#Febuwhump3

[batrogers]

THREE: MUZZLED [Four Swords Adventures. Rating: M]

Vio was glad it was him and not Red who fell for that trap.

Well, any of them would've been stupid enough but he'd been the more rash of the group from the start so it was probably not much of a risk anyone else would've fallen for it. A pretty witch girl, a promise of dinner, and a little adoration and... Now, he was kneeling somewhere in a closed room across from a table with no chairs, half dressed with no clue where his sword was.

It was stupid. This was stupid.

"You just look stupid," he said aloud, and the sorcerer turned and glared. Vio smirked back.

"I did not ask you to speak."

"Didn't think an invitation was necessary."

"When your brother's arrive, they will find whatever I see fit to leave of you and if you do not desist..."

Vio smiled widely. "No, no finish the sentence. I can't rate you on a scale of scariness if you don't. Like, if you're just gonna punch me what do I care?"

He did care; he cared a lot, in fact, but he knew even as the man stalked up to his face and grabbed him by the hair that doing nothing would not hurt less than doing something. He (they) had learned that lesson a long time ago.

"I can force you to shut up, then," he snarled.

Vio bared his teeth.

Deep within the sorcerer's hood, Vio watched the shadows of his face contort, moving from annoyance to rage. The man dropped him, then backhanded him across the face. The stones on his rings cut him, but even as the blood began to trickle down his face the man stalked away.

"Pathetic," Vio snapped.

"Be still!" The man turned and a blast of power hit him where he knelt.

Vio froze. He couldn't breathe. This didn't scare him initially. He'd be fine; he'd done this before. He had to let him go eventually, right?

Except... he didn't. The man turned away again and left the room, and left him frozen like that as his lungs struggled; struggled and failed. His vision blurred (worse than normal, that was) and then black and red spots began to dance across his vision. They grew wider and wider, until, suddenly, the whole world went dark.

He woke up choking. He struggled, trying to push himself up but his hands were tied now to his feet. There was also a metal frame around his head. The side of it pressed into his cheek on the floor, but the worst was the metal bar against his tongue. He moaned and tried to slide his tongue free.

He tasted blood instead; a metal spike dug in and he had to fight himself into freezing, not biting down, not screaming. He couldn't do anything but force himself to remain perfectly calm.

Thankfully, he could still swallow before he had to let the blood run down his face. He focused, isntead, on the bindings on his wrist: those were less well done. He breathed carefully through his nose and focused on the slight give on his wrists. His hands were small for his age, and he'd been tied up like this loads of times before.

The sorcerer turned and he went dead still. He opened his mouth slightly around the bit and let some of the blood run out, dripping onto the floor. He couldn't quite make himself cry, but he knew if he kept his face blank enough he'd look deadened, uncaring, and defeated. Carefully, he didn't meet the man's eyes.

"I had to look all around town for one of those, you know," the man said, as though this was normal conversation. "They're not as popular as they once were. People put up with too much chatter now. If you keep your tongue in check, it won't be cut again."

Vio nodded, eyes still low and the man turned back around.

His hand slipped free of the ropes, skin burned from the wriggling but it didn't matter. He slipped it off his other wrist and started carefully untying it from between his ankles. He had no idea what the man was doing but it didn't matter. It wouldn't be good; it probably would only hurt him more, and while the iron bars around his face were uncomfortable and heavy, he could handle that, at least once he was free enough to confirm that wasn't tied down either. He didn't think so. He tucked his head forward, as though in shame, and it moved freely in that way.

The man didn't even turn around at the sound of the metal on stone.

Fucking useless ass.

[febuwhump]

FEBUWHUMP 2022 PROMPT POLL IS OPEN

now you’ve suggested your favourite, whumpiest prompts, it’s time to vote! 

the suggested prompts have been shortened from 540 to just 80 of the best prompts and will be open for 5 days for you to go and vote for your favourite 28 - 1 for every day of febuwhump.

the top 28 become the febuwhump prompts, and the next 10 most popular will be the alternates.

poll dates: december 18 - 23