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robinrites · 2 years ago

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His Bard No More

Happy Day 13 of Whumptober everyone!

Prompts: Can't make an omelet without breaking a few legs, fracture, dislocation, "are you here to break me out?"

Summary: Jaskier has been captured by people who want to hurt him to hurt Geralt. Jokes on them, Jaskier knows Geralt won't come for him. Still, a small part of him can't help but hope that his White Wolf will come to save him.

TW: broken bones, failed escape attempt, prisoner whump, depression (Not a major thing tho)

Jaskier let his head gently fall against the wall behind him, his eyes taking in the ceiling for what seems to be the thousandth time since his capture. No new cracks have appeared, to his dismay, but it's better to look up at the ceiling then down. Looking down would mean acknowledging how shitty the situation he’s in is, which he’s already done far too many times. Jaskier pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them, hoping it’ll give him more comfort than it actually does.

Shackles wrap around his wrists, both with chains leading back to the wall behind him, same with his ankles, but instead of the chains leading to the wall, they lead to a bolt in the middle of the room. His stomach grumbles, causing a wave of nausea to roll over Jaskier. He can’t help but laugh to himself, who would’ve thought that after three weeks of this he still wouldn’t be used to the continual hunger, sure they fed him but it was never enough. He rests his head on his knees and closes his eyes, trying to focus on anything but the hunger pains, but then he is faced with the fact that there is nothing better to think about.

No matter how many times he’d told his captors, they never believed him. “He’ll come for you.” They swore, but Jaskier knew it wasn’t true and he’d hoped that by now they’d have given up and let him go, but of course he couldn’t be that lucky. He knew he was there to be bait and an informant, nothing more. In spite of the fact that he knew no one was coming to save him, he still couldn’t convince himself to give up any of the information he held. So he took the beatings. Jaskier pondered over what he would say of his time in captivity, should he ever escape. “Please, they beat me into the next week and I just sat there silently, not even a single scream escaped these lips!” Or perhaps, “Oh please, those brutes knew nothing about how to actually torture a man, I’ve felt worse from a bar fight.” But those would all be lies.

Hours later, Jaskier’s thoughts are disrupted by the door to his cell opening, he quickly scrambles up right so he is prepared for what is to come. Three men enter his cell, one of whom is holding keys. Maybe this is my chance.

“Fine weather we’re having, aren’t we gents?” He jokes, trying to break the tension in the room, but no one laughs. “I uh, I see you brought keys, so can I assume you’re finally letting me go home?”

The men stay silent, much to his dismay. One of the men, who has a scar stretching down the left side of his face, walks towards Jaskier causing him to step back until his back is completely against the wall, his heart racing. He closes his eyes to brace for the incoming pain, but when it doesn’t come he opens his eyes slowly. His hands have been unchained from the wall, and are now bound together in front of him, the same goes for his ankles, which now have a short chain between them so he is able to walk. The man grabs Jaskier by the arm and begins to lead him out of his cell, his heart beating a hundred times faster than before.

Jaskier nervously laughs as he exits his cell for the first time since the start of his captivity, “Where are you taking me?” When no one answers he begins to struggle in the man’s grip a bit more, “Stop! Please, where are you taking me?” The man tightens his grip around Jaskier and drags him forward, causing him to stumble.

“You smell like cow shit.” Is all the man holding him says. Jaskier briefly looks back as they round the corner, wishing more than he thought he would to be back in his cell. He is led into a new room with a giant tub in the middle, maybe they really do mean to let him have a bath. Silently, the men uncuff him long enough to take off his clothes, then recuff his wrists, leaving just the shackles on his ankles, with nothing to hold them together. “You have five minutes, don’t try anything dumb,” Is all the man says before he and the others turn around.

Jaskier quickly washes himself, not wanting to run out of time or miss the only opportunity he’s had in a month to get clean. After he finishes, he quickly dries himself off with the towel they’ve provided and puts on the clean clothes they gave him. The material of these clothes is far scratchier than the clothes he’d had on prior, but after three weeks of wear, they had been falling apart and absolutely disgusting, so he is grateful for the change. Noticing the men all still have their back turned to him, Jaskier takes a moment to analyze his surroundings and sees there is a second door that hopefully leads out of the room.

As quietly as he can, he slips out the door, which leads to an unfamiliar hallway. Jaskier takes off as fast as he can in his current state, heading for the only door in this hall, which lies at the very end. He can’t help but stop when he passes a window, taking a brief moment to look out, trying to figure out where the hell they have taken him. He is greeted by snow covered roofs and trees, which tells him his gauge of the passage of time seems to have been correct. Before his capture, fall had already begun to pass, cold winds were beginning to blow in. Some mornings he would wake up to frost on the ground. Now it seems that snow has completely taken over for now. His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door he just came through opening. Fuck. He turns to see the men enter, then looks back at the door he is going for and books it. He reaches the door and quickly tries to pull it open, only to find it locked.

“Stop!” One of the men shouts at him as they race towards him.

Jaskier desperately pulls at the handle, begging it to open, “No no no no no,” he mutters as the men get closer to him. He is quickly yanked away from the door and pulled to the floor. “Please-” Jaskier begs as a kick lands in his side. “Please just let me go.” He sobs as another kick is dealt to his side, then a hand grabs his hair and yanks him off the ground a few inches, forcing him to face one of his captors.

“We give you one nice thing and this is how you decide to treat us?” The man spits at him, rage turning his face red. His hair is let go and he falls back to the floor, the wind briefly getting knocked out of his lungs.

“I’m sorry!” Jaskier begs, tears running down his face, “I won’t do it again I swear!”

“You’re right about that!” One of the other men shouts, “No more running for you, hows that sound?”

Jaskier nods his head, “Please, I won’t do it anymore! Just take me back to my cell please!”

“Funny, I don’t really think you’re in the position to be making any demands right now.” The third man grabs Jaskier’s wrists and pulls him to his feet, adjusting his hands so he has a good grip on Jaskier’s upper arms.

At this point Jaskier doesn’t bother fighting, knowing that at least once he’s back in his cell, maybe they’ll relent and stop beating him. When they reach his cell, Jaskier is quickly thrown to the floor and rechained like he was before. He lets the breath he had been holding in, until he looks up and sees that the men are all still in his cell. He scoots back until his back hits the wall once more, as if that could protect him from these men, then he looks up.

“I- I promise I won’t try that again.” He tries to sound less scared than he actually is, but it doesn’t work.

“Damn right you won’t.” The man with the scar over his eye sneers at him, stepping closer. “Now tell me, bard,” he spits out bard as if it’s an insult, “are you familiar with what the punishment is for stealing?” Jaskier nods shakily, trying not to panic. “Well what is it then?”

“You-you cut off the hand of the-” His eyes widen, “No! Please don’t!”

“The hand of the what, bard?” The man repeats, “You didn’t finish answering my question.

“Of the thief,” Jaskier chokes out.

“Now since this is your first offense, my men and I have decided to be generous, haven’t we?” The two men behind him nod their heads in agreement. “So we won’t cut off your legs, how’s that sound?”

“That- that sounds good, uh sir, thank you.” Jaskier allows his heartbeat to slow back to normal, until he feels something grab his left leg.

“Glad you agree, we’ll just break one of your legs instead.” Before Jaskier can even say anything in protest, he watches the man lift his foot up and then step down on Jaskier’s knee with more force than he would’ve thought possible. A scream shoots out from his lung, louder than he’s been in ages.

All three men laugh, “Gods he couldn’t even take it like a man.” One of the men in the back jokes before stepping forward. “My turn.” This time Jaskier thinks he’s prepared for the pain, but another scream erupts as he feels his kneecap shatter. He wants to pull his leg closer to him, but worries that even the slightest movement could make the pain a thousand times worse. Then he remembers there is a third man.

“N-no, no please!” He sobs, the pain from his leg radiating throughout his body.

“Now now bard, is that anyway to say thank you for being taught an important lesson?” The third man chides, before smashing Jaskier’s shin. A look of satisfaction crosses the man’s face as he grabs Jaskier’s chin, “Now, say thank you.”

“T-Thank you.” He sobs, trying to look away from the men despite being forced to make eye contact with them.

“Good boy.” The man lets go of his chin to pat his head before turning around, leading the other two men out of the room.

The second Jaskier is alone, he begins to cry, which quickly turns into screaming. He could handle the beatings and the loneliness, but now with his leg broken, the reality that he is never going to leave this place is far more real than it had been before. Despair shakes him down to his core. No one is coming for me. I’m going to die here, alone. At one point, someone bangs on his door to tell him to shut up, but he can’t seem to stop, despite knowing he needs to. Eventually someone comes in and gags him, threatening to cut off his tongue should remove the gag.

If Jaskier had to guess how much time had passed since his leg was broken, he’d have to guess a couple weeks, maybe a month. Not that it’s shown much improvement, but the pain is a little less prominent than it was before. It doesn’t really make a difference, he can’t stand on it, and even if he could, there’s no way he’d dare attempt to escape again. His cell door opens and the man with a scar walks in with a piece of bread and a cup of water, causing his stomach to growl. It’s a sign that four days have passed, at least that’s what he guesses is the amount of time that passes between them feeding him, but without the sun it’s hard to say.

The man pulls the gag out of Jaskier’s mouth, not that they need to leave it in anymore, he’s pretty quiet these days, the men just think it’s funny. “We’re helping you save your voice so when he comes for you, you can scream nice and pretty for him.” One of them joked at one point, even though they all know he’s not coming for Jaskier. He’s not his bard anymore, in fact, Jaskier would be willing to bet he’s happier now that Jaskier’s gone. He recalls at one point early in his captivity, when the men tried to get him to sing for them. When he’d refused they’d broken his lute. He could still see the smashed remains of his prized instrument in the corner of his cell, just out of reach.

The man pushes the bread and water towards Jaskier, who quickly accepts them. “T-thank you.” He rasps out, his throat dry both from the lack of water, and the fact that he’s been gagged, which somehow also leads to him being far more thirsty. After he finishes eating, he hands the now empty cup back to the man, who goes to put the gag back in Jaskier’s mouth. “Please! I’ll be quiet!” He begs, same as he does every time they remove it.

The man ignores this and shoves it back in Jaskier’s mouth, making a point of retying it far too tightly, while also catching some of Jaskier’s hair in the knot. “Tsk tsk bard, I think he would be very disappointed if when he comes for you, your voice is all gone, don’t you think? I mean that has to be the reason he kept you around so long hm? I can’t imagine you’re good for much else.” The man laughs, then turns on his heel and leaves the room, locking the door behind him.

The next time Jaskier hears the door begin to open, he startles, his internal clock telling him that his captors are there early, or at least they seem earlier than usual. Usually he likes to be sitting up right when they come into his cell, so he can be prepared, but he is too tired and feels too weak to be doing anything but lay on his side. His eyes barely open as he watches the door swing open and shoes rush in.

“Jaskier?” He hears a voice call, weird, they never call me by my name. He closes his eyes again, partially assuming it to be a dream, but as the footsteps get closer to him, he opens them again so he can at least look his captors in the eye before they beat the ever-loving shit out of him. When they open, Jaskier can’t help but do a double take as the man in front of him is his captor’s as he had been anticipating. He struggles to focus, only taking in the stark white hair of the man who abandoned him. The gag is gently pulled out of his mouth, catching slightly on his hair.

“Are you here to break me out?” He rasps, his voice barely audible. “Or am I merely dreaming?”

“Oh Jaskier,” gentle hands cup his face, “I am so sorry.”

Jaskier’s heart drops, “So I take it you’re here to kill me then?” Then Jaskier notices the blood on his armor. “Am I already dead?”

“I killed them Jask, they’ll never lay hands on you or anyone again.” He sees the flash of metal and the jingle of keys, before feeling the shackles fall from his wrists. Moments later, he feels the shackles around his ankles also fall free, or at least on one of his ankles as he still can’t really feel his broken leg. “Let’s get you home.”

When Jaskier wakes up again, he is in a bed, not the floor like he’s grown accustomed to. His leg also no longer radiates pain, when he opens his eyes he immediately has to shut them again, it is far brighter wherever he is now than it had been in his cell. The voices he hadn’t even noticed at first have now fallen silent around him, as if the owners have realized he is awake.

“Jaskier?” There he is again, with his soft words and comforting voice. Why didn’t he come for me? “I’m here Jaskier, can you open your eyes?”

He doesn’t want to, but he does anyway. There he is, seated by his bedside, his hand holding Jaskier’s, concern laced into every aspect of his face. “Geralt?” A cup with water is placed against his lip, his voice must be far raspier than he thought, but he doesn’t complain as he quickly drinks as much water as he can before the cup is pulled away.

“Easy there,” Another voice, Yennefer, says as she places the cup on a stand beside the bed he is in. She must be the reason his legs does not hurt anymore. “There’s plenty of water now, no need to worry.”

Jaskier looks at her, then at Geralt again, tightening his grip on Geralt’s hand. “You-you came for me?”

“I’m sorry it took me so long, Jaskier.”

“You came.” He sobs, “Oh Geralt, I’m so sorry I swear I never told them anything. Not even when I gave up hope you’d come. I swear on my life, I never said a word.”

“Even if you did Jaskier, I wouldn’t care.” Geralt rubs his thumb against Jaskier’s hand, trying his best to soothe him. “I just wish I had come sooner, I’m so sorry you were put through that.”

“You’re, you’re not mad?”

“Only at myself for not being there sooner.”

Jaskier wipes the tears from his eyes with his free hand, not wanting to let go of Geralt’s hand. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

#are you here to break me out #the witcher #the witcher netflix #jaskier whump #geralt of rivia #hurt/comfort #whumptober 2022 #whumpblr #whump community #fractures #dislocation #no 13 #julian alfred pankratz

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rafael-silva · 3 years ago

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steady me with your touch: a tarlos fic

A call brings the 126 crew, APD and the Texas Rangers together. When Carlos gets hurt on said scene, Gabriel bears witness to TK working through his worry as he takes care of Carlos, the love and deep connection between them evident as clear as the sun shines. In the aftermath, TK is there for his boyfriend, in more ways than one.

for bad things happen bingo: tarlos + arm in a sling

hurt carlos reyes, worried tk strand, paramedic tk, hurt/comfort, emotional/hurt comfort, kisses, whump, comfort, angst with a happy ending, soft boyfriends

5.7k | rated T | on ao3

*****

Walking into the precinct that morning, the air heavy with tension and stress, Carlos had an inkling about the day that lied ahead. And in retrospect, Carlos’s gut was proven right.

*****

Switching off the siren and hopping out of the patrol car, Carlos and Mitchell quickly stride towards their captain, who is wearing a grim look as he speaks to a couple of other officers. Carlos looks around, noticing a perimeter already being set by his colleagues as bystanders start to gather across the street.

Captain Kendricks turns in their direction as they approach him.

“Reyes, Mitchell, good that you got here so quick,” he says.

“Captain,” Carlos nods as he slips on his vest. “We were a few blocks over when the call came in.”

Before the captain can reply, the echo of more sirens grab their attentions. Turning in the direction of the incoming sounds, Carlos immediately finds the bold 126 numbers painted on the side of the firetruck, followed by the ambulance.

His eyes remain fixed on the vehicles as the firefighters disembark, watching as Owen searches the crowd for the person in command of the scene before even his boots hit the ground.

The fire captain’s eyes quickly find Carlos and Captain Kendricks and he says something to Judd before hurrying over to the police officers.

“Captain Kendricks,” Owen greets, extending his hand.

“Captain Strand,” Kendricks replies, shaking Owen’s extended hand.

“Officer Reyes, Officer Mitchell.”

“Captain Strand,” Carlos responds next.

“What’s the situation?”

“I was just about to brief Officers Reyes and Mitchell. We have a hostage situation, it was called in about ten minutes ago. The daughter made the call, she and her parents had come home and according to her, she had gone to her bedroom straight away, and a few moments later she heard arguing and strange voices coming from the living room. She discovered three men in black ski masks, armed, and yelling at her parents. She ran back to her room and called 911. And it appears to have started out as a robbery.”

Owen nods. “So, at least three robbers.”

Captain Kendricks nods. “We’re still trying to establish communication with the intruders, and in the meantime, the daughter is still on the line with 911,” the captain continues. “Where is she hiding?”

“Her bedroom, north-east side of the building.”

“Any updates, Captain Kendricks?” Another voice pops up, approaching the group.

At hearing the familiar voice, Carlos turns to see his father making his way towards them and gets a nod from Gabriel when their eyes meet.

“No new updates yet, Major.”

“Sir,” Carlos greets his father.

“Captain Strand,” Gabriel extends his hand.

“Major Reyes,” Owen reciprocates, shaking the offered palm.

“Captain Strand, I’ll need you and your crew close and on stand by,” Kendricks states, then turning to Carlos and Mitchell, “Reyes, Mitchell, I want you to cover the back door, along with Banks and Carter. Keep your eyes open and watch each other’s backs, report any movement.”

“Yes, sir,” Carlos responds.

Looking back in the direction of the firetruck, Carlos sees the 126 crew standing near, talking together and looking at the building. He quickly finds TK, and unlike everyone else, the paramedic is looking straight at him, also having sought out his boyfriend amid the crowd.

They start a wordless conversation, declarations spoken through brown and green gates as they connect on a deeper level, the world around them momentarily fading away. A wave of understanding sways between them, an invisible string extending and bridging them together; they both know what the other is expressing, speaking through their hearts, the words echoing in their eyes, seeing into each other’s souls. Carlos gives TK a nod, which the paramedic replies to with a small smile.

Turning back, Carlos shares a look with his father.

Gabriel’s hand moves to Carlos’s face, gently patting his cheek then his shoulder.

“Be careful, son,” Gabriel pleads.

“Will do, sir,” Carlos replies, giving his dad a smile.

Gabriel watches as his son glances over his shoulder one more time before walking into the opposite direction and towards the back of the building, his partner on his heels.

Gabriel turns to glimpse in the direction Carlos had just looked in and easily finds TK, the younger man’s eyes trailed on Carlos. The Ranger’s movement then catches TK’s eyes and they share a look. Gabriel gives him a smile and nod, which TK swiftly return.

*****

They found the daughter, TK had overheard Captain Kendricks telling Owen and Gabriel.

The atmosphere is tense and the air thick as PD and the Rangers work to establish communication with the assailants, which still hasn’t proven manageable. And now without the daughter on the line with dispatch anymore, they are blind to what is happening inside the apartment.

A couple of other officers were assigned to the back of the building along with Carlos and the others, but it’s also been radio silence on their end.

TK is pacing back and forth in front of the truck and ambulance, his shoulders squared and face tight, rubbing his hands together, busying himself.

He can hear his father, Gabriel and Captain Kendricks nearby, discussing what the best course of action would be if it remains radio silence for another few minutes.

He stops moving when the radio comes to life with Carlos’s voice.

“This is 363-H-20,” Carlos’s voice is low and hushed. “Possible movement in the back.”

TK holds his breath, waiting, and then his heart promptly plummets into his stomach at the next transmission, his eyes going wide with fear at the words.

“Shots fired, I repeat, shots fired,” Carlos yells, his voice loud now. “Requesting back up!”

TK swallows against his dry throat when his ears catch the harsh sound of bullets hitting steel and brick in the background of Carlos’s message.

The sun watching over them and the heat engulfing them is suddenly too much for TK, his entire body sizzling from the inside out as his heart beats fiercely against his rib cage.

“Four suspects fleeing north, in pursuit on foot,” Carlos continues a few moments later.

“Hey, hang on, brother,” a close voice pierces TK’s ears. He turns to find Judd’s hand on his shoulder. “They’ll radio if they need EMS. He’s okay.”

He’s okay? TK wants to scoff. He just got rained on by a shower of bullets, he thinks.

TK then looks down and realizes he’d taken a few steps forward, unconsciously trying to get to Carlos. All possibilities of what could go wrong start to rush through his mind; what if Carlos got hit but the adrenaline is masking the pain? What if he collapses while he’s chasing the criminals?

And as if Judd had spoken it into the universe, the radio chirps to life, an unfamiliar voice to TK calling for medical assistance.

The foreign voice alone gets TK’s heart racing some more, his mind immediately jumping to the conclusion that Carlos is the one hurt now that he’s not on the radio. It’s not a given, of course, TK knows, but his mind can’t be convinced otherwise in the moment, his fear of losing Carlos bigger than logic.

TK lifts his head towards the group of officers just in time to see a bunch of them joined by a few Rangers, including Gabriel, rush to their vehicles.

A few other officers make their way towards the paramedics, and lead them to where they’re needed, towards the fallen officer. TK’s legs move on their own accord, he needs to know.

TK feels the sweat roll down his neck and back as they get closer to the officers, he tightens his hold on the medkit, repeating please be okay, Carlos, please be okay, over and over in his head.

He gets a proper view of the officer on the ground and his shoulders sag a little, a sigh escaping him when he sees it’s not Carlos. He drops the medkid and kneels next to the cop, his partner speaking on his behalf.

“He took a round to his vest, it didn’t go through but he said it hurts to breathe a little.”

The paramedics work in unison to get the officer assessed and stable. TK had seen both of the cops at Carlos’s precinct a couple of times but he hasn’t spoken to them before.

A question over the radio grabs his attention then.

“What’s your location, Reyes?” Kendricks speaks into his radio.

“Just passed Brazos and East 4th,” comes Carlos’s quick reply around his pants.

“Copy, back up is in en route.”

TK takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, gathering his nerves. Carlos is going to be okay.

A few blocks away, Carlos watches as the four suspects break into two group, each going in opposite directions.

“They’ve split up,” Carlos relays. “Banks and Carter, go East, Mitchell and I will stay on them heading north.”

Sirens fill the air around Carlos as he pushes his muscles and wills his legs to keep running, the suspects just ahead of him as he sees them turn a corner.

“Suspects have turned a corner, heading West on 5th,” Carlos speaks into his radio, slowing to a jog and eventually stopping.

“Reyes?” Mitchell questions as she slows next to her partner.

“We can cut them off before they reach West Avenue,” Carlos tells Mitchell, gathering his breath. “There’s a shortcut to West 5th,” he explains, pointing to a nearby alley. “Through there.”

Mitchell nods and follows Carlos into the alley. They quickly make their way between the buildings, eventually reaching the main street. They slow down when they’re almost at West 5th street, staying close against the wall to conceal their movements. Carlos carefully peaks his head out, his heart hammering in his chest as he searches for any signs of the suspects.

“Anything?” Mitchell whispers.

“Yeah,” Carlos replies. “They’re heading this way, almost half a block behind.”

Thankfully, the street isn’t busy and there are no bystanders in close vicinity of the robbers. When Carlos gives the signal, he and Mitchell jump out from the alley and into the path of the men, their guns drawn.

The two men freeze, their own guns in their grip and Carlos can instantly read them like an open book.

“Don’t move and don’t even think about it. Lower your weapons and the duffel bags, slowly,” Carlos orders.

“Do it,” Mitchell adds with a stern tone.

The two men don’t move for a few moments before they follow the orders, lowering their guns to the asphalt along with the bags. With her gun still drawn, Mitchell carefully moves forward and kicks the guns away. Then she and Carlos return their own guns to their holsters and move to cuff the suspects.

In a quick move, the man Carlos is holding flicks his head back, and Carlos would have ended up with a broken nose if it weren’t for his quick reflexes, jerking his head backwards and out of the way of the oncoming assault. Carlos’s grip, however, loosens on the man, giving him just enough leverage to slip a little from his hold.

Carlos recovers quickly, locking the man’s wrists to keep him in place as he reaches for his cuffs, but the man continues at his attempt to break free from the officer’s hold.

Carlos is also aware that Mitchell is having her own go with the other suspect, trying to secure him in the same way, too.

The man in Carlos’s grasp sharply and suddenly leans forward, his arms still behind him as he wiggles some more, swaying his body to the side and tipping Carlos’s balance. The man, in another strong tug forward, manages to escape Carlos’s hold when the officer tries to regain his balance. He only reaches the end of the block before Carlos is tackling him to the ground, but not without injury, though. Carlos hears a sickening crack coming from his shoulder when he thuds harshly on his side, his arm and shoulder colliding with the asphalt, his other going around the man to keep him in place.

White, hot pain surges through his nerves and body, and he wants to scream out in agony. He manages to keep the man in place just long enough for Mitchell to run over, having cuffed the other guy and handed him to the back up that arrived moments ago, and takes over using Carlos’s cuffs on the man on the ground.

Carlos breathes out a throaty groan, his good arm free now to cradle his injured shoulder, his eyes squeezed shut as he tries to regulate his breathing.

“Reyes?” He hears Mitchell call out but he doesn’t reply, the pain clouding his head and preventing him from doing anything except breathe through the continuous throbbing.

He’s vague aware of the sirens around them now, blaring and ear-piercing and he can see the red and blue lights dancing across beyond his closed eyelids.

Carlos’s focus leaves his surroundings and travel to the aching pain and shocks running up and down his arm. But soon, another voice filters through, getting closer. At first, the voice seems so far away, as if Carlos were underwater and the voice above. That voice is one he replies to.

“Carlos?”

“Dad…” Carlos mumbles through clenched teeth.

“What happened?” He hears Gabriel ask.

“Carlos tackled him to the ground, but I didn’t see it happen. I looked up after cuffing the other guy and Carlos was on the ground with him,” Mitchell explains.

“Can you open your eyes for me, son?”

Carlos takes a deep breath through his nose and wills his eyes to open. He finds his father’s concerned face through the momentary blur, and he shakes his head to clear his vision. It seems that wasn’t the best of choices because the action sends a sharp sting running through his head but it fades after a few moments.

“There you are,” Gabriel visibly relaxes a little at seeing Carlos awake. “What hurts?”

“Shoulder,” Carlos pants. “Fell on it.”

Gabriel’s eyes go to Carlos’s shoulder and he grimaces at the unnatural angle the joint is in.

“It’s dislocated,” Gabriel sighs.

Carlos groans again, moving his body to the side, as if he wanted to curl into himself and will the discomfort away. However, all he ends up doing is hissing in pain.

“Stay still, Carlos,” Gabriel warns and then turns to Mitchell. “Radio for EMS.”

She nods, getting to her feet and hauls the cuffed man away, pressing down on her radio to request medical and reports their location.

Gabriel then kneels next to his son and gently settles a hand behind his uninjured shoulder.

“Here, let me help you sit up,” Gabriel says, and receives a nod from Carlos.

Carlos lifts his good arm and wraps his fingers around his father’s wrist for leverage, and mostly using Gabriel’s strength and with the Ranger’s support on his back, they manage to get Carlos up and sitting in a swift but careful motion, but even the slight jostling sends sharp stabbing like pains through Carlos’s arm and shoulder that have him groaning again.

“You okay?” Gabriel asks, his voice coated with worry, hating to see his son in pain.

“Yeah,” Carlos replies a few moments after collecting his breath, his voice shakier than he intended.

His good arm goes back to holding his other, and Gabriel keeps his hand on Carlos’s back, supporting Carlos both literally and figuratively. A part of Gabriel knows that Carlos can very well tumble backwards if it weren’t for his support and it’s also to remind for Carlos that he isn’t alone.

Gabriel looks up when he senses quick movement approaching and sees the paramedics jogging towards them.

“Major Reyes,” TK is the first to speak, his grip on the medkit strap tightening.

Gabriel can pin point the moment TK realizes it’s Carlos who is injured, by the way the young paramedic’s breath hitches and eyes go wide. But he also quickly observes how TK is doing his best to keep himself composed, focused and professional, and to not let his emotions cloud him or cause him to freeze.

“He tackled the suspect and hit his shoulder and arm on the ground,” Gabriel tells them, his eyes moving back to Carlos.

“Hi babe,” TK meets Carlos’s eyes as he kneels next to him, his green irises radiating worry.

The officer gives him the best smile he could muster in hopes of easing the panic he can see drawn on TK’s face.

“How are you doing?”

Carlos swallows. “Okay.”

“How’s your pain?” Tommy asks next, her voice calm and motherly.

Gabriel notices how TK’s eyes keep moving from unpacking the equipment they need to Carlos, emitting fear and worry. He can see how TK takes some comfort from the fact that Carlos is sitting up, awake and alert, but Gabriel can also tell it’s still not quite enough to completely relieve the young man’s anxiety at seeing Carlos injured, judging by the strain in his shoulders as he works.

“Uh…the pain is maybe a seven? Eight?”

TK’s eyes roam over Carlos’s face, studying him and finds sweat collecting on Carlos’s forehead. His eyes then move down to his middle, where Carlos is holding himself a little unnaturally and taking shallow breaths, TK creasing his eyebrows at the realization.

“Carlos, does anything else hurt?” TK asks, worry evident in his voice.

“My back and down my side,” Carlos winces around a breath. “Breathing hurts a little. It’s like…every breath echoes into my back and it’s like a stabbing pain.”

TK nods and with the help of Gabriel, they gently remove Carlos’s kevlar vest and then TK moves to lift Carlos’s uniform shirt.

He knew to expect a bruise there, Carlos’s momentum when he hit the ground enough to cause that, but he still can’t help the sharp breath he draws in when his eyes land on the dark red bruise already formed down his boyfriend’s back and side.

TK sees Gabriel have the same reaction from the corner of his eye. He gently starts examining the bruise, lightly pressing down on the skin around it and Carlos lets out a low groan.

“I’m sorry, babe.”

Carlos nods, it’s okay.

As he lowers the shirt, TK shares a look with the Ranger and sees the same concern surging through his own body mirrored back at him.

“Cap, back and side are heavily bruised.”

Tommy nods in acknowledgment and then turns to Nancy when she speaks.

“Vitals are holding, Cap, a little low, but they’re stable,” Nancy reports.

Tommy nods again. “Lets see what we can do about that pain now, yeah, Carlos?”

Tommy tells Nancy to administer pain medication through the IV line she just inserted and secured. Carlos lets out a steady breath a few moments later.

“Better?” TK asks.

Carlos nods.

“That’s good,” TK gives him a smile.

“Okay, Carlos, we have to slip your shoulder back into the joint. It won’t be pleasant, the pain will only last for a few seconds though and the meds we gave you will help,” Tommy says.

Carlos nods. “Had a dislocated shoulder before.”

“Alright, then, you know the drill.”

TK moves to Carlos’s uninjured side as Gabriel gets up and steps back, giving them space to work. Tommy now opposite TK, together they get ready, positioning Carlos and TK takes Carlos’s uninjured hand into his own, giving it a squeeze.

After a moment or two, Tommy starts counting and in between the second and third count, she expertly reduces the dislocation and Carlos’s shoulder pops back into the socket.

Carlos’s knuckles go white as his grip on TK’s hand tightens, the seconds of pain causing him to squeeze TK’s hand with everything he’s got. He feels TK run his thumb over his skin as the wave of pain begins to wash away.

“All done,” Tommy smiles at Carlos. “It’s going to be tender and sore for a few days, so take it easy,” she gives him a pointed look.

“Reminds me of an exact same conversation we had a few years ago, that time he sprained his ankle and wanted to walk around the ranch to fix some holes in the fence,” Gabriel says, his tone playful and a little teasing. “We told him to take it easy and yet I found him limping down the stairs less than ten minutes later.”

“I just…like to be helpful and I hate it when an injury gets in the way of that.”

“I hear you, Carlos. But don’t push yourself or you might end up doing more damage. And in this case, it means complete minimal movement of your shoulder, and it’s best if you don’t use it at all for a few days,” Tommy says.

Carlos drops his head. “Yes, ma’am.”

“And don’t forget, I know your boy really well,” Tommy turns to look at TK. “I’ve learned how to deal with a certain version of the phrase taking it easy.”

Gabriel chuckles again at Tommy’s comment, getting the sense that the two young men have more in common than he initially thought.

TK doesn’t argue, instead he reaches for the arm sling and Gabriel watches as he carefully helps Carlos put it on, securing his arm against his chest and tightening the strap so his arm is properly supported.

“There,” TK says. “And take it easy,” he winks at Carlos.

Carlos chuckles and nods.

Gabriel himself relaxes a little more after watching the exchange, seeing how both Carlos and TK were a little more at ease now that the officer was a little better. He can still see concern at the edges of TK’s eyes and on his face, but he supposes it will be a few days until the remnants of worry are completely gone.

“Can you walk to the ambulance?” Tommy asks.

Carlos frowns, eyes going to his father and then TK. “I thought we were done.”

TK shakes his head. “We still need to take you to the hospital, get some x rays to make sure everything is okay and to check on your muscles and ligaments, too. It’s precautionary, just to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be and nothing on the inside has been injured in the fall.”

Carlos sighs and nods.

“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” Gabriel says once they get Carlos inside to rig and TK hops in after him.

“Dad, it’s okay,” Carlos starts from where he’s lying upright on the gurney.

Gabriel’s shake of his head stops the officer. “I’ll meet you at the hospital,” he repeats.

“Okay, sir,” Carlos gives him a grateful smile.

Carlos is pretty exhausted and sleeps during the ride to the hospital, TK keeping a steady hold on his hand the whole way, grounding him and giving him comfort.

Carlos is taken to an exam room upon arrival, the nurses allow TK to stay with him while Tommy and Nancy are told to stay in the waiting area, which is where Gabriel finds them ten minutes after their arrival.

“Major Reyes,” Tommy says once she spots him. “Carlos is being examined right now, TK is with him and he’ll come with updates.”

Gabriel nods and takes a seat in one of plastic chairs, fishing his phone from his pocket to call his wife.

After reassuring Andrea that Carlos is okay and he’s being checked over and promising Carlos will call her as soon as he can, he hangs up in time to see TK walk over to them.

“The doctor’s initial exam shows that everything is fine, but they’re taking him to get an x ray to make certain,” TK explains.

“That’s good to hear,” Gabriel smiles, patting TK on the shoulder.

TK nods, returning the smile.

Carlos is back in the exam room shortly after, TK and Gabriel with him. Carlos is speaking to his father after finishing his call with Andrea when TK’s radio comes to life.

“It’s okay,” Carlos says before TK can apologize. “I’m fine, and the x ray is going to show just that.”

“I’ll take him home,” Gabriel nods.

“Oh,” Carlos frowns a little at a realization. “My car is at the precinct.”

“I can have dad take me there after shift and I’ll get it home,” TK says.

“Okay,” Carlos nods. “The keys are in my locker.”

TK nods, moving closer to Carlos. “I’ll see you at home,” he takes Carlos’s hand and gives it a squeeze.

“I’ll see you at home, babe,” Carlos squeezes back. “Go save lives.”

“Bye, Mr. Reyes,” TK waves as he walks towards the door.

“Bye, TK. Stay safe,” Gabriel replies.

TK nods again and with one last look at Carlos, who is still smiling and gives him a nod himself, TK turns on his heels and walks through the hospital, meeting his team outside.

*****

“Babe, I’m home,” TK calls out as he walks through the door, dropping the keys into the bowl sitting on the table next to the door.

He immediately spots Carlos in the kitchen by the fridge, who smiles widely upon seeing TK.

“Hey, babe,” Carlos replies, closing the fridge door. “How was the rest of shift?”

“You should be resting,” TK raises his eyebrows as he walks over to Carlos. “It was fine, a little slow towards the end.”

“I am, resting that is, I was just getting some orange juice,” Carlos replies. “Welcome home,” he whispers before returning the soft kiss TK leans in for.

TK sighs into the kiss, a hand going to cup Carlos’s cheek. He pulls back slightly to plant another kiss to Carlos’s lips, both of them pouring their everything into it, feeling each other, reassuring each other.

“Hi,” TK whispers when they pull apart, resting his forehead against Carlos’s.

“Hi yourself,” Carlos whispers back, a small smile spreading on his face.

“How are you feeling?” TK asks, a thumb caressing Carlos’s cheek.

“Okay,” Carlos replies. “Me and dad ordered pizza. You know, one of the easier things to eat with…” he trails off, gesturing to his sling.

TK nods.

“Definitely easier than changing out of your uniform with a sore shoulder,” Carlos shakes his head. “And showering.”

TK frowns, eyes turning sad at the thought of Carlos in pain, but Carlos quickly goes to reassure TK.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle though,” Carlos says. “I’m okay, I promise.”

“I know, I just…I hate that you got hurt,” TK sighs, face falling and eyes going to Carlos’s injured arm.

It’s Carlos’s turn to gently cup TK’s face and guide him to look into his eyes.

“Hey,” Carlos soft calls. “I’ll be good as new in no time. A couple of weeks and I go for a check up and we take it from there.”

TK nods, eyes not leave Carlos’s, almost afraid that Carlos would somehow disappear if he looks away.

“Okay,” Carlos says as he closes the gap between them with another kiss.

Before either of them say anything else, TK’s stomach rumbles and reminds him that he’s very hungry. Carlos lifts an eyebrow, making TK chuckle.

“I ordered a pizza for you too, I put it in the oven to keep it warm,” Carlos adds.

“My savior,” TK brushes a kiss to Carlos’s cheek.

“Hm, if I recall correctly, you saved me today,” Carlos responds.

“Well, call it even,” TK smiles. “I’ll go take a quick shower then I can eat and we can carefully cuddle and watch a movie.”

“Exactly what I need.”

TK, however, doesn’t move and keeps watching Carlos.

“TK?” Carlos questions, his face turning into one of confusion.

“I’m not going until I’m sure you’re sitting safely on the couch,” TK shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest. “Taking it easy, remember? I don’t want you hurting your shoulder again, and your parents hearing about it…I do not want to receive that phone call.”

Carlos playfully rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Okay, I’m going.”

He grabs the full glass of orange juice off the counter and walks over the couch, setting the cup down on the table and then lowering himself down on the fluffy cushion.

“Safe and sound. Now go shower,” Carlos gestures towards the bathroom. “I miss you and your cuddles.”

“Give me ten minutes,” TK smiles as he walks over to Carlos, dropping a kiss to the top of his head and then to his injured shoulder.

As promised, they’re cuddling thirty minutes later. TK had finished eating and went to grab a couple of water bottles before gently sitting on Carlos’s unhurt side. He lifts his arm for Carlos to come closer and TK carefully places his hand over Carlos’s injured shoulder, mindful not to add any pressure there.

Carlos snuggles against his boyfriend, pressing a light kiss to TK’s neck and then resting his head there. He closes his eyes as he breaths TK in, his mint scented body wash fresh and captivating. That’s what home smells like to Carlos now.

Carlos hums happily when TK starts carding his fingers through his loose soft curls, and TK smiles, knowing very well how that gesture calms the officer and relaxes him.

“How’s your back, baby? I know the doctor said the bruising isn’t as bad as we thought but are you in pain?”

“It’s okay, as long as I don’t move too much, I’m not in a lot of pain. And the doctor prescribed a gel that should make it better.”

TK sighs.

“Baby, it’s just cause it’s only been a few hours since…and sleep is going to help. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll ice it for you and apply the gel before we sleep. Is there anything you need right now?”

Carlos looks up at TK from his position. “I’ve got everything I need right here. You’re all I need, Ty, anytime, anywhere.”

“You’ve got me, ‘Los, always.”

TK plants a kiss to Carlos’s forehead, his lips lingering there for a few extra moments. He needs to know that Carlos is really, truly okay, he needs to feel Carlos, and Carlos understands. So he tries to move even closer to TK without pain flaring up across his body.

“My dad was impressed by you, you know,” Carlos says after a few minutes of them watching the movie in silence.

“Me?”

Carlos nods. “With how you handled everything and stayed calm.”

“Oh, no, I was freaking out,” TK replies.

“I mean, he told me he could see how you were shaken up when you realized it was me, but you didn’t let that cloud you or get in the way. You stayed calm through the panic, stayed professional and held your ground even though you were freaking out on the inside. You controlled it, and he told me he’s rarely seen people be able to do that,” Carlos explains.

“Well, I had to make sure you come out of it okay.”

“And he’s also very grateful for that. My mom, too. I could hear it in her voice, she felt better when I told her you took care of me,” Carlos continues.

TK feels his heart warm at the knowledge of Gabriel and Andrea’s support and appreciation. It uplifts him and makes him incredibly happy, and he’s even happier knowing how much their approval of him means to Carlos.

“I was honestly just too focused on the pain so I wasn’t paying much attention to anything around, I hate that you had to see me hurt, but I’m also glad it was you at the scene. Because once I knew it was you next to me, I felt safe. I knew I was safe,” Carlos expresses.

“I’ll be here, always,” TK vows. “Through it all, I’ll always be right by your side.”

“And I will always be right by yours,” Carlos vows back.

“Just, let me take care of you, please. You’ve always taken great care of me, and of everyone really, it’s who you are and I know how important it is to you. But remember, baby, it’s okay to rely on others too, to get help when you need it,” TK says.

Carlos stays silent for a few moments, brushing his fingers over the material of his sweats. “It’s not…the easiest thing for me, doing that,” he eventually replies.

“I know and that’s okay, babe,” TK reassures him. “It starts with small steps. Besides, I always want to pamper my wonderful boyfriend.”

That makes Carlos smile and he nods. “Okay, I’ll work on it.”

They seal their promises with a passionate kiss, each of them giving as well as they’re receiving, immersed in each other in every possible way.

“That also wasn’t the first time I freaked out on that call,” TK admits when they separate.

Carlos sits up, facing TK and frowns a little.

“They called for medical after you reported shots were fired and it was another officer who requested EMS and…I freaked out. I was heard the call and I terrified you were hurt,” TK sighs.

“Oh, babe,” Carlos says softly. “That’s completely understandable. It all happened so quickly, the shots, Ryan getting hit in the vest…next thing I knew, I could hear Robert call for medical and I was already after the suspects. But hey, if I were hurt then, you would have taken great care of me, like you always do,” he strokes over TK’s hand with his thumb. “Like you did.”

TK nods, but his eyes glisten with unshed tears, making the green of his irises even brighter than normal.

“It just scares me,” TK sniffs.

“I know, and I’m scared for you, too. I can’t promise I won’t get hurt again, but what I can promise, is that I will always fight to come home to you,” Carlos replies.

“I promise the same,” TK reciprocates. “Always.”

Carlos leans in, touching his forehead to TK’s and closes his eyes, taking comfort in the way TK gravitates towards him and his touch. “I’m okay, you’re okay…we’re okay, baby.”

TK closes his eyes as well, and they breathe together, anchoring each other, hearts beating as one.

“So,” TK starts when they separate, intertwining his fingers with Carlos’s. “What’s that story about you trying to walk around to fix the ranch fence with a sprained ankle?”

Carlos chuckles and settles back against TK’s chest, resting his head against his shoulder.

“Well, I was eighteen and I had taken a bad tackle during a football game the day before…”

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am-i-right-marines · 4 years ago

Text

Prompt: Reinforcements

“Get to cover!”

Sergeant Major Elliot Reynolds dove behind a partially collapsed wall and reloaded his MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System.

Jul’Mdama and his Storm Covenant had thought it a good idea to attack a UNSC colony.

It was the Great War all over again.

Peeking over his cover, he let loose three five round bursts into an Elite and watched it collapse on a puddle of blood.

“Where the hell is our air cover?!” Corporal Harper barked.

“Army dropped the ball again!”

“Is now really the best time for this?!” Captain Bryan White, an Army Ranger, yelled over the din.

Elliot snorted. These two really knew how to lighten the mood even in a firefight.

Then came a magical sound.

The whump of helicopter blades.

The Sergeant Major turned towards the sound, and was greeted with a flight of three UH-144 Falcons swooping low over the hills. As they reached the battlefield, the two door gunners on each aircraft opened up, along with the mounted nose gun. Any Covenant troops that had been in the open were nothing but corpses now.

“Talon 2-Leader to Bravo 2-7, ready for tasking.”

Elliot blinked into the comm channel. “2-Leader, Actual. Call for—“

“Look out!”

Elliot’s eyes shot towards the person who shouted, and followed their gesture to see a Fuel Rod-wielding Elite take aim at the Falcons.

“Talon! Evade! Evade!”

The Elite fired.

“Shit-!”

The lead Falcon’s cockpit detonated in a wash of green radiation and flame and it plummeted towards the ground. “Clear out!”

The wreck slammed into the hillside with the force of a train, sending dirt and bodies flying in every direction. “Watch the blades!”

The two helicopter blades snapped off from their mounts and went flying.

“We need those long range transmitters to reach something! Anything!” Captain White yelled over the din.

“Cover me!” Elliot barked, then dropped his rifle and vaulted his cover.

“Covering fire!” Harper shouted, and a staccato of rifle fire sounded in response.

Elliot sidestepped a plasma bolt and dove into a crater made by a plasma-mortar to dodge a shot from a focus-rifle. Climbing out, the Sergeant Major made the finally sprint to the downed Falcon and made a grab for its long-range transmitter.

Funnily enough, the E-BAND lit up right as he did.

“Any and all UNSC forces receiving heed and standby, this is Infinity-Actual. Standby by for hot-drop of Spartan fireteams at Point Uppeecut, Point Turnbuckle, and Point Knockout. ETA ninety seconds.”

Knowing if he stayed out here much longer he’d be dead, the Sergeant hightailed it back to cover and retrieved his weapon. “Reinforcements incoming!”

“Where the hell from?!”

And then came the pods.

Hundreds of SOEIVs fell through the high cloud layer like hundreds of meteors, and slammed down all around the field.

Doors blew off with explosive bolts, and Spartans leaped out with weapons raised.

“Hell yeah! The calvary’s here now you bastards!”

—————————

Commander Sarah Palmer was a very calm person.

Unless someone pissed her off.

Today that someone was Jul’Mdama.

The Spartan leaped out of her droppod as the door blew off and raised her dual M6H Magnums, quickly downing an Elite with a trio of Semi-Armor-Piercing High-Explosive rounds and diving into cover.

To her left, she watched DeMarco shoot the energy sword out of another’s hand before running it through with his own stolen one.

Boomboom

There was Madsen’s SRS, which was usually-

Boomboom, boomboom

-followed by Crimson-2’s, one-upping Majestic at every turn. Turning to her right, Sarah spotted the local marine CO and darted over to him. “Sergeant Reynolds?”

The redhead nodded. “All day. Glad you arrived when you did Spartan. Any longer and we were done for.”

Sarah was still used to the bravado of ODSTs. Sometimes the honesty of the rank-and-file surprised her. “Don’t thank us just yet. Let’s ge—“

“Grenades!”

The Spartan’s gaze shot skyward, and found half a dozen blazing plasma grenades flying towards them. She heard Elliot dash for cover, but she was focused on the Marine who just caught a plasma blast in the chest and was stood frozen between fear and pain.

Spartan Time kicked in.

The commander let her magnums, well... magnetize to her mag-mounts and sprinted towards the frozen Marine. Everything else seemed to go almost grey, while her target and the dangers to it remained colored. She watched in slow-motion as the faces on marines she passed morphed into surprise and awe. She even saw DeMarco’s helmet turn towards her.

Sarah had heard about Spartan Time from the Master Chief once, but never experienced it herself. Hell before today she wasn’t even sure IVs could experience it.

“Get down!”

Two hundred forty pounds of Spartan slammed into the marine at speeds most wouldn’t even want to think about, pressing him into the dirt and covering him as much as possible, knowing her Kit could take the brunt of a plasma grenade. His couldn’t.

Fweee-BOOM

Heat washed over her, and she watched her shield bar drop, then break, followed by more heat. It must’ve been closer than she thought.

As she stood, the marine’s panicked breathing in the back of her mind, she saw another get stuck with a plasma grenade.

She didn’t even try and take off her armor, as it had stuck to her chest-plate. She threw her rifle and charged the Elite that threw it. “Come on you son of a bitch! Come on!”

The Elite and Marine disappeared into a crater, followed by another fweee-boom and a wash of plasma.

“Harper!” She heard one of the Marines shout in distress.

Sarah blinked into TEAMCOM. “Majestic, Crimson, on me!”

The commander vaulted a collapsed wall and sprinted down the hill, the audible bootsteps of the other two fireteams behind her. Then came the marines with a battle cry.

“Semper Fi! Do or die!”

—————————

And here it is! Reinforcements!

Sarah included, @cmdrsarahpalmer !

#halo #odst #unsc #unsc marines #halo military appreciation #Spartans

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just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi · 4 years ago

Link

Can... can I be sappy on main for a minute? Oh god, here it comes. Major Sap incoming. Sorry my dudes.

I’ve had this song for a while, but it got buried in my music. It came on at work yesterday, and all I could think about was this community.

So many of us have such similar experiences with finding whump, even though we’re all so different. I mean, I always kinda thought there was something wrong with me. But here we all are! And everyone is so nice and encouraging and welcoming!

Use the #whump tag to introduce yourself and suddenly you’ll get swarmed cause we get really just like new people and want them to know they’re welcome here. And I love it!

Little... uh.... more vaguely rough sap under this. But all I really want to say is that I love you all. ❤️

I’m not used to having people outside of my immediate family... care? About me? Or react to things I say or check up on me? I’ve been told I’m actually pretty good at making people think there’s nothing wrong. I’m.. I’m really not used to this and I don’t really know how to react. (I swear to GOD this is not some sort of ploy to get sympathy or something. just saying because I’m feeling like a sap right now and I’ve decided that life’s too short to not say what you want to say. and oh god i hate feeling like this. Fuck you *Past Person* for making me have to put fucking disclaimers in my own words ughh)

I guess I just want to say thanks, because I’m not good at trusting “the world” but you guys are probably the best corner of “the world” I’ve been in for a long time.

so.. um.. thanks ❤️

#S A SAP #SHE #OH GOD #SHES SAPPING #MAJOR SAP #whump community #i might delete this later #when I'm feeling less sappy #delete later #?#lol yolo just post it

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brutal-nemesis · 4 years ago

Text

Misery: my greatest joy

Idk how to structure a rant so here we go babey!!! This is just me spilling my thoughts about the book Misery by Stephen King. It’s my favorite horror book (as of now) and I feel like others in the community would like it too. Also this rant will def contain minor spoilers (and probably major ones idk what a major one consists of tho) so if you want to go in 100% blind this is me telling you it’s a great read and go do it.

CONTENT WARNINGS (for the book): broken bones, starvation, drug addiction, needles, gore, mutilation/amputation, cauterization, a little eyeball stuff, threats of forced self-cannibalism (I don’t have the book on me so I might have missed something minor)

I’m just gonna start by saying I’ve read a decent amount of horror books, and this one feels the most like a whump fic. The basic premise is this famous writer man (Paul) gets in a car crash in rural Colorado and is rescued by a retired nurse (Annie) who’s a huge fan of his work. His most famous series about the character Misery has just ended with him killing her cuz he wanted to write other things. Our girl Annie loves the Misery series and is still in the middle of reading the last book when she rescues Paul. It’s set in like the ‘70s or something so no cell phones or anything. So when homeboy wakes up in Annie’s house, no one knows where he is.

Paul’s legs got super messed up in the accident, like his tibia & fibula just got SHATTERED and, shockingly, that hurts a lot. Paul straight up goes on for pages about how bad his legs hurt and he’s basically helpless due to this, bedridden until she gets him a wheelchair. Annie has a bunch of painkillers that she stole from hospitals she worked at, and she gives them to Paul. If he does what she wants :)

See once Annie finishes the last Misery book she gets hella pissed at Paul. Sis is very much not alright in the head, and it’s what makes her such a great whumper since she’s so clearly unhinged and hard to predict. She keeps Paul captive in her home and forces him to write another Misery book, bringing the character back to life. Paul tries to resist, but she does things like withhold pain meds or refuse to feed him, sometimes leaving him stuck in bed for days. She’s a fantastic example of a caretaker/whumper combo and it’s great because every time she punishes Paul for something, she always twists it to be his fault. She’ll do something like throw his soup at the wall and then tell him he can’t eat that night because he made her upset enough to do that. She just has this air of thinking she’s genuinely doing her best to help him and things wouldn’t hurt so much if he just did what she wanted :) I just love that kind of manipulation for some reason.

Paul isn’t super defiant, but he typically doesn’t just roll over to her right away. And even when he’s genuinely trying his best to please her, it might not be good enough and he still gets punished. He genuinely tries to escape or at least seek some kind of help, leaving the room she locks him in to at least get pain meds/food during the periods when she leaves the house to go to her “Laughing Place” for a few days (I said she was mentally ill and I meant it) or just into town.

Anyway now I wanna talk about my favorite scene and FYI it does involve amputation, cauterization, & needles/noncon drugging. Okay so she finds out that Paul’s been “out and about” while she’s been away and she gets pissed. He wakes up to her injecting him with something that makes him all sluggish. They start talking about how she knows he’s been outside the room and at some point she casually says she just gave him a “pre-op shot”. Paul just spirals at this, and basically every few lines as the keep talking the phrase “pre-op shot” keeps popping up in his thoughts and he’s like Annie please what the hell do you mean pre-op shot what are you going to do to me and she just ignores him and keeps explaining how she knows he’s been outside. She then tells him about how in some diamond mines, when workers run away and are caught, they’re hobbled so they can’t run but can still work. Paul starts feeling sooooo much dread and then she pulls out an axe and he just starts pleading with her as she calmly disinfects it and his ankle. There’s just something about the whumpee freaking the fuck out about what’s going to happen to them while the whumper is calmly preparing for whatever they’re about to do that just hits me in the exact right spot. As Annie raises the axe, she responds to Paul’s pleas with my favorite line in the entire book, “Don’t worry, I’m a trained nurse.” And then the axe falls.

I just love that line cuz it shows how she feels that he doesn’t have anything to worry about because she knows what she’s doing. He shouldn’t be concerned about losing his foot because she’ll make sure it will heal right, and this is necessary to ensure he’ll finish his work. She’s the picture of calm and detached as she cauterizes the wound with a blowtorch and he’s just horrified and sobbing. I just love how much she doesn’t realize what she’s doing is wrong and horrible even as her captive screams in pain.

She later cuts off his thumb and (cannibalism incoming) threatens to make him eat his own severed finger which is sooo fucked up, and deeply fucked up things always manage to press my buttons. There are a lot of other horrible things she does but I don’t want to give everything away and the two amputations are high up on the severity scale. I wanted to talk about them cuz I love them and so people get a bit of a content warning. Horror books don’t really come with those which can be an oof for some people but thankfully for me the only thing that triggers/squicks me out is noncon kissing which doesn’t come up too much.

The ending doesn’t have a whole lot of comfort but I’ll at least tell you that he does get away cuz a happy ending is never guaranteed in the horror genre, and I know that’s important to some people. There is so much more to the book that I didn’t talk about cuz I don’t want this to get too long but I could just go on...

Uhm in conclusion if you like whumpy caretaking, a whumper who is detached at times and intimate at others, long-term captivity, and enjoy gore (or at least can tolerate it) then this is the book for you thanks for coming to my TED talk (●'◡'●)

#stephen king misery #nemi's vibes #damn it felt good to just talk about this book #if you made to the end i love you and you get a cookie!#cw gore #cw cauterization #cw amputation #i love the horror genre but i know it's not for everyone #ranting is fun i just vomit things i normally say to myself in the shower #does anyone else talk to themselves in the shower #it's fun you should try it #i wanted to go to bed early last night but i stayed up till 12:30 finishing this #and then i worked on it MORE this morning #and who knows if it's even readable #okay that's it for now bye tag readers ily

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howtowhumpyourhiccup · 5 years ago

Text

Harpoon

Summary: HICCUP WHUMP! A "What If" fic for 'King of Dragon, Part 1'. The Dragon Riders returned to Berk and Hiccup never knew of the fast approaching harpoon meant for the Titanwing Dramillion. NO MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.

Rating: Mature

Words: 5 951

Author’s Notes: I don't know how long ago I got this idea, but it was inspired by @ashleybenlove while watching RttE during a stream. I'm pretty sure. Pretty sure.

Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Enjoy!

Ao3

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They needed help. That was the conclusion Hiccup came to as it became clear to him that he and Toothless were not winning this fight.

Despite the ships they'd sunk and the Singetails they'd freed, Krogan's men still managed to draw out the Titanwing Dramillion, the rumoured King of Dragons the two of them had come all this way to protect. Half the island was burning, too, and for every enemy they took down another was to take his place.

There seemed to be no end to them. In spite of the blows they’d dealt, Hiccup and Toothless were greatly outnumbered and they weren't holding out for as long as they'd hoped. That fact weighed heavily on them both.

They downed another Flyer through the use of the grappling hook stored in Hiccup’s shield and Toothless roared.

“I know, Bud. I’m getting tired as well.” He admitted, though. He briefly laid a hand on the Night Fury’s head in solidarity. Dodging arrows, dragon fire, bolas, and ballistas on top of trying to dispose of all of their adversaries, they were tiring quickly.

Still, they weren’t ready to give up just yet, stubborn as they were.

It shouldn’t be much longer now. The rest of the Dragon Riders couldn’t be that far behind. Though they had decided to go along with Spitelout after he had come to collect the young heir of Berk, Hiccup remained hopeful that they were on their way, that they had changed their minds about going home and were just moments away from entering the fray.

He didn't lose faith. He knew they were coming. After the year they'd spent together, fighting side by side, protecting each other, growing to be even closer, he knew he could count on them.

That trust was the biggest motive behind Hiccup's and Toothless' decision to keep fighting in the first place. Why they hadn't looked at the odds stacked against them and chose to opt for a tactical retreat.

It was the reason Hiccup decided to look towards his left, towards the ships Johann was commanding while Krogan commanded those in the air. He was simply curious to see what he was up to, make sure there weren't any more attacks that they needed to look out for.

For only a split second he saw the glinting metal of an incoming harpoon he never expected to see.

It was right in front of him.

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"Where Hiccup goes, we go."

That is what Astrid told them and those were the words the Dragon Riders decided to live by. They had been doing so for the bigger part of the past four years, whether they realized it or not.

Astrid spoke to them after they'd returned to Berk.

With Stoick taking a turn for the worst, the council had decided to summon their young heir back to temporarily, or maybe even permanently, succeed his father as Chief and Spitelout had been sent to go get him. The problem was, Hiccup had left them.

With all the Dragon Eye lenses gathered and the location of the Titanwing Dramilion now known to both friend and foe, Hiccup elected to ignore the decision of the council. Much like his father has done many times before, he had decided to make the Chief proud by ignoring them too.

Spitelout was supposed to make sure Hiccup wouldn't run and would go straight home. Gobber, though he had volunteered, had been deemed too soft-hearted for the job, so the Jorgenson patriarch was the council's chosen escort. Hiccup managed to slip through his fingers. As the rest of the Dragon Riders packed up their stuff, Hiccup and Toothless were already long gone.

Upon arriving at Berk and hearing Astrid's reminder that the group of eleven were a family and that Hiccup needed them, the Dragon Riders planned to leave Spitelout and turn right back around.

And they did it. They managed to ditch Spitelout on Berk, let him deal with the council's anger that he wasn't able to get Hiccup home. It took them long enough to catch up with their wayward members, but they hurried.

Now they just had to join Hiccup and Toothless on Dramillion Island to join the battle. Johann shouldn't have reached that island before they did, but the fighting must've already started. If all went right, the Dragon Riders could make a grand entrance as they joined their leader and the Night Fury just in time to save the day.

Except that wasn’t quite what happened.

They arrived and they found fire, sunken ships, and plenty of freed Singetails either flying away or hanging around, but also something else that they didn't quite expect.

"Astrid, look!" Fishlegs pointed and she looked over, all the Dragon Riders did. What they saw were ships and the Flyers leaving.

Together with the Titanwing Dramillion they were hoping to keep safe.

They all halted to watch them go, overwhelmed by an unforeseen sense of defeat. They hadn't even made a move of their own yet.

And they all wondered, with the fighting already over, what had become of their friends?

They weren't in the sky, that was for sure.

"Dragon Riders! New mission. We find Hiccup and Toothless and make sure they're okay first." As Astrid addressed the others, she could see the alarm on all of their faces. They were looks worn by the Dragons too. Catching up with Johann and Krogan could wait.

Hiccup wasn't one to just give up on the Dramillion. Something must've happened that prevented him from protecting the Titanwing dragon. Nobody was quite ready to discover just what that was.

The Dragon Riders decided to split up. To the North, the South, the East and the West of the island. If their friends were still here, someone was bound to find them.

That someone ended up being Snotlout and Hookfang.

They were scouting their side of the island when they found their missing members. The sounds of screaming reached their ears. And like they stopped in mid-air, so did the beating of their hearts.

"Hiccup..." Snotlout spoke with a shaky voice, gazing into the direction the sounds were coming from. Hookfang grumbled in worry, sharing his Rider's fears.

"Hookfang!" Whatever Snotlout was trying to tell him, the Monstrous Nightmare already beat him to it. He send out a shot of fire, signaling that they'd found them and needed help.

They could see the others far away in the distance reacting to the SOS, tiny colourful specks that turned to face them from several different directions. Knowing they were coming, Snotlout and Hookfang already set down where they heard all that yelling coming from.

Toothless looked fine, well enough to watch the duo land and call them over, but the same couldn't be said for Hiccup.

It was from him that the screaming was coming from.

Hookfang set down quickly and Snotlout nearly ripped himself out of the saddle trying to dismount. Their eyes never left the two other Dragon Riders. Hiccup was writhing on the ground, there was barely a break in his yelling. Lungfulls left him and he barely breathed in at all.

Well, he wasn't really screaming. He was more crying, full-on bawling.

Toothless stood over him. He was desperate to calm his Viking down, but no amount of cooing or smushing their noses and cheeks together could get him to relax even a little bit.

As Snotlout reached them after a short sprint, he figured out why.

There was blood everywhere.

Snotlout briefly froze, it took every ounce of his will not to completely freak out at what he saw, but he got himself to move.

He kneeled next to Hiccup, Toothless gave him room as he wasn't getting anywhere. Snot's knees became bloody.

It was covering Hiccup's everything. From his head, his hands, and tunic to the grass beneath him, it all ran red. He was holding onto the right side of his face, covering his eye with both hands and blood still came seeping out. He was bleeding profusely.

Where was Snotlout to begin?

"Hiccup-" He started by grabbing his cousin's shoulders, but that only resulted in Hiccup fighting him. Removing his hands from his injury, Snotlout could see how truly terrible the other's injury truly was. What he saw turned his stomach inside-out. What he saw would be in his nightmares for months to come.

In his shock he let go and Hiccup struggled to get away. He got on all fours, moved to get up on his knees to then stand on his feet, but his wound started pounding like crazy and he became dizzy. His frantic want to apparently escape from Snotlout only got him to fall onto his side, holding his face again in an attempt to stop the agonizing throbbing.

"Stop! Stop it!" He shouted at his own pain, as if that could help.

Composing himself, Snotlout was right next to him again. Having learned nothing at all from a second or two earlier, he grabbed Hiccup's wrists this time.

"Hiccup, it's me. It's Snotlout! I'm here!" It vaguely occurred to him that his cousin may not even realize who it was that grabbed him. Snotlout wanted to let Hiccup know that it was only him.

Once again Hiccup wrestled with him.

He almost seemed to be in complete hysterics. No matter what he did or said, Snotlout couldn't calm him down. What did those bastard Flyers do to him that caused him to act this way?

If Snotlout wasn't so busy trying to console Hiccup, he and Hookfang would've stormed right after Krogan and Johann and given them a piece of their fire.

Speaking of, Hookfang was near him and looking over his shoulder. He tried to rumble comfortingly, but Hiccup wasn't listening to him either. There wasn't much else a dragon of his size dared to do with a human so wounded.

"I don't know what to do either, Hookfang." Snotlout responded when his Nightmare nearly puffed his helmet off his head. All he was doing was keeping Hiccup's wrists captive and that certainly wasn't helping. Still, Snotlout wasn't letting go.

Absentmindedly, as he attempted to search for any way to help, Snotlout noticed Hiccup's leather chest piece was missing. Where had it gone? His tunic and leggings were torn in some places as well. At least his prosthetic was still there.

"Oh Gods!"

Finally, the other Dragon Riders joined them. Jumping off their dragons, the Viking halves quickly made their way over to Hiccup and Snotlout.

They should've left sooner. They should've just ditched Spitelout somewhere along the way instead of waiting until they got to Berk. They all had a hard time comprehending what was happening. Snotlout's hold on the other's wrists showed them exactly where all of that blood was coming from and it made them nauseous.

"Hiccup, it's me! It's me! It's your cousin!" It was no use. No matter how many times Snotlout tried to convince him he was friend and not foe, Hiccup continued to struggle. He grew more desperate every passing second.

"Snotlout." Astrid placed her hands on his shoulders. This wasn't going to help anyone.

Eventually, he had to let Toothless push him away and allow the Night Fury room to attempt to comfort his Rider again. Hiccup didn't recognize him, but he did at least know when his own dragon was near him. After the "hostile" persons trying to get to him, Hiccup clung to Toothless' presence.

For all they knew, he might not even be aware that Krogan, Johann, and the Flyers left already.

As Snotlout and Astrid took a step back, Hiccup quieted down just a tad. Toothless was wrapped around him.

"What is this? What happened?!" Tuffnut was the first to ask, he looked as horrified at their current predicament as they all felt. Fishlegs stood near him and trembled.

"I don't know! I just found him like this! I was trying to calm him down, but nothing I say works!" Snotlout responded. Nobody could blame him for simply trying.

"What did you really do, Snotlout?!" Ruffnut was ready to accuse him, pointing threateningly towards him.

"I told you-"

"Guys! Fighting isn't going to help Hiccup at all!" Astrid scolded the two Riders for their behaviour before addressing Fishlegs.

"Fishlegs, what do you think we should do?"

"To try to calm him down? It's pretty clear he recognizes Toothless, but has no idea who we even are! For all we know the battle isn't over yet for Hiccup." Fishlegs answered to her. Their gazes were stuck on Toothless as he hid his Rider from view. It wasn’t that he no longer trusted the other Dragon Riders, it was purely to make Hiccup feel safe.

Being cocooned, for the time being, soothed him.

“We need to pin him down.” Fishlegs made his suggestion after a few short seconds of silence. The response was instant protest.

“Excuse you? Did you not see what I was doing Fishlegs? Pinning him down only makes it worse!” Snotlout shouted, throwing his hands up.

“Yeah, Fishlegs, I don’t think-“ Tuffnut wasn't so wild about the idea of pinning Hiccup down either. Any other day? Sure! But not with the state he was in. Both mentally and physically.

“Hiccup’s… Hiccup’s blood is blinding him and he’s not thinking clearly. If we want him to know he’s safe, we have to wash it off and he’s not gonna let us do that without a fight. It’s the only way to get him to calm down enough to treat him.” Nobody liked the plan that Fishlegs was suggesting, but nobody could quite think of a better one either.

Looking over to the two, they noticed Toothless gazing back at them. He didn’t like it, but agreed that it was the only way.

Hiccup was wrapped within his forelegs. He wasn't as hysterical for now, he was as relaxed as one could be in his situation, but he shook and his breathing was both rapid and laboured. He was holding a balled-up corner of a blanket to his injury after the Night Fury had pulled it out of the saddlebag for him.

He was still crying. It took him everything to try and keep as quiet as he could possibly be. As if afraid enemies would hear him. Fishlegs may have been right about Hiccup believing the battle wasn't over yet.

A low growl left the Night Fury as he reluctantly moved away from his Rider.

"Toothless?!" He hated the immediate panic in Hiccup's voice, made even worse by the following despairing demands to be let go off when the other Riders enacted Fishlegs' plan.

After he and Hiccup had been downed, it didn't take long for Krogan and the rest of the Flyers to follow suit.

Those bloodcurdling screams Toothless won't be forgetting anytime soon. The way Hiccup acted out now was mild compared to right after the harpoon had hit its unintended target on its way to the Titanwing Dramillion. And those Flyers, Toothless promised to rip them apart for their taunting, for the way they tormented Hiccup when he was in excruciating pain, blind, and vulnerable.

That's why his chest piece was missing. Why there were burns and bruises on top of the gaping wound where his eye should've been. They'd taken advantage of the, for them, fortunate situation. Toothless was pretty sure that Hiccup had a broken wrist too, judging by how useless that hand appeared to be and how dark the bruising was becoming. Though, whether that was because of his assailants or because of their hard landing was unknown.

They had been wary of Krogan's sadistic nature from the moment they found Garf, a juvenile Death Song, nearly tortured to death, but this? Hiccup was out of his mind with fear and pain.

It wasn't easy for the Riders to pin Hiccup down. Though incredibly weakened, he fought with everything he had. Like a cornered animal with little else to lose. It was even harder on Toothless. He shrunk in on himself with every protest. He tried so hard not to interfere and just take his Rider within the safety of his wings, where he couldn’t be hurt anymore.

Stormfly came over as she noticed. She gave the Night Fury a reassuring headbutt to show her support. While Hookfang and Meatlug stayed by their humans, Barf and Belch joined the other two dragons.

"No! I won't... I won't let you! Toothless!"

Astrid didn't like restraining Hiccup. She didn't like putting her full weight on his shoulders, pinning an, obviously injured, arm to the ground, and grabbing him by the chin to keep his head cocked to one side. He was blinded by pain and blood, he may not even know it was them! That is what Fishlegs said. The thought, as it kept mulling around in her mind, made guilt well up in her gut, but she knew it was necessary.

Snotlout was opposite to her, using his own weight on Hiccup's torso and keeping his other arm down. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were each in charge of one of his legs. They were forced to remove the prosthetic or otherwise risk getting hard metal to the face. On any other day, they'd be amused with the kind of strength this thin tree of a man possessed, but if Astrid had the luxury to look, she would've seen they were both in distress.

Not one of them liked doing this to him. Hiccup was still incoherently yelling at them to let go.

Once he could fight them no longer, Fishlegs gently poured the water over the left side of his face. He used both the water and a cloth to wash away the blood that blinded his remaining eye. It wasn't the easiest feat to accomplish. The sight of his injury made him want to throw up his lunch. It was a sentiment they all shared. So did the Dragons, who have seen some things in life themselves.

As Hiccup wasn't completely blind anymore, Astrid could let him go and it allowed him to see it truly was them. It wasn’t Krogan, or Johann, or any of the Flyers.

Eye still wide, he shook terribly in their grip. His fighting and yelling already ceased.

"Hiccup, it's us. You see? It's us!" There was a break in Astrid's voice as she spoke to him and cupped his face with her hands. She minded the horrific injury. He stared up at her, scanning her face.

"Do you know who we are?" Astrid asked and finally, Hiccup nodded. She gave him a tearful smile. Next to her, Snotlout took a sniff and breathed in and out deeply, attempting to keep control over his emotions. This would make treating him slightly easier.

They didn't have much to treat an injury such as this, but they could at least do some first aid here and get him to Berk later.

"They're gone? They're- they're gone?" Hiccup's voice was hoarse by now, but he needed to know.

"Yeah, they are, H." Tuffnut was wiping at his eyes, sitting up straight.

"They took the Dramillion, but don't worry about that right now, okay? We're gonna get it back." It wasn't often that Ruff could be as sensitive as her brother and she was even less easy to faze, but this experience rattled her to her core as well. She wanted to reassure him.

"After we get you some help." Snotlout was decisive. He thought it necessary to put his foot down.

Fishlegs approached, holding an armful of the only on the go supplies they carried with them.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup." There was only so much he could do with them. He already apologized before he even attempted to treat the injury. It needed to be done quickly or their friend would bleed out completely.

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Hiccup didn't remember much of it. He definitely remembered the hurt, the agony as his wounds were being worked on, but what actually happened was a fuzzy blur to him and nothing more.

Fishlegs' delicate, but still on the field, emergency surgery was only a hazy hole of pain in his memory. He was pretty sure he was knocked out completely when the Dragon Riders found the Titanwing Dramillion on their way to Berk and decided to make way for the Defenders of the Wing instead. They had to tell him about that later.

What a surprise it must've been for Mala and Throk. To be awoken in the middle of the night to help save the lives of a Dramilion and a Dragon Rider.

When the Defenders' healer started cleaning and treating him, though, Hiccup was certain he was awake to experience every minute of that.

His face was throbbing. Brows knitted together, Hiccup sat at the edge of his temporary bed in the healer's hut. Clutching the wood, he tried to get used to the feeling of sitting up.

A worried croon drew his attention and Hiccup looked down at the Night Fury taking up most of the space, his head on his Rider's lap.

Toothless hadn't left his side at all. Even when the healer insisted on having the Night Fury wait outside, the Night Fury insisted a little harder on staying. In the end, Toothless was as stubborn as any Haddock.

He'd watched over Hiccup as he slept after he'd fallen unconscious.

"Yeah- yeah, Bud. I'm fine now." He told him and patted him on the head. It couldn't be farther from the truth, but he had put his dragon through enough trauma.

The burns littering his body were bandaged and pulled underneath the tunic and pants he'd been given to wear, provided by Mala. They were somewhat loose on him, which Hiccup saw as a mercy on his body. His wrist had been splinted and would heal quickly. As for his right eye...

Gods, he couldn't get that one tiny glimpse of metal out of his mind. That one life-changing second.

"You shouldn't even be sitting up yet. You know that, right?" Snotlout asked when he entered and caught sight of Hiccup sitting on the edge of the cot. By the way he sat there, he looked nauseous.

His arrival startled Hiccup, his nerves were frayed, but he didn't respond. Though he did look up from Toothless to face the other.

He was tired. He needed to rest. This wasn't lost on Snotlout as he pulled up a stool and sat down opposite to him. Toothless drew his head back.

"How're you feeling?" Hiccup was asked. There was genuine concern on Snotlout's face. An odd sight unless you knew him personally.

"For someone who just lost his eye, part of his orbital socket, and therefore part of his face? Pretty good!" The look on Snotlout's face was worth it to Hiccup. Seeing him annoyed was better than seeing him worried.

Knowing that Hiccup wasn't about to give him a straightforward answer, Snotlout instead let his attention be taken by what was standing on a little table next to the bed.

"Aren't you supposed to take that?" He asked, referring to the little cup with a broth made from herbs.

"They're painkillers. It's fine if I don't take them." Hiccup felt the familiar urge to fumble with something, keep his fingers busy.

"It's fine? You look like you're ready to fall over!" Snotlout stated, taking the cup from the table.

"Hmm... I feel like I'm ready to fall over. If I take the painkillers, I'm not gonna be able to think clearly. And I'll sleep." As if reminded, Hiccup needed to steady himself.

A shiver visibly ran down Snotlout's spine after he took a sniff from the broth the healer had left his cousin.

"Well, maybe you should sleep." He told him, cup still in hand.

"I'll sleep after we have defeated Johann and Krogan." Hiccup eyed it, but was adamant in his decision.

"Hiccup-"

"Snotlout." Hiccup cut him off before he could even begin.

"I know you're worried about me, but I'll be fine. After we make sure the King of Dragons is safe and Krogan, Johann, and their Flyers get what's coming to them." There was anger in his voice. Snotlout was certain it wasn't just because of what was done to him after he and Toothless had been downed.

Hiccup hasn't given them the story thus far, but Fishlegs had mentioned on the way to Caldera Cay how Hiccup's hysteria must've been caused by something. They all had their own guesses.

Snotlout stared at his cousin. The haunting image of Hiccup missing a part of his face bled through this cleaner look of him and the sight of the bandages he wore.

"Snotlout? Are you okay?" The sad look in his gaze wasn't missed by Hiccup.

"Do I still have blood on me? In my teeth?" He asked the Night Fury, who gave a "no" in his own way. Hiccup gave a breathy laugh. Though he attempted to be funny, there was no humour behind it.

"We should've been there." Snotlout's words were almost too soft to hear.

"You were there." Head cocked slightly to the side, Hiccup replied.

"We were too late!" The other retorted sharply. If they had just kicked Spitelout off the Edge and went with Hiccup in the first place, none of it would have ever happened. Hiccup wouldn't need to adjust to a life with another part of him missing.

He'd made fun of his missing leg so many times. The truth was, Snotlout has seen him suffer. What Hiccup could keep secret on Berk, he couldn't hide as easily on Dragon's Edge.

It was quiet for a moment. Snotlout sat on his stool and glared down at the cup in his hands. He was seething.

And then.

"Snotlout, you and the Gang arrived just in time to save my life. You have no idea how grateful I am for that."

A deep sigh and a shake of Snotlout's head. That was such a Hiccup-y thing to say.

"How're you gonna make it as Chief with an attitude like that?" Hiccup's undying light never failed to warm him on even the coldest of nights. Snotlout was sure to never let him know.

"I hope I won't have to find out for another couple of years." Hiccup shrugged. It was nice to have a talk with one of his friends. It distracted him just enough to make his suffering just a tad bit less unbearable.

He blinked. Gods, he was tired. That painkilling broth sounded slightly more appealing.

Maybe he will take it and get some rest.

But first...

"Hiccup, we're having a whole conversation about how you need to sleep, not get up." Snotlout mentioned when the other pushed himself up with a suppressed groan. Toothless gave a quizzical sound as well.

"Come on, Bud, Snotlout. Let's see the Titanwing Dramillion and find out why the Flyers abandoned him." Hiccup left for the front entrance of the healer's hut, who would without a doubt not be pleased to see him out of bed. The rest of the Dragon Riders and Mala wouldn't be either.

The Night Fury was quick to follow. After releasing a groan of his own, Snotlout did too. Joining him by his side, Hiccup was much too quick to wrap an arm around his shoulder.

"Need me to support you all the way there?" Snotlout asked and Hiccup nodded.

"Nodding was a mistake." Hiccup casually stated and Snotlout sighed.

"Muttonhead."

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It was over. The battle for the true King of Dragons was over.

Johann was dead, frozen solid like a block of ice thanks to the very dragon he'd been looking to capture. Krogan was missing because he'd fled and left his Flyers behind to either perish or be captured by the Berserkers. As for the King’s offspring, it had been handed over to the Wingmaidens, who seemed to know someone they could go to for help to keep the egg safe until its parents could come for it.

Hiccup was okay with not knowing who they were. Should anybody come to him for information and with ill intentions, he could confidently tell them he had no idea.

Heather and Dagur had insisted on letting the Dragon Riders stay and rest up after the battle, but Berk wasn’t too far away on dragonback and they wanted to go home. Hiccup, for as excited as he had been to leave a year ago, was itching to see Gobber and his dad.

As soon as they arrived far into the night, Toothless brought him home.

"Gods... Hiccup." It's been a long time since anybody made Hiccup feel like a little boy again, but the way Gobber looked at him certainly did it.

They were sitting at Stoick’s bedside. He had yet to fully awaken from his slumber.

Gothi had yet to take a look at Hiccup’s injury, Fishlegs and Astrid were off to get her. His bandage was still dirty, grimy and bloody. The Defenders of the Wing had taken good care of him, but Johann had also made sure to use his wound to his advantage while he was pinning him down in the true King of Dragon's lair.

So while it had been professionally tended to, it was a mess all over again.

As they waited, Hiccup had told his mentor blacksmithing the whole story.

Gobber only saw what little the bandages allowed him to see, but it was enough to send him reeling. And now he sat there, staring at his apprentice. With his remaining hand, he'd taken Hiccup's chin to turn his head and have a better look in the dim light of the fire in the pit.

He wore the expression of a man who's heart was broken.

"Gods, a harpoon?" Gobber asked, sitting back in his stool and letting go of Hiccup.

"Never saw it coming. I just happen to look over to Johann's ships and there it was." If he hadn't looked, it could've taken his head off. The experience left him strangely wary of more sudden surprises.

“And it’s gone? You’re sure there’s no way to save it?” Gobber was usually a man filled with sunshine and sass. The Riders were certain Hiccup got it from him. This was as serious as Hiccup had ever seen him be.

“Well, there’s a gaping hole in my face, so…” Hiccup quickly grew silent. His attempt at lightening the mood wasn’t appreciated.

“The Defenders took good care of it. Their healer told me that it might actually not look that bad once it’s healed a little and the bruising goes away.” Hiccup hoped Gothi could still tell him the same thing after what Johann had done.

Gobber nodded. If anything, this information helped ease his mind.

“You’re gonna have a hard time beating the kids off you now, Hiccup. A metal leg and an eyepatch?” Hiccup chuckled at his comment. It was good to see him in higher spirits again.

It was good for his own well-being too. He hadn’t lost it all that long ago and already he experienced the consequences of having only one remaining eye.

It was through pure, pure luck alone that the King’s egg hadn’t fallen and smashed to bits in the ice cavern’s abyss.

Riding Toothless proved to be troublesome too. Hiccup had adjusted by trusting his dragon completely and changing the tailfin’s position by feeling how the Night Fury moved beneath him as opposed to judging purely on sight alone. Though a familiar thing, Hiccup had never been more acutely aware of all the muscle work that flying required.

“What’re you thinking?” Gobber asked as he noticed Hiccup gazing at his father whilst he slept. He held the Chief’s hand.

"Just that I don't even know how I'm going to tell my dad. He's going to be furious." Hiccup admitted, his gaze never leaving the man on the bed. According to what he had been told, Stoick didn't wake much, but he was at least doing better.

"Oh, he'll be furious, but not at you, Hiccup. So don’t worry about it. If anything, Stoick's gonna regret not getting the chance to lop Johann's head off himself." Gobber reassured him with a laugh.

Though Hiccup appreciated it, smiling at him, he couldn’t see himself not stressing out about it until the moment would inevitably arrive that his father learned of what fate had befallen his son.

His gaze downcast, Hiccup caught sight of the Night Fury as he slumbered on the floor near his feet. His sleep was a deep one. Toothless was exhausted too. In every conceivable way.

His Rider could only imagine how hard this must have been on him. Hiccup knew he already felt like he couldn’t breathe at the mere thought of it happening to any of his friends, to the Night Fury especially.

He remembered the days Astrid had spend in utter darkness after being blinded by lightning. He had seemed put together and levelheaded, but the truth was that discovering her loss of sight had left him devastated, hurting, worried.

So in a strange way, he was grateful it had happened to him and not one of them.

And now that he thought about it, Gods, he craved some proper sleep.

It was as he tried to decide between getting up and heading for bed or simply falling asleep right here in this chair that he felt his hand being squeezed.

The instant Hiccup realized what he felt, his head turned with nauseating speed to look at his father.

Stoick still appeared to be unconscious, but the grip on his son's hand remained strong.

It wasn't angry, it wasn't even strict. In a way, Hiccup could call it comforting. Warm.

As if Stoick had been listening in on their conversation and let his son know there was no reason to worry.

"Dad?" Hiccup called for his father, his free, bandaged, hand reluctantly joining his other as he held Stoick's. Gobber watched expectantly.

There was no reply, no further signs that the man was awake or could've heard a single word said in the room that evening, but Hiccup found that he was perfectly okay with not having a clear answer. He allowed himself to smile.

"I'm gonna go to bed, if you don't mind, Gobber." He told. Toothless' earfins perked immediately upon hearing the word "bed".

"Not at all, lad! Go get some sleep!" Despite the man sleeping in this very room, Gobber wasn't quiet as he bid his son a good night.

Hiccup got up, showing him an appreciative smile, and moved to the stairs. He'd needed to take a moment to adjust after he stood up, but he was yearning for sleep.

Toothless stretched and followed him up, joining his Rider in bed.

The moment Hiccup lied down, he wondered how he even made it here in the first place. He'd never been this exhausted before. The weight of the new challenge awaiting him tomorrow weighing him down, he felt like he could drift off immediately.

Turning onto his side, Hiccup figured a nap wouldn't be a bad way to wait for Astrid and Fishlegs to come with Gothi.

Recovery would be hard. He would need to adapt to a life with only one eye and he would need to do it while leading Berk in his father's stead. At least for another moment, he desired to rest.

Using his Bud's presence to keep him grounded, he didn't want his nightmares to return to Dramilion Island and deliver him back into the hands of Krogan and the Flyers, he fell into a slumber within seconds.

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