Take Care Meme

[memeconsolidation]

The "Take Care" Meme
a shipping meme

Life is hard. You can go through rough patches and over bumps, and sometimes it feels as though you're definitely worse for the wear, both physically and mentally. It's nice to have someone - someone more than a friend - there for you in those times...even if you don't think you want them or deserve them. But they're here, and they'll take care of you.

How to Play:
* This is a shipping meme for more tender, soft moments, but a little more serious than your usual "fluff." It's for people who've been broken down by their experience and those who wish to heal them.
* Comment with your character/your preferences. You may also want to specify whether your character will be the one "cared for" or the one doing the "caring" + pertinent information, but for most effectiveness, it's best to be open to both.
* Comment around.


Prompts
1. Know You've Been Hurt By Someone Else: There are scars left on their heart from a past relationship or fling, and you have to let them know you're not the same way.
2. Can Tell By the Way You Carry Yourself: The person you have feelings for is one of those "cold stone wall" types who pushes people away. Can you get past that?
3. I've Asked About You: You've only heard bad things about this person, but you don't believe it.
4. What's a Life with No Fun: Lighten up a bit! You'd do anything to bring a smile to their face.
5. Please Don't Be So Ashamed: You have a big, BIG secret you don't want the other person to find out about, because surely they wouldn't want to even be near you if they did.
6. I've Had Mine, You've Had Yours: You've both had problems, and it could help to compare wounds so they can begin to heal.
7. Those Lies Heal: Protecting your loved one is more important that the truth, isn't it? It's a lie, but there are good intentions here.
8. You Can't Sleep: Because of past trauma, you're having a sleepless night. Luckily, this time you have somebody to help you and give you some comfort.
9. You Cry Still: The obligatory "seeing your significant other/love cry over something and wanting to make them stop at any cost" option.
10. All Get a Little Taste: Your loved one is sick or injured - literally this time - and you're looking out for them and trying to get them better.
11. You Just Don't Know: Either through magic, torture, or blunt trauma to the head, your special person can't remember you! It's up to you to get them to remember what was between you two by showing all the ways you cared for each other.
12. I Give Her Space: Part of being a careful lover is knowing when you need to leave them alone.
13. Tryna Run from That: Uh-oh, you don't want to fall in love, because you've been there, done that! Maybe there's still time to escape from this...or maybe it's too late.
14. I Will Care for You: After a particularly rough day, you're need a little TLC. Your loved one is going to do everything for you - a bath, food, the works.
15. All the Baggage Just Ain't as Heavy: You know it will take a while for this person to mend psychologically and spiritually, and you're willing to wait.
16. Change the Pace: And the smut option. Show you care through sex.
17. We'll Just Go Slow: You're going to take things one step at a time. No need to rush and define things. Just enjoy each other's company and the healing it brings.
18. We All Have Our Nights: Your lover, because of their past experience, is having a complete breakdown. You have to bring them back from the edge.
19. You Don't Say You Love Me: You both know how you feel, but one of you is having problems saying the four letter word. That's okay, though. Your lover understands.
20. To Save You: After months or years, you've both worked on the problems and old scars and you might just be ready to start something resembling a normal love.
21. CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE

Comments

[investigador]

Karen had begun closing herself off from the people she knew, and cared for because she felt like a monster. It would be easier to push everyone off than to have them look at her in that way.

Peter was somewhat new in her life, apparently he is from space, and was visiting Earth, though he called it Terra, for a short while when she met him. It had been at a club, a place that she started going to so she could avoid Matt, and Foggy, and to keep them from constantly checking up on her. It was true that she needed it, but she thought it was easier to push them far away to save everyone's feelings should her secret come out.

Peter was kind, but he tended to be glib with a lot of things, and Karen didn't know how to deal with that, it wasn't inherently bad though. She was still unsure how to feel about Peter, because she didn't want him to be someone else that she would disappoint when her truth came out. But, truth be told, Karen really liked him, she liked how he made her feel, and she certainly needed something good in her life. Being almost killed twice, and then having to kill to save yourself? It began to lead Karen down a definite road of self loathing.

On one hand she hoped that Peter would continue to be that good thing, on the other she thought she should push him away to save them both from crushing disappointment, and pain. How would it work out, well that was anyone's guess, really.

"Peter, I don't think we should see each other anymore," she says softly, limply. "I don't want to hurt you," she offers.

[OOC I hope this works, if you need me to change anything, just let me know?]

[nostalgiabomb]

Peter's first foray back to Earth had been a short one -- just a quick stop at a club in New York, just to get a feel for how much the place had changed. (Which, apparently, had been a whole fucking lot.) He was still having trouble reacquainting himself with the changes in technology, with how different even the music was, when he met Karen. The other women at the club didn't seem too interested in speaking -- in fact, they seemed to be more interested in him for other reasons. Normally he wouldn't object to that type of attention, but his trip back to Earth had been for reconnaissance, in a way. Information gathering. He needed to arm himself with as much information as he could before he'd feel ready enough to tackle his eventual trip to Missouri.

(Though to tell the truth, Peter wasn't sure just how much information he was looking for; he may never be ready to search for his family back home in Missouri.)

And then he met Karen, and she indulged his questions on pop culture and current events and Just what the heck is an iPod?, and eventually he admitted to her that he was as good as a martian, having spent almost thirty years of his life traveling the galaxy. She didn't take it nearly as poorly as he thought she would -- which was how he found out about how super heroes were totally a thing and about the Chitauri invasion of New York. Apparently his little Terra had been busy since he'd been gone.

His trips to the little club become a little more frequent, going from once a week to every few days, to nightly. He enjoys her company and her patience with him, and even more, he loves the fact that finally -- finally -- someone understands his references. It's obvious that she has something heavy weighing her down, but it's typically not in Peter's nature to pry too deeply into people's pasts. There are things there better left forgotten, after all. He tries to help in his own way, cracking jokes and making light of practically everything; he's not sure how much it helps, but that she's still talking to him is probably a good sign.

So when she says that, it surprises him enough to freeze, his drink halfway lifted to his lips. He sets it down slowly, carefully, and more than a few thoughts run through his head, chief among which is that he fucked up, somehow, or cracked just one too many jokes. He turns to her slowly, and his laugh is quiet, confused.

"What do you mean, 'hurt me'? Not plannin' on trying to take a swing at this pretty face of mine, are you?"

[investigador]

Hell yes, Earth has been a busy, busy place since Peter had been gone. It had caused so much turmoil, and allowed people like Fisk to destroy lives because they had money, influence, and could easily turn some minor, or even major, renovations into a big cash cow. Make Hell's Kitchen a better place, and all that.

Wilson Fisk ruined her life, and countless others as well. Hell, he was still ruining her life, and he would definitely end her life should he ever find out what she had been up too. All these things were good enough reason to not drag this great guy into hell with her.

Karen raises her eyes to look to him directly, her eyes are a bit glassy. Why the fuck did she have to like this guy this much? Why, please? She sighs, feeling her shoulders drop a bit, "no, I don't plan to take a swing at you. I wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face, trust me," she says almost too softly. She hopes he heard her? Then she was pushing to stand, grabbing her gear, but before she left she reached out to touch his arm. Moving onto her tiptoes to place a tender, sweet kiss to his cheek. "I don't want to hurt you, please understand," pleading softly.

[nostalgiabomb]

It's clear enough to Peter that she's doing this with a great deal of reluctance, which at least means he hasn't offended her in some way. But still, things aren't adding up, and with how upset she appears, he's not liking this situation in the least.

His expression sobers instantly, and when she touches his arm, he places his free hand over hers. He doesn't hold her in place, exactly -- he's not dick enough to make her stay if she really doesn't want to -- but the pressure he uses is firm.

"Tell me what's going on, Page."

[investigador]

Peter grabs her hand like that, and she freezes, turning to really look him in the eye. That was a big issue, because those eyes! He had that lost puppy/starry-eyed dreamer thing going on. Yeah, his eyes were amazing, and it was making this 100 times harder than she wanted it to be.

Those few words, he wants to know, he deserves to know too, but she was hoping to kind of be a dick about this if she could. Well, here she was, this was her opportunity to be that dick, and she just couldn't do it.

"Peter, I should have nipped this in the bud when it first began. Now, now I really like you, okay, I do! I just, there are things in my life, and you should not be privy to them...okay? No one should, it is just better for both of us if I end it," she lifted her free hand to press over the top of his hand. Karen was intent on pulling away from him, but just looking up into those eyes, and she couldn't do it. So, now she stood there, holding his hand, and his gaze, but she couldn't see it through, and just walk out the door.

[nostalgiabomb]

He pulls his hand away, turning to face her fully in his seat. His arms cross over his chest, and when he catches her eye, there's concern written all over his face.

"Can you at least tell me if you're in trouble or something?" Because she's right -- they haven't known each other long enough for him to delve into her past; even if they were, he would wait until she offered the information freely on her own. All he knows is that she must have some really serious skeletons in her closet if she's acting this way.

"Believe it or not, I might actually be able to help."

[investigador]

"Can you at least tell me if you're in trouble or something?"Those magic words, and her eyes got a few sizes too big all of a sudden. Karen tried to look down, to hide what had just happened, but by now he knew. He knew, and now he was going to get involved in something too dangerous.

"Do you think I would be doing this just because?" she asked frankly. An admission without saying the actual words. "But, I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me, you especially! I don't see how you can help, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you," she turned to leave before she started to cry right there. Not really even paying attention to where she was going, so she stopped after a couple of steps. This was turning out to be something that she had hoped would never happen.

spoilers are fine!

[nostalgiabomb]

That reaction wasn't entirely unexpected, so when her eyes bug out, when she turns away, he thinks, Well, shit.

She walks away a few paces, and Peter gives her a couple of moments to collect herself; she seemed on the verge of tears, and he's not sure if she's the type who hates people seeing her cry. As far as Peter's -- admittedly skewed -- experience went, crying wasn't really a thing. He feels entirely out of his depth.

At length, though, he pushes out of his seat, and slowly approaches her, making as scuffing noise with his boots so as not to surprise her. Carefully, he places a hand on her shoulder -- light enough that she'd have no trouble pulling away, but not so light to make the touch seem hesitant or reluctant.

"How 'bout you let me decide what I do and don't get involved with, huh?" His voice is still gentle but firm. Insistent. "C'mon. Sit back down, and we can talk this over, okay?"

[investigador]

Oh god, she is ruining everything, and it had been the last thing in this world that she had wanted to do. Karen finds herself frozen around a cluster of people, who are drinking, and having a grand ole time. Feeling the tears slide down her cheek, she wipes them away, and that is when she heard the distinct sound of someone approaching. Straightening just as he put his hand on her shoulder, secretly very grateful that he's come after her, but still upset that she is dragging him into this whole thing.

Karen turns to look up into his eyes, tears staining her cheeks. He offers to listen, and all of her resolve crumbles on the spot. Without even thinking, she pushes up to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him for a few moments.

True, she never wanted to bring anyone else into this, and with good reason too. She will, most likely, get killed by Fisk at some point, but having others know? Yeah, she is inviting that same fate, but he is a big boy, and can make his own decision, right. Right? Though, he might not even stay on Terra long enough for this to be an issue. That is what she secretly hopes for, because she doesn't want anymore blood on her hands.

"Okay, I'll tell you," she replied near his ear. Moving, slowly, back to standing so that they could walk back to their table.

[nostalgiabomb]

When she turns and he sees her crying, he feels a twinge of guilt. Maybe he shouldn't have pressed her, after all? Maybe he should have left well enough alone-- But when she wraps her arms around his neck, he tenses -- old Ravager instincts at work, honestly -- before slowly relaxing, snaking his arms around her (a tad awkwardly), to rub soothing circles on her back.

Once she pulls away, agrees to at least talk this out, he feels a quick wave of relief. He nods, then pulls her back to the table, helping her into her seat before reclaiming his own.

For a second, he's quiet, observing her quietly but with clear concern on his face. Then, he finally ventures, "Take your time, if you have to. Start from the beginning."

[investigador]

Feeling that awkward tension in him when she hugs him makes her pause for a moment, but then he is wrapping his arms around her too. Karen lets out a slow breath of relief, and kisses him on the cheek pretty quickly before she is moving back to standing.

Letting him lead her back to the table once their awkward hug is done, Karen slides onto her seat, grabbing the remains of her drink so she down it quickly. A small part of her secretly wants to reach across the table to take his drink from him, just so she can down that one too.

As she puts her glass down, she notes the way he is contemplating her, he is so quiet, but there is such concern on his features. Frankly, it melts her heart a bit, and she just marvels at him a second. Start from the beginning, sheesh... this was going to take a bit.

"Okay, well, I used to be a secretary for this large construction company called Union Allied Construction that was handling construction after the 'incident', what I didn't know was that it was a front for a very big, very evil crime syndicate. I accidentally opened a file that held a ton of information that should have been about the pension files. Well, instead, it was a list of various people, router numbers, and large sums of money that kept getting moved around," she takes in a shaky breath, and collects herself to keep going. "I kept a copy of the file, but not before inquiring about it around the company. Doing so got me framed for murder, they drugged me, and then killed the man I had asked for drinks, making it look like I had done it," she stops to let him take in what she has said so far, that way he can ask any questions he may have as well.

In the meantime, she flags over a waitress to order a bottle of scotch, and a shot glass. If she was going to tell this story, she needed to be more intoxicated.