The First Boy

paring:aris x fem!reader

word count:1624

warnings:blood, some cursing, injury, kisses, fluff, being jumped by guards (?)

a/n:this was another one that was originally split into 3 parts here, but i’ve put them together here to make for easier reading! :) +  you are the equivalent of Alby in this - first in command of the girls maze/glade.

This was written a while ago, so sorry if it’s shitty lmao

-

-

[Part 1] (first gif)

A boy comes up in the box with a note. You help him…

“It’s a boy.”

“What?” You step forward, looking down into the box. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Sonya replies. “Who’s gonna get him, though?”

“I will.” You jump down, landing perfectly and with ease. You kneel down next to the boy and notice something in his hand. Carefully, you pull it out and then look up in shock. The rest of the girls look confused.

“What is it?” One of them asks.

“It says..” You take a small breath. “It says… ‘he’s the last one… ever’.”

–

Later that night, Harriet walks quickly out of the medical hut. “He’s awake, Y/N. Says his name is Aris. But he’s confused and upset. We’re finding it hard to keep him calm.”

“Alright. Let’s go then.”

We make our way back to the hut. I walk in and see Aris sitting up with crossed legs. He looks so scared, and I feel instantly guilty. One of the med jacks speaks up. “He won’t keep still. Keeps tryna get outta here.”

I push open the door. “Let go.”

“What? Y/N, What if he runs-”

“You heard. Let the boy go! He’s scared, and he needs to know he’s not our prisoner here. Come on, Aris.”

The girls step back, and Aris stands up. I gesture for him to follow me out of the hut, and he does. The second we are out, he does as I expected since seeing him: he runs. 

“Hey!” I quickly catch up to him, getting ahead and stopping him with my hand landing hard against his chest. “You don’t wanna do that.”

“What is this place? Am I trapped? What’s that?” He points to the doors of the Maze.

“So many questions, greenie. All will be answered, I promise you.”

“When? I don’t understand. Why can I only remember my name… n-nothing else.”

“Listen,” I sigh. “It happens to everyone. None of us can remember anything. But, as I said, answers will come later. For now, all you need to know is that you are safe. As safe as you can be… for now.”

Aris looks up finally, frowning at me. “For now?”

“Yes.” I put a hand on his shoulder and meet his eyes. “Because I’m working on getting us out of here. And I will.”

-

-

[Part 2] (second gif)

After escaping the Maze with Aris, as you promised, you get separated…

Aris looks at you from across the dining table. You smile in reply to his worried expression. You reach over and place your hand on the table. He follows, placing his on top of yours. “We’re gonna be fine, A. We made it out.”

“I know, I just…” He whispers, pulling down his hood farther. “I don’t trust this place.”

“Me either, not completely… but we have food, clean clothes, showers, it’s-”

“Y/N.” You jump, looking for the source of the voice calling your name.

“No.” Aris leans forward, slightly bending over the table. “Don’t go with them. Please, there’s something wrong here.”

“Y/N!?” You look in the direction the voice comes from, realising that it’s Janson. “Is she here?”

You stand up slowly, shaking. “Yes..”

“Come on up here.” You stay still, looking back at Aris again, unsure and scared. He shakes his head.

Your heart rate picks up as you look around at the other teenagers who all stare at you with jealous looks. Most of them are convinced that they are here to be saved, to be taken 'home.’ You glance around for exits, but every single one is guarded by two or three armed men. You feel the tears begin to well in your eyes as your hand clutches Aris’s tighter.

Then suddenly, you are jolted forward by two pairs of arms on either side of you. You glance at the two guards who start forcing you forward.

“No! Y/N!”

“Aris! Aris!” You yell.

The force they pull you along with convinces you that they are not good people. Your arms are being practically crushed by the guards’ grip on you, and they don’t even notice your tears or shouts of pain. “Where are you taking me!?”

“Move!”

–

You follow behind a line of boys and girls. Each one disappears behind a curtain and then doesn’t come back. The line gets smaller and smaller, and you start to panic. Then one of the guards grabs you and pulls you aside. They turn you around quickly, clamping a hand over your mouth. You scream when the guard places a sharp object against the skin of your arm and slices long, jagged cuts into it. He then shoves you forward into view and gestures to another guard. "This one is injured. I’m taking her to get stitched up first.”

“Right. Be prompt.” A woman in a lab coat says.

The guard then takes you out into the corridor. You start kicking again. “Let go of me! Let go! Asshole, let me go!”

“Shh! Shh!” The guard pulls down their mask. It’s a woman, with black braided hair. “I’m here to help you. I’m with the Right Arm.”

“Help me!?” You show your bleeding arm, the red substance dripping along your skin and onto the floor. “You cut me!”

“To buy time. So come on, let’s go. Now.”

“How can I trust you!?”

She quickly reaches into her pocket, pulling out a rag and swiftly wrapping your wound. She ties a knot, causing you to hiss as the action makes the injury sting. “Follow me, and you will trust me. I promise.” You both start to run, the woman helping you along.

-

-

[Part 3] (third gif)

Reuniting with Aris in the Scorch…

You gasp as you see him. He stares at you, standing between two taller boys, completely taken aback. “Y/N!”

“Aris!”

“Y/N? H-how?”

“Just come here!” You open your arms. Aris pushes through the boys, wrapping you in a hug. You cradle the back of his head, holding him as close as possible and planting a kiss on his cheek as you break away, one hand moving to cup his jaw. “I can’t believe it.”

“Me either. And you look so different.”

You glance down at yourself. Your hair is braided on one side, and it’s cut slightly shorter. You wear bottoms that have mismatched colour patches sewn into them. A scarf sits tightly, but not too much so, around your neck. “Not really. Just dirtier clothes.”

Aris chuckles lightly, his eyes flickering up and down your form. You could almost swear that you catch him blushing. “Can we- uh..”

“Yeah, let’s go catch up.”

–

“Comfy enough spot right here, I think.” You sit together in front of a fire. “So, who are the other guys?”

“Uh, there’s Frypan, Newt, the girl is called Teresa, and then there’s Thomas, their kind of leader." You rub your hands together, warming them up. "He was the one who I talked to about not trusting that place. I told him about you and how you just… disappeared after they called your name. Then… he helped me get out.”

“Oh, so I suppose I should thank this Tommy for that later then.”

Aris looks up. “Why?”

“Why? We might have never seen each other again if he didn’t help you. And I missed you, A.”

“I missed you too. How’d you get out anyway?”

You chuckle, remembering. “There was a guard there who wasn't really a guard. She actually pulled a damn knife out and cut me… to buy us some time, and then we ran for it. She was a member of the Right Arm. They have groups who go in and try to get kids out… every now and then.”

You pull up your sleeve, revealing a few jagged, raised scars. “Harriet left some ugly ass marks. I would be mad about it, but she saved my life, so.”

Aris lightly touches one of the scars and then traces it with his fingertips. He moves up and up until his hand sits atop yours. You squeeze it, holding his hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back to you. We.. we didn’t have time. I wanted to, though. I kept asking, but it got too dangerous.”

“That’s okay, as long as you were safe. Thomas and his group helped me. It was a long journey, but we got here eventually.”

“I had no doubt that you could make it out… through the Scorch and…” Your voice lowers on the next words, “back to me.”

Aris smiles shyly. “I don’t know. I had a lot of help-.”

“No.” You interrupt him. “I always knew you were tough. Right from when you ran out of the med-hut that day.”

Aris turns shy, looking at his feet. “It kept me going. Thinking about the possibility that you could’ve gotten out. Or that if you didn’t… I needed to as a way of thanks for everything you’ve done for me.”

“A… I…”

“What?” He looks up again, and when your gazes meet, you can see the reflection of the fire in his kind eyes. He walks his hand over to yours, which lies flat against the ground and covers it, instantly making you feel warm and fuzzy inside. “Y/N, what?”

“I just, um- I think…”

“What?”

You sigh loudly. You are never the type to be at a loss for words. So instead, you dive into action, pushing yourself onto your knees and taking Aris’s face into your hands. You pause an inch away and feel him nod as his eyes flutter closed. The next thing you know, your lips are against his, delicate and sweet. “That…” You mutter when you pull away, cheeks hot.

“Oh.” Aris says, “well… that was nice. Thank you.”

“Yeah. Uh…” You nod before you both burst into a fit of laughter. Eventually, you both close the gap once again. You sink into each other’s embrace before falling asleep in front of the crackling fire.

-

Taglist:@jiaraendgame​

I lost my soul and I lost my spirit.

This mood when I feel my dried tears on my cheeks and I neither want to live nor die.

Every time everything gets better, it gets worse.

Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares. Nightmares.

If I could fall into the sky: My experience of Casadastraphobia

“Casadastraphobia is the fear of falling into the sky. It is a relatively recently identified fear, having first appeared on urbandictionary.com” - Phobia Wiki.

I’m relieved to have learned the name for this particular phobia, because recently I had an episode which convinced me I have it.

Before I go into that, I must explain that my fear of falling into the sky seems to be linked with being around extremely tall buildings; I believe this has been made worse by dreams where I’ve looked up at a skyscraper and I just lose all sense of balance and start getting sucked up into the atmosphere.

The other day this fear leaked into reality when I stood right underneath a 25-storey high rise in Manchester and made the mistake of looking up at it. My knees went completely weak and my heart began to race, sweat collecting on the palms of my hands. I was queueing at the time and I grabbed the nearest metal barrier in an attempt to steady myself. I really did feel like gravity was going to switch off and I was going to plunge into the vast blackness of the night - maybe holding on to a heavy object would keep me grounded. Although I knew the whole thing was ridiculous, I also felt an immediate urge to stand under the canopy at the building’s entrance or somewhere with a ceiling so that I literally couldn’t fall into the universe.

Read more:

If I could fall into the sky: My experience of Casadastraphobia

Chapter 294

Vlad froze and eyes teared up as he took a step backward. “Nightmare- It’s a nightmare…I need to-”

Maddie was snorting and her voice became broken and sorrowful but full of malice. “That monster touched my baby.”

Then the screaming started in the lab room and Vlad rammed the door down as he twisted the knob, panic, and fear on his features as he shifted from college-aged adult to his true age. A dark figure was raking clawed fingers along a desk as another hand kept Maddie pinned against the wood. Maddie’s fiery orange pixie cut splayed along dull wood to fade into deep ochre reds as the blood swept from the shadowy figure clutching her neck in its jaws. Grey eyes were listless and devoid of life from her as another sickening crack echoed. Vlad was running forward and shifting. A hand blasted the shadow away as he jumped up and over to her. A gloved hand shakily attempted cupping the wound as the other charged ectoplasm and hovered over her chest. “ Don’t die.Don’t die. Don’t die. Please. You can’t-” Eyes darted around pleadingly, “Jack?! Jack help! Maddie’s-”

Jack was right in front of him, clawed to ribbons and glaring with tearing eyes. A hand was on some sort of silver gun. “Yeah V-Man. I’ll help. First I have to get rid of the thing that did it though.”

Tearing red and orange eyes widened and a flicker of shadow caught his gaze behind Jack. A dark version of Plasmius was lurking with Jazmine in its hands, rocking her gently as she slept and grinning at him as it kissed the top of her bright blue bow. Then it’s form shifted to an acrid green shadow as Vlad tried lunging to get to Jaz only for Jack to fire. One-shot in the center of Vlad’s breast and then a second so Vlad fell backward from the desk. Wet and choked sobs echoed in the space as the proto portal flickered on at the side of the desk Maddie had been at.

The room illuminated in neon greens and wisps of light. A wire was sparking in the frame still as Jack and a dead and warped Maddie came from the side of the desk and grabbed onto Vlad’s legs to drag him around the furniture.

Jack was grinning insanely, “If I can see how you work being dead and all they’ll be alright. Maddie will be alright.”

The dead corpse helping Jack drag Vladimir across the linoleum to leave trails of red and green was humming. Seconds later Vladimir was being hoisted up by his spiky black hair by Jack and slammed against a black student desk. A head rolled numbly as Vlad cried and choked on the ectoplasm in his throat, “ F-Flapjack…demon has Jaz….De-”

Jack smiled coldly and nodded before taping Vlad’s mouth closed. “ I know V-Man. I’m taking care of it. Now be a good freak and behave? We don’t want to wake the neighbors.”

Read More of The Eidolon Complex, a Dark Parody HERE

https://youtu.be/iFsJcf017a8

Dreams

Why do we dream?

Note: Sequel to Day 23. I didn’t feel like leaving the story there. I felt that there was so much whump potential in the aftermath. I’m late again cause this was just so difficult to write. Same warnings apply. Nothing too explicit but Non-Con, NSFW, torture warnings still apply even if just in a brief flashback.

Luigi watched the last of the guests leave. The President had been rushed to the hospital where he had been pronounced dead on arrival. Luigi approached his brother. “What the fuck is going on, Pavi?”

Pavi turned to him, face serious. “Follow me, fratello. You’re not going to like this.”

“Like what?”

But Pavi didn’t say anything. He headed towards the lift and Luigi followed. Pavi was never this serious. Luigi didn’t like this. And the repeated comments about the President’s drink. Did Pavi do something to it?

Luigi followed Pavi into Dr Smith’s office where the girl Pavi was with earlier was sitting quietly. “What is this, Pavi? You wanted to keep the President’s girl so you killed him?”

Pavi didn’t say anything. He just passed him a sheet of paper.

Blood test 1 and Blood test 2 (Amber Sweet): 100% match.

“What…what the fuck is this!?”

“I don’t-a think sorella ran away. I think-a he took her.”

Luigi looked at his brother then back at the girl. “Amber?”

The girl didn’t look at him; her eyes were on the floor.

“Look at me, you stupid slut!”

The girl flinched and cowered from him.

“Fratello!”

The girl just curled into herself and shook.

“Is this some sort of fucking prank?”

“No.” Pavi bent before her. “She doesn’t seem to remember anything.” Pavi placed her gentle hand on hers. She flinched but didn’t pull away.

“What did he do to her?”

“I don’t-a know. But he deserved much worse than-a what he got.”

“Carmela.”

The girl’s brows furrowed. Did she…did she recognize that?

“Mela, do you know where you are?”

“Mara. My name’s Mara.”

“Mela, do you know where you are?”

She nodded. “GeneCo. I…I need to get back to the Master. He will punish me.”

Something in Luigi’s chest flared. “Punish?” He growled.

Pavi gave him a warning look. “He is-a dead. He won’t-a touch you anymore.”

The girl’s brow furrowed. “Dead?”

“Si. You’re safe now. You’re home.”

“Home?” She looked around then settled on Pavi. “Do I belong to you now, sir?”

Luigi’s hand clenched into a fist. What did that bastard do to his sister?

“No, sorella. You’re safe. You’re home now.”

“Safe?”

This wasn’t his sister. This wasn’t his fucking sister.

“I’ll be good. I’ll do anything you want.”

“No one will-a hurt you here.”

“If I’m good. I know. Just listen and I won’t be punished.”

Luigi couldn’t take this. He left the office. Rage filled him. If only the bastard wasn’t dead. He punched the wall. He imagined it was the bastard’s face. He punched the wall once more.

“Fratello?”

“He deserved more than what he got.”

“I know. But-a we couldn’t get caught. And it had-a to be tonight. Or he would-a take her back.”

Luigi punched the wall once more. “What were you doing with her?”

“He offered her to The Pavi to have fun with.”

Luigi punched the wall once more with a firm crack. Pain radiated up his arm. He let out a growl and slid to the ground. “1 fucking year. He took her for 1 fucking year and we didn’t-” He slid to the ground.

“The forgery was-a perfect. We searched everywhere. It wasn’t-a like we didn’t search. If she looked like-a that as soon as he took her, we would have never recognized her.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“It was-a an accident. I spoke Italian and-a she responded. I would have-a never figured it out otherwise.”

“I want to tear him apart!”

“He’s-a dead.”

“He got off too fucking easy.”

“I know. But-a sorella is the priority now.”

“What can we do, Paviche?”

“Just-a remind her who she is. Remind her she is-a safe. That’s-a all we can do.”

“How the fuck did we fuck up so badly?”

“I don’t-a know, fratello.”

***

“Good. You’re finally awake.”

She opened her eyes. No. Why was she back here? She tried to move but she was tied down to the bed.

Her master ran a hand down her cheek. “You’ve been a very naughty girl, pet. You tried to run away.”

No. She got out. She got out. Why was she still here?

Her master held up a metal stick. He stroked her with it. “I told you, if you were a good girl, you won’t get hurt. It seems you still need to learn.”

There was a sound of something crackling. A sharp pain shot through her. She screamed as her body shook and convulsed. As soon the pain started, it stopped. She breathed heavily.

“Beg me to stop.”

She wanted to beg but her throat was stuck. She couldn’t say anything.

“Such scary eyes. We’ll change that, don’t worry.”

The sound of crackling and another sharp pain shot through her. But it didn’t stop. She arched and screamed and convulsed but it didn’t stop. Please stop. Please. The pain disappeared. She crumpled to the bed, sobbing.

“Oh, is the Ice Queen crying? Go on then, beg me to stop. It’ll end so much faster.”

Her mouth still refused to move. “Fuck you.” No, she didn’t want to make him angry. Why was she making him angry?

He grinned. Another shot of pain filled her. She shook and shook. He was going to kill her. She felt her heart thump painfully in her chest. He was going to kill her. Her limbs contorted; her back arched. The pain stopped and she slumped downwards. Her heart was beating funny. Why was its rhythm off?

“Is that all you can take?”

“Please.”

He grinned. “See, you can learn. That’s all you have to do pet.”

Her heart was skipping beats. She couldn’t breathe. She-

The metal rod was forced inside her.

A scream escaped her lips before she could stop it.

“Don’t struggle. You don’t want me to accidentally push the button do you?”

A whimper escaped her lips.

“Now you’re going to be a good girl. And if you bite me again, I will turn on the cattle prod while its inside you.”

Something was forced into her mouth. She choked as she felt it at the back of her throat. She gagged. She couldn’t breathe. She wasn’t here. She wasn’t here. She wasn’t-

***

“Sorella, wake up. You’re having a nightmare. Sorella.”

Her eyes shot opened and she backed away. “Don’t touch me.” She shrunk back.

“Ok, sorella. I’m-a not touching you. Just-a breathe.”

She wasn’t in that room. She was…she was… Where was she? Why was she here? The master would punish her. The master would… She looked up to the masked man. Right. He was her new master. She yelled at him. He would punish her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Sorella, there’s-a nothing to apologize for. Just-a calm down.”

He was going to hurt her. He was going to punish her. She tried to back away but there was nowhere she could go. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m not-a going to hurt you, sorella.”

“Please. I’ll be good. I’ll be good.”

“Sorella…”

“Please. I’ll do anything.”

Arms surrounded her. He was going to hurt her. He was going to punish her. She fell still waiting for the pain.

Nothing happened. The arms didn’t let her go. But there was no pain. This…this felt familiar. This shouldn’t feel right but it did. She felt safe. She felt safe.

***

“-lease.”

Luigi sighed as he entered the hospital room Amber was staying at. Dr Smith wanted to keep an eye on her. He didn’t want to do any surgery on her until she was well enough to consent. Luigi had asked him to report what he had found. Dr Smith just gave him a dark look and refused. No matter how much he threatened him, he refused.

“What’s going on?”

She turned to him. “Please. I’ve been good. I’ve done everything you ask. I get Z if I’m good. Please.”

“Fuck.”

She flinched.

“Fratello…”

“Shit, I hadn’t…” He took a breath to calm himself down.

“Please sir. I’ll do anything you want. Just give me Z.” She approached him carefully. She dropped to her knees before him.

Luigi looked away. He couldn’t see his sister like this.

“I’ll do anything you want. Just give me Z. Anything you like.”

A hand touched his groin and unzipped his pants.

“Motherfucker!” He shoved her back. “Don’t fucking do that!”

Amber was sprawled on the ground. She was staring at him in fear.

“Fratello, calm down.”

He hadn’t meant. He hadn’t… Fuck he could do this. He couldn’t watch this. He left the room. He found the dent in the wall. He punched it. Again. And again. And ag-

“Stop it fratello, your fingers have barely set.” A hand grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” He snatched his hand back and sent it into the wall again and again. He let out a frustrated scream. Crack. There. He was satisfied. He looked at his hand. It had turned purple once more. Good.

“Damnit, fratello. Dr Smith will-a put you on a full cast if-a you keep doing that.”

“I can’t…I can’t deal with her like this. You fucking deal with her.”

“You don’t-a get to walk away.”

“I’m not… I can’t fucking see her like that.”

“It’s-a difficult for me to see her like that as-a well. But it doesn’t-a mean you get to abandon her.”

“I’m not-”

“She needs-a us.”

Pain shot through his hand as he roughly zipped up his pants. He knew…he knew what The President did to her. But to see it, to actually realize… He slammed his left hand into the wall.

“Is-a one fractured hand not-a enough?”

“If I can’t punish that bastard-”

“You’ll-a punish yourself?”

Luigi froze. “We should have found her.”

“This won’t-a change what happened. But we can-a help sorella now.”

“How?”

“I don’t-a know, fratello. But running away is-a definitely not it.”

Luigi closed his eyes and sighed. “Fine, Paviche.” He headed back to Amber’s room.

She just stared at them wide-eyed. She sat subserviently on the bed.

Luigi sighed and sat on the chair furthest from her. He couldn’t lose his temper.

Amber was staring at his hand. “Did someone punish you for being bad too?”

Luigi sighed. He really didn’t want to explain why he was punching the wall. “Yes.”

Amber glanced at Pavi.

“Pavi didn’t-a do anything, Carmela.”

She approached him cautiously. She gently took his hand in hers.

“It’s fine, Mela.”

“What did the poor wall ever did to you, brother?”

Luigi froze. “Mela?”

Amber didn’t say anything. She just examined his hand some more. She-

A blinding sharp pain shot through his hand.

He bit back the curse. He couldn’t scare her. “What are you-” He breathed heavily.

“The bones have to be put right.”

“Leave it, Mela. The doctors will see to it later.”

“The doctors will make it worse.”

Luigi froze. He placed a careful hand on her chin.

Amber stiffened.

Luigi dropped his hand immediately. “No one here will hurt you. If anyone so much as touches you, you tell me. I will fucking tear them apart.”

“Fratello.” Pavi warned again.

Amber didn’t cower but she didn’t say anything.

“No one is allowed in this room except for the two of us and Dr Smith. No one will hurt you.”

***

The withdrawal was bad. Luigi hadn’t noticed when Amber was withdrawing the first time. But sitting here, watching it first-hand. He watched her shake and throw up again. She kept begging them for Z but they held firm. Luigi’s limit however was when she reached for his pants again.

“Fucking hell, Carmela. I swear if you-”

She cowered from him. She hadn’t shown fear in so long. All their work undone by… Fuck. He headed to the door.

“Fratello!”

Luigi stopped and took a breath. He had to stay. No running away. He sat back in the chair. “I’m sorry, Mela. I hadn’t meant to raise my voice. Just please don’t…”

“Ok.” She said softly. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just give me Z.”

Luigi sighed. “It’ll be out of your system in a few days. Then you’ll feel better.”

“Asshole.”

Pavi whipped towards Amber in shock. “Sorella?”

But she didn’t reply as she always did when pieces of their sister appeared.

“Just rest, Mela.”

***

It’s been a week since Amber stopped withdrawing. She didn’t even ask for Z anymore. Dr Smith suggested they bring her back. Maybe familiar surroundings would help her remember who she was. He watched his sister walk into their home. She looked around cautiously. Slowly she broke away from them and started walking around by herself. She stopped in front of an old family portrait.

“Who’s that?”

“That’s papa, sorella.”

She paused. “No. Her.” She pointed at herself.

“That’s-a you, sorella.”

Her brows furrowed and she looked into the mirror. “No, it’s not.”

Luigi sighed. “Dr Smith says the surgery to look like that again would be extensive. You would require Z. He’s not keen on it and neither am I. But smaller scale surgeries, maybe a face transplant or something would work with the older painkillers. You can do that later, if you want Carmela. Once you get better.”

Amber just touched her own face and then the one in the portrait.

“Come on, Sorella, I’ll bring you to your room.”

Fear filled Amber’s face. “No. I’ve been good. Don’t lock me up again. Please. I’ve been-” She stopped herself. “Yes master.”

“We’re not-a locking you up, sorella.” He brought her to her room.

Her brows furrowed as she looked inside. “This isn’t…”

“This is your room, sorella. You can-a keep the doors open if you want. We’re not locking you inside.”

She slowly stepped into her room. She ran a hand on her table. “I… Do you want me to strip, master?”

Pavi sighed. “No, sorella.” He entered the room, giving Amber a wide berth. He opened the cupboard. “You can change to something more comfortable if you want, sorella.”

“The master chooses my clothes for me.”

“Thatman is-a dead. You can choose your own clothes, sorella.” Pavi just watched his sister stare at her dresser. “It’s-a almost time for dinner, sorella. Me and fratello will be waiting at the dining room. You can come when you’re ready.”

***

Pavi awoke with a start. It was dark. He…He couldn’t breathe. What was… Something was pressed against his face. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to move. Something was holding him down. He struggled. The pillow was pressed harder against his face. He tried to buck the person off him. They held firm. He fought harder. His lungs screaming for oxygen.

His hand slipped free. He grabbed the wrist holding him down and twisted. It released the pressure just enough for him to gasp in a breath. He pulled his other hand free and grabbed the other arm. He pushed the attacker back. He slammed them against the bed and-

Pavi froze. “Sorella?”

“Let me go. I’ll kill you. I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Sorella, it’s-a me. It’s-a Pavi.”

“I’m going to kill you. I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Pavi pinned Amber’s hands on top of her. He hit the light switch beside his bed. “Sorella, it’s me.”

“You’re…you’re not him.”

“No, sorella. It’s me. It’s just me.”

Pavi watched his sister disappear from her eyes. Fear filled them and she cowered back.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m-a not going to hurt you, sorella.” He released her and stood. He headed to the light switch and turned it on.

Amber blinked and stared at him.

“Did you have another nightmare, sorella?”

“I…I was there again. Hewas there. I thought…”

Pavi cautiously held her hands. She didn’t flinch. “He’s dead, sorella. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I…” She looked around desperately. “Yes. He’s dead. You…you’re my new master now.”

Frustration filled Pavi. “Sorella.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not your master, sorella. Stop calling me that. It’s me. It’s Pavi.”

“I…” She looked at her hands. “Ok, master. I’ll call you Pavi if you wish.”

Pavi released her hands. He sighed. “Just try to get some rest, sorella.”

“Ok.” She quietly left his room.”

***

She headed to the dining room. Her master was already there. She quietly sat in her chair. No, not her chair. The master told her to sit there. It didn’t belong to her. Nothing belonged to her.

The master didn’t look at her. He seemed upset. No. She would get in trouble if he was upset. She was going to be punished.

She had to do something. Her previous master liked it when she got on her knees. Would that…no the master didn’t like that. She looked at his hands. He liked touching her hands. Would that help? Slowly, she placed her hands on his.

“So…sorella?”

“Do you like this, master?”

The master sighed and pulled away his hands. Right. The master wanted her to call him Pavi. She forgot that. He will punish her.

“Motherfucker!” He flew to his feet. He was soaked with coffee. “That’s fucking hot, you clumsy bitch.”

She froze. “You fucking bitch!”

“You’re going to fucking pay for this.”

“I’m going to punish you so badly; you’ll be pissing blood for a week.”

“Fratello, stop it!”

The girl backed away, fear on her face. “Please don’t hurt me.”

She backed away from him. But she had nowhere to run. She had nowhere to run.

“Fucking bitch.”

He kicked her in the stomach. Again and again and again. Everything hurt. She couldn’t move. Please someone help her. She cried in pain but no one was coming.

“Fratello, stop it now!”

He stomped on her abdomen. She felt something burst. She screamed in pain. He was going to kill her. She was going to die.

“Motherf-” There was a growl of pain.

“Fratello!”

“Get the fuck out of here now.”

She was going to die. She was going to die. She was going to-

Hands engulfed her. “Sorella, it’s alright. Everything’s alright.”

He was going to hurt her. He was going to kill her.

“Sorella, just take deep breaths. You’re safe. You’re alright.”

She forced herself to breathe. The master gave her an order. She had to follow. She had to listen. She forced her eyes open. The girl was gone. The master released her.

Her eyes fell on him. He was breathing heavily; a knife buried deep in his thigh.

“Did the Master punish you for being bad?”

The master stiffened.

“No, Mela. Pavi didn’t do this.”

“Did…did he make you punish yourself?”

“I’ll give you a choice, pet. I can place this knife into your eye right now. Or you can stab yourself anywhere on your body.”

“No, Carmela. It wasn’t-”

“I don’t…I don’t-a understand. I’ve done nothing to you. I’ve been by your side since the start. I’ve been-a patient and caring. Fratello’s the one losing his-a temper and what, you think-a I’ve been-a torturing him.”

The master was angry. The master was really angry. She was going to get it now.

“I don’t-a know what to do anymore, sorella. I…I’m-a trying. I know it-a takes time. If-a you treat us both like… I’d-a understand but… Did I do something to you to make you so scared of me? Did I do something wrong? I’ve been-a trying so hard but…”

No. He wasn’t angry. He was hurt. Why?

“Forget it sorella. It was always-a easier for you to forgive him. I will leave you alone. I can’t keep-a babysitting the both of you. If it’s-a easier for you to deal, I will leave you alone.” He turned and left.

“Pavi!”

Wait. Stop. No why did she want him to stop. If the Master left her alone…no not master. Her master was dead. He was…he was…

“Damn it.”

She looked up at him. He was gripping his thigh. It was bleeding. She approached him quietly.

“Leave it, Mela. I’ll see to it later.” He didn’t look at her. He was staring at the door.

“Why? If no one makes you do it, why?”

Luigi sighed. “Mela…” He looked at her than look away. “I can’t control…” He took a breath. “I feel… It gets too much sometimes. I need a way to get it out.”

She spotted the bandages. She gave a quick glance to her sleeping brother. She undid the bandages. Long deep cuts ran down her brother’s arm. She touched it.

Luigi awoke with a start. “I had a fight with the mirror. Don’t go in the bathroom, there’s glass everywhere.”

She just stared at the scars. There was something off about it but she didn’t know what. She was too young to understand. “Is…Is Pavi going to be ok?”

Luigi turned away from her. “I don’t know, Carmela. I fucked up so badly.”

She pulled up Luigi’s sleeve. Those scars had healed. But there were new cuts; shallower but no less angry.

“Carmela, don’t.”

“Does Pavi-”

“This has nothing to do with Pavi. He didn’t make me do anything.”

No. “Does Pavi know?”

Luigi sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve been better at hiding it but these last few weeks have been…”

Difficult. Dealing with her had been difficult. “I’m sorry.”

Luigi closed his eyes. “I’m just going to make things worse.” He stood painfully. “I’m going to get this stitched up. Talk…” He sighed. “I’m not forcing you to do anything. But…Pavi has really been trying. This isn’t easy, Carmela. I’m not blaming you. It’s just…been hard.” He headed to the door.

“Brother. It wasn’t your fault. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“I can’t help you, Carmela. Not like he can. I can’t do anything-”

“You’re here brother. It helps. I know it doesn’t seem like it. But it helps.”

“I keep losing… I can’t control my temper. I can’t keep… You were never scared of me before. I’m making things worse, Mela.” He pushed open the door.

“Don’t give up on me.”

“I’m not, Mela. But I’m making you worse, not better. You deserve better.”

***

She watched the Mas-Pavi sit on the bench in the Greenhouse. He was quiet. He-

She sat next to Pavi and leant onto his arm. “Brandon broke up with me. He said I wasn’t pretty enough for him.”

“Sorella,” He sighed. “Your boyfriend was an asshole.”

“He isn’t wrong.”

“Sorella, you look-a lovely.”

“Then why won’t you take my face?”

He froze. “Sorella…”

“See, it’s not good enough for you.”

“It’s not like that, sorella.”

“Mommy wouldn’t have left if I was pretty enough for her.”

“That’s not true, sorella, you know that. Your mother was…” Pavi sighed. “I’m sure she had her reasons.”

“Daddy won’t let me have surgery.”

“You don’t-a need surgery, sorella.”

“Everyone in school has had one. We own GeneCo and yet daddy won’t let me do anything. They make fun of me.”

Pavi sighed. “I’ll help you convince papa. But do it only because you want to, sorella. Not to make the other girls happy.”

“What if I want to make the other girls jealous.”

Pavi grinned and smacked her head playfully. “Do it for yourself, sorella.”

“You’re the only one I can talk to, brother. You’re the only one who understands.”

She slowly sat next to Pavi. She leant onto his arm.

“Sorella.” He sighed.

“I’m remembering.”

Pavi froze.

“It’s not much. But I’m remembering.” Her voice turned small. “It’s hard. Some days I wake up and I feel like me but one trauma, one trigger and…” She felt a gentle hand on her arm. “He punishes me when he’s angry and that’s why when Luigi starts yelling, I… but those were never so bad. It meant beatings, punishment but that was it. It’s when…it’s when he’s nice; when he’s polite is when it’s the worse. That’s when he would have friends over or he wants to try something new. That’s why…it’s harder with you. I’m sorry.”

“Sorella, don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault.”

“No. I have to say it. This is the clearest I’ve ever been. If I regress…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Sorella, I don’t need you to take care of me. Just focus on yourself.”

“I know you’re trying to take care of us, Pavi. I see it. Luigi sees it. I need you to remember that when I forget.”

“Sorella please. Don’t worry about me.”

“You were here for me, for Luigi, when daddy died. You were probably grieving too but…I think we took it for granted you were ok.”

“I am ok, sorella.”

“It’s ok to not be. You don’t have to pretend for us. I knew all this before but…it was so hard to say.”

Pavi sighed. “Sorella.”

“Do you think things can go back to normal?”

“No. But it’s ok. You’re here. I’m here. Fratello’s here. That’s enough.”

“What if I never get better?”

“I will be here sorella. No matter how hard it gets. I will be here. I won’t leave you alone.”

“Yes master.”

The master’s eyes closed. He looked…sad. He placed a gentle hand on his arm. “I’ll be right here, sorella.”

The whumpee has trouble sleeping, to the point where the bedroom itself stresses them out, so after a while they habitually sleep on the sofa.

Bonus points if their friend or caretaker finds out, and the whumpee has to explain. (On the other hand, depending on the whumpee, they might just deflect and laugh it off.)

Febuwhump #4: Nightmares

Context: Nicholas, after his ill-advised rescue attempt

~~~

He awoke to a rumbling vibration, instantly recognizable, but impossible. It couldn’t be. He had to be mistaken, or dreaming. How on earth would he have ended up face down in Jefe’s van again? He began to put his hands against the floor, intending to push himself up.

A spasm of pain gripped him, fiery heat and pressure radiating from his right shoulder, and he cried out through clenched teeth. The vehicle bumped over uneven road, and even that felt familiar.

“Hey, it’s OK. Don’t move, man.” Someone was applying pressure to his shoulder, a young man with a hint of a Spanish inflection coloring his voice. “You’re hurt, OK? You want to stay still until we get somewhere safe.”

Safe for who? He was afraid to ask. Memories coalesced underneath the pain…the alley, the kid, the guy with the gun, explosions, falling. He had a sinking feeling that he’d just found out what it was like to be shot. 0/10, would not recommend.

Did one feel pain this intense in nightmares? He couldn’t recall it happening before. Was he actually dying in the alley and having vivid hallucinations of rescue? But why would he hallucinate Jefe’s van? An ambulance would have been much more welcome.

If he’d been shot…the anatomy charts presented themselves in his mind’s eye. He was alive, so the bullet hadn’t nicked an artery. Gingerly, he brushed his thumb against his fingers. The nerves must be intact. For anything else, he’d have to check range of motion, and that would have to wait.

The van slowed down and stopped, idling just long enough for someone to get in. The door slammed closed and the van set off again.

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s awake. OK, I think.”

Nicholas swallowed hard as he recognized Jefe’s voice. He was not OK, not unless he was going to wake up very soon.

like, ridiculously realistic mad vivid nightmares. like, walking in on your man in the act of cheating on you with another woman he actually knows irl nightmares. they do say your dreams are your biggest fears. but damn, now i can’t fall back asleep. the mind is the worst enemy. it truly is. even unconsciously.

whumpiguess:

I know we all love giving whumpees violent, thrashing, waking-up-screaming nightmares that bring concerned caretakers running but consider: a whumpee who suffers through nightmares silently, never even whimpering. a whumpee who wakes alone and scared, who can never bring themselves to admit to the nightmares cause, hey, they can’t be that bad if no one else can even tell they’re dreaming, right?