The Hurt/Comfort Meme

[winterbolt]

Hurt/Comfort - Hurt/comfort is a fan fiction genre that involves the physical pain or emotional distress of one character, who is cared for by another character. The injury, sickness or other kind of hurt allows an exploration of the characters and their relationship.

- Post with Character Name | Series in the subject.
- Others respond.
- Roll 1-10 at RNG for a scene, play it out and have fun!

1. INJURY. You've been injured. Broken bones or bleeding out or maybe just a tiny little papercut. The choice is yours.
2. SICKNESS. You're sick and laid up in bed, at home or in a hospital. The severity is up to you.
3. FEAR/ANXIETY. Something is happening and you're scared beyond belief.
4. LOSS OF SENSES. Sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell, etc. You've lost some important sense or ability and now you're left to deal with it.
5. DESPAIR. Nothing is good or right anymore and you can't shake the depression. Maybe that friend of yours can help though...
6. BREAKUP. You've been dumped. You need someone to comfort you, possibly by the one who dumped you.
7. MAKE UP. Fight or break up, it's time to makeup.
8. RESCUED. You've just been held captive and/or tortured for however long and finally, someone has come to the rescue.
9. BAD ROMANCE. Fight, cheated on, abused, whatever the case is, someone else can clearly see you need comfort from someone who isn't your terrible lover tonight.
10. LOSS. You've experience a loss of some kind and need help getting through it.
11. INSANITY. You're seeing things that aren't really there, hearing voices, or you're just convinced you're at your wit's end finally and you're going to crack. Maybe someone can give you a helping hand.
12. TIRED. You've had a heard life recently and you're just worn too thin to really care anymore. There's no fight left in you anymore. Can someone help change your mind?
13. ADDICTION. Drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or any other type of addiction has got you in its grasp. First time or relapse. Will someone be able to save you?
14. INSOMNIA. You can't sleep anymore, no matter how hard you try. Maybe someone can give you company.
15. NIGHTMARES. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, you can't sleep without gruesome, horrible nightmares. Either someone is stuck in your dream with you, witnessing it or they're just waking you up, soothing you out of it.
16. BLACKMAIL. You've been caught doing something you shouldn't and you were blackmailed because of it
17. SEPARATION. You're going to be separated for awhile or were separated for a long time. Either make up for lost time or try to spend every last moment together.
18. VIOLATED. You've been violated in some way. Can include sexual overtones or not. Can someone help you through it?
19. STRANDED. You've been stranded somewhere remote, with no help of anyone finding you for awhile. Can you survive this together?
20. SINS You're feeling the weight of your sins and guilt clearer than ever. Can someone give you absolution or lessen the ache any?
21. SECRET. It's difficult having to keep that secret of yours, be it a relationship or something you just don't want to share with anybody else. Maybe it's okay to talk about it now though...

From Bakerstreet

Comments

Yang Xiao Long | RWBY

[nailed_it]

[Canon, MLJ, Cosmos, and Demons versions available!]

Demons | 1

[scattered_rose]

[It had been a short time since Yang was brought back to their apartment at Crystal Heights after a serious fight, and to say he and Blake had been worried had been an understatement. At least she was healing okay, though he couldn't quite help himself from checking in on her more than some others might consider decent.

Which is where he's headed today, to her setup in her and Blake's bedroom. He paused outside the door, then rapped on it twice with the backs of his knuckles.]

Yang?

[nailed_it]

[There was a clear, if winded sounding answer from within.]

I'm up.

[Of course "up" was a little subjective. Daniel likely already knew once he came in that he'd find Yang laid up in bed, the same way she'd been since they'd moved her there from the couch. For somebody who'd gotten their ass handed to them by a psychic she actually didn't look too bad. Most of the scrapes and bruises were fading or gone completely. But several broken ribs couldn't heal that quickly, even with magical help, and the way Yang's teeth grit a little too tightly as she smiled lop-sidedly at Daniel, coupled with an uneven rise and fall of her chest was a pretty good sign she was still feeling them.]

Y'know you don't have to knock right?

[scattered_rose]

[He leaned his head in once she answered, and then walked in the whole way a moment later.]

Yeah I know, but. I feel better doing it.

[He didn't want to ask "How are you feeling?" in part because he had already today, and he thought it was a pretty cliched question by now anyway. But in lack of anything to actually say, he busied himself by taking a chair by the back and spinning it over by one leg to her bedside.]

[nailed_it]

[There was a slight movement of her shoulders, like she'd started to shrug and then realized halfway into it that was a bad choice of gestures to make. She'd almost been expecting him to ask how she was feeling again, so when he didn't she watched him get himself situated for a moment before her grin quirked up a little higher.]

Tell me, Daniel, what's life like outside these walls? Does cereal still come in boxes? How many television channels are there now?

[She'd been expressly forbidden from getting up, or even thinking about getting up, until her ribs had fully healed, and while she'd hardly been bed-ridden for very long she was already starting to get bored. That and she wanted to joke around some.]

[scattered_rose]

[He snickered a little, giving her a lopsided grin.]

Cereal comes in bags and there's 2500 channels and still nothing on. [He paused, looking up.] Actually, some places are selling milk in bags too, now that I think of it.

[nailed_it]

[She withheld a chuckle, dropping her head back against the pillows behind her in resigned "defeat".]

Dammit.

[There was an attempt at a long-suffering sigh to accompany that, but her breath hitched audibly halfway through as pain lanced through her chest at the intake and her exhale ended up coming out more of a hiss.]

[scattered_rose]

[He snickered a little at the beginning, but that hiss and wince got his attention more.]

What have you done today toward getting better?

[nailed_it]

[She let her head remain resting in the pillows behind her, staring up at the ceiling above as she took in a couple of shallow breaths before finally glancing sideways at him with a reassuring, if weak, smile.]

I'm fine. I took some aspirin earlier; it's helping.

[Sort of.]

[scattered_rose]

Alright, so that's one thing. [His concerned look never leaves.] What about the others?

[nailed_it]

[There was a muted groan accompanied by an eye-roll as she went back to looking up at the ceiling.]

You've been hanging out with Blake too much. You're starting to sound just like her.

[Starting to sound like her father too, but she'd leave that be.]

I've been resting. I ate something earlier. I've got a water bottle around here...somewhere...

[There was a brief pause to glance around for it, before she gave up and looked back at Daniel with a lop-sided smile.]

I'm fine.

[She actually was in way better shape than the last time she'd gone up alone against the Steel Thorn. Now if she could just convince the kid to not worry so much about her.]

[scattered_rose]

I'm just worried, alright? [His tone is slightly bristled, with a pose juust pulled back to match.]

I'm glad you're okay at least. [Tart and polite.]

[nailed_it]

[Her expression shifted at the change in tone, and she gave a reedy exhale in place of a sigh, pushing herself up a little with a wince. Not to try to get up, but just so she wasn't so slid down into the bedding, fixing Daniel with a softer look.]

Hey, look. It's not your job to worry so much about me. It's my job to worry about me.

...And sometimes Blake's. But mostly my job.

[A hint of her previous crooked smile came back at that even if her tone stayed gentle, an additional note of sincerity entering it as she continued.]

I'm gonna do what I need to get better. I promise.

[scattered_rose]

I know, I didn't say you wouldn't. It's... [He trailed off, then grunted and leaned forward until one elbow hit his thigh, his hand scrubbing at his hair in frustration.]

I don't know.

[He does know, actually. But he doesn't want to address it.]

[nailed_it]

[An extremely gentle look crossed her features, and she made a vague gesture with the hand nearest to Daniel, as if she wanted to pull him over but couldn't for obvious reasons.]

Hey...c'mere...

[Unable to reach him where she was situated, she lightly patted the empty bedside next to her, an obvious invitation for him to sit up with her.]

[scattered_rose]

[He looked up at her words, glancing down at the pat and then back at her.

He placed his hands against the chair and scooted forward, stepping to the floor and crossing the space between them. Gently, oh so gently, he got on the bed with her, settling in place at her side.]

[nailed_it]

[Raising an eyebrow at his caution, she breathed out a quiet laugh despite the wince that accompanied it.]

Come on, I'm not gonna break.

[She reached a hand out, resting it lightly over his before curling her fingers under to take it, gently tugging, not to pull, but to coax him into resting against her.]

Just sit with me awhile.

[scattered_rose]

[He let out a short noise of surprise or something else, but settled in against her after a few moments.

Letting out a soft sigh of his own, he rested his head on her shoulder, scootching down a bit to do it, and stared off with partly closed eyes.]

[nailed_it]

[She couldn't hug an arm around him so she kept her hand clasped around Daniel's, soothingly tapping her fingers against the outside of his hand.

Looking back up at the ceiling, Yang let a few moments of quiet pass, taking a couple slow breaths while trying but not really succeeding at hiding the rasp that accompanied them. Then she slowly slid her gaze back over to Daniel with a small smile.]

Whatcha thinking about?

[Which was another way of asking what was bothering him.]

[scattered_rose]

...You being hurt.

[It was a simple answer that sounded almost... childish? But by the lifting of his hand- and hers with it -to his eyes where he wiped a bit at a gathering wetness there, there was so much more to it than that.]

[nailed_it]

[Her expression fell a little at that answer, although on some level she'd been expecting something like it. She glanced down at their hands, wishing she had a tissue she could offer him.]

This recent time or just in general?

[ Unfortunately, even though she'd thought that might be on his mind, she still didn't have a very good idea of how to approach the subject. But maybe just talking it out would help.]

[scattered_rose]

In general, and I thought I was past this...

[His voice was deep in his throat, weighed down by emotion and dark thoughts.]

I haven't had any nightmares involving you for a while. I worry about it sometimes, when I go to sleep, that this time it'll be you. Or Ruby, or Blake, or anyone else... Sometimes it is. Sometimes... [He stopped to sigh deeply, and his hand reflexively tightened with Yang's.] They're just nightmares like they always were.

But now it's all in my head again, and I just wish that I could... just reach in through my mind's eye and yank it all out. Just so I didn't have to deal with it anymore.

[His voice cracked then and he had to stop for a moment, and as close as they are Yang may feel his shoulders tremble just the slightest bit, tensing up. Then with a convulsive sigh, he continued.]

The faces they used to be, I'm... I can deal with that. I've been dealing with that. But when it's y..you, or anyone else I know now...

Then it's not so easy.

[nailed_it]

[Listening quietly, Yang resumed the soothing pat of her fingers against his hand when his grip tightened on hers. She knew Daniel struggled with nightmares; she knew that all too well. And while she could guess at what they were about, hearing it, and directly from him no less, was something else entirely.

She was silent for a moment or two longer before she inclined her head a little to look at him.]

You know it's okay, right? That you're not past it?

[The hand on her other side, the one not holding Daniel's hand, fisted a little.]

Besides this whole thing's just...kinda spiraled for months now.

[It was stressful. They had their wits and their skills (and they'd gotten lucky) but it was still just the three of them against a force that had far more resources at its disposal than they did.]