There's a flavor of hero and villain whump that just hits the spot for me.
What if hero and villain are always neck and neck, fighting as the city's symbol of good and evil. What if their whole life is dedicated for that, to uphold their very role in society, earning screams and gasps, cheer and fear.
They're very loyal to their mentors, superhero and supervillain. Which later become their achilles heels when superhero and supervillain reveal themselves as who they are. Suddenly superhero and supervillain are not sworn enemies like their image, but rather undercover agents working for the government to brainwash some people to become their weapons.
And so, the world as they know collapse when superhero and supervillain bring hero and villain into the government secret base. Suddenly, it's no longer the noise of their engines and guns (and maybe superpowers). Suddenly, it's their screams ringing through the halls as they get injected with god knows what and tortured day and night.
As time goes on, they're no longer sworn enemies, but just two whumpees desperately leaning on each other to survive. Betrayal is bitter as bile when the hands of their mentor also join in on leaving wound and scars all over their bodies, but they swear to not hurt each other, so they at least have each other.
And so, they cling in the corner of the cell, tryung to find any bit of reprieve in each other's arms. If they're not allowed the sweet relief of death, at least they're not alone.
Completely broken Whumpee trying to comfort newer,defiant whumpee, revealing just how broken they are in the process.
Some possible scenarios/statements:
[Naive Broken Whumpee, perhaps on the younger side, trying to comfort a extremely new Whumpee:] "Don't worry, Whumper's a little scary but they're actually really nice! If you're on your best behavior sometimes they'll even let you sleep on an actual bed!"
[Formerly Defiant Broken Whumpee, post-Defiant Whumpee being punished:]"You'll learn. I used to push back against them, be a real troublemaker and awful to be around, but Whumper put their foot down a couple times and now we get along easy."
[After Defiant Whumpee complies for the first time and breaks down afterward, terrified of turning out like Broken CareWhumpee]: "Sshh. Don't cry, love, nothing to be ashamed of. I'm proud of you, and Whumper is too. "
in a systematic whump scenario, whether BBU, slave whump, whatever worldbuilding that creates a "class of whumpees". Two people, one who's very used to their situation in life, maybe even believes in the ideology that decrees they're lesser, the other resisting the "natural order" and demanding the freedom to choose.
Naturally those around them see fit to remind the second one of their place. I'll leave it to you to fill in the torment of your choice, but the example in mind was branding.
As the second one is on the ground, clutching their head and writhing in pain, the first one comes over to comfort them. Stroking their head that's drenched with sweat, giving them a shoulder to lean on as they shake and sob.
"This is our place, friend," the first one soothes, sadly, "Suffering is our lot in life."
If only their friend would accept that, so it would hurt a little bit less.
Niney's coversation with Mimette from the last part.
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“You’re looking awfully lonesome standing here all by yourself.”
Niney was wondering when Mimette would show up. She’d taken her time talking to Mr. Prichard and Ziya, waving those pliers around like she actually knew how to use them. Now, she was shoving a plate of cheese, crackers, and sliced deli meats under Niney’s nose.
“You can have some if you want,” she said, “you don’t have to ask, just take ‘em.”
“I’m alright, ma’am,” Niney answered. He was too busy staring across the room, watching Mr. Prichard struggle to maneuver the pliers around the front of Ziya’s neck.
Mimette pulled the plate away, tucking it close to her body. “Your loss.”
Suddenly, Mr. Prichard lobbed something over his shoulder and it hit the floor, sliding to a stop underneath the table in front of Niney with a sharp, metallic noise that made Niney flinch. Ziya looked over and Niney looked away, turning his attention down to Mimette.
“He’s pretty, isn’t he? It’s a shame.” Mimette was watching Ziya, a cracker in her hand halfway up to her mouth. “I know plenty of models that would’ve killed for his spot. Instead, Bastien had to throw another tantrum the moment Anne quit and make some impulse purchase. I’m pretty sure your type aren’t even allowed to replace normal people in normal-people jobs. Not since a couple years ago, at least. Only reason it’s allowed is because he technically isn’t working until we get to France.”
Niney didn’t have much to say in response, so he opted to not respond at all.
“Nevermind, you don’t care about all that.” Mimette waved her free hand dismissively. “Are you excited for Paris?”
Niney blinked, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. He hadn’t thought much about Paris, not even before the delay and Ziya’s acquisition. It didn’t quite feel real to him. Just a far off place that moreso represented the end of the current work cycle than anything he was actually looking forward to.
“Not really, ma’am. I’m not sure what there is to be excited for.” He was grateful that Mimette always let him be honest with her.
“Um, excuse me?! What isn’t there to be excited about?” she motioned wildly, her plate tipping suddenly, its contents sliding dangerously close to the edge.
Niney reached out on instinct to steady it, using his fingers to support the edge and push it back into equilibrium. While his hand was there, he decided to pluck the piece of cheese closest to him and pop it into his mouth. She had given him permission, after all.
“For one,” if Mimette had noticed him take it, she didn’t say word, instead counting on her fingers, “I could probably convince Bastien to take me to the beach and I’ll get to see him in that teeny tiny little speedo of his–”
Niney choked. He wheezed. His chest squeezed the air out of his lungs faster than he could suck it back in. He was lucky he didn’t choke on the cheese, his shoulders convulsing in a silent, shocked laugh that he was entirely unable to smother.
“Oh come onnnn. You’ve seen ‘em, haven’t you? The abs.”
His face was heating up. He lifted his hand to cover it, a sorry attempt to hide the redness. Mimette just laughed in turn, lightly elbowing him in the side.
“In all seriousness, though, it’ll be a nice vacation for you, I think,” Mimette said, “hopefully he’ll be less blegghh when all of this is over. You could probably convince him to take you somewhere tourist-y.”
Niney considered it. Maybe he could convince Mr. Prichard to take him to the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t a terrible idea. “That would be nice, ma’am.”
“Ugh I’m just so excited,” Mimette continued, “whenever things get hard I just tell myself not to worry about it because it’s not gonna matter once we get to Paris, y’know? Like, who cares if we’ve missed every deadline so far and still don’t have licenses for half the music that Bastien wants to use? It’ll work out by the time we’re off the plane. It always does. That attitude has done wonders for my mental health.”
“I’ll have to try it, ma’am.”
Mimette grinned. “We’re at the home stretch, alright? Just don’t let Ziya fuck everything up.”
“I won’t, ma’am.” For just a second, Niney glanced upwards, immediately cringing as he accidentally caught Ziya’s eye. Ziya waved. Niney couldn’t bring himself to wave back. A gnawing feeling scraped at his insides when Ziya looked away, smile fading.
CW: captivity whump, noncon body alterations (hair trim, laser "tattoo"), handcuffs, chains, tied to a chair, interrogator whumper, two whumpees, straitjacket, muzzle gag, force-feeding, noncon drugging, betrayal, mind control-ish
Eclipse pulled defiantly against the grip of the two guards that flanked him as they walked him down a windowless corridor. It had been a long day, and he was exhausted, but that was no excuse to make it easy on his captors.
Especially when his captors were employed at one of several prison camps that had popped up over the years after superpowers were outlawed.
Eclipse knew these places were horrible, but having just been through the dehumanising processing steps, he got a good glimpse at how bad things really were.
First they stripped him of everything; his tools, his clothes, and his dignity. They sprayed him down with cold water from a hose, before giving him a featureless set of beige clothes to wear.
The fabric was thin, barely holding any warmth. They gave him a size or two too big, which he didn't mind for the shirt, but the pants he had to roll up the legs a bit to prevent tripping. He was given no shoes, predictably, before being dragged off to the next step.
They checked his fingerprints and scanned his eyes to identify him. His arm was strapped to a small table, where an automatic laser burned a bar code into his skin, just below his wrist. He was given nothing for the pain, and mocked when he expressed his suffering.
Fortunately the laser worked fast, and if didn't go on for very long, but his arm still stung the entire time as they trimmed his hair short, shackled his hands behind his back, and dragged him deeper into the facility, through that windowless corridor.
The shackles didn't suppress his powers. But they also hadn't returned when they took off the suppression cuffs for processing. Eclipse figured they were using a force field around the building, though he was surprised they didn't use any suppression cuffs as a precaution in case the force field fell.
Good to know...
Finally they dragged him into a room, with nothing but a chair in the middle, and a drain in the floor.
They pushed him down into the chair, extra chains already attached to it to keep prisoners extra secure. They first clipped the chain between his shackles to the backrest of the chair. An extra pair of shackles was already welded to the legs of the chair, and locked around his ankles. A chain wrapped over his hips, to further pin him down. And if that wasn't enough, they crossed two more chains over his torso, like an X-shaped seat belt, the weight of the chains pressing painfully onto his shoulders.
The two guards left, the lights in the room dimming until there was only darkness left. Eclipse forced himself to stay calm. They were just trying to make him sweat before some head honcho would come and interrogate him, and Eclipse already knew what he was going to tell him.
Not a damn thing...
His interrogator seemed to have a much higher rank than the other guards, considering that he was wearing a suit rather than a uniform. He slipped his jacket off as he circled Eclipse, handing it to one of the guards before rolling up his sleeves.
"Aren't we lucky?" he said, "Not only did we grab ourselves a resistance leader, but also his little terrorist friend~"
Eclipse stayed quiet, not even making eye-contact, which then prompted the interrogator to grab his jaw and force him to look up.
"I'm glad it was you," he said, "cause I got a bone to pick with you."
Eclipse tried to pull his head from his grip, but the interrogator only squeezed tighter, not seeming at all impressed by Eclipse's silence.
"That crater you left in Wyoming?" he continued, "My folks lived there, and my sister, her husband and their kids...all gone. And for what?"
Eclipse scoffed, but still stayed quiet. If he didn't he might accidentally reveal how guilty he felt about that, and he didn't want the interrogator to use that against him.
"And then I realised..." he continued, "You weren't working with Frostbringer in Wyoming, were you? You were working with Chaos. So I wanna know...why the sudden change of heart? And where is Chaos now?"
Eclipse finally managed to pull his head from his grip.
"Eat me!" he hissed.
The interrogator just laughed as he stepped back, before suddenly jabbing his fist in Eclipse's stomach. The chains prevented him from doubling over, rattling as they held him back and he could only gasp for air, before taking a fist to the face.
Eclipse's head jerked to the side, and he could feel his mouth fill up with blood. The taste alone made him nauseous, but he let it fill before defiantly spitting at the interrogator, dotting his stupid white shirt with red.
That earned him another punch to the face, on the same side again. Something more than blood filled his mouth this time, falling from his mouth before he could look up. A chunk of white landed in his lap along with a mouthful of blood. Great. Another tooth gone.
His jaw was grabbed again, the interrogator bearing a look of disappointment.
"Too bad it's protocol to damn near shave you," he said, "because this is usually the part where I yank your hair out of your scalp..."
"Ghnn...Up yours..." Eclipse said through gritted teeth.
The interrogator moved his grip from his jaw to his throat, squeezing his airway shut.
"Here's what's going to happen," he said, his voice barely audible over the rattling of the chain as Eclipse began to struggle, "you're going to tell me where that rat bastard Chaos is hiding, and if you're lucky...you'll tell me even more, and I just might let you live."
He waited another extremely long moment before finally letting go. Eclipse gasped for air, accidentally breathing in some blood, sending him into a coughing fit. The interrogator walked away, wiping some blood off of his throat and hands while Eclipse caught his breath.
"Cough! ...I'm not telling you shit!"
Now it was the interrogator's turn to stay quiet, ignoring the hero and turning back towards the door, pulling it open and stepping aside. A woman entered, pushing a trolley with an insulated container on it. She was wearing a lab coat and a face mask, her brown hair tied back into a simple ponytail.
She anxiously avoided looking at Eclipse altogether, parking her trolley against the wall to his right and focusing her attention and eyes on the container.
Eclipse tried to keep an eye on her, but then he got distracted by a ruckus by the door, which was still open as two guards dragged in another person. Eclipse cursed mentally as he recognised the blond man. His hair trimmed short and stained red with blood, but still unmistakably blond.
They'd been separated as soon as they got captured, and while Eclipse wasn't sure how much time exactly had passed, he knew it had been enough time for the guards to rough both of them up — and they'd obviously done that.
"F-Frost?" Eclipse croaked, as his friend was shoved onto his knees in front of him.
Frostbringer looked up, and he pretty much looked like shit. Half his face was smeared in blood, like his hair. A sturdy, leather muzzle was strapped over his mouth, keeping him from communicating with Eclipse other than a subtle nod in an attempt to let him know he was okay, even though his arms were wrapped around himself in a straitjacket, and one of his eyes was swollen shut with bruising.
"So much for being a fearless leader," the interrogator said, giving Frostbringer a shove, causing him to fall over, with no option to catch himself.
"You think hurting him is gonna make me spill the beans about Chaos?" Eclipse asked, "Nothing you can do to either of us will be worse than what Chaos would do if we sell him out."
"You claim to be the good guys, yet you fear one of your own?" the interrogator said.
"Not much different from you being afraid to get a pink slip if you don't deliver," Eclipse said, "which you won't today. Because I'm not talking."
"You'd be surprised," the interrogator said, taking a frosted vial from the scientist by the trolley. He held it up against the light, observing the cold, clear liquid inside. "Oral ingestion, right?"
"Y-yes, sir," the woman replied quietly.
The interrogator nodded, and stalked back towards Eclipse, grabbing him by the jaw again and tilting his head back. Eclipse cursed under his breath, the chains rattling again as he struggled against the man's grip, keeping his lips pressed firmly shut as he had no idea what they were trying to feed him.
"Don't be difficult!" the interrogator growled, suddenly slamming his knee against Eclipse's chest, causing him to cry out in pain, before gasping for air again. The interrogator grabbed his chance and emptied the vial into the hero's mouth, before clamping his hand over his mouth so he couldn't spit it back out.
Eclipse tried to pull his head free, fighting desperately against his grip and the chains as he let out a muffled string of coughs, even after he accidentally swallowed the contents of the vial. It was ice cold, yet it burned at the same time. It stung in his nose and caused his eyes to tear up.
Somewhere in the distance, he could hear Frostbringer's muffled protests, followed by a dull thud and a muffled pained groan. Eclipse tried to pick up his struggle in protest, but there just really wasn't anything he could do, but to throw the interrogator a furious glare until he ran out of air, and he had to settle down to catch his breath.
Thankfully the interrogator let go by then, allowing Eclipse to heave his breath in an attempt to replenish his oxygen. He mockingly patted the hero's cheek, grinning as he flinched at the touch.
"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" he said, "Now let's give that a minute to take effect..."
He turned away from Eclipse and focused on Frostbringer now, looking down at the straitjacketed hero with his hands in his pockets.
"I didn't get the honour to interrogate you personally, but I hear you were pretty adamant that your lil soldier here wouldn't give us any information, no matter what we would do to you..."
Frostrbinger could also only glare in response, straightening his back in an attempt to look even more unimpressed.
"Did you ever stop to consider, that we don't need to do anything to you to get him to talk?" the interrogator continued with a shrug, "Maybe your little soldier isn't as loyal as you think."
Bullshit... Was the only thought on Frostbringer's mind, still glaring at the interrogator until behind him, Eclipse seemed to suddenly pass out.
"Mmmph?!"
Frostbringer cursed mentally as he lost composure, not to mention the fact it was pretty pointless as he couldn't produce any intelligible sound. But who cared about that now? Eclipse had been forced to swallow an unknown substance and had now passed out. That couldn't be good.
"Oh look at that," the interrogator said as he turned back to Eclipse and saw him slumped in the chair, "he must be a lightweight."
We haven't eaten anything since last night's dinner anyone would be a lightweight at this point... Frostbringer thought annoyed.
But the interrogator had no more eye for him regardless, focusing back on Eclipse, tilting his head up with another jaw-grab to check if he was conscious.
"There you are~" he said as Eclipse blinked his eyes open, "How are you feeling? Good?"
"Uhuh..." Eclipse nodded a bit.
"It's nice, isn't it?" the interrogator continued, "You feel nice and relaxed?"
"Hmn...y-yeah..."
"Your lil mind all numbed and quiet? No energy or space for lies..."
"Um..."
"Don't think too much about it." the interrogator said, squeezing his cheeks for a bit, "Just answer my questions. I'll start simple. What is your name?"
"Hmm...Xander Walsh."
Frostbringer rolled his eyes. What kind of half-assed hypnosis was this? His name wasn't even really secret info anymore after every super's identity had been publicised. There was no point in keeping it secret, which was probably why he answered.
"Good, very good," the interrogator said, "What gender do you identify as?"
"Male."
"What are your parents' names?"
"Mary Walsh and...Zack Carpenter."
Frostbringer frowned as the interrogation continued, and Eclipse just continued to answer the questions without any protest. Had they really managed to chemically force him to tell the truth?
"Very good," the interrogator praised, "now let's ramp things up a bit...What's your fearless leader's name?"
He mockingly looked at Frostbringer. Eclipse just stared off into the distance as he responded.
"Evan Kennedy."
"What was your last mission under his command?" the interrogator asked, still leering at Frostbringer, as if wanting to see his reaction.
"We destroyed a dog-hunter hub while they were out on missions so they can't continue their work in that area," Eclipse dutifully replied.
Frostbringer just glared at the interrogator. If he hadn't been gagged he would've shouted at Eclipse to shut up, but of course he couldn't. They orchestrated it this way. Still, he wasn't mad at the young hero. The interrogator and his guards and that scientist bitch by the wall were the ones to blame.
"And what was going to be your next target?"
"The processing facility the dog hunters worked for," Eclipse said.
"That would be this place," the interrogator said, "did you know that?"
"It...crossed my mind," Eclipse said honestly.
Frostbringer was glad he was gagged for a second, as he caught himself grinning underneath the leather panel of the muzzle gag. Good. They knew where they were. That means they would still get some use out of the plans they studied. They might just be able to escape.
"Some terrorist you are," the interrogator mocked, now fully focused back on Eclipse, "is that why you don't work for Chaos anymore? You weren't good enough?"
"I don't work for Chaos anymore because I left," Eclipse said, but he didn't elaborate.
The interrogator narrowed his eyes for a second, before deciding it wasn't worth pursuing.
"Are you still in contact with the other terrorist cell?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet?" the interrogator repeated, "Why not yet?"
"I didn't leave with the intention to cut contact," Eclipse said, "but there hasn't been any need for contact yet."
"So they might not know that you're here now?" the interrogator asked.
"I don't know," Eclipse said.
The interrogator shrugged. A fair answer. Annoying, but at least he knew for certain he wasn't being a deliberate pain in the ass. Time to get back on track.
"How close were you to Chaos?" he asked.
"Very close," Eclipse said, "he was my mentor when I was just a sidekick, so I was one of the only few he trusted."
"Shmmph mmph!" Frostbringer suddenly shouted.
The interrogator didn't even look at him this time. He just snapped his fingers, to which one of the guards stepped forward and jabbed his taser in Frostbringer's side, to which he left out a muffled scream as he fell over and writhed on the floor.
Eclipse briefly looked at him, before the interrogator grabbed his jaw again and forced him to focus on him instead of Frostbringer.
"Don't worry about him, just keep your eyes on me." he said, "Would you say you were in Chaos' inner circle?"
"Um..." Eclipse said, hesitating now that his concentration had been broken. "...yes."
"So you've been at his hideout?" the interrogator asked, squeezing his cheeks a bit in excitement.
"Yes. I lived there for a while."
"Where is it?! Where is Chaos' hideout?"
"Dmmm!" Frostbringer cried from the floor, only to get tased again.
Eclipse got distracted by that again, to which the interrogator squeezed his cheeks painfully.
"Look at me!" he hissed, "Where is Chaos' hideout?"
"Um..."
"Nmmm!!"
The guards now grabbed their batons, battering Frostbringer to keep him quiet so the interrogator could get his answer. He even stopped squeezing the young hero's cheeks and instead cupped his face in both hands.
"Where is Chaos' hideout?" he asked again.
"It's in...New Mexico..."
The interrogator grinned, mockingly patting his head in praise, while behind him Frostbringer slumped onto the floor in defeat as he failed to prevent Eclipse from spilling Chaos' location.
"Good boy," the interrogator said, "you can go take a nap now."
He let go of him again, allowing his head to drop onto his chest. The interrogator straightened himself, undoing the top button of his shirt. The silence was deafening. Frostbringer was too exhausted to have any fight left in him, and Eclipse would be out of it for quite a while.
"Put them in separate cells and wait for further orders. The main office will probably need to argue about what to do with them next first," the interrogator ordered, "I have a phone call to make..."
@whumpay
Frostbringer belongs to @illustriousshadow
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I had way too much fun torturing Xan again. I like it when he isn't fully in control of his own actions, the complete opposite of what he's been training his whole life for. As a professional ballet dancer he needs to control his entire body, so it's so much fun when he loses that :)
two whumpees meet by accident and become more confident in public again. as they spend more time out in the open, whumper has a chance to get both of them back
In honor of the 4th of July fireworks going around my house... it sounds terrifying out here.
Caretaker watched Whumpee dip their cookies in milk.
It was noisy around the house with everyone celebrating, and Caretaker made sure to get Whumpee's noise canceling headphones on them as soon it started.
They heard their phone ring in the kitchen so they quickly got up.
"Hello this is Caretaker... how can I help?"
"C.. Caretaker", a voice shakingly whispered.
"Oh Lawrence, are you alright?", Caretaker frowned.
"N-no", they answered, "I-I can't.... these fireworks... the flashbacks are really strong", they answered.
"Okay Lawrence, I'm coming to get you okay, I'll be right over. Pack an overnight bag, I'll bring you here for as long as you need", Caretaker went and grabbed Whumpee.
"So what is happening?", Whumpee pulled one of their ear covers up.
"Do you remember Lawrence?", Caretaker hurried through the neighborhood.
"Yes sir", Whumpee nodded.
"Well they are a veteran, who fought in a big war", Caretaker watched as Whumpee looked at some fireworks, "and do you know how you have flashbacks sometimes from what happened to you?"
"Yes sir", Whumpee nodded.
"Sometimes Lawrence and others may have flashbacks from those days that they served. These fireworks sound like explosions sometimes. They have a PTSD response like your therapist calls it", Caretaker waited for a car to slowly past, "you could go a little faster bud", Caretaker mumbled under their breath, "I got a war veteran and a trauma victim I need to get to safety."
"Are they alright?", Whumpee whispered with concern.
"They called, that's why we are going to get them", Caretaker turned into the driveway, "I'll be right back."
Whumpee nodded and watched Caretaker get out.
Caretaker led a person out of the house and to the car. They were wrapped in a blanket.
Whumpee could hear them sobbing before they even got into the car.
"Lawrence, I'm going to get your bag and keys, I'll make sure the door is locked", Caretaker whispered.
The person nodded and quickly covered their ears.
"I'm not there... I'm not there.... I'm not there", Whumpee heard them whisper reassuringly to themself.
They pulled their noise canceling headphones the rest of the way off and gently rubbed Lawrence's shoulder.
The person jumped and looked back at them with a horrified face.
"Sorry", Whumpee whispered, "loud sounds make me have flashbacks to. These will cancel out most of the noise."
Lawrence looked at Whumpee for a few moments before reaching for the ear covers.
"Th-thankyou", they shakingly put them on.
Caretaker got in and looked at them both before taking off.
"Whumpee I have another pair of those at home for them. They'll be a little bigger and more comfortable. Then you'll get yours back",
Whumpee nodded.
Caretaker gently led Lawrence into the house. Whumpee followed quickly behind. A loud bang put a little pep in their step.
"Mmm", Whumpee muffled a yelp.
"Okay, let's get you both settled", Caretaker gave a concerned look to Whumpee.
Caretaker settled Lawrence onto the living room couch. They grabbed a bigger pair of headphones, and quickly switched them out.
Whumpee excitedly put their pair back on.
The curtains were drawn closed.
Whumpee went back to their cookies and a fresh cup of milk Caretaker served them.
Lawrence was not ready for a snack at the moment. They had settled a little now.
Lawrence looked at Caretaker sadly.
They lifted one of the ear covers, "I-I'm so sorry for calling you like that. I-I didn't know what else to do", their lip quivered, "I couldn't..."
"Hey, it's okay", Caretaker walked over to them, "I told you whenever you needed me, I would help you. I am happy to help you as much as you'll let me. I wish that you'd let me help you more, but I don't push it."
Lawrence nodded.
"You can stay here as long as you need to. It is hard to be alone and to deal with these traumas", Caretaker patted Lawrence's knees, "I am here to help you."
Lawrence watched as Whumpee happily played with a puzzle.
They took down the ear covers again right when a loud firecracker went off. They jumped off of the couch.
"You know those work better when they stay on your ears", Caretaker helped them back down onto the couch.
"I-I'm sorry", they shook, "I wanted to ask about them though. They said loud sounds affect them as well, and I know you take care of trauma victims. What happened to them?"
"Oh, a lot of things", Caretaker frowned, then looked at Whumpee, "I forgot you haven't met them yet. It has been a while since you've been over. I can't really talk openly about what happened to them."
"Classified?", Lawrence frowned.
"Not really, but it's uh... just not something I like to talk about", Caretaker frowned, "it's uh... a lot of things happened to them."
"But they're smiling?", Lawrence frowned.
"Well it's not always like this. Right now they are relaxed. They trust that I have full control of what's around them", Caretaker smiled, "they go to a therapist... hint.. hint."
"I know you are big into therapist, but I'm not sure about that yet", Lawrence frowned, "I've thought about it, I really have, but I don't know."
"Well if you ever decide to, I will happily come with you if you want", Caretaker stood, "go ahead and get comfortable."
Caretaker gently tapped on Whumpee's shoulder.
"I see you are getting sleepy, and it is bed time", Caretaker gently smiled.
Whumpee yawned sleepily and nodded.
"Do you want to be in your bed tonight, or you could sleep down here on that couch", Caretaker pointed, "Lawrence has already fallen asleep so I'm going to sleep down here in my chair so they won't be alone."
Whumpee looked at the couch, then at Lawrence snoring away.
"May I stay down here with you", Whumpee whispered.
"Yes of course you can", Caretaker smiled, "go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll get the couch ready for you."
Whumpee came down to the living room and found Caretaker placing their pillow on the couch.
"It looks so comfy", Whumpee smiled, "are you sure you'll be okay on your chair?"
"Yes Whumpee that chair is very comfortable", Caretaker smiled while they guided Whumpee onto the couch, "plus I'd rather be ready if either of you need me", they watched as Whumpee laid down, and covered them with a blanket.
Whumpee smiled as Caretaker placed their stuffed toy under the blanket.
"Thankyou", Whumpee whispered.
"You're welcome", Caretaker smiled, "do you want the headphones back on?", they got down and knelt beside Whumpee.
"No thankyou", Whumpee looked at them happily.
Caretaker softly carded through Whumpee's hair a few times while whispering a few gentle words.
They didn't realize Lawrence had been squinting at them. Watching.
They quickly closed their eyes when Caretaker stood. They felt someone come over and adjust their blanket.
Lawrence saw the light was turned off. All that was on was a nightlight now.
Caretaker got comfortable in their chair and took a second to listen to their guest.
Whumpee made small snores already, they were on their way to a good night of rest.
Caretaker could hear that Lawrence was breathing. They weren't snoring like earlier, and hoped they hadn't disturbed them to much while getting Whumpee settled.
Soon though Caretaker was asleep.
Lawrence laid in the dark. It was peaceful here, what they wouldn't give to have to have peace like this.
In the morning Lawrence woke up and looked around. They remembered quickly that they weren't home.
They could hear someone in a different room. The headphones had gotten knocked off during the night.
Whumpee still slept on the couch nearby.
They got up and followed the voice until they found Caretaker in the kitchen.
"Hey goodmorning", Caretaker smiled at them when they came in, "how did you sleep?"
"I slept well, thankyou so much for bringing me here and letting me... well you know", Lawrence sighed.
"You're welcome", Caretaker nodded, "I made coffee. Would you like some?"
"Oh yes please", Lawrence nodded.
"Okay go ahead and take a seat at the table", Caretaker pulled out a cup, "I was thinking, would you like to know a little more about Whumpee? I have a journal that you can look at. It talks a little about their first month here. There's also pictures. It will turn your stomach though."
"I was watching you both last night... just a little. What I wouldn't give to have peace like you both have", Lawrence took the cup of coffee, "thankyou."
"Well I know I sound like a broken record, but we both go to therapy. We both receive help through that", Caretaker sat down with a cup of coffee, "it does help."
"You see a therapist even?", Lawrence smirked.
Caretaker nodded, "everyone should see one. At least that's my belief. With everything I see here and my patients. I go to see one because as a caregiver I can easily allow my patients' pain to become mine. If I'm not careful, that could greatly impact my mental and physical health. Therefore, that would impact my patient's care and my job."
Lawrence seemed to understand a little but they seemed to be uncertain still.
"Can I at least show you a picture from that journal? I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to see and read all of it, but just one picture?", Caretaker stood when Lawrence nodded.
Caretaker carried out a book and set it on the table. They opened it to the first page.
"Pictures like these are taken by the police and investigators. These are when Whumpee was first rescued", Caretaker turned one more page.
Lawrence saw it.
"That's not Whumpee?", Lawrence frowned, "please tell me that's not them."
"It is", Caretaker sighed sadly, "that's them."
"How long ago was this?", Lawrence frowned, "I honestly wasn't expecting... that."
"No one really does", Caretaker agreed, "especially with how Whumpee acts. Don't get it wrong. They have hard days. They have days where they show just how much trauma they've gone through. Then they have days when they are happy to be alive."
"I guess I understand that", Lawrence nodded, "okay you talked me into it. Who's the therapist then?"
An appointment was scheduled by the time Whumpee woke up. Caretaker helped and promised to go with Lawrence if they wanted.
After breakfast, Lawrence was ready to go home. Caretaker let them keep the noise canceling headphones as well.
"I'll get more of them soon", Caretaker grinned at Whumpee, "please don't be afraid of calling me. If you need help just ask... I am more than ready to help you."
"Thankyou Caretaker so much for helping me", Lawrence smiled, "thankyou Whumpee for helping me as well."
"You're welcome", Whumpee smiled.
Lawrence's heart hurt for how happy someone could seem after going through what Whumpee had.
"Thankyou again", Lawrence nodded.
Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.
Classic two-whumpee prisoner setting where Whumper keeps both in line by punishing the other when they act out. One day Whumpee A makes a desperate bid for escape and gets caught. They're already begging Whumper not to hurt B despite knowing it's fruitless. Whumper drags B over and then presents A with three items: a cattle prod, a whip, and a choke collar on a short chain.
"Choose which two I'm using," Whumper tells A, "or I'll use all three."
