#ailesswhumptoberday29

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Day 29 - Easy Way Or The Hard Way

Hehehehe to close out my whumptober stuff have some art! I don't think y'all have ever seen Mariano, but here you go! Have a deeply threatening man at some fancy event who just saw his date get hurt c:

(Mariano uses he/him)

@ailesswhumptober

[actualdickgrayson]

I just couldn't get something out yesterday for day 28, the prompts just weren't vibing for me.

But we're back Day 29 entry for @ailesswhumptober

Prompt: Forced to Choose

[shion-yu]

Day 29 - "The Easy Way or the Hard Way"

Summary: Rey gets kidnapped. Felix gets mad, mostly at Rey. Whumptober 2023! I’m using the @ailesswhumptober's prompt list. This story is about my OC Rey - here’s his profile if you’re so inclined: https://toyhou.se/23741197.rey. This one is about as PG as kidnapping gets haha, enjoy some more lighthearted banter.

He never should have let Rey out of his sight. Felix had spent the better part of the last several months hypervigilant about keeping Rey safe. His insomnia turned out to be extremely useful because there were very few times Felix even allowed an opening for sudden danger to occur. But he’d let his guard slip just for a moment. They were simply sitting around the campfire before bed when Rey had announced he was going to take a piss. It was all of two minutes of silence before Felix heard the loud snap of branches and a howling scream that belonged to his prince.

Felix bolted towards the direction of the woods where Rey had gone to relieve himself, but all he found was a splatter of blood. They couldn’t have gone far, Felix thought to himself desperately. But it was dark and Felix couldn’t hear anything that indicated what direction Rey may have been taken in. Swearing, Felix abandoned their things in favor of throwing himself over their horse and galloping the perimeter for clues. Again, nothing. 

He swore and wracked his brain for who might have done this. They’d spent last night at an inn, but Felix didn’t remember speaking to anyone except the waitress. Rey had been by his side the whole time, right? They’d slept without interruption, set out that afternoon again, run into no one except a beggar...

Shit. That had to be it. Despite Felix telling Rey time and time again to be mindful of what he gave people on the streets, the prince seemed to have an affinity for those needing charity and loved shoving little gold pieces in peoples’ hands without explanation. Felix had told him time and time again that he was going to cause problems for himself or blow his own cover, but Rey ignored him. He’d never let Rey give a beggar a damn thing again, Felix thought angrily to himself as he raced back to the village they’d been in that morning.

Thankfully they weren’t terribly far and Felix made it in a number of hours. He returned to the inn and badgered every soul for details about the beggar last night, only to find that the villagers already knew the man to be an unscrupulous thief. It wasn’t that hard to find him after that - these types had a way of being predictable and rarely did they wander too far from what they knew. 

Felix found him at the market, not even bothering to disguise himself as he shamelessly sold the signet ring that Rey always wore. Well, he was attempting to but hadn’t succeeded yet as the stall keeper insisted they wouldn’t buy such suspicious goods. Felix grabbed him in one tremendous show of strength and hauled him off to the alleyway, throwing him down mercilessly.

“Who the hell?!” The beggar screeched, but then he recognized Felix from yesterday and his eyes flashed greedily. Felix kicked him in the stomach hard to show he wasn’t playing this game today. 

“Where is he?” Felix growled, towering over the groaning, pathetic excuse for a man.

“I don’t-” Another pointed kick.

“Don’t play with me,” Felix growled, grabbing the man by the collar and pressing him against the wall. “I will kill you. So we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“And if I choose the hard way?” The man spat back, but he didn’t look like he was planning on keeping his resolve for much longer.

“I’ll peel off every one of your fingernails and shove them in your fucking eyeballs,” Felix snapped. It was oddly specific, but the most threatening thing that came to his mind in a moment. He wasn’t exactly used to playing the bad guy. 

It worked though, and the beggar revealed that Rey was in an abandoned house down the road. “Rich people aren’t worth the guard dogs,” the man muttered. Felix broke his nose for good measure before he departed.

He found Rey soon after, tied up and gagged but otherwise not in too bad a shape other than the giant goose egg on his forehead from where the man had clubbed him. Freya was on his shoulder chattering nervously away. At least Rey’d had her for company - her presence had doubtlessly kept Rey calm. He untied Rey’s bindings and then yanked the cloth out of his mouth last. Rey’s spluttered and coughed before glaring at Felix.

“Took you long enough. You couldn’t have done that first?” Rey exclaimed.

“I wanted to delay hearing your smart mouth or else I might have been tempted to leave you tied up here for another day,” Felix snapped back. “How many times have I told you to stop being such a sucker! Not every unfortunate soul you pass by on the street needs to know how goddamn loaded you are.”

“I don’t like being kidnapped,” Rey whined.

“Could have fooled me,” Felix shot back. “You’re awfully good at it.” He regretted saying that even in anger a second later, although Rey just looked pissed. “I didn’t mean-”

“-Shut up. I’m not that fragile,” Rey snapped. Felix didn’t think now was a good time to point out that occasionally Rey was, indeed, that fragile. “I’m starving. Can we please get something to eat and forget about this?” He looked petulant.

Felix shook his head and picked Rey up bridal style without another word. Rey flailed in Felix’s arms in protest. “What are you doing?! Felix, put me down, I’m fine.” Felix shut him up by hugging him very, very tightly.

“It’s not all about you you know,” Felix muttered quietly. “I was really scared.”

Rey grew quiet for several long seconds and then let out a small huff of frustration. “Fine. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” Felix said, releasing his grip on the man and setting him down. Rey immediately fell to the ground. Felix stared at him blankly. 

Rey looked away, crossing his arms and looking away guiltily. “I may have sprained my ankle,” he mumbled. Felix rolled his eyes and threw Rey over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Hopeless. You’re going to be the death of me,” he grumbled as he carried Rey back to the stables where he’d left the horse. 

“Lucky you,” Rey said.

[shion-yu]

Day 19 - "Why Wasn't I Enough?"

If he could go back in time and change it all, would he? Whumptober 2023! I’m using the @ailesswhumptober's prompt list. This story is about my OC Al - here’s his profile if you’re so inclined: https://toyhou.se/23743193.albert 

CW/TWs: Suicide (character death), self harm, chronic illness

"I think we should break up." 

The words lingered in the air, heavy and devastating for both of them. Al watched as Ollie's face turned from one of excitement to heartbreak in seconds. Al hated he had caused it; had taken that smile away. But he needed to tell Ollie now so his boyfriend - soon to be ex-boyfriend - could prepare. It wouldn't be fair to wait until the last moment to tell Ollie that their carefully laid plans would no longer be possible. 

"What do you mean?" Ollie asked him, his voice thin. "I don't understand. Don't say that."

Al sighed, adjusting the nasal cannula behind his ears and clearing his throat. He'd been listening to Ollie talk, once again, about how excited he was for the fall. How great moving into their own apartment in New York City would be. Al had let him exist in that dream for a long time - he hadn't wanted to ruin Ollie's finals, or graduation, or the high that had come afterwards. Plus, he'd hoped against hope that he'd miraculously be doing better by now. But it hadn't happened, and so he had to tell the truth no matter how much neither of them wanted to face it.

"You know I won't be well any time soon," Al said tiredly. He'd been in and out of the hospital all year with recurrent respiratory infections and had yet another one now. Although Al's CF had been relatively well controlled through most of his younger childhood, things had started to become a problem when he was in high school. He had missed so many days of classes that he'd had to repeat his freshman year. He met Ollie when he was a junior and Ollie was a sophomore. Ollie had no preconceived notions of Al and had just wanted a friend as he started at his new high school, having suffered terribly from bullying during his freshman year at public school. He'd managed to get a scholarship to Al's private school and Al had been drawn to his delicate but enthusiastic personality. They'd quickly become friends, and then much more. Al had always been the one to push their relationship farther, the gentleman of the couple if you would. He'd bring Ollie gifts and hold the door for him and pay for their meals out. He had been the first to initiate a kiss, then sex; the first to say I love you. He didn't regret it either, but now that he'd gotten sicker he worried that he was no longer the person Ollie had fallen in love with. The idea of holding Ollie back from the dreams he'd worked so hard for was one Al couldn't bear.

"You've worked so hard to get into FIT, with a freaking full scholarship," Al said slowly, looking down at his lap. "That's amazing. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. But because of my health, I can't go with you anymore. I'm sorry." 

Ollie shook his head quickly, his eyes immediately filled with angry tears. It hurt Al to see him cry, but it was unavoidable. He believed he was doing this for Ollie's sake, because Al knew Ollie would never do it himself even if he wanted to. "How can you say that? No way," Ollie insisted. 

Al sighed, rubbing his temple. "You have to go, Ollie. You earned it. Maybe in another year I'll be healthy enough to join you... But this year, I need to stay here." He'd grown so weak it was even a struggle for him to walk; the apartment they'd found for themselves in New York was on the fourth floor in an old building without an elevator. The nearest subway stop was a good ten minute walk away. His doctors and parents - the people who took care of him - were all here in Ohio. It wouldn't be a good choice to leave now when he was already doing so poorly. "I can't stand the idea of holding you back," Al said, swallowing the pit in his throat back. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Please, go to New York without me."

"Marry me."

Al was caught completely off guard by this question, although it was phrased much more like a statement than anything. Ollie's face looked frighteningly serious. "Wait... What?" Al asked him in shock. "Ollie, no, I can't do that. You know I love you. And I... I'd love to be married to you someday," he said, his voice wavering. "But right now you need to focus on building your career that you worked harder than anyone else to earn. You don't have time to drag me along and be my caretaker."

"Yes, I do," Ollie insisted with such conviction that it intimidated Al. "I love you, and I won't go to New York without you. It's not my dream, it's our dream. I'm sure I can defer my classes for at least one semester, right? That way we can wait until spring and hopefully you'll be all better by then."

Al shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know, Ollie. It sounds like you're sacrificing too much just for me. I can't hold you back."

"You wouldn't hold me back. I can take classes at the community college for a semester and it'll save me money overall," Ollie insisted. "It's my choice, and it's not a sacrifice if we're engaged right?"

"Ollie... Your whole life all you've ever wanted is to get out of this town," Al said sadly. "And what if I'm still not healthy enough by next semester? You can't know that."

"Then I'll stay longer. Yes my dream is to leave this town, but... I have another dream too. To spend the rest of my life married to you. So will you marry me, Al?" 

Later, Al would think back to this moment many times. Sometimes fondly, but mostly with regret. If he could turn back time, take it all back, would he? If he'd said no, things surely would have turned out differently. Ollie never would've lost his scholarship. He never would've had a reason to try to kill himself the first time. He never would've been successful the second time after failing to ever make up for that lost opportunity. In Al's most understanding moments, he realized that there was no way of knowing if these statements were true. Everything might've played out the same no matter what. But when Al was feeling most vulnerable, he regretted his answer because it made him truly believe it was all his fault. He should've known better. He was older, the more rational one from the start.

But instead, he'd said, "Okay." 

It was something he could never take back. They were married a month later, Al by proxy because he was too sick to leave the hospital. Their parents seemed reluctant to give their full blessing, but they did so anyway. They couldn't say no to Ollie's passion and Al, who at one point truly seemed like he might die. That was another maybe. If he'd never made it past twenty, what would have been different? Al felt such guilt related to his illness - both for being sick and for not being sick enough to die. If he had, Ollie would've been forced to move on without him.

It got worse when they moved to New York, trying to recapture that lost dream despite Ollie being unable to be re-accepted into the same program. Al was well enough to join him, but not well enough to work so he was always home. Ollie hated his day job answering complaints at the tabloid magazine and he hated his evening job of bussing tables at the diner. He hated their ugly and cramped apartment that was nothing like the brownstone he'd imagined living in. He hated himself for being so miserable, and he hated Al for being there for him to blame. Many times he lost his temper, usually when drunk, and told Al in no uncertain terms that he could be doing so much more if they weren't together. Al would cry, begging him not to go and Ollie's heart would melt every time. He'd feel guilty and play nice until his regrets overwhelmed him again. It was a vicious cycle.

Was it all bad? No - not most of the time. To the rest of the world, their marriage seemed infallible. They were Ollie and Al, always together and a beautiful couple. Most days, they both believed it too. But the cracks in their foundation could only hold so much regret, and at the end things had really started to crumble. Ollie's patience had worn thin and he snapped at Al often. "Maybe I should just kill myself. That or let's get a divorce." It wasn't the first time he said those words. But it would be the last time, and it was the first time Al had reacted so angrily, truly broken down from years of begging Ollie not to say such terrible things.

"Fine, if you hate me that much then just pick one already, I don't care anymore!" 

Al had regretted saying it even before it had fully left his mouth. He apologized quickly, his outburst leaving Ollie so shocked that it had completely diffused his anger. Eventually Ollie had nodded. Said he was okay. Kissed Al goodnight. They went to sleep side by side, the same as before: Ollie and Al. Together until the end, no matter what. Right?

Ollie didn't leave a note. They'd beaten everything they could have said to each other to death anyways, by the end. All the I love yous, the I'm sorrys, the thank yous. Any attempt at poetic justice would've seemed fake. But after so many threats, Al still didn't expect it to happen for real until he found Ollie's body, all signs of life long gone. 

Would he have done it all differently if he could? Al hoped he would've. But he was also a child, and Ollie had been too. When they were sixteen and seventeen, so in love and not afraid to promise each other the world, it seemed like nothing bad could ever happen as long as they were together. Every declaration of love seemed like the greatest feeling in the world. How could he have given that up? Al still treasured the memory of those early years, marred as they were by what had happened in the end. Even now he didn't want to give them up. So if he could go back in time and change it all, would he? Perhaps selfishly, Al didn't know.