#exhustion

Trying again you managed to stick the landing this time, but still had to pause to wait for the patches in your vision to clear up first before doing anything.

You were vaguely aware of a dull ache in your temples and a general feeling of malaise and fatigue across your whole body.

You leant against the wall of your bedroom while pulling on some fresh pant and swapping out your pyjama shirt for a clean and presentable top.

You fought to stay upright while hopping around to stick the socks over your cold feet.

Throwing your notebook and pencil case into your backpack before pulling your laptop off the charge you added it to your bag and slung it over your shoulder, not bothering to do up the zip just yet.

Scanning the room your eyes caught on the small medical pouch were you had left it the day before. Groaning you circled back to grab it and triple check it was stocked with extra electrolyte packets before tossing it into your already full bag.

Your footsteps were heavy on the stairs as you plodded down to the kitchen, the voices of your little sister and mother only seeming to aggravate your growing headache.

You gripped the railing as you descended the stairs just in case your fatigue flared anymore than it already had.

As you shuffled into the kitchen you distantly listened to your mum wish you a good morning. Feeling tired and slightly annoyed at the whole situation you mumbled something incoherent back to her.

Scarlett had been your mother for almost ten years now after the adoption had gone through. You had met on the set for one of her earlier marvel films and due to your less-than-ideal situation and close bond with the actress she had adopted you.

It hadn’t been until a few months into living with her that she begun to take notice of your fatigue and various other issues. She had been with you every step of the process to get diagnosed and despite your fears she had stayed by your side.

You had been managing your tachycardia for a long time now and the symptoms of POTS weren’t as intense as they once were. However, from time to time you still had flare up which caused you a lot of heart ache and suffering.

As you slid into your place at the kitchen table Scarlett set down a plate of bacon and toast for you whilst she continued listening to the constant chatter stemming from your younger sister.

Scarlett nodded along with Rose’s story as she observed you closely. She had noted something was off almost straight away and knew you were doing your best to keep up a front.

It was Scarlett’s day off and as such she was tasked with taking Rose to school as Colin had headed into work early for a meeting with the writers.

You weren’t too interested in the food your mother had given you. Despite loving bacon and usually chomping it down with gusto you felt gross and tired.

Scarlett took note of your slow pace and droopy eyes as she took roses dishes back to the sink and loaded them into the dishwasher.

Scarlett had been trying to help you get better at advocating for yourself by simply making you ask for her help. She hoped it would help you speak up for yourself more now that you had more recognised needs. However, she also knew when to step in and simply help if you didn’t ask first.

She frowned at the sight of your backpack slung over the back of the chair knowing full well she didn’t want you going to uni if you were unwell.

As you continued to poke at your food with a fork and a bored expression that barely masked the exhaustion Scarlett sent rose to get dressed.

“Alright munchkin, what’s going on?” Scarlett said sitting down next to you.

“‘M fine mum. Just tired, I didn’t sleep well.” You grumbled still mining away at the edge of the slightly burnt toast with your fork.

Scarlett frowned as she knew you had been asleep before ten after she had poked her head in at around nine fifty to see if you were up.

“In that case maybe you should stay home today and get some rest sweetheart.” Scarlett said softly.

“No. No, I’m ok.” You said shaking your head which wasn’t a great idea as the patches reappeared in your vision.

“Alright.” Scarlett said admitting defeat for now. “I have to take rose to school; do you need a lift to uni?” She asked and you nodded pushing away the full plate of food. “Ok then come get your shoes on.”

You nodded again and stood. Just as she had expected Scarlett watched as you swayed on your feet slightly, blinking rapidly to try and clear your vision as your hand blindly reached for the table to provide the support you needed dot stay upright.

“Alright. No.” Scarlett said. “Definitely not. You’re staying here sweet girl.”

“But i’m-“ you begun only to be cut off.

“If the next words out of your mouth are “I’m fine.” I’ll make you take the whole week off.” Scarlett said and your lips snapped shut. “Go make yourself comfortable on the couch, I’ll have lizzie come stay with you while I’m out. She has the day off too and before you start, I’m sure she would like to spend the time with you.” Scarlett said before you could protest hindering the younger actresses schedule with your change of plans.

Before you could protest Scarlett gave you a look that kept the words in your throat from leaving.

“You’re not a problem y/n. Lizzie loves to spend time with you, and it makes her feel better to be able to help you out. Plus, I don’t want to leave you here alone in case you need something or pass out.” She said sternly but kindly.

“But I haven’t passed out before.” You grumbled.

“There’s a first time for everything.” Scarlett said. “Now go get comfy while I call Lizzie.” She said pressing a kiss to your head and giving you a light shove in the direction of the living room.

As you settled into a small nest on the couch you begun scrolling through Disney plus before settling on something to watch. You heard Scarlett talking on the phone in the kitchen before she appeared and handed you a water bottle which no doubt was filled with electrolytes. She spoke to Lizzie for a bit longer before coming back once the call was done.

“Drink.” She instructed, nodding to the bottle in your lap. “Lizzie will be over soon. I have to take rose in and then we can have a movie day and see if Lizzie wants to join us.”

“Ok.” You mumbled feeling bad for ruining everyone’s plans.

“None of that. We love you and we would rather spend the day making you feel better than knowing you’re not ok and doing what we planned.” Scarlett said as she picked up roses backpack and grabbed her trainers from the doorway.

Rose came and hugged you goodbye before continuing her endless chatter about something or other as she and Scarlett disappeared out the doorway. Scarlett blowing you a kiss as she left.

Snuggling down into the blankets you felt your eyelids droop as the show played on in the background.

What couldn’t have been more than five minutes later the doorbell rang before the door opened. You knew Lizzie had a a key, but she always rung the doorbell before she let herself in just to let you know it was her.

You heard the door shut and the sound of her taking off her shoes before she came upstairs.

“Y/n?” She called out as she walked down the hallway.

“In here.” You said barely shouting.

A moment later Lizzie entered the room, her face looking a little sad at the sight of you all bundled up and sleepy, your arms wrapped around your water bottle as your eyes drifted shut.

“Hiii.” You mumbled quietly.

“Hi sweet girl. Oh, look at you, it’s not a good day, is it?” She asked as she took the seat beside you on the couch.

“No.” You huffed as you shuffled over into her side.

Lizzie’s hands went straight to your hair as she brushed her fingers through it. She guided your head to her lap and gently began braining locks of your hair. The feeling of her fingers on your scalp relaxed you as your eyes fluttered shut.

“Have some more to drink first baby, then you can have a nap, okay?” She said helping you sit up and sip some of the electrolyte drink before guiding you back to her lap as her hands took their place back in your hair.

It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep again.

The next time you woke up Lizzie’s hand was still gently massaging your head which was helping with the now whopping headache you had. You shifted slightly prompting Lizzie to look down from the show she had put on and see you were awake.

“Hi sweetheart, how are we feeling love?” She asked softly.

“Headache, tired and lousy.” You mumbled turning your face into her stomach making her chuckle softly at your cuteness.

“That’s no good.” She said frowning now she registered your words. “Want me to get your mum to bring some Panadol and a snack?” She asked and you nodded into her stomach.

Lizzie gently reached down and placed her hands over your ears to shield you from the noise as she began calling out to Scarlett who you hadn’t noticed return.

“Scar car you bring y/n/n some Panadol and a snack!” She called and you faintly heard your mum’s response before Lizzie was prompting you to drink some more of the electrolyte drink in your water bottle.

“Sorry I know this wasn’t what you two wanted to do on ur day off” you said to both actresses when Scarlett came in with some cupcakes, she and rose had baked the day before and a strip of Panadol.

“Honey…” Lizzie said looking sad. “I’ll always be here when you need me.” She said softly.

“Yeah, I can’t get rid of you.” Scarlett joked making all three of you laugh.

When you winced at the noise Scarlett went straight to mum mode as she popped out two of the tablets and put them in your hand before nodding to the water bottle.

“Alright, what are we watching?” Scarlett asked situating herself on your other side and pulling your legs into her lap, so you were laid across the two of them.

“Whatever y/n/n wants.” Lizzie said chucking the remote to you.

“I’m thinking marvel.” You grinned making both women groan in protest.

You put on age of ultron and barely twenty minutes in Lizzie’s gentle head scratches had lulled you back into the arms of sleep.

POTS was hard to live with but with all the people in your life supporting you it was bearable.

Part 2

Watering the freshly potted white roses it was getting harder to ignore the pains and aches. Sneaking a glance at your future colleague who seemed still very wrapped up in her marking you brought your spare hand to gently massage the back of your neck. You bit your lip at the feeling of pain, muddled with relief. The pain in your neck traveled and you found yourself massaging your temples as it settled into a sizeable headache. Trying to focus on the task at hand you went back to watering with your now shaky hands wrapped around the white watering can. It was enchanted to always be full so at least that made it a little easier. It also felt empty which was good because your arms ached, fatigue rolling over you in crashing waves of unrelenting tiredness with the vigour of a lion it sank its teeth into you with vengeance. Noticing that Ms Thornhill has stopped scribbling on her students' papers and was now studying you closely you flushed, an uncomfortable warmth settling in your cheeks. You did your best to act normal and went back to work hoping Ms Thornhill didn’t think too much of it.

Unfortunately, she did. This wasn’t the first time she had become aware of your obvious discomfort. She knew you were anxious about the new job and the new boss, but she sensed something more was going on. This was around the fourteenth time in the last week you had seemingly been in pain, and she couldn’t in good conscience keep it to herself. She had a meeting with Larissa soon to discuss your progress anyway and had already decided to mention it to her friend then.

Deciding to take pity on you and avoid suspicion she waited a few minutes before dismissing you. The obvious look of relief on your face was palpable.

You were beyond thankful and said some quick words before hastily fleeing the classroom. You had barely taken off your shoes and flopped into bed by the time you were asleep, exhaustion winning out.

It was safe to say larissa was concerned. She quite liked you after all. You were polite and rather soft spoken but clearly highly intelligent, you would be a valuable member of her teaching staff and she was looking forward to getting to know you. However, she was quite aware of your nerves around her. When Marilyn had confided in her that you were seemingly unwell as of late, she and the botanist hatched a plan for Larissa to gain some firsthand insight into your work and discomfort. After they had polished off half a bottle of wine the two teachers had bid each other good night and gone their seperate ways.

The next afternoon you came to the observatory as always to help Ms Thornhill water the plants and set up for the next day of classes. However, upon reaching the threshold you did a slight double take at the second figure in the room. A small girl who you had seen from time to time in the halls or the back of the classroom on occasion was sat in the front row. Odd as classes were over for the day. Ms Thornhill looked up and smiled.

“Hello Y/n. I see you’ve met my friend here.” She smiled and you nodded at her and then the girl.

“Hello.” You said to the girl. “Im sorry i don’t think i caught your name.” You said studying her.

She was short, long curly blond hair which boarded on brown with light streaks in it and nevermore uniform in perfect condition. Her eyes were blue as the sky and her cheeks round and pink. She never seemed to make eye contact and had small silver sleepers in each ear. She wore lace up black combat boots and, in her hair, she had a blue bandana to keep the curls from her eyes. She wasn’t much younger than you.

“This is Lucy. Shes one of my third years. I told her she could study here this afternoon so if she needed any help with the classwork, we could provide it. Lucys a bit behind on the work.” Marylin explained and you nodded and smiled at Lucy.

“You can call me Ms L/n.” You winked. “I’ll lend a hand if you need it.” You walked over and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Im nicer than Ms Thornhill.” You said with a joking smile and Marilyn rolled her eyes and the girl lifted a brow. “Alright.” You said clapping your hands, “the plant babies need me. Ms Thornhill here has been neglecting her parental duties again I see.” You said eyeing the plants which were looking a little sad. You shot her a look and Marilyn poked her tongue out at you making you gasp dramatically. “See what i have to put up with.” You said turning to Lucy and winking.

“Watering cans on the shelf Y/n, stop flirting and get to work.” She said with a grin. You blushed slightly and stood up straight to salute.

“Yes sir.” You said and went to grab the tools you needed. A good fifteen minutes passed, and both the student and teacher seemed to be scribbling notes while you busied yourself with the plants. With them both distracted you hovered a hand over the dragon's root and muttered some words under your breath. Warmth spread to your fingertips which glowed a soft purple and the plants leaves grew larger and healthier. You smiled and stroked the green tips of the new shoots your magic had made. Unaware of the shapeshifters eye on your back.

After deadheading some flowers and propagating some plants you were back to watering. You could feel the pain coming back and you had to bite down a groan. Why now? Why again now? You wondered and tried to subtly bring a hand to your throbbing shoulder.

Blue eyes followed your every move as you gently rubbed at your neck and left shoulder. Your head pounded and your mouth felt dry. You were beyond tired, and your shaking hands made it harder to control the flow of water as you split some on the desk. A slight pink hue took to your cheeks, and you closed your eyes to take a quiet steadying breath.

Lucy and Marilyn exchanged a silent conversation behind your back while you tried to ignore the pain.

“You’re free to go Y/n.” Ms Thornhill said, and you nodded and slowly left without a word.

The next day you were called into Larissas office. The pain from yesterday hadn’t left as you knocked on her huge oak doors.

“Come in.” A soft voice called from inside. You drew a shaky breath and entered.

Ms weems sat there in her natural poise of grace and charm. You smiled awkwardly and closed the door behind you, coming over and sitting down in the chair in front of her desk.

“Ms L/n, let’s take this to the couch why don’t we.” She said with a kind smile you nodded. Clutching your hands together to try and make the shaking less obvious. Your brow was slightly pinched as the light made your headache worse and you felt bone tired.

Ms Weems lips thinned as she took in your obviously pained state, eyes not missing a single detail on your face.

She stood and helped you up leading you with her hand on the small of your back to the couch where she sat beside you.

You stifled a yawn as she patted your knee gently.

“Ms L/n…Y/n. Can i call you Y/n?” She asked and you nodded through the fatigue. “Thank you. I can tell your exhausted darling. You’re obviously in pain. And i say this as a friend rather than your boss. What can i do to help you sweetheart?” She asked and you blinked at her owlishly before letting out a small huff of a laugh.

“I don’t think you can.” You sighed and massaged your temples with your fingers. You rested your head against the back of the couch and shut your eyes letting your hands fall to your sides.

“Oh Y/n.” Larissa said as she took in your state. “Talk to me darling.”

“I’m so tired.” You said not opening your eyes. “My head hurts, my neck hurts, my damn shoulders hurt. My hands won’t stop shaking and I’m so so tired. Im exhausted and all i do is sleep.” You said trying to keep the whine out of your voice.

“Oh sweetheart. Come here.” Larissa said as she pulled you in for a hug. You collapsed into her side and rested your head on her shoulder while she gave you a side hug. Your eyes, which had opened for a moment drifted shut again. You drew a deep breath of her expensive perfume and let your head stay nestled on her shoulder. After a moment you felt a hand start to rub at your neck and you let out a soft moan of content, your cheeks flushing.

Larissa smiled kindly. “It’s alright.” She said shushing you. “You’re in pain darling. It’s normal.” She said and you let yourself succumb slightly to the fatigue. “Rest darling.” She said and before you did you felt a blanket being draped over the both of you before her hands retuned to your neck. Kneading out the knots with just the right amount of pressure.

You felt warm and loved. Feeling sleepy and safe as you began to fall into the clutches of sleep you began to mumble to larissa.

“I thought you were scary, but your just momma bear.”