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chaotic-orphan · 2 years ago

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Winter Whumperland: day??

Trapped // bedside vigil // used as bait

Comfort mistletoe

Guardian of Blood

I know it’s so late, but my exams are finally over and I can get back to writing!

Also the only thing keeping me sane was bloodborne so enjoy this heavily blood imbued story!

TW: blood (lots of it), loss, friend’s deathbed, graphic injury, graphic depictions of violence, self-harm esque depictions of violence, wrist cutting (not self harm but still graphic and possibly squidgy, it made me uncomfortable to write but it just made sense for the story), powerless whumpees, betrayal, mentions of death, mentions of burial

*~*~*~*~*

Hero sat at Friend’s bedside holding their clammy hand and rubbing soothing circles over it, mumbling a soft spell of soothing under their breath as they went. Villain walked in during it, going to the other side of the bed and taking the damp cloth from Friend’s forehead and taking it to the kitchen.

They came back a moment later, the cloth dripping with cold water and placed it back on Friend’s forehead. Villain sat down on their chair, glaring at Hero as they whispered their spell.

“It’s not helping,” said Villain with a huff.

Hero stopped the spell and looked up at Villain. “It might be we don’t know.”

“They have the blight, Hero, magic doesn’t work and you know it!”

Hero stood up, dropping Friend’s hand. “Well at least I’m doing something!”

“Something useless! Magic is what brought on the fucking blight and—”

“So what?! You give up just like that,” Hero yelled with a click of their fingers and the candles in the room flared taller, “and rely on failed human remedies for a magic fever?! What, are you going to pray to a mythic god now to save you too? Be my guest!”

“Maybe if you—” Villain said pointing a finger at Hero before freezing, narrowed eyes widening a fraction as they looked down at Friend.

“What?!” Hero barked, throwing their arm wide. Below them Friend moaned and Hero’s anger dissipated as they sat down again, grabbing Friend’s hand. Villain leaned down and wiped away Friend’s hair that stuck to their forehead back.

“Friend,” Villain whispered softly. “Hey.”

“Cah—” Friend mumbled then coughed, their ribs hollowing with their cheeks as they descended into a coughing fit. Villain reached for the cloth and smoothed it down Friend’s face, gently shushing them. After a few seconds it died down, and Friend blinked glazed glassy eyes up at Villain and smiled a watery smile. “Can I not get a mom—” cough ��—moments peace with you two?”

“Friend,” Villain smiled shaking their head down at them.

“We’re not arguing, we’re just worrying,” Hero told Friend. Friend turned their head very slowly and smiled at Hero.

“You worry very loudly.”

Hero laughed at that, looking up and meeting Villain’s gaze who was also chuckling softly.

“How are you feeling?” Villain asked, feeling Friend’s forehead with the back of their hand and hissing, sharply pulling their hand back.

“I’m freezing,” Friend said softly, “but other than that dying has been peaceful.”

“You’re not dying,” Hero said, tightening their grip on Friend’s hand. “You’re not.”

Friend huffed out a laugh and asked, “can you name one person who lived from the blight, Hero?”

Hero’s lips quivered against their chin and sniffed, turning their head away to fight the tears that threatened to fall.

“We won’t let you,” Villain told Friend, voice determined. “You can’t die. We won’t let you. We’ll find a way!”

“Stronger covens than us have tried,” said Friend, voice hoarse. “They all failed.”

“We—”

“No we,” said Friend, taking their hand and pressing it gently on Villain’s wrist. They tightened their hold in Hero’s hand and smiled, squeezing both their hands reassuringly. “Me.”

Hero broke down when they felt their connection ignite like a tuning fork finding perfect pitch. Friend’s power was so weak, blipping in and out. Something dark clawing it back as Friend tried to send it out, something trying to snuff out their light. It was ravenous and monstrous and more vicious than anything Hero had ever felt and they cried.

Villain was shaking above them, slowly getting to their knees, mouth open slightly in a slightly shocked expression. This is the first time that Friend had let them feel what they were feeling. The first time and maybe the last time that they would all feel each other’s magic. That they would all feel whole.

“I want you to know that you both mean the world to me. If I could do it all over, I’d always find my way back to you. We are bonded for this life and the next, and I’ll always be here with you. Stop arguing. Stop fighting. Comfort each other, lean on each other.”

“Friend,” Villain blubbered, sniffing back emotion. “Please, please don’t leave us. Please!”

“I’ll hold on,” Friend told them kindly as they let their connection fade. “I’ll hold on until I can’t anymore. I just needed you to know.”

“We love you too,” Hero said wetly.

“More than anything,” Villain agreed.

“Bury me the proper way,” Friend said. “Burn me, let my soul go with the wind. Promise me.”

Villain descended into sobs, so Hero was the one who agreed. “We will, we promise.”

“Good,” Friend said with a soft breath. “Good. I’ll sleep again now, but I won’t go yet.”

Hero felt their energy slowly dwindle until they went limp again in Hero’s hold. Villain’s entire body was shaking, shoulders jerking up and down with the sharp movements. Hero got up from their seat and walked around the bed to Villain and wrapped their arms around them.

“I know, I know,” Hero whispered, rubbing Villain’s back as they turned and buried their face into Hero’s jumper, clawed fingers grasping at Hero’s back and pulling them in closer. Their movements desperate and weighed down with an awful kind of grief.

“We can’t just let them die, Hero,” Villain wailed into Hero’s chest. Hero held them tighter, tears of their own trailing down their cheeks as they looked at Friend’s chest rise shallowly.

“We won’t, Villain. We’ll find a way. We’ll do whatever we can. Whatever it takes. I promise.”

*~*~*~*~*

The next day Hero woke in Villain’s armchair beside the bed, a blanket had been draped over them as they slept. They smiled a little, drawing the blanket closer over their shoulder as they slowly opened their eyes. Friend’s chest still rose and fell. Hero got comfortable and drifted back to sleep.

The smell of coffee woke them up the second time that day. They stretched and let out a sigh feeling refreshed as the blanket fell from their shoulders pooling around their waist. Hero’s eyes went to Friend, their chest rising and falling and then they focused on the coffee.

They rose from the chair, discarding the blanket behind them and walked past Friend’s bed into the kitchen. Villain was standing at the counter, an old tome open in front of them, a steaming cup of coffee warming their hands.

There was another cup of steaming coffee at the end of the counter and Hero smiled, walking towards it and blowing on the black liquid to cool it.

“You’re awake,” said Villain dully, their arm moving robotically as they took a sip from their coffee and turned to face Hero. Villain hadn’t slept in a while, their eyes weighed down with tired bags gathering beneath them.

“Thank you for the blanket,” Hero said.

Villain’s eyes glistened as they met Hero’s. “I found it,” Villain said, swallowing another gulp of coffee.

Hero blinked. “Found what?”

“I found a way to stop the blight,” Villain said, their voice croaking. Hero put their coffee down on the counter.

“Don’t mess with me Villain.”

“I wouldn’t mess about this, Hero. I found— I found a way. We can save Friend.”

Hero didn’t dare let hope bloom in their chest. Not yet.

“Tell me everything.”

Villain hesitated. Hero frowned. “Villain?”

“It’s just— I need, it— it’s a blood spell,” said Villain and Hero nodded. They knew it was something bad. “Listen, Hero I know, but it’s not like your average blood spell, okay? There’s a reason why no one has used it to survive the blight.”

“Okay,” Hero nodded, crossing their arms over their chest. “What is it?”

“The spell requires sanguine blood.”

Hero swallowed the lump in their throat. “Sanguine blood.”

Villain nodded. “I know. If you don’t want to do it—”

“You’re sure it will save Friend?”

“It’s our best chance,” Villain said earnestly.

Hero ignored their gut, ignored the flash of their grandfather’s face telling them to never use their blood in magic. That it was different and they were just guardians of it, that it wasn’t their blood.

But it was.

It was Hero’s blood that Villain and Hero needed to save Friend. The same blood that ran through their veins.

Hero met Villain’s gaze again. “Let’s do it.”

Villain crossed the distance between them in a blink and wrapped Hero in their arms. They were taller than Hero, so Hero’s head hit a hard chest before they knew what was happening and then they wrapped their arms around Villain’s waist.

“Thank you, Hero. Thank you. Thank you.”

Hero just tightened their arms around Villain in reply.

This better work.

*~*~*~*~*

A few hours later Villain came back into Friend’s room and nodded at Hero, running a hand back through their hair.

“Everything’s ready.”

Hero swallowed hard, taking their hand from Friend’s, the soothing spell dying on their lips.

“Okay,” they said because there was nothing else to say. They had agreed to this. Friend needed to be better. Villain nodded and went back to the kitchen, Hero following slowly after. Their hands were shaking so they clasped them in front of them.

Villain was leaning over their black clay bowl of mixed herbs and other ingredients needed for the spell. They smiled encouraging at Hero.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Hero?”

Hero nodded.

“Hero,” Villain said again, and Hero met Villain’s gaze with wide eyes. Villain walked around the table and walked to where Hero lingered by the door. They put a hand on Hero’s cheek. “I need you to tell me you still want to do this. You don’t—“”

“Friend would do it for me,” Hero said, cutting Villain off.

Villain’s expression softened. “That’s not a yes, Hero.”

“Of course I want to do it.”

“Say it again.”

Hero swallowed again. Closed their eyes as they took a deep breath, then exhaled. When they opened their eyes again they were more focused.

“I want to do this, Villain. For Friend.”

“For Friend,” Villain said again. Then they placed a gentle kiss on Hero’s forehead.

Villain withdrew and Hero found themselves chasing their warmth but they caught themselves as Villain returned to the bowl and picked up their wicked looking knife. Made of bone and whittled sharper than a razor, the handle a fine smooth wood.

Hero forced their legs to move and walked over to Villain, standing beside them gazing down dazed into the bowl.

“Uh, I— I need—“”

Hero rolled up their sleeve and held out their arm. “Take what you need.”

Villain’s hand cupped the back of Hero’s and held it over the bowl. With a sharp movement Villain drew the knife over Hero’s palm. Hero hissed and tried to pull their hand back but Villain held their hand firm.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Hero hissed.

It took a moment for the blood to appear, but when it did it streamed quickly down over Hero’s palm into the bowl below. Villain stared eagerly down into the bowl. Hero pulled their hand back once the stream had stopped but Villain frowned.

“What?” Hero asked, the blood having coagulated already.

Villain screwed their lips up. “I— it should have—“”

Hero frowned staring into the bowl.

“It didn’t work?”

Villain didn’t answer. Instead they turned and walked over to the counter where the book sat open on the page of the spell.

“It should have activated the ink.”

Hero blinked down at the bowl. “Yeah. It’s definitely not doing that. There’s barely a shimmer let alone a glow.”

“Maybe I did it wrong—“” Villain muttered.

Hero looked over their shoulder at Villain. “Or maybe we need more blood.”

“Hero—“”

“No. It’s okay,” said Hero already rolling up their other sleeve and grabbing the bone dagger. “It will hurt too much if we go over the same cut, so just use the other hand and go deeper this time.”

“Hero—“”

“Villain, trust me. How many times have we done spells and underestimated one aspect? It has to be the blood.”

Villain crossed to the table again, taking the knife in shaky hands. Hero looked up at them, smile encouraging and nodding. Villain licked their lips as they met Hero’s gaze before looking down quickly again and cupping their hand around Hero’s.

“Good and deep,” Hero said with a nod and Villain let out a breath. Then they sliced. Villain’s hand tightened on Hero’s again as they jerked their hand back and squeezed it, forcing the blood flow out faster.

“Are you—”

“I’m okay,” said Hero, biting their cheek to stop themselves from crying out. They watched the blood pump from their hand, more black than red. Hero remembered learning bright blood is light blood and they wanted to get sick at the colour streaming down their hand.

The pain melted away when the bowl below their hand ignited, glowing a dazzling maroon. Hero retracted their hand and Villain stopped them. Hero looked up at them in question as Villain wrapped a cloth around their palm before tying it off.

Hero didn’t say thank you. Instead they smiled at Villain when they finally released their hand.

“We should go as quick as possible,” Villain said, grabbing the bowl and walking quickly back into Friend’s room, Hero hot on their heels. “Hero would you light the candles and grab the knife from the kitchen?”

Hero clicked their fingers and the room flooded with light, every candle in the room igniting. Hero grabbed the bone knife and returned to see Villain scrawling strange symbols on Friend’s forehead, chest and hands.

“Good,” Villain said, putting the bowl down on the table beside Friend’s bed. “You stand the other side of the bed so the spell is balanced.”

Hero did as they were told and waited. They didn’t know the spell, if there were even any words at all.

“Hero, grab Friend’s hand.” Hero did so. Then Villain was reaching over the bed with an outstretched hand and Hero took theirs too. Hero and Villain held the knife between their palms.

Hero felt the connection sing between them, but there was something different about it. Something unusual. Hero put it down to the fact that they were using their own blood as a catalyst that made their heart lurch in their chest.

Villain started saying the spell and Hero felt their limbs lock into place. Even if they wanted to end it now they couldn’t. The flames around Friend’s bed burst into skinny pillars of flame as was natural with a spell of this nature. The doors slammed shut to the kitchen and the en-suite in Friend’s room.

That was the first pull Hero felt in their energy. They would have collapsed if it wasn’t for the spell keeping them in place.

“Villain—“” Hero called but Villain continued the spell.

There was a roaring in Hero’s ears like the wind was rushing through the house, through their clothes, through their hair like a thunderstorm. Everything seemed to go too fast, too loud, too violent.

Then the bone blade between Villain and Hero’s hand began to burn. Hero hissed in pain as the blade burned their hand as hot as an oven top and Hero screamed as it continued to get hotter and hotter and hotter.

“Villain! Stop!” Hero cried as their energy drained more and more until everything seemed to stop. The flames went back to normal. The wind stopped rushing. Hero’s hand stopped burning.

Then an almighty kick through their energy sent Hero and Villain back to the walls on either side of the room. Hero’s back hit the wall hard enough to knock the wind from their chest as they fell to the ground. Hero groaned, pushing themselves up to their knees. They cried out when their burned hand hit the wooden floor and sat back onto their knees, hissing.

Hero looked at their palm and saw a black symbol branded on it. A half circle, almost whole but fractured and cracked in places. Flames licking the sides of it like a half sun.

Hero glanced up to see Villain who was staring at Friend. Hero followed their gaze and froze in their spot. The bone blade was hovering red above Friend’s bed where Hero and Villain held it between their hands. Only now the red light almost engulfed the room, all the candles blew out and all that was left was the red bone.

Blood spurted from it like an fresh injury, a quick slice to the carotid artery, fountaining out and covering Friend’s bed in blood. Hero pushed themselves to their feet making their way towards Friend’s bed, but was stopped by an invisible wall two feet from Friend’s bed. Hero threw their hand forward but it couldn’t break the barrier, just bounced off.

They looked through and saw Villain doing the same thing from the other side, wide eyes panicking as they threw their shoulder against the barrier.

“Villain?!” Hero called and Villain met their gaze across the room. “What did you do?!”

Villain didn’t answer. Hero called out again, louder, more hysterical. “What did you do?!”

Hero watched as the blood started dripping from the bed onto the floor into a deep dark pool, spreading faster than it should have towards Hero. When the blood reached Hero’s feet it stopped moving. Hero stared down at it, heart hammering against their skull. They could feel the pulse in their throat.

Then a single strand of blood shot out of the pool like barbed wire and imbedded itself through Hero’s wound in their palm. Hero cried out as they were wrenched forward and fell through the barrier. The wire dragged Hero to their knees in the pool of blood by Friend’s bed before a second wire shot out of the pool and wrapped itself around Hero’s other hand.

Hero bit back a startled cry, biting their lips to stop themselves from making any sound. Villain was still pushing against the barrier, stuck on the other side. Screaming Hero’s name and Friend’s name, powerless to help either of them.

Hero closed their eyes and started mumbling a spell under their breath. They had only got two words out before a hand gripped their cheeks and yanked them forward.

It pulled hard on the wires in Hero’s palms and they cried out when they met two golden eyes. Hero froze.

This isn’t real.

The hand holding Hero’s cheeks in a merciless grip was attached to a man crouching on the end of Friend’s bed like a gargoyle. He tilted his head at Hero, then tilted Hero’s head with their hand to mimic him. Hero pulled at the barbed wire and grit their teeth to keep from crying out, glaring at the man from the blood.

“You made a mistake, little one,” the man cooed tightening their grip. “You should know that Sanguine blood is sacred. Holy. Surely you have heard the stories, hmm?”

Hero glared at the man remaining stubbornly silent. Then the man let go of Hero’s cheeks and Hero could sit back on their knees again, stretching their jaw and cheeks.

“What is the family motto?”

Hero said nothing. The corner of the man’s lips tugged up into a half smile. Then the blood started moving towards Friend and Hero’s heart leapt into their throat.

“Custos sanguinis!” Hero bit out.

The blood stopped flowing towards Friend and retreated back to the man.

“And what does that mean little one?”

Hero swallowed, something huge dawning on them. Something like terror and realisation all mixed into one and they suddenly felt so stupid for going against their instinct. Their family.

“It is not our blood,” Hero remembered their Grandfather say with urgency in his voice. “We are just guardians of it.”

“Guardians of the blood,” Hero said, their voice cracking weakly.

The man smiled and got off the bed, crouching down to Hero’s level. Two glinting golden eyes stared at Hero, so close, too close. Inhuman and wild.

“Whose blood?” The man asked quietly. Hero shook their head but the man didn’t let them. They reached a hand out and cupped a hand under Hero’s chin. “Answer me, child.”

Hero felt the cold grip of panic seize their throat. “It’s— it’s just a story,” Hero tried but seeing them there in front of Hero, Hero knew they were lying to themselves.

The man’s hand tightened, even though Hero knew he wasn’t really a man.

“Whose blood, child?” He asked, impeccably calm.

“The infernal one,” Hero whispered. The man smiled. The thing smiled showing his pointed canines. He let go of Hero’s chin and stood up letting out a long, luxurious sigh. Then he raised a hand and clicked his fingers and Villain fell through the barrier with a sharp cry. Their hands fell straight into the black blood.

“I haven’t heard that name in so long,” the infernal one said turning to face Villain. Villain was trying to pull their hands back but the blood stuck to them and pulled them back in. “I guess I have you to thank for freeing me.”

“We didn’t know,” Hero said, panic seizing their words, desperate for the demon to turn and face Hero again but he didn’t. His golden eyes were blazing down at Villain.

“I don’t know, child. I think one of you knew,” the man said, a smile in his voice. Hero didn’t care for it though, instead they looked at Villain’s face because surely… but the moment their eyes landed on Villain all they could see was guilt.

Hero couldn’t keep the accusation out of their voice: “You knew?!”

Villain didn’t look at Hero, instead they kept their gaze fixed on the demon. “Yeah. I knew, but it’s the only way to save Friend Hero! You said you’d do anything. Whatever it takes.”

“I like your ambition,” the demon said. “You want me to take away the blight.”

“Yes,” Villain huffed, emotion clogging their throat. “Please. I’m begging you.”

“Villain! Don—” Hero squeaked and then their voice was gone. They opened their mouth to scream but no sound came out. Hero pulled against the wire keeping them in place, trying to get their legs under them and wincing, screaming silent.

“What’ll you give me in return?”

“I freed you,” said Villain. “I was hoping—”

“Nothing is for nothing. The guardian could have told you that,” the demon said, looking over their shoulder at Hero with a wicked sharp grin. Hero grit their teeth and pulled at the wire, getting one of their feet under them until they were dragged back down to their knees. Wires wrapped tight around Hero’s thighs locking them in place. The demon didn’t take away Hero’s ability to cry and tears started streaming down their face. “What will you give me?”

“Anything,” Villain said without hesitation. “Please. Friend is the best of us. They don’t deserve to die. Please.”

The man reached down and put a hand on Villain’s head. Villain stilled, eyes finally crossing the room to Hero. Hero jerked forward but didn’t get far.

“A favour,” the demon said finally and Villain’s eyes flickered up. Hero’s heart lurched in their chest. That was the one thing that Hero’s grandfather had warned them about. Their struggles renewed but Villain didn’t notice, their attention was only on the demon.

“You’ll cure Friend of the blight?” Villain asked.

“They’ll be good as new.”

“I want them healthy, the way they were.”

“You’re not a fool,” the demon hummed. “You have my word. Your friend will be cured.”

“And I want them immune from the blight.”

The demon tilted their head. “Would you like to be immune as well?”

“If it’s not too much to ask.”

“And the guardian?” the demon asked. Hero stilled.

“All of us,” Villain said without hesitation.

“Alright. You have yourself a deal. Stand.”

The blood melted down Villain’s arms and they gingerly pulled their hands back. They glanced at Hero who shook their head. Villain’s expression fixed into an apologetic one.

“It’s the only way, Hero.”

The demon looked over their shoulder at Hero, lips quirked up. “Hero,” the demon said, as if testing how Hero’s name felt on their tongue. Hero glared at the demon, but they probably looked pathetic with their tear stained cheeks.

The demon turned to Villain again and grabbed their hand.

“What’re you—?” Villain asked, but by the time the words left their mouth the demon had already rolled up Villain’s sleeve and curved their fingers into talons befitting of a giant beast.

“Hey, wait— FUCK!” Villain cursed as the demon sliced down Villain’s inner arm, elbow to wrist and stopping in the middle of their palm. Four claw marks gushed deep, dark blood and Hero wanted desperately to look away but horror rooted them in place staring vacantly at Villain.

A river of blood spurted out of Villain’s wound and all colour drained from their face. They looked like they were about to faint and Hero’s heart lurched in their chest screaming Villain’s name.

“There we go, almost done,” the demon said, switching the blade to their other hand and cutting their own wrist. The demon held their wrist over Villain’s wound and let the blood drip slowly down into Villain’s veins. The moment the blood touched Villain’s the wound knitted itself back together with black veins.

Villain was ashen as the blood pumped from their wrist.

“Sssh, ssh, ssh. You’re doing so well, little one.”

After the demon ran their blood down Villain’s wound until it all stitched together again, the demon sliced their wrist again and dropped Villain’s hand. Villain stumbled back a step but the demon grabbed the back of Villain’s head and shoved their wrist against Villain’s mouth. Villain pushed back against it, but they were too weak to fight off the demon in their state.

The demon stepped closer to Villain as Villain tried to step back, shushing them all the while. “It’s almost over, once you ingest my blood the deal is sealed.”

Villain didn’t fight the demon anymore after that. They just accepted the words and went limp in the demon’s arms.

“Good,” the demon said, pulling their wrist away from Villain’s mouth. “Very good. You feel that connection Villain?”

Villain stumbled back. Then they gasped and grabbed their freshly healed arm as if it was in pain.

“Good,” the demon said. Villain looked up through pained eyes before their eyes rolled to the back of their head and they collapsed.

“VILLAIN!” Hero cried, their voice thick and raw as if they had been screaming for hours. The demon turned to face Hero again, golden eyes inquisitive.

“How unusual… I suppose I am over exerting myself on the first day of freedom, but still,” the man said, tilting his head at Hero. “You guardians always did intrigue me.”

“Why?” Hero asked, their voice coming out through shaky whispered breaths.

The man shrugged. “Because I can. Because Villain was desperate, and I am the only thing that could cure the blight. It is my disease after all.”

The shock must have shown on Hero’s face because the demon laughed. “Yes, oh yes. The price for locking me away, Hero. Didn’t any of your bloodline warn you against blood magic? Sanguine blood magic?”

“They were…” Hero said, swallowing hard. Their eyes flickering back to Villain’s body crumpled on the ground. “They were just bedtime stories, not histories.”

“Mmm,” the man hummed. The wires tightened around Hero’s thighs and they winced. “Tell me Hero do they feel real to you?”

“You promised you’d cure Friend,” Hero spat instead.

The demon smiled. “Oh I intend to, and don’t worry. They’re still alive for now. If I let them die then Villain doesn’t owe me a favour anymore and we both know I always cash in on my favours.”

“They didn’t know what they were agreeing to,” Hero pleaded. “Punish me instead, give me the favour.”

The man’s hand morphed into the beast claw if was to cut Villain’s. “If you want Hero I can make you a deal as well.”

“No,” Hero said. “Then you’ll just have us both.”

“So you are intelligent. Good.”

The demon clicked his fingers again and the wires melted away from Hero’s thighs and hands like water. Hero glanced up at the man, waiting for the trick but he didn’t seem bothered by Hero’s suspicion.

“I have been locked away for years, Hero,” the demon told them. “I would really love a cup of tea.”

*~*~*~*~*

Winter Whumperland #2

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