#my ao3 is gonna be like last work 2022 doctor who

[fictional-at-heart]

You’ll Never Be Alone, I Promise You

Fandom: Billy the Kid (2022)

Characters: Billy, Dulcinea

Tags: Sickfic, whump, angst, hurt/comfort-ish

Summary: Billy gets an unexpected visitor one night, which turns out to be a very sick Dulcinea.

Requested by MidnightOcelot on AO3🫶🏻

——————————————————————————

Billy startled as he heard a knock on the door. He quickly grabbed his gun and slowly walked over to the door, making sure it was cocked. It was storming pretty hard, so he found it strange that someone would be knocking this late on a stormy night. Unless Charlie had come to warn him of trouble?

Another knock came again, a little bit harder than the last. Billy reached the window by the door, using his gun to part the curtain slightly. He couldn’t see much through the window, but he was able to make out a feminine figure. He lowered his gun slightly, opening the door a crack. He opened it wider when he saw Dulcinea standing on the porch soaking wet.

“Billy?” she asked quietly. She sounded near tears. “I-I didn’t know who else to go to…”

More on AO3

He pulled her inside quickly, setting his gun aside and shutting the door.

“Dulcinea, what’s wrong?” he asked, holding her arms and looking into her eyes. She swayed slightly with a sniff, then covered her mouth as she coughed. Billy felt the color drain from his face as he realized why she was here.

“M-my family’s out of town,” she started, wiping at her face. “I know I probably should have gone to the doctor, but you were closer…”

She trailed off, her knees buckling slightly. Billy stopped her before she could collapse, scooping her up bridal style and holding her close.

“Shh, it’s alright,” he soothed her, walking to his bedroom. The Regulators were away at the moment, fulfilling an errand for Tunstall. Billy had stayed back, mainly to keep an eye on things while they were gone, but also to just have some free time to himself. He carefully laid her down on his bed as she coughed again. He brought his hand to her cheek.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” he told her. “I’m going to grab some towels so we can dry you off.”

She nodded as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He tried to keep back the panic that was building as he realized she also had a high fever. He came back a few moments later with his arms full of blankets, towels, and a set of clothes. He set them down next to her, grabbing a towel and gently dabbing her face with it.

“D’ya think you can change?” he asked her. “I don’t wanna keep you in these wet clothes, it’ll just make you worse.”

“I can do that,” she replied quietly with a shiver. Billy worked his arm behind her shoulders, gently pulling her up.

“Let’s get you sittin’, ‘kay?” he said, wrapping a towel around her shoulders. “Best I got’re some of my clothes, but I promise they’re clean.”

She laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes with a shudder.

“Thank you, Billy,” she whispered. He brought one hand up to her forehead, smoothing back her wet hair, while the other rubbed the towel against her arm.

“I’ll leave you alone for a minute to change,” he said before planting a kiss to the side of her head. “If you feel like you’re gonna pass out, call for me. I’ll be right outside the door.”

She smiled slightly, turning to face him.

“My Billy. Always the gentleman.”

He smiled as he stood up, making sure she was sitting on her own.

“I mean it,” he told her. “I’ll be right outside the door.”

She nodded. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

He paused at the door, then left the room, shutting the door behind him. He paced in front of the door as he waited for her to finish changing. He hated sickness. Not that he was scared of getting sick himself; what he hated about it was what it had taken from him in the past. Any time someone he cared about started coughing, he felt a pit of dread settle in his stomach. He ran a hand through his hair as he thought back to before he came to Lincoln County. First Joe. Then Ma. Both to the same sickness. He wasn’t about to lose Dulcinea to sickness, too. He wouldn’t allow it. He’d do everything in his power to keep her here with him.

“Billy?” he heard her call out. “You can come back in.”

He opened the door and entered the room, seeing Dulcinea sitting on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her in his clothes; she was wearing his striped blue and gray shirt, and it was definitely oversized on her. The sleeves came down past her hands, which he found adorable.

“Hey, whadda ya know?” he said, sitting down next to her and pulling her close. “My clothes look better on you than they do me.”

She wrapped her arms around his middle.

“No they don’t,” she replied with a small giggle, hugging him tight. “They’re too big.”

Billy shrugged. “But it’s cute.”

“I had to roll up the pant legs.”

He glanced down at her feet and laughed.

“So ya did. But like I said; they look better on you than they do me.”

He gently laid her back down on the bed, pulling the blankets over her and kissing her forehead.

“I’m gonna go hang up your dress so it’ll dry,” he told her, his hand on her arm. “I’ll be right back, darlin’. Need anything to eat?”

She shook her head, turning on her side and clutching the blankets to her chest. He nodded, pushing aside a wet strand of hair that had fallen onto her cheek. He stood up, grabbing the pile of wet clothes and damp towels and left the room, heading for the fireplace. He pulled a chair from the table over near the fireplace and draped her soaked dress over the back of it. He then went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water before walking back to Dulcinea, bringing a bucket of water as well. He set the glass of water and bucket down on the nightstand, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m gonna give you some water, ‘kay?” He gently stroked the side of her head as she nodded, leaning up on her elbow. “Can’t have you gettin’ dehydrated on me, can I?”

She smiled as she accepted the water from him, taking some sips before handing it back and laying back down.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. Billy frowned, putting his hand against her cheek.

“What for, darlin’?”

“I shouldn’t have come here,” she replied with a sniff. “What if I get you sick too?”

Billy shook his head, taking off his boots and carefully settling in next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as she coughed.

“Don’t you worry ‘bout that,” he told her, rubbing her arm gently. “We’re just gonna worry ‘bout gettin’ you better. When will your family be back?”

She wrapped her arm across his stomach, snuggling her body closer to his and laying her head on his chest. “Not for another couple of days.”

“I’ll have you all better by then,” he said, pushing her hair behind her ear. “I don’t have any medicine here though. Mainly jus’ stuff for injury.”

“That’s okay,” she said quietly, closing her eyes and shivering. Billy frowned as his fingertips brushed her feverishly hot forehead. The fever was what concerned him. Small colds didn’t worry him, but when a fever accompanied them… that’s when he started to feel the same helplessness he felt when Joe and his mother had started to get worse. He reached over with one hand to grab a cloth and dip it into the bucket of water, squeezing out the excess water and placing it on her forehead.

“That feel okay?” he asked. She nodded in response, letting a small sigh escape.

“It feels good,” she told him, leaning her head back slightly to rest on his shoulder. “Has anyone ever told you you’re great at caring for the sick?”

Billy smiled sadly. “I guess I’ve just had lots of practice.”

Dulcinea hummed in response, gripping his shirt slightly with her fingers and snuggling closer to him. He pulled the blanket over her shoulder, then refreshed the cloth on her head. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and rubbed her arm, hoping that she wouldn’t get worse.

——————————————————————————

The night was a restless one for both of them. Billy tried to keep Dulcinea comfortable as she kept shifting uncomfortably, eventually leaving the bed to refresh the cool water for her. He came back with the water and set it down, walking over to glance out the window. He judged it to be about three in the morning, and the storms had stopped. He opened the window to let some cooler air in, then pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. He gently grabbed Dulcinea’s hand and held on tight, placing a kiss on her knuckles.

“Don’t you leave me too, Dulcinea,” he said quietly, still gripping her hand. She turned her head slightly, a quiet groan escaping her lips as he looked at her sadly.

“I lost too many people I love t’ sickness,” he continued, moving one hand to push her hair off of her face before wiping at his eye. “I couldn’t bear it if I lost you, too. You’re the best thing to happen to me in a long time.”

He leaned his elbows on the bed, holding her hand and letting his head rest on top of their joined hands. He watched as Dulcinea shifted uncomfortably again with a groan, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

——————————————————————————

Billy woke up to feel fingers combing through his hair. He lifted his head in confusion and saw Dulcinea smiling slightly at him, her fingers continuing to massage his scalp. He rubbed at his face as he remembered what happened the night before; he must have fallen asleep sometime in the night, still in the chair with his head on the bed. He sat up and stretched, then reached for Dulcinea’s head.

“Good morning,” she said as he felt her forehead.

“Mornin’,” he replied with a smile. “Your fever’s gone down. Feel any better?”

She shrugged as he moved to sit on the bed next to her. “Not much, if I’m being honest.”

“Did ya sleep at all?” he asked, rubbing her leg through the blankets. “Seemed like you were restless all night.”

“I’m not sure… I think I slept some.”

Billy nodded, still rubbing her leg. “Are ya hungry at all? I can make up some eggs.”

Dulcinea shrugged. “Not really, but I can try.”

He smiled, cupping her cheek before getting up to make breakfast.

“I can go to town and get some medicine today,” he said, standing up. Dulcinea reached out and grabbed his arm.

“No, please don’t,” she pleaded as he looked back at her. “I… I don’t want to be alone,” she added quietly.

Billy leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“I won’t leave ya if you don’t want me to, darlin’,” he told her, stroking her jaw with his thumb. She smiled, leaning into his touch.

“Thank you, Billy,” she replied, looking up at him. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

He gave her a smile, grabbing her hand and bringing it up to kiss it.

“Anything you need, I hope you know I’ll always be there,” he told her, standing up and heading for the doorway. He glanced back at her and smiled before heading to the kitchen.

——————————————————————————

Billy turned around from the stove when he heard movement behind him. Dulcinea stood in the doorway to the kitchen, her hand on the doorframe.

“Dulcinea!” Billy said, leaving the eggs on the stove and rushing over to her. One hand went to her waist, the other to her head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking her over worriedly. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”

She smiled, leaning her face into his hand.

“I got tired of being alone in there,” she told him, pulling out of his arms and heading for the table. She sat down in one of the chairs. “I wanted to be with you. You said yourself my fever was down.”

He frowned, walking back to the stove so breakfast didn’t burn.

“I said it went down, not that it was gone completely.”

“You don’t need to worry, Billy,” she said softly. He glanced behind his shoulder at her. “I’m fine.”

“I can’t help it. It’s just…” He trailed off, taking the eggs off of the stove and putting them on the table.

“Just what?” Dulcinea asked as he brought over two plates. He sat down next to her, unusually quiet as he filled a plate and handed it to her.

“You can tell me, Billy,” she said, putting her hand over his on the table. She covered her mouth with her other arm and coughed before continuing. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but you can.”

Billy looked at her sadly, then sighed, looking down.

“I used to not worry so much about sickness,” he started quietly. “At least not ‘til I lost my little brother and my ma to sickness.”

Dulcinea squeezed his hand, staying quiet so he could continue.

“Since then, if someone I care about gets sick,” he continued, “it makes me think back to losing them, and it makes me worry.”

He looked away with a small sniff, rubbing at his face. Dulcinea rubbed his hand with her thumb, her other hand going to his cheek.

“Oh, Billy… I had no idea, I’m so sorry,” she told him. He looked to her, giving her a small smile.

“‘S alright,” he replied a little sadly. “Can’t be helped. You hungry?”

She nodded and grabbed a fork. “I actually am now, at least a little bit.”

He reached over and felt her face.

“Your fever might be gone now,” he said with a smile, his hand trailing down the side of her face. Dulcinea smirked at him.

“You know, I’m beginning to think that’s an excuse to touch my face,” she told him. He smiled mischievously, pushing her hair behind her ear and cupping her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek.

“I don’t need an excuse to touch your face, darlin’,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. She blushed, looking down at her plate and taking a bite. He turned his attention to his own plate, but gave her a sideways glance. “And I really do mean what I said, by the way. You look better in my clothes.”

“Impossible,” she replied, suppressing a laugh.

——————————————————————————

After Billy had washed the dishes and sent Dulcinea back to bed, much to her protest, he came back into the bedroom where she was sitting up in the bed.

“How’re you feelin’?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“A lot better since the fever broke,” she told him. “I’m just tired.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Billy replied, taking off his boots and getting into bed next to her, patting his shoulder. She smiled and laid down next to him, leaning her head down on his shoulder. He laid his head against hers, pulling the blankets up and tracing lines down her arm. She sighed contentedly, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him.

“Thank you for taking care of me Billy,” she told him, giving him a slight squeeze. He kissed the top of her head.

“Anything for you, darlin’,” he said as she closed her eyes with a smile, falling asleep to the faint sound of his heartbeat against her ear.

[the--highlanders]

20 questions for fic writers

super late but tagged by @penny-anna, thank you!!

How many works do you have on ao3?

203 apparently! which is like, a lot but also doesn't feel like that many for how long I've been posting now

what’s your total ao3 word count?

1,060,055, and I'm still SUPER proud of hitting a million words. don't think I'm ever gonna write as much again as I did in 2022 (how did I write almost 400k in a year????) but apparently I'm over 100k for this year so. happy with that even though I haven't written nearly as much as I'd like due to like, general life stuff

What fandoms do you write for?

just second doctor era dr who! I definitely get like, story ideas for other fandoms I enjoy, and occasionally I'll idly imagine writing some of them, but never really seriously. I've kinda made an active choice for this to be my niche and I don't seem to have run out of ideas yet so

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

ok I'm gonna cut out like, 'fics' that are actually compilations of prompt fics etc bc I feel like that's cheating but. let's see

in the night i lie and look up at you (when the morning comes i watch you rise)

Sacrificial

Revelations

Vigil

tell me how you'll kiss me when i touch down

weird list tbh! big fan of the first and last one being there but like... sacrificial in particular I was NOT happy with ahgjklfdjgf. I do like vigil tho

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes absolutely!!! they fill me with so much joy & serotonin so I like to reply, & also I love love love discussing stuff w/ people in the comments (hi @galacticlamps ahjkgfd). I'm very very behind on it right now but I will get around to them all I promise!!!

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

oughfkdjg this is tough. I do think if only we could have been brave on time was pretty angsty, I don't usually write fics that toy so much with major character death.

there's a few others but the first one that jumped out at me while scrolling through my fics was i'm trying to reach you (before all the ghosts do). minor character/oc death this time but like. the whole fic was very much born out of the image of its angsty ending, so.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hm I mean I do write a lot of angstless fluff!! so like, any of those. but I'm gonna go with litany for a reunion, because so much of it is angsty that I think the ending seems happier because of it.

Do you get hate on fics?

not yet! but this fandom is pretty chill so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I am very very sex-repulsed ace it would not be a good time for anybody <3

Do you write crossovers?

not in the sense of like, bringing characters from one fandom into another. if I had the stamina/confidence to do proper longfics I'd absolutely do more aus, some of which are inspired by other media (if you guys could see the fairytale aus that live in my head.), and I /do/ have a daemon au.

the only crossover I've really done is Lifeboat, which is like. still a concept I enjoy. ark/its lore is something so close to my heart, so it was a lot of fun to fuse it with dr who. plus I just like imagining that victoria's dad was surrounded by so so so many unhinged mad scientists. & I also find it very very very funny that the ark character in question is now voiced by david tennant

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I'm aware of! again like. small and chill fandom. who's going to be doing that.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, and I don't think I'd want to - I'm a little bit too precious/sensitive about my writing to even have like, a beta reader or anything. I don't think I'd do well trying to co-write with someone. the closest I've come is kind of co-plotting out fics with other people (the plot of the selkie au is as much @ettelwenailinon's brainchild as mine <333)

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I have been so deeply invested in two/jamie for so long that I can no longer untangle it from myself.

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

the fic I want to write most is a super comprehensive multichapter spanning about two years between jamie getting dropped off at culloden after the war games and two coming to pick him up again for 6b. I have a general sweep of the arc, some summary notes, and pages and pages of historical notes for it. unfortunately I don't think I'm ever going to feel like I've done enough historical research to justify writing it, even if I do somehow magically get myself to buck up into writing proper longfic.

What are your writing strengths?

hm idk! I'm quite pleased with some of my prose/descriptions sometimes. & I've had a few comments over the years saying I'm good at characterisation, which is always nice to hear.

I never really know what's good about my writing tho. not out of any sense of inferiority or false modesty or anything, I just. don't think that deeply about writing in general. the words come out & if I like them I like them

What are your writing weaknesses?

^^^ as I am always saying I wish I could break down the mental block that's stopping me from writing longfic

kinda related but like. I'm definitely a perfectionist and that can paralyse me sometimes when I'm trying to write a first draft.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I need to do it more often!!

my absolute dream would be to be able to translate all my fics into gàidhlig tbh. but I love love love giving jamie gàidhlig dialogue, or even just dropping little turns of phrase into his english dialogue, stuff like that. I definitely feel like there's some space between how I write/characterise jamie and how he is on screen, but to some degree that's a conscious decision. I'm always trying to strike a balance between like, writing him in character and writing him in a way that feels authentic to his time and cultural background. but dropping in bits of gàidhlig is a fun way of doing that (and also of getting myself to write in the language which is definitely good practice)

First fandom you wrote for?

hm I mean technically ig it was the saddle club. I was like 3 years old and I wrote a 'book' about the horses.

in terms of like, actively writing fic with the conscious knowledge of what fic was, probably fic about warrior cats ocs when I was about 11/12.

Favorite fic you’ve written?

old ghost's waltz, always. I loved how it came together, it was my first real dip into doing super historical jamie fic & a sort of replacement for the post-war games longfic I may never write, and it was a response to the phantom piper, which drives me absolutely insane in both good and bad ways. like it gave me so many ideas but god I could fix her.

unsorted is a very solid second though. it had all the historical fic joy of old ghost's waltz (even more so in some parts - the scene with jamie and connie might be my favourite scene I've ever written), and it was just. so cathartic to write as an expression of a headcanon I'd kind of hidden for so many years bc I was worried it wouldn't be well-received. it's my favourite fic to get comments on just because it always feels like a relief to see people enjoying it.

tagging @galacticlamps, @p0stscripter, @ettelwenailinon and anyone else who wants to do this!!