No One Asked Nor Requested This But. I Had To. I Promised A Sickfic And I Had To Deliver Because I Am

no one asked nor requested this but. i had to. i promised a sickfic and i had to deliver because i am finally feeling vaguely ok enough (-｡-;)

please enjoy this little fluffy moment between my boys that are definitely totally just friends and nothing else

whumpee: Simon

caretaker: Archie

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•

The catalyst had been Simon’s shift in the pediatric unit.

Contrary to what most people might think, Simon actually really loved kids. He found working with them to be very entertaining, and they tended to bring out a softer side of Simon.

It’s just that, well, he was assigned to the pediatric unit in January, the height of flu season.

Now, Simon prided himself on being a very healthy man despite some of his unhealthier habits. He may not sleep as often as he should, but he drank lots of water and ate well and got his flu shot every year.

So when he came home from his shift feeling a little more run-down than usual, he chalked it up to skipping a cup of coffee in the morning and moved on.

He made himself a hasty dinner (a leftover bowl of microwave mac ‘n cheese from the night before) and settled into the couch, content to nap the rest of the day away in preparation for his shift tomorrow, when suddenly his phone chimed.

It was a text from Archie.

[Hey Simon! Just checking to make sure we’re still on to go see that movie tonight? I just emailed you your ticket!]

Fuck.

Simon had completely forgotten about his plans with Archie. Plans that had been in place for nearly two weeks now. Plans that took place in thirty minutes. Flaking was out of the question. No, Simon couldn’t do that to Archie, not after he finally agreed to take a day off of patrol to do this with him.

Simon dragged a hand across his face and groaned lowly. He shot Archie a quick reply of confirmation and let his phone slip from his hand.

He could sleep when he was dead. He could power through a few more hours, surely.

He got up and reluctantly made his way to his bathroom to get ready. The reflection in the mirror looked.. off. His hair was mussed and his entire face was paler than he’d seen in a while, save for the red splotches high on his cheeks. The dark circles that were ever-present were somehow even darker and more pronounced. He looked terrible.

Simon blinked dazedly at the mirror before spurring into action. He doused his hair with water and combed out all the tangles. The wet hair on his neck made him shudder. Then, he quickly splashed his face with cold water to eke more color into it and changed out of his scrubs and into his shirt. 

Once he deemed his appearance acceptable, he texted Archie that he was on his way and locked his door behind him.

••••

Simon arrived at the theater feeling even worse than he had before.

It was with great shame that he silently admitted to himself that he may have picked something up from work.

Now, to go along with the exhaustion, was a vicious chill that clamped around his body and had him pulling his knit sweater even tighter around himself. He also had a splitting headache that made it hard to think and he felt vaguely nauseous, but he elected to ignore that particular symptom.

Just a few more hours, Guevara. You can do this.

He straightened and put on a brave face before finding Archie standing outside the theater and walked right up to him.

“Simon! You made it!” Archie chirped, practically bouncing over to him. “God, I’m so excited. I’ve been wanting to see this movie for months!”

Simon smiled, and despite everything, it wasn’t forced. They were going to watch some new murder mystery movie-- not necessarily a movie Simon would have picked out himself, but seeing Archie so riled up made it worth it.

“Well what are we waiting for? Wouldn’t want to miss those trailers, would we?” Simon managed, leading the way for Archie. He walked in front, mostly so he could hide his sickly appearance from Archie until they were in the dimly lit theater.

Soon, they were situated in the fold-up seats with a big bucket of popcorn. Archie was practically vibrating with excitement, and as much as Simon wanted to match the energy, he could feel himself deteriorating.

He was regretting not washing his hands more often with those kids.

His entire body was hurting now. His headache was raging on, even when the lights shut off for the beginning of the movie. His eyelashes felt like they had weights on them.

Simon tried to stay awake, he really did. Archie had been looking forward to this little outing for so long, and the last thing Simon wanted to do was make his illness known and ruin the evening.

He tried various methods-- biting his tongue, digging nails into his palm, adjusting his position every five seconds-- but he found that his efforts were in vain.

Soon enough, his eyes drooped shut and his head lolled forward.

He hoped Archie would be too enthralled in the movie to notice.

••••

The first thing Simon registered when he woke up was someone shaking his shoulder, and the blurry silhouette of credits rolling on the movie screen in front of him.

“Simon? Hey, wake up. Are you okay?” Archie’s voice filtered in.

Simon groaned softly and scrunched his eyebrows together at the disturbance. He felt a hand settle on his forehead, then slide down to his cheek, and finally his neck. He couldn’t help but lean into the cool touch.

“Oh Simon.. You’re burning up,” Archie cooed, smoothing some hair away from Simon’s sweaty brow. “Why didn’t you say anything..?”

Simon’s head slumped forward as he groaned again. He was having trouble focusing on Archie’s voice, let alone what he was saying. He felt so groggy. Usually he could bounce back from a nap with no problem, but presently, every muscle in his body was screaming at him to curl up and go back to sleep.

He whined lowly. Not only did he feel so miserable, but he had knocked out for the entirety of the movie Archie waited months to see. He had to be the worst friend ever. He hoped Archie would forgive him.

“Hey, it's okay! We can rewatch it another day! Lets just get you home, okay? I’m going to carry you,” Archie declared, adjusting himself a bit.

Something about this didn’t compute. Simon knew he was taller than Archie. There was no way he would be able to carry him all the way to the parking structure where he parked. It couldn’t be possible.

“I have super-strength, silly,” Archie whispered with a soft laugh. “Carrying you feels like carrying a carton of milk to me.”

Oh right. Super-strength. Made sense.

Simon didn’t have too much time to dwell on it before his center of gravity suddenly tilted and he was pressed close to a warm body.

Instinctively, he curled up against it. He let his head fall on Archie’s shoulder and draped his arm around his neck. Archie was so warm and he felt so cold. It was heavenly to be so close to him.

“Someone’s clingy,” Archie mused, beginning the gentle walk to the car.

The process of getting to the car went by in a blur, but Simon was eventually settled in the passenger seat, his own sweater draped across his legs and Archie’s pulled up to his chin.

“Get some sleep. I’ll carry you into the apartment when we get there.”

Simon slept.

••••

The next time Simon woke up, he was laying on Archie’s couch with a thick Darth Vader print blanket. Despite this, he was somehow still shivering. 

“Oh, you’re awake!” Archie smiled as he crouched next to Simon and brushed a knuckle over his brow. “Still warm. I wanted to wait until you woke up to give you medicine.”

Simon blinked. Something felt wrong. Archie shouldn’t be the one doing this. This was one of his rare days off where he let himself just be a person. He shouldn’t be stuck looking after a med student who failed to take the proper precautions during his residency.

Simon couldn’t allow it.

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His arms shook as he pushed himself up.

“No. I’m fine.. Archie.. you should be relaxing.. it’s.. your day off,” Simon managed, yanking the blanket off his legs, only to be met with a ferocious shiver that overtook his entire body.

Archie didn’t react. He only calmly guided Simon back to the couch and covered him with the blanket yet again. Simon couldn’t help but be grateful.

By the look on Archie’s face, Simon had a vague idea that in his previous feverish hazes, he had tried to escape as well.

“Respectfully, if anyone needs to relax here, it’s you. You can hardly even stand,” Archie said firmly, running a hand through Simon’s sweaty hair.

Simon shuddered at the touch and melted, letting his eyes fall closed once again to avoid eye contact. Damn it Archie. Stop making this harder than it needs to be.

“Simon.”

Archie’s voice was more intense than Simon had heard it in a long time, and he forced himself to meet his gaze.

“I truly can’t think of a better way to spend my day off. Let me take care of you. Please? You always do it for me,” He half-whispered, the intensity replaced with a quiet plea.

Simon didn’t respond. Instead, he pulled the blanket tighter and leaned into Archie's hand as it combed through his locks. 

Fine. If that was how it was going to be, oh well.

Archie smiled at Simon’s silent acceptance, and leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

“Get some rest. I’m going to go warm up some soup and get you some ibuprofen.”

Simon sleepily watched him disappear into the kitchen, looking nearly as excited as he did at the start of the movie.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•

hiii me again!!

okay here is a thought that has been bouncing around in my head like a tv logo on a black screen

again, feel free to modify if its not accurate/doesnt make sense BUT

so even though morri has their limits when it comes to cold weather, i'd imagine theyre still a bit more resistant to it than your typical human, especially one that was in cryosleep for 5 years

so i propose that he and morri are on a mission in the dead of winter and theyre just pushing forward because, yknow, it has to get done, and morri is so focused on the task at hand that they don't realize that their partner is halfway hypothermic until jj makes it known somehow (i'll leave that up to you)

i love your writing so much im so excited to read anything you write ｡(^▽^)ゞ

okay so because the other one is pure fluff I made this one far more whump and angst. poor morri just gets all the bad shit huh

anyway!!! here u go bug!!!

--

The best part about being fully robotic is the intimate understanding Morrigan gets with everyday machines. The toaster isn't going to work when it's dirty, and Morri finds that reasonable. The microwave doesn't like tinfoil, and that boundary should be respected.

And cars, especially old ones, do not like being cold.

A sentiment Morrigan deeply shares.

"I know," they murmur soothingly to the engine of their pickup. They inch closer to the hood. "You just need to start. It'll be warmer then."

It's a while before they find the problem. Morrigan is no mechanic. All they have is an understanding of how things work; a knowledge of progression from problem to solution. They futz with the engine, snuggling as close to the car as they can to get away from the snow caring their boots and hoot and hair.

Finally, something shifts. "Try it now," they yell over the wind.

JJ turns the key from inside the ratty pickup.

Several, heartbreaking seconds later, he lets go. "No dice," he shouts.

Morrigan sighs. Their breath would be visible in the air, if they could see anything to begin with. Back to trial and error.

They lean over the engine and study it thoroughly. Coolant, oil, power steering, all where they need to be. Everything between is complete and utter jargon. But if they don't fix this, JJ's going to freeze to death.

Cold is the problem. Getting the car started is the solution. There is no other way to keep JJ alive.

Humans are fragile. Morrigan despises it.

"Take a break, Mor, you're bluer than your eyes!"

"Can't," they yell back. "The pickup won't stop us from freezing if it's dead."

"Five minutes!"

They ignore him, focusing instead on a section of pipes, or tubes, maybe cords, from beneath a bigger piece of plastic. Something seems out of place here.

Morrigan closes their eyes for just a second. Just enough to reach for a manual, or any piece of information they might have downloaded in the past.

"--Morri, Mor, hey, there you are, you need to come inside the car right now."

"Jace...?"

It's suddenly much, much harder to see. They can't differentiate between the snow and the light warnings across their vision. Their ears are ringing.

"Yeah, it's me. C'mon."

The balance system shrieks as they're suddenly on their side, lifted from the ground. JJ deposits them unceremoniously inside the cab of the pickup, and climbs in after, slamming the door.

Without the howling of the wind, the ringing in their ears gets far louder.

"Morrigan, you can't do this, you can't work until there's nothing left. You're gonna get yourself killed."

"Can't die," they say matter-of-factly. Not like you. "Just get replaced."

JJ's hands still from where they were trying to rub warmth back into their fingers. He sighs, and squeezes. "I don't care, 'kay? Now focus on warming up. You feel like ice."

They internally click off the cooling system, forcing the inner components to carry their heat a little further through the body. Normally this would be dangerous, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

And if Jace Vela Journey is being serious, it's desperate times indeed.

Something heavy is placed on their shoulders and they flinch, slightly, at the new weight. "Here. You need it more than I do."

JJ looks far colder without his thick wool letterman on, the tank top beneath bare in the black interior.

"Hey, no," Morrigan tries to protest, but their jaw is suddenly clattering too much to get the words out. He's human, he'll die without it, he can't--

"Give me your hands," JJ says.

They can't move. Their joints have locked, clicking like ice. He takes their hands anyway, blowing hot breath on them, massaging it in.

Morrigan tries to tell him he's going to freeze to death. His blood will turn to ice. His skin will go white and dead, his body will shiver uncontrollably and then go horribly still, his eyes will close for the last time.

It's a logical progression from problem to solution.

Morrigan tries again to speak, but all that comes out is a jumble of noise.

"Hey," JJ says soothingly. "The storm will pass. It'll be okay. Just a long night."

They try to shake their head, and it jerks uncontrollably instead, a popping in their joint. Their body is too cold to function.

"Relax." JJ pulls them against him, and rubs a hand across their shoulder. "It'll be alright. I'll warm you up."

That's not what matters, Morrigan would scream. But nothing comes out.

Nothing but a strangled whimper.

It's going to be long, long night indeed.

--

and then the storm passes and they're warm and happy ANYWAY morri is so fun to write. i love their mental pathways. and jj apparently is just incredibly huggable. i think i want to hug him

thank you for the ask bug!!! i hope this is satisfactory?

I LOVE THEM WITH MY HEART AND SOUL GNEINFVISUSFGVNES

I’d like yall to say hello to Team Phoenix, my new Heartless OCs!

These guys were so much fun to design and come up with! I figure I should tell you bout’ them and their powers, though…

This is Apollo Flash. He’s 19, and a Jury Spy. Or, he was a jury spy. Until one night, on a mission to capture the infamous bird-man who was terrorizing a small town. As he and the wizard made their way back to the Jury, his powers suddenly manifested and flared up. He had no idea he was magick, and he feared for his life. Luckily, the bird-man took pity on him, and decided to help him.

His Magick is something I’d like to call Finger-gun Fireworks. Which. Is basically exactly what the title implies. He can shoot fireworks out of his hands!

And this is the infamous bird-man. His name is Fledgeling Blythe, he’s 20 years old, and I don’t have a whole lot in the way of backstory right now, but I do know that his Magick is something that I think is very cool. i call his Magick “Bird Whisperer.” He can fly, has bird features, attracts birds, and can communicate and command birds when he needs to. The crow perched on his hand is one of his best friends, her name is Edwa and she delivers letters for him!

Fledgeling takes pity on Apollo and decides to bring him to the magistratum, where he’ll be safe from other jury soldiers. After they get there and Apollo learns more about his Magick and how to control it, he works as an auger, and goes back to the Jury with the purpose of being an under cover spy. He and Fledgeling use Edwa to send letters back and forth, and I’m thinking maybe Fledgeling eventually becomes a sort of honorary auger (I don’t think he could be an actual auger since his Magick is so obvious sadly)

oh yeah also theyre gay I forgot to mention that.

Whumperless Whump Event Day 2

Car accident/Bystander Caretaker - whumpee Morrigan - 656 words

tw car accident, blood mention, panicking, temporary blindness

--

The odd connections between sound and awareness do not fully make sense to Morrigan.

They're somewhere in the void of stasis, only the barest of code running to keep them functioning. Standstill components are just as dangerous as overheated ones. It's like a manual transmission–they do not function well if they're starting cold.

Beyond that, though, is the quietest filtering of static. Eyes closed means they're not awake yet. But they're… hearing.

Something is wrong.

The first error flashes up into their black vision. It's followed then by several more, and a Critical Injury warning–which is probably the least reassuring thing to wake up to–and a handful of readings on the weather. They swipe it all away and focus on forcing their systems to run.

Static hums in their ears, louder and louder, until it crackles and with a loud pop, they can hear a voice.

“--got you. You're okay. Are you awake? You're moving. Listen, you've been in an accident–”

It's not one they recognize. Smooth, feminine, round in tone and darker, elegant. Likely a woman of status. They still can't see.

Morrigan is damaged. And the only person they can hear is a stranger.

A warning pops up. Stress levels increasing.

Carefully, they push a system check on their larynx, to test if their voice will still work. Luckily it seems undamaged.

“What happened?” they whisper.

The woman's voice is just as close. Behind her are louder sounds, sirens, clamoring voices. Metal screeching. “Someone ran a red light and slammed straight into your car, your friend's a little ways away, I think he's–”

“Jace,” they say immediately. Their eyes still do not open. It's terrifying to be trapped in the dark. “How is he? Is he alright?”

“Yes, he's dazed, I think he's just coming to. Standing, he seems alright. You're right messed up though–”

Oh. They're injured. There's not-blood all over their jacket, surely, and it may be dark, but their skin is still pale and the mixture that keeps them running is definitely not red. This is bad. This is bad.

Instinct kicks in. This is a dangerous situation. They have to make a choice.

They feel the woman's hand reach out and flinch, hard, away. “Don't touch me.”

“Alright, I'm sorry, you're just–I was going to put you in rescue position–”

“Don't. Please don't touch me.” The fear isn't hard to conjure. Whatever it takes to keep the woman far enough away from recognizing what they are.

“You're alright! You're–”

Morrigan drags as much panic up from this situation into their voice, like someone claustrophobic stuck in a coffin. “Please, please, please–”

“I'm not going to, alright, I promise, I'm not gonna touch you. Hey. Tell me your name?”

“Morrigan,” they heave. “Morrigan White.”

“Good. My name is Kim, I'm just here to make sure you're awake before the ambulance gets here–”

“Morri, are you alright?”

Jace. Thank god.

“Scuze me, hey, sorry, thanks for the help, Morrigan, are you up, are you hurt–”

“One at a time, Jace,” they remind him, a half desperate laugh falling from their lips, despite how their eyes remain completely dead. “A simple ‘how's your day been’ does wonders.”

“Smart-ass, you're gonna bleed out on the fucking pavement, don't get sparky with me. Hey. Hey. Look at me.”

They laugh again. It's a hopeless, broken thing. “I can't.”

JJ pauses, for a long while. A siren screams even closer now. “You… can't.”

“I'm blind. I can't see anything. Something broke. I–”

“Don't panic, it's eyes, we can do this, we just need to get out of here. We'll get you fixed up. I promise.”

A promise. Journey doesn't break his word. Morrigan clutches his arm tighter, allowing themselves to be guided upwards. They lean heavily on him.

“It's alright, Morri. It'll be alright.”

His words are soft and certain all at once. So Morri keeps their eyes closed, and is led away from the scene.

--

they're both fine in the end i promise morri gets their eyesight back

HI KIA! ok so. i know you didnt post the ask game but i was just wondering if i could ask one question from it to your darlings... /nf

for both morri and jj, 12) does your oc enjoy a particular gesture of affection? does it calm them?

completely no pressure!! if you dont wanna answer dont worry about it!! i just saw the question and the gears started turning about your sillies....

HIYA BUG!!! no worries I am always glad seeing you in my askbox do not fret. i am happy to answer. enthused, even. /gen

JJ: He finds physical affection a bit stifling or claustrophobic at times, so having Morri around is a good way to mitigate that as they don't seem to register it much. However. There's just something about hands to him. Holding hands, covering their hand with his for comfort, that thing where you both grab each other's wrists--it's just immediately grounding, and it's easy for him to feel comfortable with.

Morrigan: Well, they're not programmed to enjoy things, they're programmed to do things. So they find any contact or gesture entirely neutral, especially when they were first made. But JJ has an endearing habit of asking before doing. "Can I touch your arm?", "Can I check your bandages?", "Can I see your hand for a sec?", all these little moments that treat Morri as something more than a machine. The contact itself doesn't do much. But the constant reassurance that JJ cares to ask first? That makes them feel more human than anything.

thank you for the ask!!!! you are the best bug :D

OK LAST QUICK QUESTION OF THE NIGHT. when i saw the Accidental Sneak Peek, i saw the word terminator and. i must know.

what other robot-related nicknames/puns does jj use for morri. they are TOO silly.

AHA BUG YOU'VE CAUGHT MY FAVORITE DYNAMIC

i'm going to give you the ones I've used so far, and a handful more:

Terminator (only used when they first meet, before JJ stops thinking of them as a weapon)

Tin can (rudely, when they first meet)

Baymax (when they're being an overbearing caretaker)

Tin man (the updated version of tin can, in reference to the Wizard of Oz. with prior gender permission from Morri of course)

Houston (used when JJ is in the field and Morri isn't, reference to Houston, we have a problem. yeah it's not a robot it's still funny to me tho)

Optimus Whine (when they're audibly malfunctioning)

Insists on calling them "Alan" during a mission because of the Turing Test. JJ thinks he is very funny

Fritzy/sparky (when they're injured or glitching)

Heavy metal (sometimes instead sung to the lyrics "heavy metal broke my heart", centuries, fall out boy)

those are all the ones you get the test are SECRET (i have to come up with more lmao) ANYWAY i am so sorry this is late but!!! here you go!!!!