50 Shades Of Purple

Find me on Twitter as @spiralxshocker , and Redbubble @spiralxshock (though I only just started that)

[spiralxshock]

Crying

Fandom: One Piece

Characters: Coby, Helmeppo

Relationship: Coby x Helmeppo

Coby struggles to deal with the aftermath of Helmeppo’s close call, shaken by having almost lost his closest friend.

Part 1

It had all happened so fast. Finding that hidden lab, freeing the trapped marines, and… blood. Blood pounding in his ears as he took the room in. Blood still covering his friend as he finally gave out. Blood gushing as he slammed that man into the wall. One. Twice. Three times before letting him fall lifeless to the floor.

The captured marines had insisted they didn’t need the doctors that came, pushing him to find Helmeppo. He was glad they had. If they hadn’t, well… He wouldn’t be where he was today. Walking through the base’s hospital with an armful of flowers to the room he’d been spending so much time. Coby quietly let himself into the room.

“Hey.”

The voice was soft and strained from underuse, but it was still enough to bring tears to his eyes.

“Hey.” His own voice was choked. “It’s… It’s really good to see you up. I wasn’t sure…”

He couldn’t finish that thought, opting instead to move closer to him. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say. The last time he’d seen his friend’s eyes open was the day he had dealt with the underground lab. After two weeks he hadn’t been sure they’d open again.

“I, um, I brought flowers.” Coby held out the flowers, an arrangement of roses, irises, lavender and more. Anything he could find that was a nice shade of purple. He could feel the tired joy radiating off his friend.

“Thank you.”

He set the flowers down, pulling a chair to the side of the bed for himself.

“You alright?”

Coby gave a small laugh, wiping his eyes with the edge of his scarf.

“I should be asking you that.” He sniffed. “I’m ok. I just… I thought I was going to lose you. I didn’t think… I just…”

“Coby. I’m going to be fine.”

It was a lie. Coby knew it was a lie. He wasn’t stupid enough to miss what had happened. The mirror, the scars, the fact he was awake before they had come in. Nobody could be fine after that.

“You’re a hero. The others told me what happened. But they’ve asked us not to do anything big. They don’t think it’s right to broadcast what you went through.”

Helmeppo smiled.

“I’ll have to thank them.”

“I know they’re eager to thank you.”

Coby reached out, gently taking the other’s hand into his own. Contact wasn’t something he enjoyed, but he knew Helmeppo did. And after what he’d endured it was the least Coby could do. They stayed like that a while, simply enjoying each other’s company as Coby tried to calm himself down.

“Helmeppo?”

“Hm?”

“I… Well, I…” He had to get something off his chest. After coming so close to losing him, he couldn’t just keep pushing it aside. That didn’t make things any easier, though. “I… love you.”

He could feel his hands shaking as he closed his eyes. The tears threatened to come back, too overwhelmed to do anything to keep them at bay.

“I love you too.”

Coby looked at his friend. Helmeppo was smiling. It was weak and strained, but genuine. He couldn’t help but smile back.

“Um. I should go let the doctor know you’re up. Could we… Could we talk about this more when I come by again?”

He hadn’t expected the fear that crossed Helmeppo’s face at his words.

“Can you come back with him? I… I don’t think I want to be alone right now.”

Oh. He supposed it made sense, after what he’d been through. He wouldn’t be surprised if he never quite trusted doctors again. Giving the other’s hand a reassuring squeeze, he smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll be right here for you.”

[spiralxshock]

Abandoned

Fandom: D.Gray-man

Characters: Daisya Barry, Kanda Yu

Additional: Light Kanda/Daisya

When Daisya finds himself down a well, all he can do is wait for rescue he isn’t sure will come.

“Kanda?” Daisya winced as he stood, looking up at the circle of light far above him. “Kanda! Marie! Is anyone up there?”

There was no response. Of course. What else should he have expected? All the way up there it would be unlikely they’d hear him without being close. Damn it… Of all the places to get stuck, too. They’d almost made it back to the Order, but no, he just had to get himself stuck down an old well!

At least it was dry…

Daisya sat down, careful not to jostle his injured leg too badly. It wouldn’t be so bad. He just had to wait for the others to find him. It’d be easy if they looked around the trail a bit. But… that was only if they looked. If they didn’t then he’d be stuck down there, injured enough to make climbing out an impossibility. But they would look for him. They had to.

He sat there a while, watching the small circle of sky still visible from his position and occasionally shouting up for anyone passing by. As it started to grow pink and dim, fear started to make its home in his chest. They should have found him by now. The temperature was also dropping fast- causing him to shiver as things got darker. Freezing to death at the bottom of a well? Things really couldn’t get worse.

It was a stupid sentiment, it turns out. A slow dripping of rain started, quickly growing into a steady downpour. Great. If this kept up, he’d either freeze or drown. It was just a matter of whatever came first. His friends had left him. And not just his friends… Kanda had left him. The one person he cared about more than anything. Daisya had thought the other felt the same but… Well, he had been wrong before.

“Daisya?”

A voice cut through the rain. He could cry. He did cry.

“I’m here! Kanda, I’m in the well!” Daisya screamed, desperately trying to be heard. “Kanda!”

He went quiet for a minute, waiting tensley for any sounds of acknowledgement. For too long there was nothing, but…

“Damn it. How the hell did you get down there?”

Kanda’s voice came from the opening to the well, usual annoyed tone edged with poorly hidden relief.

“Fell. Hurt my leg pretty bad too, so you’re gonna have to help me out.”

Once again there was a brief silence before something soft fell down the well. So he had a rope. Man, he’d really prepared. It wasn’t long before there was the sound of someone coming down the well. Daisya just hoped they wouldn’t get stuck there together.

Boots hit the muddy ground beside him, hands gently finding his face.

“Can you move?”

“Yeah. Can’t climb, but I can stand. I… I wasn’t sure you were coming.”

“I wasn’t. We’re close to the Order so I figured you were fucking around in the woods. You weren’t that hard to find once I started.”

His voice was soft, void of annoyance as he pulled Daisya to his feet. In times like this he was thankful to be shorter than the other, as it made holding on much easier as Kanda climbed. Before long there were out, standing in the heavy rain as the lights of the Order shone from a distance. Kanda didn’t put him down, instead adjusting to better carry him without as much strain on his injured leg.

“Let’s get out of this rain.”

“Yeah.” Daisya smiled, resting his head against Kanda’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

[spiralxshock]

Take Me Instead

Fandom: One Piece

Characters: Helmeppo, Original Character

Warnings: Medical malpractice, medical inaccuracies, mild descriptions of gore.

Helmeppo offers himself as a test subject in order to spare his fellow marines. He just has to hold out until help arrives. 

Part 2

Things always seemed to go south when Helmeppo was in charge. And not in any normal kind of south. That he could handle. Extra paperwork, maybe a stern lecture from a superior. Something normal that would just be an oversight on his part. But no, when things go south for him they go unavoidably, horribly wrong. Right now, for example, he found himself in a small cell. It was one of many down a long hall, full of others just like it.

The good news was he’d found the missing Marines he’d been looking for, and since he was here and Coby wasn’t, there’d be someone looking for him and everyone else. The bad news was everything else. It wasn’t just him that got caught, but the whole group he had been with as well. One of the missing marines had filled him in on what was going on. The man responsible was some sort of mad scientist, though at this point Helmeppo wasn’t sure if there were any scientists that weren’t mad, who would take the captives one at a time and do… something. Nobody ever came back, all killed by the man. What happened in the days between then was unknown, but assumed to be… grisly.

It was two days into his own capture before the man appeared again, walking down the hall of cells and inspecting the people inside carefully. He stopped at the cell across from Helmeppo, peering inside before reaching for the keys on his belt. Helmeppo quickly tucked a piece of paper under the cell’s single sheet before standing.

“Take me instead.” Helmeppo’s voice was calm, despite his current position. The man turned to look at him, his malicious grin widening.

“Oh? Who might you be?” The man let out a soft chuckle. “Not many would so willingly offer themselves to my knife.”

“Lieutenant Commander Helmeppo.”

“A ranking officer! So that’s why you have that coat. Do you think you can save these rats by offering yourself?”

“You only take one person at a time, from what I hear. I’m not broken as easily as some, and if it keeps you away from them for a while I’m willing to do it.”

“And how long do you expect to last?”

Helmeppo thought about his vivre card hidden in the cell. Coby was going to find them. It was just a matter of holding out until he arrived. However long that might be. He couldn’t let the others continue to get picked off while he just watched.

“As long as I need to.”

“Wonderful! But if this is a trick, I’ll be sure to get rid of everyone else.”

Helmeppo nodded. Fine. He’d expected a condition like that. Besides, Helmeppo couldn’t do much without his weapons. Not when this mad scientist likely had more than a few tricks up his sleeves. Sure enough, as the man opened the cell and grabbed him there was a stabbing pain in his shoulder. He looked to see a syringe sticking into it.

“What-”

“Just some insurance that you’ll come quietly, Lieutenant Commander.”

-----

Helmeppo woke in a brightly lit but dingy room, oxygen mask over his face and unable to move. Strangely, there was a mirror hanging over him, giving him an easy view of himself. Tied down and toppless. How long had he been like that?He didn’t remember passing out, but he’s pretty sure he knew when it had happened. Well, sort of. How long he had been out was something he didn’t know, but there was no time to speculate as the man loomed over him.

“Good of you to finally wake up. I didn’t want you to miss my process. You won’t be able to move, of course, but I wanted you to have a good look at what I’m about to do.”

It was hard not to regret his choice as the mad doctor got started. He’d felt pain before, but nothing could compare to the cycle of agony he was forced to quietly experience. It seemed like the man was trying not to kill him, going by all the medical equipment, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t doing all he could to make Helmeppo suffer.

The first few days were the hardest. Was it days? It felt like days. It was just a cycle after the first day. Cut open while being forced to watch, looking as his body was opened up and feeling every cut and prod. Then when the man got tired he'd be crudely stitched up before being left there. In those moments he was able to find some rest. It continued for what felt like forever. He got used to seeing himself cut open, even as the cuts grew larger. Starting as a simple cut along his abdomen, it soon grew to what would have been the cut of an autopsy- the only difference was that he wasn’t dead yet.

On the day everything changed, the man had yet to open him up again, having rushed in and locked the door. If it was for the reason Helmeppo thought, the lock wasn’t going to do much. If he had the strength left to smile, he would have. But now it seemed he’d finally be free of the torture. The man stood over him, scalpel to his throat.

It only took one hit for the solid metal door to buckle and fall. It wasn’t surprising. Coby was just that good.

“Let. Him. Go.” The rare venom he saved for Helmeppo’s sake dripped from his words. “You’ve lost.”

“Ha! So what! I’ve still got others! I’ll kill him!”

“We freed the others. You don’t have anything left.”

So everyone was free? That was good. Helmeppo let his eyes close, the last of his strength failing him. Coby could take it from there, and he could rest now.

[spiralxshock]

Day 7: Support

When her Captain and first mate drag themselves back from having disappeared for weeks, Thorn has some mending to do. 

Thorn barely recognized Killer when he finally returned to the ship, trailing behind their Captain. They were a sight for sore eyes, but even she could feel the tension in the air as they came aboard. Nobody spoke aside from Crow, who all but dragged their captain away to look him over. But once they were gone all eyes rested on Killer. He didn’t look like the same person. Face exposed to the world and grinning wildly, shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter. From her position outside the kitchen, she could see the glances the crew were giving each other. Everyone was worried, but nobody knew what to say. They didn’t stop him as he came towards her, the safety of the kitchen the next best thing after the room he shared with Kid- a room likely occupied as Crow made sure the captain wasn’t actually as rough as he looked. 

Thorn held the door for Killer, shooting a glance to the rest of the crew before closing the door behind them. She was silent as she put some water on, preemptively pulling out a mug.

“Go ahead, I know you want to say something.” Killer’s voice was breathless and strained, edged with laughter. Despite his words, despite how much he’d always hated his face and laugh, she knew the statement wasn’t baiting her. Whatever they had done to him couldn’t hide just how defeated he sounded.

“Are you… going to be ok?” She asked, turning to him from her place by the stove. As much as she tried to keep her expression neutral, she couldn’t help how her brow furrowed in concern.

“Fafafa, I don’t know.” Tears filled his eyes as he dissolved into pained laughter. She swallowed the lump in her throat. What had they done to him when they had separated?

“Some of the others are outside. I think they could help.”

“Fafafa, You- fafa, you think they could help?” His laughter grew more frantic, more pained, as he struggled to speak. “Fafafafa! You saw how they looked at me!”

“I did. And it’s a look I’m familiar with. Wanting to help, but not knowing how. I see it a lot.” She fell silent, the room filled only with the other’s frantic laughter. It was only when it had mostly subsided that she spoke again. “Killer. Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

“Well, I’ll vouch for the others. They’re not going to laugh at you. With you, maybe, but not at you.”

Her friend took a shaky breath.

“Fine.”

Thorn nodded, standing and making her way to the door. She could feel the others outside, uncomfortable and unsure of whether or not to knock. They wouldn’t have to worry much longer. She opened the door, smiling as the group looked down at her.

“C’mon. Hope you brought a change of clothes for him.”

“That and more.” Heat responded, still hesitating. “Are you sure he’s fine with us seeing him?”

“Yeah, just... don’t do anything to piss him off. It’s my neck on the line this time.” She turned away and walked back into the kitchen. “Last one in closes the door.”

As the small group surrounded Killer, it was impossible to miss his look of surprise.

“Couldn’t grab your mask before Crow kicked us out, but we’ve got something for you to change into.”

“Shit, Killer, you’re hair’s a mess.”

“I got more bandages. You’re starting to bleed through yours.”

Thorn watched from her place by the counter as hands pulled gently at Killer. Heat had pulled his hair out of the high ponytail and was brushing it out as Wire worked on redressing his wounds. Someone else had already spirited his cape away, likely to put it with the rest of their treasure. If nothing else it’d be worth selling once they got away from the island.

Soon enough he was looking like his old self again, aside from his lack of mask and the blanket draped over his shoulders. Even his laughter had died down by the time she started passing out tea to everyone in the room. She wasn’t sure how long that would last, though. His smile had turned genuine as everyone began filling him in on what happened since he had been gone.

“Thorn did a full transformation not long after you left. It looks so stupid- Thorn, show him!” One of them said, grinning wildly. She responded with an exaggerated pout.

“Hey now, it’s not stupid. Absolutely ridiculous maybe, you could even say it’s adorable. But not stupid!” Thorn’s voice dripped with mock drama, prompting laughter from the whole group.

That was all the go-ahead she needed, and let herself shift into her Axolotl form. She’d seen herself in the mirror. The devil fruit made her a funny little creature, and that was just a fact. Killer was crying again, laughter breathless and wild and genuine. Everyone else was laughing too. She waddled about for a bit, Zoan form ironically not one meant for land movement, before turning back into a human once more.

“I can regenerate too, so if you ever need a hand I’ve got plenty.”

The night dragged on, tone staying pretty much the same. Stories shared and jokes told, laughs indistinguishable from each other as they filled the air. Eventually the gathering moved into the dining hall, wide doors open as more blankets were brought in. The moon was high in the sky by the time the ship had fallen silent, everyone having fallen asleep in a heap on the floor of the dining hall. Thorn was left alone in the kitchen, cleaning up before she inevitably joined the pile.

She didn’t look back when the door outside swung open. There was no need to.

“Captain.”

“Where’s Killer?”

“Well hello to you too.” She glanced over her shoulder. He was looking better, but still tired. In his hand he held Killer’s mask. “You can just put that on the table. No use giving it to him now.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Everyone’s passed out in the dining hall. He can get it in the morning.”

“You’re joking.”

“Go look for yourself.”

She turned back to the last of the dishes as he wandered over to the door, taking in the scene before returning and setting the mask on the table.

“Everyone took it well?” His voice was low. Dangerous.

“As well as they could, seeing him come back like that. But I think it helped everyone. Everyone made the situation easier for Killer, and talking to him kept them from worrying about you.”

Thorn felt him relax behind her.

“Are you ok, Captain?”

“I will be once Kaido’s dead.”

“Guess that means we’re staying a bit longer?”

Turning the faucet off, she dried her hands and moved over to the door leading into the dining hall.

“Might as well rest while we can. You coming?”

“Yeah.” It was more a grumble than anything. She supposed he realized it would be the only way to sleep next to Killer tonight. If he wanted to avoid waking everyone up, at least.

“Captain?”

“Hm?”

“What happened to him? Nobody asked. Figured it wasn’t a good time. But… he probably told you, right?”

He came to stand beside her, hand in a fist and knuckles white.

“It was one of those damn SMILE fruits we heard about. He… We can’t do anything for him.”

“Sure we can.” Thorn grinned up at her captain, elbowing him gently. “If he can’t stop smiling, we’ll just have to start.”

He elbowed her back. They picked their way through the crew together, finding where Killer was laying. His smile had faded to a soft grin, breathing even hair wild. Kid settled in beside him, pulling him close. Thorn stayed on his other side, squeezing herself between Killer and Heat. It was nice, having everyone back together. They could deal with whatever happened next in the morning.

[spiralxshock]

Day 6: Stop, Please

Coby and Helmeppo find themselves lost in a dangerous forest.

“I know it hurts but you need to stay still.” Coby’s voice was soft. They couldn’t be too loud. Not when the whole island they were on was nothing more than a death trap. Unfortunately, his friend had been the one to find that out for them. The hard way. Besides, he was talking to himself more than the other.

Helmeppo’s face was flushed from fever, eyes unfocused as Coby tried to dress the gash in his side. Sickness was something Coby could deal with, but this? This was fraying his nerves quickly. He’d been fine before the plant had cut him, but now Coby wasn’t sure his friend even knew he was there with him. It was either poision or infection, and Coby wasn’t sure which was worse.

Gingerly Coby pressed his headband to the other’s wound. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had at the moment. His friend gave a strangled wheeze before spasming, elbow catching him in the chest with surprising force.

“Stop, please!” His cry came out louder than he’d intended, sparking a wave of movement in the surrounding forest. Movement that went unnoticed by the pink-haired boy. “I can’t help you if you keep-”

A searing pain exploded across his back and he screamed, collapsing on top of Helmeppo. His head was spinning. What had incapacitated his friend so quickly was poision. It had to be. And now it was making his own vision swim. Coby bit his lip, trying to focus on his friend’s increasingly shallow breaths. He couldn’t let himself fall into the same state as Helmeppo, not while they were still stuck out there. It was a chore to push himself to his feet as a crashing sound grew louder. Something was coming, and it was coming fast.

The world shifted, distorting wildly as he spun around trying to identify where the sound was coming from. Everywhere he looked was different. Changing… shifting. Hands were on him. A huge, hulking figure had grabbed him out of nowhere. Its face twisted into a horrifying sight and Coby screamed, pulling away and stumbling backwards. He lost his footing and fell, only registering a blinding pain before blacking out.

----

Coby woke with a start, sitting up quickly. Too quickly. His head pounded, and he would have fallen back if it weren’t for the hand on his back lowering him gently.

“Careful, kid.” He turned to see Garp beside him. Blinking a few times to clear his blurry vision, he glanced around. The ship’s infirmary… how long had he been there?

“Vice Admiral? What… what happened?”

“You two got separated from the group, and got a little too close to the local flora.” Garp let out a soft laugh. Why was he being so quiet? Wait…

“Helmeppo- is he alright?” Once again he sat upright and his vision blurred.

“Woah, what did I say? You got a pretty nasty head wound on that island.”

“But… What about Helmeppo?”

Garp’s expression twisted into a grim frown. He moved aside, pointing towards another bed in the room. Coby’s stomach twisted. His friend lay there unmoving, oxygen mask obscuring part of his face. What skin was visible was pale enough to make even his fair hair look dark. No wonder the vice admiral was being so quiet.

“Is… Is he…” Coby’s voice shook.

“He’ll be fine. But you’re both lucky I found you when I did. If I hadn’t…”

His eyes found his friend again. Knowing he’d be ok didn’t make him feel any better. But he had to believe it. What other choice did he have?

“Look kid, you should get some rest. If anything changes with him you’ll be the first to know, deal?”

Coby nodded, laying back and closing his eyes. So long as they were safe, things would be alright.

[spiralxshock]

Day 5: Rescue

Daisya gets rescued last minute from a dire situation.

Blood pounded in Daisya’s ears as he hung upside down. The chains supporting him dug into him, more than tight enough to bruise. Not that it mattered. He knew this guy had just been toying with him before now. Beating him to the brink of what he could take before finally putting him on display. It wouldn’t be long before he was dead. That much he was certain of.

He tried, and failed, to keep himself from tearing up as the man held Charity Bell. It was all he had left of his home. That man didn’t deserve to have it. It was his bell. As the man began to close his hand over its metal form, music filled the air. Music that he would recognize anywhere.

Everything was over in an instant. The man left with only a passing comment on how they weren’t worth his time, disappearing into thin air as far as Daisya could see from where he hung.

“Daisya, what the hell happened.” Kanda’s voice was sweeter than Marie’s music, a sound he’d briefly feared he’d never hear again. Despite the annoyance, the concerned edge was obvious in his voice.

“I… I…” Daisya couldn’t get the words out. He was dizzy, throat tight and vision swimming. Even without the finishing blows, he was close enough to passing out. For a moment he was falling, but arms wrapped around him and gently lowered him to the ground. No longer hanging, everything slowly started to come into focus. “Kanda…”

“I’m here.”

His hands found the other’s coat, grabbing it as he choked out a sob. His body ached. But it was more than that. If his friends hadn’t shown up, he likely would have died.

“Shit. Marie, he’s hurt.”

Daisya heard the mechanical clacking of akuma far above. Darkness tugged at the edges of his vision, and he felt his strength slipping.

“Daisya? Daisya!” The words were distant. His eyes closed, and he let himself fall.

[spiralxshock]

Day 4: Collapsed Building

A building falls, Helmeppo tries to hold out until help arrives.

“Tashigi? You ok?”

“I… I think so. You?”

“No.” The adrenaline coursing through Helmeppo might have dulled the pain, but he wasn’t stupid enough to not notice his injuries. There wasn’t much he could do about it, though.

Everything had happened so fast. Hell, he wasn’t even entirely sure what happened. One minute he was checking out a building with Tashigi, the next they were buried under its remains. Helmeppo had taken the worst of it. As everything began to fall he’d pushed his friend to the ground, covering her as best he could. That’s how they were now. Helmeppo on his hands and knees, rubble pressing down on him and metal rod through his shoulder, and Tashigi curled up beneath him and coughing from the settling dust.

Already his arms were shaking, shoulder aching around the ridged metal that had gone through.

“Did the rebar hit you?”

“Rebar?” Confusion. That was good. She would have known if had. “Is there a piece of- oh. I think I found it. It’s… wet?”

Helmeppo hissed as her hand met the wound in his shoulder.

“Oh- oh shit.”

Helmeppo gave a weak laugh, rubble shifting as his arms briefly buckled.

“Don’t… Don’t let Smoker hear you.”

“This isn’t the time to joke! We’re stuck here, and you’re- well, you’re…”

They fell quiet, the darkness only filled with their ragged breathing. Helmeppo’s shoulder was starting to ache as his arms shook, adrenaline slowly being replaced with the determination to keep his friend safe. He couldn’t let himself fail. Not yet. Not when someone else’s life depended on him.

“Is there any way I can help?” Tashigi asked, voice soft.

“Don’t suppose you can cut us out of here.”

“No… There’s no room to get Shigure out, and even if I could…”

She wouldn’t be able to do anything without hurting him. She didn’t say it, but he knew it was true. They were too close. Not that it mattered, with how things were going he’d likely end up dead anyways.

With a shudder, his arms gave out. He let out a wail as he slid further down the rebar, elbows hitting the ground hard. The rubble shifted once again, making catching his breath hard after his wound was so violently disturbed. If it had been smooth, maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much, but each raised bit only made the motion more painful.

“Helmeppo!” Her voice was frantic.

“I’m-” Helmeppo coughed, tears filling his eyes. The effort was overwhelming. He couldn’t keep it up much longer. Not with the paint. Not with the weight pressing down on him. A finger pressed briefly against his lips.

“Shh. I- I think I hear someone.”

He did his best to focus through the haze. She was right. There were voices. Distant, but there.

“I’m going to scream. Is that ok?”

The determination in her voice was honestly a relief to hear. She had a plan, and he just had to trust her. But… He wasn’t sure if he could hold up with such loud noise on top of everything.

“I… I don’t know… if I’ll be able to…”

“You will. And I can help. Just trust me. It’s our best chance.”

“Ok.”

He felt her hands on his face, pressing over his ears as she began to scream. It wasn’t perfect, but the noise was bearable.

Eventually the rubble began shifting again, this time getting lighter instead of heavier. It was a sweet relief. Not ideal yet, but more than enough after being stuck for who knows how long. His arms were still shaking, though, and he silently hoped that they’d hurry. Soon he felt an agonizing pull, the large piece of ceiling on his back shifting and the metal pole getting pulled back through his shoulder.

He screamed, and so did Tashigi, begging them to stop as he bit his lip and tried not to be sick. It seemed they heard her, as the chunk of ceiling stopped moving. It became lighter as pieces were broken off, blinding light filtering into the once-dark trap. There was one last jolt in his shoulder as a loud crack came from above, the last of the weight disappearing and pole remaining in his shoulder.

Helmeppo slumped sideways and away from Tashigi. The light was blinding after being in the darkness, but he could see the red on her hand. Blood. His blood. Smoker was by her side in moments, helping her out of the hole. He just watched, unmoving and eyes half closed as exhaustion hit him.

“Helmeppo, can you hear me? Are you ok?” Despite the worry in Coby’s voice, it was still comforting to hear.

“Coby…” He looked up at his friend without moving, his expression a weak glare. “Do I look ok.”

Coby gave him a slight smile.

“Yeah, good point.”

He let his eyes close. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea in his current state, but the ship’s doctor could berate him for it later. For now he let the exhaustion pull him into unconsciousness, comfortable in the fact that he and Tashigi were safe.

[spiralxshock]

Day 3:Manhandled

Daisya gets thrown around during a fight.

It was days like this that Daisya wished he listened to Kanda. He’d been told to stay close, but had run off as soon as an akuma had appeared. The fact it let him chase him for so long should have been a sign in itself. But no, it wasn’t until a second akuma had thrown him through the wall of a long-abandoned building that he realized how much danger he was in.

The smaller one had been easy to dispatch, but the larger was having a field day with him. It was toying with him. Throwing him around like it was nothing while Daisya struggled to land a hit. One wrong move and he would have the whole building coming down on him, a death just as certain as the akuma itself.

Daisya wheezed as the akuma slammed him into the ground, his nails digging into the monster’s arm. Charity Bell was too far away to be of any use. Or maybe it wasn’t. When the akuma had hit him, he hadn’t seen where it had gone. Wherever it was, he wasn’t in any position to use it.

Above him the akuma laughed. It was an awful, grating sound and its teeth flashed as it drew closer. Panic settled in Daisya’s chest. Those teeth… They were as big as his head and sharp as knives. He struggled as hard as he could, trying to find some way to get out of its grip, but the rubble surrounding him made it difficult to move at all, let alone enough to escape.

“Exorcist…” The akuma growled, “This was fun, but now it’s time you to-”

The akuma seized. It hunched over, shaking as its back exploded outwards into smoke. Daisya took a deep breath as the weight disappeared from his chest.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Kanda snapped at him, taking the akuma’s place leaning over him.

“I wasn’t.”

That earned him a huff. A jingle came as something hit his chest. He put his hand up, fingers connecting with the cool metal of his bell.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t lose it again.” Kanda extended a hand towards him. Daisya took it, staggering slightly as the other pulled him to his feet.

He winced as he brought a hand to his back. There’d be bruises there later. He was sure of it.

“Daisya-”

“I’m fine. Just not looking forward to sleeping on the ground again tonight…” At least next time he’d be sure to stay close.

[spiralxshock]

Day 2: Kidnapped

Companion to Day 1′s piece.

Helmeppo has to deal with the anger of his and Coby’s kidnappers. It’s one of the unfortunate side effects of having a widely hated father.

This was all his fault, somehow. That’s how it was with most of the messes they found themselves in, and this time was no different. Alright, it was different. Because even if he had no idea who their kidnappers were, they certainly knew him.

“These are the two that’ve been hanging around the Vice Admiral.” One had said when they had first been dragged in. “Guess we’ll see how badly he wants them back.”

They’d dragged Coby somewhere, and Helmeppo couldn’t help but hope he’d be safe. Safer than he was going to be, at least. Their captors were talking quietly now, glancing towards him every now and then with a venomous delight in their eyes.

Eventually they stopped and one approached, grabbing him by the back of the shirt and hauling him into the middle of the room.

“Now this was a hard decision, we ain’t stupid enough to not know hutin’ you could seriously piss Garp off. But we’ve had a bone to pick with your dad for a while now and you’re probably the closest thing we’re gonna get.”

Helmeppo felt sick. Nothing he could say would get him out of this one. The fact they were willing to do… something to him was proof enough of that. It wasn’t to get back at Morgan, it was to take their anger out on whatever the closest connection to him was.

“How ‘bout we make a deal?” One of the others crouched, staring at him with a wicked grin. “You keep quiet, and we’ll leave your friend out of the fun.”

Helmeppo nodded. It was the least he could do. He couldn’t let Coby get dragged into this, not when they just wanted him. Not his friend, just him.

He wasn’t ready for the first strike, and struggled to choke back a shout as a foot connected hard with his side. And that was only the first. Over and over pain exploded over various parts of his body. All he could do was close his eyes and focus on staying quiet.

The impact of something across his face was what nearly broke him. He felt his nose give a bit as blood both gushed from it. His mouth filled with the taste of iron as he bit hard into the inside of his cheek, trying not to scream. Everything hurt. It was too much.

Helmeppo went limp, opening his eyes slightly when the next strike didn’t come. His vision was blurred and darkening around the edges. He didn’t have much left in him. Closing his eyes again, he didn’t try to fight to stay conscious. Even if this continued, even if he didn’t come back from whatever they decided to do, at least he wouldn’t have to feel it…

Everything still hurt when Helmeppo woke up. His nose throbbed and the taste of blood was still  The cold floor was a blessing after the beating he had suffered. He didn’t move for a long time, staring into the dim light of the hall.

He shifted, pushing himself up as much as he could despite how weak he felt. Looking around the small room, he noticed he wasn’t alone. Tears began to run down his face. Coby was here. He was safe. Chained to the wall, but otherwise safe. Slowly he dragged himself over to the other’s side. He had to stop several times when the pain got to be too much, but eventually he collapsed next to his friend. Helmeppo curled up into whatever position made the pain at least bearable, and let himself cry. It was all too much. What had he done to deserve this? If Morgan hadn’t been his father would he have been safe?

Helmeppo woke to the sound of his voice. When had he fallen asleep? Well, he was awake now. He sat up, groaning as his body remembered just what he had been through.

“Someone’s here. I think… I think it might be the others.”

He stared dully out the cell’s door, focusing more on staying upright than whatever was going on. A shadow filled the door as his shoulder pressed against Coby’s. Garp… He actually came for them.

Their mentor freed his frend before putting a hand on Helmeppo’s shoulder.

“You kids alright?”

“Yeah. I’m ok.” It was impossible to miss how his friend’s voice cracked.

“Been Better.” His own voice was dry and croaking. He was leaning more fully on the other now, dizzy and nauseous.

He didn’t protest as Garp picked him up, only leaning his head against his shoulder to find some sense of comfort. They were safe. He was going to be ok.

“They beat you pretty bad, huh.” Garp’s voice was barely above a whisper. Helmeppo just nodded. He felt Garp hold him tighter. Helmeppo closed his eyes, letting himself relax. The injuries would heal, and for the first time he felt that things would actually work out for him.

[spiralxshock]

Day 1: Shackled

Coby is stuck waiting for rescue and, more importantly, news on his friend.

This one isn’t super whump-y but I wasn’t entirely sure where to go with it tbh. Still, I hope you enjoy.

Coby shivered, back pressed against the cell’s stone wall and wrists sore from struggling against his metal restraints. He’d already been there for hours - had it been hours? - and couldn’t help the dread settling in his stomach. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if he wasn’t so alone, but he was. Even if he shouldn’t have been. When he’d been captured, Helmeppo had been with him. They’d been put in together at first, but they had taken his friend… somewhere. As much as he hated to admit it, he wished he could hear the other screaming. If only to know he was alive. With the eerie silence that hung over everything it was hard not to assume the worst.

More hours ticked by. Or maybe it was only minutes? With no view of the sky it was impossible to tell. Coby had dozed off at some point, only to be woken by the cell door opening. One of his captors was there, dragging a limp form that he deposited in the cell before leaving once more. If Coby had felt dread before, it didn’t come close to how sick he felt now.

“Helmeppo?” He whispered, not daring to shatter the silence completely. His friend didn’t respond.

Coby shuffled forward as much as the chains would allow, wincing as his wrists began to ache again. He managed to reach far enough with his foot to nudge the side of his friend, earning him a small groan of pain. Coby let out the breath he had been holding. So long as he was alive, it would be fine. It had to be. Settling back against the wall, he closed his eyes once more. There wasn’t much else for him to do, and exhaustion still hung over him.

The next time he woke was to a loud crash and quite a bit of shouting. He blinked, trying to clear his vision and take stock of what was going on. Helmeppo had moved from where he had been laying and was now curled up by his side.

“Hey. Helmeppo. Wake up.” He spoke louder this time, the sounds in the distance gradually growing louder.

“Mm?” The blonde shifted, slowly pushing himself up to a sitting position. Coby frowned seeing his face, nose bruised and dried blood smeared across his mouth.

“Someone’s here. I think… I think it might be the others.”

Both listened as the noise died down, a large shadow  blocking out the dim light from the hall. Garp. It had to be. The man quickly did away with the cell door, ducking inside with the silhouette of Bogard right behind him. He knelt beside them, and with a soft click the chains restraining him dropped off. Coby gently rubbed his wrist, trying to warm them up again.

“You kids alright?” His voice was softer than Coby was used to hearing it, edged with concern.

“Yeah. I’m ok.” Coby’s voice cracked. He was starving and shaking, but compared to his friend he’d gotten off easy.

“Been better.” His friend mumbled. He was leaning now, shoulder pressed against Coby’s for support.

Their mentor nodded, gesturing for Bogard to help him up as Garp gently grabbed Helmeppo. Relief washed over Coby as they entered the dim light of the hall. Everything was going to be ok. And next time they wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.

[whumptober]

Whumptober 2020 - Updated

Welcome to Whumptober 2020! We’re doing things a little differently this year so please make sure to read the Event Info carefully. We are also excited to announce the addition of an AO3 Collection, which can be found here.

We hope you’re as excited as us to watch the Whump Community come together once again for a month of bone-crunching creativity and collaboration!

(All 31 Themes + Prompts, Event Information, and FAQs are posted below the cut!)

Keep reading

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Ok gonna start queuing up my whumptober fics. Just so I can get the tags on them right.

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Something I whipped up for @illuxions​. Putting it over here since I should probably put my art on my art blog... 

Sure they’re in America, and the picture quality isn’t great, but it was the first place I could think of to stick them. Bonus with text under the cut!

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‘Pink Axolotl’ Sticker by spiralxshock

Two colorations of axolotl means two designs. A counterpart to the blue axolotl, here is a cute pink axolotl. • Also buy this artwork on stickers, apparel, phone cases, and more.

I made some stickers for my redbubble. There’s also a blue version of this little cutie.

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It’s my my girl! My beautiful triton girl! Her name’s Clodia and she’s a bard.

(digitalized a pencil sketch from my main blog)

[xandiaries]

First – Next

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TAKE A LOOK @ MY COMIC

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Its my boi Xan