#nowhere else to go

[lostwhump]

@whumptober | Day #17: "Nowhere Else to Go" Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

[small-sinclair]

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Whumptober 17: Nowhere else to go

A RZ!Michael Myers x fem sleeping!reader Tw: stocker maybe?, gore mentioned, blood mentioned, he might be obsessed with reader if you squint

Nowhere else to go

Michael knew who you were because he’s not only seen you around the neighborhood, but he’s seen you without you spotting him. He wasn’t stocking you, for say, but he wasn’t planning to kill you, either. You were just part of his daily check list for some reason, and he had to see you at the same time every day. If he doesn’t, there’s a new body, a new murder story for the morning news the next day. Michael saw more as a little wondering soul than a person. If anything, he saw you more as a thing to watch for than go after. You’re just as harmless as a bunny.

Which led him to sneaking into your house while the cops were searching for him, trying to stop the freak with the knife, the Boggy Man as some call him. He knew where your spare key was hidden, he knew which door to use, and he knew which path to take to get to your room. His footsteps went unheard as he inched closer to your sleeping form and tangled sheets. As far as he knew, he didn’t know what he was going to do to you. He stood at the edge of your bed, watching you as you slept, thinking to himself all the terrible, bloody things he could do to your body. He could rip you apart limp from limp, break every bone in alphabetical order, kill you swiftly, silently, or he could wrap his hands around that delegate throat of yours and just squeeze. Michael thought over and over on what he wanted to do, but each one made his stomach churn and turn away from you every time he thought of your body in a mangled mess.

No matter how hard he pushed himself, how hard he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to harm you.

Must be from that cheek list he made.

His grip on the knife loosens and hits the wooden floor, causing you to stir but go back to sleep. His heavy blue and green eyes looked over your skin, perfect as a picture in the moonlight, and marveled at your peaceful from. What were you dreaming about? What beautiful dream were you living in that head of yours? Let him be part of it just for a moment. Spare a thought, a vision of him, then set him free from the cobwebs and chains that held him back for so long. If he couldn’t be part of it, not part of the little thoughts and threads, then stay at peace and still, for he doesn’t want the darkness that follows to engulfed your running water thoughts and gentle breathing.

Michael wished he didn’t have to be here, but the police were closing in like a pack of hunting dogs to a fox. He had nowhere else to go, but he felt thankful in a way. He’s looking over a sleeping angel with the moon tangled in their hair, making a halo of hope and bliss. Apart from breaking into your home in the dead of night with dry blood on his boots, he felt blessed to be gifted with this vision of you.

Gently, he lifts his mask, taking it off, and placing it quietly on your dresser. He two to steps, just striding without effort, and stood over you. He basked in the moonlight view of you, wishing he could take a photo and have it in his pocket. Michael pulls his hair back until it was resting on his shoulder and knelt on the floor in front of your sleeping face. The monster felt human for once. The shadow over this town faded until there was a man just looking back in a reflective surface. Slowly, he inched closer to you, daring his courage and thoughts, until he felt your breath, cool and smooth, on his lip. Michael shuddered at the thought of your lips on his, marveling at the thought of you waking up and embracing him as a man, not as a monster, as a killer, and as a lunitic that escaped. Thoughts of being normal carved into his bones until he felt them turn into dust, and he felt more and more at home as he looked at you.

You’re on his list, his check list.

He had nowhere else to go, nowhere else to call home, yet he found it here with you sleeping in an oversized shirt and gym shorts. He found it sleeping soundlessly under tangled blankets and a small mountain of stuffed animals. The peacefulness that flows from your heartbeat and blood flow...he wanted to be a part of your more until thoughts of him being in you, physical and mentally. He wanted to be a part of your story and live a thousand tales with you. He was just there, right there! So close to your sleeping arms and blissful lips that he began to hunger for—

Not like this. No... he can’t do this like this.

Michael withdrew from your side and stood up, blocking the moonlight from making your skin glow. He licked his lips as his eyes marveled and memorized each curve and mark on your body. He turns, picks up his knife, and takes his mask. He gives you one last glance, one last moment for his eyes to gaze over you like this and leaves your room for the living room. He sits down on the rocking chair and leaned back into the cushion until he felt his eyes drift off. Sleep called for him, for the man who never slept before a day in his life. As his eyes closed, his last thoughts were spared for you and your moonlight haloed hair.

[oxideblack]

[blackseafoam]

[starker-sorbet]

Bleeding heavily and panicking at being betrayed by people he thought he could trust Peter didn't know where to go. He thought the Avengers were his friends and yet they easily handed him over to SHIELD to become a lab rat for their experimentations. It was only because they underestimated his strength that he got away, but not unscathed. As he swings through the city streets he finally sees somewhere that might be safe. Stark tower. The home of Tony Stark otherwise known as the villain Superior Iron man. Everyone knew who he was but he had enough power and money to stay free. Peter had fought the older man on occasion and despite being on opposite sides found him charming and potentially likeable. And if how Stark flirts with him is any indication maybe he might like Peter too.

He just hopes that Stark's flirtatious offer of joining him was serious. Because Peter had nowhere else to go.

Nowhere else to go for @starkerfestivals Whumptober

[rookie-lou]

Nowhere else to go

The mine scene, humanized. Dusty has a heart condition and is fighting not to lose consciousness while Blade doesn’t immediately understand what’s wrong. But little by little, Dusty opens up, and Blade also confides in Dusty about why he cannot lose another person in his presence.

[sam-loves-seb]

never had a backup plan [ 2k | 1/1 | rated: t ]

The bags under Ian's eyes have doubled since he left earlier, and he's literally dragging his feet across the living room floor. Despite the tiredness radiating from him, his face melts into a smile the second he sees Mickey. "Hey." Mickey glares at him while he takes a slow sip of his beer. "Hey? Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?" "Uh, no, actually." Ian runs a hand through his hair, his backpack falling off his shoulder so the strap hangs from the bend in his elbow. "Don't honestly know where my phone is. Might be in my locker at the club, or under the bar, maybe." Mickey eyes him carefully. "It's after three."

// s5: ian comes home exhausted after a long night at the club

whumptober 2024 -- day 17

[yonbwekh]

Whumptober 2024 day 17

Prompt: Nowhere else to go

Whumpee cower in a corner, watching, hearing Whumper's footsteps come slowly toward them down the corridor.

"you've had your run Whumpee. Come here." Whumper says matter of factly, still advancing. "No! Get away!" Whumper kicks and swipes at Whumper's hands, eventually getting them by the back of their shirt. "Up." Whumper says, dragging a kicking and threat-screaming Whumpee down a stark white corridor.

[cosmicobubisi]

Cosmic's Malleyuu Whump vs Flufftober: 17

NOWHERE ELSE TO GO ruined map / Only One Bed

Icy sheets of rain pelted down on Yuu like heavy chains, and they realized their extraordinary string of bad luck had finally run out.

The request had to have been sabotage. The desperate plea by a group of inexperienced adventurers to Yuu to save one of their own who'd been stuck in a dungeon on this side of the fence after a quick expedition had gone horribly wrong sounded faker and faker as Yuu had run around in circles, trying to make sense of the cryptic map.

In addition to humiliatingly losing all of their supplies in one fell swoop to an unfortunate encounter with a chimera, their map had also disintegrated in the rain, the inclement weather coming on too quickly for them to stuff it into their jacket.

Their waterproof jacket had been the one thing from their supplies they'd been able to run away with. Not food, or fresh water, or even a compass, or any of their potions. Just the map and their jacket, and now their map was gone.

It had been three days of wandering and looking for the dungeon. Yuu knew these lands pretty well, but the secluded Briar Valley was too large for them to have memorized it all before they'd been barred from visiting anymore.

Yuu shoved their head between their folded legs, wanting to hide away and sleep off their horrible luck.

It was no use, however. No one was coming to rescue them, at least not anytime soon. They were on the wrong side of the boundary between the fae and the mortals illegally.

Yuu squeezed their eyes shut.

They had one other option. He was in the area, they believed, but it was a humiliating option.

They'd been up in this tree for hours, though, hoping and praying for the rain to let up.

It hadn't been so bad at first up here. At least there was water now, but as the day became night, the mild warmth had departed for the bone-chilling cold that was slowly freezing them whole.

Yuu had tried to ball themselves up to conserve heat, and that was helping a little, but not very much.

They were shivering quite hard now. Yuu thought they could survive the night, perhaps if they were able to get to sleep, but if the rain kept up, they knew they'd be waking up poorly rested and half-starved, and still have to search for a way home.

The hit to their pride, though, might also kill them.

Yuu allowed themselves a few more moments of cocoon time to debate their options and stew in their anger before finally coming to a decision.

After looking in the dark haze of rain to make sure they knew where they were going, they gave themselves a countdown before leaping out of the tree and onto the ground.

Uncurling let their torso feel the full brunt of the cold air, and Yuu scrambled to get their jacket shut before it got any worse, and cone they did, Yuu took off.

They didn't have the energy to run, but they were desperate to get out of the rain, so they jogged as far as they could on an empty stomach.

Yuu almost slipped a few times in the mud, and each time they cursed loudly, taking advantage of the near-total isolation.

Nervousness was burning a hole in their stomach, and they hoped for a moment that the castle would be abandoned.

No such luck. As they parted the last few bushes on their path, Yuu was able to see the lights were on.

It was, unfortunately for Yuu, not unusual for the royal family to be at Wild Rose Castle at this time of year.

Though a bit early in the season, Wild Rose was where they tended to celebrate the winter season. It seemed they were hosting the end of the harvest feast here, as well.

Yuu knew that guards would be sparse this far from the castle, so dodging them was relatively easy. Once they arrived at the floodplain, however, it was a different story.

There was a watchtower, with a special window Yuu knew was only visible one way and that simply reflected the sky to outside viewers. There was another visible armed guard posted nearer to the castle's back entrance that, despite the torrential rain, probably would have a good view of Yuu if they walked out of their hiding place in the bushes.

Yuu saw the shed and got an idea- one that would preserve their pride and keep them dry.

They crouched behind the sparse greenery to make their way across the floodplain, thankfully with ripe vegetables in tact, and plucked a fistful of carrots to snack on, careful not to be greedy despite their all-consuming hunger.

Yuu was able to make it across without being spotted to the shed, and though the door creaked, they slunk in without any fuss.

It was still quite cold, being a leaky old shed, and the moist walls were no comfort, but it was certainly serviceable for Yuu to screw their head back on straight and make a plan.

They used a drip in the ceiling to wash out the dirt from the carrots, then bit into the crunchy vegetable with gusto.

Their stomach finally stopped hurting as Yuu devoured the carrots, down to the leaves, and they were finally able to relax their body.

Yuu closed their eyes and told themselves it was just to soothe their stinging.

They couldn't fall asleep. Judging by the size of the vegetables, it was almost harvest, and someone would be by this shed sooner rather than later.

But this wasn't just an ordinary day. This was the worst day ever, so of course, right then, the door opened.

And because this wasn't just a bad day, but the Worst Day Ever, it was the very last person Yuu was trying to see.

Staring back at them, for some inexplicable reason, was Prince Malleus.

The crown prince of the Briar Valley, the heir to the Witch's Throne, and their ex-boyfriend, Prince Malleus, was rooting around the farm shed in the freezing rain for reasons Yuu could only believe were because they were cursed.

Super, super cursed.

Malleus's shock rendered the pupils of his eyes little slits, allowing the green to wash over them.

Yuu was totally frozen. They had no idea what the best move was in this scenario.

At this point, they'd rather have been discovered by the Queen, his grandmother. Being rendered to ash in an instant by a magic lightning bolt was better than whatever the hell this was.

He stepped forward, hand outstretched, but Yuu finally regained motion in their limbs as they tried to crawl away.

It was no use. Malleus grabbed onto their shoulder and the next thing Yuu saw was his bedroom, or at least that's what they assumed.

They felt bad for dripping water on the carpet, but Malleus picked them up and dragged them to his washroom and shoved them in there, closing the door.

Yuu was paralyzed for a few moments. Were they trapped? They jiggled the doorknob, and found it was indeed locked.

They sat down on the edge of the bathtub. Yuu hadn't actually been in here before, but it was a nice bathroom.

A terrible idea suddenly popped into their head, and before Yuu could think, they were stripping off their clothes and hopping into the shower.

Best-case scenario, Malleus would just let them go again and they could be clean for that. Worst-case scenario, they'd be comfortable while they died.

Yuu scrubbed down with his soap, relishing in the hot water, before hopping out of the shower and grabbing one of fluffy towels to dry off with before taking one of Malleus's robes.

A small plus, Malleus would be annoyed.

To their surprise, the door opened just as they were tying the rope, and Malleus snatched their hand.

"Hey!" exclaimed Yuu, but Malleus wasn't listening as he yanked them in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, almost entirely monotonously. He sat on the edge of his loveseat, perched like a predator.

"I- none of your business," they said, cursing the poor start.

"You're on my land. It is my business," he retorted, clenching his jaw.

"What are you gonna do?" they bit back.

He rolled his eyes.

"You can stay here tonight, if you'd like," said Malleus.

"In... here? Like, your room, or in the castle?"

"The court is downstairs. You cannot wander the halls, so yes, in my room."

"No way!" burst out Yuu.

"Fine. I'll turn you into Grandmother. You've racked up too many offenses. You'll be executed."

Yuu felt a lump in their throat at how plain their imminent death sounded.

"How... long do you want me to stay here?" they asked.

Malleus let his head loll to the side. "The court is going hunting tomorrow. I can take you to the border then, but not any sooner."

It was a better option than dying, at least. Live to adventure another day and all of that.

"Ok," they conceded. "I can sleep on the floor."

Malleus stood from his perch on the armrest to shove Yuu backwards onto his bed.

"Ok," they said again in defeat.

Yuu righted themselves on the bed as Malleus got on the other side, summoning a throw blanket to create a little barrier.

"Stay on your side," he said, and the lights went out.

Yuu huffed. They didn't want his stupid side, anyway.

[psychologeek]

Whumptober #17: The Cyclist AU

Background: Jason never came back to Gotham. There's no Red Hood.

During his Brucequest, Tim gets assistance from an unfamiliar person.

The map is destroyed.

Kid's staring at it like it's a crowbar, and Jason can't help feeling a twitch of compassion for him.

“Well,” he put his hand on the kid's shoulder. “We had a good run.”

The kid looks wrecked, honestly. His eyebags got bags, and there's this glimmer in his eyes that makes him wonder if part of the reason B took him was to prevent him from becoming a future raugh.

(Kid managed to set up a clone lab, become an international thief, and there's this whole thing with Ras he very carefully doesn't think about.

And that's just in three months.)

“It's over, Kiddo,” he tells the boy. “There's nothing we can do now. This was your last shot. You said it yourself.”

“No!” The kid says. “No, no, no, no. No. It's not– no, it can't. I'm not– this isn't over. This isn't. I can't. You can't make me. You can't – I'm not going. I'm not. You can't make me–”

“Wow, chill there,” Jason stops him. “I don't know what you're talking about, but it's like. You said it yourself. This was the last shot to find your - whatever cave or something.”

“It's not a cave,” the kid spits. “I've already told you - it's an ancient site used to worship a bat-like deity, which seems to be a local version of Pazuzu, that was discovered in –”

“I get it,” Jason stops him. “It's some important Batshit thing. But the map is gone. What are you gonna do? You said it yourself. No one's been there for over 70 years. What are you going to do? Get an Ouija board and start questioning the last archaeological team?”

Uh.

Oh no.

Jason recognises that look

This Look™ 

There's something sharp in the maniac smile on Tim's face.

“I mean… I bet you always wanted to break into a nuclear weapon factory in North-Korea.”

That crazy bastard.

Jason REALLY likes him.

(Like it? I have more mini-fics Whumptober index | And full size fics on ao3. )

[whumpshots]

Whumptober #17

Trope of the day: nowhere else to go

_

Villain cannot believe their eyes when they find Whumpee in their basement. They threw in a window, apparently crawling through it, leaving a trail of blood on the wall and ground.

Brows raised in confusion, they walk closer, seeing that the other is barely conscious.

"Interesting," Villain says when their eyes meet, Whumpee managing a crooked smile. They're badly wounded, even Villain never did something like this.

"Team decided I'm too dangerous," Whumpee spits and winces, trying to move their legs a little. "Got nowhere else to go," they add, resting their head agains the wall behind them.

Villain crouches down in front of them, searching for weapons, hands coming back empty and smeared with blood. They decide to believe them.

"Well, let's get you patched up. Then you tell me what happened. The least you owe me is the full story," Villain says with a smirk, getting a weak nod in response.

Helping Whumpee up, they half carry, half support them upstairs to get them patched up. Villain always knew their team was just a bunch of snakes.

[actress4him]

Whumptober 2024 - Day 17

Nowhere Else to Go

Contains: generic hero and villain characters, mild blood, passing out, implied abuse

Hero returned from the kitchen, mug of hot coffee in their hand, and carefully settled back into the couch cushions. The rain on the roof suddenly increased in intensity, causing them to glance up toward it, then adjust the volume on the tv to compensate. 

A few minutes passed, and the rain slacked off just slightly. Taking a sip of their coffee, Hero suddenly frowned and bumped the volume back down, turning an ear toward the front of the house. Had they just imagined that noise? It was some kind of thump…maybe a branch falling from a tree in the wind. Probably nothing to worry about.

Until it happened again. That time it sounded like something bumping up against the front door. Curious and a little concerned, they set their coffee to the side and stood, crossing quickly to the entryway. Their hand was tensed by their side, ready to summon their power in an instant if something went wrong.

A glance out the peephole showed nothing but darkness and rain overflowing from the gutters beyond the light of the porch. Frowning, they turned the lock as quietly as possible, then placed their hand on the knob. They counted down from three, then flung the door open.

Villain stared back at them. Hero’s hand instinctively lit up, ready to attack, until the person in front of them fully registered in their mind. 

They were soaked, first of all. Every time they’d fought, Villain had been larger than life, always precisely put together in a way that put fear into anyone who saw them. But right now they looked more like a puppy getting its first bath than a scary supervillain.

On top of that, they were leaning heavily against the door frame, which explained why they couldn’t be seen through the peephole and probably the thumping noise, too. One hand held the other arm tightly to their side. Bruises were blooming across their face, blood mixed with rain coming from somewhere up in their hair and streaming all the way down to their shirt collar. Their expression was dazed, as if they weren’t even sure who was standing in front of them at the moment.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, Hero completely thrown off and very unsure what to do. Finally Villain opened their mouth, seeming to search for their voice.

“S-sorry. I didn’t…know where else…to go.”

Hero’s forehead wrinkled, their eyes narrowing. “Don’t you have like…a guild? Partners and bosses and whoever?”

One corner of Villain’s mouth lifted, and they let out a huff that ended in a wince. “Y-...yeah. They’re…they’re the ones who…did this.”

If Hero thought they were thrown off before, they were even more shocked now. They knew the villains were terrible, but were they really so awful that they’d turn on their own teammates?

“Look, it’s…it’s fine, I…shouldn’t have come here. Just…forget…you ever saw me.” Villain released their hold on their limp arm to push themself upright, face screwing up in obvious pain at the movement.

Hero shook themself out of their confusion, lowering their defensive hand and opening the door a little wider. It was Villain, yes, but…helping people was what they were supposed to do, right?  “No, come on. You don’t have to le-”

Before they could complete the sentence, Villain’s eyes rolled back in their head and they pitched forward, knees buckling as they fell. With a shout of surprise, Hero dove forward to catch them before their head hit the floor. 

And there they sat, halfway out of their house with the rain still pouring and the infamous Villain cradled in their arms. Their eyes darted over their body, analyzing injuries and trying to formulate a plan.

What on earth had they gotten themself into?

[queenarahbo]

Everyone Starts Somewhere

How Amethio came to stay with the Rising Volt Tacklers.

Part 1 of Found Family

Whumptober Prompts Filled: Day 2: Trust issues Day 3: Set up for failure Day 15: Childhood trauma Day 17: Nowhere else to go Day 26: Nightmares - Breakfast table Day 31: Asking for help

Amethio awoke to the oppressive fatigue that weighed heavily on his body and mind. Relief washed over him as he realized he wasn’t dead. But the relief was short-lived as a sharp ache pierced his chest, making it hard to breathe. His lungs burned for air, an excruciating sensation that surpassed anything he had ever experienced. His breathing was slow and shallow at first, but as he began to wake, it started to quicken.

“Are you finally awake?”

Amethio tensed at the voice, which grated on his nerves. That answered the question of where he had ended up. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that the white-haired man was sitting to his left. “Friede,” he sighed, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit that shook his entire body. He clenched his teeth as Friede effortlessly lifted him into a sitting position.

“Woah there. Take it easy.”

Amethio concealed his pain behind a stoic expression and finally opened his eyes, dabbing at them with his sleeve. He fixed a piercing glare on his rival before attempting to speak. However, this only triggered another coughing fit. His throat was so dry…

“Drink this. It will help.”

He eyed the bottle of Gatorade with suspicion. There was no way he would accept anything from the Rising Volt Tacklers. It would be so simple to poison a colored drink like that.

“The seal is intact. I figured you wouldn’t trust us.”

Friede seemed to pick up on the obvious distrust. Amethio turned his glare back on Friede before taking the bottle and checking the seal himself. It seemed fine. He twisted the cap and heard the crack of the plastic seal as his confirmation. Fine. So Fride wasn’t trying to poison him this time. He took a sip, relishing silently at the relief it brought his throat, and looked back to Friede as he began talking once more.

“Mollie is in town getting supplies. Try resting until she gets back. You're hurt pretty badly."

Like hell. Amethio would sooner die than stay on this ship. He was in no shape to escape, however, he knew that much. His ankle was wrapped tightly in a cast. That seemed to be a tolerable pain compared to the stabbing from his ribs that only got worse as he coughed. His entire body ached really.

"Amethio, you know you can trust us." Friede huffed before falling into the chair next to the bed "You are hurt. Let us help you."

"You are the last person I want to spend any time around," Amethio growled. Deep down he knew Friede was right. With his ankle broken, there was no way he could escape the Explorers. Especially without his Pokemon. He was lucky enough to have gotten away with the injuries that he had. If it wasn't for the Rising Volt Tacklers he would likely be dead now. Speaking of…he hadn't heard from Conia or Zir since they were separated before the fight. Were they alive? If Hamber had anything to say about it, probably not. They would likely be tortured for information despite not helping him escape. Had they been given the chance he knew they would have helped him. That was all the more reason to get out of here. He needed to help them. If he could get there maybe he could save them. "I'm not staying here."

"Well if you can find your Pokemon and get off the ship then you are welcome to leave." Friede rolled his eyes "But we both know you aren't going anywhere."

"You can't keep me here."

"And we aren't. Whatever stupid suicide plan you are working up should be put on hold until you can actually walk. We will keep your Pokemon safe. Don't worry about them."

Amethio thought Friede looked like he had more he wanted to say, but before the other man could continue he was interrupted by a pink-haired woman strolling into the room.

"Right now this isn't up to you. As Friede said, when you can walk you are free to leave. None of us are too keen on you sticking around anyway." She said before turning back to her computer, no longer interested in the conversation at hand.

"Woah, hang on!" Friede shot to his feet "Amethio is welcome to stay if he wants to. We are on the same side now."

"We will never be on the same side, Friede," Orla said from the doorway. She crossed her arms as she leaned against the wooden frame.

Friede turned to face his mechanic with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to argue again but thought better of it when Murdock gave him a look from behind Orla.

" You have to think of the bigger picture. How would Liko feel about this?" Mollie chimed back in though she didn't turn to face the others.

"Well then, why don't we ask her?" Friede huffed. He couldn't believe that his crew could be so cold. Sure, Amethio had never been a friend exactly, but he was someone in need of help. They helped people. It's not like he was suggesting that they make him a member of their crew. Then again…

"If you are going to keep me here would you mind taking this argument somewhere else?" Amethio glared at the small crowd in the room. He really didn't feel like listening to this any longer. Friede was no captain he would follow. The man was far too reckless and clearly didn't have control over his crew. They didn't follow his orders without question the way Conia and Zir followed him. He let his eyes flutter closed, still fully alert to the people around him, and focused on the footsteps fading from the room. Good, at least they listened to him. Once the room was empty, however, Amethio suddenly felt the weight of his injuries. Finally succumbing to the drowsiness he began to drift.

Amethio was in the training hall of the Explorers’s base. He had just received his partner from Master Gibeon. He had not been expecting the Charcadet for his birthday. He would have been elated to get a Pokemon finally under normal circumstances. Amethio wasn't living in normal circumstances. After his parents died he was taken in by his grandfather. He knew he should be grateful. He knew he should. He had a roof over his head.

"That's our pampered little Amethio." Spinel glared at the aforementioned boy as Sango cackled wildly.

"He's always getting special treatment. He's nothing special." Spinel rolled his eyes before turning and disappearing down the hall.

Amethio just pretended he didn't hear the older kids. He was going to start training with Hamber now. He could finally be useful to his grandfather. He turned around as Hamber's voice reached his ears.

"I am very disappointed in you, Amethio." Hamber scolded coldly "I had higher expectations of you."

"I'm sorry," Amethio replied bitterly. This wasn't his fault. Spinel had lied to him. If he had the proper information then he would have been able to complete his mission without incident. He could hear the older kid snickering from the door. Amethio ground his teeth together. "I will do better next time." That's right. This was after Spinel had sabotaged his mission. He blinked. The room was suddenly different.

Amethio was standing back in the training room. Hamber was staring down at him. Dusknoir's eye glowed eerily behind his trainer. He couldn't let Hamber down again. He turned his attention back to his Pokemon as they battled against each other. He flinched as Ceruledge was unable to dodge in time. He had failed too many times. His partner wasn't weak. He was.

"Useless. Go again."

Right. He was useless. He was a waste of Hamber's time. He was a failure. Hamber's voice was overshadowed by a ferocious roar before the glass shattered. Amethio found himself staring up wide-eyed at the black Rayquaza he so desperately chased.

Amethio bolted upright with a stifled scream, his eyes darting wildly around the room. This place wasn’t familiar. This place wasn’t safe. He had to get out of here. He let his instincts take over and he climbed out of bed. The movements of his muscles ached horridly and he clenched his teeth together. The haze of the nightmare clung persistently in his mind. He restless shifted around until he found another tolerable position. He didn't sleep again. The anxiety the nightmare caused was too much for his exhausted brain to handle. He tossed and turned as the light slowly filled the room. He counted the time as the sun shone brighter and brighter. Eventually, Mollie returned to the infirmary to check on him with Friede close behind her. He didn't say anything as the doctor checked his vitals and gave minimal answers to her questions. "I have to leave. I can't stay here anymore." He finally spoke up.

“Well. You really don’t have many choices right now, do you?” Friede chuckled lightly “You are in no shape to go off on your own and even if you were you are being chased by the Explorers now. You wouldn’t stand a chance on your own.”

“I will manage.” Amethio growled “Now return my Pokemon.”

“Nah. I don’t think so. Why don’t you rest here and we can talk about it later?”

“Friede’s right. You have nowhere else to go.” Mollie chimed in.

She didn’t look away from the computer and her tone was disinterested. Amethio wasn’t sure how she really felt about all this. He knew that he wasn’t the only one with trust issues though. Friede was the only one on the ship who was giving him the time of day. Mollie did so because Friede told her to.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I found this. I figured you would want it." Friede offered a small piece of folded paper to Amethio who took it with hesitation. Friede was able to see the cracks in Amethio's mask. The kid wasn't as good at hiding things from him as he thought he was. He watched the visible distress and rage that spread across his face as he read over the letter.

Amethio stared at the paper in his hands. It was taking everything in him to keep his emotions in check. Hamber and Gibeon had never intended for him to succeed in his mission to retrieve the pendant from Liko. From the beginning, he was meant to fail.

"You okay over there, kid?" Friede looked up from his phone with concern. "Is it something you want to share with the class?"

"No." Amethio bit back sharply "I would prefer it if you would leave me alone now." He had nowhere to go now. He was completely alone. His family, no, the people he thought were his family, had betrayed him. He looked up when Friede sighed.

"I already read it."

"You did what?" Amethio whipped his head towards the older man. He reached out, struggling to find his balance as he moved, and let his hand fly at Friede. He caught his hand with ease. Friede kept his hand wrapped around Amethio's as he stood from the chair.

"Did you really think I was going to let you have something from the Explorers without reading it first?" Friede asked seriously. He waited for Amethio's head to shake before continuing "I've said from the beginning that you can stay here. You will be safe with us."

Amethio couldn't think of a response. He let his hands clench around the paper, creasing it in the process and, sighed. He and Friede stayed like that, neither of them daring to speak, until Friede finally broke the silence.

"Do you want to go down to eat? If you aren't feeling up to it then I can have Murdock bring something up to you later." Friede stared at the reluctant teen for a long moment before sighing in resignation. He wasn't going to get an answer. "Have it your way." He turned to leave but paused when he heard Amethio's stomach grumble loudly. He smirked to himself before looking over his shoulder with an amused "Sure you don't want food?" He found Amethio to be amusing and teasing him was going to be his new favorite pastime. He could practically feel the embarrassment radiating from the kid. His smirk transitioned to a soft smile when Amethio nodded his head. He helped him sit and offered out the crutches Mollie had left for him. He stuck close as they navigated the halls in case Amethio lost his balance. That was a real possibility with how unsteady he seemed. Then again who knows the last time the kid was able to rest or eat properly?

As Amethio shuffled into the large room he suddenly felt more awkward than he had probably ever felt. All eyes were on him. He did his best to keep his appearance up, but deep down he knew it was useless. In their eyes, he was just a stubborn teenager who was refusing help. His ankle ached worse as he tried to sit on his own. He ignored the annoyed sigh from Mollie. The silence in the room hung heavily. It wouldn't have made him uncomfortable if he didn't know how loud everyone normally was.

"Fine." Amethio mumbled, his amethyst eyes firmly trained on the floor as he softly broke the silence “For now.” He could feel the heat in his cheeks and desperately hoped no one else could see it. It was bad enough that he had to ask others for help. "I will stay here if you will allow it. Just…for now anyway." He grimaced as the words left his mouth. They had plenty of opportunities to kill him. If they wanted him dead he would be dead. He chanced a glance around the room. Friede looked relieved that he was agreeing to stay. Liko seemed hesitant about his decision. Everyone else shared a mixed look of frustration and distrust. That was fair, Amethio supposed. He wasn't their favorite person in the world and up until now, he had been fighting them about staying. The silence was dragging on. He shifted in his chair uncomfortably. To his surprise, it was Murdock who spoke first.

"Well, if you are going to stay here I need to know if there are any foods you are allergic to."

Amethio simply stared at him. Was he really supposed to give that information up so easily? He shot a look at Friede who simply nodded. This was crazy. These people were the last ones he wanted to know about any potential weaknesses.

"I would prefer not to kill you by mistake." Murdock rolled his eyes. "But I guess it makes no difference to me if you want to keep it to yourself."

Amethio turned his attention back to the chef. That logic was sound enough. He wasn't going to be able to cook until his ankle healed. He took a steadying breath before replying "Tree nuts." He felt his face grow hot as Friede laughed. He was about to find something to throw, but Mollie beat him to it.

"Shut up!" She hissed.

Murdock took that moment to nod seemingly in thought. He looked at Friede and said, "I think we can manage that without too much trouble."

"See!" Friede moved behind Amethio and dropped his hand on his shoulder "Everything will be fine. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want.” Friede ruffled Amethio’s hair, which earned him a smack.

"Don't touch me so freely!" Amethio growled as he recoiled with a glare. He swallowed the panic that surged through him as the feeling of Friede's touch lingered. He suppressed a shiver and sat up a little straighter.

"Sorry?" Friede scratched his head "Didn't think that would bother you."

"Exactly. You didn't think." Amethio growled. He was beginning to regret his actions. Amethio huffed and turned away. He wasn’t safe yet, but for now, he could at least rest.

[bucknerdycore]

Finding home in you

Ratings: Teen and Up

Warnings: Not Archive Warnings Apply

Relationship: Tommy/Buck

“You could come to my place.” Buck blinked, surprised by the offer. He hadn’t expected that, not from Tommy. Sure, they’d spent time together—more than Buck had spent with most people outside that work — but he didn’t think Tommy saw him like that. “I mean, if you want,” Tommy added, almost too casually, as if he was testing the waters. “I know you’ve been having a rough time lately. Thought maybe... you could be be accompanied.” Buck doesn't know where to go and Tommy offers his house. Whumptober 2024 Day 17: Nowhere else to go

Link

[aprocessionofthoughts]

Choices

whumptober24 day 17-nowhere else to go fandom- dp x dc tw- mentioned neglect summary- Babe is still looking, and Danny and Jazz have very few options left

masterlist ao3 part 6 of TFR

Babara sat at the new console in the Clocktower. The breach had only extended to the computers themselves. It didn’t look like they had stolen any data or found the location of the Clocktower. But that just made the whole thing even more confusing. Why attack the computer system if they weren’t planning on stealing data? Was it just to try and keep them away? But anyone smart enough to destroy the compurs to such a level should know that this would only make the Bats look into things more.

Though, Barbara admitted to herself, they hadn’t actually made any more progress. She had tried her best to search more carefully, but nothing came up. It was like the information had been deleted. At least, Barbara thought, rolling her eyes, her computers hadn’t melted again.

And the GIW had been more subtle. The only thing they had been able to discover was that it might have something to do with ghosts. And the only reason they knew that was from overhearing some of the agents talking.

So, she had looked into ghosts but all that she found was superstitions and ghost stories. She couldn’t find anything connected with the government.

Bruce had even grudgingly called Constantine over. But the man had taken one look at the melted remains of her computers and turned around and left, muttering curses under his breath and telling them to stop investigating.

He had refused to answer any of their calls since then.

She wasn’t going to stop looking into this. They had melted her computers! They had to pay!

She wasn’t as emotionally stunted as the rest of the bats, she could admit to herself that she was using this to distract her from the missing kids. She still couldn’t find anything. It didn’t make sense! How could two normal kids disappear without a trace!

She searched for the name Fenton again. And again, nothing came up. Which was even weirder than if she’d had a lot of results with hundreds of people named Fenton. She looked at the map of the surrounding area near Wellsburg. There were a few towns, but nothing terribly interesting. Wait a second. Barbara squinted at the map. There was a clearing a few miles from Wellsburg. There was nothing of note there as far as the maps showed. But something seemed strange about the area. It almost looked like it had been edited.

It may be nothing. But with all the weirdness with the GIW, and her hacked computers, and the kids disappearance, and ghosts, it warnented looking into.

—-

“Are you sure about this? You know what Tucker said.” Danny said.

“I know. But just because he caught someone looking into the GIW in Gotham doesn’t mean the whole city is unsafe. Maybe the Bats just came across something online.” Jazz said.

“Yeah, but then Tucker asked Technus to help and according to Tucker, Technus melted their servers! Whoever it was is going to be even more interested now!”

“In the GIW though not us. And…” Jazz hesitated, closing her eyes for a moment. “We need help. You’re hurt, and we don’t have anywhere else to go. Babs was nice, and you sensed her honesty. If there’s any chance she might help…”

Danny sighed. He could tell Jazz was on the verge of crying again. And what she said was true. They were currently hiding in Wellsburge, but it wouldn’t be long before their parents arrived looking for them. They couldn’t go to Aunt Alicia, their parents would check there, and they didn’t know about any other family. 

Danny needed to keep Jazz safe. It was his fault they were running. And he had sensed only good intent from Barbara. 

“Ok. we can call her.”

“Thank you.” Jazz pulled him into a hug. “We’ll be okay. I’ll keep you safe.”And I’ll keep you safe, Danny thought, hugging her back.

[musewrangler]

“Zev was captured two days ago,” Piett said in the clinical voice he used on the bridge with Ozzel. “ISB has him. As Captain of the Lady, I have been informed for obvious reasons. He is a known associate of Skywalker and Organa, and as such, they are keen to get information.”

The room felt suffocating.

Veers couldn’t breathe, and wanted to be sick at the same time.

It was true he and Zev had parted ways sharply and painfully over the Empire and the Rebellion his son had turned to. That had been five years ago. While Veers saw the flaws that Zev did, he felt he could do the most good from within.

Zevulon, glowing with the passion of youth, had disagreed firmly. The Empire and everything— everyone —-within it was corrupt past saving. He’d said some very excruciating things to the General. Things that still hurt Veers to think of.

But in this moment—-all he could see were large green eyes in the face of a little boy pleading with him to bring back his mother.