#j hypothermia

[unicornpopcorn14]

1, 8, or 32 for skk (from the hug prompts) 🥹👉🏻👈🏻

bestie you can’t do this to me i will request all of them

THEY'RE ALL SUCH GOOD PROMPTS I AGREEEE

Hug prompts

Decided to go for 1- "Are you cold? You look like you're freezing."

Additionally, for @dazaibirthdayweek2024 Day 3: Good Intentions + Masks

Words: 3.3k. Hope you like it, Essie!! :D

Rings a Bell

You’d think being stuck with your former partner/enemy in a confined space is the worst thing that can happen to a person…

But no, it can get worse, when said confined space happens to be a fucking freezer room.

Yeah, Chuuya has no idea what led them to this. Well, he does, but thinking about it too hard might cause his fifth aneurism today, and, less importantly, dissipate his already fickle energy.

A snicker resounds from beside him, “Chuuya’s growling like a dog again!”

“Shut the fuck up before I hang you from that meat hook myself…” He tries to give his usual bite, but it falls short as his stomach lurches again, feeling awful in all sorts of places.

Great news: he can’t see shit. Mostly blurry shapes and wavering colors, but never past that. It doesn’t help that he has the fattest migraine of the century, accompanied by an urge to vomit he honestly doesn’t know how he managed to fight against this long. Arahabaki, the damn scoundrel, decides to stay standstill and let him handle this one on his own. Fucking fantastic.

He had been told what poison he’s been injected with, but he can’t for the life of him remember the name right now.

And who’s to blame for all of this? You guessed it.

“Chuuya!!” Dazai claps with a higher-than-normal-pitch, which successfully sends stronger-than-usual-ringing to his ears, “How did you know the new method I was planning to try out?! And you’re offering to help me?! My, you should get poisoned more often!”

“You’re lucky I currently am, piece of shit…” God, he wanted to sound harsher than that– perhaps come up with a more creative thing to retort with, but that all gets swept away by low groans and helpless eye rolls…

Chuuya doesn’t know why he even bothers with looking out for that bastard when all he does is become a pain in the ass afterwards. Every time he tells himself he would wholly ignore his former partner the next joint mission, something like this happens which throws all of his vows to the curb:

Dazai was probably distracted, probably not, but Chuuya grabbed him aside anyways, rendering him without an ability for just a second.

And right then a needle buried in his neck.

They got their asses handed to them immediately afterwards, because of course, and the fuckers decided to add onto their frozen meat collection today of all days– thus, their predicament.

Which consists of opposite organization members seated in a freezer room against an icy wall, the mafia member certainly looking more limp and uncoordinated than the other. Chuuya doesn’t know how Dazai’s seated, but he’s 90% sure he isn’t staying still for the life of him, so guessing that would be impossible.

“Think Koyou-san will send a search party after you?” The question comes out as slyly as you’d think a Dazai-question would come out.

“This fast? No… She knows I can handle myself…” Dazai should already know this, as nothing has changed much in the last four years. Chuuya groans out, breathing coming in difficult, “I’d have to be gone for an entire week before she gets worried.”

“Hm, same with the Agency. But not that long. Just a day at most…” He hears shifting from beside him once again, overly wary of his surroundings since his sight is on hold, “So we’re stuck here until the poison symptoms wear off. Alone. Together. Great.” Dazai concludes like it wasn’t fucking obvious.

“At least you have the blessing of seeing in front of you.” Chuuya closes his eyes to stop his spinning vision, as perhaps that can help keep the migraine at bay, “Do you realize… how nerve-racking it is to stay this close to you while blind?! You might try anything…!”

“That’s right!” Dazai chirps, his enthusiasm successfully making Chuuya’s nerves prickle, “Chuuya better use his ultra-deduction-instincts if he wishes to stand a chance!”

He grimaces while thumping his head back, wanting to re-demand the other to shut up for how splitting his voice rings in his skull, but Dazai would probably take that as an opportunity to scream, so he resorts to: “God, I hate you…”

From (unfortunate) experience, and seeing how high on the awful-feeling scale this falls, Arahabaki will stay asleep for twenty more minutes -adding to the fifteen he already suffered through-, until he finally feels the need to fucking do something and starts kicking his freaky immune system to life.

His breath comes out as condensed clouds, each intake of breath colder than the last. The shitty smell of raw meat doesn’t help with the nausea, and he has half a mind to sleep all of this off, but leaving the suicidal freak alone with metal hooks all around is probably a wildly stupid idea. He’s still weighing his options-

“I’m booooored!!” Dazai suddenly whines, high pitched and grating. Chuuya jolts, opening his eyes in order to send the other a scowl out of habit.

Only various shades of brown meet his vision, swimming before him. The migraine remerges tenfold,  “Wh-”

“Chuuya, entertain me!” Dazai leans onto him, shoulder to shoulder, so roughly that the clench of his stomach tightens. Chuuya barely has the energy to push the bastard back, said bastard surely aware of that, “Be my jester! Now, now!”

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that? Hey-”

Just as Dazai straightens on his own, Chuuya feels his fedora getting snatched, followed by low chuckles and murmurs of “Disgusting hat, I’mma burn you when we’re out of here…”

If Chuuya were to sound crazy, he’d have told you that Dazai is purposely being extra obnoxious right now– ridiculously so, but four years of separation might have granted him the blessing of forgetting how annoying Dazai could truly get, thus doesn’t humor that thought…

“You have two seconds before I start calling for grantors of dark disgrace and level this whole room over your head.” He warns, and doubts this is a good idea at all (Forcing Arahabaki awake is never a good idea). But he’s seriously getting tipped over the edge and the drug rushing in his veins isn’t helping in the slightest, “Give it, now.”

Dazai stays silent for a few seconds. A few seconds too long. Catching a glimpse of his face threatens to empty out the contents in his stomach, so Chuuya just decides to close his eyes again and relish this brief moment of piece, brushing the flicker of confusion aside.

Then the grating is back, “Fiiiine…”

It’s weird how Dazai takes his already outstretched hand and places the fedora on top of it, even lingering the hold on his gloved fingers for a second before letting go. Weird, but not concerning.

“Smart choice.”  He plants his belonging back on his head, sighing lowly. The option of sleeping sounds like a dream right now– would save him the trouble of handling the two constant problems in his life at once. But nothing ever feels as good as it sounds in Chuuya’s case– sometimes his comfort comes with a heavy price, even.

Suffering through this it is, then.

“Ne, you really still can’t see?” Dazai leans onto him again– not as roughly, but certainly making Chuuya lose his balance all the same, “What about the headache? Is it getting any better? Is it? I’m bored- can you see yet? Can y-”

“No I fucking can’t, that’s why we’re still here!” Chuuya exclaims, successfully shoving him off, unable to handle Dazai’s toddler whining a second longer, “You think I wouldn’t have kicked the door down the second I regained my ability?!”

“Eh, you’re right. The air smells so bad when a dog is sharing it with me.” Dazai taunts, and must be leaning back onto the wall now, legs overly outstretched before him (probably rocking his heels back and forth) because God forbid he ever sit normally, “Too bad the door is too sturdy to budge with my kicks.”

“Cuz you’re a wuss.”

“Cuz it’s sturdy.” The other stresses, then it’s silent for a few minutes. The moment the headache begins to dissipate into a buzzing sting, rather than pounding ache, Dazai decides he should resume the torture session,

“Chuuya should cut his hair.”

That’s… so random. Even by Dazai standards. “What the he- Are you touching it?!”

Fingers tug on the longer end of his hair, brushing it, “Need scissors.”

Chuuya wishes he could recoil back in disgust, he really does, “Keep your grubby fingers to yourself, piece of shit! You know how much product I use?!” He tries to smack the hand away, never lands on it, “They’re worth your damn hands.”

Dazai blows a raspberry, and the fingers meekly abort, “My bad for trying to make a slug look a hundred times better.”

“This is neither the time nor place for it, freak.”

“Oh, so you agree to cutting it later? Consent granted!”

Chuuya springs up from the wall, “THAT’T NOT WHAT I-” At the violent lurch he receives in his abdomen, he gags mid-sentence, but thankfully doesn’t fully throw up. Or unthankfully. He isn’t sure what’s better for him at the moment. He tries to breathe through the acid in his throat, “Fuck…”

He hears shifting from beside him, peeking to deduce Dazai hugging his knees now– rocking back and forth? He closes his eyes again, wishing time wasn’t a slow bitch at the moment. One arm presses to his abdomen, right where it’s angry and upset, the other stays numb on the floor beside him. Several clouds form in front of his lips, with him somehow sweating midst the freezing room, the water cooling on his burning skin terrifyingly fast. Perhaps a minute more and they’d turn solid.

“Can your trusty dusty chaos God wake up any faster?” Oh, right. Dazai isn’t dead yet, so peace for him isn’t an option, “Does turning him off and on again works?”

Chuuya rigids once something that feels like ice pokes his cheek,

“Fucking hell, when did you find an ice cube?” He uncoordinatedly smacks the thing away, which turns out to be a hand. Huh. “You already know the answer to that, bastard. Why are you even trying?”

“Worth it…” He giggles, something breathy about it, off. Chuuya pauses, sharpening his hearing instantly, because anything off regarding Dazai is always a bad sign, and his sense about this never lies. Call it a sixth sense, if you will. “Besides, pestering Chuuya when he’s weak is fun! You think I won’t take my chances? You really don’t know me at all!”

At that his concentrated frown dissipates, immediately replaced by one of assessment.

“Wait a second…” He keeps his head hanged and eyes closed, but his tone rumbles all the same, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Whatever you mean, sluggy poo?”

Chuuya doesn’t fall for the bait, sharpening his hearing even more, “I thought you were being annoying just for the sake of it, but now you’re outright telling me you’re being annoying?” He lifts his head to look at the direction of the other, sending a glare with closed eyes, “You’re trying to hide something. Out with it.”

“Pfff, paranoid much, aren’t we?”

And just like that, Chuuya catches it.

The shivers in the other’s breathing, that automatically translate to shudders in his speech, are so subdued, desperately trying to stay hidden from him, trying to get concealed behind loud pitches and provoking fronts.

It’s a testament to how far gone his mind is in order for that to escape him.

“You’re-” Without asking for verbal confirmation that he wouldn’t get, Chuuya hurriedly takes off his gloves, “Gimme that- where is it?” He blindly wanders till he finds a bandaged wrist and grasps it. The stiffen of the other gets ignored as his hands travel to the only bare parts in Dazai’s body– his fingers and face. The fingers are frigid to the point where he can’t hold them for more than a few seconds, while the moment he clumsily smacks the face in order to cup it with both hands, it’s like all his body heat rushes to it– the skin cold, hungry and craving any kind of warmth, “What the hell- you’re fucking freezing!”

“Wow, what an astute observation, Chuuya.” He hears the roll of the other’s eyes, as Dazai’s quivering fingers hold onto both of Chuuya’s wrists, trying to push them away from his face but not putting that much effort into it, “It’s not like we’re literally in a freezer room.”

“No- this isn’t normal.” Chuuya declares, squeezing the cheeks in. How come cold skin can burn so much? “We’ve only been here for like…”

“Twenty minutes?”

“Exactly. Doesn’t it take about… way longer for hypothermia to kick in?”

“That’s you! You’re the abnormal one!” Dazai exclaims, sounding more genuine than he has been since they’ve been thrown in here. Scratch that– since he’d known him, “You think all people come with a built-in heater? I thought you realized that that’s not the case during your mission in Siberia. And you call me a fish.”

Chuuya pauses promptly. Oh, right. Sometimes he forgets that he isn’t the only one who occasionally wakes up to screams coming from within, or feels unprecedented urge to unleash chaos in stressful situations, or even runs way warmer than others. These are constants in his life. Constants he has to remind himself that no other person experiences…

And even if Arahabaki is asleep, the remnants of his abnormally high temperature is still very much intact. Chuuya doesn’t feel much past the chills of the poison itself, other than that? Coolness at best at his extremists. He’d need to stay here thirty minutes longer for the real frigidness to kick in…

Though Chuuya is equally aware that while his core temperature is abnormally high, Dazai’s core temperature is, funnily enough, abnormally low. Leave him out in the snow for a few minutes and you’d get a hypothermic mackerel popsicle in no time.

Chuuya grimaces. Stupid, stupid.

How could he forget that? His mind defends him, tells him it must have been the poison, that it must have played a part in brushing that fact aside. Chuuya wants to curse it out. He’s retained many random facts about Dazai by heart– so, so many, some even entirely useless; but when it comes to important stuff he somehow has to be reminded of them the hard way. What is wrong with him?

Well, time to make up for that. Harshly, because the bastard deserves it.

“I’m perfectly normal, thank you very much.” He lies through his teeth, but his voice is almost soft, fingers still intact with the skin cosplaying an ice wall, “You’re the one with a terrible immune system that is eager to kill you at the first given chance.”

Dazai chuckles, breathily once again. Shakily, the accurate word for it. “Dying by hypothermia i-isn’t too bad, actually!”

“Just- fucking drop it, will you? You don’t need to do that shit.” Once again he grits out softer than intended, finally cutting the contact. If he had his eyes working, he’d have seen the way Dazai chases the hands for a second before collecting himself and drawing back, “Come closer before I snatch you by the hair.”

“Chuuya wouldn’t have the energy to, anyway…” Dazai finally sounds as slurred and exhausted as he should, and Chuuya’s thankful he can even move– numbness probably there but hasn’t fully settled in.

“You remember our code?”

“Code white? O-Of course I do. Have many fond memories with it.” He hears the rustle of fabric, which means that Dazai is taking off his coat. Chuuya does the same, if a little slower.

“Stage?”

“Mild.”

Chuuya exhales, “Thank fuck, I wasn’t looking forward to sharing body heat with you properly.”

There is a pause, then, “…Severe, then.” He sees the smirk in the Dazai’s face without the need to see at all.

“That so? I’ll bash your head against that metal wall, then.” He knocks behind him twice, just as he senses Dazai drawing near, “Seems like it would do the trick nicely.”  

“No thanks, I-I change my mind. I’d like the mild-stage treatment.”

“Just as I thought.”

Chuuya suddenly feels a weight on his lap, and acts. He takes both of their coats and wraps them with it as make-shift blankets, just as Dazai gets comfortably seated, ear over Chuuya’s heart, knees tucked close. The redhead presses his lips on the hair beneath him before he can help it, feeling the frost that has settled there. One arm supports the taller’s shoulder and back, while the other wraps around Dazai’s midsection, keeping him caged in.

Now without the need to hide anything, Dazai’s shivers turn to trembles, rocking him to his core and rocking Chuuya along with it. The brunette wraps the coats tighter around himself, pulse audibly rapid and panicking, trying to compensate the body for the heat it lost apace.

Chuuya’s migraine begins dissipating a little, and he dares open his eyes, to find the variety of colors taking the form of actual shapes, now. He relaxes, just as he feels Dazai do the same– their positioning, strange as it may come for them, somehow feeling utterly natural…

“Gosh, I almost forgot your stupid tendency to never speak up in situations like this.” The mafioso chastises midst the curls, “What? Were you trying to make up for the fact that I got drugged cuz of you?” Chuuya is sure there might be a number of other reasons, like the fact that Dazai could have simply been waiting to die like that– to pass out from the cold and never feel it when Chuuya tries to wake him up again.

But Dazai’s silence grants him an abundance of answers, one of them that confirms his verbal question, and he tskes in displeasure.

“Goody-two-shoes act that makes me sick...” He rasps, his upset stomach comforted with the added pressure to it.

Dazai huffs, finding the energy to nuzzle his cheek to Chuuya’s chest exactly like a freaking cat, “My personal heater…”

At how weirdly endearing that sounds, Chuuya bristles, “I’m not your fucking-”

“Along with being my dog? Too many jobs for your brain to handle, Chibi…!” Dazai’s slurred speech sounds funny, but the words themselves cause the shorter to growl, “You’ll overwork yourself!”

“Your neck is in a perfect position to get snapped. Watch your words.”

“Hm…” Dazai takes the threat in stride, one of his hands that was lost under the blanket coming up to hold onto Chuuya’s shoulder, “The air still smells bad, by the way.”

“Then I’ll keep you trapped in it for longer.” Chuuya counters, sharing his former partner’s frigidness without mind or care. He meekly feels the forehead concealed under brown bangs, to find it minutely warmer than before. Good, great.

“How much longer are we staying here again…?” Dazai asks.

Chuuya blinks, cozy, “Not much. I can see better now.”

“Mm, then all your strength will be back in ten minutes at most…”

“Of course you still memorize the exact cooldown duration of my ability.” Chuuya would have rolled his eyes if it weren’t for his splitting headache, “Why am I not surprised?”

Dazai keeps quiet, head hanging as he mumbles, “Chuuya’s the one with a bad memory…”

The redhead pauses, unable to deny the present truth before him, “Maybe…” He mumbles back, then huffs, “But at least you’re a thorn in my side that annoyingly reminds me of the kind of stuff I eagerly want forgotten…”

“If it’ll make Chuuya miserable,” Dazai tilts his head up. Chuuya sees the smile so clear, bright and giddy. Blurry at the edges but real. “I’ll always be a thorn in his side that will always keep annoyingly reminding him…”

Something leaps in his heart at the connotation embedded in these words, of his former partner vowing to never leave again, to forever be a part of the mafioso’s life despite what life has done them, despite the circumstances. And Chuuya himself vows to never forget how such a simple word almost sent him in a haze of emotions so deep and human. The word always.

His hold tightens, and he hides his face before mumbling, “Of course it will make me miserable, bastard…”

~~~~

Hc for context: I’m a ‘Chuuya has amnesia as a trauma response’ believer. Like yeah he remembers some details regarding missions but otherwise blocks out anything his mind deems too stressful to deal with. “Your mission in Siberia” Actually had most of his subordinates die because they stayed for the cold too long. :’) Obviously, some missions with Dazai are in that chunk as well, along with the entirety of Stormbringer cuz I said so jnrgjrn.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED!! This wasn’t my best work so forgive me, Essie! I’ll try my best to edit and tweak some things in here when I have the energy. <33

[whumpbug]

whumperless whump event day 7: accidental cryotherapy @whumperless-whump-event

this one is a bit longer than i usually write but i had so much fun writing it I LOVE THESE GUYS

falling through a frozen lake / hypothermia / “hey, c'mon, you gotta stay awake."

see this post for character information!

caretaker: Simon

whumpee: Archie

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Archie really should have been used to the cold by now, considering he’d lived in the city for his entire life. Despite that, he couldn't help that it somehow seemed to catch him by surprise every year.

The snow fell gently around him, making the usually bustling streets seem just a little bit calmer. No one wanted to be out in this kind of weather, after all. He could even see his breath come in puffs every time he exhaled. It was kind of.. mesmerizing.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sweet voice coming from below him.

“Thank you so much son!” The little old lady he had rescued from a mugger said, while viciously shaking Archie’s hand. It was gloriously warm, a welcome contract to his numb fingertips. Still, the strength behind it was surprising for how frail the woman looked.

“Oh, it’s really no problem ma’am, none at all! Just doing my part!” He said cheerfully. “I can escort you home if you’d like—”

He was cut off by police chatter coming in through his earpiece. He listened in with a grave expression for a few moments before his jaw set in determination. There had been an accident. One involving the frozen lake in the city park.

“I’m so sorry ma’am, but I have to go, I’ll make sure one of the officers escorts you home, okay?"

“Oh that’s alright dear, you’ve been more than enough help.. you get on home and warm up, okay?” She hummed, patting Archie’s cheek.

Archie laughed a bit before setting off. He wouldn’t be warming up anytime soon, that was for sure. Still, at least that lady would be able to. That was what made the job always worth it. Someone got to go home safely now because of him, and that was enough.

Now, back to the issue at hand.

He ran the situation through his mind as he began his sprint to the city's park. Luckily the mugging had happened only a few blocks away, so he would get there before emergency services.

Apparently, a couple of high school students had been messing around by the lake and one of them had fallen in. None of the others were able to get him out and he was trapped under the ice. The kids said it had only been a few seconds before they called the police, but still, the thought of a kid losing air while simultaneously freezing to death disturbed Archie deeply. It made him run just a little bit faster.

It was actually getting rather difficult to run. Archie's Vigil suit wasn't very weather friendly, and he found himself faltering every few steps from the lack of feeling in his toes. Still, he braved the cold and soldiered on.

Eventually, 2 silhouettes came into view as Archie approached the lake. The 2 kids were scrambling at the river bank, panicked, and he could hear their argument from twenty feet back.

“You were the one who dared Henry to do it!”

“Yeah well you egged him on! You encouraged it! It's both of our faults!”

“Don’t you dare try to blame me for this!”

Archie walked right up to them, holding up a placating hand.

“I don't care who's fault it was. I need you to show me where your friend fell through. Now.” He barked. Usually. he’d take the time to calm the bystanders and reassure them that everything would be okay, but the seconds were precious and there was a kid drowning.

Both students shut up and shakily pointed to a spot about 8 feet from the river bank.

Archie sucked in a breath.

He quickly scanned the area for anything he could use, but unfortunately he was quite ill-equipped. He knew it was dangerous to go out on the ice, lest it breaks again, but it was looking more and more like it was his only option.

With a sharp exhale, he got down on all fours, then lowered himself to his belly as he began scooting across the ice towards the break. It was times like these that he was immensely grateful for his heightened vision, because he was able to see the outline of a squirming body through the ice. Good, he thought, he’s still partially conscious, at least. It's not too late.

Finally, his fingers found purchase at the edge of the ice, and not a moment too soon as his front was starting to sting from the contact with it. A shudder his frame as he inhaled deeply to steel his nerves.

In he goes.

He slipped head-first through the hole in the ice and immediately his vision when white with the sheer cold. He fought the urge to gasp. God, who knew the cold could hurt this bad. It was like every cell in his body started seizing up at once, and his head was going to explode.

He clenched his jaw and brought his focus back to the present. He didn’t have time to dwell on the pain. He had a job to do. 

He forced his eyes open, which stung viciously from the frigid water, and scanned the murk for the kid. Henry, he heard them say. He saw a limb flail from a silhouette a few feet away.

He kicked towards Henry and reached out. His stiff fingers wrapped around the thrashing arm and held it steady. Got him.

He pulled Henry tight to his body, and looked down to see wide eyes looking up at him. Despite his own compromised state, he forced himself to flash the kid a soft smile to put him at ease. Henry vaguely returned it.

He kicked up towards the surface, again, using his enhanced vision to scan for the hole they both came in through. He reached up and finally found the jagged edge of the ice. Bingo. He and the kid breached the surface with a gasp.

Archie coughed wetly as he pushed Henry up onto the ice.

Henry coughed just as violently, letting out a weak cry as he scrambled for the edge, trying desperately to pull himself up. Archie had to physically restrain his arms to keep him from breaking more ice and drowning them both.

He wanted to explain that the ice would only hold one of them, so they had to be strategic about how they got back to the bank. He tried to explain that the kids on the bank had to grab Henry’s feet and pull, but his teeth were chattering too violently to even form a word. Not to mention the bitter, unrelenting cold was all his mind could focus on. If things weren't bad already, he was treading water to hoist the kid up but his legs were rapidly losing feeling. He had to act fast.

“Pull!” he managed to shout, shoving the kid up and onto the ice. With an adrenaline-induced feat of strength, he managed to slide him across the ice and towards the bank.

Luckily, the students were able to catch on. They grabbed Henry’s ankles and dragged him to the grass, all collapsing in an exhausted and shaken heap once he was on solid ground.

The ambulance sirens rang through the night air a few moments later, and Archie vaguely felt panic bubble up within him. If the ambulance found him, they would take him to the hospital. At the hospital, they would take off his mask and people would see his face. His identity would be revealed. He couldn’t have that happen.

But he was still halfway in the freezing pond and rapidly losing sensation all throughout his limbs. He needed to get out fast.

With fleeting strength, he managed to yank himself up onto the ice as wheezing coughs wracked his body once again.

The adrenaline must have had a second wind, because he was able get himself to his hands and knees and shuffle across the ice. Once he made it to the riverbank, he hauled his himself to his numb feet and began staggering towards the trees.

He kept going until he was sure he was out of view. Those boys would never know who really saved them, but maybe it was for the better. He wouldn't want anyone to see him like this anyways.

He vacantly wondered if he should be shivering.

Things started happening in short bursts. He was so cold, and his vision was starting to blur at the edges. His suit was sopping wet and his feet were completely numb as he trudged through the falling snow. Suddenly, his foot caught on a divot in the ground and it sent him unceremoniously crashing to his knees. He couldn't even register the pain of the bones knocking against the pavement.

His entire body was numb. He wasn’t shivering. Snow was falling on him and stayed perfectly intact, not even beginning to melt.

He knew, in the back of his mind, that this was bad. Very bad. Needed-to-call-someone-or-he’d-die kind of bad.

It took great mental effort, but he somehow pulled out his phone and watched as it nearly slipped from his clumsy hands. He wasn’t even registering the feeling of the phone in his hand at this point. This confused him.

It was painfully slow, but he managed to open Simons contact. If anyone knew how to help him, it would be Simon. Simon was always there for him. He was steadfast and warm. Yeah, Simon could help him.

He tapped out a message that simply read, “cold. help” before letting his phone fall to the ground.

He sank to his knees and hugged his arms close to his body, but it didn’t help. Nothing did. Everything was viciously numb and he felt himself blink dizzily. His mind suddenly felt as if it was moving through molasses.

..What was he doing out here again?

Oh right. Highschoolers. Frozen lake. That was stupid of them. He remembered his mother's voice telling him to stay away from the edge of the riverbank when he was a kid.

He distantly wondered if their mother's told them the same thing.

He missed his mom. She would always make him hot cocoa and puff warm air on his hands and fluff his blankets in the drier when he came in from playing in the snow.

Why wasn't she here now?

Was anyone coming for him?

Was he going to freeze to death in this park? Alone and scared?

He was starting to regret hiding from the paramedics.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, mind a million miles away, but suddenly, he heard the rapid crunching of snow in front of him. He wanted to look up, he really did, but he found his muscles wouldn’t respond to his demand. He must have been dreaming.

“Archie! There you are!” Simon breathed, kneeling beside his friend. "Shit.."

Simon fumbled with his gloves, but eventually worked his hand out and pressed his fingers to Archie’s neck to gauge his pulse. He nearly gasped at how cold the skin beneath them were. He gently lifted his face to get a better look at him. His pulse was there, but it was alarmingly weak.

His lips were sickly blue and his eyes were hazy and unfocused. He didn’t’ even seem to recognize Simon right in front of him. The worst part, though, was the eery stillness. Archie was too silent and too unmoving. Simon needed to get him shivering and quick.

Simon brushed his fingers across Archie’s cheek, to which Archie let out a pained gasp and recoiled away.

“Burns..” He slurred, letting his head loll to the side.

“You’re just frozen, Archie..” Simon muttered, shrugging off his own coat and buttoning it around Archie’s limp form. He chafed up and down his arms, attempting to coax warmth into his frozen friend.

“We need to get you to my apartment.. can you walk?”

“Simon..” He finally whimpered, blinking blearily at the other. Simon could have sworn he saw a glint of desperation in Archie's eyes.

“Right, stupid question. Onto plan B,” He huffed, hooking his arms under Archie's legs and around his shoulders. He let out a stifled gasp at just how cold he really was.

As soon as they were in the car, Simon blasted the heat as high as it would go, and he still saw no improvement in Archie’s condition. On the contrary, Archie just seemed to grow even more drowsy. Simon gently shook Archie’s knee, hoping to get him to stir.

“Hey, c’mon.. you gotta stay awake.. at least until we’re home..” He pleaded, speeding up the car just a bit.

Archie gave a wet cough and let his head fall forward, still seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

“We’re almost home.. I promise..”

Once the car was parked, Simon made quick work of carrying Archie up the stairs and getting him situated on the couch. He helped him peel off the wet clothes, and then covered him with mounds and mounds of blankets. He then plugged in every space heater he owned, safety concerns be damned, and pointed them right at the heap of bedding. 

He recalled everything he had ever learned about treating hypothermia.

Bring out of the cold. Check.

Remove wet clothing. Check.

Insulate with blankets and towels. Check.

Apply warm compresses.

Right.

Simon jogged to his closet in the hallway and rummaged around before finding some old hot water bottles. They were a bit rudimentary, but they would have to do. He left Archie on the couch while he swiftly boiled water and filled them. He then wrapped them in hand towels and returned to Archie with his arms full of glorious warmth.

Archie blinked up at him, and Simon noticed, with great relief, the tremors that wracked his body. They were violent and all-consuming, but at least he was shivering.

“C-Can.. can I t-take a hot ba-bath..” He slurred, looking up at Simon with pleading eyes.

The sight shattered his heart into a million pieces. Simon sighed softly.

“I’m sorry.. we can’t risk you going into shock.. we’ll warm you up other ways, okay?” He murmured, carefully peeling back the layers of blankets.

At that, Archie gave another intense shudder as his pale skin was exposed to the air. A soft cry escaped his lips as he instinctively curled in on himself.

“H-Hurts..” He whimpered, clawing at the blankets.

“I know, I know..” Simon whispered, leaning over to place a heat pack on Archie's chest. He then laid one on his neck and groin and replaced the blankets around him.

"There.. that should help you feel a bit warmer," Simon explained softly, giving Archie another once-over.

The shivering only got more vicious as Archie seized up with every small movement. His teeth were chattering violently and the force of the trembling even shook the couch.

“S-Simon.. Simon I’m so cold.. c-can’t.. can’t take it,” He sobbed, trying to sink further into the fabric around him.

Simon felt his heart shatter even more. He’d seen Archie come back from having a building collapse on him, and he still didn’t look as pitiful as he did now. Even though he was more lucid now, his eyes still had that far-away look at made Simon just want to hold him close and tell him he'd be alright.

So he did.

He vaguely remembered hearing in one of his classes that body heat could be effective at warming someone up and.. well, no time like the present.

Simon lifted the covers and carefully slid in beside Archie, getting himself settled before turning towards him and opening his arms.

“C’mere.. this will help..” He muttered, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feign annoyance. Not when Archie was looking at him like he just told him he’d won the lottery.

Archie immediately latched himself onto Simon’s side, and now Simon could really feel how much Archie was shaking. His entire frame was convulsing with ferocious shakes that had to hurt. Archie would definitely be feeling it in the morning.

Still, Simon wrapped his arms around Archie and drew him closer. He gently smoothed a hand up and down Archie’s back in an attempt to soothe him, and if the way Archie leaned into it was any indicator, it was working.

After a while of comfortable silence, save for the soft chattering of Archie’s teeth, the shivers finally began to ease up. They were still there and rather exhausting no doubt, but they weren’t so intense anymore.

Simon thought of his mental checklist again, and recalled something about a warm drink to help with the chills. He'd been laying with Archie long enough, and surely he would appreciate a steaming cup of chamomile.

Simon moved to get up, easing Archie off his arm, to which Archie let out a panicked yelp and all but yanked him back down.

“Woah! I’m just gonna go get you some tea! It’ll help! I promise!” Simon pleaded, huffing a soft laugh.

“No! No.. p-please just.. just stay for a f-few more minutes..” Archie begged, weakly grasping at Simon’s sweater.

Simon playfully rolled his eyes and leaned back, letting Archie snuggle right back up to him.

“Alright.. just a few more minutes..”

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

[sabyfangirl]

Alone

After the brothers had a huge argument, Chris accidentally fell out of the Tortuga and into canadian woods in the middle of a snow storm, leaving his guilt-consumed brother to go looking for him with the help of the team.

After another successful creature rescue, the Tortuga team had decided to head North America, Canada to be more specific. Unfortunately, the timing was not the best since there had been serious ice storms and blizzards in most of the areas, forcing the gang to stay inside the Tortuga for what they planned to be a "short period" of time, which quickly turned into days - driving the Kratt brothers insane.

"Martin, turn that racket down! Can't you see I'm trying to read?" Chris yelled from across the room. He was reading a book in his hammock - about science and biology - while Martin was playing the guitar on a floor cushion.

"Well I wanna play my guitar, I gotta do something to keep myself from getting bored!" Martin replied moodily, strumming even harder this time.

They both stared at each other angrily.

From the other side of the room, the girls watched as the tension between the brothers intensified.

"Oh, the storm outside is nothing compared to the one inside," Aviva sighed exasperatedly, Koki nodding her head.

"Yeah, I've never seen them fight before, like ever!" she pointed out with a disappointed tone.

"It's really not like them, we've been cooped up in here for so long it's making them crazy!"

After bearing the sound for one more minute, Chris had enough. "Will you stop playing for just five seconds?!" he snapped.

"You're not the boss of me, so no," Martin said with all of his chest.

"That does it," Chris slammed his book closed, "I'm going to the garage where I can be alone," he shot his brother a hard look from the corner of his eyes.

Martin, barely looking up, simply shrugged. "Whatever," he scoffed while tuning his guitar. Aviva and Koki shared unhappy looks as Chris disappeared out of sight.

"Enough is enough." Martin looked up to find Aviva looking down at him, Koki right beside her. "What has gotten into you guys?" Aviva started.

"You've been fighting over small things lately, and it's getting worse," Koki persued, a firm look on her face.

Martin layed down his guitar and got up. "Oh come on, he's the one who started it!" he said defensively.

Aviva and Koki gave him the uh huh look. He kind of felt as though it was his fault, but wouldn't admit it. He walked by the girls only to accidentally sit on a particular switch.

In the garage, Chris was looking for a good spot to read in peace. "Argh, why does Martin have to be so annoying," he let out with a frustrated tone.

He eventually sat down against a pile of boxes.

"At least he won't be bugging me here," he buried his face in his book... but couldn't bring himself to focus on reading. He looked up and sighed deeply.

"Maybe I should-"

Suddenly, the garage hatch opened right in front of him.

"Oh no!" Chris yelped as he got sucked in, his hands grasping the edge of the hatch as he held on for dear life, having let go of his book as it disappeared into the darkness.

Other objects flew past him, but just as he thought he was going to make it, he got hit in the face by one of the boxes, sending him falling out of the Tortuga.

"AAAH!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was, you gotta talk things out with Chris," Aviva insisted.

Martin looked away, arms crossed, but deep down he knew he had to do the right thing. "Okay fine, I'll go and apologize to him," Martin sighed in defeat as he reluctantly made his way to the garage, Aviva and Koki sharing delighted expressions.

"That's more like it."

"Chris," Martin called out as soon as he entered the garage.

No answer.

"I know you're in here somewhere, I just wanna talk-" he stopped short when he noticed the garage hatch was wide open, and Chris was nowhere to be seen.

His stomach dropped. "Chris!" He ran over and looked down from the hatch. It was like staring at a black hole, only being able to see endless snowflakes, but no sign of his brother.

"No..." He stood there for a moment, processing what had happened.

"NO! CHRIS!" Martin cried out, but it was pointless.

He then rushed back to the main room. "The garage hatch is open! Chris is gone!"

"WHAT?!" Aviva and Koki looked stunned.

"But how?" Koki looked over her shoulder. "Someone sat on the switch," she glared at him.

Martin's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. Just a moment ago he felt angry, but now he was consumed with guilt.

"And it's freezing out there!" Aviva paused and slowly turned her head to look at Martin. "...What was Chris wearing?"

The question caught his breath. "Nothing but shorts and a sweater..." Martin's voice trailed off as he gradually felt himself panicking on the inside.

Noticing this, Aviva grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard. "Martin focus, we gotta go back and find Chris." Martin took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll go tell Jimmy to turn back and let him know what's going on," Koki dashed to the pilot room, leaving Martin and Aviva looking at each other with concerned eyes.

"Oh, brother..."

In a snow-covered forest, lay an unmoving body. Suddenly, weak moans started to escape him. The green Kratt was slowly returning to the world of living, the soft but horribly cold touch of the snow making it harder for him to get up from the ground. He gritted his teeth as he sat up and brushed the snow off his clothes before he looked around with blurry eyes; it was pitch dark, with nothing but the harsh winter wind howling in his numb face, snowflakes dancing around him. Part of him was actually grateful he had landed in soft snow. Cold but soft. Though he wished there was such a thing as warm snow, as silly as it sounded in his head. In a shiver, he wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to stand up, almost failing at it. He was so cold, acknowledging that his attire wasn't suitable for the weather. His skin felt like it could easily rip any moment. His teeth chattered so badly, the vibration could reach his brain. A thought suddenly came to him; he dug his trembling hand in his pocket...only to find that he didn't have his creature pod on him. He must've lost it during the fall.

Fantastic.

He squinted his eyes as he tried to spot anything that might be useful; the boxes that accompanied him during his fall were mostly wrecked, some were even sticking out of sharp branches, like marshmallow during a campfire. He swallowed hard as a chill went down his spine. It could've been him.

"This is g-great," he muttered to himself, trying hard not to panic. He had no clue where he was nor for how long he was out cold, all he knew is that he couldn't stand there for too long. "G-Gotta f-find sh-shelter." He picked a random direction and dragged his feet in the thick snow.

"Land the Tortuga right here, Jimmy!" Aviva pointed at a clearing, which could be seen thanks to their searchlights.

"Righty-o!" Jimmy landed the Tortuga, slow and steady.

With no time to spare, the gang got geared up and ready to go out on the search. They all headed to the garage and decided to take the Creetera - Aviva had modified it to make it move through the toughest of conditions, including snow. With Jimmy behind the wheel, Koki next to him and Aviva and Martin in the back, they took off to find their brother and friend... Before it was too late.

"We're coming, Chris."

Everything around him felt cold, vicious, biting and blinding. The wind was roaring in his ears, he had snow in his hair and he was shivering badly. The black and brown thorns wrapped around the forest, almost like teeth waiting to tear at him. Each trudge felt longer and harder than the last. He was getting colder and weaker. He couldn't stand it anymore. All he wanted was a warm bed and a soft blanket, and to think that he had all that and more not long ago. He stopped and looked down at his hands: his fingertips were already turning blue.

Blue.

Martin.

Part of him wanted to blame him for everything, but the other just missed him so badly. He could even hear his voice echoing in his head.

Well I wanna play my guitar, I gotta do something to keep myself from getting bored!

The random cracking sound of wood suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes danced around to spot the source of it, when they landed on what seemed to be... a hut.

Wait... A HUT!

Slowly but surely, he made his way to what he considered to be the perfect shelter, but when he got close enough, he began to have doubts; the hut was pretty small, so small that not even a horse could fit in it. It had no door, and even with all the snow, he could still tell it wasn't very solid.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Without another thought, he bent his head to enter the hut. It was dark and he could hardly see, but at least he no longer had snow blowing at his face. He walked deeper into the hut, until he found a corner where he sat down. His numb hands touched the ground and he felt smooth, humid grass, which was more preferable than snow. A shaky sigh escaped his chest as he looked around him. A bit of dim moonlight pierced through the cracks and holes, creating a somewhat comforting scene. A weak smile crept across his face, but it faded as soon as he remembered his misery. He also remembered the moment he fought with his brother.

Will you stop playing for just five seconds?!

That does it, I'm going to the garage where I can be alone.

Alone.

Now he was truly alone.

He felt a small tear forming in his eye, but he held it back. He wondered if the crew noticed he was gone yet. He hoped they were already looking for him, having no idea how long he could possibly last out there. The weather was bad enough, but the lack of clothing made it far worse. He calculated the possibilities and the chances he had to survive. He felt his breathing getting faster as the realization hit him. He was freezing. His whole body ached from the cold. He already recognized the early signs of hypothermia; he felt numb, sluggish and his heart rate and breathing had increased. He knew that by staying completely immobile, his symptoms would only get worse. But just as he had the idea of getting up and walking around a little, he heard the loud booming sound of snapping wood right outside, then-

BOOM.

"Stop!" Martin cried out. Jimmy immediately smashed the breaks, and the Creetera came to a halt. Everyone turned to look at Martin who was pale as a sheet.

"Martin?" Aviva approached him, concerned. "What's wrong?

Martin slowly looked up at her, a petrified look on his face. "It's Chris," he swallowed hard.

"What about him?" Koki raised an eyebrow.

"He's hurt, I-I can feel it." He placed a few fingers on the side of his head.

The others exchanged worried looks. "You think you might know where he is?" Jimmy asked.

"N-No," Martin shook his head, still staring into the void. "All I know is that he's hurt." He then looked at them, distress painting his face. "We need to find him fast!"

"We will." Aviva placed a hand on his shoulder. "We promise."

"Uhh, guys," everyone's attention turned to the ginger guy. "What's that?" He pointed at something sticking out of the snow in front of them, illuminated by the headlights.

Martin was the first to hopp off. He went over and pulled the object out of the snow, letting out a loud gasp.

"Martin, what is it?" Aviva knelt beside him.

"It's Chris' book," he managed with a trembling voice, eyes fixated on the title.

"Wait, that means we're on the right track," Aviva said. "...Martin?"

You're not the boss of me, so no.

"Martin?" Aviva shook the blue Kratt. "Snap out of it!"

"It's all my fault," he muttered.

"What?"

Martin looked at her dead in the eye. "This is all my fault. It's my fault Chris is lost out here, it's my fault that he's probably hurt and it's my fault that-"

"Hey, hey, hey..." Aviva cut him off, her voice calm and gentle. "None of this is your fault, we'll find your brother." She grasped his shoulders in a comforting way. "Everything's gonna be okay," she smiled reassuringly.

With glassy eyes, Martin gave her a thankful smile.

"We better get moving," they heard Koki say from behind them. "If he landed here, Chris most likely would've taken...that path." She pointed with her finger, before heading back to the Creetera, followed by Aviva and Martin.

The ringing in his ears grew larger and larger...before it stopped. He gasped as his eyes flung open. The pain was so intense. He tried to move, but his body screamed in response. He put up a shaky hand to his throbbing head, and flinched... He looked down; blood. He felt crimson flowing from the side of his head. Cuts and bruises were all over his body, but he was in too much pain to notice. He then stared at both hands with wide eyes. No!

At that moment, tiny splinters of wood started falling in front of his face. He looked up to find, to his utter horror, a HUGE tree trunk that had burst through the roof, having completely destroyed half the hut. The damage was indescribable. And since the tree trunk was only a few inches above him, Chris used all of his remaining strength to crawl away from it. Oh, the pain was immeasurable. He finally made it to a safer corner, sucking in his fragile, frozen body. He couldn't feel his limps anymore. He then looked at his hands one more time...and his eyes filled with tears. It felt hopeless. He could feel himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness. He clenched his achy chest, his breathing shaky and unsteady. He just wished he could've seen his brother one last time, just hear his sweet voice, or feel one of his hugs.

"M-Martin," his voice was weak and stained with agony. "Help..."

Then the world around him turned black.

Help.

Martin gasped at the familiar voice echoing in his head. He clenched his chest. "Chris?"

"Jimmy stop!" Aviva let out as soon as she noticed. "Martin?"

"He's near, I can feel it." Martin looked around frantically. "Over there!" He pointed at a strange structure in the distance. 

When the Creetera got close enough, the crew gasped at the sight. "A tree fell on this hut!" Koki exclaimed.

"Whoa, that's some serious damage," Jimmy let out in awe.

"You don't think...?" Aviva's voice trailed off.

"Only one way to find out." Martin hopped off the vehicle, not forgetting his bag. "You guys stay here, it's too dangerous for all of us to get in."

The crew nodded. "Be careful," Aviva said.

Martin took out a flashlight as he entered the half-demolished shelter. As he walked deeper, he noticed the trunk sticking out of the ceiling, the sky vomiting snow all over. Then, he noticed an unmoving form in the corner. His eyes widened as he held up the flashlight with a trembling hand. When his eyes landed on him, he felt as though he was stabbed in the heart.

"CHRIS!" he cried out, throwing away his flashlight and dropping on his knees. "No, no, no, no, bro, wake up, it's me, Martin!" his voice was filled with despair, holding his face close to his. He then grabbed him by the shoulders and almost shook him, but didn't. He had to remain calm for his brother's sake. He noticed the dry blood on his face, already getting an idea of how it happened. If the trunk were a person, he would've punched them so hard. He then noticed the state of his hands and gasped quietly.

Frostbite.

He gently leaned in and pressed an ear against his chest, holding him close with his arms as he closed his eyes. "Please, please, please..."

...

Thumb. Thumb.

A faint heartbeat. It was shallow, but very much there.

Martin breathed the biggest sigh of relief he ever had, tears welling up in his eyes. He felt like breaking down and sobbing right then and there, but he abstained himself. He quickly wiped his eyes with a sniffle, then dug his hands in his bag and took out a weighted blanket. He wrapped the fabric around his brother's delicate, frozen body, careful not to harm him.

All of a sudden, Chris gave a whimper which startled his brother.

"Martin, is it time to go to school?" his voice was inaudible, barely louder than a whisper.

Martin's heart ached. He gently picked him up bridal-style, his brows furrowing with inquietude. "No, bro, just go back to sleep," he whispered, but it didn't stop his brother from rambling, only making him even more worried. "Hang in there, Chris."

Back outside, the crew was patiently waiting for Martin to show up. Once he stepped out of the hut, Aviva and Koki gasped in horror while Jimmy let out a screetch at the sight of Chris hanging in his brother's arms, with his head all the way back, a sign of his body's complete and utter limpness, blood covering nearly half his visage.

"Is he okay?!" Jimmy cried out.

"His head's bleeding, he's ice cold and he's delirious," Martin said, almost mechanically, positioning his brother in the back of the Creetera, laying his head on his bag. Then he stole a glance at his hands sticking out of the blanket. "And his hands took a beating," he sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around. "Hey, he'll be alright." Aviva smiled warmly, Martin forcing a feeble smile in return.

"Step on it, Jimmy!" Koki earged.

Without a second to spare, Jimmy smashed the accelerator and the Creetera instantly took off like a bolt of lightning.

Soon enough, the team made it back to the Tortuga, the entrance wide open and welcoming.

Everyone burst in the emergency room, Martin carrying Chris behind them.

He layed him on the emergency bed, then rushed off to grab a piece of cloth to wipe off the dry blood covering his pale face. Koki took off his blanket and threw it away, then she opened an IV bag warmer to heat IV fluids up for Chris before administering it to him. Aviva filled up a recipient with warm water before placing it on the bed, then she slowly dipped Chris' hands in the liquid. He instantly let out silent cries, whimpering at the newly discovered pain. "Sorry Chris," Aviva said with a desolated tone, "I know it hurts but it's for your own good."

Just then, Martin walked up to him with a cool washcloth and knelt beside the bed. "Hang on, bro, this will only take a sec."

Just as he pressed it against the wound, Chris grunted, slightly moving his head to avoid the contact. Regardless, he continued the process. Just as he placed the bloody cloth away, Jimmy walked up with a pile of blankets, carefully covering Chris up as much as he could without touching the recipient or the IV needle. He was making a huge effort at hiding his discomfort from it all, being slightly hemophobic and all that. Finally, Martin took care of wrapping up the wound on his brother's head, finishing with the gentle brush of his hand against his cold cheek.

Dead silence. Everyone circled around the bed, contemplating.

"That's all we can do for now," Koki finally said. "We should all go get some rest, it's been a long night."

Martin pulled a chair close to the bed and sat on it. "You guys go ahead," he said, not taking his eyes off of his brother. "I'm staying."

"Martin-" Aviva tried to reason with him but was instantly cut off.

"I said I'm staying," his tone was harsh and intense. Aviva sighed in defeat, knowing there was nothing she could do to make him leave.

"Fine." She walked by him and sympathetically patted him on the shoulder, before exiting the room, followed by Koki and Jimmy.

They were alone. Just the two of them.

Martin looked down at his brother's face, his eyes were closed shut, almost in a lifeless way.

The memory of everything that had happened flashed before his eyes. He sighed heavily, rubbing his face. He hated himself so badly.

Just then he heard a timid knock on the door. It was Jimmy. He walked in with a mug full of tea in his slightly shaky hands. Martin turned around and tried to wear a small smile.

"Thanks, JZ." He grabbed the mug and the ginger guy made his way out of the room.

"No problem."

Martin looked down at his brother's icy face, the cold refusing to go away, and gently lifted his head before approaching the mug to his slightly open lips. Chris drank most of the tea which made Martin feel at ease, then he placed the mug on the side table and slowly lowered his head back on the pillow. He adjusted the blanket around his form as much as he could, his eyes twitching at his fingers dipped in the water.

Another sigh, this one filled with mixed emotions; he was scared, angry with himself, overwhelmed with relief. But mostly, he just hoped his brother would ever forgive him for not being there for him when he needed him. He wished he could've been there sooner, wished he could've done something to prevent this, but all he could do now was hope he'd recover and that his hands wouldn't suffer from permanent damage. The thought formed a lump in his throat. He reached out a shaky hand and brushed it against Chris' slightly warmer face, tears on the edge of his eyes.

"Everything's gonna be alright, I promise," his voice cracked. And before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face. He buried his face in his brother's chest, sobbing in silence. At some point, he drifted to sleep, a protective arm unconsciously wrapped around his brother.

Hours later, he woke to the sound of grunts, followed by a faint call. "M-Martin..."

Martin's head immediately flung up. He looked down at his brother's closed eyes. "Chris?" his voice was hopeful. "C'mon, buddy, wake up." He squeezed his shoulder.

Chris' eyes slowly started to open, not completely, but enough to look at his brother through half-opened eyelids. "Chris," Martin's voice contained a shred of relief, "Can you hear me?"

Chris stared at him weakly, before nodding.

At that, Martin sighed shakily then reached out to feel his temperature... A little feverish, but he was awake and that was all that mattered.

"How are you feeling?" Martin tried to fake a smile to bring comfort to his agonized brother.

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead was a dry cough, followed by a shiver. Martin looked at him with sad eyes. Chris slowly looked down at his hands to find that they were in a recipient full of water, also noticing the IV needle sinking into his skin, like a snake's fangs. His eyes widened.

"It's okay, bro," he heard his brother say with a tender tone. "You're gonna be fine."

Chris looked at him for a moment, then smiled weakly. He then gave him a familiar look. Martin knew what it meant. He leaned in and gently wrapped his arms around him, trapping him in a long embrace.

Chris sighed as he snuggled in his brother's shoulder. If his hands were free, he would've wrapped them hard around him and never let go.

Sniff. Sniff.

To his shock, he felt tears falling on his back. "I-I'm so sorry," Martin sniffled between his words. "This is all my fault, I never should've gotten angry with you." 

Chris pulled away from the hug, looking into his brother's eyes. "I-I'm sorry, too," he managed with an unbelievably raspy voice, tears on the edge of his eyes. "I was s-scared, bro... I-I thought I'll never see you a-again, I..." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Shh," Martin wiped off the tear with his thumb. "Everything's gonna be fine now, I'm not going anywhere," he smiled warmly, his voice soft and reassuring.

Chris seemed to relax after that. "Thanks bro," he sniffled.

"You get some rest, I'll go let the others know you're awake." Chris nodded weakly and closed his eyes with a quivering sigh as Martin got up from the chair and headed to the door. He stopped, turned around to steal one more glance at his brother, smiling sadly...then left the room.

A few days had gone by, and chris was gradually healing; the hypothermia had completely gone away a few hours after his first conversation with his brother after the incident. His head injury was slowly getting better, and according to Aviva, he didn't seem to be having any internal issues that might've been caused by it, much to everyone's relief. All that was left was the frostbite. His hands stayed dipped in warm water 24/7, day and night, which was driving him a little crazy despite being told a million times it was the best way to treat it. He was mostly scared, however, that his hands would never get any better and that he would never be able to use them again. The thought always nearly brought him to tears, but thankfully he had his brother by his side to cheer him up and bring him hope, every step of the way. The older Kratt kept his word and never left his brother's side, he even went as far as reading him that book he had lost in the snow since he never truly finished it, and it always brought a smile to his little brother's face.

One day though, a miracle occured. Chris woke one morning, his brother sleeping beside him, his head resting on his bed, still sitting on that same chair. The sight always made a warm-hearted smile crack on his face. He always told him to sleep in his own bed but the stubborn sibling refused, not surprisingly. The green Kratt looked around the chamber, a bit of sunlight shining through the window and creating a golden string, his eyes following it until they landed on his hands. His hands. Something felt...different about them. He cautiously sat up to look down at his hands, still trapped under the water, and with slight hesitance, he slowly took them out, droplets of water raining on the cover as he approached them to his face.

He paused for a moment, gulped...then curled his fingers into a fist. His eyes widened, a short laugh escaping him, followed by a cry of joy and relief.

Martin suddenly came back to the world of living, he looked around frantically, still not fully awake. "Chris, wha-" He rubbed his eyes and noticed his brother staring at his hands with an exaggeratedly large smile on his face, his remaining sleep disappearing.

"Are you okay? What happened? Are you feeling worse?!" He shot him with a bunch of questions, Chris only laughing even harder.

"Martin, look!" He extended his hands for him to see; the frostbite was gone. Both brothers cried and hugged and sobbed for a while, they were just so happy.

"See? I told you everything was gonna be alright!" Martin cried, the smile on his face accompanied by matching tears.

"Yeah," Chris wiped his face, the amazing sensation of using his hands again washing over him. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

Martin gasped softly, smiling warmly.

After updating the others on what happened, Martin came back to Chris' room with some tea, his brother finally being able to hold his own mug. He then took out the book for Chris to grab.

Chris reached out his hands, but paused...then lowered them, seeming pensive. Martin looked confused.

"Actually..." Chris snuggled back on his pillow with his tea. "I like it better when you read it for me," he smiled.

Martin looked at him for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. "No problem," he chuckled.

[vonlipvig]

im sick so i went to take my temp to check im not running a fever and the thermometer said my temp's at 34,5 which, hmm, that would be unfortunate.

[atlasifyllm]

obviously this year we'll have another winter boys piece for the new years to celebrate chrisis but god i love the spongebob poster parody image so much

[entitled-fangirl]

Peculiar.

Cregan Stark x seer!reader

Summary: the reader whispers away, but Cregan doesn’t mind.

Masterlist

…………………………

"My love? What are you doing?"

Y/n sat in the middle of the garden in the dark, something in her hand.

"It's cold, my dear wife. What has caught your attention?" Cregan tried again.

A frog sat in her hand and she didn't let her gaze leave it. "The lead-footed toad will try to grow a hand," she whispered softly to herself.

He let out a soft sigh, knowing she was stuck in her head. He knelt down next to her, looking at the frog. "Are you cold?"

"The lead-footed toad."

"I know," he whispered back. "I know. But are you cold, my love?"

No answer came from her.

He reached up and gently touched her shoulder, and when she flinched instinctively, he was ready to calm her, "Shh. It's just me."

She relaxed at that, as if finally returning to the world. The frog had jumped from her hand when she had flinched and she looked back to her hand and began to frantically search the dirt around her for it.

Cregan reached out and grabbed her hands, "Hey. Hey. C'mere."

She looked back up at him, "It will try to grow a hand, Cregan."

He nodded, "I understand." He never quite did, but he knew better than to try to make it make sense to him. If it made sense to her, that's all that mattered. "You're freezing. Let us return to the warm walls, yes?"

"What if it succeeds?"

He frowned, "The toad?"

She nodded.

He shrugged, "Then he'll be the first of his kind, I suppose. But that's quite unlikely, don't you think?"

She considers his words and eventually nods, "Yes. Yes. I think so."

He smiles and brushes hair from her face, "C'mon. Up."

The two returned to the castle, but not without a last look at the dirt her frog had once been in.

…

The next spell happened in the dead of night.

It was actually quite unusual for it to surprise her in sleep.

She sat up, wide eyed, and in a dead sweat. Her breathing was erratic.

She looked to Cregan who slept like the dead.

The dead.

Her dream. "The fire will drown all but the two deserving of dying and they will claim it for themselves," she whispered to remember.

She pulled the blankets from herself and got up from the bed and moved to the fireplace.

She stared at the flames.

The fire will drown them.

Even she couldn't understand who.

Cregan rubbed his eyes and looked to her side of the bed, immediately frowning when she was not there.

He sat up, scanning the room and relaxing when he saw her, "Sweet girl?" His voice echoed in the quiet room.

She looked over her shoulder to him and wiped her face, "Sorry. Couldn't sleep."

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Alright," he said awkwardly. He wasn't sure what to do. "Want to talk about it?”

"Hmm?"

"The dream I know you had." He stated. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She hummed, "No. I don't think so."

"Come back to bed then."

"In a minute."

Cregan fell back onto the bed dramatically, "I shall catch hypothermia if my dear wife does not come warm me!"

She giggled, much more eager to join him.

His methods worked, and she was soon asleep on his chest.

…

The third one was sudden.

Cregan was busy sparring in the courtyard with a fellow swordsman, perfecting his skills.

She sat not too far with a book she was engrossed in.

But she suddenly dropped it and held her hands on either side of her head and her face scrunched in pain.

Cregan heard her whimper and he quickly abandoned his sword to move to her, "What's going on?"

She shook her head.

He knew the best method in this instance was to give her space, no matter how much he didn't want to.

She had a very sharp intake of breath and her eyes shot open. "Poison will stain the mouth of the ruler of the sun."

He tilted his head, "Hmm?"

"The… the poison. The sun…" Her voice faded as if uncertainty took over. "The ruler of the sun…"

He knelt in front of her, "You alright?"

She looked to him with a furrowed brow but she eventually nodded.

He let out a soft breath, leaning forward to capture her lips for just a moment.

He pulled away, "Let me clean up, and we'll discuss this 'ruler of the sun'. Yes?"

She let out a radiant smile, "Please."

He couldn't stop a small smile from running across his face as well.

She was such a peculiar thing, but he adored it.

……………………………..

Cregan Stark taglist: @misswynters, @cosmosnkaz, @sithapprentice, @kaniromi, @lovemesomevesey, @its-jackie-bb, @callsignwidow, @8812-342, @nyxbranwenn, @thorins-queen-of-erebor

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

WHUMP ALPHABET

*anything that can be triggering is most likely listed here, skip this post if you think it might upset you*

A is for asystole, amputation, amnesia, asphyxiation, asthma, autopsy, asylum, abandonment, anxiety, abuse, assault, aneurysm, anger, addiction

B is for blood, bruises, blunt force trauma, burns, bite marks, blisters, betrayal, beating, blindfolding, bondage, brainwashing

C is for cannibalism, cuts, convulsion, concussion, cardiac arrest, corpse, chains, cult, carnage, craniotomy, craniectomy, chest compression, choking, coughing up blood

D is for delirium, dehydration, disfigurement, dismemberment, demonic possession, death, dehumanization, degradation, depression, disease, drowning, distress, despair, dizziness, drug withdrawal

E is for exsanguination, electrical injuries, electroconvulsive therapy, electrocution, execution, exhaustion, eating disorders, emergency room

F is for fever, flu, fatality, flat-lining, fractured bones, fear, fatigue, force-feeding, flagellation, flogging

G is for garroting, gunshot wounds, grief, gallows, guillotine, guilt, gash, gag

H is for hypothermia, heatstroke, hallucination, hyperventilation, hemorrhage, handcuffing, hospital, hanging, hatred, hate

I is for intubation, infection, injuries, injection, illness, internal bleeding, intravenous therapy, insomnia, illusion, innards

J is for jealousy, jugular veins

K is for killing, kidnapping, knife

L is for laceration, lobotomy, ligature marks, lack of oxygen, loss of consciousness, lies, living weapon, locking up

M is for morgue, miscommunication, murder, manslaughter, massacre, mourning, miscarriage, masochism, mistreatment, manipulation, misery, mental illness, malnutrition

N is for nightmares, nausea, necrophilia, necrotizing fasciitis, necrosis

O is for outbreaks, obeying, operating theater

P is for physical restraints, pain, punishment, poison, panic attack, paralysis, PTSD, penetration, pierced lung

Q is for quadriceps tendon rupture, quadriparesis, Quebec platelet disorder

R is for ruptured blood vessels, respiratory failure, rabies, rape, rope, resentment, ritual

S is for schadenfreude, strangulation, starvations, shock collar, shock therapy, straightjacket, sadism, scapegoat, shame, sacrifice, sadness, sorrow, slaughter, suicide, self-harm, self-hatred, self-destruction, stabbing, slavery, seizures, stress, slash, suffering, surrendering, somnophilia, shackles, sepsis, surgery

T is for torture, trauma, tears, toxicity, trust issues, traps, tying up

U is for urinary tract infection, unresponsive, unconsciousness

V is for violence, vomiting, viruses, venom

W is for wounds, weeping, waterboarding, weakness, whipping, whimpering

X is for x-ray

Y is for yellow fever, yelling, yelping

Z is for zombie apocalypse

[zorrasucia]

Promptober 4. Temperature play 

from @carmenberzattosgf list

Reader x Carmy Berzatto (The Bear FX)

Rating: Explicit (1.2k)

Tags: Smut, Porn with a little plot, Fluff, Established Relationship, Temperature Play (but they're really tame about it), Fingering, Cockwarming, Both Carmy and Reader have a bit of a praise kink

It was a cold evening. The forecast predicted snow during the night and you actually believed it. You laid on your couch, heating turned up and a blanket on your legs; you were comfortable and warm.

Suddenly, there was frantic knocking at your door - when you looked through the peephole, you saw Carmy.

"I didn't know you were coming tonight," you said while you unlocked the door. "Oh, shit."

Carmy was hugging himself and shaking with cold. He was wearing only his white t-shirt and his work slacks. His pale skin was red from the wind.

You dragged him inside, giving him the blanket you were using and started boiling water for tea.

"Fuck, Carm, what happened?" you rubbed his arms, trying to warm him up.

"J-just so fuckin' st-tupid," he managed, teeth chattering. "Got lock-locked out of my car. My c-coat, my keys, my wallet, my phone, everything was inside."

"Shit," the keys to his apartment, and his car, and the restaurant. You realized all at once just how fucked up his situation was.

He nodded. "No cabs. Thought I could just walk h-here," he kept shaking. "Only five blocks away f-from my place, right?"

"Oh, Carm," you fixed his hair. "Let's get you out of these clothes. You're freezing."

You helped him get undressed, leaving him in his boxers, the blanket wrapped around him, sipping tea from a chipped mug.

"See, you wouldn't have to be naked if you had a change of clothes here," you said, jokingly stern as you placed them near the heater. "Maybe my sweatpants will fit you?"

"I'll be f-fine," he insisted.

You sat on the couch next to him and took his hand. "You're still too cold," you mumbled with worry.

You climbed on his lap, holding him close, his face on your collarbone. After a little while of hugging him, he stopped shaking. Once your worries about hypothermia dissipated, it was easier to think about Carmy's muscled back and meaty thighs, and about his cold fingers tracing pictures on your back.

"You know, I just remembered I read somewhere that it's easier to share body heat skin on skin," you said.

Carmy looked at you with a frown. "Yeah?"

You nodded and stood up.

Staring right into Carmy's eyes, you took your t-shirt off, then your sports bra, and your sweatpants and underwear all at once. His pupils dilated and you went back to straddle his lap, bare, every inch of his cool skin making you shiver.

"Where do you feel cold?" you asked, tilting your head.

"My nose," he replied.

You cupped his face, and guided it to burrow in the crook of your neck, the tip of his nose drawing lines along your collarbone, tickling and making you arch your neck. Carmy used the opportunity to place a line of chaste kisses up your throat, warming his lips in the process.

"Where else?"

"My hands," he offered them to you, palms up, and you placed them over your breasts, your nipples hardening immediately at his touch, getting goosebumps with every squeeze he gave. You hummed at the sensation.

"My fingers are still cold," he prompted, playing along.

His knuckles rubbed up and down your sides, and he grinned at the way you squirmed. He ended up tracing a sinuous path from your ribs down your hips and to the insides of your thighs.

You gasped.

"Can I warm them up here?" Carmy asked, his index ghosting over your mound enticingly.

"Yes."

His index, middle and ring fingers separated your folds, the difference in temperature more notorious there than anywhere else on your body. He swirled his fingers around your pussy, leisurely coating them in arousal, unearthing new sensations with every movement, unlike anything you had felt when he had fingered you before. When his fingers were almost as warm as your core, and you thought he was done playing with you, he changed his hand. It was cold again, and his thumb pressed on your clit this time.

"Fuck, Carmy," you moaned and pulled on his hair.

"You're so wet," he marveled and kept teasing you, pressing a bruising kiss to your lips.

"Yes," you panted.

"Don't think I can fuck you right now," he lamented, kissing your neck apologetically. "I'm numb everywhere."

You knew this. Other than his hands, and maybe the bit of his thighs that you were sitting on, he was still extremely cold.

"It's okay. You don't need to fuck me," you whispered. "I just need you inside me. Get you warm."

"Okay."

You reached inside his boxer briefs and took out his cock, barely half hard despite all your efforts, and almost as cold as the rest of Carmy's skin. You guided him to your entrance, sitting on him slowly. It tickled you as it went in, awakening every nerve inside you all at once. You let out a shaky exhale as Carmy held you close, arms rounding your back.

"You're so fucking warm, baby," he rasped. It was like he melted in your arms, relaxing as you carded your fingers through his hair and caressed his shoulders. He was mumbling sweet nothings into the skin of your neck. "You're so soft, smell so nice. Thank you..."

You smiled, liking this gentler side of Carmy, his soft praise heating you from within. You stayed like that for what seemed like a very long time, your breathing syncing up.

"Feeling better?" you asked; your desire had settled down.

"Mhmm," he nodded, tickling your chin with his curls.

"I'm glad. I'm going to see if your clothes are warm now so you get dressed, okay?" you kissed the top of his head and shifted on his lap to dismount but he wouldn't let you move, holding you tight. "Carm?"

"You've taken such good care of me," he said. "Let me take care of you?"

You frowned. He had fingered you and touched your body, and you enjoyed it so much that it made you beg to sit on his cock. How else was he going to take care of you? Still, he was looking at you with those wide, beautiful eyes so you simply nodded.

"Alright."

He gave you a lopsided smirk and kissed down your breast, slowly, giving special attention to your nipple, licking at it, sucking on it. You moaned low. He moved to the other side, giving it the same treatment, making you squeeze your pussy around his cock.

"That's it, good girl," he praised and it made you clench again.

He kissed up your neck and jaw, mouthing and licking, thawing whatever cold bits he had left before.

"Carmy," you whined, feeling your belly warm up and tingle once again. "Fuck."

It was odd. He was giving you pleasure everywhere except your pussy and still you could feel it building, the smallest shift of his cock against your core was making your heart beat faster.

"Kiss me," you pleaded. And he obliged. He kissed you adoringly, his tongue gentle - his hands were still caressing your breasts.

It was a tender thing, a sigh against his lips as your pussy fluttered around him, and you surrendered in his arms. When you opened your eyes, he looked sleepy and soft, pliant under your touch.

"Carmy," you kissed his temple. "I love you."

"I love you, I love you so much," he replied.

[joshleyson]

Life Update + Postcards from Mount Pulag

If there's one thing I'm particularly proud of that I did this year in the name of self-care, it is using my Apple Watch for what it was designed to do and being mindful of closing my rings on the Fitness App, which includes meeting my Move, Stand, and Exercise requirements for the day.

Last weekend, I went on my first major walk this year, to Mount Pulag in Benguet, the majestic and highest mountain in Luzon. For the first time ever, I was able to set a *drum roll please* record-breaking 42K steps, perhaps more because my watch died in the middle of the climb. It never occurred to me to go on this ALMOST 10-hour hike until J, who by the way was a famous OG Tumblr influencer during the peak Tumblr era circa 2012 (if you know him, mag-asawa ka na hahaha), introduced me to the idea of going to Baguio (I haven’t been to Baguio since forever) and eventually having to explore Mount Pulag after. J and I have known each other for over 12+ years, but it was only this year that we began to see each other more frequently; he is also the person who introduced and challenged me to finish my rings on the Fitness app. I began this "ring" journey at the end of March, but I wasn't fully committed until I started seeing some, hmm, what's the word, "changes" when I started monitoring my InBody results, which show my weight, BMI, muscle mass, and even body fat percentage decreasing. Long story short, I'm making some small progress with trying to make my BMI normal again. Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to paint the typical fitness buff image with raging, strong-looking muscles, because that's not who I am, but I wanted to give myself credit also for losing 10kgs in just 4 months, and I'm not even pulling my hair out about it, just that awareness of "Did I close my rings today?" moment. Like I told J, I never expected accountability to feel this good. So I'm quite delighted with that.

Enough of the fitness thingee and going back to Mount Pulag, I'm so happy that we were able to pull it off this year. We started by staying in Baguio for 2 days which by the way the weather was THE. BEST. Having to walk around the city in layered clothes without breaking a sweat as a pawisin was HEAVEN. It was something that I missed when I went back to Manila. After 2 days, we headed straight to Kabayan, Benguet, where our homestay was located, and by midnight started our trek to Pulag summit. The trek was surprisingly easy. The quiet and quaint landscapes while on our way to the summit were something that I enjoyed so much. It was tiring and yes, the weather was extremely cold. Miss Hypothermia is REAL especially on the summit but with the right amount of clothing, it's no biggie. Just do a little bit of research before signing up for the hike and you'll be just fine. On that trip, we met and bonded with new faces which I hope soon will become friends because they're nice to be with which made the hike bearable. Being the beach person that I am which is very OBVIOUS on this blogosphere, exploring the mountains and the countryside was very refreshing to see and I kinda wanted to make that commitment to at least do this at least once a year. Let's see!

(No Light Pollution? Here's the Milky Way captured in the default iPhone camera app.)

Overall, the Mountain Province trip including late-night walks in Baguio, wandering to places and cafés and bar hopping walking side to side because we’re drunk AF, and then Mount Pulag was something I'm so grateful for that I get to check them out this year. There were "unplanned" and "down" moments on that trip, sure, but I guess that's just normal, especially since I'm with the person I wanted to get to know more, and J, if you're reading this, thank you. I feel like all the things that happened on that trip have a reason and I just wanna say thank you for being…you. I will not be surprised if one day that rough idea of a psycho-thriller slasher movie we kind of created while sitting on a bus will soon come to life. Write that fucking screenplay. PLEASE.

So that's my not-so-quick life update that no one asked about. I think I mentioned before in this space that the more I have something "major" going on with my life whether professional or personal, I am less inclined to talk about it versus in my heyday, loud, teenage years and I think that's what really living is all about. Touch some grass they say, and literally, I did that in the mountains of Mount Pulag, and those memories which I hope I could bottle, and that seeing something so beautiful is enough to remind me that everything's gonna be alright.

Siri, play Gravity by Sara Bareilles, JOSHY

(Mountain Province, July 2024)

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

AI-Less Whumptober 2024 Masterlist

Thank you to @ailesswhumptober for hosting the event! All of this year's prompts can be found here.

This year is a collaboration with @ohtobeleah so we will be splitting the prompts between us. Links to her fics will be included below as well, and I highly encourage everyone to check them out too! 💞 Her's will be listed in orange while mine will be listed in purple.

October 1 - public torture/public use, stress position, “If you cry, we’ll go easy on you.”

My Lover, My Hero After a nasty break-up with your Ex, Rhett, he comes to your rescue when two burley patrons don’t take no for an answer. {Rhett Abbott}

October 2 - Unfortunate fall, car accident, “Don’t move. You’ll be okay.”

An Angels Discretion When Bradley gets a call to say you’ve been involved in a major car accident, his whole world is turned upside down. {Alternate Ending to An Angels Discretion}

October 3 - Shared trauma, survivor’s guilt, “It’s not your fault.”

Protect Thy Saviour When Jake and Hollywood are enjoying a fire in the comfort and silence of Jake’s courtyard, Hollywood reminds Jake that nothing was ever his fault. {From the Bruises Series}

October 4 - Painful transformation, non-consensual body modifications, “You’re a monster.”

For What You've Done Five months ago, the love of your life was killed in a car accident. In the aftermath of Jake's death, you and Rooster lean on each other to deal with your grief and soon become a couple. So when you suggest a camping trip together, Rooster agrees. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

October 5 - Overstimulation, migraines, “I can’t take this anymore.”

Breathe For Me The love of Jake’s life is plagued with chronic migraines after an unfortunate work place accident. But when a migraine feels wrong? Does Jakes initial response cost him his most priceless wife?

October 6 - Multiple whumpees, self sacrifice, “I’m the only one who can do this.”

Drink With Me (Part 2) Two years after Jake was forced to watch you ripped apart by the creatures that now terrorize the world, he is a shell of the man he once was. However, a familiar voice calling to him in the dark may give him a second chance.

October 7 - Field medicine, running out of supplies, “Hold on, we’re going to have to improvise.”

The Hills Have Eyes Jakes mind plagues him with haunting memories at your funeral. Bradley is forced to come to terms with the fact he'll be Jake Seresins metaphorical punching bag for the rest of his life. {From the Bruises Series}

October 8 - Rope burns, gagged, “You’re so much prettier this way.”

Lethal Weapon During an intense interrogation, your existence is made obsolete when half the population is turned to dust. What felt like a mere five minutes was in fact— five years. With the knowledge that Hydra was once again rising with intentions more sinister then the last, you do the job you were originally sent out to do. Protect Sargent James Buchanan Barnes at whatever means necessary.

October 9 - Hypothermia, heatstroke, “You look pretty pale.”

Frozen Jake is so intoxicated he forgets he played a life-threatening prank on you. Leaving you to freeze, for hours.

October 10 - Self worth issues, pushing away a loved one, “You don't need to earn this.”

The Secrets We Keep You have a patient booked in for an early ultrasound….What you don't expect is for it to be the new partner of your Ex-husband. Bradley Bradshaw.

October 11 - Hallucinations, truth serum, “Why would you even say that?”

This Moment Waking up with you in his bed should be a dream come true. But as you get ready for the day, Logan wishes things could be different.

October 12 - Isolation, sensory deprivation, “Can you feel me? I’m right here, whumpee.”

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water Charles and Logan, already in a Days of Future Past quests, take a detour when Charles feels another mutant in the Pentagon.

October 13 - Whumpee using themself as bait, defiance, “Take me instead.”

The Guys Next Door When your son shows up on Jakes door scared and all alone, he soon realises that something might be wrong at his neighbours home.

October 14 - Seizures, concussion, “See if you can follow my finger with your eyes.”

Sweeter Than Revenge Part 10 Just as you begin to think your life is perfect, a traumatic event occurs that changes everything.

October 15 - Waterboarding, removing body parts, “Don’t break down on me yet.”

The Middle Of Nowhere: First Steal There were many other girls before Little Fox. Jake has a reputation for getting carried away and letting his prey escape. This is the first time Bradley stole the win out from under his nose.

October 16 - Drowning, hostile environment, “I don’t know how anybody could survive that.”

Happy Together From the moment Tyler met you in your karaoke bar, he was smitten. However, he's terrified to tell you how he feels even as you start a friends-with-benefits situation. Will he find the courage before it's too late?

October 17 - Abandonment, misunderstanding, “Why did I even think you cared?”

Where Were You? You were planning a future with Rhett. That is until he disappeared without a trace. Now, four years later, a familiar figure shows up at your house after you are in an accident. But will you accept his explanation for where he's been?

October 18 - Mind control, possession, “Everybody will end up despising you.”

I Love You, Always When an unknown man comes into the cafe looking for who he calls “The Mutant” Logan’s world is once again turned upside down when you make the ultimate sacrifice.

October 19 - Disassociation, losing a sense, “I wish I could get you back.”

Addicted To You Kidnapped and locked in a room for months, your life has become nothing but Hood, the drug he gives you, and the pleasure you receive from both. But this time when it is time for your next dose, Hood is nowhere to be found...

October 20 - Enemy/Stranger to caretaker, accidental de-aging, “I’m absolutely not qualified for this shit.”

Nobody Can When a killer clown guts you like a fish, Bob is the one who stumbles upon you. Only to never come face to face who the person who did this to you.

October 21 - Drugged, ambulance ride, “This will make you feel better, okay?”

Animal Instinct When Rhett goes out hunting the wolf that has been killing the Abbott's livestock, he discovers more than he bargained for.

October 22 - Forced (to kneel/watch/hurt somebody else), whipped, “Do not look away.”

Do Not Look Away After the events of Bruises, Bradley comes face to face with his new reality. You’re experiencing a physical manifestation of PTSD and Jake’s still in a coma.

October 23 - Fever, passing out, “Hey?! Stay with me, okay?!”

Stay (Part 1) Once again, Bob finds himself dragged along to the club with the rest of his friends. Miserable, and unable to find the only person he really wants to spend time with, he decides to head home. But he's about to discover where Jake has been all night...

October 24 - Deconditioning, relapse, “It’s normal that you need more time.”

Seeing Clear Now that you are back from the dead, you wonder how Clark is handling what happened. However, when Dick tells you no one knows where he is, you decide to track him down and show him you have returned.

October 25 - Humiliation, betrayal, “How could you?!”

I Got You A night at The Hard Deck takes a dire turn when you realize someone has slipped something into your drink. As the drugs begin kicking in, you turn to your pilot for help.

October 26 - Electrocution, burning, “This is going to sting.”

Burning Love When you and Bucky are captured, HYDRA scientists try to force you to use your powers to kill him. But you refuse to hurt the man you love, regardless of how much pain it may cause you...

October 27 - Before vs after, Alternate universe, “Well, there’s a first for everything.”

October 28 - Internal bleeding, needles and stitches, “I didn’t think the wound was that bad…”

Dangerously in Love (Part 2) After witnessing your murder on a video call, Frank's only focus is on revenge. But he's about to learn that things are not always as they seem...

October 29 - Ownership, branding, “Everybody will know that you’re mine.”

October 30 - Poison, delirium, “You’re not making sense.”

Stay (Part 2) Jake thought he died in that alley after he was mugged. But thanks to a special someone, he pulled through. And when Bob brings him a gift more precious than his own life, Jake does what he should have done a long time ago.

October 31 - Panic attack, facing a phobia, “You need to get out of here!”

Sweeter Than Revenge Epilogue As you begin to head home after your traumatic night, you discover Tyler's concerns were valid. But can you learn to overcome your fears when your greatest fear might still come true? Are things truly over between you and Tyler?

[aubins]

@hermidetta　|　Winter is any child of Faerghus’ mother as much as their blood, ushering children home and locking doors behind them, lighting fires in the hearth and bidding family and friends alike to gather close. But for as old a friend this blizzard is, Yuri is no less susceptible to the cold for it. The inside of their tent is no warmer than the outside, but the wind doesn’t get in, at least.

“It should hold,” they announce, dipping back inside. Their tone is more doubtful that they intend, but they’re loathe to trust anything less than the solid structure of four walls and a roof over their head. A hand brushes the snow from their hair with a sigh. “At the very least until this blizzard lets up.”

Whenever that will be. They can hardly set out until morning anyhow, too dark now for Yuri to trust that they’ll find their way home even if it did let up. “A fire would be nice,” they mutter, but they’d rather not burn the tent down by accident. They hadn’t packed expecting to stay anywhere overnight, never mind anything to keep warm enough in a blizzard. It’s not even winter, for saints’ sake. The best they’ve got is a spare change of clothing.

Instead of wasting time digging through their own belongings again, they draw closer to Bernadetta's side, peering over her shoulder. There are worse people to be trapped in a blizzard with— if anything, she's one of the better ones, one of the few people Yuri doesn't ever mind. A hand tugs the edge of their cape over their other shoulder with a faint shiver. “Got anything useful over there, Bernadetta?”

＊ woven back from violence .

anni '24 | heavy armor +1　 ▪ ▪ ▪ 　yuri & bernadetta

[anxiousthoughts365]

Sirius and the Seasons:

Spring

- Sirius Black, determined to carry off his couldn't-care-less attitude and refusing to study for the upcoming exams in the library, but behind the closed door of the Marauders' dorm room he holds private study sessions

- Sirius Black in his leather jacket, jeans and Docs, stalking around the grounds of Hogwarts, picking wildflowers and glaring at anyone who dares laugh at him

- Sirius Black presenting said bunches of flowers with much flourishing to a blushing Remus Lupin at the breakfast table

- R: 'Jesus, Pads, in front of everyone?!' S: 'Of course! To remind them that you're my Moony.' J: *muttering into his cereal* 'Like we could ever forget.' S: 'Shove it, Potter.'

Summer

- Sirius Black in denim cut-offs and band t-shirts

- Sirius Black wheelding at Remus until he agrees to braid his hair back off his face (at the start of summer the braids are awful but Remus gets better at it as the weeks progress)

- Sirius Black playing with his braids, always touching them because that's where Moony touched him, and the braids only lasting for an hour

- Sirius Black stretching out in pure canine fashion as they lie on the grass in the Potters' back garden in the sun, smirking as Remus gets more and more flustered as more and more of Sirius' pale torso accidentally shows

- Sirius Black sulking when Remus won't cuddle with him when they go to bed, especially when the night is muggy and the full moon is close

- R: 'Sorry, Love, too hot.' S: *pouts*

Autumn

- Sirius Black purposefully jumping in every puddle he can find and cackling when he gets someone else wet

- Sirius Black complaining bitterly when it's actually raining, insisting on hiding in Remus' coat even though Remus is still wearing it and there really isn't that much room as they walk between the castle and the Greenhouses

- Sirius Black bringing back leaves from his morning walks around the grounds because isn't the shape so interesting, Moony? and here Re, this one reminds me of the colour of your eyes

- Sirius Black cursing at the mirror when the warm, wet days turn his usually sleek hair into a frizzy mess, while Remus chuckles from his bed as he watches Sirius attempt to manage it

- S: 'Keep it up, Moony, and I'll shave it all off.' R: *suddenly very serious* 'Don't you fucking dare.'

Winter

- Sirius Black pressing cold toes against Remus' hot skin under the covers

- Sirius Black conveniently having a hot cup of tea available every evening, which he uses to placate Remus so that he can snuggle into the tiny space against his side in the armchair he's reading in and being completely unaware that Remus always purposefully leaves that space open for him

- Sirius Black nuzzling into Remus' neck and dozing as the heat of the fire and the soft sound of turning pages and Remus' scent lull him to sleep

- Sirius Black refusing to wear a jumper under his leather jacket because knitwear's not punk, Moony

- Sirius Black melting, a soppy grin plastered over his face, when Remus gets sick of his teeth chattering and wraps his own scarf around Sirius' neck while muttering about hypothermia

- J: 'You won't take my spare jumper, but you'll accept Moony's scarf?' S: *smug, wrapped up in his prize* 'Moony's things smell infinitely better than yours ever could, Jamie.'

Just Sirius through the seasons.

[saradika]

DIN DJARIN - 2023 FIC RECS

this year has been filled with so many beautiful fics, I wanted to make a rec list to share & support everything I read. please check these out and support these creators, they are all incredible! 💖✨

— A Kind of Demon by @fettuccin-e

Kinktober Day 3: Monster AU | Incubus!Din Djarin

— A Rule Of Threes by @5oh5

after not celebrating your birthday for many years, din djarin makes sure this is one you'll never forget

— Betrayal by @againstacecilia

Bounty hunting, not a happy ending, feels.

— Brown Eyes by @mandoisapunk

Din comes back to Nevarro only to find his favorite soldier acting as an interim Marshall, and the reunion is everything he could’ve hoped for.

— Coming Home by @whataenginerd

Din has just arrived back at the Sundari palace after a long and boring diplomatic trip. 

— Consummating The Riduurok by @beskarandblasters

You just got married to Din in a large celebration on Mandalore. At the end of the night it’s time for one thing only; to consummate the marriage.

— Coporal by @pentechnics

Your new job is more or less a cinch; you’re the secretary to the COO of a big manufacturing company. Day in and day out you balance calendars, prepare morning coffee, and send a variety of emails. / But you also fantasize about your boss. In every which way. And it doesn’t take long to find out that his mind is just as filthy as yours.

— Denser Than Beskar by @floral-force

Your beskar-clad taxi pilot is an awkward man, and you decide it’s due to his limited social interactions. Under the armor, a nervous Din Djarin thinks his flirting and hints are obvious. Will he be able to share his feelings before you’re lost to the sands of Tatooine?

— Don't Hold Your Breath by @bits-and-babs

forced proximity smut

— Fear Not The Abyss by @psychedelic-ink

din initiates you into the cult.

— Forbidden Cravings by @inklore

stay in your room; that’s all you had to do. a simple demand that you planned on following until something goes bump in the night and you’re trapped between two monsters. | din x reader x bo-katan

— Hex Code by @bits-and-babs

given the task to hunt down an enchantress renowned for her deviancy, din fails to understand just how hard this mission will be to complete.

— Home by @beskarandblasters

A little drabble about domestic life with Din at his new house on Nevarro

— Home Is Where You're Mine by @/inklore

in nevarro you and din can finally breathe and spend your days christening every surface of your home.

— Ichor. Blood. Water. by @cherubispunk

stranded. alone. a traitor to your people, your family. aeaea is the prison of paradise you call home, and he is the prophecy you like to call an enigma. the ‘man made from metal’, forged in fire, melted by your spell that is no witchcraft on your part. he is the hunter, you will always be the prey. it is the way as the fates designed it.

— Keen by @/bits-and-babs

the child has been getting in the way of you and mando spending time together. after weeks without your touch, he’s finally reaching his limit.

— Love, Intertwined by @lowlights

Once upon a time...no, that’s not how your fairy tale goes. Din might have saved you that fateful day, but he was no knight in shining beskar armor. But the universe has a funny way of pushing people apart and bringing them back together again. 

— Love Is a Fire That Burns Unseen by @moonlight-prose

on your list of things that could possibly happen while bounty hunting with din, dying from hypothermia wasn’t included. nor was finally admitting the truth to yourself about your feelings.

— Misjudgments by @floral-force

Din Djarin reluctantly agrees to work with a partner on a hunt, and they turn out to be incredibly skilled in bounty hunting. They make him a nervous wreck, something that never happens to him. But, maybe there’s more to Din’s mixed emotions than he realizes…

— Never Break The Chain by @/moonlight-prose

years after you lost contact and parted ways, he comes back into your life. in the most drastic way possible. | jurassic park!au

— No Words Needed by @againstacecilia

“Din, can I ask you something?” / His helmet turns to look in your direction. / “What does cyare mean?”

— Of Brown Eyes and Desert Skies by @floral-force

When a new man storms into the saloon you work at, you're instantly terrified--and captivated. But as he lingers in town and stirs up trouble with every step, you question who the brown-eyed man is underneath the poncho, and if he really is just a bounty killer at his core.

— Of Shadows and Roses by @the-scandalorian

You're engaged in an illicit affair with your bodyguard.

— One Night Only by @mondaychildsworld

You and Din get down and dirty in a fancy hotel room in Coruscant.

— Pearl Rosary by @sweetercalypso

Priest of Mandalore!Din Djarin listens to your sins during confession

— Permission by @javier-pena

You belong to Paz … but there’s something about Din Djarin. He’s on your mind constantly. | din x reader x paz

— Petals by @mandelirious

“When did you know?” / “Ithor.”

— Potter!Din by @silksaddle

A collection of drabbles and oneshots that surround your life with Din, who works away in his pottery shed.

— Raising Cain by @hier--soir

at a private gala in berlin, two agents slip inside, uninvited. unbeknownst to one another, and working for seperate agencies, they prepare to bring the same target to justice. the only problem is - one of them wants him dead, and the other wants him alive. who will succeed? will the strange connection they feel stop them from completing their mission?

— Return The Favor by @galactic-basic

din and reader share a moment in their newfound quiet.

— Rite by @bits-and-babs

 Traditions form after Din removes the mask.

— Salt Water by @5oh5

din carries you in his mind, in his body, the way waves carry the salt of the sea: unforgettable, inextricable, forever.

— Still Of Your Hand by @/moonlight-prose

"din was always scared he would hurt you. always tentative to give into your desires of being taken apart roughly, because he was a gentle person when it came to you. his life revolved around violence, yet when it came to this—you—he was anything but that."

— Tales of the Heart by @lavendertales

Joining Din on his missions carried no expectations from either side. You simply provided him with medical assistance when needed and tended to the ship while he was gone and nothing else. / But several situations arose where you truly believed something might happen between you and Din.

— That's Not My Name by @theidiotwhowritesthings

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” - Shakespeare

— The Art of Failing by @theidiotwhowritesthings

The Division of Mythological Affairs was created to protect and serve the supernatural community while keeping the knowledge of their existence a secret. / You hoped to become an Agent of the DMA like your mother before you. Just as your dream begins to fall apart at the seams, you stumble across a missing persons report that could change everything. | Werewolf!Joel Miller & Vampire!Din Djarin

— Unearthed by @grippingbeskar

you are the new leader of your planet, but you lack an army. lucky for you, a new king has also recently ascended the throne.

— Unseen Smile by @beecastle

It’s your first anniversary and Din wonders if he should take his helmet off

— Velvet Mand'alor by @outercrasis

State functions are boring - certainly there are better ways to occupy your time

— Woven In Stars by @ilovepedro

Instead of navigating the galaxies, Din is navigating his new home life with Grogu on the ourskirts of Nevarro. In doing so, he meets you - a seamstress in town. The two of you form a beautiful bond through helping him adjust to domesticity in his secluded cabin. Throughout the time you share together, the bond you have flourishes into something more that can no longer be contained.

— Your Heart Got Teeth by @/moonlight-prose

horny thoughts about din’s necklace.

if you haven’t read these, you need to! and please support these amazing fics & writers by reading, reblogging & commenting! 💕

[suburbonlegends]

I'm redoing an entire chapter of my "Grab My Hand and Don't Ever Drop It" fic so here's the original draft lol. It's basically it's own ficlet, where Peter rescues Neal after Neal goes missing. About 800 words.

It was just out of practicality that Peter kept being in situations where he needed to hold Neal Caffrey’s hands. The third time hardly even counted as holding.

It started when his heart fell through his stomach when Mozzie called him one night. “Neal is with you, right?”

“No? He left work around six, I haven’t seen or heard from him since.” It was now going on eleven, Peter had just been finishing up going over the paperwork for the undercover mission they’d done that day. A lawyer had come in accusing the bosses at her attorney’s office of money laundering, and Neal had been sent undercover as her new assistant to do some poking around, track down the trail.

“I just came over, a long day of- nothing actually, but he’s not here. June says he hasn’t come home yet. She also thought he was with you.”

“Damnit. Damnit.” Peter hung up the phone without another word and dialed Diana as he pulled up Neal’s tracking anklet. “Listen Diana, something’s gone wrong for Neal. I’m pulling his tracking data up now, since we didn’t get a call from the marshal’s he must still be inside his radius. I want you to call for backup and send them to this address.” Thank god he put Neal’s tracker back on him when they’d debriefed after the work day. Peter had almost let him go home without it, just in case, but he’d thought there would be less risk in Neal wearing it than not. He thought the lawyers weren’t going to ask him to meet up in the middle of the night, but other people might jump on the opportunity to talk while Neal was off his radius, so keeping tabs on Neal off the clock was supposed to be an overly cautious risk.

Peter was right in one aspect. Neal wasn’t asked.

Peter and his back up found Neal in an abandoned warehouse in Hell’s Kitchen, because of course that’s where it was. The two managing partners for the law office had him gagged and held at gunpoint, watching as Neal made the dye for their printing press and fed it through the machine. The bastards stood there in coats, gloves, and hats while Neal worked in only his suit in the late January cold.

“I knew y-you’d check my t-tracker eventually.” Neal’s teeth chattered as he spoke once Peter pulled the gag from his mouth. “Was j-just killing t-time unt-til then.”

“Mozzie called, told me you weren’t home, that’s when I checked.” Peter said, untying the knotted cloth. “Would’ve been another hour or two before I checked on my way to bed.”

“Always burning the m-midnight oil. Speaking of, I’m r-r-really cold.”

Peter unzipped his coat and wrapped it around Neal’s shoulders before ushering him to his car outside. He cranked the heat on high, pointing the vents at Neal, then taking one of Neal’s shaking hands in his own to hold it up to the heater while also examining it.

Neal hissed at first, instinctively trying to pull his hand away, but Peter held firm to it, rubbing his palm over the back. “Need to warm them up before you get fucking frostbite.”

“Not gonna get frostbi-bite.” Neal argued, shifting in his seat. “Wool suit at least k-kept me from getting hy-hypothermia. Just f-fucking cold.”

“Being fucking cold is the first step to both frostbite and hypothermia.” Peter kept rubbing Neal’s hand between his own, then grabbed the other and repeated the process. “Maybe I should take you to the ER, get you checked out.”

“No. Peter I’m f-fine. Just-just give me ten m-minutes to warm up.”

So, Peter did just that, watching the car clock closely as he switched from rubbing Neal’s left hand to his right and back again. Slowly but surely, Neal’s teeth stopped, he stopped shivering, and his hands went from painfully white to slowly regaining their pink. By the time the ten minutes were up, Peter was satisfied that Neal wasn’t in immediate danger, but like hell he was going to let him out of his sight.

“Call Mozzie, tell him you’re staying at El and mine’s place tonight. You need somewhere warm.”

“June’s is warm Peter,” Neal said, but soft and laced with exhaustion. “I have a bed with blankets and everything.”

“You have fucking grandiose antique windows that I know keep that room ten degrees colder than whatever the thermostat is set to.” Peter gave one last squeeze to Neal’s left hand before letting it go. “I’ll call Elizabeth while you call Mozzie to let him know you're okay. She’ll have soup ready for you. She even has some fresh sourdough from the bakery.”

Neal watched him hesitantly, eyeing Peter over, before softly, “Can you ask her to toast the bread?”

[deviant-doughnut]

Introduction Post!

Hey there. I’m Deviant-Doughnut, and I go by J (he/him). I’ve been lurking in the whump community for a while and I love it, and have finally worked up the courage to do a little introduction post. I’ve loved whump, without knowing the name for it, for so many years, and I’m hoping to take part in a writing event soon and add my voice to the array of wonderful whump writers I’ve been appreciating here.

I’d also love to make some new friends in this community, so please feel free to follow me or reach out to me so I can follow you back ☺️

Minors please DNI, there is NSFW content on this blog.

My Whump Writing So Far

Please heed content warnings. Asterix indicate snippets which contain NSFWhump.

100 word drabbles (includes some NSFWhump)

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Augusnippets 2024

Day One (Forced To Watch)* | Day Two (Whumpee Wearing Caretaker’s Clothes)* | Day Three (Flashbacks) | Day Four (Whipping) | Day Five (Feverish Caretaking) | Day Six (Car Accident) | Day Seven (Waterboarding) | Day Eight (Found Family)* | Day Nine (Hypothermia) | Day Ten (Begging For Mercy)* | Day Eleven (Breaking The Conditioning) | Day Twelve (Trapped) | Day Thirteen (Drugging)* | Day Fourteen (Protective Caretaker)* | Day Fifteen (Throwing Up) | Day Sixteen (Humiliation)* | Day Seventeen (Forgiveness) | Day Eighteen (Apocalypse)* | Day Nineteen (Collared)*| Day Twenty (Homemade Meal) | Day Twenty-One (Medical Complications) |

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One Shots/Random Whump

Between One Pair Of Hands And Another *

More to come…

——————————

Beloved Whump Tropes:

1. Defiant whumpee 2. NSFWhump 3. Knives 4. Whipping 5. Captivity 6. Psychological Whump mixed in with the physical 7. Team Leader Whump 8. Lab rat whump 9. Forced to watch/forced to whump 10. Shock collars

💛

[somber-sapphic]

Dish Water

〘Prompt 18- "Wear Your Coat, You'll Catch a Cold."〙

〘Notes- Here we are, prompt 18! Don't ask about the title. We all know its bad.〙

〘Summary- Natasha gets caught in the rain while picking up takeout.〙

〘Word Count- 850〙

〘Pairing- Sick Natasha x Reader〙

〚Main Masterlist〛⌶〚Sicktember Masterlist〛

“Wear your coat, you’ll catch a cold.” You called after Natasha, flashing the redhead a happy grin. She laughed and rolled her eyes, turning back to smile at you.

“It’s 60 degrees out, I think I’ll live.” She teased in return, shutting the door behind her in a twirl. You chuckled quietly to yourself as you turned back to the soapy dishwater in the sink, amused with your dumb joke.

Science had clearly proven no correlation between not wearing a coat and getting sick. If it had been colder hypothermia was certainly on the table, but not a cold or the flu. Depending on who you ask hypothermia could be worse, but Nat would simply glare at any illness until it went away. She was cool like that.

You began to hum as you cleaned the dishes, wrinkling your nose as you rinsed out a water bottle which had held what smelled like a very old smoothie. It was your turn to clean the dishes accumulated by the Avengers over the week and you were unfortunate enough to have the grossest set since the chore was put in place.

That didn’t matter though, because Natasha was picking up pizza and soon enough the two of you would be cuddled up on the couch with hot, greasy food and a scary movie.

You wanted to watch a wholesome Halloween movie (The Corpse Bride specifically), but your girlfriend had insisted on a Scream marathon. You didn’t care though, all that mattered was spending time with her.

These last few months had been so incredibly stressful. The moment that she had gotten back from a three-week mission, you had been sent out for surveillance that required you to live in what was practically a shack in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. You spend two months there, seeing no action and hearing nothing of the woman you loved. It had been lonely, very lonely.

But now, it was okay. Given that you were the two sent on the longest missions Steve and Fury had agreed that you would each get at least a month home together, barring any emergencies that came up. Figuring that there would be at least one said emergency, Natasha and you were determined to take up this time doing couple-y things. Tomorrow it would be a movie, the day after a pottery class. Domestic stuff.

You finished with the dishes and dried your hands on the cloth, mildly alarmed by the amount of water covering your shirt. You always flung water around while completing that particular chore, but you thought you’d been careful enough this time. The soaking hem of your shirt told a different story.

With a sigh, you pulled it off and headed for the laundry room, certain that you had at least one left over from the load you’d forgotten to fold earlier.  

No sooner than you donned a fresh shirt, one smelling of lavender and Nastasha, did you hear a door close and a loud sneeze. You hurriedly tugged the shirt the rest of the way on and checked your watch as you padded out to the kitchen to investigate.

Standing in the doorway was Natasha, dripping wet and shaking like a leaf. The raincoat that she’d apparently grabbed was draped over the pizza box carried in one hand, her face buried in the crook of her other elbow. When she looked up at you, you could see the guilt in her eyes.

When she pulled her head away you could see the redness of her nose and the pout set on her plump red lips.

“Natty! Babe, I told you to wear it!” You said in a rush, sliding across the tile in your sock clad feet. Unfortunately, you had misjudged your speed and collided with her. It was only her quick reflexes that allowed you, the pizza and herself to all remain standing.

“It j-just started p-pouring, I didn’t want the-the food to get r-r-ruined.” Natasha spat out, her teeth chattering so hard that you could barely make out what she was saying. You huffed and took the box from her, setting it on the counter with the raincoat falling to the side.

The box was safe, of course it was. There was not a single dark spot on the cardboard concealing your dinner, but the woman you planned to share it with had been reduced to a sniveling mess in front of you.

“Okay love, forget the pizza. You need a warm shower and some chicken soup.” You said gently, wrapping an arm around your waist. Natasha tried to pull away, protesting about how she was getting you wet. It was true, but you didn’t care. One more change of shirt wouldn’t kill you.

“Come on Tasha, lets get you warmed up.” You kissed the side of her head, allowing yourself a smile when she laid her head against you. You may have been standing, but she had melted against you, half convincing you that if you let go, she would collapse.

In that moment, you decided that next time you would not be joking when you told her to wear a coat.

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