#editing like this is giving me flashbacks to me making fandom edits in 2015 like it was my dayjob

[nathansjosten]

more Hannibal + textposts :^)

[kuchenackerman]

you're an eremika fan so i figured i'll ask haha. i wrote my first EM fanfic and i'm so apprehensive about actually uploading it. i don't think i'm too bad a writer, but self proofing can only go so far and i'm concerned as to whether it'll actually gain any traction or not. do you know if people still read eremika fanfics/how do you gather the confidence to post your work? :/ also ur rad!

First of all, congrats on writing your first eremika fic! I wonder if by this time you already published it though? You sadly sent me this ask when I was focused on writing and editing an update to my own EM fic, so I probably was reserving my last two adhd braincells to be able to finish it lmao, which is why I didn’t reply in time and then... I forgot to do it and for that I’m very sorry!

If you still don’t publish your fic or you’re still interested on my answer, I’ve seen other people go through a similar struggle, and as a fellow writer I can understand your concern regarding of whether your fic will gain traction or not. When it comes to this last thing, it often depends on many factors, like on how active the fandom is by the time you publish your fic, on what people are looking to read about lately (i.e. fluff, angst and/or smut) and on the ship developments (or lack of it) currently going on in the manga. For example, as far as I remember, after chapter 123 dropped people were writing and reading oneshot fics about the “what am I to you?” flashback, and basically the same happens whenever we get some tasty (?) and especially angsty EM-related scenes in the manga (including chapter 112, lol). Writers get inspired to “fix” or develop these panels further and readers crave that content as well, so they kinda jump on it right after it gets published. In these cases, authors often get a quick and decent amount of feedback in a short span of time, which is amazing. When you are one of these authors with the ability to swiftly pull out a wholesome oneshot related to a fresh eremika scene, I guess you don’t have to worry THAT much about whether it will get at least a bit of attention or not, because people are going to be thirsty for that content and will consume it as soon as it’s available. Most of these readers are going to show appreciation for it in terms of likes, reblogs, kudos, comments, etcetera, without you having to wait too long. 

When we publish fics that aren’t related to the manga current developments and stuff, the first thing to do is to be able to get the reader’s attention with a catchy summary and the proposal of an interesting plot / situation between Eren and Mikasa. To increase the chances of people reading your stuff, it’s also important to make a post with the fic’s link and info here on Tumblr and on other social media platforms like Twitter, always using the eremika tag. 

And yeah, I assure you there’s a lot of people who still read EM fics. There’s even been an interesting influx of new eremika shippers thanks to what’s been going on during the timeskip and in latest chapters. However, between 2013 and early 2015 the SnK fandom overall was way more active and also fic writers got way more feedback. We have to consider that there was a more limited supply of EM fics back then of course, especially in 2013-2014, so I guess the feedback was also way more concentrated while the demand was kinda bigger than nowadays. If you’ve checked old fics mostly on FFnet that were published years ago, you probably already saw and know what I mean. I mention this because it’s important to not compare the amount of feedback that most EM fics receive today with what those older fics got. The reality of the fandom is too different now after the initial hype...

Regarding your question about gathering confidence, well, in my case I don’t have confidence issues in general and less when it comes to fandom. What I do is to just do something I feel like doing, enjoy the process of doing it and then put it out there without further questions. I don’t think I’m the best writer or anything, but I do believe in the value of what I write and of the other things I make. There are a few times when I look at what I’ve written and I’m like “pfft this sucks” and get very critical about it, while at other times I’m like “ohh, that’s some good shit! I really wrote that myself, huh? *pats own back*”, though most of the time I’m mainly conscious about the effort, love and creativity I pour into what I write among the enjoyment (and suffering lmao) I experience when I’m on it, which makes me appreciate it more. In your case, you already wrote something and you know it involved a degree of effort and time, so why not going ahead and sharing it? Even more so when showing it to others was your intent since the very beginning~

I think it’s totally worth it to share what you’ve written rather than never allowing it to see the light of day because of self-doubts. As with many other situations, you take a risk when you put something out there for others to see and dissect, but you also get the chance to receive nice responses that can make your day and, since readers provide you with feedback that help you to be more aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you also get the chance to improve your writing skills.  

We love the same amazing pairing and it deserves way more content and love, so please, give it a try and share your fanfic with the fandom! 

[kyluxtrashpit]

Writing Meme

So I wasn’t actually tagged in this, but I saw it going around a while back and I was trying to write but it turns out writing + muscle relaxants is not a good combo, thus instead of actually writing I’m just going to talk about my writing because why the hell not

What’s your total word count on AO3?

286801. Which, uh, um, wow, excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor. And that’s not including a number of tumblr only fics for both this fandom and my previous one. I honestly feel like I haven’t written a lot because 90% of my fics are short and I’ve only been writing fic since 2015 (we’re not going to count those fumbles back when I was like 14 on quizilla lmao), but I guess if you write enough short things, they do eventually add up haha

How often do you write?

I make random notes of ideas and such all the time, but as in actually sitting down and writing? It depends on my mood. There are times I write for hours every day for a week. There are times when I haven’t touched a single document in weeks. Writing is, unfortunately, a hobby for me and when irl gets stupid or the brain gremlins are acting up, it’s one of the first things that falls to the wayside because it does take a lot of mental energy. But the groove does always come back eventually. I only force myself when I can take it, mentally, so mostly I’m just floating on inspiration

(The rest is behind a cut because I really rambled a lot here, wow. And if you’re on mobile, I am so sorry)

Do you have a routine for writing?

Not really. I basically sit down, make sure I have a beverage and maybe some snacks (usually something like chocolate chips or m&ms - simple sugars help you think by giving you energy without taking much to digest them. It’s a trick I used for university), and put in headphones with music. For music, I tend towards instrumentals, be that classical or video game soundtracks, just because having lyrics can confuse my brain if I’m not focusing well. Atmospheric (storms, ocean, etc.) also sometimes work. I also tend to have a game of solitaire open in the background, for when I need to pause and think but I need to still be doing something just to keep the flow going

What are your favorite kinks/tropes/pairings?

I mean, I am all about d/s dynamics, sub!Kylo especially, in case you hadn’t noticed lmao. That’s my bread and butter. So mostly I like anything that goes with that (also like, not necessarily orgasm denial proper, but any sexual act where only one party gets gratification out of it is hnng). Here’s random list of other kinks I like in no particular order: begging, desperation, dirty talk, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, weird kinks, objectification, petplay, etc. I love far too many to ever list them all lmao

As for tropes, I love to say I’m a fan of slow burm and mutual pining but in truth I’m suffering the whole time lmao. I think there’s no further proof that I’m a masochist than the amount of them I read. Forced proximity is always fun, especially with unintentional bonding/intimacy. Love love love themes with mental health issues. Hurt/comfort and angst with a happy ending are also like, the good shit. Oooh and let’s not forget touch starvation. Although one of my favourite tropes in the kylux fandom is the ‘overly specific au’ fics that we have. It’s like a specialty here and I love it

As for pairings, I tend to only write one at a time, so right now it’s just kylux. I like some others (finnrey, stormpilot, benpoe, reysma, etc.) but my general fandom experience is one ship grabbing me by the short hairs and that’s just what I do now haha. I have branched out on occasion before, so who knows, maybe it will happen again?

Do you have a favorite fic of yours?

This is... really difficult tbh. There’s a handful that have special places in my heart (as in mostly the long ones lmao; anything 10k+ is a miracle for me). But if I had to choose, I would pick Fractured. Not necessarily because I think it’s my best story or the one that I would most want to read if I hadn’t written it, but because from a storytelling standpoint it is by far the most difficult and ambitious thing I’ve ever done. Because of the way I did it (and I honestly believe the way I did it was the way I had to do it) with the flashbacks basically made it 2 stories in one, except those 2 stories were also part of a larger, third story that combined them both. Editing was a nightmare (reading just the present scenes, just the past scenes, and then the whole thing together to make sure the flow worked after every chapter, plus all the usual nightmares of editing), the subject matter was heavy and hard to write, and the whole thing took me a year to actually get ready to even post. It was gruelling and it was basically just me sitting by myself for a year bouncing ideas around until they congealed enough to actually be a story lmao. I have never outlined so much in my life. But I’m also obscenely proud of how it turned out given all I went through to make it exist, which is why I’m picking it

Your fic with the most kudos?

This award goes to Touch which, while I’m not really surprised by that, is a fic I still have a complicated relationship with. It was my second ever kylux fic and the first with smut and also my true introduction to the absolutely insane amount of feedback you can get in a big fandom (as compared to my previous one, at least). However, it was also the fic where I had accidentally copied another writer in a few sections. Even though we worked it out, I apologized, both publicly and privately, and made some edits as well as giving credit to the author, I still feel bad about it nearly 2 years later. It’s the one fic of mine I really don’t think about often as a result, despite it’s success

Anything you don’t like about your writing?

I wish I was better at holding the flow/continuity. This is a large part of why I don’t write a lot of long fics, but I just have so much trouble with it. As a result, you may have noticed that I do a lot of timeskips, which leaves my longer fics as basically just all the scenes I thought where important with nothing between them except horizontal lines. And I know a bad scene transition is worse than just doing a jump, but damn, I really wish I could get things to flow better in that specific regard. Inside a scene? Easy, I can do that. But getting my scenes to link together into a coherent narrative with an overarching plot? Eh, not confident I pull that off very well. I think the way I do it does work, but I also think the stories would be better if I could find a way to not do that

Now something you do like?

I really do think I do a good job at writing in character and particularly in getting inside the character’s heads. From what I can tell, I tend to write more like an rper than I do an actual author in that I’m basically getting into the character’s heads and letting it evolve organically from there. Sure, I have a basic plan as to where things are going, but the little details and the introspection tend to be more gleaned in the moment from what the character wants. I love getting into deep POV and I think I do a good job of it. I’ve had some people tell me my writing is too introspective but like, that is what I enjoy in fic, both reading and writing. And also that is how I experience the world; my ultimate goal is to make the reader really understand what it’s like to experience the world as the character who’s perspective I’m writing from. And I think I am moderately successful at that, though I’m sure I still have more to learn

[veneataur]

Working title: Flu of 2015 (28/?)

Fandom: BBC’s The Musketeers

A/N: This is a first draft written as part of a mini-nanowrimo. The edited copy will be posted to AO3 when the story is complete. So with only two days left, it doesn’t look like this will be finished within the month. We’re still getting to the crisis point and then there’s some resolution. I’ll probably continue posting sections, but it might not be as often. I’m working on a December/25 days of Christmas set of prompts that’ll pick up on the first.

“We have to get him up,” Porthos says. Aramis is half-covered with the blankets and most of that is caught around his legs. He’s yet to wake fully and they both know that getting him moving, let alone touching him, is going to be a task.

“Do you think you could carry him,” Treville asks, assessing the situation. There’s no way they can wake him enough for him to help them help him walk down the stairs. And of the three of them, Porthos is the strongest. He’s carried Aramis in the past and Treville is hoping that he can manage it again.

“I’ll need someone guiding me and helping to keep him calm,” Porthos says. Aramis isn’t terribly active now, but he’s still somewhat restless and he knows that once Aramis is picked up, the young man is going to fight. It’s not a matter of not wanting help, it’s fear.

“Once Athos gets back, we’ll help you. In the meantime, let’s get a few things together. Unless they get this fever down in the ER, I think they’re going to want to keep him.”

“He has an overnight bag packed in his closet.” Porthos leaves to get it, grabbing his own and Athos’ as well. They don’t court trouble, but they know their tendencies and they like to be prepared. Porthos knows that while Aramis is unaware neither he nor Athos will leave the younger man’s side. And he doubts Treville will either unless something forces them to.

Athos doesn’t question the set of bags when he returns. “The car’s ready. The jackets are in there, a bucket, and his favorite blanket.”

“Good,” Treville says. “Porthos is going to carry Aramis down the stairs while we spot for him and work to keep him calm.”

“Is he any more aware?”

“Not that we can tell. It’s not going to be pleasant, but it’s either us taking him or an ambulance and we all know which he would prefer.”

Athos nods and sighs. If forced to Aramis will take the ambulance, but it’s his last choice. So often the paramedics are too rushed and not trained well-enough and their first instinct is sedation to a flashback or panic attack. Aramis might be in a haze now, but he will appreciate them taking him in themselves.

“Let’s get going then,” Athos says. Between him and Treville they sling the bags over their shoulders and get ready to help.

Treville talks quietly to Aramis, trying to settle him as Porthos lifts him off the bed. Athos untangles his legs and tosses a blanket over the now shivering man. Porthos holds back a sigh of irritation as the blanket threatens his grip and lands partly in his face as he’s fighting with a struggling Aramis. Athos quickly steps in to take the young man’s hands in his own.

“Calm down, ‘Mis. You’re safe. It’s just me and Porthos and Treville. You’re sick and you need more help than we can give here at home,” Athos says calmly. “We’ll be with you the whole. One of us will always be there. But right now, you have to calm down so you don’t make Porthos drop you or fall down the stairs himself, okay?”

Aramis doesn’t speak or even mutter anything to acknowledge Athos, but he does seem to calm, nudging his head further into the warmth of Porthos’ shoulder. Porthos is glad for the change. His arm under the young man’s knees has been firmly secured, but the one near his shoulders, wrapped around the thin chest was threatening to lose its grasp until Athos got Aramis to calm.

Treville and Athos keep up the calming mantra as Porthos works his way down the stairs. They pause a couple times when Aramis becomes too restless, the fever and coughing wreaking havoc on his mind and body. Porthos feels and hears the breathing struggles as much as he feels the too-hot body he holds onto tightly, worried that one false step will only add to Aramis’ growing problems. Broken bones will not help his sickness.

[tuckerfuckingdidit]

when i first read the interview between wash and the counselor in the red vs blue book in fall of 2015, i was very surprised that the writers chose to give him such a violent backstory. at the time, i rationalized the vulnerability wash displays during the project as him knowing that this is the last chance he’s going to get due to his history. i even wrote about it here a bit.

then i proceeded to repress the shit out of it, because as a handful of neat individuals on this lovely blue site have taught me, canon only needs to be as canon as i say it is in my works. here’s why i don’t fuck with book!wash at all.

1/09 edit: if you are interested in the complete discussion of book!wash that was had, i recommend you read the most recent post in this thread rather than just the original one, as fandom has once again saved the day and made this backstory much more palatable for me.

the cecil kyle story and counselor interview aren’t just not canon for me—they actually scared the shit out of me. not because of the violence (well, not just because of it), but because i feel like RT has missed the point of wash: that he was an average kid whose worldview and mental health were horrifically tarnished by the events of project freelancer. 

leonard church stole this kid’s innocence, full stop. 

wash is the prime example we are given in red versus blue that war changes people irrevocably. we are shown him as three different people: david, who struggles to keep up with the rest of the freelancers despite his best efforts, agent washington/recovery one, a tool of the director’s and hargrove’s with no other options, and wash, when he finally decides to check the fuck back into his life again, stop living like a zombie, and decide what kind of person he wants to be.

the cecil kyle backstory makes it seem like the darkness we saw in him after he got out of prison was always there, and there isn’t a single part of me that believes that. wash’s story is so much less compelling if he’s always been ONE person instead of at least three. doesn’t your heart break a little more to consider a boy with presumably no behavioral problems, aside from occasional difficulty focusing, traveling down a winding road that ends in him being a killer?

yes, you can view wash shooting donut at point blank range as a relapse. but honestly, the boy we’re introduced to in the project freelancer flashbacks is so soft? a man who’s attacking his commanding officer to save lives is either capable of putting his emotions aside to get the job done, or he’s exploding violently. when we see wash at his most dangerous, he’s actually very calm, so i’m going to assume we’re meant to believe the former. but before epsilon, wash can’t even get through a firefight without putting making Cracks™ ahead of fucking rolling to cover, and we like that about him.

“i don’t wanna end up like georgia!!!” that’s anxiety. that’s paralyzing fear.

@capricornfraud​ is actually who reminded me of the interview in the first place, and freddie raised the point that wash does speak up when he sees things amiss, like when wyoming and maine bring live rounds into the training room. but it’s worth noting that is all he does: talk. and he allows himself to be shut down, because he believes in the chain of command. this is what hurts him so badly later on—that he and his friends put their trust in people they presumed to be honorable and good intentioned. 

if wash is coming into project freelancer having usurped a CO’s authority before, don’t you think he’d be far more jaded about taking orders from a man who doesn’t even go into the field? remember, leonard church was never a soldier. not at any point in his career.

season 14, for all my issues with it, does give us the absolute gem that is wash’s discomfort with being addressed as david even before epsilon, which i immediately put my grubby little hands all over to seize in support of my favorite interpretation of pre-epsilon!wash: that he has a type B personality, and is attempting to become someone stronger. 

we are led to believe wash is very young in those flashbacks, in that he’s still a little fragile—he takes the criticism he receives from teammates very personally, and never really stands up for himself. it’s clear he hasn’t been taught that his opinion has much merit, and i would personally say confidence would be the first thing necessary to engage in behavior that is essentially treasonous. for instance, compare wash to CT, who gets a bad feeling, does her research, and essentially winds up on a crusade to bring the director to justice.

a major concern for me is also maintaining the most amount of integrity for the foil locus is for wash later on in season 13. locus could have been obsessed with carolina—hell, the chorus mercenary with an issue could have been felix taking personal offense to carolina “dumbing herself down” hanging with soldiers that are incompetent in comparison. instead, it’s wash that speaks to locus, which would inherently require locus to see himself in parts of wash’s personality and/or history—more specifically, his choices.

if you ask me, locus is still struggling years after the war to reconcile the relatively innocent person he presumably was before it with the actions he took both in the war and after it. both locus and wash were at one point just soldiers following orders, and they lost the most human parts of themselves to that. locus is obsessed with the idea that one’s humanity is something that can be shed like snake skin in order to become a more efficient soldier, and he sees himself and recovery one!wash as examples of people who have successfully done so. 

the problem is, rather than reveling in sociopathic glory, wash grasps for the things that made him human again when caboose gives him a second chance. (i personally believe that if wash really was the type of individual presented to us in that interview, he would not have wanted caboose’s offer of friendship—the shelter, yes, but inevitably he would have been gone.) wash peering into the abyss and walking away from it threatens the sense of self locus has built. when you relate to a person intensely and discover a huge difference in opinion between the two of you, it’s natural to ask yourself which of you is wrong. most people will tend to say it’s the other person. what saves locus is his acknowledgement that it’s him. 

with all that said, i think the most realistic take on the scenario posed in the interview would be that wash spoke up on the risks regarding the mission they were sent on, survived it, and went on to experience a heavy amount of survivor’s guilt centered around allowing himself to be shut down by his CO. but again, this sets wash up to have already experienced being led astray by authority figures before the project, and i think his innocence still being relatively intact when he first makes it into the program is more important than any kind of ~edgy backstory.

[veneataur]

Working title: Flu of 2015 (30/?)

Fandom: BBC’s The Musketeers

A/N: This is a first draft written as part of a mini-nanowrimo. The edited copy will be posted to AO3 when the story is complete. So the month is now over and the only problem is that this story isn’t. I’ll keep working on it and posting it, but it won’t be as often. Instead, I’m starting an advent calendar prompt list that I’ve put together because I like the challenge of writing based on a given prompt. I’ll post those stories here as well. If anyone else is curious about the list or wants to use the prompts, let me know.

Oh, and sorry about the ending here. I will get another section up soon, but I need time away from this story so I can stop hating it as much as I do right now.

Within an hour, Aramis is settled into a room. Frice has made sure to have him put in a single room, in part because of Aramis’ history but also because of his illness. They stay with him through the entire transit and setup, Frice having made sure the new nurses knew one of them was to stay with Aramis at all times. The young man continues to be restless and aggravated from the high fever, which has yet to take a notch down.

It’s a long night sitting with him, calming him when he breaks into nightmares and flashbacks. They rotate with two of them staying awake while the other sleeps on a cot that’s been brought in for them. None of them sleep much from worry and listening to Aramis’ struggles. At some point though, exhaustion does win out, gaining them each more than a few minutes of rest.

By late morning, when Frice stops in to check on Aramis at the end of his shift, the room is tense with worry over the fever and coughs that even in his semi-conscious state are wracking his body.

“Has he woken at all,” Frice asks, checking Aramis’ vitals.

“No more than he was in the ER,” Porthos says. They’re all awake, have been for the last couple hours, listening to his breathing and confused ramblings.

“And this breathing is much worse than it was then. How long has he been struggling and coughing like this?”

“It’s been worse in the last couple hours,” Treville says. “They’ve been checking frequently, but I think the doctor’s been busy with some other cases and hasn’t been able to come by.”

“Yes, this flu has been running us ragged both with patients and being short staffed. Unfortunately, Aramis is quickly headed into pneumonia, I believe.”

“Pneumonia? This quickly? He just got sick Friday,” Athos says. It’s Monday and the only reason all three are still there and not having to trade off with work is that it’s a federal holiday.

“He was likely feeling it earlier and with the asthma, he’s going to be more susceptible to simple flus and colds going to straight to his lungs, leading to pneumonia. With this flu, I doubt there was very much you could’ve done to prevent this from happening. He’s a healthy young man, but that’s meant very little to any of the healthy this season.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“We’ll get an x-ray to confirm the pneumonia and run a culture to determine the type. Given that it’s come with the flu, it’s likely viral so antibiotics are of no use. I will get him started on some antivirals, though. And it looks like it’s been a while since his last breathing treatment. We’ll get him on a steady regiment again with that and hopefully get the breathing part under control,” Frice says as he makes notes on the electronic chart, sending orders for the treatment plan he listed.

“And that’ll be enough,” Porthos asks. Pneumonia on its own is bad he knows, but with Aramis mostly unconscious and already having breathing issues, he knows that it’s more serious than the average case.

“It’s going to be a bit before he gets over the worst, but Aramis is a fighter. He’s dealt with worse and come through it. Have confidence in him to fight it off.”

“I do, but…” Porthos looks at Aramis, lightly tossing a hand towards him. It’s hard to look at the pale young man, struggling for each breath, skin far too hot, and caught in the grips of nightmares and see him getting through it. Not with how quick it came on.

“We’ll do everything we can,” Frice says, voice confident and calm. He does understand their concern. Aramis has fought off pneumonia a few times in the past couple years. While he’s a strong young man, there is only so much a body can take. Combined with the flu and asthma, it’s a dangerous illness. “He knows you’re here and he has something to fight for, that’s a huge step in his favor.”

And it is a far cry better than the first year when they were sure despite all of their reassurances that Aramis still didn’t see their budding friendships as a reason to keep going.

“They’ll be coming in soon to take him down for an x-ray. When he gets back, I’ve set up for the other treatments to begin. I’m going to the lounge for a few hours of sleep, but I’ll let the nurses know to wake me if something happens, okay,” Frice says.

“Thank you,” Treville says. The others nod, giving him grateful looks. After Frice leaves, the look at each other, sighing heavily at the coming day. A part of them knows that Aramis will survive, but it doesn’t help the deeper part of them that reminds them this isn’t Hollywood. Aramis doesn’t have to survive despite how much they wish him to. The world will go on living without the young man.

[veneataur]

Working title: Flu of 2015 (7/?)

Fandom: BBC’s The Musketeers

A/N: This is a first draft written as part of a mini-nanowrimo. The edited copy will be posted to AO3 when the story is complete.

Porthos is back in a few minutes with two slices of toast. Athos already has Aramis sitting up, blankets wrapped around his shoulders so that only his hands peak out when Porthos hands him the plate. Aramis is happy when the other two go back to what they were doing. Porthos puts on another movie and Aramis slowly eats the toast. He gets through one and a half slices before he sets the plate on the coffee table. Athos gets him ibuprofen and he settles down to doze as the move plays.

He’s woken sometime later by Athos and Porthos.

“What,” he mutters groggily, blinking away the sleep. He coughs a few times when his breath gets caught.

“Bedtime,” Porthos says.

“Oh.”

“How’re you feeling,” Athos asks.

“Fine,” Aramis answers automatically. “No worse,” he amends when his friends glare at him.

“Where do you want to sleep tonight?”

“Here?” Aramis gives them a slight smile.

“Not an option, ‘Mis,” Porthos says, pleased to see that Aramis is feeling well enough to joke.

“I think I’m fine to sleep in my room tonight.” Often when one of them was sick they’d sleep in Athos’ room because it was the master bedroom and gave them easy access to a bathroom. Athos, despite his outward gruff appearance, is also an excellent caretaker.

It’s sometime in the early morning when Athos wakes up and, unable to return to sleep, is making his way to the downstairs when he hears noises coming from Aramis’ room. He hesitates in knocking, not sure if that might startle the man into a flashback or panic attack neither of which will help his illness. He settles on opening the door enough to poke his head in, calling out gently to Aramis.

“Aramis,” he tries again, louder this time when the man doesn’t respond. Aramis still doesn’t respond, muttering quietly. Athos hears a rustling of the blankets, indicating that Aramis is restless and very likely worse off than when he went to bed. He steps inside, opening the door a little further, and turns on the desk light.

The light is dim but enough to show that Aramis’ face is paler than it was hours ago, with brighter fever-red spots on his cheeks. Athos gets the medical kit they have in the main bathroom and returns to Aramis’ side.

“’Mis,” he says gently, tapping Aramis’ shoulder in a familiar pattern. It’s a well-established routine. They’ve developed it over the last couple years as a way for Aramis to know someone friendly, someone he trusted, was waking him when he was in the midst of sickness. Athos keeps up the tapping and calling of Aramis’ nickname until the young man starts to rouse.

“’thos?” Aramis’ voice is thick with sleep and fever. His eyes slit open and settle on Athos, who is sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Your cold is getting worse, ‘Mis. I’m going to check your temperature, okay?”

Aramis nods, rolling his head to the side as he coughs a few times. Athos hears the wetness in the coughs as he checks Aramis’ temperature. Fortunately, there’s no wheezing and the coughs end quickly.

“We need to stack some more pillows behind you. Get your head raised up.” Athos pulls Aramis up with one hand and starts stacking the remaining pillows on the bed underneath him. The movement sends Aramis into a coughing fit and he rolls forward as the coughing rattles his body.

Athos rubs a hand on his back, doing what he can to support the man. When Aramis is done, he helps him to lie back on the pillows.

“How bad,” Aramis asks, eyes closed as he rests his head against the pillows.

“Nearly 103.”

“That’s bad.” Aramis sighs weakly.

“You’re due for more ibuprofen.” Athos gets him some water and holds out two pills for him to swallow.

“What’re you doing up,” Aramis asks, after taking the medicine.

“Couldn’t sleep. I was headed downstairs.”

“Oh.” There’s a touch of lost in Aramis’ voice.

“You feeling okay,” Athos asks.

“Yeah.” Aramis nods. “Just tired.”

“I’m going to let you get some more sleep then. I’ll just be downstairs, so send me a text if you need something.”

Aramis nods, coughing a few times.

“Get some rest.” Athos pulls the blankets up to cover Aramis and sets the medical kit on the desk as he leaves, making sure to turn the light off. He’ll come back up in an hour or so to check on him. Hopefully, by then the fever’s gone down.