Alright folks. Hi. It’s been a minute, so I guess I’ll provide some info as to what’s been going on.
First off, there will be no new chapters/drabbles for Trenches. It’s done. I’m not touching it anymore. I plan to completely rewrite the entire thing, make it make sense, fix some plot holes, etc. My writing improved quite a bit between the beginning and end of the story, and the inconsistencies bother me. However, I’m leaving the “rough draft” on here for the time being.
In fact, pretty much all of my other work on this blog should be considered finished. I will not be expanding upon anything I’ve written up to this point. That being said, my OCs are still very much relevant, and I’m not opposed to, idk, writing a couple drabbles here and there or something.
I am working on something new. Haven’t started yet, though. Still working out the lore. It probably won’t be posted to this blog, but I’ll maybe post some snippets when those come about and if anyone’s interested I’ll tell you where to find it.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you have any comments, complaints, or suggestions, you know where to leave ‘em. Good day.
Linked below is a list of links that will bring you to bingo card (don't judge me, I'm bad at things and don't know how better to get everyone random cards because the link on the site isnt working).
Click on a random one, fill it out for one of your whumpers, then tag someone you want to see try, too! (website will mark the space if you click on it!)
Tagging: @wormwriting @cursedscribbles @hidden-dreamland @lumpsbumpsandwhumps @whumblr @meowsikbox @a-whumped-tea @happy-little-sadist @whumpasaurus101 @shywhumpauthor feel free to rb even if you weren't tagged! it's just a fun way to spread this around. Have fun!
Thanks @hidden-dreamland for giving ideas for this!
Disclaimer - these aren't meant to be requirements or speak to any type of whumper, these are just common tropes and characteristics I've seen floating around. It's just meant to be fun, so have fun with it 🥰
I wrote this as a (belated) birthday present to my lovelyyy friend @mascwhump! All characters belong to him– go read his shit ;)
CW: noncon, noncon drugging, aphrodisiac, forced to watch (yes I did it again…), restraints, needles, light burning, waterboarding, thoughts of dying, knives, branding, wound tending
Charlie awoke suddenly out of a dream by the sound of loud pounding at the front door. He sat up, groggily rubbing his eyes and blindly searching with his other hand for his phone lost in the mound of blankets.
When he finally managed to find it, he clicked the power, squinting at the brightness of his lock screen. The time read 3:04 in the morning, and he threw his head back with a groan; it was going to take forever for him to fall back asleep…
He was in the base alone for the week; they had been given a vacation of sorts, and everyone else had gone home. Adrian had even gone back to Glasgow, but Charlie had just decided to stay in London and was keeping up with the house by himself.
The sound of banging on the door startled him again.
Once Crow was discharged from the hospital a few days after the surgery, Mallory dropped both him and Ethan off at Charlie's apartment. Charlie and Basil had gone over to Crow's to retrieve a few of his things, along with River. River was elated when Crow walked through the front door. He stood on his hind legs and pawed at Crow's chest, crying excessively. He was intrigued by the bandages on his right arm, and spent ample time investigating them.
Ethan was going to stay with them for a few days before he went back to his parents. He confided in Charlie that he needed some more time to process what had happened to him before he was ready to return home. Basil left shortly after they arrived. He had stayed with Charlie the entire time, and Crow tried to slip him a couple hundred pounds for his trouble. Basil refused the money, and took a hug as payment instead.
Charlie ordered pizza for dinner. They gathered in the living room to eat while watching a rerun of Antiques Roadshow. Charlie couldn't help himself from staring at Crow's arm on occasion. Crow caught him doing so, but he didn't mind. He knew it must've been as alien to Charlie as it was to him. He was already beginning to experience phantom pains. Ethan gave him some paracetamol after dinner in hopes it would help curb some of the pain.
Crow taped a Tesco bag around his arm to protect the bandages while he showered. Charlie innocently offered to help him bathe, but Crow insisted on doing it himself. After his shower, they crawled into bed, and Ethan settled on the couch with River. They could hear him talking to River, praising him for being a good guard dog.
"I think River would befriend an intruder," Crow said.
"It's funny how some big dogs can be so gentle, while some little ones are straight up demons," Charlie said.
Crow rolled onto his side to face Charlie, carefully adjusting his arm.
"My mom had a Yorkie growing up. Her name was Cherry. She said she'd bite the mailman, or really any stranger that would come through the door. Meanwhile, my dad had a Doberman, and that dog refused to get up from her bed even when there was a knock at the door."
Crow laughed quietly. Charlie picked up his phone and they watched TikTok together until they were tired enough to fall asleep. About twenty minutes after they had fallen asleep, there was a light knock at the bedroom door. Charlie got out of bed to open it, and there was Ethan, standing there with a blanket in his arms. He had tear stains all down his cheeks, and he was sniffling.
"Hey, you okay?" Charlie asked.
Ethan shook his head.
"I-I can't sleep, and I was wondering if... if maybe I could, um, sleep on the floor in here, with you? So I’m not alone?" Ethan asked sheepishly.
"There's room in the bed," Charlie replied.
He crawled back into bed and snuggled up next to Crow, then patted on the open space behind him to get Ethan to come lie down. Ethan got in, hugging the edge of the bed so he wouldn't take up too much space.
By morning, he'd somehow ended up between Charlie and Crow. Crow was confused when he awoke, but shrugged it off. He decided to make some breakfast for them before they woke up as well. Usually, he'd go all out for breakfast, but he quickly discovered that that would be a lot more difficult in his predicament. He did what he could, and made some toast and eggs.
"You didn't have to do all this," Charlie said as he walked into the kitchen.
"I know, but I wanted to," Crow replied.
They began eating, and Ethan joined them soon after. Charlie did the dishes, as always, and they sat in the living room, trying to figure out plans for the day. Ethan played fetch with River as they talked. He threw his rope toy down the hall, almost hitting Charlie in the head with it.
"I want to get out and do something," Crow said.
"We could go to a park, maybe," Ethan suggested, "we could even bring River."
"I'm down," Charlie said.
So, they went to the park, and spent the day enjoying one of the few sunny days in London.
Hello guys, I am in a desperate situation right now; I might possibly become homeless in the next week and am trying to make some money to help my situation. I have always wanted to do commissions so I figured I may as well open some up! Please message me if you are interested :)
EXAMPLES (I mostly have bust examples right now)
TERMS OF SERVICE
Payment will be through Paypal or Cashapp
Payment will be half upfront and the other half after the piece is finished
Specifications will be discussed before and the first payment will be needed before a sketch will be started
I will take NSFW, however I have yet to draw a completely explicit drawing, so please keep that in mind before requesting such. (I will be practicing in the mean time and will update this later once I have done a few)
If you are interested or have any inquiries, please DM me here or email me at [email protected]
Waking up was the worst experience in his life so far. He was cold and alone, lying on a floor that was unnaturally hard and flat. Dade pushed himself up on his elbows and rubbed his eyes, but the world around him was still obscured in pitch darkness.
Me? Tagged in a tag game? How exciting! Thank you <3
Also, looking respectfully at Dade... curious to see more.
"He drank as much as he could, and then more until the glass was empty, then he took a big breath as he pulled away, handing the glass back to Elias, his hands shaking."
The pool shone blue and green and a sporadic, glittering white under the summer sun, so bright that it made Mell's eyes hurt to look at.
I'm not sure who has/hasn't been tagged yet, and there are a lot of words in this sentence, but I'll tag @mazeish @befuddled-calico-whump @wolfeyedwitch @localvoidwhumper and whoever else wants to! No pressure to participate :D
Ooh thank you for the tag! Uhm I may or may not have stolen Easton's ocs for this....
Charlie watched him fumble for his supplies with his other hand, "I need to stitch it," he said, pushing the bloodied towel firmer against the wound. Crow only whined in response.
I never know who to tag... @mascwhump of course and @suspicious-whumping-egg @hurting-fictional-people - No pressure!!
Everyone started to settle down, and Charlie finally got a good look at Crow's arm. It was heavily wrapped in bandages. He didn't mean to stare, but Crow didn't mind. He knew that it must've looked just as alien to Charlie as it did to him.
Tagging @whumpasaurus101 and anyone else who wants to jump in.
You've Got Questions and I've Got Answers OC Edition
Do they have any crafting hobbies?
Do they wear perfume/cologne? If so what scents do they prefer?
Do they enjoy cooking?
Do they enjoy baking?
Do they have any tattoos? If so what are they and do they have any special meaning?
If they were badly injured, and for whatever reason couldn't go to a hospital, who would they go to for help?
Do they have any unusual fears?
Do they collect anything? If so what and why?
When they're sick what do they do to feel better?
Do they have any regrets?
Do they have any addictions?
Do they have any sense of style? Regardless of the answer do they believe they have a sense of style?
Do they enjoy poetry?
Do they have a hard time opening up to people?
What kind of sense of humor do they have? Or do they have one at all?
Do they have or want kids?
How easily would they be convinced to do something that goes against their morals?
How easy is it to become their enemy?
How easy is it to become their friend?
Do they have a strong connection to their culture?
What is more important to them, friends or family?
Would they ever betray someone for money?
How would they want to die?
Do they have any enemies?
Do they have a daily/nightly routine?
Have they met any of their heroes? Did they regret it?
Has a chance encounter ever had an unexpected effect on them?
Are they a #gamer?
If they were real would you be friends with them?
If they had the chance to be famous would they take it? If they are famous would they rather they weren't?
What superpower would you choose for them and what would they choose for themselves? If they have one would they choose something else?
If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be?
Do they play ttrpgs? If so what kind of characters do they play? Or are they more likely to GM?
How well do they deal with grief?
Do they believe in fate or do they believe they are in charge of their own destiny?
Would they ever kill someone? Have they already?
Are they religious? If so do they have a strong sense of faith, are they uncertain, or are they somewhere in between?
What are their dreams like? Do they have any recurring dreams/nightmares?
Would they ever crash a wedding?
If they found a sword in a stone would they try to pull it out? How would they react to being able to pull it out or not?
Do they learn from their mistakes?
Can they speak multiple languages? If yes which all do they speak and why?
Can they handle stressful situations?
Who, if anyone, would they trust with their deepest secrets?
Do they plan in advance or just wing it?
Would they lie to get out of trouble?
Would they lie to get someone else out of trouble? Even if they would have to take that someone else's place?
How likely are they to go on a quest for revenge?
Do they have trouble keeping their enemies and their friends straight?
What is your favorite thing about them?
I love these so I figured I'd make one of my own! Just be sure that if you reblog this ask one or two of these to the person you reblogged from (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
CW: explicit noncon, guns, mild gore, blood, kidnapping, needles, minor character death
-
Ethan stumbled to the elevator, using one hand to hold himself up against the wall, and the other to keep pressure on his wounds. He spammed the call button, as if that would make the elevator come any quicker. Finally, the doors opened, and he collapsed inside. He reached up and hit what he thought was the button for the lobby.
Instead, he was taken to the underground parking garage. He lifted his head once the doors opened and groaned upon realizing where he was. He used all his strength to prop himself up and reach for the correct button. Before he could press it, Silas came into view. He froze as he rushed toward him. Silas picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, starting to carry him away from the elevator.
"Put me down, you bastard! Put me down!" Ethan shouted as he began to kick and struggle in Silas' hold.
"I'll put you down, alright," Silas laughed.
He pressed a button on his keys to open the trunk of his Land Rover. He tossed Ethan inside, then looked around to make sure they were still alone.
Ethan gave him a puzzled look as Silas grabbed a small bag that was next to him. He opened it and retrieved a vial, along with a syringe.
"Do you know what this is?" Silas asked, grinning.
Ethan shook his head.
"Some kind of healing potion, or something. Me and Kendall lifted it from Mallory," Silas explained. He uncapped the needle with his teeth and drew the syringe full of the serum. Ethan's eyes widened. He flinched as Silas grabbed his arm and jammed the needle into his bicep. It immediately gave him the sensation of ice in his veins, which quickly turned into a warm, buzzing feeling. He couldn't keep his eyes open. He went limp, and his breathing slowed as the pain began to fade. Silas took advantaged of his dazed state and grabbed a handful of zip ties from the backseat. He bound Ethan's wrists together, along with his ankles. He attached his ankles with a third zip tie to a cargo hook, then slammed the trunk door shut.
Ethan didn't fully regain his senses until they were already moving. He started to bite at the plastic in an attempt to snap the zip ties. The blood staining his clothes was tacky against his skin. The feeling made him want to strip.
"Where are we going?" he questioned.
"Nowhere," Silas replied.
Ethan tried to free his legs from the hook on the wall by pulling as hard as he could. He stopped when the plastic began cutting into his skin.
"They're going to find me, and they're going to kill you when they do. So, you're better off just letting me go," Ethan said.
"Not a chance," Silas said.
"They'll do worse than kill you. After they find Charlie, they- Crow is going to-"
"Shut the hell up before I come back there and cut your tongue out."
Ethan was silent for the rest of the drive. They stopped an hour or so later, at a house somewhere outside of town. Silas opened the trunk and snipped the zip tie containing Ethan there. He picked him up and carried him through the front door as he struggled. He then threw him down in the bathroom.
"Let's clean you up first," he said.
"No, don't touch me," Ethan whined as he managed to sit up.
Silas grabbed his lilac hair and slammed his head back against the cabinet.
"I'll do whatever I want," Silas growled.
He grabbed a pair of scissors from the medicine cabinet and started to cut off Ethan's clothes. Once his shirt was off and Silas began cutting his pants, Ethan tried to wriggle away. Silas pressed the tip of the scissors against his abdomen.
"Do you want me to stab you again? No? Then stay fucking still," he spat.
He finished with his pants, then got a washcloth wet with hot water and began wiping the now-dried blood from Ethan's skin.
"There. Much better," Silas remarked once the blood was gone. He dragged Ethan out of the bathroom and across the hall, into a bedroom. He lifted him up and tossed him onto the bed.
"Y-You can still let me go," Ethan said, his voice becoming shakier.
"I have a better idea," Silas said.
Ethan backed himself against the headboard as Silas began unbuttoning his jeans. He pulled them off, then crawled onto the bed. Ethan curled up, but Silas grabbed his hair and yanked his head back up.
“If you promise to be a good boy for me, I’ll use lube,” Silas murmured. Ethan whined and attempted to twist himself free. Silas let go of his hair and grabbed his face, pressing his lips against his teeth.
“Last chance. Do you promise to be good?” he questioned. A sob escaped Ethan as he nodded. Silas smirked and forced Ethan to lie face down. He straddled his legs, and leaned over to presumably grab lube from the side table. Ethan struggled beneath him as Silas slipped down his briefs. His tears were already staining the comforter his face was pressed into. He inhaled sharply as Silas roughly entered him, then started to bite the sheet to keep himself from crying out. Silas was brutal from the start, and refused to let up. He placed his hands on Ethan’s back and put all of his weight there, making his spine pop. It became harder for Ethan to breathe, thanks to positional asphyxia and the tear-soaked bedding pressed against his mouth and nose. His arms were stuck underneath him, and the extra weight Silas was putting on him forced him to take in air in short gasps between sobs. He couldn’t even attempt to plead.
Somewhat luckily for Ethan, Silas didn’t last very long. He moved off of Ethan when he was done, and Ethan rolled onto his back to take in a full breath. Like a newborn, he choked the air in and coughed, then continued to sob. Silas watched him, grinning. After he got dressed, he went over to his dresser, and retrieved a small box. He brought it back over to the bed and opened the lid before setting it down.
“Do you know what this is?” Silas asked. Ethan looked into the box. It was a metal ring with a smaller ring attached.
“Fuck,” Ethan breathed as he pulled his briefs back up, “Please don’t put that on me, please-“
“So you do know,” Silas said, “I’ve been wanting to try it out since we took it from Mallory.”
He took it out of the box and held it in one hand as he loaded the corresponding app on his phone.
“Good thing it had instructions in the box. I never would’ve figured this out,” he said as he pressed the button to unlock the collar. As he reached out for Ethan, they were both startled by a loud crash somewhere in the house. Silas immediately ran back to his dresser and pulled a handgun from the same drawer.
“Not a fucking sound, or I’ll blow your head off,” he hissed at Ethan. He positioned himself behind the door and listened as footsteps approached from down the hall. The door opened slowly.
“Ethan,” Crow spoke upon seeing him.
Silas bashed the door against him before he could clear the doorway. It hit him hard enough to make him stumble, and Silas was able to tackle him. Crow’s gun went sliding across the floor and ended up under the bed. Crow fought Silas for his gun, and Silas pulled the trigger as Crow pushed the barrel away from his face. The bullet went through his right hand, just above his wrist. Mallory entered the room just as Crow began to scream in pain. He pushed Silas off of him, and he pulled the trigger again. The shot went through the ceiling. Now, Mallory was wrestling him for the gun. Another shot went off, but this time, it wasn’t Silas. Ethan had retrieved Crow’s gun from under the bed and attempted to shoot Silas. He missed, almost hitting Mallory instead. Ethan moved closer to them to take another shot as Mallory managed to get Silas pinned.
“Shoot him, shoot him!” Mallory shouted. Ethan fired. This time, he successfully hit him - right in the neck. He dropped the gun and stumbled backwards until he hit the edge of the bed. Crow was hunched over, cradling his hand close to his chest.
“Shit,” Mallory said as he moved toward him. His hand was obliterated; it was a bloody mess of skin and bone. Crow had gone pale.
“I-I can’t do anything for that here,” Ethan said, “we need to take you to hospital.”
Crow looked up at him and nodded. He grabbed one of Silas’ shirts from the closet and wrapped his hand in it before they left the house. He writhed and whimpered from the pain the entire time it took Mallory to drive them to the nearest hospital. Crow went in on his own, while Mallory and Ethan stayed in the car.
“I wish I could go in with him,” Ethan murmured.
“You’re practically naked, mate. He’s probably going to be awhile. Could I, erm, run into a shop and get you anything? Clothes? Food?” Mallory asked.
Ethan sunk down in his seat. “Okay,” he said.
They went down the street to a petrol station, and Mallory got him some clothes to put on, along with some sweets.
Ethan nibbled on some chocolate as Mallory made a phone call just outside the car.
“Hey, Charlie… yeah, we have him. He’s alright. I’m not entirely certain what happened, but his wounds are healed, which means- yeah. No, not yet. Listen, uh… Crow was hurt. That bastard shot his hand. He’s in hospital now. Yes. I know. We may head in in a little while to see what’s happening. Of course I will. Okay. Be safe. Bye.”
Mallory sighed as he got back into the car.
“Did he, um… never mind,” Mallory said, “he’s dead now, that’s what matters.”
Ethan finished his chocolates and the two decided to head inside the hospital after another thirty minutes had passed. A nurse at the desk told them that Crow was in surgery, but should be out soon. They sat in the waiting room, and Ethan managed to fall asleep. He woke up when Mallory tapped him on the arm.
“Hey, he’s out of surgery. They said we could go see him now,” Mallory said.
Ethan yawned as he got up and followed Mallory to Crow’s room. Crow was groggy, but awake.
It was immediately apparent that something was wrong. His right arm was wrapped in a multitude of bandages, and seemed a bit disproportionate to his left arm.
“Hey,” Ethan greeted softly.
“Hey,” Crow replied. He lifted his arm slowly and looked at it.
“They took my hand,” he said quietly, “the doctor said the damage was irreversible.”
“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, Cap,” Ethan spoke.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. Hey, it could be worse. I’m left handed, remember?”
Mallory sat in a chair in the corner of the room. He was on his phone, presumably texting Charlie an update.
“Are you okay?” Crow asked.
“I don’t know,” Ethan said, “I need to process what happened before I can answer that.”
“That’s understandable,” Crow replied.
“Charlie wants to come see you,” Mallory said, looking up from his phone.
Crow sighed. “No, I don’t want him out of the house right now. We can FaceTime, if he wants.”
Charlie was calling within ten seconds of Mallory’s reply.
Yay, next… chapter? Idk wtf I’m doing anymore. Here you go. Also, the CW contains spoilers.
CW: blood, like a fucking lot of blood, stabbing, (almost) death, description of dying, needles
-
Charlie and Ethan sat in the living room, watching reruns of Forensic Files. The sun had just gone down, and it would be another hour until Crow joined them for movie night. It was Ethan's turn to choose the movie. He was still undecided, and scrolled through lists of films on his phone in an attempt to find something. There was a knock at the door, and Charlie got up to answer it.
"Is that Crow?" Ethan asked.
"Don't know," Charlie answered, "maybe he got out of his meeting early."
As soon as he opened the door, Charlie had something smack him hard in the face. He was sent backwards onto the floor, slamming the back of his head against the wood. He tasted blood as it began to flow from his now broken nose into his throat. He then heard the door shut and lock. It took him a moment to regain his bearings and sit up, and when he did, he was immediately grabbed from behind by his hair and dragged.
Charlie reached up and clawed at their arm as he struggled in their grasp. They finally let go once they reached the kitchen. Then, Ethan walked in. His mouth was moving, but Charlie couldn't make sense of what he was saying. He put his hands up and slowly lowered himself to the floor until he was sitting. The assailant finally moved into Charlie's view, and that's when Charlie realized it was Silas. Silas kneeled down and pinched the bridge of his nose, making him yelp.
"I'm here for one reason, and one reason only. I believe in an eye for an eye. Your mate murdered mine; it's only fair if I kill his, too," Silas said.
Before he could muster a response, Charlie felt a dull pain in his abdomen, as if he had just been punched. Then, the same feeling occurred again just above the other spot. He couldn't look down due to Silas' hold on his nose. He could only look ahead, directly into his eyes. Silas grinned as he finally backed off and stood up straight. Charlie's eyes drifted down and saw that Silas held a knife in his right hand. It was stained with blood. Ethan stood up.
"Oh my god, oh my god, you-" Ethan spoke, cut off when Silas whipped around. He jammed the blade into Ethan's side, then his chest. Adrenaline gave Charlie enough energy to get to his feet. He threw himself at Silas and began to hit him until he was stabbed again, this time in the shoulder. He shoved Charlie back into a cabinet and punched him in the jaw. Charlie slid down and put his hands up to cover his face. Silas kicked his shin, then turned back to Ethan, who was holding himself up against the counter. He screamed and curled up the best he could to protect himself, but Silas slashed his cheek, then his arm. He grabbed Ethan and threw him down next to Charlie.
"I should just slit your throats," Silas said, "but I'm going to let you bleed out instead." He folded the knife and put it in his pocket before walking into the living room. He took Charlie and Ethan's phones and smashed them against the floor until he was sure they were broken.
"Good luck getting help now. I know you're the only ones on this floor," he said as he opened the door. "Fuck you," Charlie snapped.
Silas stepped out and shut the door with a slam.
The pain was really beginning to set in, and Charlie felt like his entire torso was on fire. His shirt was completely soaked with blood, and it was beginning to drip.
"What do we do?" he asked. Ethan grabbed the dish towel that was hanging from the oven and handed it to Charlie.
"Press this against the wounds as hard as you can," Ethan instructed. He gripped the counter above to get himself to his feet. Blood trickled down his arm and legs as he moved.
"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.
"To find help," Ethan replied.
He made it about five steps out of the kitchen before becoming overcome with pain and fell to his knees. Charlie couldn't get up, even using all of his remaining strength. He stayed slumped against a cabinet with the rag pressed against his side.
"I can't move," Ethan said, voice cracking, "it hurts."
“You just have to get to the elevator,” Charlie said.
Ethan took a few deep breaths before attempting to stand again. He had to use the furniture to hold himself up, but he was able to make it to the door.
“Help will be here soon. Stay awake, okay?” He said. Charlie nodded, and he moved into the hall to reach the elevator. Charlie began to focus on his breathing. It was becoming increasingly difficult by the second. He was unable to maintain pressure with the now blood-soaked rag, and decided to drop it. He observed all of the blood pooling around him now, and the only thing he could think about was how it was going to ruin the wooden floor. The intense burning he felt was turning to ice, and the room suddenly felt extremely cold. His vision was beginning to darken. He just wanted the pain to stop.
Stay awake.
His eyes shot open, then fluttered shut again. Keeping them open took far too much effort. He decided that breathing was more important. His breaths became more shallow with each inhale, and no matter how hard he tried, he failed to take in more air. He was panicking, until he wasn’t. Suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. He felt an intense wave of peace wash over him, and he slipped into its sea.
…
…
…
…
…
When the elevator doors opened on Charlie’s floor, Crow immediately noticed the blood in the hall. He was already anxious, as they hadn’t replied to his texts, and this sight had increased his anxiety tenfold. The trail of blood lead to Charlie’s door. It had been left ajar. He made sure his knife was in his pocket before he slowly pushed the door open. He saw Charlie and immediately ran to him, and pressed his fingers against his neck to check his pulse. Luckily, he still had a heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there. Crow grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and cut Charlie’s shirt open. Upon seeing the stab wounds, he took off his jacket and pressed it against them as hard as he could.
“Charlie, can you hear me? I need you to wake up,” Crow spoke. Charlie didn’t respond. Crow looked around in a panic, trying to find something that would help him stop the bleeding. It was then that he remembered something. After their last run-in with Kendall, Mallory had given him a few vials of the healing serum. He had forgotten about them in the glovebox of his car - until now. Crow took off his belt and wrapped it tightly around Charlie’s waist to keep his jacket pressed tightly against the wounds. He ran out of the apartment and down multiple flights of stairs to the parking garage. He fumbled the keys as he tried to unlock the door, thanks to shaking hands and the blood making them slick. He finally retrieved the paper bag which contained the serums and syringes, then beelined it back upstairs.
He slid on his knees when he returned to Charlie, and dumped the contents of the bag out on the floor where it was clear of blood. Mallory hadn’t told him how much he was supposed to use, so he opted to fill an entire syringe. He slid the needle into Charlie’s neck, hoping the spot he chose was good enough, and injected the serum. Then, he waited. A minute passed, and nothing happened. He figured Charlie had built up a tolerance, and injected him with another syringe full. The risk of overdosing him was one he was willing to take. If an overdose didn’t kill him, then the blood loss certainly would.
Again, nothing happened. He checked Charlie’s pulse again - still weak, but there. He filled yet another syringe. It was the last of the serum. If it didn’t work this time, then-
The wounds began to heal. A minute later, and they had fully closed. Charlie suddenly drew in a sharp breath, and he opened his eyes. Crow threw the empty syringe aside and grabbed him, pulling him into tight hug. He began to sob against Charlie’s shoulder.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” he mewled.
“How did you…” Charlie trailed off, noticing the empty vials and syringes scattered on the floor amongst the blood. Crow loosened his hold on him and pulled back to look at his face. He moved a bit of hair from Charlie’s forehead, then held his face in his hands. He sniffled, and his expression turned serious.
“Who did this?” He asked.
“It was Silas,” Charlie replied, “he was saying some shit about ‘an eye for an eye’. I- wait, where’s Ethan?”
Crow’s eyes widened.
“Oh my god,” he gasped, “he was with you, wasn’t he?”
Charlie nodded. “He went to find help. He got fucked up just as bad, if not worse than me.”
Crow sat back and retrieved his phone from his pocket. He looked up the number to the nearest hospital, and asked if Ethan was there. The answer was “no”. He got the same answer for the next three hospitals he tried.
“I saw the blood in the hall, but none in the elevator, even though the trail lead to it,” Crow said.
“Was there any blood in the parking garage?” Charlie asked.
“No,” Crow replied, “but now that I think about it, I noticed that the asphalt was wet, like it had been hosed down, when I was first coming up.”
They both had the same realization at the same time. Crow went to his contacts and began dialing Mallory.
“What?” Mallory answered.
“I need you to track down Silas right now,” Crow demanded.
“What- oh, god,” Mallory replied, “alright, let me get ahold of Nikolas. What’s going on? Is Charlie okay?”
“He’s fine now, but Silas broke in and attacked him and Ethan. We think he might have Ethan now,” Crow explained.
“Fucking hell. Okay, give me a few minutes, I’ll call you back,” Mallory said.
Crow sighed as he set his phone down on the counter. He turned the ringer all the way up to make sure he didn’t miss Mallory’s call. Charlie stood up slowly. Despite the serum, he was still dizzy, and had to try hard to maintain his balance.
“Go have a shower. I’ll come in and update you if he calls back while you’re still in there,” Crow said.
Charlie wanted to protest, but he just as badly wanted to get the copious amount of blood off of his body. He stripped of his cut shirt and blood-soaked shorts in the kitchen before heading into the bathroom. Five minutes into his shower, the water was still stained red. He had to scrub himself head to toe three times to get all of the blood off of his body. Once he was certain it was all gone, he got dressed, and rejoined Crow in the main part of the apartment. Crow was on the ground with a trash bag, a bottle of bleach, and three rolls of paper towels. He had somehow managed to clean up most of the blood in the kitchen by the time Charlie was out of the shower.
“It didn’t stain the wood,” Charlie observed aloud.
“It’s linoleum, not real wood,” Crow replied.
“Oh. Uh, has Mal called back yet?”
“Not yet.”
Coincidentally, Crow’s phone began to ring. He dropped the wad of paper towels he was holding and answered the call.
“Hello?” he said.
“Hello. We’re tracking him, and he’s driving toward Reading. I’m sending the info to you now,” Mallory said.
“Okay. Where are you?” Crow asked.
“In town, actually.”
“Good. Can you meet me here now?”
“It’s pretty late, but I suppose.”
“Okay. We’re going to go find this bastard and get Ethan.”
“We are? Right now?”
“Did I fucking stutter?”
“Er, alright. I’ll be there soon.”
As soon as they hung up, Crow began dialing someone else. Charlie watched him pace around the kitchen with his phone to his ear.
“Hey. I know it’s late, but I need a favor. Can you be at Charlie’s ASAP? Long story. Okay, thanks. See you soon,” Crow said.
“Who was that?” Charlie asked.
“Basil,” Crow replied, “I’m having him come sit with you while we’re gone.”
“I’m not going?”
Crow sighed as he went back to cleaning the floor. Charlie folded his arms. He wanted to go. He was the reason Ethan was in this mess, and he was going to get him out of it.
“I want to go,” Charlie said.
“Charlie-“
“I’m not going to argue with you. I’m going.”
“No. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go. You need to stay here,” Crow said.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
Charlie walked away and slumped down on the couch to silently fume. There was a knock at the door a few minutes later. It was Basil. Crow let him in. Basil saw the remaining mess and offered to finish cleaning while Crow cleaned himself up. Crow gladly accepted his offer, and went to quickly change into a fresh set of clothes and wash the rest of the blood from himself. When he was done, Mallory had just arrived, and Charlie was trying to convince him to convince Crow to let him join them.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mallory said.
“What isn’t a good idea?” Crow asked.
“He wants to come with,” Mallory replied.
Crow sighed. “Charlie, I already told you no.”
“But you didn’t give me a good reason,” Charlie argued.
“I cannot handle you getting hurt again. Not tonight, not ever. You are staying here, and that’s final,” Crow asserted, almost hissing. Charlie groaned.
“Are you ready to go?” Mallory asked. Crow nodded. He grabbed his phone and keys and they started out the door.
“You be good. I love you,” he said to Charlie. He shut the door before Charlie had a chance to respond.
“That’s the first time he’s ever said that to me,” Charlie said.
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