#oooo yessss
Caretaker gets protective when people start asking to see whumpee in recovery. They don’t know how they’ll react, seeing it took them days to learn how to enter their hospital room without frightening them.
So, caretaker writes out a list of rules. Just a few things, like no raised voices, no touching, no sudden movements, no loud noises, no questions, no reaching for them, keep a soft tone-
The list goes on, and on, and on.
Snacks are acceptable.
(So evil of me for my mind to go in this direction but…)
Whumpee finds the list. Finds it and thinks it’s for them. They’re not allowed to be noisy, probably not even if they’re in pain. They must go back to walking with feather-light steps and slow careful movements, never reaching for things that don’t belong to them.
Don’t touch Caretaker’s things, don’t make a mess, sound sweet and happy at all times.
Snacks, they find once they reach the end, are allowed. It’s a small gift, one they’ll be grateful for, but it’s so little compared to what they’ve had these past weeks. Caretaker must have grown so tired of them so suddenly to go to the effort of writing it down and leaving it pointedly for Whumpee to find. They hold back the tears and swallow it all down.
Caretaker didn’t even want to talk about it–probably expecting Whumpee would make a scene if they did– they just left a note for Whumpee to read, alone, and obey.
They’ll be better. They’ll be different. Caretaker will see… they’re worth keeping around. They promise to themself, they’ll make this all right, they’ll show they can learn.
I’m really feeling the “scars reveal” trope today
Character A feeling ashamed of the scars Whumper left behind, feeling alone, feeling like nobody could understand how it feels, until Character B quietly reveals how damaged their body is too. Kindred spirits. Is it reassuring? Does it make them feel even worse, knowing that someone else they care about has endured similar pain?
