lovestruckletters | Affectionate Comfort Mashup Meme take 2

Affectionate Comfort Mashup Meme take 2

The Affectionate Comfort Mashup Meme
or: an excuse for physical affection threads

Basically, mix and match as you like or do whatever the hell you want.

Post your name and canon and preferences and go the fuck at it.

Want even wilder ideas? Try this fun hurt comfort plot generator.

HURT COMFORT PROMPTS

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. AMNESIA. What it says on the tin. Why do these come with such detailed responses?

AFFECTIONATE PHYSICAL CONTACT PROMPTS

one; hugging. you just want to give your loved one a warm embrace. be it out of happiness, to comfort them while they're down, or just to give them something warm to latch onto, you just want to wrap your arms around them.

two; kissing. whether it's a peck on the cheek or a deep kiss, a kiss good-bye or a romantic kiss, you find yourself compelled to kiss the other person! be as tender or as passionate as you so choose.

three; holding hands. it's a simple gesture, really -- to reach out and take someone's hand. but that one simple gesture can convey any number of sentiments. what the sentiment is, is up to you, but you find yourself reaching out to take your significant other's hand.

four; carrying. is your loved one hurt and needs a lift? do they want a piggyback ride? or do you just want to spare them the effort of walking? whatever the reason, you're now itching to pick up your partner and carry them to their destination.

five; i love you. you've said it before or maybe you haven't but now you have to say it again or for the first time.

six; dancing. kick up the music, because it's time to dance! but no lone dancing allowed -- you need to have a partner! you can do whatever dance strikes your fancy. personally, i recommend the slow dance, but you can do whatever you want!

seven; massaging. did your significant other have a rough day? did they get hurt? or do you just feel like doing something really nice for them? whatever it is, you're giving them a nice massage now. they'll feel wonderful in no time!

eight; flirting. the easiest way to break the ice or maybe you're just an overly flirty person.

nine; cuddling. sometimes there's just no better feeling than curling up next to each other on a warm sofa. hold each other, lie next to each other, fall asleep on each other -- it's all good here.

ten; wild card! reroll, pick an option, or come up with something else!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Genuinely, Sparkling wasn’t expecting Spike to actually just

Show up at his door. Perhaps he should have anticipated something like this occurring, because Spike is a good guy and might have wondered why this workaholic was.,.you know, missing work. But Sparkling also would have accepted Spike just letting him know he’d let Vicious know he wouldn’t come in and that would be that. Problem one solved, he’d figure out the rest once he could breathe again.

Instead, Spike is here. He’s just outside his door, and Sparkling doesn’t even have the energy to go to the door to greet him, or pretend he’s better than he is, or anything. Even now he’s struggling just to catch his breath enough to reply.

He has to say something. If he doesn’t, it’s going to seem suspicious.]

…yes.

[He finally manages, trying desperately not to clear his throat. But he sounds fucking terrible no matter how hard he tries to dress up his tone. Every breath feels like taking a breath during the coldest winter; the only relief he can find is by not breathing at all.]

I’m…just. Ah…m…

Tired, today.

[“Not feeling well” is closer to the truth, but gives away too much, he thinks.]

Right...

[Spike hesitates, then clears his own throat— not on flowers but his very own home-grown thick-headedness.]

Listen, uh, Vicious was yelling at me to make sure you're doing alright, so, y'know.

[It's true, but god forbid Spike ever express a concern of his own. Fool, he doesn't have feelings or cares or brains. He is a smile you trust and trust and trust and who isn't worried about you, b-baka.]

What should I tell him?

[What should he tell him indeed. Well, the right answer here is the truth, because for what purpose is Sparkling hiding away like this, really? If he's going to die in here due to his stubbornness and inability to trust the scientists enough to go through with that procedure otherwise, he'd much rather not die alone. But that's also not something you just force on a friend, especially one so new as this.

So instinctively Sparkling is going the sick cat route about this, preferring to just hide away until he fades because that just seems kinder both to himself and everyone else he knows. Less painful that way, he imagines.

Not that it makes it any easier to come up with an answer for Spike, who's still waiting for him on the other side of the door. Especially knowing Vicious is actually worried about him...it causes the roses to seem to respond in a cruel way, tightening further around his lungs and heart in a way that forces a sort of choked off noise out of him before he can quite stop it. He covers his mouth with one of his hands to silence himself long enough to reply.]

Tell him I'm not feeling well.

[That's going to invite Questions, but he can't lie to Spike. He can't lie to Vicious. He can only tell half truths and hope they're taken at face value.]

[Well that's a whole lot of nothing that means something. Spike isn't sure what— no, it has to be those flowers, but what can he do? Surely nothing, he's no nurse, but people are dying, and—

Spike hesitates, doing that strange little twist he does when uncertain, both hands shoved in his pockets and wiggling like a puppy told to wait in place as he vibrates between staying and going. It is not in his nature to care so deeply about others, he convinces himself, which is a lie. He leans back in toward the door, resting his temple on the door frame.]

....Well, uh, my shift's over, so if there's... anything you need, I've got. Time.

[Yes that's very smooth.]

[If there's anything you need, I've got time.

Sparkling tenses, his fingers curling protectively around the cluster of roses growing out of his chest above where his heart feels like it's going to beat right out of it.

Don't leave don't leave don't leave me alone-]

I...

[Sparkling looks blearily up at the wall by his head, taking another slow, pained breath. It's in that moment that he suddenly realizes how sore his throat has gotten, and he's not sure if that's due to the thorns or something else entirely.

He fights with himself for a long moment, trying to continue to be stubborn long enough to let Spike go so he doesn't have to feel like he's assuming responsibility for anything that happens here. But...

In the end, Sparkling's fear of death that he didn't know he had until recently rears its ugly head, and the claws of panic snare him too tightly to ignore.

He takes another breath.]

...water. Please.

[The door is locked, but...]

There's...a spare key. Above the door.

Oh, well, now that's easy.

[If he keeps it light, keeps it joking, perhaps things will continue to be fine when Spike walks in. In one smooth motion he gets key down from the doorframe to its handle, adding as he opens it;]

Thought I might have to go breaking and entering.

[Of course, his whole carefree act is based in the anticipation that Sparkling is sitting somewhere as he should be, perhaps on a couch or bed or at the very least at his kitchen table, even if he's curled over. He expects it to be bad, but not this bad, not immediately calling to mind blood-soaked shirts and swiss-cheese corpses.

Faster than he even expects of himself, Spike's stride closes the distance between himself and Sparkling, and a tentative hand rests on Sparkling's shoulder.]

Shit, they've really done a number on you, haven't they?

[He comments, quiet in how stunned he is but clearly not quiet enough not to state the obvious. Another hesitant hand hovers above the clusters of flowers, unsure of how to proceed.]

[There it is. Sparkling's made every attempt to hide himself away out of some sort of misplaced shame, only to sabotage himself at the very end because he was too much of a coward to be alone for it. He supposes this is probably how it would have ended up some way or another, unless he hadn't opted to contact anyone at all. Though it does seem that someone would have come looking for him if he just didn't show up for work at all, which...he's at least glad he didn't put any hapless passerby through having to make a grisly housecall.

He exhales on a laugh that wheezes out of him before he starts to cough uncontrollably, lifting his hand back up to his mouth to try to cover it. It doesn't do a whole lot except spare Spike from having to see the petals he's coughing up until they've already fluttered down to rest on his shirt or in a half circle around where he ended up sitting.]

Seems that way.

[He tilts his head a bit to the side, letting it lean over until it rests against his own shoulder.]

Here I thought...I had a couple more days, at least.

[It's probably a pretty big shock to Spike, who no doubt didn't even see any blossoms on Sparkling this whole time up till now. Sparkling had done a damn good job of hiding how he was feeling, so he can't be blamed for not having realized what was going on.]

When did you—

[Spike starts to ask, but realizes it's useless, what does it matter? And what does he know about the progression of such an illness anyway?]

We should get you to bed. You should save your energy.

[And for what...?

Nevertheless, Spike doesn't wait for an acceptance; he pulls Sparkling's arm over his own shoulder, the arm closest to Sparkling wrapping around the ailing cookie-turned-human's waist, and starts to get to his feet while supporting him.]

Up we go.... [He grunts.]

[Bed or floor, it doesn't seem like it really matters to Sparkling for energy conservation purposes. The bed is more comfortable though, he guesses...so he isn't going to protest as Spike helps him to his feet, and fortunately since he's not too much taller than him, he won't have to struggle to get him up. Also helps that he weighs practically nothing, which makes sense when you used to measure your weight in grams and not pounds.

He stumbles a bit once upright, finding that he still lacks the strength in his legs that he'd like which is a bit scary, but with Spike's help he's at least able to make it to his bed a short distance away, littering the carpet with petals up until he's sitting.

Sparkling doesn't lay down, instead preferring to sit up against the pillows. Laying down feels nothing short of impossible right now, and there's a part of him that's afraid he might drown on the flowers growing in his lungs if he's anything but upright.]

Thank you. I'm so sorry, I-

[He takes a too large breath, and once again is coughing before he can finish his sentence.]

Guess I thought, maybe...if I didn't acknowledge it, you know? Wouldn't...seem as much of an issue. Hah...

[It doesn't go away on its own, they all know that. And Sparkling is both too emotionally constipated and oblivious to his own feelings to be able to get off his chest what he needs to to save his own life.]

[It's a good thing Spike isn't the kind of hypocrite to point out that kind of thinking is stupid. Instead, he accepts both their shortcomings with a—]

's how it's supposed to work, right?

Always a bitch when it doesn't.

[Doesn't matter. Spike retreats quicker than he should, perhaps, but it shouldn't take too much wondering to realize he's retrieving that water. He speaks as he walks, perhaps to remind Sparkling he's still there—]

You shouldn't apologize so much.

What happened happened.

[Sparkling focuses on the sound of Spike's voice as if trying to keep track of where he is even though he can't see him. It takes enough of his concentration that it's almost a distraction from how much everything just...is. It isn't even pain anymore so much as it's too much of everything happening to his body all at once. It hurts to breathe, he can't breathe, the flowers itch and strain his skin. Even the sound of the clusters of blossoms brushing up against themselves every time Sparkling moves is starting to get to him. It's like a reminder of how fully they've begun to take his body over, letting him know just how final his sentence really is.

What happened happened, and now he's got to lay in the ditch he's dug for himself.

His eyes are closed when Spike comes back, resting...or perhaps thinking. It would be a blessing to not think, but unfortunately sleep is off the table at the moment. So instead he's left to wonder if, maybe...]

At the facility, they're...treating people.

[He swallows, audibly.]

I don't think I can go back.

[Spike doesn't know anything about palliative care, he realizes, thought he doesn't want to even be thinking about what he could be doing. He isn't the type to let that stop him, no, he doesn't back down, he's never afraid, always fearless— but he is always aware. Always thinking just a little too much past those cold dark eyes, never about the right things.

He returns to Sparkling's side with water, unsure of how Sparkling is supposed to drink it, half sure alcohol is still the better alternative. But Sparkling speaks when he returns and Spike is left standing, staring, contemplating.

He pushes his thoughts aside along with whatever's in the way of this cup having a space on Sparkling's bedside table, taking his own place half-sat on the edge of the bed with one leg folded under him.

There's never been a guarantee the scientists could save Sparkling in the first place.]

Would you even want to?

[He asks, genuine.]

Even less like home over there than it is in here, I'm sure.

[Sparkling had asked for the water, but it's unlikely he'll even bother with trying to drink it right now. He lacks the energy to reach for it, and it had just been a convenient way to get Spike in the door without outright telling him what was going on, anyway. He'll try his best not to let the effort of bothering to get it go to waste, but that's something for future him to deal with. If he makes it there.

Sparkling leans his head back against his pillows, looking across at Spike with hazel eyes that are far less bright than usual. They're not quite glazed over, but they are very tired and resigned. Yet, even if it doesn't reach his eyes, he manages a smile as he's ever trying to do, but it's a bitter one. There's no humor in it.]

No.

[If he's going to die, he'd rather at least go on his own terms. Not terrified, uncertain if he'd even wake up or if he'd die on that operating table. What a way to go, after everything.]

I can't say this feels much like home, either.

[...]

I-

[He starts, stops. Almost aborts the sentence, but convinces himself to say it anyway, because maybe...]

I miss home.

...I'm sure you do.

Y'know— you never told me what you love about it so much.

[Spike, who's been sort of jostling his hands in his lap as he speaks, reaches out to tap Sparkling's leg with the back of his hand, as though prompting him.]

You should.

[What he loves about the kingdom...he could talk about it forever, he thinks. But he hasn't, because just thinking about home makes him sad. Thinking about the cookies waiting back home makes him even sadder.

But Spike is watching him expectantly, waiting. He has nothing to lose, and everything to gain. He can only hope it does something.]

It's all I've ever known.

[Is how he chooses to start, which does sound pretty intense for a colorful cookie world. He breathes out carefully, trying not to think too hard about how he can feel so much right now.]

But it's not just...a kingdom. It isn't just our home where we live, and work, and play. It's a place where cookies from all walks of life can come to live and make something of themselves, even if they come from a background where they shouldn't "deserve" it.

[He looks down at the roses around his wrists, mocking him because deep down he knows who they represent.]

It's a peaceful place, but we aren't adverse to conflict. We're willing to do what it takes to make sure that our world is not only a safe haven for cookies, but a place cookies can just...be.

[There are cookies in the kingdom who are, when broken down to their base traits and elements, "bad". And that's okay. If they're willing to try to change, and they're not out to directly harm anyone...

Sparkling looks blankly up at the ceiling, quiet for a long moment because he can feel his throat constricting again. This time, though, it's with emotion.]

...And I couldn't be more proud of knowing I live in a place like that.

And now, I- ...I'm not sure I'm ever going to get to see it again. I won't get to see my friends again.

[His eyes flicker back down to the roses.]

It hurts.

[Spike is quiet for a few moments, unreadable, his face unmoving past the crease of his brow. He scoots a little closer to Sparkling finally, dipping lower so he can look the other in the face.]

That's rough, [he admits,]

I can't even imagine. A world like that sounds too good to be true, to be honest. I'm kind of jealous.

[Spike smiles in a bit of a line. Even if they shouldn't deserve it plays over and over in his head.

Spike rests his hand under Sparkling's, thumb rubbing the joint of Sparkling's own in a tender gesture.]

Maybe you won't get to go back there. But you can take comfort in in the fact... You've been that, for others. A safe place, to... be.

[Sparkling is a little surprised, admittedly, by the gesture. Sparkling may not have known Spike terribly long, but what he does know is that he's very sparing when it comes to being tactile with others. He's active and always moving, gesturing as he talks, keeping some sort of momentum even in quiet moments. That sometimes extends to contact, sure, but not...like this. Sparkling would know, because he's equally the type of person to be sparing with opening himself up to that degree at the risk of seeming too...he doesn't know. Is it even fair to say vulnerable anymore, when he's like this? There's not much lower he can go at this point.

So he looks down at his own hand and realizes that he'd already reacted to Spike putting his own there before he even registered what he was doing, unconsciously craving the closeness. In the end, it's fine. He needs it, actually, and the fact that it's given unspoken- unflinching- helps.

He doesn't try to fake his smiling anymore, letting the quirk of his lips completely drop from his face now as he relaxes his fingers over Spike's. His own struggle a bit to move with the way the stems of the flowers are trying to choke out the tendons and keep them rigid, and as he feels Spike's thumb rub against his he realizes why this feels so familiar. The easy contact that's almost expected because that's just how he is, too drunk to really care how overly friendly he's being-

Sparkling's brows knit together and for a moment he looks pained in a way that isn't related to the flowers at all but instead an anguish he didn't really even know was there until he'd had everything he knew and loved taken away from him.]

...I hope so. [He finally murmurs, his voice raw.] That's all I've ever wanted.

[He turns his head to the side for a moment, his gaze off towards the far wall. Well, he's opening up...somewhat. But it doesn't seem to be working, which means he's not talking about the right things. Maybe he isn't going to figure out what those things are, but at least he's trying, he thinks.]

But really, I'm...I'm selfish, you know.

[Time to be Honest, if nothing else.]

I'm not...a nice person just for the sake of it. I want to be liked. I want to be renowned. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I became any less that someone worth remembering.

Isn't that awful?

[Spike's smile widens a little in response, just for a moment. He gives Sparkling's hand a squeeze, leaning in closer again so he can turn those big ol eyes up at Sparkling imploringly.]

Well if it is, we're the same kind of awful, you know.

[His smile spreads a little wider again, before he pulls back into his own damn space. If Sparkling can't manage to smile, that's fine. He'll still have one to see.]

But I don't really see what's wrong with being a little selfish. You're the first person you'll ever have in your life, right?

[Who's going to look out for you if you won't do it yourself?]

[How dare you make such a good point when he's here minding his own business, trying and failing to waste away gracefully like a 20th Century noble with consumption. But he is finding that having Spike here with him is far preferrable to the alternative...and when he feels his hand being squeezed, he tries to return it, weak however it is.

He huffs, dropping his head back against the pillows again.]

You're right about that, cowboy...

[Sparkling closes his eyes, not noticing a few of the carnations around his throat curling in on themselves a little. Withering.]

You know, it's funny. I hadn't realized it until...until I came to this apartment for the first time, and spent my first night alone. And it hit me that...the worst part about being here was how alone I was.

Even having so many new friends...like you, and Vicious. I really knew no one. I...had no one.

I- am...lonely.

[The flowers shrivel even faster.]

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have folks willing to stick their noses into other peoples' business.

[Die, probably.]

[Spike listens to Sparkling with a sad but calm kind of softness on his face, the corner of his mouth still pulled into a smile but still, still it doesn't reach his eyes.

He watches those petals start to grey, but he isn't too sure yet what's happening. The conversation seems to be helping Sparkling regardless, so Spike presses on. ]

Well, I can tell you what'd happen.

[He pats Sparkling's hand again.]

You'd get sad, then mean... Start trying to convince yourself you're not either of those things. Close yourself off to the world and make sure not to let it in anymore, get used to being lonely... Convince yourself being lonely in the first place is better than having something and losing it.

[He sighs, still gently rubbing Sparkling's hand with his own.]

And I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very Sparkling to me.

Can't have that, now.

[If Sparkling had enough spare brainpower to think harder about what Spike is telling him, then maybe he'd be picking up on the fact that there's maybe some more experience in those words than what can be seen at a surface level. Sparkling very easily could have turned into a hermit immediately upon arriving here and finding out that he had to start from the ground up all over again, with no notoriety and no friends.

But Spike is right. It wouldn't be very Sparkling if he did that.

He coughs, every breath still just as pained as the last because even as the carnations and apple blossoms wither, the roses remain strong. They don't seem interested in letting him go at all, but at least some relief is better than none at all.]

Being lonely is hard. I don't like it very much at all, I'll admit. I'd stay at work longer just to avoid it if I knew Horatio wouldn't run me out before I stayed until morning.

[At work, Sparkling gets to be around people. That's where he thrives, extroverted as he is.

His brows upturn for a moment as he goes silent, because he can feel the roses in his lungs moving again. Growing ever further outwards, straining against the walls of his organs as they threaten to eventually burst through. So he has to just sit there and will himself to sit through the pain, refusing to let that be what breaks him down in front of someone else.]

Nnh. These flowers...they just won't leave us alone, will they..?

You know— I haven't even seen flowers like some of the ones popping up.

I'd only ever seen roses, before. Real ones, anyway, other flowers were mostly... Pictures.

[Why is he telling such an impulsive story? Maybe because he isn't quite sure what else to do or say. He just wants Sparkling to be aware he's still nearby, to feel someone is staying close.]

Never thought I'd see them growing out of people... [again] Or cookies.

You haven't?

[It's probably strange that a world with sentient cookies is more familiar with plants than Mars, thinking on it.]

The only reason I have is because...one of my closest friends, Herb Cookie, loves plants very much. He would probably be able to name every single variety that's shown up so far.

[He'd know all of the flowers on Sparkling, and perhaps what they meant, too.]

I'm sorry that you couldn't see them in a more...peaceful way. This isn't something that usually happens, in my experience...

[There are some plants that are carnivorous- cookievorous, even- but fortunately none of those seem to be an issue, here. At least not yet.]

[Spike has to give a genuine huff of amusement at the mention of Herb cookie. There really is a cookie for everything.]

So you like flowers, then? When they're not, you know, trying to take over.

[He leans over slightly to brush some of the wilted apple blossoms from Sparkling's shoulder.]

It's easier to like something your friend's into, right?

I wouldn't have called myself a plant lover before, but now? I can't imagine not having one or two in my bar...

[All gifts from Herb, naturally. He knows exactly what houseplants work best indoors, and because of that Sparkling doesn't have to worry about them much. They practically take care of themselves.

It isn't until Spike brushes the blossoms away that Sparkling actually realizes now that something's been happening, but instead of showing shock he just looks...mildly surprised, because he doesn't have the energy for more than that.]

Huh. A few of...a few of them have gone, at least. That's good...

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