Hurt/Comfort Exchange 2021

[st_aurafina]

Hello Hurty-Comforter,

This is the first time I've done this exchange, so please be forgiving if I've messed up the tag situation, or somehow requested two things that simply cannot co-exist. (You asked for forehead kisses? Don't you know these two characters LOST THEIR FOREHEADS IN THE WAR???) Please know that I'm happy for you to write what you want to write. I've requested pairings but I'm happy for them to be anything from the barest hint of a relationship all the way up to naked chained to the wall fucking. I will be delighted to read whatever you write.

Ratings:
Anything from General up to Explicit.

Porn likes:
Rough handling, desperation to get down to boning, tearing off clothes in the elevator, grinding, wall fucking, eye contact, eye fucking, hair pulling, biting, neck kissing, trembling with want, tenderness post all the fucking

Kink likes:
D/s overtones, people comfortable with their kink identities, bondage, ropes, sensation play, orgasm control, impact play

Hurt/Comfort Likes:
I very much lean towards the comfort side of the scale, and while I'm fine with bad stuff happening to the characters I love, I'd really like it to end with comfort.

Particularly faves:
Forehead kissing (provided the characters have foreheads), protective tenderness, small touches, hugs, holding hands, seeking comfort without being able to voice the need, deriving comfort from sitting next to the person who comforts you, deriving comfort from sex with the person who comforts you, not expecting people you love to care for you but they do, being safe and warm after a disaster, people going into battle because their person got hurt, people pulling out all the stops to rescue their people, people being skilful in their field for the sake of helping their people, characters that trust each other despite vast differences

DNW: Non-con (dub-con is okay!), cross-gen, incest, teacher/student, death (especially partner death), terminal illness (especially cancer), angst without resolution, sad endings, embarrassment for embarrassment's sake, humiliation, animal harm or suffering, kinks I didn't ask for

Sentinel/Guide AUs
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel

Fanlore has a good round-up of what this trope is: Sentinel AU

I'm assigning these tags across almost all my pairings, so I thought I'd condense my thoughts here. I love this trope! I love tenderness between Sentinel and Guide, even when the association was something thrust upon the two of them (for universes where Sentinels are assigned guides, for example.) The Guide might be angry at this unwanted assignment, but can't help but feel responsible for their Sentinel, for example. The Sentinel might resent the Guide they don't think they need, but when the going gets tough, things are so much easier with a Guide than they were alone.

I love Sentinels with enhanced senses and all the sensory overload that comes with that. I love the idea that these abilities take a toll on the Sentinel, and that it's beyond the scope of one (even very determined) person to keep themselves alive and well and functional if they have those abilities. Sentinels need guides, even when they think they don't.

I love an Us Against the World mentality, where a Guide puts the well-being of their Sentinel before laws and regulations, before anything the government requires of them. I love the idea of a Guide taking their mistreated Sentinel and running for freedom, living away from the organisation that controlled them in the past, figuring out a new normal.

Whether Sentinels and Guides are known in this universe is up to you. I love most iterations. If you're heading in a D/s direction, I'm good up to dub con and I've listed kinks above under "Kink Likes". I do prefer Guides that care for their sentinels, whether it's grudgingly or not.

I think what I'm saying is that you can't really overload the tropes here. Sentinel/Guide AUs are a ridiculous concept, I know that, and I still love them to pieces. I'm happy for you to lean into the insanity and go all in with a tropey hurt/comfort story about two people who were made for each other.



Hannibal
Ahaha, this batshit amazing show! I am here for: cannibal puns, Will finding strays, Hannibal keeping the larder stocked, murder husbands on the run post-finale, really, anything.

When I was compiling tags for fandoms, I somehow accumulated 100+ for this fandom, which I guess indicates that I'm greedy for hurt/comfort stories between these two. For this fandom, I would prefer that you don't erase the fact of Hannibal's crimes or particular psychology – not that I want graphic and grotesque murder scenes, just that I prefer that he's definitely a serial killer.

I'm happy with any period within the series, or past/future fic, or AUs where they meet under different circumstances, as long as Will is a nervy, dog-loving empath and Hannibal is a serial-killing gourmet with an eclectic larder.

I do love the idea of them going on the run after the series ends, and Will adjusting to the idea that he loves a murderer. The same for Hannibal, particularly as I don't think he's actually had many long-term relationships. He probably thinks he's going to be great at it but Will isn't the easiest person to live with, especially while on the run.

Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter (hurt Hannibal)
Hurt character is used to having to tend to their own wounds
Love confession to/from sick/hurt character who is out of it
Physically Injured Character Giving Medical Instructions to Save Their Own Life
Resting a cool hand against a character's warm face
No painkillers available
injured doctor tells non-medical person how to treat them while struggling to remain conscious
Watching Hurt Character Sleep
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel


I'm really intrigued by the idea of Will taking care of Hannibal, possibly through an illness or injury (hence them being on the run.) What's Will's style of care like? I'm also interested in Hannibal when all his careful self-control is rattled, say if he has a fever or is in a lot of pain. I'd love to see their reactions to each other in those circumstances.

Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter (hurt Will)
Hiding Injury To Keep Other Character From Going Ballistic
Helping hurt character to dress/undress
Panic Attacks
Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs
Taking off a sick character's glasses
Watching Hurt Character Sleep
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel

I am always here for Hannibal's particular brand of unsettling but tender care. In the show, I loved his slightly stifling way of making sure that Will always ate and took care of himself. In a situation where Will has been harmed, I can see Will wanting to keep the injury hidden from Hannibal to prevent him from exacting revenge.



The Black Tapes
Richard and Alex on the run from the dark forces that have apparently won. Or case fic that bites back, hurting one or the other. Maybe investigating the hints that Richard had some great, dark destiny ahead of him, or his apparent psychic powers. Or a supernatural danger inflicted on Alex, such as a possession or an attack of a metaphysical nature.

I've been relistening to this podcast and now time has passed since the finale, I'm enjoying how much fun it is. I adore Alex and Richard's dynamic, and how Alex slowly grows on him. And yeah, while I didn't love the finale, I did love the fact that Alex and Richard ran off together at the end rather than fight some apocalyptic big bad.

Alex Reagan/Richard Strand (hurt Alex)
Alternate Universe - Bad Guys Win
Waking up from nightmares while sharing a bed
Marijuana for pain relief
Insomnia and/or Sleep Deprivation
Gentle acts of caretaking
Comforter reads to hurt character
Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders
Character lets hurt character use their belly as a pillow
Character is reluctant to eat because they are exhausted/in pain
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel


Richard is constantly a grounding force for Alex, especially while she's losing her mind with insomnia. I'd love to see her hitting rock-bottom, and having Richard there to help her cope. Lots of snuggling and being warm and safe while the world crumbles around them, maybe? I would not be averse to Richard saving a possessed Alex.

Alex Reagan/Richard Strand (hurt Richard)
Alternate Universe - Bad Guys Win
Injured character tells non-medical person how to treat them while struggling to remain conscious
Emotionally Repressed Character Feels too Much
Comforter taking off comfortee's glasses
Comforter reads to hurt character
Comfortee is used to (and good at) looking after themselves; appreciates comforter's help
Character tormented by visions
Character believes they're (turning into) a monster
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel


I loved the suggestion that there were paranormal forces in Richard's life, from his father's investigations, to the methods he used to try to find his missing wife. I would love to see some of that investigated, and the way that it could affect Richard. He hates to be forced into believing things. He's always the sceptic. Factor in the impending apocalypse, and I think that discovering he has paranormal abilities would take a huge toll on him. Even better if he suspects that Alex is caught up in it, whether by possession or because of her own paranormal abilities.


The Exorcist
Marcus Keane/Peter Osborne (hurt Marcus)
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
Affection starved
The after effects of encounters with eldritch horrors
Attacked By A Creature
Caring for character's injured hands
Caring for hurt character by cooking for them or getting them their favourite food
Carrying sick/hurt/exhausted character to bed
Character lets hurt character use their belly as a pillow
Character tormented by visions
Collapsing on character's doorstep
Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders
Comforter taking off comfortee's glasses
Injury after encounter with a cosmic horror
Nightmares
Watching Hurt Character Sleep


Marcus leaning on Peter for support, physically and/or emotionally, after working himself into the ground. I'd love to see domesticity and comfort, and a safe place for Marcus to recover.

I'd love to see Marcus coming to Peter for comfort, possibly out of desperation or not even really understanding why Peter and Peter's home feel good and safe to him. Maybe there's been some rigorous exorcist work, or maybe Marcus is feeling worn down and depleted and lost.

So, the thing with Peter and Marcus is that they're both veterans, albeit of different conflicts. I loved how grounded Peter was, and how much he had managed to make peace with his own demons. I think he's on a similar journey to Marcus, but maybe he's a little further ahead in terms of self-acceptance and forgiveness.

I think I just want someone to wrap tired Marcus in a warm blanket and give him soup and a hug. I am a sucker for battered old soldiers looking after each other.



Person of Interest

Harold Finch/Grace Hendricks/John Reese (hurt Reese)
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
A and B have to work together to help injured mutual loved one C
Bedside Vigils
Character pushes themselves too hard and relapses
Character rubbing other character's hair dry
Characters live together while one recovers from hurt
Comforter reads to hurt character
Comforting Cuddle Piles
Fix-it - Character survives canonical death
Formerly active character learns to cope with new disability
Gently coaxing out-of-it sick/hurt character back to bed
Hair Brushing
Helping hurt character to dress/undress
Holding Hands For Comfort
Lingering Weakness After Illness
Marijuana for pain relief
Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs
Touch-Starved Character gets their hair stroked & gets other kind gentle touches & cuddles
Wheelchairs and mobility issues


Any scenario that brings the three of them together with the goal of helping an injured John.I I'm happy for case fic, fic where Harold is repairing his relationship with Grace and John gets injured some how. One suggestion, because I love fix-it fic, is dealing with John surviving the finale and the other two living with him and helping him heal. I'm putting Sentinel/Guide tags in, on the off chance that this is also your jam.


I am happy with any scenario you'd like to write, and any way of bringing these characters together.

If you're searching for inspiration, though, I've been thinking about post-finale fic where John survives the Samaritan attack and Harold and Grace help him through the recovery of his injuries.

This is a secret double-whammy hurt/comfort set up, because Grace and Harold are going to have to look after each other while they're caring for John. Helping someone heal from serious injury takes a toll on the carers too.



John/Fusco
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
Succubus - Comforter is a succubus
unexpected tenderness
Badass in Distress
Awkward Comforter
Bedside Vigils
Caring for hurt character by cooking for them or getting them their favourite food
Catching injured character as they faint or lose balance
Character cooks for sick/injured character(s)
Character is Injured while Protecting Another
Comfortee is used to (and good at) looking after themselves; appreciates comforter's help
Cuddling & Snuggling
Emotionally Repressed Character Feels too Much
Falling Asleep As A Sign Of Trust
Protectiveness
Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs
Watching TV Together After a Stressful Mission/Quest

Lionel is a succubus/incubus/demonic creature, it's a problem for a homicide detective. Why does he get so many cases in churches or graveyards? All this walking on holy ground is giving him corns. Plus there's this creepy guy stalking him lately, and Lionel's worried Mr Fantastic is going to learn his dark secret Alternatively, I am here for casefic that results in injury and gruff care. Domestic scenes are absolutely my kink for these guys. Give me all the awkward blokey love.

I have one crack scenario in mind for this pairing, and it's one I couldn't stop thinking about once I saw the tag. I know it's not going to be to everyone's taste, but on the off-chance you also have been snagged by the concept of either John or Lionel as a succubus (or more correctly, an incubus), then please feel free. For some reason, whenever I'm imagining Lionel as a supernatural creature (I guess I do this more often than I realise!) I always imagine him as the most curmudgeonly [whatever it is] that has ever existed. It would be just his luck to be an incubus when all he ever wanted to do was be a detective. This could be a universe where supernatural creatures are known and poor Fusco has fought for his entire career to get the hell of working Vice (which is where I imagine incubi would be best put to use.) Or Fusco keeps his abilities and demonic nature under wraps. It's only a problem if he has to work a case on sanctified ground.

If my crack supernatural idea doesn't work for you, I have many other thoughts and ideas about these two!

You can probably tell I am a total sucker for grumpy older men grudgingly admitting their feelings, and I have always loved the fact that in a relationship between John and Lionel, Lionel is kinda the more functional person. I think this is a constant surprise to him, being divorced.

I love domesticity for these two, because John has never really had a home or a chance to be domestic. As a detective, Lionel probably doesn't get a lot of time or doesn't really see the need to spend that precious time off doing domestic things when it's just him. I love the idea of Lee having two bad-ass dads looking out for him, also. (I'm here for Lionel having a solid, functional relationship with his ex, btw. Please don't bag Mrs Fusco! That's Lee's mum!)

Really, just hurt one of them, and let the other awkwardly and tenderly care for him.


Iris Campbell/John Reese (hurt Iris), Iris Campbell/John Reese (hurt John)
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
accepting injury to protect someone
Badass in Distress
Caring for pet as self-care
Carrying sick/hurt/exhausted character to bed
Catching injured character as they faint or lose balance
Character A falls asleep on B's shoulder; B gently moves A to rest on lap instead
Character A gets angry at Character B's tendency to self-sacrifice
Character A shields Character B with their body
Character rubbing other character's hair dry
Character sustains injury while trying to help defuse a violent situation
Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders
Communication Suddenly Cut Off
First Aid
Huddling For Warmth
Hurt character must rely on character with less combat experience to rescue them
loved one forced to watch helplessly (nearby/over a broadcast/etc.)
Physically Injured Character Giving Medical Instructions to Save Their Own Life
stranded in hostile environment with injury
Trapped Together During Gunfire/Fighting


Hurt John can't protect their number, so Iris helps out. Alternatively, Iris is injured in the line of duty or by a patient, and keeps it from John to prevent him from taking it out on that person. NO ANIMAL HARM PLS! Let Iris' kitty fear nothing more than Bear's wet slobbery slobber.


I loved Iris, but sometimes I felt like the show never let her be all she could be. I maintain my theory that she would have been great on Team Machine, and I'd love to see her working with John.

I am imagining a situation where John is restrained in some way and Iris has to carry out the active part of a mission while he offers backup via radio or earpiece. John, being the kind of guy who would run on a broken leg, isn't going to deal well with Iris being in danger without back-up. It would be ten times worse if he was the one who stepped in front of a bullet or otherwise managed to direct harm in his direction rather than hers, and that injury rendered him unable to protect the two of them or carry out the mission.

Iris, on the other hand, comes from a family of cops. She enacted a citizen's arrest on her prom date. She's going to be fine when the bullets start to fly.



Harold Finch/John Reese (hurt Finch)
accepting injury to protect someone
Altered States - Character is out of it due to pain
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Canon Physical Disability
Character A gets angry at Character B's tendency to self-sacrifice
Character A shields Character B with their body
B sees formal A voluntarily wearing casual clothes for 1st time while A is sick/injured
Character so used to pain they don't notice injury
Comforter taking off comfortee's glasses
concealing illness/injury at formal social event
Day to day living with a partner who deals with chronic pain
Helping hurt character to dress/undress
Holding hands with sick/injured character
Hot tea for the hurt character
Injury on Top of Old Injuries
Protectiveness
Downplaying an Injury
Hurt/Comfort While Undercover
Hiding Injury To Keep Other Character From Going Ballistic
Dangerous Character Willing to Destroy World to Save and Protect Hurt Character


Harold and John are undercover, maybe as a couple, maybe as a guy and his bodyguard, maybe something else. Harold is injured, but they have to keep up their cover to protect their number.

Poor Harold, who knows what it's like to walk around in pain day to day, so will assume he's fine with this latest injury. Maybe he's fine, maybe he's able to keep working, or maybe he's not. I do think that he'll be very, very worried about John going off on a revenge bender, which is bad for John and bad for whoever they're supposed to be protecting.

The thing I love most for these two is all the soft, soft, tentative caring. I love ferociously loyal John, I love clever, calm Harold even when he's struggling through pain. I love tenderness and domesticity, John having unexpected talents at things like cooking or making Harold comfortable. For them, I love hand holding and forehead kisses and gentle touches and being happy to spend time around each other even when they're not working.



Jessica Arndt/John Reese/Nathan Ingram (hurt Jessica)
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Guides are assigned a Sentinel
Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides - Sentinel is overwhelmed and needs help
Nurses being awesome
On the Run with a Sick or Injured Partner
DIY Bullet-Removal
field medicine
Character A kills their abusive partner; panics and calls character B for help
Comforting Cuddle Piles
Cuddling & Snuggling
Touch-Starved Character gets their hair stroked & gets other kind gentle touches & cuddles
Sick/hurt character lulled to sleep by car/train/aircraft engine noise
Sick/hurt character sleeping in the back seat of a car
Can't risk getting hospital care
Scars
Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs


I don't mind how you tie these three together. Maybe Nathan recruits John early, before he gets killed? Maybe John leaves the CIA to protect Jess and Nathan recruits them both? Maybe Jess kills Peter and the three of them go on the run, from the police, from the CIA, from Denton Weeks and his team of killers?

I have a weakness for stories where Jess survives. I think that if she had been able to tell John what was going on, he would have walked away from the CIA earlier. Nathan struggled to work the numbers on his own, maybe he tried to protect Jess, maybe that led him to John, maybe they found a way to work numbers as a team. I can see them forming a strong, protective unit together, keeping each other safe from harm.



Miscellanea:

I have talked about some fandoms more than others, and I've made several prompts for POI. This doesn't indicate a preference for one fandom over another. I will genuinely enjoy fic or art from any of the fandoms requested.

I've used a lot of additional tags, but I intend them as suggestions only. Same for the prompts – they're the things my mind threw onto the page today, they're meant to be guidelines. Feel free to ignore them or pick and choose what suits your needs. Stick to my DNWs and I'll be happy. I love all these characters.

My partner is lilacsigil or laraleftlane and she will be happy to sneakily answer any questions about my likes and dislikes. She will keep this secret from me, (possibly forever, because that's how she rolls.)

For stalking purposes, you can find me most places under st_aurafina. I'm st_aurafina and st-aurafina.

All my previous Dear Author letters are here: Dear Author.

Thank you so much for writing for me! I hope you have a sweet exchange!