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whumpfish · 7 months

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Physical Signs of Extreme Pain: Weird Edition 👽❤️‍🩹🤷‍♀️

I've made some pain reference posts over the years, but apart from passing out from pain, I haven't gotten much into the just plain weird shit the body does when it's really hurting. Time to fix that.

Fireflies: Sure, seeing spots is a thing. Black spots on the edge of your whumpee's vision, getting closer in slow pulses when they're having trouble breathing and struggling to hang onto consciousness. But when they just straight up hurt, your whumpee can get weird little floating things that flash like fireflies or tiny pieces of metallic silver confetti drifting around. In my experience, they've been linked to effort--they tend to either start or multiply fast when I stand up or otherwise try to move when I'm in unusually intense pain.

Shivering: Not because your whumpee is cold or in shock, but because their muscles are taut to the point of strain (because the body responds to pain with muscle tension), and when those muscles can't tighten further, they shake. It's the same mechanism that makes your fists shake if you're angry and clenching them past the point they can reasonably be clenched, just all over.

Teeth Chattering: No, seriously. In my experience, it mostly tends to happen as the shivering escalates, but I've had it just start up on its own when I get slammed with a spike in pain out of nowhere like cramps, or if I'm late taking a dose of my meds. I hate it because in the first place it's annoying, in the second place it's very noticeable, and in the third place I have absolutely no control over it. Clenching my teeth doesn't stop the muscles from trying to make them chatter, it just makes them (even more) sore. Also it's hard to talk, and I bite my cheek and tongue. A lot.

Ear Stuff: A ring that your whumpee feels as much as they hear. It's not a tone like a lot of tinnitus is, it's more like the pressure-changing "sound" you'll get as a plane takes off. And it feels like it's physically inside their ears, like someone has taken the world's heaviest, smallest ball-bearing and stuck it in their ear canals and it's trying to pull them down into and through the floor.

The Air Hurts: Your whumpee gets an all-over feeling like someone pressing lightly on a bruise, and the more they think about it, concentrate on it, the more their brain becomes irrationally convinced that the air has become dense around them and that's what's causing it. Because nothing is there, there is no external pressure, it's just pain signals behaving in a goofy way, and their brain is scrambling for an explanation. They might subconsciously pull their hands or other exposed skin into their clothing, or hunch over and pull everything in toward their chest to "protect" their skin from the air around them.

Have chronic or acute traumatic pain? See something missing from this post? Add on!

#whump #whump prompt #reference #writing reference #whump community #whump prompts #whump scenario #whumpee #whump tropes #writing #whumpblr #whump list #chronic pain #chronic pain whump #my life is a whump prompt

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rookthebird · 9 months

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thinking about a people-pleaser character being invited on an important outing.

but they don't feel well enough to go. maybe they're sick and have been tossing and turning all night. maybe they got stabbed and the wound is still oozing even with a row of stitches.

still, they put on a happy face. "of course I can come! I'll meet you there!"

Everything's fine at the event... until the pain gets too much to bear and they topple over into a worried friend's arms.

#whump tropes #whump prompts #whump prompt #whumpblr #whump idea #writing prompt #chronic pain whump #chronic illness whump

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ashintheairlikesnow · 5 months

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🤝 for jameson (maybe with allyn????)

Jameson's teeth grind together, and he curses under his breath, a running, endless parade of fuckshitdamnfuck as the physical therapist carefully works on getting his left leg to straighten out. The agony screams up through his thigh, throbbing in his hip, making him feel sick not just with the flipping of his stomach - but with how deeply familiar this pain is.

He feels Allyn's cool fingers thread their way through his hair, stroking carefully, their fingernails scratching just so along his scalp. He exhales, a huff of something like bitter laughter. "Fucking excellent-... shit, fucking excellent date idea, huh?"

"I don't mind," Allyn murmurs, reaching with their other hand to hold his. His fingers twitch in their grip, but they don't seem to notice. When he turns his head a little to look up at them, they smile down at him. The sunlight coming in through the window edges their long, wavy red hair with gold, turns even their eyelashes to metallic shine, sets their freckles bright and beautiful against their pale skin. "I like going places with you."

"This isn't the-... the best place-... fuck, shit, can't you go fucking slower?!" Jameson raises his head to glare daggers at the physical therapist. Trissa only looks back at him, placid and serene, as she works her fingers carefully over his knee.

"No," She responds, without offense. "I really can't. But I promise, tomorrow's going to feel better than today."

"It fucking better."

He groans. His left leg is twitching without his say-so, the muscles desperate to curl back up. His body thinks he has to crawl like a dog all over again, and it makes his face burn with furious humiliation to think that the therapist - who works with tons of runaways - might have seen this before, might know what it means.

Trissa pushes down, gently as she can, but the pain rises in a crescendo and Jameson's swearing goes from a mutter to a shout as he squeezes Allyn's hand as tightly as he can.

They keep their hand moving through his hair, tugging just a little, just enough to make things hurt in a much better kind of way. Jameson catches his breath, looking up at them with his eyes wide with pain.

They smile down at him.

"You're doing great," They soothe, and he knows he isn't, but he clings to the praise anyway.

#jameson bb #allyn bb #whump #whump oc #bbu #chronic pain whump

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whump-in-the-coffee-cup · 11 months

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so... Maruki scars?

ORIGINAL POST

CONTENT WARNINGS: scars, chronic pain, healing of scars, more graphic descriptions of scars below the cut

hear me out

takuto maruki has scars because of the whole merging with azathoth to become adam kadmon, more specifically both a neck scar and a hand scar (because of the whole staff thing)

the neck scar is obvious- but the hand scar is something i think would happen since maruki needs a direct connection to azathoth to do stuff (maybe like, in using actualization, he has an invisible tentacle somewhere wrapped on his body, adding more scars for every actualization he did; in real life, it isn’t visible, but in the metaverse, its visible type deal)

but also hear me out

the scar tissue would still hurt even it being cared for or appearing fully healed, like gentle movements make it ache- maybe there are more scars along maruki’s back because of reasons that are a combination of the neck and hand scars; he’s using actualization on so many people, and he needs a lot of power from azathoth to do it, but he can’t let people know that he’s using actualization

there’s criss-crossing lines, evidence of torn flesh and maybe even burns from intense persona usage, layer upon layer of scar tissue built up-

maybe maruki’s scars could last a few weeks, maybe years at best considering how many people he used actualization on, but the constant is that scars don’t heal as quicky as he thought, maybe he’s still suffering because he knows the scars are a testament to his connection with azathoth, for better and for worse

hawthornsnackstrue self; personapersona whumppersona 5persona 5 royaltakuto marukimagic whumppersona 3rd semester

#hawthorn #snacks #true self; persona #persona whump #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #takuto maruki #magic whump #persona 3rd semester #scar whump #chronic pain whump

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baubeautyandthegeek · 17 days

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Chronic Pain And Sweet Nothings - Penelope Blake/Maureen Robinson

A/N: Alt 16 for @medwhumpmay , Second GIF made for me by @whoreofthecottage

Penelope Blake had known what happened to Maureen Robinson for a while now, she had not known that Maureen was hiding pain until the woman collapsed from the hidden pain. Chronic pain was something a lot of people seemed to think didn’t happen any more, Maureen too embarrassed to admit that they were wrong. Penelope works quietly to find ways to make the chronic pain easier for Maureen to manage, adapting as much as she could to allow for what Maureen was feeling, knowing that a chronic illness and chronic pain didn’t have to stop her working, she just needed more ways to manage it.

#penny blake #penelope blake #penelope 'penny' blake #maureen robinson #lost in space #grey's anatomy #medwhumpmay2024 #alt 16 #chronic illness whump #chronic pain whump

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theramblingvoid · 2 years

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Low level/continuous pain tips for writing

Want to avoid the action movie effect and make your character's injuries have realistic lasting impacts? Have a sick character you're using as hurt/comfort fodder? Everyone has tips for how to write Dramatic Intense Agony, but the smaller human details of lasting or low-level discomfort are rarely written in. Here are a few pain mannerisms I like to use as reference:

General

Continuously gritted teeth (may cause headaches or additional jaw pain over time)

Irritability, increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, etc

Repetitive movements (fidgeting, unable to sit still, slight rocking or other habitual movement to self-soothe)

Soft groaning or whimpering, when pain increases or when others aren't around

Heavier breathing, panting, may be deeper or shallower than normal

Moving less quickly, resistant to unnecessary movement

Itching in the case of healing wounds

Subconsciously hunching around the pain (eg. slumped shoulders or bad posture for gut pain)

Using a hand to steady themself when walking past walls, counters, etc (also applies to illness)

Narration-wise: may not notice the pain was there until it's gone because they got so used to it, or may not realize how bad it was until it gets better

May stop mentioning it outright to other people unless they specifically ask or the pain increases

Limb pain

Subtly leaning on surfaces whenever possible to take weight off foot/leg pain

Rubbing sore spots while thinking or resting

Wincing and switching to using other limb frequently (new/forgettable pain) or developed habit of using non dominant limb for tasks (constant/long term pain)

Propping leg up when sitting to reduce inflammation

Holding arm closer to body/moving it less

Moving differently to avoid bending joints (eg. bending at the waist instead of the knees to pick something up)

Nausea/fever/non-pain discomfort

Many of the same things as above (groaning, leaning, differences in movement)

May avoid sudden movements or turning head for nausea

Urge to press up against cold surfaces for fever

Glazed eyes, fixed stare, may take longer to process words or get their attention

Shivering, shaking, loss of fine motor control

If you have any more details that you personally use to bring characters to life in these situations, I'd love to hear them! I'm always looking for ways to make my guys suffer more write people with more realism :)

#voidrambles #writing #whump #does this count as that? whatever those folks will probably enjoy it at any rate #this is honestly mostly for my own reference but i hope it can maybe help some other people too :)#I'm so pulled in by books that write pain in a human and detailed way and not just when it's dramatic or intense #would love to see more of that and incorporate it into my own writing #oh i should have added. distraction seeking to that list #like writing a really long post about.#...yes i may be chronically ill and having a flare today and yes i may be farming myself for writing tips for Future Me hdgfhfhsjs #but hey gotta do your research somewhere babeyyy it all goes in the creativity soup #tw injury #tw illness

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whumpacabra · 1 month

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ah, the classic “character has been impaled and pinned to a wall or the floor”

#whump #whump prompt #I guess #pinned #impaled #stabbing #pinned down #beans speaks #edit: pain meds finally kicked in feel free to ignore my whining I’m normal again.#I am. being whumped by my body. but not the in way this post suggests oddly enough.#turns out if you ignore chronic pain somewhere in your body eventually your brain gives up and starts sending pain signals elsewhere!#like my tummy ;-; would love to take some pain meds. if I wasn’t too nauseous to move.

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weirdstrangeandawful · 3 months

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Stubborn/stoic whumpees are great and all but, as someone with several chronic illnesses, I feel like there needs to be more recognition of whumpees who aren't trying to be stubborn; they just didn't know that that particular pain was something to be concerned about unlike all the other very similar pain that happens always!

#whump #whump prompt #disabled whumpee #chronic pain

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wangxianficrecs · 3 months

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Holding shreds by barisan

Holding shreds

by barisan (@barisan-no)

T, 5k, Wangxian

Summary: An accident on a practical lecture has the Lan realising the state of Wei Wuxian's body. Or, the angsty body swap AU my soul needed. Kay's comments: Barisan once again fixes things by putting Wei Wuxian through it! Only in this story, it's also Lan Wangji who suffers, because oops, accidental body swap during the Cloud Recesses Study Arc. Loving the Wei Wuxian Whump in this story and how the Lans unite behind Wei Wuxian and immediately agree that he can't go back to Lotus Pier. Inspired by a @angstymdzsthoughts prompt. Excerpt: “Wangji?” Lan Qiren walks up to them, looking at Lan Zhan… Lan Zhan in his body. “Shufu-” Lan Zhan breathes with what can only be a grimace. “You are in pain.” Lan Qiren notes. “Did the curse cause more than an exchange of souls?” He hovered, worry now clear in his voice. “I don’t know.” Lan Zhan looked back at Wei Wuxian. “It hurts.” There may be a question there. ‘Are you in pain too?’ “I… I don’t-” Wei Wuxian took stock of his own state. He rolled his shoulders, gasping as he didn’t feel them pop. His back didn’t hold it’s usual tightness and his ribs didn’t shock him with the deep pinch every other breath. “I…” It doesn’t hurt! He tries to say. “Ha… Hahaha…” He laughs breathlessly. He brings his trembling hands to his face, all ten fingers are straight! “HAHAHAHA!” It turns into howling. Fuck. Wei Wuxian bends over, clutching his stomach as he tries to reign in a laughter that is not quite his own. His eyes sting at the lack of control over a body he doesn’t know. A body that doesn’t hurt. After a few more moments, laughter fades into chuckling and dies into breathless gasps. His sight is blurry and the world feels faded.

pov wei wuxian, canon divergence, cloud recesses study arc, wei wuxian whump, body swap, no sunshot campaign, angstymdzsthoughts, chronic pain, hurt wei wuxian, hurt lan wangji, implied/referenced child abuse, jiang family bashing, good uncle lan qiren, good sibling lan xichen, wei wuxian has self-esteem issues, wei wuxian is bad at self-care, angst with a happy ending, fluff, getting together, smart wei wuxian

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

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how-much-for-a-whump · 5 months

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WHUMPCEMBER day 18:

Prompt: "Chronic pain"

Terzi S02E04

@whumpcember

#whumpcember2023 #day 18 #chronic pain #Terzi #Çağatay Ulusoy #turkish #turkish series #whump #male whump #pain #dizzy #wounded #blood #cared for #bandage #emotional #whumpedit

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creative-caramel-coffee · 7 months

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Hello friend! Can you do a Larissa x daughter reader who suffers from chronic pain and has a really bad flair so mama takes care of her? Washes her hair, snuggles, all the good stuff? Thank you!!!!

Chronic pain in my butt

Pairings: weems x reader (daughter)

Word count: 1K

Summary: Reader has chronic pain, and her mother is there for her.

TW: chronic pain (that’s pretty much it)

A/n I enjoy ur requests and I’m slowly getting through them all. Thanks to everyone that’s being patient.

Today had been a struggle. Everything hurt. Chronic pain is no joke. But still you soldiered on. You made it all the way to lunch before you called it quits. Shouldering your backpack, you stood and left the classroom with your peers. However, while they headed to get lunch from the great hall you went the other way. Walking into the principal's office without knocking would surely end badly for any student that tried it. Any student but you, after all Larissa was your mother. Seeing she wasn’t in her office felt like a small blessing, sure you wanted her to coddle you just a little, but your head felt like it was splitting open. And after all the talking in the last few classes you worried it really might split open with how much it hurt.

Everything was heavy, your arms, legs, all of it. Throwing your backpack on your desk you flopped bonelessly onto your bed and threw an arm over your eyes not bothering to close the blinds. You had no idea what time it was anymore as you drifted off to sleep. Beautiful painless sleep.

Larissa had been called out of her office for the third time that day, the first two were for meetings and the third was to deal with a pair of rowdy furs which had broken one of Marilyn’s pot plants while wrestling. She knew it was only partly their fault with where we are in the lunar calendar. It was kind of like lunar PMS. It came in all different forms. Some of the furs get sad and some get extra hyper and … well… the list goes on.

She drew deep breathes walking back to her office massaging her temples. She barely had time to say goodbye to you before both of you went off to deal with your respective days in turn.

Getting back to her office she was glad to see nobody lurking nearby with more problems for her to solve. Shutting the door behind her she made her way through to the back of her office and into your and her shared living space to make herself a strong black coffee.

Walking in she was surprised to see your bedroom door shut, surely that had been open when she left this morning. Deciding to do some parental investigation she turned the handle and pushed it open. Sighing when she saw you on the bed your brow furrowed in unconscious pain.

She let out a defeated sigh, she knew what this was. As much as she disliked it, not for her sake but for yours, she knew a bad pain day when she saw one. How could she have missed it this morning? Oh. Right. That stupid board meeting. Quietly toeing off her heels so she didn’t wake you she walked over to your windows and drew the blinds before walking over and sitting beside you.

With a soft hand she rubbed your arm in an attempt to rouse you from sleep. She was met with an angry swat as you tried to bat her hand away and stay asleep. Larissa chuckled softly and smiled.

“Darling, it's time to get up. Honey, we need to change your clothes into something comfy. I’ll even wash and braid your hair if your like sweetheart.” She coaxed and you let out a small whine and opened one eye.

“Whyyy mum?” You said and she cupped your cheek with her hand rubbing her thumb over your cheekbone.

“There she is.” Larissa smiled.

“Yes. Here i am. Yay me.” You said in a dull tone making her laugh.

“Come on” she said hauling you into a sitting position against the headboard. ��Arms up. You may be in chronic pain Darling, but you're a chronic pain in my butt.” She said with a joking smile, and you complied mirroring her smile which was soon replaced with a wince.

After she had your blazer, shirt and shorts off she left you to change into a swim bikini so she could help you have a warm bath to help your muscles.

Once she was back, she helped you into the big bathtub in your ensuite. Pouring in a generous amount of lavender bath bubbles she grabbed the old cup from the sink and began to pour water over your head, shielding your eyes with her hand on your brow as if she was trying to block out the sun for you. She had a lamp on in the corner set up specifically for times like this, so the light was dim enough to not make your head hurt, but bright enough to see what you were doing.

You let your eyes drift shut as your mum lathered up your white-blonde hair with shampoo and massaged it into your scalp. You let out a content hum and she chuckled softly. After rising it out and adding conditioner she left you to wash yourself and hop out.

About ten minutes later she was waiting for you on your bed clad in lounge-ware. Crawling into the space next to her on the bed she wrapped her arms around you and placed a kiss on your forehead.

“I’ve got you darling. Mama’s here baby.” She said into your hair. After a short snuggle session, she sat you up again despite your portents and ran a comb through your hair. Sectioning it in straight lines she used her perfectly manicured fingers to braid your hair into two Dutch braids to keep it out of your way for the next few days if the pain continued. After that she tied the two plaits off with little elastics and gently laid you back again.

You settled your head under your mother's chin and curled into her. She ran a hand up and down the sides of your spine as you fell asleep. Finally, content and feeling a little bit better. It wasn’t much but you would take it.

MASTERLIST

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in-love-with-writing-whump · 28 days

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Dialogue Prompt

"Caretaker... it hurts... it still hurts, even after *everything—*"

"I know, Whumpee. I know. But you're safe now, I promise."

#whump prompt #whumpee #tw: trauma #caretaker #tw: angst #tw: injury #tw: crying #caretaker x whumpee #tw: chronic pain #dialouge prompt

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rookthebird · 9 months

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a chronically ill character rescued from a horrible accident.

like a superhero pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building, or a noble lifted from a frozen lake after their horse stumbled and threw them in.

their friends rush to their side.

"don't worry, we'll make sure you get the best medical treatment possible!"

the chronically ill character just laughs bitterly, a laugh that turns into coughing up blood.

"you really think doctors will believe someone like me when i say i'm in pain?"

#chronic illness whump #chronic pain whump #disability whump #disabled whump #whump prompt #hurt comfort prompt #hurt comfort trope #whump scenario #whump prompts #whumpblr

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serickswrites · 5 months

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Things We Lost

Warnings: referenced captivity, referenced head injury, fire, nightmares, chronic pain, hurt/aftermath, hurt/recovery, hurt/comfort

Caretaker woke with a start. Whumpee thrashed in the bed next to them, moaning softly as they moved. Caretaker put a gentle hand on Whumpee's shoulder and leaned back. Whumpee had hit them a few times accidentally when they tried to wake Whumpee from a nightmare. Whumpee's limbs flailed.

"Shhhh, love," Caretaker murmured quietly, "it's just a dream. Shhhh, wake up, love. I've got you."

Whumpee's sleep shirt slipped down over their shoulder as they moved, revealing their deep, ragged scars from the fire Whumper had set trying to keep them. Caretaker would never forget finding Whumpee. Would never forget trying to find a way through the flames to Whumpee. Whumpee had watched them with eyes unfocused, their face a mask of blood. Whumper had hurt them, terribly, banging their head on concrete before setting fire to the warehouse. Caretaker was in the midst of trying to find another way to Whumpee, when Whumpee leapt through the flames, their ragged clothing catching fire.

And Whumpee's screams of pain were a sound that Caretaker would never forget. The sound of pure agony ripping itself from Whumpee's lips. The sound lived forever in Caretaker's brain.

Whumpee had lost a lot in their time with Whumpee. But they were healing. Slowly. The doctors had assured Caretaker Whumpee would make a full recovery, albeit they would likely suffer from some chronic pain. But they would live. And function.

"Love, I'm here, wake up," Caretaker shook Whumpee's shoulder.

Whumpee's eyes snapped open, a shriek escaping their lips. Their eyes were unfocused as they wildly glanced around the room. "NOOO. PLEASE!"

"Whumpee, love, you're here. You're here with me." Caretaker rubbed a soft circle on Whumpee's shoulder. "I'm here. You're safe."

Whumpee blinked slowly. Their eyes began to focus. "Caretaker?" They whispered.

"Here, love. I've got you." They opened their arms for Whumpee.

Whumpee leaned into Caretaker's embrace. "Thank God. That was....a really bad one."

Caretaker squeezed Whumpee tight. "I know. But I've got you. You're safe."

Whumpee snuggled tighter into Caretaker's arms. "I know you do. You're the one thing I didn't lose."

"And I didn't lose you," Caretaker replied softly, kissing the top of Whumpee's head. They didn't. But they very nearly had.

"Will you hold me until I fall asleep again?" Whumpee's voice was soft and uncertain.

"Of course. I'll hold you as long as you'll let me."

Whumpee let out a sigh of relief, burrowing deep into Caretaker's embrace. "Safe....here," they murmured as they closed their eyes.

"You'll always be safe here, Whumpee. I have you, love. And I'll never let you go."

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whump-tr0pes · 12 days

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Honor Bound 6 - 28

Honor Bound 6 - 28 (Chronic Pain) @badthingshappenbingo

Red X for posted, white X for requested! Send in your requests! If you don’t see a prompt here that you already requested, please send it again!

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, Honor Bound 4, Honor Bound 5, and the prequel Vera.

AO3

Masterlist

Contents: tattooing, chronic pain, old injury, blood, past consensual sex, negotiating boundaries

By the time Brandon had finished half of Zachariah’s tattoo, Sam was beginning to sweat through their shirt. Zachariah had long since sweat through his. Sweat was beading on his brow, running into his eyes, and Brandon had given him a rag to mop his face so he would be more comfortable.

“Just let me know if you need to stop, man, and we can stop,” Brandon had said a few times. Every time Zachariah would bite his lip and shake his head and say he was fine, really, and Brandon would keep going, at least until the next time he would ask. He was asking it every few minutes, now.

Still, Sam hoped no one would notice how much pain they were in. Sitting on this stool with nothing to support their arm, the old wound had long since begun to ache. Old, throbbing pain radiated up and down their arm. The palm of their right hand prickled where normally there was only unsettling numbness. They cradled their arm against their chest.

It had been so, so long since they’d had a bad pain day.

Still, thankfully, everyone seemed to be focusing on Zachariah. It was nice to find the luxury even to be in pain without drawing the worried and guilty glances of their family. Living under the watchful eyes of Isaac, Gavin, and Gray was – well, it was what Sam wanted, but it came at the price of knowing their pain hurt the ones they lived with and loved so dearly. It was nice to be able to exist, even in pain, and not have to so carefully mask it, even for a few hours. Masking it took more energy, which made the pain worse, which just made it harder to mask—

A hand fell on their shoulder. They flinched and sucked in a gasp. Fire jolted through their wound to their hand and they cried out.

Brandon pulled the tattoo machine away from Zachariah’s shoulder and all eyes turned to Sam. They shuddered and ducked their head at the awful, familiar guilt and worry in everyone’s eyes, the way everyone seemed to reach for them at once…

“I’m fine,” they bit out – an instinct. Their hand spasmed against their chest.

“Whoa,” Brandon mumbled as he set the tattoo machine to the side. “You all good?”

“I’m fine,” Sam said, more forcefully this time. “It’s just—”

“You’re really pale,” Isaac said weakly. It was his hand on their shoulder that had startled them.

Sam squeezed their own wrist tightly as they dragged in a shaky inhale, pushed out a hissing exhale. “Yeah,” they croaked.

“Do we need to take a second?” Brandon said. Sam raised their eyes to him. He looked as relaxed as if they were talking about their lunch plans, as if Sam wasn’t moments away from throwing up all over his floor.

“No,” Sam breathed, squeezing their eyes shut and forcing another deep breath. “No, you can keep going. This is just… this is just something that happens.”

Zachariah shifted in his chair. “Um… I think… I might need a minute.” His voice was shaking, sweat beading on his upper lip. He looked like he had just run ten miles.

“Sure,” Brandon said, nonchalant as could be. He set the tattoo machine and stained cloth down.

The fire was fading, but the crushing ache was not. Sam leaned their head against Isaac’s chest as he stood beside them. “G-getting better,” they murmured. “It’s just… I think it’s just sitting here. Making my arm hurt.”

“Fair enough,” Isaac said gently. He wound his arms around them and held them close. It felt nice to be held, even though Sam could feel his heart hammering against their cheek through his shirt. “Maybe I can take you home? Gavin can stay here with Zachariah?”

“Uh…” Zachariah sounded better than he had a minute ago, but not by much.

Sam lifted their head and glanced at Zachariah.

He stared at Brandon apologetically. “Could I actually… be done for today? I’m sorry, but… it’s more than I thought I could—”

Brandon lifted a gloved hand, stained with ink and blood. Zachariah fell silent. “No problem at all, dude. Like I said, we didn’t have to finish this today. Let me cover this, and you can just come in tomorrow and I’ll finish you up. Deal?”

“Deal,” Zachariah huffed, sagging with relief. Sam sagged with him. Isaac’s arm wound around their shoulders, and they nearly slumped off their stool and into his embrace. Gavin appeared at their other side. Their mouth twitched, and embarrassment prickled in their stomach, before they raised their eyes to look at him; he looked pale, too, and tired.

He probably needs rest more than any of us right now.

Still, Sam could tell by the hard set of his mouth that nothing could have pulled him away from watching the Stormbeck crest disappear from Zachariah’s shoulder.

“—'ll probably bleed a bit,” Brandon was telling Zachariah as Sam blinked against the pain fogging their thoughts. “And leak some ink. If there’s more blood than, like, just a little bit, come see me. But don’t worry about a little blood and ink. I mean. You’ve had a tattoo before.”

“Yeah,” Zachariah said weakly. He flinched as Brandon wrapped clear plastic over the half-finished tattoo.

“Yeah, so, tomorrow morning I have another job, but tomorrow afternoon I’m free. Come by then and I’ll finish you up. Everybody good to make it home?” Brandon looked around at everyone, his eyes staying on Zachariah longest. Sam nodded and leaned against Isaac.

“W-we’ll make it,” Gavin murmured through pale, thin lips. His arm slid around Sam’s waist, although he looked like if Sam leaned even slightly against him, he would collapse.

The sweat on Zachariah’s skin was already starting to dry. He raised his damp t shirt and mopped his brow, then looked at Sam. He offered them a tentative smile.

“Halfway there,” he said softly, and held out his hand to them. His palm was warm as they slid their hand into his.

Brandon tore the plastic wrap and tucked in the ends, smoothing down the last stray bits. “Okay, you’re all good,” he said, and rolled his little table of tattoo supplies against the wall. The tattoo machine clinked as he began to disassemble it.

Sam released Zachariah’s hand and pushed themself unsteadily to their feet. Zachariah rose beside them. Isaac and Gavin stayed on Sam’s either side, Isaac being especially careful not to jostle Sam’s arm. Sam breathed slowly through the pain, which had dulled now to a steady throb. The pain hadn’t been this bad in… in weeks. Still, it crawled into their muscles, digging into their very bone, and ate at them. When they passed through the door to Brandon’s shack and felt the cool breeze on their face, they heaved a sigh of relief.

“Home, then?” Isaac said gently. His eyes belied his worry, but… there wasn’t as much guilt there as Sam expected.

They leaned into him, but froze as they felt Gavin stumble at their other side. They chewed their lip and caught themself casting a worried glance of their own at Gavin. “Um…”

“Why don’t…” Zachariah stared at his feet as he spoke. Sam hoped that one day he wouldn’t look so frightened, all the time. “I mean, um… Sam, if it works for you… you could come over to my place, and, um… I’ll…”

I’ll take care of you.

Sam swallowed past the lump in their throat that formed at Zachariah’s unsaid words. They forced a smile.

“…I’ll make us dinner if you want. And we could just hang out… have a quiet night.”

Sam blinked.

“Sam?” Isaac said. “Does that sound okay?”

“Um.” Sam met Zachariah’s eyes, stomach fluttering with embarrassment. He had never been the one to coddle them, not when they had to wear the sling, not when they needed to sleep half the day because they were still healing, never. Still, if Zachariah were to take care of Sam… they couldn’t imagine him ever making them feel guilty for it. They nodded numbly. “Yeah,” they said. “Yeah. That sounds good.”

A shy smile played at Zachariah’s lips. “Great,” he breathed.

Sam squeezed Gavin with their intact arm and laid their head against Isaac’s shoulder. “See you back at the house later, then?”

“Only if you want to,” Isaac said, and kissed the crown of Sam’s head. “If it works better for you to stay the night at Zachariah’s, no worries there.”

“Sounds good,” Sam said, and stepped away. Isaac and Gavin waved at the two of them as they headed toward their house. Before they could disappear from sight, Gavin collapsed against Isaac’s side. Isaac’s arm wound around Gavin’s waist and they kept walking like that, Gavin leaning all his weight against Isaac, until they turned a corner and disappeared from Sam’s sight. Sam swallowed hard and looked up at Zachariah. This time, neither of them bothered to conceal the worry on their faces.

∴

Zachariah’s cooking was amazing. Now that Sam thought about it, they didn’t think they had ever had a dish that Zachariah had made himself. Cooking was so often a communal thing with the family, and so often something simple that could be thrown together quickly to serve six people, then seven, growing until they were a ten-person family; rice, some kind of vegetable, and some kind of meat with a delicious sauce was the usual fare. Besides, that made leftovers easy, too. For someone to cook something just for themselves was so rare that it almost never happened.

Still, Sam could scarcely believe that they had gone all this time – more than three months – without tasting Zachariah’s cooking. Even without the fancy spices that he was used to having in the city, he had made some kind of rice-and-tomatoes-and-chicken dish that had Sam going back for seconds, even still a little nauseated from the pain. Now they were stretched out on the couch, regretting the second helping but happy to be cuddling in Zachariah’s lap, a sack of microwaved dry rice propped under their sore arm. They heaved a sigh and rested their head against Zachariah’s broad chest.

“Good?” Zachariah murmured, and Sam detected the slightest hint of self-satisfaction in his voice. It made them smile.

“You know it was,” they groaned, burying their face in his shirt to hide their smile. “You… you tricked me into eating so much. You… coerced me, Zachariah Medina.” Pain twinged through their old wound. They sucked in a breath through their teeth and held their hand tightly to their chest.

Zachariah’s mouth made a firm line. “Still pretty bad, huh?” He shifted the bag of rice, pulling it higher into Sam’s armpit.

“No, it’s, ah…” Sam pushed out a slow, shaky breath. “Not as…” Their stomach lurched, and they clenched their teeth together to keep from being sick all over their own lap. Another slow breath in, another slow breath out. They glanced up and found Zachariah’s warm brown eyes staring into theirs.

His lips trembled – no, they weren’t trembling, they were just moving soundlessly like he was trying to choose which words to say. Sam closed their eyes. They couldn’t focus on both him and the pain at once. They couldn’t deal with—

“We… don’t have to hang out, if you don’t want to,” Zachariah said. Sam’s shoulders relaxed as they realized there wasn’t any disappointment in his voice at all. They opened their eyes again, their gaze unfocused. They wet their lips.

“I still want to… be around you,” they croaked. “I just… sorry, it’s just… hard to deal with… this. Right now.” Their left hand curled into a fist.

“I get that,” Zachariah said. “I do. So… how do you want to be around me? It’s up to you.”

Sam drew a deep breath in through their nose and blew it out through their lips. They glanced around the small living room. There wasn’t much to the space; there was a small table with a few chairs, some shelves set up that had been stocked with a few weeks’ worth of food, the kitchen leading off to the right. In the other direction led the hallway to the bathroom and bedroom. Sam’s eyes lingered on the hallway.

“Um…” Even without their meaning to, their mind strayed to the ways the both of them had spent their time together for the past month. While Gavin had been missing, Zachariah had been as much a prisoner in the farmhouse as if he had been chained there. He couldn’t go on walks with the others like he used to, or swim in the lake, or go into town. There had been so little to do but lie in bed together, clothed at first, then not, then…

Sam swallowed hard and returned their gaze to Zachariah’s. “I’d just really like to lie down,” they said woodenly.

And I don’t want to fuck you tonight. Please, please don’t ask me to fuck you tonight.

Zachariah nodded once. “Sounds good,” he said, and opened his arms.

Sam felt tired in their bones as they pushed away from his chest and stiffly got to their feet. The warm bag of rice slid onto the couch cushions, but Zachariah waved their hand away from it.

“Let me,” he said with a gentle smile.

Sam shuffled to the bedroom, not bothering to turn on the light before they crawled on top of Zachariah’s blanket. They lowered themself onto the left side and curled into a limp ball. The bed dipped as Zachariah joined them.

“I don’t want to have sex tonight,” Sam mumbled.

There was a slight huff as Zachariah tucked the warm compress under Sam’s arm and settled behind them, curling around their body and pulling them close. “I figured,” he said softly. “I don’t feel like it, either.” There was a smile in his voice.

“Yeah?” Sam shivered as he nuzzled into the back of their neck, pressing a small kiss into their curls – and then he settled, his breath fanning out over their hair.

“Yeah.” Zachariah’s thumb rubbed back and forth, back and forth on their left wrist. They were grateful for the touch, for his warmth, and for the fact that this was the extent of it. Isaac would be worried, and guilty, and sad, his hands reaching out to Sam, perhaps clutching at them so that he could remind himself that they were alive, and that he wasn’t about to lose them, but Zachariah… Zachariah just was.

“Hmmm,” Sam hummed. The heat was helping. As their muscles relaxed, the pain ebbed, just the slightest bit. Still, their palm kept tingling. They wondered if this pain would last, or if it would be gone when they woke.

Continued here

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