Dispatch ANGST ideas
(ok not really, I just wanted to project my medical conditions onto the Dispatch universe teehee) Gn!Reader TW: mentions of death and gross body stuff in the second hypothetical
As someone with eczema, I've found that letting water air dry on my skin paradoxically makes it dry out and flare up.
So y'know what would suck?
Reader with eczema who is in love with Waterboy. He's perfect in literally every way: he's such a sweetheart and gentleman, he's kind, funny, loving, adorable, hot as fuck, etc etc...
But he's constantly leaking water. Constantly. Which means whenever they touch, the reader has to grab a towel and dry off so their eczema isn't set off. It makes sleeping in the same bed impossible because the sheets collect water that then presses into reader's skin all night. Now, one of them could completely burrito themself in a water-proof blanket, but it isn't guaranteed to stay wrapped around them all night and lowkey defeats the purpose of sharing a bed coz then they can't cuddle properly. They have both given it a go, and trying to sleep in a wetsuit is genuinely impossible.
Not to mention, every time the reader has a new patch of rash, a little voice in the back of Waterboy's head immediately takes full credit, even if it definitely wasn't his fault. On the flipside, the reader knows how much Waterboy's powers have tanked his self-confidence and hates that their skin directly contributes to the whole "my water is a burden to those around me" story his brain insessantly tells him. So whenever the reader has a flareup, stops touching Waterboy to dry off, or says "no" to intimacy due to their skin, it sets off both of their guilt and anxieties about making the other person's life worse.
I also have ✨malignant hyperthermia✨ (abbreviated as MH)
Basically, it puts me at risk of fatally overheating. While it can be triggered by certain anaesthetic agents, it can also be triggered by exercise in extreme heat.
So what if the reader had it? This could go two ways, I reckon:
1: they know about it. If they're a hero, they can't work in the sun or on hot days (unless it's solely indoors – idk how that would work unless they could teleport or catch a lift to calls though). Maybe they're more like Robert, and they pilot a machine that has a strict interior climate, or they sit at a desk and operate a drone remotely? (what I'm getting at is that a big fuckass mech is an accessibility requirement of mine /silly)
2: they're a hero and don't know about it, and being sent out on a more physically-demanding call (such as chasing someone down on a hot summer's day or teaching an outdoor sports class) causes them to have a MH meltdown that the people around them chalk up to heatstroke. They're sat in the shade, given some water, and told to take some deep breaths for a few minutes. It has to get to the point that they're delirious (like, slurring their words and hallucinating) or have passed out before someone takes them seriously.
Alternatively, they're injured badly enough that they need an ambulance to take them to hospital. They're given a green whistle (an inhaled pain relief standard in most ambulances), which triggers a MH meltdown. The scary part? Because of how rare malignant hyperthermia is, ambulances don't stock the reversal agent, meaning they need to get to hospital as soon as fucking possible so their muscles don't melt to the consistency of plasticine.
Either way
The reader can't work with (or worse, fall for) Flambae because it would genuinely put their life at risk. Imagine being out on a stressful call that requires a lot of physical exertion, only to get close to the human fireball for long enough that your muscles and organs start literally melting.
If the reader doesn't know about their MH, they could flirt with and get to know Flambae and realise they have a chance at an awesome relationship... before having a life-threatening meltdown that finally gets them diagnosed.
Even worse: what if Flambae triggered that meltdown? Maybe he and the reader had been flirting and teasing each other for weeks before finally hooking up (which is physical exertion, like exercise) and he was so excited that he started warming up hotter than he usually is. As things are getting pretty hot and heavy, suddenly the reader starts hyperventillating and clutching him. He first thinks they're really enjoying themself, but when they start seizing up and jerking around violently, he panics. Did he hurt them? Are they having a seizure?!!
Worst of all, though? He realises they feel hot to the touch. Human fireball Flambae feels cooler in comparison to them.
I hope you enjoyed my ✨dispatch angst✨ ideas!
Feel free to use these as inspiration for fics/fanart/etc -- just tag me or add them to a reblog of this post so I can see what you've created!!
(I am also happy to beta read/provide insight into living with either condition if you would like!)
Dividers by the very talented @saradika
