#whumptober no. 3

[comfort-questing]

something which nobody may keep

whumptober day 3, "impaled."

inspired by one of my favs of @f-ai-n 's art ... a picture taken at precisely the moment of disaster

Ironic and cruel, Kaeya always thought, that Cryo was the cause of it; an Abyss Mage's ice blast glancing past him at precisely the wrong instant, as he'd scrambled up from a slip in the shallows of Cider Lake. Ironic, and cruel, and unexpected, in the moment when he felt his muscles lock up in frigid immobility, holding him in place as the next barrage hurtled towards him.

He saw the last of the sunset light strike golden-red through the shards of ice aimed at him and wondered, for a split second, if this was when he died. How disappointed Diluc would be, if he happened to look over just now from where he was matching blades with a handful of hilichurls further up the beach. How disappointed he would be, for that matter - he'd always hoped for something more impressive to show off to Celestia in exchange for the Vision at his belt -

He heard his name, then, a desperate shout from somewhere just outside his sight - "Kaeya, watch out!"

And then between him and the scarlet sunset, between him and the icy blades, between him and possible imminent humiliation before the eyes of the gods, his ridiculous overprotective older brother appeared, just in time and altogether wrong.

Kaeya could move again a moment later, and move he did, then - whirled out of the way and grabbed Diluc's shoulders to shove him clear as well, despite the ragged pained gasp Diluc made at the motion. And Cryo wouldn't serve him well as he charged forward, but his sword still would, and did - slashing through the last of the Abyss Mage's bubble shield and sending its body flying across the sand to land limp and motionless. The remaining hilichurls were making their retreat now, scattering to the nearby cliffs to lick their wounds.

"How was that?" he called over his shoulder to his brother by the shore line. "Enough to make you realize I'm not - "

But Diluc hadn't gotten up. He still knelt where he had been pushed, one hand to the ground, breathing hard and measured as if against pain; and beneath him, the sand and the lapping waves were turning ghastly red with blood. One deadly-sharp icicle had gone straight through him, its uneven point jutting out of his back just above his hip.

Kaeya flung himself down next to him, gathering him up as he crumpled forward. All the winds in the world seemed to be screaming in his ears, panic tightening his breath, but still he could hear Diluc's ragged breaths and feel his brother's body shuddering in his arms. The icicle was melting swiftly as the Cryo faded, and that meant every moment Diluc was bleeding out more quickly.

"Kaeya." Diluc's voice was a ragged ghost of itself, his eyes blindly blinking upwards. "Kaeya, are you - all right?"

"Of course, blast you." He wrenched the clasp of his cloak loose, pressing the slippery folds of fabric against Diluc's wound, trying to stem the blood flow. "What kind of stupid question is that? Think about yourself. Save your strength."

"Good. I - I was - so scared." Diluc smiled, weakly. "I told you - that anyone might need - backup sometimes." He coughed again, blood spattering his face and Kaeya's above him. "I'm sorry - that I wasn't more. Wasn't - what you needed, when you - "

"Stop talking." Kaeya spoke through clenched teeth. "I don't need your deathbed confession. Because you're not going to die, do you hear me?"

This time, Diluc didn't answer.

"Diluc." Kaeya felt his throat closing with terror, tongue clumsy in his mouth.

...How many times could the world fall apart and still manage to exist? But he of all people knew that death wasn't kind or polite, and the sun kept rising anyway, inconsiderately, and you had to get up and find something else to hold onto, over and over and over again...

But it wasn't time for that yet. Surely not yet.

" 'Luc, don't go. Open your eyes - "

The dusk was falling around them, the last of the sunset gone, and Diluc's blood black now in the dimness, on the ground and on his hands and his coat. He staggered upright, wet sand unsteady beneath his boots, Diluc limply motionless against him, and set off towards the city lights of Mondstat.

*

Kaeya didn't pray to the gods that had supposedly granted him his Vision, the ones who'd blasted his homeland in the distant past and taken both his fathers from him. He had never wanted to, or thought they would listen to him anyway, a damned and treacherous Khaen'riahn stranded under the wrong sky.

But that night he did, all through the swift winter twilight: begging for Diluc's whisper-thin rapid breaths to continue, for the makeshift bandaging of his cloak and Cryo-ice to hold sufficiently. Begging for his brother's life, because Diluc at least had always tried to do what was right, no matter how stupid it ended up being.

And later, he prayed too, in the light of the Cathedral candles, mutely and desperately with his bloody palms laid open on his knees, as Barbara's soft song echoed through his dazed ears and Jean and the doctor exchanged worried glances as they worked to piece his brother's torn body back together; and there was nothing left between him and despair save for that thin fragile hope.

He couldn't bear Jean's comforting touch on his shoulder, or the blanket Barbara tried to drape around him, or the tea Sister Grace tried to press into his hands; these were things you gave to people who were falling apart, and he wasn't, he wasn't. He didn't need to be, not yet. That would come later, if so.

...And maybe even a damned and treacherous exile could reach to Celestia, or close enough, because when daylight came Diluc was still breathing, and his cold fingers gave back some gentle pressure at Kaeya's touch.

So Kaeya laid his head down on the table next to his brother, to sleep in a world still unbroken, until they both woke.

[soursagas]

Day 3-4: No. 3 A HAIR’S BREADTH FROM DEATH - No. 4 DEAD ON YOUR FEET

Gun to Temple | “Say goodbye.” | Impaled

Hidden Injury | Waking Up Disoriented | Can’t Pass Out

🎃whumptober masterlist🎃 previous Day 1-2

Content: new whumpee, nonhuman whumper, pet whump, multiple whumpers/whumpees, defiant whumpee, passing out, blood, vampire whump, purring vampire, captivity, hurt/comfort (?)

-

“No!”

He saw the pet scream his defiance.  That pet wasn’t necessarily new, there were others that came after, he was rebellious.  Of course, it wasn’t unusual for pets to express their refusal to adjust to their new lives, but this one had been here for a few weeks at least.  Well, it might’ve been less or more, there was no way to tell how much time had passed.  It felt like a few weeks, but he could only tell because of the new pets that arrived.  

Master had been feeding him—well, he tried—the pet had bit his teeth at him.  It seemed Master was having a more lenient day, he smiled down at the red-faced pet.  

“I’m not gonna sit here and let you feed me like a fucking dog!”

“Not a dog, a pet.  Although if you prefer to be a dog, I’m sure we could find a way to make it work.”

“No! I-I don’t!”

“So you want out of your collar then too?”

“Yes!”

The pet snapped his mouth shut immediately after his answer.  He probably realized his mistake once the word came out.  He knew exactly what the pet had realized.  The collar meant safe.  The collar only came off when you were bad.  It meant you were unwanted—no one wanted a badly behaved pet—and deserved to be punished.  

“Well, if you insist.”

Master stepped closer to them, ignoring the fiery glare aimed at them.  He bent down and—

In the flash of the second, the pet lunged face first at Master, which ended with his entire body tumbling to the side.  He looked to Master's outstretched hand in the direction of the pet, a horribly red mark now covering his entire cheek.  

Master again knelt lower, knowing the pet wouldn’t dare try to attack again no matter how much he wanted to.  “I oughta drain you dry of blood cells for that.  You know, I’ve been lenient with you.”  Master's hand grabs the pet's chin and sharply tugs it to face him.

“Fortunately for you, today you get to receive a special reminder of what petty defiance gets your way.”

Master looked just behind the pet, which cued him to look too.  

The pet was tackled to the floor, and the thing attacking him took no time sinking its teeth into his neck.  The pet's mouth fell open with a whimper; likely meant to be a scream, but little sound came out.  He saw blood fly out as it ripped its fangs out and bit down again.  Soon, the creature's white outfit was drenched in red.  There was so. Much. Blood.  

The thing–creature…person?–became more delighted as it continued to tear into the pet in pure bloodlust.  He would've thought him dead if it weren't for the audible ragged breaths coming from the pet.  He has no clue how much time passed before the creature appeared to have exhausted themselves.  It lay down on the limp pet's body with a heavy sigh.  There was still blood dripping from its mouth, and its tongue licked up any remnants it could find.  Its tail curled as much as it could around the pet, which was currently serving as a pillow.  Its wing spread wide across the ground as its breaths slowed and evened out.  Even semi-conscious, it was gently lapping up blood from the pet's wounds, effectively sealing them shut in the process.  While licking, a low rumbling sound came from the creature.  A soothing sound, which served to relax the creature—and somehow the pet too—his shallow breaths also deepened as they both slumbered.

That was the last thing he noticed before he passed out.

∞ 

As he woke up, he realized he was still in the same room.  What was different was the sensation around his body, it felt like a blanket with multiple layers was surrounding him.  When he tried to turn he found his mobility limited.  He couldn’t call the situation uncomfortable per se…it was very cozy to his tired self.

Until he saw two bodies next to him.

He jumped—as much as he could—and instinctively tried to twist and turn again to no avail.  If anything he felt himself pulled closer to one of the bodies.  At least they weren’t corpses, he could tell by the slow breaths coming from one, and the more uneven breaths from another.  After glancing around a bit more he realized he was pretty much stuck here until whatever was wrapped around him decided to let him go.  He still felt slight panic.  What if Master were to find him like this? He wasn’t staying here of his own will, but would that matter?  

The worries eased up as the drowsiness grew.  He craned his neck one last time to see who the people were.  

Oh

He really shouldn’t be surprised, it was the pet from earlier, and…the Other One.

Still covered in blood, and peacefully asleep.  It had its wing enveloping his body.  Despite the circumstances, it was strangely comforting.  Eventually, he was forced to succumb to the irresistible sleep.

∞

previous Day 1-2 

🎃 whumptober 🎃

[insertsomthinawesome]

WHUMPTOBER 2022 - DAY 10 - Poor Unfortunate Souls

When the person you hate the most because they have everything you ever wanted is just as miserable as you are.

-NO ROMANCE INCLUDED-  

[whumpypepsigal]

Whumptober 2023 | No. 29

Troubled Past Resurfacing

Prodigal Son s01e12: “What were you so desperate to forget?”

@whumptober @whumptober-archive

[abneyart]

Whumptober Day 9: "You're a Liar."

Gale: best night of sleep since Mystra Ros: up all night terrified that he was just lying to placate her and is still planning on blowing himself up

Uncensored on Patreon!

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 3: “Make it stop” (solitary confinement)

Was busy all morning but here it is! Wild having a pretty awful time of it, and fun with magic songs and instruments.

No specific warnings, apart from its whumptober, so expect pain.

Read on ao3

————————————————————

“WILD!”

Time’s eyes snapped open at the shout, and he bolted upright from where he’d been sleeping.

He looked immediately over at where Twilight’s cry had come from, and saw him shouting in Wild’s face, shaking him none too gently. Time quickly got to his feet and dragged him back, giving the young man in front of him a disbelieving look.

“Rancher, what on earth are you doing?” he demanded, and Twilight looked at him, eyes frantic.

“He’s still out Time, he’s not— I fell asleep last night at some point, I don’t know when, but I woke up a bit ago and he’s still in it,” Twilight said, looking on the verge of panic, “I tried waking him up more gently but he’s not even twitching, something’s wrong with him!”

Time looked immediately at Wild, and felt a deep concern rise in his chest.

Wild had fallen into one of his memories last evening, right as they’d been preparing to make camp for the night anyway. Nobody had been too worried, since they were now quite used to the champion regaining memories at odd moments, and they’d set up camp and eaten dinner without much fuss.

They’d all grown a little more concerned when it had been over an hour and Wild still hadn’t awoken, but even Twilight had figured it must have just been a longer memory to regain. They’d all gone to bed, apart from Twilight who insisted on waiting up, and Time had fully expected to wake up in the morning and see Wild making breakfast as usual.

He should have known better.

Nothing was ever that simple for them.

Time let go of Twilight, and looked again at Wild, studying the champion in concern. Wild still had the exact same blank expression and faded look in his eyes from the night before, his position only changed slightly from Twilight’s attempts at waking him.

It had been more than eleven hours since he’d fallen into the memory.

The others had been woken up by Twilight’s shouts, and it didn’t take long for them all to cluster around Wild, eyes widening as one by one they realized he still wasn’t responding to anything.

They began attempting everything they could think of to rouse him, shouting his name, dousing him, lightly tickling the back of his neck. Hyrule even pulled out a strong-smelling plant of some kind he had in his bag, but Wild didn’t move for any of it, still staring, still blank.

“Let me try something,” Legend said finally, after countless unsuccessful attempts, and took out a pale ocarina.

He had an unreadable look on his eye as he began to play a soft tune, the notes somehow both sad and heartwarming. The others all listened in silence, and as the last note faded, they all looked intently at Wild, hope bright on their faces.

The champion still hadn’t moved.

“...That should have worked,” Legend said in a quiet voice, and Sky patted him on the back, telling him it was a good try.

The others began to talk about what to do next, but Time ignored them, studying Wild in silence. Something about Legend’s attempt was stirring an idea in his head, an inkling that deep down he knew what was wrong with the champion, but he wasn’t sure yet.

He watched Wild for a long time while the others talked, noting the deep breaths he took, and pale film over his eyes. His appearance hadn’t changed a bit the entire time, but Time continued to study him, a hand on his chin.

And suddenly he knew what was wrong.

“Rancher, you said he normally experiences the whole memory, then comes back?” Time said, and the others paused in their discussion, looking at him.

“That’s what he says happens,” Twilight said, still looking incredibly worried. “He watches it happen, doesn’t quite experience it exactly in... himself, though, if that makes any sense. And once it’s over, he wakes up.”

Time nodded, then turned from Wild, looking over the rest of the worried group.

“I believe he’s repeating the memory,” he said plainly.

They all looked at him in confusion at the statement, not even Twilight catching on. “What do you mean repeating it?” Hyrule asked hesitantly, and Time looked back at Wild.

“Every four minutes and thirty-two seconds, on the dot, his eyes shift to the left,” Time said. “And one minute and nine seconds after that, he takes in a noticeably deeper breath. I’ve been watching him, it’s the exact same increment of time, every time. I believe he’s trapped in a loop. Continually repeating the memory he’s recovered.”

The words felt sour on his tongue as he spoke them, masks and moons stirring in his memory as he explained.

What a terrible fate.

“But how did that happen?” Twilight asked in dismay, pulling him out of his darkening thoughts. He placed a careful hand on Wild’s head and looked into his eyes. “That’s never happened before, how could—”

“Wait, remember that weird guy we saw in that last town we were at?” Wind suddenly piped up.

Everyone stared at him.

“Oh... I guess that was just me and Wild,” the sailor said a little awkwardly. “Well he was real kooky, had these big robes on and looked all insulted when we tried to walk by his stall without stopping. He tried to get us to buy stuff and was being really rude and up in our faces, and Wild finally told him off and showed him his weapons and stuff so he knew he meant it. But he was still acting strange when we left, waving his arms and all weirdly smug, even though we didn’t buy anything.”

“You didn’t think to mention this before now?” Twilight asked with an edge to his voice, and Wind raised his hands defensively.

“We meet all sorts of weirdos, I didn’t think anything was wrong at the time!”

Twilight opened his mouth to say more, but Time put his hand on his arm, stopping him. It wasn’t the time to argue about it.

“Well that explains the who, but not the how,” Warriors said thoughtfully as he looked at Wild again.

“It’s got to be a delayed curse of some kind,” Legend muttered, tapping his chin. “He cast it when Wild was in front of him, and it only began affecting him when the memory hit for some reason.”

“But how do we get him out?” Sky asked in dismay, and Time pulled out his ocarina, quieting the group.

“I believe I can retrieve him. I’ve had experiences a little like this.”

“But how?” Hyrule asked, and Time smiled grimly, the purplish-blue of his ocarina shining bright in the morning sunshine.

“I believe I’ll need our sailor’s help for that.”

After explaining himself and going through a short lesson and period of preparation after (Twilight pacing with agitation the entire time), Wind and Time sat down in front of Wild, each with their respective instruments. The other Links hovered nearby, Twilight especially looking concerned, and Time held back a sigh as he watched him continue to pace.

Wild had been out for close to fourteen hours now.

“Are you sure I can’t help?” Twilight asked for the third time in a row, and Time shook his head.

“I’m sorry Rancher, but no. You’re inexperienced in magic like this, and we don’t want to cause Wild any harm.” Seeing Twilight’s frustrated look, Time caught his eye, and gave his arm a bracing squeeze. “We’ll get him out, Twilight. But he’ll need someone out here when he wakes up, and better you then anyone.”

Twilight closed his eyes, struggle clear on his face. But he nodded, and drew back after a moment.

“Be careful.”

“We will.”

Time looked over at Wind, fidgeting with the Wind Waker. “Are you ready, Sailor?”

“Yep! But I still think I could do it by myself,” Wind said as he stretched his arms above his head, and Time smiled a little grimly.

“I’m certain you could. But we don’t know the strength of the curse, and the Wind Waker may need a boost. Hopefully the ocarina will be enough.” Time sighed, watching as Twilight sat next to Wild, still completely unresponsive. “And we don’t know what state Wild is in at the moment, no less what it’ll be like in his memory. Better you have backup in case something happens.”

Wind suddenly looked much more nervous then before, but he nodded determinedly.

Then Time raised his ocarina to his lips, pausing a moment as he took a deep breath, and Wind raised his baton in preparation.

Time began playing the Command Melody that Wind had told him about once before, and had taught him now, the sailor conducting him as he went. A breeze brushed his cheek as he blew, the wind increasing as he played through the song, and Wind’s eyes squeezed shut in concentration, his tongue slightly sticking out.

Time focused on the heavy magic that they were weaving with the music, directing it towards Wild. It seemed to flow reasonably well, but as the song swelled, Time found himself suddenly wondering what they would do if this didn’t work.

It will work. It has to.

A faint chorus seemed to join them, weaving seamlessly in with both the wind and the playing from his ocarina. The last note faded from his lips, and the chorus stilled, the world seeming to hold its breath.

And then Time’s vision suddenly tunneled, his senses going dark.

(...)

A scream woke him.

Time’s eye snapped open into an expanse of shimmering grass, wide and endless. The familiarly of the location made his heart beat unpleasantly, but at another glance, it was clear it wasn’t the same as what he was remembering. There was a faint mist blowing through the field, tinged blue and gently swirling, but the only noise was that of the grass swaying, no other sounds or screams that he could make out.

He doubted he had imagined the cry, though.

A rustle caught his attention and he turned to see Wind sitting up next to him, looking around at the fog with an expression of wonder. He didn’t appear nearly as uneasy as Time felt, and ran a hand through the grass, blinking at the unusual noise it made.

“Is this Wild’s... head?” he asked as he got to his feet, and Time hummed, doing the same.

“In some respect, yes, I believe so.”

“It isn’t usually like this when I use the command melody,” Wind said after a minute, face curious. “...though I’ve never tried it on anyone asleep. It’s a lot calmer than I thought it would be too. I guess I sort of assumed...”

A distant sob was carried to them by the wind, and Wind went silent, both of them exchanging looks before quickly heading in the direction it came from.

A few trees were faintly visible through the fog, but Time barely noticed them, intent on listening for any more noises to follow. The grass rustled slightly as they walked, the sound unnatural and strange, and the blades were almost silky-feeling when Time touched them.

They’d been going for an indeterminable amount of time when Wind suddenly tugged his arm and motioned for him to stop, ears pricked. Time froze, and strained his ears, heart jumping when he heard a familiar voice.

“Let me out, let me out let me out please Hylia, make it stop—”

The last word choked off into a sob, and Wind bolted, Time quickly wading after him. He soon caught up to the sailor, and they made their way through the long grass and fog, following the distant cries.

They finally reached an area where the mist thinned, blue swirling silently away, and Wind gasped as they both saw a figure collapsed in the grass.

Wild was curled into a ball, his hands clutching at his scalp so hard there was blood in his nails. His face was pressed to his knees, hair falling over his eyes, and Time quickly went to his side and crouched next to him.

“Champion,” Time said urgently, but Wild didn’t reply, mumbling rapidly under his breath.

Time and Wind exchanged looks, and Time extended a hand, touching Wild’s shoulder as gently as possible.

Wild gasped and opened his eyes, looking around with a terrified expression. His eyes flickered like he was looking at something only he could see, and his breath hitched as he stared right through Wind and Time, no recognition on his tearstained face.

“Wild?” Wind asked in a small voice, and Wild’s head jerked, his breath coming in thin gasps as he looked around.

The same faint scream Time had heard earlier echoed through the air, and Wild’s breath caught on a sob, the Champion pressing his head back against his knees.

“Please, please, not again, don’t show me again!” he gasped, voice hitching.

“Link,” Time said forcefully, and squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re seeing, but it’s not real. We’re here to get you out.”

Wild’s next breath cut off into a wail, and he slammed his hands over his ears, so tightly Time was afraid he would hurt himself. Time reached forward to put his hand back on his arm, but Wild fell abruptly limp, whimpering as he took a deeper breath.

He opened his eyes again, bloodshot and haunted, but filled now with gut-wrenching acceptance.

“Again,” he whispered, and his breath shuddered on a sob.

It must have restarted, Time thought with an ache in his chest, and Wind moved forward, gently taking Wild’s hand.

“Champion? It’s us, remember?” Wind asked in a surprisingly steady voice, looking down at him. Wild stilled a little, but he continued to look around, ears flicking in all directions, tears still leaking from his eyes. “Link?”

Wild flinched at the name, but it seemed to help, his eyes focusing a bit more, and not darting around as much. Wind repeated his name in that same gentle voice, and Wild’s eyes slowly trailed up and focused on Wind. A sudden clarity shone in the blues as he stared at him for several long moments, and he leaned forward, eyes wide.

“Sailor?” Wild breathed eventually, and Time nodded, giving him an encouraging look. “Old— old man?”

“That’s right. We’re here to get you out,” he said with no small relief, and Wind helped Wild slowly sit up. He pulled him into a side hug, and the shivers wracking through Wild eased a bit, the champion looking relieved at the touch.

“Do you know what happened?” Time continued, carefully studying his face.

Wild swallowed.

“Something went wrong,” he stammered, looking more shaken than Time had ever seen him. He stared to the left for several moments before continuing, letting out a violent shudder. “With the— the memory. Don’t know what, the first time was just a normal one, but it— it changed. And now it keeps r-repeating and it won’t stop, no matter what I do I can’t make it stop—”

His head suddenly snapped to the side, and he choked on a breath, appearing to force himself to look back at Time and Wind.

“...How many times has it been?” Time asked quietly as he rubbed Wild’s shoulder. Please goddesses, let it not be as many as I suspect.

“Don’t know,” Wild croaked, haunted look in his eyes somehow brightened by the fog. “I lost track close to a hundred.”

Time felt the blood drain from his face as Wind gasped, and the voice suddenly screamed again.

Wild violently flinched at the sound, his trembling begun again, and Wind moved so he was more hugging the champion. The sailor’s face was pale, and Time kept his hand on Wild’s shoulder, steadying the teenager in front of him when another shudder ran up his spine.

More than a hundred times...

“Can you make it stop?” Wild whispered, looking off at something Time couldn’t see again. Wind nodded rapidly, and Time took both of Wild’s shoulders in his hands and gave them a bracing squeeze.

“We can. Just hold tight. We’re going to pull you out with us when we break the connection,” he reassured, and Wild looked utterly relieved, even with tears still trickling down his cheeks.

Wild clung tightly to him as Time began to help him up, shaking like a leaf. Time rubbed his shoulder again, concern laying heavy in his chest, and Wind gave him an uncertain look. The sailor was doubtless thinking along the same lines as he was.

They didn’t know what Wild was seeing, but it was obviously affecting him deeply, and he’d already been forced to go through it so many times, and for so long...

Wild was strong, Time knew. Stronger then he gave himself credit for. But everyone had their limits.

Had Wild already been pushed past his?

“Let’s get out of here,” Time said as Wild flinched again, and Wind nodded, looking around at the field again.

“I’ve never done this before,” the sailor admitted with a worried look between Time and Wild, “breaking the song’s magic like this. I don’t know if... What if we can’t..?”

“Then we will come back and try again,” Time said confidently, and put an arm around Wild’s shoulder to more solidly hold him up. “As many times as it takes. Now let’s get out of here.”

He wrapped Wild in his arms, the teenager still violently shaking, and Wind put his arms around Wild’s back as well. Time closed his eye, and focused on the magic allowing him and Wind to be here, and began tugging it away, neatly snipping them from Wild’s mind.

But he made sure to bring Wild too, tearing at the sticky threads of curse he could feel surrounding him, not letting them pull him back into his mind, trapping him there forever like they wanted. It was hard magic, gumming up the works and spreading its grimy reach into every corner it could get to. But Time still fought against it, cutting it apart, ripping it away where it clung.

He’d had plenty of practice with magic that refused to let go. This was no different.

He could feel Wind tugging as hard as he could, and Wild weakly pulling as well, and as all three of them went after the last thread, the magic suddenly snapped, throwing Time back into his own body with a horrible lurch.

It took him a long moment to readjust, settling back into his own mind rather disorienting. But he managed to open his eye after a moment, and saw Legend looking at him in concern. His hand was on his arm, stopping him from falling over, and Time gave him a small smile as he regained the rest of his senses.

Then immediately looked over at Wild.

The champion hadn’t moved.

Time’s heart fell as Warriors helped Wind sit up, the sailor shaking his head and looking dizzy. Wind looked over at him, then turned towards Wild, and a quiet oh escaped his lips, face falling.

Twilight was still seated next to Wild, the hopeful look on his face soured as Time and Wind looked between each other. Time met his eyes, and the rancher swallowed, looking away from Wild and down at his hands.

Wild breathed in sharply.

Twilight’s head snapped up, and they all watched with bated breath as Wild seemed to freeze, even more still than before. Time carefully moved over to him, and he and Twilight watched in silence, waiting for movement... a sign...

“Come on Champion, come back to us...” Time murmured.

Wild didn’t move.

And then his eyes snapped open, and he collapsed forward onto Twilight’s waiting arms with a gasp, Twilight letting out a tense laugh of relief as he caught him.

“It worked!” Wind cheered, and the others let out varying sounds of joy and relief, clapping Time and Wind on the back, trying to see how Wild was doing. Time smiled and endured the happy clamor, but his smile stiffened as he looked at Wild.

He was buried in Twilight’s hold, still faintly trembling, and Time could see him getting more and more tense as the noise around him increased. Someone nudged him on the arm, and he stiffened so abruptly Twilight jumped a little.

“Give him space,” Time said quietly, catching the others’ attention with his tone of voice. “He’s been through a lot, and will need rest. I think perhaps, he could also use some breakfast... could you all help with that?”

The heroes exchanged looks, but they took the hint and nodded, and everyone except for Wind went off in the direction of the cooking pot. They cast glances back at where Wild still lay, but didn’t comment further. Wind joined Time and Twilight’s sides, and he looked down at Wild with a hesitant expression.

“Is he okay?” he asked softly.

A noise came from Twilight’s arms, and they all looked at Wild, still trembling, and curled in Twilight’s hold with a surprising amount of vulnerability. Wild breathed out slowly, and despite how he was still clutching at Twilight’s wolf pelt with hands that shook more than ever, he raised his head, and met Time’s eye.

The gratitude and relief in his gaze was nearly overwhelming, and Time leaned down to take his hand in his, Wild clutching at it like a lifeline.

“Wild?” Twilight asked carefully, and Wild flicked an ear in recognition that he’d heard. “How are you doing cub?”

Wild closed his eyes again, and didn’t immediately reply.

Then a noise between a laugh and a sob escaped his lips, his shaking increasing again as tears started to fall down his cheeks. Time drew the arm Wild was still clasping closer to him, holding it to his chest, and Wild let out another laughing sob.

Wind squashed himself between Time and Twilight as well, and all three of them held Wild as he cried with relief, overwhelmed at finally being freed from his own mind.

“You’re okay,” Twilight whispered, running a hand through Wild’s hair. “You’re out, Link. You’re safe.”

“And we’re gonna make sure it never happens again,” Wind said fiercely, a thread of guilt in his voice as Wild shuddered. “Never again.”

Time didn’t say anything, but Wild gripped at his hand again, and he squeezed it silently in return.

Never again.

[aceofwhump]

Day 16: Flatline

Hawaii Five-0 8x10 | Eureka 4x15 | The Haunting of Hill House 1x10 | Graceland 2x13 | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | Lucifer 2x13 | Warehouse 13 1x06 | Stargate Atlantis 1x04 | Superman and Lois 2x13 | Iron Man 3 deleted scene | Stargate SG-1 4x18

@whumptober @whumptober-archive

[linkhappyface]

day three whumptober lets goooo

[jasmines-library]

Up and Down

WHUMPTOBER 2023: Day three, prompt ‘solitary confinement/make it stop’

Fandom: Supernatural

Summary: After returning from being tortured by the devil himself, your brain can’t help conjure up its own images which refuse to leave you alone.

Warnings: Hallucinations, manipulation, glass shattering, negative comments about reader.

Word count: 1.3K

MASTERLIST ⛤ WHUMPTOBER WORKS

🕸 ⋆ ⁶𖤐⁶ ࣪⋆🕸

He was there again. 

That tall, looming figure that seemed to always wear a shit eating grin on his face. He was lounging across a chair, drumming his fingers against the wooden table and singing obnoxiously loudly to some song you had never heard before but had promptly decided that it was already getting on your nerves. With elbows resting on the table opposite him, you clenched the hair on your head into fists and let out a frustrated sigh, rising to your feet and storming away from the library. 

“Aw, come on.” Lucifer pouted. “I thought you liked my singing Y/N?”

Rolling your eyes, you made your way into the kitchen to where Dean was thickly spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread, trying to drown out the jests from the archangel he was still hurling at you. At the sound of your footsteps Dean raised his head greeting you with a grin. 

“Hey Kiddo. How’s it going?”

You were hesitant in your answer. Dean knew the toll that coming back since being tortured by Lucifer was taking on you. You were much more jumpy than usual and opted to spend much more time locked up alone in your room than spending time with your beloved hunter friends. Dean couldn’t help but feel guilty everytime he heard you cry out in your sleep from across the hall. He couldn’t help but feel deep down that all of this was his fault. After all, it was he and Sam who decided to reopen the cage - it was he and Sam who Lucifer wanted revenge on. Instead of responding verbally, you opted to nod, knowing that an unwanted tremble would snake its way out between your words, like it had your hands. 

You couldn’t help but stiffen at the voice behind you. It didn’t go unnoticed by Dean, who moved away from his PB&J to place his hand on top of yours.  “It’s okay sweetheart. It’s only Sammy.”

Turning, you watched as the lumbering man struggled in through the door. His arms hugged a selection of paper bags awkwardly. He smiled; a gentle gesture before placing the bags on the counter, and wrapped you up in one of his bear-hugs. Returning the gesture, you smiled into his blue flannel, letting out a breath you didn’t even know you had been holding. Detaching yourself from Sam, you began unloading the groceries he had brought back with him, listening to the eldest Winchester talk animatedly about the latest show he had decided to binge watch on netflix. It brought a grin to your face.

Here, with Sam and Dean around you, you felt much safer. That was until that irritating voice drifted into your ears. You dug your nails firmly into your palm, leaving little grooves on the soft skin, hoping that the dull pain would distract you from the image of the Archangel. When that didn’t work, and his remarks still rang through your head, you turned to flee the room. 

“Y/N?” Sam tilted his head. 

“I’m fine, Sam. Promise.” You nodded. 

Sam was about to say something, but shut his mouth as he watched you flee the kitchen, your bare feet pattering on the wooden floors as you retreated back down the corridors and into your room, locking the door, and the hollering of Lucifer behind you. Albeit, you could feel him lingering over your shoulder. Taking a deep breath and screwing your eyes shut, you pinched yourself harshly. 

Lucifer chucked deeply. “Real cute, Y/N.”

You turned and pushed past him. 

“You know you can’t ignore me forever.” You stopped abruptly. “I miss our little heart-to-hearts.” 

You rolled your eyes, moving towards your desk and beginning to shuffle the contents around. That was when he started singing. It was an old song. A sad song that you and the Winchesters used to listen to on particularly difficult nights. One that you associated with comfort.

“Stop.” You told him firmly. 

He didn’t. Only sung louder, edging closer to you.

“Stop it.” You said once again.

Lucifer continued to sing mockingly. 

“I said stop it!” You yelled, throwing the glass that you were moving at him. It sailed straight through the illusion and shattered on the ground. He grinned manically. 

“There we go, Y/N!” He howled, clapping his hands together joyously. “That’s what I’m talking about. This is the you I miss. Where did all that fire go, huh kiddo?”

“Leave me alone.” You spat out through gritted teeth. 

“Mm” Lucifer pinched his chin between his thumb and his index, tilting his head towards the ceiling. “I don’t think I want to…You see, now you’ve acknowledged me, you’ve let me in.”

You shook your head, backing away from him as you approached. “No.”

“Oh yeah. I can see everything Y/N.”  The devil proceeded forwards until your back hit the wall. “I’m inside your pretty little head. “ He sang. 

“You’re lying.” You shook your head, trying to convince yourself more than him. There were voices outside your door, but they were drowned out by Lucifer. “Sammy said that nothing you say is true. He- knows. He’s been here before.”

Tutting, the blond rolled his eyes. “Sammy, is a lying, untrustworthy piece of shit.”

“Don’t say that.”

“He doesn’t care about you Y/N. None of them do. They’re just using you Y/N.”

“You’re lying.” Rouge tears began to snake down your face.

“They just feel bad for you. You’re a liability, Y/N. You’re gone as soon as they get the chance to get rid of some dead weight. They don't need someone like you on their team, dragging them down. I mean, think of how easy it was for me to get to you. Poor, helpless, useless-”

“STOP IT!” You cried, sinking to your knees.

Your heart pounded in your head, beating like a drum to the rhythm of an army march.

“You are nothing Y/N. You’re nothing without those Winchesters. You are nothing without me!”

“Get out!” You sobbed “clutching your knees to your chest.

“You are worthless.”

The pounding grew louder as you buried your head between your knees. Fat tears fell down your cheeks, pooling on your jeans as Lucifer continued his onslaught of words. That was when you realised that the drumming was not your heartbeat, but the sound of Sam and Dean trying to break down the door to your room having heard the commotion. When they managed to barrel themselves in, Sam’s heart dropped when he saw you rocking back and forth in the corner of the room, lip trembling with hands plastered over your ears. He took one cautiously in his hand. You drew back sharply, eyes moving frantically across his features. 

“Please…” You whispered. “Make it stop.”

Wrapping you up gently he allowed you to bury his face in his chest, ignoring the dampness that followed as you continued to weep silently. Dean pulled you in close from the otherside, encasing you in between them. He never would fully understand what you were going through, no matter how hard he tried. He could sympathise, sure. He had been through decades for torture himself. But he would never be able grasp onto exactly what you were experiencing. Sam would be able to understand more; he too saw Lucifer for a while. But they both knew that no two experiences were the same. They knew that people cope differently and that was okay. All they could do was stick by you and help you work this out. And was exactly what they chose to do.

🕸 ⋆ ⁶𖤐⁶ ࣪⋆🕸

<- DAY TWO ⛤ DAY FOUR ->

🏷️ whumptober taglist:

@senjoritanana

[sarahsmi13s]

I Just Need Quiet

whumptober day 3: overstimulation

pairing: jake 'hangman' seresin x sarah grant (plus size fem!oc)

characters: jake seresin, sarah grant, sarah's family

warnings: overstimutaion, family gatherings, holidays, crying, please let me know if i missed anything

word count: ~1.5k

a/n: this is for whumptober! please please please proceed with caution and use discretion, protect your peace also if you are on the whump taglist but are not familiar with a character, you can skip it will not hurt my feelings!

this is also apart of my oc series j and s so the tag list for that is included! and this is based on my own personal experience in this situation

whumptober 2023 masterlist

summary: family can be a lot, especially around the holidays, and it's okay to take a break when it gets too much... sometimes you just need quiet, and that's okay.

“Okay, so what do I need to know about your family?” Jake asked Sarah as they got ready.

She laughed as she curled her hair, “Well, first thing is, you never bring up the Longhorns. That alone is a death sentence.” Jake chuckled and nodded as he looked through his clothes for a shirt, “Noted. Anything else?”

Sarah sighed a little, “The house is gonna get pretty cramped. So it can get hot in the house, and it won’t take long for it to get loud. I know you come from a big family too, probably bigger since both sides are big, but you usually have it in a bigger house than this. And we might have about 20-40 people in this house, so it might get crowded.”

Jake nodded, “Got it.” He came over and kissed her head, “I’m really excited to meet them. And apologize for not being at Thanksgiving.” She hummed softly and turned to peck his lips, “You had to go back to base, they’ll understand.”

He smiled and pecked her lips again and again before moving to go take a shower while Sarah got dressed.

A few hours later, Jake was pulling into Sarah’s aunt’s driveway and parking next to her sister’s truck. 

“Alright, hopefully they like me,” Jake chuckled, squeezing Sarah’s hand. She smiled at him, “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Cowboy.” 

He pecked her lips before getting out and racing around the truck to get to her side before she could open her door.

“Such a gentleman,” she giggled as he helped her out of his truck. “Anything for you, Sugar,” he said with a wide smile before kissing her forehead. She kissed his cheek and they both grabbed the things they brought before heading inside.

Sarah walked in first, thanking Jake as he held open the glass door for her.

She turned and waited for him to join her before announcing their arrival. 

“Oh, well look who’s here! And she brought a friend.”

Sarah laughed, “Hi Aunt San.” She gave her aunt a hug before turning to Jake, “This is Jake, he’s my boyfriend.” Her aunt’s eyes widened a little, “This is your pilot?” Sarah nodded and felt Jake come up behind her. “Jake, this is my Aunt San.” He smiled and gave her a hug, “It’s nice to finally meet you.” His eyes scanned the house, “And it seems I have plenty of people to meet.”

Aunt San nodded, “You sure do, but I’m first so that’s what’s important.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed, “Oh um, Jake has the food, will you show him to the kitchen while I put the gifts up?” “Oh of course, follow me Jake.”

Jake nodded and followed Sarah’s aunt to the kitchen as she went to the living room.

As she walked into the room she smiled and greeted everyone, talking as she put the presents in the respective bins.

She glanced around, finding very little room to sit and feeling that pressure building in her chest already. Seriously Sarah, you just got here, she thought to herself as the voices started to muddle together.

Sending a smile to everyone, she left to go find Jake so she could do the rounds of hellos and introduce him to her family before they started to eat.

It didn’t take long after their arrival for dinner to start. After that they played bingo until all the gifts were gone and then they brought out other games while eating the rest of the finger foods that were left.

Jake and Sarah sat at the table, Jake playing spoons with Sarah’s uncles, her sister, Elizabeth, and a few of her cousins. Sarah was just sitting there next to him, resting against him and watching the game and drinking ice water.

At first he thought nothing of it, thinking that she was only talking when she addressed to not mess up his game and distract him. But she was unusually flushed, fanning herself a few times and pulling her hair off her neck into a bun. She was taking deep calculated breaths, he could feel her chest moving against his arm.

But when she sat up and started to shake out her hands, popping her knuckles and flexing her fingers, he knew something was off.

“Sugar… are you alright?” Jake asked her quietly as Elizabeth was shuffling the cards and setting the spoons back up. “Mhm,” she nodded, not looking up from where she was picking at her nails. “You sure?” “Yeah, I’m fine.”

She was mumbling, and if Jake knew anything it was that if Sarah mumbled… she wasn’t fine.

He went to say something else but was dealt a hand and the next game started.

This round he’s distracted. Glancing between his cards and her the whole time, picking up on her rhythmically tapping her fingers on her thumbs – index to pinky then pinky to index. She was inhaling through her nose and out through her mouth as her eyes stayed on the table.

Before he can say anything, the sounds of flat palms smacking the kitchen table and then a few loud shouts and laughs from those that managed to get a spoon. 

Jake’s attention is pulled to that, realizing that he missed getting a spoon. But he didn’t really care, something was up with his girlfriend and she wasn’t telling him.

“Dang… that’s alright, I was getting tired of winning anyway,” Jake commented, toothpick moving to the side of his mouth as he chuckled and tossed his cards down. The table laughed and set up another round.

As they did this, Jake turned to Sarah to talk to her but found her getting up and walking towards the front door, attempting to discreetly wipe her eyes but Jake noticed it.

Confused, Jake turned to Elizabeth, “Hey, do you know what’s wrong? I asked but she said she was fine…” She sighed, “I think she’s just a little overwhelmed, it happens.” Jake nodded, humming to himself and he looked over to the door, thinking of how he could help.

Sarah sat down on the porch swing, trying to delicately wipe her tears so she didn’t smudge her makeup.

“Damn it…” She swore under her breath, shaking her hands out and trying to calm down.

She hated that this happened more often than she would like to admit. She loved being with her family, but sometimes it was just too much.

With everyone having to be close and everyone talking, it got hot quickly and it got loud. 

Now she could handle loud, she was a coach – loud things weren’t uncommon. But it was loud conversations. Her brain was trying to listen to everyone and it all just muddled in her mind and it affected everything else.

Sometimes the lights would be too bright or the different scents of food mingling made her brain foggy, that mixed with the heat and the volume of the room – it was too much stimulation at once.

So she always just went outside, letting Arkansas’s freezing December weather bite the heat off her skin. It wasn’t loud outside either, just the muffled sounds of people talking inside and the cars on the highway in front of the house.

She sat there for a few minutes, her eyes closed and she tried to take even breaths and keep the tears in their ducts.

But then she heard the door open and looked over to see Jake come out, holding his Carhartt coat in his hand.

“Hey,” he greeted gently, coming over to her on the bench. “What’s wrong?” Sarah shook her head as she moved on the bench to give him room. “It’s nothi-”

“Sarah, I know you. What’s wrong?” 

She sighed and let her head fall into her hands as Jake sat next to her. He rubbed her back, waiting patiently for her to talk. 

“It’s too much. It’s really loud and really hot and there’s a lot of smells, the lights are too damn bright… I just…” She sighed, tears slipping down her face as she leaned on Jake’s shoulder as she talked.

“I just need quiet…”

Jake nodded, resting his cheek on her head, “I understand. I can go back–” “No, please stay…” He nodded again and put an arm around her back and on the arm rest. Using his other hand, he pulled Sarah’s legs into his lap.

He held up his jacket, inside facing the both of them. “Put your arm in the sleeve,” he told her, nodding to the sleeve hole closest to her. “What, w-” “Trust me, just do it,” he said with a playful grin.

Sarah sighed and slid her arm in the sleeve, looking at Jake to see him doing the same thing.

Jake then gently pushed her head into his shoulder and kissed her forehead.

“Jake… Darlin’, what are you doing?” 

“You need quiet, so we’re gonna have quiet… now shhh and just snuggle.”

She couldn’t help but giggle as she inhaled the faint scent of hay, leather, bergamot, and whiskey that seemed infused with the fibers of the jacket. The scent that always seemed to calm her down.

“Thank you, Jake…” 

“I love you, Sugar.”

“I love you too, Cowboy.”

whumptober taglist: @valmare @bradleybeachbabe @fanboyswhore9 @cassiemitchell @startrekfangirl2233 @nightowlalltheway @86laura11

j and s taglist: @milesdickpic @luckyladycreator2 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @sebsxphia @mayhemmanaged @nobody7102 @djs8891 @kmc1989 @marbledaesthetics @penguin876 @hisredheadedgoddess28 @bellaireland1981 @memeorydotcom @whatislovevavy @coffeewithcal @showthemwhoyouare-6 @matisse556

hi, if you're seeing this and are currently not on the taglist and would like to be please fill out the taglist form -> whumptober taglist

i can not stress this enough, but whumptober can have some very serious and heavy topics and i want to make sure i am doing my part as an author to prepare my readers for what they are about to experience and that includes not only warnings above but my taglists as well

so if you want to be added check out the masterlist and read that carefully and fill out the form -> whumptober 2023

[whumpetywhump]

Whumptober Day 24 (Alt) - Reluctant Whumper

Dr Romantic 3 - Ep. 10

Stand By Me - Ep. 5

The Lies Within - Ep. 16

The Mystic Nine - Ep. 6

The Ultimate Note - Ep. 6

[nullians]

For you are ash, and to ash you shall return.

I've recently remembered about this piece by @perelka-l and couldn't sleep until these came out from under my pen. Go check out her stuff!! (Especially if you're into actual Naruto >:3)

May fate have mercy on those who crawl back bleeding in hopes of earning belonging, as well as those who decide to purge what they deem beyond saving, even if it's their own home.

[shywhumpauthor]

Didn’t Mind It

Cw: isolation, starvation, restraints, dehydration, vague implications of drugging

Whumpee didn’t actually mind the first few days alone.

The first eighty-something hours were quiet. Still. Not necessarily peaceful, but almost serene, in the same sense one might strike as they are faced with an inescapable death. The foreboding of tranquility during the fall as the ground rushes closer.

Eventually the gnarling twists of hunger in their gut turned to soft, occasional aches. The throbbing behind their eyes eased into a slow pulse. There was a point where they became so used to the dryness in their throat, the metallic taste that coated their tongue like sandpaper where they stopped noticing it. At some time they had gotten so used to the cold, the damp air that they stopped shivering. Grown used to the heavy weights of cuffs shackles around each wrist, ankle, they were almost able to lift their arms.

They’d gotten used to it. To the quiet so thick the only thing they could hear was the occasional creak of a pipe in the ceiling above, the frigid air that leaked slowly from the vent in the corner, the sound of their own thoughts spiraling until eventually falling silent. They had never heard the quiet so loud. It pressed against them, a weight draped around their entire body, once that once had made their skin crawl in its confining suffocation, but now was almost comforting. In a sense.

For a while they’d begged to be let out. Maybe the first hour or two. They had longed for freedom for the first day, tugged at the shackles until their wrists were raw and bleeding. Then they had settled down, soothed into a stupor of silence by the low whispers of the vent and the faint hints of sweetness in the air. It made their thoughts heavy, lulling them until they slipped away.

They didn’t mind it so much anymore.

[insertsomthinawesome]

WHUMPTOBER 2022 - DAY 8 - Head Trauma

"Oh! And I forgot one other rule. Accidents, happen.” - Hades, Kingdom Hearts

-NO ROMANCE INCLUDED-  

[whump-side]

Walking on shot legs + blood loss + overall what the hell do these people want from him = not a great time for whumpee

[abneyart]

Whumptober Day 1: "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Back from Athkatla spa day, time to flirt. Thank you Bridgerton for this bit

(I'm playing catch-up)