Merry Whumpmas Day 4: Chills

Merry Whumpmas Day 4: Chills

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Summary: As Crosshair reunites with his family he notices that someone is not there.

Seeing his brothers again was a lot for Crosshair. He thought he had told them not to come, to leave him behind like they had before. Even if understood why now, it still hurt. The scar was still a scab.

But then he noticed, Tech was missing. His body shook with a chilling realization. It felt like his whole body went cold and he almost froze in place. It was the only reason he wouldn't be there. Tech had to be dead.

Fear gripped his heart and squeezed. It was almost painful. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe Crosshair was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

He wanted to ask but the fear and uncertainty left him speechless. Instead he put one foot in front of the other. He followed the rest of his family outside of this awful place that had broken him. They led him to the light he had long forgotten.

Hope.

Still, Crosshair couldn't be happy. As they walked he realized there was no way Tech could be with them. Was he hurt? Could he be with the Marauder? Why did they look so, nervous.

When they did get to the Marauder, Rex was waiting. Warm blood was replaced with ice water. He was gone. That's why they were nervous; why Omega hadn't said anything when he asked about them. She didn't know how to tell him.

The water froze him. He stood still, staring at the Marauder. He thought about every memory that he had with Tech in it. There was no way he was gone. Not without saying goodbye right?

But hadn't they already? Was their last encounter supposed to give him closer? Was he supposed to be okay? Could he move? Did moving mean excepting?

Hunter put a hand on Crosshair's shoulder and tried to move him along. "We need to go."

"He's not there, is he?"

An icicle plunged into the man's heart. "No. Tech's not there."

Crosshair wanted to cry. The only thing that stood in his way was dehydration.

"We have to go Crosshair" Hunter shook. He put slight pressure on his brother's back, trying to move forward.

Slowly Crosshair moved, Hunter's hand generating enough heat to move his frozen body forward. He was finally home.

Home was different than he remembered. First of all there was room for Omega. Then Tech's bunk had been left untouched. His blanket was still folded over.

Crosshair looked at his own. It had been made. He knew he hadn't made it. He moved the blanket to find a small letter. A chill went up his spine as he grabbed it.

It was from Tech. He gently opened it with shaky hands. He pulled the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it.

It read, "Dear Crosshair, I didn't know what would happen. In truth I didn't expect the mission to go well. But I knew we had to go. If not for anything, to make up for the damage we had done to you. That is not to say you didn't hurt us as well. I hope I will retrieve this letter once I am on the ship. If not, I was told it is best to not leave words unsaid. You were a good brother Crosshair. I was grateful to have you."

Crosshair held the letter to his chest. That was the most affection Tech had ever shown to him. He laid on his bed and let out a sigh. This was going to be hard.

Winter Whumperland Day 5: Ebenezer Scrooge (Time Loop)

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warnings: Multiple character deaths as well as suicide.

Summary: After being killed by the empire, Tech finds himself stuck in a time loop.

It had been six months after the end of the war. Tech had been with his family when the empire came to Ord Mantell.

Sitting at Cid's bar, clone troopers in gray and white armor entered. Then Crosshair had. His armor was no longer its familiar red and black.

Wrecker was the one to go down first. He pulled his gun, ready to shoot. Then he was gone. Omega leaned in closer to Tech who grabbed her unconsciously.

Echo was next. Then Hunter. Everything happened too fast. Before Tech could react he was on the floor, trying to protect Omega. Then she was gone. He had been shot in the side.

Tech looked up at

But when he opened his eyes it was morning again. He listened to the sound of Wrecker laughing and Echo telling him "don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep."

That wasn't possible. They had just died didn't they? Was it all just a twisted nightmare.

What Tech knew for sure was that he needed to get up. It had all felt so real. But that was impossible. Or at least that's what Tech thought.

As the family went though their day, the clone slowly got more and more nervous. He wasn't able to shake the feeling of the nightmare. No matter what he did, even when the day seemed to be over, Tech couldn't calm down.

That was until it happened again. The clone reacted differently this time. As soon as the door opened and he heard the footsteps, he told them they needed to go. They needed to leave.

But it was too late. This time Tech had grabbed Omega sooner. He tried to get her behind the bar. As Wrecker was killed, Tech pushed Omega behind him. If anything he wouldn't let her die.

Hunter tried to move to Echo's side. He ordered Tech to take Omega and get her out of the bar.

"I'm trying" Tech shot back.

Echo shot a few of the troopers down before he was killed. As his body fell, Hunter instinctively tried to catch him. He didn't even know why he tried to. He knew he was gone.

For a moment time seemed too slow for them. Hunter sat on the ground, stunned. Then they shot him.

Tech had gotten Omega out the back door. He looked down at his comm to see what time it was. It seemed so insignificant, yet like something he should do. 2100 hours.

As the two turned the corner, Crosshair was waiting for them. Tech grabbed Omega and tried to get her out of the line of fire. Once more his efforts were in vain.

She hadn't been killed immediately. This time, Tech couldn't do anything but watch as she died. He held herz trying to figure out what to do. Crosshair had paused his attack, realizing the girl was still alive.

What was maybe thirty seconds felt like hours. Tech has never been good with the dieing. But he held her. He looked at Crosshair when she had stopped breathing and went to stand. A bullet met his skull.

Then he woke up. He didn't understand what was happening or why it was happening to him. Wrecker was laughing again.

"Don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep." He heard Echo say.

It was morning again.

Tech remembered the time that the attack happened. Unnerved, he went to find Omega. When he found her he just pulled her into a hug. He only held her for a moment but she was still confused.

"Are you feeling okay Tech?" Echo asked.

"Yes" Tech answered quickly. He then walked back to his bed. What did he do about this? The day seemed to be repeated. Every time he died, the day started over. He walked back to the others.

"How about we, go somewhere" Tech proposed.

"And where should we go Tech?" Hunter asked.

"Somewhere."

"Are you sure you're okay? You're acting kinda funny?" Wrecker stood to walk over to him.

"Yes I am."

"We could explore more of Ord Mantell?" Omega said excitedly.

"No!" Tech said loudly. "How about the, near by moon?"

The others looked at each other. "how about we do that tomorrow?" Echo said.

"No. We should go now."

"How about we go see if Cid needs something?" Hunter suggested.

"Fine" Tech answered. Then the group left the Marauder. Cid told them to run a few on world errands for her and despite Tech's protests, they did.

2100 hours came around quickly. For an hour before that, Tech has been trying to get them to leave the bar. But Wrecker was having fun talking to someone, Echo and Hunter were throwing darts, and Omega had been talking to Cid until a few minutes ago.

When Tech hears the footsteps, he pulled his gun, ready. As soon as he could confirm it was the empire, he started shooting. It helped this time.

They got to Cids office before they started to die. Tech couldn't remember what happened when he woke up.

"Don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep." Echo sounded annoyed as he tried to get Wrecker to stop whatever he had been doing.

Over and over Tech tried to stop them from dying. Over and over he failed them. It felt like fighting a fire with matches. As he grew tired he tried to find different ways to deal with the attacks. He tried almost every angle he could to get them off Ord Mantell. No matter what they seemed to stay.

It had been so long. Why had he been chosen for this? What even could cause such a time loop and why were they so important? It had to be something like the will of the force but why were they the ones to live?

"Don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep."

Tech didn't get up this time. He had tried and tried and tried. After a few hours of trying to come up with a plan, he walked out to the others. He tried to get them to listen to him. He tried to get them off world. But they were still at the damn bar by 2100 hours.

Before the others knew it, they were going out the back door. The fight was taken to the streets. One by one, they fell. First Wrecker, then Echo, then Hunter, then Omega. It was just him and Crosshair.

Diving behind some building Tech, with shacking hands pulled his gun to his head. Every memory of every attempt flooded his head. Before Crosshair got the chance to take him out once more, he shot.

He woke up on the Marauder as he knew he would. He fell asleep for a while.

Hours after he was supposed to wake up, he walked to the cockpit. He made sure everyone was in the ship before simply taking off. He didn't care when they asked where he was taking them.

When Cid commed the group to warn them to not go back to Ord Mantell, the batch asked Tech how he had known and asked why he didn't just tell them. Tech shook. Even though he wanted to explain, it all sounded too crazy.

Instead he walked back to his bed and laid down. He tossed his gun to the other side of the room, trying to find the strength to not circum to the memories of something that no longer existed.

The batch watched him carefully for a while. Slowly Tech tried to recover. He felt like he had.

Now he was hanging off of a rail car. As he realized what he had to do, Tech thought of the cruel irony of the situation. He had saved them so many times by dying. It was time to do it again.

But something told him he wouldn't be waking up again. This was it. Tech had saved them all so many times just to die one final time.

As he shot the only part of the car that held the other on to the rail, he sighed. Maybe he would just get to rest this time.

AI-less Whumptober Day 10: Mouth Stitched Shut (Alt Prompt 21)

Fandom: The Dragon Prince

Summary: Finnergrin gets tired of Callum trying to use magic to kill him, so he takes it into his own hands.

  "Fulminis!" Callum shouted. He aimed the attack at Finnergrin. A strong hand grabbed his wrist and the lightning shot up towards the sky. Then the world went dark.

    When Callum woke up he looked around. He was back under the deck of the Sea Legs. "Great" he mumbled.

    Finnergrin removed his feet from his desk and started to walk over to him. "That was quite the show you put on." He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small box with a gold trim. "As much as I would like to see that again, I think this will be for the better."

    Callum fought against his chains as Finnergrin opened the box. Whatever was in it was clearly not a good thing. He was surprised when he pulled out a needle.

    "What's that for?" Callum almost wanted to laugh but he knew he'd regret it if he did.

    "This is a needle. In this box I have stitches. If you can't talk, you're no threat." Yep, not funny.

    Callum tried to fight back. He pulled against his chains until his wrists burned. A crew member was instructed to come down to hold the mage in place.

    Finnergrin kneeled on Callum's legs. He loomed over him. He took the needle and the crew member snapped his head into place. "please don't do this! I'll give you the spell!" Callum shook.

    "The time for that has passed my boy. You reap what you sow." The boy tried to raise his legs. He tried to pull his body forward. When he ran out of options he tried to use magic.

    Before he got the chance to open his mouth, Finnergrin had already grabbed his bottom lip and was about to make the first stitch.

    The silver needle met with Callum's pail skin. It glided through his flesh. His eyes water both out of fear and pain.

    He never stopped fighting. As the needle went through his skin, he kept trying to escape. Tears fell from his eyes but they never softened. Hate and anger and a hit of fear was the only story they told. He tried to open his mouth but Finnergrin moved his other hand to hold his jaw.

    The stitches glided though his skin. They silenced him. Callum didn't like being silenced. It hurt sure but that would be temporary. This, this could be permanent. He had no intent of letting it be.

    When Finnergrin finished the last stitch he chuckled. "I admire your determination. He grabbed a rag from his desk and dipped it in some water.

    The mage noticed the taste of blood for the time. The only thing he could do was swallow it. Callum started to wonder what was next. He couldn't eat, he couldn't drink. At least not yet. He wouldn't let this be what took him down. He still needed to take down Aaravos, bring Rayla's parents back, and see Ezren grow up.

     Finnergrin put the rage on Callum's face and held it there for a moment. He took it away and looked at the crewmate. "Take him to see his friends."

    The crewmate unchained him from the poll and took him above deck. Callum stood angerly. His shoulders never dropped. His eyes were still filled with anger. Being angry felt easier than being scared.

    "Callum!" Ezren screamed.

    "What did you do to him?!" Rayla yelled, trying to go to him.

    "Are you okay?" Soren asked, trying to remain calm.

    Callum nodded. When he tried to say he was fine, he felt the stitches tug. "What's happen'?" Velads asked. 

    "Callum's mouth has been sawn shut" Soren told him.

    "Well, that's a problem."

    "No, it thought it was fine!" Rayla scowled.

    Callum tried to stop them. Ezren saw and calmed them down. Mostly.

    "It's going to be okay." Soren looked at the others. "He's going to be okay."

    No one knew what to do. Finnergrin came back from below deck and smiled. "Like my hand work?"

    "Why you little-" Rayla started before looking over at Ezren and chuckling nervously.

    Callum tried to walk over to his family. He couldn't reach them. It was starting to get dark. If they didn't find a way out Aaravos would be released and everything they love would be thrown into chaos. But what could they do? They had to think fast. Time never seemed to be on their side.

Part 2: _____

Whumptober Day 11: Captivity/"No One Will Find You."

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Summary: Luka is captured by Monarch after he learned that he knows who Ladybug and Cat Noir are.

  Luka had just been walking home when he saw him. Monarch stood in front of him, smiling. Fear struck into his heart as he took a few steps back. He turned around and started to run. The boy listened to the footsteps of his enemy growing closer.

    Then Luka turned the corner into an alley. He jumped onto the fire escape. The later fell as he started to climb. Monarch slid into the alley and walked over to him, grabbing his ankle.

    "Let me go!" He screamed. Luka kicked at him. His hands started to slip. "No, no" he said under his breath. He was pulled off of the fire escape and then the world went black.

    When Luka woke up, the first thing he noticed was how dark it was. Then he saw the garden that had what appeared to be a coffin. Startled he jumped back. His back hit metal and for the first time he noticed the chains around his wrists.

    Monarch stepped out of the shadows. He grinned.

    "Why am I here!?" Luka yelled.

    "I know you know Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities. I need them."

    "I won't give them to you." Luka claimed himself. "They will come for me."

    The villain chuckled. "No. Even if they do," he walked over to the boy. Monarch kneeled down and grabbed Luka's face. He forced him to look at him. "No one will ever find you." With full force, he pushed Luka's face off to the side, making him fall.

    Luka pulled himself back into his legs. "I believe in Ladybug and Cat Noir! They will find me and they will stop you! You won't win this!"

    "You'll crack and when you do, I win."

    Panic set into Luka's heart. He tried to escape his chains, hurting his wrist. He looked back at Monarch. He was a looming and intimidated figure. "we'll have to see."

    The villain chuckled and walked towards the kwami's.

    "Sass!" Luka yelled.

    "Luka? What happened?" He asked.

    "Kidnapped."

    "Are you okay?" Trixx asked.

    "I will be."

    Luka watched as Monarch akumatised a poor unsuspecting victim. He yelled at him, not really trying to get him to stop but more so to see if he could be heard.

    As time passed, Luka started to wonder. He knew they would look for him and he knew that it would take time. But now Monarch was hitting him. He was tired of Luka not talking, of resisting his attempts to akumatize him. The boy still wouldn't give.

    Trying to stay positive when you feel like you're dying in some man's basement because you know your best friends are superheroes, proved itself to be difficult. Somewhere in Luka's mind, he knew he was angry with them. Maybe if they had avoided the blast from 'live your childhood dream' guy, he wouldn't be here.

    But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was staying silent and alive. Monarch made that hard. He tried to sleep often. He has to watch as Julika was akumatised, worried about him. Not just her but his parents as well.

    Time passed slowly. He wasn't sure how long he had been in the basement. Luka thought it would be cold. It was cool, the temperature having to sustain the plants. At least it smelled pleasant.

    When the villain would hurt him that's what he focused on. The good. The people he was protecting. When Monarch came to the conclusion that Luka would't break, he started to leave him alone.

    Then Ladybug and Cat Noir learned how to manage their powers better. They didn't have to worry about transforming back anymore. Monarch came over to Luka, angry.

    Luka had been scared. He was scared of his capture and of the power he held. But not like this. The rage that the man held in his eyes alone made his skin crawl. "Things didn't go your way?" he said.

    But he didn't get an answer. Instead he was kicked in the side. The force threw him back, the chains around his wrists pulled tight. It didn't take long before all Luka could feel was pain.

    But in a way it was relieving. He felt so alone. He'd never felt that way before. After Monarch's temper tantrum Luka stayed laying on the floor. He tried to think of something good, he tried so hard to hold onto hope. But he couldn't.

    A purple butterfly landed gently on his ring. "Hello Victim, I'll give you the power to escape your Capture. I return, you will give me Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities."

"No" Luka whispered softly. Every part of him tried to fight the akuma. He tried to get up but fell back to the floor. His body was too weak and mind hurt too much to stop him from winning.

Purple fog covered him for just a moment before he stood up. "Let me leave."

"Third identities."

"Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and A- Adrien, Agreste."

Monarch was silent before he snapped and Luka was released from his power. He just smiled as he walked away from the weeping child on the ground. Now to go find his son.

Part 2: Aftermath of Failure

AI-less Whumptober Day 12: Self Harm

Fandom: Spider-verse

Warning: Self injury

Summary: Miles used to love being a hero. Now it seems to be killing him.

  Miles loved being a hero. He loved the people and he loved the city. Yeah he was sore and tired most of the time but the cost never bothered him much.

    But then it happened. A little boy got caught in the cross fire. Miles held him as he died. He screamed and cried for his parents but they didn't get there in time.

    When the hero got home he tore off his costume. He started to cry as he threw it at the wall. Without much thought, Miles slammed his first I to his stomach. He did it again and again until he couldn't think about anything other than the pain.

    He fell to his knees and sobbed as he held his stomach. But the physical pain erased the mental pain. He already put himself in harms way, why not do what everyone else did? Take it out on him.

    As time went on, the hitting stopped being enough. When it stopped being enough, Miles went for the pocket knife his uncle had given him. He tore into his thigh. As the blood spilled he regretted his decision. What would happen if his parents found out?

    They would ask what he had to hate. But he couldn't tell them. There was no lie he could think of that would make sense. So there was no way they could ever know.

    Scars started to grow along side the once he was given by villains. His legs were the first victim of the knife, then his upper arms. Miles didn't dear cut his wrist. Summer would be a pain.

    Ganke started to notice something was wrong. He saw blood stains on his everyday clothing and found a rag that had been used to clean up blood.

    When he asked, Miles convinced him that the villains had just been more violent lately. Then he started to hide everything. Even small things.

    But the cuts grew worse. As the city started to wonder if Spider-Man was the hero he swore to be, Miles fel the pressure grow. He didn't handle pressure well anymore.

    As people died, he stopped doing well in school. When he stopped doing well, his parents talked to him. The asked what was wrong and why he was doing so poorly in his classes.

    As badly as he wanted to tell them, Miles just said he was tired. When they asked why, he got silent. It felt like he were living on lies.

    When Spider-Man got to his room he went to change into his pajamas. He looked in the mirror that was on the wall. He had bandages all over him and scars where the bandaids didn't cover. Miles felt tears falling from his eyes as he started to hyperventilate.

    He knew he needed to stop hiring himself, to get help. But how could he get help if he was a hero? All the help he needed was because he was a hero. The boy looked at his body in same. How could he have done this to himself?

    Miles hated being a hero. Sure he loved the people and the city but he was sore and tired all of the time. His body held the scars that he was given by himself and others. His mind held the trauma. He wondered if he'd be okay. 

AI-less Whumptober Day 9: Scar Reveal

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Summary: After a fight Adrien is left to try and hide a nasty laceration that later becomes a scar.

    Adrien looked at the giant gash in his arm. "Hate to tell you but that's gonna scar, kid" Plagg flew in front of him.

    "Tis but a scratch." He looked at the laceration. It went from the middle of the back of his hand to his elbow. Blood flower down his arm. It dripped onto the floor. After a moment of shock, Adrian ran to his bathroom and grabbed a towel. He slammed it down onto his arm.

    "Can you grab the disinfectant from the cabinet?" He asked, shacking.

    "Didn't think it was that bad, did you?" He said as he grabbed the bottle from the medicine cabinet.

    "No." He kept his left arm on top of his right. The pressure hurt but it was better than passing out.

    When Adrien Adrien removed the towel Plagg hissed. "You might need to get that professional taken care of."

    "I can't." He rushed out of the room and scoured his room trying to find the small sewing kit that Marinette had given him.

    "Found it!" He stumbled back to the bathroom and placed the kit down quickly.

    As he opened it Plagg opened his mouth. "That's not safe" he said.

    "I know. He grabbed the disinfectant spray and sprayed down the needle as well as the thread. Before Plagg could stop him, the needle was in his skin.

    The boy cried as he sewed up his arm. It hurt more than he thought it would. Plagg stayed by his side until he finished.

    The only thread Adrien had was black. It stuck out against his pale skin. He cleaned up the outside of the wound, hiding the towel under his skin. He'd get rid of it later.

    Adrien looked at his handy work. "It could be worse." He grabbed the bandages from the cabinet and wrapped his arm in them.

    "True, you could be dead." He joked.

    The hero moved to his bed. He laid down and fell asleep.

    School was interesting. For the first week, Adrien felt like he hit his arm on everything. He tried to find ways out of gym.

    His friends noticed and tried to make his life just a little easier. Nino kept grabbing his bag before he could and taking it to his next class. It made him smile. Marinette made him some baked goods almost everyday.

    As Cat Noir, Plagg changed his suit to keep the skin tight aspect from hurting him. Instead it was like a loser fitting turtleneck with green accents. When Ladybug asked he just said he was just cold.

    Taking the stitches out hurt. He wasn't sure how so Adrien just cut the strings and pulled them out. After that he rewrapped his arm and hand. Slowly it started to heal to a point he didn't need to wrap it.

    Nathalie wanted to ask why the teen kept getting tea tree oil but decided it had to be some popular new skin care trend. Why would she complain about him having a skin care routine?

    As the weather started to warm up, his friends started to notice the long sleeves and gloves more. They weren't sure how to approach him. He couldn't just be cold anymore. They were concerned about him.

    When Adrien finally took off the gloves he had to get used to covering his hand in foundation and setting spray. He knew eventually the scar wouldn't be as intense.

    The jacket stayed. Nino decided he needed to know. What if he'd been hurt? What if he'd been hiring himself? Whatever it was, he needed to know.

   "Hey Adrien, meet me in the boiler room?" He nudged him.

    "Sure. When?"

    "Now's fine. It is lunch after all!" He grabbed his hand and dragged him to the boiler room.

    "So, what do you need?" Adrien asked confused but sweetly.

    "Is everything okay man?" He asked. "if you need to talk about something -"

    "Yeah everything's fine! What made you think that it wasn't?" He said nervously.

    "It's just that, you've been wearing the jacket for a bit and it's starting to get to a point where it's definitely too hot for that."

    Adrien looked away. "Yeah everything's fine. How about we go get lunch.?"

    "Yeah, let's do that." As Adrien started walking, Nino pulled on the back of the jacket pulling it off. Alya and Marinette came out from their hiding places. It seemed cruel, what they were doing, but in their eyes it had to be done.

    Adrien just stared at them. "What the heck?" He shouted. He tried to hide the large scar that stained his arm.

    This couldn't be happening. What if they realized where it had come from? He'd have to give up his place as Cat Noir. A world without being a hero seemed to feel like a trap. His breath caught just thinking about it.

    "Woah" Nino said, staring.

    "How did you-?" Alya asked.

    "I don't- I don't want to talk about it."

    The scar was long. Beside the almost straight line were smaller dots.

    Marinette thought the wound looked familiar but didn't think too hard about it. "I'm so sorry Adrien, we should have just left you alone."

    "Yeah, we're sorry." Alya grabbed the jacket from Nino and handed it to him.

    "We just wanted to make sure you were okay." Nino looked down.

    "I'm fine. I'd be a lot better if you hadn't done that." He sighed, "just don't tell anyone. Please."

    Nino and Alya nodded. "we promise." Marinette looked at him, "is there anything we can do to make it up to you?"

    "Just please don't mention it."

    "You know there's no shame in a scar right?" Nino said, leaning the group out of the boiler room.

    "I know I just don't want people to say anything." Adrien sighed. "it's just easier this way." He slipped the jacket back over his shoulders.

    "Maybe you'll be able to take that jacket off soon. It's not their business anyway." Alya opened the door, holding it for them.

    Adrien thought about that night. Only the villain had been there and Ladybug was a no show. "You know what, it'll be fine." He brought the jacket into his hands.

    "If you're sure." Nino led them back to the cafeteria. All eyes were on him as soon as he entered the room. People came up to him to question what had happened but he danced around the answer. They would get an answer out of him at some point. If not the kids at school, the press.

    It didn't take long before it was on social media. Adrien watched as his ride appeared and sighed. His father's reaction was the one he feared the most. But it didn't matter, it would come eventually. So when he entered the car after saying goodbye to his friends, he just sighed. "Let's get this over with."