Welcome to the 2026 Whumperless Whump Event, where we celebrate all kinds of situational, accidental and environmental whump! If this is your first time, welcome in--if you've been here before, thanks for coming back!
FAQ and text version under the cut!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Where can I find the prompts list?
A: @whumperless-whump-event on Tumblr.
Q: How are the prompts divided?
A: Each day has a "title" or a vague theme, followed by two tropes and one dialogue prompt.
Q: Can I use the title as a prompt?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Do I have to use all of the prompts?
A: Not at all.
Q: Can I use all the prompts?
A: Absolutely.
Q: If I'm writing a chronological story, can I swap days to fit the timeline?
A: Yes, just make sure you tag your days and prompts appropriately. If you're writing for day 6, but you post it on day 12, tag day 6, not day 12.
Q: Can I have early or late entries?
A: Yes. This is a very laid back event, and meant mainly to inspire lots of whumperless whump. It's not a strict writing challenge.
Q: Is there an Ao3 collection?
A: Yes! This year's collection is linked here. The parent collection also includes 2024 and 2025--make sure you select 2026.
Q: Can I write [insert anything here]?
A: Yes. However, this blog will not reblog certain topics (ex. nsfw or suicide), so please tag your works appropriately, so anyone can filter out anything they don't want to see.
Q: Can I use AI?
A: No.
Q: Can a whumper be included in the prompt fill?
A: The short answer is no. The long answer is that you cannot have the role of whumper in your prompt fill (aka: no whumper-on-whumpee); however, if the character you want to be a whumpee or a caretaker happens to be a whumper, then as long as they are not fulfilling the role of whumper, it's fine. Also, if there is a whumper, it must be totally impersonal and faceless. Here are some examples for clarification:
A character's drink is spiked at a party.
OKAY: The whumper who spiked the drink is never mentioned and is completely faceless, and the story is directly about whumpee recovering.
NOT WHUMPERLESS: The whumper who spiked the drink kidnaps the whumpee.
A character is left alone in a storm.
OKAY: The character is stranded or lost.
NOT WHUMPERLESS: Whumper tied them to a post and left them in the storm.
A character is mugged on the street.
OKAY: The whumper is a stranger, faceless, and the focus is on Whumpee.
NOT WHUMPERLESS: The whumper is a stalker and there to kidnap Whumpee.
All in all, if your goal is to fulfill the event, then try to avoid a whumper. If you're using the prompts elsewhere, then ignore this, but in the spirit of the event, no whumper roles please.
Q: How do I tag my posts?
A: Tag with #whumperless whump event, #wwevent 2026 and #wwevent day [x](Don't just tag wwe, that's wresting.) Make sure to tag the fill type (art, fic, music, etc) with #fic, #art, #et cetera. Then, tag triggers and content warnings. Please put these first in the tag order! It just makes it easier to reblog.
Q: How do I get reblogged?
A: Mention this blog in your post! It's the easiest way for me to find you. Otherwise, I won't reblog it. (This also means if you do not want your post reblogged to the event, just don't mention the blog, and it'll stay private.)
Q: I disagree with something/have an issue with a prompt/want to address a problem. How should I do it?
A: Send me an ask and we can fix it. I am more than willing to work through any problems--I am human, and not without fault.
I think that's about it. That's a lot, so if you've got any other questions that aren't on the list, feel free to shoot me an ask. I'm happy to help!
Plain Text:
Like a Baby Seal to Water: Fishtailing / Near drowning / "I thought I was going to die."
Somebody's Gotta Do It: Unexpected caretaker / Touch starvation / "You don't have to hide from me."
A Lull in the Chaos: Bedside vigil / Checking vitals / "Can you… sing? Until I fall asleep?"
How Are You So Oblivious: Unknowingly feverish / Falling asleep at work / "Can you drink some water for me?"
Wilderness Experts: Poisoned / Caught in a trap / "I don't know where we are."
Down The Wrong Pipe: Choking / Seizures / "Call an ambulance, tell 'em they're not breathing."
Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Panic attack / Overstimulated / "Get me out of here."
Are You Sure This Is Normal: Natural disasters / Scared of thunder / "We're safe in here, okay? I think."
Dropping Like Flies: Multiple whumpees / Caretaking while sick or injured / "I'll get some rest soon, I promise."
A Warm Welcome: Coming home from the hospital / Cuddle piles / "You scared me so badly…"
Bodily Betrayal: Stomach sick / Carried to bed / "…Yeah. I can call in sick for you."
You Make Me Lose My Breath: Wheezing / Altitude sickness / "You're not making sense."
Waking In A Cold Sweat: Midnight hospital visit / Allergic reaction / "I thought you were getting better."
The Final Straw: Grief / Mental breakdown / "You don't need to be okay right now."
Genre: Fanfiction
Fandom: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Rating: G
Warning: None
Pairing: None
Description: Lack of electricity in a safe house and a discovery.
Day 2;
@fluffyjuly: Candlelight | “You kept this?”
@whumperless-whump-event: "You don't have to hide from me."
Ao3 or under the cut
A recon mission is supposed to be simple, so Price goes alone. His plan backfires, resulting in him trekking through the dense forest for an hour before reaching a safe house. Four hours later, Nikolai shows up. Bad news accompanies his arrival. The enemy is searching the forest for Price. Their return to Nikolai’s helicopter is impossible while the enemy is searching for them.
The first thing the Russian asks Price if he’s injured. Knowing the captain would lie to not worry his team, Nikolai pulls the tactical vest up. Price sighs, accepting defeat, and helps the Russian. Soon the captain sits shirtless on a chair. Nikolai doesn’t find any injuries. Price sighs as he’s told to pull down his pants. Once Nikolai confirms Price’s legs are fine, Price pulls his pants back up.
The sun sets. Learning the safe house has no electricity displeases them both.
“Really?” Price comments, annoyed.
“We should gather the candles.”
Nikolai finds five candles under the counter. He gets his lighter from his jacket pocket. The five candles are lit and arranged on the coffee table. The two sit on the couch. They aren’t used to sitting and doing nothing for hours during a mission. They listen for any suspicious sound, anything that could mean the enemy is close. The five candles provide little light to read anything. While there’s not much to do, both agree to not move out until morning.
The smaller candles don’t last long.
“Stupid cheap candles,” Nikolai complains.
Price watches Nik get his lighter. Something falls to the floor as he gets the lighter from his pocket. Price picks up the item.
“You kept this?"
“Yes, it’s a nice lighter, why throw it out?”
“You don’t have to hide from me.”
“I… I’m not.”
Even with two candles providing light, Price is certain Nikolai is blushing from embarrassment, but he won’t press further.
Genre: Fanfiction
Fandom: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Rating: T
Warning: None
Pairing: None
Description: Price is both impatient and struggling with guilt. Alejandro and Rodolfo aim to help jamie by taking her into town. Ch. 36.
Day 1;
@fluffyjuly: "You will be ok."
@whumperless-whump-event: "I thought I was going to die."
Ao3 or under the cut
“I’ll never stop!” Price argues. “Not until she’s not terrified of Ghost and me.”
“You’re going about this all wrong,” Gaz argues. “She’s terrified; she thinks you’ll have Ghost torture her again. She needs space.”
“I’m not sitting around hoping for a miracle!”
Alejandro, Alex, Farah, Ghost, Layla, Nikolai, Kate, Rodolfo, and Soap hear the argument and the frustration in Price’s voice. They all hate this situation, but they know he struggles with the guilt more than Ghost—specifically the fact that he ordered Ghost to torture Jamie. He shows no inclination for caution or patience. He wants a quick fix, even though he knows it’s not possible.
“Trust me, Price, she needs time,” Farah says. “It’s been nineteen days. Recovery will require considerable time. She needs more time to feel safe.”
“Then we work on trust,” Nikolai says.
“Layla can help,” Kate adds.
“I want to,” Layla argues before Soap can argue. She knows the Scotsman is not a fan of Layla volunteering to be a therapy dog.
“She wants to. It’s only a problem if she feels forced,” Kate assures Soap.
“Like someone trying to force Jamie to get over her trauma,” Ghost bluntly says.
“Alright, he gets it,” Kate warns.
Price leaves the common room and heads to his office.
Price sits at his desk and stares out the window. He’s tired of the constant guilt and self-blame. Doubt also occupies his mind. Eighteen days with no progress. He struggles to accept that Farah is right. After what he and Ghost did, it could be eighteen months before Jamie trusts them again.
Alejandro and Rodolfo take Jamie out of the base. Riding in the rear seat of the black SUV, Jamie gazes outside.
“Lunch is a good idea,” Rodolfo agrees. “Following that, we’ll go to the bakery.”
“Something as a minor distraction,” Alejandro says.
They both realize this offers a brief respite from the difficult situation back at base.
Jamie is quiet during lunch. Alejandro and Rodolfo are used to this. It’s often difficult to get Jamie to talk about anything outside of discussing missions. They worry about what she’s thinking about even if she seems relaxed. This isn’t reassuring to either knowing Jamie can act fine for a while.
The plan changes once the trio finishes lunch. Alejandro and Rudy agree to take Jamie to the park close by.
The walk to the park is quiet. Alejandro leads his friends to a bench where the three sit. It’s quiet until Jamie speaks.
“I thought I was going to die,” Jamie sobs as she holds onto Alejandro.
Alejandro and Rodolfo thought this is what Jamie is thinking.Everyone knows that while it’s been twenty days, the incident is still fresh in her mind. Jamie struggles with nightmares.
“You’ll be ok,” Alejandro assures her. “You’re safe.”
Alejandro and Rodolfo want to tell Jamie Ghost and Price regret what they did, but they know it won’t help. This will take time. Everyone understands why Price is impatient, but his impatience is going to delay any chance Jamie has of moving past this, or destroy it.
verse: heartbreak mountain
characters: Daniel, Lukas, minor characters
word count: 3.3k
contents/warnings: vomiting, motion sickness, multiple whumpees
oh look, it's actually an intro fic to these characters~
@whumperless-whump-event day 18: motion sickness
--
Daniel checked the time again. His flight had been delayed and then he'd had to wait for his luggage for what felt like an unreasonable amount of time, though he tried to tell himself it just felt that way because he was anxious about being late. Now he was finally on his way to the meeting point, however, with almost half an hour to spare.
He'd hoped to have enough time to grab lunch, but he could survive on a takeaway sandwich and coffee if he had to.
He identified the meeting point by the other people gathered around before he even saw the bored-looking middle-aged woman with the sign. They were standing around or sitting on the floor, some lying down with a jacket or a scarf bundled up for a pillow, some leaning on their suitcases in ways that could not be comfortable now or afterwards. Mostly looking to be in their twenties, speaking a range of languages, some of which Daniel could identify and understand, others not so much.
He found himself smiling as he approached the group. There was something familiar and oddly reassuring about finding 'his people', or the people he'd be spending the winter season working with, even if he'd never met a single one of them before.
"Eyyy," a young man greeted him with a grin and a wave. "Name and phone number, bitte," he went on. "We're making a WhatsApp group," he added in way of explanation. "Joining is strictly optional, of course, but we'll talk about you behind your back if you don't."
Daniel gave his name and number and watched the other man tap them into his phone. He was shorter than Daniel himself, practically radiating a chaotic energy that was matched by his chaotic hair style with the sides shaved and the top dyed a vibrant purple.
"Daniel… how the fuck do you spell your last name?" he asked, looking up with a frown. "What was it, Surströmming??"
"Nyström," Daniel corrected, rolling his eyes. "Why's that the one thing people always know about Sweden…"
"Well, I know IKEA, too?" the man offered with a disarming smile that lit up his brown eyes in a way that Daniel could already see being dangerous after a few drinks.
"IKEA, sure," Daniel muttered, amused despite himself.
"Ahhh, perfect, much easier to spell," the man exclaimed, and Daniel could see him typing 'Daniel Ikea' as his name. Figuring it for a lost cause, Daniel didn't try to correct him again. "I'm Lukas, by the way," the man continued once he was done. "Ski instructor. And you're a, what, a bodyguard?" He eyed Daniel with an openly appraising look that made Daniel suddenly realize how close he was standing; not uncomfortably close, but certainly closer than what Daniel would consider socially appropriate.
Definitely dangerous.
But Daniel was no blushing maiden and wasn't so easily unbalanced. "Alas, I'm just a lowly instructor like yourself," he replied with a slightly lopsided smile. He placed his hand briefly on Lukas's shoulder, watching the other man's reaction closely and gratified to see his eyes widen a little. "But nice to meet you, Lukas."
Forty minutes, one sad deli sandwich and two cups of mediocre coffee later, Daniel was sitting near the back of a bus that was quickly filling up with people and noise. Lukas sat next to him, headphones on and occasionally bobbing his head along to whatever he was listening to. The girl sitting in front of them was complaining to her friend about having to sit so far back, and a faint but distinct scent of weed was coming from somewhere nearby but Daniel couldn't pinpoint where.
He tried to get as comfortable as possible—which wasn't very comfortable for someone his size—and began to scroll through Reddit on his phone.
He must have dozed odd because suddenly he startled awake, nearly dropping his phone. He blinked and looked around, getting his bearings, a little bemused to find Lukas snoring against his shoulder. The violet hair smelled faintly of some generic conditioner and Daniel had to suppress the urge to ruffle it.
Then he caught the shift in the mood around him, the loud and energetic chatter had become more quiet and tense. He frowned, trying to locate the source of the tension, and saw that one of the girls sitting in front of him and Lukas had left her seat and was going around, clearly looking for something.
Daniel gently detached himself from Lukas and leaned forward a little, trying to catch the other girl's attention through the gap between the seats. "Yo, what's going on?"
The nature of the problem became evident as soon as the girl turned her head to glance at him and Daniel saw the faint greenish hue of her face and the way her lips were pressed into a thin line. "I don't f-feel too good," she replied, a little redundantly, then snapped her eyes forward again with a muted groan.
Daniel suddenly remembered how she'd been complaining about having to sit in the back. "Right, okay," he said quickly, automatically switching into damage control mode. "So do you have, like, a bag or something? Just in case?"
The girl gave the tiniest shake of her head. "That's what Riina went to—" She cut off and swallowed audibly.
"Okay," Daniel said again, "well let's hope she finds something. Just focus on breathing."
Next to him, Lukas yawned and blinked his eyes open. "Are we there yet?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred from sleep and his accent considerably more prominent than when he was properly awake. It was kind of cute, even though Daniel didn't have the mental bandwidth to fully appreciate it right now.
"Alas, no," he replied. "Don't suppose you got, like, a plastic bag or something going spare?"
"Oh, sure, I always carry—" Lukas suddenly cut off, his eyes finally focusing as he looked at Daniel with a slight frown. "…What for, pray tell?"
Daniel shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "Not for me."
But that's when the other girl—Riina—finally returned, with a stash of empty plastic bags and a stack of paper towels. She took one look at the sick girl and dumped the hoard onto the seat. "I'm just gonna go… sit over there," she mumbled, looking away. "I can't. You know."
"Wow, dick move," Lukas muttered, staring after the girl fleeing the scene.
Daniel agreed, kind of, but he wasn't interested in judging right now. "Move," he said, nudging Lukas gently. "I'm gonna sit with her, see if she needs any help."
Lukas moved out of the way and Daniel got out of his seat, with some effort, and then carefully moved to sit in the seat vacated by Riina. The sick girl glanced at him briefly, then resumed staring straight ahead with slightly glazed eyes, her breath coming quick and shallow. Daniel sorted through the bags, picking one and stuffing the rest into the seatback pocket in front of him.
"I'm Daniel," he said, his voice calm and steady. "Didn't catch your name."
The girl glanced at him again. "India," she replied in a shaky voice.
"Okay, India," Daniel went on with a small smile, "nice to meet you." He thought he heard Lukas snort somewhere behind him, but he didn't pay him any mind, instead focusing on India. "Do you usually get carsick?"
India nodded slightly. "Not— not this bad, though," she said, her words interrupted by a queasy hiccup. She hunched forward with a thin, panicked whine. "Gonna need that bag," she gasped, then clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening and breath hitching.
Daniel was already moving, working the bag open and holding it towards her. As she gripped it with shaking hands, Daniel kept one hand near hers to hold the bag steady if needed, and put his other hand on her back. "Right, it's okay," he said, "just let your body do what it needs to."
India's body lurched forward with the first, unproductive retch. Daniel was aware of the awkward, anticipatory silence in their section of the bus, but he kept his attention on India, who barely had a chance to draw a breath before she nearly doubled over with another heave. This time, with an unpleasant, gurgling sound, her body forced up a stream of vomit splattering into the plastic bag. Several people around them made disgusted noises, and someone nearby got up and walked towards the front of the bus like Riina had done.
"Oh, God," India gasped faintly, then spat into the bag again. A string of saliva got caught dangling from her lips, and Daniel took one of the paper towels to gently wipe it away. "So-sorry about this," India went on, sounding utterly mortified and miserable.
"Don't worry about it," Daniel replied immediately. "It's not your fault. Just breathe. Do you think you're done?"
India drew a breath and opened her mouth to speak. Then, with a strangled moan, she ducked her head over the bag again as her stomach heaved once, twice, sending another wave of what sounded like thick, chunky vomit surging up her throat and into the bag. She coughed and spat, her breathing ragged and erratic.
Daniel kept running his hand up and down her back, murmuring reassuring words that he wasn't sure she could hear. Not all the people around reacted with horror and disgust; some were clearly sympathetic, and after a while someone brought a bottle of water, and another person brought a pack of wet wipes, and a third one just came by to ask if there was anything she could do to help. Of Riina, the girl who'd been sitting with India, there was no sign, and Daniel wondered if they knew each other or if the seating arrangement had been an unfortunate coincidence.
Finally the bout of sickness seemed to taper off, leaving India pale and shivering, her head falling to rest against the back of the seat in front of her. Daniel gently pried the bag of sick from her hands and tied it off the best he could. He looked around for a bin but couldn't see one, so he just put it in the biggest of the bags in the stash and hoped it was tight enough not to leak.
"Water?" he offered, holding the bottle towards India. "Just a small sip, to rinse your mouth."
India took the bottle with a shaking hand and gave Daniel a faint smile. "Thanks," she said. "You didn't have to do any of this. But… thanks."
Daniel wasn't in the habit of letting people suffer alone if he could help it, but he couldn't think of a way to say that without making it sound like some kind of Superman shit, so he just waved the comment off. "Don't worry about it," he said again. He took the bottle again when India was done with it. "Are you feeling any better?"
She made a sound that was half a chuckle, half a groan. "Well, I'm not actively puking, so that's something," she muttered. She leaned to the side, her head against the window. "Could you get my jacket from the overhead shelf? The green one," she added as Daniel got up and reached for it, "yes, that one." She smiled as Daniel handed the coat to her and bundled it up for a pillow. "Thanks. Again. I think I'm gonna try to pass out for a bit…"
"Sure," Daniel replied. He began to sit back down, then hesitated. "Do you want me to go back, or..?" He nodded towards the seat next to Lukas.
India gave a tiny shrug. "I don't mind," she said. Then, after a beat, "I mean, if you really don't mind staying… I guess I'd feel better knowing I've got someone who's not gonna freak out on me if I puke again."
Daniel smiled and took his seat next to her. "Sure," he replied, "no trouble at all."
India did manage to fall asleep. Lukas, behind them, also seemed to be continuing his nap, now sprawled across the two seats as nobody had claimed Daniel's place. For the next half an hour or so things were quiet.
Daniel was killing time solving word puzzles on his phone when India stirred again. "Hey," he said when she looked around blinking blearily. "How are you feeling?"
"Mmmm, not great," she mumbled.
Daniel put his phone away, immediately shifting gears into crisis management mode. "Not great as in could use a drink of water, or not great as in need a new bag?" he asked.
India hummed softly under her breath, visibly taking stock of her body. "Not… sure," she finally replied. "Please tell me we're almost there…"
"Half an hour, ish," Daniel said. "Maybe a bit more."
India leaned her head against the window with a faint groan. "Okay," she said. "Okay. Gonna need… Probably gonna need another bag. But not yet, I don't think."
"Hellooo," an exaggeratedly cheerful voice said behind them, and Daniel glanced back to see Lukas perched on the edge of his seat, leaning forward to peer at them through the gap between the backs of the two seats. "You guys okay up there? …Please tell me you're okay."
Daniel was still trying to figure out what to say when India replied for herself, "For a given value of 'okay'."
"I see." Lukas slumped back into his seat, putting his headphones on again, and began to fiddle with his phone.
It seemed like a bit of an odd response, but it's not like Daniel knew the guy so he didn't think too much of it until his phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a message from an unfamiliar number; 'yo if she starts puking again im gna need a bag too' the message said, followed by a green-faced emoji just in case the message wasn't clear enough. The three dots indicating that the other person was typing showed up, and then another message, 'barely made it thru the last round…'
Well, shit. Daniel typed back a 'gotcha' and saved the number in his contacts; before he'd finished doing that, there was another message saying 'my hero' with a sparkling heart and a laughing-crying emoji. Daniel rolled his eyes—which Lukas obviously couldn't see—and put his phone away again.
And then it was a waiting game until something happened. He tried to keep up light conversation with India, both to potentially distract her from her nausea and to gauge where she was on the scale of imminent vomiting. And so, when her replies began to get shorter, her voice more strained, he was already mentally preparing for the inevitable before it happened.
India trailed off mid sentence, her eyes glazed over and what little color there was draining from her face. "Okay," she whispered, "I'll take that bag now."
Daniel was already on it. "Alright, here," he said, keeping his voice calm as he opened a plastic bag and placed it in front of her. When he was sure she had it, he turned to glance back at Lukas. He was seemingly immersed in whatever he was looking at on his phone screen, but there was a tension to the way he held himself very still that wasn't very reassuring. Daniel suppressed a sigh and fished another bag from the stash and held it out to him. Lukas accepted it with a wry smile and a mock salute, then went back to ignoring everything.
And then Daniel's attention was drawn back to India, who suddenly bent forward with a strangled moan. Breathing fast and shallow, she gripped the bag with shaking hands as she held it close to her mouth. Daniel put his hand on her back again, hoping to steady her a little. "Easy," he said softly, "just let it happen if it's gonna. No use fighting it."
Before he'd even finished speaking, a shallow gag shook her body, and then she barely managed to draw a breath before her stomach heaved, sending its contents surging up her throat again. A deep, growling retch brought a wave of vomit splattering into the bag. She made a sound that was half a gasp, half a moan, and then she was heaving again, repeatedly, each time bringing up more of her stomach contents.
He was so focused on India that Daniel didn't immediately recognize the sound coming from behind him. And then he did, and remembered Lukas. He looked back and saw Lukas leaning forward, pale as a sheet, elbows on his knees, hunched over the plastic bag. As Daniel watched, a shudder ran through Lukas's body, and then he gagged again, a thin trickle of fluid dripping from his mouth into the bag.
For a second Daniel was torn, his instincts telling him he should find some way to help both, but then Lukas looked up and flashed a wry grin. "All good here, bro," he gasped, the cheer obviously forced, "don't worry about me." The fact that he immediately ducked his head over the bag again with a sickly belch took some of the credibility from his words, but all things considered, Daniel made the call to take it at face value and stay with India.
The rest of the trip felt longer than it had any right to be. India seemed to be empty after the second round of vomiting, which did not mean that she was feeling any better, only that the risk of making a mess was considerably reduced. Lukas kept gagging intermittently without seeming to bring up much, and insisting that he was fine whenever Daniel checked on him.
Finally, however, they reached their destination. The bus stopped and the chaos of people gathering their belongings, looking for missing gloves or phone chargers or—in at least one case—shoes, began to unfold, and then slowly spill out into the quickly darkening late afternoon. A group of young women took charge of India, and Daniel was relieved to step aside, though he noted that there was still no sign of Riina.
He gathered his backpack and was standing at the fringes of the crowd bustling around the luggage compartment waiting for their bags to be unloaded when he saw Lukas again. The purple-haired man looked decidedly unsteady on his feet as he climbed down from the bus and staggered off to the side, away from the group.
Daniel reached him just as he doubled over, vomiting into the snowbank at the edge of the parking lot. He wavered on his feet as another heave shook him, and Daniel quickly put an arm around him to steady him. "Easy," Daniel murmured, "you're okay."
Lukas, gasping for breath between heaves, managed half a laugh before it turned into another retch and a stream of vomit painted the snow at their feet a sickly brownish orange. "Yeah," Lukas managed, more a groan than a word, "just peachy."
Daniel fished a half-full water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack and held it out to Lukas when it seemed like the other man was done. Lukas accepted it with slightly shaking hands, took a swig to rinse his mouth and spat the water into the snow, then drank greedily, for a moment making Daniel worry the water would just come right back up.
But it stayed down. Lukas slumped against Daniel, his head falling onto Daniel's shoulder with an audible thump. "I could kiss you, Ikea," he mumbled.
"Brush your teeth first," Daniel replied breezily and adjusted his arm around Lukas to better support him.
"Fair enough," Lukas said. Still leaning heavily on Daniel, he looked up and their eyes met, and Daniel could tell they were both trying to assess how much the other was joking or not. The slow smile that spread across Lukas's still-pale face told Daniel that the other man had reached a conclusion and liked what he saw. "Fair enough," Lukas said again.
"Fair enough," Daniel repeated, returning the smile. Then he broke eye contact and nudged Lukas towards where the crowd around the bus was already considerably thinner. "Let's go before they haul our luggage back to Zürich."
Vee was aware that one of her clients wasn’t doing well. The woman would look being them like she was expecting something to be following her. She didn’t sleep much and she always jumped at the slightest noise.
“Honey, what is going on?” Vee asked.
The woman looked behind them, “I…I left him…he’s going to kill me!”
Oh.
One of those.
The woman burst into tears and started to shake.
Vee wrapped her arms around the woman and pulled her close.
“It’s alright love, he’s not going to find you.”
“But…but…”
“He won’t, I know it, but even if he did he wouldn’t be the first one I’ve dealt with,” Vee said.
The woman sniffled and pulled back a little, “Dealt with?”
Vee looked around, luckily everyone was giving them space, “Lots of places to disappear in the woods, lots can go wrong.”
“Oh…oh.”
“You’re safe with me, he won’t be.”
*****
“She slept better the rest of the trip, bastard never came for her.”
Just then the door opened with a bang and Cara and the rest of the guides looked over. She expected it to perhaps be Old Needle who was always late and liked to make an entrance but as a puff of snow came in she realized it was only the wind.
@whumperless-whump-event Day 14: The Final Straw: Grief / "You don't need to be okay right now."
Thunderbirds, Jeff & Scott Tracy
Part One: 200 words, Double Drabble
Part Two: 200 words, Double Drabble
~
‘And give my regards to your lovely wife.’
It had been kindly meant by a semi-regular customer but to Jeff it was the final straw.
All the walls he’d erected around his heart and his grief crumbled like a cookie dipped too long in milk.
He shattered.
Jeff drove home on autopilot, abandoned the car haphazardly in the driveway and locked himself in his study.
And he opened the whisky.
Scott stopped at the sight of the car. Alan, sitting on his shoulders, protested the sudden stop by tugging on his hair, but Scott ignored him and rushed inside, depositing the toddler in the playpen in the kitchen.
A gut wrenching howl had Scott running for the study and he banged on the door. When his dad didn’t answer Scott fetched the spare key and opened the door.
Jeff was sitting on the floor, the room in disarray and he was crying.
Scott immediately folded him into a hug, holding him tightly.
‘I’m sorry. I’m no good for any of you.’
‘You don’t have to be okay right now, Dad. You’re grieving.’
‘But…’
‘It’s okay. I’ve got them. I’ve got you.’
And Jeff cried himself to sleep in his son’s arms.
~~~~~
‘You don’t have to be okay right now, Son.’
Scott looked blankly at him. Jeff so wanted to fold his son into a hug, just as his boy had done for him all those years ago, but he couldn’t…
It was a miracle Scott had been found alive at all.
Jeff had grieved his death.
And then celebrated Scott’s rescue.
But the man in the bed was a Scott Jeff did not know, and a part of him grieved anew at the horrors his beautiful boy had been put through.
A door banged somewhere and Scott violently flinched. It triggered…something…and Scott began to scream, tearing at his bandages and IVs.
Jeff froze, then Scott was on him and he was being backed into the corner. The blows didn’t hurt but Jeff was worried Scott would reinjure himself. He kept speaking softly, trying to reach him.
The same could not be said of the nurses that rushed in. They grabbed Scott. He became more aggressive until he was restrained and a sedative administered.
Jeff held him carefully as the meds worked.
Their treatment was the final straw. As soon as he was settled Jeff started planning on getting them both home.
Day 13 – Waking In A Cold Sweat: Midnight hospital visit / Allergic reaction / "I thought you were getting better."
~~~ Author comment: I have the feeling this prompts are getting harder and harder. I am writing for myself, because I have to practice my english, but I sometimes I would really love to get a reaction. Thanks for the people liking <3
Too much too soon
Youngest had been seriously ill for weeks. And he couldn’t stand it. He hated being useless, and in the back of his head he still feared that Leader would change his mind and put him back on the streets, if he did not pull his weight.
So he was convinced that it was time for him to get back to work and back to training. But just standing up was hitting him with a dizzy spell. He knew if he would tell medic or anyone else of this, they would send him right back to bed, so he just waited till his body accepted the upright position.
Then he slowly made his way to the training room. He just missed feeling strong, holding his sword and just doing anything…
As he opened the doors to the training room, he did see newest part-time team member A there, already doing some exercises with his sword. He felt lucky, that he didn’t encounter somebody else. Unconsciously he straightened his spine hoping A didn’t know that he wasn’t allowed to exercise at the moment.
A was only three years older than he was, and had just as much energy as he usually had, when he was not ill and A really loved to spare. A looked at him and said: “Hey Youngest, good to see you out and about. Already fit enough for training?”
“Yeah, it’s time to get back in shape”, Youngest was aware that he was basically untruthful, but he just couldn’t take it anymore. Slowly he tried some warm-up moves. All his limbs trembled just from getting his sword in ready position and already the sweat was getting into his eyes.
Nevertheless he didn’t want to stop. His mind felt better than in weeks, but his body couldn’t really provide for what he wanted to do. He felt really warm and shaky, but he didn’t want to give up, he wanted to prove to himself that he was still competent, useful.
Youngest struggled through the first beginner sequence that he was taught, trying not to let his struggle show to A. That seemed to be successful, because after a few minutes A came eagerly over to him to ask: “Hey, do you want to do some light sparring, already?”
He should have known better, than to agree. Everything had felt fuzzy from the beginning, but he wanted so badly to get back to normal. So he nodded and got himself into ready position.
This was such a bad idea, he couldn’t even follow A’s movement, nevertheless his instincts saved him, so that he got his sword into the right position to block the first blow. The locked swords and Youngest tried his best to press forward against his older opponent. Usually he could more than hold his own against A, but now all his strength left him.
Luckily for him, A realised on time that Youngest could not hold his sword up much longer pulled back. Youngest stumbled after him, as the resistance disappeared suddenly and fell to the ground, his sword clattering next to him and for a short moment everything went dark.
He felt A’s presence next to him, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t move. Everything was warm, icky and he could not really say how he landed in this position. He felt blearily A’s hands on him carefully turning him over and checking his vitals. The haze in his brain was joined by embarrassment, as he couldn’t do anything not even move. He though he heard A talking but he felt as though his ear were stuffed with cotton.
Meanwhile A did indeed tried talking to him after calling for medic trough the communicator: "I thought you were getting better, kiddo."
It didn’t take long for Medic to arrive, followed by Leader shortly after. Medic quickly checked Youngest over and sighed: “He’s burning up again. He should not have been out of bed.”
A had the feeling that he had to apologize for that: “I… I am sorry, I… I didn’t know. He said, that he was fine…” He didn’t want to look Medic or Leader in the eyes. He heard Leader murmur: “Typical..” Afterwards Leader turned towards A: “Please take care of his sword and meet me in the conference room in 15 minutes.”
For A it looked, as if he would be made responsible for Youngest’s collapse, but he knew that Leader was normally fair, so he would do as Leader ordered. He moved to pick up Youngest sword. And then A watched as Leader knelt next to Youngest to pick him up bridal style, while Medic was watching concerned.
Youngest head rolled against Leaders chest and A flinched. He had never seen Youngest look this small and young before.
Whumperless Whump Day 13 (Love and Deepspace) Part 2/2
Part 2 of my Appendi-Sylus fic is up for Day 13 of @whumperless-whump-event For the Waking in a Cold Sweat "Midnight hospital Visit" prompt
~~~~~~~
Read Part One
Ariadne doesn’t really worry when Sylus starts to feel unwell, but it might be more serious than either of them think.
Read on Ao3
Lads Masterpost
Lads Whump Masterpost
Tag List
~~~~~~~
Weakness
Part Two
When they finally reached Akso hospital Kieran pulled up at the emergency room loading door. Luke and Ariadne got out and between them, helped Sylus out of the car. He was slightly unsteady, but he only rested his arm across Ari’s shoulders, nodding for them to move.
“I’ll park the car,” Kieran said.
“Masks off,” Ariadne murmured to the twins.
Luke instantly yanked his off, finally revealing the worry on his young face before he tried to school it.
Ari helped Sylus inside and urged him to sit as she crossed to the front desk to check him in.
“Hi,” Ari said awkwardly, suddenly nervous. “Um…we think my boyfriend has appendicitis. He’s in a lot of pain right now.”
The nurse nodded and started to type something into the system. “Alright, I’ll need you to provide details and insurance information.”
Ari instantly felt tongue-tied, but Luke walked over and nudged her arm, pressing several cards into her hand.
“Here,” she said, handing them to the nurse. “His name is Skye.”
She felt like she was sweating more than Sylus as the nurse checked the ID and insurance but she didn’t seem to show any suspicion. Ari still breathed a sigh of relief when she handed the information back with a clipboard to fill out.
“Please fill out the information and bring it back.”
“Okay. When will the doctor see him?”
“There’s a couple patients ahead of him,” was all she said.
Ari looked over to where Sylus was slumped in a chair with Luke and Kieran hovering worriedly, looking ready to catch him if he fell.
“Okay.”
She went to sit next to him, looping her arm through his. Sylus leaned slightly against her shoulder, but his whole body felt stiff. Ari looked at the form, bewildered.
“Um…any medical history?”
He huffed. “Just fill it out at your discretion, sweetie.”
She pursed her lips, but did her best. Sylus stayed hunched over, breathing through his nose. But as she looked at him, his whole body was tense and defensive, eyes darting around, his jaw clenched.
She frowned, handing the finished form to one of the twins before turning her attention fully to Sylus, squeezing his arm. “Hey, look at me.”
He reluctantly turned to her, eyes narrowing slightly.
“It’s going to be okay,” she told him quietly, just for him to hear.
Sylus’s jaw ticked. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
“You’re getting help,” she insisted. “That’s what normal people do.”
He huffed, then his breath hitched as he curled into himself again. Ari squeezed his hand and pulled out her phone, opening her texts to Zayne as she typed one-handed.
I’m at Asko, in the ER waiting room.
It was only a second before she got a reply.
You better not be injured again.
I promise it’s not me! It’s Sylus. we’re pretty sure he has appendicitis.
Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring him here?
Ari glanced at Sylus.
I didn’t have much of a choice. He was threatening to take it out himself. I’ve never seen him in this much pain before, Zayne. And we have no idea how long we’re going to have to wait.
You say he’s in a lot of pain—nausea and fever too?
Ari confirmed and waited for Zayne to reply.
How long has he been feeling sick?
About three days that I know of.
It’s possible the appendix could have ruptured. Give me a moment and I’ll make sure someone sees him quickly.
Relief flooded through Ariadne. Zayne was always able to reassure her.
Thanks, Zayne. Um…are the people working here discreet?
Dr. Madison will be the one performing his surgery. She’s very capable and she will not pry outside of anything involving her patient’s health.
Feeling much better after the conversation with Zayne, she thanked him, and only a few minutes after the last text, they called Sylus back.
“Mr. Skye? They’ll see you now.”
Sylus tensed impossibly further, but Ari coaxed him to stand up, supporting him as they followed the nurse back to one of the exam rooms.
“The doctor will be in to see you shortly.”
They were left alone for the moment and Ari urged him over to the exam bed.
“Lay down.”
“I’ll sit.”
“Sylus…”
He didn’t look at her, brows drawn together. She sat him down on the exam bed and took his hands in hers, feeling the tension running through him.
“I promise it will be okay. I’m gonna stay here with you.”
He didn’t reply, simply focused on breathing through his nose. Ari reached up to take his face between her hands. “I know you have a hard time letting go of control, I get it, but the doctors are just here to help you.”
He huffed. “I’m aware. But I don’t like people touching me.”
“I promise I won’t let them do anything you don’t want them to.”
“Yes, I suppose I have my brave kitten here to protect me.” A small smile quirked his lips before it turned into a grimace.
“Please lay down, Sy.”
He finally acquiesced, laying against the slightly elevated bed as she sat on the side of it, still clutching his hand. She had never seen him this nervous before. Sylus wasn’t good at being vulnerable, at least not around anyone but her. She knew how hard this was for him.
“I don’t want to be put under,” he finally admitted.
Ari’s heart tugged. “I know, but it’s necessary.”
“I’m fine with the pain.”
“Sylus,” she chided gently, taking his face in her hands. “I don’t think they’re legally allowed to cut into you without anesthesia, even if you asked them to.”
He scoffed. “Why do you think I didn’t want to come here?”
“You’re telling me you’d rather go to some back-alley doctor in the N109 zone and risk getting your organs stolen than experience top of the line medical care?”
He snorted and looked away. Ari stroked his hair out of his face.
“You won’t even know it happened. You’ll just feel like you’ve woken up from a really nice sleep.”
His fingers twitched and she slid one hand into his again.
“I’ll be there when you wake up. I promise.”
He stayed silent, a muscle in his jaw ticking, before the door was opened and the doctor came in.
“Mr. Skye,” he said, nodding a greeting to Ariadne as well. “And Miss Celest—Dr. Zayne just told me you were here with your boyfriend.”
Ari gave Sylus a brief smile and leaned over to speak in his ear. “See, I have connections too.” She stood up, but stayed by the bed, still clutching Sylus’s hand.
“Let me take your vitals to start. If you can explain your symptoms?”
Sylus refused to speak up so Ari explained what she knew as Sylus grunted in agreement, eyes pinned to the doctor as he checked his blood pressure and took his temperature.
“You are running a fairly high fever, your blood pressure is also rather high,” the doctor said and picked up his stethoscope to check his heartrate, gaining a warning glower from Sylus.
“He doesn’t really like hospitals,” Ari commented.
The doctor nodded, not taking offense as he took the stethoscope out of his ears. “Understandable. Mr. Skye, if you could please lift your shirt so I can check your abdomen.”
Sylus’s nostrils flared as his brows knit, and Ari squeezed his hand briefly, already reaching for the hem of his shirt. Her eyes met his, less asking permission and more making sure he would behave. Sylus’s pupils wavered in a way they never would for anyone else as he exhaled slowly out his nose.
Ari pulled his shirt up and Sylus shivered slightly as the air hit his fevered skin.
The doctor set to work, but as soon as his hand landed on Sylus’s right side, red mist caught his wrist and squeezed.
“Ah—”
“Sy—Skye!” Ari snapped, catching herself at the last second.
Sylus let out a shaky breath, and Ariadne pushed a little of her Evol against his, trying to ease him with the resonance.
“My apologies, I should have given better warning,” The doctor said, rubbing his wrist as Sylus dispersed his Evol. “Please tell me on a scale of one to ten how bad the pain is.”
“It’s pretty damn near a ten,” Sylus snapped.
The doctor nodded and palpated the area slightly. Ari felt Sylus tense, teeth grinding together and squeezed his hand harder.
“There is some swelling in the area. We’ll do a scan to be sure, but I believe you’re most likely right about the appendix.”
He stepped aside to write something on a tablet before giving a reassuring smile to Ari. “A couple nurses will be in shortly to see him to the exam room. In the meantime, Miss Celest, if you can help him get into a gown?”
He pulled a clean hospital gown from a cupboard and handed it to her. Ari bit her lip as the doctor left, turning to see Sylus giving her a baleful look.
“I’m not putting that on.”
“Sy—”
“No.”
She sighed. “If you refuse they’ll just cut your clothes off while you’re unconscious.”
He scoffed. “I’m not happy to be here to begin with, I’m going to be a hell of a lot less happy to be here with no pants.”
Ari had to fight back the urge to laugh a little. Sylus just looked both petulant and weak at the moment, like a forlorn, sick child. She wasn’t discounting his discomfort—not at all, in fact. She was actually surprised she had gotten him this far. But she was well aware of how stubborn he could be.
“The leader of Onychinus doesn’t have anything to hide under his clothes,” she said with a fond smile. “Nor does Skye the fruit seller. Not even any suspicious scars to show off.”
He continued to glower at her, so she softened, reaching out to stroke his hair. “Please don’t make this difficult, Sy. I just want you to be well again as quickly as possible.”
He huffed and pushed himself up with a wince. “Fine. Help me put the damn thing on.”
Ari helped him undress as quickly as possible, slipping the gown on and tying it for him. She then took his watch and the companion ring to the one she wore on her finger—a gift he’d given her on the first anniversary of the day they met. She slid it onto her thumb to keep it safe.
By the time the nurses came to get Sylus for the scan he was exhausted and wan, a little less fire in him, making it easier for Ari to convince him to get in the wheelchair the nurses offered.
Ariadne still stayed with him during the scan, and then joined him at one of the curtained-off beds in the ER area after.
“The doctor will be back shortly, there’s blankets if he needs them,” the kind nurse said as she bustled away.
Ari took one of the offered blankets and put it over Sylus who was still shivering a little from the fever. She tucked him in and sat on the side of the bed since there were no chairs there.
“I gotta admit, you look pretty bad,” she said teasingly.
He huffed. “I don’t exactly feel fantastic.”
She rubbed his hand soothingly. “Have you ever…been in pain this long before?”
He thought, brow furrowing. “I’ve been sick. The core in my eye bothers me, but that’s more an indescribable pain of my being, my soul, it’s not…strictly physical like this is.”
Ari nodded in sympathy. “You seem to have a pretty low pain tolerance.”
He scoffed. “Try having appendicitis.”
“I’m not judging, I’m saying it makes sense. You’re not used to being hurt for a long time. You can heal yourself from even the worst injuries within minutes for the most part so it doesn’t usually matter.”
He grunted, shutting his eyes. “I guess you have a point.”
She didn’t say what she was really thinking. That she hated seeing him like this. She hated him in pain, and worse, hated seeing him have to be vulnerable in front of anyone but her. She knew how much he hated that. She would be his shield as long as she could.
The doctor from before came in with his tablet and nodded to them.
“Well, with the scan results, we can confirm that you do indeed have appendicitis, and on top of that, it’s ruptured.”
Ari felt her heart skip. “That’s really bad, isn’t it?”
“It’s not as bad as it could have been, considering,” the doctor reassured her. “There’s only a small perforation currently, but that has led to the excessive pain and ensuing infection. It also means we need to take it out immediately, before it can get any worse.”
She felt Sylus’s fingers tighten around her, worrying her palm.
“We’ll start getting you prepped for surgery, Mr. Skye. I promise you’ll feel a lot better after all this is over.”
Sylus gave him a bland look as the doctor left the room. Ari turned to him, reaching out to brush his warm, pale cheek.
“It will be okay, I promise.”
She didn’t have the chance for more words before the nurses came in to prep him, getting him hooked up to various monitors. Ari stood to one side to let them work, but still close enough for support.
As they were finishing up, Ari glanced at a surgical marker that had been left on the tray. She turned to one of the nurses.
“Can I write something on his hand?” she asked.
The nurse smiled. “Sure, it won’t hurt anything.”
Ari took up the marker and drew the smug kitten Sylus always teased her with on the back of his hand. His eyes softened slightly as he saw it.
“Is this my little protector?”
“Yes,” Ari replied. “This kitten will make sure you have someone watching over you.”
One of the nurses stepped forward. “We’ll be taking him into the OR now, miss.”
Ari took a deep breath and turned back to Sylus, catching the very tiny hint of panic in his eyes.
She leaned over and kissed him softly. “I love you. I promise I’ll be there when you wake up.”
He let out a shuddering breath and nodded.
After that all Ari could do was watch him be wheeled away.
She took a deep breath to steady herself before heading back to the waiting room, knowing Luke and Kieran would be looking for news.
She found them pacing the waiting room, making everyone else there nervous. But they instantly ran up to Ariadne as they saw her.
“Boss La—er—Miss Ari!”
“How is the Boss?”
“They just took him in for surgery. It’s his appendix.”
They pressed their lips into a thin line at the same time, an identical look of unease passing between them. Ari realized she was going to have to be the one to reassure them now.
“You both know he’s going to be fine. He’d be pissed if he knew you were worrying over him.”
“Right.”
“Yeah, we know.”
Ari urged them to sit down to stop making the other people nervous, but she ended up being the one bouncing her knee. She knew it was going to be a few hours at least before they heard anything, but she was still nervous. What if Sylus didn’t react well to the anesthesia? What if his Evol activated on its own and he hurt the doctors and himself in the process?
She worried his ring around her thumb, hating the thoughts that were running through her head. Then she heard a familiar voice call her name.
“Ariadne.”
She looked up to see Zayne walking over with a couple take-out boxes and a tray of drinks.
“Zayne!”
She stood up and hugged him as he held his arms out to save the food, giving a soft laugh.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m on break, so I thought I would bring you something to eat from the cafeteria.” He handed off the containers to the twins and set the drinks down on a small side table.
“Hot milk tea. It will do you all good.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Luke said, taking one of the drinks as Kieran inspected the cartons of food.
“Yes, thank you,” Ari repeated gratefully.
“Keep your strength up,” Zayne told her gently as she hesitated when Kieran handed her one of the containers. “He’ll need you when he’s in recovery, but there’s nothing you can do now but get some rest. If you need to sleep, there’s a spare room at the end of the hall that the staff will sometimes use to crash for a couple hours.”
“I’m not that tired yet, but I appreciate it. Thank you, Zayne.”
“Of course,” he said. “I also made sure he’ll get a private room after he comes out of recovery.”
“Zayne, you’re the best.”
He huffed a laugh. “I know he can pay for it. Tell him I expect a large donation to the hospital once this is over.”
Ariadne smirked, feeling a little better as she waved goodbye to Zayne.
She and the twins ate the food and she had to admit that the warm milk tea was indeed soothing. Her nerves felt less jangled after she ate and she wondered how much of it had been from hunger to begin with.
The night stretched on, and pretty soon it was only her and the twins in the waiting room, idly watching the television that sat in the corner until finally a doctor made an appearance.
“Miss Celest?”
Ari instantly shot to her feet, the twins beside her. She faced the middle-aged woman in scrubs who smiled at her.
“I’m Dr. Madison, I was the one who performed Mr. Skye’s surgery. He did very well—no complications with the appendectomy. He’s currently in recovery but we’ll be moving him to his own room sometime later this morning.”
Ari let out a breath of relief. “Can I see him?”
Dr. Madison nodded. “You can come sit with him while he’s coming out of anesthesia. Dr. Zayne told me that would likely be best considering his Evol could be unstable from the medication.”
Ari once again silently thanked Zayne and turned to the twins. “You two should go home and get some sleep. I’ll make sure he’s okay.”
They squirmed a little, hesitant.
“Is it okay if we just see him?”
“Then we’ll go.”
Ariadne’s heart softened and she looked at Dr. Madison.
“Only for a minute. More than one person in the recovery room isn’t allowed, but it will be okay if you just peek in.”
They thanked her and the group hurried toward the recovery area. Dr. Madison pulled back the curtain of Sylus’s space and Ari stepped inside.
He was hooked up to multiple machines and IV drips, the steady beeping telling her that his heartrate was normal. An oxygen canula was in his nose and his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.
Her stomach flipped a little at seeing him so completely vulnerable and she instantly crossed to the bed, touching his hair.
Luke and Kieran seemed relieved to see Sylus alive, and agreed to head back to the base to sleep. Ari promised to call them when Sylus was in his own room.
She barely heard Dr. Madison tell her she would get her a chair, already reaching for Sylus’s closest hand where it sat on top of the blanket. She smiled as the kitten she’d drawn smirked up at her as if to say ‘I promised he would be fine.’
Dr. Madison brought the chair and Ari sat in it gratefully.
“Thank you. When will he wake up?”
“The anesthesia will wear off within an hour or so. The nurses will be checking in every thirty minutes, but if you need anything, just hit that call button over here.”
Ari nodded in thanks and turned her attention back to Sylus as the surgeon left.
She held his hand, listening to his breathing and the beep of his heartbeat as the minutes stretched on.
Eventually, his breathing seemed to become more shallow and uneven, his brows pinched together and his jaw tightened. She took his hand more firmly and stroked his hair out of his face.
“Sylus?” she called softly as she saw his eyes flutter.
He let out a soft grunt, eyelids flickering open as he stared up at her blearily. “Hm?”
She smiled. “There you are. I promised I would be here when you woke up.”
He looked slightly confused, glancing around at the equipment, brows knitting together. “Hospital…”
“You had your appendix out, remember? You now have one less body part to worry about.”
He grunted, eyes fluttering. He shifted in the bed with a wince. “Mph…ow…”
“Don’t move around,” she chided. “You just barely woke up.”
She got up briefly to press the call button, before trying to calm Sylus down a little.
A nurse came in quickly, smiling as she saw Sylus awake.
“Right on time.”
She checked Sylus’s vitals and wrote something on a chart.
“He seems to be in a bit of pain,” Ari said.
“He’s ready for a dose of morphine.” The nurse prepped the syringe and inserted it into the IV line.
Sylus seemed to relax a little as it entered his system and Ari thanked her as she left.
She stroked Sylus’s forehead, feeling a little residual fever. He nuzzled into her touch with a sigh, eyes closed.
“Stay,” he murmured.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
His fingers twitched and she reached for his hand, clasping it in hers, watching as he was unable to keep from falling back into a deep sleep.
Ari had to admit that she was slightly relieved he was taking it so well, but he also still had the heavy drugs and the residual anesthesia in his system. She was bracing for him being more of a problem later once it wore off.
She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep with her head on Sylus’s bedside until she woke up to the morning nurse coming in to check on him.
“Good morning,” the nurse said kindly, inputting Sylus’s vitals on her tablet.
Ari yawned, glancing toward his still sleeping face. “How is he?”
“Everything looks normal,” the nurse said. “We’re going to start him on a regimen of antibiotics today to clear up any residuals from the infection but by tonight we should be able to move him into his own room.”
Ari nodded gratefully, rubbing at her tired eyes as the nurse left. She texted the twins to update them.
Before she could get up, there was a soft knock on the wall beside the curtain and Zayne stepped through with a smile.
“Good morning. How is he?”
“Nurse said he was doing well,” Ariadne replied, gratefully accepting the coffee and the bag with a pastry in it that Zayne handed her. “I’m kind of glad he’s still asleep.”
Zayne smiled in amusement. “I’m sure he’ll find plenty of time to cause trouble later. But right now, it’s good he’s resting. His body is healing.” He briefly checked the reads on the machines Sylus was hooked up to and gave a satisfied nod.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Ari replied, taking a long drink of the coffee.
“Of course. And if you need a place to lie down and rest later, you can always come to my office. But I’m sure you would rather stay with him.”
Ari nodded, smiling gratefully.
Zayne promised to bring her lunch before he left to see to his duties.
Ari waited, texting the twins to let them know that Sylus was still doing okay then reading some magazines until the nurse returned on her rounds.
Sylus woke briefly, still groggy, and they informed him he was cleared to be moved to his own room.
Ari let them get him settled, grabbing a drink from the vending machine, then headed over to his room.
Sylus looked slightly less pale, but his eyes were squinted from the late afternoon sun coming in through the wide-open window, a furrow of discomfort on his brow.
Ari quickly crossed the room to draw the shades, returning to his bedside to smooth her thumb across his forehead.
“Better?”
“Mm, thanks, sweetie.”
“The room is nice,” she commented, looking around. It even had a small couch in one corner. “Zayne said he expects a large donation to the hospital for helping to get you a VIP spot.”
Sylus let out a breathy chuckle. “I’m expected to give them even more money for taking something out of my body?”
Ariadne smiled softly, stroking his hair. “It would be a nice gesture. After all, they didn’t steal any of your good organs.”
Sylus scoffed, but his eyes slitted like a pleased cat’s as Ari’s fingers scraped across his scalp.
“Can I get you anything?”
He reached out to tug her even closer. “Just you. You’re exhausted, kitten.”
“I did sleep a little.”
He gave her a look, and wrapped an insistent arm around her waist. “Come here. You can’t expect me to sleep well in this place without my little tigress to protect me.”
Ari huffed, but slid her shoes off and curled up next to him on the bed, careful not to get tangled in the IV line. She would risk a scolding from the doctors for this. Sylus’s arm folded around her, hugging her close to his side as he fell into an exhausted sleep once more.
He rested all night, sleeping off the residual fever. The antibiotics seemed to be working though, and he already looked better by the next morning, sitting up to eat breakfast.
“You’re getting me out of here tomorrow,” he told Ari in no uncertain terms.
“We’ll see what the doctors say,” she replied.
“Sweetie…”
She smiled and poked his cheek. “Aren’t you glad to have a few days off?”
“I would rather spend them at the base with you where I can actually sleep and heal. I’m not going to get any rest with doctors coming in to poke at me every hour.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Just hold on a little longer. Dr. Madison said she would check your wound this morning and if she thinks you’re good to go, then I’ll take you home.”
Sylus scoffed, giving her a baleful look. Ari glared back pointedly.
“You know you scared the hell out of me, right?”
His eyes flickered down as he sighed.
“I’m sorry I scared you, sweetie.”
Ari paused a moment. She hadn’t intended to bring this up until Sylus was more recovered, but she couldn’t wait any longer to vent her grievances. “Why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?”
Sylus looked away, jaw tightening. “I guess…I was in denial myself. I’m not used to showing weakness, vulnerability. You’re the only one I’d ever admit any of that to, but it’s still difficult sometimes.”
“You know I won’t think less of you for showing weakness,” Ari told him gently. “You’ll always be Sylus to me.”
He gave her a fond look. “It’s not even so much pride as it is…proving it to myself. Sometimes it’s easier to lose a fight to someone else, than it is to yourself.”
She took his hand with a sigh, threading their fingers together. “Promise me next time you’ll let me know before it gets this bad?”
He took a deep breath and reached up to cup her face, smoothing his thumb across her cheek. “For you only, Ari, I suppose I have no choice but to promise.”
She smiled and turned her head slightly to kiss his hand before the door opened and Dr. Madison came in.
“Good morning, Mr. Skye—Miss Celest. How are you feeling?”
Sylus sighed. “Better. Ready to leave.”
Dr. Madison gave him a longsuffering smile. “We’ll see once I’ve finished my examination.”
Ari stepped back as Dr. Madison carefully checked Sylus’s vitals herself then peeled back the bandages to check his incision.
“This seems to be healing cleanly, and the fever is gone—both good signs.”
“So can I leave?” Sylus asked bluntly.
The doctor changed the dressings. “If you are still on an upward trajectory by tomorrow morning then you may leave to continue bed rest at home.”
Sylus huffed in annoyance but Ari thanked Dr. Madison and soothed the restless patient.
“There’s no use in stressing over it, Sy. Just rest.”
Despite his annoyance Sylus’s body seemed to have other plans and he fell asleep again shortly after. Ari entertained him that day with old movies and took several naps with him between the rounds.
By the next morning, he was still doing well and Dr. Madison gave him the okay to leave.
“You must rest in bed for at least the next three days though, Mr. Skye,” she instructed firmly. “Your Evol will still be unstable due to the post-surgery medications so it will likely be a few days before you can heal yourself again. I would also like to recommend a check-up appointment one week from now so I can check on your healing progress.”
Sylus nearly rolled his eyes, but Ariadne stepped in. “I’ll make sure he takes care of himself, and he’ll be here next week.”
She listened as Dr. Madison gave her the care instructions for the incision and dressings then finally they signed the discharge papers.
Ari called Luke and Kieran to come pick them up and while they were waiting, she helped Sylus into his clothes. Even the act of dressing seemed to exhaust him and he was less volatile about being given a wheelchair to leave the hospital than Ari had expected.
He slumped tiredly into the back of the car, only grunting in greeting to the Twin’s relived hellos.
Ariadne took him directly to the bedroom once they got back, Mephisto circling happily to see his master returned as Ari let Sylus lean heavily on her shoulder.
“I’ll get you something comfy, then you can get into bed,” she promised.
He grunted, leaning against the wall as she went to find him some pajamas. “I stink of the hospital. I want a shower.”
She turned from his dresser. “You can’t take a shower with the incision, but…I can help you wash instead.”
Sylus’s eyes flicked and his expression softened. “Alright, sweetie, that sounds like a fair compromise.”
A few minutes later she had sat him down in his large shower, turning on the steam feature. Sylus practically melted as she took her time with a soft cloth to wash the grime of fever and hospital off of his body, careful around the incision. She finished by washing his hair, massaging his scalp with her nails, leaving Sylus slack and groaning in contentment.
She gently patted him dry when she was done, changed the dressing and blow-dried his hair until it was soft and fluffy.
He was nodding off by then and Ari quickly helped him change into sweat pants and a loose button-up sweater. He was completely compliant by that point, allowing her to lead him to bed and tuck him in before climbing in beside him.
Sylus sighed in contentment, pulling her close.
“This is much nicer with my little kitten nurse looking after me,” he said, burying his nose in the top of Ari’s head. “I don’t mind being laid up if this is the treatment I have to look forward to.”
She smiled, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. “I might be happy to spoil you once in a while, but don’t make a habit of this, though, okay?”
He chuckled. “Hm, well, I’m guaranteed not to get appendicitis again, at least.”
“No major injuries either.”
He huffed. “I’ll do my best, sweetie. But you’ve always been more than enough to make me want to overcome anything.”
She smiled against his skin and pressed her lips to his shoulder. “As long as you always come back to me, that’s all I ask. Love you, Sy.”
“Love you too, sweetie.”
~~~~~~~
Tag List @hilliserose @itsmeaudrieee @regalillegal @carpet-worm @nevers109 @jeepangel @lumi-s-garlic @monarchthefirst
Waking In A Cold Sweat: Midnight hospital visit / Allergic reaction / "I thought you were getting better."
@whumperless-whump-event
Forcing Jean to confront the fact that something strange may be going on. 👍
Content Warning
Body Horror, Parasites
Lil Notes
Parasites AU, Not canon compliant
Jean raced across the rooftops, the hot afternoon air whipping by him viciously as he flew. The strange, white abnormal raced away from him. He was barely able to keep up, the titan keeping a sprinting pace. All he could think was that he needed to catch it, before it could start killing and doing damage. Suddenly, its head turned, a strange glint in its dark eyes.
"What the-"
Jean was snatched out of the air by a long rope of the strange white material that made up its hide. It swung him around, then dangled him in front of its face. He struggled to free himself, then froze, his heart shuddering when he saw its face.
It was Marco.
He opened his maw, the white hide tearing with a sickening noise. A cascade of blue worms fell out, crashing over him like a waterfall. They seared their way into his flesh, burning him from the inside out. He shrieked from the pain, what was left of his skin hardened into stony plates. The worms rotted him from the inside out, until all that was left was a husk with glowing eyes.
x~x
Jean awoke from the dream with a sharp gasp. His skin was cold from the thick, fearful sweat that poured out of it. He looked around the darkened dorm with frantic eyes. Marco was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to his. He got up, careful not to disturb anyway, and slunk outside.
The chilly night air bit at his limbs, and stung his lungs. Jean didn't mind though, it grounded him back into reality. There was no paper white abnormal with Marco's face, no mysterious worms that ate away at someone until they turned into a monster. It was all just his mind processing things while he slept. Just random stuff his brain came up with.
Nothing more.
Jean looked up, realizing that he saw a humanoid figure in the darkness. His heart froze, it was eating a rat.
Sadie finished setting up the last tent and stretched. The small group was going to be in camp for a few weeks while the naturalists looked for some sort of lizard, so it was probably going to be an easy trip.
Two day into the trip Sadie tripped and fell into a bush. At first she was merely embarrassed, but being unhurt she didn’t tell anyone.
Then the itching started. And got worse, and worse and worse. Any spot that had touched the bush broke out in hives and even where she was covered was itchy and red.
She went to the stream and tried to get herself clean but it didn’t stop the itching and she only seemed to get more itchy and her skin was horribly red.
She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stand anything touching her skin.
@whumperless-whump-event Day 13: "I thought you were getting better."
Leverage. Nate and Sophie. 200 words Double Drabble
~
“I thought you were getting better.”
The words hung in the air..
She watched her husband while trying not to be too obvious about it.
Nate put up with her hovering. He’d waited years for this - just him, her and no regrets - but he knew it wasn’t going to last.
He just didn’t get to keep the people that made him happy.
Ironic that it was him that was leaving this time.
They’d not long been back from another hospital stay. Prognosis…well, they’d had a good run, hadn’t they?
“I thought you were getting better.”
“I was, I did...For you.”
Truth was…the team had made him better.
The job had made him better.
Sophie had made him better.
And it had been enough.
For a long time it had been enough.
The anger had receded but the damage…the damage had been done.
This was his second heart attack.
They’d changed their diet and lifestyle as much as possible after the first, added exercise and even joined the high-end gym but still…
This heart attack had been worse than the first.
And the damage done this time…
“I thought you were getting better.”
“Not this time, my love.”
For Hurt -Comfort Bingo
Bleeding through the Bandages to Driving them Home
With snake bite and the victim can NOT be Scott
Snake Bite
Sineater asks For @sweetspicybingo Bingo Card: Bleeding through the Bandages to Driving them Home With snake bite and the victim can NOT be Scott
Also for @whumperless-whump-event Day 12, Alt prompt 2: Literally Biting You: Animal Attack/Venom
~
‘Watch your step, Sprout.’
Scott, leading the way, didn’t see his youngest brother mouthing off behind him, but his inane “Elder Brother Radar” had Scott turning, and Alan wasn’t quick enough to stop. Scott regarded him gravely and spoke mildly.
‘I thought Gordon was the only one who did fish-faces.’
‘Ah…sorry, Scott. I guess I’m tired.’
His face softening, Scott reached out and gave Alan’s shoulder a squeeze. They had been hiking through the Sonoran Desert for several hours now and while Scott was a hiker Alan was most definitely not.
At first it had been fun. It was rare that Alan got to spend quality time alone with Scott that wasn’t on a mission. But Alan didn’t have Scott’s stamina for walking – all fricking day!!! – and was now getting bored.
He stumbled and Scott was there, holding his elbow, a concerned look on his face.
‘Are you alright Al? Do you need a break?’
‘Nah, I’m good for a little longer.’
‘You sure? There’s no shame in stopping before we’d planned.’
‘I’m good, Scott. Honest.’
Scott clapped him on the shoulder and carried on walking and with a sigh Alan pulled his backpack up and set off after him. He stumbled a little but had just managed to catch himself when a sharp pain shot through his ankle.
His gasp had Scott turning back around. Alan was bent over, holding his ankle but as he glanced up he saw the look of horror appear on Scott’s face.
‘Sc-Scotty?’
‘Stay still, Alan.’
Alan immediately stilled, for it was the Commander who had spoken. He watched as Scott slowly moved around him and slowly crouched down before backing away. But Alan was already distracted by the rapidly growing pain.
‘Scott? Aren’t you and Alan hiking…’
‘Alan’s been bitten by a Mojave Rattlesnake. I need course of action and immediate treatment.’
‘You need to lie Alan down, remove any tight clothing and keep him as calm as possible.’
‘Thank you, EOS.’
‘Two is launching now and I have called the local emergency services. They will get to you first. Can you wash the wound with plain water?’
‘On it. Should I bandage it afterwards?’
‘Only if you have a loose wrap bandage, not a compression bandage.’
‘I do.’
‘Scott, I have Phoenix emergency services online for you.’
‘Thanks John, EOS. Please stay on the line.’
‘FAB.’
‘Hello, this is Scott.’
‘The Medical Helicopter has been scrambled. Can you give me any stats on the victim?’
Scott looked at Alan. He was pale and sweating, biting his lip in an effort to control the pain. As Scott watched he shuddered once. And then again. He rapidly fired the stats
‘S-S-Sco…’
‘Alan?’
‘S-S-Sco…’
Scott swore softly and manoeuvred Alan so that he was propped against his chest with his leg raised on a pile of rocks. He was twitching occasionally, trying to talk but not getting a complete word out. Scott felt helpless as Alan spasmed against him.
‘John, how much longer for the helo? Alan’s dropping fast.’
‘The helo’s on its way, ETA another 20 minutes.’
‘And Two?’
‘Virgil’s redlining her but he’s still a couple hours out.’
‘Ok. Ok. What can I do to help?’
‘You’re doing it. Keep Alan as calm as you can. That’s literally all you can. The calmer he is the less the venom is going to pump around his body. How is the wound?’
‘He’s bled through the bandage I applied.’
‘The venom is coagulopathic, can you wrap another bandage around it?’
‘No, I only brought the tiny kit.’
‘Ok. Ok. Just…concentrate on keeping him calm.’
‘FAB.’
Scott started rocking Alan gently and began humming their Mom’s favourite lullaby. Alan was too young to remember the tune but his brothers had made sure Alan hadn’t missed out, using it quite ruthlessly to comfort the youngster.
He felt his brother relax against him and continued humming. And then Scott paused and looked to the sky.
The whomp-whomp of an approaching helicopter was a welcome noise and he relaxed.
Of course that’s when Alan stopped breathing.
Scott shifted Alan to the ground quickly and began CPR as the helo settled down to land. He was aware of the two medics who jumped down and set up around Alan, but he ignored them until they were ready and all but pushed him aside.
He paced around them, practically pulling his hair out as he couldn’t do anything more than watch. John was a comforting voice in his ear but there was only so much he could do.
The AED had to be fired three times before the medics were happy that Alan was safe to move and they rolled him onto a gurney and loaded him into the copter. Scott made to climb up but one of the medics stopped him, shut the door and Scott stepped back as they took off.
‘Scott?’
‘Ah…yes, John?’
‘The quads will be with you in an hour.’
‘An hour? Two will be here a little after that.’
‘What are you thinking, big brother?’
‘I can jog towards them, cut that time down or I can send them back in case anyone else is injured and wait for Virgil.’
‘Your call.’
‘Send the rescue team back. They’ll not get me there any quicker than Two.’
‘FAB, I’ll let them know.’
‘Tell Virgil I’m heading back so he’ll know I’m on the move.’
‘Will do, Scott.’
Scott snatched up Alan’s backpack and the detritus they had caused and set off at a gentle jog back the way he’d come. He knew that John would track him and inform Virgil accordingly.
While he was jogging John kept him informed of Alan’s status. They’d got him breathing and had already began the IV infusion of antivenom. So far Alan hadn’t had an allergic reaction and Scott found immediate relief from that particular news.
John also played a news item regarding the specific air ambulance company that had flown Alan out, how they had always been at the forefront of carrying antivenom on their helos and had not only saved lives but also cut down the hospital stay of their patients.
As Scott relaxed he sped up, and as a consequence once Two finally landed they were much closer to Phoenix and subsequently Banner University Medical Centre. By the time they’d landed Alan had been installed in the ICU and hooked up to all kinds of monitoring systems and IVs.
He was asleep when they arrived, for which Virgil was very thankful for when he had the opportunity to actually regard Scott, who had immediately sat in the chair nearest the bed and taken gentle hold of Alan’s hand.
The guilt was already piling up on the man. His shoulders were hunched right up to his ears – in fact his whole body was curled into himself – and Virgil stifled a sigh.
It was so like his brother to crush himself under the guilt of what happened. As if everything was his fault.
Virgil’s hand on his shoulder had Scott startle even though he knew his brother was here. He gave a squeeze and expected Scott to relax but he didn’t, impossibly he tensed even more, so Virgil did the only thing left open to him – he pulled Scott back against him in the tightest bear hug he could from his position.
At first Scott tensed again before relaxing and then melting into the hug. Virgil didn’t release his hold until Scott let go of the breath he’d been holding and patted his arm. Only then did he let go and pull up the second chair in the room and sit down.
They’d not been there long when the doctor came. He looked over Alan’s stats and checked the two IVs. Alan was currently on his second dose of antivenom and would potentially have to have several more over the coming hours depending on how well he was responding, and the second IV contained saline and morphine to help him with the pain.
The doctor shook hands with both of them and proceeded to run down what had been done and what was going to be done for Alan.
‘Alan received the full initial dose of Anavip onboard the air ambulance and did not have a reaction. He was also treated with some antihistamines and a shot of Dilaudid. Thankfully he responded quickly to the CPR and didn’t need any further invention. Mojave Rattlesnake venom can cause a lot of issues not only with clotting but with tissue damage to the affected area. Whoever applied the first aid did a great job and it hopefully limited any permanent damage.’
‘Permanent damage?’
‘Alan’s young and very fit, and he was treated very promptly so we’re not expecting any complications. What we’re doing in the immediate is managing the pain – rattler bites are one of most painful – and keeping a close eye on Alan’s blood in regards to his clotting and blood pressure, and on the swelling around the wound.’
‘How long are you planning on keeping him in?’
‘Ideally three-seven days in case he needs further antivenom.’
‘Is that likely?’
‘Unfortunately no one can predict how a patient reacts to a bite. Now, that’s a lot to digest and Alan will be awake soon so you’ll need some time to discuss things. We’ll be doing regular blood draws but unless there’s an issue we’ll stay out of your hair for as long as we can.’
‘Thank you, Doctor.’
He shook hands with Scott and Virgil, and left, and they settled down for the wait – both for Alan to wake up and for the rest of the family to arrive.
They didn’t have too long to wait.
Alan stirred and Scott sat forward immediately, laser-focused on his brother’s face. He didn’t stir even when the door opened and Kayo slipped into the room. She hugged Virgil and leant against Scott before kissing Alan’s forehead as his eyes fluttered open.
‘Kay?’
‘Hey Alan. You good?’
‘Yeah.’
She grinned at him, ruffled his hair and stepped back so Scott could talk to him. She paused by Virgil and murmured that she was going to fix security before slipping out as quietly as she’d arrived.
Within the next couple of hours the rest of the family arrived and Alan fell asleep and woke up twice. This last time, though, he was more aware of what was going on, and stretched his hand out to Scott, who took it and held it tightly.
John booked the nearest hotel and for the next four days they took it in turns to sit with Alan and Scott, who only moved when Alan insisted he sleep. But they were all together when Alan was given the all-clear – with one proviso.
Since it had been less than 48 hours since his last shot of antivenom the doctor had advised no flying to reduce the continued risk of clots and swelling.
Alan huffed and pouted but Scott lit up. He winked at Virgil and John, who immediately understood what he wanted, and John slipped out to order what his brothers needed while Virgil and Gordon tried to cheer a glum Alan.
It didn’t take John long, and on his return he handed Scott a set of keys. Alan frowned and waited for an explanation while, with a not-too-subtle nudge the rest of the family said goodbye and left the two brothers alone.
There was a slightly uncomfortable pause before Scott once again leaned forward, passing Alan the keys. He watched the frown deepen as he regarded the keys for a moment before speaking.
‘Sprout? I am so, so sorry.’
‘Sorry? What for?’
‘You got bitten. That’s on me.’
‘No – what? How the…Scotty!’
‘Um…Alan?’
‘This is not your fault. I should have been looking where I was going. How many times did you tell me to watch where I was going?’
‘Yeah, but I should have taken you on a shorter trip. I knew walking wasn’t your favourite pastime.’
‘Stop it. I wanted to share this with you. Get over here.’
Gladly Scott sat on the bed and folded Alan into a gentle hug.
‘So…how are we getting home?’
‘Well, since you can’t fly for a few more days, how about a drive?’
‘A drive?’
‘Let’s go home to the ranch. John’s hired us a car and we can take our time.’
‘That sounds sweet! What’s the car?’
‘What do you want it to be?’
Alan thought for a moment. He’d wanted to do a road trip for a long time, but he hadn’t really given any thought to the car itself. But then a memory surfaced.
‘Wait – do you have a Mustang?’
‘Nope. Try again.’
He frowned again and thought hard, causing Scott to laugh. Scott helped him to stand and they made their slow way outside while Alan continued asking questions.
‘A Corvette?’
‘Nope.’
‘A…Thunderbird?’
‘Better.’
‘What’s better than a T-Bird?’
They made their way outside to see the car waiting, bright blue with darker blue and silver highlights. Alan turned to his brother with his eyes alight and astonishment clear on his face.
‘Dad’s Thunderbird?’
‘Dad’s Thunderbird.’
‘No way!’
‘Ahaha…yes, way.’
‘Can I drive her?’
‘Noooo!’
‘Pleeeeeese?’
‘Not until you’ve passed your driving test with Parker.’
‘And then I can?’
‘We’ll see. You ready for the drive home?’
‘Yeah! Let’s go!’
