bowls of chicken and rice soup.

Sitting in his cozy kitchen that he shares with the love of his life, it’s the best goddamn soup he’s ever had.

[etherealsign282]

If you've been abused or traumatized, you're allowed to take the power back any way you can as long as it's not hurting others or yourself.

Go spiritual, drink that green juice shit, adopt a fucking lizard, start jogging, stay in bed with rom coms, snack on ice cream with your lactose intolerant ass (yeah i see u).

Vent, scream (not AT people tho), cry, talk about it. Post about it. Forget they exist, minimize their existence, go through past arguments and study them to find the red flags. Go radio silent for the peace. Decongest yourself from the noise in your head. Shit, put them in a story and make them who they really are, not who they pretend (personal fav). Or put someone in a story or poem to memorialize them if you have trauma of losing someone.

Do things you love that they hated, out of spite, out of peace, out of exhilaration and freedom. Go throw some rocks at a pond, break some glass in a safe place, go to therapy, let your friends give you advice or let them be your shoulder to cry on (w consent). Go balls to the wall slutty ( we love sluts here, just b safe) or honor yourself with abstinence. Don't let people act like what you're doing isn't right because it's not recommended by stereotypical healing or its not what they would do.

Do whatever you gotta do within reason,

Just don't find solace in hurting others and continuing the cycle, and try not to do toxic things that destroy you.

Oh and drink water you dehydrated bastards.

[falderaletcetera]

.

this is the third day in a row I've had major trouble getting to sleep because of relatively minor covid symptoms, and luckily because I EVENTUALLY slept a solid amount yesterday I am not feeling quite so murderous today, but I seem doomed to just waiting for exhaustion to overcome the "my nose is blocked I can't breathe easily and I can't relax even with my mouth open" anxiety. and that will probably take several more hours.

like, I could admit that olbas oil and inhaling steam isn't doing the trick and ask a friend to get me decongestants. but my very bad throat only lasted a few days and the person who infected me is already testing negative so it's looking reasonably likely I'll be feeling better or moving onto different symptoms by tomorrow.

(sidenote but I've been getting frikking brain zaps for several days now - I'm not on any antidepressants, but since going on one years ago that's notorious for its withdrawal effects, which were in fact Fucking Terrible, I just get this sometimes when I'm very tired, so at least it's familiar - and like, freshly annoyed no doctor ever warned me this could be a thing, freshly frustrated there's so little info and research on the phenomenon.)

(but I did find some recent research that actually described it like I experience it and not just as "sensation of electrical shocks in the brain" - for me it's like sudden jolts of dizziness/disorientation still physically localised in the brain, and it's fascinating to realise it's related to eye movement for a lot of folks - and I'm very grateful for that, because this is the sort of batshit brain glitch that makes you think something's very, very wrong if you don't know what it is.)

(...also if you do, tbh. I may in fact start feeling murderous again if it hangs around for too long. once was bad enough.)

tldr REALLY looking forward to sleeping just a whole fucking ton when this is over, folks. I'm gonna invent whole new sleeping patterns about it.

also if anyone else here has dealt with brain zaps before, high fucking five [in hazmat suits], we deserve shirts <3

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Why leaving the city to settle in the province is one of the best decisions in my life

I already drafted a post earlier, pero nawala lol. So, here's my second attempt.

Before the pandemic, I was living in a condo along EDSA with my then-fiancee now-husband. We paid 18K monthly for a studio-type condo, with pool and gym amenities. It was a dream come true for me since my previous homes in the metro were in not-so-Instagrammable places.

So a bit of a history of my living situations in NCR:

I left Laguna since HS for college and stayed in a dormitory. There were about 2-4 girls per room and my parents who crawled my expense through graduation often paid my rent late.

Then, I graduated and vowed to not have my parents pay a single cent for me anymore. I lived independently paying ALL of my living expenses including rent, food. My first home that I paid for myself is another dormitory with about a 7 x 7 room shared by another girl.

Then, I lived in with my then-fiancee and toxic ex in a 2-BR apartment in the middle of a busy Manila baranggay. When he left me, along with needing to pay some unpaid rent, I moved into a smaller a 1-BR apartment. Both were in the middle of a noisy, crazy Manila neighborhood where people drink and gossip 24/7.

So, fast forward to the pandemic doom, I got initial info (being an EHS & BCP person) that there would be lockdowns. My then-fiancee now-husband and I then rushed packing and left our condo unit (even after spending hours panic-buying some supplies) to go home. We never really imagined the pandemic lasting years, so for the first 3 months, we lived with our parents... transitioning between his parents' place and mine while we work remotely. But then, since we are getting married, we decided to buy a house. If there's one thing the pandemic made us realize is that HEALTH IS IMPORTANT... and he and I both know that we cannot live in a boxed condo as a permanent home. Luckily, his work perks allowed us to choose a model unit (fully furnished but a bit outdated) so it's basically ready for occupancy. It took us barely 6 months to get the papers settled (while also preparing for our wedding) but we got it.

We now live in a 2-story house located in a city in Laguna, near an SLEX exit. I'll save the logistical, administrative costs and construction gulatan costs for another story, but we were able to save enough to have some improvements like a gate, home gym, pocket garden, and repainting. We'll be spending our third Christmas (WOW) here and yes, it's still the life I want because:

Province life allows for a slower, mellower life. I am not sure if I can put it into words but there's something about waking up, walking down the stairs, taking a peek at the window and seeing Lolas sweeping their front yard, smiling and waving at you. There are neighbors who even if we rarely go out, reaches out to us to ask how we are, share a laugh or two. There are kids going to and from school. Even the traffic is way way better, not only because its decongested but because people are not in a rush? Like, kapag naluwas kami para pumasyal or for work, even a 2-3 second delay from the go-signal would cause people behind us to hit their horns like they are dying. Gulat na gulat kami at how full of rage drivers are, while here, people tend to give way. Though may mga kupal minsan, pero like 1:50 ang ratio compared sa NCR na 40:50 ata.

Everything is accessible. Maybe it's the smart location that the village is located, but Nuvali is 15 minutes away so we get to do our weekend runs and grocery shopping there every weekend. When we want a different view, Alabang or Makati is barely an hour away. We also have access to foodpanda and Grab, so we can also order food. And, when we grow tired of that, we also have an online Facebook page for the village where we can order food and have it delivered too. Kanina lang nga, dahil naka-isolation kami, pati pandesal inorder namin sa online village store.

The view can easily put you in a better mood. I remember during the MECQs, we'll just jump in the car and do a quick drive-thru run to Mcdonald's or Starbucks. We'll sometimes bring the cats with us para masanay sila. We'll eat inside the car, just open the windows a bit and see lush greens around us. On days when work feels too much or when I get depressive or anxious episodes, we'll just drive around, and instantly, I feel better as we pass by trees, farm lands and sunset view. When we run too, there's always a mini trail to discover.

We are nearer to our families. Though we may not be able to visit them as often as we want, but connecting is easier. We can have lunch outs over the weekends, or they can easily visit us at home and spend some time together. Malawak yun bahay at bakuran, so they can sleep over. Kapag may emergency, iba pa din yun may mga kakilala kahit paano na pwedeng takbuhan. We have my husband's office mates near the village and my Dad's office is also 30 minutes away from where we live. So, minsan sa amin din sya nauwi. Our house also offers a breathe of fresh air sa Mom ko when she wants to relax and play with her apos aka cats LOL.

Expenses are cheaper. Gas, groceries, services are cheaper here. Though we are not safe from the ~golden era~, we do have options like talipapa or wet markets. Since nearer din kami sa mga sakahan or isdaan, mas mura din talaga yun mga fresh produce. Sa Nuvali and LB area, madalas din may community market. Also, the 18K rent we paid for the condo? Imagine we pay less than that and we are owning this house after a few years. To share, even the 7K rent I paid for the 1-BR apartment can pay for a house here in Laguna too. No, I don't think renting is a waste of money since tinitirhan nyo naman sya, but imagine how getting a house can be a future asset (yun lupa, hindi yun bahay, but that's also another topic). But basically, LAND does not decrease in value ever. Ever ever. Kaya din bahay kinuha namin over condo.

There is space - to move, to breathe and to grow. Literally and figuratively. Literally, I am lucky to have my own home gym, and garden and garage that like now that we are in isolation, we can move around. It's easier to partition our lives between work and home, kasi may home office din ako. May place to sleep, to eat, to work out and that's important for an ADHD person like me. There also is room to grow... ewan ko pero the more I see how people can live in the provinve, the more lumawak yun pananaw at pangarap ko. No, I don't want a bigger house, but I now know that having a slow and steady life is possible. Yun, hindi kailangan pagod at ngarag to earn money, because people here, maraming may passive income and all. Parang here, money flows in even when you don't do much. Hindi ko ma-explain pero siguro totoo yun kapag mas malawak yun paligid mo, mas feeling mo din hindi ka nakakahon? (Though, we really need to do some spring cleaning LOL kasi ang kalat na ng bahay.)

My mental health has greatly improved. Probably because of all the reasons mentioned above. But, you know, taking myself away from that hustle and bustle of the city, really allowed me to slow down and think about what I really want in life. Dito sa probinsya ko narealize na life doesn't need to be complicated. Dito ko din na-allow ang sarili ko stop when I tend to want want want a lot? Kasi, in the midst of every grit and grind work day, masaya ako to just slow down, have a coffee or a glass of wine and spend time with my husband and cats. And really, that's all I need. In a world that tells you that you need to work-out, prep food, be excellent at work, learn new things, have a hobby, stay connected with loved ones and all sorts of MUSTS, the province life allowed me to tone it down and just do what I can. The more we do so much minsan, the more we lose who we are... or that's how I feel. The province life allows me to be just me~ whoever I want to be.

I know not everyone has this privilege, and for this I am grateful - for the opportunities that came our way, for the blessings given to us and for the hard work we put in. 🧿 It's weird pero the pandemic really did turn our life around, kasi naipakita sa akin kung ano yun importante - Health, connections and peace of mind. Yan lang pala talaga kailangan ko.

So, anyways, ayun lang. If you have the chance, give it a think. Alam ko hindi lahat possible ito sa work nila, but this is also why I chose to make it a non-negotiable when I consider work offers. Either remote or hybrid. Because this is now home and I can't sacrifice this peace for career progression or additional pay.

I hope you read this not feeling like I am boasting. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko inakalang dadating ako sa ganitong level of contentment... o baka natuto lang talaga akong maging grateful sa araw-araw. Good or bad, there's always something positive (gaya ng antigen test namin, eme). Nagpapasalamat lang talaga ako sobra for being here... so I really try to pay it forward too. My husband, I noticed, does the same na din. Every chance we get, we share our blessings.

Universe, thank you. I trust that 2023 would only bring us closer to the simple farm life we want. 🧿. 🪬. 👁️‍🗨️.

[itsallsternutation]

Berni's Burny Nose Part 3: A Change of Season

Part Three Wheeeee!

I'm sorry this one took a bit longer for me to publish. I had a lot of stuff come up. Anyway, here's part 3 (also on SFF, same place as before)

Berni's Burny Nose Part 3: A Change of Season

Ever since she started being sneezy, Berni thought she would hate the seasons for the rest of her life. Spring was the month where it had all hit her, and the southern pollen sure hadn’t helped. Ever since her diagnosis, Berni had always sneezed and sniffled and sneezed and sniffled all the way from February to May. Summer wasn’t that much better. From April to June, Berni’s nose ran, her eyes watered, and both itched. And of course, there was always more sneezing. Berni had done the math and found that out of the entire year, the only times when nothing was actively blooming were December, January, Early February, and July, but even then she usually had some kind of lingering irritation. Regardless, Berni would have resigned herself to perpetual allergic misery even in those months if she did not have to suffer through fall.  She hated the Fall. It was by far her worst season for her allergies, even if it only slightly outpaced her suffering in Summer and Spring. However, there were two decisive factors which made fall the greatest belligerent of her three pollen seasons: the start of the new school year and cold and flu season. Like clockwork, Fall dredged up not only Berni’s hay fever, but her insecurities about it. From the year she developed her allergies, it seemed like every year the people around her found them even more insufferable to be around. All the people who she once thought were her best friends for life seemed to trickle away year after year, and Berni’s first year of college perfectly exemplified this. She had come to college with no friends, with only her allergic misery to keep her company. However, as it was also now cold and flu season, Berni knew it was all about to get even worse. Something about Berni’s hay fever, the sleep she lost because of it, and endless worrying she did about it made it so that Berni had been extra susceptible to getting sick ever since she developed allergies. She always seemed to get frequent colds, especially in winter, when she should be convalescing from her fall allergies, and they always made her even more miserable and gross.  Berni was always snotty because of her allergies, but was almost always very fluid. She would be congested, then she would sneeze and blow it out, then new congestion would take its place, but having a cold always disrupted this cycle. The mucus in her sinuses would always harden like cement, becoming almost impossible to dislodge without taking decongestants, but those always dried her up and made her snot come out in thick globs. She would become tired, even more so than with her allergies, and she would always develop a deep sinus headache. Worst of all, the mucus would never just stay in her nose, it would usually make its way to her chest, or linger in her sinuses enough for her to develop a sinus infection. 

“Hey Bern…”

She would be miserable, and of course, no one would want to be around her. Why would they be? By the time she started college, she didn’t care anymore. She had already resigned herself to the fact that she’d always be alone.

“Berni are you okay?”

Berni snapped herself out of the allergic fugue she had been sinking into. She had been sinking into it a lot lately and normally didn’t even care about it, but she couldn’t do it now. She was with Sam and they were in the middle of the dining hall: “Huh?” she asked in dreary confusion.

“Are you doing okay?” Sam asked with concern in their voice, “you kind of drifted off a bit there.”

Of all the people to enter Berni’s life and make her feel terrible about herself, Sam was by far the most unexpected. The day she met them was going very consistently (groggy allergic misery mixed with severe feelings of loneliness) until that Latin class. Berni had met more than a few people on that first day of class, but something about Sam was…different. “I-I’m okay. I’m just…I’m just a little tired. That’s all” she reassured them.

Since she’d developed her allergies, Berni had heard more than her fair share of passive-aggressive “bless you”s and frustrated offers of tissues, but Sam was different. They had seen Berni when she was at her most pathetic and miserable and they hadn’t just offered her their handkerchief, they took her out to lunch. “You’ve been tired a lot lately, haven’t you?” Sam asked.

It had been a few weeks since then, and since then, but those weeks had been some of the most wonderful weeks of her life. She hadn’t needed to worry about her parents or her “friends” anymore, and Sam had done nothing but make her happy. They had hung out with her, they had asked her about what she liked and what she was interested in, they had sat there and listened intently to her explain how programming worked when she knew that they didn’t understand a thing she was saying. “Listed…Samb…I’mb sorry aboudt whadt happed the day we mbet,” Berni said stuffily and apologetically.

These last few weeks with Sam had been…amazing. Being with them didn't just make Berni feel the way she did before she had allergies, it made her feel better. She had been able to open up to him like she hadn’t been able to in years, even when her allergies were bad. Around them, she was able to be the smiling, happy, talkative girl that she had always been inside. Even when she sneezed or snuffled or blew her nose, they were always just right there, not going anywhere, ready to give a “bless you” and a smile. “What are you sorry about?” Sam asked, confused.

But over the past few days, Berni had started to wonder if maybe that amazing feeling would come to an end, that when her allergies picked up (which they were) or when she got sick (which she would) that…he’d be repulsed and turn away…just like everyone else. She couldn’t exactly blame him. She knew how she must have looked. “For breaking down while you were bringing me to the dumpling place,” Berni explained gloomily before blowing her nose into a handkerchief that was formerly one of Sam’s and now one of hers, “I shouldn’t have gotten all…cliggy and ndeedy…like that.”

“Oh,” Sam said with startling realization. “It…It’s okay,” they reassured, “I was just glad that I was able to make you feel better.”

“I had just met you. I was still practically still a stranger to you!” Berni said with a frog in her throat.

“Well, you’re not a stranger now. I like you Berni, I really do. You’re funny and cute. I love how passionate you are about everything you do, even if you try to hide it. I love how insanely good you are at coding stuff even though, for the life of me, I will never be able to understand what the heck a constructor is,”

Berni only sighed and turned back towards poking the food she was too muddled to be hungry for. There was a long, uncomfortable pause before Sam broke the silence:

“Listen…Bern…I’ve been thinking,” they said apprehensively.

“Yeah?” Berni asked, looking up at them, voice congested, ready for the worst.

“I know your allergies have been making you feel pretty terrible over the past few days, and I-”

“I-I-I-I’m…f…fine,” Berni stuttered anxiously before forcefully clearing her throat.

“I know you’re not fine Berni. I know you’ve been feeling worse lately. You’ve been rubbing your eyes more, you’ve been stuffier, and I can tell you haven’t been sleeping as much.”

Berni groaned miserably and put her face in her hands.

“Hey, it’s okay. Look at me,” Sam said as they tried to coax Berni out of her hiding place in the sleeves of her hoodie. “I’ve been talking to my roommate, and he told me he’s in an English class with a guy who’s family also works in the university medical system, and he says that he can get you an appointment at an allergist that’s right here on campus.”

“You told them about my hay fever?” Berni asked with panic in her voice.

“I just told them that I had a friend with some bad allergies that could use some help from a Doctor, and he told me that if he had your information, he could get you an appointment as soon as tomorrow.”

“I…I can’t,” Berni muttered.

“Why not?” Sam asked, “I know you need it. I could get permission to take you there during Latin class and we can get lunch together afterwards. We could make a day of it.”

“They’ll…they’re gonna wanna test me to find out what all my allergies are and how bad they are. They’ll make me take off my shirt so they can prick me with a bunch of needles with all the stuff they think I might be allergic to and it’s gonna make me break out in hives,” Berni explained glumly and congestedly. “Plus…they’re gonna make me…talk about them…”

“Talk?” Sam asked.

Berni slowly nodded her head in confirmation. 

“Is there something that happened with them that you don’t want to talk about?”

Berni nodded again.

“Was it something to do with…Japan?” Sam asked.

Berni nodded again, this time, with a sob.

“Well…how about you tell me first? That way, if it gets too much for you, I won’t mind, and you can stop at any time.” 

“I ca…c..ah…Ah…AHH-TSCHIEW! I’m sorry!” Berni said before being interrupted with a violent sneeze and a muffled sob.

“Why not? There’s no one else around. Besides, I won’t mind if it ends up like the first time we went to get dumplings.” 

There was a long pause as Berni thought it over. She spent several minutes waiting and contemplating whether or not she should tell Sam, but her contemplation was interrupted by a harsh, throaty “HASHOO!” straight into her hands. “Sorry,” she apologized as she wiped herself off with her hanky.

“You’re fine, I know you can’t help it.”

When she finished wiping her nose, Berni paused, before turning towards Sam. Berni’s beautiful amber eyes were just as pink, irritated, and watery as her nose. Her cheeks were flushed, both from the embarrassment and from her allergies, but regardless, she decided that she had to tell them. 

“I only started having them really bad a few years ago.” she related with a dejected, congested sniffle.

“Did something happen?” Sam asked.

Berni stopped to give her nose a quick gurgle before continuing: “Fall always made me a bit itchy, but it was never a big deal. I played sports and did all that other stuff and even though I might have IGK-CHIEW! sneezed a few times. It was never that bad, but a few years ago, my parents decided that they needed to…HITCHEW!...take me to Japan because I hadn’t…heh-Heh-SHEW!...been before.”

“What happened?” Sam asked.

“Well-” she was about to continue, but stopped when she realized that in the span of a moment, she had already become congested again. She made a sound that sounded like halfway between a sniff and a snort, before continuing despite the congestion. “The first time they took me there was during fall break, and…ASHIEW!...sorry…while I was there, I caught a cold. At least, we thought it was a cold. My nose got all red and itchy and snotty, and I started…eh-Eh-Eh-ESHOO! Eh-CHOO! sneezing like crazy. I felt horrible, but we stayed anyway. When we got home, I started…ATSHIEW!...sorry…I started getting better, but I was still sneezing. I started not sleeping so great and people started…avoiding me.” 

At this point, she was crying. Regardless, Sam only got closer to her. They wrapped their arm around her in a comforting half-hug. “That sounds terrible,” they told the allergic girl with pity in their voice.

“When they took me back in January, I caught another cold. It wasn’t as bad as the first one, but when we got home, it took me a bi…bi…TISHIEW! HEKSHIEW! HAT-SHIEW!...it took me a bit longer to get better. Then, when they took me again for spring break and we stayed a bit longer ASHEW!, I caught one again HIGSHEW!, but when they brought me home CHOO!, I didn’t get better ETCHIEW!. I was itching and sneezing just like I am now for a whole month before they took me to a doctor and…he told me…he told me that…”

“It wasn’t a cold.”

“Yeah…” she said with a sob, “He said that the pollen in Japan is so bad that it can make people…At-TSHIEW!...who normally have almost no allergies or even no allergies at all HEESHOO!...sorry…hypersensitive! Ragweed, which I was already a little bit ECHEW! sensitive to, is really bad there, but the big bad one is called CATCHEW! Sugi or Japanese Aht-SHOO! Cedar. Those were the ones that got me and now I…I…ah-Ah-AH-Ahtshiee! Now I’m allergic to everything!” she lamented with a wet blow.

“Like, ‘everything’ everything?”

“Everything!” she nearly shouted, “Ragweed Het-TISH!, grass ET-CHI!, trees ATSHEW!, everything! I sneeze all spring, summer, and fall from the pollen, but that’s not the worst of it. The worst is whed I ged sick.” she recounted, congestion now filling her voice.

“What happens?” Sam asked worryingly.

“Eved id the modts where there’s not ady polled, ever sidce I got hay fever I’ve always had these awful colds every widter add fall. Mby sdeezes becobe eved grosser, butd the sdot ndever leaves by dose, and idt feels like itd lasts forever…”

“You sound like you need to blow your nose, but what does that have to do with going to an allergist?” Sam asked. 

Berni stopped to give a wet gurgling blow. However, during her blow she was interrupted by three sharp, throaty sneezes, so she blew again. This time with a loud honk. When she looked up to answer Sam, her voice was still full of tears: “I can’t let you see me when my allergies get worse, or when I get sick. Pretty soon, you’re finally gonna realize how much of a gross mess I am and when you do you’ll tell me to stop. You’ll tell me to just stifle it or hold it in and stop being so dramatic. And when I can’t do that…you’ll leave. Just like all my friends did.”

There was a short gasp of realization from Sam before they suddenly threw their arms around Berni and embraced her. When they did, Berni squirmed and tried to protest with a “What? No!” before being completely disarmed by a loud “hehhh….heh-Heh-HETCHIEW! I’m sorry!” but before she could sneeze or protest again, Sam pulled her poor stuffy head into the shoulder of their flannel so that she could muffle two wet “heh-Eh-HmpfSHH! HrppSHH!” sneezes into it. “Why?” Berni cried out. “My hay fever is just gonna keep pushing you away!”

“No it’s not Berni,” Sam reassured her, “I’m never going let your allergies push me away, I’m never going to ask you to hold it in, and I’m not going to leave you just because you sneeze. I like you Berni! You’re my friend. I’m not gonna anything get in the way of being friends with you, not even allergies.”

“Or a cold?” 

“Or a cold,” Sam reassured.

There was a silence in which Sam and Berni did nothing but hold each other in their arms, before Berni asked, “After I go to the allergist, can you take me to get dumplings again?”

“Of course,” Sam said.

“Can we go Wednesday?” Berni asked with a sniffle, “I have a test in my Modern Literature class after Latin.”

“Oh course Berni, but could you do me one favor?” “Sure,” she replied

“If you can, do you think you could try to stop apologizing for your sneezes?” “Why?” Berni asked.

“You don’t have anything to apologize to me for. And…it sometimes makes me a little uncomfortable.

“Okay…ih-Ih-ITCHEW!...sorry,” she replied before realizing her mistake with a gasp, “I’m sorry for saying sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

"No no no, Berni it’s okay,” Sam reassured. “I know you didn’t mean to. Maybe we should pick something else instead that doesn’t sound as apologetic.”

“Like what? hah-Heh-HEH-HESHIEW!” Berni asked before sneezing again. “Hey, I didn’t say it this time.”

“Hmm…” Sam wondered, “What about ‘excuse me’? It sounds so much more fun and silly than ‘sorry’. It’s kind of funny, like it's something we can laugh about”

“Hmmm…” Berni thought, but her sounds of pondering quickly transformed into yet another “hihh-Hih-HEH-HEETCHIEW!” followed by a tired “Sor…I mean…excuse me.”

“Yeah, like that. You shouldn't be all apologetic about...”

But before they could finish, Berni was of course interrupted yet again: “ATCHIEW!” Berni sneezed suddenly with a “AHH-SHEW! TEECHIEW! ACKSHOO!” she sneezed harshly before giving a small chuckle and a “Whew, excuse me.”

“That’s more like it,” Sam said with a slight smile.

“Oka..kuh…Kuh…Kuh…” she started as she began building up to what she knew would be an absolutely colossal sneeze, even for her standards. “Kuh-KUH-KATSHOOOO!” she sneezed out. Just an hour ago, this sneeze would’ve made Berni want to crawl into a hole and die, but for some reason, something about the way Sam was looking out at her made her want to laugh about it. “Wow, that was a big one. Excuse me!” she said before bursting into a fit of giggles

Instead of being disgusted, Sam’s smile only grew warmer as they gave Berni a “Bless you a bunch sweetie. Do you feel better now?”

“A lot better,” Berni said as she took out the big white hanky and began cleaning herself up and giving her nose a wet honk, “But I’d still like to go see that allergist with you. Does tomorrow during Latin still work for you?”

“Of course Berni.” Sam assured.

[bobbydearest]

Hey peeps im getting worse then yesterday just woke up and im gasping for air like a fish out of water which isnt good mind u its 6:02am pst and everyone in my house is asleep tryed telling my ma she told me to take a sudafed but i haven't because i cant take curtain cold meds or decongestants because i tend to be loopy or extremely tired.

@jobean12-blog,@impala-dreamer,@coffee-obsessed-writer, @jewels2876, @waiting4inspiration, @toomanystoriessolittletime,@sweater-daddiesdumbdork, @because-imma-lady-assface ,

@ everyone else whom i can't remember

[dragonmuse]

i am very much in love with your whole Leda verse and it’s many variations but I ESPECIALLY love this newest one with Eddy and Izzy being married!! Going off of canon and general responsibility vibes, Izzy seems to be the one who takes care of her most often — I would love to see something the other way round, with a minor illness/migraine/idk twisted ankle or something that means they’re in charge of taking care of Izzy for a change. I’m picturing her being a good nurse for someone who’s sick but not worryingly sick? and picturing Izzy being an ATROCIOUS patient? idk I would love to see your take!

(I am so on this particular timeline train at the moment that I did not even hesitate, anon. Here's Izzy with the flu and his Eddy.)

It crept on him through the day. He woke up a little fuzzy around the edges, stuffed up and tired. Eddy wasn’t due back until noon, so he kept it a quiet morning. He wasn’t one to stay in bed, but he just made himself coffee and drank it on the couch instead of doing one of his usual early morning chores. A shower woke him up a little. Probably just a bad night’s sleep then.

The cough started while he was sanding down his latest project, he figured it was the dust and took a break to drink some water. His hands were a little shaky. Wearily, he took a break to sort out lunch. Eddy usually came in hungry and it was good to eat together after they’d been away for a bit. He made a chicken salad with last night's leftovers and studded it with dried cranberries.  

He kept coughing which was more than a little annoying. Refilling his water cup, he stored the chicken salad in the fridge and decided that the rest could wait. The couch seemed like a good call. His eyes kind of hurt, along with his head. Might as well just rest them for a second. 

“Iz?” Eddy stood over him. How had she gotten in without him hearing? He was getting rusty. 

“Hey.” He opened his eyes and that was a mistake. His head was killing him and the light wasn’t helping. 

A hand dropped to his forehead. Her fingers were cool from being outside and it was instantly soothing. 

“Holy shit,” she groaned. “You’re burning up. What are you even doing out of bed?” 

“Oh,” he considered his morning. “Yeah, that makes sense. I made lunch.”

“You want to eat it?” She challenged. 

The idea was not particularly appealing now that she mentioned it. “No.” 

“Go take off your pants and get back into bed,” she ordered. He lifted his eyebrows. “Absolutely the fuck not. You’d pass out in the middle.” 

“Never,” he contended, but bed sounded fucking amazing as it happened, so he got to his feet and made his way there. He could hear her banging around through the house, but gave up figuring out what she was doing in favor of shedding his clothes. Then getting into the bed very fast because he was also freezing. 

It was too early for a nap, but he drifted anyway. Eddy came in and prodded him in the ribs. “Open up.” 

A thermometer was stuck unceremoniously into his mouth. It beeped after a few seconds. 

“Bad?” Izzy hazarded a guess when Eddy didn’t say anything. 

“Is a 102 good?” Eddy asked skeptically. 

“No,” Izzy snorted. “Definitely the fucking flu. Told you Olga got it and we drove together the other day. Probably gave it to me before she took sick leave.” 

“So what do we do?” Eddy set the thermometer down on the side table. 

“Nothing. I’ll drink liquids, watch day time tv, take some decongestant if I need to. It’ll go on its own.” He waved it away. “You should go stay with Bonnet or you’ll get it too.” 

“Wow,” Eddy sat down beside him. “Nice. Really nice, Iz.” 

“What?” 

“In sickness and health, you fucking martyr.  Pretty sure it goes two ways.” 

“You smoked for way longer, this shit gets in your lungs, it'll be a fight against pneumonia,” he protested. 

“Great, you can worry over that when it’s my turn. For now, I’m not actually going to leave you here to manfully die alone. Fuck.” 

He reached out and found their hand. They let him tug at it and then with a huff amusement, let him drop it on his forehead. Their fingers were cool anymore, but it still felt good. 

“Fine.” He mumbled around their thumb. Then after a second’s thought, he nipped at it. 

“I’m going to sell you to a sideshow,” she declared, flicking his nose gently then retreating. “You are such a little freak.” 

“Good luck getting full price when I’m not in mint condition.” 

“You want anything?” 

“Water. Advil. Box of tissues.” 

“Anything else?” 

“Nah.” 

Eddy deposited all the requested items. He sat up enough to take the pill and get down some of the water before he started coughing again. The creeping grossness was finally full upon him, head full of cotton and face full of snot. Great. It wasn’t a graceful landing back on the mattress. 

“Here,” Eddy shoved his phone in his hand. “Text me if you get worse. I’m going to eat something. And not whatever fun special lunch you coughed in for me.” 

That was probably a good call. He rolled over and shivered himself to sleep.  

When he woke up again, he was warm. Eddy was definitely in bed with him, her feet pressed to his calves. He turned over, muffling the resulting cough in his elbow. She was sitting against the headboard, laptop on a pillow as she watched something with a lot of color on the screen.  

“What’s that?” He asked blearily. 

“It’s a comedy thing that Roach got me into. British. Comedians trying to do weird tasks in funny ways.” 

Izzy sneezed into his elbow, grabbed a tissue and blew for what felt like a year, then sagged back against the headboard. 

“This is a real look,” Eddy eyed him speculatively. “Could enter you in a zombie shambling contest.” 

“Do they have those?” He asked groggily. 

“Yeah, it’s a whole thing. C’mere.” 

Izzy wasn’t going to resist that. It took a little doing, but he wound up with his head on her chest, and her arm wrapped around him.  The show didn’t make a lot of sense, but some of it was funny enough to get a laugh out of him. Eddy idly tugged at the ends of his hair. 

Eventually he felt something in the neighborhood of hunger for the first time that day and started to get up. 

“Where are you going?” She asked. 

“Gonna eat something.” 

“Yeah, okay what?” 

“Toast?” 

“Fine.” She set the laptop down. “Don’t suppose you’d eat it in bed?” 

“Fuck no,” he got his feet under him. Crumbs in the sheets gave him a particular horror. He had a full on screaming match with them over it once. It was one of the few times they hadn’t been able to make him back down and it had become a bit of a symbolic battle ground. He didn’t care if he was half-dead, he was not opening the door to them feasting on literal crackers in their literal bed again. Because he would kick them out, charming saying or not.

When they got to the kitchen, Eddy pushed him toward a chair and he couldn’t really do much more than collapse into it like wet tissue. Everything ached. 

“What time is it?” He frowned at the window. It looked darker than it should. 

“Seven.” They stuck two slices of bread in the toaster. 

“Ugh,” he decided and dropped his head into his hands. “Someone put fiberglass in my brain.” 

“Arguably they did that a long time ago,” she said untroubled. “What do you want on it?” 

“Got any of that lime-raspberry stuff left?” 

They had a truly epic collection of jams these days and it took Eddy some perusing to find the right one. 

“This one?” 

“Yeah. You have a good weekend?” He asked. 

“Learned how to stone fabric,” she said happily. “I’m going to look like a fucking disco ball.” 

“Which one is this again?” 

“Purple thing. It’s new, you haven’t seen it yet. You’ll like it,” she smirked. “It’s sleeveless.”

He really did like when their shoulders were exposed. 

She put too much jam on the toast, but he could probably use the extra calories after a day of just coffee. While he ate, she thumbed through something on her phone. His plate clattered into the sink when he finished and then she herded him back into their bed. 

“I’m going for a walk before it gets too dark,” she declared and then handed him his phone again. It was ringing for some reason. “Enjoy.” 

“What?” He watched her go. 

“Hey, Iz,” Lucius said from the phone. Izzy stared at it then put it to his ear. 

“Hey. Sorry.” 

“What for?” 

“Eddy dialed you, didn’t know if you were in the middle of something.” 

“Why did- you sound like shit. What’s wrong?” 

“Just the flu, I think. Got a bit of a fever.” 

“What’s a bit?” Lucius pressed.

“Not sure, actually.” He fumbled for the thermometer. It was under a growing pile of tissues. He popped it under his tongue then checked it. “101.” 

“Yeah that’s a bit,” Lucius was definitely rolling his eyes. “You taking care of yourself?” 

Izzy blinked, “No. Uh. Eddy is.” 

“Oh. What’s that like?” 

He thought about her messing with his hair and making him toast. It was rough in a way, he supposed. She wasn’t the type to dote. But it was a kindness that they couldn’t have afforded him even three years ago. Maybe not even a year ago. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to accept it then either. 

“Good,” he said softly. “I like it.”  

“Aw, Iz,” Lucius’ voice softened. “Cute.” 

“Fuck off,” he grumbled. “My brain is cooking.” 

“Why’d they dial my number?” Lucius wondered. 

“Went for a walk. Probably wanted to make sure I didn’t try to do anything dumb.” 

“Like what?” 

Izzy huffed a laugh. “Might be remembering when I tried to work on my bike when I had a concussion.” 

“Sounds sensible. How’d you even get a concussion?” 

“Got hit by a car, apparently.” 

“What?!” 

“Yeah, that’s what I said. I don’t actually remember it.” 

Lucius squawked about that for awhile, then changed the subject entirely, rambling on about something Izzy wasn’t really up to following. It was nice to just hear his voice anyway. By the time they said good night, the front door had opened and closed. Izzy tracked her movements through the house. Kitchen, cabinets. Microwave. Late dinner then. Pacing and talking while they ate. That was Bonnet, most likely. They talked almost every night even if it was only to say good night. 

Then up the stairs, into the bathroom. Sink running for tooth brushing and the careful skin regime that Izzy could admit did something if not something worth the amount spent on it.  Down the stairs again, probably for something they forgot because they came right back up. Hall light flickered out, bedroom door opened. Closet door opened. Shuffling off of the day’s clothes. Closet light off and then the bed dipping down.  

“Still alive?” They checked. 

“Mostly.” He agreed. 

He dozed again while she messed around on her phone. 

“Hey, how hard is to make that soup you do when I have a cold?” 

“Easy,” Izzy yawned into her ribs. “Just saute garlic, ginger and onions then throw in a can of Campbells.” 

“That shit is from a can?” Eddy asked incredulously. “All this time, I’m thinking you’re doing from scratch Susie Homemaker stuff and it’s from a can?” 

“I used to do homemade and you told me it didn’t taste right,” he said amused. “I figured you liked the metal aftertaste.” 

“Fucking con artist,” Eddy determined. “Why the ginger and shit then?” 

“S’good for you,” he yawned. “And it smells good even if you’re stuffed up.” 

She put her hand between his shoulder blades, digging her fingers in until he groaned. It felt fucking amazing. 

“Stede says you feed a cold, starve a fever, but being hungry fucking blows.” 

“That’s not about food anyway,” Izzy muttered. “It’s about temperature and it’s wrong. Don’t make me soup.” 

“You can’t fucking stop me right now, can you?” 

“Eddy,” he tried to say reasonably, but it came out more as a whine. “Don’t burn my fucking pans.” 

“I’ll do what needs to be done and you’ll fucking shut up about it, plague rat.” 

He shut up about it, but he did it with a smile and fell asleep feeling like dog shit and also pretty fucking great.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

Health Update 😷

So, for the past nearly-six weeks, I have been very sick. It started on the Tuesday after Easter when I went to work at camp, and I noticed my chest felt weird, and my throat was scratchy like I needed to clear it. I kept on coughing but nothing was happening so I just assumed it was a cold on its way. By a week later, however, I had a full blown dry cough and no other symptoms, which wasn’t ideal because it was the week of my play I was doing; I went to my GP/doctor, they prescribed me a brand new inhaler (I had lost my last one) and spacer to help me space my breathing properly, and a five day course of antibiotics. Somehow I got through the week, did all my performances, and finished the course of antibiotics - which I was relieved about because it was causing me to come out in itchy hives and to feel nauseous.

Then a few days after finishing the medicine, two and a half weeks after my cough had started and while my grandparents were visiting, I suddenly got a blocked nose; I thought it was either hay fever or a cold, though usually when I have a cold, I get a sore throat first. Since then, my nose has constantly been running or blocked, but especially so in the last week - it wasn’t too bad though, it felt manageable and the cough had subsided so I brushed it off and carried on going to work as usual. All of last week and the week before, however, my nose has constantly been on and off like a tap - and my cough started to come back. On Friday, I felt very poorly and like I had a sore throat, but I thought it was a result of post nasal drip or something from my nose being so bad; on Saturday, the sore throat went away after I coughed up some gunk, but that’s when the cough got REALLY severe.

So since Saturday night, the cough is back and maybe even worse than it was before; I’m coughing so hard I’m gagging and worrying I’m going to vomit. I’ve tried using the inhaler and drinking lots of water, but nothing has helped - I’m still hacking away and bringing up the most disgusting shit from my lungs. I don’t like taking days off of work but even I had to concede defeat last night, and this morning I had to tell the headteacher of the school, the teacher whose class I’m in, and my employment agency that I’m too sick to come in. I don’t get sick pay either so… that’s fun.

I went to my doctor this morning and told him I’ve been sick for nearly 6 weeks now, that my cough has gotten worse and that my inhaler is no longer helping, that I was taking antibiotics a few weeks ago but it didn’t seem to work, and I’m super congested so I can’t breathe from my nose or my mouth without green gunk coming up. He took my temperature and said I had a fever, which I wasn’t even aware of, and I apparently have “low sats”. He’s prescribed me a different antibiotic now that I have to take twice on the first day and then once on the other six days, as well as some decongestant tablets and a nasal spray.

The doctor also wants me to do an X-ray, so… currently I’m sitting in a walk in centre and waiting to have an X-ray done. I’ve never had one before, at least not that I can remember, but apparently it’s painless and quick. They’ve just called number 20 and I’m 21, so… yep. Exciting, I guess?

Hopefully once I tell the school/agency that I’ve had to have an X-ray on my chest and that I’m on a bunch of medicine, they’ll understand I’m genuinely sick and not just trying to get out of work… fingers crossed!

Anyway, to sum up my mood right now:

(I’ve used this as a joke so many times but it’s not funny anymore, I’m genuinely extremely unwell and want to cry)

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

‘Catch-22’ was rejected for publication 22 times.

The Candy Crush app makes about $850,000 per day.

Is an argument between two vegans still called a beef?

Great sex can temporarily wipe a woman's memory clean.

When the economy is better, short skirts are more popular.

Over 20,000 people have purchased alien abduction insurance.

The Champagne region of France is home to the village of Bouzy.

There's no word in the English language that rhymes with 'month'.

The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith‘s mother invented correction fluid.

The most isolated tree on Earth was hit and killed by a drunk driver in 1973.

"It's okay" and "I'm fine" are the two most common lies spoken in the world.

MTV's show ‘16 And Pregnant’ caused a 4.3% reduction in teen births in the US.

The dinosaur noises in ‘Jurassic Park’ were made from recordings of tortoises having sex.

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on the same day he established the Secret Service.

In an early draft of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ the song was titled ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’.

William Shakespeare was the first person to use insults about people's mothers.

The smell of doughnuts can increase blood flow to the genitals and stimulate an erect phallus.

About 40% of the ants in an ant colony are lazy and spend most of their time just sitting around.

85% of the world's population makes less than $200 a month. Bill Gates makes $290 per second.

85% of people have experienced a dream so real that they were not sure if it happened in real life or not.

Studies show that men who help their wives with household chores are happier and tend to have more sex.

Being dumped often leads to ‘frustration attraction’, causing the person who got dumped to love their ex even more.

In 2002, the average user spent 46 minutes a day on the internet. In 2012, that average had increased to four hours a day!

In 2011, a 46-year-old man tracked down and choked a 13-year-old boy who had been taunting him in ‘Call of Duty’.

Robert Pattinson was expelled from school at age 12 for stealing explicit magazines and selling them to his classmates.

The person that invented the stop sign, the pedestrian crossing, the traffic circle and the one-way street never learned to drive.

OMG is an acronym for a real medical condition: Oversized Male Genitalia, the technical term for men born with huge penises.

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury Publishing decided to publish her book.

In 1979, mathematicians David A. Cox and Steven Zucker wrote a joint paper about an algorithm that is now known as the ‘Cox-Zucker Machine’.

People who prefer Twitter over Instagram tend to be more educated, are less likely to be narcissists, but more likely to suffer from insomnia.

Eating chocolate makes you happy because it contains phenylephylamine, the same hormone the brain triggers when you fall in love.

In 2013, India's army spent six months watching what they thought were Chinese spy drones violating its air space, only to find out they were actually Jupiter and Venus.

2021's Ig Nobel Prize in medicine was given to a group of researchers who proved that having an orgasm is as effective at relieving nasal congestion as taking a decongestant medication.

When Ian Fleming’s ‘Casino Royale’ came out in paperback in the U.S., it was retitled ‘You Asked For It’, because of the fear that American readers wouldn’t know how to pronounce the word ‘royale’.

Top event names for 2024: Soul Gangbang, Soul Sewer, Crocheted Soul, Soul Stink, STS (Sexually-Transmitted Soul), Soul Toilet, Soul O, Soul Dungeon, Soul Cemetery, Soul Abattoir, Soul S, Soul Hole, and Aaah, Soul!

Richard Phillips survived the longest wrongful prison sentence in American history. He was locked up in 1972 at the age of 26 and wasn't released until 2018, aged 72. He spent 45 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

US states having the most sex: Top 5 States: Alaska: 2.806 times per week, New Mexico: 2.064, Vermont: 1.702, Arkansas: 1.666, Indiana: 1.531. Bottom 5: Colorado: 0.420 times per week, Maine: 0.500, Michigan: 0.511, Nebraska: 0.545, West Virginia: 0.638.

In 1186, it was agreed that the Sibylla of Jerusalem (eldest daughter of King Amalric) would become queen of Jerusalem as long as she divorced her husband, Guy de Lusignan. She agreed, on condition that she alone could choose her next husband. Once crowned, she promptly chose Guy de Lusignan.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.