#i hope it wasn't such a long wait! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

youngpettyqueen · 8 months ago

Note

for prompts, might I suggest a number 14 with Julian takin care of Kira, and a ‘it feels worse than it looks—no wait-‘ with Julian being a bad patient?

oh my god I finally fucking finished it.

I am SO SORRY this took so long I got hit with. the most violent writer's block ive had in a HOT minute and this had me fighting for my life. I dont even know how many times I wrote and rewrote this. I went through so many different ideas it was actually ridiculous. at one point I had something finished but it Was Not Good and I dont believe in posting writing I dont like so I scrapped it and started again

I keep waffling on whether or not I like this, but thats entirely because ive spent way too long staring at it. im sure in a few days ill actually really like it, cause I really like the dialogue, which was what I wrote out first. pulling myself out of my perfectionism, I do think I like this, and at the very least im proud of getting it down when it gave me so much trouble

again, im so sorry it took so long, but writer's block is a bitch and ive had a lot going on lately, so I hope you understand <3

for the readers- 14 on the list is "Stop pretending that any of this is ok. It's not." I did adjust that one a bit cause I was having trouble making it flow. but, without further ado, here's what I've got!

Kira slides down with her back against the wall, grinding her teeth as she clutches at her wounded shoulder. The pain is still hot, the hole burned into her skin practically still smoking. She hisses as her palm makes contact with the sticky, raw flesh, but she still clamps down.

“Anytime you wanna get over here, Julian!” She calls, her voice strained.

“Doing my best, Major!” Julian calls from where he is, hunkered down behind some debris as a makeshift shield against the barrage of disruptor fire.

This is, in eloquent terms, a right fucking mess. Getting into a fight with a bunch of Jem’Hadar soldiers is never a good thing, even when they’re prepared. When they’re not prepared, it’s even worse. And this time, they weren’t prepared. Because there weren’t supposed to be any Jem’Hadar on this planet. This was supposed to be a quick pit stop for the Defiant, replacing some whatsit that O’Brien said was damaged in their last firefight, but then there were Jem’Hadar soldiers and they’ve managed to land themselves in a whole different firefight.

It really just hasn’t been a great week.

Kira inches closer to the wall’s edge. Her grip on her phaser isn’t stable, but it’ll have to do. She takes a deep, steadying breath, and then she twists over so that she’s peering out from behind the corner. She spots the Jem’Hadar pinning them down, quick count tells here there’s 3 of them, and she snaps her phaser up to hit them with some fire of her own. The motion pulls at her injured shoulder in a way that makes her want to scream, but she bites down on it.

Julian, bless him, takes the opportunity to lunge out from behind the debris. He scrambles across the gap, barely dodging the returning fire from the Jem’Hadar, and manages to throw himself down behind the security of the wall. He plasters himself up against the wall beside Kira, right as she ducks back behind cover as the Jem’Hadar’s fire intensifies.

Kira looks at him. He looks at her. He’s breathing hard and heavy, his hair a mess and dirt and blood staining his face. She musters up a grin to tell him, “You’re late.”

Julian gives her a flat look as he turns to her. “Forgive me, it’s a bit difficult to make house calls in the middle of a battlefield,” He replies, sounding very, very tired. But then his eyes flick to her bloody hand, still clamped over her wounded shoulder, and she watches his expression shift as he clicks back into what’s affectionately referred to as doctor mode, “Let’s see that shoulder, then.”

Kira moves her hand, letting Julian get a look at the wound. She winces as he pulls aside the burnt fabric, taking a deep breath in through her nose and resisting the reflex to jerk away. “How’s it look?” She asks, mostly just to distract herself.

“Like it needs more than what I’ve got,” Julian replies, frowning, “The dermal regenerator I have will do for now, but this is deep. I’ll need to immobilize your arm,” He tells her, giving her an apologetic look, “If you move it too much, you’ll risk tearing it open again.”

“Just do what you have to,” Kira tells him, “Won’t be the first time I’ve had to shoot myself out with only one arm.”

Julian nods, and returns his attention to her wound. “Right,” He pulls his kit up and rifles through it for a second. The first thing he pulls out is a hypospray, which he quickly sticks into her neck. Kira relaxes fractionally as the painkillers immediately start to work, dulling some of the burning in her shoulder. Then he’s pulling out the dermal regenerator, and bracing his hand against her shoulder again, “Try to hold still.” He advises.

Kira just gives a tight nod, already gritting her teeth and bracing herself. She feels the dermal regenerator start to work. The hypo helps, but it doesn’t take away that burning, itchy sort of feeling of muscle and nerves and skin stitching itself back together inch by inch. She clenches her fists tight, breathing hard through her nose as Julian works.

“Sorry, I know this stings,” Julian says, “I’m doing the best I can. This regenerator wasn’t meant for a wound like this.”

Kira grunts a wordless acknowledgement. If she says anything, it’s just going to be a string of curses. Instead, she focuses on keeping her ear on the sound of disruptor fire, making sure it isn’t getting closer. If the Jem’Hadar decide to come after them, she wants to be ready.

“Done,” Julian pipes up. She looks over as he puts the regenerator back in his kit, taking the worst of the pain with it and leaving her with a dull ache, “That’s the hard part done. I’m going to move your arm now,” His hands are gentle, taking her arm and carefully easing it away from her side, “There we go. Alright, hold it there, please.”

Kira does. Julian sits back, and unzips his jacket to get at his undershirt. “This will have to do,” He tells her, tearing a couple of strips from his undershirt, “These won’t be the most comfortable, but they’ll have to do. I’m out of bandages.” He leans back in, starting to bind her arm with the torn fabric.

“Sorry about your shirt.” She cracks weakly.

“I’ll get a new one.” He replies, without so much as a smile.

She hates how flat his voice is. Hates how… unlike him, it is. Quiet, with no bite. “C’mon, Julian, where’s that boyish optimism of yours?” She asks, “I could really use a hit of it right about now.”

Julian secures the bandage around her arm. “I must’ve dropped it when they started shooting at us,” He says, not meeting her eyes, “Do me a favour, Major. Don’t pretend any of this is ok,” He sits back again, still not meeting her eyes, all caught up in taking in his work, “Cause it’s really not.” He does look her in the eye, then. And he looks so… tired.

But then, he’s looked like that for a while, hasn’t he?

Kira gives him a smile. A sad, quiet little smile. “I never said any of this was ok,” She corrects, “I’m just… used to it, at this point.” Very, very used to it. Used to it in a way she hopes he never is.

Julian considers that for a moment. His expression is hard to read- sad, maybe. Sympathetic. Then he sighs, and breaks eye contact. “Well, I suppose I’m getting used to it, too,” He scrubs a bloody hand through his hair, “We should get going. Can you walk?” He asks.

No time for sentiment, then. Kira nods. “It’s just the arm,” She assures him, “I can do a hell of a lot more than walk.”

“Good,” Julian starts to push himself up to stand, “Let’s-“ He doesn’t get far. He wobbles suddenly, his eyes widening slightly as he nearly topples right over. He barely manages to catch himself, bracing a hand against the wall before he can fall against it.

Kira quickly reaches out to steady him. “Julian?” She sits up, frowning, “What’s wrong?”

Julian frowns, confused. “I… don’t know,” He says, looking down, “I can’t feel my-“ He cuts off, suddenly, his eyes fixing on something, “Ah.”

Kira’s brow furrows. “Ah? What’s-“ She follows his gaze, and comes to the same abrupt halt as she sees just what he’s found, “Ah.”

Julian has a substantial wound in his thigh. A chunk of his pant leg has been burned away, revealing a raw, painful-looking burn that’s steadily oozing blood down his leg. Kira’s eyes widen at the sight of it. That doesn’t look good. That really doesn’t look good.

“Well,” Julian says, “That’s not ideal.” And then he sways alarmingly, nearly crumpling right to the ground.

“Julian!” Kira lurches forward, manages to catch him by the arms. He grimaces as he eases himself down, taking his weight off his injured leg, “Damnit, Julian, what were you thinking ignoring this? Gimme that tricorder-“ She reaches for his medkit, not waiting for him as she rummages through it herself.

“I wasn’t ignoring it!” He exclaims, “I couldn’t feel it! Honest!”

Kira finds the tricorder and pulls it out. “Don’t tell me they augmented the ability to feel pain out of you,” He shifts again, adjusting his position to give her a better angle to scan him, and it draws a painful hiss out of him, “Guess not.” She hums.

Julian manages a weak chuckle, the first one she’s gotten out of him all day. “Not as such,” He confirms, “I’ve just been- gah!” He grinds his molars as she pulls the burnt fabric away from the wound, “Preoccupied.” He growls.

Kira huffs softly as she reads the results on the tricorder. It’s not a fun wound. “So busy trying not to get shot that you didn’t realize you got shot?” She asks, arching a brow at him, “I’m almost impressed.”

“Only almost?” Julian asks, all mock indignation, “I’d hate to see what I’d have to do to actually impress you,” He mutters. His eyes drift down, then back up at her. He looks worried, “How bad is it?”

Kira puts the tricorder down. “How bad does it feel?” She dodges.

“Pfft, this little thing?” He scoffs, gives a weak little wave that’s probably went to ‘wave off’ the pain, “It’s nothing. Just a scratch. It feels worse than it… no. No, wait, that’s not right,” He blinks, and she can almost see the gears in his head turning as he tries to figure out the order of the words, “I don’t mean to alarm you, Major, but I think the shock might be setting in.” He tells her.

Kira can’t help but roll her eyes. “No kidding,” She says, “This isn’t my first time, Julian. Hand me the regenerator, I’ll do what I can with it.” She holds her hand out expectantly.

Julian hands it over. “Now who’s being serious?” He asks.

Kira adjusts how she’s holding him, making sure she’s holding the burnt edges of his uniform away from his skin so that she doesn’t accidentally fuse any fabric to him. “Oh, so you can make jokes,” She takes the dermal regenerator and adjusts her hold on it, making sure it won’t slide out of her hand, which is slick with blood, “I thought you dropped that along with your optimism.” She gets the regenerator going, doing what she can with the wound.

Julian chuckles again, grins at her. “I told you, the shock’s setting in,” He replies, all charm, “I’ll say anything just to say anything. Apologies, but I’m going to be talking your ear off until we get out of here.” He warns.

Kira keeps her eyes on her work, keeps her hand braced on his thigh to hold him still. “As opposed to when you don’t talk my ear off.” She counters. After a few seconds, she can see that the burn’s healed as much as it’s going to. She switches the regenerator off and hands it back to him.

“Rude,” Julian huffs, taking the regenerator and putting it back in his medkit, “How’d the regenerator do? I don’t want to look.” He’s looking even as he says it, like he can’t help himself.

“It’ll hold,” She tells him, not seeing any point in sugar-coating it. He would see right through her in a second, “For now. I’m gonna bandage it, just in case,” She adds. Now it’s her turn to get at her undershirt, tear it up for strips of fabric, “I liked this shirt, you know.” She informs him as she does.

“I suppose we’re even, then,” Julian cracks weakly, “Have I ever told you you’d make a great medic?” He asks.

There’s the Julian she knows. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” She tells him. Satisfied with her bandages, she gets them ready, “I do have one question for you, Doctor.”

Julian frowns, confused. Yeah, the shock really has set in if he can’t see what she’s doing. “Go ahead.” He invites.

Kira starts wrapping his leg. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” She asks.

He looks even more confused. “What are my-“ She yanks the bandages tight before he can finish, and he cuts off with a pitched yelp, “Fuck!”

Maybe it’s a bit mean to chuckle, but Kira can’t help it. She doesn’t often get to hear him curse. “Oh, language,” She tuts as she finishes tying the bandages off, “There. Nice and tight. That oughta hold you together till we get out of here.” She gives his knee a pat.

Julian pouts at her. “You enjoyed that.” He accuses.

“I did no such thing,” Kira replies smoothly as she pulls his medkit closer to her and starts rifling through it, not bothering to ask him, “Want a hypo?” She offers.

“No,” Julian shakes his head, making her stop short and give him an incredulous look, “I’ve only got the one left. Save it for someone who needs it.” He reasons.

Her look quickly flattens. “Don’t start with the heroics, Julian,” She advises, “You’re not gonna be treating any patients until after you’ve been treated. On the Defiant.” She doubts he can even stand on his own, let alone treat people.

“I can hold out till then,” He insists, “Someone else might-“

“Julian,” Kira cuts in, not giving him any room to argue, “Take the fucking hypo.”

Julian’s brows shoot up and he looks a little stunned. Just for a moment, though, before he huffs a bit of a laugh. “Now who needs to watch their language,” He says, his tone light and teasing, “Alright, go ahead.” He nods.

Kira takes the hypo out of his kit. “Oh, thank you,” She replies, making sure her own tone savours strongly of sarcasm, “You’re a terrible patient, you know that?”

There’s that grin again. All charm. “So Nurse Jabara keeps telling me.” He replies, like the pain in the ass he is.

“You should listen to her. She’s always right,” Kira sticks the hypo in his neck, and watches his shoulders instantly sink down a notch. She didn’t even realize how tense he was, “Better?” She asks.

Julian takes a deep breath. Probably the first one he’s taken all day. “…Much,” He admits, with the decency to look a little sheepish, “Thank you, Major.” His smile’s a bit less charm now, a bit more sincere.

Kira finds herself smiling back. “Anytime,” She says. She shoots a quick look around, regaining her bearings a bit now that they’re both taken care of. She can still hear blasters firing, but not as close. They might’ve moved off somewhere else. Or they could be waiting, “We should probably get moving.” She suggests.

“Probably,” Julian agrees, “Just one problem, though. I don’t think I can walk.” He tells her.

Kira figured. “Can you limp?” She asks, “I’ve still got two good shoulders, both perfectly good for leaning on.” She offers, patting her shoulder for emphasis.

There’s that glint in his eye. First time she’s seen it today- stubborn determination, or, in another word, cocky. “I think I can manage that.” He says.

Kira grins. “Great,” She ducks in and gets her arm around his waist, pulling him in snug against her as he wraps his arm around her shoulders, “Alright, lean on me. Steady. And…” She pushes herself up, and brings him with her. He leans heavy into her side, and she tightens her hold on him to keep him steady, “Up we go. Ready?” She asks.

Julian takes a moment to find his balance, shifting most of his weight off of his injured leg and compensating on Kira’s shoulder. “As I can be,” He tells her with a nod, “Let’s go.”

And they’re off. Making quite the sight as they hobble back into the action, pressed hip to hip and clinging tight to each other. But, hey, they’re still kicking, and they’ve still got their phasers, so they’ll make do. They always do.

#fic bitching #star trek: ds9 #kira nerys #julian bashir #like I said I really like the diaogue #I had fun writing the dialogue #and it came to me pretty easily once I settled on what I wanted with the scene #this was originally. a bunch of things #my first idea was two separate scenes #and I drafted several versions of those #but they just wouldnt flow #even the one I had literally finished just. I did not like it #it was not good #and I dont say that to be hard on myself I know im a good writer and what I wrote wasn't good and thats fine!#they cant all be bangers #but I wasn't gonna post something i knew wasn't good #hopefully the wait was worth it cause like I said while I keep scowling at this #I know its cause im grumpy it took so long #and its cause ive stared at it for way too long so it was never gonna look right #until I posted it #anyways! thats enough tag rambling #I hope you enjoy!#I love Julian and Kira theyre besties in my brain

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come-down-that-tree · 9 months ago

Text

Prologue Previous

Warning: unjustified violence against a sweetie and some paaanicking :(

Come Down That Tree! (An aftermare story)

Chapter 16: Kutya pamutambo wemaruva

A week or so had passed since his little soul-to-soul with Geno and his injury…

While that arm was not fully healed yet, the other didn’t seem that bothered about it and even regained almost all of his limb’s mobility. He told them he got all of it back but Nightmare noticed how stiffly he moved it and how he favored his right even though it was obvious it wasn’t his dominant hand.

Nightmare bit into his piece of pear pie. It was sweet and juicy. They didn’t have such high-quality snacks everydays, so he was planning to enjoy it.

How long has Geno been here now?

The weather had yet to turn cold so it couldn’t have been that long.

It felt like it however.

The guardian licked his fingers clean and glanced at the other two. They were silently sharing some lemon bread.

The village must be in a good mood, it was more and more frequent to see Dream coming back bearing a full basket of food and gifts. They even now had a spare blanket and an old cushion they decided to lend to their guest.

…Do you still consider someone who stayed for long at your home and wasn’t showing any sign of moving out as a guest?

Geno met his eyes and slightly inclined his head.

He averted his gaze to watch a random blade of grass.

Oh, a ladybug.

“Is the pie any good?”

Nightmare nodded in his brother’s direction, not feeling like talking just yet.

“Nice. I’ll keep my part for later.”

If the definition of “guest” was, as of now, outdated to describe Geno then…what was he?

“I’ll put the basket away. You should go for an afternoon nap, Geno, you look tired.”

That was true the other had progressively slouched against his cushion during the meal and his dimming eyelight seemed to scream sleep.

He didn’t even answer the proposition and promptly klonked out.

That capacity to fall asleep fast and clean was impressive.

Nightmare stood up, dusting himself off and calmly helped Dream cleaning the last traces of their meal…while keeping an eye on the sleeper.

He couldn’t help but be pensive about all that.

He couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He didn't hate Geno. He didn’t fear him either, even though he saw hints again and again of how volatile and dangerous he could be.

Nothing happened recently.

It had been quiet.

They talked a lot. About books. About the sky. About childhood adventures and stories.

It was… nice.

And if he often found himself slightly leaning against his shoulder to sleep at night, that was his problem.

Two amber wells entered his field of vision without warnings and startled him.

“What are you thinking about ?”

He caught himself with one hand against the tree before answering.

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

He couldn’t say any of his thoughts, he wouldn’t hear the end of it if he told him he was thinking about how he didn’t despise Geno anymore.

“Hmmmm, I’ll let that slide… For now!”

With that said, Dream all but jumped on him and he barely avoided falling again. Shifting his feet to stand steadier, he glared at his brother.

This one was making pitiful wet eyes and he knew -oh he knew…- that he was going to be asked something he wouldn’t like soon.

“Soooo, I was thinking…”

And there it was…

“What were you thinking…?”

The doubt and carefulness he tried to convoy didn’t seem to deter his brethren. Sadly.

“You noticed how I’ve been given more gifts recently…?”

“I did… I assume the village’s mood is high for some reason?”

He got shaken quite roughlessly by that overly excited puppy.

“YES! Today is the first day of the Verflor festival so place is absolutely decked out in flowers! And there’re food stands and dances and music and we need to go!”

Nightmare gripped his arm, focusing on the sensation of a fistful of fabric under his fingers.

“We…?”

“...Yes, we. Come on! It’s been ages since the last time you went down! You didn’t even go borrow books recently…”

Dream trailed off for a second before bouncing back into his plea with gusto.

“I know we’ll have a blast! I’m pretty sure the central bookstore said they wanted to put up a stand with newly arrived finds, you can’t miss that!”

Oh he could. But the offer sounded slightly less bad after that statement, somehow. He was still not convinced.

“I’m not su-”

“And don’t wake up Geno. Guy’s great but you spent so much time with him recently. Can’t I request some wholesome brother bonding time when I really feel up to it?”

Yeah, he was not winning against this one. Might as well give up, enter the village for five minutes, find a random excuse and go back right away. Easier than to argue now.

“...Ok, fine. We can go for a bit.”

He was promptly released as Dream twirled around, looking truly enchanted by the news. After a few seconds of this show, Nightmare was once again caught by the arm and pulled harshly enough to make him stumble (again).

That day was going to be exhausting, wasn’t it?

“LESSSSS’GO!”

Surprisingly, the ruckus did not rouse Geno out of his food coma and they runned down the hill, clumsily, as they dug every once in a while their elbows into each other’s ribs.

And soon.

Sooner than Nightmare would have liked if he had a word on the matter.

They reached the village.

And, as promised, the verflor festival was in full display.

Fresh flowers -that kids must have collected early in the morning- were decorating every possible surface. Daylilies and bacopa pots were proudly displayed under each window. The mix of perfume was so strong that he wondered briefly how nobody fainted yet -as far as he knew. A bird-like teen was running around with a water can, making sure the heat was not getting to the vegetation.

That task must have taken all their focus as they almost bumped into him…and apologized without even looking.

The lean feathered guy just runned off to their next pot and fussed over a slightly damaged balloon flower.

“It’s been so long since the last time we went together to that event! How long has it been again?”

Nightmare pretended to think before giving his twin the answer he could have given in a blink.

“6 years, I think.We needed fresh flowers.”

“Ah yes I remember, maybe we should pick up some today as well?”

“...yeah, we should.”

Dream clapped his hands, looking satisfied.

“Then it’s settled! We look around, enjoy the event and pick up some plants -and maybe a book if you find something interesting?- before going home!”

And without waiting for an answer, Dream grabbed his hand and started energetically walking and making comments on how each display of flowers were installed and by who.

Surprisingly, he found himself infected by the other’s joy and quickly started truly appreciating the evening. Some people watched him curiously and some others were sending some rather nasty glares but he ignored all that and focused on his brother’s unending chatting.

They picked up some flowers and put them down their pockets, uncaring of if they’d survive the trip. A flower didn’t stop being pretty just for some bruises and missed bits after all. And both of them were now wearing flowers breaded firmly into their crowns, almost fully masking the glistening metal. Coreopsis, poppies and some treasure flowers for Dream. Delphiniums, lilies-of-the-Nile and some drooping verbenas for him.

The day was sunny and rays bounced across the windows, producing rainbows in water puddles.

The people were merry and colorful dresses and shirts were twirling around in every corner.

It was loud.

It was bonded.

It was so many things he usually avoided.

But somehow…

It was nice.

He could see a table set just down the street with books laying on. From here, he thought he could recognize a cover or two. That red one with the white handle casting a shadow of a knife’s blade, for example, was the cover of a story that was hard to forget…

“Dream, I want to make a stop at the book table just there!”

Dream didn’t answer and soon, he realized he wasn’t holding his hand anymore.

“He can’t be far, he was blabbering about some pie smell just a moment ago…”, he muttered as a self-reassurance.

When had he let go? Or was Dream the one who let go?

The streets suddenly seemed less welcoming.

It was loud.

It was bonded.

It was so many things he usually avoided.

After getting bumped into a few times (and getting insulted for it), Nightmare scooted against a wall and fiddled with his fingers, keeping an eye on the crowd moving around.

He just needed to find Dream and they could leave that place and all would be well! There wasn’t any need for stress here.

Everything was swell.

His hands were pulling on any bit of fabric he could grab onto and he really hoped it wouldn’t tear from the abuse later.

Where are you?

People are staring.

People are judging.

They’re staring. They’re staring. They’re staring.

Calm down, Night’. Deep breaths. Happy thoughts.

His legs were shaking and he couldn’t afford being seen panicking so far from his haven.

They’re staring.

That guy is staring. The children are staring and giggling at his misfortune. That mother is mocking him.

Even that dog is against him.

He needed…out!

But Dream?

Why did he leave him here alone?

Why did he drag him there at all?

Did he…?

A glint of golden metal caught his attention and he dashed in that direction.

Dream!

Unfortunately, he lost the trace fast but he kept running through a few streets just in case.

He just couldn’t bear everything so he sped off into smaller and emptier streets until he was finally alone.

Then, he crashed in this tiny dingy one-way street that smelled of anything but flowers and wept on his knees for a while.

Why must he be like that? Five seconds alone in the street and he started acting worse than a toddler. No wonder he was hated around here… He must have been such an easy target that any aspiring violence couldn’t help but look his way and see a snack.

His pants were damp from his tears before he calmed down enough to close the watergates.

The guardian raised his head to look around.

It was a fairly narrow space but some could still stand up without being squished together.

Beside the walls, he could see the sky and even the top of their tree, merely a green stain dotted with warm gold and purplish black against the blue of the day.

So small.

Nightmare sighed and vowed to only rest a bit more before heading back home.

That corner was void of flowers and he relaxed in their absence.

Wind was making dance two lonely leaves that swirled and twirled before being stopped by a wall then the ballet stopped until a new burst guided them to a new barrier and this, again and again.

Far away he could still hear some laughter and music but he ignored the background noise.

He ignored the distant steps, running and dancing, enjoying the celebration.

He ignored all those sounds to focus on the leaves, on the crown’s weight on his head, on the warm feeling traveling through his vessel of a body and some forgotten tune, he couldn’t name but felt soothing, flowed out of him.

He shouldn’t have, probably.

He shouldn’t have blocked out the rest.

Maybe if he hadn’t…

He could have slipped away in time.

Before the steps were not so distant.

Before the voices were right in front of him.

Before he was trapped with these three.

But he did, so when two monsters and a human showed up, he was taken by surprise.

After that?

There wasn’t much of a conversation. It had been a very one-sided ordeal.

They pushed him, making his thoughts rattle each time his back hit bricks.

Stay calm, they’ll get bored soon.

The purple hare tugged on his sleeves until they ripped.

He already went through this dance and song enough to know how to act to minimize dommages.

The plant bear clapped and hummed, not participating but enjoying it nonetheless.

Do not retaliate, it would only aggravate the situation.

“Ah that’s boring, let’s up the game a bit!”

He had been too boring, that wasn’t going to end well.

The last lanky teenager looked at him for a second before leaping towards his head.

“Give me that circlet thing! That’s too fancy for you!”

A scalding warmth spread through his bones at these words. And he dodged and let the guy crash against the bricks at his turn.

That was where he drew the limit.

Nightmare winced at the harsh sound of flesh hitting solid and crouched down in an action ready.

He wasn’t going to allow those to even dare touch his crown.

Soon, joyful expressions turned sour and he was attacked once again.

Some vigorous kicks made one tumble while another retreated.

One was on the ground, grumbling about stained clothes.

One was looking at him, calculating.

And the last…?

Strong arms caught him under the armpits and he was left wiggling in the air, captive by the superior strength of the bear monster who was towering over him by their sheer size.

Ah. He had lost fast.

He squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation as his aggressors came closer.

Then…

Nothing.

Silence.

A tremor runned through his holder and he wondered…

What could have made them hesitate all of the sudden?

End of chapter 16! Go to chapter 17?

@dragon-tamer-1 @shinechermont

Geno!Sans belongs to @/loverofpiggies Nightmare, Dream and dreamtale belong to @/jokublog

#Come Down That Tree!#chapter 16 #aftermare #wooooo it is twice as long as usual!#hope you enjoy that I guess I was so motivated by back to action time!#half of it wrote itself sooo easily #the rest wasn't hard but I wasn't as motivated anymore :3 #hehe two chapters during the same month I count that as a win #I'll be honest I thought about waiting to post because the opt out button has yet to appear for me but I decided it would not stop me #I'm gonna continue to create stuff and show it to you all' regardless of what could happen #I made a home here and I'll not leave because the pipes leak #have a nice day! <3

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brutal-nemesis · 1 year ago

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E&T: A Truly Slothful Start

*points at Erebus* Bro is NOT built for this lmao (btw I drew the sloth demon a v long time ago enjoy)

Suggested battle music: Grandma (Destruction) from NieR: Automata (spotify | youtube)

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Ingredients: combat whump we fight monster, amputation hehe (not gory tho!), slight drowning, undescribed eye whump

PART III: Untitled World

The things that hit him first were the suffocating darkness and the awful chill in the air.

Erebus knew he didn’t belong here. All around him, strange rock formations jutted out every which way, no sign of life among them. There didn’t seem to be any source of light, and yet everything was clearly visible, casting hardly any shadow. The silence was nearly absolute, pressing in on his ears. The only thing he could hear was the freakishly loud sound of his own heartbeat, amplified by the collar around his neck.

Wait, the collar-he reached up for it, fingers closing around the awful strip of leather that he’d been forced to wear since the start of his captivity. He had a sword, he had claws, and N...no one would make him wear another one if he broke it. So he should take it off, right? He should destroy it. He’d always hated it, the way it meant he was owned, how it let-let people put leashes on him and lead him around like a dog. She...she’d said it herself, that he had to wear it so he wouldn’t forget that he belonged to her, but now they were...not together. So it shouldn’t matter.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about when she’d taken it off for the procedure with the envy demon, about how utterly, embarrassingly exposed he’d felt without that stupid collar. Maybe the feeling would pass, and he would just have to get used to being without it. He hadn’t worn one for the vast majority of his life, so it should be easy to adjust back, right? Besides, it was more than just a collar, it was a way for her to know if someone other than her was touching him, and that was violating, it was...it was a way for her to know he was alive. Assuming it worked, assuming whatever signal it was could be sent to another world.

Erebus lowered his hands, still chained together, as he blinked away tears. He-he was really here, in this other world with only a slim chance of ever going back. He’d take every tie to his old life he could get, no matter how painful. And if the spell on the collar worked, then…he owed it to her to let her know he was still alive. He could wear the collar for a little while longer. The muzzle, on the other hand...he didn’t mind tearing that off and throwing it away in the slightest.

Shakily, he stood, grabbing the sheathed sword in front of him. Being expected to fight was…strange. But, looking at himself now, he was practically designed for this, almost every modification giving him some sort of advantage. It made his blood run cold to think about how this had been the plan from the start, how obvious it seemed now. He wanted to lay down and sob and process what had happened, but everything was so different and strange that he didn’t feel safe enough to let his guard down like that. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he buckled the sword belt around his waist and began looking around.

Behind where he’d appeared, there was a bag lying on the ground. Inside was a cloak with holes for his wings, a knife, and a bedroll. Well, better than nothing, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about food and water or lighting a fire. Maybe that demon tongue would be coming in handy, after all. He put on the cloak, grateful to have something to help him keep warm in this place, along with the shoes he still had on from their trip to the desert.

Nothing else here, he began carefully making his way along one of the stone cliffs, leaning on it since there had never been a chance to fully heal the gash in his leg. Progress was slow, and maybe it would have been a good time to think things through, but he couldn’t stop tears from forming in his eyes at the mere thought of what had happened, so instead he just focused on the pain in his leg, flaring up brighter with every step.

Time felt impossible to grasp, as if this place was outside of it entirely, but at some point Erebus reached the end of the maze of stone. He was greeted with what looked like a vast ocean, but the water was unnaturally calm, not a single ripple on the glass-like surface. Had there been stars above, it would have been beautiful, but under the canopy of uniform blackness, it just looked like a cold, empty void.

Erebus hesitated to step out in the open, no walls to protect him, but the silence was so absolute that he couldn’t imagine there was another living thing anywhere near him. His leg didn’t hurt quite as much anymore despite how much he’d been walking, so he was able to hobble to the water’s edge and investigate, setting the pack down to make moving around a little easier. The sword, however, still hung at his side, just in case.

The water was clear, and as far as he could tell, there was no sign of life in it whatsoever. It was jarringly different from the seaside at home, where you could hardly take a step without spotting a shellfish or aquatic plant. Here, it was just pebbles, no broken shells or bits of dead coral among them. He crouched and dipped a finger in, finding the water both cold and salty. The ripples created by his finger traveled far, seeming to get bigger as they traveled along. Suddenly, even bigger ripples rushed to meet them from farther out, and Erebus’s stomach knotted in terror as he bolted upright, pulling out the sword, having to hold it with both hands since they were still chained.

He strained his eyes in the darkness, looking for whatever had caused the disturbance. Was that...there was something in the water out there, he was sure of it. He took a few steps back, sword still held in front of him, watching the strange shape grow larger and larger as it approached. The moment the tip of its nose emerged, the surface of the water erupted, spraying Erebus with cold mist and shooting tendrils out into the open air that coalesced into a large sort of web. Arches of water now crisscrossed all throughout the space, severely limiting how much he could fly around, especially since he never had a chance to practice it much. In the middle of the watery network was a large bubble, and when he saw what was inside it, Erebus’s jaw dropped.

The creature was enormous, big enough to swallow him whole in one bite. Its pale gray body was long, with two pairs of flippers that were almost as big as Erebus and a webbed, spiny ridge going down its back. A cruel, curved hook jutted out from the end of its tail, almost as sharp-looking as its conical teeth. As Erebus looked at it in horror, it turned its gaze to him, its blank white eyes staring into his own identical pair. So this…this must be a sloth demon. He was supposed to fight that?

He could leave, just run and hide, this thing couldn’t follow him through those rocky canyons, he could stop and take a moment to think, but this was an enemy right in front of him, and no matter how terrifying, it had revealed itself, no more surprises. Erebus tightened his grip. If he could-could beat this thing then he could really rest. It would be safe here. He would be that much closer to going h…somewhere that wasn’t here. He could do this. He had to.

Despite how much he was shaking, Erebus took flight and approached, finding it difficult to do so while he was holding the sword, but not enough for him to fall out of the air. The demon just watched as he flew past the jets of water, and Erebus hated those blank white eyes boring into him, which just made him loathe his own all that much more. How…how exactly was he supposed to attack it? It was so huge and he couldn’t see any kind of obvious weakness, not to mention that it was surrounded by a sphere of water. While he knew his eyes worked underwater, he could only imagine his wings would be a hindrance, not to mention the heavy sword.

Maybe…maybe he should just retreat for now. Come up with a plan and come back. This was just…it was too much. Reassuring himself that the demon couldn’t follow him, he cautiously turned around and started to weave his way through the tendrils of-there was a sharp jerk on his wing, and suddenly Erebus was being dragged through the air, crashing into pillars of water as he went, barely registering the splash of his sword hitting the sea below as he scrambled to get his wing free of-of-it was that hook it was pierced through the top of Erebus’s wing he couldn’t get it out his fingers were slippery and freezing and useless he had to do something kick his legs flap his wings anything-

Just as those awful teeth came into view, Erebus managed to swing himself back, but the chain on his wrists was caught, wrapped around a tooth, his fall jerked to a halt, he was hanging by his wrists, the hook was gone but his wing wouldn’t work, he had to do something, that eye was so big and so close, watching him struggle, the beast’s throat humming with an ancient growl, hungry, he couldn’t just let this happen, he grabbed the tooth with his left hand and the chain with his right, he could do this, pull himself up enough to-

The great jaws snapped shut, and Erebus tumbled into the water below.

Cold shocked his system, despite the fact that his left arm felt like it was on fire.

He couldn’t stay down here. He had to get to the surface.

But, down there, a faint glint. Metal. His sword. His only hope of winning.

He swam towards it, progress slow and painful and-

His left hand was gone.

There wasn’t time to mourn it.

His remaining hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword. It was heavy, too heavy for him to swim up with.

He was running out of air. He had to try. This couldn’t be the end. Not here. Not so soon after-

The hook pierced through his wing again, and it was all he could do to hold onto his sword this time around.

The sloth demon pulled him up and out of the water with its tail, tossing him high into the air as it opened its great jaws to swallow him whole. His wings torn and useless, all Erebus could do was flap them desperately and hope it would be enough, hope he could at least-his foot landed on one of those teeth, holding him for just a moment before he slipped, but it was enough to aim his sword hold it steady launch himself down drive that point right down into the demon’s eye paint that awful soulless white with red hear the roar of agony so loud he could feel it in his bones and now the water was collapsing falling back down the great corpse falling with it he had to get away wrench the sword out jump back splash into the water struggle to the surface to the shore drag himself out of the water collapse on the shore and breathe.

He-he’d won, but just barely, and the losses were-Erebus bit back tears, looking away from the ragged stump at the end of his left arm. There was no way he could survive six more fights like that.

This horrible, hostile place was going to destroy him, and there would be nothing left of him to go back home.

Tags: @dramaticcollapse @thehopelessopus @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @galaxywhump @as-a-matter-of-whump @mnmlover2002 @tears-and-lilies @yet-another-heathen @rippedjeansandfadeddreams @starnight-whump @unicornscotty @thebewilderer @kixngiggles @itallstartedwithharry @inky-whump @redstainedsocks @lonesome--hunter @his-unspoken-words @susiequaz12 @its-mysweetlittlesecret-blog @whumpasaurus101 @patheticlittleguy @jadeocean46910 @whumpinggrounds @pumpkin-spice-whump @suspicious-whumping-egg @befuddled-calico-whump @whump-in-the-closet @pumpkinsncoffee @aryreads

#i wrote something #erebus & terror #erebus #somiaken #combat whump #amputation #suggested music is just there for you to listen to during the fight sequence if you wish!! it has been selected as Fitting #yeah he was uh. he was sizzling in the frying pan like bacon for the last while but i have since dumped him into my giant campfire #delightful isn't it #IT'S THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: MAN DECIDES TO KEEP HIS COLLAR ON LMAOOOO #trauma and attachment to neteri go crazy #he will cry so much later dont worry but right now he is running on adrenaline and fear. terror if you will #he needs a cozy little safe place to do the sobbing #so let's go beat up the giant aquatic dinosaur demon im sure that will end well-oh no #his ass lucked out i sure hope that's not a trend 🤪 almost like he wasn't ready for this or something #hopefully the funky water bullshit was described well enough just a bunch of random arches of water basically #so it's more Water but the fight isn't totally underwater hooray #ah finally the handcuff chain wrapped around tooth incident i have been waiting for so long <3333 #listen i cant say anything about sloth without saying TRULY SLOTHFUL rezero activity confirmed

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