#Can't stay awake

[blackrosesandwhump]

Whumpuary No. 10: Angels of Death

10. (Jan 19-20) Desperation / Gunpoint / Can't stay awake

CW: blood, bleeding out, scars, near death

Blood, everywhere, seeping down from Zack’s gut, spilling onto the tiled floor. His hand fell limp at his side, covered in crimson where he’d pressed on the open wound. His eyes fluttered shut and opened slowly again.

“I can’t…I can’t stay awake…”

“But you have to, Zack. You have to stay awake. You can’t die here.” Ray knelt next to him and shook him gently.

His eyes snapped back open. “Ow! That hurts! Don’t shake me like that. I’m…awake…” His voice petered out, and his head slipped to one side. More blood trickled from the slice in his stomach. Ray pressed her own hand over it, drawing close enough to feel his shallow breath on her skin.

“Please, Zack…I need you. I’ll find a way to fix you up…but you have to stay awake for me.”

He heaved a ragged gasp and straightened up a little, groaning. “Can’t guarantee that, but…you can start with this.” He lifted his arm to her, gritting his teeth with effort. “Take them off.”

“Take them off…?”

“The bandages, you idiot. You can use them on this stupid gash.”

Slowly, gently, Ray unwound the layers of gauze. And under the bandages, carved into his colorless skin: scars. Deep, ugly scars, hideous and—real.

“Quit staring. I’m bleeding out here.”

“I’m…I’m sorry, Zack,” Ray said.

Silence descended as she worked, and after a while the bleeding slowed, at least a little bit.

But those scars. The scars on Zack’s arm showed even starker through the smear of blood.

#whumpuary2024 #whumpuaryno10 #can't stay awake #bleeding out #blood #dying #near death #bandages #old injury #scars #fanfic #fanfiction #whump fanfiction #angels of death #zack foster #rachel gardner #isaac foster #anime fanfic #whump scene #blackroseswrites

[medusapelagia]

Running From The Daylight - Part 10

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, (coming soon Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15)

Written for @whumpuary

Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Prompt: Can't stay awake WT: sick character, mention of injuries, Words: 919

Both Eddie and Steve are exhausted, but if the younger boy has somehow rested, Eddie hasn’t and he starts to feel that he can’t stay awake anymore.

“You should sleep a little.” Steve suggests, but Eddie shakes his head.

“Can’t, I have to take care of the fire.” He replies, brushing his eyes and wishing to have at least some coffee to help him stay awake. Eddie was used to stay up all night, and now he can feel his eyes close 

“You have been awake for hours, you can’t stay awake all day.” Steve tells him, scolding him gently, but Eddie is adamant that he is not going to sleep until the help arrives, he is the only one who can move around, keep the fire going, and get outside to try to call again. Even if hearing Wayne's voice somehow calmed him down he is still worried that the help will not come, or at least it will be too late for both of them.

“Ed, there is nothing we can do right now. Sleep a little, I promise I’ll keep an eye on the fire.”

Eddie would love to trust Steve but he can’t, his eyes are still feverish, and even if the pills helped a little it’s clear that he is still unwell.

“Does your leg hurt?” He asks, trying to move the argument of the conversation.

“A little, but I’ll be fine, you don’t have to worry about me.” Steve says smiling, trying to comfort Eddie, but the dark-haired boy can see how tight it’s his smile.

“You know I worry about you, Harrington, you have no self-preservation skills, like at all.”

“That’s not true!” Steve complains and Eddie raises an eyebrow, trying not to point out that if he really had some he wouldn’t be the one lying on the floor with a broken leg and a bump in his head but the one taking care of the fire.

The metal head sighs, he loves his boy, he really does, but he is so self-sacrificial that he always has to keep an eye on him, especially now, so no, he is not going to sleep, thanks.

“You could rest your eyes, just a little.”

Eddie shakes his head, knowing that if he closes his eyes he is going to fall asleep.

“More water?”

“I’m good.”

“Just a sip? For me?” Steve is sweating so much that he is probably already dehydrated even if Eddie keeps helping him drink.

“I would rather have a hot chocolate. With some wiped cream.” Steve replies with a smirk.

It takes a moment for Eddie to understand that his boyfriend is joking and he’s not having fever hallucinations.

“Fine. We’ll have a hot chocolate as soon as we get home. We can go to that new coffee shop that Chrissy was telling me about: they have like forty different kinds of muffins and I want to try all of them.”

“At the same time?”

Eddie snorts “No, not at the same time, baby. It might take a bit to taste them all but I’d really like to.”

“Well, this is something to look forward to, isn’t it?”

Eddie nods, kissing Steve’s forehead and frowning when he feels how hot it still is “I think you need another pill to reduce your fever.”

“I’m fine.” Steve insists and Eddie nods, even if he is far from convinced that he is fine “How long do you think…”

“Soon. The help will be here soon. I talked to Wayne, I told you, he is going to come and get us, I’m sure of it.” If there is something Eddie was always sure about in his life is that he can count on Wayne: it doesn’t matter how badly he fucks up, Wayne will always come to get him because the bond between them is stronger than blood.

“I know he’ll come to get you.” Steve confirms and Eddie frowns.

“Us. He’ll come to get us! Because you are his as I am.”

Steve closes his eyes, shaking his head “I am not, I’m just the Harringtons’ kid.”

“You? You are not their kid, Steve. You are ours! Mine, Robin’s, Wayne’s! You are the heart of our strange family, because we are family, ok? Not them! Not those people who never cared about you! And I’m sure that Wayne would kill me if he knew I hurt you in some way! I’m pretty sure that he likes you more than he likes me.” Eddie snorts.

“Wayne loves you more than anyone in the world. I’m just the boy he watches sports with.” Steve replies, turning his face away from his boyfriend.

“Stop this self-deprecating shit, ok?” Eddie growls “You are loved and that’s why you have to hold on, ok? The kids need you, Robin needs you and I need you more than everyone else.” He whispers in Steve’s hair, kissing the crown of his head “I love you so much, Steve, that my heart aches.”

Steve lifts a hand and tucks some hair behind Eddie’s ear “I love you too. I should have told you more.”

“Well, you’ll have a lot of time to make up to me and I’ll make sure you do, love.” Eddie tells him, holding Steve’s hand and kissing his palm.

Steve was never the kind of boy who tells you how much he loves you, he was more the kind of boy who proves it with his actions, and his actions were always louder than words.

#whumpuary2024 #whumpuaryno10 #can't stay awake #stranger things fanfiction #steddie #whump #eddie munson #steve harrington #medusapelagia fanfic #my fanfic #medusapelagia #Steve Harrington #Eddie Munson #Steddie #Steve x Eddie #Stranger Things Fanfiction #Steddie Fic

[linecrosser]

Febwhump 2023 - No.18 - can't stay awake

the moment when you finally feel safe enough to sleep

#febwhump #febwhump2023 #febwhumpday18 #can't stay awake #exhaustion #whump #whump art #achaar djaanib #shakkau #kujuun

[how-much-for-a-whump]

FEBUWHUMP day 18:

Prompt: "Can't stay awake"

Mehmetçik Kutlu Zafer 21. Bölüm

@febuwhump

#febuwhump2023 #febuwhump #febuwhumpday18 #can't stay awake #Mehmetçik Kutlu Zafer #turkish #turkish series #whump #male whump #wounded #carried #field medicine #oxygen mask #cpr #cared for #comfort #worried #İsmail Hacıoğlu

[side-shuffling-hyperfixations]

@febuwhump DAY 18: Can’t Stay Awake

After being bitten by a genetically modified spider on his class field trip, Peter is too disoriented and weak to climb into bed, crumpling to the floor for a bad night’s sleep.

#marvel #spider man #raimi spider man #febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday18 #can't stay awake #peter parker #tobey maguire #whump #collapse #gif

[findingmypeace]

Today has been a day full of b/ping. Over and over again. I am so ashamed. I am too afraid to admit this to my treatment team as things were already bad going into today. But I am going to start over. Tomorrow I will have breakfast. IOP is from 9am-12pm due to the holiday so I will have morning snack and lunch at iop. And then I will be responsible for afternoon snack, dinner, and night snack. I will do this. No more bullshitting around like today.

Aside from that I can barely stay awake. I'm not sure what is going on other than every minute or two I find myself compelled to shut my eyes. I had planned to catch up on work today but instead I spent the day b/ping and now I can't keep my eyes open. I guess I will just get up in the morning really early to finish my work.

I am SO frustrated with myself.

I'm guessing that if my treatment team finds out how bad things have been the past week there won't be a push for a higher level of care. Instead it will be a discussion about discharge because this is obviously not working for me. I am basically fucking myself over.

#it took me so long to write this #can't stay awake #personal #ed treatment #relapse #bulimia #anorexia b/p #eating disorders

[one-fandom-became-all-fandoms]

Recharging Red Batteries

Written for @whumpuary 2024 Day 15/16: "You look awful" and Day 19/20: "Can't stay awake"

Also shout out to @yanns for sort of inspiring this. Their post about seeing post-canon Garchel made me wanna do a ficlet, so...

Pairing: Garfield/Rachel from Titans DC. ~500w

It was a day like any other. Except this day in particular, her boyfriend planned on popping by between bouts of time travel. They worked out a schedule early on, before Rachel's first semester of college—rotating weekends excluding holidays, they would spend a few days together before veering off and continuing to do their own things.

Rachel needed to finish her essay on the Roman Empire before Gar came, though, because if she didn't, she wouldn't hear the end of it from the shapeshifter. He did know the past, present and future with his connection to the mysterious force, however—so who knows. Gar could appear right when Rachel needs him to.

The loud crash from her dorm closet told her that wouldn't be the case today.

Without turning from her seat, Rachel called out, "Do you need help?"

Frantic rustling ceased. "I'm good."

As it started back up, Rachel started to wrap up the paragraph she was working on with a mumbled, "Alright then."

Behind her, the closet door closed once more, alerting her to Gar's detanglement. He was still working on the landings when leaving The Red, and Rachel was just thankful he didn't knock her lamp off of her desk this go-around.

Before she finished her last sentence, she felt a kiss atop her head. Rachel smiled, turning in her chair after the period key sounded.

The smile she bore vanished upon seeing her partner. "You look awful."

Gar sat on her made bed, his smile weary and eyes droopy. "Thanks, you always say the sweetest things."

"Sorry." Rachel got up, joining him on the bed. Her thumbs tried soothing the purple bags under her boyfriend's eyes to no avail. "Have you not been sleeping?"

The keeper of the universe wrapped his hands around her wrists. "Here and there."

"But not consistently," she parsed, brows raised.

He shook his head. "Guilty."

Rachel sighed, "Gar—"

"It's just for a few more months," he interrupted, defending, "I'm finally getting the hang of it, and then it'll all be easier."

She slid her hands to his neck, quietly speculating, "At this rate you're gonna keel over."

The empath shuffled them around until their bodies tangled atop the duvet. Garfield's ear found her heart. He nuzzled closer, relieved he could finally hear it in person instead of through The Red's hazy connection to her.

Weakly, Gar protested the thought of falling asleep to her pulse. "This is our time."

The way his words strung together let Rachel know it wouldn't be long before he crashed. She quipped, teasing his messy hair, "How many weeks have you been doing this?" Rachel sighed sluggishly, "We have all the time in the world."

When he lost consciousness, Gar dreamed of her.

Rachel tried her best to heal his body before she, too, fell asleep, surrounded by his warmth. She had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't get far.

What Rachel didn't heal today would be top priority tomorrow. But for now, sleep claimed her mercifully.

Link to AO3 if wanted/needed!

#my-ao3 #whumpuary2024 #can't stay awake #you look awful #garfield logan #rachel roth #raven #raven roth #titans dc #dc titans #garchel #bbrae #ficlet

[kyanako5972]

Whumpuary 10

Can't stay awake

(Weave Sutari, ~22 years old)

How to draw quivering eyes?

#whumpuary2024 #whumpuaryno10 #can't stay awake #oc #art #asonarium #whump #kyanako's whump

[arecaceae175]

Febuwhump Day 18: Can't Stay Awake (Warriors)

AO3 link. Warnings: violence, blood, injury, burns, captivity, aftermath of torture, the ending is not super happy but it's better

@silvercaptain24 As requested, Time and Warriors whump! With SO MUCH Warriors angst, just for you :). I had something completely different planned but this literally came to me in the middle of the night lol. I hope you enjoy!

Part 2/3. Part 1. Part 3.

Warriors scrubbed his hands until they were raw. It didn’t really make a difference, since Time’s blood was all over his clothes, but he had tried anyway. He didn’t know if his hands were red from blood stains or irritation; all he saw was red. 

He saw red, and he saw Time’s expression, trying to hold in his pain for Warriors’ sake while his blood was pooling on the floor. He saw red, and he heard Time’s scream when he couldn’t hold back any longer. He saw red, and he heard the screams echo down the hallway as he was taken back to the room when his hands started shaking too badly to hold the knife. The others wouldn’t hold back, like he had. 

I had no choice , Warriors reminded himself. It was a mantra that had been playing in his head nonstop in the hours since he last saw Time. It didn’t feel like enough. 

Warriors inhaled a haggard breath and buried his shaking hands in his hair. 

The lock on his door jingled. Warriors’ heart jolted and he jumped to his feet. He closed his eyes, quieted his mind, and schooled his expression into something neutral.

He opened his eyes just as the lock clicked and the door was thrown open. Hyrule burst into the room and Four was close behind, tucking his lock picking tools back into his belt. 

“Wars! Are you okay?” Hyrule exclaimed as he tackled Warriors in a hug. Warriors flinched, blinking in surprise. They don’t know, his mind screamed. The hug only lasted a second before Hyrule was pulling away. 

“I’m not hurt,” Warriors said. 

“Glad to see you, captain,” Four said with a smile. “Sorry it took us so long. Where’s Time?” 

“Just down the hall,” Warriors said. “It’s not good. Are the others here?” 

“It’s just us and Legend. We were the only ones able to sneak in,” Hyrule said. 

“Most of the complex is asleep. We barely ran into any guards on our way to you,” Four said. 

Warriors shook his head. “They don’t know I’m with you. I managed to gain their trust,” Warriors explained. 

Four looked impressed. Warriors’ stomach roiled.

“Once we get you out we can send the others in to finish up the job,” Four said. “Any chance you got the locations of their other hideouts?” 

“Hideouts and next target,” Warriors answered.

I had no choice. 

”Let’s get to Time,” Warriors said, and they quietly stepped out of the room. As soon as they were in the hallway, Legend materialized from the wall. Warriors only barely managed to hold back from punching him in surprise. 

“How did you-“

“I can turn into a painting, don’t ask questions,” Legend said. There was a ghost of a smile on his face and he nodded solemnly to Warriors. Warriors nodded back and continued leading the group down the hallway. 

There was only one guard on the way to Time, the same one who had Time screaming after Warriors left. 

I had no choice.

Warriors took care of him with great pleasure. Four quickly picked the lock, and as Warriors stood behind him he felt his hands shaking. What shape would they find Time in? Would they be able to get him out undetected?

Would the others hate him once they found out what he had done? 

I had no choice.

The lock clicked and Four pushed the door open. He and Hyrule stopped in the doorway with a gasp. 

Time was unconscious, slumped over in the chair. His hair was greasy and matted with blood as it hung in a curtain over his face. His shirt was ripped off and his chest was covered in blood and bruises. His feet were bare, and one was bright red with blisters from a burn. 

Warriors looked away and clenched his fists as anger coursed through his body. He heard the others rushing to Time so Warriors took it upon himself to keep watch.

“What did they do to him?” Hyrule asked in a shaky voice. 

I had no choice.

“They were angry about us ruining their operation and wanted to know where the rest of you were,” Warriors said, shaking his head. His voice was emotionless, fallen back into his commander tone so he could make it through the sentence without breaking down. “At least at first. They had fun with it,” Warriors finished, curling his lip in disgust. 

I had no choice.

“Goddesses,” Legend said. 

Four was pale as he set to work untying Time. Hyrule’s hands were hovering close, but he seemed afraid to touch Time. As soon as Four cut through the rope around Time’s chest he slumped forward. Legend and Hyrule hastily caught him, but Hyrule bumped a large slice across Time’s chest. Time gasped and flinched away from the contact. 

“Hey, old man, it’s us,” Legend said, trying to force a smile. It came out as more of a grimace. 

Time blinked a few times, seeming like he couldn’t focus his eyes. Hyrule lowered himself into Time’s view and gave him a small smile.

“Link?” Hyrule said. Time’s half-lidded gaze shifted slowly to Hyrule, and Warriors saw recognition spark in his eye. 

“Yeah, hey, it’s us,” Hyrule said, his smile widening. “We’re going to get you out of here, okay? You and Wars.” 

Time’s gaze shifted to Warriors. Warriors couldn’t meet his eye. 

“Not your fault,” Time muttered.

The words were like a knife in Warriors’ heart. Time let out a weary sigh as his eye slipped closed and his head fell back to his chest. 

“Time?” Hyrule asked. Time didn’t respond. 

“ Goddesses ,” Legend repeated. He ran a hand through his hair as his eyes roamed over Time. “When I find who did this they better fucking run.”

Warriors felt the words like a physical blow. 

I had no choice. 

“That’s the last one,” Four said in a small voice. Legend wrapped one of Time’s arms around his shoulder. “Captain, a little help?” Legend asked. Warriors couldn’t move. Every part of him screamed in protest at the idea of getting close to Time after what he did. 

I had no choice.

“Wars! Come on, we have to go!” Legend hissed. 

Warriors shook himself from his thoughts. The others were looking at him expectantly, Four with careful suspicion, so Warriors quickly moved and draped Time’s other arm over his shoulder. He could see the slice he had made on Time’s torso. Warriors tore his gaze away and focused on Legend’s voice directing them out of the room. 

Hyrule took the lead with Four in the rear. They had apparently scouted the complex, and they made it out of the building without incident. They rushed into the forest and as soon as they passed the tree line the other heroes dropped down from the leaves. 

“What happened?” Wild asked, eyes wide and horrified. 

Twilight and Sky immediately took Time’s weight and headed towards their camp. Wild and Hyrule followed, Wild already pulling elixirs from his slate. 

Wind rushed to Warriors side and latched on. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Wind whispered. Warriors dropped one hand onto his shoulder and the other in his hair, but he couldn’t feel the warmth from the hug. 

All he could feel was Time’s blood on his hands, and all he could see was red. 

I had no choice.

#febuwhump2023 #febuwhump #febuwhump day 18 #can't stay awake #fic #tw: #blood #injury #burns #captivity #aftermath of torture #violence #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu fic #lu twilight #lu warriors #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu four #everyone is technically present #ace writes

[jedi-lothwolf]

Febuwhump Day 18: Can't stay awake

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

Warning: This story deals heavily with graphic depictions of suicide and self harm. Please proceed with caution.

This is what he wanted right? The blood that spiled from his wrist started to make him dizzy. Tech was tired of feeling ostracized by the regs, by his brother's. No one seemed to understand him. Sure he expressed things differently and sure he didn't

always know when or what to say but the man did his best.

    Not only was he done with people he was done with the war. The sights he'd seen through his googles frightened him. The blood, tears, the evil, and the lack of empathy was something no amount of training could properly prepare you for.

    Was this what he wanted? It's what the regs wanted. They never failed to let Tech know he was less than them, that he'd be better off dead. His eyes fluttered. At first he didn't agree but as time went on the regs words started to sting. When they no longer stung they burned into his mind and heart. Physical fights became waiting out the storm and taking care of himself later.

    Tech knew the signs and saw them in himself. He thought of telling his brother but in the end decided he'd deal with it on his own. When the man started to think more seriously of killing himself and of harming himself he knew it was time to tell them. Every time he tried his throat closed and tears welled. At the end he walked away to try again another day.

    The first time he gave into the thoughts saying he deserved to bleed, deserved the horrors of what the regs and what the war did to him; the blade calmed his mind in a way unexpected. From then on though he knew it was unhealthy and a problem, he didn't really care.

    Tech started caring less about his safety. This stressed Hunter out as he started seeing the signs as well. The sergeant wasn't sure what to do so he just watched him carefully.

    Now four neatly folded notes laid at the end of his bunk. The others had gone to the mess hall for dinner.

    Was this what he truly wanted? What about the brothers he had written to? Would they be okay? None of them really knew what was going on in his head, hell Echo hadn't seen him any other way than he was now, but all had done their best to help him. He pushed them away.

    No this wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to feel better. If he died he wouldn't feel better, he wouldn't feel anything. Now he tried to fight against the looming tiredness that hung over him. Tech just had to last until his brothers returned. What would they think? That doesn't matter.

    "I think I'm gonna go back to our barracks, I'm not really hungry" Echo excused himself.

    In the barracks Tech's breathing slowed. He couldn't stay awake. If he succumbed to the exhaustion it was all over. His eyelids felt heavy as they tried to shut out the world for good. The clone was already curled up. He inched one of his hands down to the worse of the two wrists. It would only help a little for he could put much pressure on it.

    Tech's comm sat on the table closest to the bed. He wanted to reach for it but couldn't muster the energy to. Next it the comm sat the piece of shrapnel that he used to make the lacerations. Finding blades with no heat element to them was difficult so Tech got... Creative. Next to the comm and sharapnal rested his blaster and broken googles.

    The clones breaking point was when Kitty broke them. Kitty hatted the batch and for no good reason. He was an angry man and the batch seemed to be his favorite target. The four never provoked him. Echo got rapped into his torment when he joined the family. Breaking the googles felt simbolic. The shatter of the glass to the shatter of his hope, the breaking of his heart and brain.

    Echo walked though the halls. Something felt wrong. Without realizing it his pace quickened. Arriving at the room he opened the door and greeted Tech. Brown eyes landed to the notes at the end of the bed. From the bed they drifted to his brother, then to the table. Broken googles and bloody shrapnel confirmed Echo's suspicions. He ran to the others side and pushed him to his back.

    Something was going on. Tech saw a face. Slowly he relieved who it was. "Stay with me Tech alright." He spoke softly. Echo had seen this before. Suicide wasn't exactly uncommon for soldiers. Now he just had to keep him alive. Rather Tech liked it or not.

    Tech tried to nod. He wanted to answer Echo. He wanted to get to know Echo. With the little coherent thoughts he could have he regretted his decision to let it get this far.

    "I know it's hard but try to stay awake Tech. You're gonna be okay." Echo grabbed his own blanket quickly and pressed it against the cuts.

    The world was fading. Echo's comforting voice was starting to be drowned out by silence and his eyelids finally won and closed.

    Echo kept an eye on the others pulse. It was weak but it was there. Medics would arrive and take the injured to the medic bay.

    Now to inform his brothers. They were still in the mess hall. He sat down. Hunter immediately noted the blood on Echo's hand. "What happened?" Concern laced the man's voice.

    He looked at the three. He had all of their attention. Worry grew on their faces. "Tech tried to kill himself. He's in the medical bay. It's not looking good."

    Tears formed in Wrecker's eyes. "What?" He muttered.

    "What's wrong sad batch?" Kitty antagonized.

    Crosshair stood. He walked over to the bully, "If he dies you're next!" Wrecker snatched Crosshair and the four walked to the medical bay.

    When Tech would wake he found his family surrounding him, faces panted with worry. What does he tell them? How does he explain everything?

    "Hey Tech." Hunter softly smiled. Tech returned the sentiment. The four had been informed of the numerous other scars that littered his body. They mixed with war injuries. Well both were war injuries, one a war against the separatists and one a war against himself.

    "Why didn't you tell us?" Hearing Crosshair sound so soft calmed and spooked Tech.

    "I.. I didn't know how." His voice came out shaky and quiet.

    The family talked for a while before letting Tech get some rest. They would help him through the battle with his mind and when rummers flew about what happened they defended him. All of them would make it through this. Together.

#star wars #febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #star wars whump #star wars the bad batch #star wars febuwhump #tech the bad batch #tech whump #suicide #can't stay awake #self mutalition #self harm #tech needs a hug #the batch needed a hug #clones #clone whump #tech bad batch #tech #star wars fanfic #fanfic

[sometimesraven]

@febuwhump Day 18: Can’t Stay Awake

Fandom: Quantum Leap (2022) Whumpee: Ian Wright

Summary:  Ian has to figure out why they would do what they were going to do. Sleep could wait.

AO3 Link

~~*———————————————*~~ 

Coffee number four. Calculation number... was it two or three hundred now? It didn’t matter. If they inputted just the right number of codes they could have Ziggy doing a few thousand. They just had to get the code right.

Coffee number five and Ian was beginning to become aware of their tongue in their mouth. They were pretty sure they would be able to count their exact BPM just by standing still and listening to the rush of blood in their ears. So far they still hadn’t figured out why they would kick off this entire stupid leap and jeapordize this entire program and with it their entire livelihood.

Coffee number... yes. There were.. so many numbers. Automated now. But Ian had to watch them. Just in case. They rested their head against the table briefly, knelt on the floor staring at the calculations running dozen by dozen. Was that calculation number nine hundred and sixty? That couldn’t be right, they were only on five hundred and-.. ah. Time had passed. They must have closed their eyes for a minute. Or twenty.

Another coffee? Ian stumbled to their feet, trying to hold their drooping head up enough to go find the machine, but every step dragged and they were pretty sure every time they blinked they were falling into microsleep.

Still, they forced themself to move, pour another coffee, and return to their calculations. They gave everything to this job. Their friends, their relationship, their family, their life near enough. They could give up a few hours sleep to figure out why they would throw it away like this.

Coffee number eight was on the floor when Ian woke up. Morning staff were beginning to return to the building. Calculation number fifteen hundred and sixty eight.

They had to keep going.

#quantum leap #quantum leap 2022 #quantum leap 2023 #quantum leap reboot #dr ian wright #ian wright #ian wright ql #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday18 #can't stay awake #mine

[faofinn]

DAY 18: can't stay awake

@febuwhump

Harrison running the safe space for the community, The Sanctuary, had become the most natural thing. Once Tai and hars had settled back in the UK, and Levi had began to sleep more than one hour a night, Harrison started it back up. He'd wanted to do it for years, since Steve had rescued him from all that shit.  

With the others still running the outreach programmes, their attempts to make the community safer, it just felt like the natural progression. And then, the church down the road had been put up for sale. With Fred behind him, there wasn't much he wasn't able to do. The other buyer had quickly dropped out, and then it was all Harrison’s. He couldn’t quite believe it. 

Between working in the ED, working for Fred, and being a full-time dad, he began gutting the place. It took a while to get it just right; a safe space for overnight beds, a proper kitchen, a group room, and treatment centre. He didn’t know everything, far from it, but he knew enough to muddle through - and knew people who could help with the rest.

And that's how he found himself leading group sessions, trying to help others off the street. Fred helped out too, giving them odd jobs cleaning their fleet for a little cash under the table, far away from the darker side of the business. 

They weren't there to judge, and offered spaces to collect and discard needles and supplies, but they expected a level of trust too. Unless they were there for help (though they encouraged an actual hospital), they were expected to not be under the influence. Of course, there were always a few that tried their luck, and were either turfed out until they were sober, or given somewhere to pull themselves together. A lot of the time, if they were willing, they'd help organise rehab for them too. 

The usual Friday morning lads trooped in, all sleeping rough but trying to get themselves back on their feet. They were mostly hard enough workers, and mainly on the straight and narrow. Which was why, when three of them stumbled in, the one in the middle held up between them, alarm bells started ringing. 

Harrison had almost a sixth sense when it came to medical issues, and this was no different. He glanced up from the desk, his brow furrowing.

"Ah, ah. No, stop there." He interrupted, hauling himself to his feet. "What's he taken?"

"He's not taken anything. He's fine." 

"Yeah, that's bullshit. Look at the state of him. What's he had?"

"Nowt, we told you. He's fine, honestly." They brushed it off, trying to walk past Harrison.

"Fuck that. Take him in the main room." Harrison shook his head. "I'll grab my kit."

They knew better than to mess with that tone, and shuffled their way into the room. They didn’t fancy the consequences, or the chance of being found out themselves, so shoved him in and quickly disappeared.

Harrison wasn't impressed as he returned, rolling his eyes at the state he'd been left in. It didn’t surprise him that they'd left; they’d been on his watchlist for a few weeks, and had been on his bad side more than once.

"Nathan, Nathan. Open your eyes for me, mate. Look at me? There we go. What have you taken?"

"Get off us." He shrugged away, words slurring as he slumped again.

"Ah, careful." Harrison propped him up, nipping at his collar. "Stay awake."

Ever since Fao had gotten back on his feet after crashing his bike, he’d been spending time with Harrison. He kept getting underfoot in the basement, and Sheila and Ely ended up banishing him. Bored of spending the days in his room whilst his girlfriend worked, he’d been so bothersome asking for something to do that Harrison and Tai had told him to come over to the church. He could keep himself busy doing admin, and basic tasks, and it would keep him out of mischief at home. Besides, he liked spending time with Hars and Tai. 

He’d been in the back doing some paperwork, used to the usual morning routine now, when the lads had come in, and whilst he’d heard the fuss, he hadn’t gone out yet. Harrison surely had it covered, he wasn’t about to be getting underfoot again. He’d just get shouted at. 

"Nathan, come on. What have you had today? I'm not gonna be mad. I need to help you." Harrison pressed again, worry curling. 

He pulled away from Harrison’s hand holding his head up. "Smoked a joint." He finally managed, guilt as he admitted he'd broken the contract. 

"Just weed?" Harrison frowned. "That can't be all."

"Jus' fuck off. It's just weed. Leave me alone."

Harrison wasn't convinced, the slurring to his words and the state of him streamed something more. As he slumped forward again, Harrison sighed, calling out for Fao. He knew he was working, and it looked like he'd need more hands.

Hearing Harrison’s call, Fao frowned, but pushed himself to his feet. He was getting around okay now, only needing a crutch occasionally, usually at night when he was tired and he’d been on his feet a lot during the day. He appeared in the main room, clocking Hars and his obvious patient. 

“Yeah, I’m here. What’s up?” Fao asked, coming alongside him.

"Can you grab the tox kit for me?"

“Yeah. Need anything else?” He asked, turning away to grab it. 

"Maybe bring the full response bag." He murmured, unconvinced. 

Fao hummed in acknowledgement, grabbing what he needed with a wince. “What’ve you got?” He asked, bringing it over. 

"Says he's just had weed, but it doesn't look like it." He pulled a face. "He doesn't usually lie, and the others he was with fucked off sharpish."

“Well, that’s not suspicious at all, is it?”

"Not at all."

“What’s his name?”

"Nathan, he's 19. Been coming here since we started, really. Got himself clean pretty quickly, and has stayed it." He watched the monitor for a moment. "Starting to brady and his breathing's all over. Have you got the narcan?"

“Yup, got it here.” Fao said, passing it over. 

"Right, Nathan, I'm gonna put a little needle in your arm. Sharp scratch." He murmured. "There we go. Well done."

As Harrison secured it, Nathan groaned and retched. A seasoned professional, Harrison quickly moved out of the way before he started vomiting. Nathan didn't exactly protect himself, or aim, and Harrison swore quietly, holding him up. 

"That's it, get it out."

Ducking away, Fao grabbed a few sick bowls and some stuff to clean up with, handing it to Hars. They weren’t as kitted up as in the basement, but they had what they needed. He moved back, rubbing the kid’s back. “I’ve been doing some work for Fred, there’s been a lot of issues with the drugs going around at the moment.”

"What do you mean?" Harrison asked, gently pushing the naloxone.

Fao shook his head. “It’s, well, it’s muddy at the moment, because obviously for us it’s more of a collateral impact than a direct impact. But a lot of the dealers associated with other groups, especially men formerly working for my uncle, have been getting into trouble, causing fights and unrest. I don’t know exactly what the issue is, but someone’s not happy.”

"You think they're fucking with the supply?"

“Yeah.” Fao said. “It’s been causing huge problems.”

He rubbed his knuckles on Nathan's chest. "Nathan, come on. Wakey wakey. Keep those eyes open."

Fao’s eyes flicked up at the monitors, hoping to see a decent change in things. “I just haven’t worked out what, yet.” He murmured. “Come on, kid. That’s it, back to the land of the living for us.” He rubbed Nathan’s arm, glancing across at Harrison. 

"Is Finn working?"

“Uh, I don’t know. I didn’t see him before I left this morning.”

Harrison hummed. "We might need to go somewhere else with him."

“There’s bedspace at home, and Sheila’s in?”

"Yeah. Think we need to." He pushed more naloxone. "I'm not sure what else he's got."

“We just need to transfer.” Fao muttered. 

"You can't help. Go radio for Sheila, I'll get someone to give me a hand."

Fao sighed. “I’ll see if I can get a hold of Finn, too. But there’s some stuff I can do, I’m not completely useless.”

"You can't carry him, and I won’t let you try." He said simply. "I know you're stubborn and getting better, but you're also an idiot."

“And you’re just as charming as ever.”

"Oh, I know."

“Shout if you need me.” Fao said, turning away to contact the others. 

"Yeah, will do."

Fao sat down to make the calls, hoping to get in contact with them. The kid was obviously in need of much more support than they could give him here.

#febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday18 #can't stay awake #whump writing #whump prompt #faolan blackwood #harrison cunningham #spiked #contaminated drugs #drug use #crime au #the wolf and the ghost #community outreach #crime #organised crime #whump #hars and fao forever teasing eachother #narcan #opiate misuse

[kira-angel24]

Febuwhump 2023 Day 18

Can't Stay Awake

     Kira barely opened her eyes. Her vision cleared up and she tried to look around.

    "Kira!" Someone drew closer to her. The girl whined as they drew close. "Hey, it's me. Nikko and I missed you." Kira tried to sit up, her body unable to lift her head. "Hey hey, please don't do that," Kuro placed a hand on the angel's shoulder.

    "What's going on?"

    "Oh, Professor Byleth, Professor Manuela, my friend has finally awakened." Kira tried to look in the direction Kuro was.

    "That's wonderful, it looks like the healing spells have worked." Kira finally lifted her head to see the blue haired figure from before. "How is Nikko?"

    "He... can't stay awake. He's only awake for brief periods, but his fever has gone down."

    "Good, good. Kira is that right?" The angel looked towards the one called Byleth. "It seems you came here the same way these two were. You're from a different world right?" Kira nodded, her wings shifted and she looked down. Her chest was wrapped in bandages and her wing also bandaged. A long black coat lay across her back, covering her top half. The room was small with two beds. A shelf full of bottles was across the room.

    "Hey teach!" A voice came from the door.

    "Come in Claude," a young looking male entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Remember where we found that girl in the woods? Well, I went back out there and found this near that same spot." He pulled out a long steel sword. The handle curved slightly and had two triggers on the top half. "This is one weird looking sword. It has buttons and other strange things on it." Kira's eyes widened and she moved.

    "Oh my, is this yours?" She turned to Kira. The girl nodded and the Professor walked over to her, with the blade in hand.

    "So she's finally awake? I'm glad our efforts have paid off." Nikko shifted and Kuro moved quickly over to him.

    "Nikko! Hey," his eyes opened and he looked over toward her.

    "K... Kuro..."

    "Hi babe, it's okay," she clutched his hand. "Don't strain yourself."

    "Is that Kira?" Kuro nodded and rubbed his head.

    "She came here just a few days ago."

    "H... how long have we been here?"

    "About a week."

    "I... see..." His eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep again.

    "It's okay, rest. I'll be here with you."

#febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday18 #can't stay awake #oc #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fic #oc crossover #byleth #claude von reigen #winged whumpee #angel whumpee #kuro and nikko #kira the angel

[ineedfairypee]

“Let me sleep into something more comfortable”

#surgery #surgery recovery #painkiller #painkillers #pain #opioid #painful #opioid addiction #recovery #sleepy #can't keep my eyes open #so tired #can't stay awake #tired #side effects #side effect #post op #post surgery #post surgery recovery #eyes wide shut #so sleepy #zzz #snooze #snoozing #ineedfairypee

[fletcherwilbury]

@whumpuary Day 19: Can't Stay Awake

Warning for Overworking, exhaustion, illness, fever, medication

#whumpuary #whumpuary 2024 #whumpuary day 19 #whumpuary no 19 #can't stay awake #tmnt #tmnt 2007 #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 2007 donnie #tmnt 2007 raph #brains and brawn #mary on a cross #the band ghost #ghost #seven inches of satanic panic #overworking cw #exhaustion cw #illness cw #fever cw #medication tw #Spotify

[melanie-ohara]

No Hope For Me, Your Last Serving Daughter - Chapter 2

Whumpuary, Day 20 - Prompt: Can't Stay Awake

Exiled and alone, Korena struggles to survive as a stranger in the frozen northern city of Isevyrski

Another prequel to MYSTERIES IN THE LAND OF ICE, read an extract here

AO3 Here

Korena was not well suited to exile. It had been four years since she had buried a dagger in the Duke's heart and boarded a ship at sword point to be sailed out of Scotta Sulow, never to returnn. They had left her on the shore of the northern continent, miles from civilisation. She wondered why they had turned her loose there: if they hadn't wanted to kill her, a blade or a bullet would have been far more efficient than leaving her to starve or freeze. The cold was far worse than anything she had encounted before, but it was the hunger she was sure was going to kill her. There was plenty of game to hunt, but nothing she had learned worked in the tundra with no trees to set snares from or watering holes to ambush. The first year had been the worst, and she had never recovered the weight she lost trudging through the snow looking for anything to scavenge. It got easier once she found civilisation, but not by a lot. The people of Isevyrski were as cold as the ground they walked, and begging got her more kicks in the ribs than it did food or coin, but at least her piratical skills were useful again - before she arrived in the city, hardly anybody locked upstairs windows. 

She was starting to carve out a place for herself amongst the lowest of the low in the city's darkest corners. More than homeless, she'd lifted enough food from the handful of shelters the city grudgingly maintained that she had earned a lifetime ban from almost all of them. Any that would still take in a thief wouldn't let her stay until she accepted the Truth of the Emperors into her heart, and she would rather cut it out than desecrate it with their religion. Which unfortunately left her without anywhere to sleep, except on the rare occasions she could fence enough pickpocketed trinkets to afford a room for the night. It wasn't so bad in the summer months, when the sun never set and the temperature hovered around freezing. Sleeping with one eye open came naturally to a pirate, and more than one slippery-fingered blackguard had discovered the sharp way not to try anything. Korena's black skin mottled with patches of milky white made her distinctive enough that gaining a reputation was as simple as letting a few people see her putting down a street tough, and word got around that she was not to be trifled with.

Winter was different. Month after month of endless darkness and crippling, bone-aching cold, the kind that physically hurt to stand in without moving. Sleeping in an alley or under an archway in an Isevyrski winter meant never waking up again. 

This year, Korena was lucky: she had discovered an empty townhouse in one of the city's nicer districts in the summer, on a bold excursion to line her pockets. As she soon discovered, there were a lot of empty houses there. The city's population was unbalanced, and while the poor places that made up her hunting grounds were full to bursting with the dispossessed, there were enough fine homes to house them all elsewhere in the city. Korena kept that information to herself, so she would always have somewhere to escape to when she needed it.

She needed it now.

It had been a bad month, and she owed money to the kind of people she wouldn't spit on if they were burning. By the time she spotted the rich man in the tailcoat she already couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd last slept, and she made her approach through a haze of exhaustion that narrowed her vision to just him. Stupidly, she hadn't been worried. Even her clumsiest of lifts were invisible, and a second after stumbling into him she had his pocketwatch and his wallet in her hands. What she hadn't reckoned on was his bodyguard. If she hadn't been so tired, she might have seen the tall bastard following a couple of steps behind the rich man, but even then she would have pegged him as a fellow pickpocket - or maybe an assassin. As it was, the blow came out of nowhere and knocked her off her feet. The watch smashed when she landed, and the pocketbook bounced out of her hand and under someone's feet, but the meat-head bearing down on her only cared about brutalising the urchin that had laid a hand on his paymaster. 

He was a foot taller than her and twice as wide, and hunger and exhaustion meant she could barely walk in a straight line, let alone fight, which didn't give her a great deal of choice. A lot of people saw her flick a throwing knife from the concealed pouch on her shoulder into her assailant's eye, and before she had even got her sluggish body to start running she could hear people shouting for the Vigilants. Getting across the city to any of her posh little hidey-holes after that became nearly impossible. Clearly, the man she had tried to rob had really liked his hired muscle and he had enough pull with the Vigilants to really make that her problem. 

She had stayed on the move for another eighteen hours after that. It was winter, so she could only measure time by the tolling of the clock, which only made it harder to stay on her feet. It had to be closing in on three full days now, most of them spent crouched in alleyways to avoid patrols. She cursed Isevyrs for being so pale: if dark skin was just a fraction more common she might be able to avoid arrest - or more likely, a bullet to the gut and a slow street death. 

Korena was angling for the classy district with the most empty houses, but it meant getting through the market district where the glut of Vigilants were thickest: anywhere the classes mixed, there they were. She knelt, her side pressed up against the brick wall of a pub, and waited for a gap in the patrols or a gaggle of evening shoppers braving the cold to dash for the other side. But her eyelids were growing heavy. Her limbs, too. Moving them would be hard now. She wondered if the Vigilants would find her before or after they froze into place. The image of them having to cart away her dead body with her legs locked in place like a monkey up a tree made her chuckle. She could be a mantelpiece ornament. 

She let her eyes close. Korena missed the water, more than anything. Looking over the bow of a ship on the run and seeing it rush past, or diving in and feeling its warm embrace curl around her like a thick blanket. All sound suppressed, all cares dissolved, a hug from the world itself. She could float there endlessly, warm and safe, away from the cold and the dark and the bastard Vigilants. 

Eventually, she had to surface.

"I think you'd better come with me," said the man who had shaken her shoulder. 

His voice was thick with an accent that wasn't local, and he had the look of a man who was used to being obeyed - the posture of a soldier, the dress of a man-of-ease, and the weathered face of a man who had defeated hardship. But the thing that stopped Korena from leaping to her feet and slicing his throat before he could scream were his eyes: they were ringed with the kind of exhaustion she knew circled her own, and his gaze was disarmingly kind.

"Who are you?" she demanded quietly, still mindful of the Vigilants around the corner. 

"I've been following you since you botched my operation," he said, sticking out a hand to help her up. She watched his leather-gloved fingers suspiciously and forced herself to focus through the haze. 

"I killed that man in self defence, officer," she said.

"I saw. He worked for someone this city could rather do without, if you take my meaning."

Korena stood up on her own. "Assassin, then?"

The man smiled, and then stopped to glance over his shoulder at the Vigilants. One or two had noticed them now, but from that distance and the way her saviour stood to hide Korena's body they could only see a gentleman in conversation, and they were trained better than to interrupt. 

"Not quite," he said. "And he's not dead, you know."

"Not seeing so well though, I'd wager," Korena said.

"He won't thank you for that," the man warned. "And I can offer you shelter."

Korena shook her head, and let her hand drift to one of her knives to let him know she was serious. "Not a good idea. I have more than just Vigilants after me, posh boy."

Casually, he opened his coat to show her the revolver holstered on his hip and Korena smiled with teeth. There was no way he could arm himself before she knifed him, and his confidence would only make it easier.

"It's a pity," he said. "We could use a woman of your talents. You've avoided the Vigilants far longer than I expected."

"We?" Korena asked. If she wasn't so slow she would have checked her surroundings better. The bastard could have any number of allies watching her, just waiting to put her on the floor. 

"I have associates. You're welcome to come and meet them," he said, with a smug smile. 

"No chance," she said, as definitively as she could. "It's a pretty raw deal, you know. Either I go with you, or the Vigilants find me."

"Seems that way," he agreed. 

Korena smiled again. "I'll take the devil I know."

"Well," he said, and offered his hand again, to shake this time, but Korena pointedly ignored it until he lowered it again. "My name is Cyrus Helker, which should be enough for someone with your skills to find me. If you survive the night, of course."

He turned away, as if he wasn't worried at all that Korena could stab him in the back before he made it out of the alleyway, and disappeared around the corner. It wouldn't be long now before a Vigilant spotted her, but maybe she could outrun them. The unexpected confrontation had woken her up a little, and the leftover adrenaline might get her halfway back to her townhouse before she collapsed. She settled into a sprinter's crouch, ready to take off, and almost fell over when the shots rang out. 

They came from the main thoroughfare, the way the mysterious Helker had gone, and a few seconds later every Vigilant in the market square was running towards the sound. Whistles blew, and the commotion drew residents out of their houses. It was the perfect cover for a shadowy figure to dash across the empty market and vanish into the shadows on the nice part of town, where the Vigilants were too lazy to look for a villain like Korena.

Maybe there was a friendly face in Isevyrski after all.

#whumpuary2024 #writing #original character #fantasy #steampunk #backstory #whumpuaryno10 #can't stay awake #sleep deprivation #homelessness #eat the rich (again) #cops are always the villains