Winter Whumperland Day 9: Jlaktturinn (Left Behind)

Winter Whumperland Day 9: Jólakötturinn (Left Behind)

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: After Obi-wan and Cody are assumed to be dead and left behind, Obi-wan tries to find a way for the two to survive

Part 2: soon.

  It was snowing. Battles in the snow were always somewhat strange. The snow was so elegant and pure yet so deadly. The stains in the snow as well as the footsteps had become something of a warning.

    But as the others retreated, Cody wasn't sure what to do. He could barely move. He felt so cold. The snow fell around him, making him look like just another body in the snow.

    He needed to get the general to safety. After the clone had been shot, Kenobi stayed near him. He had called for a medic but not to long after, he was shot in the side.

    It was unusual for a Jedi to get shot when on the battle field. He had to have been destacted. Cody feared he had been why. They were close, too close for a Jedi to be with someone.

    The man tried to call out for someone. His voice never left his throat. It had been a while. Medics had never gotten the chance to find them. The droids hadn't moved forwards yet.

    Kenobi regained consciousness. He tried to look around. All he saw at first were bodies. When his eyes landed on Cody, he panicked at first. Then he saw him shift. He was alive at the very least.

    "Co-Cody?" His voice shook as he shivered.

    The voice brought comfort to Cody. He hadn't even realized Obi-wan was alive. Once more he tried to speak. He tried to stand or even sit up but slipped back into the snow.

    Obi-wan looked around again. He realized they had been left behind. But they were alive. Now the two were on their own. He looked down at his injury then back to Cody. He needed to get over there.

    Slowly he tried to stand. After a moment, Obi-wan was able to get on his feet. He only walked a few steps before falling to his knees in pain. He half dragged himself the other few feet.

    "Dear?"

    Cody looked at him. Again the Jedi looked around. The forest wasn't far. The droids would be less likely to find them there. But so would anyone else. Then again, I was likely no one was going to look for them anyway.  

    It was terrifying. They were alone now. It was cold, they were hurt, and there was no saying if the separatist would take prisoners or if they would kill them on the spot. More than likely, taking a Jedi would be more likely than taking a clone as well.

    It looked like it was getting darker. The forest was their best bet for survival. So Obi-wan grabbed Cody's arm and started to drag him to the woods. He barely knew what was going on. The snow would hopefully cover their tracks.

    It was painful, for both of them. It took a while to get into the forest and far enough away for Obi-wan to be comfortable resting. When they finally stopped, Kenobi collapsed.

    Time passed and he woke up again. It was night now and there were clear sounds of battle droids nearby. Obi-wan looked at Cody. He saw the steady rise and fall of his chest, though he was nervous he was breathing too slowly.

    Gently, Obi-wan draped his cloak over the other. He leaned against a tree and pulled him onto his lap, hoping their body heat together could help them.

    There was nothing else to think about. The Jedi was left to grapple with the feeling of betrayal by the others. Cody and him were still alive. The two had done so much and had given up everything they could to keep the others alive. Now they were alone in the cold.

    But Obi-wan also knew they had to. If they hadn't left them behind, someone could have died. They had to have thought that they had been killed. It was the only answer that brought any sort of comfort to the general.

    It didn't change the fact that it hurt. It hurt in the same way the snow against his fingers hurt.

    Frostbite was inevitable at that point. Hyperthermia would follow. It was freezing. Obi-wan laid his head against the tree and sighed. He watched his breath disappear. He looked down at Cody.

    He was still alive. He hoped the same thing would be true come morning. There was nothing else he could do for now.

    A few hours later, Obi-wan was still awake. He couldn't find a way to sleep. There was too much to try and plan for. Getting them out of there in the condition he was in felt impossible. He felt Cody shift. He looked down, tears in his eyes.

    As they fell, his face burned. "I don't know what to do" he told Cody. "I'm so sorry."

    The clone raised a shaky hand up to the other's face. He tried to dry his tears. Obi-wan smiled slightly. He took Cody's hand in his own and held it. It was more life than he had shown previously so that was at least something. Maybe morning would be kinder to them.

Winter Whumperland Day 7: Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (Self Sacrifice)

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Summary: During an akuma attack, Cat Noir decided he had to protect Ladybug. No matter what.

Part 2: soon. Part 3: soon

    Adrien was never good about self preservation. It only got worse when he became Cat Noir. It seemed that  sometimes the only way to win, was for him to take the fall, for him to die.

    Monarch was a terrible man. No matter how you looked at it, he was a horrible human being. All of his morals must have left his body as soon as he started to torment Paris. Maybe he never had any at all.

    It felt like a normal day. Then it wasn't. As Adrien walked out of the school building, the sky erupted with fireworks. He looked at the sky then looked around.

    Ducking into an alley, he put his bookbag in a safe spot and transformed. The Cat Noir was off.

    When he arrived, he saw Ladybug was already there. She looked at him and back to the villain. "We have quite the ordeal going on" she joked.

    "Don't they just have an explosive personality." Cat Noir laughed.

    Paris started to catch fire. The fireworks ashes cought on the dry leaves. That's when Ladybug and Cat Noir started to panic. They couldn't get the villain under control.

    Explosive started to grow more violent. He started to shoot the fireworks are bistanders. The heros did their best to keep them safe. Ladybug called her lucky charm and was given a fire extinguisher. She almost immediately knew what to do. Out out small fires as she fought.

    As the two tried to maintain some sort of damage control to protect the citizens, they soon lost the extinguisher. Explosive had taken it and thrown it into the water. Well they tried to find it couldn't.

    They stood on top of buildings trying to find a large parking lot or maybe a large skate park. The heroes tried to ignore the sirens and house alarms all caused by the fires.

    "Kitty" Ladybug had yelled, "there's a skate park over there! Maybe we can keep the fires down."

    "Good idea m'lady. Lets see if he'll just roll with it." Cat Noir answered, laughing at his own joke. Then they left for the park.

    When they arrived, the heros used the ramps to their advantage. They were able to use them to duck behind.

    But when Explosive came up behind Ladybug, Adrien's heart sank. He went to get her away from him but she had been thrown to the ground.

    As soon as he took his aim at her, Adrien expected his fate. He wasn't sure if his miraculous could protect him this time. He knew that her lucky care was gone so if he died, that was it. He jumped down to her, his back turned to the villain as he shot.

  Black cats are said to be bad luck. And maybe he was. Maybe this was it.

    But Adrien didn't care. She was his lady. He was her side kick, he protecter. He was meant for destruction, didn't it only make sense that he was destroyed?

    Even with the protective powers of the miraculous, fireworks could be a death sentence. But out of the two, Ladybug was more important. She could fix things. He just broke them.

    The pain was extreme. It was a smaller firework, one that would likely be allowed in most US states. It still burned. All Cat Noir heard was Ladybug calling for him. Her voice was shaky and she sounded so scared.

    It would all be worth it if she was okay. That's all he cares about. After all, why did Paris need Cat Noir when Ladybug didn't even need him sometimes. As he slipped unconscious he smiled. He had done what he was supposed to and nothing could change that. Ladybug would save Paris again. The sun would rise without him.

(looks at phone on table) Oh I've thought about what I've done.

Febuwhump Day 9: Bees

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Wrecker never liked bugs. But now that Tech's gone, he finds some beauty in his brother's favorite insect. Bees.

  Bugs were not Wrecker's strong suit. Most of the time they weren't a problem, but sometimes they freaked him out. After being stormed by 'the hive' with Cid, he decided he simply was afraid of them.

    This included bees. There were a lot of bugs on Padu. There were a lot of flowers on the island. It was one of the things that the clone liked. Their simple beauty was something most didn't expect a clone to love the way he did.

    But he didn't like the bees. The small bugs freaked him out. Even so he would be around them often. The rest of the batch didn't share his distrust of the small insects.

    Tech had loved bees. "Bees are extremely important to every ecosystem. Almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of the galaxy's crops depend on the insects's pollination."

    "I don't care" Wrecker joked. He nudged his brother.

    However Tech did. Trying to continue, Crosshair cut him off. "We don't care."

    Now Wrecker wished he had listened. The clone watched the bees buzz around the sunflowers that were around him. What bothered him was the fact that they shut him up even though he was clearly excited about it.

    The bees flew near him and unlike every time before, Wrecker let them. Instead of shoeing them away, he welcomed them. Tech's voice rang in his head, "Did you know that there is at least one species of bee on most every planet."

    "Does he just do that?" Echo sighed.

    "Yeah" Hunter answered. "Normal one of them tells him to shut up by now."

    "Bumblebees technically shouldn't be able to fly because of-"

    Tech was cut off by Crosshair. "Shut up" the clone growled. Despite being shut up, Tech didn't seem upset. Instead he continued what he had been doing previously.

    "Seems kinda mean" Echo whispered to his brother.

    "If they don't he'll talk for hours."

    Now Wrecker was left wondering what he was going to say. What else had they left unsaid? What seemingly useless piece of information had they missed out on?

    Wrecker would do anything to hear Tech info dump about bees again. Info dump about anything really. He wanted to know why bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly. More than anything he wanted his brother back.

    "Watching the bees?" Phee asked, sitting next to Wrecker.

    "Yeah" he sighed. "I never liked them before. Actually used to be scared of them. Up until now." A sort of sad smile flashed across his face. "They are actually pretty nice" he sobbed.

    "It's gonna be okay big guy." Phee comforted him.

    A bee landed on the clone's knee. Out of instinct, he screamed. Then he just watched it. Putting his finger by it the insect crawled onto his finger. It was smaller than his finger nail. "Hey Tech."

In fact it was a crime. Much like the murder.

"Everything's changed since Polites" was a warcrime

Merry Whumpmas Day 7: Hyperventilating

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: After Satine dies, Obi-wan lets everything settle when he gets to the temple.

    Mandalore was not kind to Obi-wan. Satine had been his first love. Nothing could ever quite get rid of that feeling. The love you have for your first love, me very completely disappears.

    Now she was gone. Darth Maul had taken her from the world. He had overtaken her planet and replaced her. Her presence was erased so easily.

    Obi-wan was home now. He stood in his room, alone. He looked around. The dim light from his window highlighted a small gold chain on his bedside table. He stared at it for just a moment before realizing what it was.

    It was Satine's. Back in the beginning of the Clone War, she had handed it to him. She complained that she was unable to detangle it and asked him to. Obi-wan, of course had agreed. He had gently placed it in his pocket. Then everyone got distracted.

    When Obi-wan had realized he still had it, he had detangled it. He had put it on the table so that he would remember to take it to her.

    On his way to Mandalore, Obi-wan had realized he had left it sitting in his room. Though he couldn't remember where he had put it. He had sighed, thinking that he would just give it to her then next time he saw her.

    Now it was all the Jedi had left of her.  He sat down on his bed and held it with tender hands. It had a simple blue pendant on it. He could never give it back to her.

    Memories of the two had already caused a flood in his mind. But now he was shaking. Satine was gone so fast. He missed her. Even if he barely saw her, knowing she was alive had been enough.

    Maul was hateful. He had taken too much from him. His father and first love had fallen at his hands. But who was next? If Maul only seemed to want Kenobi to suffer, who would be next?

    Air started to flow though Obi-wan's lungs faster than it should. It felt sharp. His chest rose and fell quickly. His shaking increased as a deep sensation of panic fled into his veins. His heart moved it around until his whole body felt paralyzed.

    Breathing became difficult. It felt like his body was attacking itself. Obi-wan brought his hands to his chest. A sickly feeling fell over him.

    Standing up, Kenobi tried to walk around his room. Pacing didn't seem to help. Instead, he sat against the wall. He felt like he was suffocating.

    What would happen if Maul got ahold of his family? He had already taken two of them from him. But what about Anakin? Cody and Ahsoka made him more nervous than anything.

    Anakin could hopefully handle himself. Obi-wan didn't want to doubt Ahsoka but he knew that she was young. She was smaller than him and he had already seen a Jedi he had worked with fall at his hands.

    Then there was Cody. Nothing he could do against Maul would save him. Guns could never compare to a lightsaber or the force. Only Kriff knows what he could do to him.

    As Obi-wan's breathing worsened, his thought became quicker. What would he do if something happened to them? How could he protect them? Would it be enough.

    Time passed slowly. The there was a knock at the door. But Obi-wan didn't hear it. He didn't think he could get up and off of the floor. All Kenobi could hear was his own breathing and his loud and quick heartbeat.

    That was the day Obi-wan learned that breathing too much could knock you out. He didn't remember Cody knocking on the door. He didn't remember him finding a way in and panicking when he found him on the floor, unconscious. He didn't remember being gently picked up and brought to the medical ward.

    But when he woke up, he was confused about where he was. "How did I get here?" he asked Cody almost as soon as he saw him.

    "You were unconscious on your floor. I had come to talk to you, I wanted to make sure you were alright." Cody answered his questions as he asked them.

    "Thank you Cody" he gently smiled. "I think I'm fine. Can you find one of the droids, I want to go back to my room." Obi-wan looked down at his hands. Something was missing.

    Before Cody had a chance to walk away, he realized Obi-wan looked panicked. He watched his breathing quicken and walked to his side. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

    "I should have had a necklace? Do you see-"

    Cody pulled something off of the table by the bed. "It's right here."

    Obi-wan took it and sighed. "Thank you."

    "Do you want me to put it on you?" The commander asked gently.

    The Jedi just nodded. He may not have her but at least he had a memory. He looked at Cody as he walked to find a doctor. At least he had him.

    The reason for his panic fled back in. Cody was too kind to be killed at the hands of Maul. Most everyone was. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe Maul would never learn about them. Maybe, just maybe, he could sleep at night.

    The walk back to his room was silent. Cody had insisted on walking him back. Obi-wan thought it was sweet. As the door shut and he realized he was alone again. Kenobi didn't want to be alone. He tried to find a way to open that door again, to admit that he needed help.

    Then the door opened. "I'm sorry if this is overstepping sir. I just wanted to know if you needed anything."

    Obi-wan pulled him in the room. "Is it alright if you st- no this is childish. No thank you commander."

    "What do you need? I'm sure it's not-"

    "Can you stay here tonight? I just" Obi-wan sighed. "I don't want to be alone.

    Cody nodded. "Yes sir." The two talked for a while before Obi-wan said he was ready for bed. Staying on separate sides of the bed, the two went to bed. Maybe things could be okay after all.

Febuwhump Day 7: Suffering in Silence

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Summary: Adrien deals with being a hero.

  Being a superhero is any child's dream. Adrien no longer understood why. It seemed he just kept getting hurt. Often his body would be in pain but it was more than that.

    Adrien's head hurt. Not in the way you can take two Excedrin for. The things he had heard and seen. No one ever really saw the damage up close. No one saw the damage done to the people before the magic ladybugs fixed everything.

    There was no one to talk to. Ladybug had a friend of hers. She had a steady life. He had a father who couldn't even tell he was hurt. So he stitched his mouth shut and smiled. Adrien had gotten good at fake smiles.

    Loud noises scared him. The boy jumped at them. Sometimes he would grab Nino, frightened. But he always just thought that he was jumpy. Even if it had been worse since Monarch got a hold of the miraculous.

    Walking the halls of the school that always felt like it was getting destroyed was strange. It hurt. The memories loomed over his shoulders like a ghost. Focusing on his schoolwork became an extremely difficult task.

    It was time. Adrien tried to find Nino for most of the day. He felt safe with him. He wandered around the school when the bell rang. He had tried to tell him to talk to him after school in class but he was quieted by the teacher.

    The next day Adrien found him before classes started. "Hey Nino, can I talk to you?"

    "It's not a good time. How about after school?" He said.

    "Yeah. What's going on?" Adrien was nervous.

    "I'm trying to find Alya but I haven't seen her. I wanna make sure she's okay."

    'oh' That's what ran through his head. Here Adrien was, ready to tell someone what he had been though, both as a hero and as the neglected son to the famous Gabriel Agrest. "I'll help you find her."

    Maybe today was not the day. So he kept walking around, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yes everyone looked at Ladybug, but he kept her sane. Of course he didn't mind but worrying that your partner might break down on you in battle wasn't fun.

    At the end of the day, Nino had disappeared. Adrien took that as a sign. Maybe he was just supposed to go through this alone. Suffering in silence was another thing he had gotten used to. His father never listened so he found ways to deal with everything.

    Life didn't seem to be his biggest fan. Talking to Ladybug about the battles felt unfair. She was there, she didn't need his problems with hers. The hero was already cracking anyway.

    There was no one to tell. Plagg never saw it as a big deal, Nino wouldn't listen, his father wouldn't make time to listen, nor would he let him continue. Then of course there was Ladybug who couldn't know his identity.

    For a moment Adrien thought to tell Marinette. She was tough. She could take it. But she wasn't exactly a good liar. But he trusted her with his life. He loved her. But he couldn't do that to her.

    So silence it was. Adrien dropped the idea of telling anyone and just went back to jumping without anyone knowing why. He couldn't come up with a story quick enough and just seemed paranoid.

    There was no one to talk to. But he had gotten used to it. Even if it would be nice to talk to someone, Adrien would suffer in silence.