salembutnotthecat - Tumblr blog

salembutnotthecat · 5 hours

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tw for emeto, fever, talk of not sleeping/implied insomnia

meet river, meadow’s nonbinary best friend partner who is somehow the same and the exact opposite of meadow.

river is in a grunge/alternative style band and then theres meadow, our fave cottagecore pansexual.

if you guys have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to send them my way.

Meadow approached River's house, her steps crunching on the gravel path leading to the small, secluded building. She rummaged through her bag, realizing with a sinking feeling that she had once again misplaced the key to River's house.

Well, it wasn’t really a house. It was a shed. A once run down side building tucked pretty well behind and beside River’s parents home. Through a bunch of trees. Hidden from the main home, the family home.

Meadow liked a lot of people. She really did. But, the Tran family—except River, of course—were one of the few exceptions to that rule.

Meadow didn’t talk to her own family. But she didn’t need to. They had nothing to offer her and no time anyway, not for her. But, somehow, Meadow still questioned why River’s parents didn’t like them.

Sighing, Meadow glanced up at the window to River's room, debating her options. With a determined shrug, she decided to climb through the window, a feat she had mastered through many similar incidents.

Meadow hoisted herself up and squeezed through the partially open window, landing inside River's cozy abode. The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn to keep out the midday sun.

Meadow's eyes adjusted quickly to the dimness as she scanned the room, spotting River's sleeping form on a beanbag chair in the corner.

That wasn’t entirely unusual. River always played late gigs, would come home adamant that they weren’t tired, but they never failed to fall asleep within an hour. Meadow figured the same happened last night. A notebook, a tarot card deck, and River's phone were all in various places around them, evidently having been set aside or fallen off when River fell asleep.

"River," Meadow called softly, not wanting to startle them. When River didn't stir, she tried again, a bit louder this time. "Hey, River, wake up."

River mumbled something unintelligible and shifted slightly, but they remained deep in slumber. Meadow sighed, realizing that her usual methods of waking River up weren't going to work today. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she walked over to River's bed and picked up a nearby pillow.

She raised the pillow and lightly smacked River on the top of their head, hoping to rouse them gently. But, of course, with a little more force.

River's brows furrowed in response, but they still didn't wake up. Meadow tried again, this time with a bit more force, but River merely swatted at the pillow in their sleep, unaware of Meadow's attempts to wake them.

Growing more determined, Meadow continued to lightly smack River with the pillow, each hit accompanied by a soft chuckle. "Come on, River, time to rise and shine."

Finally, after several more pillow smacks, Meadow leaned in closer to River's ear and whispered, "Hei-lin, wake up."

At the mention of their legal name, River stirred, their eyes fluttering open. Confusion clouded their gaze for a moment before recognition dawned on their face. Nobody ever called them by their legal name, their name was as good as dead.

Well, except for River's family. They all refused to call them anything but their legal name.

"Don't do that again." River said, slowly waking up, "You know better."

"I do," Meadow said, "But I also know that you overslept. Did you forget you're supposed to play at the spring festival with Nox and the others?"

"What..?" River questioned, confused in their half asleep state.

"The gig, downtown," Meadow said, "for the spring festival. You've been telling me about it all week. We were going to go check it out, check the vendors, and then you and the band were going to get ready and perform a set for the late night thing they're doing?"

"Shit," River said, "I overslept."

"I know," Meadow said, "I called you like four times."

River got up, going to their dresser and starting to grab clothes to wear for the night.

They stood in front of their mirror, their medium-length black hair with streaks of vibrant blue and purple framing their face. River's fingers deftly adjusted the collar of their leather jacket adorned with pins and patches from various bands.

"Have you seen my boots?" River asked, "The ones with-"

"The colorful laces?" Meadow asked, starting to look around the room.

River nodded, "Yeah, those."

"Why are you wearing those?" Meadow questioned innocently.

"Because," River said, "Spite. You probably wouldn;t understand but, I live to spite people. And if getting up on stage with Nox and the crew at a spring festival where the uptight suburban church ladies attend with laces that represent me pisses them off, well, then I succeeded."

Meadow rolled her eyes, finding the boots by the door, "You're a special flavor of special."

"Considering you refer to me as a flavor, so are you," River said, grabbing their phone off the floor and taking their boots from Meadow, pulling them on.

Meadow watched from across the room, noticing the subtle shift in River's demeanor. "You okay, River?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

River nodded, "Yeah, just a bit tired, I guess. Nothing major."

Meadow studied River's face, her intuition telling her that something was off. "Are you sure? You seem more run down than usual."

River shrugged, attempting to brush off Meadow's observation. "It's probably just a late night. I'll be fine once we start playing."

Meadow didn't push further, knowing that River had a tendency to downplay their own feelings. Instead, she handed River a cup of coffee, hoping it would provide a much-needed boost of energy.

As River took a sip of the steaming brew, their eyes met Meadow's in the mirror. "Thanks," they murmured, a hint of gratitude in their voice.

"You're welcome," Meadow replied, her gaze lingering on River with a mix of affection and worry. She knew that despite River's tough exterior, they were susceptible to exhaustion, especially with their hectic schedule of gigs and rehearsals.

"Now, come on," River said, "I'm late enough."

As they headed out the door, Meadow couldn't shake the feeling that River was carrying more weight than they let on. She made a mental note to check in on them after the gig, determined to be there for her best friend, both on and off the stage.

The backstage area buzzed with energy as River and their bandmates, Nox, Declan, and Haven, prepared for their upcoming performance.

Instruments were tuned, amps were checked, and excitement filled the air. River, normally the epitome of confidence before a show, felt a nagging sense of unease settling in their stomach.

Nox, the drummer with a playful spirit, noticed River's subtle discomfort and couldn't resist teasing. "Nervous, River? Feeling a bit queasy from the pre-show jitters?"

River forced a grin, waving off Nox's teasing. "Nah, just need to shake off some nerves. I'll be good to go."

Declan, the guitarist, glanced over, concern creasing her brow. "You sure you're okay, mate? You look a bit pale."

River nodded, trying to convince both themselves and their bandmates. "I'm fine, really. Let's focus on the set."

Haven glanced between River and the others, before she spoke up. "We've got your back, River. Just let us know if you need a breather during the show."

As the minutes ticked by and the start time approached, River's nausea intensified, a persistent knot in their stomach refusing to dissipate. They tried to push through, channeling their adrenaline into the music they loved.

Nox threw a supportive arm around River's shoulders. "You got this, River. We'll rock this show together."

It was all so sudden. River heard Nox, yes. But, they didn’t process what Nox said.

Without warning, they lurched forward, heaving as nausea overwhelmed them. Nox's teasing expression melted into concern as she brushed back River’s hair as they vomited into a nearby bucket.

The backstage atmosphere shifted from anticipation to worry as Declan and Haven joined Nox in assisting River.

"Maybe we should cancel," Nox suggested, her voice tinged with concern.

River shook their head, determination shining through despite their discomfort. "No, I can do this. Just give me a moment."

With a deep breath and sheer willpower, River steadied themselves. They wiped their mouth, eyes blazing with determination.

"Let's do this," they declared, their voice strong despite the lingering sickness.

As the band continued their performance, River's determination remained palpable, their energy fueling the music despite the lingering nausea. If River was thankful for anything, it was how muscle memory the set was.

Despite the nausea, despite the puking, despite the pain, their fingers moved effortlessly over the bass strings. They didn’t make up, and all the years so far of faking it, convincing themself they would be fine, ended up paying off. At least, for a bit.

Midway through a song, River suddenly disappeared from the stage, leaving their bandmates momentarily bewildered. Nox exchanged a concerned glance with Declan and Haven, but they continued playing, trusting River to return.

Offstage, River tried fighting the waves of nausea threatening to overcome them, to no avail truthfully. They threw up, again, but ss soon as they felt more stable, they went back out.

No way in hell was this going to fuck everything up.

River returned to the stage just in time for the chorus, seamlessly joining back in as if nothing had happened. Nox shot them a supportive smile, understanding the silent struggle River was enduring.

As the final notes echoed, the audience erupted into thunderous applause, chanting for an encore. River smiled, acknowledging the cheers, but as they stepped offstage, the facade crumbled.

Declan noticed the strain in River's expression, her worry deepening. "Mate, you don't look so good. Maybe we should--"

Before Declan could finish his sentence, River doubled over, clutching their stomach as another wave of nausea hit them. Nox rushed to their side, concern etched on her face.

"Okay, easy there Riv,” Nox said, “Declan, sweetheart, can you go get River’s girlfriend?”

“The hippie girl with the corsets?” Declan asked.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” River said through gritted teeth, trying not to be sick again. They had no clue where this was coming from or why their stomach felt so upset or why any of this was happening.

“Right, because every queer person is friends with another queer person and together they act like a couple,” Nox commented.

“I feel like thats a staple of friendships between queer people,” Declan said, “But whatever she is, I’ll go get her.”

Nox nodded in agreement, supporting River as they struggled to stand upright.

Meanwhile, Meadow, who had been watching the show with excitement, felt a pang of concern as she noticed River's absence during parts of the performance. When Declan approached her urgently, Meadow's heart skipped a beat.

"What's wrong?" Meadow asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"It's River," Declan explained quickly. "They're not doing well. They've been getting sick. Like, throwing up kind of sick. They left the stage and aren’t doing so hot now."

Meadow's concern deepened, “Yeah, they overslept and seemed like they weren’t feeling good… but River said they felt fine so…”

“It’s River,” Declan chuckled, “River could be bleeding out and still insist they had a simple flesh wound.”

Backstage, River was struggling to keep their composure, the adrenaline wearing off and the reality of their condition setting in.

When Meadow arrived, her expression a mix of worry and determination, River felt a surge of relief.

"Meadow," River murmured weakly, their strength fading.

Meadow rushed to River's side, her voice filled with concern.

“Oh, Riv…” Meadow said softly, placing her hand on River’s face and forehead, “You feel kind of warm… Let's get you home, yeah?"

“Oh, yeah,” Meadow said, grabbing River’s hair as River leaned over the side of their bed, once again getting sick, “That’s it…”

River spit and rolled their eyes, “This shit is so stupid… the fuck is going on?”

“Maybe you caught something?” Meadow offered, letting go of River’s hair as her best friend leaned back.

“Maybe,” River mumbled, moving to open the window behind their bed, “It’s hot in here.”

“Not really,” Meadow said, “But… you feel your fevers, don’t you?”

River nodded, humming in agreement as they leaned closer to the window, breathing in the cool night air.

Meadow felt bad for River. It had been a few hours since they got home. It was well into the night, or extremely early in the morning. Meadow didn’t know how to identify it.

River came home and had barely enough energy to change into something more comfortable before they crashed. At least, for about an hour and a half. Then they were up, getting sick again. Meadow knew River always struggled with throwing up a lot when they got sick.

Meadow sighed softly, her heart aching for her friend as she watched River lean against the window, seeking solace in the cool night breeze.

“I hate seeing you like this, River," Meadow murmured.

River nodded, "Yeah, it sucks. I just want it to stop.”

Meadow moved closer, placing a hand on River's back in a soothing gesture. "Maybe we should try to get you some rest. Your body needs to recover."

River leaned into Meadow's touch, grateful for her presence. "It isn’t so bad, I guess. I mean… you’re here."

Meadow gave River a reassuring smile. "You're not alone, Riv. I'm here for you, no matter what."

“Your accent is cute,” River said, “You know that?”

Meadow giggled softly, “I know. You tell me all the time.”

“Well, it’s true,” River said, moving to lay down, pulling Meadow down with her, “Stay here?”

Meadow chuckled at River's comment, the sound light and warm in the quiet room.

"You're just saying that to distract me from worrying about you," she teased gently.

River grinned, their eyes softening as they gazed at Meadow. "Maybe a little. But also because I mean it. But seriously, can you stay here?”

“You’ve been having trouble sleeping?” Meadow questioned. River nodded. “Maybe that’s why you’re sick?”

“Maybe.” River said, “So, this happens a lot. And every time, I’m fine. So, I’ll be fine. I just feel shitty for now. Can you just stay for now? Please?”

Meadow shifted slightly, adjusting herself to be more comfortable beside River. She pulled them closer, offering affection and her presence. Mindlessly, Meadow ran her fingers through River’s hair.

"I'll stay as long as you need me, Riv."

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salembutnotthecat · 14 hours