#hospital recovery times???

[seagreenstardust]

Okay but Katsuki definitely does not know Izuku’s on the fast train back to quirkless. “Don’t let me surpass you” has to hit SO different when Izuku gets a chance to process it

[dat-lil-shark]

Just to inform you, guys. I’m intending that, for the majority of our Sparkling AU, it’s an AU, so it’s not about the characters when they are actually babies anymore. It’s basically about the whole entire TFP story except it’s set in a universe where there are no actual wars. The whole ��war’ thing is just some sparklings going into groups and play-fighting with their imaginations. Every character that ‘died’ in this universe are just either moving to another school (ex: Cliffjumper & Elita One) or got tired of the game and didn’t wanna play anymore (Ex: Skyquake, Dreadwing, and Breakdown). And all the human characters are all little ragdolls that are brought to life by the sparkling’s imaginations.

cause the actual show crippled me and this is my denial mechanism.

(read the tags)

[skunkes]

gonna keep making this post forever i guess because it just keeps getting wilder the more time passes and my brain forgets the immediate sensations/experience but i can't believe i got SURGERY. CRAZY. Not even this specific surgery but the fact that I got any surgery at all!!! SO WILD

[hiddenbeks]

tagged by @southernreaches thank you fray!!! 🫶

rules: put your music library on shuffle, then list the first five songs that come up in a poll to let people vote for their favorite!

tagging (if you wanna do this, no pressure!!)

@yahgrondu @yharnams @pawnguild @volkihar @nokstella

@gurathins @alexheart @pinkfey @gortash @merdruid

@qingyii @ehlnofaey @tarasahl @katsigian @vilnan

[theoneeyedgoldenwolf]

Warmth at winter

Whumptober 2024, number 30: Recovery, Hospital bed

Summary: Time had very plentiful ways of helping his boys. And some of those diverse ways put his life into danger. One such situation happened during a very cold winter night…

CW: Overheating (sweating, dizziness, nausea, fainting, fatigue), worry, fear, panic, cursing

Notion: - Part of my Ranch Family AU, the Modern Linked Unvierse stories - Time has lost his right eye and has the scar over it but he does NOT yet have Fierce Deity's markings.

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It was the coldest winter Time had so far encountered. He wasn’t certain if he had had higher body temperature straight off after birth or if it was something the orphanage’s owners had caused. Either way, he was fully grateful of it. Yet, there was one bad thing that his situation caused.

The one eyed male couldn’t be certain of the temperature of his boys’ rooms. He couldn’t just put a thermometer into there to know unlike in the stables and Cucco house. Yet, at least in those places the animals could get warmth from each other if needed. Not to mention that Epona would definitely let him know if those places weren’t warm enough.

Yet, mostly the ranch’s owner was fine with his boys crashing in his room. He enjoyed of their company and loved to look after them. At first, when it had been one to few, he was actually capable of helping. Now, with seven of them, he couldn’t deny the fact of it being bit too much.

One by him was no trouble. There was more than enough of room to move away if the heat started to be too much. Two was still good. One to both side with the bed being wide enough to provide the space in case one started to be sweaty beneath the blanket. Three started to need actual getting away. Four persons around him began to make him feel tad trapped. It was still plausible of shifting the boys bit away without waking them up but still providing the needed warmth. With five the warmth rose quicker underneath the blanket than what he wanted to admit into. He needed to squirm out of the hold and pretty much sit on his pillow to let his own body temperature to cool down a bit. Six caused him to really gasp for air, fight to keep his movements careful enough so he wouldn’t wake up his boys and get out of the hold before already pulling his shirt off. Seven ended up being in such way that one to few of the boys woke up as he forced his way out of the hold while feeling sweaty, bit dizzy and slightly nauseous. Yet, he still was able to cool down and assure his boys of things being fine and that it just got bit too hot for him. He always returned to his earlier place, though. Yet, he didn’t go beneath the blanket anymore as he just laid over it to prevent getting too warm again. Eight…

Things had started easy and normally at that night. Each of Time’s boys as well as his older brother had been sleeping at their own rooms. He had tried to make sure everyone’s rooms were warm enough but, for a reason or another, his family just made their way into his room. Still, each of them knew they could come to wake him up or just take a place from the bed if they felt like it.

It started from Four. The shortest boy had woken up from a nightmare and felt in the need of company. While still half asleep, the youngster went into the first place he could think of: Time’s room. He just climbed up onto the bed and crawled over to his caretaker. Time, being light sleeper, woke up already into the opening of his door. He smiled fondly at his boy and just raised the blanket to let him into a hug.

Next to come over was Sky. Besides the shortest boy, he was another one whom easily got cold. The youngster yawned while clutching the stuffed bird toy before scrambling to the bed. Time carefully shifted so he wouldn’t awaken the earlier kid as he moved to his back. He wrapped his free arm around the nearly asleep being pilot-to-be and smiled as the youngster snuggled close to him.

Hyrule was bit surprise one to come over after all three had calmed down and the ranch’s owner was drifting back to sleep. Usually the last boy he had adopted went over to Legend’s room but sometimes, like on that night, he came over to Time’s. Maybe it was because the room was the warmest of the whole house or then just the different kind of feeling of safety he gave to his boys. Either way the kid already snuck beneath the blanket when he reached the bed and just crawled up to snuggle next to Sky and getting close to his caretaker while being between the two males.

Wild was another unexpected boy to come over. The master chef, as Time called him every now and then, loved to snuggle next to Twilight. Yet, the one eyed male knew he shared some similar situations with his third boy that the others couldn’t and hopefully never would. Nonetheless, the youngster stayed beneath the blanket while snuggling close to the one eyed male’s leg and holding tightly. Time wasn’t too happy of not seeing his boy so he checked on him by raising the blanket. At least that eased the excessive amount of heat for a moment.

It didn’t take long before Wind followed the boy whom had been brought to the Lon-Lon Ranch just about six months before him. Like Hyrule and Wild, he too snuck beneath the blanket as soon as he had a chance for it. The youngest youngster of Time’s family claimed the one eyed male’s other leg without second thought.

Time had a feeling that Legend had been tossing and turning in his own bed for a while before he finally decided to check on whom of his brothers had already claimed their caretaker. “Just get in. Almost everyone’s already here.” The ranch’s owner whispered quietly when his second boy stood bit uncertainly by his bed.

“Who’s missing?” Legend inquired while taking a place from Hyrule’s other side while being careful of lower being Wild. He kept Time as a pillow while wrapping his arms around the younger male in front of him. He yawned and snuggled close to Hyrule with a small smile on his face.

“Twilight and Wars.” Time answered quietly even though he wasn’t certain if his boy heard him anymore. Yet, Legend just gave almost unnoticeable nod of understanding. “Sleep well my boys.” The one eyed male whispered with a fond smile while closing his eye and just relaxing again.

Twilight came over quite soon after Legend had calmed down and fallen asleep. “You good?” He inquired after he noticed Time having opened his eye and looking at him.

“All’s fine.” Time replied while at the moment feeling calm and well. The fact of having raised the blanket for Legend and let some of the warmth out had eased thing off. He hoped it was enough for the rest of the night. “Come on, Cub. Take a place.” He half suggested, half requested.

The first adopted son of the ranch’s owner hesitated for a second before he nodded and moved to Four’s side. He didn’t go beneath the blanket as he hugged the shortest brother of his from behind. At the same time, unintentionally, he got the youngster to be much closer to their caretaker. And, sadly, getting the blanket tad tight from the given side. Yet, Time hoped they were close enough to the morning to worry about that.

Wars had woken up to the almost constant sound of walking at the hallway. He had lived in barracks and such for quite a while so it shouldn’t have been something to awaken him. Yet, the ranch was something he really wanted to protect and hence he needed to know whom was walking at there. He had learned to recognize the seven boys’ footsteps during the few past months he had so far spend at the Lon-Lon Ranch.

Once the last boy of his little brother had snuck into the one eyed male’s room, the ex-Captain finally got up from his bed and moved to Time’s doorway. “You look comfy like that, little brother.” He commented fondly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Time half queried while glancing at each of his boys and bit lifting the blanket too to check on the hidden ones. “I got my family right by me here.” He continued before grinning. “At least, I would have if you’d actually come over and take a place too.” He pointed out while giving something between a pout and puppy-dog-eyes to his older brother.

Wars chuckled softly and shook his head. “Alright, I get the hint.” He mused while taking a place from behind Sky. Like Twilight, he didn’t go beneath the blanket. He just snuggled close to his little brother’s fifth boy and wrapped one arm around the five years younger male’s chest. “Goodnight, Sprite.” He whispered fondly.

“Night, Wars.” Time mumbled happily while smiling as he fell asleep. Yet, he woke up only couple of hours later while feeling sweaty and too hot. His boys had moved even closer into the given warmth and tightened their hold around him. At first he just concentrated into his breathing while hoping for the situation to pass. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen as his body temperature just kept rising underneath the blanket.

“Boys… Let go…” The one eyed male called and started to try and wiggle free. Sadly, that only got the seven boys of his to hold on stronger. He cursed and fought more while calling out to them. Yet, his voice was bit too weak and the youngsters and his older brother too deep asleep.

The sweating was followed by dizziness which caused the ranch’s owner to stop struggling. He fought to keep his breathing under control while trying to force his temperature down. Obviously, such wasn’t going to work like that. Slowly he started to rather gasp for air than breathe normally.

Time whined and trembled when the nausea struck. His attempts to move were weak and restricted by the seven around him. Even his brother’s arm felt like a rhino was sitting on his chest. He fought to stay conscious as the situation got worse. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a way for him to break free, wake the others up or get himself cooled down anymore. He quietly pleaded for help before darkness fell around him.

Wars woke up with a start only about five minutes later. He froze to his place when he felt and heard the labored sound of breathing. The cold dread and terror struck him and he recognized the feeling in a second. He hated how many times he had had that specific feeling back at the orphanage. And yet, he also was so very grateful of it as it had helped him to save his brother each and every time.

“Sprite?” He called out while quickly pushing himself up and being careful of where he put his hand. He inwardly cursed at the time his eyes took to get used to the darkness around him. “SPRITE!” He screamed out the moment the situation struck him. “Sprite, wake up!” He shouted and started to shake the unconscious little brother of his while bit slapping him but neither worked.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” The ex-Captain growled while realizing how sweaty and hot his brother’s skin felt. “Sky, Hyrule, sorry about this!” He half apologized, half growled out while forcing the duo off of his brother.

The duo gasped and yelped when the blanket was snatched away. “Hey!” Hyrule half shouted before gasping again as Wars forced him and Sky even more away from Time.

“Sprite! Sprite, damn it, wake up!” Wars kept half barking, half begging while doing his best to apologize to his brother’s boys as he forced them away. He yanked and pulled on the blanket to get it away.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong with Time?” Wind inquired while falling closer to panic.

“Overheating!” Wars snapped with a growl. “Fucking hell. Those son of bitches!” He snarled while forcing Time’s shirt off once he had the blanket away from him. “Get wet towels!” He commanded. “Cold water!” He half shouted after the few youngster that snapped into work. “They just had to mess with your body temperature, eh…” He whispered almost underneath his breath. “Those bastards just had to fuck it up. Cold during heat waves, hot during too cold winters.” He shook his head while trying to use the sweaty shirt as a fan.

Wild, Wind and Sky returned quickly with wet towels. Wars took them swiftly and started to do his best to cool his brother’s skin. “Damn it, Sprite, wake up already!” He commanded while having no idea how long his brother had been out of it. “Fucking shit, I should’ve figured it out. I should’ve stayed awake. I should’ve guarded you.” He mumbled while his actions weren’t working.

“Warriors…” Twilight called with bit wavering voice.

“Fuck this! I’m taking him to hospital!” Wars almost shouted while pulling his brother up from the bed. “Call the ambulance to the entrance of the town! Tell them Sprite’s having very bad case of overheating and he’s not waking up!” He commanded while rushing the five years younger male to the first floor. “Sky, Twi, you two drive the other two cars! Hyrule, you’re with me and Sprite!” He snapped the orders out while having carefully put the one eyed male down to the floor before quickly throwing on his jacket, snatching the keys and already putting the shoes on.

The seven youngsters of the ranch’s owner were swift in getting ready. There was no changing of clothes but just putting on enough to stay warm in the cold night. The boys were freaked out but the fact of Wars being capable of commanding them around aided them to stay calm enough to function. The older males did their best to soothe the younger ones.

Wars drove as fast as he could once Time was laying on the backseat with Hyrule watching over him. He was grateful of the meadow and wide areas to see. It helped to keep check on possible animals such as deer or foxes. Luckily the drive to the parking lot at the outside of the town went well and the ambulance was right there waiting for them.

Hyrule called both Wild and Four to inform of having reached the parking lot and having gotten to the ambulance. He and Wars stayed out of the way as the medical personnel worked with better knowledge and equipment in cooling down Time. Things seemed bit better by the time they reached the hospital as the one eyed male’s breathing had eased out towards normal.

Twilight and Sky drove to the hospital’s parking lot. Hyrule had kept both teams of his brothers updated on how things were going and which room to enter. For the rest of the night none of the eight males slept. Even though things were out of the worst, it still would take a while to fully recover from the incident.

Time woke up late at the next day with a whine. Yet, nearly instantly he struck his eye open with a start. “The boys!” He shouted out while sitting up abruptly but that only got him to whine even louder while bringing his hand over his mouth. He was feeling hellish and nauseous.

“Whoa! Easy, Sprite!” Wars nearly screamed while already gently laying his brother back down. “You gotta take it easy, damn it.” He growled before sighing and relaxing his tense shoulders at the freaked out look Time gave him. “The boys are fine. I’m fine. You’re the one who’s at the hospital bed in here.” He pointed out firmly before picking up the glass of water with a straw in there. “You need to drink.” He commanded while already offering it towards the one eyed male.

The seven boys of the ranch’s keeper and Wars stayed at the hospital with Time but they kept their distance. None of them wanted to repeat the incident for any of reason. While at there, Wild asked quite well anything he came up with considering foods that could be given to a patient of overheating. Wars and the others queried for all the other information just to make sure the one eyed male would make a full recovery.

It took about two days before Time was set free from the hospital. Yet, instead of going straight back to the ranch, the caretaker of the seven youngster queried for a detour. Sky and Twilight had fetched Wars’ car to the hospital’s parking lot during the first day just make sure everyone would get home without needing to wait for Wars to get his car.

The shop the ranch’s owner chose was selling beds, bed sheets, pillows, blankets and such. “What are you searching for, Sprite?” Wars inquired while following his little brother and looking around.

“I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out.” Time replied almost mischievously before shrugging. “But you’ll understand when I find it.” He continued while making his way straight into the section of blankets and linen. Once at there, he already started to go through them until grinning as he found what he was searching for. He knew it would end up bit pricy but it would definitely be worth it.

“That’s…” Wars half whispered as he stared at the gigantic blanket.

“The biggest there is.” Time replied while already fully knowing what he was doing. After finding the linen for the giant blanket, he searched out much smaller ones of both parts.

After paying and getting back home, the eight males with the ranch’s owner did as much as they could to help. They got the linen washed and kept close check on Time. They made sure he didn’t overdo himself and that he drank and ate often enough to keep the nausea, dizziness, dehydration and such away while recovering. At the next day, by the one eyed male’s instructions, they got the old bed sheets and blanket off.

The gigantic blanket was handled first and laid over the bed. After that came the smaller one into middle of the king sized bed. Only after that they put on the bed cover. “I’m still not getting it.” Wars stated out after everything was done.

“Before I explain…” Time started calmly before turning his gaze into the older male that had been like a brother to him for as long as he remembered. “Can I ask you something, Wars?” He inquired and the ex-Captain nodded without hesitation. “About my body temperature… Has it always been this crazy? I… I don’t recall it acting strangely until I was five but… My memory’s bit hazy on some things and, well…” He shrugged a bit while trying to put the pieces together.

Wars sighed heavily and shook his head. “No…” He half whispered before taking a deep breath. “Your body temp was normal until you were five. I don’t know what those bastards did to you but after that, for two years, it was going quite crazy. You had both hypothermia and overheating twice. It was crazy. I had to keep you warm during heat wave while everyone else was doing their best to cool down. Not to mention that you slept in a bathtub filled with cold water with me adding in ice cubes during winter while everyone else was trying to get warm. Your body just didn’t stop decreasing during summer nor did it stop increasing during winter. Spring and autumn were only times you had normal body temperature.” He explained sorrowfully.

“I don’t recall the other kids calling me on names because of it.” Time half whispered while frowning.

“They understood.” Wars replied with a small smile. “I let them know it was because of the keepers of the place. They knew it was one of the payments for you to keep them safe and out of their hands.” He sighed heavily while feeling bit like crying. “You were just a kid and still you were ready to go through hell just to keep everyone else safe.” He snorted softly and shook his head. “You really haven’t changed from that.”

The one eyed male gave a small smile with bit of a blush and shrugged. “What can I say? You’re one hell of a role model.” He countered fondly and slightly grinned as his older brother blushed a bit. “Anyway, about the bed…” He continued and turned his notion to the thing.

“So, I know most of you will gladly get underneath the blanket when you come over. Now it’s just bigger one. Though, I’m sorry for this but, this time I’ll be sleeping over that big one. On that way, even though everyone can get close to me, the hold won’t be as restraining as before. The smaller blanket’s mine only so it’ll be easier to take off. On this way, if it gets too hot, I can get the blanket off and cool down.” The ranch’s owner explained as calmly as he could while not being too happy of the slight obstacle between him and his boys.

“You think it’ll actually work?” Wars inquired while feeling uncertain of the idea. He understood the way it should work but he fully doubted it to go right in the end.

“Why not try straight off tonight?” Time countered with a grin.

“NO.” The oldest male of the ranch stated out firmly. “You’re still recovering. I am not—“ He started before trailing off as his little brother gave him his best puppy-dog-eyes. “Sprite…” He started bit uncertainly but that only brought out a miserable whine and slump from the one eyed male. Wars whined loudly while facepalming. “You still can’t whimper, huh?” He half mumbled.

The ranch’s owner bit flinched, sighed heavily and slumped for real. “I’m trying but…” He shrugged sorrowfully. “It’s stuck hard.”

Wars sighed heavily and nodded. “Alright. Alright, I’ll accept BUT with one condition.” He yielded before already giving a stern look to Time. “I stay up the whole night and keep check on the situation.”

“Wha… NO!” The one eyed male exclaimed roughly. “You need the sleep too!”

“I either guard your door and keep everyone from coming over OR you accept me staying awake and guarding.” The ex-Captain stated out firmly. He grinned slightly when Time sighed exaggerated.

“Fine.” The ranch’s keeper huffed and rolled his eye. “Yet, you’ll sleep at the morning. And I’ll guard you at then.” He countered with a wide grin.

“Fine by me.” Wars replied and matched the grin. “Been missing you acting like a weight blanket.”

Time blushed with a start before chuckling a bit nervously. “I’m not that kid anymore, you know.” He reminded while smiling bit shyly. “Gained height and weight.”

Wars snorted and shook his head. “Seriously, little brother, you’re way too skinny for my liking.”

The one eyed male blushed. “I’m just lithe!” He exclaimed and huffed in fake annoyance as his brother laughed.

“Honestly, you need to actually gain weight, Sprite.” The older male countered.

“Oh for that I’m going to squish you tomorrow morning! I’ll show you I weight just enough.” Time promised boldly and Wars just chuckled while grinning. The younger male just huffed and turned his gaze off. Yet, when he heard and saw from the corner of his eye his older brother moving towards him, he turned back to face him.

The ex-Captain smiled fondly and hugged Time tightly. “You’re just perfect the way you are, Sprite.” He whispered fondly and felt the one eyed male relax in his arms. He kissed the side of his brother’s head before pulling off.

Wild had been more than ready to increase the meal portions of his caretaker’s but he scratched that idea when it turned out to have been just bit of teasing around between Time and Wars. Yet, he was happy of listening the duo banter off like that since it brought out much calmer and happier side of the one eyed male. Plus, it very much let the ranch’s owner to give out stuff from his past much more freely than before.

At that night the eight males did pile on Time. His body temperature still warmed up the bigger blanket from close by and with all there, the combined body warmth did increase the heat nicely. Yet, as they had awaited, the one eyed male did get too hot during the night. “You gonna help me?” He inquired when he woke up while sweating.

“Only if you’re unable to do what you claimed to be capable of.” Wars countered while actually wanting to already pull the blanket off. Yet, his little brother just nodded, apologized to his boys while promising to give his arms back to be hugged and worked the blanket off. The one eyed male folded it few times before using it as an extra pillow.

“See? All’s fine.” Time told almost smugly while worming his arms back into the hold of Legend, Hyrule, Twilight and Wild. Wars calmed down and simply nodded.

“Just sleep, little brother. I’ll guard you.” The older male whispered and the ranch’s owner nodded before yawning. Wars smiled fondly and kept close check on the situation but with the blanket off, the sweating had stopped and things were just fine. Time slept peacefully through the night without further incidents.

At the next morning the seven boys went to handle the ranch work while making sure Time and Wars stayed at the bed. “Thank you, boys! You are such sweethearts!” The one eyed male fondly called after them and the youngsters just nodded with a slight blush. “Now…” He continued with mischievous grin while turning towards Wars. “Your turn!” He half shouted before already pushing the older male down and pulling his own blanket over him. After that he just laid over his brother as fully as possible.

Wars gave out a startled yelp at the push before gasping at the blanket being brought over him. He chuckled a bit when Time fully pinned him down to the bed. Yet, he smiled fondly and wrapped his arms around the taller male. This was exactly what he had been missing for long while. His little brother in his arms safe and sound. “Love you, Sprite. I will always protect you as long as I’m capable of in any way possible.” He whispered fondly while meaning each and every word.

“Love you too, big brother.” Time replied quietly before tad grinning. “Now hush and sleep.”

Wars chuckled and kissed the side of his little brother’s nose. He grinned at the slight start of the younger male. Yet, after that he closed his eyes while calming down and smiling fondly. Time calmed down too and relaxed with his older brother. He didn’t mean it to happen but he ended up taking a nap too while Wars slept beneath him. They both felt as safe and secure as back in the orphanage whenever they had a chance to sleep like this. Guarding one another and making sure each other was safe and sound with them. They were once again at home with family.

[silly-lackadaisy]

forcing ppl into recovery against their will is so stupid btw, most likely they're either going to kill themselves asap or relapse wayyyyy harder once they're out

[moodr1ng]

less than 40 days until phalloplasty.. impatient ofc but also ik its gonna suck as all surgeries do lol..

[thevioletcaptain]

.

[artofkhaos404]

Borderlines of Tumblr who have been either hospitalized or medicated (or both)... how did it affect you? What were some pros and cons of your experience?

I know DBT and other types of therapy are the highest recommended forms of treatment for those with BPD. I've been going to therapy for the past few months, and my therapist truly is amazing, but my loved ones and I have recently made the difficult decision that I need more intense care than I am receiving. We're not sure exactly what method to pursue, but the options on the table are medication and hospitalization. I don't know how I feel about either to be honest with you, I just know I can't live like this anymore. I'd like to hear some of your stories before coming to any sort of conclusion. If you'd take the time to comment or reblog or even privately dm me on this topic it would mean the world to me.

Thanks guys.

[dragonpigeons]

To anyone wondering: I will be taking time to myself to recover and refrain from much online social activity. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Look after yourselves. Keep hydrated and well fed.

[merverelli]

👼🗡️ toddiel, the golden sword of the inconquerable dawn. 👼🗡️

[kayvsworld]

i always forget i have Healthcare System Anxiety until i have to interact with The Healthcare System and immediately just start screaming internally for days

[galaxywhump]

A Day of Revelations

[SV-240 masterlist]

Timeline: post-captivity, set after Another Arrival.

contents: recovery from slavery whump and forced relationship, hospital setting, past human trafficking, referenced branding and torture.

~~~

"People know that you're alive."

The car is getting closer and closer to the hospital, and Wren digs his fingers into his thighs, not too hard so Nathaniel doesn’t notice. At the dock it was just the two of them, on the ship it was him and the crew, but now there will be so many people surrounding him, and he tries to keep his breathing steady.

"Do the hospital staff know I'm going to be there?" he asks, his throat squeezed tight.

"Yes." Nathaniel nods. "I was told they would do their best to keep your arrival secret for now. We won't walk in through the main entrance."

"Okay. That's good." Wren bounces his leg, but stops himself, not wanting his anxiety to show too much. "But it's not gonna stay a secret forever."

"No." Nathaniel takes a slow, deep breath. "But your return isn't the only thing people are focusing on right now. You've exposed the trade, and that was a shock to everyone. Myself included." He looks at Wren with an almost apologetic smile. "I had no idea that had been going on. It makes sense, a lot of the… slavers worked pretty high in the League so they could manipulate data, but still…" He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter right now. The point still stands: people are being rescued, people are being arrested, really influential ones at that, so the focus won't be entirely on you."

Wren's not sure how comforted he feels after this answer, but at least he's sufficiently distracted by questions forming in his mind.

"How many people have been arrested?"

"A lot." Nathaniel shakes his head. "Hard to say right now. It's weird. It's good that so many people involved have been arrested, but mortifying that there even were that many people. But thanks to you they'll all be brought to justice."

It's an overwhelming thought that makes Wren choke a bit, so he desperately tries to focus on something smaller.

"And the people who kidnapped me? Have they been arrested?"

“Yes. They were among the first ones, in fact. That… division of the trade led us to the others, it was our starting point.”

“So Berkeley… Peter Berkeley, I mean…”

“Arrested. Yes.”

Daniel is dead, and Berkeley is locked up. Wren nods slowly and forces himself to breathe. Too stunned to talk, he doesn’t say anything else, and neither does Nathaniel for the remainder of the drive.

~~~

When the car stops behind the towering building of the hospital, Wren feels his heart skip a beat. He's going to have to leave the car. He's going to have to walk through the corridors of the hospital, see people who are going to see him, and it's way harder than he thought it would be. He's shivering, looking down at his shaking hands, his knuckles white as a sheet. 

"Wren?"

He jerks his head up to look at his father, who's left the car and is now leaning down to look inside with a slight frown. Wren nods, opens the door on his side, and gets out, even though he feels like his legs are going to give out under him.

“Are you feeling okay? Can you walk?”

His jumpiness surprises him, but he can’t help it when all his senses are assaulted by sights and smells and sounds he hasn’t experienced in so long, unfamiliar voices being one of them. People. He looks at the source of the voice, a doctor, and forces himself to nod, averting his gaze pretty quickly when he realizes that there are a few other people standing near the door.

“Yeah,” he says as he looks back at his father, the only familiar person around. “Are you going too?”

To his relief, Nathaniel nods, and the two of them follow the doctor inside, Wren trying not to sway on his feet too much, his body both tense and weak. It didn’t quite hit him back at the dock, but now that he’s still struggling, realization strikes him, so powerful that it makes his ears ring.

The gravity was slightly different on SV-240, and he was used to it.

The difference isn’t even that stark; he must have felt it for the first few days after arriving, but he was usually tied up, dragged from place to place or forced to his knees, so it wasn’t that noticeable. He’s nervous now, and it’s affecting his walk, and he’d spent a few days on a spaceship, but he can swear there’s more to it, that there’s something about Earth that he has to get used to again, something other than the people and the sights and the other stimuli.

It’s not the first time and he’s hardly the only one who has to deal with the readjustment period, but it’s still unsettling.

“Mhm.” He winces when he steps off his ship to join the rest of his squad. “Never pleasant, but it will pass.”

“Sure hope so,” Private Berkeley grimaces, stretching his arms, struggling to readjust after his first longer space travel.

Wren blinks back to reality, and it makes him shiver. He can feel eyes on him - his father looking at him from time to time, the doctor shooting him reassuring glances, but also other people, patients and doctors who can’t stop themselves from staring when they no doubt recognize him. He manages a weak smile, his heartbeat deafening, even though he’s just walking, and he knows nothing scary is going to happen to him.

By the time they stop at one of the doors, Wren can barely breathe.

“Wren.”

“Hm?” His head jerks up and a shiver runs up his spine.

“Do you want me to wait here?” Nathaniel asks, nodding in the direction of a sitting area further down the hallway. “You need to go through an examination, so I can wait until that’s finished or visit you later.”

“Oh, you… you can come back later, I think. You must be busy.”

“A little bit.” He shrugs. “But I could also bring you some things from home. Clothes, food, whatever you need.”

“Okay,” Wren says with a pale smile. Everything he does seems to require inhuman effort.

Nathaniel nods, and he seems to be struggling too, fighting with his thoughts. Eventually he sighs and manages to get more words out.

“Well, after you’re discharged, you’ll need to stay somewhere. Unfortunately your apartment had to be sold.”

“Mhm.” It’s only logical, but it still hurts. He loved that apartment, it was only his, and all his things were there, which means…

He might have nothing to his name now.

It’s clearly a day of overwhelming realizations, and Wren has to try not to sway on his feet.

“I can look for a new place for you,” Nathaniel offers, “or… you can stay with me, if you want.” As Wren stares at him confused, he averts his gaze, looking almost embarrassed. “Your bedroom is still there, and… your things, too.”

“You kept them?” Wren frowns. It’s been over two years, and he assumed everything had been sold or thrown away, that his old bedroom had been repurposed after his staged death. The thought of his father of all people being this sentimental seems absurd, especially when he sees the look of embarrassment on his face.

“I never had time to look through them. I suppose it was for the best. I washed some of your clothes when I found out, so I can bring them to you later.”

“Alright.” Wren cracks another smile. “So, uh, see you?”

“See you later.” Nathaniel mirrors his smile, and for the briefest of moments he looks like he’s considering giving Wren a hug, but in the end he just nods and walks away, followed by Wren’s gaze until he disappears behind a corner. 

He’s not starting with nothing, then. Earth remembers him after all. 

The door is cracked open, and he can hear footsteps inside. The doctor must have gone in earlier, giving Wren and Nathaniel some privacy, which he’s grateful for, and he’s sure his father is too, considering how strange his behavior was, so unlike him.

Knowing Nathaniel, and wallowing in the feeling of being forgotten, Wren had assumed that his father’s reaction to his death had been… nothing. A nod, a sigh, dealing with the funeral and selling his apartment, and then moving on. Maybe that was still the case, but him keeping Wren’s old bedroom unchanged and not giving away or selling his things doesn’t fit into that, and now he seems to care, as stilted and unnatural it is for him.

Nevermind, Wren thinks as he enters the room, closing the door behind him. Maybe it won’t last long.

Now he has to deal with a stranger and let them find out about what he had gone through; confusion swiftly gives way to anxiety.

At first glance he’s fine. The doctor, who introduces themself as Diaz Sandoval, nods with a slight frown every time they write something down and put a checkmark next to it to indicate that the results of the examination are nothing out of the ordinary. It’s as if Wren had never gone through a prolonged captivity - physically, at least.

Then, of course, Sandoval sees the brand.

“Yeah, he was kinda full of himself,” Wren says in as lighthearted a tone as he can muster, which is still overshadowed by tension. “So, um, he left his signature.”

“I see,” Sandoval says, noting it down diligently, immortalizing the burned words. “Do you have any other scars? Wounds?”

“None that I’m aware of.”

And there it is, a feeling of shame and a fear of being belittled. He’s healthy. There are no reminders of the torture he’d gone through other than the brand, and Sandoval knows it now.

“Oh, but…” Wren perks up, almost relieved to remember something else, something that had happened to him, of which there is still undeniable proof. It’s not much, but it’s all he has to paint a picture of his captivity that’s at least a fraction of the nightmare it was for him. “There’s also a chip in my shoulder. Left, I… think. A tracker. So I couldn’t escape.”

His words sound so desperate, a plea for his experience to be taken seriously, and his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He clears his throat and fixes his eyes on Sandoval’s stylus as they write down this new information.

“I can schedule a procedure to have it removed. As for the… scar, it can’t just be removed. It would require a more complicated procedure and a transplant.”

“Oh.” So there is a way, but the revelation is too sudden for him to decide. “Well, I- I’ll think about it. I’d like to have the tracker removed, but I’d also like to get out of the hospital soon, so…” He shrugs with a smile. “But maybe on a later date.”

“Of course.” Sandoval mirrors his smile. “There is no rush. For now I think you should rest, I know how overwhelming this must be.”

Rest. He’s been resting plenty, but it’s true that he’s still tired, constantly assaulted by stimuli he hasn’t experienced in so long, fighting his memories and having to put a tremendous amount of effort into forming his answers to questions, overthinking, concealing facts.

Once he’s left alone, he lies down on the hospital bed and exhales.

I’m on Earth. He doesn’t know when it’s going to stop being a startling realization every single time. And I won’t be hurt anymore.

He won’t be whipped, cut, tortured. After two years of considering pain just part of the routine it’s a thought he can’t quite wrap his head around, but it’s true. The events leading up to his rescue and Daniel’s death, his broken ribs, the knife slipping into his abdomen, the wound reopening, his ears ringing when his head was bashed against the wall… nothing like that will happen again. 

It’s a thought both relieving and intimidating - here he is, a former plaything and pretend partner to a sadist, his mind still somewhat stuck in his old routine, and now that he’s free, he has to learn how to cut himself off from it.

No matter how hard it will be, he can’t wait to get started.

~~~

[next]

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[distinctlywhumpthing]

Unintentional 25

Previous—Masterlist— Next

CW: BBU-adjacent, institutionalized slavery, dehumanization. Explicit language. Past surgical/medical whump alluded to, hospital setting. As always, beta-read by @alittlewhump <3

Found. 

Found. 

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with ‘found’. 

It wasn’t good or bad or safe or pain or any of the others that WRU had made so bright and shiny and accessible they were practically glued to his hands. Even when he went deeper, spiraling down into the shadowy, muddled places he cared not to linger in, there was no space for it anywhere. 

Found.

It didn’t matter anyway. All that mattered was what it meant to Leo. 

And he had absolutely no fucking clue. 

“Aiden, I found you,” Leo repeated, like he was able to see exactly how long it was taking Aiden to glean any meaning from the phrase.

His head hurt, even with all the drugs he’d agreed to. That had to be a bad sign, a sign that they’d lied and the drugs were doing something else since they certainly weren’t eradicating all of his pain. He made sure his grip hadn’t changed around Leo’s hands. Leo’s hands holding his. Like maybe they were all that held him together. 

Leo was almost smiling, his eyes still full of emotion. A few tears had fallen just moments ago before he’d made an apology exactly like the one Aiden should have made and couldn’t make. Leo’s eyebrows were still raised because he expected this to mean something but Aiden wasn’t clever enough to figure it out. More tests that Harrison designed him to fail. 

He nodded once, holding his breath, hoping to hell Leo would give him some indication that it was the correct response or at least one that would earn him more explanation. 

Leo tilted his head a fraction of a centimeter to the left and took a breath but the exhale was shorter than the inhale, more audible. 

Fuck. 

Aiden flinched when Leo reached for his shoulder. “M’sorry,” he mumbled.

“You’re good.” Leo rubbed his thumb in circles over the starchy fabric of the hospital gown. 

He wanted to cry. He wasn’t good. None of this could be leading anywhere good.

Leo leaned forward, for some reason undeterred from driving at this point. “Aiden, the day we met. When you woke up in the back of my van, remember?”

Yes, he remembered. A promising first impression.

“That morning, I stopped to get coffee on my way to work and I found you—”

Found whatever lies Harrison had written, raising his hopes so they’d have even further to fall.

“I found you, unconscious in a snowbank off the parking lot—”

No…

“I-I thought you were homeless. I was going to give you my coffee but when I saw you—” Leo reached for his cheek and this time Aiden was too stunned to flinch. “—I just, I didn’t think twice, I wanted to help you, to keep you safe.”

None of this made any sense. Why would he make something like this up? What was the point? 

Leo let out a breath, like a sigh. Was he relieved? 

He was looking at Aiden expectantly again and Aiden wanted to scream. 

Why couldn’t Leo just give him the answer?

“I didn’t even realize you were a—” Aiden was left to hang in the full shame of what he was, what he had been reduced to. “—Companion. I just wanted to help. I’m sorry I fucked it up, not seeing what was right in front of me, not helping you as well as I could have.” 

There really wasn’t any point in trying to understand the purpose of this fresh test. 

Christ, it was convoluted and he was way too damaged to ever hope to follow. 

His throat ached from holding back sobs.

Nothing he could do would make anything better. 

Worse might be possible, but at this point, did it even matter? 

“What I’m trying to say is that I didn’t—Aiden, are you with me, sweetheart?” 

His gaze had shifted off Leo’s face to stare, unfocused, at the light of the MRI machine coming through the window. 

Leo searched each of his eyes, one and then the other, to make sure he was paying attention now. 

He burned under the valuation. 

“Aiden, I didn’t buy you, I—”

“Stop.” He stood, the chair rolling away behind him. 

Did he just say that out loud? 

He staggered back, away from Leo and in search of his balance. 

It was all too much, all of this was too much.

“Aiden?” Leo rose to follow him slowly, hands at his sides. Always so careful and calculating. 

“Nnn—please,” he sobbed. 

“Easy, it’s okay—” 

He shook his head, pressing the heels of his palms into his temples.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Leo said quickly. He reached his hand out. “I didn’t mean—I only wanted—”

“Don’t!” Louder than he’d intended, clearer than he thought he was capable of. “Nnn…please,” he added too late. Leo’s face had already fallen, just for a moment before he’d returned to looking concerned.

“Don’t…come near you?” 

Nothing could have been worse. Aiden let himself crumple to the ground, arms coming up around his head as he tried to fold away. To sink into the grave he’d dug for himself hand over fist.

“Oh, sweetheart…”

Aiden shook his head, sobbing. Everything ached. “Nnn—please…nnno…don’t…nnn…lie—” 

After a while, he wondered if maybe he hadn’t said it out loud. Or Leo hadn’t heard his whisper. Or was pretending he hadn’t heard. He tried to quiet his crying to hear. Maybe Leo had left and now, finally—

“I’m going to come sit by you, okay?”

He didn’t move or object so Leo crossed the room and sat beside him. Aiden peeked out to see him dragging a hand over his face, elbows on his knees. 

“There’s probably a dozen better ways I could’ve explained that. Delia told me to wait, she was probably right—she’s always right. I’m sorry.” He sighed, glancing over and caught Aiden watching him. He smiled that half-smile, the one that made a few lines appear by his eyes, the one that looked so kind. “Hi, hon.”

He flushed, despite himself, despite everything, and was so glad his face was covered. Leo’s smile faded and in another well-trained reaction Aiden feared he was disappointed. He almost reached for one of the practiced responses, out of habit, to try to salvage the exchange. 

“I’d never lie to you, Aiden. I know there’s nothing to make you believe that’s not just another lie but I have no reason to lie to you, sweetheart.” 

Aiden couldn’t see the reason either. Unless it were just for sport, which would mean Leo was exactly like Harrison, and Aiden couldn’t face that at all. 

He lifted his head, resting his chin on his knees. His arms were starting to throb from holding his legs up to his chest.

Leo smiled again, same smile as always. 

Same as the time he’d torn open a bag of mini marshmallows in the parking lot, sending them skittering all over the slush, trying to bribe Aiden out from under his van. Same as when he saw Aiden waiting for him downstairs every morning. Same as when he came home every day. 

His heart hammered in his chest. It didn’t seem possible that he could be interpreting all of this right. That any of this was right for him. There was one way to tell. He was pretty sure he’d said it before, correctly, even though he hadn’t really meant to. He’d always been too afraid to practice. The name had never felt like it belonged to him to say. 

The sounds were all there, like they wanted to be spoken. He took a breath—

“Leo?” 

Aiden jumped and Leo put a hand on his back. “It’s just Delia.” 

“Hey, checking in. We can head back now.” 

They each took a side and lifted helped Aiden to his feet. Delia’s name tag clicked against her stethoscope as she leaned down to help Leo. He couldn’t read her name, of course, but there she was in the photo, a wry smile on her lips. He wondered if she had been instructed to look serious but couldn’t keep a straight face or if the security guard in charge of pictures had a sense of humor. 

This was definitely not a place for people like him.

This was a real hospital. 

Delia was a real doctor.

If Leo didn’t have any papers or a contract for him, they really weren’t anywhere remotely related to WRU.

All of that sneaking around had been real. 

What exactly were Leo and Delia risking by bringing him here?

“Sweetheart?” Leo’s hand on his cheek made him gasp. 

He looked between their faces. Apparently, they’d meant for him to be paying attention.

Leo caught onto his panic. “Hey, it’s okay.” He moved his hand down to rest on Aiden’s shoulder. “We’ll head back now. You don’t need to do the scan, okay? It wasn’t fair of me to expect that of you. You can rest a bit more until it’s okay for us to go home. Sound good?”

His head nodded automatically. Leo kept one arm around him as they turned toward the door. 

He planted his feet. 

Leo stopped guiding him. “Aiden?”

He just wanted—he couldn’t— He flapped a hand. What the fuck was that going to convey? He used it to cover his face instead, shaking his head. “Mmm’sorry…m’sorry…” 

“It’s okay, take your time. We still have time,” Delia said. 

The silence swelled as they waited for him, waited on him.

Leo and Delia exchanged a glance that made him want to evaporate. They were confused and he couldn’t fucking articulate a single goddamn thought in his head. This was not going to work or end well. He couldn’t do this. 

He kneaded his brow, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Does it hurt, hon?” Leo rubbed his shoulder. 

Aiden shook his head and tried to swallow the knot of frustration building in his throat. “Mmm…I…I…”

Leo considered him patiently, with that concerned crease appearing right between his brows. 

Aiden couldn’t decide if it made him want to fall into his arms or at his feet. 

He should just be cooperative and go back. 

But maybe it wasn’t only selfish. Leo deserved to know. Even if he pretended it didn’t matter how damaged Aiden was. Not to mention whatever that meant if Leo hadn’t even wanted a companion in the first place.

Now, he’d done it. Tears started running down his cheeks. He swiped at them with the back of his unbandaged hand but they kept coming. He groaned and it just sounded like a sob. 

“Aiden, honey. Whatever it is, it’s okay.” 

He wondered erratically if he might actually respond better to having it beat out of him. If all of this kindness and patience and consideration was what made him flounder. How could Leo still be so patient with him after the tantrum he’d thrown earlier?

“I…mmm…mmm…” Forget about want, need, have to. It was like Harrison had reached in and removed specific words from his head. Which was exactly the reason why this was so important. He pointed at the black monitors lined up under the window, cringing at how debasing the monkey-gesturing was. “…please?”

“You—you want to do the scan?” 

Something released inside of him, letting free a sob too. He nodded, wiping his face again. 

Leo’s brow furrowed even more. “I’m sorry, I should have asked. I didn’t think—”

He shook his head quickly, now crying in earnest. This was a mistake. He shouldn’t have done or said anything to make Leo—

“Alright, okay. Hey, Aiden, hey.” Leo moved closer, squeezing both his shoulders. “It’s okay. If this is what you want, we’ll make it happen.” 

He sniffled and nodded. He wanted to sink into the floor for making so much trouble. For the way it was making him feel to have Leo gently thumbing the tears off his face and acting like everything really was going to be okay.

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[demigodpolls]

what are your thoughts on jasico (jason x nico)? love your blog its so much fun!!!

hope you guys don't mind if I redirect you over to my main blog for questions like this! I'm happy to provide my input on this blog regarding things like the PJO fandom, the poll results, and the books themselves, but for my personal opinions on characters/ships, I think it's best they're reserved for my own blog. I'm so happy that you enjoy the polls, though!! - demigodpolls

[serickswrites]

Heyo! Can you write about a whumpee that is super afraid of hospitals but they have an infected injury and Caretaker has to force them to go? Maybe the nurses have to sedate them because they're delirious from their infection and trying to fight or escape?

Hello! Absolutely I can write this! I hope this is what you were looking for, please enjoy!

Warnings: wounds, infection, hospital, sedation, restraints

"Whumpee, come on, we need to go." Caretaker's voice was soothing and soft.

"No!" Whumpee shouted as they tried to shrink away from Caretaker. "I won't go!"

Caretaker sighed. They had tried to avoid having to take Whumpee to the hospital after they had been discharged weeks ago. They had done everything they could to clean and care for the wound on Whumpee's back. But it was infected. And Whumpee needed a doctor.

"Whumpee, sweetheart, you have to go."

"I don't. I don't!" Whumpee's face was pale and sweaty. Caretaker knew that meant they once again had a fever.

"Sweetheart, I can't take care of this, you need a doctor. Please. For me."

Whumpee sighed as they deflated. "Fine. But only so they can clean it out. I'm not staying."

"Thank you. I won't let them keep you." Caretaker knew that wasn't a promise they could keep, but they would say anything to get Whumpee in the car to the hospital. They couldn't lose Whumpee.

Whumpee did not take well to being told they had to stay. "NO!" Whumpee shouted and shoved a nurse away.

This was the worst thing Whumpee could have done. Before Caretaker could intervene or explain things, the staff had Whumpee in restraints and had already drawn up the medicine. Whumpee was crying and begging to be released.

"Whumpee, shhh, it's ok, it's ok," Caretaker said from the corner. They knew they couldn't get Whumpee out. That this was the only way the hospital was going to be able to help Whumpee. But they didn't have to like it.