In my opinion
There is no denying that House loves Cuddy. It's obvious, everybody knows it, there's no debate. Cuddy also loves House, again, obvious, no debate. But the way that Cuddy loves House is not the same as the way that Wilson does.
Cuddy acknowledges Houses issues, and she loves him in spite of them. She sees the worst parts of him, the "undesirable" parts of House, and she chooses to look beyond them. She sees the man that he is aside from those things, and she makes the conscious choice to coexist with those parts of him in exchange for being together with the parts that she loves. An example would be House's jealousy. She acknowledges that he can be extremely jealous, and she agrees to look past it because he's also very loving and protective. That's why when House continues to make mistakes, she becomes more and more disappointed. Because she sees a man who she believes could do better, falling back into his "old ways." She will try to convince herself that it's not a surprise when he does "bad" things, and she tries to convince herself that she doesn't need him to change, but the truth is that she does. Cuddy is a mother. She is a very mature, professional woman, and she wants to settle down. House, as he exists in the show, would not be able to live up to par with those expectations. I'm not saying he couldn't be a great dad to Rachel, or that he wouldn't love Cuddy, but he would realistically would not be able to act the way she needs and deserves for the rest of their lives. And when he does inevitably do something destructive, she will struggle to deal with it. Because she sees House as someone split down two sides, the "good" side, and the "bad" side, and she will expect him to focus on the "good" side, so when House does something wrong, it will feel like a personal attack, because she will see it as him not fighting hard enough to not give in to his "bad" side for her. And that's not to say anything bad about Cuddy, because the fact that she needs somebody who is the type of person that House just can not realistically be is neither of their faults. But I believe that House fully understands all of this. He is crumbling under the pressure of living up to Cuddy's expectations. He is constantly trying to fight his "bad" side so that he can be what she needs. But in reality, he is not two separate parts. There is no "good" and "bad" House. They are one in the same. With her, he has to fight to be what she needs. He has to fight to change. So when stressful things happen, his fight or flight response kicks in, and he runs. Because he's scared. He's scared that he is going to do something that will disappoint her. He is scared he won't live up to her expectations. With Cuddy, he has to sacrifice parts of himself to attempt to be who she needs. And it's just not sustainable. You can't live like that forever. All the good becomes overshadowed by constant anxiety and stress. It leads to House's mental health plummeting because he starts to hate himself for not being able to get rid of that "bad side." And so when Cuddy needs him during stressful times, he can't bring himself to be there for her fully, because he is so focused on the "good" side of him coming out, that he starts to lose himself.
With Wilson, however, it is basically the exact opposite. Wilson doesn't see two different sides of House. He sees one person who is incredibly multifaceted. He recognizes those "undesirable" parts of House, and he loves them just the same as he loves the "good" parts. Because he sees no divide. When House does things that are hurtful, he still calls him out, but he doesn't see it as a personal failure. He sees it as just a part of House. Like yeah, he'll insult your fatal illness, but he'll shoot some random guy with a spud gun for insulting you. Where as Cuddy would see those as two separate, distinct sides, Wilson sees those as a conjoined whole. He doesn't love House in spite of his issues. He loves House because of his issues. Because House's struggles are a part of what makes House who he is. So Wilson can fight with him and be mad at him and hurt him, but he doesn't expect House to throw away or "overcome" parts of himself. He would love for House to give up drugs, but he doesn't expect House to give up his addictive tendencies. There's a balance, and it's all an equal part of House. And so because of this, when House and Wilson are put in stressful situations, House doesn't feel like he has to run. He feels safe. Because he knows even if he says something wrong, and even if he upsets Wilson, Wilson is not going to leave him. Wilson does not have these high expectations for him that he feels like he is being forced to fill. And so he can focus on genuinely being in the moment and being there for Wilson because he is not fighting with himself, and he is not scared. He has trust in Wilson and enough trust in their relationship to know that they will work things out. I think the fact that they have very similar issues also helps a lot. He can be mean to Wilson and lash out, and Wilson will recognize that House is doing that because he is scared and because he loves him. In return, Wilson can also insult House and make fun of him because he's just as destructive. They meet each other on the same level because they are equals. House does not feel like Cuddy's equal. He feels like she is better than him, and he can't be himself with her. Him and Wilson know each other as well as they know themselves, and they're not constantly making the other feel like there are high expectations they have to fight to reach in order to love each other or be "worthy" of each other. They're just House and Wilson.
But I have no idea what I'm talking about, so take this with a grain of salt.
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Kissing his tears away. ♡
no cws rlly, Atsushi is having a flashback and is in a state of confusion for the first half of it. established relationship. It implies his episodes to be a repeated thing towards the end. Hurt/comfort? Wc 500ish, not edited/proofchecked. GN reader! {No pronouns or terms (other than precious) being used towards reader.}
Atsushi, who's crying after having an episode of flashbacks. He's stuck in his dorm, curled up in a closet as he mutters and pleads for whoever to stop.
You, precious, you. You stepping into his dorm, the door falling shut alarming him of your presence — taking your shoes off by the door, wanting to be polite, after all.
Atsushi doesn't want to come out of the closet, scared of what's waiting outside of it for him. He's shaking — his breathing quiet, but panicked.
He's wants to plead for forgiveness, scared of whatever punishment he's getting from the head of the orphanage, but is frozen when he hears footsteps approaching.
He puts his hands over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut, silently praying for forgiveness, when he hears a short, soft voice.
"Atsushi?"
He pauses, not sure of what to do. What if this was all a trick? He's probably imagining you, and the director will find him any moment...
He doesn't fight when you gently tug him up, or out of the closet, just apologizing and standing there, unsure of what to do. ...Should he say he's fine, when he's clearly not?... He's never been caught in this bad of an episode. He's supposed to be bright and sunny Atsushi Nakajima.
"Atsushi..." You say softly, "Can I touch you?" His eyes slowly and hesitantly open, eyes fluttering to your face — the image being slightly distorted by his tearful eyes.
His hands slowly unclench his hair, the stinging finally settling into his scalp — he hopes he didn't cause himself to bleed. Again. He nods a little, swallowing — not trusting his voice.
You smile, and God. You look so trustworthy, so... So different from the director. Of course you're not the director — how could he ever think so?... The director is gone, Atsushi is out of the orphanage. He's not there anymore... He shouldn't be having these thoughts — these memories.
You gently tug him onto the couch, your hand lovingly combing out the tangles in his messy hair. He lets you. He stiffens a little at first, but when you intertwine your fingers with his? His breathing grows a little softer.
"Would you be comfortable sharing what triggered you?" You ask, voice not pressuring him at all, but he still feels guilty for not answering automatically. He swallows, his gaze falling to the floor as he shakes his head.
"It's okay, Atsushi." You murmur, and he feels your soft, slightly warm lips pressing against the coolness of his tears. When did he start crying?... He sniffles pathetically at that.
"I'm sorry..." He mutters, hiding his face in his hands. "I'm sorry." He repeats. He doesn't know how to react, but he doesn't stop you again.
"It's okay. I'm not mad." You mumble softly, and he folds, turning and clinging to you. He hides his face in your neck and just... Cries. He cries like a broken boy — like a broken child.
You kiss his tears, kissing away the salty, memories of the past. You kiss away his scars, his scares — his past.
Please don't steal my work, nor feed it to any sort of AI. Thank you! ♡
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A birdhouse. What they find is a birdhouse, sealed up in reinforced deepslate. It had not been so much a trail as following Tubbo as he frantically searched various places and their surroundings, and a bit of good luck in that Pac had a spyglass on him. Tubbo leads, Fit guards, and Pac is here because he cannot let anyone suffer the Federation longer than they must.
That it took them this long to notice Philza was missing honestly makes him feel a little sick. A man who claims so many close friends, and still it took 3 days for any of them to notice. Pac wonders - if nobody had seen his own kidnappings, would it taken them as long?
It doesn't really matter. They are here now, and they can only do their best.
It is hard to get inside. Once they do, the place is… beautiful. Full of birds, and vines, and if it were not for something that Pac cannot quite place would look like one of Tallulah's builds.
Tubbo moved first of the three, not nearly as cautious, not scouring for traps as Fir does, or anxiously checking for danger like Pac.
The birdhouse is shaped like an L, part it hidden. As soon as Tubbo sees it, he screams "Phil!" and also vanishes behind the wall.
Pac and Fit do not hesitate. They launch themselves the few steps forwards to see.
Fit yells "shit" and follows Tubbo to the floor.
Pac… Pac takes the moment to look, heart in his throat. There are more birds - hummingbirds - all around, both sat on the floor and caged up above. In the centre is a plinth, and on it a book, an empty shelf on either side.
Philza is curled on the floor before the plinth, surrounded by bloody, torn feathers. Hus wings are even more a mess than before, and it is clear he curls around something.
More worrying - Tubbo is shaking him, yelling and sobbing his name, while Fit taps his cheek and asks for a response. Neither works.
Pac does not know Philza well, but he does know this is bad. It is not a build like any other Federation build, but he knows a torture room when he sees one.
Even one as pretty as this.
"Babygirl," Fit calls him, and Pac flinches. "Can you look at me? You love this shiny head, don't you? Wanna see it?"
Pac shakes himself. He pulls out a sharestone and sets it beside the group, checking over the list of who is online.
No doctors on the island, Philza's other friends offline, nobody like that - just…
Forever's communicator comes online.
Pac does not hesitate to private message him, givinf him the name of the sharestone, and to bring blankets, healing potions, and hot chocolate.
Done, he kneels between Tubbo and Fit, the former sobbing apologies and the other trying again.
"I asked Forever to come with blankets," Pac whispers.
Fit nods, flicking Philza's forehead and finally earning a response.
Philza sluggishly raises his head, empty, dead eyes blinking in Fit's direction. He reaches a hand out, and fails to reach; Pac takes it up, freezing cold.
"There you are," Fit's smile is tense. "Birdbrain got you good, huh?"
They all know it's not birdbrain but shock; the blood all around, the vacant expression… with Philza's arm uncurled, Pac can see what Philza was holding. A ducky floaty, and a red beanie.
He swears.
Fit looks, and swears as well.
Tubbo, seeing them, breaks into sobs.
Pac uses his free arm to pull Tubbo into a hug just as the sharestone whirs.
"Hey Pac, what sort if sleepover needs-" Forever freezes in his words for a moment, before yelling for Philza, and joining the group on the floor.
Forever throws a few splash potions at him, before grabbing the blankets. Pac is somewhat pushed aside but, with the sobbing Tubbo in his arms, maybe that is for the best.
Somehow, Fit and Forever get Philza sitting, while Pac manages to convince Tubbo to breathe. He watches as they convince him to drink a potion, then as he's given the mug of hot chocolate and grasps it in his hands. Philza leans heavily against Fit, but his eyes remain on Forever.
The ducky and the beanie remain firmly in his lap.
"What happened?" Fit speaks for all of them. "Do you remember?"
Philza nods, but it still takes him a while to speak, "I... Here."
Shaking hands draw a book from his inventory, and hand it to Forever.
Forever reads aloud the story of the old crow, and the room is grim.
"But wait," Tubbo finally calms himself enough to pipe up. "The ducky is still in the maze. How's it here too?"
"At least one is a very convincing fake," Fit says. "If not both."
Pac, who has been kidnapped more than anyone else in the room, and has seen another happen, can almost see it play out. His hands shake as he grips Tubbo a little tighter.
"The ducky in the maze," he whispers. "It wasn't about Chayanne; it was about Phil."
"It's so fucking stupid," Philza groans, taking a sip of hot chocolate and earning a little more life. "I should have seen it. Tallulah doesn't write like that, she knows I'm an idiot and has to spell it out. A bit too much sometimes. And Chayanne wouldn't write a book at all, just leave me a scrap with coordinates on, or maybe a trail of potato crates. I just-"
Forever leans over and pulls Philza from Fit's chest to his own, capturing him in a desperate hug, whispering reassurances Pac cannot hear he is sure.
"Fucking Feds." Fit sums up the room.
"It's not your fault," Pac says the words everyone always told him. "The Federation is... too good? at this."
"It's fucked up," Tubbo agrees. "And on Tallulah's birthday? They got you good, man. What if-"
Pac squeezes Tubbo's shoulder, "they are too good at this. It's not Philza's fault."
"Played us like fiddles," Fit agrees. "All of us. Nobody thought the ducky would be about you not Chayanne even after you vanished."
"Do you want to go home?" Forever ignores their conversation. "There's a sharestone; we can get easily back."
Philza shakes his head, his voice breaking as he says "I want my children."
They really should make a bunk room in the Order, Pac thinks, both for situations like this and for when Cellbit is up until the small hours struggling over puzzles.
He does not think of his own son, still missing, and the empty house he, too, must go back to.
With Missa so infrequently there... Does Philza feel the same?
He must do.
An empty house made for a family, haunted by their absence, the eternal knowing you were not enough... Pac built a whole new home on the island, and still cannot escape his family's ghosts. How they can Philza, when he sleeps in his children's bedroom?
"There are still houses in the Favela," Pac says, it the most central place he can think of. "You could go there? We used to stay there all the time; there's space for Tubbo and Fit too."
"You come as well," Fit butts in.
Pac would object, but Philza examines him, then gives an exhausted nod.
"Okay," he merely says.
"We could call Wilbur?" Fit suggests. "Once we're at the Favela. I know its not the eggs, but..."
But, if what he has been told is correct, the fabled Wilbur is one of Philza's children just the same.
Philza nods, and Forever scoops him up. Tubbo scuttles from Pac's grasp to grab the floaty, while Fit passes Pac Tallulah's beanie.
He clings to it, her hat.
Fit gives him a knowing smile and takes his hand. "Favela, then."
"We can invite people to come chill as they get online," Tubbo suggests.
It sounds like a solid enough plan; Philza is already half asleep, and surely someone has enough medical knowledge to check on him? Even if not, the expression of how many people care... It meant a lot to Pac, embarassing as it was. It surely would to Philza too.
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Do u have more tim angst. Pls i need it. Plsplsplsplsplsplsplsplspls
As I've seen quoted before, come get your angst juice:
Tim loved being Robin. He got to be a hero (the exact same mantle of his favorite heroes, Robin I and II). He treasured all that Robin was: the goofy colors, the quips, the ability to defeat those with powers when he had none, flying through Gotham's skyline, and solving cases. He centered his entire life, his entire being, around that title. There was no before and after for Tim. It's all he's ever known.
To be able to wear that R upon his own chest? He worked so damn hard. He had to peel his exhausted body off of the training mat again and again. He had to beg a grown man, Bruce, to keep living. He had to force his way into the Manor again and again when he was turned away. He stole Robin, literally nabbed the suit right out of the case, in order to fly.
He was even sent to another country, sent away by his mentor (his hero), to train. He faced off against King Snake and Lady Shiva alone!
He passed every test (even that damned 16th birthday one), every expectation, and every demand of his role.
Yet, he never actually wanted the cape. Being Robin was never about Tim. It was always about everyone else.
That is why, when Jason ripped the R from his chest, the pain felt more physical than the wounds he was given. That is why, when Stephanie briefly flew in his uniform, his emotions exploded upon each other. That is why, when Damian pranced into the room in those colors with the backing of Dick, Tim felt his world collapsing.
It is why, even though he was supposed to have given up Robin (like his predecessors did), he still calls himself Red Robin.
The mantle gave him freedom, training, and joy. He barely survived to adulthood, but it kept him going loss after loss. It was, and still is, everything to Tim. He's Robin because he's needed. He can do so much good for so many people as Robin (more than he thought Timothy Drake could do).
For Tim, being Robin is for anyone else but himself. This is why its suffocating vice grip will never truly let him go.
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