#parental relationship | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

witchofthesouls · 2 months

Note

I just read your seeker bird kiddo (Jack) and Truck dad Optimus adventures and I beg for more content, I adore it all and the spOoky cryptic parts are 👌

👁️👄👁️

Jack accidentally triggers mechs’ protective instincts because he makes baby bird noises to mimic the local corvids. It doesn't help that Jack parks himself at the entrance to the Ark and plays games with the more playful blackbirds. Dadimus is very much used to Jack’s imitations, the rest of the Autobots (and his counterpart) are most definitely not.

The chirping and screes are reminiscent of newsparks’ calls for attention and care, and it drives the resident Seekerkin up the wall because he is the only sparkling in the vicinity and Jack punches the Seekerkin-coding into activity after four million years of dormancy.

There have been a few jokes to take a recording of the sparkling’s noises and play it to the Decepticon Seekers after the Autobots had seen their own Seekerkin with the kid. TFP Optimus is immediately No. Stop. Control, Alt, and Delete that terrible plan. He will take Jack and run into the most remote environments he can find.

No one knows how Jack did it, but the blackbirds got into gambling, and everyone blames Smokescreen.

He's partly to blame with the cards, but the dice is Bluestreak's fault.

Jack is a polite menace. The kid knows his manners, but that doesn't stop him from skipping up the walls, hanging on the ceiling, and popping into places that he shouldn't have access to. At all.

Mechs were confused why Dadimus pinged out so often but then realized that's the most reliable way to actually tag Jack as he's a slippery little thing. Sometimes the sparkling responds, but usually he doesn't.

Red Alert is on the verge of having an aneurysm since Jack can bypass all the security measures. Mechs have taken to looking up to see if Jack is trapezing on the panels or checking under the tables and desks because of near unfortunate incidents of almost shooting the kid or shock-related delays with time-sensitive chemical reactions that nearly turned the ship into a massive crater.

Dadimus was highly disappointed and upset by the last part as Jack knows better as he had done similar stunts when they were upon research vessels. Not only Jack had to apologize to Skyfire, Wheeljack, and Perceptor, but he wasn't allowed to stray from Dadimus' field for a month. ("Curiosity cannot override safety protocols.")

On one camera, Jack would be at a corner by the entrance with organic birds, and between blinks he would then disappear and reappear across the ship, talking excitedly to a random corner with a different group of birds.

(If anyone catches them at the right second, at the right angle, at the right frame... the raven/crow/jackdaw/jay will ripple. Feathers dripping and flowing like an inky waterfall and eyes splitting into multiple, countless pairs as Jack's shadow expands- And then, the watcher will blink because they have to, and the footage will reset. Devoid of Jack and blackbirds.)

There's talk about new cryptids going around. It's silly Halloween and superstitious nonsense… until it isn't.

Due to Smokescreen, Bluestreak, and the Aerialbots constantly monitoring the perimeter or setting traps that are becoming more elaborate each week, it's becoming a new running joke. It's the Autobot snipe-hunting. All because of Jack's devoted drawings of strange, contorted creatures.

They're adamant that something is outside.

(They’re right).

An eerie thing begins to appear at the nearby dunes by the Ark’s entrance. It’s vaguely canine and its size is constantly changing. They can smell a wildfire in the air and taste ash upon their tongues as it beckons them to follow with a heavy, burning gaze.

Before anyone follows, a racket of shrieking blackbirds breaks them out of the trance. When the piercing noise fails, then a nasty peck to some skin or exposed protoform is enough to bring them back to their senses.

“It’s looking for something that can’t be regained,” Jack speaks with a keenness beyond his age and a lilting cadence. A flurry of pictures of the same dark canine by a campfire with multiple individuals and groups sitting by it. It remains unchanged, despite the others’ fashions and vehicles it managed to beckon to it. “Don’t be taken by its ancient sorrow. You won’t escape its grasp.”

Between the space of desert and forest, there’s an old barbwire fence and a seemingly endless dusty dirt road that has never been updated to proper asphalt, despite its existence for over a century and all the grumbles and complaints by humans and Cybertronians.

When it rains, a phantom of a massive stag appears. Dark and regal, it gently trods along the path, always towards the forest, never in the opposite direction. Perched upon its twisted antlers is an owl with multiple wings, spread out and spotted with many painted eyes, a feathered and watchful halo with a cry that echoes in everyone’s ears and audials. It leaves no tracks, just deep puddles with flickering shapes in its vast depths that immediately dry when people look away.

The mechs start to understand that the local humans’ grumblings and complaints are half-hearted, and when it starts to drizzle, everyone stays inside.

“It’s older than all those that vaguely remember its beginnings,” Jack murmurs to a window full of drawings in the condensation, sleepy in the colder weather as he curls in a heated seat. “Dreaming and wandering, yet always returning to the place that crowned it King.”

65 notes · View notes

camcameroon · 10 months

Text

This poem absolutely destroyed me.

#father #daddy issues #poemsworld #poem of the day #poems and poetry #parental relationship #parental issues #bookworm #academic validation #deppresive #fatherless

105 notes · View notes

shion-yu · 2 months

Text

Not Your Fault (part 2)

Part 1 | Alex has fever dreams, Shu comforts him. Fill for my @badthingshappenbingo space "It's All My Fault." Original work, 1,474 words. No TWs, CW: PTSD, vomit, Alex is 13 here. And don't worry, of course Shu's gonna get whumped in part 3 :P

Shu was woken up by the sound of screaming. He ran into Alex's room not bothering to knock where he found Alex sitting up in bed crying and coughing. His breathing was fast and congested, a mix of tears and snot running down his face. Without the confident scowl on his face that he usually protected himself with, he looked exactly like the teenager he really was.

"Alex, Alex! Look at me bud," Shu urged him, hands hovering over Alex's shoulders. Alex looked at him with such a hurt, scared expression that it was clear he wasn't in the present moment. Shu took a chance, placed one hand on Alex’s shoulder and rubbed Alex's back with the other in the hope that it would help bring Alex back to reality. He knew that nightmares were a common occurrence for Alex, but usually Alex would shout once or twice in his sleep and then go quiet. This time he seemed to be in a full blown panic though, likely thanks to the fever Shu could feel through his t-shirt.

Alex looked up at Shu with a heartbreakingly devastated expression. "It's my fault," he whimpered, his eyes shining with tears.

"You haven't done anything wrong," Shu soothed him, his voice low and gentle. "It's okay. Just focus on me now."

Alex let out a small sob and gripped the hem of Shu's shirt. He was shaking, either with fear or chills or both. "I killed them. It's my fault they're dead. I-I-" He shuddered violently. Shu pressed his hand to Alex's cheek and grimaced at the high heat coming off the teen.

"No honey, it's not your fault," Shu tried to soothe Alex like he was far younger than fourteen. He wasn't exactly sure what Alex was talking about, but it likely had something to do with how everybody else in that apartment had died the day of the explosion - Alex's mom, his mom's boyfriend, and the downstairs neighbor. Alex had been the only one to survive it because he’d been in his bedroom with the doors closed, suffering only minor injuries while everybody else had died on site. Such an event would haunt anyone, let alone a thirteen year old boy who clearly did not have the best coping mechanisms. Alex tried to act like it didn’t bother him, but Shu found that impossible to believe. He made Alex go to talk therapy even though the kid almost always found some way to bail on it, thinking that maybe if Alex didn’t want to tell him about his troubles then at least maybe he could tell someone else.

Shu kept rubbing Alex's back, something he usually wouldn't be able to do without Alex slapping his hand away. "Breathe for me, can you?" Shu asked gently. "It's just you and me here. You're safe."

Alex seemed to listen for about ten seconds, growing momentarily quieter, before his breath quickened again. "Alex?" Shu questioned him. All the color had suddenly drained from Alex's face.

"I'm gonna puke," Alex said, gagging once before Shu managed to shove the waste basket under his chin just in time. Despite skipping dinner, Alex managed to vomit a substantial amount before collapsing back onto his pillows, trembling violently. Shu hummed sympathetically and took the basket away, tying the bag up and bringing it to the kitchen where he double bagged and tossed the mess. He returned with the bin containing a fresh bag, the thermometer and a wet rag. Alex was lying there with one arm over his eyes. It was difficult to discern an expression in that position, but it was clear he was upset.

"Let's get you cleaned up and I'll take your temperature," Shu said softly. Alex just groaned in response, not moving. Shu hummed and pressed the dampened cloth to Alex's sweaty neck. Alex flinched but then took the washcloth and wiped the rest of his face off. Afterwards Shu traded the washcloth for the thermometer.

"It doesn't matter," Alex muttered, but begrudgingly placed the small instrument under his tongue. The number rose until it stopped at 102.3 and beeped. Shu took it and made out the reading using the dim hallway light that flooded into the bedroom from the doorway.

"Oof. You must feel awful," Shu hummed softly.

"No, I feel great," Alex said sarcastically. This usual snarkiness actually made Shu feel a little better. The wet, "Ht'ksshh!" and whimper that followed did not.

"Do you think you can stomach some more Tylenol?" Shu asked him, handing Alex the glass of water. "Just try a few little sips first," he urged when Alex looked at the glass apprehensively. Alex followed instructions and then nodded after managing a few sips without throwing up, so Shu handed him two more Tylenol to take. "We'll bring you to the doctor in the morning," Shu said.

Alex looked annoyed. "I don't need to go to the doctor," he said. "I just need to sleep it off."

"Is that what you're used to?" Shu asked, perhaps a bit too pityingly because Alex scowled and pushed the glass back into his hand. "Alex..."

"Sorry for waking you up," Alex growled. "Go back to - to be... H'nnxgh-“ Alex managed to halfway stifle the first of the fit of three sneezes only, the rest too strong for him to hold back. He launched straight from sneezing into coughing and Shu was surprised when Alex grabbed onto Shu's forearm, although it seemed simply to prevent himself from pitching forward. Shu reached for a tissue from the box on Alex's nightstand and held it to Alex's nose.

"Blow," he said. “Just do it, you're choking on your own snot," he added when Alex glared at him with watery eyes. Alex took the tissue and blew what sounded like far more than what could fit in one tissue's worth. Shu held out his hand for the used one and traded Alex for another, which he also filled. "Good," Shu said. "Better?" Alex nodded slowly. He looked miserable. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" Shu asked him hopefully.

Alex shook his head no, sniffling pathetically. “Everything hurts,” he whined.

"Okay, that's fine,” Shu said. “Do you want me to stay with you? Or we can go watch TV in my room." Alex didn't go in there much, but Shu always tried to make him feel like he could enter whenever he wanted. The first night Alex had lived with him, Alex had slept there while Shu slept on the couch since he didn't have a bed for Alex yet. It had all been very sudden, how Alex had come to live with him, and Shu still couldn't believe everything that had happened in the handful of months that had passed since then.

Alex didn't answer, but he was looking at Shu with a strange expression that Shu couldn't read. "Or the couch," Shu added awkwardly, trying to come up with other options in case maybe Alex didn't like any of the first ones. "I could make you something warm."

"You're too nice to me," Alex blurted out suddenly. His face turned red, but Shu wasn't sure if it was all due to the fever.

"Alex," Shu sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed and facing him with a serious expression. "You're my kid. I know I'm not what you'd prefer but it's what you've got, and I'm trying my best. I want you to feel safe, this is your home now. Whatever happened or didn't happen before isn't your fault. You deserve to be taken care of."

Alex went quiet again. Shu waited for him to process this, half expecting Alex to kick him out. But instead he sniffled and said, "TV in your room sounds okay." Shu smiled and tried not to make it obvious how thrilled he was. They moved to Shu's room where Shu set Alex up in his bed with lots of pillows behind him and a hot water bottle to hug. If Alex's sniffles sounded more like crying than just a runny nose now, Shu kept his mouth shut. They watched late night TV until Alex slumped lower in Shu's bed and Shu could tell he'd fallen asleep. Shu adjusted the pillows and tucked him in so he would be comfortable enough not to wake up.

Alex was a handful and often Shu felt like he was far more than Shu could handle on his own, but right now he looked so boyish and peaceful. Poor kid was going through it, and illness and nightmares only made things worse. Shu hated to see him suffering, but at the same time a tiny part of him was grateful that it had pushed Alex to trust him just a little bit, even if it was only for tonight.

Part 3

#shionwrites #sickfic #fever whump #parental relationship #bad things happen bingo #It's All My Fault #oc: alex #oc: shu #whump #illness whump #flu whump #sicknario #male cold #sick whump #minor whump #oc sickfic #emeto #nightmares

36 notes · View notes

sheepwarriorxl · 4 months

Text

just thinking about adam murray and his relationship with his humanity

“your skin is not your own”—what a horrifying sentiment, right? you aren’t the human that you’ve built your entire identity around.

and what a tragedy, too, that the only thing even remotely close to a parent he has is this inhuman creature that stole him from his crib. before he was even old enough to remember his mother’s face. he can’t even find it in the mirror, because of the creature staring back at you. his absence of a human biology results in a jagged disconnect between other people. it’s only fair that he would seek comfort in the inhuman things that took care of him. “you don’t remember me” seems almost mournful—the alternate restrained itself to protect its “sweet boy”. the monologue it gives to adam is utterly heartbreaking. “i cradled him in my arms”.

i’m broken up about them. they make me think of “never love an anchor” by the crane wives. alex when i catch you alex

#the mandela catalogue #tmc #adam murray #tmc adam #the intruder #parental relationship #Spotify

33 notes · View notes

poop-everyday · 6 months

Text

I want my mother to stop screaming at me and then stop treating me like the most valuable thing ever. It just make me feel like a crazy person

#toxic mother #mother issues #toxic parents #parental relationship #dysfunctional family

46 notes · View notes

quillsparkle · 5 months

Text

My Top 10 Parent-Child Figures on Television/Movies

10. Ariel and Melody

9. Tramp and Scamp

8. Sirius and Harry (+ Remus)

7. Stoick and Hiccup (how to Train Your Dragon)

6. Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla (Star Wars)

5 Optimus Prime and Bumblebee

4. Chris and Scott (Teen Wolf)

3. Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus (Star Wars)

2. J'onn J'onzz and Kara Zor-El, and Alex Danvers (Supergirl)

Sonic, Maddie and Tom AKA Donut Lord - Wachowski Family (Sonic the Hedgehog Movies)

26 notes · View notes

byegonnagocrynow · 11 months

Text

wattpad did more to my character development than my parents ever did

145 notes · View notes

vala-dreams · 2 years

Text

Okay y'all I'm running a fever of idk what temperature and can barely type but I've had another ghost biology idea and therefore, I, in a highly feverish state, present to you

✨Another Ghost Biology Headcannon✨

So this may or may not be connected to the void cores au (I'll decide when my brain isn't fried) buuuut yk how ghosts children are rowdy af. I think I remember the box lunch episode I watched a long ass time ago and I think she caused a lot of havoc and was really outta control.

(Tbh that's every kid ever so it doesn't really matter if I remember correctly or not this hc is still valid. I think.)

Anywho, ghost parents absolutely need a way to calm down and control their rowdy af kids who can generally do a lot more damage than a non ghost kid can.

Therefore I bring forth this revolutionary idea:

Cores. Of course it's cores. Hang on lemme explain

Ghost parents can control their children by touching their cores and it's basically like a mom cat picking her kittens up by the scruff.

Now imagine Jason (who is basically a corrupted ectoplasmic entity that all ghosts including danny fear) instinctively getting Danny to stop running away from him by touching his core. And then imagine the freakout Danny would have later cause nobodys ever done that before.

Now imagine clockwork (from my void cores au) calming down Danny after Pariah Dark (spoilersss) by touching his core. And then imagine the freakout Dabby would have later cause that's never happened before.

Anyway my brain is fried and everything is very cold see y'all later

#dp x dc #parental clockwork #parental relationship #danny phantom #danny fenton #void cores au #clockwork is danny's parent #clockwork #pariah dark #jason todd #red hood #ghost biology #why is everything absolutely frigid #batman #batfam

298 notes · View notes

yourgirlfoe · 1 year

Text

Asian parents will insult you in the most humiliating way possible and call you for dinner like nothing happened -

88 notes · View notes

siedertreestudios · 11 months

Text

A really rough study on these two

**Do Not Tag As a Ship or Repost without Permission**

(Based on this study I found on TikTok)

#fma #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal #edward elric #fmab #fma brotherhood #ed elric #parental! roy mustang #roy mustang is a dad #roy mustang #parental relationship #parental!royed #fma fanart #art study

44 notes · View notes

witchofthesouls · 2 months

Note

You know that one video of those elephants from a elephant sanctuary that literally run to meat and greet a new orphaned baby elephant?

That’s how I imagine the first meeting between Starscream’s trine and or Soundwave and his cassettes and Megatron’s newborn/young daughter/s went 🥰

Starscream will literally shank anyone else and bury their corpse in the deepest grotto that dared be the first to greet the newsparks outside of Megatron's direct kinship-ties. This is due to Vosian-style of Seekerkin propriety, which has strict guidelines on what is and isn't acceptable within the shifting hierarchy.

Starscream may enact assassination attempts on Megatron, but that can be taken as an extension of his duties since the Decepticon SIC aligns enough to be the most prominent Ring-Wing as it encompasses internal defense of the faction/flock. Newsparks are an immense life-event to Seekerkin. Who is and isn't allowed to interact with them, especially during the initial exchange outside the carrier and sires, is a highly telling social cue to other Seekerkin. Starscream would be absolutely furious if Megatron didn't let him and his trine meet the newspark since keeping them away would cause strife with the other Decepticon Seekerkin and destabilize Starscream's authority among them.

Because Starscream is almost genial as he only done three scathing comments to Megatron, the miner thought the congratulatory Energon-wine from Thundercracker had been poisoned. The blue Seeker holds the newspark with practiced hands as Skywarp vibrates everywhere, crooning at the blind, wiggling infant. Starscream leaves a thoughtful set of training daggers, but Megatron has no idea what to do with the gruesome etchings of distorted faces done by Skywarp...

(The rest of the Air Force are hungrily waiting to start preparations for a very belated baby shower. Megatron will be up to his helmet in gifts.)

Soundwave's cassettes are the ones that actually stampede their way to coo at the newest bitty. Ratbat is enamored that he's no longer the smallest on the ship. Frenzy and Rumble jostle each other and actually have the ball-bearings to comment how tiny she is with Megatron's coding. Laserbeak enjoys a peek-a-boo game by dipping her beak down for the bitty grab, whereas Buzzsaw prefers to clean the infant. Ravage may act cool and collected compared to the rest of them, but Megatron shifts his gaze whenever the cougaraider dips her tail into the cradle-pod to play with his infant daughter.

54 notes · View notes

homo-taylorsversion · 1 year

Text

I have created a "new" coping mechanism for shitty parents!/j

Create a playlist. Add Angry songs. Add "break up" songs you connect to your parents more than a relationship. Add depressing songs. Add songs that make you feel like they can't control you anymore, that your finally taking action. Add songs that have lyrics that you wish you could tell them.

And, next time they upset you in any way, listen to the playlist!

Play out your fantasies of getting what you deserve! Of taking your anger out over music than other ways! :'D

(love my parents! Their Wonderful! I totally didn't make one!/j)

#shitty parents #coping mechanism #not the best #but it works #parental relationship #parental issues #parental trauma #playlist #music #shitpost #coping skills #coping #i don't know anymore

26 notes · View notes

shion-yu · 2 months

Text

Not Your Fault (part 3)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Shu comes down with Alex's cold from last week, but it seems like it’s hitting him way harder. Final part, thank you for reading! Fill for my @badthingshappenbingo space "Secret Caretaking." Original work, 2,361 words. No TWs, CW mild emeto, Alex is 13 here.

The thing about Shu was that if someone near him was sick, he always went down eventually. This had been true forever and Shu was bound to catch every cold and flu that made the rounds at the office he worked in. Usually he could push through it to the chagrin of his coworkers who had the joy of listening to him cough and sneeze for the next several days, but when he woke up this morning Shu knew right away that there was no way he was leaving the house today. Thank God it was a Saturday.

It had been a few days since Alex had come down with a bad head cold. He'd been truly sick for about two days, but as soon as he started feeling better he went back to his old self, attempting to sneak off to Ryo's as soon as he could. Shu liked Ryo a lot and was extremely glad that Alex had a friend, but he had tried to convince Alex to stay in bed for another day. "You still have a bit of a fever bud," Shu had sighed. "What if you get Ryo and his parents sick too?" Alex's face had soured, but apparently pointing out that he could hurt his friend Ryo worked because he had stayed home until the fever was gone. He waited for the twenty-four hour fever free mark and then escaped immediately. Shu was just glad he was feeling better.

Knowing how his own body worked, Shu had been trying to get plenty of sleep and chugging Emergen-C for the past several days. He was actually hopeful that it had worked and he’d somehow been spared despite living in the same household as a germ-ridden teenager all week.

Now though, Shu knew whatever Alex had come down with had hit him, and it was hitting him hard. Shu groaned and turned over to look at the time on his phone. It was ten AM on a Saturday morning; he never slept in this late. Crap, where was Alex?

Shu forced himself to sit on the edge of the bed. It felt like his bones were creaking in pain and his headache was splitting. He stood up, was hit with a rush of dizziness, and sat right back down. He felt his legs quivering like he'd just attempted to do some monumental task. Had Alex felt this poorly? When he'd wrangled the teen to the doctor he'd just been diagnosed with a viral upper respiratory infection, nothing too serious, but Shu felt like death. If it wasn't for Alex he would have given up attempting to rise from bed at all, but he told himself this was part of being a parent. He'd signed up for this, and parents didn't get sick days off.

Shu wobbled into the kitchen, leaning heavily on the walls as he went. To his relief he found Alex right away in the living room, sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. He glanced briefly at Shu then did a double take, his eyes widening. "Holy shit, you look terrible," he said.

Shu snorted with laughter which turned into a chesty cough. He had to sit down. He flopped heavily next to Alex, black spots dancing in his vision. "Thanks a lot, kid. Did you eat breakfast?" He asked, wincing at the pain in his throat.

"Yeah," Alex said. "I think you should probably not be worrying about me right now though."

"It's only a cold, you know that," Shu said dismissively. "I'm just a wimp." He managed to give Alex what he hoped was an encouraging smile but was interrupted by a loud sneeze which he barely managed to direct away from his distant relative turned foster child. "Huh'AEESHUHh!" He groaned, the powerful sneeze ripping painfully through his aching sinuses.

"Uh huh. Bless you," Alex said, scooting a few inches farther away from him in disgust.

"Thangks," Shu said, snorting up the snot that had begun to drip from his nose. God his head hurt like hell. "You good here if I go back to bed?" He genuinely couldn't fathom doing anything else right now. Was he just getting old that this was hitting him so much harder than it had Alex? Was this what having a cold at thirty-five felt like?

"Yeah. Pretty sure I'm safer away from you and your biohazard zone," Alex said dryly.

Shu didn't point out that Alex was almost certainly the one who'd given him this awful cold. He just nodded and shuffled back to bed, making a pit stop at the bathroom to urinate and grab the thermometer. It had barely gotten a break between uses, he thought as he placed it under his tongue. He looked at his haggard expression in the mirror and grimaced. Should he call his mom to watch Alex, he thought? He didn't think he could keep up with the rambunctious teen like this. He decided against it for now though, not wanting her to think he couldn't handle single parenting just like she had. Alex was fourteen, he didn’t need a babysitter, but he did need to be watched closely to make sure he didn’t do anything problematic.

The thermometer beeped and Shu looked at the flashing 101.8 on the tiny screen. Not good, he thought to himself. He downed two Tylenol and then brought the rest of the bottle with him to the bedroom. He collapsed back into bed and fell asleep before he had time to think about anything else. He spent the rest of the day coughing and sneezing and using an entire box of tissues. His sneezes were most certainly audible in every room in the house. Every cold Shu had seemed to go straight to his chest and this felt like no exception. He could practically feel the junk settling lower and lower in his lungs despite the absurd amount he was already coughing up.

Around lunch time, Shu wobbled to the kitchen to grab more water. Alex was at the table doing school work, which was a nice sight. “Hey bud, you doing okay in here?” Shu asked, wincing at how hoarse his voice had become in comparison to this morning in a mere few hours.

“I’m definitely okay,” Alex said cautiously. “You look almost dead though.”

“I’m really okay,” Shu reassured him, which was absolutely not backed up by the way he suddenly grabbed the edge of the counter to avoid losing his balance. Alex stood up quickly, face alarmed. Shu waved his hand in his direction, trying to make it seem like he hadn’t nearly fainted. “It’s great you’re doing school work,” he said in an attempt to distract Alex. Predictably, this caused Alex to scowl and go back to what he was doing. However Shu could feel Alex’s concerned expression on his back as he slowly inched back to his bedroom.

He tried to rest, but the cough was really painful and Shu could feel his fever going up despite the Tylenol. He kept thinking about Alex. Could he really trust the kid to take care of himself all day? What if he skipped eating? Not that he usually did that, mealtime was the one thing Shu could actually rely on Alex to show up for but still. Alex was his sole responsibility and Shu wanted him to have more than just enough. He wanted him to feel comfortable and happy. He wanted to take care of Alex so all those bad memories he had became more distant. It seemed like such a monumental task at times though, and right now Shu was in completely new territory. How did he keep an eye on Alex when he could barely lift his head off the pillow?

He made it to dinnertime without incident. Shu hazily warmed up soup for himself. Alex was nowhere to be found. There was a note on the table: ‘At Ryo’s for dinner.’ At least Alex had bothered to let him know where he was and it was somewhere safe. Shu shivered and managed about three bites of the soup before his stomach rejected all of it and more. He dashed to the bathroom with energy he hadn’t known he had and spent the next half hour vomiting into the toilet. He was glad that Alex wasn’t home to hear it. Afterwards his temperature was 102.6. Ouch. Alex’s own fever had peeked at 102.3 that first night he was sick. Shu hoped his own illness was following that same trajectory and it wouldn’t get any higher.

He forced down a single saltine cracker and two more Tylenol in the hope that it would stay in his stomach, then went back to bed. His stomach and head ached, his chest felt heavy, and Shu was beginning to grow concerned. He hadn’t been this sick in a while and he hadn’t had a kid to worry about that time. He needed to hurry up and get better. He needed to sleep.

He woke up an unknown amount of time later to the feeling of a cool hand on his cheek. It felt nice... Shu forced his eyes open and squinted at the form above him. Alex? Shu was confused. Why was Alex in here?

"You were moaning in your sleep," Alex explained, noticing Shu's eyes were open now. He looked embarrassed to be caught. He also looked worried. "You feel really hot."

"Just a fever. I took some Tylenol," Shu said hoarsely, although he had no idea how long ago that was now. “What time is it?”

“Two AM,” Alex said.

“Oh,” Shu said, confused. “Did I wake you up?”

"It’s alright," Alex said, and scurried out before Shu could ask any more questions. Shu didn't expect him to come back and he didn't for several minutes. By this time Shu had almost fallen back to sleep and was barely conscious when he saw Alex slink back into the room with a wet washcloth. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep to save Alex from getting more embarrassed. He felt the cool, damp cloth be placed on his forehead and then heard Alex leave again. Shu fell asleep with his lips turned in a smile.

The next time he became half conscious it was only because he was so goddamn cold. He was shaking uncontrollably with aches and chills. He curled into a ball and tried to wait out the pain, but he felt awfully alone right now. He missed his mom. She was always so good to him when was sick, brewing tea and rubbing his arms and legs and giving him the hot water bottle to ease his chills... Just like... Right now?

Shu opened his eyes. Somehow the hot water bottle had appeared in his arms, as well as an extra blanket on top of him. He listened carefully, but there was no quiet chatter of Chinese radio in the background that always accompanied his mom wherever she went. He did hear the sound of water running in the bathroom though, and then Alex's voice saying something like, "He'll be fine, Ry, right?" Shu wanted to reassure Alex he was definitely going to be fine, but he felt too weak and sleepy and soon lost consciousness again.

The quiet chatter of Chinese radio when he came back to his senses was a sure sign his mom was there now. "Ma?" Shu croaked, forcing his eyes open.

He could smell his mom's distinct perfume as she came to his bedside and rubbed his chest. "Háizi. Boy call me, say that you sick."

Shu slowly processed what that meant. Alex had called his mom, Fulu. "Where is he?" Shu asked.

"Friend house," his mom said. "He upset, think you dying."

"Ugh," Shu said, concerned at the thought of upsetting Alex. "Ma, didn't you tell him I'm fine? I always get high fevers..."

"He no listen. Just like his bàba," Fulu said. She handed Shu her phone, silently instructing him to do exactly what Shu already wanted to - to call Alex. He didn't think it was worth correcting his mom right at this second - that he wasn't Alex's dad. Alex was his kid, and so it almost fit. He wanted it to.

Shu's hands shook as he found Alex in Fulu's contacts and called him, pressing the phone to his ear. Alex picked up right away. "Is he okay?" Was how Alex answered.

Shu coughed in surprise. Alex sounded genuinely worried. It would have been touching if Shu didn't feel so guilty about it. "Alex? I'm fine bud. I just have a fever, that's all. Same as you did, just a little worse. I promise."

There was silence on the line for several seconds. Shu was worried he'd hung up. But finally Alex said, "You weren't getting any better, even though I did the same stuff you did."

Shu felt a rush of affection. Alex really had been trying to take care of him, even though it was supposed to be the other way around. "It'll be a few days, and then I'll be right as rain," Shu reassured him as confidently as possible. "Do you want to stay at Ryo's this weekend?"

"Can I?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"Of course, if it's okay with his parents. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable. I just need you to understand that you don't need to worry about me. Thanks for calling my mom. I'm glad you got help when you were scared."

"I wasn't scared," Alex shot back, but Shu knew he was lying. "Can you call me again when you feel better?”

"I feel better hearing your voice," Shu said with a smile.

"Ew."

"Sorry," Shu laughed, which quickly became several wet coughs. "I'll text you every time I'm up, alright?"

"Alright," Alex agreed. "Um... I hope you feel better soon."

Maybe it was because he felt so rotten, or because he was relieved that Alex was okay, but Shu felt tears spring to his eyes. He swallowed and tried not to let his voice waver as he said, "Thanks buddy. I will. See you soon."

27 notes · View notes