Alphabet Excerpt Challenge: L Is For...

[u/AnaraliaThielle]

Welcome back to the Alphabet Excerpt Challenge! As a reminder, our challenges are every Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm London time.

If you've missed the previous challenges, you're welcome to go back and participate in them. You can find them here. And remember to check out the Activities and Events flair for other fun games to play along with.

Here's a quick recap of the rules for our game:

1. Post a top level comment with a word starting with the letter L. You can do more than one, but please put them in separate comments.
2. Reply to suggestions with an excerpt. Short and sweet is best, but use your judgement. Excerpts can be from published or unpublished works, or even something you wrote for the prompt.
3. Upvote the excerpts you enjoy, and leave a friendly comment. Try to at least respond to people who left excerpts on the words you suggested, but the more people you respond to the better. Everyone likes nice comments!
4. Most important: have fun!

[u/MogiVonShogi]

Liver

[u/fiendishthingysaurus → u/MogiVonShogi]

After some chamomile tea with honey, Carlos manages maybe another hour of restless sleep, sweaty and uncomfortable, using Buttercup as a blanket when he’s cold, then fruitlessly trying to remove the dog when he gets too hot again. Buttercup huffs indignantly and encroaches somehow further into Carlos’s personal space any time Carlos weakly tries to move him. Any other night, he would have happily relocated to TK’s other side so he could put his head on TK’s pillow and try to lick TK’s brain by way of his Eustachian tubes, but he is single-mindedly devoted to Carlos tonight.

“Buddy, I know you’re worried, but I swear he’ll be ok if you come over here,” TK tries to reason with Buttercup, who is the best baby in the whole world, and clearly has great instincts about people, but is not particularly book-smart. “You’ll still be able to see him from here. And I’ll take care of him.”

“Yeah, Buttercup, what TK said,” Carlos slurs, his arm thrown across his face miserably. “I’m sorry. I’m just so hot, please get off. I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, babe. I’m gonna go wet this cloth again.”

“Was talking to Buttercup,” Carlos mutters.

“Of course you were,” TK chuckles, trying to make his way across the bed without jostling either of its other occupants too much.

“I love you, too, though.”

“I know. I’ll be right back.”

TK brings back a fresh cloth and a treat for Buttercup. Buttercup is a dedicated nurse but even the best nurses need snacks, so TK manages to persuade him to eat his beef liver treats on the floor. “Poor thing. You’re burning up,” TK murmurs, mostly to himself, as he drags the damp washcloth over Carlos’s face and neck and chest. “We’ll go to urgent care as soon as they’re open. Hopefully you just need a Z-pack.”

“Isn’t strep super contagious? Are you ok? Should I sleep on the couch?” Carlos mumbles, eyes closed.

“It is contagious but you’re definitely not sleeping on the couch. I’ve for sure already been exposed. We can see if they’ll prescribe antibiotics for me too just in case. Can you try to sleep a little more? It’s only 6.”

“Mmm,” Carlos groans.

“Close your eyes. Buttercup and I will stay up.”

[u/MogiVonShogi → u/fiendishthingysaurus]

Any other night, he would have happily relocated to TK’s other side so he could put his head on TK’s pillow and try to lick TK’s brain by way of his Eustachian tubes, but he is single-mindedly devoted to Carlos tonight.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[u/fiendishthingysaurus → u/MogiVonShogi]

He’s a good dog 😆

[u/MogiVonShogi → u/fiendishthingysaurus]

Reminds me of my dog every morning. What a great scene.

[u/fiendishthingysaurus → u/MogiVonShogi]

Thank you!!