#controlling caretaker

[jordanstrophe]

"I'll ask you one last time, whumpee. Get in the car!" Caretaker barked from the car window.

"Not a chance! I hardly know you. You could be working for whumper for all I know." Whumpee crossed their arms in defiance and partial insecurity. Caretaker sighed and took a breath. "Okay, then I'll give you two options."

Whumpee gave a small smile, thinking they won something.

"Option one is you get in the car, no fuss and no kicking. Option two is I use every ounce of strength I have to get you in this car. You can trust me, I intend to get you in this car one way or another."

Whumpee's smile disappeared, realizing they won nothing.

[whump-galaxy]

“Can you remember anything?”

“…I don’t want to.”

[lumpywhump]

mind controlled whumpee who can't trust themself. Whumper can hack into whumpee's head whenever. Whumpee, while fighting whumper with their weapon, has to worry about if they're going to turn in their team mates. Maybe they don't know whumpers limitations so they always have to be on high alert. And then the after math. When whumpee wakes up and sees what they have done. It doesn't matter if caretaker says whumper did it. It was still whumpee's body. If they were strong enough, they would be able to break free, right?

[stagelightwhump]

Whumpee with a mind control collar that only activates for Whumper's voice.

Whumpee learning to associate Whumper's voice with a complete and total loss of control.

Whumpee who feels uncomfortable and stifled, post rescue, if they have to wear anything around their neck.

Whumpee who, upon hearing Whumper's voice in public one day, mentally shuts down, wrenches themself away from Caretaker, and throws themself at Whumper's feet like they'd been trained to.

[marvel-ous-whump]

Magical Mind Control that completely shuts down a Whumpee's mind. leaving them a obedient shell when "Activated" by Whumper. and in a deep, magical sleep when "Deactivated." When Caretaker finds them and rescues them, it takes days for Whumpee to come out from under Whumper's magical influence.

Post Rescue timeline: Days 1-4; Whumpee just floats in darkness. It's quiet, heavy and blissful. Day 5: Whumpee becomes distantly aware of a voice talking to them. it's not Whumper, but comforting none the less. Day 8: Whumpee manages to open their eyes a little. but everything is blurry. Someone's holding them, a hand is in their hair, Whumpee doesn't quite know who it is, but they know they trust this person more than anyone else in the world. Day 12: A light goes off in Whumpee's brain like a lighthouse in pea soup fog. Caretaker! It's Caretaker who's with them. they wish they could speak Caretaker's name, but they're just so Sleepy, they don't have the energy.

Day 13: Whumpee comes to breifly when Caretaker's gently spoon-feeding them some soup. giving Caretaker a feeble smile. Day 15: Whumpee finally wakes up clear-headed and lucid to a teary-eyed Caretaker, hoarsely whispering "Hey."

[fleur-a-whump]

Overloaded (#5)

Rocky Reunions Pt. 2

More Kai being grumpy plus his team!!

previous | masterlist | next

CW: uhh shock collar, mentioned electrocution, whumpee paraded around, ex-villain whumpee, hero whumper, hero caretakers

Kai plops into the auditorium seat next to Elijah, letting out a long suffering sigh. His partner chuckles slightly, accustomed to his moodiness and drama, but when he catches a glimpse of Kai’s tight expression, he stops.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, as the Hero League Director and council walk out on the stage. They take their seats at the curved council table, outfitted with microphones and interrupted by a tall center podium, settling in to conduct the briefing.

Kai shakes his head, not wanting to get into it when the meeting is about to start. Elijah gives him a look.

“Later,” he promises, softening, giving him a small, reassuring smile.

Elijah nods and turns to the stage as the meeting begins.

Director Jaida Murphy stands tall and composed at the center podium, her serious face breaking easily into a winning smile once the auditorium has settled. Her voice is loud and clear over the speakers, swiftly silencing any lingering murmurs of the crowd.

“Thank you all for coming to this month’s briefing. We have many things to cover on the docket today so let’s go ahead and get going. First and foremost, Secretary Cho, will you read the previous meeting’s minutes?” she says, turning to the older gentleman at the end of the row, who’s set up with a steno machine.

Kai zones in and out of the tedious meeting. He’s well-practiced in discerning the useless and important parts and is assured by the knowledge that Lizzy, another member of his team, is an obsessive and thorough note-taker. If he accidentally zones out for something important, he can goad her into sharing her notes with him. Though he’d rather avoid the teasing that comes along with that.

He snaps back to attention at the words “villain reform initiative.”

“As you all know, a major responsibility of this organization is to invest in the effective reform of the villains we encounter while protecting the city. Team Delta is currently spearheading a new project which both makes use of insider information from some of the most devious crime syndicates in Hyperion City and actively reforming a major villain, directing his abilities towards the greater good. To tell us more about this new program, please welcome Miguel Toro, and Jasper Lane, also known as Tinker.”

There’s polite applause, underlined by suspicious murmuring, as the two join the council on the stage. Director Murphy steps aside and the two take her place at the podium. Jasper stands just behind Miguel, his face carefully neutral. Kai can make out that the kid is still slightly green after seeing it earlier. He doubts anyone else picks up on it though. He hopes he doesn’t get sick on stage.

What catches his attention most, and likely everyone else’s, is the collar still tightly fastened around his neck. He’d changed his shirt since Kai saw him, now wearing what could be scrubs—or a prisoner’s top—with a v-neck that puts the collar on prominent display. The brazen showcase makes Kai nauseous. It doesn’t sit well with him, no matter what Jasper has done.

He watches the kid's Adam's apple bob against it in anxiety. Kai’s skin prickles as he remembers how badly the electricity hurt him, second hand. He wonders how often they use it.

“Hello,” Miguel says, loudly, firmly, in an attempt to settle the whispers still rippling through the auditorium. He’s not nearly as effective as the Director, but it does quiet some.

“Thank you for allowing us to present this project to you today. Jasper has been working with us for about six months, and we can report only positive results from this venture. He’s used his technopath abilities to improve our equipment and assist on over two dozen missions, most notably with data recovery from the Blitz Family Warehouse reconnaissance mission down at the Wharf last month. Most importantly, as Jasper is the son of old school villain Nero and protege of Psychosis, Jasper has supplied us with invaluable intelligence from within the crime empires these two are orchestrating.”

Kai raises an eyebrow. He knew Tinker was trained by Psychosis, which was intimidating enough, but the kid is also Nero’s son? Nero had essentially been an untouchable keystone in one of the largest syndicates in Hyperion for like 25 years.

No wonder they wanted to keep him close.

“Jasper has restricted, supervised access to technology and his powers. His movement is also restricted and his location is tracked. Jasper has performed very well within these safety precautions and has been a very useful tool in our belt. We believe with properly tailored boundaries and effort made on both sides, this program is replicable with other villains.”

So, you’re just not going to mention the fucking shock collar? Kai scoffs quietly.

He’s sure the only reason Jasper hasn’t wreaked havoc on the whole tower is they’ve been electrocuting him. Miguel is just peacocking; putting lipstick on the pig that, knowing him, he probably staked his whole career on. He’s been trying to move up the ranks for years.

He watches Miguel bring Jasper forward with what could be a supportive hand on his back, but looks to Kai more like a possessive grip on the back of his neck. Miguel opens the floor to questions, giving non-answers and continuing to speak about Jasper as if he wasn’t there. Jasper stands quietly, entirely stoic through even some of the crueler questions and discussion of his crimes and background. One question does get Kai’s attention though.

“How did this idea come about?”

Miguel stiffens a bit. “We arrested Jasper in the field, and it was my idea to work with him rather than just shuffle him off to prison.”

Kai just barely catches Jasper’s face twitch. He recalls Jasper saying he came to the heroes. He sort of hates that he feels more inclined to believe the villain over the hero.

Then someone finally has the guts to ask about the collar. This time Jasper's response, another twitch like he's holding back a grimace, is more noticeable.

“It's simply a tracking device, fashioned this way to minimize Jasper's opportunities to tamper with it, given that he is technologically inclined.”

Kai nearly jumps out of his seat at that. There's no way he just lied like that. He wouldn't be surprised if a collar like that could kill someone without an affinity for electricity, and Miguel wants to pretend it's just a tracking device?

If he wasn't sure there was something wrong with the whole scenario before, he certainly is now.

Listening to Miguel drone on for the next ten minutes just pisses Kai off more and more. It’s a good thing the presentation was the last order of business. Much longer, and the cups of coffee and water bottles around him would’ve started boiling and bursting as his emotions fueled his powers. Kai’s one of the first people out the door, slamming it open as hard as he can and storming some ways down the hall.

~~~

Kai wants so badly to label Tinker as a villain who should be in prison. He wants to fall back on the comfort of a black and white world that’s been drilled into him by his League training, and not think about the image of the shaking and whimpering villain on the floor just an hour ago. But the whole spectacle made Kai a little queasy; now, he can’t blame Jasper for puking his guts out. And the way Miguel so clearly sees him as a tool, a means to an end to advance his career makes Kai see red. Partly on Jasper’s behalf, partly out of his hatred of Miguel and the politics of the League, and partly out of frustration with himself for caring about, worrying about the infuriating villain.

Kai couldn’t remember ever hearing him speak when they fought—his mask, which covered the lower half of his face, didn’t really allow for it he supposed—but he always got the feeling the kid was laughing at him. That, combined with the way Kai’s powers could actually make Jasper stronger, his electricity more powerful, and how damn fast he was without that even being his power, made every fight so annoying that he’d complain about it till Elijah got sick of it and told him to move on.

Speak of the devil, he hears his partner jogging up behind him as he angrily paces. He stops, forcing himself to let out a long, frustrated sigh as he leans against the wall of the hallway he’d found himself in. Elijah leans against the wall next to him.

“Sooo, I had to set my coffee down during Miguel’s speech because it was getting hotter. Which, y’know, isn’t how that usually works. Wanna talk about it?”

Kai huffs out a light laugh in spite of himself. His boyfriend definitely knows him well.

“Sorry. It was just—well, you know how I feel about Miguel in the first place,” he begins.

Elijah purses his lips. “Mhmm,” he hummed. He’s been hearing about how Kai felt about Miguel since they were in sidekick training together.

“Well, so, I was in one of the bathrooms before the meeting and somebody was throwing up in there, and it was Jasper. Well, before I knew his name was Jasper. I thought, y’know, fucking villain in the Heroes League! And, uh, remind me to tell Mari I burst some more pipes, please,” Kai rambles.

Elijah chuckled. “Will do.”

Kai runs his hands through his hair, putting the thick, dark curls up in a bun to give himself something to do as he speaks. “But, yeah, Jasper told me he was on Miguel’s team, and I went with him to check it out. Halfway there, he just fucking collapsed, twitching and shaking in pain. He was being electrocuted! That wasn't a damn tracker, it was a fucking shock collar!” he exclaims.

“Oh shit,” his partner murmurs. “Miguel lied?”

Kai shakes his head in anger. “Yeah, big surprise. It’s definitely a shock collar, and he’s petrified of it, and they definitely use it. The shock I saw was apparently just a warning.”

“I mean, while I don’t agree with the method, maybe it's a rare thing? They thought he was running away while he was in the bathroom? If he’s confined to their level, I can’t imagine they’d have reason to use it much. Tinker never struck me as the kind to rock the boat with that kind of threat hanging over his head.”

Kai shakes his head again, though he knows Elijah could very well be right. And Tinker is a villain. He’s definitely done bad things.

“I don’t know. I know I shouldn’t care; it’s great that we’re getting intelligence on Nero and Psychosis. And whatever is going on with the “project,” it’s probably better than prison. But I don’t know, something about it is really bugging me. I keep picturing him shaking on the floor,” he finishes quietly, some of the anger ebbing from his body in the calming presence of his partner, only to be replaced by worry—which is almost worse.

Kai tries desperately to find a way to better explain himself, the knot in his stomach that was growing bigger and bigger the more he thought about the kid.

“It’s also just, the whole spectacle, putting him on display and talking about him like he wasn’t even there. He’s obviously just a political pawn for Miguel.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that. It was pretty gross.”

Kai nods. “I don’t know; it pisses me off because I feel bad for him, but he’s a villain, so I shouldn’t, but I definitely do and—ugh.” He runs his hands across his face only to slide them into his hair and tug, totally overwhelmed with the conflict twisting his stomach.

Elijah takes the pause in his rambling to step in front of him and gently pull his hands from his scalp. His thumbs rub soothing little circles across them, as he says, “Hey, first of all, it’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling. You saw someone in pain, and that felt bad, and that’s a good thing. If it’ll make you feel better, maybe we can find a way to visit him. Just to check in? That team asks for extra manpower all the time. They’re hardly balanced.”

“Yeah, okay, that sounds good.”

Kai sighs dramatically, “Damn moral compass.”

Elijah laughs. “Oh, yeah, you poor thing, you have compassion for other human beings.”

The teasing finally pulls an involuntary smile from Kai, and he gently takes Elijah’s chin for a chaste kiss that’s all goofy grins.

“Thanks, Eli.”

“Anytime,” Elijah says, leaning in for another kiss.

Suddenly there’s a loud groan he’d recognize anywhere from down the hall. Kai reluctantly, a little self-consciously, turns his attention to his team coming down the hall—the other three members having finally tracked the two lovebirds down. The groan definitely came from Isla, the young ginger pyromaniac of the team.

Elijah’s not having it though and pulls Kai back with a soft hand on his cheek.

This time it’s Lizzy’s turn to complain, loudly. “Get a fucking room!”

Kai breaks the kiss to laugh at that, and Elijah gives up. He turns to the team, pouting, “Y’all never let me have any fun.”

He chuckles, but still rubs Elijah’s arm in a simple apology, wordlessly promising to make up for it later. He lets himself be pulled into carefree conversation with his team, doing his best to ignore the knot still settled in his stomach, and the image of Jasper convulsing on the floor still imprinted in his brain.

~~~

I can now show y’all funny little bit of speed brain dump that manifested his and elijah’s dynamic

Kai is not fuckin happy to have a villain in the hero building

Kai witnesses some of the abuse

Kai: Elijah (boyf) help I'm not used to being conflicted like this what is happening to me

Elijah: it's called empathy babe.

Kai: WELL I DONT LIKE IT

Bonus scene w/ Kai’s team and Mira: “Did you have to burst the pipes again, Kai?” “Well, I wasn’t gonna use the fuckin’ toilet water.” “What’s the difference?” “Yuck, you used the sewage water, Kai?” “I know which pipes are clean assholes!” *giggling* “Goddamn, how many times have you burst the bathroom pipes that you just know which ones are clean?” *angry waterboy grumbling*

~~~

tags!! hello friends!! lmk if you wanna be added or removed!!

@whumpsday @sergeant-jasper @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @crystalrose141 @aloafofbreadwithanxiety

@paingoes @elizaisnotokay @quaggasus @defire @tonystark604

@writereleaserepeat @whump-queen @clickerflight @gliittergelpens @kawaii-cakes

@whump-in-a-million @scoundrelwithboba @idkwhattodowiththisaltiamsorry @vampiresprite

[whumpshaped]

Caretaker being a vampire with all its accompanying guilt and shame who wants nothing to do with their curse, and whumpee being someone with a torrential past with vampires. An odd duo, but they make it work. One night whumpee is a pacing, unable to sit still, pathetically trying to self-soothe, anxious wreck. Caretaker realizes they can, in fact, help quell the raging fear within whumpee’s gut by entrancing them for a little bit. Whumpee is a bit put off, but eventually accepts the offer out of sheer desperation to feel calm.

aka whumpee and caretaker taking a piece of their power back by whumpee letting someone take control in a safe environment, and caretaker taking control in a way that isn’t inherently inhumane.

tw vampire caretaker, dehumanisation, self-loathing, mind control

Caretaker tried their best to stay away from Whumpee as much as they could in the small cabin. They had found the poor human injured and barely conscious out in the snow just a week ago, and now that they were well enough to protest the care, they did so with all their might.

Thanks for saving me, but I don’t want a vampire anywhere near me.

Caretaker wished they’d had a retort, but there was nothing to say, really. It wasn’t like they would’ve wanted a vampire near them, and they were one themself. They simply agreed to stay as far from Whumpee (and their neck and blood) as possible until the snow melted enough for the road to be safe. After that, they’d go their separate ways.

“Is that… human blood?” Whumpee asked one day when they opened the fridge. Caretaker nodded mutely. “Wonderful. Just… wonderful! Am I gonna end up in the fridge?”

“I stole them from a hospital,” they admitted quietly.

“Even better! I wonder how many people had to die as a result of that.”

“I know you’d rather me starve to death,” Caretaker said a little bitterly. “It’s understandable. I get it. But can you just hold off on that sentiment for a few more days?”

“Sure. Anything to make you comfortable.”

The following evening was unbearably tense. Whumpee couldn’t sit still, they were pacing around the living room like a poisoned rat with extra anxiety. Caretaker had watched them from behind their book for at least half an hour before the idea popped into their head, and another hour before they dared mention it.

“I could help put you to sleep,” they offered gently. Whumpee barked out a laugh.

“Just what I need. I mean, being a mindless thrall is a step up from being anxious, isn’t it?”

Caretaker bit their lower lip and looked back at the pages. “I just thought I’d offer. Sorry.”

Whumpee scoffed. “Yeah, well, I’m not interested.”

As the hours passed, and Whumpee got more and more agitated, Caretaker noticed they started glancing in their direction more and more often. They looked like they were considering the offer. Caretaker didn’t say a word, though, not wanting to embarrass them or seem pushy. 

Eventually, Whumpee caved. “Fine.”

Caretaker blinked. “Fine?”

Whumpee rolled their eyes. “I’ll… I’ll let you use your hypnosis powers on me. I’m… really tired, and I just… I’m really tired. I can’t sleep. My feet hurt. If you can make it all go away, I’m… willing to give it a go.”

“If you’re sure,” Caretaker said carefully, setting their book aside. “It won’t make you a mindless thrall, I promise.”

“All the better.” 

The human took a few minutes to actually follow through and settle on the sofa next to them. They were stiff as a board, flinching violently when Caretaker tried to reach out and touch them.

“I thought you just needed eye contact?” they asked defensively. “Don’t touch me.”

“It works better with skin to skin contact. Quicker. Less time spent with me awkwardly staring into your eyes while you glare at me.”

“I don’t need it to work quickly. I just need it to work, and I need you not to touch me.”

Caretaker let their hand fall back into their lap. “As you wish. This should feel nothing but pleasant and soothing.”

They looked into Whumpee’s eyes, focusing on finding a way into their mind. It was difficult with how guarded and hostile they were, but they eventually found a little crack, a desire to be cared for and helped. 

“Is this it?” Whumpee asked, voice laced with cynicism. “I don’t feel anything.” Despite their words, Caretaker could already see them stifling a yawn.

“You will,” they said softly. “If you want to. And I think you do. All you want is some good, restful sleep.” As they poked around further, widening that crack and flooding Whumpee’s brain with peace and quiet, they realised Whumpee hadn’t slept too well on any given day in the past week. “And no wonder. You’ve been so restless. Were you scared to sleep?”

“Of course I was,” they said easily. Their voice had less of an edge to it, and they ever so slightly started leaning towards Caretaker. “I was in the same house as… as a vampire…” 

Caretaker tried reaching out again, and this time, Whumpee didn’t protest. The poor human felt so fragile as they guided them to lie down on the sofa, head in their lap, and Caretaker wondered how they’d managed to keep going until now. “There’s no need to be afraid anymore,” they cooed, carding their fingers through Whumpee’s hair as they talked. “You can rest now. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Safe…” they murmured.

“So safe. You just close your eyes and sleep, alright? I’ll wake you later, once you’re well-rested.”

[poppiesforthirteen]

i don't get people who don't like looms because "when two time lords love each other very much they send a formal application to the council to use a machine that is in their house" is so much funnier than a nuclear family

[whump-in-the-closet]

Whumper stands a distance away from Whumpee, Caretaker in between them.

Caretaker looks back and forth. They fold their arms, trying their best to look immovable. A force. Somebody to reckon with, because who else would raise a finger for Whumpee?

If you want to get to them you have to go through me.

Whumper smiles softly, all sharp canines and sketched teeth.

“That’s heroic. Really it is,” Whumper doesn’t consider themselves cruel. Just practical.

Practically, they didn’t need to take another step towards the shaking Whumpee.

“Whumpee,” they say, “Crawl to me.”

Whumpee whimpers, flinching against the wall. Then they stiffen, every joint cracking to attention as if they’d been slapped. “Sorry,” they whisper but Caretaker doesn’t know who it’s directed to. Then, slowly, they drop to their hands and knees. They crawl across the concrete, leaving dragged bloodstains on the grey behind them.

Caretaker makes a noise more animal than human.

No.

Whumper chuckles. “Why, yes.”

[entity56]

We all know about mind controlled Whumpees, but what about mind controlled Caretakers?

Whumpee had just started to fully trust Caretaker, feel safe around them, when Whumper got their hands on them. Now, out of the blue, Caretaker seemingly turns on Whumpee. They use the same insults and tactics and commands as Whumper, and they seem exactly the same as Whumper was. Maybe this is momentary, just to give them a scare, or maybe it lasts long enough to give Whumpee the sensation of going through what they'd just gotten out of again. And when Caretaker finally comes out of it, Whumpee is either gone, or (physically/mentally) severely injured and won't even look them in the eye.

[normalbrothers]

TOMMY: The war is done! Shut the door on it like I did.

[jordanstrophe]

Whumpee was rescued by caretaker after they were kidnaped. They were eternally gratefully to say the least and caretaker seemed thrilled with the attention.

Later whumpee found a misplaced letter that detailed their kidnapping so well it was like whoever wrote it was there.

That... Or this was the script; written in caretaker's handwriting.

[whump-galaxy]

The whumpee trying so hard to fight off something mentally, either exhaustion, brainwashing, some kind of drug to enhance or prohibit their powers, etc. They know they can’t fight it off forever, so they warn their caretaker(s) to leave them.

[whumppromptoftheday]

after captivity whumpee continues to stick to whumper's routine. even when caretaker tries so hard to break the habits whumper beat into them

[myimaginationplain]

do you ever think about how Ohkubo extremely casually dropped the fact that Spirit & Kami were teen parents & then proceeded to never expound upon that fact or bring it up ever again despite it explaining a whole lot about them & Maka

[hurtmyfavsthanks]

spinning off of the death being peaceful idea, what about possession? like. character is possessed, and instantly thrown into a bone deep peace, floating in darkness away from their body, oscillating between the void that held them and awakening within their own most peaceful memories. after they’re freed, the can’t sleep. they’d always had anxiety, but after feeling what it was like to be safe…they couldn’t function.

(context)

Oh I love that!! Honestly I’m a big fan of ideas that focus on Whumpee’s mental state and experience while being possessed/mind controlled/ect. I think it can be very interesting, not to mention what sort of recovery would be needed after. It’s a niche interest but VERY high on my list of favorite tropes. 

I really like this idea, because it makes possession tempting to some capacity. It’s helplessness yes, but it’s helplessness that comes with a level of relief you couldn’t get otherwise. It’s control that makes you miss it afterwards, even after you’ve come back to your senses. And I’m so normal about that (lying). 

Just like, imagine. A team coming into fight a superpowered Whumper, unsure of what exactly they’ll face but armed to the teeth and hopefully ready for whatever they’ll face. 

There are more dangerous people on the team than Whumpee. There’s the powerful leader and their trusted second in command, both staring ahead with sharp eyes and trained confidence. There’s the medic standing near, prepared to offer support at a moment’s notice. The team would be greatly hindered with the loss of any one of them. But Whumper isn’t looking for the short term victory.

When Whumper’s eyes glow with power, when their hand extends towards their opponents, it’s Whumpee that they point to.

There’s a reason for it. The shadows beneath their eyes, the anxious wringing of their hands, the perpetual look of worry plastered on their face even before the battle began…one look at Whumpee and Whumper knows exactly who they’re dealing with. Whumper knows their type very, very well.

Whumpee feels the domination like a chill that settles on their body and refuses to leave. A chill that grabs onto their very being and pulls them down. Down beyond their body and the ground beneath them, down into  a darkness miles away from their team. 

 The last thing Whumpee does before their eyes go blank is let out a startled, choked scream.

Whumpee had expected it to hurt. They’d prepared for it, every muscle tightening in the millisecond between realizing they’d been targeted and succumbing to Whumper’s power. But the force pulling their mind down never tightens to the point of agony. Whumpe isn’t crushed, but embraced, swatted in a grip that's both gentle and inescapable. 

 It doesn't hurt. Despite the chill they’d felt, the darkness they’re sinking into isn’t cold. It’s warm and cozy, like the tempting comfort of their bed on a cold morning. They can’t hear the tense voices of their teammates or even their own pounding heartbeat. The dark is silent, but not unplesantly so.

It’s peaceful.

And I LOVE the idea of their positive memories being used to trap them. In the brief moments where their consciousness isn’t entirely engulfed in peaceful silence, Whumpee is surrounded by their friends. Smiling and peaceful and happy, not a hint of stress on any of their features. When the darkness splits apart, Whumpee finds themselves reliving the most comforting moments, surrounded by joy and free from stress. 

Whumpee knows something is wrong. They haven’t forgotten Whumper, haven’t forgotten those finally, terrifying moments before they were overcome. And yet the terror that should come with that memory never comes. There isn’t an ounce of fear or stress left in them, as if those emotions remained in their now distant body. Even their usual anxiety—the constant vigilante their work required, the general worries and stresses of life—had simply vanished into thin air. 

Whumpee felt light, as if the very concept of fear had been stripped from their mind. There were no worries about the future or even the present, no discontentment. They hadn’t felt that content in their entire life. 

There, embraced by that peace, it’s hard to care about something happening so, so far away from them. It’s easier to snuggle into the warmth, embrace the peace, and rest. 

The next time they open their eyes—their eyes, the ones sat in the body they’d been locked out of for minutes or hours or days—Whumpee is on the ground. 

They hurt. They’re becoming aware of throbbing aches across their body, something wet and warm dripping down their face. They can feel snapped bones in their fingers, pulsing with the heartbeat that sounds too loud in their ears. Whumpee’s body was returned to them bruised and aching. 

Their heart is pounding, mind swirling with disorientation and growing dread. Their fear pours back into them alongside the pain. 

It takes a moment for their vision to clear. When it does, they see Caretaker’s face above them. There’s tears in their eyes, expression warped with fear and hope. They’re bleeding, littered with bruises just like Whumpee is. 

Slowly, with Caretaker’s help, they sit up. Their teammates look down at them with worry and poorly hidden anxiety. Whumper is nowhere to be seen. 

They all return to their base, eventually. Whumpee doesn’t remember anything of the fight, They only remember the quiet, peaceful rest.  But the bruises on their fists match those on Leader’s face. Their body aches from a struggle they can’t remember, there’s blood under Whumpee’s nails that they know isn’t their own. 

Whumpee doesn’t ask what Whumper made them do. They let their eyes glaze over as they’re debriefed, mind skittering away from that painful truth. Nobody pushes them to remember. 

It’s difficult, trying to return to normalcy. Everything is simply overwhelming. Whumpee’s filled with a constant anxiety that can’t shake, their nerves burning with a newfound sensitivity. Their body aches with the evidence of a fight they don’t remember, making proper rest impossible to achieve. They can’t stop noticing the worried glances their team gives them, the bruises still lingering on their bodies. 

Whumpee can’t stop noticing the way Caretaker flinches when Whumpee moves too quickly around them, only to hide it behind a guilty smile. The guilt Whumpee feels at the sight hurts most of all. 

It’s exhausting. Existing, suddenly, is overwhelmingly exhausting. They’re on edge like they’ve never been before, guilt and pain burning holes in their mind. 

Whumpee misses the quiet. They miss the peace helplessness provided, the safety from the anxiety they’re constantly faced with. It makes them sick, sends a nauseating wave of self loathing up their throat, and yet that feeling itself only makes the longing stronger. 

Nothing compares to it. No amount of sleeping medication desperately swallowed, no amount of weighted blankets, nothing can recreate that serenity. Whumper gave them a taste of true, pure peace, and now their mind cannot settle for anything less. 

Whumper isn’t surprised when, two weeks later, Whumpee crawls back to them like a sick dog. 

They look horrible. The deep eyebags carved into their eyes are darker than the bruises still littering their body. They’ve lost weight since Whumper last saw them. 

Whumpee looks exhausted. They look disgusted with themselves, a look of self loathing etched into their face. They look desperate. 

They look exactly like Whumper expected them to. Whumper knows their type very well. 

This time, Whumpee doesn’t flinch as Whumper calls their power. They don’t brace themselves for pain. 

This time, the last thing Whumpee does before being submerged is gasp out a sob of relief.