#and whumper goading them on to keep talking

[painsandconfusion-moved-shoo]

Who Did This to You??

(tw: knife mention, conditioning[training] mention)

Whumper made their way down the long hallway with a spring in their step. They couldn't help but whistle a little jingle as they went. Henchman had just informed them that after months of failed attempts, they had finally captured Whumpee right from under Caretaker's nose.

Whumper could hardly contain their excitement. They had so many plans. They would break Whumpee down bit by bit, using Whumpee's pain to goad Caretaker into surrendering themselves - and all their juicy secrets, of course.

Whumper loved the process. They loved how their past whumpees fought and talked back. They loved seeing them break, trying to look brave while they squirmed and flinched and the slightest touches, unraveling slowly. Beautifully.

It was going to be such a good day!

Whumper paused at the door, practically bounding as they cracked their neck and shook loose the muscles in their arms.

Showtime!

They threw open the door to the holding room. Whumpee was sitting in the corner, arms wrapped around their knees. They stared at Whumper. They were scared.

Good. They should be scared.

Whumper smiled. "Well well, you are adorable. I can see why Caretaker wants to keep you all to themselves."

"Th-thank you."

Whumper blinked. They specifically chose that line to get a rise out of them. Was this whumpee fucking with them? If so, they were going to regret it.

Whumper slipped a knife from the pocket of their jeans, flicking it open with an echoing click.

"Come here."

Whumper didn't expect them to, of course. They expected Whumpee either to stay put or try to run. They planned on dragging them to the center of the room with one fist knotted in their hair, yanking at the tender scalp while Whumpee thrashed and cursed.

Instead, Whumpee slowly rolled onto their knees and...crawled.

They stopped in front of Whumper. Kneeling. Obedient. Eyes trained on the ground at Whumper's feet.

"What the hell?" Not knowing why they were so uncomfortable, Whumper reached down, hooking a knuckle under Whumpee's chin to tilt their face up.

Whumpee closed their eyes and tried to nuzzle into their palm.

Whumper ripped their hand away. "Okay, seriously. What the fuck?"

Whumpee's eyes went wide and fearful. "I did it wrong. I'm so sorry. You didn't like it. I'm so so sorry. I'm not trying to be bad, I promise. I'm trying to be good for you-"

"-Okay! Okay. Just...um." Whumper suddenly didn't know what they should do with their hands. "Just stop...." they gestured vaguely at Whumpee's pathetic form, "This. Just...stop all this."

Whumpee's eyes filled with tears. They looked like a frightened child, staring straight up at them like this. Their hands started shaking in their lap. "I'm so so sorry! I'm being bad. So bad. Please. Please tell me how to be better. I don't want to be bad. I want to be good for you. I'm trying to be good, I promise!" Their eyes flicked to the knife in Whumper's hand.

They looked so scared. So small. They were a full-grown adult, but all Whumper saw was a shaking little kid. It was disgusting. Whumper closed the knife, pocketing it again.

They softened their voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Relief flooded across Whumpee's face. "Thank you. Thank you. I've been so bad, I don't deserve not to be punished. Thank you, Master."

Whumper reeled back. "Woah, woah, woah. Do NOT call me 'Master'."

The fear in Whumpee's eyes returned in an instant. "I'm so sorry. What would you like me to call you? Please tell me how to be good for you."

"Umm..." Whumper scratched their neck, feeling awkward. "Just 'Whumper' is fine."

"Okay, I can do that. I'm trying to be so so good for you, Maste- I mean, Whumper." Whumpee's eyes dropped back to the ground. It was just...gross.

Whumper searched for the right words. "Who...who did this to you?"

"Wha-what do you mean, Ma- Whumper?"

"Who conditioned you? Who taught you to act like this?"

Whumpee's hands twitched. "My previous Master trained me."

Whumper felt hot anger bloom in their chest. They struggled to keep their voice gentle. "What's their name?"

Whumpee hesitated. Their voice came out as a whisper. "Caretaker."

Whumper's hands shook with their fury. They had to contain it. They couldn't scare Whumpee even more. They took a few deep breaths and lowered themselves to their knees. They mirrored Whumpee's stance, hands on their thighs, head tucked down.

"I'm not your Master. And I'm not going to hurt you. Not even if you're bad -- I promise."

Whumpee's eyes flicked up, shining and confused. "R-really?"

Whumper nodded. "Really. I promise." They considered... "How would you like a hot meal and a soft bed?"

Whumpee's eyes went wide. "Master says beds aren't for pets."

Whumper clenched their fingers until their nails bit into their palm. "You aren't caretaker's pet. You aren't anyone's pet. Not anymore. You're just 'Whumpee'. Caretaker will never touch you again. I promise you that."

Whumpee's eyes were tentative, but hopeful. "A...a bed? You mean it?"

"Of course. I will never lie to you." Whumper stood up, their hands shaking. "I have to take care of a few things, but I'll be back soon with some food, okay?"

"O-okay."

Whumper gave them a small, warm smile and strode out of the room.

Henchman was waiting for them outside the door. "We are all prepped and ready to-"

"-Fuck that, forget the plans. Send a squad to take out Caretaker."

Henchman hesitated, looking down at their clipboard. "But....we need the information they have on-"

"-I said forget about the fucking plan. Do what I tell you." Whumper strode away. "Caretaker dies tonight."

(Tag list: @prisonerwhump, @whumpawink)