#whumpuary no 3

[fletcherwilbury]

@whumpuary Day 3: Collapse

Warning for Overworking, exhaustion, parentification, burns, fainting, past physical abuse, dizziness, self-neglect

[serickswrites]

Way Away

Warnings: torture, poison, choking, collapse, unconsciousness, self sacrifice, unclear character status

"Fan out," Team Leader said to their team as they entered Whumper's lair. "Check everything, not a stone unturned. But," they paused as they glanced at their four team members, "please be careful. Whumper is cunning and I wouldn't put it past them to lay a trap for us."

Team Leader had been right about the trap. Teammate Two had discovered the pressure plate in the middle of a hallway. "It'll take me some time," they said to Team Leader, "but I think with Teammate Three's help, I can disarm it."

Team Leader nodded. "Teammate Three, help Teammate Two. Teammate One," they turned to the hulking figure behind them, "head back to the vehicle to get whatever gear they need and then continue searching for clues."

"You got it, boss," Teammate One saluted and headed out of the room.

"I'll just keep looking through here," Smallest Teammate called from the other room. "There are a lot of books in here."

Team Leader stepped through the sliding glass door into what they supposed was Whumper's library. "You think they would hide something important in here?"

Smallest Teammate picked up a book. "It's what I've done. No one ever thinks to check the pages. They know to check for hollows and fake books. But not actual books."

Smallest Teammate froze as the book in their hand released a fine powder in the air as they flipped through the pages. They dropped the book to the ground and shoved Team Leader out of the room. "Get away from me!"

"Smallest Teammate, what in the--" Team Leader said as they fell back out of the room.

Smallest Teammate slammed the glass door behind them. "I'm sorry," they said, though their voice was muted by the thick glass.

"What is wrong with you?" Team Leader got to their feet and put their hand on the door

Smallest Teammate locked the door. "I can't let you in here."

"Why?" Team Leader didn't like the breathy quality of Smallest Teammate's voice.

Smallest Teammate looked at Team Leader, a sad smile pulling at their features. "The pressure plate was the misdirect."

"What are you saying?" Team Leader yanked on the handle. "Open the door. Now."

Smallest Teammate shook their head as they began to cough. "I....I.....I can't do that."

"Why in the ever loving fuck not?" Team Leader tried not to let anger color their words. They did not have time for games.

"The books are poisoned." Smallest Teammate coughed harder. "Which means I was right and there is something in here." They turned their back to Team Leader and returned to the books.

Team Leader began to bang on the door. "Smallest Teammate! Open the door! Let me help you!" They tried to not let the panic consume them.

Smallest Teammate didn't turn around or look back at Team Leader. "I can't d-d-d-oooo that. I don't know-ow-ow-ow what the...... poison.... is. Or how m-m-m-many other boooooookssssss have it."

"Let us help you." They banged on the door again. "Teammate One!" They called over their shoulder. "Get in here!"

Smallest Teammate stared at the books on the wall, the poisoned book clutched in their hand. "Don't....don't...don't come in h-h-h-here, Team Leader. I-I-I can't risk....anyone.....else. I'll try and f-f-f-f-ind whatever-ever-ever-ever Whumper issssss hiding in here. I'll sh-sh-sh-show you whatttttt I f-f-f-f-ind." Smallest Teammate's breathing was labored.

"You don't have to do this, Smallest Teammate. Let us help you," Team Leader said helplessly from the door as they watched Smallest Teammate look at the book in hand.

"N-N-N-No. Whateverrrrr it....it.....it is," Smallest Teammate grabbed for a book on the bottom most shelf, "it'sssss.....fast." They thumbed through the book. "Knew.....it," their voice was barely above a whisper as they clumsily pulled their phone from their pocket.

"Please," Team Leader begged, "just open the door. We can help you."

"What's going on?" Teammate One came up behind Team Leader.

"We need to break down the door. Smallest Teammate has been poisoned!"

"N-N-No!" Smallest Teammate shouted weakly. "No-o-o-o-o onnnnnnne can....can....can.... c-c-c-ome in-n-n-n here. T-T-T-Tooooo dangerous."

Team Leader opened their mouth to protest but their phone vibrated. "Ph-Ph-Photo of....of...of...whatttttt weeee n-n-needed." Smallest Teammate collapsed to their knees as they struggled to breathe.

Team Leader stared at the photo. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They thrust their phone into Teammate One's hand. "You know what to do with this. Take the others and go."

"What about Smallest Teammate?" Teammate One's eyes were filled with worry.

"Let me deal with that. This is too important to ignore. Go. Now."

Teammate One nodded and spun on their heel. Team Leader could hear them murmuring to the other two. The sound of three sets of retreated footsteps gave Team Leader some relief. At least none of this was in vain.

Team Leader turned back to Smallest Teammate. They lay on their side, their eyes growing hazy as they struggled to take even a small breath. Team Leader crouched down. "Let me help you."

Smallest Teammate looked Team Leader in the eye as they shook their head. They couldn't get enough air to speak. Team Leader could see the resolve in their eyes. They weren't going to let anyone else get hurt.

"I can't just let you die. Open the door." Team Leader was desperate.

Smallest Teammate shook their head. Their labored breathing shifted and Team Leader's stomach dropped as Smallest Teammate began to make choking sounds.

Team Leader looked around desperately for something to break the lock. "Hold on, Smallest Teammate. Hold on. I won't let you die." There was nothing. "Just hold on for me," they muttered as they watched Smallest Teammate's eyes roll back. They continued to choke and gasp for air as Team Leader ran from the room in search of anything to break down the lock.

Team Leader ran back to the entryway. There had to be something heavy they could use to break the lock. They found a large, heavy candelabra on the table. "No!" They shouted as they rushed forward in panic.

Smallest Teammate lay terribly still. So still that Team Leader couldn't be sure they were breathing. So terribly, terribly still. Their face was slack, mouth agape, and their lips were blue.

"No!" Team Leader shouted as they began to slam the candelabra against the lock. "No! No! No!" They slammed the lock over and over, not daring to look at Smallest Teammate's still face. If they didn't look, they couldn't be sure of the worst. The worst couldn't be real. Smallest Teammate couldn't be dead. They wouldn't let that happen.

Team Leader gave a crow of delight as the lock broke beneath the candelabra. They swung open the door, sucked in as big a breath of air as they could, held it, and rushed in. "I've got you. Hold on. Hold on." Team Leader murmured as they picked up Smallest Teammate and ran. Smallest Teammate flopped limply in Team Leader's arms.

Team Leader slammed the door shut and greedily sucked in fresh air. They would be ok. They had to be ok. For the team. For Smallest Teammate. They put two shaking fingers to the pulse in Smallest Teammate's throat and prayed. Prayed that they would find something. Prayed that they didn't fail. Prayed that Smallest Teammate still lived.

[alpaca-clouds]

Whumpuary 15: Like the Sun

Prompts: You're safe, Aftermath, Touch starved

And here it is. The last story for @whumpuary. This time I managed all three prompts - though the main prompt was Touch Starved.

Like the Sun

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3 Shipping: Astarion/m!Tav Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Astarion had not expected it. Yet, as everything is said and done, Tav stays by Astarion's side.

[whumpuary]

so this is entirely pointless but i'm sick and bored so here's a playlist where all the song titles correspond to the prompt list

and the titles are all there is to it. it's probably a wild mix of genres and lyrics that don't fit the theme, or no lyrics at all. but you know, now that i think about it, whumpuary is a challenge where you can try something new and completely different. so idk maybe you'll get super inspired from 60s blues or experimental disco. try it out and see maybee it'll work for you

[rpf-bat]

I JUST NEED A PLACE TO BE

Pairing: Samy Elbanna/Arttu Lesonen

Word Count: 863

Summary: A depressed and very drunk Samy shows up on Arttu’s doorstep, just after midnight.

Tags: Alcoholism, Suicidal Thoughts, Drunken Confessions, Pining, Short Oneshot

[shywhumpauthor]

Whumpuary Day 3

Questions

hypothermia | "stay with me" | shot

Alt prompt: stranded

Prev. || Masterlist

Cw: strangulation, choking, thoughts of/accepting death, gun whump, threats, self sacrifice for a cause, noncon touching

“You’re smart.”

Whumper’s fingers played with Whumpee’s tie, their pull loosening enough so Whumpee was no longer straining for breath. Their fingers danced over the threads, hold secure as their eyes wandered across Whumpee’s expression.

They spy had to fight the urge to squirm, straightening their back against the strong desire to sink back into their chair. The tension in the room was heavy, thickening the air to the point where that too was hindering each inhaler they drew. The proximity, the contact, the way Whumper’s face held only inches from theirs, added a adverse intimacy to the feel, one that Whumpee quickly began to loathe. Their feelings towards Whumper had never been quite positive, but this was something beyond any disgusted hate Whumpee had ever felt. The way they could feel their breath felt violating, their cold clean stare invading Whumpee’s mind as if they could see straight into their thoughts.

“Brilliant, even. It’s a shame that was all an act. I could have truly used someone like you.”

Whumpee felt the gun begin to move, dragging slowly from their forehead to their temple, curving down to linger against their cheek. The metal was no longer cold, the prolonged contact against their skin drawing the chill from the muzzle, yet Whumpee could still feel the ice drifting across their face as Whumper trailed the weapon across their cheekbone. The bullets resting only inches away taunted them, death’s cold hands raking down their spine. With each moment’s twitch of Whumper’s hand, Whumpee feared that it would be their last. That their finger would tighten and blood would splatter and they would be gone.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Whumpee muttered, but their voice fell silent as Whumper’s fingers pulled at their tie, warning. The gun moved to press against their lips, and all Whumpee could think to do was clench their jaw. Keeping their expression blank. Letting every drop of mimicked emotion slip away to a cold indifference. A default, one they had learned to hold well. Staring straight ahead to meet Whumper’s eyes, but not quite looking at them.

“And you haven’t answered any of mine, so I will consider that even.“ Whumper’s tone dragged at the end, sounding almost like a low purr as the fully released Whumpee’s tie, keeping the gun pressed against their lips. “However, perhaps if you were to answer me, I’ll answer you. An answer for an answer, so call it.”

Whumpee didn’t answer, they couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Opening their mouth now would only allow themself to sink into a position of greater vulnerability, and they were already quite so without giving Whumper the opportunity to shoot them clean through the throat. No thanks, that wasn’t happening today.

If Whumper recognized the reason to their silence, they didn’t act, instead letting out a small hum.

“Very well. I’m sure I’ll find many other ways to gain your obedience.”

Their hand rose to Whumpee’s cheek, fingers pressing to their jaw. They could feel Whumpee’s pulse thrum beneath their fingertips, the rapid pace of the beats revealing the fear their expression managed to hide so well.

“I hope this doesn’t have too great an impact on our relationship, my friend. I have grown rather fond of you, and I’d hate to loose all that.”

•••

Whumpee wasn’t sure what they had been expecting, yet somehow this was exactly what they had anticipated, and so far from their predictions at the same time.

They sat in a chair across from a table, not unlike how the situation had presented in Whumper’s office a few hours prior. Whumper sat on the other side, but their attention was not on Whumpee as they flipped through a sleek binder.

On the table, various items were spread across the metal. Some photographs, snapshots taken from obvious surveillance recordings of them, paired with a date and time across the bottom. The same files that had been present in Whumper’s office were there now, spread out to consume more room across the surface. Whumpee wasn’t entirely sure if those had a purpose, or if they were rather just to add to the ambiance of room. Whumpee was no stranger to that tactic of sorts, a simple mind trick where Whumper would present as if they had scores of information to oppose any claim of innocence Whumpee might attempt, when in reality there was quite nothing. The pictures, even, didn’t seem to prove anything, didn’t display any air of guilt. In the images, Whumpee just appeared to be doing their job, walking down the hall between meals, on the computer as they filed a report, the most incriminating evidence present was the one where they were quite obviously sneaking a second roll from the cafeteria. What a crime.

The rest of the room was bare. The table and the two chairs were the only decorations, the metal reflecting a certain luster as the lights above gave off an occasional flicker. The room wasn’t small, perhaps equal to the side of Whumper’s office, but the lack of furnishing made it seem so much bigger. Behind Whumper’s side of the table, there was a large mirror, undoubtedly glass. Whumpee wondered how many guards were watching them from the other side.

Two open cameras watched silently from opposite corners of the ceiling, one in front of Whumpee and one behind. Little red lights blinking silently, even more people watching them.

Whumpee’s hands were cuffed behind their back, making the simple act of sitting uncomfortable after a few extended moments. They didn’t make any move to adjust, however, choosing to rather suffer through the growing ache than give Whumper that shred of satisfaction.

Though, Whumpee couldn’t tell if they were even paying attention to them. Whumper’s attention seemed to be strictly on the binder, flipping through the laminated pages with no regard to the passing time.

Whumpee’s gaze fell back to rest against the table, they had to fight to keep from clenching their fists. The stockpiled evidence only covered a portion of the table, leeching slightly across the halfway point before the papers were exchanged for various weapons. There weren’t many, Whumpee noticed, not a great collection. Whumper’s gun rested openly closest to them, subsequently the furthest from Whumpee’s possible grasp. Closer to them lay a taser, and a small scalpel-like blade, and finally a small container, clear sides with a clasp on lid, Whumpee couldn’t clearly see what was inside. They had to give Whumper credit, it certainly wasn’t easy to make an empty room appear cluttered, but they had done it.

Any shred of fear or anticipation had faded. Whumpee wasn’t sure if Whumper was drawing our the moment in an attempt to heighten their anxiety, or simply lower their guard, but it was doing neither. If it was an attempt to prompt them to speak first, to fill the pressing silence out of desperation to hear a sound other than the pulsing electricity of the lights, it wasn’t working too well.

Then Whumper pulled out their phone. None too subtly, they typed something, fingers moving across the screen Whumpee couldn’t see from their position. They slipped it back into their pocket a moment later, and finally looked up. Closed the binder and set it onto one of the few open spots across the table.

“If I weren’t so fond of you, I’d have left my guard to take over this whole operation hours ago.” Whumper stated, clasping their hands and resting them on the table. They didn’t sound bothered, not by the tension, not by the cold, the vent directly above the table pumping a continuous stream of bitter air through the room.

“You don’t expect me to thank you now, do you?” Whumpee responded after a few moments, when it became clear Whumper wasn’t planning on elaborating with that sentence. Whumpee’s tone was flat, their expression utterly blank as they stared at Whumper, completely void of all emotion. It was a skill, how easily they could melt into a mask of utter indifference, one that brought along such a chilling satisfaction as Whumper frowned.

“There’s no need to be rude. Perhaps I will let them have their fun, then. See how long it takes until you’re begging for me to return.” By the way Whumper spoke, it was clear they meant it as a threat, but Whumpee could see straight through the wordless manner. For a moment, they were tempted to continue taunting, but they were better than that. They knew better than that.

“Typically, I’d opt for giving you some time to think in this situation, to weight your options, allow for some time alone to make your choices.” Whumper leaned forwards against their elbows, propping their chin on their hands. “Regretfully, time is not a luxury I can offer in this situation. So I will give you one chance, and one chance only to surrender on your own terms, to submit yourself to questioning and answer honestly without the need for force. If you do so, Whumpee, I can promise you, things will be so much easier than what we’re leading towards.”

From the way Whumper spoke, the genuine twist to their voice nearly throwing them off. If Whumpee didn’t know better, they would have sworn Whumper was truthful in their words. But of course they knew better. It was Whumper, for god’s sake.

“Do your worst.”

——————————

Next

Tag list: @pickleking8 @blood-enthusiast @t0rture-me @whumpuary

[fanfictasia]

Whumpuary Prompt 3

Used as Bait/Stumbling

Spoiler: This is an excerpt from Lost in the Familiar

Asajj huffs. “Fussing about me when you’re the one with a mechanical stub for a limb?” she asks.

“That has to wait until we’re back to base.” And… he’s not going to be able to use the custom designed additional hand he has stored in his Temple room, just in case something happened to his current one. He’ll have to modify it all over again.

…At least it was just his mechanical one that Obi-Wan cut off. Doesn’t make the memory overly pleasant.

Asajj huffs out a breath, but heads to her room just down the hall, nearly stumbling as she does though, though she’s quick to catch her balance.

Anakin follows her, carrying the medkit.

“Thanks,” she says, and he blinks at the entirely unexpectedness of it. At least from her.

“I almost can’t believe you just said that.”

“Me neither. Don’t get cocky about it.” She takes the medical supplies from him, settling on the edge of her bunk.

He lingers in the doorway for a moment, debating asking what he’s really wondering even if he doesn’t want the answer. He ought to know, though. “Was it the… Sith who – who did that?” he ventures, finally.

Asajj looks up at him again, though the smirk that flits across her face looks mostly forced. “Yeah. He’s lovely company. Making him angry was amusing.”

It’s almost disturbing how much he can imagine the version of Ventress he knew saying the same thing about Obi-Wan. He’s almost inclined to agree, too. Well. Sometimes.

“That’s generally an unwise approach to take with Sith,” he points out finally, because annoying them to the point they start torturing you is… stupid. Even if he can entirely understand the temptation. He hates the sheer helplessness of being captured – something he’s far too familiar with – and refusing to show to any fear or anything is well…

The only thing that makes you feel like you have control of anything. Even if it’s dangerous.

“It was worth it,” Asajj replies, smirking.

If she says so.

He doesn’t want to think about how Obi-Wan was torturing her. Yes, he’s a Sith, but that doesn’t mean facing the reality of… what that means for the kinds of things he does is easy. It doesn’t help that it was probably at least in part an effort to lure Anakin out there. (Because he wants him for some reason. That isn’t something Anakin wants to think about too much. It hurts.)

[autobot2001]

Not a Happy New Year Snippet

Genre: Fanfiction Fandom: Transformers Rating: T Warnings: blood, poor mental health Description: Jamie is found by a soldier and brought to the media seriously injured. Everyone can't believe what happened, but her guardians struggle the most. This is the portion that fits all the prompts for Whumpuary.

Day  1: snow Day 2: collapse Day 3: stumbling Day 4: lightheaded Day 5: “Stay please.” Day 6: exhaustion. Day 7: drugged. Day 8: “You look awful.” Day 9: Alt 8: blood loss. Day 10: can’t stay awake Day 11: blood Day 12: “You’re awake.” Day 13: barely conscious, “I’m fine.” Day 14: breakdown Day 15: Aftermath

Other promotes used; Alt 1: Stabbed, Alt 2: “let me see.” Alt 5: headache Alt 8: blood loss

A male soldier walks along the path, enjoying how quiet it is. Even with how large the military base is they like walking around the paths outside. Even in the middle of winter. Despite the paths being cleared, snow still coats the paths, but they are walkable. Someone stumbling in three feet of snow instead of walking on the path alarms the soldier. “Hey, are you ok?” He asks. Recognizing the person, the soldier becomes worried about her condition. The female feels lightheaded. Before the soldier can grab her, the female collapses in the snow. The soldier watches as the snow turns red. With no time for first aid, they rush the woman to the medbay. The female whimpers as the soldier picks her up.

“Help!” The soldier yells as they rush into the medbay waiting room. Panicking that no one is at the reception desk. They run through the doors to the rest of the medbay. “Help!” They yell again. “What’s going —” Jasmine sees who the soldier is holding and lets out a gasp, “Jolt! Ratchet!” The two mechs rush out of their offices, horrified at what they’re seeing. The soldier follows the medics to the emergency care room. Patients for this room arrive by medivac or Ratchet’s ambulance alt mode. The soldier lies the female on the medical table. He's uncertain about waiting in the room. He can’t watch the medics once he sees how critical the female is. He goes to the waiting room. I can’t believe this. Ratchet thinks. Jamie has been in the medbay before, but this time is unlike any other. She has never been brought to this room before. Once the three medics remove Jamie's clothes, they can't believe what they're seeing'; many stab wounds all over her body. “She was fragging attacked!” Jolt rages. “Get a blood transfusion going,” Ratchet orders Jasmine, “and test her blood count. The three are aware that Jamie is in hemorrhagic shock but unsure of its severity. Jasmine gets a blood bag and a syringe to draw blood. Jolt puts in a large-bore IV for rapid delivery of fluids and blood. Jolt prepares an IV bag of crystalloids. “I think we should intubate her,” Jolt advises, “airway protection for now. No positive pressure.” Jamie's injuries are the final concern. Especially the cuts on her abdomen. The three medics hope Jamie won't need surgery.

The soldier isn’t told to stay or leave as Jamie’s guardians, sister, and Optimus come to hear what happened to Jamie. The medics were surprised to see the terror twins with Crosshairs and Drift, but the twins are not asked to leave. Even though this news will infuriate Sunstreaker. As Ratchet finishes explaining the situation, Sunstreaker's anger intensifies, while Lightning, Sideswipe, and Optimus become angrier. Crosshairs and Drift remember the nightmare situation they went through, Terrified it’s happening all over. The soldier knows about the Autobots' call the nightmare situation, which brings up painful memories for Crosshairs and Drift, despite their numerous battles. The soldier watches as the medics make Crosshairs and Drift sit on the chairs close to them. “Do you know who did it?” Sunstreaker asks. “N-no, I wish I did,” the soldier tells him. Sunstreaker growls and leaves the medbay. “Great, he’s going to try to find them,” Sideswipe sighs. “The paths don’t have cameras,” Optimus points out, “Red Alert won’t be able to help us.” “Maybe the cameras by the doors can help find out who attacked Jamie?” The soldier asks. “Perhaps,” Optimus replies and leaves the medbay. “Let me see her,” Drift says, fear in his voice. “I don’t think that’s —,” Ratchet argues. “Let me see her!”The two medics nod, telling Ratchet to let Jamie’s guardians and sister see her even though they’ll hate her condition. They ask the soldier to come with them. The medics worry about the reaction they’ll see from the three worried friends.

Ratchet and Jolt make Crosshairs and Drift sit on the chairs that were already moved by the bed. Tears roll down Crosshairs and Drift’s faces. “Sit down,” Jasmine whispers to Lightning “I’m fine. Well, compared to them.” The soldier knows he’s seeing a fraction of the sadness Crosshairs and Drift deal with. Seeing their relationship with Jamie. He knows Lightning is close to Jamie, but not like Crosshairs and Drift. Despite the medics' decision not to disclose Jamie's injuries, the bag of blood is a clear indicator of the seriousness. The stitched cuts on Jamie’s arm that was lifted from under the blanket also gives clues about how badly the soldiers hurt Jamie. The soldier isn’t sure how injured Jamie is, but the blood he saw on her clothes told him she was heavily bleeding. “Should we tell them she’s not in an induced coma?” Jasmine whispers to Ratchet. “No, they’re going to struggle as it is without knowing further details about Jamie’s condition. It would be the same to wait for her to get stronger before stopping the medically induced coma. She might wake up in two days once she recovered from the blood loss. However, I'd rather not inform them right now.” “I’m going to go now and let them be with her,” the soldier tells Ratchet. “No, stay, please,” Drift says while standing up. Everyone watches him lead the soldier to where he was sitting. The soldier doesn’t understand why he’s allowed to sit here. He saved Jamie, but he never interacted with her or her guardians prior to today. He’s just another soldier in the base. So why the privilege of sitting by Jamie and in Drift’s way? Drift stands next to him. Lightning stands next to Crosshairs, who hugs her.

“What?!” Red Alert and Prowl ask. I can’t believe this is happening again. Prowl thinks. Red Alert immediately checks the security footage near the back entrance of the base. The three mechs hope they can get evidence and arrest the soldiers who attacked Jamie.

“Did you find out who attacked her?” Sunstreaker asks as the three mechs walk out of the security office. “Yes, you will not engage with them,” Optimus replies, “it’s better you and Sideswipe help Crosshairs, Drift, and Lightning.” Sunstreaker doesn’t want to let the soldiers get arrested rather than killed by him, but he worries about his three friends and Sideswipe. He heads to the medbay.

Sideswipe stands in the hallway by an ICU room. “It’s bad,” he tells Sunstreaker, “I had to step out but I can’t leave, you know?” Sunstreaker looks in the room, at the bed Jamie lies in. “Yeah, I know. They’ll need us, but it’s hard seeing her like that. This has happened twice now. I'm concerned about the possibility of this happening again and Lily becoming a target. “What the frag are they thinking? They’re just going to get arrested. Unless…. they’re trying to get Optimus to decide Jamie shouldn’t be here.” “Still, how’s that benefiting them? They’re arrested and in prison. I hope this stops. Even with how difficult her mental health is, she needs to be here. She needs them.” Sideswipe looks into the room from the window. The medics have returned to their offices. Sunstreaker goes to talk to Ratchet.

“Is there anything you can tell me?” Sunstreaker asks. “Only that she might wake up in a day or two, but she’ll be weak. You don’t want to know the extent of her injuries. I hope this stops.” “I worry Lily could be a target even if Sideswipe is right about soldiers trying to get Jamie banned from coming here. “This is a serious problem. We’ll tell Optimus after Jamie recovers. He’s already worried about her, having to arrest soldiers, and if this could happen again.”

The terror twins, Lightning and the soldi get Crosshairs and Drift to go to the cafeteria for lunch. Everyone is worried about leaving the medbay, but Ratchet will make them if they don’t leave to eat. The six hate how everyone else will know what happened. 

Everyone who found out what happened want to help their friends but know nothing will help until Jamie recovers from the attack.

“You look awful,” Crosshairs points out, worried “I’m fine,” Drift claims. Two days passed, Drift doesn’t sleep and eats very little. Crosshairs worries about Drift’s energon level. Knowing how little he’s eaten would affect a human at this point and how using their holoform uses the energon in their Cybertronian bodies. He watches Drift stumble down the hall. He follows the mech to the medbay.

Jolt and Ratchet notice Drift’s poor state. They struggle to get him into an exam room. Drift’s holoform is strong, but he’s struggling to break free from the medics’ grip. A hint for the two medics of how unwell Drift is. Jasmine doesn’t wait for orders before getting a syringe of lorazepam. The three mechs don’t question her before she injects the drug. Thankful Drift is wearing a T-shirt. The drug is fast acting, and the medics get Drift on the exam table before he’s asleep. “Mental breakdown,” Ratchet sighs, “I should have known this would happen,” he watches Crosshairs sit on the chair in the room, “don’t tell me you’re ok.” “I…,” Crosshairs doesn’t know what to say as tears roll down his face. He should talk to Rung, but I don’t think that’ll help. Ratchet believes. Jasmine watches the two mechs, hoping she won’t have to drug Crosshairs. Ratchet calms Crosshairs the best he can with the situation going on and lets him stay in the exam room with Drift. Crosshairs doesn’t wait for the three medics to leave before crying. “I just think how Jamie still feels alone even with how close the three are,” Jasmine sighs. Ratchet hugs her. Both worry about the two mechs. Hating there’s nothing he or Rung can do to help the two mechs.

Crosshairs realizes he’s been neglecting himself as he now has a terrible headache and feels dehydrated. He can’t stop worrying about Drift and hiding how he’s doing. Jasmine walks in to check on the two mechs. “You ok?” “Headache,” Crosshairs mumbles. Jasmine leaves the room, returning a few minutes later. “Here, this will help,” Jasmine says, handing Crosshairs a small cup of water and a pack with two pills, “he’ll be asleep for another hour.” “I’ll stay here. I shouldn’t use the remaining exam room.” “Ok I’ll be back in an hour.” Jasmine leaves the room. Crosshairs turns off the lights and sits on the floor by the counter. He rests his head on his arms. Tears roll down his face. We deal with her mental health and condition. Jamie has been wanting to be dead, which is causing more anxiety for Drift and I. Now this. It’s getting harder to act ok for Drift, but I have to even if he hates I do this. We both want Jamie to be happy, but it’s been feeling impossible to help her. Now we have to worry about soldiers attacking her.

Crosshairs looks at Drift, seeing his friend sleeping with the little light from the gap in the curtains. I want to say Jamie will be ok, but even if she will be from the attack, she’s not ok mentally. Crosshairs sighs.

Drift stares at the ceiling, having no memory of falling asleep. He feels what he’s lying on, realizing it’s an exam table. The mech is now confused why he was sleeping in the exam room and has no memory of Ratchet telling him he could. He opens the curtains a little before seeing Crosshairs sitting on the floor, asleep. “Crosshairs?” Drift gently shakes the sleeping mech. Crosshairs tiredly looks at him, “you ok?” “Other than a stiff neck, yes,” Crosshairs replies, rubbing his neck. Drift sighs, uncertain if he can believe Crosshairs knowing how he hides how he’s feeling, but he’d rather not argue with his friend as they worry about Jamie. Drift sits beside Crosshairs and puts his head on Crosshairs’ shoulder. Crosshairs takes Drift’s hand and the two sit quietly.

They don’t know how much time passed until they hear Drift’s stomach. “Come on, you need to eat,” Crosshairs says while standing up, “then we’ll see Jamie.” He pulls Drift up and the two leave the room. Letting Ratchet know they’ll be back before leaving.

“They will not like seeing Jamie still needs blood,” Jasmine sighs, “more evidence of how injured she is.” “We can’t tell them not to come here either,” Ratchet says, “that’ll be worse for them.” “They’ll find out about all the stab wounds and cuts,” Jolt points out. “Unfortunately, yes, but let them worry about how Jamie is in a coma and needing blood transfusions. That’s hard enough on them.” Ratchet goes to get another bag of blood.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Ratchet sighs and takes Jamie’s hand, “bad enough you struggle mentally while here rather than feeling this is an escape.” He sits on the chair by the bed, worried about Crosshairs and Drift’s mental decline as they wait for Jamie to wake up. He’s been worried about their mental health as Jamie’s worsens, but he knows how this is causing memories of the nightmare situation to resurface. Ratchet knows he could tell them Jamie will be ok, no chance of declining, but the two won’t be able to relax.

Crosshairs watches Drift struggle to eat. Worried how long before this affects Drift’s energon level and how long before he too struggles to eat. Meanwhile Drift worries Crosshairs is continuing to act like he’s ok. Worried that if Crosshairs can eat, how long before he struggles? Worried Crosshairs forced himself to eat and ends up throwing up.

The two don’t know the terror twins and Lightning watch them from the entrance to the cafeteria. “I hate we can’t help them,” Lightning says. “I don’t think they’d be doing much better if they could forget the nightmare situation,” Sunstreaker believes, “they’re with Jamie much more than we are. They know how much she’s struggling more than we do.” “They think they’re protecting us from feeling the way they feel, but I think we just feel more sadness in place of the anxiety they feel,” Sideswipe adds. The three leave before they’re spotted and go to the medbay.

The three worry about seeing the larger bag of blood on the IV pole. They know Crosshairs and Drift will not like seeing that. “You don’t think she’s bleeding internally, do you?” Sideswipe whispers. “Ratchet would have made sure she wasn’t by now,” Sunstreaker replies, “it’s not reassuring knowing the issue is blood loss from her injuries.” Lightning and Sideswipe sit on the chairs while Sunstreaker stands behind them. They notice her blood pressure is low on the monitor and it wasn’t a few hours ago. Hoping this is normal and Ratchet isn’t failing to notice internal bleeding. Lightning lifts the blanket, seeing Jamie’s wrapped abdomen and more stitched wounds. The twins also see this. “Damn, I figured it was bad looking at her arms, but this….,” Sideswipe trails off. “That’s why I’m not telling them,” the three hear Ratchet, “they have enough to worry about. They’ll find out how bad the rest of the wounds are soon. Jamie will be awake long before I can remove the stitches.” “Can I please go kill the bastards?” Sunstreaker asks. “No, we need to worry about if this will happen again or if Lily could be a target,” Ratchet replies. “This is so fragged up,” Lightning comments, continuing to look under the blanket. Sunstreaker pulls the blanket down. “It’s depressing enough seeing her arms and her guardians struggling,” he tells her. The three worry about what does Jamie’s chest look like? The thought of stab wounds close to her heart terrifies them.

Crosshairs and Drift walk into the room ten minutes later. Both mechs see the IV bag that looks bigger and has more blood than what they saw three hours ago. Both worry about how much blood Jamie lost and the wounds they can’t see. Sideswipe moves to allow Drift to sit by the bed. It’s been two days. Drift worries. Why is she still needing blood transfusions? Drift makes the mistake of looking at the monitor, seeing Jamie’s low blood pressure. This can’t be good. He worries. Something is wrong for her to get worse now.

“He saw,” Jasmine tells Ratchet as he sits behind his desk. “I was hoping he wouldn’t, but I knew the chance was slim. There’s no sudden internal bleeding. Even with thirty percent blood loss, this delay in blood pressure drop concerns me. For now, the chemical in her blood isn’t delaying recovery.” “Something isn’t right. I think when the four leave, we should do a CT scan.” Though it’s an unusual route, both medics are hoping Jamie is recovering and won’t find internal bleeding. That would delay her recovery and when she’ll wake up.

An hour passes. The three medics watch the terror twins and Lightning struggle to get both Crosshairs and Drift to leave. “They both saw, and are terrified,” Ratchet believes. “Taking Jamie to get a CT scan will add to the fear, but Jasmine is right. We better do one,” Jolt adds.

The three medics tell the friends to stay and what they’re going to do. This worries the three friends and, as Jolt said, terrifies Crosshairs and Drift. The three friends stay with Crosshairs and Drift in Ratchet’s office. Ratchet informs Rung. “I don’t know if I can help them, but I’ll be there in a second,” Rung tells Ratchet.

Optimus follows Rung into the medbay. Worried about the reason for his visit to the medbay. He hates how terrified Crosshairs and Drift are and that the twins and Lightning are more worried about Jamie. As Rung thought, telling Crosshairs and Drift the CT scan is a precaution doesn’t calm the two. Drift hugs Crosshairs, who feels him trembling.  He’s terrified and thinking Jamie will need emergency surgery. Crosshairs realizes. The medics didn’t seem concerned. He’s not overreacting after what we’ve been through and the fear we’ll lose Jamie. What do I say? The others watch, uncertain what to say. The medics could be wrong and Jamie could end up in emergency surgery. “You three don’t have to stay here,” Optimus tells the twins and Lightning, “at least wait in the waiting room.” The three understand what he’s saying and walk down the hall. Optimus looks into the office, worried about the two mechs. “I hate not knowing how to help them,” Rung sighs, “it’s not just the nightmare situation. It’s Jamie’s mental decline also affecting them. The fear they’ll lose her, but watching her fight for her life causes them to be afraid when she ends up in the medbay.” The two go into the office and close the door. Hoping to help Drift without causing more anxiety to Crosshairs.

“Nothing,” Jolt tells the other two medics, as he watches the monitor display what the machine sees. “This is good, but also concerning why this turn?” Ratchet questions, “we’ll put her on medication to raise her blood pressure. There’s no other evidence that she’s still in shock.” “We should tell them she’s doing ok,” Jasmine tells him, “even with her low blood pressure and the wait for her to wake up.”

The three medics didn’t think Optimus and Rung would be with Crosshairs and Drift. By now, Crosshairs is worried about what the three will say. Crosshairs hugs Drift as the four are told about the scan results. “.. she’ll be ok, but I don’t know when she’ll wake up,” Ratchet finishes. Ratchet figured Drift would ask to sleep in Jamie’s room. The cot would cram the room, which would make it challenging to reach Jamie. “He can handle medical emergencies,” Jolt argues, “though I think Jamie won’t decline. Show him the medication we’ve been giving her, just in case.” Her blood pressure is low, but I don’t think it’ll drop to a critical level. Drift believes. Still, I need to be by her. Crosshairs says nothing. He’ll sleep in an exam room if he has to. An exam room wouldn’t be used in the middle of the night compared to the ICU room next door. He hopes this will help Drift get some sleep. “Now, will you two please go relax?” Optimus asks Crosshairs and Drift. “Come on we’ll come back in three hours after dinner,” Crosshairs says and gets Drift to go with him “I’m not lying to them,” Ratchet says once the two are far down the hall. “I know you wouldn’t as much as you hate giving them bad news,” Optimus tells him, “I hope we can end this. Even if it’s been three years since the last time soldiers attacked her, this is fragged up.” Optimus sits by Jamie’s bed. The medics go back to their offices and Rung leaves the medbay. Hoping to check on Crosshairs and Drift.

Crosshairs and Drift return to the medbay at eight. By now Drift is exhausted. He's hesitant to sleep because he fears being awoken by an alarm alerting a medical emergency. 

Ratchet does the last check on Jamie of the night. Drift sees her blood pressure is going up. “One more infusion should be enough,” Ratchet tells him, “her levels are normal, and she doesn’t need another blood transfusion. You don’t have to worry about an emergency.” Ratchet cleans up the supplies and leaves the room. Crosshairs sits on the chair, watching Drift as he kisses Jamie and lies on the cot. Even while he’s looking at Drift’s back, Crosshairs can tell when Drift is asleep. He worries about Drift’s mental health even with the good news the two got today.  Drift is asleep in under five minutes. Crosshairs stays for a few minutes before going to an exam room to sleep. Hoping Drift will do better while they wait for Jamie to wake up.

Crosshairs wakes up, hyperventilating. The sun shines through the window. Crosshairs’ phone says it’s six in the morning. He sits on the edge of the exam table, questioning why he had a nightmare about losing Jamie even after the good news yesterday. This has him worried about Drift. He goes to Jamie’s room.

Crosshairs stands in the doorway, seeing Drift still asleep. He sees Jamie’s vitals aren’t critical. This has him more confused about the nightmare he had. I hope they’ll both do better today. Crosshairs thinks as he continues to look into the room at his friends.

“What happened?” Jasmine asks. “I…”

Jasmine leads Crosshairs into her office. “You ok?” “I don’t know why I had a terrifying nightmare,” Crosshairs tells her, “I don’t know if it’s a glimpse into the future or random. Jasmine doesn’t have to ask for details to know how his nightmare frightened him. Delayed response, as always. Jasmine suspects. Either he couldn’t continue to act ok, or the fear of losing Jamie resulted in the nightmare, even with the good news yesterday. “She’ll be ok,” Jasmine assures him. Crosshairs goes with her back to the room.

Crosshairs sits on the chair as Jasmine checks on Jamie. “Her blood pressure is normal,” Jasmine tells him, “all other vitals are normal. I think she’s done needing blood work. I’ll test her blood.” Crosshairs realizes Jasmine has a vial of blood in her hand. He didn’t see Jasmine get supplies to draw blood. Jasmine looks at Drift before leaving. Happy he’s getting some sleep.

“Everything is good,” Jasmine tells Ratchet as she hands him the paper with the blood work results, “her blood pressure is normal. Would be great if this could tell us when she’ll wake up.” “I know. Could be in the next twenty-four hours or a couple of days.” “Crosshairs had a nightmare about Jamie even after the good news yesterday. I don’t think either of them will be ok hearing it could be two days. I worry about the three of them when she wakes up.” “What a fragging disaster. So glad severe flare-ups are under control. They wouldn't be able to handle those flare-ups happening frequently like they happened the first few years after Vegeta poisoned Jamie. “I don’t think anyone could. The fear she could die.” Ratchet sees Drift still asleep and Crosshairs sitting on the chair by Jamie’s bed. At least Drift is getting good sleep. Ratchet thinks. Hopefully Crosshairs doesn’t deal with any more nightmares.

Crosshairs ends up falling asleep for three hours. With a stiff neck, he looks at Drift. He’s getting good sleep. Crosshairs thinks. After not sleeping well the past two days and I know he’s been tiring quickly with how anxious he’s been. “You have to stop sleeping like that,” he hears Ratchet before realizing the mech is standing next to him, “you want to feed her? I was waiting for you to move, but it’s already ten.” “I’ll take care of her.” Ratchet hands Crosshairs the supplies and leaves the room.

Before Crosshairs can do anything, he watches Drift move on the cot under the blanket. He waits a few minutes. Watching Drift slowly wake up. He smiles as Drift looks at him, hoping Drift will not worry that something is wrong. Crosshairs tells him what he was about to do and lets Drift feed Jamie. The two stand by the bed, hoping Jamie will wake up. Worried about after she wakes up as they look at her arms. They are certain she has wounds on her legs and abdomen and worry there are wounds on her chest. Both are afraid to see if any wounds are close to where the heart is. To see how close the soldiers were to killing her.  “Crosshairs?” Drift asks, not liking how Crosshairs is looking, “frag.” Drift stops pushing down on the syringe pump and puts it on the bed. He guides Crosshairs onto the floor. Worried about how Crosshairs seems unaware. They were close to killing her. Crosshairs thinks, remembering his nightmare. Crosshairs blinks as he looks at Drift, seeing how worried he is. Which worries him. He questions if he passed out. “Crosshairs? Are you ok?” Crosshairs hates how worried Drift is. While Drift suspects Crosshairs acting like he’s ok is backfiring on him. He leans on Drift while the mech hugs him. Drift doesn’t know what to say. This situation is hard for both of them and many others. “Shit, do I need to get a medic?” A familiar voice asks, “should I leave?” The soldier that got Jamie to the medbay stands in the doorway. “No, it’s ok. He’ll be fine.” Drift thought Crosshairs would get up by now. The soldier sits on the chair in the corner, concerned about Crosshairs.

It’s a few minutes before Crosshairs lets Drift get up to finish feeding Jamie. “She’s doing much better,” Drift tells the soldier as he cleans up the supplies, “it’s a waiting game for her to wake up. Then I don’t know. I worry about her seeing all the stitched wounds.” “Are you two ok?” The soldier asks, “I know it sounds like a stupid question.” “I can’t believe there are still soldiers who want to physically attack her,” Drift replies, “mentally is disgusting and Sunstreaker has been trying to warn the soldiers to leave Jamie and Lily alone,” Crosshairs nods to say this is how he feels, “are you ok? You found her.” “I knew she was bleeding heavily, but I didn’t think it resulted from being stabbed and cut many times. It was clear if I found her two minutes later, she would have been in more serious trouble.” The three leave the room and go to the cafeteria.

(skipping parts of the story)

“You’re awake,” Drift smiles, though Jamie is barely conscious. He knows she won’t be able to stay awake for long. He sits by the bed and takes her hand as she watches him. Another way Drift knows Jamie is barely conscious is the lack of wanting the breathing tube out, “you’ll be ok.” Jamie blinks, unable to stay awake, “go to sleep.” Drift kisses Jamie’s forehead. He sits back on the chair and watches Jamie fall asleep. He feels a hand on his shoulder. Crosshairs stands behind him, smiling. “I told you she’d be out of it,” Crosshairs says, “she’ll be ok. Come on, let’s go tell Ratchet.”

The three medics are in Ratchet’s office. They’re all happy to hear Jamie woke up. They knew she’d be back asleep. “I’m going to wait until she wakes up to remove the breathing tube,” Ratchet tells them. “I’m not looking forward to her finding out about all the wounds,” Jasmine says, looking at Crosshairs and Drift. Ratchet sighs, “you guys know why I’ve been waiting to let you two see the rest of her injuries. It’s best to see how before she’s alert. I kept her only in her underwear and bra. She can wear clothes.” The five go into the ICU room.

End of the snippet. I hope you enjoyed it. The full story will be posted here, A03, FFN & Wattpad hopefully soon.

[windfighter]

Catching Thunder

Prompt: Electrocution

-----

Junpei stared at the broken cable. The papers nearby would catch fire if he didn’t unplug it soon. The electricity in it was excited, loud, sparkling. He reached his fingers towards the exposed line. It had been so long since he held thunder, carried it in his hand like a sledge.

Intoxicating. Invigorating. Making him alive in a way he had never been.

He took a shaky breath. The electricity called out to him. Smoke rose from the scrap of papers next to the cable. He should… unplug it. Before the house caught on fire.

His father would get so angry at him.

Junpei’s hand clenched around the cable, the exposed wiring. Electricity yelled in his ears, screeched with the power of a thousand suns. Junpei’s body tensed up, the electrons danced through his nervous system. His muscles twitched, cramped. He listened to his heart, waited for it to stop. Electricity sparked at his fingertips. He couldn’t breathe. The lights flickered around him.

And then… quiet. Darkness fell.

Junpei’s hand let go of the cable, he fell to his knees, hands to the floor. He could breathe again. He stared at his hands. Electricity flashed over them. He fell back, turned his hands over. There was a small scorch mark on his hand. He pressed it against the floor, could feel all the electricity gather in him, charging up.

Junpei released it.

The papers caught on fire. The floor started burning. The curtains… Junpei’s eyes widened and he stood up, grabbed the fire extinguisher.

His father would be furious when he came home.

[herzblutballade]

Whumpuary Day 3: Hypothermia

Language: English Genre: an attempt at whump I guess Character: my OC Calren (+ a mention of Soph's OC Amilía)

CN: hypothermia induced by being outside in cold weather for too long, including, among other symptoms, confusion, poor judgement, disorientation and memory issues; mentions of kidnapping, captivity, murder, death

Author's Note: Sooo I decided to unprivate this blog for now bc I wrote something for @whumpuary 2023 and thought, what fun is a challenge if I don't even share my stuff with the community? So yeah. Here's a random thing about a random OC of mine nobody on here knows anything about. (For context: In this, the guy just escaped his kidnapper who held him captive for several months, and is now trying to find his way to his ex's house.) There's technically a part 2 to this, pls bear with me, I'll try to get it up soon! Enjoy I guess 🤙

***

Calren has been walking for too long.

He comes to a halt at a junction, leans against the wet outer wall of a nearby house. Through the pitch black night and the dazzling white snow storm that is haunting the city, he can't quite tell where he is.

Maybe he shouldn't have run away in weather like this. Maybe he should have waited until spring, only a few more months — but now that Amilía has her beloved back, would she even have let him live? Would she have kept him until the frost thawed and the leaves turned green again and he got his chance at freedom, or would she have disposed of him once she didn’t need him anymore to fill the void in her heart, unwilling to leave a victim — a witness — alive?

In his heart, he knows the answer, and it’s exactly what brought him here, wherever here is.

He has a feeling he wanted to go somewhere, some place he could find shelter, but he has been walking through the cold for so long he can't remember where that was. Even if he could, his sense of direction is long gone, the familiar paths of the city he thought he remembered so well replaced by one iced-over street after another, lined by houses drowning so deep in snow they’re barely recognisable, definitely no help to anyone trying to find their way.

Does it even matter where he is? At least the shivering has stopped, now that he's resting, and, weirdly, he doesn't feel as cold anymore; he just feels tired, endlessly tired, like there's this deep exhaustion that has settled into his bones and won't let him go any further.

Maybe he won't freeze to death, after all. Maybe he just needs to rest.

Calren vaguely knows that he shouldn’t stay here for too long, should keep on moving, should go somewhere safe instead of resting. But it’s surprisingly peaceful here, all things considered; he can’t resist closing his eyes, and the knowledge seems to slip from his mind as he lets his head fall back against the wall he’s leaning on.

Maybe the storm will cease so the winter sun can wake him in the morning, and when he feels a bit better, a bit less drained and confused, he can go to that safe place he can't for the life of him picture in his mind right now.

[serickswrites]

Wake Me Up

Warnings: referenced captivity, referenced sensory deprivation, nightmares, hurt/comfort, hurt/aftermath, hurt/recovery, caretaker and whumpee

Whumpee shouted their terror to the silent, dark room. Shouted and raged trying to get Whumper to come back. But Whumpee couldn’t hear if Whumper heard them. Couldn’t even hear themself. Whumper had put noise cancelling headphones on their head and covered their eyes so completely. Their world was dark and silent.

Their heart pounded as they tried to shake the head phones off their head. Tried to shake the blindfold off. But they couldn’t. They were trapped in the quiet dark. Completely and utterly alone.

This terrified them. But there was nothing they could do to escape. They opened their mouth to scream once more as a hand came on their shoulder.

“Whumpee, Whumpee, Whumpee it’s ok. You’re ok,” Caretaker’s soothing voice came from their left.

Whumpee’s heart was in their throat as they blinked their eyes open. They were home. In bed. They were safe. Whumper didn’t have them anymore. “Sorry. Sorry. I just…” their voice trailed off as they took a deep breath and tried not to cry.

“It’s ok. It’s ok. I’ve got you,” Caretaker said as they wrapped their arms around Whumpee. “I’ve got you.”

[alpaca-clouds]

Whumpuary 14: Sleepless

Prompts: Breakdown, Sleep Deprivation

The second to last story for @whumpuary and now we are finally going back to Astarion/Tav in the post-canon stuff.

Sleepless

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3 Ship: Astarion/Tav Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Once more, Astarion wakes from a nightmare. Once more, Tav is there to care for him.

[lokiswife-dark-fox-queen]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43981864/chapters/110704156

@vbecker10 @gigglingtigger

[cuddles-with-dragons]

here

a fucking nother one

trying to do this and I think it's working out

[fanfictasia]

Whumpuary Prompt 3

Hypothermia  

Spoiler: This is an excerpt from Leap of Faith

It’s another half hour before he notices the slight tremors running through her body, and he resists the urge to sigh. Probably, he shouldn’t be surprised that she’s remaining silent about her obvious discomfort – after her stressful situation, not to mention the injuries, it’s no wonder that she’s cold – but still, he would have thought that she knew better.

He rises silently, startling her into looking up, but he’s already leaving the cockpit for the main hold. It’s easy to find what he’s looking for – the shuttle has emergency supplies, obviously, and it includes a blanket, so he gets that, and some water for her before returning. He tucks the blanket around her, handing her the water, and she looks up at him, surprised.

“Thank you,” she says, almost shyly, taking the water and pulling the blanket closer.

“You should have said something,” Crosshair tells her, staring out the viewport again, at the swirling colors of hyperspace, “If you were cold.” And yes, he is very aware that he’s being a little hypocritical. After all, he has always tended to ignore his injuries, if possible, since he dislikes being fussed over. Tech usually managed to figure it out anyways, and then –

He cuts off the thought abruptly. There’s no use thinking about them.

From the corner of his eye, he sees the way the kid’s cheeks flush a light pink as she twists the edge of the blanket in her fingers. “It was nothing,” she insists.

Crosshair could argue that, but he only huffs instead. “Sure.” He knows how disbelieving he sounds, but really, it’s not his place to take care of her. He’s only keeping her safe until he sends her back to – to them. They can deal with her, if she’s as self-sacrificing as they are. He’s not her parent.

(A tiny voice instead of him snidely points out that he is, in fact, doing a lot more than “just” keeping her safe, that he’s taking care of her the way they probably do, but he shuts it up.)

[whumpuary]

Welcome to Whumpuary 2024!

Whumpuary is a whump themed mixed-media creation event/challenge taking place in January.

This year the prompts came together through a community submission form and then a poll, where I picked the 53 most voted prompts! There are 15 numbers with 3 prompts each, plus 8 alt prompts. The dates are just meant to be a general guideline for those who want/need some structure in a challenge (e.g post every other day), but you don't actually have to create/post on those dates. You can combine prompts any way you want or just pick one of each number, do every single one or even all of them combined into one big creation (or just use one single prompt. That's already an achievement!) If you don't like any prompts of a number you can also replace or combine them with an alt prompt. The main or alt prompts don't have to be done in order.

Go here for more information, rules and the tagging system Go here for FAQs

The inbox is open for any questions!

Text version of all the prompts is under the cut

Whumpuary 2024 Main Prompts 1. (Jan 01-02) Captivity / Snow / Secret Revealed 2. (Jan 03-04) "Get away from me" / Collapse / Choking 3. (Jan 05-06) Used as bait / Stumbling / "This is gonna hurt" 4. (Jan 07-08) "Help me" / Lightheaded / Kneeling 5. (Jan 09-10) Can't move / "Stay. Please" / Kidnapped 6. (Jan 11-12) Exhaustion / Blindfolded / Old Injuries 7. (Jan 13-14) "I didn't know where else to go" / Bruises / Drugged 8. (Jan 15-16) Muffled Screams / Hostage / "You look awful" 9. (Jan 17-18) "Make it stop" / Restraints / Hair Grabbing 10. (Jan 19-20) Desperation / Gunpoint / Can't stay awake 11. (Jan 21-22) Blood / "Just get is over with" / Memories 12. (Jan 23-24) "You're awake" / Rescue / Unfair Fight 13. (Jan 25-26) Left to die / Barely Conscious / "I'm Fine" 14. (Jan 27-28) Flinching / Breakdown / Sleep Deprivation 15. (Jan 29-31) You're safe / Aftermath / Touch starved

Alt Prompts 1. Stabbed 2. "Let me see" 3. Recapture 4. Forced to watch 5. Headache 6. Gagged 7. "Do you trust me?" 8. Blood Loss