#oc: emory fischer

[sleptwithinthesun]

my first oc fic!! i'm actually so excited and so nervous to post this :)

this is basically just band au except! not au!! isn't that so cool? i have my own little guys to play with and i hope you love them <3

1.7K words of ✨ plot ✨ and like snz of course but you know me. always an excess amount of plot

(you can also send asks/inquiries about my ocs based on this!! please send asks i fucking love receiving and replying to them!!!!)

Em wakes up to the soft drumming of a headache in her temples, and she groans softly as she cracks open her eyes. Winter mornings in Concord are freezing, as their first two months have taught them, and today is not exception. The sunlight creeping hesitantly through the curtains is thin and watery, barely illuminating the bedroom and washing it in shades of pale gray. It's just enough for Em's tired eyes to pick out the flush that's beginning to dust across her girlfriend's sleeping face, spots of warmth kissing her cheekbones.

In half a second, Em's sitting bolt upright, her legs still tangled in the topsheet and comforter. She gently presses the back of her hand to Luc's forehead and sure enough, she's too warm. Granted, Luc always runs a bit warmer than most people, but her temperature right now is higher than usual. It's only a low-grade fever, which is typical of any virus Luc contracts, but it's a fever nonetheless.

"Oh, honey," she murmurs, tucking a loose strand of wavy hair behind Luc's ear. Slowly, her girlfriend begins to stir, emitting a cute sigh before stretching languidly. She smiles softly at Em upon seeing her.

"Hey," Luc whispers, her voice raspy. "I think I caught your cold."

Em gives a quiet, breathy laugh, mindful of her own faint headache and the lingering pressure in her sinuses. "Yeah?" she asks.

"Pretty sure." Luc rolls onto her back and sniffles, eyes fluttering shut for a moment before she nods. "Unless I somehow managed to, like, contract the flu off Sol or something, I definitely caught your cold."

"Sol's not even sick. Neither is Q."

"Oh, so you'll spare them, but not me?" She pouts, shoving herself into a sitting position and fluffing the pillows behind her only to dramatically flop back against them, staring plaintively at Em with big hazel eyes. Her lower lip is even sticking out. Em rolls her eyes fondly at Luc, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

"You're the one who insisted on sleeping with me," she counters, words murmured against the warmth of a fever spot, and her fingers twist into the hem of her sleep shirt as she sits back on her heels. Em doesn't want to say it, just because she knows Luc would complain, but her girlfriend is absolutely gorgeous like this, her body wrapped in an oversized college boyfriend's T-shirt with her legs pulled up to her chest, boyshorts visible in the faltering morning light. "I'm sorry, love, but I think it's your own fault."

Luc sighs loudly, feigning surrender. The playful attempt morphs into a hoarse series of coughs, and Em makes a mental note to send either Q or Sol out to get more cough drops. She places a hand on Luc's shoulder as the fit persists, carefully drawing her girlfriend up further and rubbing her back as she pulls the blankets to her face and coughs harshly into them. Once she recovers, because it's Luc, it's like it never even happened. She just grins, quips, "Well, one of us needed to make the sacrifice," and then winks at Em.

"And you've paid dearly," she deadpans, standing up. "Hold on, Lu, I'm going to make you some tea."

"I'll take an iced coffee, actually," Luc mumbles.

"Yeah, no."

"Worth a shot."

Sol's awake, predictably, when Em walks into the kitchen, and glances up at her entrance. "Morning," she greets cheerfully, already bright-eyed and wide awake. "You feeling any better?"

"Mostly. Definitely an improvement over yesterday." Em walks over to the cabinet where they keep their stash of tea, rummaging through the messy collection of boxes in search of chai for Luc. "I did finally get Luc sick, though."

Sol gives an amused scoff, shaking coffee beans out into the lid of the lid of the grinder before dumping them into the actual grinder. "Yeah, that makes sense. With the way she's been clinging onto you all week, I'm pretty sure she was due for it yesterday."

"Like a fucking limpet," agrees Em, finally locating the chai and setting the bag on the counter. She fills up the kettle with enough water for both her and Sol and places it on the stove, then asks, "You're feeling alright though, yeah?"

"I'm fine," Sol reassure easily. "Focus on yourself. And Luc, obviously." She gives a friendly eye roll, then places the lid on the grinder and presses down. There's a pause in the conversation for her to grind the beans and then to dump the fresh grounds into the french press that Luc had insisted on getting back when the three of them had first moved in together, her, Em, and Sol in a shitty apartment, C4 a dream in their hands and slipping between their fingers like sand. Even now, three years down the line, Em finds it hard to believe that it's actually worked out, that they're finally complete and living in a real house that they bought with money earned from playing shows and that they're all safe and comfortable and making it—

Music is a tough career to pursue, but against the odds, they made it. Soledad, Luciana, Emory, and Quentin, the four of them laced into each other's lives in a way that's so purely impossible for anyone else to understand. Luc and Em are dating, yes, but that doesn't mean either of them care for their other bandmates any less than they do for each other. It's just... a different relationship. Every band's dynamic is unique, and Em is positive that none of them would trade what they have now for anything.

The creaking of the bedroom door breaks her from her thoughts, and Em looks up to see Luc shuffling out, a fuzzy blanket that definitely was not on their bed wrapped around her shoulders.

"Hey, you should be in bed," Em says, frowning as she walks over to her girlfriend.

Without hesitation, Luc presses into her body, her shorter frame allowing her to tuck her head nearly under Em's chin. "I got lonely," she complains, words slightly muffled.

Em can't help but smile down at Luc. She and Sol weren't kidding when they were discussing how clingy Luc is; she'll take advantage of any opportunity to be close to Em, often snuggling up as close as humanly possible. It's an instinct that's completely ingrained in her, evidenced by the fact that Em will literally wake up in the middle of the night with Luc just... lying on top of her. She's affectionate, almost disgustingly so. Em adores it.

"Well," she whispers, swaying slightly, "misery does love company." Luc giggles into her shirt, and Em's heart melts.

"God, would it kill you to get a room?"

"We share a bedroom."

"Yeah, so use it!" teases Sol, grinning at Em. Her gaze drops to Luc, though, and softens with sympathy.

"Come on," Em says, pushing Luc toward the couch. "Sit. Take a sec. I'll bring your tea when it's done."

Luc sniffles, rubbing at her nose. It's already tinged pink at the tip, and she wipes at it roughly with the heel of her palm as she settles. "Thank you, Em. And, uh, I'm... sorry."

"For what?"

"Getting sick."

"Why are you sorry about that?"

"I probably could have avoided it if I tried."

"Luc, I love you, but there's absolutely no way you could've kept yourself away from Em while she was sick," Sol cuts in, smiling gently at their younger bandmate. "You care. That's not a bad thing."

There's a moment where Luc seems like she wants to say something, but her gaze goes glassy, her jaw drops, her breath hitches, and before they know it, she's pitching forward into cupped hands. "hH'ASHhiew!"

"Bless you," says Em, and Sol drops a quiet Jesús, looking up from where she's started pressing down on the filter to the french press. Luc just shakes her head, indicating that she's not quite done yet, and her entire frame shudders with another high-pitched sneeze.

"hah'SHiiew!"

"Bless you again."

"Jesús."

Luc plucks a tissue from the coffee table, blowing her nose into it and sniffling when she's done. "Explain to me again, what's the whole Spanish blessing custom?"

"That's Q's thing." Sol pours herself a mug of coffee, and wordlessly, Em hands her a spoon and the small holder they use for their sugar. Sol accepts them both. "He's Mexican, I'm from Spain. We usually just say Jesús."

"Speaking of, where is Q?" Em asks.

Sol frowns, a pensive look flashing across her face. "I'm not sure, actually. I'd assume in his room." She stands, heading toward the staircase that leads to the second floor, where her and Q's bedrooms are located. "Let me check on him," she tosses over her shoulder.

Luc's tea is going to take five minutes to steep, so Em sets a timer on the microwave and slips into the space between Luc and the arm of the couch. Luc immediately leans into her, and Em wraps an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder through the fabric of the blanket. "You want Tylenol?"

"Please," Luc whispers, quiet and miserable, now that Sol's not here to distract her from just how bad she feels. It's not that Luc actively tries to hide it when she's unwell; it's just that she'll forget the extent of it until she has a moment to herself, and then everything crashes into her at once.

Em moves to stand, but Luc's hand on her wrist stops her instantly. "Don't leave yet?" she asks, and Em sinks back into the cushions.

"C'mere," she murmurs, cherishing the way her girlfriend's body fits into hers when the smaller woman curls in closer. Her fever's rising, Em thinks. She'll have to actually get a read on it later, but for now, she's content to simply hold Luc in her lap and card a hand through her hair. Luc just sighs, breath warm against Em's collarbone, and she melts into her. "I love you, you know that?"

"Mm, yeah. Love you more, though." She can feel Luc's grin as it curves over her skin, and her own lips curl up in response.

(This, she believes, is what true love is.)

She sighs, nuzzles closer, and breathes.

[sleptwithinthesun]

🥴😱🤒 for Em and Luc? They’re both so cute!!

-softsleepysnz

HI OMG THANK YOU FOR SENDING AN ASK!!!! and thank you sm for the lovely comments and tags on your reblog!! im so happy that you enjoyed my silly little story about my silly little guys :)

🥴: How does your character respond to being blessed?

Em actually hates being blessed by nearly anyone besides Luc! She's not a big fan of having attention drawn to her own sneezes, for reasons that will be explored/explained in a later fic. Usually, Em will bless other people, but she's the type of person who will only bless someone for the first sneeze, and then nothing after, with the only exception being a bad fit. (Unless it's Luc. She will always bless Luc.) She doesn't really use any other terms, just because Sol and Q bless in Spanish so they've got that covered. She does not mind if her blessing isn't acknowledged.

Luc is totally fine with being blessed by anyone: her bandmates, her girlfriend, random strangers, whoever, and she's the type to bless anyone else for every sneeze. She has this really cute habit of just saying "bless bless bless" if someone's having a rapid fit and then only saying "bless you" once they're done sneezing. Luc will occasionally use 'gesundheit', but it's rare and usually only when she's just not paying attention and says the first thing that comes to her mind. Doesn't care much if she's not acknowledged, but might dwell on it, depending on who it is.

😱: How embarrassed do they get about sneezing?

Em isn't bright red and blushy, but she's a bit shy about it. Again, the whole not-liking-to-draw-attention thing. She'll pretty much just try to move on as fast as possible from it if she's really sneezing an excessive amount, but she's fine with random singles, which are usual for her.

Luc would only get embarrassed if she was having a genuine fit, but that's not really her sneezing style. Luc is more of a single or double type of sneezer, but she doesn't care. She'd probably sneeze in the middle of talking and just continue the conversation without even waiting for a blessing.

🤒: What are some telltale signs your character is sick?

Em... doesn't have many visible signs of illness. It's more in the way her demeanor changes; Em definitely gets quieter and withdraws. She absolutely is the kind of person who tries to hide when she's sick, just because she's always a bit embarrassed when ill. Interestingly, Luc is usually the last one to find out when Em is sick, because Em tries to hide it from her, specifically. Still, Luc might find out anyway if Em asks to sleep separately.

Luc gets a fever with literally any virus. Colds, the flu, any virus. It's usually low-grade, but it's so telling because that's always the first sign that she's sick. Luc usually feels a bit off, but she just... doesn't notice sometimes, because it takes a couple of days for the accompanying congestion to settle in or a sore throat or various other symptoms. So, Luc doesn't try to push through, but she'll end up doing it by accident. Em, of course, is usually the first one to notice that Luc isn't 100%, and it's about fifty-fifty as to whether she or Luc will notice first.

[sleptwithinthesun]

😖: For characters who stifle, does it make their itch worse, or does it satisfy their need? Have they ever been in a situation where sneezing overpowered their natural stifle habits?

For all your OCs?

-softsleepysnz

OH MY GOD YAY HI HEY HELLO!! thank you so much for sending!!!

😖: For characters who stifle, does it make their itch worse, or does it satisfy their need? Have they ever been in a situation where sneezing overpowered their natural stifle habits?

This might sound mean, but there's not really... a point to Sol stifling her sneezes? Her build-ups are fairly obvious, so to me, there's not much sense to her stifling after making it known that she's going to sneeze. If she were to stifle, she'd be totally fine; she's usually a one-and-done person with sneezing anyway.

While she doesn't outright stifle, Em absolutely will try to contain her sneezes, in a sense, so they're partially held-back. This will lead to situations where she'll have to sneeze again, but since Em really doesn't sneeze that much, it's not as if she will sneeze a ton at once just because she stifled.

I fully believe that Luc just cannot stifle to save her life. Essentially, she is physically incapable of it. That is all.

Q is concerningly good at stifling. Like, he's good enough at it that when he was young, he'd have entire fits, stifle them, and no one would even notice. Depending on why he's sneezing, it might make the tickle worse (typically, allergies will do that to him, but not illnesses). To semi-answer the last question, that'll be a story :)

[sleptwithinthesun]

😳💐🤭 please for Em and Luc!

AAA HELLO thank you so much for sending an ask!! eee i'm so happy that you liked it and a BIG THANK YOU for the tags on your reblog!! they were so so kind and i loved seeing them :D

😳: What does your character do when they can't cover a sneeze in their usual fashion?

I actually haven't thought about this for either character! I think Em would kind of... duck into her chest, if that makes sense? Like she'd pull her chin tightly to her sternum and stifle without using her hands. Big facial expression there, since you can see the effort that she'd put into holding back like that.

Luc would sneeze openly. She'd literally just turn her head away from anyone who might be nearby and sneeze. For her, it's not a big deal if a couple sneezes get away uncovered because she isn't a germaphobe or anything. It's very casual for her.

💐: Have they ever received a gift with something they're allergic to?

Em isn't allergic to much, or at least, she's not allergic to much that could be sent with a gift? She's never been given flowers or perfume or anything of the sort just because none of that gets to her nose. However, if she got a gift with something she was allergic to, she'd just be confused. (Em's allergies are very much related to animals, specifically rabbits and rodents.)

I very much see Luc as receiving a gift in person, for some reason, and then kindly thanking the giver through small hitchy breaths and nostril flares. She'd definitely try to stave off the sneeze until the giver left, but if she had to sneeze, she likely would. Luc wouldn't react with any malice, just appreciation for the gift and then she'd complain to Em about how itchy her nose was.

🤭: Do they ever try to hold back?

Em absolutely holds back on stage. She really doesn't want the public's attention to be drawn to her if she sneezes while C4 is in the middle of a performance. She's decent at holding back; Em can definitely hold a sneeze off for a couple of minutes, at least, and if she holds back for long enough, she's likely to lose it.

Luc, very rarely. She usually just sneezes when she has to, and she's terrible at holding back, anyway. Seriously, it's a whole affair with all the buildup. It's less obvious if she just sneezes.

[sleptwithinthesun]

🗣 for any (or all four, if you want :D) of your OCs? 👀

RAHHH YES AN ASK!!!!! thank you so much for sending i really needed to be enabled tonight :D

🗣: Rate your characters' sneezes from 1-10 (with one as the lowest) on volume, mess, and frequency.

Beginning with Sol, I'd probably give her a six on volume? Like, she can't really hide it, but it's not like she's going to draw everyone's attention to herself if she sneezes with just the noise. She's not on the "softer" side, though. For mess, I'd say a five. Sol will usually have to sniffle back some congestion after sneezing when it's just a random sneeze, so it only gets worse if she's sick or allergic. Baseline is a five, though. And finally, her frequency is only about a two or three; she doesn't sneeze very often, and only really when triggered by allergies. She doesn't even sneeze much when she's sick.

I feel like Em would be a four on volume. Toward the tail end of being soft, but not quite loud or harsh. Basically, you can tell that it could definitely be louder if she let go, but Em's fairly contained so, even though she's not stifling, it's not too loud. Mess is probably around a seven, as her sneezes are pretty wet, even when they're unprovoked. She'll definitely be sniffly after a sneeze, and if she's sneezing in multiples, Em would very likely go looking for a tissue. Last, frequency is a one; she almost never sneezes unless she's being triggered by an allergen or sick or purposefully setting herself off. She's not a naturally sneezy person.

Luc is absolutely an eight, mostly because of the combination between the pitch of her sneezes and the natural volume, but also, she doesn't really care if she appears vulnerable or anything. She definitely wouldn't mind the attention, either. Besides, Luc has cute sneezes. Mess would have to be a three; she only really gets messy when she's sick. There's often spray with her sneezes, though, which is important to one character and one character only if you catch my drift. I'd say a frequency around five, maybe? Not enough to be abnormally sneezy by any means, but enough that it's something that might be noticed about her.

Naturally, Q's sneezes would be a three on volume, but he stifles most of the time, and that'll take the volume down to a one unless he's sneezing too much to focus on keeping them quiet, instead trying to keep them contained. He gets the most embarrassed about sneezing out of anyone in the band, and Q just tries to be as unobtrusive as possible. Mess is a four; he gets sniffly just because he sneezes a bunch at once, usually, so the congestion will keep coming. Bringing us to frequency, Q is the only one over a five in his baseline, which is a six or seven. He's not exactly sensitive, per se, but he's allergic to a lot of common stuff, which makes it a bit difficult for him to avoid his triggers.