bakerstreet | I'm here to take care of you.

I'm here to take care of you.

CALMING CARETAKER

Who in the world could hate kindness? Sweetness? Conscientiousness? All of us, on some level, like to be pampered and taken care of, from the most churlish to the most pleasant. Yes, even those grouchy grumps, or, of course, the cool-headed psychos -

Okay, maybe not all of us to the same degree.

Regardless of your disposition, somehow, you've gained a doting significant other. It seems like they find their greatest pleasure in taking care of and looking out for you. This may manifest in them simply trying to keep you entertained, happy, and healthy; it could also come in the form of them being a domestic doter, taking care of all your needs. Be it the former or the latter, there's an inherent adorableness that comes with their efforts and generosity, and in return, you have an urge to protect and care for them. They're just too precious for this world! Only, you know, there's a good chance you can a. ignore this, because you're emotionally stunted and full of wo/manpain, or b. repress it because you're a badass and would never.

Unless you've completely disregarded all that because they're just too much and you want to hold them forever.

So, how do you feel about all this? Do you wish they'd stop with this foolishness (not really)? Are you pushing them away? Are you embarrassed? Maybe you're absolutely taken with them! Just realize that you have it incredibly good.

HOW TO PLAY
• Comment with your character, preferences, their role, any info, etc.
• Reply to others.

ROLE
• Usual: This is how they always are. "Caring" is in their nature.
• Unexpected: They don't seem like the type...but with you, they are.
• Terrible at It: They're trying hard, yet it seems like they fail at trying to take care of you. Depending on who you are, though, that may just make them more endearing.
• Because You Like It: They heard you like those who are sweet and kind, so they're trying to change their ways.
• Not Together: Technically, you're not together romantically, but everyone knows the truth.
• The Doted Upon: What it says on the tin!

PROMPTS
• Feeding: Whether they cook for you or have moments where they feed you, literally, they take your nutrition seriously.
• Massage: Let them work out all those kinks.
• Clean You Up: Here, they've drawn a warm bath for you.
• Dress Your Wounds: If you're the kind of person who gets in battles, they'll see that you're all patched up.
• Singing: Or telling stories, or otherwise calming you down.
• Lap Rest: Sometimes, their lap is the best pillow.
• A Shoulder to Cry On: When you have troubles, they're always there to listen.
• The Calming Force: If you have moments of terror from past trauma, they're always willing to put themselves on the line to bring you back to reality, even if it puts them in danger.
• Soft Kisses: Their kisses feel so good, and they're never demanding.
• Head Pat: Sometimes, a simple gesture can mean the most.
• Grooming: They'll fix your hair - or at least play with it - and help you shave.
• Gifts: Homemade or expensive, they like to shower you in presents.
• Lovemaking: The obligatory smut option, where they're a generous lover.
• Protector: They look out for you, and while they don't seem that way, if you're threatened, they get like a bear protecting her cubs.
• Gentle Giant: They make you feel so small and delicate.
• Reverse: For once, you want to dote on and take care of them.
• Unwilling: It's a wonder they still try to care for you, because you're cruel to them and rebuff them at every turn, even if you really don't mean it.
• It's Okay to Cry: They never get upset because they don't want to put that on you. You want to let them know they can let it all out.
• WILDCARD

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( usual caretaker. doesn't know how to take a break. maybe you can help? but he's perfectly fine caring for you, too. )

[ darcy is an excellent caretaker if you're up for it? ]

( definitely! pls grumpy cat just came to have a good time and he feels so attacked rn 😩 )

[ poor grumpy cat. that's def his contact photo in her phone btw. do you prefer brackets or prose? ]

[ Needs... some food... is that care? ]

[ caretaker for everyone, until someone calls her out! ]

( it had been hard for eirenne to get used to being in the school. the various rooms, the building it self almost reminded her of the facility, so did the fact that everyone here had a power. but there were so many people and it frightened her. it frightened her enough that when many of the other students were trying to be friendly she was rude, pushing them away, isolating herself more than her life already had.

she'd kept that distance with the professors too, telling them very little about her life, accepting their rules and classes. and those were the things that she was grateful for, something that helped her figure out this world and who she was. the structure was nice.

but it had been a hard week. she'd cried herself to sleep each night, sleeping poorly in an unfamiliar space, far too aware of the number of people in the building. it had led to that night eirenne being incredibly frustrated, lashing out at something in her room-- except having her power behind the strike had caused it to break and her hand to be cut, several small scratches and cuts with one larger one along the side of her hand.

she'd gone to the kitchen, tears still falling both from the pain and her frustration, glad it was late and the other students would be in their rooms, pushing her hand under the sink to clean her hands. she didn't know what she was going to do from here other than hope it stopped bleeding on its own )

[Ororo was both an early riser and late night owl. It was one of those things she just never shook off - getting by on few hours of sleep as a child, as a teenage runaway. Needing to keep as many active hours as possible to get by,
learning how to operate on as little sleep as possible.]

[It meant she was always around somehow, late at night. Patrolling the halls and common rooms for students past curfew, or faculty who just couldn't sleep. Both needed to be herded to bed carefully - and over the years she had come to acquire a gift for doing so.]

[Tonight was no different, she mused, as she heard the sink in the kitchen before she even entered. but when she came in expecting to see someone washing a mug from tea or hot chocolate, she finds someone running a bloodied hand under the faucet.]

[She's striding forward automatically, clucking her tongue in worry.]

Oh, my dear. What happened?

Let's get this clean - then maybe down to the med lab?

Don't.

( it's snappy, eirenne flinching when ororo gets closer and her eyes close, trying to fight down the sob that's threatening to bubble from her, putting her hand slowly back under the water )

Please don't.

( it's politer, eirenne recognising the care underlying her words, the kind professor that tucked everyone under their wing. honestly, even in the short time that she'd been here, ororo was perhaps her favourite teacher, the gentleness in her, and different tacts when she needed. and the acceptance of the distance that eirenne put around herself.

she was realising that she needed something more for this cut and she couldn't do it herself. but there was such a reluctance to let anyone else near )

[The reaction is woefully familiar. Ororo has spent enough years on the streets, in the field, and in the halls of this very mansion to know that that flinch is more than just a warning about power, about the physical pain from a wound.]

[She draws back, but not far, and keeps her eyes trained on the younger girl. Mind working quickly to catalogue the injury and to recall what she knew of her abilities.]

It's alright, Eirenne. I will not touch you without letting you know beforehand.

[She lifts her hands up, palms open, just to prove a point.] But you must let me help you. We need that treated, and bandaged, before it gets infected.

Will you let me help you to the labs?

( eirenne pauses, stopping the motions of washing her hand, it for the moment just sitting under the water, her hand steadily getting colder under the temperature )

I need stitches, don't I?

( resigned and accepting, already knowing from how the injury looks that it won't just close alone, it's too big, a little too deep and there'd been enough blood lost for it to be obvious. which means she'll need to be touched, more than the quick touch of putting a bandage on.

she turns the tap off, turning around to the professor with her hand delicately held to her, a posture that was very curled into herself )

Can you do it?

( there was nothing wrong with doctor grey doing so but she had a preference in this moment. fewer people )

( Either role. M/m if shippy. )

[Usually the caretaker, but she welcomes being spoiled in return!]

[ either role ]

[ Unexpected caretaker, open to any prompt, platonic or shipping ]

[ any preferences? ]

[ It might be fun to try to navigate some kind of physical touch option (cleaning up, tending to mysterious illness inflicted by the Colds Devil, lap rest, etc) with Angel's skin condition in the mix, but I'm up for any configuration of these two because I'm soft for them. ]

[ that sounds great to me, i can write up a starter unless you have one in mind ]

[ Go for it! I'm excited to be surprised. ]

[ This is why Angel hates work. He tells Aki all the time that he's not going to lift a finger, but he ends up doing it anyway, because- Well, if he doesn't, the results are going to be way worse than expending energy.

All in all, though, he thinks this is pretty bad.

He's already been to the medical unit, and they've told him there's nothing they can do; it's not like he's suffering a grievous injury that a little bit of gifted blood can't fix. His clothes are a mess - blood that's his own, and not - his hair is disheveled, and...

He feels like shit! That's the worst of it. Devils don't suffer human illnesses, but whatever this new Devil does, it affects him just as much as it does humans. What is he supposed to do? Wait it out, they'd said, but Angel would rather die. And then they said it won't kill him, so what's the point? He feels too hot, his head's all fuzzy, his throat hurts... ]

Is this really what it feels like to be sick?

[ Aki was the one who brought him here in the first place, because he's clearly not up to fighting. So, he's just going to go to his room and... what? Suffer? This sucks. ]

[ Aki never gave much thought to whether or not devils could get sick. The only aspects of their physiology he was interested in were the ways they could be killed, and trying to infect them with diseases never occurred to him as a strategy.

Clearly, it wouldn't have worked even if he had thought about it. The only person more irritated than Angel was that he wasn't going to die and finally stop complaining was Aki, who had been tempted to ask the medical staff if there was anything that could be done to expedite the process.

Of course, there is. Aki is a devil hunter. He knows exactly what he could do, and maybe a few months ago he would have really suggested dealing with Angel permanently, since there's no use for a Public Safety devil who can't do their job. But here he is instead, holding the door open, a plastic bag from the pharmacy crinkling in the crook of his elbow. ]

Yes. Stop whining.

[ Fucking Cold Devil, or Flu Devil, or whatever it is. When they find it again, Aki's going to kill it slowly for putting him in this position. ]

This is barely being sick in the first place. Humans get worse diseases than this all the time. You should be counting yourself lucky.

[ Hey, if Aki wants to kill him rather than Angel sitting here and suffering through... you know, existence, then he can. Angel isn't going to fight back, but if Aki hasn't killed him by now, it's probably not going to happen. Instead, Aki is bringing something in a plastic bag, and Angel peers at it with a vague sense of curiosity.

This is what humans do when they're sick, huh? Go on mysterious shopping trips to the pharmacy to pick up whatever it is that will make him feel better. ]

Counting myself lucky?

[ The look Angel gives Aki is very clearly unimpressed, deadpan. He knows humans get worse diseases. Angel couldn't care less about things that make humans suffer. But him? No, this is terrible. ]

If I had something worse than this, I might as well just die.

[ Is it even really that bad? No. He feels miserable, and his head is all fuzzy, but he can still walk and function normally, kind of. Angel's reflexes aren't up to par, which is why he's not being made to fight right now, but he has no doubt if he were up to the task, they wouldn't care how awful he was feeling.

he's not going to stop whining. ]

What's in the bag?