“What did you say to me?” the whumper asks in a dangerously calm tone.

“Fuck off,” the whumpee hisses, teeth bared.

“No, not that.” The whumper grabs their captive’s chin and tilts their head back. “Just a moment earlier. I believe you said something along the lines of ‘you’ll never fucking own me, you piece of shit.”

The whumpee doesn’t bother with a reply, simply continuing to glare at their captor.

“Now, I can tolerate your rather excessive use of profanity,” the whumper begins, squeezing their captive’s jaw with enough force to bruise, “but I won’t condone lies.”

The whumpee snorts. “It’s not a lie. You don’t own me.”

The whumper’s eyes narrow. They’re silent for a long moment, and then they shove their thumb into the whumpee’s mouth, prying their teeth apart.

“Open up,” they demand sharply, and although the whumpee resists, biting at their fingers, the whumper manages to create enough of an opening to shove something past their lips.

The chemical taste explodes across the whumpee’s tongue, and they grunt in disgust. It takes them a second to process, but their eyes widen when they realize what’s happened.

There’s a bar of soap in their mouth.

The whumpee curses, but their words are muffled by the rectangular object filling their mouth. Nose crinkling, they grimace, trying to push the bar out with their tongue. The whumper clucks in disapproval, shoving the soap in deeper, all the way until it can’t go back any further.

Satisfied, the whumper steps back to admire their work. “Good. Keep that in there. Starting now, you’re going to tell me the truth. If you lie, I’ll have to wash out your filthy mouth.”

The whumpee squirms, gagging on the overwhelmingly repugnant taste. Their teeth dig into the waxy soap, and their gums sting. Tears spring to their eyes from both the discomfort and humiliation.

With a content smile, the whumper runs a gentle hand through their hair. “You see?” They caress the whumpee’s cheek, wiping away stray tears. “I do own you.”

whumpster-dumpster:

Whumpee is forced into a sack and tossed into a river to drown

“No, no—let go of me!” the whumpee screams, thrashing desperately. Their wrists are cinched together with zip ties, the plastic digging into the soft skin of their forearms, but their legs are free, so they kick out with all their might.

“Cut it out,” the whumper grunts, holding the burlap sack open with one hand—their other hand is curled around the whumpee’s upper arm, trying to maneuver them into the bag. The whumpee digs their heels into the dirt, resisting like their life depends on it—and it does. Just a few paces away, the river rushes fast, deep and deadly. The whumper has finally decided to get rid of them once and for all.

“I said let go!” the whumpee shouts as loud as they can, hoping someone will hear their frantic cries and save them from their doom.

With a growl of frustration, the whumper loops one arm around their waist and picks them right up off the ground. 

“Put me down!” the whumpee yells, flailing wildly, but it’s too late. In a show of strength, the whumper dips them backward, tipping them over so they fall headfirst into the bag. The top of their skull bangs against the rocky embankment, and they’re momentarily stunned. Before they can gather their bearings, the whumper ties the other end of the sack shut. The world goes black. 

Panic overwhelms the whumpee’s senses. They struggle as hard as they can, but they can’t get the bag open. The whumper hoists them over their shoulder and starts to walk. 

“Please, no, no, you don’t have to do this!” the whumpee shrieks. “Please!”

The roar of the river grows louder. The whumpee is choking on their own breaths, sobbing. “Please, I’ll do anything, please don’t kill—!”

The whumpee’s sentence is cut off with a splash as they’re tossed into the river. The sack is almost instantly flooded, and they tumble in current, drowning in the cold, dark water.

A Test of Endurance

a commission written for @northofnowhere4

content warnings: whipping, blood, captivity, creepy whumper

(Character B: “Bee” and Character C: “Cee”)

—

Bee can’t take his eyes off his friend. Cee is strapped down to a metal table, gagged and sporting a black eye. It’s Bee’s fault they’re here. Cee came to rescue him, but Whumper caught them, and now his friend is in mortal danger and it’s all his fault.

“I’m so glad you decided to join us.” Whumper claps their hands together, pleased, and smiles down cordially at Cee. “You know what they say.” They ruffle Cee’s tousled hair, and Cee snarls behind the tape sealed over their mouth. “Two is better than one.”

Whumper turns then, redirecting all of their attention to their original captive. “Don’t you think so, Bee?”

Bee stiffens, tearing his eyes away from Cee and meeting his tormentor’s gaze.

“Let them go,” Bee whispers, tears already gathering in the corners of his wide, frightened eyes. “Please, let them go.”

Whumper’s smile broadens, and they approach their captive. Bee is shirtless, wearing nothing but the bloody shorts he’s worn for the entire duration of his imprisonment thus far, and his hands are bound above his head with coarse rope. He tugs uselessly on the restraints, wishing he could run over to his friend and protect them from whatever horrible plans Whumper surely has in store.

“Oh,Bee,” Whumper says, almost pityingly. “As much as I adore your pleading, we’ve already been over this. Your friend is going to be staying here with us. They came all this way for you, and you want to turn them away?” Whumper shakes their head, “I know I taught you better than that.”

Whumper moves closer, leaving hardly any space between them, and Bee swallows hard, thoroughly intimidated by his captor’s proximity.

“I’m sorry,” Bee says quickly, his voice rising in pitch. “I’m sorry, just please don’t—”

“You’regoing to be sorry,” Whumper corrects, tone suddenly harsh, and Bee flinches. His torturer leans forward, their lips brushing against the shell of his ear. “You’re going to be sorry you ever dared to wish for someone to take you from me.”

Bee shivers, every muscle tensed. He knows Whumper’s words are as much a promise as a threat.

“Here are the rules,” Whumper begins, signaling the start of what Bee assumes will be a horrible, twisted game. They grab his chin, forcing him to meet their eyes. “Listen carefully so you don’t fuck it up.”

Bee nods frantically, and Whumper, seemingly pleased, slips behind him and squeezes his cheeks, forcibly directing his gaze toward Cee.

“Now, see your little friend over there? Look above them.” They steer his gaze upward to a heavy stone slab suspended in the air, dangling from the ceiling. The rock is bundled in a net of rope, and Bee’s heart stops when he realizes it’s positioned directly above Cee’s legs.

All the breath leaves his body in a horrified exhale. “No.”

He can feel Whumper’s malicious grin. “I’ve rigged it up so you—” Whumper yanks Bee’s head back, their hand tangled in his hair, his neck strained. They guide his eyes to where the rope tied around his wrists connects to a pulley system, “—are the only thing keeping that thing in the air. If you fall to the floor, well…” Whumper lets go of Bee, and, with both hands now free, they smack their hands together in a gruesome representation of what will happen if the rock drops. “It’s a bit like pulling a pin from a grenade, if that helps you wrap your mind around it.”

Bee feels as if he’s going to be sick. He meets Cee’s eyes, and his friend stares back at him, their defiance apparent in the set of their jaw. They might not be afraid, but Bee… he knows a weight that heavy, falling from that high up, will destroy their legs.

Whumper snaps suddenly, looking as if they remembered something they’d almost forgotten. “Oh, and I’m going to whip you. Your back could use some more scars, and I’d like to show our guest what we get up to around here. You don’t mind, do you?”

Bee gapes at his captor wordlessly, stunned.

“I can’t do it,” Bee whimpers, already defeated. “Please don’t make me—it’ll kill them, I can’t—!”

“Of course you can,” Whumper reassures. “I believe in you.” They pinch his cheek a little too hard. “My resilient little Bee.”

“Ican’t!” Bee protests. Whumper steps away and heads toward their rack of instruments. “Please, I’ll do anything, just don’t hurt them!”

Whumper uncoils the single tail whip and slaps it against the cement floor. Bee flinches at the sound and the promise of pain, his breath speeding up as his tormentor circles him like a shark would its prey. Bee catches Cee’s eyes, and his friend gives him a little nod as if to say “it’s alright.”

“I won’t hurt them, Bee,” Whumper says conversationally, standing somewhere behind him where he can’t see. “You will.”

And without further preamble, the whip cracks against the bare skin of his back. Bee bites back a shout, jerking forward and arching his back in an instinctual attempt to escape the bite. He hardly has a second to react before the next blow comes, and the next, and the next. The strikes follow each other in quick succession, relentless. It’s mere minutes before Bee is trembling, his legs quivering violently, his wobbly knees threatening to give. He jolts and struggles, trying to escape the reach of the whip, barely containing his anguished yells behind grit teeth.

“Tired already?” Whumper taunts, pausing for a second. Bee can feel their breath on the back of his neck, and he winces when their nails scrape the welts forming across his shoulder blades. “You must not care for your friend very much.”

Bee grimaces. They have to be strong. For Cee.

Whumper chuckles and steps back, starting up again. They bring the whip down hard, the sound echoing throughout the room, louder than Bee’s suppressed wails and Cee’s muffled curses. He squeezes his eyes shut, his toes curling.

“You’re such a disappointment, you weak little thing.” Pain blossoms across his back and shoulders, and tears slip down his flushed cheeks. Whumper sounds euphoric. “C’mon, darling, scream for me.”

Bee, fully aware of his audience, tries his best to keep his reactions contained, but as the longer it goes on, the more his control starts to slip. Breathing heavily through his nose, he bites through his bottom lip, blood dribbling down his chin. Snot-nosed and gasping, he weeps openly. His back is onfire.

“Beautiful,” Whumper purrs. The whip curls over his shoulder, and Bee yelps. “But I told you to scream, Bee.”

Whumper doubles their efforts, and soon Bee feels the skin of his back split open, hot blood spilling forth. He’s so dizzy with pain that he doesn’t even realize he’s shrieking.

“Stop, stop! Please, please, I-I can’t, it hurts, I can’t!”

Whumper doesn’t let up. Bee wavers on his feet, screaming and begging for mercy, and then—

His legs give out, his willpower depleted. Despite his best efforts, he can’t withstand the torture. He sinks to his knees, his arms nearly yanked from their sockets as he drops to the floor. After the initial force of crumbling to the ground, the line of rope falls with him, no longer taut. Through the haze of tears and agony, Bee remembers that he was supposed to stay upright… but why?

His eyes fly open. Cee.

A bloodcurdling scream cuts through the air.

heartlesslywhumping:

“Stop it! Please!” The caretaker lunges forward. “I’ll do anything you want! Please don’t hurt them!”

The whumper smiles, leaning forward to caress the caretaker’s face. “Oh darling, I’m not going to hurt them.” They press something cold and hard into the caretaker’s open palm. “You are.”

waywardwhump:

“Oh, sweetheart,” the newest whumper murmurs, nuzzling gently against the whumpee’s neck. Everything in their voice was softness and warmth, their hands rubbing up and down the whumpee’s back to soothe their trembling. “When was the last time someone touched you? Held you? When was the last time someone got close without the intention to hurt?”

the-three-whumpeteers:

The whumpee had been with the caretaker for a while now, but one night they vanish. The first thing the caretaker thinks is that somehow the whumper got them again, and they desperately try to find them in order to help them as soon as possible. Eventually, they do find them, and the caretaker is relieved until they see that the whumpee hadn’t been captured, they had just sought out revenge against the whumper- and judging by the whumper’s bruised and bleeding form behind the whumpee, they got exactly what they wanted.

prisonerwhump:

That little frantic struggle from the whumpee before the whumper pins them down. Arms pushing back, or trying to pull away, messily, defiantly, terrified.

Then in an instant it’s forced to a stop as their wrists are pinned firmly in place and both the whumpee and whumper breathe heavily as they look back at one another. Whumper smiling at their easy victory over whumpee who is less happy about the situation.

Couldn’t find a gif for example, but hope you know what I mean. It’s

Warning: Wounds.

“Look at you,” Whumper mocked. As they knelt down beside Whumpee’s beaten body, they tilted their chin up with their index finger, smirking. “You were so determined not to break, too. I was almost rooting for you.”

Warning: Captivity.

Whumpee sniffled, pressing their face into Caretaker’s shoulder as Whumper’s footsteps started to get louder. “They’re not gonna keep their promise,” they whispered shakily, squeezing their eyes shut with a muffled whimper. “We’re not getting out of here, are we?”

The lump in Caretaker’s throat thickened. “I- I don’t know,” they admitted, their voice cracking as they held Whumpee tighter with a tender kiss to their forehead. “I don’t know.”

Warning: Whips.

Musician whumpees being made to play/sing something for Whumper and their friends, but every time they make a mistake, it equals one whip. Whumpee then has to tally up how many whips that is afterwards.

“Do- do you still love me? Please… I’m trying to be good…”

The Caretaker-turned-Whumper smiled, using their foot to push Whumpee back into their tiny box. “Oh, honey… absolutely not.”

You know what I see in a Whumper? I dont see scary people, I dont see confident people.

I see insecure people, that have to hurt others to feel like they have control of something, anything, in their life.

People that suffered so much things in their life that they just need to let this anger, this sadness in form of violence.

Imagine, Whumper, in his room, had been crying for hours in the end and just want to be held like Whumpee was held by Caretaker when they saved them.

Because they watched it happen, and they felt just so jealous.

They imagine that their pillow are another person, and almost feel the heat of the imaginary-arms rounding them.

They are not strong.

They are just broken people trying to find some sort of comfort in breaking another people.

A couple new characters are coming to my vampire series in a bit. I know I haven’t posted for it in a hot minute, but I have been planning story in my head

@elizabeth-ithink@sunflower1000@scared-and-crying@thelazywitchphotographer@wolfeyedwitch@lonesome–hunter@whump-me-all-night-long@dabi-s-whore@jadeocean46910@emeraldwhump@appleejuice

If you see this and your username changed, lmk

“Make it stop! Ple-please— I’ll tell you what you want to know! Just— sto-stop!”

Whumper removed the iron from Whumpee’s flesh. “Who’s the rat.”

“I-I told you— there isn’t one!”

“I said, who’s the rat. Do you want me to start again?” Whumper threatened, bringing the iron close to Whumpee’s arm again.

“No! No— it’s C… It’s Caretaker— They’re the one who’s giving us info-information.”

Whumper smirked, setting the iron back in the fire. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Next question. Where is Caretaker meeting with the heroes?”

When Whumpee hesitated, Whumper snatched the iron back out of the fire.

“No— please— Th-they’ve been meeting under the crossbridge!”

“When is the next meeting scheduled?”

“To-tonight— At sundown…”

“How many people are they meeting?”

“J-just one.”

“And their name?”

“…”

“Their name.”

“L-leader.”

“If I find out any of this information is incorrect, you’ll wish I’d gotten the iron back out.”

Whumpee shivered as Whumper stuck the iron back in the fire and left the room. Whumpee was left chained to the wall, shaking from pain, exhaustion, and fear.

Until the door opened.

Caretaker gasped in pain as their knees slammed into the floor.

“Spend your time wisely. This is the last you’ll be seeing any friends.” Whumper spat as they slammed the door closed again. The lock turned, and then there was silence.

And darkness.

A shaky breath cut through the silence and then the scrape of shoes against the floor as Caretaker stood.

“Whumpee..? Did I see you before the door closed..?”

“Y-yeah…” Whumpee shifted uncomfortably. “I… I’m…”

“It’s okay— don’t worry about it.”

There was a crash as Caretaker ran into something in the dark.

“B-but I ratted you out— th-this… it’s my fault… I-if I had been… if I had been stronger…”

“Don’t.” Caretaker reached the wall and started feeling their way towards Whumpee. “This isn’t your fault. I saw what they did to you— No one would’ve lasted very long.”

Whumpee gasped as Caretaker brushed against one of their burns.

“Sorry!” Caretaker pulled back immediately. “Listen, what all did you tell them..?”

“Le… Leader is in danger…” Whumpee whispered. “I-I told them they were meeting you tonight at the crossbrige…”

Caretaker took a measured breath. “… It’ll be fine. Leader is strong. And smart. Whumper won’t be able to hurt them.”

“This is all my fault… Caretaker, I’m so sorry…”

—

The pair sat in silence for a long time. Then, finally, the door opened again.

“Lucky you, Whumpee. You made the right choice. No lies.” Whumper entered the room and shot Caretaker with a taser before they could react. “Shouldn’t have thrown them in here unrestrained, but I was honestly kind of hoping they’d kill you for your betrayal. Anyway…” Whumper sighed. “Now I have to figure something else to do with you. I don’t need you anymore— I have Caretaker now. But I can’t let you go either.”

Whumper unchained Whumpee and dragged them out of the room. Whumpee was hardly able to resist.

At the end of a long hallway, Whumper threw open a door.

“Do what you want with them. They’re useless to me now.” And Whumper dropped Whumpee at the feet of their underlings.

“Don’t fall now, love.” Whumper whispered, spinning Whumpee out for the tenth time in rapid succession. “We wouldn’t want to fail to keep up pretenses.”

“Please—” Whumpee breathed, stumbling as Whumper jerked them back. “Please, Whumper, I-I’m dizzy—”

“Aw, but we’ve only just begun, sweet. Do try and keep your feet under you— and out—” Whumper spun them out again.

Continued from here

CW: Suicidal character, past character deaths, past murder, past trauma

“My name is Echo.” The stranger said as the carriage started to move. “I’m Calder’s younger sibling.”

Angel’s heart stopped in their chest. “Y… you…” They breathed, mind racing and yet numb all at the same time. Suddenly feeling weak and dizzy, Angel put their face in their hands.

“Are you okay?”

Angel yelped involuntarily as Echo touched their shoulder. They pressed themself as far away from Echo as they could, tears of fear streaming down their cheeks. “I’m sorry— I— please don’t hurt me— just take me back— don’t tell Calder— please, please don’t tell them—”

“Angel— Angel, stop.” Echo interrupted. “I am Calder’s sibling, but we are related only by blood. We don’t speak to eachother. We have no familial relationship.”

Angel’s mind processed this information slowly, unsure what it meant for them. “S-so… so this… isn’t a test of some kind..?”

“No. Angel, I am acting of my own accord.”

“… I wouldn’t bond to Calder and I won’t bond to you either— I’d sooner die than subject myself to that again—”

“Stop, stop— I really don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you mean bond?”

Angel hesitantly relaxed a bit. Maybe Echo really didn’t know. “I… If you’re trying to trick me into opening my eyes, it won’t work— I won’t do it no matter who you are.”

“What does opening your eyes have to do with bonding..? What is bonding?” Echo’s voice was gentle, not demanding like Calder.

“I… I-if I open my eyes, I will irreversibly bond to the first person I make eye contact with.” Angel said quietly, shrinking back as they felt Echo shift in their seat.

“Why..?”

It occurred to Angel suddenly that Echo might not know what they were or anything about their species.

“I-I’m an Avian.” When Echo didn’t say anything, Angel continued. “Avians… we have an ability to bond to the first person we see— which is supposed to be our mother. I-if the person we are bonded to dies, then we bond again to the next person we see— which is supposed to be our chosen mate. There are traditions and safeguards in place among the Avian people to make sure that it happens that way… but…” Angel trailed off, a tear falling to the ground.

“But sometimes things go wrong..?” Echo offered, placing a gentle hand on Angel’s shoulder.

“When… When we bond to someone, we’re compelled to take care of them— to keep them safe… and, to a lesser extent, we’re compelled to obey them. We become linked at the soul and we can tell when they’re upset, or sad, or in pain. But we also share in their joy. We know when they die and it’s… it’s like… a part of us dies with them… We’re only meant to bond twice… but we are able to bond an infinite number of times…”

Echo was silent for a moment. “And you’re not bonded right now..?”

“No…” Angel whispered. “I’ve… I’ve already bonded three times— I… I’m tired…”

“Three times..?” Echo’s voice was laced with incredulity as they withdrew their hand. “But you’re hardly older than twenty! I mean… aren’t you..? Or do you age differently?”

“I’m twenty-three… I… things went like they were supposed to at first… I bonded to my mother, then, when she died four years ago, I bonded to… to my mate.” Angel’s voice cracked. And then there was a tragedy that struck my tribe— not many of us made it through… my mate died… I… I lived… Disease destroyed my tribe. I had to flee. I got… I got lucky… the first person I saw after my mate’s death was a human— but they were kind. They knew my culture, too…“

Echo shifted closer to Angel, causing them to flinch a little bit, but Angel didn’t draw away.

"Hayden… the human I bonded to… they weren’t angry that I had bonded to them… usually humans are. They’re not used to it… they don’t like it— especially when it’s forced upon them without their consent, like it was with Hayden… I didn’t mean to look at them… I… I sort of just thought I’d become sine vinculo— alone without a bond. I didn’t expect them to be there… If… if they hadn’t been there… it was my fault… it’s all my fault…” Angel broke down into sobs, hugging themself.

Angel didn’t fight the warm embrace that Echo surrounded them with next. They leaned into it, sobbing uncontrollably as Echo rocked with them.

After a few long minutes, Angel started to quiet down a bit. “What happened to Hayden..?” Echo asked softly.

“They… Calder ki…” Angel fought to get their breathing under control. “Calder killed them.” They breathed.

Echo didn’t say anything for a moment. “… I’m sorry… I know I’m not Calder— we’re nothing alike, but… I still feel somewhat responsible for their bad choices…”

The carriage began to slow and Echo released Angel from their embrace. “Come on. Let’s get out.”

Angel didn’t move as Echo tried to guide them out of the carriage. “Kill me…” They whispered, closing their eyes tighter.

“I… I’m sorry, what?”

“Just… just kill me… you said you want to help me— kill me. I can’t… I can’t do this again… Please— I can’t live with my eyes closed for the rest of my life and I can’t bond with someone else just for them to die again!”

“… I’m not going to kill you, Angel.”

“Why not?” Angel asked, desperation creeping into the edge of their voice.

“There’s another solution. One that doesn’t involve your death.”

“What is it?” Angel allowed Echo to help them out of the carriage.

“… I… I don’t know yet.”

Angel pushed Echo away, stumbling back and falling to the ground. “No! No, there isn’t another solution! Calder wants me to bond with them. If I bond to anyone else, they’ll kill them too! I can't—” Angel pressed their face to the dirt. “You don’t understand— I can’t do it again! I can’t lose someone else!”

Angel fought back as someone— probably Echo— pulled them up off the ground. “Calm down— calm down, please, everything is going to be okay.”

“No! No it isn’t! It’s not okay— it’s not—”

Echo began to stroke Angel’s wings gently and Angel stopped yelling, their tone quickly losing it’s passion.

“It’s… it’s not okay…” Angel breathed, starting to have difficulty thinking as their body relaxed.

Angel found themself leaning into Echo, an odd sense of peace sweeping through their limbs.

“Just calm down.” Echo insisted softly. “You’re scared and upset— I understand— but you’re not thinking clearly. You don’t have to die. There is another solution. We just need to think of it, okay?”

“I don’t like this…” Angel whimpered.

“I know… I know, but it’s going to be okay.”

“Why did you even break me out..?” Angel asked, finally able to get control of their breathing.

“Honestly..? I don’t trust Calder. I heard they were up to something and decided to check it out when they left town this weekend. Then I found you. I don’t know what Calder wants with you, but if they were keeping you locked up in sensory deprivation it can’t be anything good.”

“They… they want me to bond to them and… and something after that, but they wouldn’t say what.”

“Let’s go inside, Angel. You can rest and we can talk more later.” Echo led Angel across the threshold into a building. Angel couldn’t tell very much about their surroundings as Echo led them down halls and finally stopped inside a room.

“This is a guest room. There’s some clothes in the dresser if you find some that fit. Theres an adjoining bathroom as well. You can open your eyes once I leave the room, right?”

“… I can.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave you here for now. I’ll knock before I enter so I don’t take you by surprise.” Echo steadied Angel against a wall before leaving.

Continued from here

CW: Sensory deprivation, blindfolded, gagged, noise canceling headphones, restraints

Angel whimpered quietly as they felt footsteps echoing in the floor. There was a pause as the person… got onto their level..? That didn’t seem like Calder. Calder hadn’t ever gotten onto Angel’s level.

Angel’s stomach turned with uncertainty now. If this person wasn’t Calder, who were they?

The headphones were lifted from Angel’s head and Angel flinched as an unfamiliar voice assaulted their over-sensitive ears.

“Hey— Hey, you’re going to be okay.”

Angel let out a scared whine as their blindfold was removed. They squeezed their eyes shut before it left their face. They couldn’t look. They wouldn’t look. Not again.

Not again…

“Can you open your eyes?”

Angel gasped and pulled back as a hand pressed against their cheek. The hand stayed.

“Come on now. It’s alright. Open your eyes.”

Angel shook their head weakly, their stomach twisting into knots.

There was a moment of silence before the person caved. “Okay. Keep them closed if you prefer. That’s fine.” And then their gag was removed.

Angel opened and closed their mouth a couple of times, trying to rid themself of the sensation of the metal bit. They sucked in a sharp breath as they felt hands on their wrist.

Angel made an odd sound— the result of spending months gagged without the practice of speech— then managed to form a halting semblance of a sentence. “Wha-what are… you do… doing..? Do-don't—”

“I’m freeing your arms. Just relax. I won’t hurt you.”

“N… no— Don't—” Memories of how to form words were flooding back rapidly now. “Don't— Ca-Calder will kill you—”

“No one’s going to kill me, although I appreciate the concern. Relax. I’ll have you free in a moment. Do you want to open your eyes?”

“No!” Angel answered hastily. “No— I… I can’t do that again…” Their voice faded off, horrible memories rushing back.

“Can’t do what again, angel?”

Angel’s heart stopped in their chest. “How…” They breathed. “How do you know my name..?”

“… Angel..? That’s your name..?” Despite the confusion lacing the person’s tone, their hands did not falter with the cuff and, soon, Angel’s left hand was free. “I didn’t know. Just a lucky guess I suppose.”

“You… you have to leave me here.” Angel begged, letting their free hand fall to the ground as the person moved to their right hand.

“I will not leave you here. Why won’t you open your eyes, dearest?”

Angel hesitated. “I… I don’t want to bond with you…” They whispered, their heart starting to race. That was one of the things that had infuriated Calder the most. The knowledge that Angel would never bond with them if they could help it.

“Bond with me? What does that mean?”

Angel’s right hand suddenly came free. They still sat on their knees, however. “I… you don’t know..? That’s… that’s not why..?”

“Dearest, I’m simply trying to get you out of a bad situation. If you do not wish to open your eyes, I’ll not try to convince you— although I am curious what you mean.” A hand caught under Angel’s elbow. “Stand with me?”

“No… Please, no…” Angel didn’t dare move a fraction from where they sat. “Please— Please, Calder…”

“Calder isn’t here right now. They’ll not be back for at least a couple days. Let me help you, Angel.”

Angel swallowed nervously, but the hand on their arm was insistent. Angel stood slowly, stumbling with their eyes closed, and they were suddenly caught against a warm body. They whimpered, but, the person simply pulled them in, telling Angel to use them for support.

Angel carefully got their feet under them, leaning reluctantly on the stranger. “Why are you doing this..?”

“Because you need help.”

“But… but if Calder finds out…”

“Hey.” The person took a firm, yet gentle, hold on Angel. “Stop worrying about Calder. They aren’t here now, and you won’t see them again. Alright?”

With a soft whimper, Angel nodded.

The person led Angel out of the room, through the building until Angel felt the sun on their wings.

“Good. You’re doing good, Angel. We’re outside now. I’m going to take you to a carriage and we’re going to leave now, alright?”

Angel’s stomach began to twist into a tight knot of dread. “O… Okay…” They didn’t know this person. They didn’t believe that their intentions were noble. At least with Calder, Angel knew what to expect already…

Despite Angel’s reluctance, they went willingly to the carriage. They stepped up when the person told them to. They sat down once they were inside.

The stranger sat next to them. “My name is Echo.” They said as the carriage started to move. “I’m Calder’s younger sibling.”

CW: Sensory deprivation, gagged, blindfolded

“Well, my angel. You are still alive today?”

Angel shivered as they felt a presence cross the floor. The vibrations shook through their knees and they could feel it all the way at the tips of their wings.

“You seem a bit more awake today.”

As a thumb brushed over Angel’s face, they flinched hard. The fingers brushed lightly over the blindfold before pressing cruelly against Angel’s eye, making them gasp softly through their gag. When the hand pulled back, Angel whimpered involuntarily, scared of being hit.

As they had expected, a hard slap struck Angel’s face on the left side. Their head snapped to the side and a high whine escaped their throat.

“Don’t worry.” A hand grasped Angel’s chin, forcing them to face the voice. “There’s always tomorrow.”

Continued from here

CW: Drugging, implied sex trafficking/prostitution, head trauma mention, poor self image, discussion of past trauma, passing out, implied suicide attempt

“Where… where am I..?”

Atlas turned from the window to look at Val. “You’re awake.” Relief swept over them.

“Wh-who… what’s going on?” Val struggled to sit up, their tone rapidly becoming more upset.

“It’s okay— you’re okay. We’re back at my house.”

Val grasped the edge of the blankets near their chest, their eyes flickering over the interior of the room. “D-don't— You don’t have to dru-drug me again— I can— I’ll be good— I won't— I won’t try to get away anym-more— I’m sor-sorry—”

Atlas sat at the end of the bed, mentally kicking themself as Val flinched. “I’m not going to drug you. I won’t hurt you.”

“I don’t believe you—” Val whimpered, shrinking back against the pillows.

Atlas took a steadying breath. “Val— listen, you might not believe me, but it is true. I swear on the soul of my father that I will not hurt you and that I only want to help you.” Atlas extended a hand, open and palm up, to Val. “I can see that you don’t trust me. I know I’ve made mistakes with you already and for that I am deeply sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Val’s eyes fixed on Atlas’s hand, their muscles tense. “I-I… I f-forgive you…” And they reluctantly and gingerly placed their small hand atop Atlas’s.

Atlas didn’t really think Val had forgiven them, but they found the gesture of trust— however small— reassuring. There was hope that things could change. One day, Val would be okay.

“Can you get up? Are you strong enough?”

Val struggled and managed to get their feet on the ground from the bed, but when they tried to stand, they had to sit back down.

“May I help you?” Atlas stood and Val flinched again.

“I don't— d-don’t want to be carried…”

“Then I won’t carry you. If you lean on me, do you think you can walk a short ways?”

“I-I… I-I can try…”

Atlas helped Val to stand and led them out of the room into the hallway. Val was slow, but Atlas didn’t try to pick them up. “Right in here. Come on. Sit down.” Atlas helped Val to the table and to a chair.

Val sat down, taking a shaky breath as they looked around the dining hall.

“I’m going to bring you something to eat. And I want you to meet the rest of the household if that’s alright.”

Val nodded lightly and Atlas disappeared into the kitchen. “Six? Would you find Seven and Emery and join me in the dining room please?”

Six, a short werewolf with bangs obscuring most of their face, nodded and left the kitchen.

Atlas made something for Val to eat and came back to the dining room just in time to see Six, Seven, and Emery come in through a side door.

Val started to tremble a little bit as the three new arrivals sat at the table.

“Val? I’d like to introduce the rest of the house. This is Six—” Atlas motioned to the werewolf with bangs covering their eyes. “They don’t really talk much. This is Seven, Six’s litter mate—” Another werewolf, who looked identical to Six aside from the fact that their hair was brushed out of their face, gave a curt nod. “They have an… interesting attitude, but they’re sweet at heart. And this is Emery—” A tall lanky vampire with red hair and brown eyes waved at Val. “They’re a social butterfly. Six, Seven, Emery— this is Val. They’re a shapeshifter.”

A chorus of hellos resounded from the trio. Even Six chimed in, albeit quietly.

Val whispered a hello in response.

“Val, you don’t have to share anything if you don’t want to, but I’ll let you alone with them now if you’re okay with it.”

—

Val nodded weakly, unsure if it was a proper response, but then Atlas was gone and they couldn’t change their mind. They didn’t trust Atlas, but… well… they didn’t really want them to leave, either…

“So I’m Seven.” Seven kicked back in their chair. “Me and Six were born at a mill. There were so many litters that they just named us by number. That’s why we’re Six and Seven. There used to be One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Eight too. Then Two died when we were born. The rest didn’t make it out with me and Six. Last I saw them, Three was still alive, though.”

Val didn’t know what to do with this information, so they just stared. Why was Seven sharing this with them?

“Atlas is a good human— one of the only good humans. You seem like you don’t trust him, but you can. And you should.”

The vampire— Emery cut in. “Don’t be weird, Seven. They haven’t even been here for twenty-four hours yet. Talking about trust and shit… Anyway, my name’s Emery! I’m a vampire— obviously. When I got turned, I thought I was a monster. I tried… well… long story short, things weren’t good for me— y'know— mentally. But Atlas helped me take control of my life again.”

Val looked at Six, almost expecting a story from them too, but they didn’t speak.

“Six… suffered a traumatic brain injury.” Seven said, following Val’s gaze. “They can understand everything, but… they can’t really put together more than three or sometimes four words at a time…”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It is… okay” Six said, haltingly.

Seven gave a reluctant nod. “It’s good to have a new addition to the house. Your name’s Val, right?”

Val nodded. “I-I’m a shapeshifter. I’ve li-lived with a human called Knox all my life… they… they helped me learn how to u-use my magic to make people ha-happy…”

No one said anything then for a long minute.

“How so?” Seven asked, finally.

“We-well… I… People… I become different things to suit different people’s t-tastes…” Val stopped, uncomfortable and uncertain. They didn’t dare meet anyone’s eyes. “I… I-I’m sorry— I—” Val stood to leave the room, but suddenly their vision blurred. They collapsed.

Taglist:@villainsvictim@wolfeyedwitch@dragyouthroughthewhump@someoneelsebolg

Continued from here

CW: Slavery, past trauma, drugged

Taglist:@villainsvictim@wolfeyedwitch@dragyouthroughthewhump@someoneelsebolg

Val’s eyelids felt heavy. They couldn’t seem to move… their thoughts were moving at a snails pace. Val opened their eyes to a blurry world.

“Val?”

The voice sounded distant. It took Val several minutes to realize they were looking up at a face. They tried to speak, but their words came out in an unintelligible slur.

“Shhh… you’re alright.”

Val leaned into a gentle touch on their cheek. They didn’t try to speak again, but fell back asleep.

—

“They still sleeping?” Seven leaned in the doorway, looking in at Atlas and Val.

“Yeah… I’m… I’m actually starting to worry. The doctor said they’d only be out for about two hours. It’s almost been three.” Atlas stood from their chair.

“Don’t worry too much yet. I’m sure they’ll wake up soon.” Seven came into the room, looking down into Val’s face. “They’re pretty for a shifter.”

“And you’re pretty for a mutt.”

“Hey! That’s derogatory.”

“So is shifter.” Atlas shrugged. “If you want to be called a werewolf then you’d best call them a shapeshifter. Or, even better, Val.”

“That their name?”

Atlas nodded, sitting back down. “Y'know, when we got to the doctor, they lost it. No reason either.”

“Stress?”

Atlas shrugged again. “I really don’t know. I suppose I just hope they’ll get better with time and some serious therapy…”

“Well… they can’t be any worse off than I was.”

“You don’t know… You didn’t see…” Atlas trailed off. “… Knox— their… the person I bought them from… I don’t know all the things they did to Val or made them do, but it wasn’t good…”

“Human?”

Atlas gave a vague nod.

“Humans fucking suck— except you, of course.”

“Don’t make snap judgements, Seven. There are good humans. There are bad werewolves.”

“Whatever you say, boss.” Seven turned to walk out.

“Hey.”

Seven stopped.

“I mean it. Just because you’ve had bad experiences doesn’t mean all humans are like that. Don’t give up on us that easily.”

Seven left.