#whumpee tired of fighting

[chaotic-orphan]

The Stranger (VI)

Read part one here // Continued from here

This part is dedicated to @princess-bubble-blossom, hope you enjoy! <3

*~*~*~*~*

“You know what Vigilante?” Karma asked, drumming his fingers on the rim of his steering wheel. Vigilante didn’t answer. He ignored all of Karma’s attempts at striking conversation between them for the last half hour as Karma drove them through the city. Vigilante just stared out the window as the streetlights whizzed by on the street, illuminating patches of the pavement as they drove and drove and drove. People on their way home from work or going to a night shift were all out in all manner of clothes. Karma could kill any of them with a sentence. “Vigilante.”

Vigilante didn’t answer.

Karma sighed in the driver’s seat. He went to turn on the radio, but then he straightened suddenly, and Vigilante stiffened. Karma’s joy was only ever at the misfortune of others. Had he seen somebody on his hit list? Would he make Vigil–

“McDonald’s!” Karma almost squealed and changed lanes so they could go through the drive through. “That will cheer you up.”

“Letting me go would cheer me up,” Vigilante grumbled, glancing at Karma from the corner of his eye. “Not threatening my friends would cheer me up.”

“Okay, Vidge, let’s not get crazy. One, you and I both know I’ll never let you go, and two, correction – friend. Let’s not pretend you have other people that give a shit where you are or why you disappeared.”

Oh.

Vigilante didn’t expect the words to hit him square in the chest, but they did, and he couldn’t say anything in his defence. Karma was right. Hero was the only person who cared about Vigilante, knew of his existence, except a couple villains here and there he worked with, and now that Hero no longer… Now that he forced Hero to forget him nobody would look for him. Nobody would interrupt Karma’s plans and go sniffing about his operation. Except that Vigilante had given Hero a lead. An innocent lead that Hero could have come to on their own.

Hero may not be looking for Vigilante anymore, but Vigilante made damn sure Hero would be looking for Karma. A small victory, that may never amount to anything, but Vigilante held onto the little bud of hope that took root in his chest as they went around the drive through.

“What do you want?” Karma asked as they got close to the window.

“Nothing.”

Karma tsked. “Don’t be a baby, Vidge, my treat.”

“You don’t get to call me Vidge.”

“Fine, your royal fucking grumpiness, what do you want?”

“Nothing,” Vigilante bit out. He didn’t want anything from this fucker. That was the truth.

Karma ran a hand down his face. “Don’t make me fucking compel it out of you.”

Vigilante scoffed, his head snapping to Karma. “What do you have to be angry about?” He demanded.

Karma’s eyes were burning with anger, swirling. A look that would have sent Vigilante running if he could, but he tried to school his expression into a mask of frustration instead of fear.

“You haven’t spoken in the last thirty minutes! Just pouted like a child staring out the window.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you have to lose your entire world tonight?”

Karma’s lip curled at one edge, revealing teeth, anything but friendly. “I can always go back and kill your entire world, Vidge.”

Vigilante threw his hands up. “Another threat?! And you wonder why I don’t want to talk to you?” He fixed his face into one of mock sympathy and continued, “I’m truly sorry that I hurt your sensitive feelings Karma, how about you make me beg for fucking forgiveness? Would that appease your bruised ego?”

Karma’s face blazed with fury, but Vigilante didn’t care what Karma did to him now. The silence was thick around them, choking, and it seemed to go on forever until a voice buzzed from a receiver: “Welcome to McDonald’s, can I take your order?”

Karma blinked and turned as if suddenly remembering where he was and not focused on the million different ways he could murder Vigilante in that moment. He turned to the speaker and said: “Uh, hi, I would like a big mac meal, with coke, and a happy meal with chicken nuggets and coke please.”

Vigilante scoffed and stared out the window as Karma finished up the order with the server. When they drove on, Karma said, “if you’re going to act like a child, I’ll treat you like one.”

“You are giving yourself this headache,” Vigilante reminded him sweetly. “If I annoy you, just let me go.”

Karma’s smile was cold, his eyes promising only pain. “Why would I do that when I can do whatever I want to you when we get home?”

Vigilante didn’t flinch. He suppressed the shiver down his spine, but some other tell must have shown on his face because Karma’s eyes glinted with malice. “I need to let off some steam from having such a disobedient little puppy.”

“I’m not your–” Vigilante began but stopped himself, remembering the last time he tried to deny being Karma’s dog.

Karma chuckled and reached over, rubbing Vigilante’s hair. Petting him until Vigilante batted his hand away. “See?” Karma cooed. “You’re already learning. Such an intelligent puppy.”

Vigilante swallowed but didn’t respond. He went back to staring out the window as they got the food and pulled out of the drive-through. Karma parked up in the parking lot. Vigilante didn’t look at him. The smell of the food caused a silent rumbling in his stomach, pulling at his gut, trying to get him to give in, but Vigilante refused.

Karma ate beside him in silence. A slurp of the coke and he said, “Vigilante, if you don’t eat your happy meal, you won’t get any food for the rest of the week.”

Vigilante glared at him over his shoulder. Karma’s face was neutral, as if they were just chatting about nothing. As if threatening to starve someone was an everyday occurrence for him.

“I don’t want it.” His stomach grumbled audibly as he said that. Shame flushed his cheeks red, and Vigilante turned away, scowling, angrier with his traitorous body than Karma in that moment.

“Starving is not a pretty thing, Vigilante. Wouldn’t want you losing any of that heroic muscle mass you got, hmm?” Karma pushed the box over to Vigilante, right beside his hand. Vigilante almost whimpered. But Karma’s words just stoked his rage.

He turned in his seat, so his back was against the door, facing Karma fully now, his eyes narrowed into a cold glare. “What would you know about starving?” Vigilante demanded. “You’ve got your fancy house in the nice part of town. Actually, the nicest part of town. Where you’re far enough away not to be bothered by the city life, but still close. When have you ever had to starve?!”

Karma blinked at Vigilante. Then he lifted his cup, straw between his lips and sucked some coke into his mouth, all while maintaining eye contact with Vigilante. Vigilante wanted to throttle him, but Karma’s command kept a chokehold on him.

When he finished his sip, he smacked his lips and smiled pleasantly at Vigilante. “You interact with Villain, right?”

The question caught him off guard. He couldn’t help the frustration from showing on his face. “What?”

Karma’s eyelids drooped over his eyes as he inclined his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “You’re a vigilante. You play both sides. Work for both. Hero isn’t your only acquaintance and contact in the city, Vidge. You have Supervillain’s number, Villain’s, Other Villain’s, Other Hero’s – though none meant as much as Hero.”

Vigilante balled his hands into his fists. Just how much information did Karma glean from his phone? Vigilante’s nostrils flared. He crossed his arms. “So what?”

“Supervillain grew up wealthy. As did Villain. As did your beloved Hero, or…” Karma’s voice dipped. “Should I say your ex-beloved Hero?”

Vigilante went to punch him, but the barrier stopped him. Karma patted Vigilante’s fist lightly that remained two inches from Karma’s nose. “There, there, Vigilante. You wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s too easy.”

Vigilante pulled back, running his hands through his hair. “You’re such a prick!”

“So, you don’t deny you work for other rich people?”

“I’m not working for you, dickhead. And I work with them. It’s an alliance.”

“So, what, is it because I have done terrible, abhorrent things?” Karma asked with a pout. He continued before Vigilante could reply, “because from what I remember, Supervillain tried to blow up the docks once. When those sweet little kiddies were on a school trip.”

“But he didn’t.”

“Thanks to your ex-beloved.”

Vigilante had to restrain himself from jumping at Karma again.

“You ally yourself with other morally ambivalent people. Yet you loathe me for going after a corrupt Mayor. You’re not like… his bastard or something, are you?”

Vigilante bristled at the accusation. Karma chuckled. “Yeah. I would have that same reaction. He is as much a monster as I am, Vigilante. It takes a monster to destroy another. If I have to be that monster, so be it.”

“His son has nothing to–” Vigilante began to explain, but cut himself off and shook his head, scoffing. Karma wouldn’t want to hear reason from him. “Forget it. And the heroes and villains I associate have never once kidnapped me and held me against my will. Made me do and witness the horrible shit they’ve done.” Vigilante shot a scathing glare at Karma. “So don’t put yourself on par with them. You’re not like them. You know nothing about me or how and why I met them and chose to work with them. None.”

Karma tilted his head slightly at Vigilante. “See? We can be civil, Vigilante. Maybe I want to make an ally of you.”

“Keep dreaming,” Vigilante snarled. Karma smiled. Then he turned in his seat and grabbed his rubbish.

He flashed Vigilante a grin and said: “don’t leave the car. Be right back.”

Vigilante rolled his eyes as Karma shut the door. Vigilante glanced at the happy meal beside him and glanced over his shoulder to where Karma was walking before he disappeared from sight. Vigilante opened the box and pulled out the chicken nuggets. He ate two as he scanned the parking lot and waited for Karma to come back.

Waited…

Why the fuck was he waiting?

He couldn’t leave the car, but he sure as shit could do anything besides that. Vigilante shifted to the driver’s seat and stared down at the keys still in the ignition. Karma couldn’t be stupid enough to do such a thing, right? Right? Was this a test? Who the fuck cares?!

Vigilante turned the keys in the ignition and started the van. He let out a sharp, shocked laughter at the easiness of it all. Vigilante could go, right now. Find Hero. Tell the Mayor about Karma. He slammed his foot on the clutch and put the van into first and before he could take off the driver’s door opened, and a hand grabbed him and yanked him from the seat.

Vigilante gasped as he left the van. A storm of fire and ice raced through his mind as he writhed on the ground, gasping between choked breaths that wouldn’t even allow him to scream as his body fought him for disobeying Karma’s command. His breath was stolen from his lungs as a boot slammed into his ribs, kicking him onto his back and Vigilante’s eyes flew open against the pain as he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Karma appeared above him, a foot on his breastbone as he leaned down over Vigilante, watching him squirm as his body burned with cold fire. Vigilante couldn’t plead or beg, or do anything except feel too much, and the longer he disobeyed the worse it became. It felt like tiny shards of razor blades pierced his blood, slicing him from within as hot tears streamed down the sides of his face and onto the pavement below.

He didn’t notice Karma picking him up or throwing him back into the van until he could finally intake a breath and Vigilante shuddered as the fire vanished from his blood, leaving him shivering and exhausted. Karma shoved him over to the passenger seat while he climbed in and shut the door behind him, beaming at Vigilante.

“You cunning little shit,” Karma said proudly, as if Vigilante was someone Karma had trained and mentored personally. “I really do need to be more careful with my commands to you, Vidge.”

Vigilante didn’t answer as he gasped in breaths. He felt the ache in his ribs now where Karma had kicked him, and he groaned in the back of his throat. It felt as if a noose had just been lifted from around his neck and his blood was pumping too fast, rushing to all the places it was restricted blood flow. Overwhelming. Ice cold. His breath fogged the window of the glass.

“Put your seatbelt on.”

Vigilante obeyed, wincing. “Good. Now go to sleep.”

And Vigilante let the darkness consume him.

*~*~*~*~*

Vigilante woke to Karma’s command. He blinked, eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. They weren’t in the car anymore. Vigilante’s head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, the hint of a pulsing headache lingered just above his brows as he found the silhouette of Karma in the darkness.

“Where are we?” he asked, yawning.

“In my basement,” Karma replied. Karma rustled in his pocket, pulled something out, a cigarette. With the flash of the lighter Vigilante could see Karma’s face, drawn tight. No usual playfulness in it. Vigilante repressed a shiver.

“Don’t you mean your torture dungeon?” Vigilante asked, only half joking. Karma chuckled. It didn’t assuage any lingering concern. Karma flicked on a switch and light flooded the room. Vigilante lifted his arm to cover his eyes until they adjusted. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Me?” Karma asked, no humour in his voice that set the hairs on the back of Vigilante’s neck on end. Footsteps drawing closer had Vigilante lowering his arm to keep his eyes on the villain. Karma’s smile was anything but warm. He took a long drag from his cigarette. “I’m not the one that refused to eat anything out of spite. Or refuses to take off his ridiculous mask.”

Vigilante put a hand to his face to make sure his mask was still on. Karma’s smile somehow burned colder as he exhaled a mouth full of smoke. “Don’t worry. I didn’t do it to you when you were out. You’re going to do it for me.”

Vigilante shot up but his knees were like cement, bolted to the ground. Karma stared down at him like a vengeful god, eclipsing the light of the basement. “Don’t.”

“You’re not leaving for a long, long time, Vigde. It’s about time you realise that. And as long as you hold onto that mask, it makes you feel like there’s still a chance you can escape. That you can return to normal life. That Hero will somehow overcome their compulsion and come find you.”

“Karma, please, don’t make me do that.”

Karma regarded him dispassionately.

“Please!”

Karma took another slow drag. “Fine. I won’t make you. Just do it. Of your own free will.”

“No!” Vigilante snarled. He tried to get to his feet again, but Karma’s compulsion held him down. He glared into the fucker’s eyes. “Fuck, no!”

Karma shrugged. “Fine. Suit yourself.”

Vigilante panted, preparing himself for the command, but it didn’t come. Instead, Karma turned and walked back towards the light switch, towards the door. Vigilante’s eyes widened. “What… what are you doing?”

“I told you if you didn’t eat, you won’t eat. How long did I say? Seven days?”

“Wait…” Vigilante said, hating the way his voice broke. Exposing himself. Karma looked over his shoulder at Vigilante, waiting.

“You gonna take off your mask?”

Vigilante swallowed, his hands balling into fists at his sides. He… fuck. Fuck! His head dropped on his shoulders as he sighed. No. He couldn’t. Not to Karma. It felt like… it felt like his only defence against the villain, which he knew was stupid and a false sense of security because the mask didn’t do shit.

Karma exhaled. He switched off the light. Then, without another word, he disappeared out the door and up the stairs, locking the door as he left. Vigilante stared into the darkness and wished he ate some more chicken nuggets.

*~*~*~*~*

He didn’t scream or beg Karma to come back. He had enough self-respect not to. But his stomach grumbled, and his throat was dry when he woke up in darkness the next day again. His knees were asleep, and every time he shifted his weight his calves would ignite with a flurry of pins and needles that was more annoying than uncomfortable.

He stared into the darkness.

Could he remove his mask? What was the point of keeping it, other than his pride? His last semblance of normality, of being a… of being Vigilante. If he revealed his face he may as well reveal his name. It’s not like he had any family that Karma could threaten. No… the one person he loved he had sent away himself. Told them to forget him.

Emotion clogged his throat as he thought about Hero. What they were doing now, if they felt an absence in their life with Vigilante gone or if everything felt normal without him. It didn’t matter now.

His thoughts swirled, round and round his head, drifting through the darkness. He heard the click of the lock, and he glanced at the door. Karma walked in. He leaned against the doorframe in the darkness, light pouring in from the stairs. He didn’t turn on the light and burn Vigilante’s corneas thankfully.

“Well? Change your mind?”

Vigilante sighed. “No.”

Karma nodded. He walked towards Vigilante. Vigilante tensed every muscle in his body, preparing for impact or something equally sinister as Karma approached. And walked right past him. Vigilante blinked. He looked over his shoulder to see the villain open a door in the back wall and turn on the light. It was a bathroom.

“You have five minutes,” Karma said. “Get off your knees.”

Vigilante’s body faltered when the command lifted. He pitched forward so he was on his hands and knees instead. But the command burned through him as he stayed on his knees, and he groaned as he turned so he sat on his arse on the cold concrete floor instead. “Tick tock.”

Vigilante ignored him as he slowly got to his feet. He groaned as he pushed himself to a standing. His legs felt like jelly and pins and needles chased him every step, but eventually he got to the bathroom and relieved himself. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. The mask remained like a second skin staring back at him like a joke. He knew Karma would get his way eventually, so what was the point in suffering any longer?

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Vigilante muttered, splashing water into his face. He gripped the edges of the sink while he looked at himself again. His dark hair dripped water down his face, and he splashed his face again. “Fuck. Fuck!”

“Everything alright in there, Vigilante?”

Vigilante glared at his reflection. If he just removed the mask, then he would at least be able to sleep in his bed tonight. His back was stiff from kneeling all night. Vigilante sighed and reached up to remove the clasps of his mask. His usually tan face was pale, a little flushed as if he were sick, but he knew it was just from the lack of sleep. He swept his hair back away from his face with his hand, the water holding it in place, exposing the prominent outlines of his skull that he hated around his temples.

There was so much anger lingering in his gaze, in his furious blue eyes as he stared at his reflection. Hatred. Helplessness. He wanted to smash the stupid fucking mirror with his fist.

A knock. “Time’s up, Vigilante.”

Vigilante splashed water on his face one last time before turning the tap off. Then he opened the door. Karma wasn’t looking at him. He simply pushed off the wall. “Well, I guess–” Karma began but stopped when Vigilante dropped the mask at the door to the bathroom and walked out of the basement and into the light.

Karma’s brows shot to his hairline as he glanced down at the mask silhouetted on the ground. He bent and picked it up, frowning slightly. He looked at the door to the basement where Vigilante disappeared. He broke quicker than expected.

Vigilante didn’t stop until he got up the stairs into the room he slept in before. He collapsed into the bed without taking off his shoes and let exhaustion pull him down, down into the blissful abyss of sleep.

*~*~*~*~*

Tag-list: @sunflower1000

[galaxywhump]

Whumpee whispering "I want to go home".

[bedtimescenarios]

Whumper comforting Whumpee after torture.

They polish the bloody knife, place it back in its case, and walk back towards a cowering, shaking Whumpee.

Whumper pulls them into their arms, carefully caressing their face and playing with their hair. Whispering comforting phrases in their ear, yet they're still laced with the hint of a threat.

"Shh... shh... It's over for now."

"You look so pretty all covered in blood."

"You've taken it so well."

"You're so tired... don't fight me, I'm done for today."

"Those screams of yours... Good job, today's were so beautiful. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."

This soon becomes routine. At first, Whumper has to hold Whumpee down, they're thrashing around, scared and miserable and tired. Soon, that exhaustion overcomes them. They sink into the arms of the person that hurts them, allowing themselves the only comfort they'll ever receive now.

[whumpninja]

This is a very specific prompt, and while I did originally think it up in a pet whump context I actually think it could work for a lot of different whump genres, so here we go:

A shadowy, nebulous organization that offers a very dark service- if a whumper gets tired of their whumpee, or they feel that they just can’t break them, or they’re too worn out, this organization will dispose of them so that the whumper doesn’t have to dirty their hands with it themselves.

Now for the plot twist: it’s a front. The organization is actually a safe house that’s set itself up as a, for lack of a better term, euthanasia center for whumpees, so that they have a chance at saving the ones that are the most damaged. But the whumpers- and certainly not the whumpees- don’t know that.

Things I think could be done with this (and I might try writing this concept if I feel like it:)

- the sheer fear a whumpee would feel being told that they’re being taken to this place where they’re going to die, and then the relief and disbelief when they’re told no, it’s okay, you’re safe now.

- one of the rescuers, posing as one of the staff, getting a new whumpee dropped off and realizing that it’s someone they used to know. Bonus points if the whumpee recognizes them too.

- a whumper who drops their whumpee off at this place. The rescuers get the whumpee all set up and assure them that they’re safe- and then whumper comes back and says they’ve changed their mind, they want their whumpee back. Do the rescuers give them back to keep the secret safe, or do they refuse and have to convince the whumper that they’re already dead? What happens if whumper demands proof?

- a defiant whumpee who decides to go down fighting, not realizing that they’re fighting against people who are trying to help them.

- a whumpee who doesn’t believe for a second that this is a safe house- it’s just a front to keep them docile until the inevitable.

- a rival organization that actually does what it says it will, and now the fake organization has to compete with them for clients, fully knowing that the ones they don’t get to will die.

Please feel free to add on or let me know if you’d be interested in seeing more of this! When I have some free time I just might write it.

[kabie-whump]

♡‬ Febuwhump 2025 Day 3: Pinned Down♡

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

“Stop it, stop it! Let me go!”

Hands pin Whumpee to the ground as they struggle, kicking and shoving at Caretaker.

“It’s okay, Whumpee.” Caretaker’s voice barely gets through to them over the roaring in their ears and the sounds of the battle happening all around them. “You can stop fighting.”

“No!” Whumpee growls, doubling their efforts. “I can- I can help!”

Caretaker just holds them down harder, their grip becoming almost painful. Whumpee knows that they don’t stand a chance here, that Caretaker is just bigger than them and stronger than them, but that knowledge only serves to piss them off even more because they’re sick and fucking tired of being the weak one, of being the helpless victim, and now they have a chance to fight and they’re being told they can’t and -

“Whumpee, stop!” Caretaker demands. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Whumpee doesn’t share Caretaker’s sentiment at the moment, and the second their hand gets too close to Whumpee’s mouth they bite. Hard.

Caretaker yelps, snatching their hand back, and Whumpee takes the opportunity to wiggle out from under them. They turn, stumbling to their feet only to find themselves face down on the ground as their knees give out from under them. Caretaker pounces again, holding Whumpee’s hands firmly behind their back with one hand and pinning the side of their face into the dirt with the other.

Whumpee shouts and struggles, this time finding Caretaker’s grip to be pure iron, their weight pressing down on the back of their knees. 

“Stand. Down.” Caretaker orders.

Whumpee growls again, testing Caretaker’s strength one more time before they finally go limp. The tears come next, streaming hot across the bridge of their nose and dripping into the dirt.

“Please,” Whumpee hiccups. “Please, I can help.”

Caretaker softens a bit, their grip relenting slightly but still firm. “I know. And you’ve done great, I promise. But now it’s time for you to stop. Let the others handle it, okay?”

Whumpee sighs, then groans softly as their overused body starts to make its numerous injuries known. Maybe… maybe they’re a little more hurt than they’d thought. 

“Yeah, alright.”

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

@febuwhump

[caledine]

Types of whumpees in a team

( This is just a few, lmk if you can think of more c:<)

Youngest teammate Whumpee

You get your reckless and brash whumpees who’d who’d do anything to prove themselves

Unknowledgeable new to the field

“ I can do it, on my own.”

Angry and defiant till their hurt

Trying to act tough but just people pleasers

Being left behind for ‘safety’ and probably the easiest to break

“ it’s for your own good Whumpee. It’s not safe out there.” queue them getting captured from said place that’s deemed safe

Stupid plans?? Youngest learns just how bad not thinking things through results in

Doing things due to pure peer pressure

A go to hostage since team would fight tooth and nail to get them back (?)

Always doing busywork and never on the field

“ I have done everything from making coffee to doing your laundry— How is this hero work? “

Being deemed not strong enough

Medic/ Doctor whumpees

Either stoic or overly doting

Exhausted from caring to much

Just exhaustion whump in general !!

Always the caretaker and never taken care of

Full ER / too many patients

Natural disaster or a horrible fight leaving them swamped with injured teammates ( maybe they’re hurt too)

“ I know everyone’s hurt— hold on i need a second…”

Getting hurt and knowing just how doomed they are

Using all the good supplies on the team and leaving themselves with ‘alternatives’

Trying to talk other members through healing themself, knowing if they faint they are as good as dead

Does your Medic snap?

“ How many times have i told you to be more careful?! every single time your in my office you’ve brushed death again—“ ( Angry or worried?)

Stitching themself up because they think they have the knowledge to keep themselves healthy too ( knowledge ≠ strength to save themselves )

Second in command/ Right hand ( Could be a sidekick?) Whumpee

A glorified PA juggling all the ‘less important’ tasks or running errands

Never getting the authority / leadership they want over the team

Always picking up everyone else’s slack

Paperwork and all the busywork and never getting the full credit

Sometimes people are too tired to be nice

Snappy, defiant and never backing down

Always trying to one up other team members or get recognition or affirmation because they never seem to get credit

Stuck in Leader’s shadow

The moment Leader is out everyone expects them to know what to do

“ I don’t know— Leader never let me have any say-?”

Loyal beyond fault ( too much so) maybe they let people be dicks just because they’re teammates

Too forgiving

Maybe Leader sticks the blame on them for failed missions

the perfect stoic whumpee 🌟

Leader Whumpee

Exhaustion, overworking, passing out , thugging through sickness — Leaders normally the one who checks in on people, but who checks in on them?

Putting themselves last

Guilt of failed missions, maybe blame from other teammates

Trying to guide the team while injured ( concussions 😌)

Never really being part of the team just there to keep themselves healthy too in check

Breaking under pressure

Survivors guilt

Being replaced

Leader being held hostage because the team would be in shambles without them

Humiliation— make the team stop believing in them

Self sacrifice

“ I’m sorry i know it’s my responsibility…”

Struggling to ask for help because they’re scared the team won’t come to them

Their life revolves around keeping their team safe, too selfless

The team just expecting them to know what to do

Trying to juggle looking after the team with Hero work

Doing all the chores, being expected to do the most and be selfless

Their higher ups see their overworking as a good thing and feed into it

Everyone just always assumes they’re fine because pfftt they’re Leader of course they’re fine!!

Stoic but pathetic ejenkeosos

Sighhh i just adore team whump. I could always go on about this because the amount of possibilities are near endless. Give me complex relationships between characters!! Make your whumpees suffer while no one around them bats an eye, toxic team dynamics suck but the whump around them… Found family but make it hurt comfort!!

[mypoorocs]

Thinking about a first time Whumper x veteran Whumpee...

When they first meet:

"You don't seem nearly scared enough. This isn't your first time is it?" "You seem weirdly nervous. Is it yours?"

"Ugh! Out of everyone in the city I could kidnap I had to get stuck with someone else's leftovers!"

"You used to belong to so-and-so, didn't you? Ah! They're my idol! Oh! This is exciting. I get to study their masterpiece up close!"

"WHY AREN'T YOU SCARED OF ME?!!!"

"Oh. You've never done this before." "Stop judging me. I have a knife."

"How is it you know exactly what I like?" "You torturers are all the same." "You've done this before??"

"I won't kill you, but I need you to cooperate. I am new to this, just so you know." "Yup. I'm going to die."

"Mmmm, I love how you move when you're in pain." "Thanks! I've been practicing for years."

"Who taught you to scream like this?"

Whumpee helping Whumper figure out the basics:

"Why are you on your knees?" "Oh sorry. Do you not like that? The last guy liked me that way. I just assumed…" "No, no. It's a good idea. Keep doing that. I just… never thought of it."

"So, what are the rules?" "Rules?" "Yeah, dumbass. Your rules for me. Do you want me to call you sir? Master? Or can I keep calling you jackass?"

"Do you want me to put up a fight or should we skip straight to the submissive stage?" "Oh... uhhh... don't fight too much. I don't trust myself not to accidentally kill you." "Oh, yeah. Good point."

"What kind of scream do you like?" "There are kinds of screams?" "Yeah. The last guy liked it when I ugly-cried. But I'm pretty good a bloodcurdling and whimpering like a kicked puppy. I can try to stay quiet but I can't make promises there..." "Hmmm... try all of them. I'll tell you which I like best."

"You cleaned??" "Yeah? Was I not supposed to?" "I didn't know you could make captives do that?!" "For the record, I didn't do it because I'm scared of you - your arm gets tired after giving me like three lashes. I did it because I'm going to be spending a lot of time bleeding on this table and I doubt it occurred to you to disinfect it."

Whumpee teaching Whumper how to whump:

"Show me what they used to do to you."

Whumper studying the scars on Whumpees body to learn the best places to cut/stab.

"Oh no! A knife? How original!" /s

"If you stab me right there you'll kill me. You have to go one inch to the right. Yeah, right there-AHHHHHH! …yup. Right there."

"I'll make you a deal. Let me have a solid eight hours of sleep and I'll show you where to pinch the nerve that will paralyze my left arm."

"You can't leave me tied up like this!" "I can do what I want!" "Yes. Okay. True. But like, you've either got to tie my knees to my chest or let my feet touch the ground. Otherwise I'm going to asphyxiate."

Whumper having an inferiority complex:

"I CAN DO ANYTHING THEY COULD DAMMIT!" (They = Whumpee's former Whumper)

"WHUMPEE! YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN ME!" *Whumpee trying not to laugh when Whumper fucks up something really basic.*

"You must think I'm so pathetic." "NOo! Of course not! You're doing amazing! Really you are! I'm so fucking scared of you right now. I promise."

"I'll never be as good as the person who hurt you before." "You'll get there! I promise. I was like his fifth victim - I'm your first. Be kind to yourself!"

"How the fuck did your former Whumper do it?" "Yeah... you're not getting that out of me..."

Whumper being paranoid that Whumpee is manipulating them. Even though they hold the power they feel like Whumpee has more control over the situation because they know more.

Also...

Whumpee knowing just how to manage Whumper. They instinctively know when to be a little defiant and when to do exactly as they are told. They know just the right tone of voice to speak in, and just how to move, scream, to keep Whumper as pleased as possible. The sooner Whumper is satisfied the sooner it will stop.

Whumpee pretending it hurts worse than it does, lying about which places/tortures hurt most, acting more sick or tired than they really are to get rest/food, acting more scared than they really are… It's not like Whumper could know better.

[another-whump-sideblog]

Whumper with mind powers. Whumpee knows what's coming now that they've been captured. They've trained for this, they know how to resist Whumper's abilities.

They feel the intrusion on their mind, but it pulls back before Whumpee can even start resisting. "Oh. Oh, you poor thing. How long have you been in this much pain? And so tired."

How long... "A few years, I think?" Why did they answer, they shouldn't have answered--

"That's awful. No one listens, do they? No one cares about how much pain you're in, how exhausted you are all the time."

Tears form in Whumpee's eyes. "...No one cares. I've been told all of my symptoms will disappear if I lose weight." They chuckle weakly. "It's never going to get better. No one who has the power to help ever listens to me. I'm so tired of being ignored. I'm so tired..."

"I'm listening. And I have the power to help. If they just knew, if they could enter your mind and feel your pain the way I can, they would never treat you like this. They would believe you, see you, the way I do."

A dam breaks, and Whumpee starts to bawl. How long have they waited to hear that, without even knowing that's what they were waiting for?

"Anyone else in this much pain wouldn't be nearly as brave as you've been. You've pushed yourself far beyond what any of the people who've denied you treatment would be able to do in your circumstances. You are so strong, but you don't have to be. Not anymore. I'm here. I can make it all stop."

Whumper pets Whumpee's hair. "You don't even know. You don't even know how easy it is for everyone else. I can give you that. You won't have to fight your body to do the things everyone else finds easy. I'll put you to sleep, and when you wake up, you won't be tired or in pain. How does that sound?"

"Uhm..." Whumpee feels Whumper's power again, and then-- euphoria. They could fight it off, they know how to fight it off, but...

"This is how everyone else feels all the time. You deserve this, don't you? Just go to sleep, and I'll fix it all for you. Let the exhaustion take you one last time, and you'll never feel it again, not unless you've actually done something to warrant feeling exhausted. I'll take good care of you. You deserve to be taken care of by someone who understands what you've gone through. Just keep your eyes closed, and I'm going to count backward from 10..."

[painsandconfusion]

Whumpy Moments #45

Whumper raised a brow, glancing over their book at to their kneeling captive. "..feeling submissive today?" They'd never seen Whumpee calm. Unless they were dazed from a blow or asleep, it was always snarls and glares and hurled insults.

Whumpee's forehead pressed against Whumper's leg. "I'm j- 'm tired. 'm so tired."

Whumper clicked their tongue in a pitying tsk, book drifting to the side so they could reach to run a hand through Whumpee's hair. "Finally learned your place, then?"

There was a distant moment of bliss as Whumpee pressed into the gentle touch, skin tingling and sparking under the warm affection. Then their head shook minutely. "N-no, just.. I... I c-an be bad again t-morrow." So tired. They were so tired..

Whumper cooed, reaching down to guide Whumpee up, leading the stumbling, bruised form into their lap. Whumpee surprised themself by leaning into it, curling up against Whumper's chest and letting their eyes close. They almost expected pain in retaliation of the disobedience, but evidently Whumper didn't count tomorrow's sin against them. Not yet, anyway.

"Tomorrow," Whumper murmured in agreement, lips against Whumpee's hair. They rubbed a hand slowly up and down Whumpee's spine, soothing aching flesh into easing limp. "For tonight, you just rest."

Tears stung at their eyes, but Whumpee nodded into their chest, curling up tighter. They'd let themself enjoy this. Let themself soak in the warmth.

They'd fight again tomorrow.

[serickswrites]

Lie Still

@lurkingwhump gave me such a delightful idea for this little piece

Warnings: captivity, torture, restraints, blood, wounds, rescue, unconsciousness, bed side vigil, hospital, hurt/aftermath, hurt/recovery, hurt/comfort, caretaker and whumpee

The world Whumpee lived in was hazy. Hazy and narrow. Logically they knew this meant they weren't going to live much longer, that Whumper had gone too far and cut too deep. Logically they knew that they were bleeding out and would be gone soon. But they were too tired and too cold to care.

They were so tired. They could barely keep their eyes open. Each time their eyes drifted closed, they knew they had to open them again. They couldn't let the last few moments of their life slip away with closed eyes. Even if the world was hazy.

Sounds were muffled and distorted. They thought they had heard Whumper talking to them. Then the sound of a fight. But that didn't make sense. Whumper had them all alone. There was no one else here. Perhaps their mind was playing tricks on them.

But their mind played the cruelest trick of all: Caretaker. They could hear Caretaker calling to them. They began to cry as they realized it was their dying brain trying to soothe them. To give them one last measure of comfort as they faded into oblivion.

"Whumpee, darling, it's ok, you're ok. I've got you," Caretaker murmured in Whumpee's ear.

Whumpee sobbed harder as they lay there, the hallucination of Caretaker stroking their hair as shadows moved in and out of their field of vision. Even though Caretaker was supposed to be a measure of comfort, it hurt Whumpee. Hurt worse than the pain of being cut open repeatedly by Whumper. Hurt more than any torture Whumper had done. Because Caretaker wasn't here, but Whumpee wanted them. Wanted them more than anything.

"Keep your eyes open, darling. You're doing so great. Please, come on. Look at me, Whumpee. I've got you."

Whumpee wanted to look at the hallucination. Wanted to listen to Caretaker's voice. Because even if Caretaker wasn't really here, they were soothed. As Whumpee let themself fade into oblivion, they could have sworn they heard their hallucination crying softly.

***

Caretaker froze the moment they entered into Whumper's torture chamber. Whumpee was restrained to a metal table in the center of the room, their abdomen and chest cut to ribbons, their blood flowing over the edges of the table and onto the floor. The floor was slick with Whumpee's blood.

"What did they do to you, Whumpee?" Caretaker muttered as they hurried over. The medic had called for them to hurry, that they weren't too late, but it was close.

They could see Whumpee was blinking slowly, their breathing shallow. Between the deep slash marks in their body and blood loss, Caretaker knew Whumpee was going into shock. And if they lost consciousness, Caretaker wasn't sure they would wake up. "I'm here, Whumpee."

Whumpee was unresponsive to their words. "Whumpee, darling, it's ok, you're ok. I've got you," Caretaker murmured in Whumpee's ear.

They were unsure where they could touch Whumpee. Between the team of medics working to stabilize Whumpee and all the injuries on their body, Caretaker wasn't sure where wouldn't hurt. They stroked Whumpee's hair and murmured in Whumpee's ear.

"Keep your eyes open, darling. You're doing so great. Please, come on. Look at me, Whumpee. I've got you."

It didn't matter how much they begged Whumpee to keep awake. They knew Whumpee wouldn't be conscious for much longer. Their only hope was that the medic had done enough to stop the bleeding to get Whumpee to the hospital.

But as they watched Whumpee's eyes close, no longer fluttering open, panic gripped Caretaker's heart. As Whumpee took a stuttering breath and went still beneath the medic's hands, Caretaker looked around, desperate to find any help.

"It's ok, Caretaker, I gave them something to make transport easier," the medic reassured Caretaker. "I'm going to try and dress some of these, it's going to hurt. I want them to be comfortable."

As Whumpee was whisked away from them, Caretaker tried to swallow past the lump in their throat. Whumpee would live. Whumpee had to live. Caretaker wouldn't be able to living in a world without Whumpee.

***

"What did they do to you, darling?" Caretaker whispered to the near silent room. They had taken up residence in the chair next to Whumpee's bed the moment the doctor said that they could. Whumpee hadn't woken yet, no one was sure when, or even if, Whumpee would wake up.

The only thing that told Caretaker that Whumpee was still alive was the whirring and hissing of the ventilator and the steady, regular beeps of the heart monitor. Whumpee was alive. Whumpee was alive. They weren't too late. They squeezed Whumpee's hand. "Please come back to me, darling. I'm here. I've got you. Please come back to me."

Death would not be good enough for Whumper. Caretaker was going to rip Whumper apart limb from limb the moment Whumpee was stable enough for them to leave. Caretaker couldn't risk leaving and having Whumpee fade away to nothing.

Caretaker's rage was nearly all consuming. To be angry, to be ready to destroy Whumper felt so much better than to give into the terror that had been gripping Caretaker's heart since they found Whumpee. Since they nearly lost Whumpee.

Whumpee was strong. They were a fighter. Caretaker kept reassuring themself that Whumpee would wake soon. That Whumpee would be ok. That they would heal. They wouldn't lose Whumpee. Whumpee would be ok.

Caretaker didn't want to imagine what would happen otherwise.

***

"Darling, you have to stay in bed," Caretaker urged Whumpee four days later.

Whumpee lay against the pillows, their face glistening with sweat. But they had the look of determination on their face that Caretaker knew was dangerous. "Darling, you are still so weak. Please, please lay back."

"I....I am tired of....being in bed." Whumpee's speech was still stilted, every word and effort for them to get enough breath to speak. Whumper had injured their lungs. Whumpee was determined to stand today. They pushed off again and tried to rise.

"Darling, you will tear your stitches. Please, lay back. For me?" Caretaker put a gentle hand on Whumpee's shoulder and guided them back down to the pillows.

Whumpee didn't want to admit it, but Caretaker was right. They were so exhausted. What little energy they had evaporated with their attempt to sit up in bed. "Maybe....maybe I....could nap....for a while."

Caretaker smiled softly at Whumpee. "I think that's a great idea, darling." Caretaker took Whumpee's hand in their and squeezed. "I'll watch over you. Rest, please, darling."

Whumpee's eyelids slipped closed as they could no longer fight the weight. "Love you," Whumpee muttered as sleep claimed them again.

"I love you, too," Caretaker said as they leaned down and kissed Whumpee's forehead.

Which is why they were going to end Whumper at the first opportunity they could. Caretaker knew that their colleagues wouldn't let them get close to Whumper. Wouldn't let them be alone in a room. Still, there was always the opportunity for something. Because death was not good enough for Whumper. Not after everything they put Whumpee through.

"Sleep, darling, I'll keep you safe. I'll always keep you safe. I love you so much, darling," Caretaker murmured again as they watched Whumpee relax into a deeper sleep.

[whumptea]

so sick and tired of people hating on lady whump. give me your lady whumpees slouching against a brick wall, drugged and dazed as they try to make their way home. give me girls covered in blood — whether it be their own or someone else’s. give me lady whumpees who thrash and scream and fight against their restraints. who spit poison at their captors. who cry and beg and plead and kick. i’m so goddamn tired of women in whump either always 1. being the whumper, or 2. being forced into these soft, docile stereotypes that prevent them from expressing anything but. give me more lady whumpees or give me death.

[whumpthemusical]

Whump: The Musical Prompts!!

As stated before, this challenge will run from March 1- March 31, 2024. All fandoms are welcome to participate despite it being prompts based off of musicals. Once again, all types of media are allowed. This challenge has the standard "choose one for the day" style, but feel free to do all three prompts if that's what you want to do!! All types of whump are allowed, but please be respectful to your fellow audience members and properly tag it!! Some of these prompts are sensitive, so make sure you warn your readers correctly! There will be an ao3 collection and an FAQ post coming soon, so if you have any further questions or comments about this challenge, feel free to drop me a line. Happy writing, my beautiful ingénues, and enjoy the show :)))

The prompts will be listed under the cut for those who have difficulty reading fonts!!

Cats- Sabotage • Second Chances • "I Can Dream Of The Old Days."

Wicked- Mob Mentality • Propaganda • "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished."

Jesus Christ Superstar- Whipping • Betrayal • "Then I Was Inspired, Now I'm Sad And Tired."

Les Mis- Survivor's Guilt • Failure • "Drink With Me To Days Gone By."

Heathers- Poison • Reluctant Whumper • "Wanna fight for me?"

Newsies- Chronic Pain • Exploitation • "Let 'Em Laugh In My Face, I Don't Care."

The Last Five Years- Infidelity • Gaslighting • "I Will Not Lose Because You Can't WIn."

Hadestown- Deals • Doomed Narrative • "Doubt Comes In."

Sweeney Todd- False Imprisonment • Razors • "Have You Decided It's Safer In Cages?"

Rent- Substance Abuse • Poverty • "Feels Too Much Damn Like Home."

Bare: A Pop Opera- Outing • Religious Trauma • "Please, See Me."

Waitress- Unplanned Pregnancy • Abuse • "She Is Broken And Won't Ask For Help."

Tick Tick Boom- Atychiphobia • Working To Exhaustion • "Is This Real Life?"

Dear Evan Hansen- Deception • Broken Bone • "Words Fail."

West Side Story- Star-Crossed Lovers • Prejudices • "A Boy Who Kills Cannot Love."

Come From Away- Stranded • Aftermath • "Blankets And Bedding And Maybe Some Food."

Spring Awakening- Withheld Information • Suicide  • "I Don't Scream, Though I Know It's Wrong."

Hamilton- Hurricane  • Dueling • "I Will Kill Your Friends And Family To Remind You Of My Love."

Falsettos- Sickness • Identity Issues • "Death Is Not A Friend."

Into The Woods- Blame • Lost • "Nothing But A Vast Midnight."

The Great Comet- Abduction • Letters • "Did You Love That Bad Man?"

In The Heights- Grief • Homesickness • "I Know That I'm Letting You Down."

Be More Chill- Mind Manipulation • Panic Attack • "Everything About Me Makes Me Want To Die."

Moulin Rouge- Class Differences • Sex Work • "Come What May."

Chicago- Cold Blood • Trial • "He Had It Coming."

Six- Execution • Trauma Bonding • "Playtime's Over."

Ride The Cyclone- Unexpected Tragedy • Forgotten Whumpee • "I Hear The Anguish Of The Street."

The Rocky Horror Show- Obsession • Wrong Place, Wrong Time • "I've Seen Blue Skies Through The Tears."

Nerdy Prudes Must Die- Bullying • Ritual • "Who Will Pray For You?"

Jekyll And Hyde- Duality • Good Vs Evil • "If I Die, You'll Die."

Phantom Of The Opera- Disfiguration • Shunned • "My Power Over You Grows Stronger Yet."

[whumpbug]

i have so many thoughts on the word “drowsy”. GOD i can’t get enough of it. i LOVE the implications of it bc it can be related to so many different scenarios with similar vibes

maybe whumpee has had an extremely exhausting day. i’m talking manual labor— working for hours to get something done and they’re finally home and they are BONE tired. maybe caretaker brings them some food and runs them a hot bath, and once they’re warm and their belly is full they find it physically impossible to stay awake. their head keeps bobbing up and down with threats of nodding off, their eyes have that glassy, drowsy, far away look to them, and they’re barely coherent anymore, just focused on keeping their eyes open, but it’s a losing battle. eventually caretaker sidles up to them and guides their head to lay on the space between caretaker’s chin and shoulder and sleep finally takes them

or maybe whumpee has been in a fight or is severely injured or something of the sort, and they’ve been patched up and pumped full of pain meds and are lying in a hospital bed. caretaker is beside them, gently carding their fingers through their hair with a quiet conversation and the gesture as well as the copious amounts of drugs in whumpee’s system is making their eyelids droop. they feel the pleasant buzz of the pain relief and they finally get to rest after whatever unfortunate circumstance landed them in the hospital in the first place and caretaker notices them losing the battle with sleep because their conversation becomes more of a drowsy mumble and then whumpee’s breathing evens out and they’re out

i just love a sleepy whumpee i wanna hold them and let them get the sleep they deserve (੭ ˊ^ˋ)੭ ♡

[whump-is-love-whump-is-life]

Screaming.

Please do not do this but I just screamed for 30 minutes so here’s what you should know.

Can’t do it continuously for very long, have to stop to breathe (amount of time and breaths it takes to recover depends on how long you hold it)

It is EXHAUSTING. Seriously, if your whumpee has been screaming for more than thirty seconds multiple times, they won’t have ANY energy to fight back against the whumper. My head was hanging down for a bit because I was just so tired. The exhaustion also caused dizziness when I stood up. Also it’s been around five minutes and my throat still hurts super bad.

Oddly, I could still talk, maybe a bit of rasp in my voice but still effectively and fairly easily. (Again, about thirty minutes with tiny breaks)

Seriously when the exhaustion hits, it hits H A R D

Mouth kinda hurts too tbh

Heart beats pretty rapidly during and shortly after

My head hurts

Both hurts and helps to cough

Update an hour later: slightly hurts throat to talk

Moral of the story:

Don’t scream so much that you exhaust yourself,

Make your whumpee scream to the whumpers content

[yet-another-heathen]

Wick's Whump Drive - I

This is a commissioned piece for @light-me-on-pyre, who was kind enough to participate in my ongoing whump drive for Palestinian aid.

Want in? Donate $5/€5 or more to ANY Palestinian fundraiser, send me the receipt, and I'll write a custom whump drabble for you, too.

Prompt: "How would you write deconditioning?"

[ My lessons on how to write realistic conditioning can be found here. ]

---

TW | realistic whump recovery, emotional whump, brief argument, PTSD, flashbacks, intentional deconditioning attempt, implied past character death (whumper)

It wasn't the word itself this time. It was the way Caretaker said it.

"Kneel."

Whumpee went down hard. The mental cursing began when his knees were about two inches from hitting the ground. Too late to stop the movement. Plenty of time to hate himself for following through.

Where his knees hit, the jarring spike of stacking bruises felt like a punch. Failure.

Another. Fucking. Failure.

Whumpee groaned in frustration, hands balling in his hair. Then he was on his feet again, pacing. "Again."

"Whumpee, I think we've had enough for toni—"

"No! No, I need to try again! I have to get this right just once before I stop." He turned again on his heel, leaving another path in the carpet. "We keep going. I just— I just need to keep going."

Caretaker raised an eyebrow, not moving from where he knelt. With that endless patience that was beginning to grate on Whumpee's nerves, "...we have been at this for an hour. Your nerves are getting more and more frayed by the minute. You said yourself that this works best when you're calm."

"And what if I'm wrong?" Whumpee whirled around on him, tears in his eyes. "I keep failing. I've barely managed to stop myself three times this whole week. Out of what? Four dozen attempts? Five? Every time I quit I end up backsliding more and more. I can't keep giving up. This has to work."

"It will be easier—"

"Are you going to say it or not? You said you would help me!"

Caretaker looked taken aback. And just as quickly, his expression shuttered.

"What do you think I've been doing for the last hour?" he asked. "Don't forget— I still get to say 'no', too."

The reminder hit like a slap. Not because Caretaker was wrong. Because he was right.

It had taken everything Whumpee had just to keep making it through the practice sessions. With how bad things had gotten, he barely had the capacity to take care of himself right now. Let alone worry any of the people around him.

Was that how he'd been acting? Was that what Whumpee was denying him? Even the choice to be a part of this?

After standing there for another far too long moment, Whumpee let out a sigh and came back over to Caretaker. He slipped to the floor beside him, folding his knees up to his chest, back pressed to the couch.

Quieter, rougher, "...Yeah. Yeah, you do." He couldn't bring himself to look at him. "I'm sorry."

Although Caretaker didn't say anything, Whumpee could see the moment the tension in his shoulders let go. The fight passed over them like a distant shadow.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this," Whumpee murmured. He wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin on his forearms. "Between the nightmares and the memories... I'm just... I'm so tired." Quieter still, "I can't seem to get that monster out of my head."

"You've not been sleeping." It wasn't a question.

"...I've been trying to. I really have. But I end up just laying there, thinking the same five thoughts on repeat, over and over and over. Things haven't been this bad since—"

A flash of bright light. Wrists rubbed raw. Whumpee was doubled over, arms wrapped around himself. Screaming himself raw with a flood of relief and despair and a hundred other emotions that he could never admit aloud. Blood spreading on the cement floor. Blood that finally, finally wasn't his own.

Whumpee flinched, twisting his face away from the sight. As if this was something he could just look away from. As if the memories weren't printed into his retinas like the afterimage of lightning.

He took a few slow, steadying breaths, shaking on every exhale. Clenched his trembling hands, open and closed. Open and closed. Eventually he managed a raspy, "...since before."

Caretaker watched, worried. But he knew better than to reach for Whumpee without asking first.

"Whumpee... you've been butting up against this same block for weeks now. I've watched you try everything except the most obvious thing there is. You need to rest." Whumpee opened his mouth to say something, but Caretaker cut him off before he could argue. "—I'm not telling you to quit. I know why you can't, and I would never ask it of you. But there's a difference between giving up, and taking enough time to catch your breath before the next sprint."

Whumpee averted his eyes again, throat working against the burn of building tears. But he was listening.

Softer, "You said this was something you'd be working on for the rest of your life. If that's true, then there's time. For just a few days... give yourself some of the softness you went so long without. Take enough time to be gentle with the man you're trying so hard to save."

The words had hit their mark. He watched as Whumpee's face crumpled. His breath hitched once, and he broke into a sob. Then Whumpee finally reached out for him, and Caretaker didn't hesitate to pull him into hug.

He buried his face against Caretaker's chest, everything he'd been holding back falling apart at once. Pain. Despair. Hope. Grief. All of it came pouring out with his voice.

"There. I've got you," Caretaker murmured, closing his eyes. Exhausted, but relieved that something had finally gotten through. "...I've got you."

[delicateprincepaper]

exhaustion whump

literally the best thing ever

A enemy soldier trying to fight back but too weak and hurt to do anything but squirm or flinch as they are captured. Roughly with carelessness for their useless struggles or gently understanding that they can’t do any harm in this state.

hanging from ropes. When they are released they flop into the ground, unable to support themselves.

a defiant whumpee looking up with fear and exhaustion. Just weakly glaring and twitching away from whumpers hands.

being pinned to the ground by someone much stronger and more skilled than them. Giving up and stopping struggling because what’s the point? It’s not like they can win this fight.

A soldier dragging themselves to their feet. Bone tired and shaking but too stubborn to give up.