#fever whump

[swooningdelirium]

more fever dialogue cause the worms in my brain demand it:

“let me take your temperature. …oh, honey.”

“103.8? that’s impressive.”

“i can feel your heart pounding. does something hurt?”

feeling lymph nodes for swelling and picking up the febrile heat at the same time

“your fever is breaking. that’s a good thing.”

“drink some more water. i think you’re dehydrated.”

“you had a fever this high and didn’t tell anyone?”

[patheticandmiserable]

I love the image of a sickie sitting on the floor by a radiator, trying to stay warm. It’s the warmest spot in the room, so they huddle up next to it with some blankets, holding their hands out in front of it like it’s a campfire. The floor is cold and not very comfortable, but this is the best (or only) source of heat they have access to. Their caretaker later finds them asleep and shivering in the little nest of blankets they’d built, still trying to soak up as much heat as they can.

[spinzolliii]

There’s something about a whumpee just sitting down. Not fainting, necessarily. Maybe they’re just about to faint, and they quietly just kneel on the ground at a time and place that doesn’t make sense. They don’t even have the capacity or willingness to articulate why they need to abruptly stop and sit. Maybe they’re catatonic while the others look at them.

Maybe a caretaker can see the dull, vacant look in their eyes and immediately senses that something is seriously wrong. Maybe the fainting comes just a few moments later.

[sickiehugs]

We all love injuring our blorbos, but I think the added risk of sepsis makes it even better. They get really hurt in an unclean environment like a forest or swamp or prison, and when they're found days later, their wounds are severely infected and they're running a dangerously high fever. Time is crucial and every second counts as they're rushed back and taken to the hospital/medic, their team worried that they might lose them.

[warmasf]

B has been feeling a little weird all day. A little shivery, a little tired, a little achey, starting to get sniffly, but overall okay. They don’t feel sick per se, just a little off.

Cut to B having a little movie night with their partner A, who is cradling B’s head in their lap. A is carding softly through their hair as they feel B’s breathing start to grow deeper and slower. They smile and move their fingers down towards B’s eyes, only to brush their forehead and stop. Is it just them, or is B feeling a little warm? They move their hand to B’s cheek, their other cupping the nape of their neck.

“You feeling okay? You feel really warm,” A asked, feeling B roll a little bit in their lap.

B mumbled something before burying their hot face deeper into the blankets and sniffling liquidly.

“Aw honey, let me get you some Tylenol so you can get some rest.”

[allthewhumpygoodness]

Once again, for the umpteenth time, whumpees with fevers:

Whumpees feeling a little shivery and worn out, not thinking anything of it

Whumpees growing more restless as their mind races relentlessly, trying to figure out why they can't get to sleep let along think straight

Whumpees feeling colder than ever all of a sudden, despite the burning just under their skin

Whumpees finally managing to sleep, but their rest is disturbed by rambling and terrifying dreams

Whumpees waking up much later than intended, with a parched throat and aching joints, so tired and shaky they can barely sit up on their own, let alone stand

Whumpees with sore, burning eyes, lymph nodes tender and swollen

Whumpees' vision swimming, growing dizzier and more lightheaded as the fever gets higher

Whumpees with chattering teeth, unable to stop shaking under a mound of blankets

Whumpee unable to eat but so, so desperately thirsty

Whumpees having to keep a light on through the night because the dark plays tricks on their feverish brain

Whumpees waking up not knowing where they are, feeling like the whole room is swaying around them, their bed shrinking and expanding, everything happening too much

Whumpees having to shakily change shirts because they're drenched in sweat (and leaving the old one on the floor by their bed because they're too weak to fold it)

[hellothereimaloser]

outsiders request? Sick Ponyboy and Darry and Soda caring for him? bonus points if you make ponyboy look really feverish and on the verge of tears

Lol do i get bonus points 🤩

[seth-whumps]

caretaker is ill, feverish, barely awake. a loved one taps them on the shoulder to check on them, concerned. caretaker, in their delirious state, acts on instinct, reaching out to cup their friend's chin, whispering their name, already looking over them--as if they aren't the one nearing danger.

[whumpetywhumpwhump]

as much as I love whumpees who are just absolutely knocked out by their illness, there's something equally great about whumpees who are just barely there. their eyes are still open a sliver, and when caretaker moves across the room they track their movements lazily. they don't have the energy to speak but they don't need to- the pained look in their eyes and the weak groans they're able to make tell the story well enough.

they're not conscious, but they're not unconscious either. they're just... in between. drifting. too sick to be alert but also too sick to fall asleep comfortably.

all caretaker can do is sit by their side with a washcloth to gently wipe the sheen of sweat from their forehead and soothe them with reassurances that, judging by that glazed look in their eyes, caretaker isn't quite sure they can even understand.

[digital-nova]

Fever whump prompts

Whumpee who becomes incredibly hyper when they’re feverish, and has to be held or restrained by Caretaker until they calm down.

Bad Caretaker (or Whumper) who doesn’t take Whumpee’s illness seriously unless they have a fever.

Whumpee believing that another character is sick or otherwise in danger and can’t recognise that they’re the one who needs help.

Whumpee who refuses to sleep out of paranoia, only worsening their condition.

Whumpee with a fever in summer, who chalks up being hot all the time to the weather.

Feverish Whumpee saying horrible things that they never normally would. (Does Caretaker forgive them? Or do they think that Whumpee’s fever has just brought out their true colours?)

Whumpee lying on any cool surface they can without even thinking about it.

A fever caused by an infected wound being mistaken for one caused by sickness. (Cue whumpee only receiving half the care they actually need.)

Whumpee being so delirious that they start calling out for a deceased loved one.

[warmblanketwhump]

A gets sick while away at a cabin with friends, and they’re battling a fever.

their bed has ample quilts and blankets, but their bedroom itself is quite chilly, as there’s no central heating. They toss and turn, in and out of sleep, feverish brain wound too tightly to truly rest. around 4am is when A really starts getting desperate—they just want to get comfortable, and they can’t.

so they wrap up in a thick blanket and shuffle to the main room. Their shaking hands prop up the logs and fuel in the fireplace like B showed them. It takes three strikes of matches before A can hold one steadily enough to light the crumpled piece of paper.

The fire catches, and A sits back and wraps up tighter in their blanket, hands rubbing up and down their arms. The great room seems even colder now, but they’re far too weak to go back to their bedroom, and someone has to watch the fire.

a few hours later, their friends find them curled up and half-asleep on the cold stone hearth next to the dying embers, their fever markedly worse.

[zoethehead]

Applying with seth as the whumpee

the infected wound trope my beloved:

“let me see it. …please?”

“i know you’re cold, but i’ve gotta clean it. i’ll be quick, i promise.”

“shit. you’re burning up.”

“are those meds kicking in yet?”

“i know it hurts. hopefully you’ll be able to sleep once your fever comes down a bit.”

“shhh. it was just a dream. you’re safe.”

“how does it feel today?”

“i’ll get you something for the pain. … and for that fever.”

“let’s change those bandages and then you can go back to sleep, alright?”

[spinzolliii]

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NO CLUE IF THIS IS MEDICALLY ACCURATE

Something that whump writers don’t consider:

IVs feel cold. Can you imagine a room temperature liquid going directly into the bloodstream of someone who’s 97-104 degrees? It’s hellish. You can’t get warm no matter how much external heat you receive.

Imagine a delirious whumpee whimpering and clawing at an IV while being restrained and reassured by Caretaker.

“No no no, that stays in”

“Hey, hey. I know it hurts, but it’ll help you feel better”

Maybe the whumpee’s hallucinating, thinking that they’re being tortured. When Caretaker’s words fail to get through, they have to use gentle touches and singing. Or, if you want to be mean, you can have the Caretaker being forced to restrain Whumpee to prevent them from hurting themselves until they run out of energy and pass out.

[sickiehugs]

Sick character using their partner as a human heater... Snuggling up against them as tightly as they can because they're so cold...

[warmasf]

Obsessed with sick cuddles. I love it when people have a bad cold and just long for affection and warmth. I love it when someone is sniffly and tired and feverish and cold, their body begging to be held and comforted. I love it when they lean into the touch of their caregiver/significant other with such pleading affection, they just need to be held. I love it when said caregiver holds them close and lets them rest their feverish head on their chest, whispering sweet nothings into their ear, because the poor thing just doesn’t feel good.

[allthewhumpygoodness]

Love whumpees who get more easily emotional when feverish -- and a caretaker who knows this about them and is not at all alarmed when they're sick and just start crying out of nowhere.