#Whumperless whump event: Like a record

[cuddlepilefics]

Like a record, baby - whumperless whump event day 3

Fandom: Ateez

Sickie: Yeosang

Caregivers: mainly Yunho

Prompts: Vertigo / Struggling to stand / “Is the room spinning, or is it just me?”

@whumperless-whump-event

No one’s POV.:

When Yeosang woke up the to the darkness of his room, he felt like he had been hit by a train. He was hot, skin prickling with sweat. His breath came fast and scratchy, making his throat itch and ache. Groaning, Yeosang rubbed his face and tried to lift his head off the pillow, only to be hit with an intense dizzy spell. He weakly dropped his pounding head back on the pillow and took a shaky breath. Water, he needed water.

Taking a few minutes of steady breathing, Yeosang tried to prepare himself for getting up but he still felt so incredibly weak when he finally managed to sit up. He sat slumped on the edge of his bed, miserably resting his head in his hands. The kitchen was so far away that getting himself a drink seemed impossible but Yeosang would at least try. He didn’t even notice how he swayed, gripping the edge of his nightstand to push himself up. Yeosang panted as he struggled to stay on his feet despite his legs feeling like jelly and his head swimming. With ringing ears, he collapsed back onto his bed and pressed the balls of his hands to his eyes.

Yeosang had to hold back tears when he realized he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. With how dry his throat was, he doubted he’d be able to call out to his dorm mate loudly enough to wake him. No, Yunho wouldn’t wake up if he tried to yell for his help. Yeosang fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, his hands trembling so much, he barely managed to type his message. The older wouldn’t be getting up for another couple of hours but that was still better than fainting in the hallway if he tried to get out of bed himself.

Yunho yawned, grumpily feeling around for his phone to turn off his alarm. When he blearily checked the time, he found a message from Yeosang. Wow, it had been sent three hours ago. What was his dongsaeng doing up in the middle of the night? Water? Why couldn’t Yeosang get water for himself? Scratching the back of his head, Yunho shuffled to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before going to check on the younger.

The air in Yeosang’s room was stuffy and Yunho switched on the reading lamp as he took a seat on the edge of his dongsaeng’s bed. “Sang?”, he asked softly, rubbing Yeosang’s arm to rouse him, “I’m sorry, I saw your message just now. Is everything alright?” Everything was not alright and Yeosang didn’t feel the slightest bit better when he was woken up for the second time. The only change were the goosebumps on his arms and the droplets of sweat on his forehead. His vision was foggy when he looked up at Yunho and mumbled: “Don’t feel so good, hyung. Is the room spinning or is it just me?” Gently pressing the backs of his fingers against Yeosang’s forehead, Yunho hummed: “You’re a little warm. Is that why you texted me last night?” – “I was thirsty but couldn’t get up”, Yeosang yawned, closing his eyes again.

“Don’t fall asleep on me”, Yunho chuckled when Yeosang remained quiet after that, “I got you some water but if you can give me some more details on how you’re feeling, I might be able to help.” The boy’s arms shook as he tried to prop himself up, rasping: “Jus’ need some water.” – “You look like you need a whole lot more than just water”, Yunho sighed as he slipped his arm around his dongsaeng’s shoulders to sit him up. With the other’s help, Yeosang was able to drink a few sips of water before having to lay back down. Reaching for his phone, Yunho smiled: “I’ll let hyungs know what’s going on, yeah? There’s no point in dragging you out today.” – “Could you – could you help me to the bathroom first?”, the younger asked hesitantly, “I-I kinda need to go but….”

After helping Yeosang out of bed, Yunho was shocked by how hard the younger was struggling to stand. “I feel like jelly”, Yeosang whimpered, clinging to his hyung’s arm. He was already panting from the strain and they had barely made it out into the hallway. When Yunho scooped him up without any warning, Yeosang’s head was sent spinning again and his heart raced with panic as he tightened his grip on the older. Yunho muttered a quick apology, carrying his dongsaeng to the bathroom. He carefully set Yeosang down and helped him sit on the closed toilet lid, humming: “I’ll be right outside. Will you be able to take it from here without hurting yourself?” Flushing bright red, Yeosang gave a tiny nod and waited for the door to close behind his hyung.

Hongjoong stopped by Yunho and Yeosang’s dorm not long after Yunho had called him. In the meantime, Yeosang had insisted on at least trying to get himself ready if his fever wasn’t too high, so he sat slumped on the closed toilet lid and waited for Yunho to take his temperature. Standing in front of his dongsaeng, Yunho let the younger rest his head against his tummy and carefully inserted the in-ear thermometer. He gently carded his fingers through Yeosang’s hair while they waited for the beep. Seeing the numbers, Yunho bit his lip. Yeosang’s temperature was barely elevated, which would make it hard to convince him to stay home to rest, no matter how miserable he seemed. Luckily, nobody could win when Hongjoong played the leader card.

“I don’t care about your temperature as much as you think I do”, Hongjoong denied when Yeosang tried to argue that he had no fever, “If you can’t stand by yourself, you’re most definitely in no shape to work.” Noticing how his dongsaeng’s eyes started to water, the leader added: “Seonghwa-hyung and Wooyoung-ah will come by to check on you soon too. If need be, we’ll take turns staying with you.” – “Hyung, I’m not even really sick”, Yeosang whispered, a single tear trailing down his cheek. Seeing how much effort it took for the younger to sit up, Hongjoong let him lean against his chest and sighed: “Fever is not the only way to determine if someone is sick. You’re not feeling well, that much is obvious, and your vertigo is enough to render you unable to work today. If you’re lucky, you might be able to bounce back after a day or two of rest. Just try to get some sleep today and we can discuss how we’ll go about tomorrow when I get off work tonight, yeah?” Yeosang gave a defeated nod, mainly because his energy was fading fast and he was quite certain he’d fall off his seat the second Hongjoong stepped away.

Yunho had carried Yeosang back to his room and helped him sip some more water before he lay back down. “I have a dance session with Wooyoung-ah now, so I don’t think you’ll see him until later today but Seonghwa-hyung texted that he’d be over soon to keep you company until his vocal lesson later”, Yunho smiled and the younger was grateful for the phrasing. He knew that the eldest would stay back to take care of him because they didn’t trust him to be able to handle himself but Yunho at least left him the dignity of not saying it out loud.

It didn’t take long for Yeosang to accept that having his hyung stay with him was for the best. His headache had gotten progressively worse and he really wanted to take something for the pain but couldn’t even get up to grab some medicine. Seonghwa not only brought him medicine, he had also cooked some jook, so Yeosang wouldn’t have to take the pills on an empty stomach. They had stacked Yeosang’s pillows, so he’d be propped up without the risk of falling over but Seonghwa sat next to him anyway, one arm securely wrapped around the younger’s shoulders. In his other hand, Seonghwa held the bowl of jook, making it easier for Yeosang to just focus on eating.

“Good thing you’re taking medicine now”, Seonghwa frowned, his palm flat across Yeosang’s forehead, “That’s a proper fever now. Do you want me to get the thermometer?” Yeosang tiredly shook his head and sniffled: “Doesn’t make a difference if I know the numbers. I feel like my temperature’s up and I guess I gotta thank Hongjoong-hyung for making me stay back. Everything aches.” Seonghwa handed him the pills and steadied his wrist, so he wouldn’t spill the water on himself. “You look exhausted”, Seonghwa whispered, lightly stroking his dongsaeng’s hair, “Try to sleep a little? Can’t promise you I’ll still be here once you wake up but Wooyoung-ah will trade with me later. You won’t wake up alone, someone will be here to keep you company, so don’t worry.” With that promise, Yeosang drifted off in a matter of minutes.

Like Seonghwa had predicted, he had to leave for his vocal lesson while Yeosang was still asleep but as chaotic as Wooyoung was at times, the eldest knew he could leave Yeosang in his best friend’s care without any concerns. Wooyoung knew how uncomfortable Yeosang tended to be when it came to drawing attention to himself due to being sick, so he was glad that his schedules could be shifted, so he could be the one to stay with the older. Yeosang too was grateful for that because he could trust his dongsaeng to be there without judgement or teasing. When he woke up from his feverish nap, Wooyoung sat quietly at the foot of his bed, playing games on his phone. “Hey Woo”, Yeosang rasped, catching the other’s attention, “How long have you been here?”- “Half an hour, maybe”, Wooyoung smiled as he put down his phone. Reaching over to feel his hyung’s forehead, he hummed: “How’re you feeling? Did the nap help any?” – “Not really”, Yeosang yawned with a soft pout, “Still feel like I’ve been hit by a train, everything’s spinning and it’s making my tummy feel funny.” Wooyoung studied his friend’s pale complexion in the dim light and frowned: “Do you feel like you need to be sick? I could get a bucket, just in case.” Lightly shaking his head, the older whispered: “I’ll be okay. Could we cuddle though?”

Wooyoung got up and picked up the water bottle from the nightstand, deciding: “Of course, we can cuddle but ease have some water first.” The other grimaced. Sitting up so that he could have a drink sounded like far too much work. On the other hand, he really wanted cuddles. When Wooyoung noticed how much Yeosang’s arms shook from the strain of propping himself up, he helped him sit and steadied his hand. “Good job”, he praised, getting into bed next to Yeosang once the older laid back down, “Get comfy, hm? Maybe you could take another nap.” – “I don’t think I could sleep”, Yeosang muttered as he closed his eyes, nuzzling I to Wooyoung’s chest, “Just tell me something.”

That was how Wooyoung ended up recounting funny memories they had made together with Yeosang slowly drifting off in his arms.

[whump-for-comfort]

My second entry for the @whumperless-whump-event! This one is two prompts combined.

Day 2: Alt Prompt: Seizure + Day 3: Like a record, baby: Vertigo

Characters: Generic (whumpee + caretaker + medic)

Warnings: None, appart from a breif mention of nausea.

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

“Whumpee? Whumpee, can you hear me, love?”

Everything was sore and Whumpee groaned. Their head was pillowed on something soft, yet the rest of their body was lying on the hard floor. Caretaker’s capable hands were carding through their hair, and despite all the pain and the unknowns, they relaxed into the sensation.

“They're coming back,” Medic said somewhere above them, and Whumpee recognised their hand clutched around their wrist. “You ok, Whumpee?”

Whumpee groaned again and cracked their eyes open.

They was lying on the floor, curled on their side. All they could see from their vantage point was the bottom of the bookshelves, Medic's knees as they crouched in front of their prone body, and their own hand curled in front of them. Their other hand was resting in Medic's lap, Medic's fingers over Whumpee's pulse point.

They attempted to move their head to locate Caretaker, but shut their eyes against the barrel of vertigo that hit them. They moaned and curled further in on themself.

“Dizzy?” Medic asked. Whumpee grunted an affirmative; nodding was not an attractive idea.

At least Caretaker’s hand in their hair was a welcome distraction.

“First aid kits still under the sink, right?” Medic asked Caretaker, and Whumpee heard Caretaker's affirmative before Medic stood to retrieve it.

“Let’s get you sitting up, love,” Caretaker said softly. “Come on, you can lean against me. Up you come.”

With Caretaker's hands under their armpits, they helped Whumpee up into a reclined sitting position. Even with their eyes closed, the vertigo made itself known, it was as if they were on board a ship on rough waves.

They were pulled between Caretaker’s legs, their head against Caretaker's chest, cradled in their arms. They relaxed against them and let them take the entirety of their weight.

“What happened?” Whumpee grumbled. They kept their eyelids pressed firmly together; opening their eyes would do no good for their stomach.

“You had another seizure,” Caretaker provided. They rubbed up and down the side of Whumpee’s arm in a comforting gesture and pressed a kiss into their hair. “You might have hit your head on the floor as you went down.”

Whumpee groaned again. “Hurts.”

“Your head?” Caretaker began to run gentle fingertips through Whumpee's hair, stopping only when Whumpee winced. “Ah. You’ve got a little bump.”

“And perhaps a concussion,” Medic added as they re-entered the room, presumably with the first aid kit, but Whumpee didn’t want to risk opening their eyes to find out.

The air stirred as Medic crouched down in front of Whumpee. They heard a zipper being pulled and rummaging in the kit, then a click and a burst of light that made the insides of Whumpee’s eyelids glow red. “You’re gonna have to open your eyes, Whumpee. I’m sorry, but I need to check your pupils.”

Whumpee cautiously opened their eyes as if preparing to squint into the sun.

The light burned, and it took all of Whumpee’s willpower to not cringe away from it. They forced themselves to look into Medic's face as they brought the light into their eyes and away again in brisk movements. Whumpee must have made a noise of discomfort, for Caretaker had begun to shush them softly.

“A mild concussion,” Medic reported finally, clicking the torch off again. “You should be alright, but I’d recommend bedrest for the rest of the day. No falling asleep, though. Caretaker, you’ll have to stay with them.”

“Of course,” Caretaker said readily, and Whumpee couldn’t help the affectionate smile that leaked out behind the pain.

With help from both Medic and Caretaker, Whumpee stood on two feet, though it felt like they were falling. They gasped, despite the two strong presences at his sides holding them up.

“Can you walk?” Caretaker asked.

Whumpee shook their head, an action that had them pressing their lips together against the sudden wave of nausea it elicited.

“All right,” Caretaker said soothingly. Slowly, ever so slowly to avoid upsetting Whumpee's head any further, they lifted them into their arms and cradled them to their chest.

It wasn’t long before they were placed gently on the bed, and Whumpee let out a sigh of relief as they were enveloped by soft pillows and plush blankets.

Distantly, they registered Medic's farewell pat on the arm, and then Whumpee and Caretaker were alone.

They felt the mattress dip beside them, and they reached their hand out blindly. Caretaker tangled their fingers together.

“Here,” they felt the nudge of two pills against their lips, which they parted to let Caretaker place on their tongue. They swallowed them both dry; they had gotten quite good at that recently. “No going to sleep, remember?”

“I know,” Whumpee grumbled. They wished they could sleep off the remaining symptoms, but it was not to be. “You’ll stay with me though?”

They heard the smile in Caretaker’s voice. “Of course. For as long as you need.”

[whumpbug]

whumperless whump event day 3: like a record, baby! @whumperless-whump-event

vertigo / struggling to stand / vomiting (from day 22)

see this post for character information!

caretaker: Simon

whumpee: Archie

another fic written for earlier in their relationship because simon is much more snarky than he is now

also cw: vomit but its not graphic

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

The first thing Archie noticed as he started to come to was the strange tingling sensation that spread throughout his body.

It was.. nauseating. He’d had his fair share of head injuries to know that this was already turning out to be a nasty one. He debated on calling Simon but.. well, it didn't seem that bad. He could handle it himself.

Probably.

He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but what he did remember was seeing a building rushing toward him as a stiff hand shoved him toward it and feeling it connect before it was lights out.

That damn mugger was stronger than Archie has bargained for.

And now, he was nowhere to be seen. Considering the time of night, Archie would be surprised if he saw anyone. He let out a breathy groan as he pushed himself up on his forearms from where he was lying prone.

His head throbbed. He felt the blood whooshing in his ears as he forced himself up to his knees. The world tilted on its axis and he found himself listing to the side before catching himself with an uncoordinated palm to the ground.

Okay Archie, focus. Just.. get up. It's not that hard.

Archie unceremoniously lifted himself from the ground, planting his feet below his aching body. God, everything hurt. Immediately, all of his surroundings appeared to be sliding and falling around him. The nausea increased ten-fold, and before he knew it he was crashing down to his knees again with an unproductive heave.

Tears pricked at his eyes as he quietly vomited whatever he had eaten for lunch earlier in the day. He sat there, for a moment, panting over his own mess as he worked up the will to try and stand again.

Alright, you can do it this time. Just one foot in front of the other. C'mon Archie.

He braced his hand on the concrete again, stabilizing himself just enough to arduously drag himself up to his feet.

Again, the world canted dangerously to the side, but Archie was determined. He wasn’t even thinking about what he was going to do, but he knew if he wanted to get home and into bed, the first step was at least standing.

He took an experimental step.

Then another.

Then his foot caught on a groove in the sidewalk and suddenly everything was horizontal and he was falling listlessly.

He landed hard on his shoulder, barely managing to avoid banging his head on the concrete a second time. He let out a pathetic whine as he curled in on himself. God, he felt awful, What he would give to be safe in his apartment, watching TV with Simon or even doing homework. He’d rather be doing homework than deal with this.

The thought was so ridiculous that he couldn’t help the watery laugh that escaped him, but it quickly morphed into a soft sob. He just wanted this to be over.

He vaguely heard soft footsteps behind him.

“Why you refuse to call me for head injuries, I’ll never know,” An unamused voice sighed.

Simon.

Archie felt his heart skip a beat. It took everything he had in him, but he managed to roll over to see Simon, his savior, kneeling beside him.

“How.. find me..?” Archie whimpered, shutting his eyes at the dizzying sight of Simon swirling around in his line of vision.

“I have your location, remember? I swear we’ve had this conversation at least a dozen times..” Simon muttered, but the annoyance in his voice was feigned. “I’ll let it go though. You're clearly not doing too well.”

Simon softly smoothed Archie’s bloodied blonde locks back, partially to comfort him and partially to check for any head wounds. Then, his hands shifted to Archie’s eyes as he very gently lifted his eyelids. Archie mewled and pulled away.

“Sorry.. just checking your pupils.. you’re definitely concussed..” He whispered, now making his voice perceptibly quieter. “Let’s get you out of here.. just try not to vomit in my car, yeah?” He glanced at the puddle of puke a few feet away, shuddering.

Simon grabbed Archie’s upper arm and guided him to his feet. He saw Archie pale as he was, undoubtedly, hit with another awful wave of vertigo. He slipped his own arm around Archie’s waist and stabilized him. He didn’t expect Archie to lean so heavily into the touch, and he certainly didn’t expect Archie to bury his face into Simon’s shoulder the way he did.

“I'm.. thank you.. coming to get me..” Archie slurred, sniffling a bit.

Simon felt a fond smile spread across his face, and he gently pat Archie’s back.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll always come.”

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

[disappearinginq]

I actually got a prompt done on the deadline - with 5 minutes to spare! For Whumperless Whump Event July

Day 3

Like a record, baby: Vertigo / Struggling to stand / “Is the room spinning, or is it just me?”

Like a Record Baby for the Hudson & Rex fandom. Charlie is acting a little weird, and Jesse tries to make him sit down before he falls down and does not succeed. Short one shot for the event, with medical advice from macgyvermedical moderately adhered to for symptoms of orthostatic hypotension.

[eventhorizoninwriting]

Monumental Discoveries

Word Count: 1016

Tags: Charon/reader, Fallout 3

Warnings: Vertigo, heights, dizziness, near fall.

@whumperless-whump-event Prompt 3: Like A Record, Baby!

*Late to the party again, but I"m catching up!

Your ears began to pressurize as the elevator continued to climb. Facing the doors, the satellite dish held neatly in front of you, you didn’t bear witness to the ever-shrinking wasteland through the crumbling walls of the Washington Monument. It was a wonder the elevator was still in the shaft in one piece, nevermind fully functional, working, and clean. 

“They really did a decent job on this, huh?”

Charon glanced at you from the corner of his eye, nodding once without offering any comment. That had been his way, as long as you’d known him. You met him in Underworld just a month ago, just a building away from here by some kind of irony, where he’d been an enslaved guard at the Ninth Circle bar. The only way to free him from that abusive predicament had been to take on his contract yourself–but even after you handed him the paperwork, he’d silently stayed by your side, and woe be him if anything hurt you. 

Yet, he hardly ever spoke. You could count on both hands the number of sentences he’d uttered since you’d met. Hell, you could probably count on one. His first to you, telling you to take anything up with Azhrukal, his owner. Then the one where he acknowledged that you’d taken over his contract, and politely informed you that he needed to take care of one thing before leaving; then proceeded to blow Azhrukal’s head off with his combat shotgun. The only explanation for that was another single sentence to inform you that Azhrukal was an evil bastard. Since then, he’d proven to be a man of very, very few words–and so it was here, too. You knew he had no reason to like the Brotherhood of Steel, who flashed him nasty looks and threw insults–and who had been rumored to hunt ghouls for sport. But you’d always thrown insults back in his defense, knowing he wouldn’t say anything for himself to them…and besides, the elevator really was impressive in this day and age. 

It dinged, and the doors slid open. Charon followed you out, footsteps padding softly behind you like a large cat. It was a wonder he was so quiet with how tall he was. 

“Let’s see,” you murmured to yourself, looking over the relay console. “Looks like the wires go in here, and go up there…then hook in there, there, and right in the back.” 

“Hmm.” Charon leaned against a wall, watching you work. 

“If I deconstruct this, then attach this…shit, this would be easier with a solder gun,” you muttered, pulling the old wires out of the old, shot up dish, and twisting them into place on the new one. “But here we are. Aaaand…there.” 

Charon raised his eyebrow muscles when you stood, dragging the new dish over to the hole in the wall. Carefully climbing over the huge pieces of wiring that looped up onto the floor from the outside like great snakes, you balanced precariously, carefully hanging the new dish where the old one had been. When you slowly took your hands away, it stayed in place perfectly, as if it was always meant to be there. 

“Perfect!” 

That was when it clicked where you were. 

Looking down to your right, you saw the tiny wasteland before you. All the trenches and debris looked as small as post-meal crumb patterns on a table. Super mutants that towered over you, and even Charon, crawled about through it like miniature ants. Suddenly, you became very aware that it was a very, very long way down between you and the ground. Staring at the dirt down below, you also came to the realization of what exactly you’d risked by getting into a restored elevator in a half-crumbled many-stories-tall monument.

“Is the room spinning, or is it just me?” you said, half to yourself. Were you getting tunnel vision, or was the ground actually starting to get a little closer?

A strong arm slammed around your waist just as you began to fall over the edge of the wall. Charon carried you back to the relative safety of the solid concrete floor, slung over his arm like a temporarily unused jacket. He set you on your feet again, but the dizziness caught up, and you immediately stumbled into the wall. Bile crawled up your throat as your brain went fuzzy, and the world seemed to spin around you, even with your eyes shut.

“What is wrong with you?” he growled, eyes flitting over you. “You could have died.” 

All you could do was stare at him in shock. He’d just spoken to you for the first time in weeks–

“If you get dizzy at heights, it’s irresponsible to then do maintenance work at heights.”

“Hey,” you interrupted. Not that you wanted to–who knew if or when he’d speak again if you did. “I didn’t know. It’s not like I have a lot of climbing opportunities involving that kind of height.” 

He simply blinked his foggy eyes at you. “Doesn’t Rivet City have heights?”

“Well, yeah. But those are different. None of them are up as high as this.” 

“I see.” You couldn’t explain it, but something in his expression told you that he was filing this information away for later. “Can you walk now?”

“Maybe.” 

Pushing off the dirty floor, you tried to stand, but your brain decided that this was the optimal time to remind you of the scope of your current height despite not seeing the ground. Just the thought of the elevator, and how far of a drop it would be if those old cables snapped, was enough to give you jelly legs. You sank back down to the floor. “I guess not. At least not until I can stop thinking about heights.” 

In saying this, you’d been prepared to spend the night up here on the roof of the Washington Monument, listening to the newly-restored Galaxy News Radio and sleeping on the mattresses that lay over in the corner next to an emergency lamp. You were not expecting what happened next, when Charon simply scooped you up bridal-style, and began walking towards the elevator as if you weighed nothing. 

“Let’s go, then. Won’t get better by sitting up here.” 

[omgubler]

This is my first published Sherlock fic! @whumperless-whump-event

“You need to sleep.” John huffed and sat in his chair with his own cuppa. “Nonsense. What I need is to solve this case.” Sherlock scoffed in annoyance. It’s not like he hadn’t tried to sleep; every time he laid down his mind wouldn’t stop trying to process information.

Day 3: "Like a record, baby" Prompts: Vertigo // struggling to stand Fandom: Sherlock Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Greg Lestrade

[mellowwhumps]

Whumperless Whump Event Day 10: Forced to work while ill | “…sit down, I’m calling HR.”

OCs: Elowen, Frances (by @qiuthewhumps)— AU of AU

CW: dubious workplace treatment

this is visibly self-indulgent

@whumperless-whump-event

The world spun around him. Clearly, there was something wrong, because he could barely read the words on the paper in front of him. 

Either way, it wasn’t as if he would be able to back down from finishing.

Sick leave was nothing but a pretence of caring. With all the work needed to even get close to a decent pay grade, it was no surprise they wanted him back. Just like the last time and the time before that. He should have considered speaking to someone about it, honestly.

His ears were ringing, the repeated noise contributing little benefit to his work. Clothes stuck to his skin so tightly it nearly felt constricting. There was little chance he could work in such conditions. 

One trip to the bathroom and he’d be back. Clean up, take a breath and come back. That wouldn’t take too much of his currently precious time. Push his chair out from the table, stand up, a step forward, then another. 

His stomach lurched forward; not a moment later he realised he was falling, vision blurring and darkening until his consciousness was no more.

—————

“…lo..! Elo…! Wake up. Hey.” 

He opened his eyes, flinching away from the lights above him. She was right beside, hands on his shoulders; the cause of the motion he felt while waking, he deduced. Why was he on the floor, anyway? His head felt so heavy. If he’d missed even that small chance of a break for this, he should go back to recording the data needed. Elowen pushed himself up, only to be hastily ushered back to a lying position.

“…Stay down. You are not doing any more work today.” He looks at her expression. None at all. Something serious, then. There was no point in arguing with her, especially not when he could barely form coherent thought.

“Mind explaining?” he asks.

“How about you do that instead? I walk into your office and you weren’t moving at all. Care to explain why you fainted in the middle of nowhere and currently look like shit?”

Oh. He fainted. Of course he had; those were all the warning signs. He touched his forehead, and sure enough, his fingers were stained crimson.

“I haven’t finished my work yet. You know that. The deadline’s today.”

“Was waiting for confirmation from you. We’re not back there anymore, god— Remember what happened the last time you tried this stunt? I’d rather go back to job searching for another month rather than see you like this.” She gestured at him, frowning. “Don’t you even dare think I don’t understand your warning signs.”

He nearly wanted to sit up again before reminding himself, settling on making himself more comfortable on the floor. In that position, he felt rather tired, admittedly. When was the last time he slept since starting this job? 

“I’m awake now, you don’t need to—“ 

“—Care about you? Really? I’m calling HR, and if they don’t let you leave I’ll be the last thing they ever see.”

[brandileigh2003]

Fic: I've got you

Day 3: Like a record, baby: Vertigo / Struggling to stand

Remus is thinking about the challenges of the upcoming school year and how lycanthropy has been affecting him. Plus some cute wolfstar moments.

@whumperless-whump-event

[comfortlesshurt]

July 2024 Plans!

I'm trying something new to see if it works for keeping me more consistent, so don't mind me.

Still insanely obsessed with Keith Kogane so uhh... sorry, that's all you're probably going to see from me this month if you read my stuff.

General Goals:

Get more comfortable with writing shorter fics instead of pushing for record word counts

Work on finding better end scenes for fics

Brainstorm for some longer multi-chapter fics for the future

Newly published word count: 19,920/15,000

Come up with a consistent writing schedule before August

Drafting priority - aim for the minimum viable amount of initial editing (then go back and refine everything in September)

Whumperless Whump Month:

7/1 (emergency first aid) - published

7/3 (like a record, baby) - published

7/10 (your work is never finished) - published

7/16 (say goodbye to filters) - published

7/19 (the whump morning after) - published

7/30 (I don't mean to get emotional) - published

Looking into 1 or 2 more days between the 19th and the 30th, but I haven't picked any yet! (Got sucked into another project and moved on to that!)

Really pushing to finish the days on time for this and move on no matter what at the end of the month. No completionist attempt here!

Bingo Prompts from @builder051:

Addiction/withdrawal - published along with whumperless whump fill

Self-surgery - published along with Whumperless Whump fill

Outlines for 3 other TBD squares, but unlikely to finish those fics in July (I'm short on my projected word count goal for August, so I'm expecting to get these finished and posted then)

Apologize profusely for taking 6 years to get to this

Augusnippets:

By mid-July, decide between path of hurt and path of whumperless whump

Resist urge to say I can do both because I simply cannot

Complete all outlines for chosen path by end of July (did I say outlines? because I accidentally made rough drafts for all of these instead)

Draft the first week by the end of July (I suspect work will be busy in August, so we're getting a buffer ready)

July and August are both planned writing months, but I'm expecting to take September to publish less and focus more on editing some stuff I've posted in the past without polishing as well as I could have. I also think I'll burn myself out if I try to write a ton three months in a row, so this just works out well.

Quick overview of the rest of 2024:

July - Whumperless Whump Event focus

August - Augusnippets focus

September - 1 or 2 short fics and a big round of editing my backlog; start to get a detailed outline on my Klance series

October - Whumptober focus

November - NaNoWriMo (either original fiction or a longfic I've been outlining, depends how I feel by October)

December - probably a heavy editing month (I want to get that NaNoWriMo fic edited so it can start to be published as we ring in 2025, but that probably means I won't publish anything new in November or December)

[pyrepostings]

Whumperless Whump Event: Like a record, baby: Struggling to stand

Free Birds And Fiddlers

cw: recent injury, recent near drowning, unreliable narrator, male whumpee female caretaker

~~~

Kevin gasped has he clutched Rynn's arm. She had pulled him to his feet at his request, but as the action flared every nerve in his body more than he expected it to, he was quickly regretting that request.

It was several days since he made his deal with Julian. He would be under guard until he had healed enough for Julian to believe he would be able to survive in the woods alone, or the end of the month- whichever came first. After that, Julian was not to come after him, to send anyone after him, to follow him, or even to cross his path. He was to be released from his vows of loyalty he had sworn all those years ago, though he considered them null with the first armed guard stationed at his door anyway.

In less than a month, he would be free.

For now, he needed to focus on standing on his own two feet.

He was still weak from blood loss and injury. His head was pounding anew against his skull as if that would heal his leg faster. And of course his leg, still feeling like a harpoon shot through it as an anchor point to dangle him over a cliff from.

All that combined with the stiffness that came with barely moving out of bed for the past week, and he could barely move from where he now stood, clutching at the medic in front of him, gasping for air with salt-scraped lungs.

"Hey, it's ok, just breathe alright? You're doing great."

He grit his teeth more from the patronizing tone than the pain. He'd have to bear it if he wanted to get out.

He tried putting his bad leg down, but even before he put weight on it, it screamed in pain. But he said he was going to get to the chair so he would.

He took as deep a breath as he could manage, and took a step forward, more pulling himself than walking.

His hands were shaking, and he felt light headed by the time he was lowered into the chair only a few steps away. He ignored the encouragements, it wasn't going to affect anything. He let her change his bandage, making sure he didn't pop any stitches in the exertion.

All he could think about as he carefully sipped the tea waiting for him was that Julian was never going to let him go in this condition.

Masterlist

@whumperless-whump-event

[oncemorewithwhump]

It was strange, he thought as he squeezed his eyes shut and continued breathing deeply through his nose. He hadn't realized he could get motion sickness while standing completely still.

Rating: T

For the @whumperless-whump-event

Prompt: Like a Record, Baby

vertigo / struggling to stand

[the-inkwell-variable]

Whumperless Whump Event

@whumperless-whump-event

Fandom: The Luminous Dead

Prompt: Like a Record, Baby - Vertigo

~~••~~••~~••~~••~~~~••~~••~~••~~••~~

Gyre gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up to the next anchor.  She'd told Em that her bonk to the head was nothing more than that, but she was feeling the effects of her lie with every passing moment.  The reconstruction blurred and shifted around her, so she turned it off – and immediately wished she hadn't.  The cave twirled around her, a dancer swathed in black with sparkling pinpricks of light.  She felt like she was spinning on her rope, though her body pressed against the wall of the cave confirmed she was sitting quite still.

“Your suit indicates you're dizzy.”  Em's voice cut through the static buzzing in her ears.  “Does your head hurt?  That ‘bonk’ looks like it may have done damage.”

“I'm fine,” Gyre ground through her teeth.

“You're really not.  The ledge is only a few feet above you – when you reach it, you need to rest.”

“I'm fine.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

Gyre couldn't answer.  She pulled herself up, up, up, until her weary fingers grasped the ledge.  She dragged herself over the lip and flipped onto the ground, unable to force herself even to her knees.  Vomit bubbled just below her throat as the room spun faster, but she forced it back down.

“Gyre?”

“I'm here.”

“Whatever you do, don't go to sleep.”

[qiuthewhumps]

Your work is never finished: [10/07/2024]

Forced to work while ill / Workplace emergency / “...sit down, I'm calling HR.”

[VENERE & SAORA MIRAI AU] — 1848 words

CW: Anaphylaxis caused by food allergy, Injection (Venere was rushing)

Context: Raspberry and rhubarb pie can look very similar at times. Chances are you also lose your sense of taste and smell when you have the flu. Never mind the fact the scent of pies become duller the longer they're out. Venere & Saora relationship building or something.

@whumperless-whump-event

☆…━━━━━·:*☆…━━━━━·:*☆…━━━━━·:*☆

“You're up.” Venere hummed as she walked over to the balcony, eyeing the other who was taking a smoke break.

“Hm,” Saora hummed, putting out their cigarette before glancing over with a quirk of their lips. “It’s five in the afternoon, is there a problem or do you need something?”

Venere stepped closer before leaning against the balcony railing as well. “Yuuto told me you called in sick today… So, is he lying to me or did you come here sick?”

“I was at the med bay,” Saora softly answered. Not as positive, Venere absently noted. Something was wrong, she inferred. “Then, I got out. Nothing special. Need something?”

“That’s irrelevant to my question, Saora.” Venere sighed as she sighed, looking up. The clouds were sparse, no rain risk for now, at least. “I’m sure I don’t have to explain why. So, instead, do you have another cigarette?”

The metal cigarette case was offered to her without a question. Their hands brushed as Venere took it, picking a cigarette out of it before pocketing the case into her coat. She glanced at Saora who was looking at her incredulously.

“You shouldn’t smoke when you’re sick.” Venere clicked her tongue as she looked for her lighter in her pockets. “Go home.”

“I’m not sick. What proof do you even have of tha—” Venere rolled her eyes before placing the back of her hand against Saora’s forehead. She scoffed as she pulled away to find her lighter again.

“You’re heating up. Go home.” Venere mirrored Saora’s original smile before lighting the cigarette. She took a drag, blowing the smoke up. “You’re a workaholic, but you’ll get someone infected.”

“I won’t. Data handling department got understaffed due to what happened yesterday. Whether I like it or not, I gotta be here,” Saora finally admitted softly. “I went to the med bay for some antibiotics, that’s all. I’m fine. I’m taking my meds too, and I have a mask.” They brought out a face mask from their pocket.

“Have you eaten?” Venere raised an eyebrow at Saora, suspicious. “Don’t tell me you went to the cafeteria while being sick.”

“I’m not that dumb, I just asked a trusted person to get me some food. No harm done…” Venere continued to stare Saora down. “... And it may still be on my desk, but I got busy.” Venere sighed as she took out Saora’s cigarette case from her coat, waving it as if luring a dog with its favorite toy.

“Let’s make sure you don’t die from stomach failure in the next two hours.” Venere started to walk back into the facility, She threw the cigarette in the trashcan near the balcony entrance after putting out its butt. “C’mon, puppy. You need food,” she jested with a wave of the cigarette case.

“You’re terrible.” They both made a slight laugh before Saora put on their face mask.

The walk to Saora’s office was filled with small talk, nonsense even to both of them. One moment it’d be how Saora even got sick; the next it was about how Muri was doing. Their steps were almost silent with the business in the walls. Some were already going home; others were still performing or recording. There was a salad with some dressing and a pie slice with a reddish filling in plastic containers on Saora’s desk when the two finally got to Saora’s office.

“At least it’s healthy.” Venere sighed as she took a chair from the corner closer to Saora’s desk. “Eat,” she demanded, and so, Saora sat down and dejectedly opened the salad first before removing their face mask.

“Don’t you have something else to do?” Saora queried as they took a forkful of the salad, slowly chewing and swallowing. Venere clicked her tongue before shaking her head. None immediately came to mind. If anything, she was just waiting for results. “My taste buds feel kind of dead…”

“Waiting. That can be done anywhere, no?” Venere replied with a small huff. She eyed the pie then the salad, analyzing and thinking. She could recall there being salad in the cafeteria but not the pie, must be personally bought then? “It happens when you’re sick. You like pie?”

“I like baking, so more or less. Yeah, I do.” Venere absently noted that to memory. Perhaps she could get them some sweets from that bakery she always passed by on her walk. It’d be better than the silent time they caught each other on the balcony in the early hours. “I usually bake pastries like cupcakes, pies, cookies, brownies… Stuff like that in general.”

“Favorite pastry?” She said instead to fill in the space as she watched Saora eat the salad. The soft clack of utensils against a plastic box or the table below it was the only other sound really. “Where’s Chelo as well? It’s usually trailing behind you more often than not.”

“Rhubarb pie. It’s a pie my mom used to make, so I learned it too.” Saora smiled lightly before pointing at the salad with their fork. “It looks like this. I wonder if it is. Chelo had some type of maintenance. The last time they had something like Meniere's disease. An error on the experiment, so they’re trying to fix it. There’s still a vomit stain on my couch from the vertigo they got, actually. Should get bleach or something for that…”

“So, it technically failed at its job,” Venere deadpanned. She leaned back in her chair. Saora gave her a look, so she switched the topic. “What does rhubarb pie taste like?” 

“Well, rhubarb looks like celery! It has a similar texture to it as well. Though in terms of taste people compare it to being like a sour cherry—it’s very tart. Rhubarb pies are basically tart pies. They taste good, I promise. It also goes along quite well with something sweet if you don’t like the tartness too much… Strawberries are one. People do use rhubarb for baking, mostly pies and cakes are what I know it’s used for in baking. It makes a great jam when mixed with strawberries; it takes more prep, but it tastes really good.” Saora smiled as they talked between mouthfuls of salad they swallowed. “I can bring you some rhubarb pie or crisps next time. I’m planning to bake some on one of these weekends.”

Venere hummed along as Saora went on an entire ramble about rhubarb. She didn’t mind, she hadn’t heard much of the vegetable before. “Sure, I’ll hold you to that.”

Saora nodded at her before continuing on talking about random things, relating to their home. Venere wasn’t sure if she enjoyed Saora’s talking or not; the other seemed to spill information about themself almost carelessly… Yet, it also let Venere fill in all the little details about Saora. It satisfied her need for knowledge. In some way, it was pleasant. Others, it was reckless.

Before either of them knew it, Saora had finished their salad. They easily placed the plastic container into the trash can in their office. Venere quietly watched as Saora opened the container with the pie next.

“Does it taste good?” Venere couldn’t help but ask as she watched Saora take their first bite of the pie. Saora gave a shrug; she couldn’t help the amuse scoff that came out of her lips.

“Can’t taste it, but the texture is interesting,” Saora clarified before taking another bite. “Probably because it’s been on my desk for a few hours.” Venere hummed in agreement at that. Time could certainly change the texture.

She let the silence sit between them, letting Saora enjoy the pie—their favorite type of pastry so it was only right—while she thought of what to do after… Till she heard a wheeze, making her immediately look toward Saora. The fork fell to the floor with a clatter as they put a hand over their throat as their breathing became shallower.

Venere immediately stood up, crossing to Saora’s side of the desk as she gently moved Saora’s hand away from their neck as she tried to investigate. Their skin was flushed but Venere had a feeling it wasn’t because they were running the flu. She pressed her fingers a bit tighter on Saora’s wrist—Venere could feel their pulse. It was weakening but rapid. An allergic reaction?

Venere didn’t have time to think about it as Saora moved out of her grip, stumbling to a cabinet against one of the walls. She followed almost instinctively as Saora doubled over—their hand covering their mouth instead. Nausea? It didn’t matter, she rushed over to look into the cabinet.

Epinephrine. That was the first thing she noticed as she looked into the cabinet. Epinephrine injections. Anaphylaxis. Venere didn’t hesitate to take one of the injections. She prepped it quickly before coming close and practically stabbing Saora in the middle of their thigh through their pants with the injection. The priority was making sure Saora wouldn’t die in the next half hour.

A pathetic little whimper of pain left Saora as they sunk to the ground. Venere followed their movements, injecting them properly before tossing the needle away. She gently massaged where she had stabbed Saora for a few moments before getting up, rushing out of the office and calling out the first worker she saw. Her voice was low and threatening as she demanded for the worker to call for some medics. Venere scoffed as she watched the man scurry away to find help before hearing a thump behind her—

Saora was stumbling around despite having just been injected with epinephrine when they suddenly had anaphylaxis. She clicked her tongue as she went over and pushed Saora to sit down on the ground again. She crouched to their height. “Saora, don’t get up. Sit down. I’ve called medics and I’m going to call HR. You’re going home right after they discharge you from med bay.”

She received a pathetic whine in response, but Saora stopped struggling.

.

.

Bonus:

Venere sighed as Saora was brought out of their office and to the med bay. She stared for a moment before glancing over to their desk. The half-eaten pie was still there. It didn’t make sense. Saora had adamantly explained the taste of rhubarb, so did they suddenly develop an allergy? But that wouldn’t explain why Saora would have epinephrine in a cabinet—

Whoever said it was actually rhubarb?

She paused. Venere stepped closer to the desk before dipping the tip of her finger into the filling, taking a small taste… It tasted like raspberries, not this rhubarb Saora explained of. It had a taste of sweetness—not remotely close to tasting like a sour cherry.

While Saora wouldn’t have an allergy to rhubarb, they had mentioned once being allergic to a type of berry during one of their rambles in the past. Raspberry. Venere scoffed. At least the cabinet with epinephrine injections made sense now. It was a “just in case”.

Which also meant, either someone attempted to trigger Saora’s allergies, or it was an honest mistake.

Either way, Venere was going to fucking sue someone.

[little-piece-of-tamlin]

@whumperless-whump-event late entry

prompt: day 3 - like a record baby

contents: dizziness, vertigo characters: Dunyarzad (genshin impact), Dehya (genshin impact)

~~~

Dunyarzad is sitting in an armchair by the window when Dehya finds her. Her hands are firmly grasping the armrest, trying to tether herself to something solid, hoping to ward off the vertigo. She doesn’t need to look up to confirm who is entering her room, she knows those footsteps by heart. Which is a good thing, since the world already seems to be warping into an endless spiral in front of her eyes.

She feels Dehya’s warm, steady hand on her shoulder. „My lady, is everything alright?”

Dunyarzad smiles. „It will be, if you sit with me for a while.”

[soulless-angel25]

Whumperless Whump Event: Day 3 Prompt- Like a record, baby: Vertigo / Struggling to stand / “Is the room spinning, or is it just me?” @seth-whumps

Fandom: Keeper of the Lost Cities Characters: Fitz Vacker, Biana Vacker Additional Tags: Post- Sophie & Dex's Kidnapping, Fitz Vacker Angst

AO3 Link!

[Whoops, this came out later then planned!]

Fitz only felt a numbness spreading through him when he heard the news. Sophie was... dead? (and Dex, part of his mind added.) But, no- Sophie couldn't be dead.

There was... there was no way she was dead. It just; it didn't make sense. How could she be dead?

He was vaguely aware of his sister beside him, tears racking through her body. Why wasn't he crying? Earlier it had felt as though he would never run out of tears. So where were they now?

Pushing himself up Fit's legs nearly gave out under him. That same numbness in his mind seeming to have spread through his whole body. One leg buckled under his weight as he fell, he could hear Biana startle and move to try and catch him or at least soften his fall.

But more then that he could swear that he heard Sophie's voice in his head. But that wasn't right... she was dead.

[littengamer909]

WWE Day 3: "Like a Record, Baby"

My first (possibly only, if i dont get the writing bug again) contribution to the Whumperless Whump Event!

Meggy deserves a cozy blanket and a nap and a mug of hot cocoa. she also deserves to get put through The Horrors methinks.

@whumperless-whump-event