I started this as a warmup and it kinda took on a life of its own 😅. So I'm posting because there seems to be a need for Brian in the fandom right now. I hope you enjoy! Prompts provided by @whumpster-dumpster
👤Down by the River👤 Brian Thomas/Hoody
I came to my senses in unfamiliar woods. They didn't look like the oak forest that boarders my home, instead thin, gray barked trees stretched up like knobbly arms from the ground. Even the air felt different here. Thick, but colder than it should be in these summer months. Strange. There wasn't any sound either, except for the trickling of a distant stream. I headed towards that sound, hoping to be able to follow the stream out of here. I was starting to get cold, and looked down to see that I was in the black sweats and tank top I'd gone to bed in the night before.
The further I moved into the woods, the more unsettled I felt, but the twisted vines and briars on the ground seemed to magically get out of my way, like they were trying to avoid tripping me. I side stepped an ankle breaker of a hole and noticed what looked like burnt tapes at the bottom of it. I moved on, still listening for water and adjusting my path.
As I passed a tree that was a little thicker than the others, maybe two that had grown together like conjoined twins, I spotted a male figure in a yellow hoodie and blue jeans. He had his back turned to me, hood up. Caught between deciding whether to back away, or approach him, I accidentally stepped on a stick and the sound of it rang out like a lightning strike in the thick silence.
The hooded man turned around fast, hand moving to the small of his back before freezing and letting his hand fall back to his side. He made no move towards me, just watched me quietly. He was around 5'9" or 5'10", and slightly muscled. He had brown hair, a wispy mustache and the beginnings of a beard. His hazel eyes studied me, as if he were trying to figure out where I came from.
"You shouldn't be here" he said quietly, a serious expression on his face. Not a stern one, I could tell by the set of his face that he'd rather smile than frown.
"But here I am" I said, spreading my arms out to my sides slightly before putting them down.
The hooded man smiled then, and it was radiant. He had a little gap between his front teeth, "Yeah, here you are," he chuckled, "What's your name?"
I raised an eyebrow at him, "You first."
That smile returned and he shook his head as he looked down for a second, "Brian."
"Nice to meet you, Brian, my name is Reader."
He nodded his head politely at me. Silence stretched between us as we watched the water flow through the stream.
"What brings you to my woods?" He asked.
"Your woods... I don't see a sign that proclaims 'Brian's Woods'" I teased.
"Well, not exactly mine... But more mine than yours. This isn't exactly a safe place."
I rubbed my arms against the chill air and muttered, "I noticed."
Brian noticed my arm rubbing and asked, "Are you cold?"
I nodded and he went down to his knees, digging through a bag that I hadn't noticed sat at his feet beside him. He pulled out a green long sleeved shirt and offered it to me. I took it and pulled it over my head. The clean smell of campfires, cedar, and Ivory soap rolled over me as I pulled it down.
"Better?" He asked.
"Yeah, a ton," I replied.
"Then, come on, let's get you out of here" he replied, offering me a black gloved hand.
I hesitated a second, since coming to this stream, and getting warmer, the woods didn't seem so bad now. Peaceful almost. "I think I want to stay here for just a little longer. It feels better here than it did back there" I told him, pointing my thumb over my shoulder.
Brian smiled again and said, "Alright, but let's at least walk next to the stream. It's not good to stay in once place for too long here."
I followed him after he hefted his bag over one shoulder. We walked in companionable silence for a while.
"So do you live around here, or something?" I asked and Brian slowed his pace to look at me over his shoulder, "You could say that."
"Man of few words, huh?"
Brian shrugged and coughed into his elbow. The coughing fit lasted for at least a couple of minutes and then subsided. Brian got into his bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. He shook one out in his hand and swallowed it dry before putting the bottle back. The white pill that he took looked familiar. Like one of my medications for depression. I took two pills for that. One main antidepressant and one that is supposed to help the other work more efficiently. Brian's pills looked like those.
The coughing came and went for Brian, sounding a little worse every time. At one point, he had to lean down, hands on his knees, to get through one. I moved forward and placed a hand on his middle back, trying to be comforting.
"That cough sounds pretty bad, Brian" I said, worry lacing my voice. We may not have said much to each other, but I felt comfortable around Brian. Safe in a place that had scared me while I was alone. I was grateful to have ran into him and didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
Brian went down onto his hands and knees, coughing violently now. I scrambled to kneel in the leaves next to him, grabbing the top of his left hand, "Brian? Brian, are you okay?"
It was a stupid question because as soon as that last word left my mouth, bright red blood came flying from Brian's mouth with a hack. Then a static sound started filling my head. So. Loud. I started scanning my surroundings, trying to find the source. Maybe fifty feet away, an abnormally tall, thin man with long arms and legs, and in a suit with a red tie stood watching us from the trees.
I let out a short strangled sound that was cut off by coughs of my own. I looked down at Brian, who was still hacking up copious amounts of blood. I looked back toward ls the tall man and he was a little closer.
Trying to stifle my coughing, I pulled Brian to his feet and we took off hand in hand, stumbling over vines and brambles that were seemingly moving for me earlier. Now, they were trying to stop us. Brian was slowly recovering and he took the lead, pulling me behind him. The vegetation stopped fighting us, and the static was fading.
We came to a stop when the static fully stopped and collapsed on the ground, breathing hard and trying not to cough again. A black cloth had fallen from his hoodie pocket but I didn't pay it much mind. Brian had just been coughing up blood. It was probably a handkerchief. I crawled over to him and leaned down next to his face, bending my head over his, "Are you okay? There was so much blood!"
Brian opened his eyes and nodded, hand curling over the black cloth and pulling it back into his hoodie pocket. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I think it's-
Static exploded in my head again and the tall pale man was a few yards in front of us. Brian was coughing again and so was I. I tried to drag Brian to his feet again, and he held back coughs enough to scream, "RUN!"
I shook my head, "I'm not leaving you behind!" I tried to pull him up again and he almost made it, then grabbed at his back and grimaced in pain as he rolled onto his side. I looked in the direction of the tall man again and he was still standing a few yards away. My lip curled in disgust at this... This thing that had ruined my peaceful time, made both Brian and me cough our lungs out, and didn't seem to be backing down.
I got to my feet, staggering a little under the weight of the air around me. Step by shaky step, I approached it. I fell in front of it at its feet. I could feel its confusion in the air, probably wondering why I wasn't running away. The static had gotten louder and I could feel pressure in my head like it was about to burst.
"Give in, Child" it whispered in a thousand voices mixed together in my head.
I raised my head defiantly and glared at it, "Fuck. You. And get out of my HEAD!" I imagined delivering those words with a hard slap and the tall man stumbled back a little. Even though it had no face, I could see its surprise. Another coughing fit took me and while I was coughing, the static went away. I saw blood fly from my mouth, just like it had from Brian's.
The fit subsided and I heard noises that told me Brian was crawling my way. I sat back on my heels, wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand. Brian crawled up next to me and dropped a gun to the ground, holding his back.
"What happened?" I asked.
"It's a long story" he laughed, wryly.
"I mean to your back."
"Fell on the gun. Agitated an old injury. But I'll be fine. Are you okay?"
I nodded numbly.
"I've only seen one other person stand up to the Operator like that."
"Operator?"
"That's who you just saw. How did you get him to leave us alone?"
"I kinda just, slapped at him. With my mind."
Brian looked thoughtful, "I think you need to come with me."
I snapped my head towards him, "Are you crazy? I've only just met you today, and-"
"And I'm the only one who can give you answers."
He was right... And that peaceful feeling had returned. He picked up his gun, tucked it into the waistband of his jeans at his back, and led me over to a archway that formed a perfect circle around the sun, cradling it in the lower bow. Brian pulled me through it and suddenly we were in the wood line behind my house.
"Gather everything you can in two bags, and meet me back here in fifteen minutes. He could come back."
I ran inside and did just that, grabbing clothes, socks, a pair of combat boots, a knife, and my sleeping bag, and met Brian right where I'd left him. He pulled me back into the woods and through the archway. But we didn't end up in the same woods we were in before. We were coming out of another archway next to a road that led up to... A hospital? Not just any hospital, an abandoned one. I was suddenly glad for the knife I had slid into the boots that I had put on to cover my bare feet. No wonder I'd been so cold. Who knows how long I had been in the woods. It had been early afternoon when we left my house. Now, just a few minutes later, twilight was approaching.
I followed Brian into the hospital and finally to a room where he had set up a bed roll. I was glad I had grabbed my sleeping bag. I put my bags down and Brian handed me a bottle of water.
Brian sat on his bedroll and patted next to him for me to join him.
"Alright, Brian, I came with you. Now I want answers."
"Where should I start?"
(To be continued...)
Went a little crazy with gifs this time, but the ones for Brian/Hoody were just so good! Also, I've been in a bit of a funk with Sally Face lately, so I'm taking August to focus on other fandoms (creepypasta and maybe a AU), and I really like prompt posts, so if you see one you want me to do, tag me, and I'll check it out. Upon, reflection, I've decided to write for most creeps excepting Clockwork/Natalie (her back story is just too triggering for me) and Sally Williams for the same reasons, but if I don't know your creep of preference, I'll go check them out and get back to you on whether I think I can write them. I'll do platonic, romantic and rival prompts.
after a month or so, the whumper feeds false memories in whumpee’s subconscious, during their treatment. so one day the whumpee wakes up in a strange place, not much memory of the night before. the place they were looked over what resembled Paris.
a person walks in, towel draped over their body, and smiles at the whumpee. “Do I know you?” They ask.
The whumper smiles sadly, with fake sympathy. “You don’t, but I’ll help you remember.”
A disclaimer: Most frequent different sites and platforms and not everybody has read the same fics; if you’ve read any of these send ‘em in!
Electrocution: malfunctioning tech? Torture? Stepped into some electrified water? Endless possibilities!
Phobias: Specifically unavoidable, blood, heights, anything the whumpee comes in contract with regularly where they have to hide their fear
Bad Intuition: something is COMING but they don’t know w h a t and the anxiety leaves an airy feeling in their chest that they HATE! “Hey, what’s up?” “I’ve just... got a bad feeling about something. Are you okay?”
POSSESSION: did you character find an ancient relic and start to attack their group? Did they fuck around with an ouiji board? I really haven’t seen anything like this and it can be so good if executed correctly
Catatonia: favourite thing, more pls
Heatstroke/ Hypothermia: if your whumpee is of another world, or has some sort of ability or special genetics, how do different temperatures impact them? Not every alien or superhero evolves the same ;)
Lemme know if any of these inspired you or if you want to start a discussion!
Whumpee has been through Hell and back (maybe literally O.O). They are just a shell of who they were before their traumatic experience. Their spirit is broken. They constantly feel numb. It seems like everything reminds the Whumpee of that event.
Caretaker has known Whumpee a long, long time. They're used to seeing Whumpee smiling, laughing, joking, following their passions, and being excited about their lives. It's unsettling to see Whumpee so... empty.
Caretaker is desperate to get their old friend back; maybe they're going through a rough time as well and Whumpee is their source of happiness and/or maybe it just hurts Caretaker to see their friend like that.
They do everything they can to help Whumpee feel better. No amount of blanket forts, snacks, tv shows, movies, books, or cuddles make a difference. Whumpee refuses to talk about what they went through. Caretaker schedules weekly therapy appointments for their friend, but they won't open up to them either.
After months of this, the frustrated Caretaker finally snaps at the Whumpee.
"I've done EVERYTHING for you! I've tried to talk to you, Hell, I'm paying a therapist a thousand dollars a month for you to sit and stare at your fucking shoes without saying A WORD in three three months! What the fuck is wrong with you? It's like you don't want to get better."
Whumpee blinked up at them, making eye contact for the first time all week. They mumbled, "I am trying. I jus-."
"If you were trying, you'd be getting better by now!" Caretaker screamed, slamming their fist on the table. They were too upset to notice Whumpee flinch. "If you were trying, you'd actually TALK to your therapist!"
"I can't talk when you're there," Whumpee admitted, bracing themselves for Caretaker's wrath.
"You've known me longer than that therapist. If you cant talk to me, why would my leaving help you talk about it with them? Besides, I'm the one who arranged and paid for all of this. I have a right to know!" Caretaker insisted.
"I-I know, and I'm really grateful! I-."
"Don't you dare try to blame this on me!"
"I wasn't! I just-."
*SMACK!!*
Whumpee fell silent. They held a hand over their stinging cheek as they looked at Caretaker with shock and terror.
Caretaker was still fuming, but gradually calmed down as the realization sunk in. They just hit Whumpee... "Oh, God... Wh-Whumpee I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"
They reached out to touch Whumpee's arm, moving slowly so as not to startle them. But they jerked their arm back like they were burned.
"I'm sorry, (Nickname). Are you okay?" Caretaker asked. Although, they already knew the answer.
Whumpee didn't answer them. They retreated to their room/Caretaker's guest area without so much as a peep. Caretaker wanted to follow them, but thought it would be better for them to have time apart for a little while.
Caretaker leaned on their kitchen counter, trying to figure out what to do. They happened to glance up as Whumpee hurried across the room with their bag over their shoulder. Whumpee paused just long enough to make eye contact with Caretaker. In a fit of anger, Whumpee threw their key to Caretaker's house at them. Caretaker barely managed to catch it in time to prevent losing an eye.
"I couldn't talk with you there because I was trying to spare you from the details of what happened. A therapist knows how to handle it. You don't." And with that, Whumpee stormed out, slamming the door behind them.
Caretaker stared at the door in shock. They weren't sure if they should chase after Whumpee. By the time they made up their mind to go after them, Whumpee was gone.
Caretaker and Whumpee have been friends for years now. Caretaker thought they knew everything about Whumpee. Heck, they've even unofficially adopted the Whumpee as their kid or little sibling! It turns out, there was something serious Whumpee had been hiding from the Caretaker.
An early cold spell is supposed to hit the area that night, bringing lots of snow and freezing weather. Normally, Whumpee takes shelter with one of their mutual friends who owns a homeless shelter downtown. Caretaker volunteers there, so whenever Whumpee shows up, they pretend they are there to help as well. Whumpee passes out blankets, serves hot food, and does whatever odd jobs are needed of them.
Tonight however, the shelter is overbooked with volunteers. Whumpee doesn't want to risk Caretaker finding out about their situation, so they look for shelter somewhere else. The storm hits before they can get very far. All they have on are their regular clothes and a thin towel because all of the blankets were sold out and proper winter gear is too expensive. Whumpee doesn't make it very far before they collapse from the cold.
Caretaker goes into the storm later that night to pick up some last minute supplies for the shelter. On their way, they trip over a large lump that they didn't see because of the swirling snow. When Caretaker looks back, they see the Whumpee, huddled into a ball, frozen stiff, and unmoving. Caretaker wastes no time getting them somewhere warm (shelter/hospital/etc).
The Whumpee gets looked over by a doctor or nurse who treats their hypothermia, and discovers several injuries, signs of malnutrition, and oncoming illness. Caretaker is worried out of their mind. They stay with Whumpee all night, looking after them.
Whumpee wakes up the next morning, unsure of what happened. Caretaker tries to get answers out of them, but Whumpee doesn't want them to know the truth. They keep lying about what's going on until the Caretaker gets frustrated and storms out.
Whumpee wasn't expecting them to be that angry, and aren't sure what to do. They decide to run, to avoid Caretaker's anger and having to give up the truth. Whumpee hurts their ankle trying to escape, but they managed to get away before Caretaker realized they're gone.
Caretaker and their friend(s) rush out to search the town/city/wherever. The storm is over but the temperature fell below zero and won't let up any time soon. They spend all day searching for the Whumpee, even going door to door to ask if anyone has seen them.
By evening, Caretaker is an emotional wreck. Their kid/sibling has been out in the cold all day hiding from them! Caretaker just has to stop a minute and cry. Little do they know, Whumpee is nearby. They see how distraught Caretaker is and how genuine jt seems. Whumpee hesitantly approaches them.
Caretaker looks up to see Whumpee standing timidly in front of them, refusing to meet their gaze.
"Whumpee! Thank God, I was so worried about you!" Caretaker cries, pulling them into a warm hug. Whumpee isn't sure how to respond. They were expecting anger.
Caretaker gets them back to their home where Whumpee can be taken care of. Finally, after nearly two days of anxiety and fear, Whumpee finally confesses everything to caretaker: they're homeless.
Caretaker listens to their tale, horrified that Whumpee went through all of that alone. All this time, they could have taken care of Whumpee! But the Whumpee was too ashamed to say anything.
Caretaker hugs them close and promises to help them.
Say the whumpee was once mind controlled by the whumper, and years after the whumpee escapes, the whumper finds them, and puts them under their control again. The whumper makes the whumpee kill one of their friends, and when the deed is done, the caretaker shows up out of the blue, and comforts the whumpee as they begin to remember, and cry in their arms.