"I like you better broken"- febuwhump 2026 prompt list @febuwhump
warnings⚠️: this plate of whump contains- merwhump, non-human whumpee, gill strangulation, conditioning, dehumanization, slight blood, carewhumper, multiple whumpers-ish, unintentional cannibalism, vomiting, mutts that get angry when broken.
whumpee had been kept in this small ice tub for hours now. maybe a day had passed already. who knows? certainly not the merman groaning in pain as the ropes scrapped against his sensitive scales when he tried to move.
Whumper was going to be back any minute to.... to what? it's not like they could cook and eat a merman especially not a bioluminescent one. they are known for their deadly toxins.
whumpee's body ached with cold biting at their bones too busy trying to fix their painfully awkward position but the small ice tub gave near no room. not to mention the lack of oxygen in the little water in the tub.
[just outside of that room, in the butchers shop whumper owned]
"can't believe they done caught one of 'em so close to the surface. and a glowin' sinker one at that"
The shop's chef, a well known retired sea beast hunter, said while
"yeh. either the things plain dumb or was really desperate. It's doesn't seem too bright in its defense. heard it didn't even fight back little over a few hisses."
whumper scuffed at his own words while pulling down the metal door to the kitchen area behind the cashier counter.
"yer, best not let your guard down it probably is just itchin' to get ya' with yer' guard down. nasty evil those creatures are."
"yeah, thanks for the advice ya Ol' Snapper."
"you be careful. Now, I'm heading to the docks, if ya need me don't bother." That old man though fit for such old age grabbed his hat and gave a low chuckle before heading out the door.
Whumper stayed and tidied up a good bit, even made use of the spare time to empty the cash register and out the money in the safe in the back office.
Walking past the tub to do so and when he finished locking the safe and returning it to it's shelf he lifted the lid of that tub.
peeking into the tub of ice where the merman laid discomforted and hardly awake, he first saw the bright glow of that marvelous creature then he recognized the state of slumber they were in.
Whumper groaned in displacer at that before taking up the tub of ice and walking out the office and over to the large fish tank they had that ran from one wall to the other.
Whumpee had hardly moved at the action that was until the merman felt water rushing through his gills causing him to choke and shoot up in a panic which splashed water out. Quickly followed by the creature curling up in pain and fear.
Whumper staired at whumpee for a few unnecessary minutes before walking away.
'stupid fuckass fish man monster' whumper thought as they grabbed the mob bucket and a book from a nearby shelf.
whumper skimmed the book a bit after mopping the mess. It was the 'Book of Siren's Secretes' which was basically an encyclopedia for mercreatures and Sirens.
"huh, guess i should have checked before keeping you in that ice chest. That's my bad."
whumper set the book down as they staired at whumpee's long thin tail. unlike the more commonly seen merfolk that stayed closer to the islands and rocks, the tail was long similarly to a cutlas fish but with long silky fan fins rippling from the tail base all the way till it meets at the tip where it spreads out to a fantail.
Whumpee hadn't moved much aside remaining curled up. whumper huffed at the lack of movment in the tank walking off to the side as he fixed the lid of the tank back in place.
whumper left out the back of the shop after locking up. it was already beginning to hit sundown by the time he made it to the small cabin up a dirt road trail away from the shop, not to far but there was a good lot of forest back there.
Back at the butcher shop; Whumpee uncurled their body just enough to peek out around them, the tank was large enough to swim around and still have enough room for decor.
there were a few fancy fish swimming about and hiding in a rather realistic fake skull. at least whumpee hoped it was fake.
whumpee rubbed their clawed hands along their arms wincing at the how sensitive and loose their scales felt.
They checked over their tail scales which were in the same condition, though not as bad given their tail scales were thicker but their fan fins and fantail hurt like that of a cold ache.
Whumpee swam circles around getting close enough to the tank walls to see out into the dark room around the tank.
the lights were off but they could still see the door a good distance away from the tank. not to mention a merman can't just walk to the door.
whumpee sighed back up into one of the corners curling up again as a hiccupping sob erupted from their lungs and choked out their gills, salty tears mixing with the fresh water of the tank.
whumpee didn't even realize they had fallen asleep not like they couldn't have after weeping out their last few awaken breaths till slumber claimed them.
Whumper awoke early one morning before the sun its self could. Getting ready for work they walked out down the dirt road trail unlocking the back door to the shop and getting the shop open for the day.
It's been two days since they had gotten that merman. everynow and then whumper had talked to him when opening shop or closing to leave.
Whumper went out to the freezer and grabbed a bucket of fish, clams, and squid making his way over to the tank. like he has the past to day lifting the lid and dumping the bucket into the tank for the merman to eat.
But just when he was about to dump the bucket in he grabbed a single squid and held it far above the water.
whumpee was still not used to the tank or anything about this but he had gotten used to whumper just leaving the food for them. this was new.
unfortunately whumpee didn't like this new way of feeding instead they backed up far to the other side of the tank tail curling around them like an eel as they watched whumper with wide scared eyes.
whumper gave a fond smile at whumpee before dropping the single squid into the tank.
whumpee knew they shouldn't but they were so hungry, they slowly crept towards the piece of squid staying low to bottom of the tank reaching a hand out to grab the squid.
quickly snagging it and swimming back to their corner as they ate, their jagged back teeth grinding into the squishy flesh of the squid both hand on the food as they ate.
whumper grabbed another piece of squid holding it above the water again.
whumpee swam closer watching and waiting for the human to drop the squid. their sharp teeth visible as they waited impatiently for the food.
whumper put their hand into the water holding the piece of squid out for whumpee to take.
Whumpee looked taken aback by the advancement.
'does this guy really think merfolk and humans think differently?' whumpee thought as their eyebrows furrowed, glairing at the hand. whumpee let out a soft hiss hardly audible from the water.
"common, you know you want it." whumper coed and coaxed and eventually whumpee's hunger took the best of them as they reached their claws out taking the squid from whumper's hand.
This time not even going all the way back to the corner before eating the squid.
Whumper fed the merman by hand the rest of the bucket before praising whumpee before closing the tank lid and going back to slaughter workshop.
whumpee remained in the tank's far corner watching as the shop's chef walked in to the store tying their apron while they set their brown jacket on the coat hanger by the door.
whumpee didn't like the chef, he spoke like those same sea humans that sail ships and hunt anything that swam. Not to mention how he only ever looks over at whumpee like some grand prize.
whumpee's bioluminescent features luminated his tank in bright purples and blues and specks of yellows, customer's were drawn into the shop by the live display.
whumpee hated when people came into the shop to gawk at him. hated it even more when the shop's cashier also deals in active sea hunting as a 'hobby', not to scary for a sea hunter though given how scrawny and unintimidating he was.
Always making snark remarks about how much whumper could get if he sold the merman. which whumper always shot down his ideas with an exasperated eye roll.
Whumpee didn't exactly fear whumper anymore, it's been almost a week staying there, every day whumper gotcloser to whumpee. At first it was a light brush against his hand when he went to take food, eventually it grew to petting the merman.
whumpee was scared ay first but he was adapting quickly. which is what whumpee always did out in the ocean- adapt to change never really one to get angry or be aggressive in any manner.
Other merfolk always thought him as a coward, he always thought of himself a coward at least... but if just adapting to it all kept him alive then it was worth it all.
whumper walked up with the bucket in hand as always and whumpee swam closer but far enough to remain just out of reach.
whumper held out an empty palm facing up whumpee swam up sniffing the hand before looking up at whumper with large eyes when he smelt the lack of food.
whumper pulled their hand out the water, their hand trailed whumpee's scaly arms and neck. whumpee leaned into the feeling not even realizing the intent of the touch before their head was pulled up, fingers hooked in their gills making whumpee gag and retch.
whumper lifted the merman's head above the water admiring the vibrant yellow rings for pupils. whumpee gasped in the air face screwing up in discomfort, as a dead sea/night zone merfolk species they hardly ever go up to the surface let alone not use their gills to breath.
whumper hoisted whumpee out the tub entirely, whumpee flailed in a panic but stilled when whumper's voice rang out.
"will ya' stop it! you and i both know the tank's too small."
whumpee let out a gargling sound as whumper wrapped one arm under the merman's tail the other arm around whumpee's top frame.
whumper let the tank open as he carried whumpee out through the back door and to his car, which whumper usually didn't use to get to work given it was just a walk away but there was a large ice chest was in the back.
whumpee squirmed in whumper's arms a few quiet scared hisses as whumper opened the chest.
"hey, hey! calm down dammit. its just got water in it."
whumpee glanced at the chest that did in fact only have water in it, he looked back over at whumper with a watery eyes. whumper took up whumpees frame and let the slippery creature fall into the chest of water before popping the lid onto it and getting it to the car.
the drive was rather quick aside from the pot hole that whumper had to swerve past. now at pulling up to the cabin whumper got out and pulled the ice chest out the back of the car walking around to the back of the cabin going past his fence where a large pond was.
whumper opened the chest and dipped it just enough for whumpee to slid out. whumpee swam out far before returning back to the small doc whumpee stood on.
whumper flashed a smile at the merman who in return gave a wobbly flash of jagged teeth in a sorta mock smile. whumper laughed at the sight before grabbing the chest and walking off returning shortly after with the bucket in hand.
he sat on the doc before tossing a clam out for whumpee, watching as they ate the insides and left the shell.
whumper continued to feed whumpee though the fish was ground up into chunks it was still good.
at least what whumpee thought was fish until his teeth scrapped against somthing hard in the food he was chewing spitting it out into his hand he saw a thin pale pink scale.
Whumpee felt their stomach suddenly churning as they took one for look at the human on the pond doc before swimming down and vomiting more than half of the food.
whumpee's body shook with every deep inhale through their gill to their lungs as their chest heaved in and wretched out sobs.
angry sobs. their teeth clenching as they felt their blood boil, the emotion so new yet still so high they let go of the feeling just as fast falling back again into dry heaving.
whumper had left when whumpee didn't return from swimming down, though they could hear the screechy wails of the creature they turned away bucket in hand as they left back into the cabin.
the next few days whumper would wake up get ready, toss out whole small squids and fish for whumpee, go to work come back around sunset, sit at the doc and watch whumpee, go inside and fall asleep.
routine was easy for whumpee to adapt to. easy to remember. which is why whumpee found it strange when whumper held out their food and stayed sitting at the doc rather then going to work.
whumpee went up not even thinking much on it despite knowing the routine had changed, they were familiar with whumper hand feeding them before surly nothing too different from any other day.
whumper watched as whumpee tooth the food from their hand staying close enough that they could run their hand on their scaly frame. whumper hooked a single finger in whumpee's gills causing them to gag after swallowing the fish.
whumper pulled them closer to the doc whumpee froze up in fear as whumper suddenly covered their gills with their hand an shoved them under the water whumpee paniced thrashed around before a loud gravely hiss errupted from them.
"ohhh ho ho, I like you far better broken" whumper's words toned with amusement as whumpee seemed to suddenly grow a spin and fight against him more.
claw marks running up and down whumper's arm and hand, even a deep gnarly bite mark all left in the wake of that merman.
whumper's smile grew to a grin as he let whumpee go. Now staring down at the bloody bite mark.
