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caffinatedstory · 5 months

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A Great Fall. Again

(AO3)

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Doing some cleanup of fics on my notes app. Better than just letting them rot there...

I don't remember why I started this fic.. Oh. Well!

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It's about 7 in the morning when Norway's phone rings, and he answers it with a barely tangible "What do you want?"

Denmark's voice on the other end is far too chipper and happy this early, and Norway struggles to comprehend the string of words flowing from the phone. It's mostly Danish, a little English and a few choice words in old Norse.

Eventually Denmark's chatter fades and a young woman's voice takes over.

"I'm so sorry for walking you, but he insisted we let him call you so he could get picked up…" She explains, and in the background Norway can hear Denmark's continued chatter.

"Pick the idiot up from where?"

"The hospital…"

The nurse is roughly halfway through her explanation of Denmark's fall, the surgery and his superhuman healing abilities that have baffled the whole ward every since he was admitted last night.

"Which one?" Norway rubs his face with one hand as he drags himself up from bed and finds some clothes.

He listens to the nurse explain Denmark's whereabouts as he readies himself for an impromptu roadtrip to Denmark's capitol.

"Don't worry about it. He's always been weird," Norway chuckles as he gets into his car.

A few hours driving later and he's greeted by a very pleased Denmark and a baffled nurse.

"He said you were from Norway?" The nurse carefully inquires as Norway gives Denmark a half annoyed and half affectionate hair ruffling.

"I see," the nurse replies, and Norway just knows she's not quite buying his little lie.

"Yeah," Norway nods. "But I was in the area," he adds as to not make this seem too strange.

He's pretty sure the poor nurses are having more than enough to work though their minds as it is.

Still, she continues her explanation in a very professional manner for someone who's just had an immortal man as their patient.

"He fell off the roof of his house last night, and into the fence. A neighbor found him and we got him to surgery pretty quickly," she explains. "He seemed in pain but his tollerance was absolutely inhumane!"

"Ah yes, not the first time we've heard that…" Norway cracks a smile, hoping she reads it as friendly and sincere, but he catches another nurse across the room flinching ever so slightly. He can't wait to hear the rumours spreading from the hospital about this incident. Denmark might have to fend of a few rumours about being a vampire. Again.

Norway stifles a chuckle, thankful she doesn't seem to have heard him.

"Our anaesthesia team is used to red heads being pretty immune to anaesthetics, but this was truly a case for the medical books…."

"Anyways, they had to give him quite the large dose, so he's still a little-"

"Loopy? Away with the fairies?" Norway cuts her off with another warmer smile.

"I'm not allowed to use those exact words…"

"Don't worry, he's had worse" Norway reassures her. "Another day or two and he'll be good as new,"

"It was a pretty nasty fall. Our surgeons got most of his bones in place, and we're certain all piece of wood are also out, but he needs to keep his left leg and arm elevated for a few more days. Normally we'd insist he stay at least another night, but he said you could care for him?" The nurse gives him a questioning look.

"We've been thought something similar, so we'll manage," Norway offers her a polite smile.

"if you say so…" the nurse still looks a little concerned, so Norway rolls up his trouser leg to show off an old scar.

"Broke it skiing a few years ago," he explains. "Same procedure as this I assume in terms of recovery."

"Ah," the nurse nodds. "Then you're aware of the symptoms of compartment syndrome and such?"

"Yes," Norway nodds, glad she can't discern his lies.

Skiing accident. His favourite lie to explain any scar on his body to regular humans. It would blow their mind to know that that one scar on his leg is due to Denmark being a little too aggressive with his axe during a fight many many many years ago.

A few more minutes of obligatory information is given before Norway is allowed to wheel Denmark out of the hospital and to his car.

Denmark is still signing an old nose drinking song, laughing in-between verses to himself about some old joke Norway hasn't quite got the gist of.

By the time he's gotten Denmark back to his own house, he's gotten slightly more sober.

"Care to tell me what you were doing on the roof at night?" Norway asks as he crosses his arms, giving Denmark a disapproving stare as the other nation lies spawned on his sofa.

"Reminiscing," Denmark replies sheepishly.

"Really?"

"Yeah…" Denmark's goofy smile doesn't leave his face. "I found some old letters in the attic, and just wanted to get closer to the stars for a moment…"

"How very… Sentimental of you," Norway sighs.

"I debated inviting you, but it was late…" Denmark trails off, his eyes going towards the window and the sun slowly starting to set.

"You're not climbing my roof tonight," Norway says sternly.

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

"Those nurses would kill you if you did… If I didn't get to you first…"

"Noted," Denmark nods soberly, and Norway can tell there's not much left of any pain medication or anaesthetics left in Denmark's body now.

"But we can sit outside in the garden, might even let you have a beer or two," Norway suggest with a small smile. "Not that you deserve it."

"You're too kind," Denmark grins. "And I think I do deserve it. It was quite the traumatic fall!"

"Sure it was," Norway scoffs. "About as traumatic as when you fell off the ship when we landed in England?"

"Oh yeah, no…" Denmark's face goes dark for a second. "That was worse."

"Or when you fell off the cliff while chasing a bear?"

"Ouch… Yeah that one too was pretty bad… I spit out rocks for months after that fall!"

"I believe you said all food tasted like gravel for about half a year," Norway teased.

"It at least felt like it!"

"What about when you tried to jump-"

"Okay. Okay! I get it," Denmark cut him off, waving his arm with a cast on it frantically. "I'm horribly clumsy. No need to bring it all back up…"

"You're the one who wanted to reminisce about the past," Norway smiled.

"Just the good times!" Denmark sighed.

"I found lot of those to be quite good,"

"Ha ha ha…" Denmark frowned. "As if you haven't had your share of stupid injuries too!"

"Well someone's gotta be the adventurous one,"

"Oh plenty. But yours are just so much more… Spectacular!" Norway laughed as he left the living room momentarily to fetch them a drink.

"And you're usually the one jumping into stuff head first before thinking." he added as he handed Denmark a beer.

"Yes… I suppose so…" Norway sips his beer quietly for a moment. "However, there's adventurous and then there's just plain recklessness."

"Well you know…" Denmark's sheepish smile is back. "Same thing sometimes?"

"Perhaps…"

"Only if you promise not to climb anything more than the stairs tonight."

There's a quiet moment between them before Denmark grows impatient and starts trying to wriggle himself out of the casts.

"So how about you help me out of these plaster prisons and then we can drink and be merry?"

"Deal!"

As the sun sets and the starts slowly emerge, Norway is happy the reminisce with Denmark in the garden.

The good, the bad, the ugly and the downright hilarious antics of their youth.

And maybe, just maybe, he'll let none of the other nations know of this accident.

Yet.

#hws denmark #hws norway #aph denmark #aph norway #Hetalia #Coffee's fics

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hi-i-love-u-bitch · 3 years

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So I bindged watched the entry of Metal Family (a Russian YouTube series) and its absolutely adorable. My favorite characters are Glam and Dee because obviously I'm always gunna go for either the goofy dad type with a tragic backstory and the sarcastic little smartass.

Anyway, I've been hearing around that Dee might have a girlfriend and as much as I like the idea of him having a cool laidback goth gf, I just can't picture it. He probably doesn't like to admit it but I think Dee and his dad have similar taste in women; ie badasses who are slightly batshit crazy.

Meet Sasha, they were put together as tutors for each other, she was failing math while he was failing art.

At first glance Sasha seems like a sweet, giggly, airhead with an affinity for tacky jewelry and thrift store clothes. Which is of course what Dee assumed when he offered his usual method of helping her cheat her way through her classes.

She smiled at him and called him: a pig-headed narcissistic asshole who couldn't smell the rancid shit coming out of his own mouth.

Yeah, turns out she isn't stupid just has really bad ADHD and needed someone to help her study math because her brain finds it too boring and therefore unimportant to focus on.

Their relationship is sort of similar to Glam and Ches when they first met; Sasha being a witty yet odd character while Dee struggles to makes sense of what the hell she's saying sometimes.

Because of her ADHD Sasha tends to switch out hobbies like socks; she especially likes activities that keep her hands occupied, such as knitting or origami. Dee has no idea how she can multy task so many things at once.

She is very forward and can be quite blunt when speaking her mind, though she tries her best to remain polite.

She is a big fan of grunge music and punk rock. Nirvana and Foo Fighters being her favorite.

She is the third oldest of six, so middle child syndrome all the way!

She's a bit of an anarchist and can often be found during the weekend tagging government property or big name brand store. Somehow she never seems to get caught.

Her parents are ex-punks so they aren't really surprised or disappointed with their daughter's antics so long as she doesn't get arrested. (More on her family later)

She knitted Dee a beanie during one of their study sessions, it was black with little cat ears. Now he wears it any time its even remotely breezy outside.

Heavy was the first to meet Sasha since they go to the same school. He couldn't understand how such a sweet girl could be friends with his asshole of a brother. She simply giggled and ruffled his hair, stating how Heavy remind her of her own younger siblings.

After that meeting people suddenly stopped bullying him. It was weird but Heavy wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth so he didn't question it. He did, however, wonder why Sasha had a baseball bat in her locker when she didn't even play the sport.

When Dee first invited Sasha over to hang out he made sure that his family would be out all day, because he knew that they would all make it their personal mission to embarrass him in front of her.

That plan backfired very quickly as they returned much earlier than expected and the two teens had been in the living room watching movies and cuddling.

Victoria adored her immediately, insisting she say over for dinner all the while making cheeky remarks at Dee to "make sure to keep her happy so she won't realize that she can do better."

Glam had meant to interrogate her, as he is secretly an over protective father at heart, but he was just so damn charmed by her he didn't have the nerve to do it. Instead he ended up showing her the boys' baby pictures (much to Dee and Heavy's protest).

Her and Ches vibed so well together, it was kind of weird and fascinating to observe. They later find out that Sasha is probably the only person out their that can beat both Glam and Ches in poker.

By the end of it Dee is red in the face with embarrassment and when he escorts her to the bus stop he apologizes if it was all a bit overwhelming. Sasha simply giggled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek assuring him that she really likes his family and can't wait to come over again.

Of course Sasha was the first to confess because Dee still had no idea about his feelings. Thought it was less a confession and more of a statement as if it was something she assumed he already knew.

He didn't, obviously.

Sasha knew that Dee liked her back but she needed for HIM to come to that conclusion himself if they had any hope of starting a relationship. So she remained patient and waited for him to catch up.

Though this did NOT stop her from teasing and flirting with him just a little 😋

She really couldn't help it, Dee was way too cute when he got all flustered and shy (much like his mother in that regards).

So they aren't OFICIALLY dating but they are together, kind of like a trial run (according to Dee at least).

ABOUT HER FAMILY:

Her parents are high school sweethearts that used to ride around town with Victoria and her old crew.

Sasha's mom is a headstrong yet laid back woman that runs the local laundry mat, popular with bikers as it specializes in cleaning leather. Her father is this big, burly, stoic man that works in construction and doesn't tend to say much. They love each other and their children very much.

Sasha has an older sister and brother as well as three younger siblings, twin boys and a little sister. Her older sister is living in England while also going to college to study political science. Her older brother is on his last year of high school and works as a mechanic at a local bike shop. Her twin brothers are in middle school, just a year below Heavy, while her little sister is just starting the first grade.

When Sasha invites Dee over to her house to study he is greeted at the door by her father who looms over him, glaring daggers. Dee may have seen his life flash before his eyes for a just moment.

Thankfully, her mother was much nicer, inviting him in as she called Sasha downstairs. Her younger siblings were very rowdy, asking him questions about who he is and why he was here. Her older brother however, joined along side his father to glare holes into his head.

He was all too thankful when Sasha finally came downstairs to get him, announcing that they would be in her room studying until dinner. Her older brother shouted after them to "keep the door open" and Sasha gave a cheery reply of two middle fingers in his direction.

Dinner was awkward, at least for Dee, but it wasn't terrible. By the end of it, when they were hanging around the bus stop, Sasha (who insisted on seeing him off as he usual does) proudly said: "I think they like you."

"Oh really?" Dee said with a nervous chuckle, he wasn't quite sure but he trusted her judgment. 🖤🖤🖤

#metal family #dee metal family #ocs #my art #my oc drawing #youtube #heavy metal family #glam metal family #victoria metal family

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chronicallypainful · 7 years

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What's your story? Sorry if this is too intrusive I saw you say something about curling into a ball and crying about how you have no future and then getting better?? And I'm in the same position right now so I guess I'm looking for hope

My story. I'm not sure my life (or human lives in general) fits into a neat story structure. The story of how I got the diagnosis is long and complicated, with plenty of dead ends along the way. The story of how I learned to cope is even longer. But let me try to give a summary.

I first had persistent pain as a junior in high school. I was attending a boarding school, which emphasized an academically rigorous curriculum. It was a supportive environment, where I felt strong ties to both my peers and my instructors, but the pain was still terrifying.

It started in my wrists, and I firmly believe that I had and overuse injury, probably carpal tunnel or similar. I read everything I could about those sorts of injuries, while also applying my perfectionism to ergonomics.

As the pain didn't go away and started to migrate into my elbows, I found myself in a place of conflict. On one hand, everything I was reading about overuse injuries told me to stop. Stop typing. Stop using the computer. Don't aggravate the condition. On the other hand, I was a student, and a perfectionistic one at that. I felt that I had to use the computer. I had school work to do.

In this time period, I did start investigating assistive technologies. I started using Dragon NaturallySpeaking for as much computer work as I could. (Dragon NaturallySpeaking is software that allows me to talk to my computer to write text and, to a limited degree, navigate the user interface.) However, the software did not work for mathematics and computer science. In those subjects, I was stuck with a keyboard.

I also investigated mouse alternatives and ergonomic keyboards. I tried several, including trackballs, large touchpads, and split keyboards. Some of them resulted in a slight reduction in pain, but they all still hurt.

I was willing to cause myself pain and, I thought, possibly physical harm in the name of academic work, but I could not justify that risk when it came to my hobbies. I completely stopped playing to musical instruments, playing video games, doing hobbyist computer programming, and knitting.

While all of this is going on, I am doing my best to consult medical professionals. The nurse practitioner who was my primary care physician at the time dismissed my concerns, saying I had tendinitis and telling me to take ibuprofen and ice the area daily. A few months later, I saw an orthopedist who, after ruling out any structural problems, sent me to physical therapy. In physical therapy, I did build strength, but it did not reduce my pain.

This general pattern continued for at least two years. I struggled through school, always managing to excel academically, but also always fearing that I was hurting myself with my computer use. I continued to use speech to text software to write papers where I could, but that software continued to be useless in mathematics and computer science. The pain continued to spread, affecting more and more of my body over time. I saw several more doctors, who continued to be useless.

When I went to college, I majored in mathematics. I thought about computer science, but my inability to type made that an unattainable goal. Nonetheless, I do love mathematics, and I do not regret that choice.

One other thing changed when I went to college; I registered with disability services. Overall, that office was not particularly helpful to me. But, I did now have documentation that I could take to my professors and explain that I could not write or type (much). Unlike in high school, I took the approach that I wasn't going to cause myself unnecessary pain by doing significant fine motor activities. The math department worked with me very well, and I took many oral exams and even submitted a fair bit of oral homework while an undergraduate student.

However, by my sophomore year, it was becoming clear just how much this condition was a disability when it came to my imagined future in mathematics. I could not write down my own mathematical ideas. I couldn't work out a critical computation on a chalkboard, and I also couldn't write a mathematics paper. It felt to me like all of my mathematical ideas were necessarily filtered through someone else. And that felt very confining. The best analogy I can give is that of a painter forced to "paint" only by telling an assistant what to do. She is never allowed to touch the paintbrush herself; only to give descriptions to the assistant.

There were a number of reasons why I now see that my thinking at that time was wrong, but, at that time, I felt hopeless. I have a very clear memory of myself sitting/lying on the rug in my dorm room and crying. I was in constant physical pain. I couldn't see how I had a future in mathematics, but I also couldn't see any other future for myself. I felt worthless, hopeless, and extremely angry. I rolled around on that rug, sobbing uncontrollably while also fighting the urge to punch things, to break things.

That was the point where I realized I needed help. Once I had calmed down from my hour or so of crying, the depth of my anger was a wake-up call for me. I called the counseling center at my college and set up an appointment.

And, slowly, pieces started to fall into place. I participated in group therapy, focused on cognitive behavioral therapy skill building. I learned to separate out thoughts, emotions, and actions. I learned to identify some of the thought patterns that had previously trapped me. I listened to my peers talk about their challenges, and I shared my own. I gave voice to my fears, and I no longer felt like I was facing the world alone. In short, I learned to cope.

About a year later, I finally got a diagnosis. (I'm omitting the long string of doctors and other medical professionals that led to that diagnosis. There is a list in one of my recent posts.) Central sensitization syndrome. Very similar to fibromyalgia or chronic myofascial pain syndrome. There is no cure, and there are very few effective treatments. But it did establish, once and for all, that this disease is not my fault. I didn't do this to myself by abusing my body at the keyboard; this disease is neurochemical.

About a year after my diagnosis, I found the tumblr spoonie community and started writing about my experiences. This community has meant a lot to me. It has helped me learn how to communicate, and reminded me that I'm not alone in this often confusing experience.

Over the next couple of years, I had a few more small victories. I found a good physical therapist, who I worked with for a little over a year, and we did manage to improve my pain somewhat. I finally made some progress on assistive technology for writing mathematics, and, for the first time in years, I was able to write part of my own paper. I graduated, with honors, from my college with a bachelors of science degree in mathematics. I was accepted into a well-respected graduate program, and I was granted financial support to study there.

My first semester graduate school tossed me some extra challenges in the form of extreme fatigue and sleepiness. I was falling asleep in lecture after lecture during my first semester. In February, I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and began treatment with CPAP. Over the past approximately one year, I have worked with my sleep doctor to control the residual sleepiness that remained even with CPAP. It's not perfect, but I am doing much better.

More recently, I passed a major set of exams for my graduate program, and I'm starting to identify potential research topics/advisors as I move forward in my program.

It's late, and I need to go to bed. I hope what I've written is at least semi-coherent. In addition to being tired, I wrote it with speech to text software, and I haven't proofread thoroughly.

I hope this is helpful. As I reflect on my experiences, what I see is the story of how I learned to live with illness and disability, how I adapted, and how I grew. It's not easy, and it took years. And I still have to work at some of it today. I still have to remind myself that it's okay to be disabled, to reassure myself that it's okay to ask for help, and to drag my brain out of catastrophizeing thought spirals. I still have bad days, both mentally and physically, and there are still days when I want nothing more than to take a deep breath and scream at the top of my lungs. But I am grateful. I am grateful for this life. I am grateful for this opportunity to live, to experience so many wonderful things, and to hopefully have a net positive impact on the lives of the people around me. And I'm hopeful about the future. Not so much about the idea that I might one day be cured (though that would be great!), but about all of the awesome things that I am going to do as a disabled person. I'm excited for the art I will make, the math I will do, the assistive technology that I will invent, the lives I will touch with kindness and compassion. I live with constant physical pain, but I have made it to a place where I am still so amazingly grateful to be alive.

As far as I can tell, that’s reason to hope. I wish you the best.

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