#canon kane whump | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

the-whumpening · 10 months ago

Text

Fuck It Friday #2

Last night was my group’s DnD session, and boooyyyy have I got some juicy whump tidbits to share!

CW: gore (esp eyeballs), knives, torture, lycanthropy, could be read as cannibalism?

So in the canon of our game, the group used a teleportation scroll to get themselves and Ash out of the demi-plane he’d been held in. This landed us in Chult, which is a massive island continent much like Australia, where we reunited with some familiar NPCs on a scouting mission.

Various dangling plot threads are getting tied up, including Ash reconnecting with his father again and realizing that he’s . . . Just a guy. A guy who was wracked with guilt and shame and thrust into a situation he had no control of. Gregor is clearly trying to start a new life and make up for his past, and Ash is slowly opening up and letting him in a little.

To make a very long story short, Gregor tried to save Kane from being taken by the weretigers who’ve taken over the jungle; he failed, and got bitten in the process, which is apparently fatal to people already infected with lycanthropy. To make them even once more, Ash let Krumgus revive Gregor.

Cut to this session: the party has just fought a small group of weretigers that ambushed us. Some ran away, some were dead, and one was left to be interrogated. Evius held the weretiger down with an immovable rod to the neck while Ash prepares to torture him for information. It felt right to be the one inflicting pain for once. He lets his rage continue to simmer though the battle is well over.

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

Evius: Who do you work for? Why are you here? [The tiger only growls in response, though Evius attempts to read his thoughts. He sees a weretiger—much larger than the others—on a throne of skulls. He nods to Ash, who slips the silver knife between the tiger’s ribs.] Evius: Who is he? Tiger: The Banded King. Evius: Where can we find him? [Evius presses deeper into his thoughts, seeing images of a ruined city deep in the jungle.] Evius: How do we get there? [Once again, the tiger doesn’t respond. Evius nods to Ash once again. Ash twists the knife, eliciting a squeal of pain from the tiger-man.] Ash: Answer him! Where is our friend? Kane—the half elf with the gray hair? [The tiger chuffs in laughter in between gasps of pain.] [Ash removes the knife, instead using its tip to trace the outline of the weretiger’s stripes.] Ash: You know, I could carve these off of you. It would be . . . so easy. [Ash is past rationality now; his best friend is missing and this mass of flesh is the only thing in the way.] Where is Kane? Tiger, taunting: He is alive! The Banded King has taken a special interest in him. [He looks to Gregor with a conspiratorial grin.] They wait for you. Gregor: Ash, cut out his eye. Ash: With pleasure. [Ash carefully swirls the silver knife into the tiger’s eye socket, plucking his eye from his skull. The creature snarls and howls, but maintains his bravado.] Why did you come here? Why did you tell the other one not to fight me? Tiger: [He seethes and mocks Ash.] The Banded King has no use for you in his army, half-breed! [Evius goes to grab his mane and yank his head back, but the tiger is too quick. His teeth just graze Evius’ wrist before he pulls away; the venom is already burning in his veins.] [Without hesitation, Ash pounds his fist into the tiger’s bleeding socket. Gregor allows his animal companions to finish the job. Ash snarls, struggling to keep any semblance of composure.] Ash, panicking: Evvy, I have to do something rash—it might save you, but it’s going to hurt. I need your permission! [Ash wonders if he’s also venomous like the other weretigers; if he is, Evius is dead either way, right? Might as well try.] [Panicking and in pain, Evius agrees.] [Ash sinks his teeth into Evius’ arm, ripping off the infected flesh and spitting it on the ground. Evius wails, shaking and sweating, as Ash transforms out of his rage. He holds Evius to the ground to keep him from thrashing, one hand on his chest and the other stroking his hair. Blood drips from his mouth and down his chin.] Ash: I’m so sorry, Evvy. I’m sorry, I’m sorry—I had to! [He repeats it over and over again.] [Gregor douses bandages in alcohol (we notice it’s the same brand of mushroom absinthe we created early in the campaign) and quickly wraps Evius’ wounds. The three wait with bated breath to see if Ash’s plan worked.] [A dark black band circles Evius’ hand, meeting the bandages on either side. It’s puffed and raised, like a bruise or a scar. One perfect stripe.] [But the burn of the venom fades, leaving only the sting of the alcohol and the ache of the bite. No more stripes appear, and Evius slips into much-needed unconsciousness.] [Mouse rejoins them after hearing the screams and, after making sure Evius is okay, asks for their help with another infected victim. It’s too late for this one.] [Ash looks pitifully up at Gregor with big, watery eyes.] Ash: . . . Gregor? Can you please . . .? Gregor: [He pats Ash’s shoulder.] Sure, bud. Keep him safe. [It’s strange. Just days ago, he would’ve killed Gregor on sight. But now there’s . . . an odd affection growing. He shakes off the thought and focuses on Evius, lifting him gently and taking him to rest in the shade.]

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

One of our players is currently playing a child character, who saw the interaction from up in a tree. He asked Mouse to check up on the group as he was pretty sure Ash had tried to eat Evius. Mouse was pretty sure that wasn't the case, but damn if she didn't have to rule it out lol.

(Bear with me on this formatting, I'm not sure the best way to share this and I thought it would read well in a chat style format.)

#whumpblr #whump writing #whump #whump community #writeblr #dnd whump #tigerverse #tw gore #tw blood #tw torture #fuck it friday

3 notes · View notes

actress4him · 1 year ago

Text

Whumptober 2023 - Day 16 - College AU

This part of the College AU takes place before the events of the rest of the pieces I've written for it, and is the first hospital incident referred to in "Comfort". It's one of the longest of my Whumptober fics!

Keep in mind that the Kamaria in this universe, while still tough and still having gone through a lot of abuse in her life, isn't hardened by war and torture like canon Kamaria.

Bruno belongs to Izzy and is used with permission!

Taglist: @painful-pooch , @sssunshinebreeze

The Shadow of Death Masterlist

No. 16: “Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” | Gurney | Flatline

Contains: lady whump, dude whump, hospital, referenced noncon, real word for noncon used, referenced beating, collar, internal bleeding, mild blood, noncon touch, touch aversion, talk of death, aftermath of noncon in hospital, cpr, passing out, police, broken bones

She screams his name again and again, but there’s no response.

“Bruno…Bruno no…please, Bruno!”

They wouldn’t stop hitting him, and kicking him, over and over and over, until he finally fell completely still. He hasn’t moved since. She can’t tell if he’s breathing or not, only knows that there’s blood streaking his face and his arm is misshapen and he won’t wake up.

Even when the frat house basement is miraculously flooded with police officers and paramedics, it’s all she can think, all her mind will repeat.

Bruno. Bruno. Bruno. Bruno. Bruno.

She’s pressing so far forward she can barely breathe, the cord that connects her to the wall digging the collar into her throat, but she’s nowhere near reaching him. She can’t even see him anymore, not with everyone kneeling around him.

Her voice is raw from screaming and crying. “Bruno!”

All of the attention has been on him so far, as she wants it to be, but one officer finally turns and approaches her. The last thing she wants right now or ever again is anyone touching her, but at the same time…

“Get it off!” She clutches the hated collar, making brief eye contact with him before looking back to Bruno. “Get it off, get it off!”

“Okay, hold on. I’ve got you.” He crouches down, examining the clasp and the padlock that holds it shut, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a knife, flicking it open. Kamaria flinches backwards involuntarily. “You’re okay, you’re okay. I’m just gonna cut through this, okay? It may take me a second, but I won’t hurt you.”

Just hurry.

The wait is agonizing, but eventually he’s able to saw through the collar and she’s free. Immediately she begins to crawl toward Bruno, ignoring the pain that tears through her.

His eyes are still closed. He’s still not moving. She reaches out for him, but before she can finally touch him for the first time since this all began, he’s lifted up by several sets of hands onto the gurney waiting next to him. Straps are pulled tight across his body and the gurney is unfolded to its full height.

Still kneeling on the floor, Kamaria lets out an ugly sob.

“I’ve got you, sweetie. You’re okay. Can you stand?” Someone, she doesn’t register whether she’s a paramedic or a police officer, crouches down next to her, too close, hands reaching out.

Kamaria flings herself backwards. “Don’t touch me!”

“Okay!” Gloved hands raise in surrender. “I was just going to help you up, but I won’t touch if you don’t want me to.”

She does need to stand. She needs to be with Bruno, but they’re already carrying him toward the door. A strangled cry escapes her, watching his still form being taken away. “He’s…he’s…”

“Look, what if I offer you an arm? You can use my arm to pull yourself up, then we can follow your boyfriend, okay?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” The words spill automatically from her lips, repeated over and over so many times in the past…week? month? more? He’s not my boyfriend, we’re not even dating! We’re just friends! Kane never cared, though. He’d decided his own version of the truth, and nothing was going to sway him from it.

What they technically are to each other hardly matters now, though. She cares for him. She feels something for him that she’s never felt for anyone before, especially not Kane. If it wasn’t obvious before, then watching him suffer because of her and having him try to comfort and support her through it all sealed it in her mind and heart.

“I need…I need to be with him.” The woman is offering her arm, like she said, and Kamaria only eyes it for a moment before clinging to it and allowing herself to be hoisted to her feet, biting back whimpers of pain the whole way. She lets go as soon as she’s steady enough and begins limping after the others, arms wrapped around her stomach.

The yard of the frat house is total chaos. Police cars are parked haphazardly at the curb, lights flashing. Multiple fraternity members, including ones that weren’t involved at all, are being handcuffed and questioned. In the next yard over and across the street, crowds have gathered to gawk at the scene.

But she can’t think about any of that right now, not the embarrassment she should be feeling or the dread of what a legal mess all of this is going to become. Her eyes desperately dart around until she finds what she’s looking for - the gurney with Bruno on it, being loaded into the back of an ambulance.

She rushes forward as fast as her abused body will go. “Please, please! Take me, too, I need to go with him!”

People in uniform block her path. The ambulance and the lights and the uniforms and the despair clogging her throat are starting to swirl together in her mind, trying to turn into a different event entirely, but she doesn’t have time for flashbacks right now. She has to get to Bruno.

“Please,” she sobs. “I need…I need to…is he okay? Is he alive?”

“He’s alive,” someone answers, gentle. “But we need to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible to keep him that way. You can’t come inside, they need room to work.”

The ambulance doors slam shut, and Kamaria feels like someone is twisting her insides into a knot.

“Let’s go to the other ambulance, over here. We’ll take you straight there behind him, alright?”

She doesn’t need an ambulance, she’s fine. But if it means following Bruno, then she’ll accept it. She lets them lead her there in a daze, unaware of anything but his absence until the vehicle is moving and strangers are trying to touch her again. The trip is spent with her curled in a corner next to the door, fists poised to fight, snapping at the paramedics every time they try to convince her to let them look her over.

“Did those boys assault you?” one of them asks at one point.

“I said I’m fine, leave me alone!” She can’t let her mind go there, not right now.

The ambulance stops, and someone opens the doors from the outside. Kamaria immediately tumbles out, jerking away from the hands that try to catch her, and hurries toward the emergency room doors. At least a couple of people are following her, but she ignores them. She can see Bruno up ahead. Not even the onslaught of hospital sights and smells can deter her from getting to him.

“Let’s wait right here so we don’t get in the way.” It’s the lady from the basement, appearing by her side and putting out an arm to keep her from charging into the small room where they’ve taken him. She starts to protest, but it’s obvious by now she’s not going to win with these people. The last thing she wants is to prevent him from getting the care he needs, anyway, no matter how it makes her heart ache.

Bruno is lifted again, off the gurney this time and onto the bed. He still hasn’t woken up. As the paramedics clear the room, the doctors swirl around him, hooking him up to machines and calling out terms that sound like a foreign language.

The device that had started out steadily beeping starts flashing numbers, the beeps becoming a long, high-pitched screech.

“He’s crashing!”

More people run into the room, shoving past Kamaria. Someone has their hands braced on Bruno’s chest, pounding out compressions, while another fits an oxygen mask over his face and manually pumps air into his lungs.

Kamaria crumples. The woman catches her before she can hit the floor, holding up her weight while she screams. “Please no…please! He can’t die, he can’t, it’s all my fault!”

If she’d never dated Kane, none of this would have happened. If she’d never become friends with Bruno, none of this would have happened. He’s hurt because of Kane’s jealousy over her. He’s dying because of her.

“Shh, shh.” She can barely hear the voice in her ear over the sound of her own cries and the wailing of the monitor. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Look…they got him back. See? He’s okay. He’s alive.”

He’s alive. For now.

She’s so exhausted, so utterly spent, that she can barely straighten herself back up. Somewhere between the frat house and here, the tentative scab that had been trying to form over the cut across her face apparently got knocked off in a couple of places. She can feel wetness on her forehead and nose where it’s sluggishly bleeding. She ignores it, though, just like everything else, pushing the arms away from her and clinging to the doorframe.

“We need to get him to the OR,” one of the doctors is saying. They’re prepping him to move again.

“What’s happening, where are they taking him?”

“To surgery,” the woman answers. “You’ll need to stay here until he’s done.”

“Surgery.” What did Kane do to him? “What kind of surgery? Is he going to be okay?”

“I don’t know, but I will find out everything I can for you. In the meantime, let’s get you your own room where you can wait for him.”

He’s being wheeled away again. She can’t do anything but stand in the middle of the hallway, swaying slightly, and watch.

“Come on, sweetie. This way.”

She follows numbly, heart still beating out a rhythm of his name. Bruno. Bruno. Bruno. Bruno. It’s not until she’s sitting on the bed that the setting starts to catch up with her. She runs her hands through her hair, fingers getting caught up in tangles, eyes darting around the room.

“I can’t…I can’t be here. I’m fine, I don’t need to be here.” Fire. Smoke. Oxygen mask. “I’ll go somewhere else, I-I’ll wait for him…somewhere else.”

“Hey.” The woman is still there. Kamaria focuses in on her features - blonde hair, blue eyes, hard jawline, shadows under her eyes - trying to think of anything but the room she’s in. “I know this is incredibly difficult. I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through, and I know you’re worried about your friend. But you need to be examined, too, you need to let them look at you.”

She shakes her head vehemently. “No. No, I’m fine, I don’t want them touching me.” I want my mom. “Bruno, he’s…” Another sob catches in her throat. “He’s going to die, isn’t he?” The last time she was in a hospital, her mother was dead. Hospitals go hand in hand with grief.

“I don’t know, sweetie.” The woman’s eyes are filled with sympathy, but Kamaria can’t look directly at them. “I’m still going to find out for you what’s going on, but I do know for sure that the doctors here are amazing, and they’re gonna do everything they can to save him.

“We need to talk about you right now, though. I know you don’t want to be touched. But you need to let someone treat that cut on your face, so it doesn’t get infected, and check you over for other injuries.”

“I don’t have any other injuries.”

The woman looks at her for a long moment. Kamaria doesn’t want to know what she sees. “I can’t force you to get treated. I can’t make you do any of it. But I need you to consider letting them do a rape kit.”

She can feel all the color draining from her face. “What?”

“I don’t want to let those boys get away with what they did, and I know you don’t, either. We need to be able to collect samples so we can run DNA and pin this on the right people.”

“No. No!” She jumps off the bed, backing across the room. “No, I can’t, I can’t do that. They…they saw us there, they saw what they did to Bruno…” For the first time, it finally registers that the woman is wearing a police uniform. “You saw what they did to him. I can…we can tell you what happened, who it was. Set up a, a lineup, or whatever you call it, we’ll point them out. You don’t need…I can’t.”

The officer nods. “Your testimony will be very helpful, and if you can ID all of the guys that’s great. But listen…” She takes a couple of steps closer. “Boys like that? Have rich families with expensive lawyers to back them up. Lawyers that will do everything in their power to cause doubt and get them off scot-free. DNA evidence, though - the kind of evidence we can get from you - will put them away. They won’t be able to argue against that. Chances are you wouldn’t even have to go to court or see them ever again.”

She pauses. “Maybe you’re not looking for justice for yourself. But what about Bruno? Don’t you want justice for him, however we can get it?”

She can’t, she can’t, she can’t, she can’t, just the thought of more hands on her, of the invasion of privacy and the looking and the questions…she wants to scream, she wants to crumble into a million pieces and disappear, she wants her mom, she wants Bruno.

But she can’t have any of that. And no matter what happens to Bruno, the people that did this to him need to be locked away. Kane needs to be locked away, so that they never have to worry about him again.

“I’ll be right there by your side the whole time. You can hold my hand if you’d like.”

“No, you…you’ve got to find out about Bruno,” she mumbles.

“I will. I promised I would. I can go get someone to do your exam - a female - find out about the surgery, and be back here to keep you company. Okay?”

She can’t. She has to. “O-okay.”

It’s worse than she imagined. She nearly loses it just putting on the hospital gown and has to be talked back down by Officer Williams, as she learns the woman’s name is. They take pictures first, and with every flash of the camera she’s taken back to social services taking a photo for her foster care file.

Officer Williams does her best to keep her mind off of what’s happening throughout the process, though the questions she asks about their time in the basement aren’t much better to dwell on than the present or her flashbacks. Kamaria does her best to answer, staring up at the too-bright lights on the ceiling with tears in her eyes, jolting and nearly hyperventilating every time she’s touched again.

Finally, the officer is leaning over her. “It’s over, sweetie, it’s over. You did great.”

Kamaria immediately stands. “I want my clothes back. When can I see him?”

“Your clothes are evidence, I’m sorry. But I’m sure the hospital has something they can provide for you to wear.” She looks to the nurses, still packing up their supplies, for confirmation. “And I will go see if there are any updates while you’re waiting on those.”

He’s in surgery for internal bleeding and a punctured lung. It’s no surprise, the way they’d beaten and kicked him. He’d withstood it for so long, so many days of torment, but that last time…it was just too much. His body couldn’t take anymore.

If the police hadn’t shown up when they did…

She can’t think about that.

Officer Williams comes back to report that Bruno is still in surgery, no indication of how much longer it will be. Kamaria is given a pair of grey sweatpants, a white t-shirt, and some slippers, and sent out to the waiting room. They wanted to keep her in a room, put her on an IV, but she adamantly refused.

It should be her, injured like that. All she has to show for their time in that basement is some bruises and the deep cut bisecting her face, which only required some cream and a little bit of tape and bandages in the worst places. It was too late for stitches. She has no idea what she looks like now, doesn’t want to know. But it’s nothing compared to what they did to Bruno, and he should never have even been involved. He shouldn’t have come after her when Kane grabbed her, then he’d be okay right now.

She’s exhausted, but she can’t rest. Her legs bounce up and down, hands rubbing her thighs, fingers dancing along her arms making little crescent-shaped imprints in her skin. Her mind won’t stop flashing pictures at her of Kane and the others, of Bruno lying motionless on the floor.

He has to live. He has to.

“Kamaria Veisi?”

She clears the floor completely as she jumps from her seat, eyes wide, heart dropping into her stomach.

The nurse strolls forward, offering a grim smile. “He’s out of surgery. It was tough, but they feel sure they got everything patched up.”

It feels like all the blood in her body drops into her toes all at once. The world goes black, and next thing she knows she’s sitting back in the chair, head between her knees.

“You with me?” a voice asks.

She nods, though her skin is hot and her ears feel clogged up.

“Just take it easy, don’t get up too quickly.”

“He’s…” She lifts her head slightly, looking for the nurse’s eyes. “He’s alright?”

“It’s going to be touch and go still for a little while. There’s always the chance that something was missed, or that infection will set in. But…for now, he’s alright.”

Kamaria shuts her eyes, breath shuddering. He’s alive. He’s okay.

She sits up slowly, propping her elbows on her knees, letting her head adjust to the new altitude. “Can I see him?”

“Yes.” He looks at her with concern. “But I’m going to get a wheelchair to bring you to him.”

“I don’t need a wheelchair.” She sits up further, ready to stand.

The nurse puts out a hand to stop her. “Just humor me, okay?”

All that really matters is getting to Bruno as soon as possible, so she agrees and lets him wheel her through the hallways. They head to a bigger room, not one of the cubicles in the ER.

Kamaria stops breathing as soon as he pushes her through the door. Everything about the room - the smell, the bed, the sterile whiteness, the softly beeping machines - is suffocating, but Bruno is here. He’s far more pale and still than he ever should be, the white sheets and the sickly blue hospital gown making it even worse, but at least there’s no more blood smeared on his face. He looks peaceful, despite all the tubes attached to him. As the nurse parks her right beside his bed, she watches the gentle rise and fall of his stomach.

He’s alive.

The nurse comes around to the side of the wheelchair and crouches down. It makes her feel like a child, but she’s too enraptured by watching Bruno breathe to pay much mind.

“I heard that you turned down an IV earlier. Would you reconsider? He has one, see? And I could bring it to you in here, for you to wear while you’re sitting with him. I bet when he wakes up he’ll want to know that you’re letting us take care of you, too.”

When he wakes up. Because he’s going to. He’s going to be okay. And…yes. He’ll be so frustrated with her if he finds out she’s refusing any further treatment.

So, even though the thought makes her skin crawl, she sighs and mumbles, “Fine.” She’s been through far worse today already, and as long as she’s with Bruno, nothing can be that bad.

“Great. I’ll be right back.”

The nurse leaves the room, and Kamaria grips the railing of the bed, pulling herself to her feet and gazing down at Bruno’s sleeping face. This whole time, she’s wanted to be able to touch him. To offer and to get a little bit of comfort. But Kane always kept them tied too far apart for that, all they had was their words to comfort each other.

Now it’s finally possible, and she’s hesitating. There’s been so much unwanted touch. She’s not even sure if she can handle it.

But she needs that reassurance that this is real, that she hasn’t dreamed up this whole day, that he’s not a hallucination that will disappear before her eyes. Slowly, she reaches out with a trembling hand and ever so lightly lays her fingers on his stubbled cheek.

He’s warm. He’s real. Tears begin streaming down her cheeks as she strokes his skin with her thumb.

She still doesn’t know what they are to each other, what exactly this is that she feels for him, what life will look like from now on. But right now she urgently needs to feel safe, to have him feel safe when he wakes. Gingerly, wincing at the pain since there’s no one around to see it, she climbs up onto the bed and squeezes herself in between the railing and his body, curling around his arm with her cheek on his shoulder.

She can hear him breathing from here. He’s safe. They’re safe. Being pressed up against him feels nothing like the touch she’s been dreading, it feels…like she belongs.

Within seconds, she’s asleep.

8 notes · View notes

whumpshaped · 3 years ago

Note

47 with pumpkin???? idk i’m tired but i still want to interact-

• good-old-anon

47. Forecfully comb their hair

trigger warnings: pet whump, humiliation for pet hygene during captivity, emotional/psychological whump, forceful hair cutting/combing, bugs (fleas)

"You're fucking disgusting."

Pumpkin flinched, knowing well that this wasn't going to be the gentle hairbrushing they had gotten way too used to. They shouldn't have. They shouldn't have ever gotten comfortable.

"I'm sorry-"

"Shut up." Seth tore through their hair again - or would've, but the matted patches stopped the comb. Eventually there was a snap, and the comb broke in half. "That's it."

"No, wait, I'll do it myself, I'll-"

"No, you shut up and climb the fucking stairs. You're fucking gross and you're probably a proper little fleabag too, I'm having none of this. Go, up, come on."

Pumpkin shivered at the thought of fleas crawling around their body. They had been feeling itchy lately, but they never even thought-

"Don't space out on me, you useless little shit. Move your ass."

They were glad that the electric razor drowned out the sound of their sobs.

#writer whumper #is this canon or spk?#could be both #gonna tag it as spk bc i love the idea of kane seeing them w their buzzed lil head #round...#spk #pumpkin baby #pet whump #bugs

20 notes · View notes

interdimensional-chaos · 3 years ago

Text

Title: Kane gets Kidnapped 😈

Masterlist

Synopsis: AU where Kane, of @whumpsday Jim and Kane series, bites of more than he can chew when instead of kidnapping Jim he attempts to kidnap my OC Joan. Unaware of her guardian the Sanguinor.

CW: attempted kidnapping, decapitation, stabbing, blood, language, actual kidnapping

Begins the same with Kane driving around. Except instead of Jim he smells and locates Joan. He hides the car, AND

The girl was heavier than he expected, but aside from a startled jerk gave no resistance. In mere moments he was back to his car. He dumped her down on the pavement to tie her up. Effortlessly pinning her with a hand on her chest and the other on her mouth-

Something burned into either side of his ribs. With a howl Kane leaped off the girl and looked down. The wounds were already healing, but blood still stained his shirt.

The girl kicked herself to her feet. Bloody daggers held firmly in both hands. Completely unfazed by the whole affair.

He tackled her. Pinning her arms- and those damned knives- above her head. She landed with a barely restrained grunt. The knives scattering away.

"You BITCH!" He snarled. "You'll pay for that!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud snap of wings. The both of them were suddenly engulfed in a massive shadow.

The girl smirked. "You first."

Everything went black.

The vampires head slipped from his shoulders. Giving Joan a slight headbutt before rolling away. She kept her mouth and eyes closed as blood spurted all over her. Then with what was a flick of the Sanguinor's sword, the weight was gone.

She wiped the blood away from her main eyes and blinked up at her older brother. Eight feet tall, golden haired, permanently wearing the serene, Golden face of their shared adopted father. The Sanguinor would have been a majestic, terrifying sight for anyone else. Especially when he descended from above on his glorious white wings.

Joan grinned at him. "Holy CRAP he was fast! I can't believe I stabbed him!"

"I can't believe he put you on the ground." The Sangionor signed. To compensate for his lake of facial expressions, he used his wings to add extra emphasis to words. Puffing up his feathers to show his continued irritation with her foolhardy plan. "That was asking for it."

He knelt, offering her a hand that could hold her entire head.

She took it, and he lifted her easily to her feet.

The feathers suddenly smoothed and the wings expanded protectively around her. His sign of concern. "Are you alright?" He signed.

"Yeah- I think he sprained my wrists with that tackle. Won't know until the adrenaline wears off though." She put his hand on her shoulder so he could feel her shrug. "Can't be helped."

The wings dropped. He tapped the top of her head. His sign of sterness for the next set of words. "Ice," he signed. "Not using yourself as bait. Not stabbing someone faster and stronger than you."

"Uh huh, you tracking the body?" She would have had a decent view of it from her periphery, but that was entirely blocked by the fake skin at the moment. Instead she turned her full head to look at the vampire.

He was still there. Torso and all.

Part of her relaxed. No Homestuck rules. No clowns that got back up when you weren't looking. No bodies that disappeared for a sick game.

The other part was just deeply unsettled.

The wings surrounded her again. The Sanguinor turned her head so she could see what he said.

"Let's get back to base," He signed. "Get cleaned up. Go from there."

"Sure, sure," she picked up her knives. "Lead the way."

The Sanguinor scooped up the body, then peered around. As though he could actually see. He raised his left wing, and Joan slipped in next to his side. With a gentle push from him, they both phased into the Backrooms.

#My writing #Kane and Joan AU #Kane gets Kidnapped #and when i say AU I mean #this exists alongside the canon vers.#can have fun with Whumped and #Cosmic Kane meeting each other #also Kane gets to meet Ciaphas Cain #the puns :D #wh40k #Sanguinor #Joan #My Oc #others OC #Daughters of the Blood Angel #Joan: the younger sibling

8 notes · View notes

thisiswhereikeepdcthings · 3 years ago

Text

My Favorite (DC) Things:

(To the tune of "My Favorite Things")

🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵

Duke in the family,

And immortal Alfred.

Jason Todd’s jokes about

Being the undead.

Harley and Ivy not being that bad.

Nothing I love more than tired Batdad.

-----

Younger adoptions,

And magic de-aging.

Dealing with trauma,

And platonic cuddling.

They are all smart and all got therapy.

These are a few of my favorite things.

-----

Batgirls are badass,

And competent Robins.

Justice League antics,

And Metas in Gotham.

They all have a favorite hero or two.

Sure, it’s not Batman, but what can you do?

-----

Feelings are hard

But at least Bruce is trying.

I love good fluff moments

And Joker dying.

Protective Jason on Ao3 tags.

Timmy so sleep-deprived it gives him bags.

-----

Undercover.

They’re good brothers.

Enemies to friends

Is still a fine way to get them all back home

And give us a happy end.

-----

Younger kids bonding,

And agents of chaos.

Cass being awesome,

And snarky Hood crime boss.

Maybe for once Jason just doesn’t die.

Will Tim at last turn eighteen in July?

-----

Photos of Batman

Some journalist might catch

To test their theory

And see if the butts match.

The kids all roast Bruce on Twitter for sure.

Messing up clothes is what Alfred abhors.

-----

Messing with Rogues,

And a trading of costumes.

Who is that now?

You won’t know ‘til they punch you.

Trolling Lex Luthor gives Tim and Bruce life.

Maybe now Gotham has somewhat less crime?

-----

Good mother Talia to

Jason and Dami.

Some minor murder,

But Sir they’re my babies.

Top himbo energy from Brucie Wayne.

Let’s not forget ‘bout best wine aunt Kate Kane.

-----

At the gala:

"Do we have to?”

They’ll cause chaos there.

Just them interacting and getting along

‘Cause they finally learned to share.

-----

Sharing one braincell

And making B’s eye twitch.

Hold onto something

‘Cause next up’s an age switch.

Trav’ling the multiverse can be so fun

‘Til you end up in the evil Lords one.

-----

Batkids in space,

And explosions for flavor.

Magic, the All-Caste,

And maybe time travel.

Fix-its and head kisses sure would be nice.

I just want AUs where nobody dies.

-----

Whump, hurt and comfort,

And good family moments.

Being best siblings

And college enrollments.

Snitching on each other like siblings do.

Bruce maybe got o’er his head with just two.

-----

Bandages, hugs, and a

Fear-toxin ride out.

“Does Bruce Wayne give Batman

Gear at a discount?”

“Only in Gotham” hashtags are the best.

When Batcow first came Bruce was not impressed.

-----

Jason gets hugs from all

His mother figures.

Steph gets a kick out of

Sassing The Riddler.

Superman is Uncle Clark to the kids,

How will that work when Kon ends up with Tim?

-----

Batman webcomics

And live adaptations.

❤️ Lego Batman

Forever and always.

Ignore the rest

Because it makes me mad.

I’ll only take Bruce Wayne as a good dad.

-----

When the bats fight,

When the angst stings,

When canon is sad,

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don’t feeeeeel soo baaadd.

347 notes · View notes

lost-in-labradorite-halls · 2 years ago

Text

Masterlist?

I’ve never made a masterlist before, so here we go. **Caution while nothing posted here is NSFW, there are very violent descriptions and artwork below, so beware. Most of the posts will have their own content warning before the graphic stuff. But as a general caution there is graphic descriptions of violence, blood and gore. Explore at your own risk. First off I’ve got my nameless Fae, which is written in a very informal manner, no clue if more will ever be written.

Unnamed Fae 1

The Calcspar Peak Unnamed Fae 2

Unnamed Fae 3 Latiil is a tiny merfae, I have a whole series planned for her and various others characters that I’ve drawn and named, but haven’t written or posted for. Eventually I’ll get back to her story.

Latill the Merfae 1

Pup’s Story, Aka Vampires.There are multiple characters involved, such as Jacques, Gala, Pup, and the Grosvenors. But Pup is certainly the main whumpee of it all. Pup Introduction

Two Weeks

Go to Sleep follows shortly after Two Weeks

Jacques’ introduction and art. Jacques is from the same world as Pup, though I haven’t really written anything for him yet.

Pup in AU August 2022 So I was doing some art character stuff for AU August and I never really finished because part way through August I ended up going to work for six week thing. So I didn’t finish but I still want to. The thing with AU August is that some of it wasn’t AUs were in fact completely canon to Pup’s story. So below is in canon Pup art that I happened to do for AU August. And then below these will be the Pup AU August stuff that really is AU. The Countryside

Artist’s Muse

Actual AU Pup’s Story stuff

Pup Preschool, featuring my ocs; Pup, Jacques and Gala along with @whumpshaped‘s El and @whumpsday’s Kane

Tiny Fae Pup

Pup as a Velociraptor

Scifi Pup

Space Academy Pup

Coffee Shop/Barista Pup featuring @whumpsday’s Kane

Pup in chibi form: -----Taglist?

@whumpsday @whumpshaped @redwhump @darlingwhump @wolfeyedwitch @onlywhump @whump-queen

#Masterlist #first attempt #aaaaaall of the things!

12 notes · View notes

whumpsday · 3 months ago

Note

Kane whump bc I just discovered what a martinet was:

I go out and buy a martinet (which is surprisingly still sold in some places) and hit Kane with it. It’s designed to only sting and to leave no marks, but anything will leave marks if you use it long enough (at least that’s the theory).

When it finally does leave marks, I trace over the marks with the tip of a very thin silver rod (like pencil thin).

I leave.

Kane takes the punishment without complaint, thankful that this implement is softer than the whips he's used to, even if it goes on for far longer... until the silver. He screams and cries, but takes it without struggling, hoping it's over soon.

#ask #k&j ask #canon kane whump #torture

18 notes · View notes

whumpwillow · 3 years ago

Text

nothing like browsing the #canon kane whump tag while drinking my morning tea before going to work 😌

#willow rambles

12 notes · View notes

theres-whump-in-that-nebula · 2 years ago

Note

Hi! Hope this is alright to ask. Pretty much I am trying to figure out what draws me to whump, and I feel a bit out of place when I try to find answers. I've been through traumatic experiences before and a lot of times I've heard that people cope by putting characters through traumatic experiences but then give them comfort or a happy ending as a way to take your power back/rewrite your personal life story. Personally I don't resonate with that because I don't always include comfort. But at the same time I do feel like I'm using whump writing to cope somehow... I'm just not sure how? Like when I look up articles on 'writing therapy' a lot of what comes up has to do with 'giving the characters the happy ending you would have liked for yourself' but again, I can't really relate. Plus, I also consume whump. Lately a show I'm watching has had one character go through a lot of whumpy scenes and it's sparked an interest in me, like I rewatch those scenes a bunch of times and now have an interest in writing that specific character going through pain when I had never considered that before. And it's also caused my mind to 'branch out' I guess, and get more ideas for what kind of whump I'd want to include in my own writing. Even though I've been interested in whump for a while already, this is really the first time canon whump scenes have drawn me in so much. I know I don't really have to justify liking whump to anyone and some people simply just like it, but in my case, I do feel like it's deeper than that and I just don't know what some possible explanations could be? Thanks if you're able to offer some insight!

Ah, glad you’ve found us here on the Tumblr Dot Com, my dude!

I’m kind of the same way, honestly. I’m mostly in it for the physical sensation (which is cozy and warms me up like a hot cup of tea on a cold, rainy day). It may very well be that whump is a brain chemistry thing that some people are just predisposed to (like how some people feel tingles when listening to AS/MR while others don’t). (I also experience tingles by the way… I know correlation doesn’t equal causation, but hm… it might be worth researching [nudges the psychology academics])

But I do also feel a level of emotional attachment to certain types of whump (particularly if a character is crying or screaming). For me, I like watching/reading those kind of scenes because that’s the only time I react in a “normal” way to sad and/or messed-up things; because I’m usually alone when I do this, so I don’t feel I have to hide what I feel from others. Everything comes to the surface and it’s very nice.

Or sometimes I’m just down in the dumps and I decide to stare at Gilbert Kane writhing on the dinner table for the eight-millionth time and go “Damn I wish that were me.” But like in a very normal, catharsis-seeking way… I don’t have a death wish.

So it could be an emotional expression thing(?) Or (if you’re into the more, eh, one-on-one Whumper/Whumpee dynamic) it could also be seeking validation that what people did to you was, in fact, Very Bad… or not idk.

Or, you could just have a fascination with the weird, disturbing, and gross, which manifests itself in a love of whump. This could be indicated by your other interests.

Or, you could just enjoy seeing variations on a theme; what writers do differently or the same as each other. I know I love binge-watching an actor’s work for a year (or three lmfao) and studying their mannerisms and micro-expressions. I also love picking apart imagery and wording in written pieces. So, it could just be a different type of “Love of the Craft,” so to speak?

Or, it could be an outlet for anger. Sometimes it is for me, but usually it isn’t the case. But generally, when I feel like throttling a person and cracking their skull open like a pistachio shell, I find a whump blogger with open asks and do horrible things to their OCs. I squeeze them like stress balls. Didn’t ask. Don’t care. [violence] [violence] [violence]

Anyway, thank you for asking me! Have fun and keep whumping.

(Autocorrect almost changed “whumping” to “whipping.” Very off-topic, I know… but so, so on-brand djdjdjdjdjdndndn help I’m laughing now)

#whump meta #asks #:)

4 notes · View notes

ao3feed-brucewayne · 8 months ago

Text

Sweet & Sour

by SomebodyIUsetoKnow It started with Pink Lemonade and ended with him saving her in every way possible. The first time she met a too-tiny little bird he was hiding behind the Big Bad Bat. Even then, Harleen Quinzel knew her Baby Boy was going to change her life. Years later, when secrets are discovered and a monster is at his heals, Harley Quinn will have to face her own demon to save him. Even if it kills her. Because that's exactly what Joker will do to her when he finds out. Words: 11291, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 5 of Must Be Tuesday Fandoms: Nightwing (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Batman (Movies - Nolan) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/M, Gen Characters: Harleen Quinzel, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Joker (DCU), Pamela Isley, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Kate Kane (DCU), Other Minor DC Characters Relationships: Dick Grayson & Harleen Quinzel, Dick Grayson & Harley Quinn, Nightwing & Harley Quinn, Nightwing/Harley Quinn, harley quinn & joker, Harley Quinn/Joker, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn & Batboys Additional Tags: Harleen Quinzel is Harley Quinn, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Joker is Fucking Scary, pamela isley is poison ivy, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Damian Wayne is Robin, Kate Kane is Batwoman (DCU), POV Harleen Quinzel, Harleen Quinzel Needs a Hug, Sad Harleen Quinzel, Past Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Crazy Harleen Quinzel, Protective Harleen Quinzel, POV Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Kidnapped Dick Grayson, Hurt Dick Grayson, Protective Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, Even when Kidnapped, BAMF Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Whump, Harleen Quinzel Whump, past rape/non-con mentioned, (nothing graphic) - Freeform, Nightwing Volume 2 Issue 093, Miscarriage (Mentioned), Abusive Relationships, Toxic Relationship, Joker is psychotic, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Violence, Semi-graphic violence, Nudity, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Sexual Bondage, Threats of Violence, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Body Mutilation, Joker being Joker, Blood and Injury, i'm missing tags i'm sure via https://ift.tt/igs23KI

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #the caped crusader #gotham #dcu #dc #ao3 #ao3feed

13 notes · View notes

nooowestayandgetcaught · 4 years ago

Note

1-36 ALL OF EM. ALL OF EM.

THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR, BRO. ALL FANDOMS.

1. First ship you remember

Peter Pan/Wendy Darling (Disney’s Peter Pan) is my best guess as far back as I can remember. That’s the original OTP next to Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle (DCU) and Ariel/Prince Eric (Disney’s The Little Mermaid).

2. Your newest ship

Hmmm,,, I haven’t really watched anything new,,,,,,, but I mean I did get into Geralt/Jaskier (Netflix’s The Witcher) recently. I really like them.

3. Favourite ship ever

STARES LONGINGLY AT PETER/WENDY

I go between them and Mulan/Li Shang (Disney’s Mulan) and Korra/Asami Sato (Avatar: Legend of Korra) and Yuuri Katsuki/Viktor Nikiforov (Yuuri On Ice) and Arya Stark/Gendry Waters (GOT/ASOIAF) for my favorite ships of all time

4. Favourite m/f ship

I grew up on the His Dark Materials books and I always was a Lyra Belaqua/Will Parry shipper and that has never ever changed. They’re so sweet. I WOULD LIKE PHILIP PULLMAN TO BRING THEM IN THE NEXT BOOK THAT IS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT. DO NOT FUCK AROUND.

5. Favourite m/m ship

you really can’t wrong with Ash Lynx/Eiji Okumura (Banana Fish) except you can and I don’t care,,,, everyone’s alive and fine and not depressed,,,,,,,

6. Favourite f/f ship

do you know how much my heart broke when they refused to do Emma Swan/Regina Mills (Once Upon A Time) EVEN THOUGH everything in canon said they were True Love????? now I’m just pissed,,,,, I can’t let go of them

7.Most innocent ship

OH GOD,,, KATARA/AANG (AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER). THE FLUFFIEST. THE HAPPIEST. THE SWEETEST BABIES.

8.Most fluffy ship

WHAT DID I LITERALLY JUST SAY???

9.Most angsty ship

good god it’s Clarke Griffin/Lexa (The 100) but I still love them and I know I wasn’t THERE for Lexa dying but I’m STILL livid about what they did and how they treated the LGBT+ community and I’m gonna throw hands,,,, ever since it happened and Clexa is mentioned in the show,,, it’s always so painful,,,,, Clarke is not letting Lexa go and tbh she shouldn’t and I’m gonna get mad again

10. Most smutty ship

Smut is optional, not a requirement for my ships.

11. Ship that you would never have wanted in canon but like in fanworks

I don’t fucking trust MCU so they can have none of my ships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12. Character that you can only imagine in one ship

BOOOOOOOOOOOOORING.

13. Most shippable character

Merlin (BBC Merlin) and Harry Potter.

14. Character that you can’t imagine in any ship

Any character I don’t like.

15. Favourite poly ship

I love love love love Rey/Finn/Poe Dameron. Finnreypoe. Jedistormpilot. I fell in love with Rey/Finn and Finn/Poe through “The Force Awakens” and then saw in the novelization that there was hints of Rey/Poe Dameron and LATCHED onto it. Don’t even fight me with “The Rise Of Skywalker” because it was COMPLETELY a Jedistormpilot movie and that’s all I was there for. Those three characters.

16. Characters that you kinda ship but prefer as brotp FRIENDSHIP

since I think Katniss might be aroace,,, I wanna say Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark and don’t get wrong,,,, I do ship but more platonic ship

17. Characters that you ship and can’t imagine to be friends

Spike himself said that Buffy Summers/Angel (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) dynamic could never be friends and only friends and he’s right

18. Guilty pleasure ship

GUILT IS CRINGE!! CRINGE CULTURE IS DEAD!!! YOU SHIP THINGS TO YOUR HEART’S DELIGHT!!!!! HAVE FUN!!!

19. Ship that you never expected to ship.

I was straightbaited by Black Sails while watching as it aired and never saw Captain James Flint/Thomas Hamilton coming,,,, or them unburying the gays,,,,, I thought the whole time Thomas and James were sharing Miranda,,,

20. Ship that you liked but don’t anymore

at one point I liked Callum/Soren (The Dragon Prince) but I’m over them and I’m over that show and I don’t support Aaron fucking Ehasz

21. Ship that one day you were thinking of and thought “wait,when I started shipping it?”

I DO THAT LITERALLY WITH EVERY SHIP I HAVE

22. Ship that you immediately fall in love with after one scene despite not considering it before.

aahhhh I saw Toni Topez interact with Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale after their confrontation which was like,,,, the first time they ever spoke to each other,,,, but then the diner scene happened, and now I ship them. And they’re canon.

23. Poly ship that you ship despite not shipping some of the characters in it outside of poly ship.

I only ship Ryn/Maddie Bishop/Ben Powell with each other. That’s it. IT’S A CANON INTERRACIAL LGBT+ SHIP. IT’S REAL. I’M SO HAPPY.

24. Biggest notp

Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (DCU),,,,, oooh don’t get me fucking started

25. Favourite foe yay ship

L/Light (Death Note). That’s a classic. I know Light made sure his ass was murdered but c’mon,,, c’mon,,,, THE CREDITS TO THE LAST EPISODE THO??? DID YOU SEE THAT SHIT???? THAT WAS GAY AS HELL.

26. Characters that you like in every dynamic (lovers,friends,enemies)

we gotta go with Doctor/Master (Doctor Who),,, they’ve been all three,,,,, nobody can tell me otherwise and that’s the beauty of these two! My favorite versions are 1) Thirteen/Dhawan!Master, 2) Ten/Simms!Master, and 3) Twelve/Missy and if you add Simms!Master with the last one then it’s GOLDEN

27. Ship that you expected to ship before reading/watching franchise and you do

I saw gifs and things of Anne Lister/Ann Walker (Gentleman Jack) before I started watching and I already knew I was gonna fall in love AND I DID

28. Ship that you expected to ship before reading/watching franchise and you don’t

this might be a weird one but I really thought I was gonna ship Victor Van Dort/Victoria Everglot or Victor Van Dort/Emily (Corpse Bride) and I just didn’t for either of them. I DO HOWEVER SHIP EMILY/VICTORIA EVERGLOT.

29. Favourite crossover ship

OHHHHH we gotta go with Kate Kane/Kara Danvers (Arrowverse) like look at them look at the gay it’s like SuperBat but the female millennial version

30. Favourite canon ship

Princess Bubblegum/Marceline (Adventure Time)! I’m overjoyed they are canon! I’m not done watching all of this show but still,,,,, and that means we can get Prince Gumball/Marshall Lee to be confirmed canon too?? Yes??

31. Favourite non-canon ship

I know we can’t like CONFIRM in canon but Frodo Baggins/Samewise Gamgee are in love and there’s no denying this. They’re canon enough to me.

32. Favourite ship for hurt-comfort

All of my ships are good for hurt/comfort and whump. I don’t discriminate.

33. Ship that you ship in one installment of franchise but not in other (for example in movie,but not in the book this movie is based on)

I ship Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling in the movies for Hannibal related things, even though Will Graham exists in them, but I ship Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham for NBC’s Hannibal 100% and won’t ship them with anyone else

34. Ship that you never expected to ship when you were younger but here you are

I never expected to ship Harry Potter/Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger all together years down the road,,,,, since as a kid I flip-flopped between Ron/Hermione & Harry/Me,,,, er,,,,,,,,, I mean Harry/My OC That Was Definitely Not Me At All and Harry/Hermione but here we are

35. Ship that you have kinda love/hate relationship with

right now it’s Rue Bennett/Jules Vaughn (HBO’s Euphoria) because they’re so cute,,, they really are,,, but they can be so bad together and I hate that! I just want it to work out but Jules doesn’t understand her own feelings,,, and is kinda fucking around with Rue’s feelings,,,,,, and Rue needs to deal with her drug addiction problems first,,,, but let’s see what happens for Season 2

36. Characters that you can’t decide if you prefer as ship or brotp

okay FIRST OFF we don’t “brotp” anything no more because the term was created with homophobic connotations so replace it with “friendship” and honestly I can’t decide if I like Lucifer/Chloe Decker (Netflix’s Lucifer) as a romantic or platonic ship or somewhere between. I haven’t decided.

#ask #glove23 #long post

20 notes · View notes

actress4him · 1 year ago

Text

Whumptober 2023 - Day 23 - The Shadow of Death

This is canon 'verse and takes place after the captivity with Kane. Bruno belongs to Izzy! For this piece I used a different line of the prompt song as inspiration.

Taglist: @painful-pooch , @sssunshinebreeze

Masterlist

No. 23: “Please forgive me I’ve got demons in my head.”

Contains: dude whump, lady whump, PTSD, flashbacks, panic attacks, vaguely implied noncon, beating, stabbing, guilt, romance, mild blood, stitches

She’s not sure what started it all. A nightmare, most likely, he was lying down resting when she left him and probably fell asleep. Reasons and explanations are far from Kamaria’s mind right now, though, all she knows is that she walks back into the clearing to find Bruno deep in the throes of panic.

He’s standing, too close to the smoldering campfire for her comfort when he’s out of it like this, and he looks ready for a fight but in no condition to be in one. His forehead is soaked with sweat, turning his hairline dark. He’s panting, eyes darting around as if seeing an enemy that isn’t there, and as she watches one hand comes up to clutch at his shirt over the scars on his chest.

It hurts her heart to see him like this. He doesn’t deserve to be so afraid.

“Bruno.” She calls to him from a distance to start with, setting down the armload of firewood she gathered. He doesn’t acknowledge her presence, still lost in his memories and fears.

So she walks a little closer, getting in his line of sight, and raises her voice. “Bruno. Istulta!” Sometimes that works. Today it does not. “You’re alright. You’re safe. Can you hear me?”

He stumbles backwards, thankfully away from the fire, and spins around, putting his back to her.

He’s warned her before about getting too close to him when he’s like this. She’s never had to help him out of one this bad, and yes, he’s lunged at her a time or two, mostly when she first wakes him up from a nightmare. But he’s never hurt her. And even if he might, she can’t just leave him to suffer. Hurt is nothing new to her, anyway, she can handle it.

“Bruno.” Circling around, she approaches him slowly from the front. “Come on, amachari, you can do this. Come back to me.”

He’s looking straight past her, straight through her. Talking alone isn’t going to help. Kamaria reaches out, debating for a split second where the safest place to touch might be, then lays her hand gently on his arm.

The effect is instantaneous. His hand closes over her wrist in an iron grip, too quickly for even her normally lightning-fast reflexes to evade, and he slings her to the ground. It wrenches both her wrist and elbow, but she barely notices. She’s too busy trying to scramble back to her feet.

He doesn’t give her the chance for that, though. Before she even rolls over he’s there, punching her across the face. The force of it knocks her back to the ground.

He’s seeing her now, finally. But he sees her as an enemy.

A deeply ingrained, instinctual part of her desperately wants to pull a knife, but she can’t. It’s Bruno, and he’s not trying to hurt her. She has to stay calm, to help him however she can even if she gets hurt in the process.

Even if she wanted to fight back, he’s moving with an intensity that she rarely sees from him. He grabs her by the shoulder and slams her back into the ground, then straddles her hips, pinning her down.

All of the oxygen is suddenly sucked from her lungs. It’s no longer Bruno above her, it’s Kane. It’s happening all over again, she’s trapped underneath him, she can’t escape. She’s already broken for him but it’s never enough. He’ll never stop.

The first punch doesn’t break her from the memory. The second does, if only briefly, long enough for her to see Bruno’s face - both angry and terrified at once. She throws the arm he’s not holding down over her face, trying to protect herself, gasping and sobbing all at once.

“Bruno…Bruno please…”

He tosses that arm aside and presses it into the ground and the moment of clarity is lost. “Please…please don’t!”

There’s blood filling her mouth. Her vision is blurred, ears ringing. Kane’s voice echoes in her mind, laughing at her pain, at how pathetic she becomes as soon as he’s on top of her. She sees Bruno again, but it’s like she’s drowning, coming up for gulps of air and glimpses of reality before she’s plunged back into the turmoil of the past. His fist won’t stop coming down, over and over.

She has to stop him. Has to help him, has to stop him, he’s hurting, she can’t do this again.

A knife finds its way into her hand without her consciously deciding to draw it. She doesn’t know who is hurting her anymore, all she knows is that it has to stop, and that Bruno’s safety depends on it. With what little leverage she has from the position she’s in, she stabs upward.

The man above her cries out, almost crumples on top of her, then rolls to the side and disappears from view. The pressure on her hips vanishes, but still she struggles to breathe. Her face throbs. Kamaria turns over onto her side, wanting to get up and run far away but unable to move any farther with her head pounding and the ground spinning beneath her. She spits out a mouthful of blood, then curls into a ball, shuddering.

She wants to scream.

She does scream, and it hurts all through her nose and cheeks and temples.

“Ka-...Kamaria…”

Bruno.

Shoving her hands into the ground, she pushes herself up to sit, mind still whirling as she tries to place what just happened. There was no Kane, was there? It was only Bruno the whole time. He hurt her. But she can’t hold that against him, not when she knows exactly what it feels like to be trapped in your own head like that. He didn’t mean to. He’s not Kane, not in any capacity.

He’s going to feel terrible when he realizes what happened.

She has to go to him, though, she has to see if he’s okay now. She pulls up her hood that she uses to partially hide her face on missions, knowing it will do very little good but trying to put off the inevitable as long as possible, and crawls toward him.

He’s lying on his back, eyes filled with pain as he spots her. “Kamaria…love…are you…?”

“I’m here.” Her voice sounds raw. “I’m coming.”

As she approaches, she’s alarmed to see blood coating his shoulder. Did she…she did, didn’t she? She just barely remembers it, the feeling of the knife in her hand, the desperate need to get him off of her. She picks up her pace, half crawling, half stumbling.

“You…I heard you scream. Are you…are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” She drops down next to him, bent over the wound on his shoulder, fingers gently prodding around it. He hisses in response, neck arching.

“What…happened?”

“Don’t worry about it right now. I need to take care of this. It’s not too deep, thankfully.” It’s not through his heart, thankfully.

She gets up, swaying in place for a moment before she can see straight enough to walk over to the bag with the medical supplies. She’ll have to take care of her own wounds, eventually, but his is more pressing. Automatically she’s trying to figure out how she can keep it from him, whether or not she can wash up enough that it isn’t noticeable and how long she can keep the hood on before he gets suspicious.

He’s going to find out, though. Better she focuses on breaking the news as gently as possible.

“I feel like I’ve just run the length of Ethorcon.” He’s got his uninjured arm draped over his face. “Did you…stab me?”

“Perhaps?” Setting the bag down next to him, she rummages until she finds the alcohol and a clean cloth. “This will sting.”

Bruno grits his teeth as the liquid sloshes over the wound, letting out a quiet groan while she begins to pat the area clean. “I’m so confused. I was just lying there, waiting for you to come back with the firewood, thinking about dinner, and…”

He’s starting to understand, she can tell by the way he trails off. “I was afraid. When…when I woke up bleeding, before I ever realized I was injured or heard you scream, I felt afraid.” His arm drops to the ground and he turns his head to look at her. Kamaria keeps her head carefully ducked toward her work. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

She gives a sympathetic smile that he probably can’t really see, split lip smarting in response. “I think you must have had a nightmare. You were awake when I got back, but…”

He lets that sink in for a moment. “Right. That…explains why I’m so exhausted now.” He’s too quiet, still thinking, trying to make sense of it all.

Setting the cloth and bottle to the side, she gets out the needle and thread. “I need to sterilize this.”

The fire that they were supposed to be stoking to cook dinner is nothing but coals, so she busies herself throwing in a couple of the pieces of wood she’d brought and stirring up some flames to hold the needle in. Her body aches with exhaustion, as well. After this, she’ll rest. They both deserve a good rest.

“You stabbed me.”

She turns her head slightly toward him. “Yes. I…I’m sorry.”

“Kamaria, did I…?”

She’s frozen in place, unable to respond. She wants to say no, of course not, she’s fine. But he hates it when she lies about being hurt.

“It’s…you…” She swallows and shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have tried touching you. It was the wrong choice.”

“Kamaria…” He sits up and starts scooting toward her. She keeps her back to him, hands clenched into fists.

“You need to lie back down. You’re going to make it bleed and I’ll have to clean it all over again. This needle is ready, I’ve got to sew you up.”

“Please look at me, love.” He’s sitting right behind her, and the pain in his voice makes her chest hurt. His hand comes up and lightly grasps her hood. She tenses, but doesn’t move to stop him.

Ever so gently, he tugs it off. She ducks her head as she finally turns to face him.

Bruno swears under his breath. “Kamaria. I don’t…I didn’t…”

“You didn’t mean it.” Tear-filled eyes come up to lock with his. “I’m not upset with you, you weren’t trying to hurt me.”

“But I did!” She can see the anger growing in him, fists clenching, ready to hit something until his knuckles bleed as if he can punish himself for his mistakes.

She knows he’s hurting, but she can’t take it right now. Quickly reaching out, she grabs onto his wrist. “Please, please don’t get angry. I can’t…” She can’t handle seeing that expression on his face again, not this soon. “It wasn’t your fault. If it was anyone’s, it was mine, you told me I shouldn’t touch you and I did anyway.” She will again, too, if she thinks it will help him, but that’s a discussion for another time. “And this is nothing compared to…I stabbed you. I could have killed you.”

“I deserved to be stabbed.”

“No, you didn’t. You could never.” She says it firmly, but hunches over after, sucking in a shaky breath. “I didn’t even know what I was doing. I was…confused, you were on top of me and I couldn’t think straight and…I could have killed you!”

“I was on t-...” He cuts himself off and tips his head back to stare up at the sky. “Please, please tell me I didn’t.”

She squeezes his wrist tighter, blinking away the memories of that moment that press at her mind. “It’s okay. Please, you’re…you’re making a bigger deal out of my pain than you should. We both experienced bad memories. Yours lasted much longer. I got cuts and bruises, you got stabbed.”

“You were defending yourself.”

“So were you!”

“From a real threat. You were actually being hurt. By me.”

She shakes her head. “No, you weren’t the one I was trying to stab. If I’d been thinking clearly, if I’d known for sure that it was you, I would have fought you off another way. I would never have hurt you like that…just like you never would have me.”

Looking up at him, she tugs his arm a little to get his eyes on her. They look as wet as hers feel. “We both got hurt because of being stuck in our memories. Neither one of us are at fault.” It certainly doesn’t feel that way, when her knife is still laying nearby with his blood on the blade, but it’s what needs to be said at the moment. “Now please, let me take care of your shoulder before it bleeds any more.”

Lips pressed together, he gives a solemn nod. They spend the next several minutes in silence as she expertly stitches the wound shut and ties it off, dousing it with alcohol one more time to be safe before wrapping his shoulder in a clean white bandage.

He catches her hand in his as she starts putting things away. “Now it’s my turn.”

“You don’t have to -”

“Let me do this.”

She nods, placing her hands in her lap as he gets out a new cloth and pours some of the alcohol onto it. One hand comes up to cup her chin and she stiffens for an instant. Bruno pauses, waiting without touching until she lets out a breath and whispers, “I’m okay.”

His touch is gentle and feather-light, carefully dabbing at her split lip and cheek and bloody nose until they’re clean. He takes a sweet-smelling salve from the bag and spreads it across the cuts and bruises.

“I’m afraid there’s not much I can do for the swelling at this point. Hopefully it will go down soon.”

She helps him repack the bag, then they sit silently for another moment, each staring at the other’s wounds. In the quiet, the exhaustion has settled fully over her, weighing her down. She imagines he feels much the same.

“Will you hold me?”

“Are you sure you want me to?”

Kamaria gives him a half-hearted glare for still thinking ill of himself, then reaches out to take his hand. “I think we both need it.”

Without another word, he holds his arms open, and she moves forward to curl up against his chest, watching his reaction to make sure he’s comfortable with it. Gingerly, he lays them both down next to the remains of the fire.

They both fall asleep entwined in each other’s arms.

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

Vaya translations -

Istulta = idiot

Amachari = loved one

4 notes · View notes