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.

Whumptober Day 4: Shock/panic (Alt Prompt)

Fandom: The Dragon Prince

Summary: Callum gets shocked by Zym by accident after he was tortured by Finnegrin.

    Callum was in pain. It hasn't been long since Finnegrin had tortured him. Parts of his skin were charged. He could feel his clothes rubbing against his burns. It hurt more than he thought it would, yet he would do it all again if he had to.

    Zym sat closely against Ezren but kept looking back at Callum. He knew he was hiring and he wanted to help. The dragon stood and walked over to Callum. He put his head on his lap for a moment.

    The mage rested a head on top of Zym's head. "Hey buddy."

    Zym got in Callum's lap and laid down for a minute. He made him smile. Then Rayla touched him.

    Zym jumped, startled. He lost control of his power for just a moment and administered a slight shock around his body to fight the unknown 'attack'.

    Callum being under Zym, took the shock. He yelped and tried to move back. Suddenly he was no longer with his friends. Now he was back below the deck of the Sea Legs. Elmore was torturing him, leaving burns all over his body, making his cry with pain.

    The electricity that ran through the boy's body carried pain wherever it could reach. It hurt so badly. He was helpless against Finnegrin and Elmore. The chains around Callum's wrist made the current flow into them harsher than the rest of his body.

    Callum was hyperventilating. Ezren moved to his side quickly and tried to help him breathe. Zym moved to the other side of the boat. Bait, Soren, and Rayla all crowded around the mage. Ezren made them back up but grabbed Bait and placed him in Callum's arms.

    Callum took Bait and held him closely. The comfort of the glow toad helped to keep him calm. Ezren talked to Callum, trying to calm him down. It was hard for the boy, not knowing why his brother had such a strong reaction to something that he normally didn't mind.

    "Are you okay?" Soren asked. Callum looked up at him and tried to breathe slower. "Here, Ezren can I? The knife motioned towards Callum and Ezren moved. Soren started slowly breathing loudly. "What's one thing you can hear?"

    It took a moment before Callum answered. "The- the sea."

    "Good. Something you see?"

    "You."

    Soren chuckled, "pick something else."

    He taped the boat with his foot. "The boat?"

    Callum nodded.

    "Smell?"

    "Salt" he answered.

    "Taste?"

    "Salt."

    Soren looked at the kid's split lip. "yeah, me too. Last one okay? One thing you feel."

    "Scared."

    "Wrong kind but thank you for telling me."

    "Oh." Callum held up Bait.

    "Do you feel better?"

    He paused for a moment before he spoke, "yeah." He looked past the others at Zym, "sorry buddy." Zym nodded and came over to him. He nuged his leg and laid at his feet.

    "What happened?" Rayla asked.

    "Finnegan."

    "Oh."

    Callum looked at the worried looks on everyone's faces. Bait glew blue and Zym curled up tighter on Callum's feet. Now he'd have to tell the story he didn't want anyone to know. And to think it all started with an accident. What a shocker.

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: _____

Merry Whumpmas Day 3: Fever

Fandom: The Dragon Prince

Summary: Ezren gets sick

  It had been a while since Ezren or Callum had gotten sick. That was good. The Opeli came to talk to Callum. Ezren may be the king but he is still a child. Children are fragile.

    "High mage, your brother has fallen ill. He is in his room." Opeli informed him. Callum closed his book and walked to Ezren's room. He knew he would really only be able to keep him company.

    As he opened the door Bait greeted him. He walked over to Ezren's bed and sat down. The boy shifted from his place and leaned against Callum.

    Ezren was so warm. His skin felt like it was burning. "hey Ez, how are you doing?"

    "I don't feel well." Ezren muttered.

    "You'll be okay Ez. Get some rest."

Soon Ezren had fallen asleep. Callum leaned against his head broad and sighed. He pulled out a book and started to read it.

Opeli quietly came into the room with a glass of water and a small bucket of water that had a rag on the side of it. She placed them beside the bed and nodded to Callum. He smiled softly as she left the room, closing the door almost silently.

Almost an hour later Ezren started to stir. He muttered about something before waking up slightly. "Callum, can you get Dad?" He asked innocently.

Callum tried to figure out what to say. He was delirious. The fever had started to cause painful dreams. "He's busy but I'm here. Try to go back to sleep okay?"

Tears welled in the older brother's eyes as he reached for the rag and rang it out. He pressed the cloth gently against Ezren's head and shortly the boy was back asleep. Callum put the rage back in the bucket and leaned back against the headboard.

Tears fell softly from his eyes as he wondered about what would be different about their lives if Harrow had survived. Maybe Ezren's only family wouldn't be a mage and a general who is hours away. Maybe he wouldn't be the one who has to take care of Ezren.

It wasn't that Callum minded. He would do anything for him. But a father seemed better than a brother. They weren't very old and were already alone.

Of course there were doctors that could take care of Ezren. He was the king of Katolis after all. But for now all they could do is keep him comfortable. It was just a virus that would go away soon enough.

Still Callum worried. He did a lot of that as of lately. He worried about the people he was around. He couldn't help it.

Again Ezren stirred. Before he could wake up, Callum placed the damp rag on his head and started to whisper softly. He whispered words of comfort to him and soon the boy had settled again.

The rag hit the water as Callum closed his eyes. Hopefully Ezren would feel better soon.

Whumptober Day 9: Mistaken Identity

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Warning: Character Death

Summary: While sitting with a dying soldier, Fives gets mistaken for one of his batch mates.

  Fives had known that being mistaken for one of his brothers was possible. He never expected to happen in this way. The man looked at the clone. A piece of shrapnel had caught him in the side. It had gone clean though his armor. He held pressure around the wound, unsure of what to do with the debris.

    "You're going to be okay" he tried to comfort him. The soldier kept grabbing at him, panic filling him. Fives held one of his hands with the one he wasn't using to keep him alive.

    The wounded raised the hand, trying to pull Fives closer. It was cold but the sun was peaking out of the clouds. The wind blew harshly, knocking orange, yellow, and red leaves into the gunfire. They sprinkled to the ground, a red one landing next to the dying man.

    "Rocky, I don't wanna go" he said.

    Fives didn't expect to be called Rocky. He hid his confusion, "you're going to be okay."

    "Rocky" he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him closer. "I'm scared."

    "You'll be okay." Fives knew what was happening. He wasn't going to be okay. All he could do was pretend to be this guy he didn't even know. He couldn't leave him and he wasn't going to let him know he was going to die with a random stranger.

    He was delusional. He couldn't see. He didn't know what was going on. He just cried as the world he knew came to a close. "Rocky, tell-" his words became quiet whispers and Fives couldn't understand him. He felt his body go limp and he laid him back down to the ground.

    The red leaf blew away. It fled into the wind.

    Fives sighed. Too many of his brothers met an end like this. After the battle he became obsessed with finding Rocky. He didn't know anything about the man he had been mistaken for. All he knew was a name. But he had to know. He needed to at least meet the man he pretended to be for a dying brother.

    He asked everyone. He searched the 501st for him. Finally someone had an answer for him. "I think he's over there. He and his buddy are looking for their batch." 

    Fives walked over. "You Rocky?"

    "If I am?"

    'He's Rocky alright" Fives thought.

    "I wanted to talk to you. I was with a friend of yours. I never got his name."

    The man next to Rocky has a terrified look on his face.

    "I was with him, when he died."

    "Died?" Rocky asked. "what do you mean, died?" He started to raise his voice.

    "He was calling me by your name. Seemed like you were close."

    Rocky's tough exterior started to crack. His eyes started to water. "Did his armor have leaves on them? One really messed up one on the chest plate?" Every bit of spite and anger that had been in his voice slipped away.

    The man next to him placed a hand on his shoulder.

    "Yeah."

    Rocky shook. He turned to his friend, years in his eyes, and hugged him. The man looked surprised but held him.

    The role Fives had played was bigger than he thought. He knew how Rocky felt. Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he understood as much as he could understand. He probably felt the same pain as when he had lost Echo.

    "I'm sorry for your loss. If you want to talk about him-?"

    "Thank you." The other man spoke up. "Maybe we'll come find you later."

    "Okay." Fives started to walk away.

    "Did he say anything?"

    Fives stopped. He turned around. Rocky wasn't standing too far from him and his friend wasn't far from him. "He wanted you to tell something to someone. He- wasn't able to say a name or what."

    "Okay."

    "Are you two gonna be okay?"

    "Yeah, we'll be fine."

    "Okay. Come find me if you need anything okay? Literally anything."

    "Thank you."

Whumptober Day 12: Red

Fandom: Spider-verse

Warning: Violence

Summary: Miles used to love red. After becoming a hero he starts to hate it.

  Red used to be one of Miles's favorite colors. That was until he became a hero. Red became something he avoided seeing.

    Red always meant something bad. Red was the color of blood, of anger and hatred. But I was also one of his colors. In some twisted way it meant both death and hope.

    It wasn't something he found as beautiful as he once did. The red in the sky or painted on the wall used to make Miles happy. It used to be beautiful. Now it was terrifying.

    Sometimes beautiful things are meant to be scary. But not this. Deaths like these weren't beautiful and they weren't poetic. Nothing like that could ever be poetry. Yet people still made it into it.

    Words on a paper, the last few words being in red ink. They made Miles hate poetry. He couldn't stand red. Not anymore.

    Red things had no right to be so pretty anymore. The red sky only made him think of two things; blood and beauty. They were a terrible mix that should never go hand in hand.

    But they did. They skipped down the high school halls and giggled as they entered their class. The red on Miles's suit mirrored the purple of his uncle's.

    The red on Miles's papers when he got them back made him wonder about the papers of all of the victims of the villain's attacks and his mistakes. Were they good? Did their teacher mark them in red? Like how death claimed them? He marked them in red.

    Miles didn't want to hate red, he didn't want to associate it with so many bad things. The more he tried to relate it to the beautiful things in his life, the less he could look at them.

    In a way, red became his least favorite color. He'd never see it the same. Ever.

    But red was also Peter B's color. That and blue. He wondered if he had this problem. The color red has never been a problem.

    Miles started to have a reaction to certain shades of red. He asked his teacher to mark his paper in a different color. When she asked why, he delicately danced around the point. He avoided his favorite shoes and took down one of his posters.

    However Miles tried to use his red pen as often as he could. 'Exposure therapy' he told himself. That came to a quick stop when the pen broke and red spilled all over his sketchbook. Just like it spilled from the victims.

    He cried, cleaning it up. He hid the red mug he used to use all the time. When his parents asked where it went he just said "I don't know."

    Red would never be the same for him. Miles didn't like that something so common as a primary color was a trigger for him. Why did it have to be his  favorite color? Why did he have to see so much blood? What did the villains get from so much death?

    All questions that Miles would never get an answer to. He would instead scribble them in red into his sketchbook. Closing the book Miles stood up. He tried to leave his room. As he opened the door his mother held out a red mug. "Here, since your favorite one got lost!" She smiled.

    Miles smiled. "Thank you." Why did it have to be red?