#I know this was supposed to be whumptober

[aprocessionofthoughts]

To succeed is to fail

whumptober2023 day 9- mistaken identity fandom- Danny phantom x Batman TW- nothing summary- The Amity Parkers have the opportunity (they didn't want) to explore Gotham. It's just too bad that Danny looks a lot like adoption bait.

First of all, I’d like to state that I know this is whumptober. But the story disagreed. So now we have whumpcracktober.

ao3 masterlist part 1 of APVG

They were not supposed to be here. They didn't want to be here. They hadn’t even tried to be here. Yet luck had never been on the Amity Parker’s side before, and they should have realized this would be no different.

It was their senior year and things around Amity had calmed down. Or at least everyone was used to Amity’s special brand of crazy.

He had told his parents about Phantom and they had helped hunt down the GIW. Most of Amity was discovered to be liminal and most of the young people had developed some basic abilities. 

And then Mrs. Abernagaby decided that their science final would be a group project. This wasn’t anything new. Every year Casper participated in the Helping Intelligent Minds Be Outstanding competition–better known as the HIMBO competition.

And usually the smartest seniors would be picked to work on a group project to submit. Casper High had never won. So, this year Mrs. Abrnagaby decided that all the seniors could work on it together. Because more heads were better than one!

Obviously she didn’t remember what being part of a group project felt like. And she obviously didn't account for the fact that no one would care.

They weren’t even told what the award was since it varied year to year and was meant to be a surprise.

All they were told was that they had to design a new air filtration system.

So, being seniors who had survived ghost attacks, invasions, their town being pulled into another dimension, dealing with the GIW, and making it through adjusting to Amity shifting to the stranger side as everyone's liminality began to show, they did not try.

Which was how they ended up with this masterpiece.

The challenge was to design a new air filtrator. Which if they had wanted to, would have been easy since air filters that would reduce the amount of ectoplasm in the air had been designed before the residents realized it was too late to do any good, and so they had never been made.

They didn’t even submit a design; it was a paper mache volcano covered in everyone’s failed tests. The accompanying research paper they were supposed to submit had Dash’s and Paulina’s self-insert fanfics with– you guessed it– phantom as the love interest. Danny had tried to make them remove it since it was awkward now that they knew who he was, but they had claimed they wrote it before they knew. Danny knew this was a lie because they were lying liars who lied. 

The paper also included one of Sam’s activist papers, Wes’s conspiracies about Bruce Wayne being Batman’s sugar daddy (now that everyone knew Danny was Phantom Wes didn’t feel the need to include that research (he also believed that Batman was Bruce Wayne but didn’t want to antagonize the furry who could ruin his life)). 

Tucker had included evidence of a Pentagon hack he had done a few years ago, Mikey had drawn some incredible fanart about Green Lantern (he said this would have the greatest effect on Gothamites and Wes agreed saying Batman didn’t like Green Lantern. How he knew this, no one asked.).

And lastly, they attached a file of them doing the Harlem Shake.

Mrs. Abernagaby hadn’t even looked at it before sending it off.

And then of course they had won. And what a grand prize it was! They won a trip to Gotham to explore the various big businesses, as well as a chance to apply at those locations for internships. Yeah… Sam had found out all the other schools had dropped out after finding out the prize. No one wanted to go to Gotham. But the school said it was a learning opportunity! To see what it was like outside Amity! To see what normal was supposed to be like!

So, they were forced to go, but at least they got Mr. Lancer as their supervisor and they wouldn’t even have to take a long bus ride because Amity was friends with Gotham. Apparently there weren’t very many Living Cities and the two liked to talk. They also thought it would be hilarious if the Amity Parkers went to Gotham. So, Amity had temporarily turned the road that left the city into a portal that led to Gotham’s border, and at the end of the week Gotham would return them.

And that was how he had ended up here. In the back of a smelly van with a smelly bag over his head surrounded by smelly men probably heading to a smelly, sketchy location. All because these men were stupid and thought he was some Wayne kid.

Sure, he could have gotten out. But this was honestly more interesting than touring another boring building and having to almost get mugged again.

..........

AN-I plan to continue this but it probably won’t be until after October because I want to focus on completing the challenges I'm participating in.

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 4- Shock

Ok I did as much research on this as possible and idk if it is actually accurate but I tried. Some of the stuff that is inaccurate can be assumed because they don’t know what they’re doing lol. Anyways, king of the Gerudo stuff! Centered around Orman, Ammon, and Terrako! Important to note that Ammon has a Sheikah prosthetic. Also fair warning, there is an electrical shock. Lofty, you know what’s about to happen….

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terrako sprinted across the ruins, hopping when he reached a strange looking pedestal on the other side. Orman and Ammon slowly followed the little guardian, cautious of their surroundings. They were investigating ruins found near the castle, and Orman was surprised at how unique the ruins were. He’s seen many Sheikah ruins, and even the legendary Zonai ruins, but they didn’t look anything like this. Inside the ruins, there were strange lights that lit up the place, and even though it was filled with debris, it was surprisingly empty, save for the pedestal Terrako was at.

“What is this place?” Ammon muttered underneath his breath. Orman shrugged and walked over to Terrako, noting an electric circuit near a door.

“What is that?” Ammon asked.

“Dunno. Looks like it keeps the door open.”

“How is it still working after all these years?”

“I don’t know.”

Ammon put his hands on his hips and gave Orman a teasing smile.

“Why don’t you know anything?”

“Because I like to remain blissfully ignorant. Now come on.”

Ammon stared at the door for a moment before catching up to Orman.

“What exactly are we looking for anyways?” He asked when he reached the pedestal.

“Dunno, we need to investigate this place and report back whatever we’ve found, so that’s what we’re doing.”

“Investigate… investigate what?”

“Investigate something, I don’t know. Didn’t you listen to Rhoam during the briefing?”

Ammon scoffed and crossed his arms, looking around for a moment. “Welp, there’s nothing here. We can go home now.”

“Hold on now, we haven’t seen everything.”

Ammon groaned and spun around, staring down the empty room. “It’s just an empty room.”

“An empty room with technology still working! I’m sure that’ll be useful information.” Terrako beeped in response and Orman rubbed his little head. “See? The guardian agrees with me!”

Ammon rolled his eyes. “Just get him to record everything so we can leave.”

“Sure thing,” Orman put his hands on his knees and looked at the little guardian. “Ok Terrako, be a good little guardian and record everything so Ammon doesn’t blow a fuse!”

“Hey!”

Terrako made some beeps that Orman assumed was giggling, and he chuckled while Ammon huffed.

“Just wait until Rhoam hears about this. Harassment while on the job is no joke, you know!”

Orman smiled and rolled his eyes while Terrako looked around at some debris. He himself stared at the pedestal, having to agree with Ammon that there was nothing special of note here. He watched Terrako while Ammon continued to complain, curious at what the guardian was doing. Terrako studied every piece of rubbish and debris left in the ruin, and the little guardian found itself near a wall with a strange mark on it. Orman titled his head and walked over to Terrako, eyeing the symbol.

“What is that?” Ammon asked, not moving from his spot. Orman knelt down and brushed his hand against the symbol.

“You ask a lot of questions, Ammon.” He pulled back his hand to look at the dust on his gloves. Ammon scoffed and turned back around.

“I ask a lot of questions you don’t know the answers to apparently,” he grumbled to himself.

“It’s a mysterious ruin that has stuff we don’t understand, how do you expect me to know everything?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you know?”

“I’ve never seen it before!”

“Sounds like a weakness to me…”

“You’re a weakness to me.”

“No you are!”

Orman burst out laughing and Ammon did the same. Such ridiculous banter, what were they? Children? Terrako made a beep noise and Orman rested his hand on his head.

“What is it, little one?” He asked, and Terrako continued beeping, staring at the symbol on the wall. Orman narrowed his eyes as Terrako’s beeping got strange.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared, and electricity burst out from the symbol, hitting Terrako. Orman yelped and jumped back from the guardian as electricity spewed out of him. The lights in the ruin went out one by one, and all the technology started to spew out electricity and shutting down. Including…

Orman gasped as he spun around and saw Ammon’s prosthetic arm spew out electricity. His whole body convulsed and he collapsed to the ground, his muscles continuing to spazz.

“AMMON!” Orman cried, running to his friend. He grabbed his spear and brought it down on the emergency release button on the prosthetic, releasing it from Ammon’s arm. He ripped Ammon’s sleeve off and threw the prosthetic far away from both of them. “Ammon,” his voice shook as his hand hovered over his friend. His eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at the ceiling, dazed. He wasn’t unconscious, that was good, but it didn’t mean that the injury wasn’t serious. Orman listened closely to his breathing as he checked Ammon’s nub, cringing at the burns on where the skin was in contact with the prosthetic. That looked painful.

“Ok,” he whispered, “what do I do, what do I do?” He stared at the arm for a moment, then reached into his pouch and grabbed a bright bloom seed, smacking it on the ground to light up the area he was in.

“Ammon,” he said as calmly as he could, and Ammon looked over at him. “Are you feeling alright?”

Ammon frowned, taking in a shaky breath. “I—I can't feel my arm…”

Orman stared at him for a moment, then pursed his lips. “Which one? You’re kind of missing one of them.”

Ammon glared at him and Orman looked down.

“I guess you still have some of it…”

Ammon took in another shaky breath. “It feels… numb…”

“Well, I’m not surprised. Just focus on breathing alright? I’ll take care of this.”

Ammon nodded slightly, and Orman listened to his struggled breaths. That wasn’t good that he was struggling to breathe, but he could worry about it when it got concerning. He pulled out his canteen and began pouring it onto his burns. When his water emptied out, he grabbed Ammon’s canteen and emptied that as well. He then grabbed bandages he had in his pouch and gently laid them over his burned nub. He checked Ammon’s breathing again, and it seemed to have evened out.

“Ammon? How are you feeling now?” He asked.

Ammon shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut. “Like sh—“

Orman jumped when he heard a loud beep coming from Terrako, and he spun around to see the little guardian beginning to wake up. He sighed, and looked down at Ammon who was beginning to sit up.

“It’s just Terrako,” he muttered, and Ammon nodded.

“Ok… we should get out of here before something like that happens again,” Ammon said, laying back down when he wasn’t strong enough to sit up

Orman looked at the door that they came through and sighed.

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen any time soon.”

“What do you mean?”

Orman stood up and walked over to the door. “The door is shut.”

Ammon groaned. “Are you serious?”

“All the technology here shut down, including the door that you showed no interest in earlier.” He looked over at Terrako who was beeping slowly and barely moving. “I doubt he could open up this door in his state.”

“Wonderful… we’re stuck here…”

Orman walked over to Ammon and watched him carefully. He looked exhausted, and his expression was pinched in pain.

“You alright?”

“No…”

Orman rested his hand on his shoulder. They needed to find a way out, Orman would feel much better if an actual doctor took a look at him. Maybe princess Mipha or Queen Kailani would be able to help him. But he couldn’t do anything while stuck in here. He looked over at Terrako who began to crawl towards them, and he hummed.

“Terrako, do you have enough energy to call for help?”

Terrako beeped and Ammon sighed. “Shouldn’t he… save his energy… to open up the door?”

“It might take too long to do that. If we could call for help on the Sheikah slate, maybe someone can come for us?”

“Will that… even work?”

“I don’t know! Technology is weird, so it might!”

“Ah… well… let’s hope… so…”

Orman looked at Ammon worried as he began to drift off. He panicked for a moment and shook him gently.

“Hey, I don’t know if it’s safe for you to sleep, Ammon.”

Ammon groaned and kept his eyes closed, and Orman shook him again.

“Come on Ammon, please don’t fall asleep. I—I don’t know if I’ll be able to wake you up.”

Ammon opened his blue eyes and gave Orman a blank look. Orman sighed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sure you’re tired, but I’m not taking any chances until we can get out…”

Ammon sighed, annoyed and rested his head back, staring at the ceiling. Orman smiled slightly, then looked back at Terrako, who was barely moving. He didn’t know what the right thing to do was. They needed to get out to help out Ammon, but Terrako seemed to have used up all his energy on crawling towards them. Waiting for him to be strong enough to send a signal or to open the door would take too long, but what else was he supposed to do? And which one would be the fastest option? Orman groaned and leaned back against the rock, feeling his mouth drying up. Just great. He used up all of his and Ammon’s water to deal with the burn. They really couldn’t stay for long. Terrako beeped and began crawling to a wall, examining it.

“Hey, don’t send another electric shock through the building,” Orman warned. Terrako beeped again and clawed at the wall, and Orman gasped when some of it crumbled away. He shot up and knelt at the wall, pushing some of the rocks away. He felt a draft from a gap in the rocks and he cheered. “I think I found a way out!” Terrako made an offended beep and Orman chuckled. “Sorry. Terrako found a way out.”

Ammon cheered tiredly as Orman began moving the rocks out of the way, feeling the fresh air hit his face as the wall crumbled away, and soon there was a big enough hole for Orman to crawl through. He jogged over to Ammon who had his eyes closed, and Orman’s heart skipped a beat.

“Hey,” he shook him, a little too aggressively, and Ammon groaned. “I’m sorry, but I need you to stay awake.”

Ammon glared at him, lifting himself up shakily. Orman helped him sit up and he pointed to the hole.

“Do you think you could crawl through that hole?”

“Yeah, yeah I can do that,” Ammon muttered, slowly standing up with Orman’s help. But when he took a step, his knees buckled, and Orman nearly yelped when he caught him.

“Ok, just wait here…” Orman gave Ammon a pat on the shoulder before standing up and grabbing Ammon’s arm. He then took his belt and Ammon’s belt and strapped the exhausted Terrako to his chest. He swung Ammon’s arm over his shoulders and walked over to the hole.

“I’m fine, Orman. I can crawl through on my own,” Ammon said, sounding more sure of himself this time. Orman nodded, figuring Ammon needed to get used to his legs a little more. Orman went in first, sighing with relief when he was outside, and helped Ammon crawl out. He stood up, helping Ammon on his feet and looked at the castle.

“How are we gonna explain this?” Orman muttered to himself, thinking about what they found at the ruins. “The weird electrical shock, the symbol that caused all this… all of it…”

“Just tell Rhoam Terrako did it,” Ammon said, causing Terrako to make an offended beep. “Hey, I’m not technically wrong.”

Orman chuckled at the two and pulled Ammon’s arm slightly.

“Well, we have time to figure it out, come on, you need help.”

Ammon nodded and stuck close to Orman’s side as they began walking towards castle town. Orman kept a close eye on his dear friend, the feeling of worry never really going away even as he walked along the field. But he supposed that there was not much else he could do except to make sure he was well enough to make it to a healer. Until then, all he could do was worry.

[amugoffandoms]

okay so i am really trying to catch up on everything HSBFUFH SO HERE’S DAY FOURTEEN OF MILGRAMTOBER!!

What is the meaning of the Son of Man painting by René Magritte?

It has also been suggested that the piece aims to reflect the anonymity of the modern businessman and having to hide one's true identity in order to conform. The way that the apple obscures the man's face means that he is hiding his true self from the eyes of society.

As Kazui walks out to the balcony for a smoke, he leans against the railing as he exhales smoke. Kazui fiddles with his wedding ring. He takes it off and examines it.

It's supposed to represent a couple's unending love for each other. It means eternal love and commitment.

That's why it's in a circle.

That's what Kazui's been told by everyone he knows. His coworkers, his friends, and the jeweler who gave him this ring.

...

It just feels like it doesn't apply here.

The unending love for each other just... doesn't fit.

Kazui can certainly feel the love from Hinako. He can still remember the look she gave him in the car when they were driving to a suspect's house. The look she gave him when he gave her a bouquet of flowers. The look she gave him when Kazui asked the question. The look Hinako gave him when she said yes.

But, he's been lying to her about if he truly loves her.

Of course, Kazui likes her! It's just... he's not sure if he's in love with her.

You know the thing spouses say when they say their vows, about how their partner feels like their best friend.

That's how Kazui feels about Hinako, except that it's just like Hinako's his friend. Nothing more.

He knows he's supposed to feel more; he married her! You're supposed to love someone more if you marry them!

It just doesn't feel right.

Even so...

They're married and Kazui has to see this marriage through to the end, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do they part.

So, even if he has to lie... lie to make everything feel okay. Lie so that Hinako and he can have a normal, married life together, just like everyone wants from them. Lie to conform and hide his wants and desires. Lie to hide away from the eyes of truth.

Isn't that what marriage is? To come together and love each other and allow yourself to compromise.

So, he makes sacrifices for their love because that's what you're supposed to do.

He'll pretend he doesn't need a drink or need a smoke, even when his urges come and he's itching for a break.

He'll pretend he loves Hinako like a spouse, even when he loves her as a friend, nothing more.

He'll be the perfect man and the perfect spouse. The man his parents want him to be. The man society wants him to be.

Even if that means he'll never be himself. He'll hide behind a mask of his own lies. Continue to be the king of the masquerade. Follow through with the expectations everyone has set for him.

After all, isn't that what he's been doing his entire life?

[appalachianapologies]

🎁🎁🎁

I know you've just started Ted Lasso, so here's a fic snip from that!

“And I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s important, Jamie. You are a key part of this team. All of you- not just those fast legs or cool tricks with the ball that I honestly still can’t wrap my head around—tried it once in the park and I ended up with a bloody nose— you are an integral part of the team. Not a part of you.”

[the-hidden-writer]

Hide and Seek

Whumptober 2024 - Day 1

Guess what I decided to take part in! I'll do my best to complete the month but I'm going to have to write as I go since I only actually remembered it was a thing today. Starting off with an original piece based on my dnd campaign!

Prompt: Search Party / Panic Attack Fandom: Original (dnd campaign) Character(s): Rex Winterfall Words: 1,251 CW: panic attack, implied suicide idealisation, implied death AO3 Link: [Here!]

Hide and Seek

He can’t breathe.

He’s on the ground, wearing a fucking bearskin like a suit, and he can’t breathe.

Attempting to make as little movement as possible, he shifts his posture so that his head pokes out from underneath the skinned animal to allow him to take a shaky lungful of air. He makes a silent prayer that none of the guards (three of them, to his knowledge) noticed the wriggling of the large rug. It didn’t sound like there was anyone else in this room anyway. For now, at least.

A distant, muffled shout reaches his ears. “This room’s clear!”

Then another. “Kitchen is too!”

A third. “He must have moved. Have we checked the master bedroom again?”

“On it!” calls out a very non-distant voice, whose cry is soon followed by steady footsteps. A nearby floorboard creaks dangerously, a sound that feels as if it's reverberating straight through him, too. The guard has entered the room. A fourth. Shit. He must have miscounted.

Despite having just wrestled with a dead bear for air, he takes in one big breath before clenching his windpipe tightly shut and pulling his head further under the fur. As long as he doesn’t move a muscle, he should be fine. Hiding happens to be one of the greatest skills he possesses. He’s had a lifetime of experience. 

He can hear the guard searching the room. The squeak of the wardrobe, the rustle of bedsheets, the clicking of footsteps getting louder-

Oh no.

He squeezes his eyes shut and bites onto his tongue, suppressing a scream when he feels the pressure on his back. A heavy pressure that, thankfully, only lasts a few moments before the guard appears to move on. He feels the tense air leave his lungs like a deflating balloon. That was… painful. But he’s dealt with worse and it seems like they still haven’t discovered him.

“Sorry, Mr Bear,” he hears, and has to suppress a snort.

That’s when the stupidity of the situation hits him. He’s lying on his front under, practically in, a giant bearskin rug in the master bedroom of a stranger’s mansion, being pursued for a crime he didn’t commit. 

Well. A crime he was about to commit as a consequence of having to flee his home because of a crime he didn’t commit. He knows it isn’t his fault, not really. He’s just the victim of a hell of a lot of unfortunate circumstances. So he really doesn’t understand the guilt that he feels bubbling to the surface.

He took this job because he and his family had been displaced. They needed some income and jobs don’t come easily to fugitives. So when he caught wind of a search for someone stealthy for a theft with a hefty reward, he decided to offer his services, being good at hiding and all. What he would give to turn back the clock on that decision now that he knows it was a set-up.

It was a set-up. And he, the former detective, fell for it.

His chest feels tight. Maybe the guard’s foot broke something.

He can’t think of a more laughable position to be in. It’s so pathetic. What kind of example is he setting for his daughter? How could he ever begin to explain to her that her father is both simultaneously guilty and not-guilty, and has spent nearly his whole life on the run, simply because of bad luck? He doesn’t want to imagine the look on her face but the image springs forth anyway. He wants to physically shake it away, but can’t risk the movement.

The bearskin begins to feel very constricting, as if it hadn’t been before. The fur feels rough and prickly against his own clammy skin. It doesn’t tickle, though he does start to feel aware of every strand that brushes against him, like individual needles. It starts to feel painful to be under it. To be in it.

He’s suddenly hyper-aware that he’s lying in a corpse.

Every coherent thought flies out of his brain. He’s hiding in a corpse.

A corpse of an innocent creature.

A corpse.

A corpse. Like his sister. Like their friends. Like his workers, so many workers, all taken out just to get to him. Corpses. Dead.

He can’t breathe, no matter how hard he tries. He’s actively trying, now, to breathe. It doesn’t feel like it’s working. He might be making noise. It’s hard to tell over the sound of his heart thundering in his chest, over the blood rushing in his ears.

He doesn’t care anymore. If he stays like this, he’ll die. He’s sure of it.

He wrestles himself out of the bear, this time with no qualm about the amount of movement or noise it almost definitely makes. He just needs to get out.

He’s left there, panting in the middle of the room, his eyes wide and senses going crazy. He’s alone in here. That’s one blessing at least.

He stares down at the bear as he struggles to reclaim himself. When alive, the beast must have been massive. He can envision it: a predator that was top of the food chain, a master of the natural world, hunted down and reduced to a rug. A decoration for people to step all over. A corpse.

The surge of empathy he feels is alien and concerning.

This whole situation is absurd, he realises once sense starts to return to him. Yes, he’s good at hiding, but he’s never wanted to. It's never been by choice. He’s just been forced to hide by those various unfortunate circumstances. Those circumstances that have never really been his fault. This feels like another one.

What might happen if he doesn’t hide, this time? If he walks out of here with his head held high? Would that be the right thing to do? Would it make his daughter proud?

As the panic of escaping the bear subsides, so does his energy and any adrenaline he’d had. He’s tired. Twenty years he’s spent like this, hiding from something or other. Twenty years too long. He’s so, so tired.

With one last soulful look at the bear by his feet, he drags himself out of the bedroom.

The four guards in the hallway feel like they should be a surprise, but they aren’t. There isn’t really any strength left in him to feel surprised.

“He’s there!”

“Now!”

“Wait- is everyone ready?”

They’re young. They look practically like teenagers. He tuts quietly. If he was their boss, he would never send them out on a dangerous recapture mission at such a young age. That same image of his daughter comes back to mind. It's then that he knows that there's no chance he'll lay a finger against them.

They’re also standing in a line, the guards. The hallway isn’t particularly wide. Nowhere to run if he tried, not counting the enclosed bedroom. The one with the bear he’d just shared a private moment with. There’s already one too many corpses in that room, he thinks glumly.

Then it hits him. He’s not sure if it’s because of the thought of the bear corpse or the sight of gleaming axes in the guards’ hands, but he feels his heart stop all the same.

He’s cornered.

He’s going to die.

“Please.” It’s barely a whisper.

The guards seem to have gathered themselves, each with their axe raised and poised to throw.

“Now?”

“Now!”

He distantly hopes that no-one ever wears his skin.

Thanks for reading!

[jasmines-library]

Necrosis

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

WHUMPTOBER DAY SIXTEEN :Prompt: necrosis/wound cleaning.

Summary: Tim helps you with your wounds.

Warnings: mentions of injury. Necrosis.

Word count: 666

MASTERLIST ⛤ WHUMPTOBER 2024

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

Tim frowned as he watched you hobble across the room with a noticeable limp. You had been injured a few weeks ago; a nasty hit to the thigh with a knife. The would had been deep and painful and would more than likely leave a scar. You were supposed to be on crutches, but you had abandoned those after the first week and a half and were now resorting to limping through the manor now you weren’t on bed rest. 

“You shouldn’t be walking on that.” Tim chided as he glanced up at you from his computer screen. He had been staring at it for the last three hours, only leaving to go to the bathroom or to refill his coffee. 

“Yeah but I’m sick of staying in bed.” You said, continuing to limp towards the kitchen.  It was strange. After two or so weeks the wound should have healed up somewhat, but it seemed you were still struggling with it. And normally it wouldn’t have been a problem, but Tim often overthought and wanted to be safer than sorry. With a huff, Tim stood, walking over to you. He placed a gentle hand on your back and guided you to sit down. 

“Sit.” He said. It was practically an order as he gave you no choice but to. 

You let out a hiss as you sat, the pain in your leg twinging. Tim gave you a look. 

“How many times have you been told to stay off this leg.” He tutted. “If you want to get better you need to rest.” 

“I was just going to the kitchen.” You argued back. 

“You could have asked one of us” 

“There’s no point in asking one of you when it’s just easier to get there myself.” 

“Clearly you can’t. You’re still limping…..is it still bothering you that much?” 

“A little…” 

“That means yes then.” Tim rephrased. He knew you had a habit of downplaying your pain. He helps you straighten out your leg gently, taking a look at the bandages. “How long ago did you change these?” 

“Uh….two I think. Alfred did them for me.” He had been doing a good job of making sure your wound was clean and free from infection. 

Tim pursed his lips. “You mind if I take a look? They probably need changing anyway” 

“Go ahead.” 

“Alright.” Tim stood before going to get the medical kit. “Don’t move.” He pointed at you. “I mean it.” 

“Yes, Sir.” You mock saluted. 

Tim returned a minute later, and as much as you would have liked to have left you did stay in your place for him. Gingerly he took your leg between his hands and began to unwrap the bandages. There was no sign of blood, which was a good sign. However when he revealed the wound, he let out a hiss though his teeth.

Some of the skin around the wound had began to turn a nasty grey-ish colour. Necrosis. Likely a sign of infection or lack of blood to the cells which has caused them to die. 

“Well shit….. no wonder it’s been bothering you so much, sweetheart.”

“Necrosis?” You swallowed thickly. 

“Looks like it. It’s infected, kid.” 

“Shit.” 

“Hey. Don’t think like that. We’ll get you on some antibiotics and see how that helps and go from there, yeah? I’ll let B know. You’ll be fine, we’ll sort it, kid.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Now let’s get this bandaged for you, hm?” He said, reaching into the medical kit and pulling out a fresh bandage and some sterile wipes. Gently he cleaned the area, his touch gentle so as to not cause you any more harm, before he tossed the wipe away and began to re-wrap the wound. The bandage sat snug but not suffocating around your thigh. “There you go kid. 

 “Thank you.”

“Now get some rest while I go and talk to B.”

“Alright.”

“No walking on that leg.” Tim warned. “I mean it. No wandering off.”

“No promises.”

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

<- DAY FIFTEEN ⛧ DAY SEVENTEEN->

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

TAGS:

@hearts4robs @kingshitonly @alicedawitchbish @hell-o-kittys @azure-drag0ness @harleycao @thewhispersofthewaves @batfamsstuff @xxrougefangxx @rosecentury @noisymutantherelol @killxz @rhiodes @inlovewhithafairytale @that-wannabe-vangoghgurl @canthavetoomuchchaos

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

[topguncortez]

Sunburn - K. Dutton

whumptober masterlist || previous day

prompt: Heatstroke

synopsis: The Montana summers weren't for the weak. You and Kayce have unspoken history.

warnings: heatstroke, passing out, vomiting, mentions of abuse, mentions of drug usage, mentions of running away, Monica and Tate don't exist.

word count: 2.1k

There was something about Montana summers. 

The valley in which the Yellowstone ranch laid, had its fair share of weather changes. The winters were brutal, feet of snow coating the land, the wind bitter against the skin making it hard to want to get up in the morning and do chores. Spring usually brought inches upon inches of rain, damn near flooding the place and making it a muddy mess trying to move cattle in preparation for breeding season. Fall was a vibrant display of changing leaves, and the scent of fields being harvested in time before the first frost. 

But the summers, the summers were something else. Blame global warming, or whatever you wanted, but the summers in Montana were hot and steamy. The sun was unforgiving most days, beating down on you and your horse as you worked from sunup till sundown, training and cleaning horse stalls, helping move cattle from pasture to pasture, and carrying out the daily maintenance of the ranch. Most of the cowboys didn’t have an issue, but you on the other hand, never quite got along with the heat. 

It was supposed to be an “easy day”, Rip had barked at all of you as you shuffled into the barn to get tack up your horses, but the sun was already blaring its god awful rays down on the earth. Your skin felt sticky from the humidity and your hair was already sticking to your forehead underneath your hat. You left your water jug in the bunkhouse, choosing to fuel your body with the dark roast coffee Loyd had made instead. 

“You think the Devil just walked up here and decided to fuck with the temperature,” Ryan said, sitting on top of the fence, watching you and Colby rake it out. 

“Don’t know,” Colby grunted, “Think you could quit fucking complaining and help?” 

“I don’t want to melt,” Ryan chirped back and you rolled your eyes. The two of them fought like an old married couple most days.

Colby and Ryan were the first two to make you feel welcome in the bunkhouse. It was hard walking into a house full of men, no one knowing who you are or what you had shown up at the ranch for. Everyone knew bits and pieces of your story, you had known Kayce when you were younger, highschool sweethearts or something of the sort. He was the one who got away, or so you had said. While he was thriving in the military, you were left behind, struggling and doing anything you could to make a buck. You had shown up on his doorstep, soaking wet in the rain and begging for a job, begging to finally leave behind the life you had created for yourself. Kayce barely gave you the time of day, telling you to walk back down the road, take a left, and keep going until you reach the bunkhouse, that there would be someone there to help you. Since then, you and Kayce had been walking on eggshells around each other. 

“Okay, Princess,” You rolled your eyes, lifting your hat slightly off your head, and wiping away the sweat, “It’s fucking hot.” You stared at the heat waves rippling off of the earth for a moment, as the familiar sound of cowboy boots crunching on the gravel drew close. 

“What up, boss man,” Kolby greeted Kayce with a nod of his head, “Come to sweat with the worst of us?” 

“No, I need the girl,” Kayce said gruffly, and you turned to look at him, “We’re moving cattle. Let’s go,” He turned and walked back the direction he came without another word. You scoffed, throwing the pitchfork down. 

“What a fucking douche,” You grumbled, but went and followed after him to where the horses were enjoying the cool air of the barn. Kayce’s horse, of course, was already saddled up. You weren’t about to ask him for help as you grabbed your saddle from the wall, and walked down to your horse’s stall. You could feel his impatient tension like an extra cloud of heat in the air. 

“Ready?” Kayce asked as you walked your horse down the barn alley, and you nodded, silently following him outside. 

The two of you rode in silence for most of the journey, slowly but surely pushing cattle from one pasture into another. You weren’t sure why you, of all the people on the Yellowstone Ranch, had to be the one out here, sweating with Kayce. Normally, you wouldn’t have minded the silent rides through the rolling fields, but it wasn’t just the heat making you not want to be out here. 

Kayce thought that asking you to come out here with him would be the perfect chance to tell you how he felt. He, just as much as you, was tired of the awkward dance that you had been doing since you showed up. He didn’t need to ask too many questions that night when you came knocking on his door, soaked to the bone, nothing more than skin and bones. When he left for the Navy, a mere days after graduation and breaking your heart, he had asked Beth to keep an eye out for you. Begrudgingly, she did so, and told him about the shift in your life. You had always dreamed of getting out of Montana, but you never made it that far. 

Every time Kayce thought of saying something, of apologizing or even just asking how you have been, his mouth went dry and his mind blank. Instead, he thought that maybe even getting you near would break some of the tension, but he was so wrong. It seemed as if the tension had picked up a notch as the two of you rode next to each other. 

“Fuck, is it hotter out here, or is it just me,” You mumbled as you sat on top of your horse. The body heat from the animal was soaking into you, paired with the brutal beatdown from the sun, your skin felt like it was physically burning. 

“Complainin’ ain’t gonna make the sun go away,” Kayce said back and you rolled your eyes. The last thing you needed was the sass from him. Your skin felt dry and your head was pounding. All you wanted was to feel the cold stream of water in the bunkhouse shower. 

— — — 

You had never felt so happy to have your feet back on the ground. Three hours sitting up on a horse in the sun, slowly moving cattle into a new pasture. You knew that your shoulders were horribly sunburnt, and the sweat stains in between your thighs from sitting on the saddle made it look like you wet yourself. 

Kayce felt happy too, to be back on solid ground. He would be lying if he said the heat hadn’t gotten to him either. He was used to being in hot temp areas, but he would take being in full kit in Afghanistan versus sitting on a horse waiting for cattle to hurry up and move. Kayce had taken his horse back to the barn, carefully taking the tack off of him and hanging it up. He told Loyd to give the animal a good wash down, wanting to make sure his horse was cooled down before being put away for the night. 

Kayce slowly made his way down the alley of the barn, stopping just right outside of your horse’s stall. He had been thinking of what he was going to say to you since the moment he got you alone out in the field. The two of you had yet to have “the talk” since you arrived months ago, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could go without it. Every time he saw you, the words that he wanted to say were right at the tip of his tongue, but the second you looked at him, they all seemed to go blank. But now, it was as good a time as any. 

“Y/N,” Kayce said, stepping into the horse stall. You stood by your horse, your hand on its belly, back facing Kayce, “We need to talk.” 

You blinked a couple of times, trying to stop the black spots floating in your vision, and trying to keep yourself up right. You felt like your knees could give out at any moment. 

“Y/N?” Kayce called out. He reached out to touch your shoulder, as you doubled over and vomited into the hay sheddings, “Holy shit,” Kayce moved quickly, rushing to you as your legs gave out and you collapsed in his arms. He was alarmed by the flush color of your skin, and your chapped lips. Your eyes looked glossed over as you looked up at Kayce. 

“I-I don’t feel,” Your words were slurred as Kayce hoisted you up in his arms. 

“I know, we gotta cool you down,” Kayce said to you, and you weakly nodded your head. 

Kayce moved you quickly to the bunkhouse, the first flash of cool air made you instantly shiver. He walked you to the bathroom, and you were thankful that the house seemed to be quiet, not wanting any of the other cowboys to see you like this. It was hard enough being one of the only females here, you didn’t need this to be held over your head. Kayce gently sets you down on the shower tile, reaching above you and barely turning the water on. The second the cold water hit your skin, you gasped.

“No! No!” You cried. 

“It’s okay,” Kayce cooed, “I have to cool you down.” 

“Please,” Tears were welling in your vision, and you weren’t really sure why you were crying. You summed it up to your body being in such shock, you didn’t have control over your emotions. 

“It’s okay,” Kayce said again, running a hand up and down your back as you leaned into him, feeling your body grow weak again, “You’re going to be okay. It’ll be okay.” You let out a whine as your body had shifted temperature, but welcomed the cool water against your warm skin. 

— — — 

You weren’t sure when you fell asleep or maybe you passed out, but you woke up in an unfamiliar bed, with a box fan pointed right at you. It took you a moment, your head pounding as you looked around the room, noticing the various country-esq landscape paintings and the giant deer head on the wall. It was nearing night time, or so you had guessed by the last remnants of the sunset peaking through the wooden blinds. You tried to sit up, but let out a groan instead, your head starting to swim and black spots filling your vision. 

“Y/N?” You froze as you heard Kayce’s voice from the other side of the door, “Can I come in?” 

‘Holy shit’ You cursed to yourself, ‘I’m in Kayce’s room.’ 

“Yeah,” Your voice was raspy, and you could still feel the sting of bile. 

Ever so gently, Kayce pushed the door to his bedroom open, sticking his head in first before coming all the way in, “Hey,” You nodded your head as he walked towards you, a glass of water in his hand and some tylenol, “Drink this and take these. It’ll help the headache and muscle cramps.” 

“How do you know?” You asked, taking the water and medicine. Now that he mentioned it, your legs felt heavier than normal with a slight ache to them. 

“They train you on the basics of heat stroke in the Navy,” Kayce said, “Seen one too many guys fall over.” You felt your cheeks pink up in embarrassment, “No one saw, if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“Am I that transparent?” You said barely above a whisper, “You didn’t have to bring me here. They would’ve taken care of me at the bunkhouse.” 

“I know,” Kayce swallowed thickly. He wasn’t all too sure why he had picked you up and put you in his truck, driving back to his house for you to rest somewhere quiet and comfortable. But he did, and he didn’t regret it. He knew that he would’ve been a nervous wreck leaving you in the bunkhouse, “I needed to make sure you were going to be okay. . . You scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” You squeaked out. 

“Don’t apologize, Y/N,” Kayce said, shifting closer to you on the bed, “One of my first summer's running cattle with my dad, I did the same thing. We’d been out all day and came back, and the second I climbed off my hose I hit the ground. Face first in shit shavings,” You couldn’t help but chuckle, “At least you picked a clean stall to upchuck and pass out in.” 

You rolled your eyes, “Thanks for catching me.” 

“Always,” Kayce said, grabbing your hand. You glanced down between your hands and back up at Kayce, who had a slight blush on his face. He went to pull his hand away but you squeezed it and then laced your fingers with his.

[teddy06writes]

Whumptober Day 23 - Darry Curtis

Darry Curtis x gn!reader

Prompt: Exhaustion

Trigger Warnings: None

Summary: Darry has been working himself to the utter bone. You take it upon yourself to make him rest.

The Curtis house was shockingly quiet when you arrived, most off the gang either being out for the night, or not having made it home from work yet. Ponyboy and Johnny sat quietly at the kitchen table, working through their homework.

There was another abandoned place at Darry's usual spot at the table, and just by glancing at the mess of papers you knew he'd picked up more accounting work, as if he wasn't already spreading himself too thin.

"Heya (y/n)." Ponyboy said, glancing up from his work.

"Hey Pony," You tugged off your jacket, "How was school?"

"Not too bad. I got an A on that paper you read the other day."

"I told you you had nothing to worry about," You crossed the room, ruffling his hair as you passed, "What about you Johnnycakes?"

He shrugged, "Nothin to complain about."

You nodded, leaning down to glance at Darry's abandoned paperwork for a moment before straightening up, "Well, I suppose that's good too."

"Darry's in the laundry room." Pony said, glancing up at you again.

You shared a look with him before heading off in that direction. You found Darry in the middle of hefting a load of clothes from the washer to the dryer. You stood in the doorway for a long moment, watching him.

He looked dead on his feet, dark purple circles sitting heavily under his eyes. His shoulders were tight with tension, and he moved slowly, as if his tiredness was holding him back.

"Hey, Dar." You moved across the room, hugging him from behind.

"Hey, hun," He hummed, relaxing into your touch and leaning back against you, "How're you?"

You pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, "I'm alright. You seem tired."

He hummed again.

"I saw you picked up more accounting work."

Darry sighed, starting to pull away from you, "Yeah, comin up on needing an oil change and I don't want Steve sneaking anything out from under Mr. Cole's nose. Lord knows he does it enough already."

As he turned around, you watched his face, all the exhaustion etched into every inch of his features. "You should take a break, Darry."

"I ain't got time for that. Need to finish those accounts, get started on dinner, and look over Ponyboy's algebra, fold the laundry-"

You knew he'd carry on, so you cut him off, "Listen, love, you're exhausted. Go lay down, I'll take care of all that, alright?"

"Sweetheart, you don't have to-"

"I mean it, Darrel Curtis," You put your hands on your hips, fiening seriousness for a moment, before reaching forward to grab his hands, "Please, Dar, let me do this for you."

He sighed, tipping forward to lean his head against your shoulder for a long moment, before nodding, gratefully, "Thank you, honey."

"Go on and get to bed then. I'll come get you when dinners ready."

An hour and a half later, after finishing the laundry, making dinner, looking over Pony's homework the best you could, and packing away a few portions of what you made for whenever Soda decided to come home, you slipped into the bedroom.

Darry stirred slightly as you rubbed a hand over his shoulder, whispering, "Dinners ready, love."

He hummed, grabbing your hand sleepily and tugging at it. Smiling, you allowed yourself to be pulled into bed by a halfwake Darry who was mumbling something about eating later.

Darry wrapped his arms tightly around you, practically piling himself on top of you as he buried his head in the crook of your neck, sighing contentedly.

You chuckled to yourself, beginning to run a hand through his hair, and pressing a kiss to his forehead, "Rest well, love."

[mj-iza-writer]

Whumptober Day 5

Sunburn - Healing Salve - Heatstroke - "Of my Pain Will Stretch that Far" (Lottery Winners, Burning House)

"Please master, can I have a second", Whumpee pleaded through gasps of breath.

They had been crawling behind Whumper for an hour now. Whumper liked taking these walks on the empty roads surrounding their off grid vacation home. This area allowed them to truly have Whumpee play pet. Whumpee was fully naked, only dressed in a collar and leash.

"Hmm, having a hard time keeping up with me pet?", Whumper turned, "we just have another mile before we're home. You can make it."

"Yes Master, but please may I have a second?", Whumpee pleaded, "I think I just found a piece of glass."

Whumper frowned as they saw blood oozing from Whumpee's hand.

"Hmm I suppose you did", Whumper sighed as they knelt to get a better look, "I don't have any first aid so I guess I'll allow you to walk like a person until we get your hand cleaned and bandaged."

"Thankyou master", Whumpee whispered.

Whumper stood, and helped Whumpee stand.

"Your knees look about tore up to", Whumper sighed, "I guess we won't take this path again."

Whumpee stumbled to the side a little, "I-I don't know if I-I'll make it master."

Whumper frowned as they saw how red Whumpee's skin was.

Whumper pulled out their water bottle and dumped the rest on Whumpee.

"Hmm", Whumpee whimpered.

"Okay let's go", Whumper lifted Whumpee onto his back and started to walk quickly.

"Master.... yo-your carrying me?", Whumpee moaned.

"Yep, I don't need you to have a heatstroke out here. I guess I didn't realize how bad the sun was", Whumper sighed, "I think you are dangerously close."

"Hmm", Whumpee moaned again.

"Whumpee, I know I don't tell you to do this often, but keep talking to me", Whumper said worringly. They were nowhere near a hospital if Whumpee did have a heatstroke, "I can't have you passing out on me."

"Wh-what sh...ould I-I talk abo-ut", Whumpee labored.

"Anything you want, just keep talking", Whumper groaned under Whumpee's almost dead weight.

"My favorite treats?", Whumpee perked up for a second.

"That's fine", Whumper nodded, "what are your favorites?"

"I like when you get those chocolate cookies with the cream in the center", Whumpee whispered.

"Uh-huh", Whumper sighed, trying to get Whumpee to keep going, "how about the granola bars from this morning?"

Whumpee paused for a moment to think, "I uh, didn't really like those "

"Oh I thought you did", Whumper huffed, "man you are heavier than you look."

"Mm, sorry Master... mm, really tired", Whumpee's head bobbed to the side.

"Whumpee, you really need to stay awake. Keep telling me about treats", Whumper quickened their pace.

Whumpee's head swayed as they lifted it.

"My, uhm... mm head hurts", Whumpee slurred, "and mm hand."

"We'll get bandaged up once we get home", Whumper could see the house in site, "just stay with me a little longer. I'll get a fan on you. Get you nice and cool."

Whumpee didn't answer.

"Whumpee?", Whumper questioned again. Concern in their voice.

"Hmm", Whumpee hummed as their head fell again.

"We're home", Whumper rounded the corner and hurried to get inside.

Whumpee was spread out on the cold tile floor, and a fan was not blowing on them.

Whumper made a few ice pack towels, and placed them in certain spots on Whumpee.

Whumpee continued to breath uncomfortably.

"I think I'm going to need to get you into the tub", Whumper frowned, "I can't believe I was this careless. I normally pay attention, but you were definitely having a hard time. I'm so sorry."

Whumpee woke up and looked around. They moved around a little and caused some water to splash up.

"Hum", Whumpee looked at the tub full of water with concern, "what's happening?"

"Woe easy there Whumpee", Whumper came in after hearing the movement, "don't move too much. You were just unconscious."

"Wh-what happened?", Whumpee looked up at them, "am-am I okay?"

"I think you are now. I'm still a little worried about you", Whumper reached down and pulled up a cup, "I've been trying to get you to drink some of this while you were unconscious. It's electrolyte water. Lets get the rest of this in you."

Whumper helped hold the cup while they drank.

"You have quite the sunburn my pet, I'm afraid you'll be uncomfortable for a few days", Whumper sighed at themself for not taking better care of their pet, "let's get you dried off and comfortable. I have some ointment to put on you to help take away the sting."

Whumpee nodded, "I feel a little better now."

"That's good", Whumper stood, "you can soak for a few more minutes while I look for that salve ointment."

Whumpee sighed in relief when Whumper had finished putting the medicine on them.

"Sounds like you feel better already", Whumper grinned as they reached for a pillow to put under Whumpee's head.

"Yes Master", Whumpee laid their head down, "thankyou."

"You're welcome, now go ahead and get some rest. I'll wake you for dinner", Whumper patted Whumpee's head a little before standing.

Whumpee let their eyes blink open and shut. They grew slower and slower.... heavier and heavier.

They could hear Whumper humming in the kitchen. The gentle notes soothed them even more.

"I'm so happy to have Master", Whumpee whispered to themself, "what would I do without them taking care of me?"

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@villainsandheroes @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@3-2-whump @risk606

@electrons2006 @paperprinxe

@whumprince @kaz-of-crows

@mis-graves @decaffeinatedtimetraveler94

@sausages-things @ragin-cajun-fangirl

@isikedmyself878 @daffyduckcommittedtaxfraud

@valravnthefrenchie @glennemerald

@jasperthecapser @does-directions

@deafeninglittlecrown

[captainreecejames]

Captainreecejames' F1 Whumptober Extraveganza Masterlist

Been craving some hurt/angst for Formula 1 Drivers? Then you've come to the right place! Here we have many stories featuring different drivers and scenarios all with different levels of hurt and angst (and of course comfort!) for you the reader to enjoy.

UPDATE: I know the stories aren't out but don't worry I do plan on posting them!

Notes from the Author: Below the cut will be the masterlist for my whumptober project. There are still 3 spots open for drivers, but no more requests for Lando, Max or Oscar please.

This will be updated with links and warnings when each post comes out, and I plan on the works being around 2000 words, but we will see how the stories write themselves.

☆ October 1st ☆ Concussion featuring Lewis Hamilton "You really need to be more careful babe, your head is too precious to be injured."

☆ October 3rd ☆ Broken Ankle featuring Oscar Piastri "No, I can't stand up and walk, please stop asking me."

☆ October 5th ☆ Broken Wrist featuring Carlos Sainz "Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall. Fuck."

☆ October 7th ☆ Depression and Anxiety featuring Lando Norris "Everything is too much for me right now, and I can't keep up anymore."

☆ October 9th ☆ Car Crash featuring Charles Leclerc "It's fine really, don't come rushing home for me."

☆ October 11th ☆ Car Crash featuring Max Verstappen "The only reason you think it's her fault is because you think women can't drive, and let me tell you that you're shit."

☆ October 13th ☆ Exhaustion featuring Lewis Hamilton "If you keep moving at this pace you're going to fall apart when I can't help pick up the pieces."

☆ October 15th ☆ Nightmares featuring Max Verstappen "God it's you're fault! Learn to fucking drive!"

☆ October 17th ☆ Amnesia featuring Lando Norris "I'm sorry, am I supposed to know you?"

☆ October 19th ☆ Job Loss featuring ... "I can't believe that they just got rid of my position like that."

☆ October 21st ☆ Who hurt you? featuring Max Verstappen "Tell me who did this, I'll ruin their life."

☆ October 23rd ☆ Mysterious Illness featuring ... "Everything is fine here, seriously, I'm not coughing up blood or anything."

☆ October 25th ☆ Cheating featuring Oscar Piastri "Please, I'm begging you, just let me explain myself."

☆ October 27th ☆ Paranoia featuring ... "I swear something is following me."

☆ October 29th ☆ Medieval AU featuring Oscar Piastri "I have every right to fight for the King, doesn't matter that I'm a woman."

☆ October 31st ☆ Mafia AU featuring Lando Norris "No one's seen her in a few hours, won't even answer her phone."

[adrift-in-thyme]

Anyone up for an angsty little fic? XD

I wrote this for whumptober but never could find a prompt that fit it. So I’m publishing it now instead!

CW for blood and injury, referenced torture, and burn wounds

———————————————————

The world is blinding and it burns.

Time grits his teeth, turns from it in an effort to escape the light. Endless and crackling, reaching out, snapping back, a whip seeking an unsuspecting back.

Someone is screaming. He knows it is not him.

“What-what…no!” A foot clad in crimson stomps once, twice, a masked face bobbing in time with it. “No, no, no! This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

Fools. Time thinks. Fools and cowards.

The Yiga have brought this upon themselves.

Days, perhaps weeks of torture and experimentation have led to this. He only wishes he could have stopped it. Not for their sake. No, never for theirs. For all he cares, they can writhe beneath lightning’s brutal claws, screech, and scramble like insects trying to escape a boot.

Not for their sake does guilt pierce his soul. For Sky’s.

He lies in the center of the room, the sun in the center of a universe of destruction. Trembling with power, choking on fear, his cries ring in the hero’s ears like the bells in the Temple of Time.

The Yiga are running – the surviving ones, at least. Time can smell the smoke of their stealthy escapes. It hardly manages to permeate the heavy scent of electric death.

He breathes in, exhale hitching as he tries to move. His wounds ache and blood clings to him, dripping from the shreds of his tunic. He must get up though, he must get free.

He has to reach Sky before this power tears him apart.

The ropes around his wrists are frayed, bristling with the relentless aggression of his struggles. Day after day the Yiga had yanked him back, sliced at the fingers trying to pull at the hulking knots, aimed kicks at his stomach, his head, his back – anything to get him to cease trying to escape.

Cease trying to reach Sky.

His throat aches from shouting his name. His head pounds from sobbing.

Time contorts throbbing hands in a half-circle his wrists shriek against, pawing desperately at the same bonds that have held fast all this time.

Their strength had not been their own. This moment, they crumple beneath his force. This moment, they fall.

He is up in an instant, scrambling, gritting his teeth against the way everything shouts and screams and erupts into dazzling bursts of light and color, color and light that all take on the shade of red.

He coughs. Something damp and clammy hits the ground.

“Sky!”

One of his feet isn’t moving right. It feels like someone has wrenched it off, screwed it back on backwards. It doesn’t matter. What won’t move, will be dragged.

“Sky!”

“Time!”

The eyes that turn, tear-filled and pleading to him, match the tongues of lightning that lash out at his unarmored form. They are like the shooting stars he and Malon used to watch as they blazed across the Hyrulean sky.

Sky inhales and the force of it is nails scraping against metal, calloused fingers against a blade.

“Help me!”

The scream is a collection of shattered glass, raining down upon the room in terrible, glinting projectiles. Time winces with the pain of it.

“I’m coming.”

He chokes it out more than speaks it.

“I’m coming, Sky, just…”

He coughs again, stumbles, catches himself on the wall. It is wet with a substance he would rather not contemplate the existence of. He pushes off of it and keeps going.

The lightning reaches for him, tantalizing, hypnotic. Determined, he fights to reach it.

“Just hold on. Hold on!”

The first of them snaps back, connects with vicious precision with his thigh. He cries out, nearly crumples, and trips right into another. It sends a jolt through his side, snaking rapidly in and out of bones he didn’t even register having.

What will you do once you reach him? His mind hisses, doubtful, pessimistic. What will you do when, bloodied and broken, you fall beside him? Will you touch his shoulder? Draw him into your arms?

What good will comfort do?

He reaches for an answer. He has none. Only his mission and his determination to accomplish it.

Time grits his teeth and he presses on.

Sky screams his name again. Lightning strikes again. It is all around him now, a hurricane whose eye he is swimming towards. A hurricane that is tearing him apart.

They devour like ravenous wolfos. Streaking through muscle and sinew, razing them like fields of sun-warmed wheat; splintering bones, boiling blood. He is breathing the life-giving liquid, tasting it, smelling it. It pours from his mouth and eyes and nose, peppers the ground like a morbid artwork. It mixes with the pungent wetness of his tears and tears, melds with sickly yellow bile he cannot keep down.

“Sky…” He tries to call. He is close to him now, so close. If he just extends his arm…

His next inhale is hardly enough to be called one. At some point walking became impossible. He can’t recall when. But now he pulls himself along like a newborn babe.

Even that is too much for his body.

It smells like death. It smells like burning bodies.

He will not give up, though, not now. Sky needs him.

A trembling hand goes up, goes out, seeking its destination. An exhausted body exerts the last of its strength to lunge.

Time won’t allow himself to scream. But as he brings Sky into his arms, he can’t keep back a cry.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I so, so sorry,” sobs the shattered boy who has collapsed into him. “I can’t stop it. I can’t stop it!”

It hurts. Darkness is beginning to join the endless light.

The world is blinding and it burns. Oh, it burns. Worse than the magma of Death Mountain, worse than the clawing grasp of a deadhand, the sting of a skulltula.

It doesn’t matter.

“You can,” he croaks and pulls Sky closer. “I believe that you can.”

Time has not thought of himself as naive in a very, very long time. But for a split second, drenched in guilt, he wonders if, perhaps, he is being so now.

He shoves the thought away, drowns it beneath the battle of staying awake and staying alive.

Sky lets loose a cry like a warrior who has lost a great battle. A sound that is dazzling in its ferocity, terrifying in its grief.

“Please, please just leave.” He lifts his face, blood and soot and snot made stark against a backdrop of silvery white. “I’m gonna hurt you more than I already have! Leave!”

He tries to shove away, but it is a weak attempt. Time holds him closer.

“I won’t leave you.”

Talking is a struggle, breathing is a struggle. How long can he keep doing both?

As long as it takes.

“I am used to storms.” He smiles and that hurts as well. The expression tears at fragile flesh. “I have never run from one.

“And I refuse to do so now.”

[untitled-tmnt-blog]

Now that 2024 is coming to a close:

1) Of everything you've made this year, which ones are you the most proud of?

2) What are a few of your favorite things (art, comics, fics, etc) that someone else has made this past year?

As far as my own stuff, I would have to say:

This Hide and Seek animatic -- I love making animatics, but they end up taking me a LONG time! That does mean that when I finally finish one though, it's very rewarding to see the full thing!

This scene, for the rottmnt cut intro project -- It's a short scene, but was a lot of fun to do! I also think it shows how much I've improved, even from my first scene for this same project.

This hardcopy of IMBI -- I'd never tried bookbinding before, but I had so much fun learning how and was really happy with how it turned out!

These mixed media collages -- It was one of my first times experimenting with mixed media, and I think they ended up looking pretty cool! Plus, just like the others... I had a lot of fun with it! (I suppose it makes sense that my favorite pieces are kind of just the ones I had the most fun doing, huh?)

And then, for other people's stuff... I'm sorry, but I'm just so indecisive! I have to at least pick a few things from each category!

"Long" Comics:

Here There Be Turtles (by @theelvishfiddler) -- This is hands-down one of the most impressive fan comics I've ever seen! Not only does it have incredible art, but the characterization is spot-on, and the storyline is so engaging that I am absolutely dying to see what happens next after every single update! I've seen people saying that the quality is even better than the official comics, and... yeah, no doubt about it, it really is! This comic is INSANELY good!

You've Been Portal Jacked! (by @wickcipher) -- This comic has such an interesting premise, with an artstyle that I love and SO much potential! I was immediately hooked by the first chapter, and was so excited to see it continue! Very much looking forward to seeing where things go from here!

"Short" Comics:

This Raph comic (by @e-turn) -- Raph and Leo tug at my heartstrings sooooo much! And the effect of Raph's time spent under the krangs' control is something that I never get tired of seeing explored. He loves his brothers so much, and would never EVER want to hurt them... but now he has these memories of himself doing exactly that, and those memories are just so much at war with who he is as a person, and AAAARRRRRGGHHHH!!!! I love it.

This Splinter comic (by @charcoaldustonmyfingers) -- THE EMOTIONS. I enjoy seeing this one every time it crosses my dash, and it has yet to lose its impact. Splinter loves his boys so much!!

This alternate movie ending, and part 2 (by @magisav) -- Beautiful, and heartbreaking. Both at the same time. The look on Leo's face is ingrained in my memory forever.

This Firefight fan comic (by @sludge-city) -- This one is such a well-done adaptation of some of the most emotional moments in this incredible fic! It was heartbreaking enough reading it the first time, and seeing those emotions depicted on Leo and Donnie's faces ripped my heart to shreds.

This redrawn IDW scene (by @purplepixel) -- The redrawn panels are beautiful, and I love the coloring! But also... man, this hurts so much knowing what comes next! Donnie, nooooo!

Multi-Chapter Fics:

Emotional Support Water Bottles (by @dandylovesturtles) -- This series is easily one of my favorites! Poor Leo goes through so much... and yet even when it's over, that kind of experience will undoubtedly leave some scars behind. Not physical scars, but very real nonetheless, and I've loved seeing Leo and his family try to navigate their way through that.

Firefight (by @remedyturtles) -- A true classic, at this point. With probably some of the most intensely emotional scenes I have ever read. Highly recommend, if you can handle that level of hurt before the comfort!

DFL's Whumptober 2024 (by @daflangstlairde-art) -- Technically a series of fics, which are unrelated to one another. But they are related in one important way: making me FEEL THINGS. Each one is so well-written, and I've been hooked all the way from the first fic to the last!

Oneshots:

The Shadows May Go (by @remedyturtles) -- This fic. THIS FIC. It made me cry. Splinter loves his sons so much, and even in his darkest moments (perhaps especially in his darkest moments), Leo knows that.

Now the Darkness Comes Alive (@goodlucktai) -- The role-reversal that I didn't know I needed. It's beautifully written, and like I said, Raph and Leo tug at my heartstrings so much! I started drawing something for this fic a while back, and desperately want to finish when I have some more free time on my hands again!!

Bed Sheets (by @dandylovesturtles) -- Splinter is not a perfect parent, by any means. But he loves his sons so much!! This fic is practically the embodiment of those two things, and it makes me emotional every. Single. Time.

Art:

This drawing of April and Karai (by @darkpolicepsycho) -- absolutely beautiful!! I love how you can just feel the power of Karai's ninpo flowing through April.

This drawing of Raph with cherry blossoms (by @pelmenya-owo) -- soooooo pretty!!! The colors. The lighting. I cannot possibly overstate how gorgeous this drawing is!!

These Undertale-style drawings of April, Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey (also by @pelmenya-owo) -- I've never played Undertale, but I love these little animations so much!! Very cool.

This drawing of Samurai Leo (by @kathaynesart) -- I showed this drawing to my husband, and he immediately asked for it on a T-shirt. It is PHENOMENAL.

This Hollow Mind drawing (by @grey-viridian) -- I haven't read the fic that this is from yet, but oh man, the emotion in this scene!! Family protecting family. I love it so much.

This drawing of Leo (by @oh-lordy-lord-save-me) -- The colors. The colors!! The absolutely STUNNING colors!!!

This TNV art (by @windide-blog) -- I'll admit, I still need to read TNV. But even without context, the scene depicted here is amazingly well-done! I can only hope to be able to draw scenes as beautiful as this one day.

This art of Leo falling through the sky (by @sad-leon) -- The background is beautiful. The imagery is beautiful. The animation is beautiful. All around: beautiful.

This drawing of FMA Sprout, plus this one (by @intotheelliwoods) -- I just love these so much! Brotherhood is probably my favorite anime, and man, Sprout makes a great Edward Elric.

This drawing for the Turtles Together zine (by @andva-ri) -- This one has everything. Splinter. April. Draxum. Big Mama. The turtles, of course! I love all the different scenes, and how seamlessly they come together into an absolutely gorgeous art piece! This is a level of skill that I can only hope to one day come close to reaching!

This drawing, also for the Turtles Together zine (by @staticwither) -- Just look at those bright, beautiful colors! Truly incredible. This scene was already great in the finale, but this art piece somehow manages to take that energy and multiply it tenfold! It's beautiful.

This drawing of Leo with water lilies (by @tangledinink) -- I absolutely LOVE the paint-like style of this one! The level of detail on this is insane, and it's just downright one of the most beautiful art pieces I think I've ever seen. I want it on a throw blanket.

This Kingdom Hearts AU drawing (by @boxfullaturtles) -- I have very minimal knowledge of Kingdom Hearts. But even without that context, this drawing is just SO GOOD! I love the stained-glass design! And the way all the characters are in their own circles, and Leo's head is lined up inside of one as well, but continues down into a full-body drawing. Gorgeous.

AUs:

Posessed AU (by @grey-viridian) -- Such an interesting premise!! It somehow manages to be absolutely heartbreaking, but also so much fun at the same time.

Tiz Sep AU (by @tizeline) -- I love the comic. I love the characterizations. I was hooked on this AU from the moment Leo starting infodumping about Sonic! But also, Mikey campaigning for president of the multiverse while Donnie works against him was perfection. I just love seeing these characters do literally anything, because they're just so enjoyable to watch!

"The Besties" (2AL by @intotheelliwoods & SLAU by @dianagj-art) -- I'm aware this is like, an AU crossover within an AU kind of situation, but man is it so much fun! And also, so much more emotional than you'd expect turtle multiverse shenanigans to be.

Animations:

Rottmnt Restored (by @emichen88 & @powerauerart) -- Incredible. Amazing. Phenomenal. Astounding. 100% would watch again and again and again.

This JJK WIP (by @seasaltcosmos) -- I don't care if it's unfinished, I LOVE this!!

That was... slightly more than "a few." And I'm sure I still forgot some. I could go on and on about all the awesome stuff people here have made, but I had to cut it off somewhere!

[aprocessionofthoughts]

Left Behind

ai-less whumptober day 19- left behind/why wasn't I enough fandom- dp x dc TW- abandonment Summary- The Fenton parents leave their kids at the Gotham Public Library

ao3 ailesswhumptober masterlist part 1 of TFR

Barbara was working the closing shift at the library. She was putting some books away when she overheard a conversation.

“Do you know when mom and dad are going to pick us up?” said what sounded like a teenage boy.

“No, I– Oh, wait they just messaged me.” said what Barbara thought was a slightly older teen girl.

Silence.

“Jazz?

“They left.”

“What?”

“Someone posted about a possible sighting in Metropolis. They said they’ll be there for a few days.”

There was more silence. Barbara stayed quiet.

“So, they left us behind.”

“Yeah.”

“Again.”

“...Yeah.”

Barbara closed her eyes, thinking of Tim and how he had been left home alone so much. And these kids… their parents had abandoned them too.

“Well at least we’re not helpless.”

“I hate them.”

“Jazz–”

“No, Danny. I hate them. They’re supposed to be our parents. They’re supposed to take care of us.”

“I know. They always chose something else over us. Why aren’t we enough, Jazz?”

“I don’t know.” she sniffled.

“Jazz, hey, look at me. We’ll be okay.”

“I'm sorry, Danny. I'm just so tired.”

“I am too.”

Barbara was about to speak up when they continued.

“At least i have a credit card this time so it won’t be like the time they forgot is in Bridgton.”

“Yeah, that sucked. We were lucky we were able to sneak onto that semi.”

“Well, tonight we can get a hotel room and then get bus tickets tomorrow.

“I could just... you know. Do my thing.”

“I guess, but we should at least get a hotel for tonight. I don’t want to try traveling while you’re exhausted.”

“That’s fair. But–”

Barbara finally decided she should make her presence known. She cleared her throat as she made her way around the bookshelf.

The two teens startle. They looked like siblings. The girl was a redhead with teal eyes, and the boy had black hair and blue eyes.

“Hello, I’m Barbara. I work here at the library. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.” she paused as the siblings glanced at each other, the boy reaching over to grab his sister’s arm. 

“What do you mean?” asked the girl, Jazz, if Barbara was correct.

“You need a place to stay tonight? It’ll be hard to find a good hotel at this hour. I’ve got an extra bedroom at my apartment, and you’re welcome to stay the night. You won’t owe me anything.”

“Why?�� asked the boy, Danny.”

Barbara considered for a moment. “I have a friend who went through a similar situation as you guys, so I’m familiar with what it's like to have your parents be too busy. And you wouldn’t be the first kids I've let stay the night. I can help you find bus tickets in the morning. I’m familiar with most of the routes and can let you know which ones are the safest and quickest.”

The girl glanced at her brother, who stared at Barbara. There was a moment where his eyes seemed to glow and Barabar felt as if he were really looking at her. She suppressed a shudder at the intense feeling. 

Then he turned to his sister and nodded.

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you. I’m Jazz and this is Danny.”

“It’s nice to meet you both. I have to finish locking up so I’ll meet you by the door.”

They nodded and started gathering their stuff.

Barbara went to finish the rest of the closing shift duties. 

She also had a call to make.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 29 - Fatigue, “Who said you could rest?”

CONTINUATION TO DAY 23 more Warriors and Legend (and the dragon) time!

Lordy this got so long. SO. LONG. it was never supposed to be this long and that's probably why it took so long to write 😔 but I hope y'all enjoy this monster, I had a lot of fun with it :) And also LOOK AT THIS COOL ART it was one of the things that got me to finally finish this and inspired a good bit of it XD Thank you so much for the awesome art Maeson!!

Warnings: same as 23, whipping, animal abuse, arguably torture... bad times. A little nonconsensual touching, but nothing extreme.

Ao3 link

Day 23

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

They’d been stuck here for days now, and Warriors was beyond frustrated.

Whenever the troupe’s wagons stopped, Legend was dragged out of his tank, his legs trembling underneath him from the prolonged time with a tail, and pulled outside somewhere to run through tricks or... something. Legend didn’t talk about it much. Half the time he couldn’t he was so exhausted from being beaten up at the slightest misstep, intentional or not.

Apparently their captors weren’t due to reach another town for a good week or two, so it didn’t matter that Legend had a split lip and a cut on his cheek. Those and the other small bruises on his face would heal before any customers saw him. As for the whip marks on his back, well, some scars made him seem more dramatic.

That’s what the horrible woman in charge had said anyway, and Legend had nearly bitten her hand in response.

Warriors had noticed his responses were growing more feral the longer he spent with a tail, growling when he was angry, warbling more when he talked, taking longer and longer to adjust to legs. Warriors tried to talk with him whenever they were together, and regular conversation seemed to help, but Legend was still struggling.

And Warriors still didn’t know how to get them all out.

He set his head against the bars of his cage again, watching a small spot of moonlight creep across the floor. It was nice that they’d parked the wagon so the window faced the moon for once. Usually all Warriors had to look at was either Legend or the baby dragon’s glowing eyes, which, while interesting, weren’t quite as good as natural light. And he was already feeling lethargic from the lack of natural light.

The baby dragon himself was snoring softly on Warriors’ lap, head tucked against his arm, and Warriors ran an idle hand over his scales, watching as they shimmered just a little at the touch.

Legend’s guess was that he was some kind of forest dragon, based on the colors and the fact that he’d never shown the slightest propensity for breathing fire. Warriors didn’t have any clue himself, but that felt right, and would explain the faint hint of trees and leaves he thought he smelled sometimes.

He really didn’t know much about dragons though. It was a little embarrassing.

At least Legend didn’t know all that much either— he’d pretty much only met the monstrous kind.

The dragon shifted a little at Warriors’ touch, and slitted open sleepy green eyes, blinking up at him. Warriors blinked back, and the dragon yawned and shifted around, snuggling up tighter against him.

“Ink?” he chirped, and Warriors shushed him, looking over at Legend. Legend was deeply asleep though, exhausted from his daily attempts at resistance, and he didn’t move.

“Go back to sleep, it’s not morning yet,” Warriors said quietly, but instead of curling back up, the dragon’s eyes opened wider, and he sat up, looking at Warriors and cocking his head to the side.

“Ink? A-rik?” he chirped, and Warriors paused, not having heard that last word from him before. The dragon’s vocabulary had been pretty much limited to ‘ma’ and ‘ink’ before now.

“...Arik?” Warriors questioned, and the dragon’s ears pricked, his face lighting up in the only way a dragon’s could.

“A-rik!” he chirped excitedly, hopping around on Warriors’ leg. “A-rik A-rik! A-riiik!”

“I don’t know what that means,” Warriors said with a frown, and the dragon excitedly chirped the word several more times. “Is... wait, is your name Arik?” Warriors asked, and the dragon preened.

“A-RIK!”

Legend stirred a bit at the shout, but he settled down again as Warriors shushed the dragon. Or Arik, he supposed. It sounded like a name, and just calling him ‘the dragon’ had gotten a little old.

“So, Arik is your name then?” Warriors asked in amusement, and the dragon trilled.

“A-rik! A-rik!” Arik chattered loudly, and Warriors couldn’t help his smile as he set a calming hand on his head.

“Okay okay, it’s sleepy time Arik, settle down,” Warriors whispered, and the dragon chirped again, snuggling up to Warriors. He happily blinked up at him as his eyes began to droop, and a content little sigh came from him as his eyes finally closed.

Warriors smiled and slid down to the hard floor, deciding to try and sleep the last few hours before dawn. He looked up at the ceiling, and his amusement at the dragon’s antics faded as he watched moonlight glint off the bars. Unease churned in his gut at the upcoming day, worry and dread mixing into an uncomfortable lump.

He’d spent all of his time in the cage so far, but he had a feeling that was going to change soon. The woman had been taking greater interest in him and the dragon lately, and he knew it would be their turn soon enough.

After all, they had tricks to learn.

Warriors breathed out, and closed his eyes. There was no use worrying about it right now. He would get some sleep, and reevaluate tomorrow.

The same thing he’d been telling himself every night he’d spent in this place.

(...)

Warriors woke up to frantic screeching.

He jerked upright and banged his head on the ceiling, adrenaline shooting through his veins. The warm weight was gone from his lap, Legend was growling, and Warriors whirled towards the cage door, stomach dropping as he saw the dragon being dragged out, his tiny claws scratching the floor.

“Ink!” he wailed, and Warriors dove for him, moments too late as the dragon was yanked out and the door slammed shut.

Warriors threw his weight against the bars, but the door didn’t budge, and he could only watch as Arik was bundled into a tiny cage with a loop for carrying on top.

“Leave him alone,” Warriors snarled, but the man ignored him, slamming the tiny door shut. Warriors clenched the bars so tightly it hurt.

“Wow, you really did get attached to it,” a familiar voice said, and the woman appeared, a hand on her hip. Warriors glared as Legend’s fins flared aggressively, and she waved a dismissive hand. “Oh relax, we won’t hurt it. So long as you all do what I want.”

“Which would be?” Warriors growled.

She smiled. “To learn your act. I’ve been debating about what to do with you while we’ve been training the merman, and I think I’ve figured it out. It’ll be a real show for the audience, I’m sure the crowds will turn out in droves.”

The mere thought made Warriors’ skin crawl, and he crossed his arms. The woman raised an eyebrow, and set a hand on the cage where the dragon was.

“And I’m sure you know what’ll happen if you refuse,” she said, and her voice turned threatening. “Mer scales would sell for quite a bit, no less ones from a dragon.”

Arik chirped in distress, the same noise Warriors had first heard from him, and he breathed out a hiss.

“Good,” the woman said as his shoulders lowered from their aggressive position. “Perhaps you won’t take as long to learn as your friend.”

Legend glared at her through slitted eyes, but he didn’t move from his place at the bottom of the tank. As much as Warriors hated that it was his turn, he was also relieved Legend would get a break. Maybe he could take the time to recover, and be able to put up more of a fight again. And they could both get out.

The door to his cage was pulled open, and the woman jabbed a thumb backwards, motioning for him to come out.

“Come on. And don’t try anything, or it won’t be pleasant for this one,” she said as she patted the dragon cage. Warriors silently scooted out, fury boiling under his skin as he stood up straight for the first time in days. He let them tie his hands behind his back without a fight, though he couldn’t help his flinch when a collar got pulled out. He forced himself to keep still though, the woman’s threat hanging over his head like a dark cloud, and she smiled as it was fastened around his neck.

“Lovely. It took us a good hour or two to get one on your friend, and it really completes the look. Come on,” she gestured, and one of her burly assistants shoved Warriors forward.

He nearly tripped, but followed without complaint, still fuming. He could stand humiliation. He would stand it, for Legend and the little dragon’s sakes.

This was an opportunity for reconnaissance, or even escape. Warriors had gotten nowhere with any of the plans he’d been working on, and being out of the cage was exactly what he needed. He glanced back before they left the small room, and met Legend’s eyes, tired and worried. Warriors sent him a cocky smirk he didn’t feel in the slightest, and Legend’s mouth twitched upwards just a little.

Then he was pulled out, and Legend was blocked off by the door slamming shut.

After days in near-darkness, the bright sun hurt Warriors’ eyes, but the warmth of it on his skin more than made up for it. He’d always felt better with some sunshine, and though Warriors was still tense and angry, he relaxed a bit. Sure he couldn’t see very well for the first little while of the trip, and the burly man had to keep shoving him along in the right direction, but at least he was outside.

Warriors’ eyes eventually adjusted, and he began to take in the sights. The rest of the place wasn’t much to look at honestly, at least the section he was in. A couple bright wagons parked in the grass, some people cooking food who leered and stared at him as he was shoved past. The town he and Legend has been in with the others was long gone, and Warriors saw nothing past the wagons but grass and open plains.

Are the others going to be able to catch up to us? Surely they’ll put together what happened, but who knows how long it’ll take, and they’re almost all on foot...

Warriors swallowed. He’d been betting on eventual backup.

A hand harshly cuffed his ear as he tried to peer around a corner, and after that Warriors kept his head down. But he still took in every detail he possibly could. He noted who had weapons and who didn’t, which people ignored him and which ones jeered, any small bit of information that could help.

And between it all, he kept an eye on the cage held in the woman’s hand, blood boiling whenever he heard a growl or whimper from inside.

They finally reached a large tent, a bit more sturdy looking with actual walls Warriors guessed could be collapsed to transport. He got shoved inside, and blinked as his eyes had to adjust to another change in light.

He almost wished they hadn’t. The mat on the floor in front of him had stains of what was unmistakably blood.

“I know a dancer’s body when I see one,” the woman began as she strode past him and into the middle of the tent, gesturing for her lackey to untie his hands. There were several other people inside this area practicing a few things, and Warriors recognized them from when he and Legend had been captured. “That along with your pretty face and the dragon, and we’ll have people lined up for miles to come see you.”

“You... want me to dance?” Warriors said in surprise, a little of the knot in his stomach loosening. He wasn’t the world’s greatest dancer or anything, but he could certainly manage. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“I want you and the dragon to dance,” she corrected, and snapped her fingers.

The man she’d brought with her opened the cage where Arik was, but before he could leap out, the man snatched him, and quickly bundled something over his face. A muzzle.

Warriors’ jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything, merely caught Arik when the man abruptly lobbed him over. Arik made a whimpering noise as he clung to his shoulder, and Warriors ran a quick couple fingers along his scales.

“I know, it’s okay,” he murmured under his breath, and the dragon pressed himself against him with a shiver. He wondered how many times Arik had already gone through something like this.

Probably too many.

“Now,” the woman said, smoothing a bit of the mat with her boot, “I have a specific dance in mind for you and the dragon. So long as you can do what you’re told, and get the dragon to behave, we’ll all get along here just fine.”

Arik hissed through the muzzle, and Warriors stayed silent.

“Your dance is about dragons, harmony, mystique, things that always draw people in. Fire, swords, spectacle. If you wow the crowd, intrigue them, they’ll always want to come back,” she continued, and smiled at him. “Take off your shirt.”

Warriors froze. “Excuse me?”

“Take off your shirt,” she said coolly, and when Warriors didn’t move, tapped an impatient finger. “Come on. Or I’m going to start plucking scales.”

Warriors glared at her, heart in his throat, but when she began to move closer he did as she said and pulled his shirt over his head. Arik slipped down to cling to his leg while he tugged it off, and Warriors hated the way his hands shook despite his best efforts to still them. The air felt cold on his bare skin, and Warriors forced himself not to wrap his arms around his middle.

He could feel everyone in the tent’s eyes on him, staring at his bare chest, and Arik hissed again.

You’re doing it for Legend you’re doing it for the dragon she’s just trying to make you uncomfortable—

“Not even a few scales?” the woman said disappointedly, raking her eyes across him. “People are going to expect scales from a half dragon...well, we can work with the scars at least. Maybe have some makeup done to make you look more exotic. But that can come later,” she said with a clap, her smile growing wider. “Let’s get started.”

Her whip suddenly cracked across his back, and Warriors gasped in shock at the sudden pain. She did it again, and Arik fled to Warriors’ arm as he stumbled, letting out a shriek of alarm.

“That was just a taste,” the woman said calmly, Warriors staring at her as his shoulder throbbed. “You do what I say, and I won’t need this at all. It’s your choice. Now let’s get to work, honey.”

Arik rushed back up to Warriors’ neck as she spoke, pressing tighter against him. His scales were cool against his skin, but not in a bad way, and Warriors glared quietly at the woman as the dragon trembled.

But he knew he was stuck.

The last thing Warriors wanted to do was learn any kind of act, and try to get a tiny dragon to go along with it, especially in front of these people. But he didn’t have a choice. If it was just himself at stake he’d fight against it with everything he had, but he wasn’t alone.

And Legend or the dragon being hurt wasn’t an option.

So Warriors lowered his head, ignored the smirking grins and eyes leering at him, and nodded.

(...)

It didn't get better from there.

After Warriors’ first training session he could barely walk, his shoulders shredded and muscles beyond sore. The entire thing had been brutal, and that was with Warriors attempting to cooperate. He knew now exactly why Legend had been so worn down whenever he returned.

Warriors may not have been a bad dancer, but the moves he was supposed to be learning were nearly impossible in most cases, and the woman demanded nothing less than perfection. If he didn’t get a step right on the first try the whip immediately came down, and he was expected to keep moving no matter how painful it was. A significant portion of his torso had been coated with blood by the time it was over, and the only thing he'd had in regard to treatment had been having a bucket of cold water dumped over him to wash it off.

At least he knew why she’d wanted his shirt off now.

Poor Arik avoided the whip at least, too small to be an effective target, but he was obviously terrified, and getting him to do what the woman wanted was nearly impossible, even with Warriors there. The tiny dragon didn’t do anything except cling to his arm, and occasionally growl at anyone who came too close, spikes raised threateningly. Along with the gouges that had been torn into Warriors’ shoulders from the whip, there were small claw scratches marring a good portion of his arms.

Warriors hated it, but he did his best to coax Arik along with the routine they were supposed to be learning. He barely succeeded. Legend had been right with his initial observation— Arik was a baby, and terrified on top of that. It was a miracle Warriors was able to get him to do anything.

Warriors couldn’t explain to Arik that it would be better if he just tried to go along with it. He couldn’t reason with him barely at all. All he could really do was try to make the woman take out her frustration on him rather than the little dragon when he messed up.

Which she did. Quite often.

Warriors and Legend began being taken out of their cages on alternating days, though sometimes when they stopped for longer one of them was taken in the morning and the other the afternoon. The longer they were there the worse the training seemed to get, and Warriors was at a loss of what else he could do.

The woman at least seemed to recognize she could only hit both him and Legend so much before they truly couldn’t move, but she wasn’t shy about other methods of abuse. She realized Warriors hated taking his shirt off, and made him do it every time he practiced, often with an audience. If one or the both of them messed up particularly bad, they weren’t fed anything, and more than once Warriors was kept up by Arik’s tiny stomach growling, and his sad mewls for food.

Even worse, a couple times the woman had actually gone through with her threat and plucked some scales from both Legend and the dragon, all while Warriors watched.

Legend had actually managed to bite her that time, which only got him several more scales yanked from his tail, but despite the blood dripping from his tail, he said later to Warriors that it had been more than worth it.

The woman had also been pressing Warriors about any dragon skills he had, and Warriors struggled with how much to tell her. Sure he couldn't do all that much, but he didn’t want to admit to anything. And a few things were unavoidable with Legend and a baby dragon on the line. But was it okay to admit he had night vision? Or would that only make escape harder?

He didn’t know.

But the woman had gotten a couple things out of him, and he started coming back with singed hair from her attempts to figure out exactly how fireproof he was.

Their situation was getting unbearable, Warriors and Legend both hit and beaten and treated like less than human on the daily, and it was wearing on them both, any escape attempts immediately shut down, any plans ground into the dirt.

Warriors had one idea left.

And if it didn’t work...

He wasn’t letting himself think about it. It would work.

But he couldn’t put it into effect until he and Legend performed, so Warriors did his best to keep his head down, preserve his strength, and try not to worry as Legend spent more and more time curled up and silent, and Arik’s happy chirps grew less frequent, both of their scales growing dull.

But finally the moment came.

One day the wagon never stopped, trundling along much longer than it usually did. Warriors' heart beat faster when he heard some shouts outside, and he realized they'd finally reached the town they were due to perform at. He rapidly went over his cobbled-together plan with Legend, and they built as many backup ideas as they possibly could into the idea.

Soon enough the wagon was stopped and the doors were open, and he and Legend were both were pulled out of their respective cages, Arik shoved in his own tiny one. Legend’s tail split back into legs again as he was dropped on the floor, and he collapsed when he couldn't hold his own weight.

Warriors tried to go over to him, but the usual group of burly assistants held him tight, dragging both him and Legend out. The only thing Warriors managed to do was brush against Legend’s shoulder, and Legend only flinched at the touch.

Probably because the only human contact he’d had for the past week and a half was in order to inflict pain on him.

They were both dragged out into the night, the moonlight mixing with that of the torches scattered around. Warriors heard the loud chatter of people, saw lights from a town nearby, and he craned his neck, trying to see any of the crowd he could hear. But he was bundled away too quickly, and soon enough he and Legend were hurried off into two small separate tents, Arik's cage dropped to the ground with Warriors.

Inside, Warriors was descended upon by a small mob, clothes shoved at him and makeup painted on his face, unfamiliar hands sprucing up and making adjustments and touching him all over. He briefly considered making a run for it, but Arik was still stuck in his cage, and he didn’t know where Legend had gone.

So he sat there and took it, even though he was really, really tempted to scream.

Warriors caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror as he was fussed over, and blinked, shimmering scales painted onto his cheeks, his hair ruffled just enough to make him look a bit wild. It... made him look a bit like his father, actually.

Huh.

Warriors didn’t have time to dwell on it though, as he was tugged back over and given finishing touches. He was just grateful the outfit he had on included a shirt, even if it was a thin, silky material.

His scarf was wrapped tastefully around his waist, and before he knew what was happening, he’d been shoved into a small waiting area, and the woman was reminding him of the cues they’d practiced.

“And don’t try anything,” she added, eyes narrowed. “I’ve got my men posted everywhere. If you so much as twitch towards the exit, I’ll know.”

“Yes ma’am,” Warriors muttered.

She nodded, and then went through the tent flap, cheers coming from the other side. Arik’s cage had been set beside Warriors, and he quickly unlocked it while he waited, the dragon leaping onto his shoulders in one huge jump.

“Hope you’re ready little guy,” Warriors said, and Arik let out a soft chirp, pressing his head against Warriors’ chin.

He heard the sound of splashing and gasps, then uproarious cheers, and assumed Legend was currently doing his act. The urge to charge out there and stop it all was strong, but Warriors waited, his plan pulsing in the back of his mind. It was messy, and had so many little things that could go wrong with it, but it was all Warriors had.

And it all rested on the prop sword currently in his hands.

Warriors twirled it nervously, testing the weight of the criminally dulled blade while Arik paced anxiously around his shoulders. A chime rang out, and the music outside changed, the cheers and applause growing dying down. Here we go.

“A deadly dance of sword and beast, I give you...”

Warriors clutched his fake sword, and stepped out through the flap of the tent and into the light.

“...the dragon man!”

Gasps and oohs went through the audience as he stepped out, excited faces and fingers pointing at him and the dragon perched on his shoulder. Warriors took a deep breath, ignoring the eyes fixed on him as he gave the room a quick scan, and saw Legend in a tank in the corner, tail lazily flicking.

Warriors let out a small sigh of relief, and began to dance.

He moved through forms similar to fighting, twirling his sword in a careful dance as music swirled through the air. Arik wove around his arms and shoulders with a whispered instruction, and the crowd oohed again as his scales shimmered in the light.

The moves pulled on still-healing injuries, and muscles that had been pushed too far. Keeping the smile fixed on his face was a challenge in and of itself, but Warriors was good at keeping his emotions close to his chest. Even if so much as spreading his arms out was close to torture.

The music slightly changed pitch, and Warriors sped up, whispering to Arik again. He was betting a lot on the little dragon, and could only pray that it would work.

Torches were lit around him by juggling performers, and Warriors drifted closer to them, heart thudding, palms sweating, the beat of the music thudding in his ears.

Then he twirled neatly around, and in one smooth motion, threw his sword right at Legend’s tank.

It may not have been sharp, but the fake sword was heavy, heavy enough to make a huge crack form in the glass. At the same moment Arik leapt from Warriors’ shoulders and knocked over the nearest torch, sending fire shooting towards the tent walls.

Legend exploded into movement as someone shrieked, and slammed his shoulder against the crack in his tank, breaking it with a resounding crash as water burst free.

The audience screamed at the noise and spreading fire, and people began to jump from their seats, rushing for the exit. Warriors bolted for Legend and quickly helped him up, Legend’s now-legs shaking violently.

“Nice throw,” he breathed, and Warriors nodded, giving his shoulder a warm squeeze as he began to drag him towards the exit.

Arik scrambled back onto Warriors’ shirt, leaping impossibly high. He gave Legend a delighted chirp when he saw him, and rubbed against his face as they hurried away from the shattered glass and spreading fire.

Legend gave the dragon a tiny smile, and petted him in turn.

The tent had fallen into chaos, people running and shouting and trying to figure out what had happened. Warriors heard furious yelling above it all, and he quickly pulled Legend out of the tent and into the dark night outside. He didn’t really have a destination in mind, just getting away was his biggest goal.

“Try the town?” Legend wheezed, his lungs obviously straining.

“I was thinking the woods,” Warriors replied, "better cover." Legend nodded.

People streamed around them, largely ignoring the three, but occasionally someone noticed them or Arik and shrieked. Warriors made sure to change direction whenever that happened, and Legend followed beside him, his legs still stumbling as he got used to them again.

Warriors kept his gaze scanning for any weapons he could swipe, but between the crowd and uncertain lighting, nothing caught his eye. Every time someone shouted he flinched, and Warriors could feel himself flagging, pain and exhaustion dragging his steps. The longer they fought their way through the crowds, the worse Warriors' anxiety grew.

They needed to get out of here now.

Arik suddenly let out a screech, and something slammed into Warriors, tearing him from Legend’s grip and wrapping around him as he was thrown to the ground. Legend shouted as Warriors struggled, and he realized he’d been caught in a net.

“I told you not to try anything!” a familiar voice shouted, sharp with anger.

Warriors peered through a hole, and his stomach dropped as the woman strode forward, her hair askew and face furious. The tent they’d set on fire backlit her in an eerie way, and Legend stumbled to put himself between her and Warriors, legs shaking as he held himself up, gripping the prop sword.

His face was equally furious-looking, and Warriors began tearing frantically at the net, trying to rip a hole in order to free himself. Arik had been trapped in it along with him, and his claws dug into Warriors’ chin as he thrashed and cried in distress.

“Ma!” he wailed, and as the woman drew her whip and one of her assistants readied another net, Warriors’ gaze clouded with fury.

He’d had enough.

His rage built in the back of his throat, heat rushing up through his chest in a strangely familiar way. His throat clenched so tightly Warriors thought for a moment he was going to throw up, but then he snapped his mouth open and fire blazed from between his lips.

The net broke from the heat and Legend stumbled backwards, his eyes wide as a huge blast of fire burst towards the woman and her assistants. Warriors heard panicked shrieks, and as his fire sputtered out and the remains of the net fell away from him, he bent nearly double as he coughed, throat spasming, his whole mouth tasting like smoke.

Okay yeah I’m not really built for that, good to know, he thought dizzily as Legend shook his arm, saying something he couldn’t hear over his hacking.

“Ink!” Arik screeched in his ear, and Warriors finally caught his breath enough to stumble to his feet, and Legend dragged him away, the grass burning behind them.

They didn’t make it far before Warriors heard shouting again, and he let out a breathless curse, sparing a single glance over his shoulder. More of the other troupe members were chasing them now, and Warriors forced his exhausted legs to keep going, Legend struggling along beside him.

One of their feet caught on something, Warriors didn’t know if it was him or Legend, but they both tumbled to the ground, a triumphant shout behind them.

Warriors lifted himself up on shaking elbows, back screaming in pain, his throat raw from smoke, and Legend shakily caught his arm.

“Wars, I...” Legend wheezed, his eyes half-lidded. “I’m not... get y-yourself out of here...”

“No,” Warriors snapped, then coughed and gritted his teeth. “None of us are going back in there.”

Arik stood up and hissed as shadows fell over them, baring his tiny teeth and claws. Warriors braced himself to get up and try to fight, when someone suddenly yelled in pain.

One of the figures above them toppled backwards, and Warriors stared at the arrow protruding from a shoulder.

He’d know that fletching anywhere.

“Captain! Vet!” a familiar voice shouted, and Warriors managed to sit up the rest of the way, relief sweeping over him as two figures leapt out of the shadows and began pushing the enemies back.

Another appeared and knelt beside them, and Warriors let Wind snatch him into a hug, even though it hurt.

“Thank Jabun you guys are okay, we’ve been looking for you guys for ages," Wind gasped into his shoulder, "it took us so long to figure out where you went it was like you'd just disappeared and then there was this whole side quest thing we got stuck doing—” Wind continued as he pulled back with a relieved look, talking at warp speed. Warriors nodded as he helped Legend sit up, and Wind paused in his talking just long enough to grab him into a hug too. “—it was a whole thing and that’s why there’s a dragon over where Sky is and—”

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait, say that last part again,” Warriors said, and Wind breathed out, and then in.

“We found a dragon, the good protector kind, not a boss. She said her baby had been stolen and wanted us to help, and once we figured out you guys were here Time said he thought her baby might also be here, so that’s why there’s a huge dragon with Sky,” Wind summed up in one breath. “Also Sky can understand her? None of us can but him. It’s not very fair.”

Warriors grinned despite his exhaustion, and heard a distant roar bellow out across the field. Arik’s head shot straight up from where he'd been pressed against Warriors' side at the sound, his head and ears tilting around rather frantically, and Wind gasped.

“Whoa, what’s that?”

Warriors scratched Arik in his favorite spot. “Another escapee,” Warriors said with an exhausted smile. “...And the reason Sky’s friend is here.”

Arik eyeballed Wind cautiously, but Wind stayed still, only stretching out a hand for him to examine. Arik gave it a small sniff, then chirped, bonking his head against his fingers.

Wind giggled. “Aw, he’s cute. You... said he was captured too?”

Warriors nodded. “Yeah. For a lot longer than us.”

"Put up a good fight, though," Legend wheezed quietly, and Warriors held his shoulder a bit tighter. Legend leaned into the touch with an exhausted sigh, and Wind gave them both a worried look.

A fair amount of the yelling had died down around them, the crowds dispersing, though Warriors could still hear some shouts from across the field. More of the Links appeared shortly, looking utterly relieved at the sight of Legend and Warriors, and Warriors let them all fuss over them. Arik curled up in a trembly ball on his lap as he explained briefly all of what had happened, and Twilight and Time exchanged horrified looks more than once.

Legend was half-asleep on his shoulder by the time he finished, and Hyrule had just started to try and coax him to drink a red potion when Sky suddenly joined them all, the last one of their group to appear.

He gave Warriors and Legend relieved looks, and then his gaze landed on the dragon in Warriors' lap and his face lit up.

"Oh it's him! You found Arik!" he exclaimed excitedly. Before Warriors could reply, a huge shadow swept over them, blocking out the moon.

“Arik!” a chiming voice cried out, and a huge deep blue dragon poured out from the sky, landing effortlessly on the ground before them. Arik shot up from his place on Warriors’ lap and squealed, leaping straight at her and purring wildly as the huge dragon nuzzled him.

Warriors smiled as he leaned heavily against Legend, both dragons purring contentedly as they reunited. Time gave him an amused look from beside him, and Warriors quickly cleared his throat as he realized he was purring as well. Oh sure, now it decides to work.

The blue dragon finally eased in her frantic purring, and she looked around at them all, her eyes bright with relief. Arik sat on her head, still purring up a storm, and began chattering so quickly Warriors couldn't make out a word of it. His mother let out what Warriors assumed was a laugh, and Arik draped himself across her nose, looking happier than Warriors had ever seen him.

“Thank you heroes, you've done more for me than you could possibly imagine,” the dragon rumbled, her gaze resting on Warriors. “Especially you, little dragon and mer. Thank you for protecting my son.”

Warriors smiled, and froze as the dragon leaned forward, pressing her nose to his forehead.

“I can see that you've suffered much. Your kindness won’t be forgotten,” she said warmly, and gave him and Legend's hair a small lick.

Warriors heard a few of the others muffle laughs, but he nodded at the dragon, and Legend, though he looked confused, managed a smile in her direction.

“You guys catch the leader?” Legend murmured as he sipped at the potion Hyrule finally got him to drink.

“We did, don’t worry,” Twilight said, giving the burning tent in the distance a furious look.

“Some knights from the town came to see what was going on, and we explained the trouble. We helped them get her and most of her people in custody already,” Time said, and Warriors further relaxed.

Arik wouldn’t have to worry about her ever again.

As if he’d heard his thoughts, the little dragon hopped off of his mother and scampered over to him, not quite flying with his small hops. “Ink A-rik!” he said with a happy purr, and a sudden pang of sadness hit Warriors.

Logically he’d known this was coming, but... he supposed he hadn’t really thought about what saying goodbye would entail. He had no clue where they were in history, especially not in relation to his own time period. In all likelihood, he’d never see Arik again.

“Ink?” Arik chirped, and Warriors gave him a smile, scratching at the base of his horns.

"You’re going to have to go in a minute here, little guy," Warriors said softly, still gently scratching. Arik chirped again, and rubbed against him with a quiet purr. “Your mom probably wants to take you home.”

“Ma,” Arik said happily, looking back at her, and Warriors nodded. Then he looked back at Warriors, and his face drooped. "Ink," he said a little sadly, and gave Warriors a small lick on the nose.

"Yeah, I’m going to stay here. This is... goodbye. I'll miss you too," Warriors said with a sad smile, and Arik rested his head against his with a quiet coo, meeting Warriors' blue eyes with his own bright green.

Then he licked his nose again and pulled back, giving Legend a quick lick as well before hopping back over to his mother. Legend spluttered, but there was a fond look on his face as Arik climbed up onto his mother’s head again. The large dragon blinked happily as her baby curled up, and gave all of the Links one more grateful look, her gaze lingering on Warriors again.

“Thank you,” she purred softly, then leapt into the air, a triumphant musical cry ringing through the sky.

They all watched her sweep across the field, her scales nearly glowing in the moonlight, Arik chirping along with her. The smell of rain hit Warriors’ nose as the dragon curled over the spreading flames, and he saw mist sweep over the field, steam rising from the now-doused tent and grass.

And then she flew upwards, and both dragons disappeared into the starry night.

Warriors sighed, every ache and pain suddenly reminding him of its presence full-force. His throat and back still aches fiercely, and suddenly all he wanted to do was sleep. Legend looked over at him, and Warriors gave him a faint smile.

“Let’s get you two out of here, I’m sure you’ve have had enough of this place,” Time said, and Warriors nodded, Legend huffing out an exhausted laugh.

“Absolutely,” he agreed as his eyes slipped closed, and Wind and Hyrule helped him up, Time assisting Warriors. Warriors leaned heavily against him, legs wobbling, and Time gave him a worried look as his eye flitted across the scales painted across his face.

“You’re all right, Captain?” he asked quietly, and Warriors nodded, looking over at him.

“I will be,” he assured just as quietly, and sent Time a faint smirk. “I just want a hot meal, a bath, and to get out of these clothes.”

Time chuckled, but his warm grip didn’t lessen in the slightest as Warriors looked up at the sky one more time, scanning the swathe of stars above them.

He almost thought he heard a triumphant chirp echo from above him.

[eqt-95]

day 2 | courage / trust issues

supercorptober / whumptober the master list

There were clues. Hints and moments. Together it made the end more inevitable, but like time, those hints and moments often just seemed like life until cast under hindsight’s guise.

“Are we going to talk about this?” Kara asked, following closely through the apartment door. She tossed her jacket onto the back of the stool-back and watched Lena’s focused expression fixed on the glow of her cell phone’s dim light.

Her thumbs tapped without interruption.

“Lena?”

tap tap tap tap

“Lena.”

Lena dropped her phone onto the kitchen island and reached for her laptop. Kara watched, perplexed, dumbfounded, and with an unhinged jaw as Lena’s attention turned to the brighter, larger screen. It made the apartment seem darker.

“Is this because I ate that tray of potstickers?” Kara continued. Her hands found confidence poised on her hips. “Because I asked the caterers before and they-”

“What?” Lena asked, her focus broken to interrogate Kara standing across from her. “You what?”

Kara rolled her eyes and flipped the lightswitch, earning a small squint of adjustment and nothing more.

“Did I do something wrong?” Kara prompted, the whine barely concealed under the question.

“Are you really-”

The forgotten phone buzzed, lighting up with an incoming call. Lena reached for it, confused expression never leaving Kara as she answered.

“Jess, hi… Yes, yes, please… No, only once we have NCFD’s approval. I don’t want to activate the nanobots until then… Before midnight if possible. Reconstruction will take at least…” tap tap tap “four hours; maybe five. Any wiggle room before rush hour is a luxury we need… Thank you; keep me posted.”

Kara balked. “This is about the overpass accident?”

“Can we do this later?” Lena asked, though it wasn’t a question. Her attention had already returned to the computer. “I’ve never simulated this kind of infrastructural engagement-”

“You’re really picking a freeway over our relationship?”

“A two hour pause in an argument will have far less implications on the trajectory of our lives together when stacked against the risk of a failed structural intervention, so if that’s how you want to frame it, then yes: I’m picking the freeway.”

“So we are fighting,” Kara huffed.

“We are doing nothing until I get these things programmed-”

“It’s a block of concrete, Lena. It can wait.”

Lena hunched forward against the counter. There was exhaustion in the tired way her jaw worked and reworked until the words felt right. “It is not just a block of concrete.”

“Then what is it? Why are we fighting?”

A tired thumb and forefinger squeezed the bridge of Lena’s nose. “You can’t keep choosing me. You can’t…” a slow breath, “eleven people died tonight. Three are in critical condition. Another four dozen sustained injuries-”

“And that’s my fault?” Kara asked instinctively, defensively; with shoulders straightening and eyes narrowing.

“No, Kara, of course it isn’t your fault, but,” Lena sighed. She sighed because this wasn’t the first time; she knew it wouldn’t be the last. She hated that but didn’t know any other way than to persevere; to echo the words of Rita Mae Brown like a broken record. “Countless others were trapped. J’onn and Nia were there, but first responders were overwhelmed.”

“I wasn’t on duty-”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is it?” Kara asked, a familiar impatience rising in her voice.

“You could have helped.”

Kara flushed and clenched her jaw. “I was celebrating my wife’s big night; her accomplishments-”

“I don’t need to be celebrated, Kara,” Lena said with familiar exasperation. “Especially not when it means ignoring people who could be saved.”

“So I’m supposed to put every part of my life on hold and just courageously carry the banner of a tireless hero?” Kara growled. “There will always be people who need saving. There will be people tomorrow and next week and next decade and next century.”

“And that’s what, an excuse for inaction?”

“I can’t be everywhere-”

“That’s not even what I’m asking for.”

“Then what? What do you want from me? You want me to promise I’ll choose nameless strangers over you? That I should stand with one foot out the door, perpetually waiting for something to interrupt a dinner or a movie or a holiday?”

“Kara-”

“Or better yet: should I promise that, given the choice between a bullet barreling toward you and Mrs. Fischer, I’ll pick Mrs. Fischer? Because I’m not doing that.”

“Even if you promised it, I wouldn’t trust it,” Lena shot back.

The moment of honesty slipped free, and Kara pressed her mouth into a tight line to conceal the tremble in her lip.

“I’ve got forever, Lena,” Kara replied, voice gravely with emotion. “So if it’ll make you happy, you can rest assured that the day after you're gone, I'll go back to saving all of those other people first.”

“That’s a heavy burden for a person to carry.”

“I guess it helps that I'm an alien then.”

“Except I'm not.”

- - - - day 3 | dress / set up for failure