#whumptober day 29

[sarahsmi13s]

Don't Take The Girl

whumptober day 29: bargainning

pairing: tom 'iceman' kazansky x wife!reader

characters: tom kazansky, y/n kazansky, tommy kazansky, ron kerner, carole and bradley bradshaw

warnings: 18+ MDNI, language, pregnancy, childbirth, blood, bargainning with God, praying, traumatic birth, crying, medical inaccuracies, please let me know if I missed any

word count: ~2.3k

a/n: this is for whumptober! please please please proceed with caution and use discretion, protect your peace

also if you are on the whump taglist but are not familiar with a character, you can skip it will not hurt my feelings!

this is inspired by the song Don't Take the Girl by Tim McGraw

whumptober 2023 masterlist

summary: tom was so excited to welcome his daughter into the world... but he had no idea that he might have to say goodbye on the same day

Beep beep beep

Ice chuckled as the student flying behind him tried to get a missile lock on him. 

Silver, the student on his tail, was rushing the hop because he was trying to beat Cobalt and prove to everyone that his call sign was not indicative of how he performs.

It reminded him of how Maverick flew when they were students in Top Gun. “Come on Silver, don’t be reckless. That’s not how you win,” Ice said, his voice cool and even as he rolled out of the way.

“You wanna win, you do it right. It’s how I-”

“Range control to Iceman.”

“Iceman to range control, everything alright?”

“Yo,” Slider’s voice broke through then. “Ice, hospital just called. Y/N’s gone into labor.” 

Tom nearly stopped at his friend’s words, slowing down as he processed it. “What?”

“Yeah, your baby girl is coming now, we gotta go. Tommy’s at a friend's house. We gotta go pick him up,” Ron said quickly, trying to convey his urgency.

Ice could only nod before ringing filled his cabin. Missile lock. 

“Alright, I’m down. Lesson over. I’ll lead the way back to base,” Ice said, not caring that he lost because he was distracted. You were in labor, and he needed to be there.

After landing and rushing out of his plane, Tom didn’t even bother changing out of his flight suit before leaving to go get your son from his friend’s house and going to the base hospital with Ron at his side.

“Why are we going to the hospital, Daddy?” Tommy, your six year old son, asked from his carseat.

Tom looked over his shoulder at him before looking back at the road, “You know how we’ve been waiting on your baby sister to get here?” Tommy nodded. “Well, she’s on her way and we’re meeting Mama at the hospital to get her.” 

Tommy smiled and he bounced a little in his seat, “I’m gonna be a big brother!” Ron chuckled, “Yeah little man, you’re gonna be a big brother. The best big brother I bet.” He nodded, “I’m gonna try!”

Ice smiled as he finally pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Your son was so excited that he unbuckled himself and nearly bolted out of the car. “Thomas Jordan, do not just run off like that. I get that you’re excited, trust me I am too. But Aunt Carole and I can’t chase you around, okay?” Tom said, being firm but not mean.

Tommy stopped and ran back to him, grabbing his hand, “Yes sir.” Ice gave him a soft smile before picking him up, “Alright let’s go.” 

They walked in and went straight to labor and delivery, knowing the way after the last few moments of Braxton Hicks contractions. 

He spotted Carole in the waiting room first, Bradley was next to her playing on his Gameboy next to her. “Carole!” Her head jerked up to see him, “Tom, thank goodness you’re here. Y/N would have my head if you missed this.”

Tom nodded and chuckled, “Oh I know, but it’s mine she’ll want. Will you watch Slider and Tommy for me? I’ll come get you when we can have visitors.” Carole smiled as he sat Tommy down and she gave him a snack, “Yes, now go or you’re gonna miss it.” 

“Hey wait, why do I need a babysitter?” Ron asked as Ice went over to the desk. “Ronnie, don’t make me answer that. You want some snacks?” Carole asked, pulling out another zip-lock bag. “Oooh yes!” 

Tom rolled his eyes fondly as he walked up the nurse’s station.

“I’m Captain Thomas Kazansky, my wife is here. She would have come in a little bit ago?” The nurse looked at her sheet, “Y/N?” “Yes, yes that’s her.” She smiled at him, “Room 304, I can lead you to it.” He patted the counter top, “Thank you.” He followed the nurse down the hall and to the room.

When they got there the nurse knocked before stepping in, “The father is here.”

“Tom?” He heard your tired voice come from the bed before another contraction ripped through you and you had to push again. He smiled, “Yeah yeah I’m here, Sweet-” 

“I’m sorry Captain, you have to leave. You can’t be here,” the doctor said out of nowhere.

“What?” You and Tom said at the same time as you both looked at the doctor.

You whimpered a little, “W-Why?” The doctor shook his head, “Just get him out of here, we’ll come get him.” 

The nurse only nodded and tried to guide Tom back out. 

“No, no, please, I need him in here. Please why-” You got cut off by the next contraction and the nurse managed to get him out.

Tom looked at the nurse, “What is going on? Why can’t I be in there with her?” The nurse sighed a little and just shook her head, “I’m not sure, but we have to listen to the doctor. Let's go to the waiting room, he’ll be out to get you when it’s time.”

All he can do is nod as tears hit his eyes. Something wasn’t right, he had a gut feeling. But he just had to follow orders.

It felt like a damn near eternity as Tom paced the floor. 

He had slid his aviators back on to hide the redness caused by his tears. He didn’t need Tommy seeing his normally calm father freaking out and crying. He didn’t want to worry him either, because he could be wrong. Everything could be just fine and it’s just his adrenaline from being in the air transferring to this moment. 

“Captain Kazansky?” 

Tom’s head whipped over and he looked at the doctor. “Yes?” He nodded down the hall, “May I speak with you? Privately?” Ice didn’t hesitate and followed him down back to the room they had you in.

“Are-are they okay? Why couldn’t I be in there?” Tom asked the doctor immediately as he took his sunglasses off.

“Your baby is fine, Captain. It was scary for a moment, but your baby girl is healthy,” he said, his hands in his coat pockets. 

If that was supposed to dampen Ice’s anxiety, it didn’t. It actually made it worse.

Tom huffed a little and gestured to the door, “My wife, how’s my wife? Why couldn’t I go in there?” 

The doctor sighed, “Captain, your wife… she lost a lot of blood. It was touch and go after the birth. We managed to get the bleeding stopped but we can’t be certain she’ll pull through.” Tom was silent as his heartbeat pounded in his ears. “I think it’s best if you go home, Captain…” 

“Go home? Go home?! How can I go home with my son while his mother lies in a hospital bed fighting for her life? What am I supposed to tell him? What do you say to a six year old that gained and lost someone on the same day?!”

The doctor took a deep breath, remaining calm as the normally collected blond shouted at him, “I understand that you’re angry and that you’re upset. But the only thing we can do now is wait.”

“Then let me wait with her. I won’t let her be alone. She shouldn’t be alone. Please… please let me be with her.” 

He thought about it, looking between the pilot and the room where you lay unconscious on the bed. He nodded, “Alright, you can stay.” “Thank you doc.” 

The doctor moved out of the way and opened the door. “Do you want them back here now or?” Tom shook his head, “No, not yet… I just.. I need a minute.” 

Tom walked in and the doctor shut the door to give him some privacy.

He looked at you on the bed, swallowing as his throat dried up. He knew what he walked in on wasn’t going to be pretty but the fact that it was you hooked up to wires and machines, it was heartbreaking. 

He’d seen colleagues and friends in this position, but to see you, his wife and mother of his children, in this position… it was earth shattering.

“Oh Sweetheart…” Tom whispered hoarsely as he walked over and held your hand. 

Your hand was clammy, nothing like the soft warmth he was used to and it’s what finally sent him to the floor.

Tom hit his knees, his forehead resting on your hand as he prayed.

“God… please, I can’t.. I can’t lose her. Please just... take the breath you gave me. Take the heart from my chest. Put me in her place. That’s how it’s supposed to be. That’s how it’s always supposed to happen. Me first. I’m the one with the dangerous job. Don’t take her, please… don’t take her from me…” 

He sobbed, letting out all of his emotions right there. His tears were wetting your hand and soaking into the blanket. 

Tom was terrified, he usually was good in stressful situations. But right now? This was a whole new kind of stress. 

He was sitting here begging to trade his life for yours. To die so you could live. And he meant every word.

Tom had never said anything without meaning it. Even in arguments he tried his damnedest to be honest and strategic with his words. He thought carefully about his words because he knew the impact of them. 

So his prayer was genuine. He would gladly die so you could live, so his kids could have a mother. He would trade places in a heartbeat.

Because you deserved to live.

Tom gave himself enough time to calm down before leaving to go get Tommy. He wanted your son to get a chance to see you in case anything happened. Was letting him see you like this the best idea? Probably not. But he would regret it if he never let Tommy talk to you.

So, after he collected himself he let a nurse know that it was okay to bring them to the room.

Carole walked in first, Ron and Tommy behind her and Bradley behind them.

“H-How is she?” Carole asked, a little fear in her voice. “She’s um… She’s resting.” “What about the little one?” Ron asked as he put Tommy down. Ice wiped his mouth, “They’re doing check ups and everything, making sure she’s alright.” 

“Daddy?” Tommy whispered as he hugged his father’s leg. “Is Mama okay?” 

Ice sniffled a little, “She’s just resting right now Tommy. I’m sure she can hear you though, do you want to say something to her?” Tommy nodded, “Yes please.”

Tommy walked over and held your hand, “Hi Mama. Daddy said you were sleeping but that you could hear me. I wanted to tell you I love you. I hope you’re having good dreams.”

Ice smiled at his son as he came back over and clung to his leg again. “Are we going home?” Tom sighed and squatted down, “I’m gonna stay with Mama and baby Whitney, you’re gonna stay with Uncle Sli for a little bit okay?” Tommy nodded before hugging his dad, “Okay Daddy, I love you. Can we come in tomorrow?” 

He nodded, “Maybe, we’ll have to see okay? I love you too.” He kissed his forehead and Ron gave him a quick hug before they left. 

Carole sniffled as she looked at you and walked over to hold your hand. 

“Is she gonna pull through?” 

Tom sighed and walked over, “They don’t know…” Carole nodded, “I think she will. She’s a fighter. Always has been. And she wouldn’t leave you and those babies behind, not if she has a choice.” 

She wiped her eyes a little before leaning over to kiss your forehead, “We’ll come by tomorrow okay?”

Carole turned back to Tom, “Any updates, this is where we’re staying. Don’t hesitate to call.” He took the piece of paper, “Thank you Carole.” “Of course,” she said with a gentle smile before hugging him. “Bradley, c’mon, let’s get out of Tom’s hair.” 

Bradley nodded and gave Tom a quick hug, “Bye Uncle Ice.” “Bye kiddo.”

They left and Tom turned back to you. “It’s just us sweetheart.” 

He walks over and sits down, threading his fingers through yours. “I don’t really know if you can hear me right now… but I’m gonna talk to you like you can…”

Tom sat there for hours talking to you. Whatever it was, whether it be what happened at work to reminiscing about the past, he talked about it.

He just kept talking. He knew that if he stopped he wouldn’t stop thinking about what might happen. He had to keep his mind busy.

At some point, they brought Whitney in. Everything was okay and she was in good health so she could be in the room.

Tom smiled and walked around with her as he talked to her, rambling on about her older brother, her aunts and uncles. He talked about you and how much you loved her even though you couldn’t tell her right now.

He eventually put her back in the bassinet before sitting by your bed again and holding your hand.

“I’ve been listening to that damn heart monitor for hours, Sweetheart. If I wake up and I don’t hear it…” His own words choked him up. He cleared his throat. “I know, I know… don’t think about it ‘if’s. But Sweetheart, I need you to wake up… please I can’t do this without you.”

Sniffling, he clasped his hands together one last time, your hand gently trapped in the middle. “Please… don’t take her from me… please.” 

He wiped his eyes before laying his head on your thigh gently, letting the rhythmic beat of your monitor lure him to sleep. 

Beep… Beep… Beep…

taglist: @bradleybeachbabe @mamachasesmayhem @kmc1989 @lovinglyeternal @horseshoegirl @hangmansgbaby @fanboyswhore9 @nightowlalltheway @86laura11 @els-marvelvsp @valmare @startrekfangirl2233 @malindacath @nyx2021 @chaosofmanyfandoms

hi, if you're seeing this and are currently not on the taglist and would like to be please fill out the taglist form -> whumptober taglist

i can not stress this enough, but whumptober can have some very serious and heavy topics and i want to make sure i am doing my part as an author to prepare my readers for what they are about to experience and that includes not only warnings above but my taglists as well

so if you want to be added check out the masterlist and read that carefully and fill out the form -> whumptober 2023

[serickswrites]

Sink Deeper

Warnings: referenced captivity, injuries, hurt/aftermath, hurt/recovery, hurt/comfort

“Can you….can you light the candle? The one that smells like hugs?” Whumpee asked quietly from the bed. They were under a pile of blankets and still cold. They were always cold ever since Whumper took them.

Caretaker smiled. “Course I can, darling. Do you want some hot chocolate, too?”

Whumpee nodded. They didn’t deserve Caretaker. Caretaker was far too good to them. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you,” Caretaker said as they dashed out of the room.

Before long, Caretaker was back and both they and Whumpee were tucked beneath the blankets, steaming mugs of hot chocolate on the night stands. “Come here, darling, let me hold you.” They held out open arms to Whumpee.

Without hesitation, Whumpee rolled into Caretaker’s arms. Caretaker was careful to hold them in such a way so as to not jostle their injuries. Whumpee was so glad to have Caretaker. Caretaker was so wonderful. “Why are you so good to me?” Whumpee murmured into Caretaker’s chest, feeling themself sink deeper into Caretaker’s warmth.

“Because I love you, darling, and I am so glad to still be able to hold you. To kiss you. And to take care of you. I love you, Whumpee. And I am so, so glad you are still here.” They leaned down and kissed the top of Whumpee’s head.

“Me too,” Whumpee murmured as sleep began to suck them under. But this was a welcome sleep. One that they knew wouldn’t be filled with nightmares of before. Because Caretaker had them. And they would always be safe in Caretaker’s arms.

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 29- troubled past resurfacing

Ammon meets Wild! It goes fantastic! :D (it doesn’t)

Warnings: panic, near vomiting, implied character death, bad vibes all around :(

~~~~~~~~~~

Wild observed the world around him, it all looking unfamiliar to him. He wasn’t sure what had happened, he was with the other heroes fighting a puppet who attacked Hyrule, until the world disappeared around him, and he was thrown into a forest. He walked around, hoping to find the others, but there was no one there. At least it was a normal forest, with animals bouncing around and watching him cautiously as he stepped on leaves and twigs. When he finally left the forest and entered a field, he saw that this place wasn’t his Hyrule, but it did have a castle and villages scattered across it, so he was sure that he was in one of the other’s Hyrule. Which meant that they were here, they had to be. He started walking towards the nearest village, it looking like a ranch of sorts, until he got a strange sense of deja vu. He looked behind him and stared at trees, wondering why he was suddenly getting this feeling.

“Link!”

Wild spun around and was pulled into a tight hug. He was surprised at the sudden hug, and he wondered who could be embracing him like this without any warning. The person had short hair that was only slightly darker than his own, and he seemed to have a Sheikah prosthetic replacing his left arm. Wild didn’t dare reciprocate, he didn’t know anyone who looked like this. The person pulled back and Wild was able to see his face, and he felt his whole body go numb. Blue eyes that matched his own stared back at him, and a relieved smile was on his face.

“I finally found you, my boy! I was so worried when I heard about the puppeteer abducting you, I’ve been searching for you for ages now—“

Wild only stared in shock as the man continued to ramble. His face, his expressions, his scruffy beard around his mouth, it all felt so comforting and so… familiar. Soon, Wild’s whole world disappeared around him, his stomach flipped as the familiar feeling of remembering an old memory came in. Wild closed his eyes as the world around him was spinning, making him dizzy and nauseous, until it was finally over, and a feeling of dread rested within his stomach.

Link was running to a gatehouse, his grip around Zelda’s hand tightening, making sure that she didn’t fall behind. The monsters behind them were closing in and Link could hear their snarling and grunting as if they were right in front of him. He ignored the feeling of fear and picked up his pace, practically dragging poor Zelda across the cobblestone bridge. He saw soldiers opening up the gate and calling for them, and both the knight and the princess safely made it inside. He heard orders being given, and then he heard explosions. One of the cannons blew up the monsters pursuing him and Zelda, and the gate was closed.

The princess started gagging, trying to catch her breath from running so fast, and Link gently rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry Zelda,” he whispered, struggling to catch his breath as well. “I’m sorry.”

Zelda only gasped in response, doing everything in her power not to throw up. The soldiers around them got to their side, some comforting the princess, while the others huddled around Link, making sure he was alright.

“You’re safe here, for now,” one of the men reassured, looking out through the gate.

“Yes, for now. But if those guardians find out where we are—“

“Shush!”

The soldiers looked at Zelda who was now crying, and they grew silent for a bit.

“Our main priority is to protect the princess.”

Link turned around to see who said that, and he saw his father. He was disheveled, with his Royal guard outfit ripped all over. His hat was missing, and he had a deep cut on his cheek, but his blue eyes were soft when they looked at Link.

“F-father,” Link stammered, and his father knelt down at his side.

“Link, I’m so happy to see you’re alive.”

Link almost broke down sobbing right there, but he stopped himself. He was surrounded by soldiers who depended on him, he needed to keep his composure.

“S-s-sir Ammon,” Zelda choked out. She sat up, still shaking rather violently. “M-my father… is he…?”

Ammon’s eyes filled with deep sorrow, and he looked down.

“I’m sorry princess. The king… he’s… the king is dead.”

Zelda gasped, tears flooding her eyes. She bent over sobbing, curling up on herself while Link covered his mouth in horror. The king was dead, the castle was overrun, Ganon…. He won. Link buried his face in his hands. How could he have let this happen? He was the hero. He had the Master sword. They had all the champions, the divine beasts and the guardians, how could they…?

A horrific realization hit Link. Ganon took control of the guardians, so what about the divine beasts? Were the champions…. Were they alright?

Ammon’s hand rested on Link’s back, grounding him. Tears pricked at his eyes as the realization that everything was falling apart. His whole life, his home, his friends, how would they even survive this?

“Link, princess Zelda, I need you both to listen to me,” Ammon said softly but firmly, “you two need to run as far away from the castle as possible. You’re our last hope. With the master sword and Zelda’s sealing power, we may be able to win this—“

“How? How can we win this?” Zelda yelled, practically hysterical, “I couldn’t unlock my sealing power then, how—how can I unlock it now?”

Ammon gripped her upper arm, staring into her emerald green eyes. She stopped shaking slightly and stared back at him.

“You can do it, I know you can,” he said. Zelda looked at Link and he nodded as well. She took a deep breath and nodded herself. Ammon smiled and continued, “Now, we will hold off the monsters so you both can escape safely but—“

“Wait,” Link stopped his father. “You’re not coming with us?”

“You’re going to need all the help you can get Link. We will hold off the guardians and monsters so you and Zelda will escape, ok?”

“I—I can't leave you!”

“You’re going to have to, Link!” Ammon nearly yelled, grabbing both his arms and looking straight into his eyes. Link was struggling to compose himself, the very thought of leaving his father behind made him want to throw up. He couldn’t do that. He was his father. The two stared at each other for a while, Link’s eyes growing wet at the thought of never seeing him again. Ammon’s hand rested on Link’s cheek and he smiled at his son. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the chilling sound of a laser being shot.

“GUARDIANS!” One of the soldiers yelled, and a laser shot through the gate, destroying most of the gatehouse except for the back. Ammon grabbed both Link and Zelda and dragged them out of the gatehouse.

“Wait, father—“ Link tried to beg, gripping onto his arms as if his life depended on it. Ammon gave him one last look before gathering him into a hug.

“I love you so much Link,” Ammon’s voice shook, and he gave his son a firm kiss on the head. Link started crying when he let go, and he was shoved harshly away from him. The gate in the back was shut closed, and Link was separated from his father.

“NO!” Link shouted, and he sprinted to the closed gate. Ammon turned away and faced the guardian that broke into the gatehouse. Link screamed as he heard lasers shooting left and right, begging to be let in, begging for his father to survive.

“Link!”

Link turned and saw Zelda trying to pull him away. More guardians were coming, and Link knew that he needed to leave. Zelda’s safety was his priority now, he needed to keep her safe. He wiped his eyes and grabbed Zelda’s hand, sprinting away from the fallen gatehouse. He pushed his emotions down and kept running. He kept running even when his legs burned, even when his lungs and throat burned, even when he wanted to fall and curl up in his grief, he kept running.

And running.

And running.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Link! Link, snap out of it!”

Ammon shook his son gently, trying to get him to open his eyes. He didn’t know what happened, he found his son, he hugged him, and then he spaced out, almost as if he was dreaming. But it seemed more like a nightmare he was going through. His face was pinched in pain, and tears started streaming down his eyes, but his eyes stayed closed. Ammon stepped back, trying to figure out what to do. Link had never done this before, in fact, Ammon had never seen anything like this, so he just sat there, panicking as his son cried. Finally, he opened his eyes with a gasp. He looked around, dazed and confused, until his eyes landed on Ammon.

“Link?” Ammon said softly, and his boy took a step back. “Link? What’s going on?”

Link turned on his heel and started walking away, hugging himself. Ammon blinked, surprised at his reaction.

“Link— Link wait!” Ammon called out, grabbing his son’s arm, and Link pulled against him harshly. Ammon stared at his wet face, tears streaming down his face, his hair sticking to his cheeks.

“P-please,” Link whispered, his voice shaking, “it hurts too much.”

Ammon’s mouth fell open, what hurt? What hurt too much?

“Link?”

“Father?”

Ammon turned around and gasped. It was… Link? No but Link was right in front of him, right? Ammon observed the boy right in front of him and noticed the scars. How did he notice them now? The scars were all too familiar to Ammon, scars from guardian lasers, he bore his own on his nub of an arm. Confusion hit Ammon, and he let go of the boy in front of him, who ripped away and sprinted into the forest. Ammon stood there in shock, watching as the crying boy disappeared.

“Father?” His son said more quietly. Ammon turned slowly to him, confusion apparent on his face.

“Who—who was that?” Ammon asked in a quiet voice. Link pursed his lips and looked down.

“We call him Wild. He… he’s from the future where… the calamity won.”

Realization hit Ammon like a brick wall, and he covered his mouth.

“Oh—oh goddesses.” Ammon turned back to the forest where Wild ran, despair overwhelming him. “Oh goddesses…”

Link came up behind him and rested his hand on Ammon’s shoulder.

“You didn’t know,” he said softly, and tears welled up in Ammon’s eyes.

That poor boy…

Link pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back gently while Ammon played the events through his head.

“Oh that poor boy,” he whimpered, and Link gave him a tighter squeeze.

“You didn’t know,” he said again, and the two held each other after being apart for so long.

[comfort-questing]

29. "fatigue"

you need to check on Torin, they'd told her, he's not doing well.

nobody was really doing very well these days, with the scouts reporting maybe three more days before the last road was blocked, and the enemy forces drawing close and closer to their walls. nobody was doing well exactly, and so Sir Torin the governor looking bad enough to require a specific report to her was indeed not a good sign. that was why she'd taken the time to leave the placement of tents and the cataloguing of incoming refugees to one of her subordinates for the afternoon and made her way uptown.

she'd had to wait an hour to get an audience along with the rest of the folk in the governor's mansion. when she did get into the room, the dense dimness of it startled her, and she paused on the threshold blinking frantically.

"pardon the curtains," came Torin's voice, from somewhere beyond, oddly hoarse and flat. "I've had an awful headache all day. what do you need, 'Lis?"

her eyes adjusted at last, as she rubbed at them with one hand, and found Torin where he sat behind a cluttered desk with a half-lit lamp at his elbow. maybe it was only the lamp-shadows, but the color seemed to have all gone out of his face except for a brilliant blush along his sharp cheekbones.

"heard on the wind that you were working yourself to death," she said.

"what of it?" he brushed his hair back from his eyes with one clumsy hand. "how's the camp in the south marketplace?"

"fine. it's fine, and do you know how I know it's fine? because I have other people helping me, and they're dealing with the roster and the placement of the three sheep-farmers coming in from the valley without me, while I'm up to check on you."

"don't give me another lecture about - what's it - delegation." he coughed into his elbow, thickly. "what do you think I've been talking to people about since first light?"

"governor things, I'm sure. important ones. but - Torin, you look like a ghost."

he sighed, letting his head rest on one hand, elbow to the desk between two piles of papers. "we're three days out from a siege. it doesn't matter."

the fingers of his free hand were horridly warm in hers, as she reached across the desk. "you're not going to help the city much from a sickbed, you know."

"I'll help the city from wherever I have to. I just - wish my head would stop hurting." there were dark circles etched under his heavy-lidded eyes. "I was up till four o'clock with the captain of the guards."

"and up at first light talking to folk about delegation?"

Torin's shoulders heaved with his next breath. "it's a - a - what - a manner of speaking."

this was how he'd always been, so desperately earnest, ever since they were schoolkids together in the academy; she'd seen him work himself to this point before, and it never ended well. she let go of his hand and stood up. "I'm letting the secretary know you're done for the afternoon."

"no - I can't. the scouts are reporting back in an hour or so - there'll be news of the advance - " he rubbed at his reddened eyes, haphazardly. "I'll go to bed tonight, 'Lis, I promise."

"Torin." she put her hands on the desk, then. "you have to understand - the city needs you, yes, but that means we need you safe and sound, and awake too. and that means you have to rest sometimes."

"don't - don't." he coughed again. "oh - blast."

"can't I listen to the military reports for you instead? I'm on the marketplace council, that's kind of official."

he laughed, shallowly. "I'll delegate that to you, if I have to, I guess."

she had been about to leave, to summon the secretary and a servant or so to see their governor off to bed; but something of the slump of his shoulders then, the ragged fringe of his fallen-loose hair, put her back into the memories of the old days, and so she moved back towards him instead.

Torin stiffened a little at her arms around him, but then relaxed with a sigh, as if they were two kids at the academy again. "oh, 'Lis."

"we're going to be all right," she said, into his hair. "I - I think we'll be all right, Torin, even if it's bad for a while. reinforcements will come and we'll hold out till then. we'll be all right."

and if the secretary, opening the door to ask about scheduling the next audience request, had any questions about why the councilwoman was hugging the governor, he had the sense not to comment.

[finn-m-corvex]

Whumptober Day 29: Scented Candle

Day 29! This one was definitely one that I had to bend a little bit, but I still think I did a good job given how clunky the prompt can be. And I think I got some decent angst out of it but I'll let you all be the judge of that!

Taglist: @splinnters @abigailxoxo @tornoleander @mondothebombo @ghostwalloper @toastingpencils37 @lightning-chicken

Words: 2.1k

The smell was the first thing that Jay noticed when he stepped into the store.

It was overwhelming, and Jay didn’t know if that was because of his sharper senses or if it really was just that strong. No one else seemed to be affected by it, so he kept his mouth shut and continued walking into the Bath and Body Works, hand in hand with Nya.

Nya was taking a big risk by going in here with her perfume allergy, but she thought that it was worth it to try and get some decent-smelling candles. They finally had an actual building for a house for the first time in years, and everyone was sick of smelling Wu’s incense all the time, so the Ninja collectively put their foot down and decided to get some stuff to try and make Yang’s Temple feel more like a home rather than a smelly church.

“What do you think?” she asked, holding up a pink strawberry candle. Jay sniffed, grimacing, and she was quick to put it back down. “Yeah, me neither. Let’s try some of these ones.”

“Are you sure? I thought you liked strawberries.”

“I do, but you need to like it too with how much time you’re going to be spending in my room.”

Blushing, Jay continued to follow her, watching as she skimmed through all of the fruity flavors that they had in stock. He knew that they were her favorite even if he couldn’t stand most of their smells, but they finally found an apple one that they could agree on. She plopped it into the basket, and finally it was time to look at all the smells that Jay would love.

He had been doing his damndest to stay on the side of the store away from all of the woody smells. Nya knew why, and he knew why, but the others didn’t. Cole kept shooting him weird looks over his shoulder, because as far as he knew, Jay still adored the smells of the outdoors.

Not anymore.

There was a small graham cracker candle that smelled heavenly, and Jay was quick to snatch it up and show it to Nya. It reminded him of the smores that he would make with his pa when he was little, the smoke curling into the sky as he burnt the hell out of the marshmallow because tha was the only way to eat a true smore. Maybe if he found a marshmallow candle and something chocolatey he would be able to make the ultimate smores candle.

“Honey, they have a smores candle right here,” Nya chuckled, holding it up.

“But then it’s not special,” Jay insisted, clutching the graham cracker candle to his chest as he scanned through the shelves, “and we need it to be special. Now help me find a marshmallow one.”

“If you say so.”

Cole eventually walked over to help, and Jay smelled a very vague whiff of perfume around his brother. Pushing Nya behind him in panic, Jay fixed Cole with a stern glare. “Dude!”

“What?”

“Perfume? Seriously? Nya is allergic!”

Rolling his eyes, the earth ninja held up his wrist. “Relax, Jay, it’s unscented.”

“Unscented my ass! I could smell you coming from three aisles over!”

Nya leaned around Jay and sniffed at Cole’s wrist, relaxing when it didn’t trigger any reaction. It actually smelled kinda nice. “I think your nose is too sensitive, it’s fine.”

Jay grumbled as they continued looking through the store stock; he had already come far too close to losing her permanently, so of course he was still going to be a bit overprotective. Anxiety buzzed in his chest, making its way up his hands and starting to make him shake. He swiftly put the candles down, not willing to pay for anything that he might drop. Maybe he was the one who shouldn’t be around perfume anymore.

Apparently, having vague thoughts about his girlfriend dying was enough to trigger memories of everything else.

Feeling his throat start to close up, Jay grabbed at Nya’s hand with a tight grip. He needed to get out of here. There were too many smells and too many colors and too much everything. “Nya—”

“Hey, Jay!” Kai exclaimed, and something was shoved under Jay’s nose. “Smell this one!”

Out of instinct Jay took a sniff, and he immediately gagged.

Sandalwood.

All of Nadakhan’s shit smelled like sandalwood.

The room smelled like sandalwood, and so did his stuff, and so did he—

Cole tried to catch him as Jay collapsed onto the ground, throwing himself backwards in an effort to get as far away from the candle as possible. Even just the smallest graze of his brother’s hands made Jay reel away, and there was the sound of glass shattering as he pulled himself up on one of the shelves. There was a stinging pain in his shin but he ignored it, also ignoring the smear of red along the floor as he finally figured his legs out and started making for the exit. Only the barest bit of self-restraint kept him from sprinting out of there like a madman, but he still looked mighty suspicious from his unsteady gait and the blood flowing down from his scraped knee. Hopefully everyone would just think he was some drunk looking for a place to sleep off the alcohol instead of one of the famed ninja breaking down.

No one else tried to stop him, but he could faintly hear them calling his name through the rush of blood in his ears. Rushing out of the store, Jay quickly made himself scarce in the crowd; for as loud as he could be, he always knew how to hide when he didn’t want to be found.

There were too many people. It was getting harder and harder to take a breath as he was jostled on both sides, and Jay knew that he was going to have to pull over in a minute. Before, the mall had never bothered him, and it even was a place that Jay was excited to go and visit. Malls never existed near the Sea of Sands, and seeing so many stores gathered in one place threw him for a loop when he visited for the first time as a small thirteen-year-old.

But what once felt like a lavish palace now felt like a prison.

There was a gap in the wall and Jay ducked into it, noticing that it was a small hallway leading to the bathrooms. At the end of the hall was an unlocked family restroom, and Jay could only hope and pray that nobody would need it for the next little bit because he definitely was not going to break down in a men’s public restroom if he could help it.

Lock clicking shut behind him, Jay curled on the floor with his cheek to the cool tile, letting it ground him as he did his best to ignore whatever thoughts he had about the hygiene in this place. Blood was dripping down his leg, and he cringed away from the feeling of it soaking into his sock. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking, no matter how hard he clenched them into fists.

“You’re okay,” he whispered to himself, getting up off the floor and turning on the sink. He cupped his hands and splashed the cold water on his face, “you’re okay. Just need to breathe.”

He kept looking in the mirror, checking if anything was behind him even though he knew that he locked the door. Nadakhan didn’t need to use doors.

The smell of sandalwood was still clogging his nose, and Jay hurriedly reached for the small container of hand soap. Unscrewing the top, he shoved it under his nose and took a deep breath, trying to let the overwhelming smell of mint replace the offending smell so he could finally start to calm down.

Except the mint wasn’t doing shit.

He threw the bottle on the counter in frustration, and could only watch as it started spilling all over the counter. Hastily trying to clean it up, Jay kept exhaling forcefully through his nose to try and clear it, but nothing was working. Nothing was getting rid of it.

Pathetic. A famed hero of Ninjago who had faced down countless enemies, saved the world no less than five times, brought down to his knees by a fucking candle? Not just to his knees, but in a filthy public restroom in the middle of the Ninjago City Mall where anyone could come walking up and they would hear him crying.

Was he crying?

Yeah, he was crying, reaching up and feeling the tears on his cheeks. Jay grabbed a paper towel and wiped his face off, even though he knew that they would be replaced only a moment later. Wetting another paper towel under the sink, he figured it was finally time to try and clean out the cut on his shin.

Or multiple cuts, he realized as he looked down, and the familiar sight of blood staining his leg made him nauseous. Sitting down on his rear, Jay took a closer look, heart sinking when he realized that some of the glass shards were still in his leg. No wonder it was hurting so badly, but now that meant that he had to actually take the shards out.

Yippee.

Puting the paper towel back up on the counter, Jay reached for the first shard with a trembling hand. Tugging it out as gently as he could, he flinched from the fresh blood that flowed from the wound, and he dropped the shard on the floor from his surprise. There was too much blood and it was getting on his hands and it was dark and red and everywhere and First Master he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this.

A knock at the bathroom door. “Jay?”

“Nya?” Of course it was her, it was just Nya, not Nadakhan or his brothers or a stranger or anyone else to be worried about. “I’m in here.”

“I know, I followed your trail,” Nya said, and Jay hated how awful it made him feel to hear that civillians may have had to see his bloody trail left on the ground. Children may have had to see it. “Can I come in?”

Jay took a deep breath, pushing down his anxiety and getting up. “Yeah, hold on a sec.”

Flipping the lock over, Nya gave him a minute to back away from the door before opening it and making her way inside. She locked it behind her, which Jay was grateful for, and she knelt down next to where he had plopped down onto the floor. Caressing his cheek, she pecked him on the lips, and Jay felt the scent of vanilla wash over him; she must’ve put some on before coming to find him.

He buried his face in her hair when she leaned in for a hug, and Nya gently pressed her hand against the nape of his neck. “You okay?”

And he really wanted to lie, but he couldn’t find the energy to. “No.”

“What’s wrong?” Nya asked, and Jay tightened his hold around her. She was here, and she was breathing, and he was breathing, and that was everything that he could’ve asked for.

“There’s glass in my leg,” Jay said, swallowing thickly, “and I think I’m going to cry. I-Is that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Nya reassured, playing with the baby hairs on the nape of his neck. Her hands were cool against his skin, and Jay craned his head forward to give her more access. “I’ll take care of the glass, but it’s definitely going to sting. Just tell me if I need to stop, alright?”

Jay nodded, and he tried to keep as still as possible as Nya slipped on her pair of spare rubber gloves. All of them always carried some on their persons, just in case anything were to happen out in public; you never know what sort of bodily fluids you would have to touch that day, and you did a lot of that in their line of work. He hid his face in the crook of her neck as she started pulling the shards out, quick and efficient but still gentle. Just like her.

Nya was humming some random tune that Jay picked up, and the sound was comforting to him in a way that the whirring of the air vents and the mall chatter outside never could be. The panic didn’t quite subside, and he doubted that it would until they finally made it home, but this? This was okay. He could deal with this.

“Thanks, Nya.”

“Don’t mention it. Next time though, tell me you need to leave before running out on me, okay?”

“No promises.”

[fletcherwilbury]

@whumptober Day 29: Troubled Past Resurfacing

Warning for Verbal abuse, physical combat, blood, past physical assault, illness, physical assault

[whoopsmorewhump]

Chapters: 20/? Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & The Party Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Billy Hargrove, Dustin Henderson Additional Tags: Whump, Hurt Steve Harrington, Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Period-Typical Homophobia, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Drug Use, Eddie Munson Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Past Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Has Anxiety, Sexual Content, Angst, Dubious Consent, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Babysitter Steve Harrington, Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Eddie Munson, Slow Burn, Steve Harrington Has Panic Attacks, Sick Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington is Not Okay, Period Typical Attitudes Series: Part 6 of Hard to Hate (aka Steve whump fic thread!) Summary:

Eddie edged close enough to spot Steve’s bruised lip, the blood streaking one side of his face. “Jesus, what happened to you, man?” Steve’s knees buckled, and he slumped heavily onto them. Eddie indulged in a split second of indecision—he could just run away. Then he caught Steve, clumsily, before Steve crumpled face-first into the mud. So, there Eddie was, arms wrapped around platinum dickhead, Steve Harrington. He nodded toward a log. “Okay, big guy, do you think you can make it over to that luxurious couch?” Or, When rumours run riot that Steve is gay, his life falls apart. Completely by accident, Eddie picks up the pieces, with help from Hopper, who hires Steve to (secretly) babysit Eleven. Trouble is, Steve's still breaking... WHUMPTOBER prompts chp 15 onward.

[basicallyjaywalker]

Whumptober Day 29

Familiar

Character: Lloyd

Prompts: "I only sink deeper the deeper I think," scented candles, troubled past resurfacing, "what happened to me?"

Length: 1,344

I gotta stop accidentally creating new AUs with these prompts

[boowhumps]

Whumptober 2023

Day 29

(@whumptober)

By - B.W

⚠TW⚠

~ Swearing

~ Mentions of Death

~ Mentions of Suicide

~ Mentions of Abuse

Enjoy!

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“I know.. but this is a big deal for you, don’t let me hold you back..” Karyme talks into her phone.

“We’ve been through worse, long distance won’t break us.” She replies after a bit.

“I can visit, and so can you.” She says. “We’ll be fine.”

“Karyme!” Shouts a voice.

Karyme sighs. “Hey, I got to go, my mother’s calling me.. yea.. you know how she gets when I talk to you..”

“I’ll talk to you later, bye.” She says, hanging up the phone.

“Karyme!” Her mom shouts again.

“Coming..” Karyme mumbles, leaving her room.

She walks to the living room, where her mom stands, arms crossed. Immediately the air in the room becomes tense.

Karyme frowns. “What’s going on..?”

Her mom sighs. “That’s what I want you to explain to me.”

Karyme raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean.?”

Her mom makes a face. “I went to the pharmacy to refill my medication.. and they asked how your new medication was going.”

Karyme feels the blood drain from her face. “I-..”

“Care to explain what new medication?” Her mom asks.

Karyme looks away. “It’s for..”

“Well?”

“They’re for.. depression..”

Her mom only frowns. “You’re not depressed, Karyme.”

Karyme makes the same face. “How would you know? You’re never around..”

Her mom narrows her eyes. “Excuse you, but I think I know my daughter.”

“You only know what you want to know..” Karyme mumbles.

“That’s enough, Karyme.” Her mom says coldly. “The medication, hand it over.”

Karyme widens her eyes a bit. “..What.?”

“You heard me.” Her mom replies. “You’re only drugging yourself.”

Karyme frowns. “No.”

“What?”

“I’m 19, and I sorted that medication for myself. You can’t take it.”

“I’m your mother-“

“Only when it’s convenient..”

“That’s enough from you!” her mom shouts. “You need to learn your place!”

“Fuck that!” Karyme shouts back. “Can’t you see? You’re the reason I have to take that medication!”

“You’ve never had a reason to be upset!” Her mother retaliates. “That boy you’ve been with has corrupted you!”

“Don’t you talk bad about him.” Karyme says coldly. “He’s helped me open my eyes-“

“He’s taking you away from us!” Her mom says.

“No! That was what YOU did! When my uncle died, when my ex took advantage of me, when I tried to kill myself, guess what? You weren’t there!” Karyme shouts. “You’ve only ever been here when you want to belittle.. or hurt me..”

There’s a deafening silence as they both stand there.

“Go to your room.” Her mom mumbles. “I don’t want to see your face.”

“Typical.” Karyme mumbles back, heading back to her room.

Once she closes the door, tears begin to sting in her eyes. She wipes them away furiously, and looks at her phone.

The time reads 8 pm. Karyme sighs.

‘I still have time..’ She thinks to herself.

She hears the front door slam closed, and the start of an engine.

This was her chance.

She is quick to pack her valuables, and discard anything of no use. Once she’s finished, she picks up her phone and calls Kaiden.

His voice picks up right away, at it calms Karyme again.

“Hey..” Karyme mumbles, cringing at how hoarse her voice sounds. “No, I’m fine, really..”

“..yeah.. we did..” Karyme replies. “It’s fine, it’s over with..”

She sighs. “What time do you leave again.?” She asks. “Right, 10 pm.. no reason, I just wanted to know..”

“..yeah, I’ll let you finish packing.. I’ll talk to you soon..” She says, hanging up.

She drags her suitcases out the front door, and down the street. She walks until she spots the bus stop. She sighs, deep in thought was she waits.

‘Should I have left a note..?’ She thinks to herself. ‘No.. why would I..?’

She lifts her head up as she sees the bus approach. She sighs, and boards without another thought..

__

It’s dark out, and cold. Karyme keeps walking, checking the time every minute.

She can’t be late..

..what if she just told him.?

No.. there’s no reason to..

She picks up the pace, pulling her jacket closer to her shivering body. She walks until she spots a familiar black car, which is empty.

She turns her head towards the house, which has the door open.

Karyme takes the opportunity to rest, only turning her head when she hears something.

She spots Kaiden, and takes a deep breath.

“..surprise..?” She mumbles.

Kaiden widens his eyes a bit. “Karyme.? What are you doing here.?”

She sighs. “Room for one more.?”

He walks over to her. “What happened.?”

Once he’s close enough, she hugs him, trying to keep it together.

“I want to go with you..” She mumbles.

“But you said-“ He starts.

“Please..” She asks softly.

Kaiden sighs. “Are you sure.? Do your parents know?”

“Yes.. and no.” Karyme replies.

Kaiden frowns. “They’ll report you as missing-“

“I already took care of that.” Karyme says. “..don’t leave me here..”

Kaiden hugs her tight. “Wouldn’t dream of it..”

He lets go of the hug. “Do you have your things?”

Karyme nods, eyeing her bags. They’re quickly loaded in the car and Kaiden sighs.

“Alright..” He says slowly. “..then we’re set, no?”

“I guess so..” Karyme replies.

Kaiden frowns at her. “You need a better jacket, it’s freezing out tonight.”

“I’m fine-“

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“Kaiden..” Karyme groans.

“Here.” He says, taking off his jacket and putting it on her.

Karyme frowns at him. “Now you’ll get cold..”

“I’ll be fine.” He says. “Selyna knows how sick you get when it’s cold.”

”Hypocrite..” Karyme mumbles.

Kaiden smiles a bit. “Just get in the car.”

Karyme gets in the car, sitting silently. When Kaiden gets in, he gives her a weird look.

“You sure you’re okay?” He asks.

Karyme glances at him. “..kinda..”

“We’ll talk about it later.” He says, starting the car.

“Are you going to drive all night.?” Karyme asks.

Kaiden shakes his head. “Only for a bit, we can stop at a hotel for the night.”

Karyme nods, going back to looking out the window.

Kaiden starts to drive away from the familiar town.

Karyme did it.

She really did it.

She’s free.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

[whumpshots]

Whumptober #29

Trope of the day: burnout

_

Whumpee’s head is full. Too full with everything. But they cannot take breaks, they just don’t have the time. They know Caretaker has been talking to them for a few minutes now, only noise reaches their ears, no words.

Answering feels hard. Caretaker apparently asked them a question, but Whumpee can just shake their head, not even able to verbalise that they just can’t.

They don’t sleep.

No matter how much they toss and turn, their brain keeps running in circles. Keeps messing up the next day by not being able to concentrate at all. Now they are just tired, oh so tired.

They don’t eat.

Deciding on what to eat makes them feel like they are confronted with an impossible task. Are they hungry? Whumpee has no idea.

They just want to rest.

But they can’t.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 27 - Voiceless, “I have no mouth and I must scream”

I feel like I’ve been mean to Wind a lot heh, I feel bad for the little guy. It’s better than the three arrows I put in his chest in that other fic! ...Maybe, anyway.

Warnings: redeads

Ao3 link

————————————————————

Wind was not happy.

He struggled and kicked, tried to squirm out of the bruising hold on his arms, went limp and tried to just give the two soldiers dragging him along some underground passageway as worse of a time as possible. They’d already taken his weapons and only held him tighter as he struggled, but Wind kept it up anyway.

One of the Yiga grumbled in annoyance as Wind kicked at his legs, and he felt a glint of satisfaction.

“Rotten kid, that attitude will die plenty quick where you’re going,” the other Yiga snapped, ignoring Wind’s attempts to bite him. “This cell was for the hero, but what better way to lure him there than to dump his little brother in it first?”

“You built a cell underneath the outskirts of a village? Wow, that’s normal well-adjusted behavior,” Wind huffed, and one Yiga sneered.

“We merely adapted it for our purposes. And you’re the perfect person to test it out.”

Wind finally managed to clamp his jaws down on one of the soldier’s hands, and he yelled, gloves not thick enough to really protect him. The other one snatched at Wind and put a dagger to his throat before he could press his attack, and Wind reluctantly released the hand, getting the message.

“Link’ll never fall for your stupid trap anyway,” Wind said with a glare, and the Yiga both chuckled.

“Oh yes he will. Have fun, kid.”

A door was opened, and Wind was tossed through without any sort of fanfare, stumbling as he landed. He whirled back around to the door, but it was already closed and firmly locked.

Wind scowled at it, then turned to look around his prison, mind already turning towards thoughts of escape. Who did these Yiga guys think they were, kidnapping him off the street? He was the Hero of Winds! How had they even gotten the drop on him?

Wind scowled again and kicked at the floor of the cell. At least he’d been walking around with Four and Wild. Surely one of them would notice he was missing soon. And if not, well, Wind was pretty good at getting out of tight spots if he did say so himself.

No problem.

Wind put his hands on his hips, looking around the dark cell. There was a single tiny torch hung up on the wall, too high for Wind to reach that lit up the skinny space. A stone wall stood at the far end of the cell, but the two sides were open bars, darkness yawning beyond them.

It... kinda made his skin crawl.

Wind crossed his arms, feeling cold all of a sudden, but he shrugged it off with a huff. He needed to figure out how to get out of here, creepy darkness or not. The deep shadows beyond the bars suggested a bigger area, so if he could just find a loose one, he’d be set. Maybe he could even climb up and grab the torch.

Wind walked over to a side, starting at one end and giving each bar a solid shake. They seemed pretty firmly in the ground, but Wind worked his way across anyway, hoping for a loose one. He got all the way through without a single loose bar, and sighed, crossing to the other side to try there instead.

He’d gotten about halfway when he heard something, creaky and quiet.

Wind froze, listening, and the hair on the back of his neck went up as he heard it again. That noise was familiar. He couldn’t place it, but he knew it was familiar.

And that it was bad news.

A low moan came from somewhere in the darkness, and Wind slowly began to back away, nerves all alight. If he could just see he wouldn’t be nearly as nervous. Maybe the darkness was just freaking him out, and he was imagining noises because of that?

A bloodcurdling scream rang out, and Wind’s eyes went huge as a familiar sensation wracked through him, deathly cold and terrifying.

Oh no, he thought in a panic, his feet frozen to the floor, body unable to turn away from the shambling footsteps he could hear. Oh no oh no oh—

A face appeared in the flickering light of the torch, decaying and horrible, eyes glowing. A rotten hand stretched forward and wrapped around the bars, and Wind stared at the Redead, trapped in its unnatural terror.

It didn’t look like his version of them, taller, with a few ragged clothes on its lanky body, but the feeling it left him with was the same, sheer, unnatural terror.

I’ve got to get away, maybe by the door I’ll be far enough it won’t be able to—

A different scream rang out, sending another jolt through Wind’s chest, and he watched in horror as another redead grasped at the bars, reaching out to him, trying to pull him close. Beady eyes stared at him, glowing and malicious with hunger, and Wind might have whimpered if he could move his mouth.

He fought the paralysis as much as he could, but the moment it started to wear off, one of them screamed again, leaving Wind with no escape. More screams joined the first two, and Wind choked on his breath as a whole group of redeads shambled out of the darkness. Screams came near constantly from their lips as they grabbed at the bars and reached through, trying to get at him.

They can’t get through, they can’t get through they can’t hurt you, it’s just to scare you, Wind thought frantically, heart drumming in his chest. They don’t want you to escape that’s why they put them there you’re okay you’re okay you’re okay.

The screams just kept coming, endless and piercing and shooting Wind’s heart through with inescapable terror. He couldn’t even move to cover his ears, and he felt a terrified scream build in his own throat.

But it wouldn’t come out. Wind could only keep standing there, immobilized, tears trailing silently down his cheeks.

It felt like his heart was being encased in ice, frost shooting through his veins with every scream and grazing touch. More screams joined the agonizing chorus from behind him, and the terror felt like it would crush him, repeatedly crashing over him like a freezing wave.

Hands grabbed at him, nails grazing his skin. Wind couldn’t move, the torrential screams hammering at him, cracking him, filling him up with so much terror his mind couldn’t focus on anything else.

His world narrowed down to screams and beady eyes, Wind drowning in terror, eyes darting around wildly, mind screaming every time a hand grazed him.

If he could move he’d be curled up on the ground, but all he could do was stand here and sob in his mind as a deathly cold hand finally closed around his wrist.

Then a different noise rang out over the screams.

It was garbled in Wind’s ears, some sort of talking he couldn’t make out over the redeads’ shrieks. But suddenly music poured into the cell, cheery and bright, and the screaming stopped.

All of it.

Wind’s ears still rang with them, and the terror still pressed over him like a wet blanket, but there was finally silence, and the hand trying to drag Wind closer to the bars had stopped in its efforts, the redead’s mouth stuck open with its teeth bared.

Wind would’ve sobbed if he could move, and he heard footsteps and talking, his ears still ringing too much to make out. Strong arms pulled the hand off his wrist and cradled him to a chest, shouted something at the other sets of footsteps. The song trilled again, bright and warm, and though Wind still couldn’t do much as twitch his pinky, some of his panic eased as he felt a steady heartbeat against where his ear rested.

The others were here.

There must have been a trip out, but Wind missed most of it, still trapped in the lingering screams he could hear in his mind. Tears trickled steadily down his cheeks, and past the unnaturally sharp fear was a flicker of annoyance at crying so much.

But the terror mostly blotted it out.

Sunshine finally fell onto his face, warm and soft, and whoever was holding Wind lowered themselves to a knee. A face looked down at him, and Wind saw Twilight, eyes fearful.

“Hey Wind, you alright?” he asked, and Wind could only stare at him, heart pounding, terror still clenching like a talon around him. “Wind?”

“Is he okay?” someone else asked, and Twilight leaned back, Time and Wild’s faces both coming into view next.

“He’s not responding,” Twilight replied, and Time leaned in, studying Wind’s face with a worried look.

“Wind, can you hear me?” Time asked, setting a hand on his chest.

I can hear you fine, I just can’t move! Wind wanted to scream, but his mouth was still frozen shut. The only thing that he was still able to do was cry, apparently.

Time gently wiped his tears away, and if Wind wasn’t still so terrified, he was sure he’d be embarrassed. “Do we know how long he was down there?”

“An hour, hour and a half? No more than two based on when we started looking,” a voice Wind placed as Wild added anxiously. Oh good, he avoided the trap. “Is that bad?”

“It’s a long time to be around an attacking redead, no less dozens of them like he was,” Time replied, gently tilting Wind’s head around as he looked at it. “Usually the song fixes things, I have no idea why he’s still frozen like this.”

“Prolonged exposure I’d guess,” Four’s voice added, and Twilight’s hand combed gently through his hair. “It might just take him longer to break out of it. He’s so cold...”

“I still can’t believe we lost sight of him like that,” Wild said quietly, and a different hand touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Wind.”

Oh Wild, it’s not your fault, Wind thought, trying to look the champion in the eye and convey the sentiment. I’d tell you so if I could.

Some more footsteps pounded against the grass suddenly, and the amount of voices around Wind doubled, more faces leaning over to look at him, worried questions floating over his head. The other Links had obviously joined the group, and Wind struggled even harder against the paralysis making him nothing but deadweight. But he remained as frozen as ever, a scream still stuck in his throat, ice around his heart.

“Give him space, I’m pretty sure he’s aware of what’s going on and you all are crowding him,” Warriors’ voice chided, and the majority of heads pulled back from his view. The captain’s face appeared in his line of sight, full of worry. “Wind? Can you move anything? Even just something small?”

Wind started at his feet and worked his way upward this time, trying to move anything he could. Fear still thrummed through him, his body on high alert, tears tracking down his cheeks, but he finally managed to twitch his eyelids a little.

“Hey, there we go,” Warriors said with relief in his eyes. “Can you do it again?”

Wind focused, managing another twitch, and almost did a full blink when he tried again. Warriors’ face was still worried, but he looked encouraged by even the tiny movement.

“Here, let me see if this helps some more,” Time said then, and Twilight shifted Wind around in his arms so his head was a little more upright.

Time pulled out his ocarina, purplish blue in the sunshine, and he played the trilling song again, the one Wind finally recognized as the song of passing. Time played it through a couple times, magic falling over Wind like a beam of sunlight. He was surprised the time of day itself didn’t change, but maybe Time was stopping it from doing that somehow.

Suddenly the magic loosened something inside him, the icy terror cracking, thawing a little. Some feeling swept back into his body, and the scream that had been stuck in Wind’s throat this whole time suddenly burst out, loud and terrified.

Time immediately stopped playing, and Wind began to tremble as feeling slowly spread to the rest of him, his scream ending in a hiccup. It felt amazing to finally give voice to the horrible coldness in him, and Wind barely noticed when a thumb brushed along his cheek.

“Wind?” Time asked quietly, and Wind breathed in a shaking breath, firmly blinking tears out of his eyes.

“Th-thank, tha-ank y-you,” he managed get out in a miserable-sounding whimper.

Sighs of relief went up around him, and Time gave Wind a smile, even with the way Wind was shaking and still unable to stop the tears from escaping his eyes.

“You’re welcome Sailor,” Time replied, and brushed a few more of his tears away.

Wind managed a shaky smile back, then relaxed into Twilight’s arms, more and more of the ice in his chest melting away into bright sunshine.

[insertsomthinawesome]

WHUMPTOBER 2022 - DAY 29 - Sleep Deprivation

Sometimes too many things weigh on your shoulders.

-NO ROMANCE INCLUDED-

[lbibliophile-sw]

Formally Arranged Anidala

Also on AO3 [460w] @ailesswhumptober - day 29: "everybody will know that you're mine" Inspired by this Tumblr post.

Two years and a half years after it began, the Separatist Crisis – now being called the Clone Wars – ends. Overseen by negotiators and legal representatives from both sides, Count Dooku and Chancellor Ameda sit down to sign the first of a series of documents formalising a ceasefire and the Separatist Confederacy’s withdrawal from the Republic. For the Jedi, this represents the end of their role as front-line Generals, however their diplomatic battle is only beginning.

With the war over, the Republic finally has to face the question about what to do with their oh-so-conveniently provided army. The Senate is split between getting rid of the GAR now that they have served their purpose, or keeping them and finding them a new purpose. The Jedi don’t trust the Senate to do right by their men with either option.

While the Jedi would like to just claim the GAR under their protection, even without the logistical considerations the political pushback would make such a move impossible. No, they must find a way to exert influence with the system. As much as the Jedi Council had previously been contemplating distancing the Order from the Senate, the safety of their men – and undoubtedly themselves once the media starts pointing fingers – now relies on doing everything they can to strengthen those ties.

Thankfully, the Council knows just how to achieve that.

Enter Padme Amidala, Senator for Naboo, outspokenly pro-Jedi and anti-war and the Senate’s current darling. Enter Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, the Hero With No Fear and close friend of the late Chancellor Palpatine. Enter Anidala, clandestine couple, open secret within the Jedi Order and subject of frequent speculation in the tabloids – yet somehow still believing themselves to be subtle.

So Anakin is called into the Council Chamber and the situation laid out for him:

“The future of the Order and the GAR both is more precarious than we openly admit.”

“Didn’t we win the war?”

“We can see only one effective solution; there will have to be a political marriage between a Jedi and a Senator.”

“Wait, marriage?”

“Indeed. With the guidance of the Force, we ask you to undertake this duty.”

“But - !”

“In preparation, we have developed a contract that will accommodate any existing vows such as your Knight’s Oaths.”

“I can’t - !”

“We understand that it is a this is a heavy burden, and we will all stand by you, both figuratively and literally, as you make this difficult transition.”

“No - !”

“Truly grateful, we are, for this sacrifice from yourself and Senator Amidala.”

“Wait, Padme - ?”

“You have both been such beacons of hope in the darkness of war, we hope that together you can continue to light our way through the aftermath.”

“… I bow to the will of this Council.”

Two months later Anakin: hey Council, you know that arranged marriage you ‘pressured’ me into? so how do you feel about me strengthening this alliance by having kids? because uh… Council: and just how far along is Senator Amidala’s pregnancy? Anakin: … we think five months.

[comfort-questing]

29. troubled past resurfacing

he had asked to go alone to speak with the man in gray, and she had honored that ask, though his mouth had been set as if in preparation of some unpleasant but necessary pain and not even a kiss had been enough to ease it. she'd not been able to settle since then, the sunshine in the garden too bright, the servants too noisy in their chattering as they did their morning tidying about the house. and the door to the study was closed, and had been closed, since the stranger had arrived that morning on his worn-out horse and given not a name but a slip of paper to the footman at the door.

she knew there had been a long time he had been away from the palace and the capital, and out of the country perhaps, traveling for reasons no one had ever made clear to her. he certainly didn't choose to talk of it, that gap between their carefree childhood days and the last several years of their reunion and courting. but that ever-long morning she had thought of it now and again, how much was unknown between them still, and had been lost and brushed over in the day-to-day of house management and suppers together and long rambling talks in the evenings.

something had frightened him. and so when the man in the long, faded gray coat and carefully-pressed foreign jacket passed by her with a nod through the parlor door, and followed Jeremy outside to fetch his horse, she climbed the staircase and went to find her husband.

the office door was still shut, and beyond it, she could hear shuddering breaths like half-concealed sobs; a sound she'd never heard from him, before. she paused, fingernails biting into her palms.

"Kellan?"

sudden silence, and then his voice, low and hoarse: "it's all right, Vess, I shall be down presently."

she halted her hand above the doorknob. "but - it doesn't seem to be all right, does it? has something happened?"

another uneven sigh, and footsteps crossing the room; the knob turned without her touching it.

"Kellan," she breathed, because all the color had gone out of his face, and his shirt cuffs were undone and stretched the way they always were when he was upset, from tugging at the buttons. "what's wrong?"

he blinked, slowly, a far-away look in his eyes as if he didn't quite see her before him, or the shadowy hallway of their home at all. "it's - a very long story. and one I hoped was done, you know."

but he stood back, and let her pass through the door, and shut it behind her again; and when she took his hand and led him over to the wide chair by the window, to sit him down and perch on the armrest, he didn't resist.

"I have a few - creditors, you might say," he said, still with his eyes seeking something beyond the ceiling panels. "not for money. for other things."

"and he's one of them?"

"a messenger for them. I suspect he has his own troubles, so I don't blame him." he leaned his head against the high back of the chair, letting his eyes slide shut. "but I don't really want to pay these debts, Vess. It would make things - rather difficult. I'd told them I was done with that kind of thing."

"with - what kind of thing?" her heart was fluttering, though she knew there had to be an explanation. "do we need to talk to a magistrate? are there people we need to be protect from?"

he laughed, shortly. "oh - nothing quite like that, really."

then all of a sudden he leaned to the side, to rest his head against her leg and put a hand behind her back, and she could hear and feel his quick panicked breaths against her.

"I - don't want to go back," he was saying, between breaths, "I said I was finished, and to find someone else to do their work digging out secrets and buried skeletons... someone who didn't know how awful it could be, and didn't have a life they wished to keep safe and separate from it all - "

unexpected, she had nothing to do with her hands for a moment, but then she found a place to rub along his shoulders where the sobs seemed to stretch and work the most, and he sighed and said nothing more.

"whatever it's all about," she said, "we'll figure it out, won't we? like we've done before."

"I don't know if it will work like that, Vess," he said, through his teeth.

she tightened her own jaw as well, and looked out the window, to where the stranger on his horse had disappeared around the curve of the long drive.

"we'll make sure it does," she said, and meant it.

[69hertz]

That exact moment of a massive crush 💥

Day 29 // inktober: Massive // whumptober: I only sink deeper the deeper I think // whumptober: What happened to me?

[ahmoseinarus]

Day 29 Fatigue | Labyrinth | Burnout | "Who said you could rest?"