Hi Bug!

hi bug!

for your boys, just a thought: a moment where archie has to patch simon up. role reversal. like if simon tried to protect his boy and got himself hurt, and now he has to talk archie through patching him up.....

your boys are so lovely. i can't wait to see them get whumped to bits in the event!!!

- @whump-kia

kia this was genuinely such a blast to write that it ended up a tad longer than i originally planned for, thank you SO much for the prompt (˃ᆺ˂) i hope u like it as much as i loved writing it because these boys are SILLY.

to anyone else: see this post for character info!

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There was a rumor circulating that there was an “inconspicuous medical student” spotted “aiding the activities of a notorious vigilante” in the city, and it was safe to say the crime lords and such were not happy about it.

The rumors were true, of course, but it didn’t make them any easier to deal with.

And Simon was currently dealing with them.

He should have known his extremely selfless and abundantly kind nature towards Archie would come back to bite him in the ass.

He’d be sure to rub it in Archie’s face when he saw him again.

“You’re the kid that’s been helping that little punk, aren’t you?” The man spat in Simon’s face as he shoved him up against the wall.

Judging by the way he was dressed and the way he smelled, Simon had half a mind to assume he was a goon from the drug ring Archie had been after for some time now.

Fortunately, the guy clearly wasn’t the brightest. No experienced lackey would start heckling a target in the middle of an open alley way without checking if anyone was around first.

Unfortunately, the guy was quite a bit stronger than Simon and there really wasn’t anyone around after all.

Just my luck.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Simon spewed back, struggling against the man’s grasp.

The man’s hand tightened around Simon’s neck and the gravity of the situation began to sink in.

He was alone in this alley. Sure, he had used the emergency button on his watch that sent signal to Archie as soon as he recognized he was in danger, but it had been a good amount of time and Archie was.. nowhere to be found.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” The man shouted, sending a knee slamming into Simon’s gut. “You’re going to tell me everything you know!” Another knee to his middle sent him stumbling back and doubling over.

“I don’t.. don’t know anything..” Simon sputtered, coughing harshly and tasting metal.

Simon knew he was in hot water. He had no combat training, so self defense skills, and despite being decently fit, he was no where near the league of a guy who beat people up for a living. He needed to get out of there as fast as possible.

Alright Simon, c'mon. Focus. You can handle this. Just think.

Before Simon could form another coherent thought, a fist connected with his face that sent him reeling. Blood began leaking from his nose all down his mouth, and he choked on the taste. Before he could recover, his whole body was rammed against the brick wall and his arm was pulled awkwardly behind him. 

The punch had left him dazed, so dazed that he didn’t recognize the sound of two other guys approaching the scene.

“For god’s sake, don’t kill the kid! Rough him up, get some information, but don’t kill him. We'll have more use for him later,” A deeper voice chided.

Simon heard vague mutters of obedience before he felt his arm being strained again.

“Alright kid, since I’m feeling so nice, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Answer the question and you’ll be on your way,” The man sneered. Simon could hear muffled snickers behind him, but couldn’t quite get the angle to look. “What is the little punk’s real name.”

He knew he should be sizing up the scene and determining the best course of action, but goddamn his arm hurt. He could feel every tendon being strained at the orientation the man had it at.

Still, no matter what, he wasn’t going to sell out Archie. Archie would come. He always did.

“N-No idea,” Simon spat, stomping on the man’s toe in an attempt to buck out of the hold.

Unfortunately, the man was still significantly stronger than Simon, so his attempt at retaliation only served in angering him further.

“You little—“ The man growled, before twisting Simon's arm and yanking it fully out of its socket.

Simon let out a stuttering wail as the pain temporarily blinded him. Suddenly, his head was being slammed against the wall again and he couldn’t figure out what was hurting more now: his head, his arm, or his stomach.

He was almost sure he was done for, until he heard a familiar shout and the sound of a fist connecting with a face.

Took him long enough.

Simon let himself slide down the wall once the man was pulled off of him, cradling his aching shoulder as he watched. Through hazy vision, he saw Archie made quick work of the lackeys. It was a flurry of hollers and yelps and limbs flying, but eventually, Archie emerged unscathed and rushed right over to Simon.

“I’m so sorry I was late! I was working, and I didn’t see the alert and— oh god, your arm!” He blurted, hands awkwardly hovering over Simon, a complete contrast to the ruthless machine he had been not a few seconds earlier.

Simon wanted to be mad, he really did. The emergency alert was there for a reason, after all. But how could he stay angry when Archie was looking at him with such sincere concern and regret. Simon sighed.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.. it’s dislocated, but I’m pretty sure it’s not broken so we won’t need to go to the hospital,” Simon explained.

Archie gave a small huff of relief.

“You do, however, need to help me pop it back into place.”

Archie blanched.

“Pop it back into place?! Isn’t that dangerous?! I don’t know what I’m doing!” He babbled.

“Relax, I’ll walk you through it. It’s not that hard. You just have to kinda.. push it until it feels right. I’ll let you know,” Simon replied, absurdly calm for the situation at hand.

“..Ok..” 

Simon carefully instructed Archie on where to place his hands and where to push in, and after a bit more coaxing, they were ready.

“Alright. Don’t give me a countdown. You have to just do it, or else I might tense up involuntarily and that could— URGH!”

A sickening snap reverberated from Simon’s offending limb.

“Sorry! I’m sorry! You said not to give you a countdown!” Archie mewled, pulling his hands away as if he’d just been burned.

“It’s fine.. it’s.. I’m good.. you did good,” Simon placated, squeezing his eyes shut at the lingering pain.

“Okay.. okay, that’s done. We should get you back to your apartment and patched up.. that black eye looks.. pretty rough..”

“Don’t I know it..”

Archie tenderly helped Simon to his feet, and supported the taller’s man weight with ease.

“Thanks for not, uh, selling me out by the way..” Archie murmured, as they began their arduous journey back to Simon’s home.

“Well, what type of ‘inconspicuous medical student’ would I be if I just went around telling everyone how I ‘aid the activities of a notorious vigilante’?” 

“...You’re an idiot.”

Simon grinned. Yep. All worth it.

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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!!!!

okay i have a proposition.

i have this idea that i can't get out of my head but i have a feeling it might not be in character/plausible so feel free to change it or message me if it is But

is there any scenario where a glitch to morri's personality systems would like. make them act completely out of character but not necessarily in a distressed way?? like they either become super happy and affectionate or like sad and weepy or even just act vaguely drunk/silly? i know its kind of a weird ask and its not really whumpy but i just think it would be so silly to see that side of them and jj's reaction to it ( ๑˘ω˘ )

feel free to make it whumpy if you can too! i'd be very interested to see that, but either way i have another whumpy ask ill send in a bit!

bug. bug your MIND. okay this one is short but incredibly sweet. and it is not beta'd because I was so excited to write it and I love it a lot so thank you for the ask bug I dedicate this one to you!!!

--

"What on earth are you doing."

"Hugging you." That's all Morrigan says in response. Their arms are wrapped around JJ's shoulders from behind the couch, snug and warm, and their hair is infuriatingly tickling his left ear where their chin rests. "Do you want me to stop?"

JJ lets out a short breath. He is very, very confused. "...Uh, no, you don't have to stop, just. Since when did you get cuddly?"

"Am I being cuddly?" Their head tilts, nudging his ear. "I'm just hugging you."

"Yeah, I noticed that. Is there any particular reason?"

Morrigan stops to think. It's strange, hearing the soft hum of their breath behind him, as close as they are. Morri isn't touchy, and he doesn't mind respecting their space, so whatever the fuck this is, it's nothing short of seriously freaky.

"You seem... stressed." Morrigan releases him, and maneuvers to sit next to him. The couch dips, and they fold their hands. "I want to help."

"Stressed? I mean, maybe. I just got the new assignment, so I'm a little tense, but..."

Morrigan leans their head on his shoulder.

He stops in his tracks. "Morri?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you... okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you? Your shoulder is very tense."

JJ barely scoffs. "Yeah. You're laying on it. Forgive me if that's a bit surprising."

"It's supposed to make you relax," they say, frowning and sitting up. "Could I hold your hand instead?"

"Uh--?"

"Or maybe..."

Morrigan then lays fully down and rests their head in his lap, all while JJ holds both hands up in complete and utter bewilderment. What on earth is happening?

"Woah, Morri. Hey. Snap out of it. Who are you, and what have you done to my robot?"

"Not your robot," Morrigan corrects neutrally, "and I'm trying to help you. Physical contact is supposed to help stress levels. Your heart rate is increasing, though, am I doing it wrong?"

"Okay, Baymax." JJ gently pushes them upright, and holds them by the shoulders. "Do me a favor and run a system diagnostic."

"Copy."

Their eyes blink rapidly. The left one shutters into a solid yellow, the color oddly cold for its shade. Morrigan goes motionless for several seconds.

Eventually, they jolt. "Oh."

"Oh?"

One eye blinks as they readjust. "Small bug. I... am overreacting."

JJ tilts his head, confused. See, normally, an 'overreaction' ends in several hours of dissociation or trying to coax down his friend from committing murder. This doesn't seem like an overreaction. It's strange, but nothing close to what he's used to. "To what?"

"You."

"Excuse me?"

Morrigan takes a breath, flinching back. "Sorry. I'm sorting it. You're registering as a target."

JJ tries to relax. "That is a lot more threatening than the hug you gave me."

"No, I was trying to--" They frown, frustrated. "You're stressed. I'm reading it as a threat. I tried to calm you down. Make you less of a threat. Best option was to hug you."

"Oh." He nods, and breathes out, doing everything he can to make himself look harmless. "Makes sense. Are you still reading me as a threat?"

Their eyes glaze over, the way they do when they're looking at something only they can see. "Yes."

"Want to fix that?"

Morrigan's eyes focus immediately. "What?"

JJ opens his arms in an invite. He wiggles his eyebrows. "Sort out the bug with some cuddles, Morri, c'mon! I give great hugs."

"You are..." Their gaze is captured by something, for just a moment. They sigh, heavily, and lean in for the hug. "...an absolute moron," they mutter into his shirt.

"Hey. Is it helping?"

Morrigan settles against their chest, curled up adorably. Their eyelids flutter shut, no doubt working through whatever line of code snapped in their systems. It'll take a while to fix it all. "I suppose."

"Then I'm a genius."

"Shush."

"Sort it out, cuddle bug."

"Never call me that again."

(JJ wouldn't mention it to anyone. But Morrigan enters stasis there, in his arms. And even if the couch is less than comfortable, and he has a mission early in the morning on the other side of town, he doesn't move an inch.)

(Because Morrigan, despite everything, is very very warm. And JJ wouldn't let go for the world.)

--

this is tooth-rotting fluff and I Don't Care it was SO FUN TO WRITE so I hope this fulfills your ask!!! thank you bug!!!!

oh heck I love her so much

I don't know if you've talked about this yet, but what is the significance of JJ's strawberry earrings?

great question!!! they're a gift from his sister, the youngest in the family, to remind him of her while he's gone. i wrote a teensy drabble on this because I adore them.

--

JJ finds her under the Kingtree.

It's not hard to know when something's wrong with her. She deflates like an overmixed macaroon, curls into herself, and then runs to watch the sky move above her head, to remind her the world still turns. So he's patient, and lets her breathe, before taking a seat beside her.

"Hey."

Sera doesn't look right away. She's not crying. Just watching the clouds cover the stars. "Hi."

"Everything okay?"

A soft grin. "Remember when you fell out of this tree?"

He's still got the click in his knee to prove it. "I thought we moved on from that?"

"And Ma said we can't play King of the Hill with it anymore?"

"So Holden called it the Kingtree to make fun of me, yeah, I know, it's not my finest moment." He's grinning though, especially at the light in her eyes.

It dies slowly, and she finally looks at him. "You remember when your friends built us a swing on the old barn for me, because I wanted one?"

"Yeah, Berry, I do," he reassures. "What's this about?"

"And when you taught me how to make lasagna, but misread the sauce jars and accidently learned that pizza sauce makes a great addition to pasta?"

"It's a staple. I meant to do it, surely."

"When you put me on your shoulders to run through the fields? When we danced in the street, you twirled me so I could see my skirt spin? When Holden and Luke and I surprised you with a car on your birthday?"

He takes her hand, threads her fingers through his. "Yeah. I remember."

"Good." She stares him down. All fight, all fire, all the sweet and spice of cinnamon cookies. "Cause you better not forget about us."

"Of course not--"

"You're moving," Sera says matter-of-factly. "When Luke had a kid, he lost contact for months. Holden still won't text me back. You can't forget about me."

"Berry, I won't," he promises, tucking her into his shoulder. "And if I do, home will remind me."

"Here."

Sera opens his palm, and presses something into it. She closes his fingers around it, keeping it hidden even in the barest hint of the sunrise.

"What's this?" JJ asks.

"A gift. So you know home is waiting for you. We all are."

"You didn't have to give me a gift, Ser--"

"I wanted to," she says firmly. "Because you're my brother. And you're the best of us. So you're going to do great things, and then you'll call me and tell me what happened. Okay?"

She's fierce. Her voice is threaded with a strength built on love, on the stable, steady growth of her family around her. On how the sun rises on the farm, and everything turns yellow, turns gold.

"Okay," JJ whispers, and it's hard to say more.

"I love you, Jace."

She throws her arms around him. He buries his face in her shoulder and breathes the cinnamon.

Around them, the sun rises, and the grass turns to gold beneath their feet. And when he opens his fist, he finds a pair of earrings--red like her hair, gold like the sun. A pair of little strawberries.

It's the first time he cries before leaving.

--

sorry she is very important to both me and JJ so I hope this is satisfactory!!! i really wanted to write a little bit of his siblings. you get names for them now too!!!

new ocs!!!

hi gang!!!!!!!!!!!! i've been hinting at more characters for a bit and HERE THEY ARE!!! i might try to use the whumperless event to intro them a bit more, but if anyone has any drabble requests until then feel free to send em in! and if you have any clarifying questions, PLEASE ask them!!!

as you can tell, i love westerns. i love cowboys. i NEEDED a cowboy/wild west setting to whump in so i made these guys (yes i am aware their color palletes are just simon and archie in a different font. i am a one trick pony.)

sidenote: rdr2 fans, you're gonna love this (these two are practically rdr2 ocs) (′ꈍᴗꈍ‵)

onto the boys (men?? we'll go with men.) this post is embarassingly long. strap in guys.

picrew here (though i couldn't find one that captured their looks the way i envisioned.... sigh i need to start drawing again. anyways, i included some outfits to go along with them!

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eugene (gene) delaney

age: 28

height: 6'2

occupation: deputy sherriff (his town is called Whiteridge)

description: gene is. well, for lack of better words, he has a stick up his ass. that is to say that he is very particular about things, namely the safety of his town and the activities that go down in it. he cares very much about keeping the streets safe from gangs and criminals because his mother was killed by a gang when he was just a child and he knows the dangers of having bad people run around unrestrained. also, the sherriff he works under is crooked and useless, so gene is left with a lot of responsibility in terms of managing Whiteridge. he's strong-willed and intelligent, but very morally conflicted about many things. he wants whats best for his people, but is controlling everything with an iron grip really the best way to go about it?

here is his outfit that you'll usually see him in!

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cassidy "silver" mccoy

age: 27

height: 6'0

occupation: outlaw/one of "montana's boys"

description: cassidy gets his nickname "silver" from his silver tongue. he's been known to talk his way out of death more times than he can count. he runs with a gang lead by a man named welles montana, and he is one of montana's most respected men. he was taken in by montana when he was very young, and believes he owes him his life. he trusts him blindly and is convinced evetything he does is for a good cause, even if sometimes it's questionable. he greatly enjoys his job and loves seeing the fruits of his labor in the form of hungry kids getting to eat for the first time in weeks, or single mothers able to afford a new dress. he did not grow up wealthy, so what he does is very personal. despite wanting to appear smooth and charismatic, he is a deeply feeling person that sort of lets his emotions rule him.

here is his typical outfit!

a bit about montana's gang: they lead robin hood-esque type heists where they exclusively take from the wealthy to give to the poor, but their methods are often violent and destructive. also, montana himself is not a very good man but cassidy doesn't necessarily know that. montana is sort of leading a double life where he spends part of his time with his gang and the other part with the wealthy assholes they're trying to take down. none of his gang know he is getting the best of both worlds and betraying them all. he's very manipulative and acts as a whumper in this story. cassidy is at his beck and call, and follows orders often without question.

also, there is a rival gang lead by a man named o'malley. they are your typical old western gang with no strict morals, sort of just trying to get the most money they can. members of o'malley's gang act mostly as whumpers as they are much more harmful and destructive than montana's boys, and have it out for cassidy specifically.

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their relationship/more background info:

cassidy and gene have a bit of a cat and mouse thing going on. cassidy often pulls heists with his boys in plain sight and since gene is the deputy, he's the one sent to bring him into custody. the two spend quite a bit of time together because of it. (cassidy is an escape artist. he is never locked up for more than a few days. gene hates this.) to gene, cassidy is infuriating. he believes you can't fight fire with fire and that cassidy is just causing more problems with his violent approach to "helping others"

cassidy on the other hand, loves to tease and provoke gene. when they first meet, it's while cassidy is locked up in a jail cell. he clocks how "stuck up" gene is, and sees it as a challege to try and piss of gene as much as he can and get away with it. he knows and he and gene actually have very similar goals: protect the people that can't protect themselves, but gene's approach feels too slow and ineffective to cassidy. still, he respects his dedication and never actively wants to cause him harm. regardless, cassidy's loyalty to montana is stronger than any respect he has for gene (AT FIRST), so the two have an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers type thing going on

as for a silly detail, even though the two men are less than fond of eachother, their horses are infatuated with eachother. they seriously have the biggest crushes on eachother, and make it known that they are upset when they have to be seperated.

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BONUS here are their respective horses:

this is calliope, gene's mare. she is sweet as sweet can be, very gentle and extremely, totally spoiled by gene.

this is scotch, cassidy's gelding. he is opinionated and stubborn and only answers to cassidy (and even then, it's only about half the time)

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thank you so much for listening to be ramble! i plan to have at least one fic of these guys during the event, maybe more, but i'm honestly so excited for them. i've been wanting to make ocs like them for a LONG time and here they finally are!! i hope you all enjoy!

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ok THIS IS MY LAST REQUEST OF THE NIGHT so please take your time if you can’t do it rn but i’ve genuinely LOVED seeing your prompt fills this is so so so fun and im so happy

okay this time it’s jj’s turn to be whumped because he has had it far too good for far too long (for 2 fics)

a scenario that immediately comes to mind is jj with a NASTY fever. i’m talking an utterly debilitating fever that he has to push past for some reason, and morri only notices/realizes when they find him asleep at his desk/wherever makes sense, looking absolutely exhausted and practically delirious because his body just… couldn’t keep up anymore

preferably fluffy if you’re in the mood, but it it takes angst to get to that fluffy ending it’s a sacrifice i’m willing to make

my deepest apologies bug it turned out more angst than fluff. however. you are totally right and JJ needed the worst fever known to man.

here you go!!!

--

The worst part about it all, is that he's alone.

Journey is a team player, usually. Especially before he was iced. JJ was a confident leader, a warm director, he knew people's strengths and how to protect them. He always had someone to fall back on. But the Cages were stretched thin, and they needed information, desperately.

Breaks aren't common when you're the Hero of the City. So Journey persists, and JJ shivers uncontrollably in his jacket.

He walks as quick as his legs will let him through the halls, pleading the forces that be to keep everyone else away from him--he wouldn't be any good at acting like he's meant to be here.

Morrigan would be better at this. Morrigan would be unbothered by the heat trapped between his jacket and skin, and how it does nothing to soothe the wracking shivers down his spine. Morrigan would be in and out, no problem, like they've done a thousand times before.

But Morrigan had a different mission. So JJ is alone.

Terribly, horribly, alone.

His breath hitches. God, he wishes he was at home right now. But he takes a left, scurried down a hall, and meets the first door.

He pulls up a stolen keycard from the guard he knocked out on the way in, and it buzzes. He pushes through into a connecting room, with plain white chairs like waiting rooms.

JJ moves onward and to the right, and pulls out a burner phone. The next door opens when he presses the fake code of an eye into its lense--something Morrigan cooked up on their own--and he swings it open, pulling the jacket tighter around him and shaking his head against the sudden onslaught of dizziness.

Glancing around, he finds the desk.

Perfect.

This is a science officer's desk. There's a diploma hung on the wall, signed with scribbly writing, and there's several papers and clipboards sprawled about the poorly lit and moderately cramped room. He stalks over, and begins snapping photos of as many pages as he can.

Morrigan would just be scanning them. They'd have the information downloaded.

God, he's fucking useless.

"Keep going," their voice whispers. "The only way out is through. You're almost through."

He wants to cry. His hands are shaking. He can't take a breath. Everything's too cold and too warm and he's dizzy and he just wants to go home, go to Morrigan, go to sleep.

He snaps the last photo.

"Okay. Out. There's a service elevator."

If it weren't for the fear pressing against his throat, JJ would be worried about hearing voices. But he can't help the wave of relief he gets and the thought of maybe, maybe not actually being alone.

Service elevator. Check. With raw and desperate strength, he pries it open and carefully grabs the cables, wrapping his legs and arms securely. The journey down is a long one. But he's never one to shy away from something difficult.

Even if he really, really wants to.

By the time he's sitting on top of the elevator car, there are tears in his eyes, his limbs are completely numb, and he nearly collapses when his legs give out. But somehow, he pulls the emergency door open. Somehow, he slides down into the car.

"Almost there," someone whispers, and he can't tell if it's him or Morrigan.

He presses the ground floor button. The rocketing of the car makes him want to vomit, but he grips the handles as tight as he can, and waits it out.

The doors open. JJ tries to put on a brave face.

Marching through, as quick as his wrecked limbs carry him, he keeps his head down and takes gulping breaths. Fresh air would be so nice right now. So would being at home. So would...

"Sir, are you alright?"

It's the lady at the front desk. She's standing, watching him approach with concern.

He nods shakily, not stopping. "Peachy."

"Wait, hey! You look really pale, you should sit down, I can call someone--"

"I, uh, live not far from here, I'm fine," he tries to reassure through the thick tongue in his mouth, "I'm going, I'll be out of your hair soon."

"Sir--"

JJ picks up speed and throws open the doors to the big city. The fresh air is nice, pushes away some of the vertigo, but the horrible trembling that takes over his body is much, much worse.

"Left turn on 17th," Morrigan's voice urges. "You're out of the hard part. Now you need to get home."

The walk to his apartment is arduous. It's long. Chicago is not a small city, he knows this, but he'd give anything to be living in some bullshir farm in South Dakota again, where the market is three blocks away from his house, where his brothers could carry him, where home is.

When he finally stands in front of the door to his apartment, he doesn't know where he is.

A scramble for his keys, a few more steps, and the warmth of his living room finally catches the cold off guard. For a small, brilliant moment, he is finally warm.

The exhaustion hits him. His legs give out.

"Morrigan," he whispers. He clutches the side of his couch, eyes fluttering shut against the sudden spinning of the room. "What do I do now?"

Something inside him reminds him--he has to report back on the mission. He's not done. God, when can he be done?

JJ furrows his brows, grits his teeth, and forces himself up off the floor. His feet drag. He places both hands firmly on his desk, and collapses into his chair, pulling out the burner phone and locking it away in the drawer.

He grabs a pencil. His eyes blur. He begins to write.

--

Morrigan has blood on their cheek. It's not a big deal, certainly not theirs, but it's quiet obvious and hard to hide. They'd wipe it off, but JJ has a sink they can wash their face in.

They're closer to his apartment than their own underground room. And they have a key, anyway.

The door is unlocked.

Morrigan shifts their posture into something defensive, and gently pushes into the room. Their eyes dart quickly around, cataloging the untouched mess of clothes on the couch, the handful of dishes drying on the rack--

Oh, JJ.

"Hey. Jace. Wake up." They're by his side in less than a second, shaking his shoulder, hot to the touch.

He moans, and shifts, but doesn't wake, instead revealing the notepad on the desk. Written in messy handwriting, repeatedly, is, "I want to go home."

Oh, Jace. What did you do?

Morrigan throws open the bedroom door and shoves off a pile of clothes, pulling the covers back. They find a glass and fill it with water, and grab a bottle of Tylenol to set on the nightstand.

Returning to the living room, they hoist JJ up into their arms in a fireman's carry.

Jace is warm. Too warm. They can feel the muscles twitch in an attempt to reorient himself, help Morrigan carry him, but all it does is send a wave of trembling down his body.

Morrigan tucks him in. "Journey, report."

It's a cruel way to wake him. It works nonetheless. JJ's eyes snap open, and the dilated pupils blow wide. He glances around. "Sir."

"Tell me what happened."

"Mission successful. One witness post-seizure. Burner phone protected. No injuries, or property damage. One guard neutralized, no fatalities." His eyes are glazed over, and he mutters it with slurred words, like he's said these things half a million times.

Even five years asleep can't get rid of thorough training. Morrigan's chest hurts.

"JJ, you're home safe. You don't need to be Journey right now."

"Mmm?"

The sound is heartbreaking. It's partially a whimper, like he thinks it's too good to be true. Like it's a test.

Morrigan threads their fingers through his hair, as gently as they can manage through the sweat-soaked strands. "It's me, Jace. Come back, okay?"

JJ leans his face into their hand and whines. "Not here. You're not 'ere. Just imagining it."

"I'm right here. You need to take some medicine, okay?"

"'Kay, Morri." JJ starts to get up.

"Hey, no, I have it here--" Morrigan pushes his chest back into the pillows, and grabs the pill. "Here. Open?"

His jaw drops. He looks up at him, dumbstruck. "Morri?"

They hum, grabbing the water too. "Yes, JJ?"

"You're really here?"

"In the fabricated flesh."

There's a hitched breath. Morrigan glances over, and sees a tear fall down his cheek.

They nearly drop the glass, reaching over to take his face in their hands, looking them over. "Jace, what's wrong?"

"Don't feel well," he mutters. It's as honest as he's ever been. Which is deeply concerning.

"I'm here," they soothe. "I'll take care of you."

He grabs their hand, tightly. "'Kay."

"Now take your medicine, and then you can go to sleep."

"Won't leave?" he asks, looking up through already half lidded eyes. "Please?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Morrigan promises. "Not for the world."

--

i don't usually do POV switches but this one felt necessary. this was so fun to write. i love my guys!!! i love them so much!!!!

thank you for the asks bug!!! always feel free to send more, it's so much fun to trade guy rambling with you! :DDD i am sorry it wasn't as fluffy. but JJ seems to be very sad when he's sick. morri cuddles him later. i decree it so