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sunshiline-writes · 3 months

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A Rose Amidst Thorns #15: A New Set of Rules

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Synopsis: Miguel gets a set of new rules. And learns exactly what he is in this hierarchy

CW: Dehumanization, like HEAVY dehumanization plz be safe, cigarettes, whumpee used as an ashtray, graphic description of mouth burns, EMETO (its kinda nasty so just.. be careful again), forced alcohol consumption, conditioning, altered state of mind, whumper POV

Something had to change. Everything was out of control. Solomon had tried to take his wife. Henrietta thought that somehow, that was fine. Miguel kept fighting back. All of them kept fighting back. It was getting exhausting. It was going to get worse if Xavier didn’t put a stop to it now.

Separating the three of them had been the first step. Solomon was sleeping away his illness in his bedroom. Henrietta no longer had keys to any of the rooms in the house. Even if she wanted to visit him, the threat of death Xavier had loomed over him, kept her at bay for now. Miguel, was back in the hayloft, chained down like the dog he was.

Solomon and Henrietta were easy enough to deal with. But Miguel was proving to be more and more of a problem. He was getting restless. Starting to test the waters as he always did. Xavier preferred him half dead or dissociated to the point where he was a shell of a human. Three days ago, he’d thrown the food he’d been given at Abraham, who’d been on food duty that day.

Today, Xavier would be delivering Miguel’s first meal since then. It had been two weeks since The Solomon incident. After he’d carried Miguel’s unconscious body into the hayloft and clamped the manacle around his ankle, Xavier had deemed it better to leave the kid alone. He needed time to heal. If he looked at him, Xavier was going to smash his head into the wall.

He was calmer now. Calculating. He brought up the tray of food to the hayloft, balancing it against his hip with one hand, grabbing the ladder with the other. Xavier wasn’t surprised to see Miguel curled in on himself, asleep on the cot that had been provided. He brought the tray of food next to the cot, leaving it on the floor.

This had been Miguel’s first room at the Reede Ranch. Thirteen years old and all fire and fury. He had proved himself, gaining a nice cog in the closet in the hallway. Inside where it was warm at night. Where he could join them for breakfast at the table like a human. He had earned that respect. But now, he was back in the hayloft, the metaphorical dog house. Too much trouble. Too many mistakes had been made. Now corrections had to be made.

Gently, Xavier ran a hand through Miguel’s hair.

“Wake up kid. We gotta talk,” he said as soon as Miguel’s eyes focused enough that he was sure the kid was listening.

A frown lined his features as he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. Bare feet resting on the wood floor. Good hand gripping the edge of the cot, his other hand resting in his lap. It was still healing. Stupidly slowly, but Solomon had said that it would. Still though, it was annoying. It had been two months, and that hand was still proving to be useless.

“Are you hungry?” Xavier asked as Miguel glanced at the food.

The boy nodded, eyes wary. Good.

“You can eat in a moment. But right now? We’re gonna set some new rules for you. Yeah?” Xavier didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “I think you’ve forgotten your place here. The fact that you’re at the bottom of the hierarchy.”

Miguel’s throat bobbed slightly. The bruising had faded to an ugly yellowish color, but it was still there. A testimony to when Xavier had lost a bit of control. Nearly killing the boy.

“You’re the dog here. So here are the rules. You do what I tell you, when I tell you. This isn’t new, but I think you need a reminder. If I tell you to sit, you sit. If I say roll over? Fucking roll over.” Xavier took a deep breath, “I’m going to bringing your food everyday from now on. Unless I’m on business then it’ll be Jesse. When you see us coming up that ladder? You greet us on your knees.” Xavier paused, searching for a reaction.

Miguel’s frown deepened, eyes widening slightly. He opened his mouth slightly, seemingly in an attempt to protest. But Xaviers glare must have been enough of a warning, as he snapped his mouth shut. The boy worked his jaw, gritting his teeth.

Xavier smiled. Miguel at least knew better than to argue.

“Why don’t you practice right now? On your knees mutt.”

There was a moment, a precious moment of Miguel, staring up at him. Eyes wide. Cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. At this moment, he didn’t know if Miguel would surrender, or follow the order. Not until slowly, the kid lowered himself to his knees. Head hanging on his chest. Teeth grinding against each other so hard, Xavier could hear it clearly.

Xavier reached down to grab Miguel’s chin, forcing him to look at him.

“Look at me when I talk to you. You’re so pathetic. Look at you. Groveling at my feet,” Xavier can’t help himself when he laughs, thumb idly tracing Miguel’s jaw. “You look better like this. Okay, back to the rules. If you mention Solomon or Henrietta to me. I will beat their names out of your thoughts. They don’t exist anymore. Not unless I say so. You’re not going to see them for a long, long time. So better get used to it. If I see their names in your hands, I’ll break them again. Nod if you understand.”

There were tears in Miguel’s eyes, making them shine in the dull light. Slowly, he nodded. Bottom lip quivering. Since when has Miguel been so pretty when he cried? Xavier watched as the tears overflowed and slowly started down Miguel’s cheeks. He leaned forward, licking them away with his tongue.

“Don’t cry.. it’s fine. All you need is me anyway. I own you. You’re mine. You were never Solomons, or Henrietta’s. Or even Jesse’s. You’ve always been mine,” Xavier stated plainly. He let go of Miguel’s jaw. Watching him idly. “If you’re ever in the house again, you don’t sit on the furniture. You’re only allowed your cot in here. Otherwise, you stay on the floor where you belong.”

Xavier sighed, pulling out a cigarette and a match from his shirt pocket. Then he lit it. Taking in a puff and relishing in the wave of relief that coursed through him. He leaned down and blew out the smoke in Miguel’s face. His nose scrunched and he coughed. Xavier laughed. Taking a seat on Miguel’s cot with a creak.

“Come here,” he called to him, waving him over to the spot in between his legs. There was a moment of hesitation, Miguel’s expression twisting into one of apprehension. “I said come here Miguel.”

Slowly, Miguel shuffled on his knees in between Xavier’s legs. “Whenever Jesse comes in? You do what he says. If you fight, or hurt him in anyway, I’ll take your tongue. Not like you need it anyway,” he said as he took another drag. Blowing it again in Miguel’s face. Again, Miguel nodded, adams apple bobbing up and down. Xavier was half hard in his pants. But.. he wasn’t here for that. Not today.

“Open your mouth Miguel.”

Another moment of hesitation. The boy swallowed thickly, before slowly opening his mouth. “Close your eyes and stick your tongue out, mutt.”

A whimper came from the back of the boy's throat that sent a heat to Xavier's core. Still, Miguel complied, eyes closing and tongue sticking out. His breathing was hard. Miguel was panting like a dog too.

Xavier took one more drag from his cigarette, then promptly put the burning end out on Miguel’s tongue. One hand grabbed Miguel by the throat, the other on his shoulder to hold him still. His eyes shot open and he screamed. Closing his mouth shut and accidentally taking the cigarette into his mouth. Xavier slammed a hand over his mouth and nose. Growling.

“I didn’t say you could open your eyes, or close your mouth.. so now you have to swallow it.”

Miguel shook his head, trying to free himself of Xavier's hand. Falling backward, Xavier followed him, straddling him and only pushing the hand harder on his face.

“Swallow it or suffocate your choice kid.”

The boy whined, tears starting to flow freely down his face again. Xavier wrapped a hand around his throat, gently squeezing. Finally he saw the boy swallow, felt it slide down his throat. Then he let the boy go. Stepping off him and watching Miguel roll on his side and cough harshly. Miguel started to retch, good hand holding onto his stomach. Xavier watched with disinterest until the boy finally stilled for a moment, pressing his forehead into the hay covered floor. He retched another time, and this time bile, ash, and the cigarette was in a puddle on the floor.

His hand was rubbing circles on his chest as he sat himself up on his knees. Xavier didn’t care about that though. He moved to the front of Miguel, crouching just in front of the vomit on the floor.

“You’re disgusting, you know that?”

Every part of Miguel was trembling, his eyes glassy. Xavier reached out to him, gripping at his hair, before slamming his face downwards. He held his face down in the vomit. That was what people did to bad dogs right? Shove them in their own sick? Miguel was fully sobbing now, but he wasn’t struggling, instead he just laid there. There was a feeling of satisfaction at that. He let Miguel’s hair go. Watching as Miguel slowly let himself sit up again. “I’ll bring you a bucket and a towel to clean yourself up.”

With trembling hands, he signed a simple ‘thank you’ to Xavier.

“When I come back, your food better be gone. And you’ll be on your knees waiting for me right?”

A sniffle and a nod is what he got in response. It was good enough. Xavier stood up and left. He took a little longer to get the supplies he needed. It would give Miguel a chance to collect himself, to breathe. Sometimes with Miguel, leaving him alone was just as useful as spending every moment with him. The kid was someone who tended to get trapped in his own thoughts. Spiraling lower and lower if left alone in the right environment. Xavier’s sister was similar in that way. When they were younger, she’d follow him around because her thoughts were always too loud.

When he came back, Miguel was already on his knees, chin against his chest. His plate of simple sliced apples and goat cheese was gone. He didn’t think that anything heavier would sit well in Miguel's stomach. His eyes glanced up from the ground and met Xaviers. Xavier smiled, dropping the bucket with water next to them. Miguel jumped a little when it landed.

Slowly, he reached out to grab the towel and squeeze the excess as best he could with one hand. Miguel started with his face and neck, being careful over sore spots, still trying to get everything off his skin. He didn’t dare look at Xavier as he did so. The only noise for a few minutes was the sound of the rag being dipped into the bucket, squeezed and rubbed against Miguel's skin. He didn’t stop until Xavier waved him over, between his legs again. “Open your mouth for me,” he ordered.

This time, Miguel did not hesitate as he opened his mouth. Xavier could see it there, the blister on his tongue. White and bubbled. His whole tongue was red and irritated as well. Xavier grabbed Miguel’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting his head up slightly to look more clearly.

“Does it hurt?” Xavier asked, slowly, enunciating clearly for the boy to see.

The boy nodded, swallowing thickly. His breath was shaky, hot on Xavier’s hand. His free hand went to his belt, where his flask was. Lately, he’d been carrying it around more often. He twisted it open with his teeth. First, he held it over his mouth, about to tip it in. “If you spit it out, or if any drops. You’re licking it off the floor.”

Then he poured it inside Miguel’s open and waiting mouth. If Miguel could scream, Xavier was sure he would have. But he was forced to let the alcohol coat his mouth. Swallowing with a choked gasp. Everytime Miguel swallowed and tried to take a breath, Xavier poured more down his throat. Making sure it coated his tongue. Miguel’s face was flushed red and his eyes glazed by the time Xavier poured the last bit down his throat. Finally letting go of Miguel’s face. “Repeat the rules back to me.. All the new ones. I want you to remember.”

Miguel squinted up at Xavier’s lips, whimpering slightly. Xavier waited. Watching him carefully. The boy swayed slightly from his position on the floor. He shook his head and groaned lightly, resting his head on Xavier’s knee.

“No no..” Xavier said, cupping Miguel's face and once again making the boy look at him. “I need you to tell me. It’s best you do it now. Once that whiskey really kicks in, I doubt you’ll remember your own name. You’re a lightweight,” he finished with a chuckle.

Miguel blinked a few times, Xavier could see him thinking hard through the fog of the alcohol. He could be patient, he could wait for him to answer. This was just a test. Finally, after a moment and a short grunt, Miguel lifted his hand to finger spell a rule.

“It’s okay if it’s not the whole rule, you can just sign the basics,” he assured softly.

Miguel nodded and shut his eyes tightly, probably hit by a wave of dizziness. But the boy was starting to finger spell the basic rules.

Always listen, no hurting Jesse, knees when you come in.

“You’re forgetting some Miguel,” Xavier whispered softly. Miguel swallowed thickly again, resting his head in the palm of his hand. He shook his head, whimpering. “You can do it sweetheart.”

No Solomon. No Hen. No furniture.

Xavier grinned, all teeth and fondness. It seeped through everything. Miguel did know how to listen apparently. Despite the obvious issue with his hearing, he was a good listener. His eyes were fluttering shut, full body weight on his hand now. The only thing holding up Miguel's head was Xavier at this point. “I’m gonna ask you to do one more thing, just one more question for me sweetheart, can you do that?” Miguel groaned, a choked sound coming from him. “I know you’re tired. Just one more thing.”

His eyes drooped but he lifted his head higher to look at him. “Good boy. What are you?”

Miguel made a face of confusion, brain moving slowly, face contorting with realization as he shook his head. The immediate regret of that action, making him groan and his eyes roll backwards for a moment. Xavier removed his hand from holding up Miguel, and the kid slumped against his knee, slowly sliding down his leg. He made the sign for ‘please’ clumsily. Xavier stared down in contempt, kicking Miguel onto his back. He resting his spur on his shoulder, pressing it into the skin there.

“What are you Miguel?”

A sob emitted from the squirming thing beneath his boot. Coming fully from his chest as he lifted his good hand to grab at Xavier’s boot. He sighed, pressing the spur harder into Miguel's shoulder, a small pinprick of blood started to surround the spur. Miguel groaned and turned his face away from Xavier. But finally, he answered, signing, “Dog”.

Xavier laughed, standing up from his seat and straddling Miguel. Grabbing his face, and leaning forward, they were so close he could smell the whiskey he poured on the boys breath.

“Again.”

Dog.

“Again.”

Dog.

“One more time sweetheart.”

Miguel was fully sobbing now, tears streaking down his face. Snot running down his lips. Truly pathetic. Just how Xavier liked him. He gently leaned forward again, pressing a soft kiss to Miguel’s forehead.

Dog. I am a dog.

“Good boy Miguel. Good boy.”

Now they could start again. Fresh. New rules, new dog. It was a whole new start.

Everything was going to be different now. In a good way. In the best way they could be. Because now, all each of them had was him. That was all they were ever going to need from now on.

___ Taglist:

@demondamage @burntcoffeewhump @angst-after-dark @just-a-silly-little-whumper @tictac-murder-spaghetti @crash-bump-bring-the-whump @whumpifi

@flowersarefreetherapy @badgerwhump @whumpbees @whumplr-reader

ask if you'd like to be added or removed!!

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sunshiline-writes · 1 month

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A ROSE AMIDST THORNS DRABBLE #1: EYE FOR AN EYE

Hello friends. This is a drabble I wrote because I wanted some good gore. Everyone thank Ev for this idea!! haha. This takes place around 15 or so years before the main plot! So its a bit of a prologue of sorts. __

CW: graphic descriptions of injury, blood, broken bones, restrained, sadistic whumper, GORE GORE GORE, eye whump, torture, Xaviers FUCKED Up thinking process, umm.. implied character death but left up to interpretation??

word count: 1.3k

“Bernard? Do you know what I do to traitors?” Xavier asked, laughing slightly at how pathetic the man looked down on the floor. Hogtied, face half pressed into the dirt by his boot. The man had stolen from him.Tried to take some of the jewelry from his house. The man went into his house. His house, the place where his sister slept.

Xavier released his boot from the man's head, Bernard winced as he looked up at Xavier. Shaking his head slowly.

“Use your fucking words Bernard.”

“No sir. No sir, I don’t know-”

Xavier cut him off with a swift kick to the teeth. He could hear the man choke and spit on blood. It made him smile. He crouched down and grabbed the man by the hair, lifting his head to look him in the eye. Bernard had blood dribbling down his chin.

“I didn’ want that many words.”

A whimper came from the man and Xavier couldn’t help but laugh. Letting go of Bernard's yellow hair and the man’s head fell against the dirt floor. Breathing labored as he spit out more blood. He looked so pathetic there lying on the ground. Hard to believe that the man had almost successfully stolen from him. Stuck into his house in the middle of the night, stole his sister's jewelry while she was sleeping. Was lucky Abraham was there, caught him in the act before he could even leave the room. But Abraham was weak. He wanted to let Bernard go. Take all of his things and turn him loose into the world.

Why let him go? Why would he ever do that when there was a chance of him coming back? Xavier couldn’t have that. Bernard needed to know that he had done wrong. Xavier needed to make sure he never came back. Never could come back.

“Bernard? Are you ‘fraid of the dark?” Xavier asked, kicking the worm onto its back. It squirmed like one, hands and legs pressed against the ground, making its back arch painfully.

It groaned and shook its head. Tear streaks made down its face, showing the light skin beneath grime and blood. Strange wasn’t it? The way blood washed away so easily when people cried.

“Words Bernard,” he chided, pressing a boot to the things stomach, forcing his back straight. His spur dug into the shirt.

“N-No,” Bernard answered with a sharp gasp. Sucking in air through his teeth.

“Then this shouldn’t bother you too much.

Xavier’s boot removed itself from Bernard's stomach. He took a step back, then circled the man for a second. Watching the way he squirmed and fought to try and make a more comfortable position. The way his face was contorted between pain and panic as he stopped above him. His boots on either side of the man's head. He looked even smaller from this position.

He lifted a boot and Bernard started a garbled attempt at pleas.

“Please, please.. PLEASE. Don’t do this, don’t. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, please don’t. I won’ steal another thing long as I live please.”

There was something about that pleading that made Xavier shiver with excitement. Wanted to hear more. The heel of his boot connected with Bernard's nose with a crack. Blood flowing from it, onto his lips, over his chin, down his neck. There was a feeling of fascination there as Xavier’s boot connected. He ground it into the bones on Bernard's face, hearing as the bones and cartilage ground against each other. The man beneath him was screeching, but Xavier could barely hear him over the sound of his own blood roaring. Adrenaline fueling him. Fascination with the way the bones sounded, the way the blood flowed.

He tilted his head and grinned down at Bernard.

“Try to take a deep breath for this one Bernard.”

He tilted his boot slightly, spur hovering over the man’s left eye.

“No! No, no, no no nononono PLEASE!” Bernard screamed, nasally and half choking on his own blood. “Deep breath,” Xavier said slowly, before the spur on his boot dug itself firmly into Bernard's eye. The resistance was there, but all it took was a little extra force before it went through the layer of skin that was the eyelid, and sunk into the eyeball beneath. The scream Bernard let out was satisfying in itself. The way Xavier twisted his spur into the soft tissue of the eyeball, was even more satisfying. He could hear the way it squelched and moved as he twisted it left and right. A trail of bloody tears came from the eye. Adding to the already copious amounts of blood on his face. Who knew he could make someone bleed that much just from the face?

Lovely really.

Xavier lifted his boot with a slick popping noise that made him laugh over Bernard's screams. He dragged the flesh that had come up with the spur on the dirt above Bernard’s head. Humming thoughtfully as Bernard’s screams died to choked off sobs and groans.

“Did you know that eyeballs were that soft?” Xavier asked with a small satisfied smile. “I didn’t. Learn something new everyday ey?”

Bernard did not respond with anything intelligible. Not that Xavier expected him too. He’d just destroyed the man's eye after all. Xavier lifted his boot again, angling the spur that lightly pressed into the man's right eye.

“Again.. Really hope you’re not afraid of the dark Bernard. You’ll have to get past that fear real fast if you hope to survive this,” he said. There was only a garbled groan in response before Xavier dug his spur into the man's eye. This time, his eye was fully open, there was less resistance. It sunk into the soft tissue and he looked at it with a sense of fascination. The spur disappeared fully into the eyeball. Blood blossomed outward, covering the bright blue of the iris. He twisted his boot and the eye followed with it, shredding itself as he turned it the other way. Melting completely into the dull spur. More and more blood pouring from the eye. It was almost beautiful in a way. He pulled his boot, but this time, the eye came with it, stuck to the spur like a thorn.

It was the connection of the eye to the back of the socket that made him laugh harder. Bernard was no longer making noise. Passed out? Dead? Didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be bothering the Reede ranch anymore. He tugged the eye away, the connection making a snapping sound as he lifted the boot and grabbed the eye, pulling it off the spur himself. It was soft, surprisingly so, he lifted it up to examine it closer. Damn, he really did crush it. But it still held a bit of its form on the bottom. Circular. It looked as if it had been carved into. He squeezed it between his fingers. It folded in on itself and leaked blood and fluid over his hand. Dripping down on Bernards face.

He threw the deformed and destroyed eyeball onto the man’s still chest. Wiping his fingers on his shirt.

Xavier didn’t do well with traitors. Especially not ones that threaten his sister's life. What was that saying? Eye for an eye? He liked that one. Made sense.

He crouched down to Bernard, feeling for a pulse. Fluttery, rapid, but it was there. Xavier grinned. Standing up and making his way outside the barn, imagery of crushed and destroyed eyes following him as he did. He stopped at the man with braids who stood outside the barn, face utterly neutral.

“Don’t do anything. If he’s alive by tomorrow, fix him up and send him on his way. If not, there’s a shovel, give it to one if the ranch hands and they’ll know what to do. Understand Solomon?” The man nodded slowly, expression shifting to surprise. Xavier didn’t take it personally. Solomon was new after all. Had only been here a week. He’d come to learn. They all did.

“Eye for an eye Solomon. Eye for an eye.”

Xavier always liked that phrase. Now he knew why. __

Taglist:

@demondamage @burntcoffeewhump @angst-after-dark @just-a-silly-little-whumper @tictac-murder-spaghetti @crash-bump-bring-the-whump @whumpifi

@flowersarefreetherapy @badgerwhump @whumpbees @whumplr-reader @cyberwhumper

ask if you'd like to be added or removed!!

#whump #whumpblr #whump blog #sunshine writes whump #gore #eye gore #eye trauma #broken bones #sadistic whumper #a rose amidst thorns #ARAT #Xavier Reede

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