#sickfics are always a classic....

[adieutristana]

helping hand; jinx x fem!reader

classic sickfic. enjoy

i'm trying to put out fics over spring break but i'm also severely burnt out sorryyy

summary; jinx wakes up sick, and you’re there to help her. but the last thing she wants to do is admit she’s sick.

characters included; jinx

tags/warnings; sickfic, fluff, hurt/comfort ig?, emeto, jinx being stubborn

men dni.

mornings with jinx are usually quiet. you’re almost always the first one to wake up in a mess of tangled limbs, with jinx clinging to your chest, snoring loudly and leaving behind a little puddle of drool on your shoulder. she'd have all the blankets hogged to her side, probably have subconsciously elbowed you a few times throughout the night.

so waking up to the sound of retching without jinx there was the last thing you were expecting.

"jinx?! jinx!"

you swing your legs over the side of her cot and rush towards the bathroom, where you see jinx hunched over and clutching her stomach. she seems to be finishing up at least, but you crouch beside her and tentatively place a hand on her lower back.

"hey, babe. easy, easy. you okay?"

"i'm fine," she groans, coughing over the bowl and pulling back. she stumbles back onto her feet and reaches for her toothbrush with trembling hands. "sorry, i'm all gross..."

"you're not gross, probably just sick." you stand up beside jinx and place a careful hand on her forehead- slick with sweat.

"i'm not sick-" she insists around her toothbrush, voice slightly muffled before spitting out the toothpaste. "i don't get sick. i'm just... not at my best right now. yeah."

"babe, you're definitely sick. you're burning up."

dark brows knit together again, though jinx can't speak through brushing her teeth. her face is ever so slightly flushed, yet somehow she looks just a bit more pale than usually does. her voice has more of a rasp to it than normal, though you can't tell if it's from throwing up or from a sore throat. and her movements look more... sluggish.

"am not."

"you have a fever."

"i don't."

it's a fruitless endeavor trying to argue with jinx when she's like this, you know that. she's way too in over her head and cocky, and even when she's on the verge of bleeding out, she'll insist that she doesn't need help. it's only when you came into her life that she started accepting help, though begrudgingly and only from you. you've never seen her sick before, but whatever this is- it's bad.

"stay here, i'm gonna fetch a thermometer." you mutter, slipping out of the bathroom. jinx's initial reaction is to protest, but you're already gone. it's pointless now.

she sits on the cold tile with her knees tight to her chest, an almost comical pout on her face. once you return, thermometer in tow, you're standing over her with one hand on your hip. she looks like an angry kitten- disheveled and scowling, but not in a position to do any actual harm. you try to crouch down to bring the instrument closer to jinx, but she immediately smacks your hand away.

"i'm taking your damn temperature, babe. no getting out of this. say 'ah.'"

"you're kidding."

but you prod at her lips with the thermometer, and she hesitantly parts her lips. no part of your girlfriend is happy about this, yet she'll have to deal with it for now. the look in your eyes tells jinx that you're serious. no bullshit, no running.

101 degrees. holy shit.

"i told you, you're running a fever. a bad one." you mutter, before turning the thermometer so she can see it. she slowly looks over the numbers, but shakes her head- the best she can manage, anyways.

"no. it's gotta be... it's not workin' right. gimme that."

she reaches out to take the instrument, but you yank your hand back before she can. your eyes narrow, your tone firm. you set the thermometer on the sink, and take jinx by her shoulders.

"you have a fever, love. you just puked your guts out, you're flushed, and you're sweating. come on, let's get you in bed. i'll help you up."

she lets out a dramatic groan, rolling her eyes, yet she doesn't have the strength or energy to fight back right now. something you're grateful for, but her body feels like dead weight right now. you're nearly dragging her to her cot.

you place her down on the cot gently, giving her a moment to adjust and regain her bearings. you've seen jinx upset, angry, fighting, having episodes, but never sick. and you'd never expected it to be this bad- she's half-coherent at this point, but still insisting that she's fine. it's both frustrating and so endearing, because that's just so jinx.

"come on, lay down," you say, pointing to the head of her cot. she grumbles again, but scoots so that she's in a laying position on her back, her head turned to face you.

"ughhh, i'm fine! i told you, that thing's gotta be faulty or something. you don't have to take care of me, i'm not a baby."

you kneel down beside the cot, and take one of jinx's hands in yours. it's cold, colder than normal, yet still clammy. that's not normal, and it's only driving your point home.

"no, you're not a baby. but you're sick. i don't know how many times i have to tell you to get it through that thick head of yours," you sigh, though your voice carries no malice. rather concern. seeing jinx suffering like this makes you feel like your heart has been taken out of your chest and wrung out- how hoarse her voice is and how her face has a sheen that isn't usually there. "i wanna take care of you, okay? just let me."

jinx's lips form into a pout yet again, but she lets out a long huff. she seems to be in her head for just a moment, weighing her options internally, but eventually, she relents.

"fiiiiine. just don't go all overbearing on me."

you shake your head, chuckling lightly. "i won't. i'd uh.. make you soup, but i don't know if you could keep it down right now."

"mm... probably not."

"soup later, then," you concede, giving your girlfriend's hand a gentle squeeze. in one sudden movement, jinx uses all the strength she can muster to tug you up into the cot with her.

"c'mon, lay down with me." she scoots over in the small space, patting the empty spot that she's just made for you. she's got that look in her eyes that you can never say no to, not quite puppy-dog eyes, but a look of clear need.

"are you trying to get me sick?"

though you sigh in light amusement, rolling your eyes. you maneuver into a laid-down position beside jinx, but still leave enough space that she won't be a health risk. more than she already is. she's damn lucky you love her so much.

that's not enough for her, though. she furrows dark brows, wrapping her arms around you and pulling you close to her own body. directly facing you, before nestling into your chest. jinx's body relaxes a bit more at the touch, a tired sigh escaping the girl. one hand comes to rub at her lower back, slipping under her tee to feel the skin underneath. even though she's burning up and out of it, you can't help the gentle smile that tugs at your lips.

"this is fine, just no kissing."

"oh, come on!" she whines, magenta eyes flitting back up to you.

"no."

you're definitely gonna get sick anyways, but you'd die before you'd leave jinx without any kind of comfort.

this is good.

[himejoshiangels]

Duke Thomas fic rec list

I've scowered every tag relating to him, combed thru the 'duke centric tag' at least 8 times, this is what ive come back with, at least my personal faves

necessary reminders - duke pov, outsider pov, and some social media following duke as he gets used to his day job as a vigilante. flows really well, has a good balance of sad and happy, and gets dukes character rlly well

that which you cannot bear - THIS FIC WILL BREAK YYOU duke is kidnapped and its only down from there!! this is like, one of the first duke fics I read and it's still labeled as such in my mind. its well based, sooo cohesive plot wise, and stays completely in character w all its characters, especially duke, while exploring such an interesting facet of him > his tendency to self-isolate, insistence on being independent, and his stubbornness. sooo much good angst just incredible stuff while also staying hopeful and grounded. ALSO duke is an intelligent badass throughout the fic which is an important detail 2 me

signal, n. a divine act - same author as the last one, absolutely insane concepts are explored and its just so well written srsly it's like poetry. digs into some of dukes ideologies so well. if u like holy imagery??? kind of but not rlly?? ig you'll love this

this whole series is just so fucking incredible but something about my bodies made of crushed little stars I don't fucking know it messed w my brain chemistry, I've recced it b 4 bcs it made me cry but read the whole series, it's all duke centric and just so good. Saki writes bruce and duke in a way that fizzes u up w emotion and focuses on such unique facets of dukes character/dynamics and sleep well my little sunshine is soo cute and fun and soft >when earth finds the stars - bonus presignal duke and jason fic, balances being incredibly fun with a realistic zoom in on duke before we are robin. he's quippy and witty and always at the edge of his rope

not mutually exclusive - tired of bruce being kinda shoved into the role of dukes capital F father when that's not quite what their dynamic is? Then this is the fic for you!! Just good duke and Bruce interactions overall, it's sad and hilarious with just incredible dialogue and peak Bruce and Duke interactions

signals and symptoms - a classic sickfic and like one of my fave bruce bonding fic ever ever EVERRR!! really introspective abt dukes character and just so well done

even exchanges - some of u are gonna hate me for reccing an incomplete fic and esp one that doesn't look like it's gonna be finished anytime soon but even exchanges is so formative to my duke characterizationalong with portraying such a fascinating dynamic w him and his new family. it delves into his messy and angsty experiences pre-becoming the signal and is overall written like several subsequent punches to the stomach. promise ur gonna bitch and moan about this fic as much as I do

scientific method - extremely cute fic, watch Duke bond w the bats and slowly get more comfortable with them over time as they all tru to figure out what the fuck this guys powers are. Really fun dynamic wise, the dialogue is crafty and captures the familiarity between the characters. Really realistic about day to day vigilante life and how genius the bats truly are. really slice of life fluffy shit w some bonus sciencey stuff

turn my voice human torch remind people what I’m fantastic for - truly a classic, Duke invites cass to slam poetry night. short n sweet I LOVE BUMBLEBATS RAHHHHHH

tradition - pure duke n bruce ice cream fluff

meal prep - real sad angst one shot ft. alfred

occupational health and safety violations - duke pov reverse robins but it's way out of order

write about flowers (at a time like this) - duke and dick fic where they meet pre we are robin. yes I just found this one yesterday yes I'm absolutely obsessed. it characterizes him so well and understands his thought process and motives and UGHH just tune in yall

sidequest: the viper pit - WE ARE ROBIN DND JUMANJI

signals of fear and hope - duke centric reverse robins, caters TTOME specifically it's so fire

and now here are fics that arent duke centric but he's in it and in character/well written and now forced into the back of the room aka some of my general faves that feature duke

gotham aviary - the batman fic where he just adopts a bunch of em truly adorable like the cutest thing you'll read

I walk the streets at night (with monsters in my mind) - dragon fic, absolutely goated 10/10

fight, flight - cass centric but duke plays a big role, they mean everything to me

[thegoliathbeetle]

Hello hello! Do you have any Aaron fic recs? Or general recs? <3 TY! LOVE YOU! HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!

DO I EVER

I feel Aaron fics are the only thing I read. Hold on lemme open my bookmarks...

Okay, I'll rec 5 in each category bc I literally have so many recs I wouldn't be able to fit it all in one post

KevAaron

I don't think things through (I never get time) by 11moons - KevAaron, wholesome twinyards, one long delicious oneshot. I think it's quite new, I found it last night and inhaled it in one sitting.

you're losing me. by Ateiluj - It's a relationship breakdown fic, very angsty BUT there's a happy ending for KevAaron, so no fear! I love everything about it: the characterisation is spot on, the pacing is amazing, the plot is gripping, I can't find a single fault. 75k+ or something, read it in one night.

crashing into you by ratbandaid - Just a classic KevAaron oneshot, very entertaining. Loved every minute.

whitewater by Anonymous - SEVERELY underrated, I can't believe how few comments this has. It's one of my favourite fics, although it is *EXTREMELY* angsty—don't ignore the tags because there are a lot of potential triggers. The KevAaron is very slight in this, because it's more an Aaron-centric oneshot of a self-destructive spiral that gets worse and worse and worse. Angst with a happy ending, though!

Shared Smoke on the Backyard Patio by 11moons - Another fantastic Aaron study with lots of Kevin <3 a fic I keep coming back to.

Twinyards

Quiet by SparklingDragonTears - I love those slice of life moments between the twins. This is one of them <3

talkin too much (or I don't say enough) by 11moons - this is the third fic of theirs in this list and that's because everything they write is solid gold. Another fantastic Aaron study with bonus Andrew.

one more or one less, nobody's worried by sistercacophony - My skincare routine? Why, it's Aaron angst with lots of Twinyard drama and wholesomeness. Another great fic about Aaron's trauma, though ofc, mind the tags.

a guard dog there just for her by milfairy - I love milfairy's whole Trans Aaron universe, but this one is definitely my favourite. It's also the first in the series I think?? It's fantastic, with lots of Twinyard angst and love.

Medical Misunderstanding by CamilleDuDemon - Another author I highly recommend for their amazing Twinyards fics. This one is about Aaron being a good brother to Andrew.

KateAaron

you're holy to me by melopeya - I love little insights into their relationship, and this is just such a beautiful hurt/comfort moment where Katelyn showers Aaron with love. Your honour I just ADORE them.

aaron's lament by nanatsuyu - A fluffy family fic with KateAaron cuteness.

this red is for you by Ominous - I recommend their entire fic universe tbh but this one is particularly dear to me!!! I adore it. Protective and badass Katelyn, we love to see it.

a girl so bright she'll blind you by badcats - Aaron and Katelyn falling in love!! <3

with my last breath by ace_andi - Aaron and Katelyn talk after Seth's death. BONUS because I love my girl Katelyn:

Like a Force to be Reckoned With by Mia_writes - tbh this is not an Aaron fic, but it's a Katelyn character study set during Aaron's trial.

Rarepairs: MattAaron and Aaron/Allison

You look beautiful, but you don't look fine by orphan_account - I love, love sickfics, but it's very rare to come across an expertly written one. This is probably one of the best sickfics I've read in the aftg fandom. It's definitely one of the best Aaron-centric sickfics out there.

The End of the World as We Know It (But Not Really) by kiraisstillhere - Unfortunately this is incomplete, but it's a really interesting fic that starts with Aaron relapsing and Matt finding him. I'm always down to read anything that explores their addictions.

friends of friends by likearecord - I didn't know I'd even need to read an Aaron/Allison fic, but omg this one convinced me. They'd work SO well if they could both stop being so pissy for five minutes. A very enjoyable read!!

...And I would be remiss to not mention my own Aaron-centric fics:

can you bring life to anything? - it's an Aaron character study (oneshot)

Dope Sick - a freeform multichapter fic exploring his addiction and relapse

There you go!! I have so many more fic recs, the list just keeps growing because I read a lot of fic xD (And actually, I read only Aaron fics these days)

Thanks so much for asking!! this was really fun :D

[swissmissficrecs]

A-Z Classic Johnlock Recs

This really just scratches the surface but I had so much fun making this, maybe I'll do another one. These are all fics I consider fandom classics. I limited myself to one fic per author and tried to include a mix of genres.

A gainst the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (151K, E, Post-Reichenbach)

B e Here Now by Todesfuge (94K, M, post-Reichenbach)

C ooperative Principle by bendingsignpost (56K, E, Uni profs AU)

D eflowered - Director's Cut by Lorelei_Lee (328K, E, Mafia BDSM AU)

E lectric Pink Hand Grenade by BeautifulFiction (67K, E, Sickfic/Casefic)

F ill Our Mouths With Cinnamon Now by lbmisscharlie (114K, E, Parentlock)

G host Stories by SwissMiss (22K, M, Domestic)

H itting the Water at Sixty Miles an Hour by what_alchemy (30K, E, Fake relationship)

I n deed accomplish our designs by greywash (95K, E, Post-Reichenbach)

J ust a Kiss by emmagrant01 (19K, E, 5 Times)

K intsukuroi by sussexbound (91K, E, S4 Fixit)

L eft by lifeonmars (45K, M, Magical realism)

M aintenance and Repair by patternofdefiance (106K, E, Sci Fi AU)

N ature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 (203K, M, Parentlock/Clonelock)

O ur Enthusiasms Which Cannot Always Be Explained by withoutawish (32K, M, Casefic/Romance)

P erformance in a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (156K, E, Actors AU)

Q uintessential by thisprettywren (49K, E, Senseverse AU)

R iptide Lover by jinglebell (114K, E, Merlock AU)

S chool for Scandal by orphan_account (222K, E, Boarding school AU)

T hirst by bittergreens (122K, E, Post-pool casefic/Romance)

U nwind by illwick (752K, E, BDSM series)

V essel by Rhuia (15K, E, Sickfic/Casefic)

W atson's Folly by Diana Williams/dkwilliams (299K, M, Regency AU)

X mas: Goodness Gives Extras by mydwinter (39K, E, Romance/Casefic)

Y ou Give Me Fever by michi_thekiller (16K, E, 1950's Greaserlock AU)

Z ombies: Coins on My Eyes by indybaggins (35K, M, Sickfic)

[angelmatthew]

₊˚.༄ ginger tea - sung hanbin

this is very self indulgent because i was sick last week too :(( i can never keep sickfics short and sweet because i'm a sucker for whump, this is very soft whump though ! my writing's still a bit rusty but it's getting better (i hope). also, i'm still not sure about the layout for my posts so i'm trying out different things, i'll stick to one layout eventually!

🖇️request

↬hanbin x gn!reader ↬2054 words ↬fluff, soft angst, one shot ↬tw: mentions of vomit, a little bit whumpy, not proofread

your muscles were aching, your head pounding like a bass drum and you could barely breathe with your stuffy nose. you had to be in class in an hour but getting out of bed was a daunting mission.

you rolled over, clinging to the warmth of your bed, hoping a few more minutes might work a magic fix. and, before you knew it, you were out like a light.

you’re woken up two hours later by the sound of your phone ringing.

"hey, where are you sweetheart?" you picked up the phone without even checking the caller. once you recognize the familiar voice, you immediately snap into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

"oh my god, bin, i’m so sorry i overslept," you confess. you hear background chatter and figure hanbin is already at the coffee shop for your study date. he promised to help you with your finals, despite his busy schedule.

hanbin's voice carries genuine concern. "it’s okay, your voice sounds tired, are you feeling alright?"

“i’m okay," you hesitantly admit, "just feeling a bit under the weather. i'm so sorry for making you wait."

you downplay your ailment, though you can never fully deceive hanbin; his perceptive nature sees through your attempt to minimize the situation. the guilt starts settles in.

"It’s alright, i'm coming over," he reassures you with his signature comforting tone. there's not a single trace of annoyance in his voice, even though he's been patiently waiting for you for the past thirty minutes.

"no! it's okay. I know you're busy, and you made time for me to help with studying, and—" you start to babble, but hanbin interrupts with a soft chuckle.

"my schedule's never too packed for you. plus, it gives me an excuse to escape practice." he speaks in that sing-songy voice you adore, prompting a genuine smile from you.

"well, in that case, i'm glad i could rescue you from the clutches of boredom."

he laughs, "exactly. I’m bringing some medication, tea and cuddles."

true to his word, a few minutes later, there's a gentle knock on your door. you’re greeted with a bear hug and whisker dimples.

“how are you feeling beautiful ?” you can't help but grimace at the pet name, your hair's a mess, you’re pretty sure there’s a toothpaste stain on your sweatshirt, and the fever's turned you into a bit of a sweat machine.

"i look awful," you grumble, stealing a quick glance at your reflection in the small corridor mirror. hanbin's eyebrows furrow, he's quick to interrupt your self-critique.

"you always look beautiful to me," he adds, a reassuring smile accompanying his words. he then, presses his palm against your forehead, seamlessly slipping into concerned-mom-mode. his eyes pop wide, and his lips pull a total 'o' move – the classic hanbin surprise face.

"you're burning up!" he exclaims, guiding you to the couch with a gentle urgency, concerned that standing might tire you out even more. your dizziness was palpable; even reaching the front door felt like a monumental effort.

"did you eat something since this morning?" hanbin questions while putting the grocery bags on the kitchen island, his focus shifting to the small pharmacy bag.

"no, i felt too nauseous," you admit, your voice laced with a hint of shame.

he pauses, worry etched across his features, but he swiftly transforms it into a warm beam, the last thing he wants is to make you feel bad. "no worries, love. let's get you cozy first,"

he disappears into your room, returning with a fluffy blanket and a pile of cushions. he arranges the cushions, making sure they cradle you just right. the blanket, soft and inviting, is draped over you, and he tucks its edges gently, creating a cozy nest.

you can't help but admire his simple yet caring gestures. there's a warmth in his eyes, a quiet assurance that makes you feel secure.

"better?" he asks, his eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort.

“yes, thanks bin, you're an angel” you grab his hand, trying to convey your appreciation as best as you can — can’t risk a kiss in your current state. hanbin takes your hand in his, and kisses each of your knuckles softly, you feel like your heart might explode. in moments like these, you wonder how you got this lucky.

“no need to thank me, now, you need to take your medication…" he makes his way to the kitchen and rummages through the grocery bags, revealing an array of medicine.

he hands you a cup of water along with a few pills and another cup filled with a suspiciously white liquid. "i know it looks like a lot, but the pharmacist promised it should work wonders,"

you nod reluctantly, eyeing the medicine-filled cup. you take a sip of the chalky liquid, the taste makes your face scrunch up in immediate disgust.

"ugh, it's gross," you whine, hanbin chuckles at your distaste.

"you did it! now, the water to wash away the icky aftertaste," he hands you the water with an encouraging smile. "bottoms up!”

you manage a small grin, appreciating his encouragement, and with a final gulp, you conquer the medicine ordeal.

"now, about the nausea, how about a little snack, you can’t take more medicine on an empty stomach" hanbin suggests, you manage a weak nod, grateful for his attention. as he heads back to the kitchen, you can't shake the lingering discomfort; the idea of ingesting any food makes you feel even more nauseous but you don’t want to discourage your boyfriend.

he returns with a plate of crackers and slices of apple, “you don’t have to finish it all,” he hands you the fork with an encouraging nod then turns on the TV and puts on your comfort show, in the hopes that having distraction will make it easier for your stomach to handle the meal.

hanbin watches you eat with a mix of hope and concern, his eyes searching for signs of improvement. after a few bites, your stomach rumbles, and you reluctantly set down your fork. he doesn't want to force you to eat but on the other hand that the lack of nutrition might make you feel worse.

"just one more bite, okay?" hanbin insists, his voice soft. instead of waiting for your response, he picks up a piece of apple and brings it to your lips, offering it with a reassuring smile. "small bites. we'll take it slow."

you take a deep breath before taking another miniscule bite, but as hanbin's hopeful gaze meets yours, the nausea suddenly intensifies. without warning, you get up abruptly, rushing to the bathroom as your stomach rebels. your boyfriend follows, concern etched on his face. you wish he didn’t but he holds your hair gently as you vomit, the sound echoing in the small space.

“i'm so sorry," each retch is accompanied by a twinge of shame, intensified by the fact that fever has left you a bit delirious. you can't help but shed a few tears. yet, through it all, hanbin remains unwaveringly calm and gentle, rubbing your back soothingly.

"shh, it's okay” he repeats, his voice a steady anchor in the storm. he stays by your side, offering comfort as you navigate through this less-than-pleasant moment. as you finish, he helps you rinse your mouth, his touch gentle against the fatigue and fever.

guiding you back to the living room, he reassures, "take your time," and tucks you under the blanket. "if you're not up for eating, we can try again later."

you stare at his expression, he looks even more concerned than before, and you're not sure why but an odd inclination to cry takes hold. maybe it's because hanbin is right here, taking care of you, even handling the less glamorous parts without seeming annoyed or bothered in the slighest. your thoughts became a muddled blend of exhaustion, an overwhelming swell of gratitude, and an uneasy undercurrent of guilt,

as you struggled to fend off the fever-induced haze in your mind, you hadn't noticed hanbin quietly settling beside you, extending a glass of water. "small sips,"

you accept the glass, your body still tense from the earlier ordeal. "i'm sorry," you repeat while trying to supress the sob that threatens to escape your lips.

"hey, don't be sorry," he says, wiping away a tear with a tenderness that melts the tension, his thumb gently caressing your cheek. "i'm the one who made you eat when you didn't feel like it. we'll take it one step at a time, okay?" his soothing voice intensifies your emotions, and you find yourself shedding a few more tears, feeling extra awful with your scratchy throat and stuffy nose.

being the empath that he is, hanbin seems on the brink of tears himself, but he doesn't succumb. instead, he gently rubs your back and strokes your hair, humming your favorite songs in an attempt to help you calm down.

"think you need some sleep," he whispers after a few minutes. you nod weakly, and he helps you shift into a more comfortable position, fluffing the pillows and adjusting the blankets.

"anything hurting?" he asks while tucking you in, his fingers gently ensuring the edges of the blankets cocoon you snugly.

"my whole body is aching," you murmur, the exhaustion evident in your voice. moments later, hanbin returns from the kitched with warm heat packs, their comforting weight carefully arranged on your body. as he tends to you, the furrow on his brow and his careful, deliberate movements betray the emotional toll it takes on him to witness you in discomfort. he refrains from asking more questions, not wanting to exhaust you or burden you; he still feels a bit guilty from the ealier nausea ordeal.

before he even gets the chance to check on you again, you've already drifted off to sleep. when you slowly open your eyes two hours later, hanbin is still hovering over you, changing the wet cloth on your forehead with a fresh, cool one.

"hey sleepyhead, feeling better?" he asks, gently stroking your cheek. you nod slowly, his cool hand soothing your warm face.

now that your mind is clearer and the fever has gone down, you feel the shame settle in — you've never been this vulnerable in front of hanbin, you know he doesn't mind taking care of you but you feel sorry nonetheless.

"thank you again, for taking care of me, i was a complete mess earlier," you shyly blurt out.

"it's what i'm here for my love," in response, he graces you with that infectious smile, reminiscent of fluffy clouds and blooming spring flowers.

hanbin leaves your side momentarily but returns with a steaming mug of ginger tea, its comforting aroma filling the room.

"here, this might help you feel even better," he says, handing you the mug. the warmth of the tea and his comforting presence start to chase away the stiffness in your body.

hanbin settles down beside you, wrapping his arms around you in a gentle embrace.

"You know," he starts with a mischievous glint in his eye, "you owe me. i've been exposed to your germs," you chuckle and hanbin's relieved to see you laugh.

"i don't mind as long as I get to cuddle you like this," you say, sinking deeper into the embrace.

"even when I'm all sweaty?"

"you did it for me, i don't see why i wouldn't do it for you," you say, your tone light but filled with genuine affection.

hanbin seems a bit taken aback by your response. even though he spends his time taking care of the people around him, accepting the same level of care from others has always been a bit challenging for him. it's as if he fears it might compromise his dependable attitude. however, ever since you started dating, he's been gradually getting used to the idea and the same goes for you — taking care of each other even in the messiest moments felt more natural.

"you've got yourself a deal. just promise you won't judge the sweaty, sickly version of me too harshly."

you playfully roll your eyes, "bring it on, i'm ready for it warts and all,"

with a smirk, he leans in, planting a gentle kiss on your forehead. "i'll hold you to that."

[irondad-defensesquad]

My Irondad fic recs!

I thought of doing this because why not? Admittedly, I'm not reading as much fanfiction as I did a couple years ago, but some fics have changed my life entirely. In case I forgot one, I'll add it later!

I would’ve organized this in a bullet list, but Tumblr hates me and invented a character limit for that. So this is going to be long and will be under the cut. Anyway, let’s do this!

Rare and Sweet As Cherry Wine by loubuttons – I've mentioned this one before, but this fic right here was what inspired me to write my own Irondad works. One very particular detail I like about it is how it portrays Maria, Tony's mother. It's not what I usually see in other fics about Tony's childhood, since they tend to make Howard the big bad parent. Of course, this is because I personally related to it, as I don't believe in the "bad parent vs. good parent". I also like that it praises Edwin Jarvis as the one who looked out for Tony the most. It's pretty realistic and a very melancholic character study, IMO. *TW for abuse and neglect*

You're Always Iron Man by madasthesea – a very short fic but I absolutely love the premise. Takes place after the big battle in Iron Man 2, and Tony finds little Peter again. They have a very endearing interaction. The following chapter is also very cute!

Nothing like a fresh cup of humiliation in the morning by madasthesea – Pure fluff! This one is probably a classic in the Irondad fandom. Tony kisses Peter's forehead without second thought. Shenanigans ensue. It's so adorable and funny. If you just want to read fluff without angst, this one is for you.

when my body won't hold me anymore (where will I go) by madasthesea - I think I heard about this fic thanks to @/irondadfics here on Tumblr, but I might be wrong since I already knew the Nice work, kid series. Anyway, Peter is believed to be dead, so Tony (and the rest of the Avengers team) is mourning him. In reality, Peter is astral projecting. You know, sort of like how Stephen Strange, in his first movie, was fighting a guy in the other dimension while his body on Earth was struggling to live. That's basically what happens. Strange appears, of course, and saves the day. And I pretty much LOVE the presumed dead trope. I don't know why. Maybe it's the angst of it all. *TW for grief/mourning and temporary character death*

The Reason by doctornineandthreequarters – I think I read this one when I was still writing Oh, take me back to the start. I was looking for fics for inspiration, and I found this one. During the Time Heist in Endgame, Tony remembers the reason he's fighting to bring everyone else back. It's very emotional.

Couch Cuddles by happyaspie – Classic sickfic, but with more fluff than anything. I like rereading it when I feel lonely and touch-starved, especially when I'm also sick like Peter.

You’re So Much Like Me (I’m Sorry) by SpaceCowboysFromMars – Irondad + Miles Morales! Peter is an adult in this, and he freaks out when an injured Miles arrives in his apartment. Tony gives him some wisdom about mentoring and parenting. I don’t usually find Irondad stories featuring Miles (and not necessarily a Spider-Verse crossover), so this was a nice discovery. Peter & Miles & Tony is a very underrated trio IMO. *TW for slight gore*

I'm Glad I Have You by punkybunny – Peter has been having a rough time, dealing with loneliness as Aunt May is not home often, and with bullying at school... until he finally has the chance to spend time with Tony. However, the demons don't disappear completely. Obviously, more Hurt/Comfort, lmao. *TW for nightmare/bad dream*

I Want to Trust You by punkybunny – Actually part of a series that, admittedly, I haven't read all the other stories. But even this one is a very interesting concept on its own. This is a Hydra Peter AU, after Peter has been rescued. He gets sick but given his past in Hydra, he thinks Tony is going to get angry. Peter is proven wrong when Tony helps him get better. The ending is very adorable. I'll see if I can read the rest of the series one day. *TW for past abuse and experimentation*

what you think I've done wrong by ironxprince – I don't often read Biodad stories as you all know, but I was, again, looking for inspiration for You keep me searching for a heart of gold, and I stumbled across this one. Basically Peter, as Tony's biological son, finally meets Howard. It goes as well as you think /sarcasm. *TW for physical abuse*

i, in time, will climb my mountain by ironxprince – This one is heavy. Once again, Peter is Tony's bio son, and he's suicidal. Every time Peter attempts suicide, he buys a new plant. Tony doesn't know this, so he's confused as to why there are so many plants in their house. I love this one, but of course, I try to read it when I’m not having a really bad day. *Once again, TW for suicide attempts*

how do you get that lonely (and nobody knows?) by parkrstark – Yeah... another heavy one. Peter attempts suicide but he saves himself before he reaches the ground. With that, he goes to Tony. This ends happily, don't worry. *TW for suicide attempt*

When You Can't Sleep by Emily_F6 – Pretty much Tony comforting a sleepy Peter, who has just had a nightmare about Thanos. Just Hurt/Comfort and domestic fluff. *TW for mention of death*

i get by (but it's eating me alive) by Livinei – Honestly, I think this is the BEST May's Abusive Boyfriend story I've ever read. For one, none of the characters are oblivious nor dismissive of Peter's feelings. May isn't neglectful and Ned actually tries to encourage Peter to tell someone. I also like that Peter isn't completely helpless. I don't usually see those things in other fics with this trope, sadly. And of course, Protective Tony is my weakness. *TW for emotional and physical abuse*

Hold Me Together by An_Odd_Idea – Post-Endgame where Tony is alive, and Peter and Tony are both trying to cope, so they rely on each other. Pure Hurt/Comfort.

A Tremendous Thing by ExpectoPatronum – Possibly one of my favorite Irondad stories EVER. Also post-Endgame with Alive Tony (though the author better explains it in the notes, it's supposed to be part of a series, but this story can be read on its own). There are a lot of references to Charlotte's Web if you're familiar with it. Basically, it's Father's Day and Peter is feeling guilty and out of place at Tony's lake house, even though everyone is readily trying to include him. It's absolutely beautiful and painful.

Hug You I Must by spiderwriting (catch_you_later) – Probably one of the first touch-starved Peter fics I've read. I like how it describes touch-starvation as this "itchy" current in your body, something that makes you anxious. Thankfully, Peter gets his hug later on. Plus there are some Star Wars references (the title probably is one, lol). *There's some minor violence here when Peter is fighting off some bad guys, but not the focus of the fic*

When You're There With No One There To Hold, I'll Be The Arms That Reach For You by Squibbles94 – Another touch-starved Peter fic. But I really like the references to Cast Away. Ironically I saw this movie in the same year the author published this fic (dare I say SHORTLY after it was posted). I also had no idea that Cast Away was entirely about isolation. Gosh, the main character's monologue at the end ALWAYS gets to me... anyway, yeah, the peak of the pandemic was awful to me, so reading fics like this one helped tons. It still does.

I am cold by N/A (orphan account) – Peter tries to visit Tony, but he gets lost in a subway tunnel on a freezing day. Eventually we learn why Peter wanted to see Tony, but overall this is mainly domestic fluff. Everything ends well.

Sorry Pedro by PinkEasterEggs – One of the first Irondad fics I read. Peter has a nightmare about Homecoming (mainly Toomes), but he avoids waking Tony for that reason. But thanks to F.R.I.D.A.Y's protocols, Peter goes to his mentor. Tony is also super soft here and it makes my heart swoon.

you are enough by diaz_evan – Another post-Endgame fic. Arguably I began reading Irondad fics only after Endgame released. Anyway, this one is short, kinda sad but it ends well. It’s Tony’s birthday and Peter feels very anxious about what to get him as a present. Thankfully, he doesn’t need to prove his love for Tony. *TW for panic attack*

Happy Father’s Day, Mr. Stark by downeylove – There are a lot of Father’s Day fics for these two, of course, but this one takes the cake for me. It’s simple but very endearing to me. Tony obviously doesn’t have good memories of this day, but Peter changes that for the first time. It’s really cute. Plus, Pepper is here, and I love her. I wish I could read more of her interacting with Peter. *TW for mentions of alcoholism and past child abuse*

5 Times Peter Didn’t Say He Was Struggling… And The One Time He Did by Bladam_Shevine – Again, an old fic I read years ago. I admit I haven’t re-read it in a while, but I remember enjoying it and even saving it to read offline. It’s basically what it says in the title: Peter struggles in many ways and he initially refuses help. Tony is always there to reassure him he can count on him. Bruce is here if you like him! And MJ helps Peter on one of the chapters as well. The chapters might get heavier as they go, but it ends on a hopeful note. *TW for injury, panic attack, suicide attempt (it doesn’t involve Peter), and depression*

The Good Days and the Bad by SoupGirlLovesSoup - Peter has had a bad day, now he's cuddling with Tony. It takes a while before Peter finally tells him what happened. It gets sad, but it's mostly fluff and it ends hopefully. I love re-reading it when I need the comfort. *TW for mention of suicide attempt, depression, and bullying*

Breathe Again by gwenoakley - Post-Endgame where Tony survives. He's recovering in the hospital and Peter finally reunites with him. Before that, though, we can feel the anxiety and trauma Peter feels. Definitely makes me emotional. It's the ending they deserved.

Popsicles and Playgrounds by ironfamjam - I can't believe I forgot to save this one in my bookmarks. I used to re-read this all the time! It's an AU where MIT student Tony meets a kid Peter. Eventually, Tony becomes Peter's babysitter! This is part of a series, which I still have to read fully. It's such a wholesome idea!! <3 *Howard's bad parenting is mostly mentioned*

Well, for now this is it! Again, I might add more fics here. I think I also could make a list of what particular concepts I want to read more in Irondad stories, so maybe you guys could give me your own recs. I might try to resume my habit of reading Irondad fics, because they give me a lot of comfort. Thanks for reading this far! I hope you enjoy any of the stories I included.

(I'm aware some authors here have their accounts on Tumblr, but I didn't want to annoy anyone by tagging them, so yeah 😅)

EDIT (June 4th, 2024): What Irondad fics I would like to read!

[wheretheharekissesthefox]

My Leaking Blood Bag

Nurse Gale has a crush on his new patient, the anaemic lawyer Astarion.

+++

It was a snowy day in January when Gale met a new patient who immediately caught his eye. Astarion Ancunín suffered from celiac and Crohn’s disease, which caused iron-deficiency anaemia. As a result, he heavily relied on regular blood and iron infusions. Gale developed an immediate crush on him.

Trigger Warning (18+): Alternate Universe - Modern Universe, No Magic, No Vampire, No Wizard, Lawyer Astarion, Nurse Gale, Astarion Is Anaemic, Meet-Cute, Foreplay, Blow Job/Fellatio, Hand Job, Semi-Public Sex, Allergic Reaction, Vomiting, SickFic (kinda), No Beta - We die like Astarion after eating pasta

Read on AO3

It was a snowy day in January when Gale met a new patient who immediately caught his eye. Astarion Ancunín suffered from celiac and Crohn’s disease, which caused iron-deficiency anaemia. As a result, he heavily relied on regular blood and iron infusions. From the patient file, Gale learnt that Astarion had lived in Baldur's Gate until the end of December. While he prepared everything for the IV, he chattered like always.

"I'm sure you were made aware of the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, weren't you? To boost your body's ability to produce more red blood cells, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, and folate are important to help take in iron. Thus, you should consume red meat, dairy products, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables, as well as citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, on a regular basis."

Astarion rolled his eyes.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I live with this condition since I was a child."

"Apologies. I didn't mean to offend you. I merely wanted to –"

"– help?"

Gale nodded and Astarion glared at him. Then, the latter sighed, running a hand through his silver curls.

"Thanks for helping me. It's really kind, but I don't need people to tell me what's good for me. I'm sick and tired of all the well-meant advice."

"I understand it must be annoying," Gale replied, "but I care about your wellbeing."

His patient snorted.

"Really? You don't even know me, darling."

"Well... I... hmm." Gale cleared his throat and busied himself with placing the cannula in Astarion's crook of the arm. The other man didn't flinch or made a sound, just stared at the wall with a bored expression.

"This room's so bleak. There are not even pictures on the wall. How am I suppose to pass the time?" Astarion complained.

"Would you like to read something?" Gale asked as he cleaned up the bedside table and tray. "I can offer you some magazines or classic literature." When Astarion made a face, he added: "Or a children's book."

His patient snorted again, but this time, he smiled while doing so.

"What exactly is categorised as a children's book?"

"Peter Rabbit, The Rainbow Fish, The Cat in the Hat, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, and many more," Gale listed as he counted them off on his fingers. Astarion tilted his head, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"How about Goldilocks?"

"If you'd like." Without further ado, Gale walked over to the wall shelf, picked up the mentioned book, and gently placed it in Astarion's lap. "Here. As you know, the infusion will take one hour. I'll closely monitor you for any signs of side effects. Do you have a history of such?"

"With blood transfusions, I sometimes get an elevated heart rate. With iron infusions, it's nausea, diarrhea, and dropping body temperature," Astarion answered dutifully.

"I see. I'll write it down and it'll be taken into consideration whenever you'll receive an infusion from now on," reassured Gale.

"Thank you, Mister –" Astarion squinted at the nametag, "– Dekarios."

"You're welcome," smiled the addressed. "If you need anything, call me. I'm right around the corner, measuring pills for other patients. I'll check in with you every fifteen minutes to make sure everything's alright and you don't have a negative reaction to the blood."

"I feel safer already," teased Astarion and Gale couldn't help but blush. The latter quickly left the room and tried to focus on his work.

After fifteen minutes, he checked in on his patient. Thankfully, he seemed alright and in good spirit. Smirking, Astarion gestured toward the book in his lap and said: "Goldilocks is deceiving!"

Gale raised an eyebrow, asking: "How so?"

Astarion's grin widened.

"The three bears are actual bears, not gay men. Where's the smut?"

A startle laugh burst out of Gale.

"It's a children's book. What did you expect?"

"Big, strong men with furry chests who help out poor little Goldilocks?"

The nurse kept laughing.

"Then you're reading the wrong book, Mister Ancunín."

"Am I?" Astarion looked up at him through long, dark lashes and bit his lower lip flirtatiously. "Do you have a book recommendation for me?"

Gale's face flushed. How did his patient know he was into erotic novels? Nervously, he toyed with the hem of his scrubs.

"I - uhm... The Art of the Night is a classic."

"Oh, please. That's so mainstream," sighed Astarion. "Don't pick the safe choice that's easily digestible by the masses. Give me something filthy and debauched." His grey eyes sparkled with excitement. "Come on, Mister Dekarios. What's your favourite?"

"The Song of the Nightingale!" Gale blurted out. "It's about a nurse who serves in the Reclamation War and falls in love with a brigade commander after she saved his life and nursed him back to health."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Is it steamy?"

"Y-yes."

"Perfect."

Astarion's knowing smirk caused Gale's blush to deepen.

"Excuse me, I - I have things to do," the latter stammered. "I'll check in on you in a bit."

Without waiting for a reply, Gale fled the room, deeply embarrassed about the conversation they just had. Astarion, on the other hand, didn't seemed bothered nor flustered at all, and when Gale came back fifteen minutes later, his patient was reading something on his phone.

"You actually didn't need a book to pass the time," remarked Gale, unable to hold back a comment.

"No," Astarion answered. "I was just curious about your reaction. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Gale shrugged and checked the IV drip for air bubbles and leakage.

When the blood bag was empty, Gale carefully removed the IV line, cleaned everything up, handed Astarion a glass of water, and offered him a snack. Astarion chose lemon-flavoured glucose tablets.

"I like them. They're quite tasty," he explained. "Plus, they don't trigger a Crohn's flare-up."

Gale finished the rest of his mandatory post-infusion care: checking the patient's temperature, taking his pulse, observing him for any signs of side effects, such as rashes, shortness of breath, and dizziness. When he couldn't find anything suspicious, he let Astarion go to schedule the next appointment. Before Gale could lose sight of the gorgeous patient, he told him: "Neverwinter has only one hospital, and it seems like you'll return regularly. I'm looking forward to see you again, Mister Ancunín."

The addressed shot him a dazzling smile.

"Likewise, Mister Dekarios."

Astarion came by twice a month to receive his blood and iron infusions on separate days. Somehow, his visits always lined up with Gale's work schedule. Over the next few months, Gale learned more about Astarion through their casual conversations.

Astarion was a lawyer, born and raised in Baldur's Gate, who had moved to Neverwinter after a "terrible" event that he refused to elaborate on. The Baldurian was charming, eloquent, cunning, witty, practical, and smart, but also snarky, moody, and bitter. Gale was swept off his feet, experiencing the biggest crush since breaking off with Mystra. Mystra... She was the reason why Gale was in Neverwinter.

Originally, Gale had studied to become a doctor, but after his dispute with Mystra – his mentor-turned-lover – regarding his PhD thesis, he could kiss his dream goodbye. Gale had defied Mystra, had gone against her wishes, and had carried out his own haematological experiments on rats. As punishment for his betrayal, she'd accused him of plagiarism. Since Mystra was an established member at Blackstaff University and Gale had only been a student – a promising prodigy, but still just a student – the school board had decided to let him go and kicked him out of Blackstaff. Gale had tried to enter into multiple different universities, but Mystra's influence had made it impossible. Gale was black-listed. Deeply ashamed and hurt, he had fled to Neverwinter – where he was safe from the consequences of his folly – and had taken a job as a nurse instead. Despite everything, Gale loved being a nurse and was proud of his profession. Neverwinter was the northernmost, year-round inhabited place in the country. It was a serene, boring town in bumfuck nowhere, or, as the locals called it, 'the place where the hare kisses the fox goodnight'. Gale had been living here for ten years. Here, where everything was boring and nothing ever happened.

Until now. Now, Astarion had happened.

It was a sticky, hot summer night, and for some reason half of Neverwinter had decided to do stupid shit and get injured. After all, the hot days of summer could be counted on two hands, so, they had to be fully utilised. The ER was clearly short-staffed, and Gale, Karlach, and Rolan were running around like maniacs. A group of drunk teenagers had thought it was a good idea to skinny-dip, and one of them had almost drowned. Some reckless university students had jumped off a cliff and one of them had hit a rock and would most likely end up paralysed (Dr. Silverbough was operating on them right now). An over-enthusiastic dad had done some midnight DIY-ing and had lost a finger in the process. Someone had first-degree burns from handling fireworks incorrectly, and one guy had a beer bottle stuck up his ass after some kinky sex had gone wrong. It was rarely this busy in the hospital. It was the pièce de résistance when Astarion stumbled through the glass door and almost collapsed onto the ground. Only Gale's quick reflexes prevented the lawyer from hitting his head on the concrete floor.

"Good God, you're burning up!" Gale exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"Allergic reaction," groaned Astarion as a violent shiver shook his lithe frame. "Had dinner with business partners. The restaurant had gluten-free pasta on their menu, but they clearly lied."

"What are your symptoms?" Gale asked.

"Stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, alternately excess sweating and violent chills."

"For how long?"

"Six hours. Usually, I can manage myself, but it's really bad this time." Astarion whimpered as he was gripped by another awful convulsive fit, forcing him to bend over. "Please, help me. Do something. Anything! Just - just make it stop. Please..."

For the first time in years, Gale felt panicked.

"Okay. I... I get you some fluids and then... Okay. We got this."

"I've shat blood, Gale!"

"That's not ideal, but –"

"Oh, God!" Astarion groaned, stumbled towards the nearest bin, and was violently sick. There wasn't much coming up anymore, only water and bile, but his dry-heaving made Gale's stomach a bit queasy too.

"I'm going to die," groaned the lawyer.

"No, you won't."

"Bathroom. Gale, where's the nearest bathroom? I'm going to shit myself any second."

The addressed reacted quickly and dragged Astarion into the nearest, empty patient room.

"Get out," wheezed Astarion as he pulled down his pants in a frenzy.

"I need to monitor you to make sure you won't pass out, hit your head, or choke on your own vomit," Gale retorted stubbornly. It seemed like the lawyer wanted to argue, but before he could, he winced as his face turned even paler and new sweat was forming on his hairline. He all but collapsed onto the toilet before having explosive diarrhea.

"Great." Astarion buried his face in his hands. "I can never look you in the eye again. Please, God, kill me now. Show mercy."

Gale bit his tongue to keep himself from telling Astarion that he was being dramatic. The latter wouldn't like it. Wordlessly, Gale placed a trash bin next to Astarion.

"Just in case," he told him softly.

"Thank you," muttered the lawyer, and the nurse tried to ignore the tears that were streaming down the other man's face. "I'm so embarrassed. God... I'm such a mess. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologise," Gale replied. "You're having an allergic reaction and your body's trying to help you purge it all right now. I know it's uncomfortable, but your body's not your enemy."

"Is it not?" Astarion looked up at him, tear-streaked. "It's just food. Completely normal, regular food that should nourish my body, not being rejected by it. Why can't I be normal? Why is it so fucking hard to just live and eat? I'm so sick and tired of my fucked up body!"

Gale didn't know what to say. For the first time in forever, he was speechless. There were a lot of first times when it came to Astarion, it seemed. He wanted to touch Astarion so badly, but it wouldn't be appropriate.

"I'll prepare the fluids infusion since we must keep you hydrated. Afterwards, you'll probably need a blood transfusion, especially since you've found blood in your stool."

"Just say 'shit', Gale," sighed Astarion.

"No," the addressed replied, pursing his lips. "I'm a nurse and insist on using the right technical term."

As hoped, it made Astarion chuckle a bit.

"You're such a nerd."

"Obviously. – Are you okay? Can I fetch the IV bag without the fear of finding you unconscious afterwards?"

"Mhm. I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"You're right, but I meant 'fine' according to circumstances."

Huffing a laugh, Gale left him alone to fetch the fluids and to prepare the nearby bed. Afterwards, he helped Astarion lay down and inserted the IV line via needle. He placed the bin next to the bed and positioned the call button on the side of the mattress for easy access.

"Do you need anything else?" Astarion shook his head. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes, but I really have to go help my colleagues. We're drowning in work tonight. I'll inform Dr. Oblodra about your situation and she'll check on you, alright?"

Astarion grimaced and asked: "Must it be her? Where's Dr. Hallowleaf? She's usually my doctor."

"She's on vacation, but I can call for Dr. Baenre instead of Dr. Oblodra."

"Please," groaned Astarion. "I can't stand Oblodra. She always looks at me weird."

Gale had no idea what that meant, but rushed out the door to get Dr. Baenre. Thankfully, the latter had just finished applying a plaster to a broken arm and was free for a moment.

"Minthara, could you please check on the patient in room 101? He has celiac disease and Crohn's and experiences a severe allergic reaction to a pasta dish he'd eaten."

"Why would he eat pasta if he's allergic? Has nobody any common sense anymore?" grumbled Minthara.

"The restaurant told him it was gluten-free, but it wasn't."

"Clearly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here now. Why are such idiots allowed to handle food? They should lose their licence," Minthara huffed indignantly. It took all of Gale's self-restraint to keep from sighing.

"Mister Ancunín comes by regularly for blood and iron transfusions. He's one of Jen's patients. He's running a fever, vomited multiple times, and has bloody diarrhea. I hooked him up on some fluids and plan to switch over to blood later."

Minthara nodded.

"You're making yourself useful. Good. I'll pay him a visit immediately."

"Thank you, Minthara."

Gale sighed a breath of relief as he watched Dr. Baenre walk towards Astarion's room.

"Gale! Bring some pliers!" yelled Karlach. "Two kids with braces made out and got stuck!"

With a heavy sigh, the addressed rushed to the supply room. It would be a long shift.

Two more times, Astarion needed to use the bathroom and was visibly mortified when Gale insisted on staying with him for safety measure. The nurse even took a stool sample and the lawyer all but buried his face in his hands, burning up with shame. Gale didn't understand the problem. After all, it was his job to look after patients and Astarion just happened to be one of them.

When the bag with fluids was empty, Gale replaced it with blood. Astarion's fever had gone down a tad and it seemed reasonable to start with the second transfusion. Before leaving the room, Gale stroke a thumb across the lawyer's pale hand and told him: "I'll be back in fifteen minutes. If you need any help, don't hesitate to push the call button."

"Thank you," Astarion muttered. With a curt nod, Gale rushed out of the room.

For the forth time, Gale was explaining that it was a bad idea to shove a vodka-soaked tampon into one's vagina, when his alarm went off. He excused himself, burdening Rolan with this infuriating woman, and checked in with his favourite patient.

"What's wrong?" Gale asked, concerned.

"The blood bag's leaking," Astarion answered, pointing at the fine, red rivulet that made its way down the outside of the tube.

"Not that as well," sighed the nurse and tried to find the puncture. "What a stupid, leaking blood bag."

"But it's my stupid, leaking blood bag," remarked Astarion, grinning slightly, and Gale burst into laughter. After a moment of fumbling, the leakage was found and patched up.

"There we go," hummed Gale, satisfied.

"Thanks, darling." The lawyer smiled, but was clearly exhausted. "You always make me feel safe and taken care of."

"That's good." The nurse couldn't help but smile back. "Dr. Baenre informed me that we'll be watching you overnight to make sure you don't go into anaphylactic shock."

"Are you on the night shift?"

"Yes."

"That's good," sighed Astarion, closing his eyes. "Thanks for everything, Gale."

The addressed didn't know what to say – again – and thus, stayed quiet. Gale fussed with the IV drip and the blanket to keep himself busy. He hoped Astarion would recover quickly and without further incidents.

Finally, the hospital quieted down and the last few ER patients left the building. With a mug of peppermint tea in his hand, Gale made his way towards room 101. Despite the lights still being on, Astarion was deep asleep. The nurse couldn't help but smile softly at the sight. He'd grown fond of the lawyer over the past six months. Quietly, he moved across the room to check the IV bag and Astarion's vitals. After the blood transfusion, Dr. Baenre had prescribed another bag of fluids for Astarion. It was still half-full. Gale sighed a breath of relief when nothing was out of order. Astarion still had an elevated temperature, but seemed fine otherwise. He hadn't thrown up since the incident in the hallway and his bowels were no longer able to empty themselves. Everything seemed in order. Gale sipped his tea as he stood next to the bed and pondered his next steps. It would probably have been a bit creepy to just stay by Astarion's side until he woke up. Besides, Gale wasn't sure where they were standing. Were they friends or just two people who knew each other? Gale decided not to take the chance. In a burst of courage and spontaneity – Astarion liked the latter – he placed his latest erotic novel on the bedside table and quickly scribbled a message on a sticky note. Slightly ashamed, Gale left the room and resisted the urge to pack the book away again. He hoped Astarion could use it to pass the time. Gale said goodbye to Karlach and Rolan and greeted the morning shift that crossed his path as he left the hospital. The door closed behind him and the refreshing morning breeze greeted him. Gale took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air after the stuffy heat during the night. Yawning, he stretched, arms above his head, and watched the sun rise on the horizon.

Gale didn't see Astarion again until two weeks later, when he had his regular appointment. The lawyer seemed uncharacteristically quiet and down, but the nurse didn't dare to ask what was wrong. Gale carefully inserted the cannula in Astarion's arm and started the slow drip. Since it sometimes caused nausea, they delivered the iron solution as slowly as possible. So far, Astarion had never had any serious side effects, but Gale had always monitored him closely and dutifully. Everything had to go according to protocol.

"By the way," Astarion said suddenly, "thank you for lending me the book. It helped me kill time until I was discharged."

"You're welcome. Have you recovered well?"

"Yes, thank you for asking."

"Alright. Everything's ready. As always, I'll check in on you in fifteen minutes, and if you start to feel weird, just call me."

"Yes. Thank you."

Gale left the room and couldn't stop wondering why Astarion seemed so sad.

About twenty-five minutes into the procedure, Astarion called for him, and Gale rushed back.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Is the bag leaking again?" the nurse asked, worried.

"No. I... I'm just a bit dizzy and cold," explained the lawyer, averting his eyes. It broke Gale's heart a little.

"Oh... I see."

He covered Astarion in an extra blanket, made sure that the trash bin was in reach, and handed the lawyer a lemon-flavoured glucose tablet to help the dizziness. Without complaining, Astarion put it in his mouth and chewed on it listlessly.

"I messed it up, didn't I?" he muttered, glaring at the bedsheets.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Gale asked, confused.

"You saw me puke, shit, and cry. I won't blame you if you refuse to go out with me now."

Gale's eyes widened in surprise and his heart skipped a beat.

"You want to go out with me?"

"I don't think you want that anymore," retorted Astarion, bitterly. "I messed it up."

"I'd love to go out with you!" Gale beamed at the lawyer, gently squeezing his hand. "You have no idea how much I want to spend more time with you."

"Really?" Astarion looked shocked. "You're not repulsed? Not even after everything you witnessed two weeks ago?"

"Of course not! What are you talking about?"

"But... but it was disgusting, and you had to watch, and..." Astarion seemed utterly confused, and Gale's feelings bubbled over.

"Can I kiss you?" asked the nurse, and the lawyer's beautiful, grey eyes widened.

"Yes. God, yes!"

Their lips brushed together softly – Astarion's were slightly chapped – and Gale placed a hand on the lawyer's jaw to tilt his head back for a deeper kiss. With a guttural groan, Astarion grabbed the front of Gale's scrubs to pull him closer. They got more frantic as they parted to gasp for breath before locking lips once more.

"God, I want you so much," whispered Astarion. "I dreamed of this moment for the past five months."

"Me too," admitted Gale. "I'm very fond of you."

For a moment, they stared at each other, their gaze heavy with lust, but also with affection. Then, Astarion said: "Kiss me as if we were in one of your filthy erotic novels. As if we were Nurse Victoria and Commander Holt."

He didn't have to tell Gale twice. The latter immediately leaned in for another kiss, slipping his tongue into Astarion's mouth and sliding their tongues together. He could taste the remains of the lemon-flavoured glucose tablet, but it was rather pleasant. Gale's lips wandered across Astarion's cheek, and he brushed his nose against the underside of the lawyer's jaw, before kissing his neck. Moaning, Astarion arched up towards him, silently begging for more. Gale inhaled deeply, smelling the lawyer's signature perfume, heavy with rosemary and bergamot. Citrus scents suited him well, and Gale was a little feral about it. A low, possessive growl escape the nurse as he kissed the lawyer's neck again, licking some sweat off, before gently sucking a love bite into the pale skin, causing Astarion to squeak in surprise. Gale licked where he'd just bitten him to soothe the sting, then, he lifted his head to gaze at the other man again. Astarion's pupils were blown wide, a faint blush painted his cheeks, and his chest was heaving. He looked ethereal, and Gale couldn't believe that he had the privilege of being wanted by him.

"May I?" Gale murmured, toying with the buttons of Astarion's dress shirt. The lawyer had come straight from work and hadn't had time to change.

"Yes, yes." Astarion nodded frantically and started carelessly tugging on the buttons until Gale stilled his fingers, kissed the knuckles, and opened the shirt for him. The nurse was nimble and fast, brushing fingertips across Astarion's nipples as he went, causing the lawyer to moan lowly. Goosebumps spread across pale skin as more and more of it was revealed. Each time Gale popped open a button, he brushed his lips along the newly exposed skin, eliciting gasps and little shivers of excitement from his lover. He revelled in the feeling of Astarion wreathing beneath him. When Gale had finally reached the last button and placed a kiss right below the bellybutton, Astarion whimpered. With satisfaction, Gale noticed the hard outline of the lawyer's dick through his slacks. His curiosity got the better of him and he delicately ran his fingers up the stiff length.

"Gale!" whined Astarion. "Fuck. Please!"

"Not here," joked Gale. "I'd prefer to take my time with you. To finger you open and eat you out before making love to you."

Astarion made a noise that sounded close to a sob.

"Don't worry, love. I make you feel good," Gale promised, unzipped the lawyer's slacks, and pulled down his underwear. Astarion's hard cock sprung free, slender and pale with a pretty pink hue. Like the rest of him, Astarion's dick was perfect. Gale's mouth watered and he swallowed before bending down and licking up the precum from the tip. Astarion whimpered and buried his free hand in Gale's hair, the latter's man bun coming undone like the nurse himself.

"Gale, darling, please," begged the lawyer. "Please get me off."

There was nothing he'd rather have done. Gale wrapped his hand around the base of Astarion's cock and gave it a long lick before slowly taking him into his mouth. It had been a while since the last time he'd done this, but he was sure that he could remember the right technique. He sunk down as far as he could without gagging before drawing back and tonguing at the slit. Astarion's moans spurred him on, and Gale started to fondle the balls too. The nurse was distantly aware that the monitors, to which Astarion was hooked up on, were beeping frantically. He paid them no mind, focusing on drowning in the taste and feel of the lawyer instead. Gale started to work himself up and down Astarion's length at an unhurried pace, enjoying the way his lips stretched around the comfortable girth and his throat clicked each time he deepthroated. Gale moaned as he imagined being fucked by this perfect cock, and pushed his own leaking hardness into the side of the bed to get some much-needed relief. Meanwhile, Astarion writhed beneath him in ecstasy, his hips spasming with shallow thrusts. His breath came staggered and harsh, the moans rose to a crescendo as Gale continued to eagerly slurp at his cock.

"Gale," Astarion groaned, his finger twisting in the nurse's hair. "I'm going to –"

His breath hitched as Gale hummed around him and, with a bitten-off cry of pleasure, Astarion climaxed, spilling into the hot mouth that eagerly swallowed it all. As Gale slowly drew back, licking his lips and savouring the taste, Astarion collapsed onto the bed, panting erratically.

"Holy shit..." The lawyer giggled. "That was fantastic, darling."

"Are you still cold?" Gale asked, cheekily.

"Hah!" Astarion let out a high-pitched cackle. "No. Not at all."

The nurse leaned down, capturing the lawyer's lips in a slow, languid kiss. Astarion sighed into it, his body going slack as he licked his own taste from Gale's tongue.

"Let me return the favour, darling "

"You don't have to," Gale objected. "I'm perfectly content the way it is."

Astarion looked up at him in utter surprise, but then, his face softened.

"I know I don't have to," he said, "but I want to. Come on, be a bit more spontaneous. Let me jerk you off."

Gale was too weak to say no, and thus, he stepped closer to the bed and quickly pulled down his pants. Astarion bit his lip in appreciation and, with a pleased hum, wrapped his cold fingers around the nurse's hard, leaking dick. Gale hissed at the sudden cold touch.

"Sorry. Poor circulation," Astarion apologised, looking guilty.

"It's fine," Gale replied with a shrug.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" smiled the lawyer and beaconed him closer for another kiss. Astarion started to jerk Gale off leisurely, exploring him with his slender, cold fingers. Gale had never been into temperature play, but he couldn't deny how much it turned him on right now. Astarion alternated between stroking Gale's balls, tugging his dick, and rubbing the tip. It was maddening and had the nurse gasping softly as his body arched into the touches.

"Next time, I want your gorgeous dick in my mouth and my ass," Astarion revealed. Gale groaned gutturally at the thought and bent down to capture the lawyer's mouth in another passionate kiss. Astarion kept toying with his balls and added teasing strokes in-between. Holding onto the side rail of the bed for dear life, Gale threw his head back and bit his lip to keep his voice down as Astarion stroke him to completion. He climaxed with a gasp, coming all over Astarion's hand and his scrubs. The force of his orgasm caused his legs to tremble, and he had to sit down for a moment to catch his breath and gather his strength. Meanwhile, Astarion grinned like the cat that got the canary.

"Seems like you enjoyed yourself," he remarked before sucking his cum-covered fingers into his mouth and making a show of licking them clean. Gale watched him, dumbstruck and speechless, as his brain died a little at the debauched, filthy sight. God, it was hot!

"Will you go on a date with me?" Gale blurted out.

"Aren't we doing this in the wrong order?" asked Astarion, smiling. "Shouldn't you have asked me out first and then ravished me?"

"I thought you like spontaneousness."

"Mh. I do. Especially this type of spontaneousness."

"We can cook something together to make sure everything's gluten-free and won't upset your stomach," Gale added, looking hopeful.

"I'd like that," smiled Astarion and pulled Gale down into another kiss.

[brisquad-unit-4402]

things zali would say while you’re asleep

ah yes the classic confession while someone’s asleep. i need to abuse zali’s lore as a medic more

tags: gender neutral reader, fluff, pre-relationship, pining zali, reader is a krisis hero, sickfic, confession-but-not-quite, i had fun with a translator, rare flustered zali

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Unfortunately Zali is an early riser by occupation, not nature, and clocks into the A.S.H. infirmary at 5:00 AM sharp. The beds are usually unoccupied, leaving the medic to his own research, but today he stops walking by one.

The other day, you and the rest of Krisis did the whole crime-fighting planet-defending thing, as expected. Also as expected, you took care of the threat without a hitch as a 4-person unit.

It was the day after that posed a problem. Namely, a 100-degree-Fahrenheit problem. Somehow you didn’t even get a scratch while beating the villain of the week, but you woke up to a sore throat, a stuffy nose, and a fever. As your medic, Zali was the first person you contacted.

You asked for any easy home remedies, expecting some French chicken noodle recipe or a home remedy.

He insisted on bedrest in the infirmary instead.

Damn medical professionals and their overreactions.

Despite your protests, Zali has a hard time thinking it was the wrong choice. He stands beside your medical bed with a clipboard in hand.

Sleep treated you well. Your pale cheeks and reddened nose were less noticeable now that you had time to rest (and a cool towel along your forehead), but your arms were cast off to the side as if you were reaching for something while you slept.

Zali watched your chest rise and fall. Rise and fall. Good. Regular breathing patterns are always a good sign with respiratory infections. A quick check with the stethoscope confirmed that it wasn’t interfering with your heart, too. Definite improvement all around.

He still held two fingers to your throat to check your pulse, though. Heartbeats thump, thump, thumped underneath his gloved fingers. He didn’t bother to log that test outcome on his clipboard; he has the results logged up there in his head.

“You’re doing better,” he says. His instinct is to explain his logic to the patient, but then he looks at your sleeping face, and now he feels awfully silly for it. He usually doesn’t talk out loud when his patients are asleep, but he’s inclined to keep you informed. “You can tell, I think. You’re not waking up in the middle of the night because of your stuffy nose.”

He giggles at that. He lost count of how many times you snorted awake (quite literally) before he retired for the night. As he shakes his head with amusement, he notices a bundle of fluff at the base of your bed.

Zali reaches down to pick it up, and stares back at a small Vezkit plush. The Vezkit was one of his many tools to subdue problem patients, such as children on the rare occasion that he had to heal them. If he noticed his patient was getting antsy, he’d offer the Vezkit as comfort. And, yes, when you were so stuffed-up he could barely understand your voice last night, he figured you could’ve used the comfort.

He glances at you, and how your arms are splayed out on the side of the bed where the Vezkit sat. No wonder the poor guy was misplaced—you accidentally dropped it in your sleep while you were cuddling it.

The thought makes Zali giggle again. “Be careful not to harm the citizens in your care, Reader,” he teases. “What would we do if you dropped a real Vezkit in action?”

Rise and fall, regular breathing. Zali doesn’t need to wait for you to respond, but he watches your face anyways. Even in sickness, you look peaceful.

“I should get you a new towel,” he says aloud.

He returns a second later, and when he removes the old towel, the thermometer confirms you're at 100.6F. With a sigh, Zali places a hand on your forehead. Just as hot as he expected. “You still need to rest,” he instructs to no one. “I don’t want my Reader to feel under the weather.” He rethinks. “Our Reader. You’re one of us.”

The hand rolls down to your cheek next. Fingers end under your jaw at the pulse point he checked earlier, and rubs along your cheek.

In a quiet breath, Zali mutters to himself. “Stop that.” He can’t find it in himself to quit, though. To a bystander it would be clear he isn’t just checking your temperature anymore, but your cheek fits perfectly into his palm. “Reader, you’re irresistible.”

Earlier he managed to excuse himself, but now Zali awkwardly chuckles. “My goodness, I’m really doing this now.” He finds it easy to tell your resting face things he’d never dream of saying out loud when you’re awake.

Silence fills the space when he doesn’t admit anything. Why is this so hard? It must be easier than a proper confession, but Zali is thankful for the bandages he wraps around his face like a medical mask. At least he can pretend he can keep his blush to himself, even if there’s no one to see it.

“You brighten up our days,” he continues, grabbing a fresh towel and letting water soak through it until it’s cooling to the touch. “But you have no idea how much you affect people.” He wrings the towel so tight that his rubber gloves stretch with the force. “Least of all how you affect me.”

He folds the towel neatly and returns to your bedside. Your lips are parted slightly as you sleep, a soft color, and one that he wished he could dwell on. Since your head was slightly tilted, he could admire the contours of your face, from the tip of your nose to the curve of your cheeks, all the way up to your forehead which so dearly needed something to cool it down.

That reminds him of his task, but his heart keeps skipping beats as he looks at you. Hair rested over your face and along your forehead as you slept, and as he watched you, a strand fell a little lower. You look angelic.

Zali unravels the bandages along his face, then quickly kisses the towel.

The desire to kiss you has been one Zali has resisted for a long time, but he’s starting to lose the fight. He flips the towel over, intending to place the side he kissed onto your forehead. Indirect and secondhand.

He tries not to think about how soft your hair is as he brushes it out of the way. Tries not to admire your eyelashes and the bridge of your nose, or the way your lips must be as soft as they look.

But that leaves the forehead, and before he can think any better of it, Zali lays his lips there.

The medic regains his sense a second after and practically lurches back. He slaps a hand over his greedy mouth as he turns away, brain going into overdrive as the blood rushes to his head. How unprofessional! How improper! Is he really this weak for you when you’re in his care? He buries himself further into his hands, letting out a groan as he does, begging these thoughts to abandon him at least until he’s done caring for your illness.

But he does glance at you through his fingers, and maybe it’s because he’s swooning, but he swears you look a little sweeter after being on the receiving end of his kiss.

Zali sighs, hoping that’ll clear his head even though he knows the outcome, and places the towel down as intended. “Cute.”

Saying that was a mistake. Now he’s even more flustered, but ‘cute’ doesn’t even begin to describe you. “Tu es éblouissante,” Zali tries. “J’espère pouvoir admettre cela un jour.”

That’s not enough either, but his native French confessions come easier to him, and the rest he can keep locked up in a small dark place no one else can see, least of all you.

He adjusts the towel into place, then pats your head as a final affection. Meanwhile, the Vezkit plush watched him work on the bedside table, and you could use the comfort.

The fabric is fuzzy in his hands, and the perfect size to hold. Your arms haven’t moved at all since you let go of the Vezkit in your sleep, which serves as the perfect place to return the plush.

Zali sets the Vezkit down, and in your deep sleep, you immediately react to its fluffiness. Your hands twitch first, then your arms rise to keep it close.

However, sleeping heroes can’t see their surroundings, and Zali’s eyes widen as you hold his hand down. You managed to grab both the plush and his arm in one fell swoop.

If his face wasn’t red enough before, it certainly is now. Take his heart too while you’re at it. Not like he needs it anymore. It’s going way too fast to be functioning properly.

“Oh. Oh, gosh.” His breath catches as he nervously laughs with a hand over his mouth, hoping it’ll make him sound less lovesick. “Don’t give me hope.”

He can already imagine Wilson teasing him, or Vanta calling him whipped. They wouldn’t be wrong, though. Zali is supposed to be the composed one. He can smooth-talk his way out of a situation, or go unaffected by femme fatales and playboys, but he’d do just about anything if you were the one asking him for a favor.

And in this case, he’s got a million things to work on, but he can’t think of a single one. They’re all flimsy excuses to break out of your warm grasp. None of them sound appetizing compared to this, even if you held him unknowingly.

“Oh, forget it.” With a huff, Zali bites on the edge of his glove and pulls it off. It’s rare for him to work without one, whether it be medical-grade or the black pair he dons religiously, but he hungers for contact.

Fingertips hardened by battle medicine caress your face as gentle as can be. He doesn’t want to go further—not while you’re unaware—but he really can’t get over how easy it is to set his hand along your cheek and jaw, soaking up the soft skin like sun to a plant.

You really must be in deep sleep if you haven’t noticed yet. This is fine, Zali muses. The less you see of the longing look in his golden eyes, the better. Usually he would muster up his courage and just go for it, but not with you. Not when he’s never felt anything like you before, especially considering how close-knit Krisis is. Disrupting the balance is out of the question. He has to be fine with what he has instead of striving for something else, no matter how he yearns for the satisfaction, the possibility of what could be, even if he knows you don’t see him as anything other than a friend. It’s for the sake of the team.

But Zali wakes up at the crack of dawn, and you certainly aren’t, not while you’re still sick.

He can indulge himself for a little longer.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

✧. ┊ masterpost ✧. ┊ kofi

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

what are some of the most appealing whump tropes for you? i'm new to writing kind of subject matter, but i love making my oc's/fave characters suffer. i would love ideas from someone experienced!

my top 10 favorite whump tropes

tw: force feeding, implied/reference self-harm, nonconsensual drug use

forced surrender — for me, the trope suits defiant whumpee better than whumpee who’s already broken and terrified. it gives me whumperflies when whumpee who is feisty, defiant and prideful is forced to surrender. so while they are obedient, there may be occasional hissing and snarling from them. should they get punished for such an audacity? the choice is yours.

enemies to friends / enemies to lovers — classic one. though I personally like it better if, prior to their becoming enemies, they started out as friends. so it’s ‘friends to enemies to friends (or lovers) again’. but besides whump, if fluff isn’t your thing and you 1.) don’t want to make their relationship wholesome the second they go from enemies to friends/lovers 2.) want to make it hot and sexy, then I did talk about spicy ;) enemies to lovers trope and the dynamic between two characters here and here. so you can check them out too

medical whump — maybe this one’s not as popular, but it’s still my personal favorite. anything that involves hospital setting, or maybe it doesn’t necessary have to take place in a hospital but a medical ward anywhere where the main focus is whumpee being injured while also being taken care of by caretaker. the more graphic, the better. (it doesn’t really have to be medically accurate, just… you know, how graphic the scene is described, the more the better. give me all that blood and gore, describe to me how each character feels, etc.)

hallucinations — self explanatory. love love love it when whumpee hallucinates from blood loss, infection or high fever, etc. they can hallucinate about anything you want!

sickfic — in my opinion, ‘medical whump’ associates with injuries, while sickfic is about illness. I personally like it when whumpee has the flu and is bedridden, though they’re the worst patient, whining and trying to convince caretaker that they’re fine when they aren’t. unlike medical whump and hallucinations, which deal with angst and stress, I like to throw in some fluff while writing a sickfic. guess you could say sickfic is the fluff version of medical whump and hallucinations (at least that’s how I personally view these terms).

force feeding / hand feeding — bonus if, instead of caretaker, whumper is the one feeding whumpee; they can force feed whumpee as a way to keep whumpee alive (maybe they secretly, genetically care about whumpee, deep down? *cough cough* enemies to lovers?), and they can hand feed whumpee as a way to dominate, humiliate, dehumanize whumpee.

shock collar — whumper puts defiant whumpee in their place by using a shock collar on them.

restraint — there’re so many ways to restrain a whumpee, and they’re all so good, but one that is so criminally underrated in my opinion will always be straightjacket. put. the. blorbo. in. a. straightjacket.

“who did this to you?” — this. this right here. whumpee tries to hide their injuries from caretaker, but of course, they can’t fool them. so when caretaker demands in a low voice that whumpee rolls up their sleeve, caretaker is hardly able to contain their anger when they see bruises on whumpee’s arm (because while they’d rather whumpee not try to hide this from them, they’re not angry at whumpee but at whoever did this to whumpee) and when caretaker asks, “who did this to you?” you know someone is about to pay for what they did to whumpee.

locked up by mistake — I’m not talking about jail here. I’m talking about a psych ward, an asylum. whumpee is not actually crazy or suicidal, but either there’s been a misunderstanding (no one believes them when they say these cuts on their arm aren’t self-inflicted) or they’ve been set up by an enemy. but of course, the more they try to make people believe them, the more unwell they look. and from there, there’re so many ways, so many scenarios to explore, maybe whumpee is drugged until they’re so groggy they don’t even remember their own name, maybe they’re restrained to the bed or are forced into a straightjacket. or maybe they have to undergo a shock therapy.

[ghuleh-recs]

do you have any sickfic recs? ive been sick and miserable and it would make me feel better. i would prefer ghoul focused fics if possible. thank you 🖤

i hope you're feeling better!! you are speaking my language--i love a good sickfic. let me see my faves suffer and then be lovingly cared for.

side note: uh hey authors? why's it always dewdrop? hmm?

recs under the cut.

Uiscefhuarithe - @coffeeghoulie - polyghouls

A Gaeilge word that translates to water-cooled. Or: Dewdrop hasn't left his room in three days. A newly summoned Rain takes matters into his own hands.

Comet's Ficlet Collection (ch. 58) - @iamthecomet - dew, ifrit, mountain

Comet im sick and if your doing the lil ficlets can I get sick!whoever (dew) getting taken care of by mountain and ifrit and being whiny and bratty but still liking that he's being taken care of.

in sickness and in health - @belle--ofthebrawl - aether x dew

Something nasty is going around the pack but luckily for Aether and the rest of them, they have a great caretaker. Even if he hates admitting it.

keeping your head up - @dwritesit - dew x rain

dew is sick and rain loves him a lot maybe - a classic sick ficlet

Here for You - @papaslittlesunshine - dew x rain

Dew hurts himself during a performance. Rain takes care of him. (Mount gets some credit too)

Miasma's Ficlet Collection (ch. 9) - @miasmaghoul - dew x rain

Prompt - my uterus is trying to kill meeeeeee. Any chance you have anything related to Dew taking care of a fellow ghoul to cheer me up??

cry for absolution - @everybodyshusband - dew, cumulus, rain, aether

The rest of that day had been spent curled up under his sheets, a blanket and pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the small sliver of light his curtains let through. He’d thought about getting up for food at one point, but the moment he tried to stand up, he felt himself flopping back down onto the bed again, his headache spiking and the pain increasing tenfold. He let it happen. The idea of food turned his stomach anyway, despite it having been hours since the entire thing had been emptied into his toilet. - - - OR - - - dewdrop has a headache, and his packmates decide he needs to be taken care of

𖤐 you know the drill--bookmark, read, and leave kudos/comments!

[jurassicsickfics]

Heyy can I ask you for some prompt ideas for my WIP novel I’m writing ?? I need ideas for sickfic centric chapter

Of course! I'm not sure what kind of novel you're writing but I hope these will help!

1. Leader of the group is sick and the others trying to function with them down for the count is pure chaos

2. A suspenseful scene with sick character being tended to by the others during a tense situation such as hiding out in a bunker during an emergency or hiding from a monster or villain

3. Two characters falling for each other as one is taking care of the other while they're sick

4. Similar to #3, a maid and a valet falling for each other while helping each other take care of their respective sick masters

5. Celebrity desperately fighting illness while in the middle of a premier of some sort. Sick as a dog on stage, on camera and at meet and greets, trying to hide it

6. Character known for being dishonest or dramatic trying the whole time to tell everyone that they're sick, but nobody believes them until she illness gets extreme

7. The sickness domino effect is always fun. Watching (and writing) an illness rip through the entire group like wildfire is an underrated classic

8. Everyone getting sick but one character desperately trying to avoid the inevitable, even as they're forced into the caretaker role

9. Stuck on a boat/plane/car/bus with a badly motion sick character

10. Two opposing groups are brought together by members of each becoming sick and helping each other take care of them. This forces each group to put their differences aside.

[weekend-whip]

Ninjago Fic Rec Week: Day 4

Prompts: Fluff / Cole Recs! (i'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of my favorite fics today aaaa)

Fluff Recs-

Good Hair Day: Kai helps Skylor do her hair, based entirely on a headcanon of Kai being good at doing hair (hey, his own style is a choice)

Little Brother: Lloyd realizes the perks of having five older siblings. Lots of sweet family fluff and young!Lloyd shenanigans <3

Nya, Kai, and That One Drink: Including this one specifically because it's probably the most lighthearted thing I've written yet that doesn't involve Jesse snknksnskn, the group goes for takeout in the X-1 Ninja Charger, only for one thing to lead to another and Kai winds up forgetting Nya's drink. What's a brother to do now?

Socks: Wu wearily but delightfully is forced to watch the ninja get way too much merriment out of a ridiculous pair of socks (I, personally, am of the belief that they belong to Lloyd, but—)

Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up: And the one time he was cheered up in return (i am DISTRESSED that i didn't include this on my Jay list aaaaAAAA)

Five Times Lloyd Was a Pain: And the one time he wasn't. Child!Lloyd for the soul in this one!!!!

There's Insurance For That: In which Skylor gets a taste of the life of a ninja (and learning just how many places they've been banned from in Ninjago) Quite possibly my favorite lighthearted Skylor fic!!!

Cole Recs-

Sick Days: Sickfic, featuring Cole and having to contend with "Being useless", and the doting care

Passing On the Hammer: Cole has a meeting with his grandfather, while Jay tries his hand at being a fisherman and Kai thinks he can do the Triple Tiger Sashay. (Really a fic about Cole and his family's legacy, but Kai and Jay's antics are too hilarious not to mention snksnknksnk)

You're An Excellent Chef, Really *screams loudly* UGNH one of my very favorite fics exploring Cole and Zane's dynamic, will recommend every single time!!!! But, it's basically the duo bonding over cooking over the years. Makes my heart very happy <3

Quiet Weirdo: Cole and Nya friendship fic that the world definitely needs more of!!!!

Adjusting: PILOT BONDING, this time Cole flavored!! Cole's thoughts on his new budding team consisting of a chatty blue guy and the guy that won't stop staring at things. But a guy like Cole has never needed friends anyway, so he's got nothing to worry about, right?

Again and Again: MORE PILOTS BONDING but this time with Glacier! People keep asking me how Cole fell in love with Zane in Legacyverse and my mind always drifts back to a thing similar to this story! My personal investment aside, a nice fluffy fic about how Cole met Zane and they became friends with a touch of pining <3

You Worry Too Much: By the author of Chips and Salsa (another fandom Cole/Glacier classic), here we have a another tale centered around Cole's parents while he was growing up, and though it's a little more about Lou than anyone else, Cole ofc has a huge stake in the story and uwaah I love reading about Cole's family dynamics (both the fluff and the tragedy)

Some Climb Mountains: A retelling of how Cole met Master Wu, always gets me misty eyed because i am a soft soul ;v;

Cole and the Tastiest Broken Glass: S2 Pre-Child's Play, Cole and Lloyd bond over broken things, life philosophy, and candy. Cole and Lloyd sibling duo that the world also needs much more og!!

I'm Sure He Knows: More Cole + Wu bonding that speaks to me specifically, involving a conversation about a certain ghostly wind master who is no more.

Four Times Cole Helped The Guys With a Nightmare: And the one time they helped him. Cole's character at his purest in this one!!!

[vinelark]

do you have any whumpy fic recs (ideally romance, but gen would do in a pinch)? Open to any fandoms. I feel like I used to see them a lot more, but they are harder to find these days. Bbts really hits the spot tho btw haha.

ANY fandoms? oh boy do i.

Hotel Heart by Laughsalot3412 (and its sequel Safe as Houses): not quite romance but not NOT romance ot3 leverage psychics au where eliot is a hitman who used to be under the control of a horrible empath who left him with major mental scars and huge trust issues. he reluctantly ends up protecting another empath (hardison) and thief (parker) and sloooowly starts to work through the aforementioned trauma while they take down the aforementioned evil empath together. excellent series with excellent pangy plot. also i knew nothing about leverage when i first read it and it’s what got me to watch the show.

Hold my Eyes to the Sky by myrmidryad: an enjoltaire/les mis longfic set in a 1970s(?) wizarding au in which grantaire is a very sad and lonely werewolf and the idealistic activist he’s hopelessly in love with just got himself turned as well, and grantaire has to help him navigate the changes while dealing with his own self-worth issues and tragic backstory. you want whump? look no further.

Occultation by Geese_in_flight & pineapplesquid: a novel-length au of the book Winter’s Orbit, in which the main difference is that kiem, not jainan, is the one dealing with a previous, horrible arranged marriage. somehow this simple switch brings so much fresh potential to the characters (i loved seeing how this played into kiem’s self-worth issues, and also loved this exploration of what jainan’s character would be like if he had been able to flourish the last few years), with a whole new set of pangs. i recommend both the book and the fic!

爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie: a post-cql wangxian getting together fic with the classic amounts of yiqie pain & pining & h/c & devastatingly beautiful writing about the devastatingly beautiful experience of being in love. also blood. honestly most fics by yiqie probably fulfill this request (are you into vashwood, perhaps?)

Morning, keep the streets empty for me by feyburner: a wangxian modern au oneshot with self-sacrificing wei ying getting into trouble and landing himself in the hospital while pining very very hard for his cultivation partner. i’m reccing this one out of all feyburner fics because it has the obvious physical hurt but fey is so good at weaving pangs into fic that tbh there’s emotional whump to be found in most of them. also, god-tier writing in general.

the kite string and the anchor rope by fleurdeliser: a wangxian canon-divergence au that falls into the sickfic whump subgenre. the pangs! wangxian’s love for each other and for a-yuan and the way wwx’s desperation and powerlessness in the face of a sick child (and his own illness) clash with how the world perceives him at the time is so 🤌🤌. this is saved in my h/c favs folder for a reason.

The Long Way Home by itsnatalie: extremely whumpy batfam tim & jason fic, which i’ve definitely rec’d here before but if i’m reccing whumpy longfics it HAS to be on the list. good god this fic is a masterpiece, both for the angst and for the absolute beautiful worldbuilding/navigation of its horror tropes.

and since you like bbts, i’ll also self-rec a few of my older fics! i think you’d probably enjoy this river runs to you, a wangxian/mdzs modern cultivation longfic feat. (sort of) identity shenanigans, angsty backstories, self-worth issues, and the main character getting all manner of hurt. also: you’re the trouble that i always find, a wenzhou/shl dreamsharing/amnesia/sort-of-timeloop fic in which the main character is supposed to dream about killing his love interest but said love interest keeps dreamcrashing to change the plot.

this reclist could’ve been dozens of fics long tbh. i live for The Pangs which usually go hand in hand with good whump, and seek those fics out whenever possible, so as always this is a super incomplete reclist! also i welcome any and all recs in return.

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

can we have some style oneshot recs :3

Why of course you can!!! I definitely have more than this but at the moment here’s what springs to mind, we know I’m a oneshot girlie at heart!

advil and apple juice by kuchi- YALL this is probably one of my favorite style oneshots, I can’t tell u how many times I’ve read it these sweet boys taking care of each other growing up, from super best friends to super best boyfriends!

Spring Cleaning by autumnpark YOU GUYS WANT OLD MAN YAOI?!? STAN IN A NURSE OUTFIT? THEM BEING ADORABLE BUT ALSO GETTIN DOWN AND DIRTY?!? Bruhhhhh I loved this one

Room For More by Tikatan this one is sooooo sweet omg STAN WORKING AT AN ANIMAL SHELTER KYLE ADOPTING CATS need I say more?

Show Me How by emdarsh ok we all know I love a sickfic and the sleepy cuddles are so cute oh my godddddd precious boys caretaker Kyle is always so slay also it’s hilarious like c’mon “does being sick turn you gay?” Is one of the funniest lines lmao

but i want you by fishybowl HOW BOUT SOME KYLE WEARING STANS JACKET lmao this one’s EXTREMELY spicy but it’s cuteeeee

Can You Bury Me In Your Backyard by monkeybox Stan angst Stan angst but he’s got Kyle there for him!

Non Starter-Starter, Matches Included by monkeybox MUTUAL PINING SHENANIGANS! The tension in this is delightful like y’all just talk it out c’mon lmfao

A walk in the wilderness to clear your mind (orphan account) ok this is a longer oneshot and it is PHENOMENAL!!! Miscommunication, reconnection, Stan the nature king lmao. Deadass such a good one, like these two WOULD get into trouble just going on a hike smh

Mud (orphan account) WHEN I TELL YOU THIS IS FUCKING ADORABLE AND WHOLESOME AND ASKGDSHL COLOR THEORY JUST READ IT OK like "Without orange, all blue does is sit around and mope and write songs about hybrid cars." BRUH

Seven days of alien summer by applecrumbledore mannnn there’s a reason this is a classic among style fans, and the premise and structure is SO kickass!!!

Alright that’s what the stylibrarian got for ya today, hope you enjoy these!!!

[frost-faerie]

☆ Cotton-headed ☆

Fluffy sickfic! phoenix gets a cold and comes to work anyway, his supposed rival isn't thrilled when he realises (concerned edgey ^_^) but they get it alllll sorted! can't spell teasing without tea <3 we love these dorks

Wooo!! Wrightworth/narumitsu drabble for the people! I'm not very good at writing, so sorry if it's not up to expectation >_&lt; please enjoy it! where this fic takes place on the timeline is completely up to interpretation, i didn't really have it in mind ^^;

"You look worse than usual," Edgeworth said, barely trying to conceal the insult he had just hurled. It wasn't like Phoenix wanted to be here today; he'd done pretty much everything to put off going to the prosecutors office, but in the end, it hadn't done him any favors.

Repressing a sniffle, knowing that Edgeworth would pick up on it in a way that only a legendary prosecutor could. As much as Wright felt... sickly, he couldn't stay home. Work needed to be done, and some cold wasn't going to stop him.

Realizing that he hadn't responded to Edgeworth's quip, Phoenix gave a stilted smile. "You sure know how to make a guy feel special," Phoenix said, hoping that the sarcasm laced through his tone didn't make him slip up and cough.

"...Hm," Edgeworth hummed noncommittally. "Have you been sleeping well, Wright?"

If it was anyone else in front of him, Phoenix would've thought that there was a hint of concern in their voice. Hell, for a second, he even thought that Edgeworth was concerned for his well-being.

More than is probably healthy, he couldn't help but think. He'd spent a lot of his time sleeping, as of late- just half an hour ago, he'd caught himself before he'd dozed off in his office!

Despite this, his cases seemed to be going well; no investigations, and Maya was busy busy busy with all the business she had to attend to, and-

"Considering your lack of response and your dazed eyes, you have not been resting nearly enough," a voice boomed with an air of authority and finality. Oh, right, Phoenix thought dazedly. Miles was talking to me.

"I've been sleeping," Phoenix sighed, hands raised in surrender. Sneezing into a tissue, just so Edgeworth wouldn't chide him for messying a perfectly good suit. Every hour spent not asleep was dedicated to work, and he knows that Mia had once said something to him about this being a terrible habit, but that didn't stop Phoenix from falling asleep the second his stuffy, cotton-filled brain hit a comfortable pillow.

Edgeworth looked at him, seeming skeptical and unconvinced. Whether that was because of Phoenix's clear poorly state or just because that was what his face always looked like, Phoenix wasn't really sure. "You've been sleeping," Edgeworth said, the skepticism seeping through every word.

"Mhm," Phoenix said. The urge to rub sleepiness out of his eyes was strong, but the evidence that would come of it was stronger- perhaps even decisive. If Edgeworth hadn't already figured it out, that was.

With a slight shake of the head, Edgeworth let a small smile slip onto his face; not a usual sight, and definitely not something Phoenix expected to see at work of all places. "Objection," he said, sounding much more fond than he did in the courtroom. "I said you hadn't been resting enough. Sleep is technically a form of rest, but it is not a stand-in for being well-rested."

Phoenix looked up at Edgeworth with a scowl. (Since when had he been sitting down? He distinctly remembers standing not too long ago.) "My sincerest apologies, master of self-care," Phoenix said, knowing very well that the sarcasm got to Edgeworth even though his stuffy nose. (Well, his stuffy everything.)

After finally relenting to the fact that yes, he was sick, Edgeworth was on the move; Phoenix distantly heard a kettle boiling, as well as a few calls that he wouldn't be able to take his meetings today. All the while, Phoenix repressed the urge to shut his eyes once again. There was some kind of low-note classical music playing from a dingy radio that seemed out of place in the office, and it was strangely soothing.

Before Wright could fall back asleep, however, there was something gently pressed into his hands. He startled with the heat of it, and then his face got equally warm once he sensed Miles looming over him.

"Peppermint tea," he said, as an explanation to what was in the glass. "Normally, I'd house the drink in a proper teacup, but I'm not sure you'd be capable of holding it in this state. It... it is a heavy kind of porcelain."

"You mean a fancy rich kind?" Phoenix said, a small smile gracing his face. As much as it hurt to talk, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease Edgeworth- especially if it was about his large about of disposable income.

It seemed to have a calming effect, much like the aroma of the tea and the slow classical music, as Miles smiled in a dorkish manner. "Just drink the tea, Wright," he huffed fondly.

"But I don't even like tea," Phoenix said, taking a sip regardless. It was quite nice- Miles had clearly taken the courtesy of adding extra sugar, knowing full well of Phoenix's sweet tooth- but he wasn't going to admit that.

Miles merely shook his head, fondness in every movement. "Of course, of course. How dare I take care of you?"

Phoenix felt his face go a little red, all whilst Miles went back to his desk to begin working. He traced the rim of the teacup with his finger, thinking the same thing. How dare you take care of me?

Now the hole he's been going down since he was nine had burrowed deeper.

[starpains]

Your favorite tropes to read/write/draw

Hi again!

This is... so difficult, because there are so many! I'll try to list some of the most prominent, I guess. These are all tropes I like to read but also some I have written for, so I'll link my works where applicable 😉. They're in no particular order:

For Star Wars, specifically, the favorite trope will always be a fix-it—especially with some time travel sprinkled in. (A Gift to the Self)

I also adore soulmate or Force Dyad fics. The red string of fate that connects two destined people? It gets me every time.

I love sexual awakening fics where one character doesn’t realize they’re into guys until they meet that other character, and suddenly there are all these feelings they have to struggle to interpret. (TNE)

Another favorite is the classic "aliens/Force/locals/substances made them do it" trope. These are always fun as long as they steer clear of non-con or hard dub-con territory. I just enjoy this as a plot device to bring two stubborn characters together or force them to confront their feelings or attraction. (Unrestrained)

Modern AUs are a favorite too, with so many fun settings and tropes to explore. One I particularly love is neighbors. I don’t know why, but there’s something about characters pining for each other from behind a fence that I find irresistible. 😉 (Trick or Treat, Muffin Man; Knobs and Nerves)

Hurt/comfort, sickfics, and hanahaki stories are also high on my list. There’s something so satisfying about characters taking care of each other. Hanahaki fics, in particular, usually come with the added sprinkle of obliviousness, pining, and idiots in love—all things I adore.

Lastly, enemies to lovers—and its sibling trope, enemies to friends to lovers—is probably my most universally loved trope. I’ve been hooked on it since I was 14 and read my first HP fanfic. Twenty years later, that love is still going strong, which is why I enjoy Obimaul so much in Star Wars.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but I tried to contain myself.

Thanks for the ask!