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oddsandends2021-10-08 07:11 pm
mytarget) wrote in oddsandends2021-10-08 07:11 pm
96th ♫ | they all say that love wins, but I keep losing no matter what I do.
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. Gen, shipping, smut, everything goes.
- 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...
22. ADDITION. Babies should be joyous things unless you're in a situation where you know you won't be able to care for them. Either you've adopted or found out you're pregnant.
23. WILDCARD. Anything missing? Make your own, and tell us about it in your top level!.
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[ She's aware of just how little that eventually is doing for her point – and just how much she's proving his point by appending it like that. She's quiet after that for a while, just doing as he says to make patching her up a little easier. She isn't usually the type to be cowed by scolding but his words make a prickle of something like shame come to life in her stomach.
Maybe it does come down to pride, as much as she wants to believe she's more level-headed than that. But maybe after everything else she's lost, she's a little more desperate to hold onto the little she has left than she'd thought.
Eventually, she finally speaks up again. ]
I'll talk to Doctor Tobei. And... if there's anything else you think you can do, I'm happy to try it.
[ If only because it'll ease Akira's worries, more than anything else. ]
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...You're not really used to having people in your corner, huh?
[It's a bitter question, the only possible conclusion he can come to after watching her skittishly back away from kindness when it's offered to her and the almost mournful way she comes around to accepting it. Like she's doing something she shouldn't.
He checks the fit of the bandages by circling an arm around her and inspecting the tautness of them on her back. It's almost akin to giving her a hug.]
Well, I'm there whether you like it or not. And if it looks like you're in pain, I'll just annoy the hell out of you until you tell me. Nobody likes it when their friends are hurt, right?
[He's still got to wrap her sternum and neck after he makes the necessary adjustments here, but so far he's been doing alright. It's probably not as good as Ryoko can do herself when she's well, but definitely a competent patching-up.]
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Relying on other people is... well, it's unreliable. Which is why it's so strange that relying on Akira and the others here has worked out as well as it has. ]
... Right. [ It really isn't the sort of situation that calls for a smile, but... to her surprise, she manages to crack a relatively small one. ] I'll make sure to let you know if I think I need the help.
[ Usually when she says that sort of thing, it comes off like she's admitting defeat – or, indeed, like she's doing something she shouldn't. This time, with that admittedly feeble smile on her face, it sounds a little more like she really means it. ]
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[But the implicit warning hangs in the air: he'll do it if he thinks she is hiding how much she's suffering. He's too stubborn not to, really, for better or for worse.]
Now that that's settled, I promise I'm done preaching at you.
[The atmosphere seems a little more comfortable than it had been a few minutes ago, though that may simply be wishful thinking on Akira's part. And with most of her chest wrapped up, that particular point of awkwardness between them is, while not completely irrelevant, certainly less harrowing than it was.
Still, it's not comfortable enough for him to say the first thing that leaps to mind—that when the lacerations on her sternum heal, they'll both have matching scars on their chests. Maybe that's an observation for later, when it feels a little less like Ryoko's liable to turtle up better than Taroimo ever could, and when the wound isn't so fresh.
That might help in other ways, though—Ryoko's been telling him so much about how she got hurt, so it might not be a bad move to do the same.]
...I got mine in a fight in an alley. I got my ass kicked, obviously—it wasn't pretty. Turns out even if you know what's coming, it'll only help so much.
[He's much stronger now than he was when he got this, but it's still not infallible.]
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[ She can't really hide her surprise – even as she realizes that of course Akira must have earned that scar somehow. And for as sturdy as he is now, he must have been smaller and scrawnier once upon a time. ]
That's a little hard to imagine. Even right from the start, you've always been good in a fight.
[ Watching a guy do an Akira slide into someone's entire body leaves a bit of an impression on a girl, is all.
Her eyes drop from his face to the scar on his chest and she studies it, trying to work out if she can glean what happened without having to ask. But, if he's open to sharing... ]
What exactly happened?
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[The nonchalance of this statement might have once been worrying, but this is just what his life is like.]
Matsu nearly beat him to death after I got cut. It wasn't the first or the last time he pulled my ass out of the fire, but...it was definitely one of the worst. I felt like a goddamn idiot for weeks, sittin' in bed while he was out there making sure we had enough bandages and disinfectant to keep me patched up and Taeko was in here worrying about me.
[And he was a little peeved at Matsu, at the time—after all, he had an even bigger scar in the same place, so it felt hypocritical for him to tell him he was being stupid. In retrospect, it's because Matsu had probably been hurt in similar fashion that he could say stuff like that. Akira can't remember if he ever apologized for being so flippant at the time.
Probably not. It always felt like there would be plenty of time to do that, once he was an adult.]
I'm not gonna make you stay in bed, though. And I'm not gonna say anything to Taeko either. I know what it's like, so...I wouldn't wish bed rest on anyone, honestly.
[He'll encourage Ryoko to get some rest when she needs it, but not to the point that she can't do anything.]
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[ If she's feeling well enough to make a feeble attempt at a joke like that, then things are probably fine. The sharp pain across her chest and shoulders every time she moves her arms is easing and more than anything, having all her scars and bruises covers makes her feel a little more like... herself. Not being able to see them makes it that much easier to put them out of mind. At least for now.
She lets a comfortable silence fall for a moment longer as he finishes wrapping the next round of bandages, but before he can draw his hand back, Ryoko catches his wrist.
... it takes her a second for what she wants to say to come out of her mouth, though. ]
... thank you. For all this.
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When she takes hold of his wrist, however, Akira tries and fails not to turn beet red. All those fuzzy feelings he's been beating back with a stick that clung so tightly to the fact that she said she trusted him all come bursting out at once, and he can only avert his eyes, staring at some spot on the floor off to his side.]
It ain't any trouble, so...
[No, that's not what he means, especially when he's saying it so defensively. He clears his throat a little.
She's not the only one with walls up. His are just a different shape, with a different purpose—even now, he wants to project an image of total confidence. Most times, he's successful, because he has a solid base of true confidence to build on. But right now...he should at least extend her the same courtesy, let them crumble under the weight of the moment, and be a little bit uncool. Just for now.]
...I'm really glad you trusted me to do it.
[He won't thank her for trusting him in these kinds of circumstances, but...
Someday, he'd like to. It means a lot, coming from someone like her.]
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Her hand lingers on his wrist for just a moment longer before she finally lets him go. It's definitely a little mean but it's a relief to know she's not the only one having to put some effort into keeping her composure right now. ]
I'll try to make sure it doesn't get quite this bad again in future. [ Try obviously being the keyword here. She knows better than to make any promises. ] ... But it's good to know there's someone I can rely on to help me if it does.
[ Yes, she'd had Morimura back in her own era - but just because she'd known Morimura could help didn't make the idea of actually relying on her any less absurd.
Akira's different. Even if she doesn't quite know how to put it into words yet.
... Hm, she really hopes he's keeping his mind to himself right now. ]
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(He isn't. He knows he shouldn't have, but he just wanted it to be true so bad that he couldn't help but check.)]
...W-Well, anyway, I should probably put the bandages away. If you need anything else, let me know.
[Almost as an afterthought, as he's putting everything back in the drawer, that almost petulant tone creeping back into his voice:]
I can help out with way more shit than Morimura could, too, y'know.
[Might as well say this kind of sappy shit while Ryoko's in too much of a state to try to retaliate for reading her mind like that.]
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She's too busy feeling her fingers across her arm, trying to ease a persistent ache, to quite catch that he's been peeking at least. ]
You definitely have an advantage when it comes to bedside manner, at least. [ She says it idly, like she's just kidding – but then she pauses and glances up at him. Wait, that's right isn't it... ] ... your powers... you can do more than just ease pain, can't you?
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[Hold on. It's too late to un-say that, but it didn't quite come out right...]
Uh, that is, I'm not sure what my limit is. So I might not be able to heal the whole thing. But I could probably help it along if you're okay with me trying it.
[The thing he'd be most worried about is broken bones, and accidentally healing them into the wrong position—but Ryoko said her ribs weren't broken, so if that's not a problem, it might be worth a shot.]
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[ She tries to make it a joke, but it comes out sounding a bit too flat – maybe joking about things getting worse isn't all that funny when she's already sat here looking so pathetic. She's able to get her pajama top back on without too much struggle, at least – having to get help with that on top of everything else would be a bit too much of a blow to her pride to properly recover from. ]
But if we're careful, then I imagine it could only help. What are you limits, usually, when it comes to this sort of thing?
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[He points to the scar on his chest.]
'Course, I was younger and my powers weren't as strong, but...
[He finishes putting the bandages away and walks back over to her.]
...Uh, I do have to touch you to do it, though...I can't heal from a distance. That's never changed since I figured out I could do it.
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That's alright. [ Somehow, the idea of him actually putting his hands on her is a little less humiliating than the idea of needing to have him do her bandages for her – maybe because she knows for certain that this isn't something she'd ever be able to do without his help. ] We'll just take it slowly.
[ for akira's sake more than her own, at this point........ ]
Where should we start?
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It's easy to do with Ryoko around.]
...We'll clear up the bruises first. I'm pretty good at those, and it should help with the pain.
[Much as he'd like to tackle that tremendous, awful laceration, he'll work his way up to it. He carefully presses a hand against her ribcage; even with the bandages and now her pajama top, he can remember the awful, vague shape of them, and the entire miserable rainbow of colors her skin had turned as a result. Though the bruising travels further up her chest, he's not going to start there.]
...Do you want me to do all of 'em, or...I can try your arm next instead.
[The least he can do in this situation is ask what she's comfortable with.]
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[ She's holding herself stiff and still, like a patient waiting to be poked and prodded by a doctor – she's stiff but not too uncomfortable, at least. ]
Besides... I don't know easy these will be to heal. [ Not that she doubts Akira's abilities, but something as heavy duty as a Sentinel crash might be a little out of his usual wheelhouse. ] I don't want to to exhaust yourself just trying to heal me.
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[His palm begins to glow with a gentle light, and he closes his eyes to help himself focus. Even with the double layers of her bandages and her pajama top, his hand will feel warm.]
Besides, I help the kids with their bruises all the time. I can at least clear those up.
[The arm is something he's less confident about. He's patched up burns on himself and Matsu from legs or arms in the wrong places on motorcycles, but nothing quite like an electrical burn before.]
You could stand to relax a little, too. I promise it's not gonna hurt.
[It'll just be a pleasantly warm sensation, spreading along her chest, slightly beyond the area of his hand. He moves it a few times just to make sure he's getting every spot on her lower chest.]
Doing okay so far?
[He opens one eye to peek out at her, just in case.]
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It's really working... [ She sounds impressed. And, maybe more surprisingly for Ryoko, there's a hint of something like wonder on her face as well, like a kid shown a particularly dazzling magic trick. ] Every time I think I've seen everything you can do with your powers, you surprise me all over again.
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[There's still a few things he hasn't shown her, but with any luck, he'll never find himself in a position to show her the rest of them to begin with. Not that his powers aren't sick as hell, and he certainly likes being given the chance to show off a little, but most of what he's got left in reserve is usually only trotted out when things are bad enough to need an enormous amount of firepower.]
When I was a kid, I was actually pretty pissed about this one. Because no matter how hard I try, I can't make Kaori any better, so it felt like...what's the use of having this kind of power if I can't use it to fix up my own sister? If developing these powers was some tradeoff for my dad dying, I should've been able to at least help the family I had left...that's what I thought. But...there are people who are just as important to me as she is now that I can help instead, so...I've really come around on it.
[He can be there for Kaori, even if he can't help her with her illness. And he can help Ryoko with her injuries, even if he can't be there for her forever. But being able to help in halfway measures is better than not being able to help at all.]
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[ Judging by her tone, it's a trap Ryoko's fallen into more than once. It makes her feel a little... itchy seeing it mirrored in Akira, though. Maybe it's because she knows how it feels – or maybe because, after seeing Akira do so much for her and all the others, seeing him in particular have that worry sits particularly poorly.
She shifts a little where she's sat. ]
... But... even in just the time I've been here, you've done more than enough for Kaori-chan and everyone else – including me. Even without counting your powers, they're lucky to have you around.
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[He'd heard Taeko and the matron thinking about it occasionally, how much they owed to Matsu for all his efforts to keeping the orphanage afloat, but he hadn't realized the gravity of the situation until after he was gone. The sad truth is there aren't a lot of people willing to put their necks or their wallets out for kids with no families, and even with the circumstances being what they were...
...even if it was only because of what Matsu did to land two kids in the orphanage in the first place...]
...Oh. Sorry, just a sec.
[He can't be having these kinds of melancholy thoughts while he's trying to heal someone—so he reorients his thinking. He's proud of what he's been able to help Ryoko with, even if she's not home yet, and that's what he chooses to focus on.
The warmth of his hands sputters for a second like a heater flickering off momentarily, but eventually resumes.]
I didn't really step up 'til pretty recently. Causing trouble for Taeko was tons of fun, and it ain't like I still don't do it when I can, but I guess everyone's gotta grow up sometime.
[If anything, he's the lucky one to have them around to keep supporting him after all the hell he's raised over the years.]
Shit, if you'd shown up a little earlier, I'd probably be off doin' my own thing instead.
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[ Just some good natured ribbing between friends here, gang.
Though for all her jokes, it is hard to imagine Akira not stepping up when needed. She doesn't know what exactly had clicked in his head to make it happen – maybe it's just like he said, the inevitability of growing up and having to act like an adult even when you're not quite all the way there yet. Ryoko understands, of course.
Still... ]
I'm grateful, though. That I arrived when I did. I would have managed by myself, [ sure thing ryoko ] but having your help has made things easier.
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Well, it probably only would've been matter of time before word got out about some weird girl picking fights with the Crusaders. I'm sure we'd have met one way or another—I'm not the only guy who made it a full-time job to follow those bastards, after all.
[He gently runs his hand up her arm. All wrapped up as it is, he can't see if it's working, but he certainly hopes so.]
...Still, though...I'm glad I was around to help you, too. It's been a lot of fun, hanging out with you.
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It's certainly turned out better than I expected when I first arrived here. You made a pretty strong first impression.
[ Not That She Was Impressed Or Anything. ]
... It has been fun, though. Being here. If I had to end up out of my way, I'm glad it was here.
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