Whumptober Day 6
Ace x Reader
Warning: implied loss in accident
Edit: forgot this was requested by anon, oops
"Spark on the wire~ fuel on the fire~ preach to the choir~ do~ or die..."
"I know you could sing!" Ace exclaimed revealing himself once you finished singing.
"Ace?" You jumped around to see him. "How long have you- why are you holding your phone?"
"I'm gonna upload this to YouTube~" Ace said, a giant smirk tugging on his lips.
"Oh no you don't!" You climbed off your bed and started charging at him as he ran away laughing.
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"Come on [Y/n], just give it a try," Ace said as the recording started. "You saw how many views the last one got, people will love to hear your voice again."
"I don't know..." You adjusted the headphones around your neck. "You sure it wasn't because of the end of the video that people kept watching it?"
"I'm sure, you got an amazing voice, you just need to get it out there." Ace smiled at you from behind the camera. His smile made you smile, even if it was a small smile you gave.
"Alright... here goes nothing." You put your headphones on and let the music take over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, alright, how does it feel to have your first gig offer at 20k subscribers?" Ace asked holding the camera up to get your reaction.
"I can hardly believe it," you laughed, leaning your head on the back of your chair. "Are you sure this isn't a dream?"
"Would you like me to pinch you?"
"Sure."
Ace moved closer and pinched your arm.
"Ow! Not that hard," you whined rubbing your arm.
"You asked for it," Ace chuckled backing up so the camera wasn't in your face, he then turned it around to face him. "She asked for it."
"Oh yeah? Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!"
"Woah shit!" Ace started running out of the room, camera still facing him as he rushed out of there. From certain angles, the camera caught you chasing after him from behind. "I didn't ask for this!"
"You did with a smug smirk of yours!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Acccce, there's so many people out there," you whispered walking over to him, holding your mic in your hand.
"This is nothing, [Y/n]," Ace reassured, accidentally getting his hand in the camera's frame. "Way more people watch you sing on YouTube." At least, he's trying to reassure you. Your grip on the mic tightened and you held it closer to your chest. Taking notice of this, he moved the camera away from his face so you could see him. "Hey, you're gonna be alright, just find me in the crowd and act like you're in our chill cave, they even got the same lighting as the place."
You glanced up at Ace before wrapping your arms around him. He hugged you back for good luck, only letting go when the lights went down.
"I better get to my seat now. Don't worry, you'll do great out there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You'll never make me." You turned your back to the camera.
"[Y/n], this a ticket to your dream city!" Ace reminded you as he waved the plane tickets. "They're first class and everything."
"I'm afraid of heights."
"Since when?" Ace questioned, putting the tickets down.
"Since always."
"How come I never knew before?"
"Because we've never been up somewhere high before?"
"What about the top of the monkey bars?"
"That's not 10 thousand miles in the air!" You stated, turning back to the camera.
"Okay it's not that high-"
"You're right, it's probably even higher!" You spun around again and fell back on your bed. You folded your arms and pouted while Ace walked around your bed and looked down at you.
"You know, for someone scared of heights, you fall down on your bed without hesitation," Ace pointed out, you grumbled and narrowed your eyes at him. He sighed and sat down next to you on your bed. "If you're nervous, you don't have to be. Trust me, with some headphones and music playing, you won't even notice where you are."
"Really?" You look at him, fragments of worry still lingering in your eyes.
"Mhm, and I'll be there by your side the entire time."
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"Because the world will never take my heart~!"
The crowd cheers after the performance ends. Ace smiles from behind the camera as he's recording you smiling and waving to the audience. Who knew you'd get this far?
"Thank you everyone!" You began, and more cheers were heard. "Alright, alright, settle down." You waited for the crowd to quiet down before you continued. "You are all so amazing, and I'm grateful you're my fans, but I never would've gotten here if it wasn't for someone, which is why I wanna say a big thank you to Ace."
"Me?" Ace whispered, surprised and caught off guard when you hopped over to him, taking his arm and pulling him on stage.
"Many of you know him if you watch my YouTube channel, he's the reason why I'm standing here today." You gave him a side hug and Ace had to adjust his hold on the camera so he could return the hug. "So thank you, Ace!"
The camera perfectly captured your smile at him, so full of life and joy, a memory he'll treasure forever.
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"So thank you, Ace!"
"Hey, bro you in here- oh sorry."
Ace paused the video and looked up at Sabo.
"Didn't mean to interrupt," Sabo apologized. He frowned as he watched Ace close his laptop.
"Nah, it's fine..." Ace pushed the laptop away from him and shifted his position in bed. "What did you need something?"
"No, I was just gonna tell you the pizza's here."
"Oh..." He dipped his head down. "Can you bring a box up for me?"
"Sure thing." Sabo headed out, leaving the door open since he'd be returning shortly.
Ace's gaze wandered around while he waited for food. Your CDs are scattered across the floor next to his radio, he'd probably pick one to play while he's eating. His hoodies you used to steal were thrown over his dresser, your scent faded from them, and even the one he wore now hardly held it anymore. His hand gripped onto your old headphones, trying to hold your presence.
"I'm back." Sabo entered his room with three pizza boxes.
"I only asked for one-"
"You don't expect me to eat two pizza boxes by myself downstairs, do you?"
"Alright..." Ace moved over to make room for Sabo to sit down and place the pizza between them. Silence laid in the room for a bit as the two ate until Sabo broke the ice.
"How long has it been since... the accident?"
"I don't know," Ace shrugged. "Each day is a blur now."
"Hmm..." Sabo hummed and finished his slice before continuing, "You know, I was in your shoes after Kuma passed. It's hard losing a friend-"
"She wasn't just a friend." Ace lowered his slice of pizza. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I just... I loved her you know... and I never got the chance to tell her how I really feel."
Sabo sighed and placed a comforting hand on his brother's back. He wishes he could say something more but alas, what do you say to someone whose heart was stolen by the world?
Tag: @bookandyarndragon @roseoftrafalgar
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"Do or Die"
Warnings: kidnapping, captivity, restraints, video recording, forced to watch, knife, blood, stabbing, mcd
Caretaker stared at the link in their inbox that they had been expecting for the last few hours. Whumper had kidnapped Whumpee hours ago, and, as usual, Whumper had sent a link to a live feed of what they were doing to Whumpee.
Why Whumper continued to do that was beyond Caretaker. It led to their capture each and every time. And Whumpee's return to safety, relatively unharmed. Today was no exception.
The team gathered around the conference room table and watched the big screen as Caretaker clicked on the link to the live feed. Whumpee sat in the center of the room, roped to a chair, the rope tied tightly at their wrists and ankles. They were ungagged--unusual for Whumper--and seemed unharmed.
"Start your trace. I want to get Whumpee as quickly as we can," Caretaker ordered the team.
"We need probably about five to ten minutes to establish the trace," Teammate One said.
Teammate Two laughed, "Good thing Whumper is going to wax poetic about all the things they are going to do to Whumpee."
Teammate One smirked as well, "They do have to give that Villain speech, don't they. They can't resist it at all."
Caretaker tried not to smile. It was true, every time Whumper had to broadcast all of the torture and pain they had planned for Whumpee before they even did anything. And it always led to them being caught. Without fail. Caretaker had begun to wonder just how much of a criminal mastermind Whumper actually was.
They had been hoping this time, of course, that Whumper would grab them. Caretaker had set themself up as bait, telling the team that they didn't want to put Whumpee at risk again.
But Whumper hadn't fallen for the bait.
Whumper entered the screen, fingering a knife sheath on their belt, as they circled Whumpee. Whumpee spoke first, eye directly at the camera. "It's ok, Caretaker. I'm ok. They haven't hurt me yet."
"Can you hear us, Caretaker?" Whumper purred as they circled Whumpee once more. "Can you see us, Caretaker?"
Whumpee rolled their eyes. "Take your time, Caretaker, Whumper's gotta be dramatic for a bit." Even Whumpee didn't seem afraid. No one viewed Whumper as a threat because of all the times they had been their own downfall.
Which is why when Whumper, circling behind Whumpee, pulled the knife from the sheath at their side and plunged it into Whumpee's chest, Caretaker couldn't believe their eyes.
Whumpee's cry of pain was strangled and brief, their eyes going wide with shock. Whumper twisted the knife as Whumpee began to slump forward, eyes going dim.
"No," Caretaker sobbed. This wasn't happening. Couldn't be happening. What happened to the pattern?
Neither Teammate One or Teammate Two could tear the gaze from the screen. Could tear their gaze from Whumpee's body, blood oozing from around the knife.
Whumper fisted Whumpee's hair and lifted, bending Whumpee's neck all the way back so they could stare into Whumpee's empty eyes. They spat on Whumpee and dropped Whumpee's head. They stalked toward the camera. "Come get your pet, Caretaker. They're useless to me now. Broken." Whumper spat the last word out with such satisfaction.
Whumper disappeared off screen. Caretaker couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening. Whumpee wasn't dead in the chair. Whumper hadn't stabbed Whumpee to death on camera. This wasn't real.
The camera zoomed in on Whumpee's face. The look of surprise hadn't had time to fade, Whumpee's eyes still wide with the edge of shock. But their eyes....Whumpee's eyes were empty and unseeing.
"Come collect this corpse, Caretaker, before I dispose of it somewhere you will never find," Whumper whispered off screen. "Don't bother looking for me. You won't find me. But I will find you when I'm ready to take my vengeance from your hide, too."
Caretaker couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. They could only sob. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. "It should have been me," they whispered to no one in particular. "It should have been me."
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No.6 "Do or die, you'll never make me, because the world will never take my heart."
@whumptober-archive
Recording | Made To Watch | "It should have been me."
A follow up to something we've not posted, around the anniversary of Fao's accident (as well as Hars' and the death of Marcus) Hars falls back into drinking and using his painkillers a little too much...
Harrison hadn't long been discharged after his relapse and poor oramorph dosing. Tai had begged him to stay at his place, promised him rides to and from his place whenever, but he needed him to stay. He'd had a small withdrawal in the scheme of things, and he was slightly grateful it had been so mild. Of course, it still took it all out of him, and with the next lot of anniversaries coming up, he didn’t have anything left.
In the end, he'd given in to Tai. It was the best option he'd been given; Steve would be at work most of the day, as would Fao, and he'd spent too many breakdowns at the Daniels to spend another. Tai hadn't run during his breakdown in hospital, and, as stupid as he knew it was, he almost felt like they'd become stronger together. Besides, he liked Tai's company, his boyfriend managing to make him laugh even when he was at the bottom.
Tai had had holidays to take regardless, so happily took those to stay off with Harrison. They'd chatted more when they were in hospital about everything, though he could tell that Harrison had censored most of it. So, of course, Tai had planned the week out - duvet days and favourite films, takeouts instead of cooking, just lazy days together. Harrison hadn't been allowed to see the full plan, but the fact Tai had even just taken the time off work meant the world to him. Emergency meds had been prescribed, just in case, and Tai kept them safe. They'd picked up everything they needed from Harrison’s, but Tai had also bought soft pjs and snugly socks for him too.
All of Tai’s little touches almost overwhelmed him; nobody had gone so far, done so much like this for him. They settled on the sofa together, Tai wrapped around Harrison and a daft film playing in the background. Food was ordered and eaten, and Harrison was, surprisingly to him, feeling a bit better when he finally drifted off.
Tai was so, so glad to have Harrison at his. It had been a whirlwind of emotions, hard to fully understand, but he knew that his boyfriend was safe and on the road to recovery, and that was what mattered. There were still things left unsaid, but there would be time for that. When they fell asleep in bed that night, Tai held him close, running a hand through his hair and promising him under his breath that he was always going to be there for him. He waited until he was sure Harrison was asleep before he finally let himself drift, warm and comfortable.
Harrison had expected a night of no sleep, just tossing and turning, but with tai by his side, somehow he didn't. It was the sun that woke him, the room starting to get bright. While his first thought was Marcus, that it should have been him with him, it was Tai as he curled up again, Tai he wanted.
Tai woke when Harrison did, humming softly. “Hey, good morning.” He greeted softly.
He pressed closer, skin against skin, just breathing in his scent. His attempt at a greeting was half-hearted, somewhere between a hum and grunt.
“Sleep okay?” He asked. “I figured we could stay in bed for a while.”
Harrison nodded against his chest, reaching his hand out to trail his fingers across Tai's bare skin. "I don't want to move."
“Let’s not, then.”
"I need to go out."
“Oh?”
"I'll just go myself, though. It's fine."
“No, it’s okay. I’ll drive you. When do you need to go?”
"You don't know the way."
“I’m sure you can direct me.”
He closed his eyes with a sigh, defeated. "Okay."
“Are you wanting to go now? Or stay in bed for a bit first?”
He wasn't sure he could manage it right that moment. "Later."
“Later.” Tai agreed. “Don’t know about you, but I’m pretty comfy.”
He absently traced his fingertips over pale skin. "I'm home."
“I hope I’m always home to you.”
He tipped his face up to kiss him softly. "Me too."
Tai smiled against his lips. “You’re pretty special, you know that? I’m lucky to have you.”
There was a sadness to his eyes. "I'm not, you know that."
“You are.”
He shook his head, kissing him gently again. "Don't be daft."
“Always daft. But I’m telling the truth.”
"Thank you."
“You want bacon for breakfast?”
"Prefer you." He muttered before his brain caught up, guilt flaring. "Yeah, bacon."
Tai laughed. “Oh, it’s like that is it?”
He hummed with a shrug. "Maybe."
“Tease.”
"I'm not the tease."
“Oh, that’s fighting talk.”
"Not looking like you." He trailed his fingers further down. "Especially topless."
He laughed again. “Well, it’s warm having you on top of me.”
"Oh, so my fault? I can leave if you're complaining."
“Never said it was a complaint.”
Harrison still pulled back from Tai, mischief in his eyes.
“Hey, come on.”
"What?" He feigned innocence.
“Come back.” He said with a pout.
"Make me."
Tai sat up, leaning forward to cup Harrison’s face and kiss him.
Harrison grinned into it, his hand moving to rest on Tai's hip. It was lazy and relaxed, just what Harrison needed to take his mind off things.
Tai melted into Harrison’s touch. He knew full well that Harrison probably wasn’t in the right headspace for this, but it was nice to show him he cared, that he still wanted him, after everything.
He pulled back with a sigh, brushing a strand of hair from Tai's face. "I do love you, you know?"
“Of course I know.” Tai said softly.
"I didn't do it because I didn't love you." Harrison couldn't meet his eyes. "I know I've said it before. I know it doesn’t make it better. But, it's true."
Tai sighed, his thumb stroking Harrison's cheek. "I know."
He leaned into his touch, letting his eyes close for a moment. With a shaky sigh, he kissed Tai's hand. "I wouldn't hate it if you drove me. But…but it's for Marcus, it's the anniversary of his…his death. I always go."
Tai could tell Harrison was close to tears, his heart breaking at the shake of his boyfriend’s voice. He swallowed thickly, though felt out of his depth. "I'd be honoured to take you. Do you take flowers?"
Harrison sat up, drawing his knee to his chest. "Sometimes. Sometimes I take some jammy dodgers, he loved them. And then the letters I've written him."
“We’ll go via the shops, then. Grab some stuff.” Tai decided.
He managed a smile, falling a little more in love with him. "Thank you."
“And we can get some stuff for us, too.”
"Yeah."
“Whatever you fancy.” Tai said, kissing his forehead.
They didn't stay in bed too much longer, swinging by the shops before heading to the cemetery. It was a little bit of a drive, Harrison was quiet on the way, and Tai didn't push it. He couldn't imagine what he was going through, and he didn't begin to pretend. He rested his hand on his thigh as he drove, hoping it would be of some comfort to his boyfriend. In response, Harrison rested his hand on Tai's, saying nothing but appreciating it all the same.
When they arrived, Tai found a parking space, and then looked over at his boyfriend. “Do you want me to wait here? Or come with? I don’t mind.”
"I, uh, I don't know." He'd never had anyone like Tai with him; Steve had brought him when he was still recovering, but then he'd always been alone.
“Why don’t I come, and then if you want to be alone you can just say and I’ll go back to the car.”
"Thank you."
He shrugged. “No need to thank me.”
"There is."
“Just doing the right thing.” Tai said, getting out of the car. He offered Harrison a hand once he was out, making sure they had the bag of stuff, and then he let his boyfriend lead the way.
Harrison didn't say anything as they walked, gripping Tai's hand. He appreciated the support, more than he'd expected, and it choked him up more than he'd thought it would.
Tai didn’t say anything either, not sure exactly what to say. He let Harrison lead the way, and as they arrived at the grave, and he hesitated. Did Harrison want him to come closer? Would he rather have a little bit of space?
"Can I have the bag?"
“Yeah, of course.” Tai said, offering it to him.
"Thanks." He took it awkwardly, taking a moment. "Could, uh, could I have a minute?"
“‘Course.” Tai said, quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"Thanks." He repeated, padding over to the grave.
He struggled to his knees and then sat, brushing a small piece of moss from the headstone. He pulled the flowers out, settling them in the small cup, making sure they were neat and tidy.
"Hey, Marcus." His voice cracked. "Tai drove me here today, you’d like him. Fao likes him, and Steve too. He bought the flowers for you, had the shop assistant go and find some biscuits too, you should have seen him. He was adamant we weren't leaving until I had them for you.
"I fucked up the other week, you'd have been so mad at me for it, told me to not be so daft. I didn't mean to start drinking again, but it was just too much and it was the easier way out." He took a shaky breath, tears falling. "I really fucking wish you were here. I really miss you. I don't know how I'm supposed to just keep living without you. You'd have done so much more than I have, I just fuck everything up. You should still be here. If I'd been a bit slower, you'd still have been here. It should have been me."
He could barely catch his breath between the sobs, and the guilt about their accident was only made worse by his want to be held by Tai, not Marcus. He turned to his boyfriend, stretching an arm out for him.
Tai had walked a little way away, giving Hars the space he needed. He stayed close enough just to hear his voice, but not what he’d said, and he’d been looking at his feet in the grass when he heard Harrison’s sobs. Looking up, he frowned, noticing how he reached out for him. He was immediately on his knees by his side, wrapping his arms around him.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
He fell into Tai's arms, gripping tightly onto his hoodie. He didn't say anything, didn't bother to try, just let himself be held, breathing in Tai's scent.
“You’re okay, it’s okay. Just breathe, I’ve got you.” Tai rubbed over his back soothingly, his heart breaking for him.
"It should have been me."
“Hey, no.”
His shoulders shook with each sob. "It should have."
“No, no. He wouldn’t think that.”
"But I do."
Tai moved to kiss his forehead. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad I get to love you.”
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