hurt comfort meme

[toastysocks]

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!.

 

 

Comments

[justintemplarlake]

Cullen flinched, slightly, at the hand on his shoulder. Not like he wanted to pull away, but just like he was startled that there was someone there close enough to touch him. He finally took a real breath when Alistair's arms wrapped around his shoulders, a sharp breath in and a long, shaky breath out. His own arms came up to wrap around Alistair, taking the contact to ground himself, as proof that he was safe. He was at Skyhold. Not in Kinloch, not in Kirkwall.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Everything he'd said was still hanging there, where he'd left it in the air. When he finally mastered himself, he pat Alistair's back and pulled back.

"You know, growing up can only fix so much," he said, clearly attempting to tease. Alistair's clowning around had been a breath of fresh air that was much needed when they were recruits. He hadn't appreciated it at the time, but some of the stories still stuck with him now, going on fifteen years later.

He raised a hand to his forehead, wincing at the headache that was rising there.

"I'm sorry, I...shouldn't have unloaded that on you. You meant no harm by it."

[nobroth]

But Alistair shook his head, rubbing Cullen's arm. "Nothing to apologise for. If it came that easily, it needed to be said, and my ears certainly work. And if anyone understands sleepless nights and nightmares, it's a Warden."

He wasn't blind, though. Seeing Cullen rub at his forehead had him slightly frowning, wondering. He wasn't going to pry - not so soon after having been such an arse - but he was going to offer-- "Would you like something for a headache? I know a few tricks."

The longer he was here, though, and the more he looked, the more he noticed that while both of them looked as if sleepless nights were a normal occurrence, there were details to Cullen's expressions, a certain look in his eye, that worried him. Lack of sleep, he'd cope with. But this looked like more.

[justintemplarlake]

Cullen looked up at Alistair. "Really? But, I thought you didn't-" -finish your Templar vows was where he intended to go with that sentence, but he pulled himself up short. The circle of those who knew he was no longer taking lyrium was several orders of magnitude larger than those who knew how hard he was fighting for every inch of traction against the hunger. It would be inappropriate of him to expand that latter in any way.

Even if he had just likely given Alistair the clues he needed to figure it out.

[nobroth]

"I didn't." The sentence made it clear where he was going, and far be it from him to lie. But there was the rest of the answer, which Cullen deserved to hear. "I was recruited to the Wardens, however, because I had Templar abilities. I never took vows to the Chantry, but I took the first draught. Even now, I still..."

It took effort, and he had to grit his teeth to do it, but when he held up his hand, a bit of the familiar Templar white energy threaded over his fingers before it faded away.

"I'm damned rusty, but. The Wardens wanted a Templar, and I wanted out of the Chantry, and I just so happened to be a royal bastard. I was a nice little package for the Wardens to hold over the throne's head."

He paused.

"Until Cailan died, then everything went tits up."

[justintemplarlake]

Seeing the too-familiar energy thread around Alistair's fingers made Cullen's own hands ache, deep down in the bones. The power was still at his fingertips, but using them made the hunger worse.

His eyebrows rose at the revelation that Alistair - clownish, funny Alistair - was a royal bastard. He didn't laugh, but the frankness of Alistair's language did jerk half a snort out of him. That was certainly a sentiment that summed up... Well, that whole year, to be completely honest.

"I'm sorry," he said, no less earnest for how automatically it came out of him. He rested one hand on the ramparts, and glanced out over the mountains. "Neither of us are exactly where we thought we would be fifteen years ago, I suppose. Though that's likely for the best." He, at least, had been a little shit when he was fifteen.

[nobroth]

"I'm still surprised I'm not dead," Alistair agreed.

But then... Then he made a choice. He started unbuckling the upper cuffs of his gloves, pulled them off, and tucked them into his belt. And then he was reaching toward Cullen, drawing him to face him. "C'mere. Let me show you. It's not perfect, but it helped me when my withdrawal was at its worst. Nobody tells the story about how Warden Alistair projectile vomited on the feet of the Archdemon, but trust me: it happened. But I figured this out with Wynne's help. She thought I just had really bad headaches, so she taught me this... thing..."

Once he could, he began placing his fingers at certain places on Cullen's face. Thumb at the bridge of his nose, middle finger at his temple, forefinger at the top of his eyebrow. He arranged both hands like that and applied a light, careful pressure before beginnning to knead. "Little harder to do on yourself, but this is step one."

[justintemplarlake]

Cullen watched as Alistair removed his gloves, curious as to what the other man was going to do next.

"I can imagine the smell wasn't helping with the experience any," he joked back, about Alistair's experience with the Archdemon. He closed his eyes when Alistair reached his hands up to his face, willingly submitting to the warden's offer.

The fingers that came to rest on his face were callused, much like his own, from decades with sword and shield. Warm, and firm. At first the pressure was painful in and of itself, near-blinding with how badly it hurt, but then he realized that it gave him something to focus on other than the throbbing in his head. It eased out the tension, and already he could feel the ache less.

"Mmm," he sighed, a soft, contented sound.

[nobroth]

That...

That was a very nice sound.

Alistair had to stop that thought where it started. Now was not the time. Now was time for making sure Cullen was okay. For helping the pain ease off. For maybe helping someone have a restful night even if he couldn't.

What he couldn't do was help how he smiled, watching Cullen's shoulders slowly settle. Good. Very, very good. "There you go," he murmured. "It works even better when you get something cold and put it at the back of your neck. It always seemed to me that the hotter I was, the worse it felt, but that was probably just me."

[justintemplarlake]

Alistair's voice was quiet and soothing, and the pressure from his fingers was very comforting. Vaguely, he thought he should learn to do this to himself; if it could work half as well, it would be well worth the learning. He felt like the pain was bleeding out of him, like the fingers on his face were spreading warmth through him.

He leaned into the pressure, reached out and put a hand on Alistair's shoulder to brace himself and keep him from leaning completely on the other man.

"Maker, that's..."

[nobroth]

"It's nice, isn't it?" Alistair was smiling, massaging - the thought coming to him that, "It's even easier if we-- Probably not out here, but isn't there a couch or something somewhere? If I could sit behind you, I could reach you easier. There are a few other spots."

There was nothing untoward about his tone, no hint of innuendo or teasing. Just an honest want to help, and more than a small measure of caring. Cullen, after all, was hurting, and Alistair knew how to help. It behooved him to do what he could, especially for a friend.

"Now I halfway wish I'd known earlier. Maybe I'd have come up here instead of having you all chase me down. Right now, I'm just glad you found me instead of the Wardens."

[justintemplarlake]

Cullen still had his eyes closed, breathing deep and relaxing into the steady pressure on his face. They would certainly make an interesting pair if anyone found them like this. But he can hear the smile in Alistair's voice, and it's so natural that he can't help but respond with a little smile of his own.

"I believe you have the Inquisitor to thank for that. And Hawke, if I'm not mistaken," he murmured. Then, finally, with great reluctance, he opened his eyes and pulled back from Alistair's hands lest he fall asleep standing up on the ramparts. "Although, if I had known you would be that eager to join us, I would have suggested we try to find you sooner." It was in jest, of course, but friendly. The hand still on Alistair's arm squeezed his shoulder before falling back.

[nobroth]

"It's been... hard," he admitted, his smile taking on a hint of sadness before he reached over and picked up the still-warm drink, offering it over to Cullen again. "I never thought the Wardens would start hunting me. I... I don't know, I guess I thought there would be more loyalty than that..."

But it had hit him hard, at the one place he thought would always be steady. He'd not been able to count on family or caretakers. The Chantry had secretly been glad to get rid of him, and now, the Wardens. It made him ache, but he supposed it was a pain he was used to. There weren't many places that would bother keeping someone like him. He guessed he'd just found the end of the Wardens' tolerance.

"I suppose it's one of those things you don't find out until you're already there, mm?"