#comfy-vember 2024: Week 1

[zrisewrites]

~ Tea and Timing: A Kasper Short Story~

While venturing through the halls of Tumblr, searching for writing prompts, I happened upon a lovely writing challenge: @comfy-vember! It's centered around platonic relationships and comfort prompts (especially after the pain of Whumptober...) and I have been very inspired to drabble for my own characters.

So, I have returned with a short story of one of my favorite pairings: Kasper! (a.k.a Katrina, the main character of my novel, and Jasper, the secondary main character of my novel) And even though they aren't currently a canon ship right now... I still adore writing them little AU stories and fantastical imaginings. And hopefully y'all enjoy them too ^w^

This is Tea and Timing, told in Jasper's POV. Kat hasn't been doing so well lately... and he wants to help.

Word Count: 1.1k

Content Warnings: One character has scars from previous trauma, that she got from sci-fi government-induced torture. She also has a mild anxiety attack during the story. 

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It’d been so long.

Four years, now?

I linger at the door, the two mugs in my hand steaming spiced warm air. Hot chocolate, topped with plenty of whipped cream and a peppermint stick for her. Chamomile for me.

She’d been sitting there for an hour. Tucked into the couch cushions. Staring into space. Her fingers tracing patterns over the ragged scars on her arms. Tinted blue and brown and red…

My throat tightens. Just thinking about it. Everything she’d be through. Everything they did. Our government—the people who were supposed to protect her—subjected her to a ghost of who she’d been.

And I hadn’t been able to do anything to stop it.

I softly clear my throat, walking over. She flinches slightly, her gaze snapping to me, before a faint smile flits across her face. Though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey. Didn’t see you there.” She murmurs, crossing her arms tight around her stomach. I smile back, shrugging as I sink down into the cushions next to her.

“It’s okay. Wanted to let you rest.”

She nods, shrugging and glancing away.

“I brought your favorite.” I hold out the mug.

She takes it with another ghost of a smile, hands tightening around the mug like a lifeline.

I lean back into the couch cushions, taking a sip of my tea as I watch her out of the corner of my eye.

She seems so much smaller, in so many ways. So much thinner. Her eyes are so much dimmer. Surrounded by the dark signs of all her sleepless nights. Gazing into the distance—as if replaying everything, in her head, over and over and over again. Knowing her, that was exactly what she was doing.

Sometimes, I could catch a glimpse of that spark of hers—when we went back to her favorite chocolate shop. Or last week, after attending a classical violin concert. The spark had been there, for almost two hours, and she’d raved about the music and the composition and the light of it all.

But then we’d gotten back home, and the house was quiet, and the spark faded after I’d accidentally let a bit of the news play from my watch. She’d gone to bed, and I heard her later. Making hot chocolate in the kitchen like she always did after her nightmares.

“I was thinking… maybe we could try to find another concert to go to.” I say softly, glancing at her. “Or—I don’t know, is ballet too typical for you?”

She smirks faintly, her gaze flicking to mine. “Ballet is fine. As long as it’s not like—I don’t know, all pirouettes or something. A concert sounds nicer though.”

I nod, flicking my holowatch open and scrolling through a couple upcoming symphonies I’d saved. “I thought so. There’s a fantastical one coming through in a couple days—a kind of Saga of Stars feel, you know?”

She nods, glancing away again and taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “Sounds good.”

“Mmhm.” I flick my watch away.

The silence hangs heavy for a moment.

I glance at her. “Hey, you doing okay?”

“That’s a very generalized question.”

“Maybe.”

She shrugs, tilting her head. Gripping her mug again. “I’m fine. Y’know. It’s weird. But yeah.”

“Just fine?” I say softly.

She smiles, her gaze locked on the whipped cream in her cup, slowly melting into the chocolate. “Just fine.”

“Kat…”

“Really, Jasper, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I’m just tired.” She shoots me a smile, setting her mug down on the coffee table and pushing to her feet. I frown, setting my mug aside and standing as well.

“You’ve been tired for months.”

She snorts, turning away. “No duh.”

I reach out, catching her arm and pulling her back towards me. “Kat, please. I wanna help you, you shouldn’t have to… live like this.”

She shrugs, her fingers fidgeting at her bracelet as she avoids my gaze. I stay quiet, gently holding her shoulders, just waiting.

“I’ll be okay. I just need time.” She whispers.

“Healing time. Not time to let your mind spiral.” I whisper.

She winces, starting to pull away. “I—”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad.” I say, holding her still. “I just… maybe we can figure out someway to help more.” I gently squeeze her shoulders, tilting my head down to try and catch her gaze. “I want to help you, Kat. But I can’t if you won’t let me. And I know… it’s hard. But I just wanna see you better. See you happy again. And I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help that. Help you.”

She chews on her lip, hard. Gaze locked to the ground still.

“I don’t know.” She whispers, after a moment. I just…” She stops, fingers pulling at her bracelet. “I don’t know how to. I don’t know what to do—how to fix this, really. Like if there was something we could do I would’ve tried to do that already but I can’t figure out how—” Her voice cracks into a hiccuping gasp. “I tried—”

“It’s okay.” I pull her a little closer. Giving her space to pull away, if she wants to. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

She sucks in a shaky breath, her shoulders tightening, before she leans forward, hugging her arms around my waist and tucking her head against my chest. I hug her close, gently rubbing circles against her back.

“It’s okay.” I whisper against her hair. Slowly rocking her back and forth. “I know… it hurts. But it’ll get better.”

Kat’s breaths crumple into shaky, hiccuping gasps. But she stays quiet. We both do, for a long moment. Just resting in the moment.

Her breaths gradually slow—shallow, but calmer. A little steadier. I keep my breathing slow, and deep, and steady. Just holding her.

“Are… are you sure?” Kat whispers after a long moment, her voice muffled against my chest.

“What?” I glance down at her.

She sucks in another breath, her fingers tightening against the fabric of my shirt, before she glances up at me, her eyes faintly bloodshot with tears. “You’re sure it’ll get better?”

“Yeah. Little by little—and I’ll help you. With lots of hugs, and lots of talking under the stars, and lots and lots of chocolate.” A small smile tugs at her lips at the mention of chocolate. I smile slightly back, brushing her hair from her face. “But eventually—it’ll get better.”

She nods slightly, her gaze flickering down for a moment as she inhales. Slowly. Steadying.

“Okay.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

[bunnyscar]

Until It Gets Better

Callie’s mama could fix anything. If Callie ripped her skirt while playing near the rose bushes, Mama could stitch it up in no time and it would be as good as new. If she went exploring among the berry bushes and tangled her thick brown hair so bad it looked like a bird’s nest, Mama could brush it out smooth as a newly-ironed curtain. If Callie got an owie by falling down and scratching herself or by bonking her head into a table, Mama could wrap it up and kiss the pain away.

Overly curious and somewhat mischievous, Callie was often getting owies. She stuck her nose into any and everything, sometimes even when she’d been told not to.

Like two weeks ago, when she tried to climb the old oak tree in their garden, despite having been warned several times that it was dangerous. After scrambling up to the first branch, she’d slipped off and bonked her head. Though fortunately she only had some scratches and bruises, it was only after much hugs and kisses from Mama and Papa that she stopped crying.

But even the bruises from that incident disappeared after a few weeks. It seemed to her four-year old eyes that anything Mama touched got better. It puzzled her, therefore, why Mama didn’t heal Papa’s owie. One evening at supper, she decided to ask.

“Papa, Papa! Why don’t you let Mama kiss your owie? Then it’ll go away!”

Papa looked a little confused at first. “My owie? Oh, you mean this?” And he traced the red line on his face that started a little above his left eye and ran down his cheek. He smiled gently at Callie.

“I’m sure Mama would kiss my owie away if she could, but she can’t this time.”

“Why not? My owies always go away when she kisses them.”

“There are some owies that don’t ever go away, at least not on this earth. They’re called scars.”

“Scars?” Callie scrunched up her face in concentration. “But why can’t scars go away? I want Papa to be better.”

“He will be better one day,” Mama replied in her sweet voice. “But that won’t be for a long while.”

“But that’s sad!” Callie cried in anguish.

“It is sad. But you know, I’m also glad that I have this scar. Though it has been painful, it’s has also made me stronger, and I’ve learned more about what’s right and wrong because of it. It’s taught me what is most important.

"Your mother and I pray that you will never have a scar like mine; but we also pray that the little owies you get now and the bigger owies you may get in the future will help you grow. That you’ll learn from the mistakes you make and turn into a strong, beautiful woman.”

“Like Mama!” Callie cried, and Mama and Papa laughed.

Suddenly, Callie hopped off her chair and scrambled up into Papa’s lap. “Papa, I’m gonna try hard to learn from all my owies!”

She leaned forward and slapped a wet kiss on his left eye. “And I’m gonna kiss your owie every day until it can get better!”

Papa laughed and hugged her tight to his chest. Mama also got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around them. Nestled in her parents' arms, Callie felt sure that day would come, when all their owies would heal. Even the scars.

[blogger360ncislarules]

Hetty gets a look at Callen's back injuries.

@comfy-vember

[comfy-vember]

Please refer to the pinned post for more information.

Prompts available in regular text below!

Comfy-vember 2024 - Prompt lists

PROMPT OF THE MONTH:

Healing wounds — Day together — Forehead kiss

“It doesn’t hurt when I’m with you.”

Song: ‘Safe and Sound’ by Taylor Swift

----

WEEKLY PROMPTS:

Week 1:

Scars — Mug of tea — Slow hug

“You know me better than that.”

Week 2:

Verbal affirmation — Movie night — Loving gaze

“Let's go home.”

Week 3:

Putting on ointment — Care for caregiver — Rain on the roof

“I've got you.”

Week 4:

Apology — Happy tears — Hot chocolate

“You aren't dead?”

----

DAILY PROMPTS:

Day 1: Breaking bad habits — New day — Train ride

Day 2: Favourite song — Holding hands — Walking and talking

Day 3:  Special breakfast — Spoon feeding — Forehead kiss

Day 4: Bed rest — Mug of tea — Soft music

Day 5: Saying their name — Hand on knee — Dressing fancy

Day 6: Weak crying — Trusting — Slow hug

Day 7: Eye of the storm — Sleeping on shoulder — First hug

Day 8: Found — Thunder shower — Fresh fruit

Day 9: Scars — Passing smile — Baking cookies

Day 10: Overcoming fear — Sharing a bed — Lullaby

Day 11: Verbal affirmation — Couch cuddles — Nose kiss

Day 12: Hand on shoulder — Practical gift — Movie night

Day 13: Relearning a skill — Surprise compliment — Fresh laundry

Day 14: After nightmare — Day together — Random gift

Day 15: Shopping trip — Storytelling — Laughing phone call

Day 16: Carrying — Reading aloud — Loving gaze

Day 17: Healing wounds — I love you text/note — Rain on the roof

Day 18: Coming home — Kitchen dancing — Sleeping in

Day 19: Putting on ointment — Thick blankets — Sunset

Day 20: Desperate hug — Sharing food — Care for caregiver

Day 21: Enthusiastic greeting — Late night laughter — Waking up together

Day 22: Bail out — Car ride — Lamplight

Day 23: Remembering medication — Art on fridge — Warm toast

Day 24: Apology — Palm kiss — Campfire

Day 25: Washing bloodstains — Hair brushing — Cheek kiss

Day 26: Confession — Crying hug — Picnic

Day 27: Promise keeping — Quick hug — Beach/waves

Day 28: Cast taken off — Sleepy kiss — Hot chocolate

Day 29: Showing up — Birthday gift — Bicycle

Day 30: In dreams — Happy tears — Dancing in rain

[avatarskywalker78]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Diagnosis Murder

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Jesse Travis & Steve Sloan, Jesse Travis & Amanda Bentley

Characters: Jesse Travis, Steve Sloan, Amanda Bentley

Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode s06e06 Alienated, Guilt, Regret, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Steve Sloan Needs a Hug, Jesse Travis Needs a Hug, And they get hugs, Implied/Reference Non-Consensual Drug Use, Angst with a Happy Ending, Humor

Series: Part 6 of comfy-vember 2024

Summary:

It's been a few weeks since Jesse was cleared to return to work after his ordeal and things are almost back to normal...except that Steve's avoiding him and he doesn't know the full reason why, only that it's got to have something to do with what happened, and that means he either said or did something that hurt him deeply - and when he finally remembers thanks to Amanda, he knows he has to fix this.

[avatarskywalker78]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Krypton (TV)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationship: Adam Strange & Original Female Character(s)

Characters: Adam Strange, OC: Ashley Tanner

Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Male-Female Friendship, Brother-Sister Relationships, Family Feels

Series: Part 14 of comfy-vember 2024, Part 3 of to fix the timeline (or make it better)

Summary:

After a shitty few weeks, Adam and Ashley go and visit a market to add to their many collections - and Adam spots a pendant he thinks she might like.

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @shrinkthisviolet @starstruckpurpledragon

[avatarskywalker78]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: The Flash (TV 2014)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Eddie Thawne & Malcolm Thawne

Characters: Eddie Thawne, Malcolm Thawne

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eddie Thawne Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Brotherly Love, Comic Book Science, Not really set in a specific season just a vague au of the show

Series: Part 17 of comfy-vember 2024

Summary:

Weeks after Malcolm's powers went haywire after a metahuman attack, he's still on the slow (for a speedster) path of recovery, so Eddie's going to be looking after him until he gets better.

Course, his brother's not best pleased at this, but even he knows this was a close one, and Eddie knows how to get through to him in any case.