#Merry whump of may day 21

[chaotic-orphan]

Partners in Crime (Merry Whump of May: day 21)

Charismatic : “sit”// vial // balcony

Tw: forced swallowing of suspicious substance, handcuffs, small spaces

Completely unedited :) so read at your peril

~*~*~*~*~*~

Casper let out a groan as the car finally came to a stop. With his hands cuffed behind his back and his legs bunched up in the tight space, there was no way to stop himself from hitting his head off a corner at the sudden stop. It only aggravated his headache from the beating Monroe’s goons had given him before they stuffed him in here.

Casper heard two car doors open and close followed by footsteps that got closer and closer to the boot. Casper knew this was inevitable, if you stuff someone in a boot and park the car, usually you’re going to have to remove them from the boot, but still… his heart pounded all the same.

It was Gavin who opened the boot and stared down at Casper with a wicked grin. “Enjoy the ride, Casper?”

“I’d enjoy it more if I didn’t have to see your face, ugly,” Casper replied, already moving to sit up in the boot which turned out to be more of an effort than he initially thought.

As soon as he sat up Gavin had a fist wrapped into Hero’s shirt and yanked him forward. Casper’s eyes went wide but he could do nothing to stop himself as his body went with gravity and he fell face first onto the concrete. At the last-minute Casper jutted his shoulder forward, taking the brunt of the impact there instead his face but it still hurt.

“You’re such a dick,” Casper spat, rolling onto his back and wanting to kick his legs at Gavin. He would have too, except for his legs being dead. His blood fizzed as feeling slowly returned to him. Gavin let out a stupid laugh that grated on Casper’s ears, hurting more than the fall.

God… Casper really wanted Monroe to just kill the fucker already. Give Casper some peace, hire better goons.

“Oi,” the other goon called, voice drawl and monotone. “What’s the holdup?”

“He’s being difficult,” Gavin said in reply. Casper heard a sigh and then the other guy walked around the car to see Casper lying on the ground. Casper instantly scurried backwards as best he could on his cuffed hands and pins-and-needle-riddled legs that was just becoming awake.

Monroe’s other favourite goon, who Casper only knew as Dante, was far scarier than Gavin thought he was. He was lethal, efficient and humourless. His pale eyed stare pinned Casper in place after Casper’s back hit the wall. Casper watched as Dante reached behind his back and retrieved his gleaming pistol, drawing back the hammer and loading a round into the chamber with the simple flick of his thumb.

Dante inclined his head, voice monotone as he said: “would you like to walk up to Monroe’s suite, Casper? Or crawl?”

Casper set his mouth into a resolute, thin line, trying to maintain any of his dignity that vanished when Dante was involved. “I think I’ll walk,” Casper replied, already pushing himself up by leveraging his back against the wall.

Dante’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t holster his pistol; he just walked over to Casper and grabbed the crook of his elbow before pushing him towards the lift that led to the hotel above. Casper knew exactly where he was. Dante had brought him here multiple times before. The handcuffs and the boot treatment was new, but Casper didn’t have to think twice about why he was cuffed. Why Dante was being especially impatient…

Gavin followed him into the lift and pressed the button for the penthouse suite. This was when the nerves usually kicked in, but today Casper was more scared of Dante than Monroe. Monroe, he could sweet talk. Dante was like talking to a wall. An imposing, emotionless brick of a wall. The only advantage Casper had for assurances that Dante wouldn’t kill him was Monroe’s… fondness for Casper.

On good days, Casper liked to think on his relationship like more of a partnership. Where Casper and Monroe were equals. That’s the way it had always been, but lately… well, things have been tense to say the least.

He cast his eyes to the ascending numbers of the lift, watching every floor rise until he reached floor 63: Monroe’s home, the penthouse suite.

Dante punched in the six-digit passcode to enter the penthouse, while Gavin nudged Casper with his shoulder. “You fucked up big this time Casper, I don’t think Monroe’s gonna be so forgiving.”

Casper scoffed, glancing back over his shoulder to Gavin. “Even if he kills me, it would be a blessing. At least I wouldn’t have to stand so close to you.”

“You just think you’re so smart, don’t ya?” Gavin cursed, shoving Casper forward. Casper didn’t brace for a push and so he stumbled forward, just at the perfect timing that the lift doors opened. Casper lost his balance but recovered slightly and only dropped to one knee.

“I don’t think I’m smart, Gavin,” Casper replied easily, getting one foot under him. He shot a smirk over his shoulder to the bull in a China shop and said: “I just know I’m smarter than you.”

Casper got his second foot under him and went to stand but froze when he felt Gavin’s meaty hand on the back of his neck.

“Why you little—”

Dante’s cool voice cut through Gavin’s no doubt colourful insults. “You’ve wasted enough time already.”

Gavin’s hand disappeared from Casper’s neck, instead Dante’s hand replaced it and yanked Casper up. Before Casper could protest, Dante shoved him forward, further into Monroe’s apartment, the threat clear. Keep walking or else.

“Okay, alright! I’m going,” Casper grumbled, rolling his shoulders, thankful his legs had stopped prickling and was now fully functioning. Casper walked into the kitchen and froze.

Sitting at the kitchen island with a steaming cup of coffee beside him sat Monroe. He smiled when he saw Casper and stood to greet him. A hand pressed between Casper’s shoulder blades shoved him further into the kitchen, barely catching himself.

“Casper,” Monroe greeted, his voice soft and melodic like a warm tenor, pleasing on the ear. “I’m so happy to see you.”

Casper bit back his unhelpful reply and just beamed a smile at Monroe instead. He had to play this safe, otherwise he’d probably end up dead. Casper matched Monroe’s steps forward, shrugging as casually as he could with his hands cuffed behind his back.

“Yeah, well. Not every day you get thrown into the boot of a car by two goons, is it?”

Monroe’s grin was sharper than a Stanley blade as he extended a hand to Casper’s forehead where Gavin had slammed his head against the ground to stop him from fleeing.

“You’re bleeding,” Monroe said, tenderly touching the broken skin around the wound. Casper barely caught the greedy look in Monroe’s eyes before he pressed his thumb to Casper’s cut. Casper hissed and recoiled, but Monroe caught the back of Casper’s head with his other hand and kept him still. “Does it hurt?”

“Yes!” Casper hissed, trying to shoulder Monroe away from him.

The corner of Monroe’s lips twitched up. “Good,” he said, digging his thumb in harder before pulling away from Casper altogether. The pain was more of an annoying ache really, a loss of sensation but he wanted to relieve it somehow. He wanted to reach up and press a tender hand to it, but with his hands cuffed he couldn’t really do much of anything.

He watched as Monroe strolled over to retrieve his coffee off the island, then shot a pleasant smile back and Casper.

“Shall we enjoy the sunset on the balcony, Casper?” He asked, but he was walking before Casper could answer. Casper glanced back to Dante and Gavin before setting his jaw and reluctantly following Monroe out to the balcony.

“I’d enjoy the sunset if you took these cuffs off,” Casper told Monroe, voice sweet like honey. Monroe smiled at Casper as he sat in his favourite cushioned armchair and set his coffee on the glass table in front of him.

Monroe gestured for Casper to take his usual seat in front of Monroe’s, “please, sit.”

“You know what, Monroe? I’d love a coffee, if you’re feeling generous,” Casper said with a sigh and a cheeky smile as he settled into his own cushioned chair.

Monroe laughed. “Oh, Casper… I am feeling a lot of things towards you at the moment,” his brown eyes cutting into Casper’s. “Not one of him is generous.”

Casper reclined back into the chair, kissing his teeth and switched his gaze to the bustling city instead. The sunset was beautiful, casting the buildings with soft orange light as the sun sank low into the blue and pink sky. Casper wished he could enjoy it like he usually did. Instead, he was here, sitting across from Monroe and trying his best to ignore the claw of fear that had gripped his chest.

“I thought we had an understanding, Casper,” Monroe began with his soothing tone and sugar-coated words. “I thought we was partners.”

“Yeah,” Casper said with a scoff, turning to look at Monroe. “I thought so too. Then, next thing I know Dante’s at my door, beating the shit out of me to drag me here to you! My phone didn’t break by the way, it still works. Normal people call when he need something.”

Monroe’s eyes flashed with a drop of cruelty, a knowing smirk spreading across his face.

“Are you really trying to play coy with me, Casper?” Monroe asked with a laugh. “We both know you’re smarter than that.”

Casper sat forward in his chair and tried for a charming smile. “How about you take these cuffs off and we can have a lovely little chat, hmm? That’s what you want right? To smooth everything over.”

Monroe hummed, taking a sip of his coffee and glancing out across the city’s skyline. Casper huffed out a scoff and rolled his eyes, glancing back to the door to track where the other two arseholes was.

“Of course, Casper. We can have a civil conversation.”

Casper cocked an eyebrow, waiting for the and, if or, but. Monroe in reply, took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table between him. Casper made a point of looking at it — it was like a scientist’s test tube but smaller with a cork in it, or a vial of some toxic substance. The liquid inside was a deep purple where the sun hit it, but otherwise it looked black. When Casper glanced back at Monroe he was smiling, looking very comfortable and pleased with himself.

The warning bells was already blaring in his mind, so Casper just remained silent. Even if he wanted to speak, he wouldn’t know what to say.

“I’ll take off your cuffs, as long as you drink this.”

“I can’t drink it unless you take the cuffs off,” Casper shot back, agitated.

“Nonsense, “Monroe waved away, grabbing his coffee from the table and nodding at someone behind Casper. “That’s what I pay Dante for.”

A hand crossed in front of Casper, and he recoiled back, his heart racing. He jumped to his feet as Dante appeared in front of him, but a pair of hands on his shoulders dragged him back down to the chair and held him there.

There was a pop as the vial was uncorked.

“No, no, no! Wait!” Casper cried, struggling under Gavin’s hold as Dante stepped too between Casper’s legs that ruled out the use of his legs. “Monroe! What is that?!”

“Open up, Casper,” Dante said in the same monotone droll. “Don’t make me force you.”

Casper’s chest rose and fell too fast as he continued to struggle, turning his head away as Dante reached forward. A hand in Casper’s hair had him crying out as Dante wrenched his head backwards.

“Aagh! Get off of me!” Casper cried, twisting and turning, trying to stop Dante’s hand from getting closer or even better, spilling the fucking contents of the vial.

“Always so difficult,” Dante sighed, yanking Casper’s head back until he was staring at the sky. Casper grit his teeth to keep from crying out or opening his mouth. Dante leaned over Casper, pressing his forearm across Hero’s forehead, keeping him down and with his freehand he grabbed Casper’s nose and plugged it between his fingers.

Casper’s eyes widened, his struggles renewing as he realised what Dante was doing. Those pale, uncaring eyes stared down at Casper’s, waiting for him to open his mouth.

“You could have done it the easy way, you idiot,” Dante said, watching as Casper went purple from holding his breath. The struggling didn’t help with his lack of oxygen and Casper was afraid he’d burst or pass out and so —

Casper gasped and then the cool liquid was running down his throat. Casper coughed and sputtered, trying to spit it out. Before he could, Dante slammed his palm under Casper’s chin and dug his fingers into Casper’s cheek. Those pale eyes stared down soulless and bored.

“Swallow it, you child.”

Casper tried to twist his head free, but Dante didn’t let him. Dante slammed Casper’s head back again, so he was staring at the sky.

“Oi,” Dante drawled. “Do I have to cut off your oxygen again or are ya gonna behave?”

Casper pulled every ounce of hatred from his body into the glare he shot at Dante, his nostrils flaring but he knew there was only one way that this ended.

Casper swallowed the now warm liquid. “Is it gone?”

“Mmph,” Casper tried to affirm.

Dante tilted his head. “Swallow again.”

Casper obeyed. Satisfied, Dante let go of Casper’s cheeks and stepped away. Casper let his head fall forward, rolling his neck to try and get rid of the creak. Dante stepped to the side of Casper’s chair and snapped his fingers onto his palm in a ‘come here’ gesture that Casper understood to mean give Dante his hands.

Casper leaned forward, coughing slightly. Dante grabbed Casper’s cuffed hands none too gently and Casper heard the satisfying click that signalled his freedom.

Casper coughed again as he brought his hands in front of him, glaring at Monroe as he rubbed his wrists.

“What—” Casper said, cutting himself off with a cough. “What was that, Monroe?”

Monroe’s smile was cruel as he leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands between his knees. Casper’s throat felt so dry, and swallowing wasn’t doing anything to relieve the scratchiness.

“You remember Colt,” Monroe said.

Casper raised his brows. “Yeah? Vaguely?”

“He works in science, in a lab more specifically. Remember he made those power dampeners that the police love.”

“Yeah, they’re not the only ones,” Casper spat pointedly. His wrists weren’t the only things those stupid cuffs affected. It left Casper’s abilities disoriented afterward, something Monroe no doubt wanted Casper to experience. That off kilter, claustrophobic—

Something lurched in Casper’s chest, as if someone had just hit him from inside with a hammer. Casper’s hand went to his chest, fingers digging into his ribcage.

“Something wrong?” Monroe asked kindly.

“What—?” Casper breathed before another pang hit him and Casper jerked forward, taking in two long, panicked lungfuls of air. Casper got to his feet, needing to get away because something was wrong. Something was so so… wrong.

His vision turned as if Casper was on a waltzers or something and he barely managed to brace himself with his hands before he hit the balcony floor, heaving.

“AGH! Mo— Monr—” Casper cried, screaming as his chest burned, spreading a current of pure pain from his heart around his body. Casper’s strength left him as his body convulsed and felt like it was burning. As if an army of fire ants was crawling under his skin, biting and cutting and burning.

Casper curled into a ball, grabbing his knees and digging his nails into his waist as his breath seemed to falter and stop and he was so hot, his mind blind with pain as stars burst behind his eyes and something was wrong!

Casper shivered, his clothes scratching and uncomfortable as he writhed in pain, loud whimpers and screams torn from his throat as the poison made its way through his veins. That’s all that little vial could be… poison. Monroe… Monroe was going to kill him…

As if reading Casper’s thoughts Monroe stood, pressing his heel into Casper’s shoulder and kicking him onto his back. Casper’s glare was probably teary and ineffective, but he glared up all the same as his energy ebbed and flowed through his body, shivering and almost paralysed.

“Yeah, nerdy Colt. Little genius really,” Monroe said with a casual shrug, crouching so he could get closer to Casper. Casper tried to lift his arm and push him away, but he could barely lift it off the ground. “Well, I asked Colt if he could somehow manufacture an ingestible version of the power dampeners.”

Casper’s eye’s widened in horror, mumbling out incoherent protests as his body spasmed beneath him.

“Oh hush, don’t worry. I don’t want your abilities gone, I just wanted to punish you for disobeying me, Casper,” Monroe said softly. His words anything but soothing. He reached out and brushed some of Casper’s sweat-soaked hair from his forehead and smiled down at him almost tenderly. “The effects are temporary, Colt assured me, maybe two or three days—”

“You’re a bastard,” Casper spat, teeth chattering.

Monroe grinned.

“The effects are temporary, Casper, but I hope the message won’t be,” he said as he moved his hand to Casper’s throat and squeezed. Casper’s body only responded weakly, his arm brushing Monroe’s trying to dislodge it, but Monroe leaned so his breath fanned Casper’s cheek. “And if the message gets lost along the way, well, I had back-ups made in case you need a little reminder every now and then.”

Dark spots crowded the edges of Casper’s vision and for a moment he thought Monroe was going to choke him out.

Dante said something to the side and Monroe raised his brows, intrigued. Then as lazily as he cut off Casper’s oxygen he stood to his full height and grabbed his empty mug off the table. Casper gasped in air, turning on his side as he guzzled in sweet, fresh air into his lungs.

His smile was the same, usual charismatic one he wore when he was trying to imitate a human being. “Wonderful. Well Casper, get up. Duty calls. You can’t just lie around on my balcony all day. I’ll put on the kettle.”

Casper rolled onto his back and stared at the colour-streaked sky, his body spent and his mind racing. All he wanted to do right now was sleep, or die, or kill Monroe and Dante— or all three.

As soon as he got his breath back, he’d do one of him. Maybe. Probably, for now he just stared at the sky.

“Casper!” Monroe called from inside. “If you don’t move in the next ten seconds, I’ll get Dante to administer a second dose.”

Casper held up his middle finger through the window, not caring if Monroe even saw it. Reluctantly Casper sat up and got to his feet slowly, using the furniture to help him up.

He had made up his mind: he was going to kill Monroe…

after coffee.

*~*~*~*~*

Continued here

[serickswrites]

Devil’s Advocate

Warnings: self sacrifice, restraints, gags, implied captivity, implied torture

Whumpee froze as they entered the clearing and saw Caretaker in Whumper’s arms. Caretaker thrashed wildly trying to break free from ropes binding their wrists behind their back, their jaw working furiously around the gag in their mouth. 

“Let them go!” Whumpee called at Whumper as they walked forward. 

Whumper tightened their grip on Caretaker’s arm, bending it just past the point of pain. Caretaker groaned around the gag. “If your intent is to hurt Caretaker, by all means keep walking, Whumpee.”

Whumpee froze once more. “Don’t....don’t hurt them. Please.” 

“But I want to Whumpee. I want to.” Whumper sniffed Caretaker’s head. “Their pain is so delicious.”

“Then hurt me,” Whumpee said weakly, suddenly no longer able to look at Caretaker. 

“Beg your pardon?” Whumper said as Caretaker stilled in their grip. 

Caretaker shook their head, their groans becoming louder as Whumpee said, “Hurt me. If you want to hurt Caretaker, take me. That will hurt them more than anything you could do to them physically.”

Whumper glared down at Caretaker. “That true?”

Caretaker growled in response.

Whumper chuckled as they shoved Caretaker away and down. Caretaker fell face first into the dirt. “Well then, that’s music to my ears.”

Before Whumper could grab them, Whumpee put up a hand. “Hurt me. Hurt me and keep me for as long as you like. But you have to let Caretaker go.”

“Why on earth would I do that? So they can rescue you?”

Whumpee shook their head. “Keep me forever, Whumper. Hurt me forever. You’ll hurt Caretaker forever that way. But you have to let them go.”

Caretaker growled as they tried to roll themself over. “Fine, but I’m not untying them.” 

Caretaker looked on in horror as Whumper grabbed Whumpee. Whumpee turned and gave Caretaker one last smile before they allowed Whumper to bind their wrists behind their back. “It’s ok, Caretaker. I’ll be ok.”

[themerrywhumpofmay]

Merry Whump of May 2024 Prompts

Event tags: #mwm2024 #themerrywhumpofmay #mwmday[X]

Thank you everyone for your patience in waiting for this post. We can't wait to see what you create this year! Have fun!

Image text under the cut-

Transcription:

ABOUT THE EVENT

The Merry Whump of May is an event run by @wormwriting and @painsandconfusion. There are 31 days of prompts to be completed each day of May. Feel free to do as much or as little as you’d like. 

Prompts can be filled in prose, poetry, art, or any other medium you resonate with. 

There will be participation and completionist medals in downloadable pdf format.

Prompts

01 - Breathless “Get back in there” | Ring box | Cliff

02 - Scorching “Don’t you dare.” | Glasses | Storage Shed

03 - Lost “See what happens.” | Screwdriver | Club

04  - Forgettable “Who are you?” | Lamp | Alleyway

05 - Strained “Put that down.” | Electrical wires | Plane

06 - Suspicious “You thought you could get away with this?” | Barbed wire | Riverside

07 - Fallen “Forget about them.” | Piano | Edge of town

08 - Pitch black “I’m fine.” | White-hot blade | Passenger seat

09 - Frostbitten “You’re nothing” | Blanket | Parking lot

10 - Jaded  “Revenge is a dish best served.” | Mask | Rooftop

11 - Numb “Pretty little thing.” | Bracelet | Stairwell

12- Known “Let me hear you.” | Garrotte | Desert

13 - Restless “Tell me how it feels.” | Needle | Trail

14 - Punchable “I just want you.” | Rock | Closet

15 - Stone-cold “Let me hold you.” | Candle | Cellar

16 - Naive  “Say aaaaa-” | Whip | Library

17 - Hungry “Wait, are you afraid of me?” | Fork | Lake

18 - Conditioned “Why do you love them?” | Record player | Ballroom

19 - Distracted “Rot in hell.” | Soup | crate

20 - Alone “Don’t tell me you forgot about me.” | Lipstick | Training grounds

21 - Charismatic “Sit.” | Vial | Balcony

22 - Charred “It’s been too long.” | Straps | Rafters

23 - Overthrown “Close your eyes.” | Rock | Truck

24 - Shadowed “Break a leg!” | Plants | Cave

25 - Practical “I’ve always loved the rain.” | Bottle | Shop

26 - Resilient “Get in.” | Pocket | Marsh

27 - Mistrusted “You’re trembling.” | Dagger | Couch

28 - Loyal “Smile.” | Water | Workshop

29 - Reflective “Chin up.” | Trap | Office

30 - Tenacious “Did you have a bad dream?” | Paper clip | Doorway

31 - Broken “Last one.” | Key | Under the bed

Alternate Prompts

Hidden

Waking

Betrayed

Garish

Garden

Theater

Docks

Street corner

“Lean on me.”

“I don’t have regrets.”

“Take me.”

Shoe

Ribbon

Corset

Crown

[shes-some-other-where]

Rain and Apple Blossoms

[ID: a banner featuring bright red apples, prison bars, and medieval looking text of the story's title, Rain and Apple Blossoms. End ID.]

A nameless convict suffers in a prison camp, sentenced to years of hard labour for his crime. There, he is tormented by cruel guards and an even crueller chief overseer who seems to enjoy humiliating him. Eventually, he escapes, and he finds himself cared for by a kind stranger who is on her own journey of grief and self-discovery. With soldiers still hunting for the fugitive, every moment he spends in his unlikely caretaker's company is a risk to them both.

Heavier on whump than plot. Heavier on hurt than comfort. But it's all there.

Full list of CWs at the bottom of this post.

Written for The Merry Whump of May 2024. All drabbles, exactly 100 words. All connected, but many can be read as standalone pieces. However, if you want to read it as a full "narrative," the suggested reading order is below. (Alternatively, find the list of prompts in event order here.)

Suggested Reading Order

🌫️ The Camp

Day 9 - “You’re nothing.”

Day 27 - C for “convict”

Day 8 - A proud, arrogant fool.

Day 2 - Snake venom and molten sand

Day 2 - “Don’t you dare.”

Day 7 - “Forget about them.”

Day 10 - “I don’t have regrets.”

Day 11 - “Pretty little thing.”

Day 12 - “Let me hear you.”

Day 3 - “See what happens.”

Day 14 - “Leave him alone.”

Day 16 - Your neverending insolence

Day 16 - Twenty-nine and one

Day 16 - “Naïve fool.”

Day 1 - Swallowed by the dark

Day 28 - The indistinct phantoms of nightmares

Day 14/23 - Deserving sinners

Day 5 - The chance to flee

Day 6 - Disobedient dogs who try to run

Day 13 - “To know you'll only fail again.”

Day 8 - “I’m fine.”

🌫️ The Escape

Day 13 - Leave no trail.

Day 7 - The world beyond

Day 6 - A sombre dawn

Day 15 - A fool, a dead man

🌫️ The Cellar

Day 4 - “Who are you?”

Day 15 - “Let me help you.”

Day 17 - “Wait, are you afraid of me?”

Day 24 - “Lean on me.”

Day 23 - Cursed, hunted, condemned

Day 27 - “You’re trembling.”

Day 12 - “I’m dangerous.”

Day 17 - “You’re not a prisoner here.”

Alt Prompt - “No one knows you’re here.”

Day 15 - Her foolhardy selflessness

Day 25 - “Is that wise?”

Day 24 - “Just forget about me.”

Day 30 - “I think you might be a good man.”

Day 29 - “Just another few days.”

Day 15 - Endless pools of sorrow

Day 20 - “Are you alone here?”

Day 24 - “What’s with all the apples?”

Day 13 - “I just wish I could repay you.”

Day 28 - “You've found your smile again.”

Day 25 - “I’ve always loved the rain.”

Day 2 - “What are you doing in my house?”

Day 1 - “What were you thinking?”

Day 18 - “Why do you love him?”

Day 11 - “An arrangement, and nothing more.”

Day 6 - “He would never hurt me.”

🌫️ The Recapture

Day 18 - “Nowhere to run, crook.”

Day 19 - “Rot in hell.”

Alt prompt - “It was her.”

Day 4 - He with no future

Day 20 - “Don’t tell me you forgot about me.”

Day 22 - “It’s been too long.”

Day 22 - A death sentence disguised as mercy.

Day 31 - “Enjoy your last night here.”

Day 31 - “Now you’re a broken man.”

Day 28 - “Hope you enjoyed the last taste of freedom you'll ever have.”

🌫️ The Pits

Day 29 - “You ought to be grovelling at my feet.”

Day 26 - A shambling spectre that once was a man

Day 21 - Leashed, muzzled, and ordered around like a beast

Day 3 - Half-lives in the dust

Day 30 - A creature soft, yet wild

Day 25 - “I’ll always love the rain.”

🌫️ A Free Man

Day 1 - Retribution well-deserved

Day 29 - “You are free.”

Day 29 - Charcoal and silver

Day 26 - Fading stars and blooming sun

Alt prompt - Rain and apple blossoms

Full List of Content Warnings

pain, angst, prison, prison camp, labour camp, forced labour, chains, blood, restraints, cruel law enforcement, branding, taunting, humiliation, physical violence, beatings, very brief minor whump, whipping/flogging, gag/muzzle, exhaustion, thirst/dehydration, mine collapse, minor character death, death mention, failed escape, torture, barbed wire, exposure, guilt, fear, grief, loneliness, prospect of a loveless marriage, betrayal, recapture

[painsandconfusion]

Merry Whump Of May 2024 Masterpost

All the @themerrywhumpofmay posts I'm doing this year! Sorry for the late start, I'm an adhd motherfucker

Scenes will be hyperlinked to the days as I complete them.

01 - Breathless “Get back in there” | Ring box | Cliff

02 - Scorching “Don’t you dare.” | Glasses | Storage Shed

03 - Lost “See what happens.” | Screwdriver | Club

04  - Forgettable “Who are you?” | Lamp | Alleyway

05 - Strained “Put that down.” | Electrical wires | Plane

06 - Suspicious “You thought you could get away with this?” | Barbed wire | Riverside

07 - Fallen “Forget about them.” | Piano | Edge of town

08 - Pitch black “I’m fine.” | White-hot blade | Passenger seat

09 - Frostbitten “You’re nothing” | Blanket | Parking lot

10 - Jaded  “Revenge is a dish best served.” | Mask | Rooftop

11 - Numb “Pretty little thing.” | Bracelet | Stairwell

12- Known “Let me hear you.” | Garrotte | Desert

13 - Restless “Tell me how it feels.” | Needle | Trail

14 - Punchable “I just want you.” | Rock | Closet

15 - Stone-cold “Let me hold you.” | Candle | Cellar

16 - Naive  “Say aaaaa-” | Whip | Library

17 - Hungry “Wait, are you afraid of me?” | Fork | Lake

18 - Conditioned “Why do you love them?” | Record player | Ballroom

19 - Distracted “Rot in hell.” | Soup | crate

20 - Alone “Don’t tell me you forgot about me.” | Lipstick | Training grounds

21 - Charismatic “Sit.” | Vial | Balcony

22 - Charred “It’s been too long.” | Straps | Rafters

23 - Overthrown “Close your eyes.” | Rock | Truck

24 - Shadowed “Break a leg!” | Plants | Cave

25 - Practical “I’ve always loved the rain.” | Bottle | Shop

26 - Resilient “Get in.” | Pocket | Marsh

27 - Mistrusted “You’re trembling.” | Dagger | Couch

28 - Loyal “Smile.” | Water | Workshop

29 - Reflective “Chin up.” | Trap | Office

30 - Tenacious “Did you have a bad dream?” | Paper clip | Doorway

31 - Broken “Last one.” | Key | Under the bed

[shywhumpauthor]

The Merry Whump of May—Day 21

“Devil’s advocate”

Tome | Desperation | Hiking Trail

This doesn’t fit the prompt, like, art all but that’s too damn bad

Masterlist

Cw: kidnapping, manhandling/abuse, blood, beating, restraints

Sidekick let out a grunt as the car hit a pothole, their head slamming against the floor of the trunk hard enough to draw tears to their eyes. Pain pulsed like a heartbeat through their skull, stabbing deeper with each labored breath.

Their chest felt tight, unnaturally so, a sharp sting shooting up their side every time they breathed a little too deep, keeping their inhales shallow.

Their hands were secured behind them, two cable zip ties tugged tight enough that they bit into the flesh. Sidekick’s fingertips were beginning to go numb, feeling unnaturally swollen. Their legs bound at the thighs and ankles with a coil of nylon rope, keeping them awkwardly folded behind them. The strain of the position was wearing away at their muscles already, and the rough turns the car kept making wasn’t much help to their bruised body.

With a squeal of the brakes, Sidekick was thrown against the trunk’s interior, their nose smashing against the rugged divide between the boot and the backseat.

Blood began to flow down their face, thick in their throat. With their position, they couldn’t do anything but try to spit it out and not choke to death on the metallic taste.

The bastard was doing it on purpose. They fucking knew it.

They hadn’t been gagged nor blindfold, but that didn’t give them any vantage. The trunk was about the same size they were in their awkward position, if not a bit smaller, leaving them to tuck their chin down or pull their legs up. It was too shallow for them to roll over in, and though they were now practically flush against the inside, they could feel the lid of the trunk not two inches from touching their back.

For the first maybe two minutes into the ride, Sidekick had screamed. They knew that no one would be able to hear their cries for help, not on the road from the inside of an insulated car trunk. More so to annoy their kidnapper, which they had counted as a small success when their assailant turned the car’s radio up so loud Sidekick could feel the bass vibrations.

Superhero would be worried. Sidekick had an evening patrol with them tonight, hell, that must have been hours ago, for how long it’d felt they’ve been driving. First, they’d be mad, probably thinking Sidekick had ditched them. Which was a valid assumption, seeing as it wouldn’t have been the first time they had decided some menial task such as paperwork was more important than watching over empty streets. But then they’d check up on Sidekick’s office at the agency, see they weren’t there. Then they’d go to their apartment, after their three texts and a call went unanswered. After that, Sidekick wasn’t sure what they would do, it had never escalated farther than that. Maybe they’d track Sidekick’s phone, or their watch, and find them smashed in some alleyway dumpster.

After that, they’d probably send an alert to all the heroes connected to the agency, just telling them to keep their eyes out. After two days, they’d probably go searching on their own, cornering villains and conducting some informal… questioning.

The car slammed heavily on the breaks, but this time Sidekick was able to duck their head, preventing them from crashing face-first into the interior of the trunk again. They expected it to accelerate again, but instead they heard the car shift into park, suddenly going quiet as the ignition was twisted off and the radio went out.

Sidekick felt a prick of fear twine through their chest, but paired with it was a heavy sense of anger. The fuck did this asshole want with them?

Then fear overtook them again as they heard a door slam shut. Whoever this was, they’d attacked them from behind. Hit them in the back of the head with some sort of hard beam, roughed them up a good deal, before restraining them and dumping them in the trunk. Sidekick hadn’t managed to catch a glimpse of their face.

What if it was a criminal? What if it was Supervillain? Shit, they’d be as good as damn dead. Awful flashes of torture and gore spun through their mind as they heard the muffled crunch of gravel circle around the car. They’d skin them alive, dissect them piece by piece until there was nothing left but a pile of carnage. Supervillain had done worse, Sidekick knew. They’d worked some of their cases.

But when the trunk flipped open, and Sidekick craned back to look over their shoulder, squinting against the light, they realized it wasn’t Supervillain.

One hand resting on the boot’s lid as they leaned over, teeth glinting sharp, the shadows on their face stoic and intense, as Hero grinned down at them.

———————————————

@themerrywhumpofmay

[its-my-whump]

The Merry Whump of May - Medi Whump May – Day 26

@themerrywhumpofmay: "Hammer time." - pocket watch

@mediwhumpmay: sedation - poisioning

Follow-up: Days 21 - 25

A woman was still talking to her, but everything was a blur by now.

Totally absorbed in the moment, Tonya was starring at Sam's bandana, that he had used to dress the first of many wounds today. Now, it was dirty, dusty, torn and bloody. 'Just like him.'

She just couldn't calm down anymore.

A penlight danced over one eye, than the next. Someone still trying to talk to her.

They gave her a mild sedative to break her emotional overthrow. Apathetically Tonya watched the helicopter been lifted in the air by an invisible force. There was no sound whatsoever.

It totally went by her attention how that SUV just came to be and mystically appeared in the canyon. She was seated in the back, that woman still by her side, two men in the front.

It felt like someone had wrapped her into a tight blanket made of cotton balls. 'That was making no sense.' The ride was bumpy, her body was balancing against the unsteady ground all by itself, as if it was remotely controlled. She tried to listen what they were talking about, but it felt like only listening with one ear, not really paying attention to a running TV.

The man on the passenger side reached into his left pocket, pulled something out and then opened a pocket watch to take a look. 'That was making no sense. Who would still use a pocket watch?'

She tried to redirect her attention to the playing radio. "Hammer time." Someone screamed. Wasn't that supposed to be in a song. She couldn't tell, nothing felt real. There was no context. 'And that was making no sense either.'

Tonya's gaze fell onto her right leg. The bandage was dusty and stained in red and brown. Bright red blood had started tickling down from under the lower rim, finding a way down her dusty leg over the edge of her sock and painted her shoe. She was following every drop with silent fascination.

'Why wasn't it hurting. Why wasn't she feeling anything. Couldn't it at least burn or ache, so she could feel at least something to concentrate on?'

"STOP." Everybody was startled by her sudden outcry. "Stop the car." She ripped the door open, her legs buckled the moment her feet should have supported her bodyweight.

And then it just felt like she was puking her heart out, again and again.

During a little barf-free moment, in which another look onto the disgusting stuff between her hands would have only brought even more disgusting stuff upstairs, her eyes fell onto that bandana wrapped around her hand.

Hot burning tears trailed a path through a dry layer of dust on her face again.

#

Sam reached the hospital alive, but barely. His vitals were already on a straight pass to settling 6 feet under. Severe head trauma, blood loss, a ruptured kidney, broken and fractured rips, from which parts had tried to rearrange themselves inside his torso. Internal bleeding, hypothermia, dehydration, a broken leg, a fractured arm, above literally a few dozen lacerations were too much. He was balancing on the brink of death and didn't regain consciousness.

#

Peter had a bad conscience leaving Sam with Tonya, when he was the one convincing his best friend to give it another shoot while all 4 of them spend the day hiking. If it had turned south, at least there were him and Emily to distracted one of each to save the day. Had he only known how far south it was able to go.

Unfortunately Emily managed to catch herself a bug from their usual take-out place, which then turned out to be food poisoning. Peters intestines probably made of steel hardly registered, that they should have been upset. Still their day trip hiking with Sam and Tonya had to be cancelled. Peter would have never left his girlfriend spending hours of the bowl alone, but the bad conscience regarding Sammy was still there.

On Sunday evening Emily was up and running again, just grabbing herself a tea from the kitchen, while Peter zapped through the channels, simultaneously playing with his phone and the though to call Sam. Peter wasn't really paying attention to the news, still scrolling through his messages. A deep desperate sigh came from behind his back. He turned around, seeing the pale shocked face of Emily starring at the TV screen now behind him. Her lips were trembling, the cup in her hands shaking, when one hand loosened its grip and a finger even more trembling by now was raised to the TV.

Out of reflex Peters head snapped back. The female anchor was in mid sentence, but he didn't understand a word she was saying. His attention was dragged to the footage of a rescue helicopter flying over a canyon. More emergency personal on the ground, vehicles could be seen in the ravine. " two... rescued this morning.... flown to St. James Hospital...." All of it was running through the background of Peters conscious thoughts, when his eyes adjusted on two pictures that had popped up at the upper right side of the screen.

Showing and naming their friends. ".... critical condition..."

A dull sound indicated, that Peters phone just dropped to the floor.

In under 5 minutes they were out to door and on their way to St. James Hospital. Emily was frantically trying to call both friends on their mobiles. The couple couldn't believe, that the news were actually real. Both phones went straight to voicemail, for Sam's was still laying in his car 4.5 miles from that ravine in an area, where there wasn't any reception anyway and Tonya's was broken during her fall.

#

After they got as much conherent information as they could, Emily needed to comfort a weeping Tonya and Peter silently retreated and hesitantly went to see his unconscious friend in the ICU.

Sam was just laying there, unresponsive. Besides countless broken and dislocated bones, he had a serious brain injury. After several hours in surgery his condition was still highly critical.

Peter was staring at his friend. He felt reminded to a similar picture so many years ago. The time there really got to know each other and became friends, best friends.*

A constant spike on the heartmonitor showed, he was still here despite all other signs actually wanted to show him something different. A bloodpressure cuff was on his left, the IV on his right arm. Bags with fluids and a bloodtransfusion by the bed. His right forearm was in a cast.

Half of his face seems to be fighting a contest against the other half covered in white gauze about who's got to be more pale. Sam's skin had a slight advantage, for the gauze was painted with red dots bleeding through.

The sharp contrast of his white chest against colourful bruises, copied from a rainbow, littering it, was disturbing. A tube snaked from under the sheets, leading into a bag with a puddle of light red.

On every part of his exposed skin there were cuts and lacerations. Some of them dressed, some of them stitched, some just hardly touched.

Peters legs were getting more unsteady the longer his eyes scanned the limb body of his friend. He grabbed for a chair and set by his bed, instinctively but gently touching his left bruised hand. There was a slide hiccup in Sam's heartbeat. Peter didn't notice his eyes gotten wet, only now just realised it as the tears started falling.

"God dammit Sammy. I thought, we left all of this shit behind." There was some movement throughout Sam's upper body. Peters voice sounded weak and low, almost unnatural. The lump preventing him to speak any louder.

"You know, it's 13 years today? 13 fucking years, since I saw you like this. To the fucking day, my friend, to the f..." A sob escaped his deepest core unintended, he couldn't end his sentence.

Finally, Peter swallow that lump and cleared his throat. He was fighting to brace himself again. Sam's breathing sped up a bit, it was kind of wheezing. It seemed as if, the atmosphere started to shift.

Peter though the temperature just drops by 10 degrees. Goosebumps crawled over his skin, while his subconscious was already processing what was about to happen.

'There was no way, he was gonna lose his friend over a stupid hiking trip, no fucking way. Not after all, he had been through. Not after his beating sadistic stepfather, not after the hell of social services, not after finally finding his place in life. No fucking way.' Anger was overflowing Peters mind and soul, the cold of his dark thoughts before was forgotten.

Sam's heart was definitely and undeniably acting out by now, his body longing for air. Something was more than wrong here.

Peters pushed the emergency button, his heart had dropped into his stomach. But his voice was strong again, yet still there was a tremor. "Andrew Samuel Cooper! You listen to me! If you decide, to give up on me now, I will most definitely follow you on your toes and kick your damn ass back down here. You understand me?!"

Sam's body was cramping, while his unconscious frantic grasps for breath were indicating, that he was about to suffocate. His limp hand fell back to the bed, when Peter was pushed out of the room. Hot tears just flowing down his cheeks.

(That was the moment, leading to the necessity of a chest tube.)

TBC (here)

I may have built a bridge to Sammys aka Andys (Andrew Samuel Coopers) past and how Peter and him get to know each other so many years ago. The whumpril stories stand for themselves, no reference to the whumping in May. Please have merci, those were my first writings.

Whumpril

Day 23

Day 27

Day 29

Day 30

[em-writes-stuff]

Whump of May day 21

@themerrywhumpofmay

prompts used: “Are you cold?” faked love

characters: whumpee, whumper’s friend

warnings: whumpee is being kept against his will, female whumper

words: 252

Whumpee curled up on his half of the bed, trying his best not to break down with Whumper’s friends over for the night. She’d never forgive him if he disturbed them tonight. 

Someone knocked on the door and light flooded in through a crack. One of Whumper’s friends poked their head past the doorframe and whispered, “Are you cold? I can get you a blanket from out here. Whumper said she took all of them from around the house.” 

He sat up and shook his head, “No, I’m alright. Thank you, though. Do you-” He cleared his throat- “will she be coming back tonight, or staying in the living room with you all night?” 

Her friend sighed, “I think we’ll all stay out tonight. Do you want her to come in here? I can tell her.” 

“No, no, that’s okay. I’ll let her have fun tonight. Would you tell her I love her, please?” He asked. Praying that she bought it and left him alone. She nodded and smiled. 

“I can do that for you.” 

He exhaled and smiled gratefully. She closed the door, leaving Whumpee alone again. He fell back onto the bed and drew his knees close to his chest. Tears formed in his eyes and as soon as the first one fell, he couldn’t stop them. 

He cried quietly, body racking with sobs. Silently, he screamed; his mouth wide open in a silent, never-ending cry for help. He knew he’d never get out. Whumper would never let him leave. 

~

reblogs appreciated :)

[mybeautifulbeautifuleternal]

You knew it was all an act, a ploy to deceive the Capital — that it was a faked love, manufactured to receive more gifts, a way to survive a little bit longer within the Games. You knew that, understood that but… it was hard and getting harder all the time to keep understanding that. You wanted it to be real so much — you hadn’t realized how much you could love someone until it was quite possibly the only positive thing you could feel.

Days into this year’s Games and you were surviving by the grace of a higher power, the Capital and its fondness for tragedy. The more they thought they deserved to witness this love story writing itself in front of them, doomed to end in death, the more support they offered. You knew it was never going to be you alone in the end but you had hope that your partner would make it — they deserved it more than you anyway, had more to actually live for back home.

So your plan had rapidly changed from merely surviving until someone bigger, better, smarter caught you to surviving so you could insure your partner made it. You didn’t think it would be easy — and it wasn’t, not by any stretch of the word — but when you had softly sang them through their nightmares one night, your mentor had been able to send you some desperately needed supplies with the simple message of ‘Keep it up’.

You had grasped their meaning and ran with it, running yourself face first into an actual love for all that it was one sided.

Your partner had grudgingly agreed with your plan to hook the Capital into supporting you and they were quick to remind you, silent and hidden, that they thought the plan was stupid and doomed to failure, most especially due to the fact they didn’t have those feelings for you and didn’t think that they could reliably fake it long enough for it to mean something.

You had simply shrugged your shoulders and told them to try harder, that you both needed to be determined to get one of you back home. The mention of being able to go back to your District was enough to light a fire under your partner.

It might hurt worse if you knew they could love you back but you still wished you had more this a fake love story to tell.

@themerrywhumpofmay

[leyswhumpdump]

Are You Cold?

Day 21 of @themerrywhumpofmay

Tropes and CWs: Fever, mistrustful whumpee, implied previous noncon drugging.

Snowflakes tumble past the window as Whumpee hides beneath their blanket mountain. They know they should be used to this biting cold by now, and yet the shivering won’t stop. Even their weak attempts to tuck themselves in do little for heat retention, their aching body resigned to its misery.

“Whumpee?” Whumpee hears a knock, muffled by all the blankets. “Are you awake?”

Whumpee keeps their head buried, refusing to answer. Longing for Caretaker to go away and take their fake concern somewhere else.

“Whumpee, I’m coming in.”

“I’m not cold,” Whumpee sobs as Caretaker’s weight sinks the end of the mattress.

“You shouldn’t be cold.” A hand peels back their protective layers before Whumpee can protest, pressing against their forehead. “Oh, Whumpee. You should have told me you were sick.”

Whumpee curls away, pushing their face into the pillow before Caretaker can touch them again. “I’m not sick either. Stop lying to me.”

“I’ll get you some Nurofen.”

“I’m not taking your drugs.” Whumper made them wise to that trick. It’s why they barely touch the food Caretaker brings them. “Just put the heating up if you want to be useful.”

“It’s already up as high as it—All right then. I’ll do that.”

Caretaker gets up from the bed. Whumpee tucks themselves into a ball, their shivers reverberating through the mattress springs. The tears need to stay at bay until they can be sure that Caretaker has left them alone.

They find themselves wishing, and not for the first time, that Caretaker isn’t just pretending to love them.

[chaotic-orphan]

hi i love your blog so much!! i just read your merry may of june day 21 i think, the charismatic one with the henchmen Dante and Gavin and it was so so so good. would you ever consider making it a series? it literally hits all of my fav whump tropes. no worries if you’re not interested. congrats on your degree by the way!!!

Partners in Crime

Read part one here

@dreamingonmyown this is for you! I'm glad you enjoyed the first part - I don't know if this will become a series, and I'm not really happy with this part but I have just stared at it for too long so maybe I just hate editing it. Whumpee is Casper now, and Monroe is Whumper. Monroe went through like six names changes so if there's a weird name it is probably Monroe :)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Casper peeled himself off the ground, his limbs exhausted as if he had just donated every drop of his blood. Even if he did donate all his blood, Monroe would still expect him to show up to work, or get Dante to grab his corpse for another fucking job.

He wobbled when he got his feet under him. It felt weird, like Monroe had cut off one of his senses; taken his eyes, or deafened him, or plucked every nerve from his body.

Monroe smiled at him as he grabbed the wall for support coming in from the balcony. “There you go, Casper. Taking it like a champ.”

“Oh fuck off, Monroe.”

Gavin laughed at that, eyes darting between the strange pair. Casper settled heavy into one of the chairs at the island, where Monroe was sitting when Casper arrived.

“Was any of this necessary?” Casper asked, not thanking Monroe as he slid a cup of coffee across to Casper. Little bit of milk, two sugars, just the way he liked it. “You still haven’t told me why you did it.”

Monroe inclined his head. “I thought I told you playing coy doesn’t suit you, Fox.”

“You think that I somehow betrayed you and used my power for someone else?”

Monroe just stared at Casper across the marble countertop. It was Gavin who answered. “He doesn’t think, Casper. He knows that—”

“Oh fuck off, Gavin, nobody wants you here,” Casper replied without looking at him. “You know that, right?”

“At least Gavin understands loyalty,” Monroe replied, heavy eyes pinning Casper to his chair. Casper rolled his eyes, bringing the steaming mug to his lips and gulping down two mouthfuls, gathering his thoughts.

“Like a dog,” Casper replied finally, casting his attention back to Monroe. “Well, I won’t be useful to whatever plans you want to discuss for the next few days. You’ve ensured that, dickhead.”

Monroe waved the insult away. “Nonsense. You know me, Casper, I like to plan well in advance. Your abilities should be up and running by the time I have use for them.”

“How convenient.”

“It really is. Just remember how you got to where you are today, Fox. How quickly your life changed after you met me.”

“Not for the better,” Casper grumbled.

Monroe raised his mug of coffee in a sardonic toast. “And yet, you can pay your rent.”

“As can you in your fancy hotel,” Casper shot back, raising his own cup. “Partners, remember?”

Monroe’s eyes glimmered with a dangerous smugness that Casper hated. It was just so irritatingly superior. “Partners,” he replied coolly.

They both took a sip of their coffee. Even with the two sugars, somehow Casper’s coffee tasted bitter, or maybe it was the eerie emptiness in his body. The dreadful absence of something he couldn’t quite describe.

“Now,” Monroe said, setting his cup down and clasping his hands on the table in front of him. “To business. Gavin, be a dear and grab my papers for me.”

Gavin stood and nodded, as if following Monroe’s commands were his life purpose. His reason to breathe. Casper kept his eyes trained on Gavin’s back as he left the room.

Stupid git.

Monroe inclined his head. “He’s useful.”

“Yeah, as a footstool. Or maybe with a gag, he would be.”

Monroe smiled. “Mmm, so tempting, Casper. I could get the pair of you a matching set. I’m sure Dante knows a guy.”

Dante answered with deathly silence as he so usually did. Casper could picture him in his usual spot, sprawled out across the couch in the living room, a book in his hand.

Casper scoffed. “I’m sure he does.”

Gavin returned, sliding a manilla folder across the countertop to Casper. Casper stopped it with his hand and looked down at the stupid file. He didn’t want to do this again, last time was supposed to be his last job. He wanted to wash his hands of this life already, he was tired of it.

“Do you need Gavin to open the file for you, Fox?”

Casper raised his eyes to Monroe’s across the table. He clenched his jaw and pushed the file a little away from him. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Open files?” Monroe asked innocently.

Casper’s expression dropped, exposing his irritation. “This. This fucking whatever we have here. Aren’t you tired? We got everything we want, Harry, let’s quit while we’re ahead.”

Monroe crossed his arms over his chest, cocking a brow at Casper. “You want to stop making money?”

“We have enough,” Casper grumbled. “The two of us, okay. You have your passive income now from your hotels and your real estate and I am secure. I have savings and shit. We don’t have to keep living like it’s all going to disappear tomorrow! We can stop.”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“Easy to say when you’re not the one taking the risks!” Casper snapped. The air seemed to chill with the snap of a book behind Casper and he straightened in his seat as he heard Dante move behind him.

Gavin, the idiot, broke the silence with a sneer. “You’re such a fucking pussy, Casp—”

“Dante, please show Gavin out.”

Gavin’s head whipped to Monroe, but Monroe didn’t even look at him, his hard gaze fixed on Casper instead.

“What? Why, I can help.”

“I know, but it’s getting late, and Casper and I need a chat.”

Before Gavin could protest further, Dante put a hand on his shoulder. Gavin looked between the two at the counter before letting out a disapproving groan and shrugging Dante’s hand off.

“Fine. Call me when you need me.”

“I will.”

Dread pooled in Casper as he watched Dante and Gavin leave. Somehow, Monroe still made him uneasy when he shouldn’t. Casper had known Monroe way before the other two did, but Monroe had a lethal way about him. In his words and his quiet power. The fact that he could beat the shit out of Casper but paid someone else to do it said everything about the man.

Only when the doors to the penthouse shut did Monroe begin to walk around the counter towards Casper. Casper set his jaw, not letting any of his anxiety show as Monroe undid the button of his waist coat.

“We can talk about that tomorrow, Casper,” said Monroe. The surprise must have been written plainly across Casper’s face because Monroe laughed. Not a cutting, mocking laughter or anything snide. A warm laugh, like how he used to when Casper had met him first. “We should relax. Watch a movie. It’s been an age since we did anything like that.”

Casper’s brain was stuttering and short circuiting, trying to find the angle and fighting the familiar ache inside him at Monroe’s easiness. He swallowed, nodding his head. Monroe smiled his easy smile and nodded.

“Good. I’ll get changed into something more comfortable,” he said, unclipping his pocket watch and laying it on the counter. “You can pick the movie if you want. Do you want a tracksuit? Actually, scratch that, you need one and to clean yourself up. You’ve got blood on your face.”

Casper rolled his eyes at the faux concern. “Gee, I wonder why.”

“Oh, relax. You know that’s just business.”

“Taking my powers isn’t just business, Harry, it’s personal.”

“Casper,” Monroe drawled in his gentle, chiding way. “Let’s not fight anymore, hmm? We’ll talk about all that tomorrow. I didn’t change your room, do you still have clothes here?”

Casper lowered his gaze. It really had been an age since he’s been here. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did.”

“Good. I’ll be a few minutes getting changed.”

Casper swallowed. Monroe reached a hand up and ruffled Casper’s hair until Casper let out a cry and batted his hand away. “Oi!”

Monroe laughed, disappearing from sight. Casper didn’t move for a moment, the smile on his face felt off, strange. He really shouldn’t stay. He should disappear while Monroe was distracted and move country or continent. Or planet if he didn’t want Dante to find him and drag him back.

Fuck.

Casper dropped his head, running a hand through his hair and pulling at the strands on the back of his neck, letting out a long, tired sigh.

Pale eyes flicked to the golden pocket watch that Monroe had discarded on the counter. Casper glanced up, making sure Monroe wasn’t lingering as he grabbed it, turning it over in his hand to read the inscription.

Rumours are power. Favours are currency, and only the smart ones survive.

C.

Casper ran a thumb over the indents of the letters in the metal. It was old. It was old when he got it from a backstreet merchant known only as Grouse. Definitely stolen, but Grouse always had a soft spot for Casper, and Monroe. The only real cost was the engraving that crippled Casper financially for a week, but it was worth it. To see Monroe’s face light up when he gave him the gift it was worth it.

Casper sighed, putting the watch down and getting to his feet. After all this time, Monroe was still the only shred of family he had in this world, the same way Casper was Monroe’s only family. Monroe had found him on the streets — the two of them scrawny and skinny — and taught him how to live instead of just survive.

The words were the nugget of wisdom Monroe had told Casper, back when they were kids. It saved Casper’s hide more times than he could count, especially in the beginning when Monroe wasn’t there all the time to have Casper’s back in a fight.

Casper walked into his room and stood in the doorway, taking it all in. Everything was how he left it. His bed took up most of the room, a super king and softer than any bed he had ever slept in. His PC was set up on his desk in the corner of the room, his screensaver lighting up the screen. Casper made a point not to look at it as he took the first door to his right.

His wardrobe, a small box room with shelves panelled into each wall and a hanging space in the back. Casper grabbed black tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie, getting dressed in the wardrobe. Hanging his signature leather leather jacket up with care and throwing the rest of his clothes wherever they landed.

It felt good, like old times as he stepped out of the wardrobe and walked to his ensuite. He missed him, the old Monroe; the version that was like an older brother. Harry. Not the dictator who had taken over Harry’s body, the hard businessman Monroe, who took whatever he wanted and left nothing for anyone else.

Casper made a point of ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that told him that’s the way Harry had always been. That it was Casper who changed. He didn’t have the energy to deal with that kind of revelation tonight.

He stopped in front of the mirror and sighed. He didn’t look into it, but he could see the gash on his forehead from the corner of his eye.

Just wash your face, Casper, he told himself. Tiredness pulled at his mind, fraying the edges slightly. He didn’t notice he was tired before, but the weight of everything felt too great. Or maybe it was because he was in comfortable clothes.

Just remember how you got here, Casper, Monroe isn’t there for you. He really wished that voice would shut up for two seconds. Thankfully there was a knock at his door.

“You ready?” Monroe called from the other side. Casper nodded, realising after that Monroe couldn’t see him right now. “Yeah,” he said back, walking to the door and opening it. Monroe grinned at him. He was dressed in red and black chequered pyjama pants and a white t-shirt. His grin exposed his faint dimple that was so much more prominent when they were kids.

Casper followed him to the couch, settling in while Monroe pressed a button on a remote to lower the blinds over the windows. They closed with a soft hum while Casper scrolled through Netflix looking for something to watch.

His phone rang beside him. His heart fluttered then shuttered when he saw Monroe’s attention turn to it. “Who’s that?”

Casper shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “Don’t know.”

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

Casper bit the inside of his cheek as he kept scrolling. Monroe scoffed, reaching over. “If you don’t answer it, I will.”

Casper pushed his hand away, dropping the remote and quickly grabbing his phone. Hero’s name popped on the screen and Casper wanted to curl up and die. “You pick something to watch,” Casper told Monroe, who cocked his brow at Casper.

Casper stood and walked to his room, shutting the door behind him and then walked to the ensuite, locking that door too. “Hello?”

“Casper?”

Casper’s heart swelled at the voice.

“Hey, Hero. How are you?”

“I’m sorry for calling so late, I must have woken you—”

“No, no, not at all. I was — uh —” Shit, think Casper, what were you doing? “—shopping.”

Shopping?! Idiot.

“Shopping?” Hero asked, a smile in his voice. “At 11 pm?”

“Oh, yeah, y’know… less crowds.” Hero laughed and it made Casper’s heart thrum in his chest. “Why, uh, why are you calling if you don’t mind me asking — not that, it’s not that I don’t want you to call, I’m just — uh, y’know— curious?”

“Oh, right. Of course, I just finished a very long shift.”

“Fighting bad guys, do-gooder?” Casper asked, his voice light despite his stomach tying itself into knots. “Crime never sleeps.”

“Exactly,” Hero said with a laugh. “I — well, I was out fighting crime and the moment we caught the villain I was…”

Casper’s heart leapt into his mouth as Hero trailed off. He looked over his shoulder again just to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He didn’t want Monroe to overhear anything he shouldn’t know.

“You were?”

“It’s going to sound stupid.”

“I love stupid,” Casper said immediately, screwing his eyes shut and wanting to kick himself.

“Well, I was — I wanted to see you.” Casper yanked the phone away from his ear and threw his fists in the air, mouth open in a silent scream of joy.

He brought his phone back to his ear, and said “great. I would love to see you. Where are you?”

“I’m… at your apartment building, but you weren’t picking up.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck.

He had just lied himself into a corner. Monroe wouldn’t let him leave without a solid excuse, and then he’d get suspicious and have Dante tie him up all over again.

“I’m actually not home right now,” Casper said eventually, running a hand through his hair. Fuck. He really wanted to see Hero’s face.

Though, he could imagine it crestfallen when Hero said: “oh,” pulling at his heartstrings. “It was presumptuous anyways—”

“No, no!” Casper said quickly, bolting upright. “I like presumptuous! I just, I won’t be home tonight. I really am sorry, Hero.”

“I’m sorry,” Hero replied with a sigh. Shit, they probably felt humiliated right now! Say something! Say something Casper!

“I shouldn’t’ve—” Hero began at the same time that Casper said, “What if we—”

Then simultaneously again: “no, you go ahead.”

Then they laughed and Hero said, “you go.”

Casper licked his lips, not expecting the nerves to tingle the back of his neck. “What if we got breakfast tomorrow morning? You can tell me all about your hot crime fighting.”

“None of it,” Hero said with a flush and Casper could imagine the blush igniting Hero’s face. “It’s not hot.”

“Beauty is subjective, dear Hero, and you are the epitome of sex on legs.”

“Casper!” Hero said, mortified, but he could hear the smile in Hero’s voice and Casper knew everything was fine.

“We can meet at the needle in town?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great.”

“Okay, see you then, 10? 11?”

“Yeah, ten sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Good night Hero.”

“Night Casper.”

Casper couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he stood and unlocked the door. His smile washed away when he saw Monroe lingering outside the door, arms crossed.

“I think we need to have a little chat.”

*~*~*~*~*

[serickswrites]

Merry Whump of May 2024

Days 1, 2, & 3: prompts: "get back in there", glasses, screwdriver; TW: captivity, restraints, gag, muzzle, cage, cruel whumper

Day 4: prompt: "who are you?"; TW: kidnapping, implied captivity, implied torture, rescue attempt

Days 5 & 6 : prompts: "put that down" and riverside; TW: kidnapping, threats of violence, threats of death, gun, gunshot

Day 7: prompt: "forget about them;" TW: captivity, restraints, drugging, implied noncon

Day 8: prompt: white hot blade; TW: captivity, torture, knives, blood, fire, burns, restraints

Day 9: prompt: "you're nothing;" TW: degradation, humiliation, verbal abuse

Day 10: prompt: rooftop; TW: physical violence, falling from a great height, broken bones

Day 11: prompt: "pretty little thing;" TW: captivity, torture, restraints, blood, creepy/intimate whumper

Day 12: prompt: garrote; TW: kidnapping, strangulation, implied torture

Day 13: prompt: "tell me how it feels"; TW: physical violence, blood, broken bones, destruction, mayhem

Day 14: prompt: "I just want you"; TW: captivity, torture, blood, wounds, escape

Day 15: prompts: "let me hold you", cellar; TW: captivity, torture, restraints, forced to watch, hurt/comfort

Day 16: prompts: "say aaaaaaa", whip; TW: captivity, restraints, whipping, blood, unconsciousness, cruel whumper

Day 17: prompt: lake; TW: captivity, bruises, restraints, torture, rescue, hurt/comfort, hurt/aftermath, caretaker and whumpee, implied death

Day 18: prompt: "why do you love them?" ;TW: stalking, kidnapping, yandere whumper

Day 19: prompt: "rot in hell"; TW: captivity, torture, restraints, blood, wounds, rescue, unclear character status, caretaker and whumpee

Day 20: prompt: "don't tell me you forgot about me"; TW: presumed dead, kidnapping, restraints, torture, unconsciousness

Day 21: prompt: "sit"; TW: restraints, captivity, torture, forced to watch, water torture, waterboarding

Day 22: prompt: "It's been here too long;" TW: restraints, torture, captivity

Days 23 & 24: prompts: "close your eyes", cave; TW: betrayal, head injury, fade to black, unclear character status

Day 25: prompt: "I always loved the rain;" TW: captivity, torture, blood, wounds, mcd, hurt/no comfort, caretaker and whumpee

Day 26: prompt: pocket; TW: eferenced captivity, referenced kidnapping, implied torture

Day 27: prompt: dagger; TW: captivity, torture, threat of death, escape, rescue, knife, knives, stabbing, blood, mcd, hurt/no comfort, caretaker and whumpee

Day 28: prompt: "smile"; TW: captivity, torture, restraints, strangling, asphyxiation, strangulation, hanging, noose

Day 29: prompt: "Chin up"; TW: captivity, restraints, torture, blunt force trauma, physical violence, broken bones, blood, cruel whumper

Day 30: prompt: doorway; TW: captivity, torture, restraints, blood, knife, gag, cuts, video recording, threat of death

Day 31: prompt:"last one"; TW: captivity, torture, blood, wounds, bleeding out, escape, unclear character status, caretaker and whumpee

[shes-some-other-where]

The Merry Whump of May, Days 16-31

***this is a repost; Tumblr won't let me add more links to the original masterlist, so I split the prompts in half***

All my writing is original. Feel welcome to interact/comment/reblog. Pls don’t steal or repost.

Event Order

Contains: prison, prison camp, forced labour, abuse of power

All drabbles, exactly 100 words. All (loosely) connected, but many can be read as standalone pieces. If you’d like to read in chronological order, the suggested reading order is here.

<<< Days 1-15 here

Day 16 [1] - Whip

Day 16 [2] - “Say aah—”

Day 16 [3] - Naïve

Day 17 - “Wait, are you afraid of me?”

Day 17 - Hungry

Day 17 - Hidden (alt prompt)

Day 18 - “Why do you love them?”

Day 18 - “Take me.” (alt prompt)

Day 19 - “Rot in hell.”

Day 20 - Alone

Day 20 - “Don’t tell me you forgot about me.”

Day 21 - “Sit.”

Day 22 [1] - “It’s been too long.”

Day 22 [2] - Straps

Day 23 - “Close your eyes.”

Day 24 - “Lean on me.” (alt prompt)

Day 24 - “Break a leg.”

Day 24 - Plants

Day 25 - Practical

Day 25 - “I’ve always loved the rain.” (🥹)

Day 25 - “I’ll always love the rain.” (🥺)

Day 26 - “Get in.”

Day 26 - Resilient

Day 27 - Mistrusted

Day 27 - “You’re trembling.”

Day 28 - “Smile.” (🥹)

Day 28 - “Smile.” (🥺)

Day 28 - Water

Day 29 - Trap

Day 29 - “Chin up.”

Day 29 - Office

Day 29 - Reflective

Day 30 - Doorway

Day 30 - “Did you have a bad dream?”

Day 31 - “Last one.”

Day 31 - Broken

Alt prompt - Betrayed

Alt prompt - Garden

<<< Days 1-15 here

[intrestingatparties]

Day Twenty-One: "Are You Cold?"

Burning | Faked love | Winter

@themerrywhumpofmay

I know it doesn't make sense, but since when have I cared?

Characters: Whumpee, Whumper

TW/CW: Toxic relationship, burning, writer's block, destruction of property.

Snow snowed on the snowy concrete, causing snow to get in Whumpee's already snow-filled eyes, and cover their jacket in snow.

Yes, a story for the ages, Whumpee thought as they scribbled in their notebook. There's not enough reiteration about it snowing yet. I should add more. Whumpee was actually covered in snow, but that was irrelevant. Their next huge novel started with a run-on sentence with a messy-

"Are you cold?" Whumpee jumped, alarmed. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." They glanced around, their eyes finally landing on the culprit.

Ahh.

"Whumper! How are you?" Whumpee set their journal down on the bench, not for a moment thinking it was wet with the, well, snow. They stood up to hug their partner, leaning into them.

"God, you are cold!" They smiled at each other, but Whumpee noted that wasn't an answer. Then, out of the corner of their eye, Whumper brought out a Zippo, and flicked it open. "Let's get soemthing going, shall we?"

Whumper picked up the notebook.

"Wait-"

All their hard work over the last month and a half went up in flames in front of their eyes.

"What have you done?" They screamed at Whumper, snatching the burning book away, singeing their hands.

"You were cold. I gave you warmth. Are you not greatful?"

[fletcherwilbury]

@themerrywhumpofmay Day 21: Burning

Warning for illness, medication mention, and past injury

[painsandconfusion]

“Are You Cold?”

The Merry Whump of May - Day 21

[Burning | Faked Love | Winter] (tw: hypothermia(maybe), burn, manhandling, threat)

“Are you cold? I can move you a little closer to the fire.”

Whumpee shook their head minutely, tense and unsure. They pressed back against Whumper’s body.

“Aw come on, you’re still cold. I can feel it.” Whumper’s breath was hot against their ear. “It’s deep in your bones already, don’t you want it to just…melt away?”

Whumpee shook their head harder. Too close. Too fucking close already. 

They could feel the heat drying out their skin, burn flirting with the crease of their toes as they tried to squirm back away.

“Don’t be so ungrateful, I’m only doing this because I love you. Or would you rather go back outside?”

“N-no - no please, just. I’m okay now, thank you - this is close enough-” Whumpee yelped as Whumper gave them a final shove, stumbling forward toward the hearth. They screamed as their foot landed on the stone - toes brushing red-hot coals.

They flew back immediately, crumpling into Whumper’s arms.

“See, it’s like I always tell you. If you don’t listen, you get hurt.”

.

[The Merry Whump of May Masterlist] Shoutout to @themerrywhumpofmay for putting on this event!

(tags: @prisonerwhump @whumpawink @mabledonut @paleassprince @distinctlywhumpthing @tropes-for-my-md-daydreams @batfacedliar-yetagain @suspicious-whumping-egg @wormwriting @jadeocean46910 @villainsvictim @thecitythatdoesntsleep @heathenwhump @cryptidhongo @rainbows-and-whumperflies @cursedscribbles @whumpy-catfish @whumpworld @bandages-andobsessions @deltaxxk @whumpasaurus101 @whumpsday @wingedwhump @ha-ha-one @morning-star-whump @pickywhumpreader)

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