this year's prompts were sourced through an open suggestion form, where over 6,000 prompts were submitted. after, the best 100 prompts were voted on in a poll which received 6,265 votes. the top 28 were rearranged into the 28 prompts of febuwhump - with the most voted prompt in the number 1 position ("I like you better broken", 1,959 votes) - while the alternate prompts were selected from the mod's personal favourites of the remaining options.
this is such a great list of prompts, and i'm so excited to see what creativity they spark with you!
if you're interested in taking part in all the facets of febuwhump, then check out the expected timeline for this year's event! pay special attention to march 6-8, after febuwhump, in which everyone is encouraged to comment on as many febuwhump works as possible to ensure that everyone leaves this event with encouraging feedback on their creations!
as always, please check the faq or scroll through the previously asked questions before asking questions. i know the faq is short, but it really does answer just about any questions you have. when in doubt, assume the answer is that you can do literally anything you want.
please note: notifying the blog of completionist status will happen through a google form released towards the end of febuwhump, and if you are interested in joining the febuwhmp discord server, the link will be available to do so for one week during january.
full write-up of prompts and rules under the cut:
FEBUWHUMP 2026 PROMPTS:
DAY 1: "I like you better broken"
DAY 2: old injury
DAY 3: ghost
DAY 4: blood stains
DAY 5: survivor
DAY 6: soul bond
DAY 7: forced to hurt another
DAY 8: hunger
DAY 9: false memory
DAY 10: god complex
DAY 11: broken fingers
DAY 12: bodyguard
DAY 13: "again"
DAY 14: hanahaki disease
DAY 15: test subject
DAY 16: touch aversion
DAY 17: fingers in the wound
DAY 18: time loop
DAY 19: "I didn't mean to"
DAY 20: hunted
DAY 21: flashbacks
DAY 22: worse than death
DAY 23: kintsugi
DAY 24: head injury
DAY 25: medical restraints
DAY 26: time travel
DAY 27: "can you stay?"
DAY 28: breaking point
ALTERNATE PROMPTS:
ALT 1: environmental whump
ALT 2: pregnancy
ALT 3: alternate universe
ALT 4: lazarus
ALT 5: auction
ALT 6: live broadcast
ALT 7: the devil you know
ALT 8: child soldier
ALT 9: you would have loved this
ALT 10: flu
RULES
soft rules:
prompts should be answered in the form of whump
creators can produce any kind of media they want
you don't have to complete all the prompts to take part
you can use the prompts after the event ends
you can complete the prompts in tandem with any other event
you can post to any platform you want, however this blog will only be sharing links and prompt fills posted to tumblr
if you want to be featured on the hall of fame, you must inform this blog by the 3rd of march that you have completed all of the days using the provided form
if you have questions, consult the faq before asking
hard rules:
to be a completionist, you must complete all 28 prompts, in order, in whatever medium you want, before the end of the event
(specifically for being featured on the blog)
when uploading febuwhump content to tumblr, please use the tags:
febuwhump (or febuwhump2026)
the relevant day's tag e.g. febuwhumpday1, febuwhumpday2...
nsfw (if relevant)
any important trigger warnings
you can also tag the blog: @febuwhump
I cannot guarantee your work will be archived on the blog. a random selection of properly tagged works will be reblogged every day of february
He couldn’t breathe. It hurt. His chest burned. Something was squeezing his lungs. He was back in that unmovable sludge. Hands gripped his wrists. Maybe it wasn’t hands, he couldn’t be sure.
Everything was off.
The air was thick. Movement felt slow and difficult. The sounds around were the wrong tone, wrong pitch.
He started coughing. The sound was muted, numbed down. What was going on? He couldn’t hear anything else either.
The coughing ripped through his throat. It felt like his blood was on fire. Was it possible for his blood to burn? Maybe in this distorted place it was possible. He tried to curl up, but couldn’t move.
Laughter echoed around him.
He tried to open his eyes. Was he still in one of the cells? One of those small, bare-walled cells, with scratches he made trying to claw his way out.
“Open your eyes,” a voice said.
He turned his head away.
No. no. no.
“If you don’t do it, I will do it for you,” the voice said, “And you will not enjoy that.”
Clenching his jaw against the pain, he opened his eyes. Light stung his eyes. It hurt. He couldn’t see anything as his eyes watered. A whimper escaped his throat, and he closed his eyes again.
Why?
What was going on?
Couldn’t they leave him alone?
Breathing hurt. He couldn’t get his mind to focus on anything around him. They wanted him to open his eyes after keeping him in the dark for so long?
It hurts.
Pain tore through his face. His head snapped to the side.
It took his mind a few seconds to register what had just happened. Someone hit him. No, it was a punch. He could taste blood.
“I said,” the voice hissed in his ear, “Open. Your. Eyes!”
He shook his head as much as he could. Fear rose in his chest. His heart hammered against his chest. Panic joined the fear.
If he did not do what they said, they were going to torture him again. He didn’t have the strength for it anymore. They were breaking him.
Slowly, he forced his eyes open.
Immediately, the pain started again. The light stung. His eyes watered. He could barely make anything out around him. It took a few minutes for his vision to clear.
All he could make out were the white walls all around. Shadowy figures moved around him, disappearing and reappearing.
This was not his cell.
How did he get here? When did he get here?
They weren’t finished with him. He’s already been losing so much time. The last time he’d been in a place like this, all he knew was the burning pain running through his body. Time disappeared back then as well.
“Are you with us again?” the voice asked.
He tried to find the owner of the voice, but his vision kept slipping.
“-no-,” he whispered, voice barely audible.
They wanted him to help them again. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t help them. Not with what they wanted. What they wanted, he had to keep out of their hands at all costs. Nothing they’ve done so far would make him help them.
“Well- that’s too bad,” the voice said, “You know this wouldn’t be easy,”
He closed his eyes and turned his head away.
“Screw you,” he gasped through the pain that pulsed in his body.
“That is not very nice of you,” the voice said, “Looks like we will have to start all over again.”
The voice faded as if the person was moving away.
Terror rose in his chest. They were going to torture him again.
No.
No.
NO!
He couldn’t do this again. Each breath he took tore through his chest. It hurt. He wouldn’t last if this kept on going.
His own body was betraying him.
A hand grabbed his hair, forcing his head back. A figure appeared in his field of vision. He couldn’t make out a face, but an immediate wave of cold panic rushed through him. Something got pressed over his mouth. His eyes opened wide.
A sharp taste filled his mouth, causing nausea to rise in the back of his throat. Everything around him snapped into sharp focus. He could make out every detail of everything around him.
Hair came into his field of vision, close to his ear.
“This is going to be a lot of fun,” the voice whispered, “I am going to enjoy breaking you.”
There was a pinch, and a burning started through his veins.
He wanted to scream.
There came no sound. His voice did not want to work. Everything around him started to fade back into the strangeness.
Something warm ran down his arm. Pain radiated from his arm, before moving to his chest, then his shoulders, then to his legs.
The world around him shifted. He couldn’t move. The voice changed. It’s moved, became distorted, the pitch changing each second. It merged with a dripping sound. He could have sworn he could taste the sound. It was thick and coppery. The taste made him feel nauseated.
Everything around him started to fade. The white room faded into a distorted mess of forms and barely visible colours. His chest hurt.
Breathing hurt.
Each breath made him feel like he had run a marathon.
He couldn’t focus, letting himself fade into nothingness. The messed-up world of distorted figures and forms disappeared.
Pain tore him back to consciousness.
Voices screamed at him without words.
Ice-cold drenched him to the bone. He screamed. Was it him, or was it just his imagination? He wasn’t sure anymore. Something touched his arm.
It burned.
He tried to open his eyes, but his vision refused to focus.
The hands roughly pulled him up, forcing him somewhere else. As he moved, the world twisted. His balance disappeared. Only the hands on his arms kept him up. He struggled against the hands.
Faces appeared in front of him. Cruel laughter echoed through his mind. Each breath came in increasingly more desperate gasps.
Pain exploded from his fingers. He swore he could see the pain in harsh lines and cracks in front of him. It followed after fire burning beneath his nails.
Were they pushing heated needles under his nails?
He screamed.
The sound echoed through his head.
Something grabbed him, pushing him back. Only then did he realise that he started struggling to get away from the pain.
A voice whispered through his mind.
He couldn’t figure out what was being said, but he could only guess.
The pain started again. He let himself fade away from the pain. There’s no way that he’ll give in to what they want.
***
Ash’s eyes snapped. With a gasp, he shot up from the bed. He gripped his arms tightly.
There was no pain in his arms.
Slowly, he curled up into himself. One hand clutching at his chest. His heart hammered painfully against his ribs. He couldn’t breathe. It hurt too much. The darkness of the room pressed down on him, trapping him in the nightmare.
With shaking hands, he reached for the lamp next to his bed, turning it on.
A warm light filled the room.
Now he could breathe again.
Slowly, he threw the blankets off, moving to sit on the side of the bed. He was not going to be able to sleep again tonight. Glancing at the alarm clock, he let out a sigh.
He hadn’t been getting much sleep the last few days.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled his hands through his damp and sweaty hair. The pain in his chest dimmed as his heartbeat slowed down.
Cussing at himself, he pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes, trying to rub away the phantom images behind his eyes. They kept flashing through his mind, following him everywhere he went.
Taking another deep breath, he waited until most of the ghosts disappeared. He dropped his hands to his sides, staring at the floor for a second.
The room turned as he got up from the bed. He stumbled slightly, catching himself on the wall. His entire body trembled. The weakness in his body frustrated him to no end. How was he supposed to recover if he could barely get sleep and had no strength?
Clenching his jaw, he got dressed and made his way towards the mansion’s private gym.
He could at least get some exercise in, since he was already awake. There was nothing else for him to do at this time of night. Maybe when he’s done, he’ll go to campus to get something to drink. He did not want to stay at the mansion for longer than necessary.
***
Ash shivered as he stepped out of the class. He barely managed to pay attention to any of the new material. It’s been a fight through all three classes he has had so far.
With a sigh, he pulled his hoodie over his head, heading towards the cafe.
The course he’s in was interesting enough. According to everyone, it would be better for him to have a degree after his name, to get some qualification. Not that he cared all that much.
The cafe was quiet when Ash stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Glancing around, he walked to one of the tables at the back, dropped his bag next to it, then sat down. Exhaustion rushed through him. With a groan, he dropped his head into his hands, closing his eyes.
A few phantoms danced on the back of his eyelids. A throbbing pain pulsed behind his eyes, making it hard to focus on anything. The nightmares probably wouldn’t let him get much sleep until he figured out what was going.
“Can I get you anything?” a voice asked next to him.
Ash flinched slightly before lifting his head.
“Right,” he muttered, giving her a slight smile, “Just a large filter coffee.”
The waitress smiled and nodded. “I’ll bring it to you right away”
Ash nodded, turned his head so he could look out the window. His vision went out of focus as he drifted off to sleep. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to fall asleep here, because if the nightmares start, he’ll cause trouble.
The waitress placed the coffee next to him, as the bell above the door rang.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two people stepping into the cafe. Ignoring them, he turned back to staring mindlessly out of the window.
“Come on, Ella-,” a man’s voice said, immediately making Ash feel annoyed, “It’s not that serious. Why do you have to be stubborn about this?”
“Really?” Ella’s voice said, “Why do you keep on following me everywhere? I’ve already told you no, why can’t you get it through your thick skull?”
Oh, Ella and her not-boyfriend, Zyran.
Ash tilted his head, blinking as he looked over at Ella and Zyran. It was probably the wrong thing to do, but he was curious about what was going on.
“Ella-,” Zynar started again.
This time, Eloise narrowed her eyes at him, lifting a hand to stop him from continuing.
“Don’t even start,” she snapped, “I don’t want to hear it, got that?”
Ash frowned. Slowly, he got to his feet. Neither of the two had noticed him yet. So he walked over to them, making sure not to get too close.
“Ella, don’t be like this,” Zynar said, “You are being unreasonable...”
Eloise’s eye twitched as she glared at him. Her hands balled into fists, and for a second, Ash entertained the idea of letting her punch him. Then again, that wouldn’t be a good thing for her.
“I am not being unreasonable,” Eloise snapped, jabbing Zynar’s chest with a finger, “You. Are. Being. Annoying. Now stop following me everywhere. I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Can’t we just talk and sort out this misunderstanding?” Zynar asked, catching her wrist so she would stop poking him.
Ash leaned against the counter. Zynar just made the wrong move, but this was a very amusing conversation.
Eloise roughly pulled her wrist out of his grip, stepped back and crossed her arms.
“I’ve already sorted this out, Zynar,” she said coldly, “So you need to back off and leave me alone. I have work I need to do, and you are bothering me”
Zynar stepped back, glaring at her.
“Fine,” he said, “But this is not over. We will talk about it again.”
Eloise crossed her arms. “I don’t think so,” she said.
“We’ll see about that,” Zynar said, turning around and coming face to face with Ash, who stood a few steps behind him, leaning on the counter.
Ash smiled sweetly at him. Immediately, he saw Zynar’s face turning red with anger. Which made things all the more amusing. Zynar glared at Ash for a moment before marching out of the cafe.
Breathing out, Ash turned to the waitress. “Just a cheese and tomato toasted,” he said.
Eloise blinked as she noticed Ash as well, walking over to him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Good Morning to you as well, Ella,” Ash said as he turned towards her.
Eloise smiled, rolling her eyes at him.
“Good morning, Ash,” she said, “What are you doing here?”
Ash smiled slightly, motioning towards the table he sat at. “Getting coffee and it seems a sandwich,” he said, “Come on, let’s sit down unless you want to sit in silence.”
Eloise nodded. “If you don’t mind,” she said, following him to the table. Ash took his seat, picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. At least the coffee was still warm. It should help to keep him awake.
“Can I get you anything?” the waitress asked, placing the sandwich in front of Ash.
“A Ceylon blond tea with cold milk,” Eloise said with a nod.
The waitress smiled before leaving them alone.
Ash sipped his coffee again before picking up his sandwich, slowly eating one of the pieces.
Eloise frowned as she studied him. He seemed paler than the day before.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Ash blinked at her. “I should be the one asking you that,” he said, “And don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”
“Point to the new guy,” she said, “Sorry, I did not want to pry, I was just a bit curious.”
“Curiocity killed the cat,” Ash said.
“But satisfaction brought it back,” Eloise continued for him.
“Toche,” Ash said and continued eating his sandwich.
“Alright, I’m just making sure you’re handling the new workload,” Eloise said.
Ash nodded. “I’m fine. As long as I have my coffee and sandwich,” he said.
“Of course,” Eloise said, shaking her head, “The number you gave me yesterday-”
“Yes,” Ash said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow, “That’s my personal number, I promise it’s not some kind of scam number.”
Eloise laughed, shaking her head. “Personal number?” she asked, “Do you have any others I need to be aware of?”
Ash shrugged. “Can’t say, we just met yesterday,”
Before Eloise could say anything, the waitress placed her cup of tea on the table.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” the girl asked.
Eloise looked over at Ash, but he shook his head.
“No, we’re fine for now, thank you,” she said.
The girl nodded and left them.
Ash picked up his coffee again, holding the cup in both hands. “They make the best coffee,” he muttered.
“Coffee enthusiast?” Eloise asked, watching him with an amused expression.
“Pretty much,” Ash said, sipping his coffee with a satisfied look.
“Mind if I ask about the probability of you having more numbers?” Eloise asked.
“Nope, not discussing that,” Ash said.
“A bit too personal?”
“For strangers? Absolutely.”
Eloise nodded and picked up her cup. “Fain enough,” she said, “I can go with that,”
“Anything else you want to ask about?” Ash asked.
“Yes, but none you’ll answer at the moment,” Eloise said, “So I’ll just sit here and annoy you if possible.”
Ash chuckled. “That I don’t have a problem with,”
“Great.” Eloise put her cup down and pulled out her phone. “Let me give you a call so you have my number as well.”
***
Exhausted Ash closed the mansion doors behind him. At least everything was quiet today. Breathing out, he leaned back against the door.
It surprised him that he even managed to reach the mansion without falling asleep. He was thankful that he did not crash the bike.
Gathering the courage to keep going, Ash pushed himself away. It didn’t sound like anyone was home yet, which was good. He did not have the energy to deal with his father or stepmother at the moment. Just thinking about it drained his energy.
With a sigh, he walked to the kitchen. Not even the kitchen staff were here; it seemed like they let everyone go after the party cleanup. Meaning that all the leftover food from the party should be in the fridge.
And he was starving.
As he reached out to the fridge door, a note caught his eye.
“Oh no-,” he groaned.
He was in trouble again. Mica’s ballet rehearsal was today. And he missed it. She was going to be so mad at him when she got back. Since he missed it, Allison probably took Mica.
With a groan, he opened the fridge and took out some of the leftovers. While heating the leftovers, he took out a bottle of water, staring off into space as he waited.
Only when the microwave beeped did he take a sip of water while taking out the food. He leaned against the counter, blowing on the food.
When the doorbell rang, he considered leaving it and just kept on eating. He did not want to deal with whoever thought it was a good idea to come here.
The doorbell rang again. Then it was followed by knocking.
Ash groaned and walked towards the door. He glanced through the peephole and sighed, taking a bite of his food. Now he was really considering not opening up.
The knocking made him flinch, and he opened the door. He stared at the guy on the other side.
“Stop knocking, would you?” he snapped, ready to strangle the guy.
The guy grinned.
“Well, now. It’s great to see you as well, Asher,” he said, not bothered at all by Ash’s attitude, “Why yes, I would love to come in.”
“Fine, come on in,” Ash said, stepping back, “While explaining what you’re doing here, Sam.”
Sam grinned as he stepped inside. “I came to see how you’re doing,” he said, “Since you haven’t contacted anyone to give us an update. Oh, and Nicky said to remind you, we miss you.”
Ash closed the door and motioned for Sam to follow him as he continued eating.
“You can tell Nicky I don’t miss him,” he said, sitting down, “Now stop lying to me and be honest about why you’re here.”
Sam sat back, smiling slightly. “We got a few days off-,” he started before shaking his head, “Two weeks to exact.”
“That still doesn’t tell me why you are here. At my house. Exactly when I got home.” Ash said, narrowing his eyes at Sam.
“I know, I’m just that good,” Sam said, “Fair warning. The others will arrive in town tomorrow, so don’t be surprised if they show up here.”
“No.”
“They want to see you as well.”
“No.” Ash repeated, “Tell them not to show up, please?”
Sam sighed. “I’m sorry man, you know they don’t listen to me,” he said, “There’s not much I can do to stop them. They only listen to Steve and Arno.”
Ash sighed and nodded. “I know, it was worth a try,” he said.
“Are you doing alright?” Sam asked, leaning forward. His brows furrowed together with worry.
Ash looked away, focusing on his food.
“You need to talk if something is wrong,” Sam said.
“I’m okay,” Ash said, “Just getting used to everything.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll take your word for it,” he said, “You’re adjusting to your classes?”
“Good,” Sam said, “You look better than when you left.”
Ash looked away.
“Take care of yourself, Ash,” Sam said, sitting forward a bit, “And stop worrying about everyone else.”
“Why didn’t you guys go home?” Ash asked, steering the conversation back to what he wanted to know.
“I told you, we’re on a break,” Sam said with a sigh, “Everyone wanted to come make sure you’re alright. Like I said, you didn’t contact anyone, so we got worried.”
Ash shook his head. That still wasn’t the answer he wanted. “Why are you so worried, it’s not like I’m in danger or anything. I’m at home.”
“With you, it’s not a sure thing,” Sam chuckled, before his expression became serious, “After everything that happened, did you really think that if you don’t contact us, we won’t be worried? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Ash looked down at the floor.
“I-,” he started, but just shook his head, “I need some time, alright?”
“I understand,” Sam said gently, “All I’m asking is for a ‘I’m doing fine’, every once in a while.”
“I understand,” Ash said.
Sam nodded and got up. “Let us know how it’s going,” he said, “You might be out, but we still worry about you.”
Ash got up as well. “You lot are idiots,” he said with a chuckle.
Sam smiled. “Take your time. Get settled and sort yourself out,” he said, “Don’t make us come check up on you again.”
“Please don’t,” Ash said, walking Sam to the door.
“You’re not getting out of this time’s check-up,” Sam said, “So now you know what to look forward to when you make us worry.”
“Next time, I’ll call the Commander,” Ash said.
Sam laughed, holding out a hand to Ash. “Take care,” he said, “We’ll see you later.”
Ash hesitated for a second before he reached out and shook Sam’s hand.
“I’ll do what I can,” he said.
***
Ash put his work back into his backpack before slumping onto his bed. Exhaustion left him too drained to do anything. As much as he cared about his old team, they drained him to no end at times.
Most of them were extroverted and refused to take no for an answer.
His eyes started closing as the exhaustion finally won, and he drifted off to sleep. A banging on his door woke him. Ash shot up from the bed, gasping. His eyes flickered around, as if searching for danger.
“We’re coming in,” Allison’s voice warned as the door opened.
A blur shot into the room and jumped onto the bed.
Ash blinked at the small figure before he smiled. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed, and he reached out to ruffle the girl’s black hair.
“Hey Mica,” he said gently, glancing at the door.
Allison smiled at him, leaning on the doorframe and mouthed, ‘You are in trouble.’
Mica was still wearing her ballet tutu. She pulled away from Ash, crossing her arms as she tried to angrily glare at her brother.
“You are a big meanie,” she said.
“A very big meanie,” Allison echoed from the door.
“I’m sorry, little Scorpion,” Ash said.
“You missed my show,” Mica said, “You promised to be there.”
“I know.” Ash said again, “But I’m really, really, super sorry.”
Mica narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you really?” she asked.
Ash nodded. “Yeah, I’m really, like in super sorry.”
Mica looked back at Allison as if to ask if she should believe him. Allison nodded, smiling at her, before winking at Ash.
Ash looked back at Mica. “So were you the best ballerina in the show?” he asked.
Mica nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I was the best ballerina there,” she said with a wide smile.
“That’s great,” Ash said, “Was it fun?”
Again, the girl nodded. “So much fun. There were lights and music, and we looked pretty,” she said, “But next time you have to see it too.”
Ash nodded. “I promise, I’ll be there next time,” he said.
“Don’t make promises that you cannot keep, Ash,” Allison said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Lizz,” Ash said, “But I don’t plan on missing anything else.”
Allison nodded. “Good, if you two are done chatting, I’m making pancakes,” she said.
***
Eloise groaned as she fell onto her bed, pulling the pillow over her face. This day only went from bad to worse. Thinking about it, she screamed into the pillow.
As if dealing with Zyran in the morning wasn’t enough, he kept coming back to harass her throughout the day. She’d never come as close to punching him as she did today.
Groaning, she threw the pillow aside.
“Next time, Imma punch his annoying face-,” she said, staring at the ceiling.
She did not have the energy to do her work for the next day. Grabbing a book from her bookshelf and reading something sounded much more enticing. She looked over at the bookshelf, already scanning through the books for one to read.
Knocking sounded from her bedroom door.
With a sigh, she sat up. “Come on in,” she said.
Luo peered into the room.
“You decent?” he asked, smirking at her.
Eloise pulled a face at him, considering throwing a pillow at him.
“What do you want, Luo?” she asked, crossing her arms.
Luo chuckled as he went to sit down on her bed as well. “Can’t I just come check up on my sweet darling little sister?” he asked.
Eloise stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t be annoying,” she said, “You crappy excuse for a human.”
“So what’s got you all scrunched up?” Luo asked.
“Zynar,” Eloise said, falling back again.
Luo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Your terrible ex-boyfriend,” he said, “Not all that surprising. I still don’t know what you saw in him. He’s a terrible human.”
Eloise rolled her eyes at him.
“Yes, thank you, I am well aware,” Eloise said, “I don’t even know what I saw in him. He’s horrible.”
“Yes, he is, and he cheated on you,” Lup said, patting her arm, “So what did he do this time?”
“He’s been getting more and more annoying since we broke up,” Eloise said, rubbing her hand over her face, “I almost punched him today.”
Luo laughed, “So no more kissy face for him?”
“I will punch you,” Eloise said, kicking at him, “You are a terrible human being.”
“Oh, so I’m the terrible human?” he said, pulling Eloise closer and starting to tickle her.
Eloise burst out laughing, squirming away from her brother, but he pinned her down and kept on tickling her.
“Let- l-let me- go-!” Eloise laughed, twisting to get away.
“Then apologise,” Luo chuckled.
“NEVER!” Eloise yelled between the laughter.
“Then die,” Luo said, “You brat.”
Eloise’s phone notifications went off. The sound distracted Luo for a second, and she slipped out of his grasp grabbing her phone.
“You look excited,” Luo said, studying his sister’s face, before leaning closer so he could also see, “Made a new friend?”
Eloise yelped, hiding her phone.
“Who said you could read my messages?” she snapped, eyes wide.
“Oh, come on-” Luo said, reaching for the phone.
“Hands off!” Eloise squealed, quickly holding the phone out of Luo’s reach, “Get out of my room, you stupid oaf.”
“Is it a guy?” Luo asked, grinning.
Eloise pulled a face at him, kicking him off the bed. “Get out!” she said, “before I call Dad!”
Luo laughed, jumping away so that Eloise couldn’t reach him again. “So it is a guy,” he said, “You got over Zyran quickly.”
“OUT!” Eloise yelled.
Luo grinned as he stepped out the door. “I knew it,” he said, before turning, “MOM! ELLA GOT A NEW BOYFRIEND!”
“You asshole,” Eloise squeaked, shot up from the bed and slammed the door closed. She could hear Luo laughing on the other side. Breathing out, she caught her reflection in the mirror.
No wonder Luo teased her. Her face was beet red. She groaned, rubbing her hands over her face. Shaking her head, she walked back to the bed, sitting down cross-legged. When she picked up the phone, she stared at the name on the screen.
She half expected it to be Zynar, but knew it wasn’t.
Asher.
Eloise stared at the name for a second longer before opening the message.
‘Sorry for bothering you, I only now realised that I took all the papers yesterday. So here is everything we did at the cafe. If we put everything together as we go, it will be a lot faster.’
Eloise stared at the message before shaking her head. He was very different from what she expected.
‘Thank you for sending it,’ she typed back, ‘And for the coffee this morning, you did not need to pay for everything.’
‘It looked like you needed a pick-me-up.’
Eloise laughed softly, not even realising that she was kicking her feet.
So, this one took forever to finish, but I'm still working on the revisions. The chapters will go slowly, but it's a finished story. Sorry if the chapters are a bit long. Anyone who wants to be tagged can just let me know. I hope you guys enjoy this one.
If I missed any tags or triggers please let me know
***
Darkness pressed down around him. It pulled him deeper under the surface.
A thick scent of iron and rust stung his nose. There was something sweet, but rotten, mixed in between. The choked him, as if he tried breathing underwater.
Terror made him stumble back. The darkness twisted and shifted, as if alive. He tried to get away from it, but couldn’t get his limbs to move.
Cold seeped through the thin material of his shirt. The rough wall dug into the skin of his back.
Thu-Dum...
He flinched at the sound.
Thu-Dum...
His heart beat thundered in his ears.
Thu-Dum...
They were coming back. He could have sworn he could hear them through the beating of his heart.
Thu-Dum...
One hand gripped the front of his shirt. Each breath came as a short, shallow gasp. It hurt to breathe. He couldn’t get his thoughts under control. The darkness moved and whimpered.
Three days?
Has it only been three days? No... it had to be longer. They wouldn’t let him sleep and barely gave him anything to eat.
His stomach cramped at the thought of food. He swallowed, realising his mouth was dry. The lingering taste of blood almost made him heave. He stared at the place where he thought the door would be. However, he wasn’t sure if he was looking straight ahead or to the side.
When he tried to stand, he moved through sludge. Each movement took twice as much effort as usual. If it weren’t for the wall behind him, he would have fallen.
Thu-Dum...
Footsteps echoed in the air, almost in rhythm with his heartbeat. His breath caught in his throat. The darkness moved, pressing him back against the wall. He couldn’t breathe. Panic clouded his thoughts.
Thu-Dum... Thu-Dum...
Sounds faded. They disappeared. The screams that constantly bombarded him went mute. A key turned in a lock. Pins and needles covered his body. The darkness shifted. A tunnel of light tore through the tiny cell. He tried to cover his eyes, but was unable to get his limbs moving through the thick sludge that was the darkness.
He didn’t have the strength to resist.
“...”
The words did not make any sense. His ears rang. Lights flickered and shifted.
“...today is going to be fun...” a figure in front of him said. The figure blurred and shifted.
Panic strangled him.
Laughter sounded up; it echoed through the darkness. He couldn’t make out what the person looked like, not that he needed to. He knew who it was, what they looked like.
“....please...” he whispered.
He could barely hear his own voice, but it sounded strange, broken and barely above a whisper.
Pain tore through his head. His cheek burned. The darkness threatened to take him over. Everything shifted. He could taste the copper - the metal filled his mouth. The ground gave way beneath his feet.
“...Are you going to do what we say now?”
The voice echoed through his mind. It twisted and shifted. The sound was like nails against a chalkboard in his mind.
No! He couldn’t do what they wanted. Never! No!
After all this time. Not that he could trust his own sense of time in this place. Maybe if he pushed them enough, they’d kill him. That would be a mercy.
His back slammed into a wall. The shadowed face leaned closer. He couldn’t breathe - something pressed against his chest. Everything around him pulled back, turning hazy and unfocused. Someone yelled in his face, but the sound came through as muffled, muted and unintelligible.
Pain flared up through his battered body. A hand grabbed his face. It burned. His eyes did not want to focus on the face in front of him.
“...You brat..” the voice snarled in his face.
He tried to move away, but did not have the strength.
The shadows shifted again.
“You will do what is asked of you,” the voice hissed.
Something glinted in the light. But every time he tried to focus on it, it disappeared. His chest hurt from his heart beating too fast.
“Let’s see how long you last....” The voice faded into nothing as his eyes finally managed to make out what the glint was.
A needle.
No! No! No!
Not that! He knew what it was. Why? Why did he know? He wasn’t sure, couldn’t remember. Frantically, he struggled to get away. But he was not in control of his body. The needle broke his skin. Pain spiderwebbed up his arm.
Screams echoed through the darkness, bouncing off the walls of the small cell. Laughter mixed in with the screams. The world around him faded, ripping his mind from where he was trapped.
***
Ash gasped as he shot up. His eyes frantically searched the room. Each breath hurt. He couldn’t take in enough air. One hand clutched his arm. Phantom pain still spiderwebbed through his veins. His nails dug into his skin as he scrambled back as far as the bed’s headboard allowed him to.
Headboard...
He froze, slowly reaching down, touching the soft sheets beneath him. Soft. It was smooth, not coarse and abrasive.
This was not his small, empty cell. He was in his room.
At home.
He could hear his heart beating in his ears. The beat was so rapid that his chest hurt. His arm stung, and he looked down at it. Slowly, he forced his fingers to relax around his arm. His nails left sharp indents in his skin. He stared at it before taking a deep breath. The pain in his chest became less, and he focused on taking another deep breath.
He pulled his knees up against his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He focused on breathing to calm the painful beating of his heart.
Minutes ticked by, and only when he couldn’t hear his own heart in his ears did he allow his body to relax. Slowly, he pulled his hand through his hair. Now his white hair stood up in every direction.
His stomach rolled, and the nausea rose in the back of his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it didn’t help. Pressing his hand over his mouth, he stumbled to the bathroom. He barely managed to reach the bathroom connected to his room before he started heaving into the toilet. When the heaving finally stopped, he just stayed on the floor, his body trembling. He barely had the strength to get up.
Slowly, he reached out and pulled himself up using the sink. Rinsing out his mouth, he avoided looking into the mirror. For the last two weeks, all the memories he’d managed to suppress started to surface again. He locked those memories away for a reason. They weren’t meant to come back.
With trembling hands, he washed his face. The cold water cleared his mind completely from the nightmare. He took another deep breath before glancing at his watch.
Half past four in the morning.
It was still early. There was more than enough time before he needed to show up for his first class.
First class.
The first class for his new university course.
Ash slowly walked back to his bed, sinking onto it. With one hand, he rubbed his eyes. Memories tried to push their way back into his mind. His breathing caught in his throat, and his hands started to tremble. The longer he sat there, the more difficult it became not to be pulled along.
Knocking pulled him from the memories.
Flinching, Ash shot to his feet. He stared at the door, as if waiting for someone to burst through and attack.
It took a moment to remind himself that no one was going to attack him here. The knocking sounded again, and Ash got up from the bed, slowly walking over. Hopefully, it wasn’t his father or stepmother. He didn’t have the energy to deal with them at the moment.
“What?” He snapped, roughly opening the door.
The blond girl on the other side looked at him with a raised eyebrow, one hand half raised as if to knock again.
Ash blinked as he met the same shade of turquoise eyes as his own. Immediately, his expression softened.
“Sorry, Allison,” he said gently, “I didn’t mean to snap at you. What do you need?”
Allison rolled her eyes at him.
“Whatever,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, “There’s someone at the door, insisting on talking to you.”
Ash frowned. “Who?”
“How should I know? He didn’t even have the manners to introduce himself.”
Ash blinked at her for a second before nodding.
Allison nodded. “Don’t dilly dally too long,” she said, “Remember to eat something before you leave.”
A slight smile pulled on Ash’s lips. “Yeah, yeah, get out. Tell whoever it is, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Allison nodded. “I’m going to fill the kettle, so at least drink something if you’re not going to eat.”
Nodding again, Ash closed the door, leaning against it for a moment. He still had to get used to being back home. It’s been around six months since he got back.
Allison. His twin sister. He hasn’t seen her in almost six years. It was terrifying having to get to know everyone again, meaning both of his sisters.
Allison and Mica.
Shaking his head, he started getting dressed.
Just who on earth would walk to talk to him this early in the morning? Couldn’t they have chosen a better time? Although the chance of him not being here later in the day was very high.
With a sigh, he left his room. His eyes scanned over the paintings decorating the walls to the ornaments on pedestals.
Such a waste of money.
Making his way down the stairs, listening for any signs that anyone else was up. Everything was quiet. It seemed like only his sister and some of the house staff were awake.
That worked well enough for him.
As he stepped down, his eyes found a man standing at the front door. Well, that explains things.
Neth.
“What are you doing here?” Ash asked, crossing his arms.
Neth looked up at Ash with a slight smile. “Asher,” he said, “It’s good to see you again. You look much better than last time.”
Ash looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I would hope so,” he said, “Now what are you doing here?”
Neth lifted a folder for him to see. “The last of the paperwork finally came through,” he said, “You just need to sign.”
Ash frowned. “I thought we were done with that?”
“The NDA’s and those, yes,” Neth said, “But these are the official release forms as well as a gift from the Commander.”
After a second, Ash nodded and motioned for Neth to follow him. He could feel the man’s eyes on him as he walked.
“You know the others want to come visit you, right?” Neth asked.
Ash nodded. “I’m well aware,” he said, sitting down on the couch, “Don’t bring them here, they are too loud.”
“Come on, Kid,” Neth laughed, “They miss you.”
“They are morons.”
“They are well aware that you think that of them,” Neth said, sitting down. Slowly, he placed the file on the coffee table between them. “You need to go through that. Sign it and ask if anything bothers you.”
Ash looked at the file, making no effort to reach for it.
“How long do I have?” he asked, glancing at Neth, “Because I have a busy day ahead.”
“University,” Neth said, amused. “I did not think you’d take it this seriously. But you seem quite agreeable with this.”
“I don’t really care.” Ash shrugged.
Neth looked slightly disappointed. “You know they are trying really hard to give you a normal life.”
“I did not ask them to.”
“They are worried about you, Asher.”
“I know.” Ash wrung his hands together. “They really shouldn’t.”
Neth shook his head. He studied Ash’s face. The younger guy slowly picked up the file, flipping through the pages. His eyes scanned over the pages until he reached the end before pausing and looking up.
“My concealed weapon permit?” he asked, surprised.
Neth nodded. “The Commander thought that you might appreciate that.”
“Thank you,” Ash said, “I probably wouldn’t carry anything, but it’s good to have it.”
“That’s why the commander let you keep it.” Neth said.
“Guess I owe him a thank you,” Ash said, looking at Neth, “You’ve got a pen?”
Without a word, Neth handed him a pen. “Are you sure about signing?” he asked.
Ash nodded as he started signing the papers before placing them back on the table.
“Is that all?”
Neth nodded. “Yes, that’s it,” he said, taking the file, “I’ll try and make sure they don’t both you any time soon.”
Ash snorted as he got up. “Tell them not to both me,” he said.
With a laugh, Neth got up. “I’ll tell them,” he said as they walked to the door.
The two stopped at the front door.
“Did you have to come so early?” Ash asked.
Neth grinned. “It’s the only time I know that you’ll be here,” he said, before his expression became serious, “You should take care of yourself.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Ash said, “Now get going, I still have to get ready for class.”
Neth nodded. “It was good to see you again,” he said before leaving.
Ash closed the door, taking a deep breath. He was now completely released from the military. Even before he turned back, he knew that there was someone behind him on the stairs.
“Asher.”
The woman’s voice sent chills down his spine. Closing his eyes for a moment, he turned around, schooling his expression to blank. The woman wore elegant clothes, and her black hair was made into an updo.
His stepmother. Tanya Smith, formerly known as Tanya Romanof. The woman who used to be his mother’s best friend. And then went and turned around and married his father, barely a year after his mother died. His fifteen-year-old self still felt betrayed.
For a split second, an old memory tried to push its way back into his mind.
“A visitor?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ash nodded, not looking away from her.
“I would prefer it if you keep those types of people away from the house as much as possible,” she said.
Ash clenched his jaw, refusing to break eye contact.
“I will not say this again,” Tanya said, “I do not want them snooping around in the house.”
“They are my friends,” Ash said quietly. He did not want to argue with her. Again, he could feel his heart hammering against his ribs.
Tanya narrowed her eyes at him, but did not say anything.
“I need to get ready for class,” Ash said, pushing himself away from the door. Quickly, he stepped around Tanya, making sure not to get too close. He took his time getting dressed and gathering his books. With his backpack over his shoulder, he slowly walked back down stairs.
“Leave?” Allison asked, peering out from the kitchen.
Ash nodded. “Yeah.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Neth took a bit more time than I thought. I can’t be late on my first day.”
“Breakfast is important,” Allison said, worry in her eyes.
“I know,” Ash said, giving her a slight smile.
Allison sighed and held out an apple towards. “At least eat this, or else you might get into trouble for not taking care of yourself.”
Ash took the apple. “Thanks, tell Mica I’m sorry I couldn’t walk her to school.”
Allison nodded. “Off you go, before you really are late.”
***
Ash breathed out as he looked at his schedule again. So far, everything had gone smoothly. The classes weren’t too bad. Of the few he had so far, the first two were the most interesting. He did not think he’d enjoy Bio-Engineering this much.
At the entrance of one of the buildings, Ash stopped, glanced at the schedule, which also showed the building and class numbers, before stuffing the piece of paper back into his bag. As he entered the classroom, he looked around. The room was filled with two-person tables, high enough for practical work, but also for normal class work.
Unfortunately, almost everyone was now looking at him. He did not like that. At all. With a sigh, he pulled his hoodie a bit further over his face, heading for one of the open seats towards the back. Quiet muttering started as soon as he started moving.
Ash slowly sat down, dropping his bag to the ground. His eyes flickered over the students in the class. They seemed normal.
He closed his eyes for a second. That’s not the right way to think. They are just normal students, nothing more.
“You seem very comfortable in my spot,” a voice said, sounding amused. “Did you get lost or something?”
Ash looked up.
A girl stood next to the table, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. He blinked, looking into the greenest eyes he’d ever seen.
“I’m sorry, what?” he asked, forcing himself to focus on her and not get drawn into those green eyes again.
“Did you get lost or something?” she repeated, tucking a coppery curl behind her ear, “I’ve never seen you in this class before.”
“Not lost,” Ash said, studying the girl’s face.
She had freckles...
“Alright...” she said slowly as she sat down next to him, “Then why are you here?”
Ash’s eyes followed her, moving slightly so they wouldn’t bump into each other. “I’m new. It’s my first time in this class,” he said.
Frowning slightly, she placed a notebook and textbooks on the table. “That’s a bit confusing. If you don’t mind, why start in the middle of the semester?”
Before Ash could answer, another guy stopped next to their table.
“Ella....” the guy started, eyes flickering towards Ash.
Ash ignored the look, giving the guy a fake smile.
“What do you want, Zyran?” the girl, apparently Ella, asked. Her tone was cold with a strange edge to it.
Ash was surprised that the classroom did not turn to ice.
“We need to talk,” Zyran said, leaning against the table towards the girl.
“Guess what,” she snapped, “I don’t want to talk to you.” She crossed her arms, leaning away. “So just back off.”
Zyran glared at her before looking at Ash, eyes narrowed. “Who the hell are you?”
Ash smiled sweetly at him, giving him a wave. “Hi, I’m new,” he said.
Zyran’s eye twitched as he looked at Ash.
“Leave Zyran,” she snapped, “this isn’t you’re class, and class is about to start.”
Zyran’s jaw tightened before he turned and started walking away.
“Bye-bye,” Ash said, giving Zyran a save when the guy looked back. He watched as Zyran let out a huff, stalking out of the class.
The girl chuckled as she watched the scene unfold. “You did not need to do that,” she said.
“He seemed annoying,” Ash said, “And wouldn’t stop glaring at me. Is he your boyfriend or something?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not anymore,” she said, “I’m Eloise Hendricks, but you can just call me Ella.”
“Asher Smith,” Ash said, half smiling, “But you can call me Ash.”
***
Eloise glanced at the new guy sitting next to her. As the class started, she noticed he pushed the hood back, revealing white hair. When she looked a bit closer, she noticed he was pale with dark bags under his eyes.
Maybe he came to class this late because he was sick. That would make a lot of sense. She watched a bit longer before turning her attention back to the class. out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him absentmindedly drawing on a piece of paper. She got the feeling that he was tired, but still paying attention, even while drawing.
Either someone pulled a lot of strings to get him here, or he proved that he could keep up the material. It was rare for someone to be allowed into this class halfway through the semester.
With a shake of her head, she turned her attention back to the class. The class dragged on, and she noticed him glancing up every once in a while, before going back to what he was drawing.
The moment the class ended, noise erupted through the room. Next to her, Ash flinched, quickly looking up.
“Not a fan of loud noises?” she asked, gathering her stuff.
Ash’s hand stopped moving, and he looked at her. “No, not at the moment,” he said.
Eloise nodded. “Alright, if you don’t mind, can we talk quickly?”
Ash started putting away his stuff. “About?” he asked.
“Do you want to team up for the project?” Eloise asked.
For a moment, Eloise stared into Ash’s turquoise eyes. They were clear and bright, but somehow a bit dark as well.
“Alright,” Ash said, “If you don’t mind.”
Eloise smiled and nodded. “Thanks,” she said, putting the last things in her bag and throwing it over her shoulder. As she went down to the lecturer’s desk to get the papers for the projects, she could hear Ash following behind her.
“Got a partner this time, Hendricks?” the lecturer asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, Sir,” she said, “No need to be worried about me anymore”
“Good,” the professor said, looking at Ash, “Take good care of the newbie.”
Eloise laughed, “Of course, Sir”
The man nodded and went back to packing up his things. Eloise grabbed one of the assignments and turned to Ash, handing him a copy.
Ash took the papers, but did not say anything.
“Let’s go outside,” Eloise said, not waiting for Ash to answer, she left the class. Behind her she could all but feel him following her. She made her way to an open area before turning back to him.
“What do you want to talk about?” Ash asked, tilting his head slightly as he pulled his hood up to cover his hair again.
Eloise studied him for a moment. Why would he want to hide his hair? It seemed like that was what he was doing.
“Right, do you want to set up a meeting, so we can go over everything together, or just divide it, work on our own and put it together a few days before handing it in?” she asked.
“I don’t care,” Ash said, “Anyway you want. If you want to discuss it, we can do it today. I don’t have any other class.”
“I have some time,” Eloise said, “Want to drink some coffee while we work?”
Ash smiled slightly, “Sounds good, do you know a place?”
Eloise grinned. “Of course, follow me,” she said, a bit surprised that he agreed. With that, she started walking, leading him to a small coffee shop not too far away.
“If you don’t mind,” Eloise said, “Can I ask you a question or two?”
Ash glanced at her as they walked. “That depends on the question,” he said.
Before Eloise could react, they reached the small shop. “Here we go,” she said.
Ash looked at the shop before nodding. “It seems nice,” he said, “Not a lot of people.”
“That’s why I like it.” Eloise said.
Ash opened the door for her. “Then let’s go sit down,” he said, motioning for her to enter first.
“Thank you,” Eloise said, stepping inside, heading for one of the tables in the back.
The two sat down, and Ash leaned back in his chair. He sat so that he could see the door as well as the windows. Eloise got out the project papers, placing them on the table, before adding some pens.
“So we have a week?” Ash said, nodding as he pulled the papers over.
“That’s right.”
“Then we’ll have to work fast.” Ash said, his eyes scanning over the work, “This is a lot of work...”
“We’ll just have to work quickly then,” Eloise said.
Ash reached for one of the pens, completely focused on the papers in front of him. Quickly, he started scribbling in the margins.
Eloise watched him for a second, waving away the waitress who came closer. Fascinated, she leaned closer, reading over what he was writing.
“Are those the answers?” she asked when Ash finally stopped.
He blinked and looked up. “Yeah, sorry...” he said, “Just thought that it would be faster if we already had the answers and just needed to show the work.”
“How did you do this?” Eloise asked.
“These questions aren’t so hard,” Ash said, “They are quite basic.”
Eloise smiled. “Seems like I got the perfect partner,” she said, “One that knows all the answers.”
Ash rolled his eyes. “It’s not that difficult,” he said.
“If you say so,” Eloise said, “Question... If you already know the answers, why even take this class?”
Ash sat back and shook his head. “I didn’t choose this course,” he said, “Why ask?”
“Just curious,” Eloise said, sitting back as she studied him.
“That is a terrible reason,” Ash said. His phone started ringing before anyone could say anything else. For a moment, Ash sat frozen before pulling out his phone. His expression darkened when he saw the caller ID.
“Sorry, I need to take this,” he said, getting up.
Eloise nodded. “It’s fine,” she said, pulling the project papers closer.
Looking up, she watched as Ash stood just outside the coffee shop. He was motioning with one hand, a scowl on his face. She could have sworn that he became paler than before. Whoever he was talking to, he clearly did not like them.
It took another few minutes before he returned. Unlike before, Ash’s face was expressionless and blank.
“Everything alright?” she asked.
Ash took a deep breath. “Yeah, don’t worry about it,” he said, grabbing his backpack, “Unfortunately, I need to leave. Family business.”
“No problem, we can meet up again later,” Eloise said.
Ash hesitated before taking one of the pens and neatly writing in the corner of the papers. He pushed it back towards her.
“There,” he said, “Message me if you have any questions or want to meet up again”
Eloise looked down at the writing. It was a cellphone number. When she looked up, Ash was already gone.
***
The man lowered his binoculars. A smirk pulled on his face, lifting the binoculars again. He looked at the young man who stepped out of the coffee shop. Finally, he managed to find the little brat. For a second time, he put the binoculars down, this time to look at the wrinkled photo in his other hand. The young man looked different in the photo. He was younger, the hair shorter and blond, dressed in a uniform. The young man down in the street was paler, his hair longer, bits of white sticking out beneath the hood.
He did not think that it would be this easy to find the young man.
“Hello there, PhantomShot,” he said, sitting back as he pulled out his phone, “This time you are not going to get away from us.”
As he packed his things, he listened to the dial tone on the phone. When he got up to leave, someone answered.
“I found him,” he said, listening to the person talk, “And you are not going to believe where he’s hiding at the moment...”
***
Ash sat in his car, hands gripping the steering wheel tight enough to make his knuckles go white. He had to force himself to keep breathing. Just looking at the mansion and all the cars made his skin crawl.
Every time he moves to get out, his heart starts to hammer painfully against his ribs. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead on the wheel, taking deep, controlled breaths. After a few minutes, he forced his fingers to relax and let go of the steering wheel. He couldn’t stay in the car forever. Taking one last deep breath, he grabbed his bag and got out.
He slung the bag over his shoulder, walking towards the massive front doors. The sounds of music and people could already be heard. This was not going to be pleasant at all. The moment he opened the door, all the sounds hit him like a fist to the stomach. It took him a second to compose himself before heading to the grand staircase.
“Asher.”
Ash stopped, slowly turning to the voice, keeping his expression neutral. In front of him stood a tall man with dark eyes and the same turquoise eyes.
His father.
Desmond.
Ash’s eyes flickered to the woman who stood next to him, Tanya.
“Father,” he said, eyes narrowing at the two, “Tanya.”
“Asher,” she said, holding a cocktail glass.
“Why did you call me?” Ash asked.
“You should show your father some support,” Tanya said.
Ash looked at her with a flat expression, “I’m sure he’s old enough not to care if I’m here,” he said.
“Do not speak to your mother like that,” Desmond said.
“Stepmother,” Ash said immediately, “Now explain why you called me. I told you before, I don’t want anything to do with these things.”
He could feel the panic starting to rise in his chest. All of the sounds and people were making him feel trapped.
“Never mind that, I’m going to my room,” he said, before Desmond could answer. With that, he turned around and headed up the stairs. Taking deep breaths, he focused on calming his heartbeat. He closed his bedroom door, leaning against it. The sounds dimmed, and he felt himself calm down.
Knocking sounded from the door, causing Ash to flinch. Slowly, he got to his feet, keeping one hand on the wall so he wouldn’t lose his balance.
“Who is it?” he asked, pausing with one hand on the doorknob.
“Asher...?” a small voice asked, “Can I come in?”
Ash’s shoulders relaxed, and he smiled slightly. Slowly, he opened the door, looking down at the little girl on the other side.
“Hey, little one,” he said, crouching down in front of his little sister.
The eight-year-old girl looked up at him, pouting.
“Hey, Ash,” a second voice said, “We thought we’d come keep you company.”
Ash blinked as he looked up. Allison stood behind the little girl. He nodded as he got up, stepping to the side so they could come in.
The little girl pouted, her small arms crossed.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked, trying not to smile.
She nodded, looking away from him.
Allison shrugged when Ash looked at her, before mouthing, ‘very mad’.
“Is it before I didn’t say goodbye this morning, Mica?” he asked, turning his attention back to the little girl.
She nodded.
Ash sighed, tilting his head slightly. “I’m sorry, Scorpion,” he said softly, putting a hand on her dark hair, “I didn’t mean to leave without saying goodbye.”
Mica glared at him for a moment longer before nodding. “Alright, I’ll forgive you this time,” she said.
Ash sighed in relief. “Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t forgive me,” he said.
Mica sighed dramatically before she hugged him. Ash had to force himself not to flinch and patted her on the head.
“Come on, little one,” he said, “Let’s watch a movie until you fall asleep.”
“Can I pick the movie?” Mica asked, and Ash nodded.
Allison followed after them.
“You look tired,” she said softly.
“I am...” Ash said, “Had to deal with a lot of people.”
The three made themselves comfortable on Ash’s bed. He made sure that he wasn’t touching anyone.
The man lowered his binoculars. A smirk pulled on his face, lifting the binoculars again. He looked at the young man who stepped out of the coffee shop. Finally, he managed to find the little brat. For a second time, he put the binoculars down, this time to look at the wrinkled photo in his other hand. The young man looked different in the photo. He was younger, the hair shorter and blond, dressed in a uniform. The young man down in the street was paler, his hair longer, bits of white sticking out beneath the hood.
He did not think that it would be this easy to find the young man.
“Hello there, PhantomShot,” he said, sitting back as he pulled out his phone, “This time you are not going to get away from us.”
As he packed his things, he listened to the dial tone on the phone. When he got up to leave, someone answered.
“I found him,” he said, listening to the person talk, “And you are not going to believe where he’s hiding at the moment...”
Ash looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I would hope so,” he said, “Now what are you doing here?”
Neth lifted a folder for him to see. “The last of the paperwork finally came through,” he said, “You just need to sign.”
Ash frowned. “I thought we were done with that?”
“The NDA’s and those, yes,” Neth said, “But these are the official release forms as well as a gift from the Commander.”
After a second, Ash nodded and motioned for Neth to follow him. He could feel the man’s eyes on him as he walked.
“You know the others want to come visit you, right?” Neth asked.
Ash nodded. “I’m well aware,” he said, sitting down on the couch, “Don’t bring them here, they are too loud.”
“Come on, Kid,” Neth laughed, “They miss you.”
“They are morons.”
“They are well aware that you think that of them,” Neth said, sitting down. Slowly, he placed the file on the coffee table between them. “You need to go through that. Sign it and ask if anything bothers you.”
Ash looked at the file, making no effort to reach for it.
“How long do I have?” he asked, glancing at Neth, “Because I have a busy day ahead.”
“University,” Neth said, amused. “I did not think you’d take it this seriously. But you seem quite agreeable with this.”
“I don’t really care.” Ash shrugged.
Neth looked slightly disappointed. “You know they are trying really hard to give you a normal life.”
Cold seeped through the thin material of his shirt. The rough wall dug into the skin of his back.
Thu-Dum...
He flinched at the sound.
Thu-Dum...
His heart beat thundered in his ears.
Thu-Dum...
They were coming back. He could have sworn he could hear them through the beating of his heart.
Thu-Dum...
One hand gripped the front of his shirt. Each breath came as a short, shallow gasp. It hurt to breathe. He couldn’t get his thoughts under control. The darkness moved and whimpered.
Three days?
Has it only been three days? No... it had to be longer. They wouldn’t let him sleep and barely gave him anything to eat.
these prompts came together through community submissions and a voting form where people voted for their favorites, here are the top 53 prompts
i enjoy this format so like last year there are 15 creation prompts and 15 community prompts/questions. the community prompts are entirely voluntary but are here to possibly inspire some community interaction and trying new things
very excited to see some awesome creations in january!
go here for info/rules/tagging
go here for faqs
(note: number 31 is not a creation prompt and not required to complete the challenge, it's just colored black so the colors add up)
text version of the prompts and rules is under the cut
(image description note: there are 31 numbered prompts, on each odd number the text color is black and on even numbers the text color is white)
Whumpuary 2026
a whump-themed multi media creation event for january
create for at least one prompt from each odd/black number to complete the challenge community prompts (even/white) numbers are voluntary
main prompts
memory loss | tied up | winter
do you prefer fandom or oc whump?
can't speak | caught | broken glass
have you done other whump events?
ransom | burns | not good enough
share your favorite whump media (tv, game, book, …)
drowning | "something isn't right" | hunted
send an ask to someone in the whump community
cornered | shaky hands | phone call
have you always liked whump?
trapped | sleep deprivation | "please"
share any music/videos/etc you listen to while creating
"hold still" | possession | impaled
any favorite things you'd like to see more of in whump?
breaking point | came back wrong | breathe
halfway through! rest & take a break
blood trail | "is this real?" | storm
take 5-10 minutes to work on a wip
seeing double | shivering | restrained
who's your current favorite character to whump?
attacked from behind | poison | red
comment on someones work in the #whumpuary tag
interrogation | numb | wrist grabbing
draw/doodle something whumpy
limping | fatigue | "i don't believe you"
what are your top 5 favorite whump tropes?
"i tried" | pinned against the wall | haunted
create in a new/less familiar medium
touch starved | "i need help" | secret reveal
share your favorite whump creation you’ve made
share your favorite whump creation someone else made
alt prompts
failed escape
gagged
old injuries
exhaustion
blood loss
"don't"
nowhere to go
flashbacks
rules & info
-any medium is allowed (art, writing, gifs, edits, ...)
-prompts are open for interpretation (but the context should be whumpy)
-create for at least one of three prompts on creation prompt days (black/odd numbers) to complete the challenge
-if you're not aiming for completionist you can do however many prompts you want any way you want
-community prompts (white/even numbers) are voluntary and don't count for completionist (but can be combined with creation prompts if applicable)
-use alt prompts to replace main prompts you don't like
some works posted on tumblr will be reblogged if tagged correctly
-#whumpuary2026
-#whumpuaryno1 (number of the prompt(s))
-any trigger/content warning tags
-any additional tags (fandom, oc, other used tropes, ...)
Welcome back to the Whumperless Whump Event of July, where we celebrate the situational and environmental side of our community via beating the shit out of our blorbos!
FAQ and plain text prompts under the cut!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How are the prompts divided?
Q: Where can I find the prompts list?
A: @whumperless-whump-event on Tumblr.
A: The title is a “theme” for the day, followed by two tropes and a dialog prompt.
A: Absolutely.
Q: Can I use the title as a prompt?
A: Not at all.
Q: Do I have to use all of the prompts?
Q: Can I use all of the prompts?
A: Absolutely. If it's fun, go for it--don't feel pressured to finish them all, but do follow what's inspiring you.
Q: If I'm writing a chronological story, can I swap the days to make it fit the timeline?
A: Yes. Just make sure you tag each piece with the prompt and day you're filling.
Q: Can I have early or late entries?
A: Yes. Early and late entries will not be reblogged to the event account, though.
Q: Is there an Ao3 collection?
A: Yes! This year's collection can be found here, or through searching whumperless_whump_event_july2025. Please remember to submit this year's prompts to the 2025 collection and NOT the 2024 one!
Q: Can I write NSFW?
A: You absolutely can, but the event blog will not reblog any prompt fill rated Explicit. Please ensure you tag NSFW appropriately.
Q: Can I use AI?
A: No.
Q: Can a whumper be included in the prompt fill?
A: The short answer is no. The long answer is that you cannot have the role of whumper in your prompt fill (aka: no whumper-on-whumpee); however, if the character you want to be a whumpee or a caretaker happens to be a whumper, then as long as they are not fulfilling the role of whumper, it's fine. Also, if there is a whumper, it must be totally impersonal and faceless. Here are some examples for clarification:
A character's drink is spiked at a party.
OKAY: The whumper who spiked the drink is never mentioned and is completely faceless, and the story is directly about whumpee recovering.
NOT WHUMPERLESS: The whumper who spiked the drink kidnaps the whumpee.
A character is left alone in a storm.
OKAY: The character is stranded or lost.
NOT WHUMPERLESS: Whumper tied them to a post and left them in the storm.
A character is mugged on the street.
OKAY: The whumper is a stranger, faceless, and the focus is on Whumpee.
NOT WHUMPERLESS: The whumper is a stalker and there to kidnap Whumpee.
All in all, if your goal is to fulfill the event, then try to avoid a whumper. If you're using the prompts elsewhere, then ignore this; but in the spirit of the event, no whumper roles please.
Q: How do I tag my posts?
A: Tag with #whumperless whump event, #wwevent 2025 and #wwevent day [x](Don't just tag wwe, that's wresting.) Then, tag triggers and content warnings. Please put these first in the tag order! It just makes it easier to reblog.
Q: How do I get reblogged?
A: Mention this blog in your post! It's the easiest way for me to find you. Otherwise, I won't reblog it. (This also means if you do not want your post reblogged to the event, just don't mention the blog, and it'll stay private.)
I think that's about it. That's a lot, so if you've got any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask. I'm happy to help!
PROMPTS:
INSULT TO INJURY: Infected wounds / Hurt and ill / “Fate really has it out for you, huh.”
PUBLIC MISINFORMATION: Presumed dead / Search party / “There's a hand, I can see them!”
IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME: Left behind / Attempted Martyr / “Get out while you can, and don't look back.”
LIKE A KALEIDOSCOPE: Numbness / Dissociation / “Can I hold your hand?”
AT LEAST IT'S NOT MANUAL: Trapped in a car / Stranded / “You can't drive like this.”
DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE: Scheduled execution / Near death experience / “That was too close.”
AHOY THERE MATEYS: Motion sickness / Washed ashore / “I hate the ocean.”
CHEF MIS-STEAK: Hot stove / Slip of the knife / “I swear, I'm usually better at this.”
SCHEDULE YOUR MAINTENANCE: Lack of self care / Sick day / “Just take a nap. I can handle the rest.”
By popular vote, here be the 2025 June of Doom prompt list for your doomsday planning!
Please feel free to participate with original or fan works of any kind (writing, photos, gifs, mood boards, videos, songs, whatever creative medium your heart desires!). You can do one or all of the prompts on any given day, and if none are to your liking, check out the alternate prompts!
Angst, hurt/comfort, and lighter/ funnier forms of whump are also welcome! Torture takes many forms. :)
Rules/ FAQ!
Tag your stuff with appropriate warnings, plzkthnx.
AI-created content is highly discouraged and frowned upon. I have no way of "checking", but I respect the time and effort people put into their crafts and encourage everyone to do the same. This isn't a contest for best written or prettiest art — it's a challenge, so challenge yourself.
You can combine this challenge with other challenges!
You can start/ finish this challenge whenever the heck you want!
You can mix and match prompts from different days!
I'll post reminders and such the closer we get!
[Text List]
[AO3 Collection]
And don't forget to tag @juneofdoom so I can reblog your awesome here! Have fun!
Previous Dooms: 2023 || 2024
Oh dear it's... WHUMP @irathgo - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag