Whumpril Day 13: Burry Vision/"I Think I Need To Sit Down."

Whumpril Day 13: Burry Vision/"I Think I Need to Sit Down."

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars.

Summary: Obi-wan gets wounded by Grievous. Cody's in there to just wait till closer to the end.

    Blood poured from Obi-wan's head. He had been slammed into a nearby wall by General Grievous. The Jedi stood back up swiftly and pushed off the wall. He swung his lightsaber towards his foe.

    As the fight continued Obi-wan's strikes became less coordinated. His vision started to blur. The nearby blaster fire mixed with the color of Grievous's blue lightsabers. It confused him. Using the force to find where the blades would be coming from, Kenobi looked for a way out. He had two goals now, don't let any more of the men be killed by Grievous and survive.

    The 212th had the upper hand in the fight. The main issue was Obi-wan's injury. He hoped to stick it out until Grievous would eventually retreat. Blinking he tried to get rid of the blurriness.

    A few minutes felt like an hour and Grievous was gone. "This isn't over Kenobi" he spoke calmly and angrily.

    "Of course it's not" he whispered. Obi-wan wanted to come up with something to say but his splitting headache made it difficult to think.

    Obi-wan stumbled around the area, trying not trip over droids and over his men's bodies. A shot from behind startled him. Turing around, lightsaber drawn, he heard a voice. "Obi-wan!"

     He saw the white and he saw the orange meaning the voice had to be a member of the 212th. Which member he wasn't sure at first.

    A new droid laid on the ground behind him. The clone jumped over it and ran up to his jedi. "Are you alright?" A hand carefully touched the man's upper arm and Obi-wan knew who it was.

    "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you dear."

    "Don't thank me; thank Wooly. 

    Obi-wan looked around, trying to find Wooly. "Thank you."

    "That's not Wooly."

    "Oh. Where is he?"

    "I'm right here General. Anytime."

    Obi-wan took a few shaky steps forward. Cody held his arms out just in case he needed to catch the other.

    The Jedi stopped for a second. " I think I need to sit down"  His legs gave out from underneath him. Cody slid and caught him.

    "Wooly." Cody sounded scared. Woolly moved in and grabbed the general and took him to the triage. His wound would be taken care of there.

    Later Obi-wan would wake up. His head throbbed but at least he could see clearly. Looking around he tried to find his commander.

    After a little while Cody would appear to check on his lover. "Hey dear" he kneeled down to Obi-wan, "how are you feeling?"

    "Better. That was a good catch."

    "Thanks. I've gotta go but I figured I should check on you."

    "Go on." Cody nodded and left.

    Obi-wan could deal with a concussion. Cody would get him up every hour, even though he told him it wasn't necessary. 

    Tears welled in his eyes as he thought of the memory of his lovers kindness. The sandy planet of Tatooien was lonely. His vision blurred and he sighed knowing, even if he was never supposed to have it, he would never have it again. Cody was gone, not dead, but gone. He was forever out of reach. There was no one to help him, no one to dry his tears and there never would be again.

Whumpril Day 6: Bad Coping Mechanisms

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warnings: Self harm and slight mentions of suicide.

Summary: Hunter had to find a way to deal with the war.

Finding ways to deal with the war was hard. Wrecker joked or talked about it, Echo walked around or read reg manuals until he felt better, Tech distracted himself with research projects or with tinkering, and Crosshair trained. Hunter however wasn't sure how to deal with the pressure.

After a long and brutal battle the clone found himself sitting alone on the Marauder. Angry at himself Hunter pulled one of his vibro-knifes and stabbed it into the ground. It didn't make him feel any better.

With tears in his eyes he started into the knife. When the idea came to his head the anger in his heart took over and he set down the weapon to remove his left lower arm armor. Quickly it was removed and the blade was right back in his hand.

Almost without hesitation Hunter dragged the knife across his inner arm. The long wound hurt but most of the stress and memories that had been drowning him disappeared.

He stared at the blade and sighed. The pain calmed him in a disturbing way and suddenly Hunter knew how to deal with the war. It was self destructive but at least it could keep him alive.

Over time scars grew. No one could see as the soldier tore himself apart. Armor and long sleeves hid the marks. Hunter chose to get up earlier to change so no one could learn.

The man knew that harming himself was unhealthy but the Kaminoans never taught them how to cope, they had to find their own ways. Unfortunately the thing that kept Hunter alive was actively destroying him.

Small and large cuts littered Hunter's arms, stomach, thighs, and lower legs. No where on his body was safe from himself. Sure the armor and tight blacks hurt when they rubbed the wounds but it almost helped keep him calm.

As the clone walked into the shower the water stung all the open wounds. He winced and looked down at his body. That's when he decided he'd stop after the war. What Hunter didn't realize was that it wasn't his choice anymore. The addition would be something he'd have to fight as hard as he fought the droids that threatened his life. The war he had unleashed while just trying to survive would be a long and hard one. The scars of his decision would forever rest on his body.

When the war ended Hunter fought against the urge at first but as things got worse, gave up, deciding that once things got better he would stop. There was this overwhelming feeling in the man's stomach that this cycle would continue, that he would stop when he was dead. However a bad coping mechanism was better than being dead, right?

Hiding the scars and fresh cuts were harder. The batch was constantly around him and there was no war to blame sore spots on anymore, no battle to fall back on. They no longer had a fixed time to wake up so Hunter couldn't just plan to get up and dressed before the others.

Hunter knew the batch would find out eventually. He feared that day. Injuries on missions that he couldn't just brush off would cause the truth of all the small movements he made away from their touch. One day Hunter would stop punishing himself to stay alive. Today unfortunately would not be the day.

@whumpril

Whumpril Day 19: Choking/Muffled Subs/"I'm Worried About You."

Fandom: Star Wars the Clone Wars

Summary: Obi-wan and Dooku battle. It doesn't go well and it takes Obi-wan mental health down.

     Obi-wan and Count Dooku's lightsaber met. They were just about evenly matched. Their fight had been going on for quite some time but Dooku was getting impatient. As their lightsabers moved apart the count decided he was done with the game. He reached his unoccupied hand up and force pushed Obi-wan into the wall behind them.

     The Jedi hit the wall. His feet weren't allowed to touch the ground. Invisible pressure closed around his throat. He couldn't breathe. Responding to the feeling, Obi-wan moved his hands to his throat. Even if he knew it wouldn't help he dug at his neck.

    Looking around Kenobi tried to find a way to escape. His vision started to blur and he felt lightheaded. The man's feet kicked as he tried to find the ground. Tears bordered his eyes. He had felt weak before but never quite like this.

    Obi-wan stopped fighting; he no longer searched for the ground and he let his arms fall to his side. He somewhat hoped that Dooku would release him but other than that his mind was mostly worried about his loved ones. He just hoped they would be okay, that this wouldn't hurt them as deeply as he had been hurt when Qui-gon or Satine had died.

    Dooku didn't let go. He held Obi-wan there. Anakin rounded the corner just as the man gave up and for a brief moment he thought that his brother was gone. Angrily, he attacked the politician. This caused Dooku to drop Kenobi.

    Air flower through his lungs once more. It took a moment before Obi-wan could get control of his breathing again.

    Anakin had taken note that his master was still alive and placed himself protectively between him and Dooku. As the two fought Obi-wan collected himself.

    Around six minutes passed and Obi-wan stood to assist his rescuer. He wasn't completely ready but he wasn't sure he ever would be. Facing your own mortality is scary after all.

    The Jedi forced Dooku to retreat. They reconvened with their men and finished the battle. After a Republic win, they headed back to their star cruisers.

    Kenobi walked into his quarters and placed his lightsaber on his bunk. He walked into the refresher that was connected to his room.

    Obi-wan stared at his reflection. He ran his fingers over the scratches on his neck. Something broke in him. It was like everything came down all at once.

    The man walked back out to his bed. He went to sit on it but missed and landed on the floor. Tears fell from his eyes and he started to cry. His breathing sped up and he pulled his knees towards himself.

    Obi-wan tried to stay quiet. The walls weren't exactly thin but he worried someone might hear.

    It felt like he was suffocating all over again. That feeling of being unable to control your breathing. Even if air moved in and out of his lungs it was far too fast. His sobs slightly echoed in the practically empty room; making everything feel surreal.

    Times passed and Obi-wan laid on the floor. He didn't quite have the will to get up yet. There was a knock on the door and for a moment he debated not answering it. "I'll be right there." Obi-wan's voice still came off shaky

     Cody stood on the other side. "Can I come in?" he asked.

    Obi-wan just nodded. Cody walked Obi-wan to his bed and sat them both down. "What's going on?"

    "Oh, nothing."

    "I'm worried about you."

    "You don't have to do that" Obi-wan's voice failed to hide his stress.

    "Then tell me what's going on." Cody had his ways of getting his general to talk to him.

    "It's nothing you should worry about."

    Cody tenderly placed his hand on Obi-wan's lower thigh, "then why are your eyes all red? You can talk to me."

     "It's not" Obi-wan looked into the others eyes. Instead of trying to reassure his commander it was nothing he just went in to hug him.

    He grabbed at Cody's shoulders, fabric filled his fist. His face rested in the others chest.

    His muffled sobs broke the clone's heart. He wasn't sure how long he would be holding Obi-wan but he didn't care. Cody would sit there until his general stopped crying. Then he would wait until he felt better, even if it took all night. Even if it took the next day, or the next, or tell the end of the war, or even his whole life. He would be there.

@whumpril

Whumpril Day 10: "I'm Scared."

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warning: Major character death

Summary: Tech and Omega are sent off to find their target for the mission. Things don't go well.

  When the batch took this mission, they knew it was dangerous. Echo had hated to ask them but the rebels needed this mission to succeed and his brothers and sister would be perfect for it. It didn't take much convincing before they agreed. After being informed they were rescuing a youngling they knew they had to.

    The mission started off smoothly. Of course it couldn't stay that way. Quickly the batch found themselves running and trying to hide. They had to survive to find the youngling after all.

    "Tech, Omega, go find the kid. Wrecker, Echo, and I will cause a diversion. Let us know when you have the youngling and we'll meet back up on the Marauder." With that they split.

    Tech knew where everything in the facility should be. He had studied the interior before they got there. The halls all looked the same but they made their way to the cell block the child was held in.

    Just as the two entered the block some stormtroopers turned the corner. Both turned around to fire. Tech focused on the troopers. Then he heard a yelp and a body hit the floor. He looked over to where his sister had been standing and realized it was her.

    Without thought, Tech quickly moved her off to the side and finished off the bucket heads. Rushing back over to her he kneeled by her side to assess her injuries. "Omega?"

    "Tech? Tech, I'm scared."

    I'm scared. The words rang through Tech's head. He knew Omega had been scared before but she never told them. The kid had walked through hell without showing her fear. She was brave and it showed. Hearing her admit to being afraid made his heart sink. "You will be fine."

    "I'm scared" she whispered. Faint crying was all that could be heard in the hall. Everything else was dead silent. It was as if time had stopped. Perhaps it had.

    "I know. I am.. also afraid" Tech admitted. "It is okay to be scared. I promise we will be okay. I'll take care of you."

    Looking at the injury, Tech knew he didn't have much time. He was surprised the shot hadn't killed her on impact.

    "Tech, I don't wanna go." Omega shook.

    "You will be alright Omega." Tech reached into one of his pouches and pulled a bacta patch out as well as some bandages. The hallway wasn't the best place to tend to the wound; it was dirty and troopers could be there any minute but there was nowhere else to move.

    He turned back to face the little girl in front of him. "Omega?" Tech spoke softly. Placing the medical supplies next to him, he reached his hand out and placed it against her neck. It felt like his own heart stopped beating. Know he knew time had stopped. He would never be the same after this moment.

    "Omega?" Tech's voice cracked. He started CPR on her. Only a few seconds later stormtroopers would enter the hall again. Tech shot them down and grabbed Omega's body. He ran to the cell the youngling was held and opened it. "Hello. I'm here to help you." Then Tech looked at the youngling. The report was wrong, the child was a padawan; a padawan he knew well.

   "Tech?" Caleb asked.

    "Hello. Now come on, we need to leave."

    Caleb looked at him for a minute before stepping closer to him. "Can I trust you?"

    "Yes, you can."

    "Who is the girl?"

    "Omega, my sister."

    "You have a sister?"

    "Yes. That is not important right now."

    Caleb walked outside of the cell. Tech grabbed him and handed him his lightsaber. "Is she okay?" Caleb asked.

    "No."

    After informing Hunter that he had found the padawan, the two ran to the Marauder. On the way they ran into more stormtroopers. Cornered Tech looked over at Caleb. He was shaking. "Are you alright?"

    "I'm scared." The boy's voice mixed with the dead girl's. Tech's head was playing tricks on him.

    "You will be fine." He may not have been able to save Omega but he wouldn't fail Caleb, not this time. Placing Omega's body beside him he looked around the corner and put together a plan to take them out. Crosshair would have been proud of the shots he made to end their lives.

    Caleb looked down at Omega's body. He realized that the girl was his age. Then he realized that she was dead. Startled he jumped back and looked over at Tech. He had finished off the soldiers and turned to pick her back up. "I'm sorry about Omega."

    Tech said nothing. The two made it back to the Marauder without any other problems. The other three were already there.

    On the ship Tech walked right past his brothers and laid Omega down on her bed. He rested the blanket over her growing cold body. Grabbing Lula the clone walked to face his brothers.

    When he walked out with Lula they knew she was gone. Tech handed the tooka doll to his brother and walked to the cockpit to pilot the ship. Caleb tried to help the family with their loss.

    Nothing would ever be the same. Tech felt trapped in that moment. For him time stopped and just couldn't start again. When someone was scared he became extremely protective over them, swearing no one would die scared under his watch. He would join Echo in the fight against the empire for that very reason. It would be a long fight and a hard one but so would healing.

@whumpril

Warning suicide joke.

If only Anakin had thrown himself into a pool of acid like Xanatos.

Whumpril Day 17: Cry For Help/Self Treatment/"I Can't Do This."

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warnings: Spoilers for the last episode of season two, character injuries.

Note: If you want more from this story I will write it! Don't hesitate to let me know! No beta reader we die like Mayday

Summary: Tech survives the fall and now he's gotta live past just the fall.

    Tech had calculated the chances of surviving the well over 1,000 foot fall. They were less than 1% but he didn't care. There was no time and he needed his family to make it back alive. They all had bright futures ahead of them and they needed to bring Crosshair home. He didn't hesitate to shoot the remainder of the metal connecting the car. Then he fell. It took around 50 seconds.

    Then he woke up. Tech was in agonizing pain but he was alive. He heard voices around him. Then they were gone. The clone felt like he couldn't move. The slightest movement was simply too much pain to bear. However he needed to.

    Attempting to move his right arm he came to the conclusion he couldn't. The man moved his left fingers, then hand, then wrist. Screaming in pain he pushed himself slowly up to lean against the remainder of the rail car. If it had landed on him he would have been unrecognizable.

    Tears flower down his face and cough in lacerations.  The liquid mixed with blood. Tech forced his head up and looked at his body. His left leg was practically destroyed. His right was salvageable. The bones in his salvageable limbs had multiple breaks in them. Tech could already tell there were multiple breaks in his back as well. However they didn't affect his ability to move so none of them affected the spinal cord.

    Looking at his torso he was overwhelmed. It was hard to see through the blood. He was covered in larger and smaller gashes.

'I can't do this.' the thought flashed through his head. 'I can't do this. It's too much.' Tech's breathing was shaky and uneven. His vision was blurry from a mix of his injuries and the lack of his goggles.

    'You have to it. It is possible' the more logical thought took over his mind. Determination had to beat pain, it had to. His head and heart had to battle his body. 'For them.'

    Tech tugged at the top of his right pouch and opened it. His hissed and grabbed the little medical supplies inside. Looking over at the other legs pouch he decided it was worth a try.

    Nothing was usable from that side. All the supplies were demolished. That was the pouch that he kept little items to comfort his family with. A small, soft piece of fabric, as well as a pair of earplugs for Hunter, tooth picks for Crosshair, a small, 3-D puzzle for Wrecker, a pocket sized reg manual for Echo, and a small clone trooper doll for Omega. He also kept three hair ties; all black, just in case some one needed them.

Wrapping the largest and most threatening wound took a large amount of time and energy. By the end of it Tech was exhausted.

The sun was mostly gone at that point. He started to hear voices from somewhere around him. Unsure of what else to do Tech pushed himself to speak. "Help" he whispered, desperately.

No one heard him. "Help" Tech's voice broke as he spoke at his normal speaking level. He tried again and no real sound came out.

"Help!" He screamed. The voices grew closer. With all his strength Tech called out again, "help!"

A tall, blue Twi'lek walked over cautiously followed by a black Wookiee, a teenage, human boy, a; if Tech had to guess clone, and a rather short Rodian.

"Come on, we have to help him." The human child spoke. He walked beside the injured clone and kneeled down, "he'll die if we don't."

The Twi'lek looked over to the clone beside her, "do you recognize him? You look surprised."

"No, but I know someone's gonna be missing him. Grawarr, grab him." The Wookiee walked over and gently picked up Tech. He screamed in pain as he was being picked up. Grawarr hummer softly, as if to apologize.

The six made their way back to the village that was around an hour away. The pain forced tears out of Tech's eyes. He slipped unconscious about ten minutes into the journey. He was safe for now. He would need to heal and then find his way back to them and he wouldn't stop until he did.

@whumpril