hellooo! i was wondering if u could write something with whumpee hiding a massive injury? maybe they end up collapsing in front of caretaker/leader etc. idk what else to write 😭
if not that’s totally fine! thank you!!
Hiii anon so like... It's been a month since you asked for this 😭 and I'm sorry it took so long I low-key forgot I wrote it for like a week :')
I really enjoyed writing this and it was honestly so fun to write! I ended up somehow not making them collapse I hope that's okay 😭
Two days since it reopened.
Whumpee's stitch job was botched at best. It was done a week ago in the middle of a battle. Rush work by a trainee. But it wasn't a major thing. Just five stitches, Whumpee could've done it themselves if they had the supplies and the stomach to do it.
It felt alright. Sure, whenever they moved weirdly they could feel their skin pinching or tugging but that was expected.
When they moved a little too fast and the gash in their side reopened.
They didn't go back to the medical centre because the medics there already had their hands filled to the brim with miserable fighters who had worse injuries than them.
Besides… if they don't move a particular way it almost feels like it's not there. They just couldn't move that way.
They've kept the wound clean, wrapping the bandages every few hours, wrapping them tight, putting on ointments, not moving much, not panicking when the bandages bleed through, etc. So they thought it would be okay.
Apparently they thought wrong.
They felt warm. Really warm. And nauseous. And dizzy. They had a fever.
This is the last thing they needed. A bloody infection. They were so careful too.
Now they had to figure out a way to sneak some antibiotics from storage. Because if the rest of the team, or God forbid, caretaker found out, Whumpee will definitely regret existing.
That brings them to now. They were staring at the wall opposite the team lounge. It was team meeting day. It really couldn't get worse, they thought as leader droned on about strategy and this week's performance.
“Whumpee!” Whumpee's eyes snapped in to focus when Leader's voice grated their eardrums.
“Stop zoning out. I've been trying to get your attention for the past minute.”
“Sorry.” Whumpee grumbled.
“This actually brings us to our next order of business. Whumpee, you've been too distracted lately.”
Whumpee blinked slowly. “... No I haven't.”
Leader looked unimpressed. “What's going on with you?”
“Nothing! Nothing's wrong.”
Leader stared at them, the way they do to make you talk.
“Nothing’s wrong! What do you mean I've been distracted?”
“Who did you meet in the lobby after practice yesterday?”
Leader sighed and looked at them tiredly. “No Whumpee you met me.”
“W-well… you and caretaker look alike!”
The whole team stared at them. Caretaker and Leader in fact, did not look alike.
They knew. They could tell. They were able to tell for a while now. They were going to let it slide, they were going to let Whumpee handle it however they wanted to, but caretaker insisted they bring this up.
“You’re not allowed to come for practice until you're not sick anymore.” Leader did not blink when they gave the verdict.
“That's bullshit! Why not?!”
“Because you think me and leader look alike whumpee. You are clearly not okay.” Caretaker said gently.
“You too?!” Whumpee glared at caretaker. “I can't believe this.” They grumbled but leader didn't miss the way Whumpee leaned on the table a bit heavily.
They watched as Whumpee heaved a large breath, their chest rising slowly.
“Yes I may have been distracted the past couple of days but I can still function!”
Caretaker stood up, gently reaching out to them. “Whumpee calm down-”
“No you calm down! You're all basically saying I'm incapable!”
“No we're not. You're obviously sick. We want you to be okay.” Medic drawled from the other side of the room.
“Oh you shut up.” Whumpee sneered. “I am not sick. I am definitely not ‘obviously sick’. I am alright. Just a little distracted.”
Whumpee was growing more and more animated.
“Whumpee. You are overreacting.” Leader said steadily.
“I'm not overreacting! I'm reacting perfectly normally for someone who was just told that they were being useless when they aren't!”
“But you're all thinking it!”
“You're all thinking that I'm burdening this team because I'm distracted!”
“I'm not! I'm perfectly fine!”
“Why are you bleeding?” Caretaker asked, mortified.
Whumpee looked down mortified.
“I-I… it's probably sweat? I need to go.” They tried to move away from the table but caretaker and medic sprung up from their seats.
Caretaker was on them so fast it was kind of impressive. Especially considering they were on the opposite side of the table.
“Whumpee. Why are you bleeding?”
Medic came and tugged the three layers of clothes Whumpee was wearing to reveal their bloody, pale, and yellowed side.
“Yep that is blood.” Medic sighed. “Take them to the medbay.” They pinched the bridge of their nose.
Caretaker picked up a now flailing Whumpee and started carrying them ignoring their curses and protests.
The bandage felt snug around their waist. They hated to admit it but it was a better job done than Whumpee could do themselves.
“Is it too tight?” Medic asked.
Whumpee huffed. “No…. Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Stop being a fucking idiot.”
Medic turned to caretaker. “Make sure they take these every eight hours, and these every six hours. Keep them hydrated and in bed. Tie them if you have to.” And with that medic left grumbling about lunch.
Caretaker sat next to them after the door slid shut.
“Why didn't you tell me.”
“You were not okay. You were bleeding out with an open wound that was infected. So why?”
Caretaker didn't go to fill Whumpee's silence and it remained for a bit.
Caretaker nodded at them to keep going.
“I… I don't like not being useful.”
“You don't have to be useful all the time Whumpee. We don't want you on the team because you're useful. We want you because you're you.”
“Only when you do stupid things like this.”
“So what do you suggest?” Their lip was wobbling now.
“Talk to someone when you're not okay. We want you to be okay. Not be useful.”
Whumpee leaned on caretaker’s shoulder and they wrapped an arm around Whumpee. “Let's get you to bed and get some meds in you.”
“Hey you brought this upon yourself. Now I'm not leaving your side until I know you're okay.” caretaker smiled.
Whumpee leaned heavier on them and they were getting ready to hear the usual grumpy grumblings about “this is so unnecessary”, “unfair”, “I can take care of myself”.
