#bad things happen bingo: doesn't realize they've been injured

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo! After 8 Weeks I'm finally able to post the next prompt.

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya and Remi successfully freed Arlo, Sam and Mint from Ingall’s Mine and defeated this strange AI without any significant injuries. But then why were there black dots dancing in her field of vision?

Word count: 6,992

Prompt: Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured

Author’s note: I'm really sorry it took me so long again, but I hope the lenght of it makes up for it. That prompt was also the most requested one, so I hope I did it justice. I really struggle with actions scenes and I'm still not happy with it, but I think you're not here for that, anyway, so... :D

I'm also sorry in advance for what you are about to read. You will probably know what I mean when you get there.^^ You can thank my past self for that scene, who thought it a good idea to implement that damn sweater in every one of those works.

But now I won't keep you any longer and wish you a happy reading!

Warnings: Blood and Injury, Angst and Fluff, Nightmares, Mentions of death

Read on AO3: Link

Black Dots

Adrenaline was rushing through Elenya's body.

She had been fighting her way through Ingall's Mine with Remington for almost an hour now. Worm after worm stood in their way, locked doors had to be repaired and even a human-like creature tried to stop them from rescuing Arlo, Sam and Mint.

But at last they seemed to be getting closer to their goal. In front of them were lots of dead worms and in between, Sam's boxing gloves.

While Remi picked them up, she propped herself up for a moment on the handle of her hammer. Remi had given it to her because it was better than her simple iron sword, and while it was pretty fun to fight with, it was damn heavy.

Her arms were burning from the effort, and she was going to have some nasty sore muscles tomorrow, but she didn't care much about that right now. The main thing was that she could see for herself that Arlo was actually alright.

Even though he had assured them that nothing had happened to them in the cave-in, she couldn't shake the anxiety that had been consuming her since the collapse. Never in her life had she been so afraid for someone as when they were standing in front of the huge pile of rocks and there was no sign of life from the three of them at first.

Only a few weeks before, Arlo had given her a heart knot after he had accidentally broken her nose and she had accepted it overjoyed. Her nose has since healed without any lasting damage, while her relationship with Arlo flourished. Rarely had she felt as happy as when she was around Arlo, and that he felt the same way was something she would never have dreamed of before.

But for the time being, they decided to keep their relationship a secret. They knew how quickly such news spread around the village, and they wanted to enjoy their privacy, at least for a while. Fortunately, this wasn't too difficult, as their daily routine didn't change much. Only the two of them knew that their dinners together had changed from friendly to romantic, and the intimate hugs and tender kisses took place behind closed doors.

The last few weeks had been just perfect, so of course something had to burst their pink bubble.

With a deep breath, Elenya straightened up again and with a confirming nod to Remi, the two walked deeper into the mine. Not much longer, and hopefully she would soon be able to embrace Arlo again.

Another closed gate and a few scattered worms stood in their way, but they weren't any more of an obstacle than the others, and finally the three missing ones came into view.

Deep below them they stood, crowded together behind a rock and in the middle of the room was a...

"What on earth is that?" Remi's horrified voice rang out from beside her, and she looked up at him in equal horror.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's friendly. Quick, we have to help them!" 

As quickly and quietly as they could, they hurried down the steel staircase that wound once around the room. The closer they got to the floor, the better they could see the construct that threatened their friends. It seemed to be an AI robot, consisting of a round body with a giant drill as its base and 3 long arms with huge, sharp-looking claws as hands.

It looked angry and damn dangerous.

"Remi!" Sam was the first to spot them and at her delighted exclamation, Arlo and Mint turned to them as well. 

Elenya's eyes swept over the group, but stopped worriedly at Mint's head. A bloody bandage was wrapped around his head, but the engineer stood upright and his gaze was clear, if frightened. An encouraging nod from him reassured her, and she finally let her gaze drift to Arlo.

Like the other two, he was covered from head to toe in dust and a small scratch adorned his cheek, but otherwise he did indeed appear to be unharmed and a huge weight fell from her chest. Exhausted, her shoulders slumped, and when she heard his voice, she could have cried with relief.

He was alright!

"Just in time, come on, we need to handle this thing!" Relief mixed with determination showed on Arlo’s face and with a soft sigh, Elenya straightened her shoulders again. 

Her arms burned from the exertion, and her exhaustion caught up with her now that some of the tension and adrenaline had worn off, but she didn't have time to sit down. The danger was not over yet.

Immediately Arlo's worried gaze turned to her, but she waved him off. He could probably see her exertion of the last hour, but they had no time to rest. For the moment, the robot seemed content to stand silently in front of them, but who knows when it would feel threatened by them and attack. It was better if they struck first.

With one last deep breath, they nodded to each other and the four of them attacked the robot while Mint backed further away from the fight.

A new wave of adrenaline allowed Elenya to swing her hammer with the same force as before, but even this seemed to do no good. The robot was extremely fast and they had to dodge more than they could actually attack, but even when they did manage to land a hit, their efforts didn't even seem to leave a scratch.

Desperately, she tried to smash the joints of one of the arms with her hammer, hoping that would slow it down, but the material just wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she examined the robot.

Damn it, this thing had to have a weak point! Only where?

"Elenya! Watch out!" Startled, Elenya backed away from the robot at Arlo's warning shout, and just in time. Because the robot jumped up, pulled its arms to its body and rammed its drill tip into the ground, spinning wildly around itself.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to pull herself completely out of its reach and her brown leather jacket was caught by one of its claws. She was knocked to the ground.

A brief pain in her left side was accompanied by three startled yelps, but she barely noticed. Because just as the robot stopped spinning, she saw it from her vantage point on the floor. A weak point.

One of their attacks must have had an effect after all, because under one of the three arms something had come loose that looked a lot like an energy source. If she could destroy it, then this fight would finally be over.

Gathering all her strength once more, she straightened up and used the time that Arlo, Sam and Remi were trying to distract the robot from her to grab her hammer, duck under the swinging arms and slam the hammer into the power source with all her might. The force of the blow vibrated through her arms, but her attack had paid off.

The robot suddenly went completely still and then collapsed. Amazed, she looked at the now lifeless pile of metal in front of her, and it took a moment for the reality to sink in that the battle was over.

Wide-eyed, she looked to the three Civil Corps members standing on the other side of the robot, who looked at her just as dumbfounded until Sam let out a whoop.

"Woohoo! You did it!" Proudly, Sam came over to her and clapped her shoulder approvingly. "I knew you had it in you, kid."

The heady feeling of a battle won rushed through her body, and laughing, she thanked Sam for the compliment.

The feeling didn't last long, though, and exhaustion quickly took over. With trembling muscles, she set her hammer down on the ground and then propped herself up on the handle to catch her breath. Mint had joined them again in the meantime, and she left it to the four of them to figure out what the robot was all about.

It was only a gentle touch to her shoulder that made her look back up, and her gaze immediately met familiar blue eyes that looked at her with concern.

"Hey, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Arlo's soft voice enveloped her like a warm blanket and she would have liked nothing more than to snuggle against his strong chest and let his arms wrap around her. Instead, she hurried to stand up straight so he wouldn't worry so much.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just pretty exhausted." A tired smile settled on her lips and Arlo's gaze softened.

"I'll take your word for that. You fought really well. Remi was just praising you to the skies." A proud smile settled on his lips and she felt her cheeks redden.

God, she always felt like a teenage girl whose crush had just smiled at her when she got a compliment from Arlo.

Before she could sheepishly thank him, though, Remi came over to them and took the heavy hammer from her.

"Come on you two. Let's get the hell out of here."

"Oh God, yes, please. I've had enough tunnels and sand for now." Accompanied by Arlo's soft chuckle that followed her words, they followed Mint who, tracking a draft of wind, led them out of the mine.

For a moment, she was able to keep up with the group, but the further they went, the more her adrenaline level dropped and the heavier her legs became. Black dots danced in her field of vision and an overwhelming tiredness came over her. Exhausted, she stopped.

Damn, she had apparently exerted herself a lot more than she had first thought. But she couldn't rest yet. She had to at least make it home.

With a vigorous shake of her head, she tried to dispel the dots and hurried to catch up with the others again before anyone noticed how far behind she had fallen.

A bit of her energy returned when they finally found an exit and the warm evening sun greeted them. Finally they were out of that dark mine.

Elenya didn't pay much attention to where they came out, instead fixing her gaze firmly on Arlo's back. The sight calmed the still not completely disappeared anxiety inside her and her steps felt a little lighter.

Only Mint's delighted "Mayor Gale!" made her look up and with astonishment she realised that the very same man was running towards them together with Gust, Albert, Paulie, Dr. Xu and even Higgins.

Concerned, the group stopped in front of them and naturally wanted to know what had happened. Arlo, of course, immediately took on the task of summarising what had happened, but Elenya had trouble following the conversation. The black spots were back and she discreetly moved away from the group.

For a moment she let her eyes fall shut and took a few deep breaths. The better oxygen intake seemed to help, because when she opened her eyes again, the black dots had disappeared and she could just see the others heading back towards the city. 

Only Arlo turned to her and she hurried to catch up with him again. Now that they were no longer being watched, a warm look graced his face and she instantly felt better. With a smile, she stopped in front of him.

“I'm glad we got out of that ordeal without anyone getting hurt. I didn't get to say this earlier, but thanks for sticking your neck out and coming to our rescue back there.” He smiled at her and she felt how finally the rest of the anxiety drained from her body.

It sometimes shocked her, how a simple smile from him could make her feel so at ease.

She opened her mouth to answer him. Wanted to tell him how glad she was that he was okay, that he wasn't buried under all those rocks, but no sound came out.

Her head suddenly felt a lot heavier and her tongue wouldn't cooperate. 

What was wrong with her?

Arlo's face contorted with concern when she didn't answer him and he took a step toward her.

"Elenya? Is everything all right? You're really pale." His right hand lifted, gently coming to rest against her cheek, and it was as if that touch snapped her body out of a daze.

Pain suddenly ripped through her like a burning fire, blazing up her left side. With a pained gasp, she pressed her hand against the aching spot, only to encounter something wet. Confused, she looked down at herself.

What...?

She couldn't see anything on her dark jacket, but when she removed her hand from her side, it came back smeared with blood. Quickly she pressed it back.

Oh...

Arlo, who had followed her gaze, drew in a shocked breath at the sight. "Elenya! You're bleeding! What happened?" He grabbed her hand in panic, pulling it away from the wound so he could see better, and she had no strength to fight back.

Nausea had mixed with the woozy feeling in her head and the black dots dancing before her eyes became more and more. Her legs buckled.

Before she could hit the ground, though, strong arms caught her and once again her name left Arlo's lips in alarm. As carefully as he could, he lowered her to the ground and suddenly she found the blue sky in her field of vision instead of Arlo's worried eyes.

"Damn! What happened? Talk to me, Elenya. Come on." Frantically, he set about opening her jacket. Each movement of the fabric sent new waves of searing pain through her side, and with a whimper she tried to push his hands away.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, sweetie, but I need to know where you're hurt. It'll be over in a moment." Arlo’s words sounded pained and she wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that it was okay, but her tongue still wouldn't obey her.

The black dots in front of her eyes became bigger and the world started spinning, intensifying her nausea and so she closed her eyes with a low moan. But when Arlo suddenly let out a loud curse, they shot open again.

"Bloody hell!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him begin to rummage wildly in his waist bag.

Surprised, she tried to catch a glimpse of her now free abdomen, but she had no strength left to lift her head.

Was it really that bad? Why hadn't she noticed it until just now?

She didn’t get any further with the train of thought.

Two hands suddenly pressed firmly on her injury and for a moment her world consisted only of pain. A weak cry escaped her and Arlo's eyes appeared in her field of vision, both hands not leaving her side.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I really need to stop the bleeding. You've already lost way too much blood. Please hang in there, okay? It's going to be okay." Comfortingly, he briefly pressed his forehead against hers and then turned to look at the departing group, not letting up the pressure on her wound.

"SAM! Bring Dr. Xu back here! Now! Elenya's hurt!"

Startled, Elenya flinched at the suddenly loud words, sending a new wave of pain through her body. Tears gathered in her eyes and desperately she placed her left hand on Arlos, who she realised was pressing a bunch of compresses tightly against her side.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. Help is on the way. It's going to be okay." Warm lips pressed against her forehead, but she was barely aware of the touch.

The fog in her brain grew thicker, the nausea increased, and more and more loud voices gathered around her until all that was left was a loud roaring in her ears.

Her tears overflowed, cold sweat spread all over her body and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. 

What was happening to her?

She was terrified. She didn't know what was happening anymore. All around her, voices were talking in panic, hands were tugging at her jacket, her whole abdomen was on fire and the only familiar thing she felt was the big hands under hers.

But when they also disappeared and were replaced by others, she lost herself in her panic. She tried to fight back against the hands, tried to get away from all the voices, but only more pain shot through her body, making her cry out weakly.

Where was Arlo?

The voices grew louder, frightening her even more, but then they were back. The warm hands. They softly cupped her face, gently brushing away her tears, and an even warmer voice broke through the roaring in her ears.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe. I promise. But you need to stop moving, please. Dr. Xu is trying to help you. Everything is going to be okay." 

Relieved, she opened her eyes with difficulty and directly met Arlo's beloved blue eyes. His face was upside down, as he was kneeling behind her head, but that didn’t diminish the effect he had on her. Immediately, all the tension disappeared from her body, along with the voices around her, and all that remained was Arlo.

“That’s it. You are doing great, sweetheart. Just keep those pretty eyes on me.” His voice was pitched to a soothing tone, his worry and panic well hidden behind a mask and it managed to calm her racing heart. Sweet words and pet names left his lips ceaselessly, enveloping her in a blanket of comfort, while his thumbs caressed her cheeks, effectively brushing the tears away that didn’t stop flowing from her eyes.

Her eyes drooped.

She barely noticed what happened to her body anymore. The pain had faded to the background, leaving a weird pressure behind, the roaring back in her ears droned out Arlos voice and his face vanished behind black dots.

Her eyes closed.

“No, no, no! Keep your eyes open, sweetheart. Come on, look at me!” Frantic, Arlo softly patted her cheek, tried to get her attention, but she couldn’t hold on any longer.

Her world got dark and the last clear thought that ran through her mind was:

Well, there goes their secret relationship.

~~~~~~

Elenya awoke a short time later to a world of pain. Her body was being jolted, sending wave after wave of pain through her body and she wondered what was going on.

Where was she? What happened? Was that... a humming engine?

She could feel strong arms wrapped around her upper body, a warm chest pressed against her right side and her head seemed to rest against a shoulder. The familiarity of the body holding her managed to quell the panic that wanted to rise in her. But what it couldn’t quell was the pain.

It was licking at her whole left side like flames, burning her up like nothing she had ever felt before. She only realised her constant whimpering when the hand who had been holding her waist came up to rest gently against her cheek, the thumb rubbing soothing circles against her skin and a soft voice spoke right beside her left ear.

“Shh, you are okay, sweetheart. We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer. You are doing so great.” Warm lips pressed against her forehead and she tried to concentrate on that point of contact instead of the pain, but then the DeeDee she supposed she sat in, jolted even more and with a cry of pain, new tears flowed from her eyes.

“Hurts…” Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper, but Arlo heard her.

The arm around her shoulder tightened even more and the hand cupping her cheek softly wiped her tears away.

“I know, sweetheart, I know. But we are almost at the clinic, I promise. Soon you will feel a lot better.” Pain and worry sat deep in his voice and she felt bad. Even though she couldn’t recall what happened, she hated when people had to worry about her. But the pain was all encompassing, taking over her mind and she couldn’t do anything to reassure him.

The world started to fade again. She could hear how Arlo tried to keep her from passing out again, but she lost the fight against the darkness.

~~~~~~

Elenya woke to a deep voice, who seemed to be telling a story.

“Did you know that Remi grew up here in Portia, before he moved out to Lucien? We were best friends back then, too and because he was 2 years older than me, my parents gave him the task to keep an eye out for me. Not that it did much good, as I'm sure you can imagine..”

The tale went on, but the words blended together in her mind, leaving her with a sense of security. She didn't know where she was or what had happened, but she knew that as long as the owner of that wonderful voice was with her, she was safe.

“... and well, that really didn’t go well for me. You should have seen the face of my mother. I don't think she has ever been as angry in her life as she was at that moment.” A warm laugh ran through the room, washing over her like a soft summer breeze and instinctively her head turned to the source of it.

To her dismay, the laugh immediately stopped as she did that, but then a big hand softly cupped her left cheek and with a happy sigh, she nestled into the warm palm.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Can you hear me?” The warm voice was back, whispering softly somewhere above her head, and with a confirming humm, she snuggled even more into the hand.

“That’s great. Do you think you can open your eyes for me?” The thumb resting on her cheek started to stroke the patch of soft skin underneath her eye, as if he wanted to encourage her, but she scrunched up her face in protest.

She didn’t want to open her eyes. It was nice and dark behind her eyelids, she felt like she was floating on a cloud and she wasn’t really sure she could open them even if she wanted to. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead, and even just snuggling into the warm hand took a lot more effort than it should have.

The warm laugh was back, filling her with happiness.

“That’s okay, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re okay. You really had me worried.” Warm lips pressed against her forehead, lingering there for a moment and she almost fell back asleep when the words registered in her brain.

Worried? Why was he worried? Where was she anyway? What had happened? Should she be worried too?

These questions sparked a panic in her that she couldn't explain, but the warm voice was quick to reassure her.

"Shh, sweetheart, you're okay. Just get some rest. I'm here." Another long kiss was pressed to her forehead and the hand on her cheek went up and began to gently stroke through her hair. Soothed by the words and the caresses, she fell back into an exhausted sleep.

But the dreams that greeted her there were anything but restful.

She found herself in the middle of an underground labyrinth, full of crossroads and endless tunnels. Wherever she looked, there was only sand and stone, illuminated by a single torch ominously fixed to the wall directly in front of her.

Where was she? What was this place? And how did she get out of here?

Frightened, she looked around.

A sudden gust of cold wind woke her from her panic-stricken stupor, and startled, she reached for the torch that was threatening to be extinguished by the gust of wind.

No! This was her only source of light!

She quickly shielded the flame from the strong gust of wind with her body, her heart racing in her chest.

Oh God, please don't go out....

Fortunately, the gust of wind disappeared as quickly as it came, and relieved, she dropped her tense shoulders. At least she still had light.

But her relief didn't last long.

"Why are you just standing here like a fool? Aren't you going to save him?"

Terrified, she flinched. Where did that voice come from? What did it want from her? And who was she supposed to save?

Frantically, she looked around in all directions, but couldn't make out the voice's origin. 

"Come on, what are you waiting for? He doesn't have much time left." A sinister laugh echoed through the empty tunnels. "Or do you want the light in his pretty blue eyes to die out forever?" 

Blue eyes? Oh God, did it mean...? No, please no...

Full of panic, she started to run. She ran as fast as she had ever run before. Ran through the endless corridors until she hit a dead end and was forced to turn around.

God, how was she going to find him in all those tunnels? He could be anywhere.

She ran even faster.

"Yes, that's it. Run! Run for his life!" The eerie voice chased her. Laughed at her maliciously when she ran into another dead end, and the panic in Elenya grew.

A stabbing pain had started to spread in her left side, and completely out of breath she stopped in front of the next dead end. Desperate tears flowed incessantly from her eyes and in hopelessness she sank to her knees.

How was she supposed to find him? She didn't even know which corridors she had already walked down and which not. She was completely lost.

"Oh, are you giving up already? What a pity. He would have still had a chance. But whatever. Then I guess he'll have taken his last breath soon." A false, pitying sigh echoed over her head and with renewed energy she straightened up again.

No, she couldn't give up! She had to save him!

Ignoring the pain in her side, she ran again. And then finally, after two more dead ends, she saw a strange light in the next tunnel. That had to be him.

Pulling together the last of her strength, she ran even faster until she could see the scene before her, bringing her to a horrified halt.

Oh no...

Another dead end opened up before her, but this time it was different. A cave-in blocked the way and under the rocks he lay. Arlo.

His familiar shock of red hair lay on the ground in front of her and on shaky legs she approached him, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest.

Please don't be dead. Please don't.

She dropped to her knees in front of his head, the torch falling to the ground beside her.

"No... Arlo..." Paralyzed, she stared at him. His eyes were closed, blood was running down his face from a wound on his forehead and from the corner of his mouth, a grotesque contrast to his pale face, and further down she didn't dare look. For everything beyond his shoulders was covered by huge rocks.

"No..." With trembling hands she tried to feel a pulse, pressing her fingers tightly against his neck, but... there was nothing. Desperately she tried the other side, but there too.... nothing. 

"No, no, no. Please, Arlo. Please, you can't..." Deep sobs shook her body as she desperately tried to find a sign of life when the eerie voice suddenly sounded again.

"You're too late. You let him die." Another cruel laugh followed the mocking words and pure anguish coursed through Elenya.

No, it couldn't be! She had to save him!

Desperately she tried to lift the rocks from his body, ignoring the growing pain in her left side, but it was useless. She was too weak.

Sobbing, she collapsed back next to his head. Tears streamed down her cheeks and completely shattered, she pressed her forehead against Arlo’s.

"I'm so sorry, Arlo. Please come back to me. Please. You can't leave me alone, please..." With each sob his name left her lips, praying that he would just please wake up. But his eyes didn’t open.

Suddenly, a gentle, warm wind brushed her cheeks, softly drying her tears, and a beloved voice echoed through the tunnels this time.

"Shh, I'm here, sweetheart. Everything is fine. I'm here. We are safe. I've got you." The warm wind enveloped her more and more, bringing with it a wonderful scent, and suddenly she was no longer in that awful tunnel, but standing in a green field, beautiful flowers all around her and the sun shining warmly in the sky.

"I’m here, darling. Get some rest. I'll take care of you."

Her head snapped to her right in wonder.

Arlo was here! And his eyes were open. Warm and full of life, he looked at her, a loving smile on his lips, and tears of relief escaped her eyes. Big, calloused hands cupped her face tenderly, brushing away her tears and she let herself fall into his strong arms.

The pain in her left side was still there, but if Arlo told her it was okay to rest, she was going to do it.

Her world plunged into warm darkness.

~~~~~~

Elenya woke again to a deep, warm voice, but this time it seemed to be reading from a book. The voice was calm and steady, rumbling deep in the owner's chest, and it filled her with a deep calmness. Together with the wonderful scent that rested right in front of her nose, she felt warm and safe.

For a while she hovered in the state between sleeping and waking, letting the warm voice envelop her until more and more of her senses woke up. She could feel a large, rough hand gently holding hers, the thumb of that hand softly caressing her fingers. Could feel her face buried in something soft, something soft from which emanated that wonderful smell. 

Instinctively she buried her nose even more in the soft fabric, inhaling deeply the familiar smell and letting out a happy sigh.

Mmm... Arlo...

The latter didn't seem to have noticed that she had woken up, so she tried to gently squeeze his hand. Unfortunately, her body was so exhausted that she hardly had any strength, so her fingers only twitched slightly.

But it seemed to have been enough, because immediately the voice died away, the hand pulled out of hers, and she could hear a chair being pushed back. A short time later, a large, warm hand came to her cheek and happily she snuggled into the palm.

"Elenya? Sweetie, are you awake?" There was hope and concern in his voice and she wondered what had happened.

Why was he so worried?

To get to the bottom of this question, she opened her eyes. It took her a few tries before her eyes would even stay open, her eyelids much heavier than usual, but when she could finally see clearly, she was rewarded for her efforts. Arlo's face greeted her, his blue eyes full of warmth and love.

“There you are.” A fond smile graced his lips and sleepily, she smiled back.

The hand that had been cradling her cheek moved up and started to pet her head, which elicited another happy sigh from her. For a while, they just stared at each other until the soft look on Arlo’s face turned to concern.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart? Are you in pain?” The hand in her hair drew back and she whined in protest.

Why would he stop? That had been the best feeling in the world!

Longingly, her eyes followed the retreating hand. Maybe if she stared long enough at it, he would put it back?

“Sweetheart?” At Arlo’s concerned voice, her gaze snapped back to him and she remembered that he had asked her a question.

Right. He had asked her if she was in pain. But why would she be in pain? She couldn’t remember getting hurt…

Strained, she went through her memories, hoping to find out what had happened. But the only thing she could remember was a lot of sand. Sand and Remington, oddly enough.

Looking for answers, she glanced up at Arlo, who was still looking at her with deep concern.

“What…?” Speaking was a mistake. That single word sent her into a coughing fit, sending a sudden pain through her left side and Arlo instantly had a glass of water in his hands, holding it carefully against her lips. With his other hand, he slightly lifted her head so that she could drink better. Gratefully, she drank the cool water, relishing in the way it wetted her dry throat.

“Slowly, sweetheart. Don't choke on it.”

When the glass was empty, Arlo carefully set her head back into the pillows, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as he did so and set the glass back to where it came from.

Elenya didn't notice much of that, though. The pain in her left side distracted her far too much. The pain was not too strong, rather dull, and she suspected that a lot of painkillers were responsible for that, but she still wanted to know what exactly she was dealing with.

Carefully, she raised her trembling right hand, but before she could make contact with her side, she was stopped by a large, warm hand.

“Don’t.” Apologetically, Arlo gently lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a loving kiss to it, mindful of the IV needle she now realised was inserted into the back of her hand.

“Dr. Xu had to fix you up with a lot of stitches. He won’t be pleased if you ruin his hard work.” A short pause. “Again.”

Stitches? And what did he mean by "again"? What had happened, and why couldn't she remember anything?

Desperately, she looked at Arlo.

"Arlo...what happened?" Slight panic mixed into her voice and Arlo quickly put his hand back to her cheek to soothe her.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Everything's fine. What's the last thing you remember?"

Good question. A few separate images flashed through her hazy brain, but they just didn't make sense. There was sand, a strange robot, she thought, and a mop of green hair.

"I... I don't know. There is sand... and Remi? But... I don't know..." A single, frustrated tear escaped her eye, but Arlo quickly wiped it away.

"Shh, it's okay. Dr. Xu already said you might not remember. You lost a lot of blood, so that was to be expected. I'll tell you what happened." Careful not to disturb her, he sat on the edge of the bed and raised her right hand, which he still held tightly, to his lips once more, pressing a gentle kiss on each finger. Immediately warmth spread through her body and her troubled thoughts calmed down.

"So, Mint, Sam and I were in the new Eufala tunnel when it suddenly collapsed. The debris blocked our way out, so you and Remi tried to reach us through Ingall's Mine. I'm afraid I can't tell you what happened along the way, but you found us just in time. An old robot, consisting of 3 long legs and a giant drill, had been awakened by the construction work and was anything but friendly to us. The four of us, mostly you to be precise, managed to defeat it and Mint found us a way out of the mine. We had just told Mayor Gale what had happened, he was waiting for us outside, and everyone had left for the town, when I suddenly noticed how pale you were. I didn't know what was wrong, so I reached out for you and then..." A haunted look settled on his face and he swallowed hard.

"God... You just collapsed in my arms. I thought... Fuck, you scared the shit out of me. There was so much blood everywhere, which you couldn't see on your dark jacket, and when I finally uncovered your stomach, there was this huge gaping wound on your left side. I don't know how you were even able to walk with that." The painful look on his face made Elenya feel bad.

Even with his narration, she still couldn't remember, but it must have been terrible. She didn't mean to cause him such pain. But before she could say anything, Arlo continued.

"Fortunately, Gale had brought Dr. Xu with him, so he was able to help you quickly. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there. You had already lost so much blood and I could barely stop the bleeding myself..." His voice broke on the last words and apologetically she squeezed his hand gently. She didn't want him to think about it too much.

"We don't know exactly how you were injured, but we assume that a claw from the robot got you. Your skin was shredded more than it was cut and it took Dr. Xu a long time to patch you up. There will be a scar, but it should be straight and even."

The gentle, loving look was back on his face and the hand that had left her cheek during the recounting came back and with his thumb he stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Nothing that would make you any less beautiful to me." The words and the affectionate smile brought a blush to her face and, embarrassed, she hid her face in his hand.

Damn it, he couldn't just throw something like that in the room! 

Apart from the fact that she hadn't been worried about that at all. What concerned her much more was the fact that it had taken so long for anyone to even notice that she was hurt. Why hadn't she said anything?

She asked Arlo the very same question.

"I don't think you had even noticed it yourself. God, I was so angry with you at first. Why hadn't you told me you were hurt? You were almost bleeding to death! But then I remembered your face. You looked so confused when you saw the blood. I think your body was so pumped with adrenaline that you didn't feel anything. Only when the excitement was over did your body allow anything else to register. But please don't worry too much about that, okay? I'm just glad you're feeling better and you're going to get back on your feet."

Warm lips pressed against hers and Elenya happily returned the kiss. It was gentle and at the same time a little desperate, but no less wonderful for that. Enveloped in Arlo’s wonderful scent and warmth, her body relaxed and an incredible exhaustion spread through her. Her lips no longer wanted to obey her and a frustrated grumble escaped.

She couldn't be exhausted again! She had only just woken up. Who knows how long she had already been asleep.

With a soft chuckle, Arlo broke away from her. "It's okay, darling. Get some rest. Your body's been through a lot." Gently he began stroking her hair again and with a sigh she gave in.

Exhausted, her eyes closed and she buried her face back into the soft fabric still lying next to her head. Before she fell asleep, though, the thought of what that fabric actually was returned to her mind.

Curious, her eyes opened again and met a grey bundle, which she guessed from the smell was a sweater from Arlo. Puzzled, she looked up at the owner, who was watching her intently.

"Arlo?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Why is there a sweater of yours lying there?"

To her further amazement, a slight blush came over his face and eagerly she waited for the answer.

"Oh... you were suddenly having terrible nightmares. You had started writhing, opening your stitches again, and Dr. Xu and Phyllis just couldn't calm you down. You were calling out for me in your sleep, so Dr. Xu dragged me out of the shower I had been in, and luckily I was finally able to calm you down. I don't know what you were dreaming about, but it must have been terrible. It broke my heart to see you so frightened. I tried to stay by your side all the time after that, but Sam and Remi made me eat and sleep, so I thought maybe a sweater with my scent on it would keep the nightmares away." The blush on his face deepened and her heart swelled with love.

She couldn't remember the nightmares either, thankfully, but she did remember the feeling of safety and security emanating from Arlo's comforting scent.

Lovingly, she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Arlo. That really helped me a lot. When you're around, I always feel safe and protected."

She could literally see his chest swell with pride at her words and couldn't help a soft giggle. After all, she knew his strong protective instinct and loved him for it.

But she also saw what he was trying to hide from her. The guilt. The guilt that he had not protected her. Of course that was nonsense and she would try to talk him out of it when she was no longer so exhausted, but she hoped that showing him how safe she still felt with him would be enough for now.

But now she was finally losing the battle against exhaustion and so she buried her face back into the wonderful smelling sweater and closed her eyes.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I will always protect you, I promise. Now go to sleep, darling. I'll be here when you wake up." A warm, lingering kiss against her temple was the last thing she felt before she fell into a restful sleep.

[subukunojess]

@badthingshappenbingo​

Trope/Prompt: Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured

Fandoms: Disney Mirrorverse, Nightmare Before Christmas 

Main Character: Oogie Boogie 

Content Warnings: Mentions of Death, Gore, and Fire, Scars, Tears, Injury, feels no pain, implied legs being torn from burlap skin

Word Count: 1,663

So he replies, "Then how do you manage?" I dodge the blast, and apologize for collateral damage

What time is it? Another one-shot for the Bad Things Happen Bingo! This entry was inspired not only by the song Mercenary by Panic! at the Disco, but it also got inspiration from the new Disney Game, Disney Mirrorverse. Specifically, Oogie’s bio includes the fact that he “feels no pain” which a friend of mine pointed out that it fits the “Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured” prompt. So I wrote a little thing that included some of the headcanons I created for Mirrorverse Oogie a while back and some reoccurring OCs that will be in future fanfics. There will be more Mirrorverse fics in the future, hopefully with more action and characters. 

Please enjoy and share this if you can!

[kamenriderfanseries]

Bad Things Happen Bingo(1/25)

Prompt:Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured

Series:Kamen Rider Tora(OC's)

Whumpee:Shiro

Caretaker(s):Yukio(Primary)and Sora

Warnings:None

Words:1,319

Summary:

The second that Sora looked up at him with a look of terror on his face,Shiro knows that he's in trouble.

7:54 PM

If you were to ask Shiro if he knew what was going happen that night,he would've said no.

No one would be able to predict what was about to happen.

Shiro had gone with Yukio to go and check out an area that Sora had told him about.Sora had said that he'd seen something that he'd gotten bad vibes from.Though Shiro was fairly sure that it was probably just a stray dog or some other wild animal,he wanted to go to reassure Sora.

Yukio had insisted on going with him,saying that he didn't want Shiro going to a place like that on his own.Shiro didn't bother protesting and just let him come along without a word.

Looking back,Shiro thinks that decision may have saved his life.

"Shiro,be careful you idiot!"

Shiro barley dodged the attack,rolling to the side and hearing a crash come from behind him.That was way to close.He told himself.

Long story short,Sora wasn't seeing things.There was actually something hiding in that area.

And Shiro and Yukio,despite their best efforts,were very caught off guard.

Yukio sprinted over to Shiro's side and helped him up."You okay?"Yukio asked,and even through the suit Shiro could the worry in his eyes.Shiro nods,though reluctantly."Yeah,I'm alright."He answered and Yukio's body visibly relaxed.

"Then let's finish this."He said and Shiro nodded in firm agreement.

And finish it they did,the monster seemed to barley be putting up a fight.But Shiro didn't notice it at the time,too busy being relieved that it was over and that he and Yukio could go back to Sora and tell him that they took care of it.

They both canceled their transformations and looked at each other,followed by a sigh of relief.

Yukio gave Shiro a tired smile."Let's go tell Sora the good news."He said and Shiro nodded,still panting heavily from exhaustion(or at least he thought that it was exhaustion at the time)."Yeah."Shiro agreed."Let's get going."

A Few Minutes Later

Shiro never felt so relieved than when he saw Sora waiting for then in front of the house.

Sora smiled widely in relief when he noticed Shiro and Yukio walking up to the house,running up to greet them."You're back."He breathed out,sounding more relieved than Shiro has ever heard him.

Yukio smiled and patted Sora on the head."Yeah,we're back."He told him.Shiro smiled at scene,feeling too tired to really add anything to the conservation.

Sora looked over at Shiro and smiled at him too,probably both relieved at both Shiro and Yukio at coming back(seemingly)unhurt and that his worries had been validated.

However,they were both about to be proven wrong.

As soon as Sora walked over to Shiro,his gaze went down to Shiro's torso and Sora's eyes visibly widened in terror.

The second that Sora looked up at him with a look of terror on his face,Shiro knows that he's in trouble.

After much hesitation,Shiro looked down at his hands(which seemed to be unconsciously covering his torso)and was met with the sight of his hands covered in blood.Oh.He bleatingly realized,not feeling as startled as he probably should've been.

Yukio looked over,flinching when he saw Shiro's shirt,torso and hands covered his own blood."What happened?!"He asked,clearly taken aback."When did you get injured like this?!"Shiro could only look at Yukio and weakly reply,"I don't..."Before his legs gave out on him and he collapsed into Yukio's arms.

The last thing he saw before everything went dark was the terrified expressions on Yukio and Sora's faces.

Shiro doesn't remember what happened after that.

A Few Hours Later,Local Hospital

11:17 PM

Yukio still had difficulty processing it.

How had Shiro been injured without either of them noticing?

Yukio doesn't think that he's ever felt so scared in his life then when Shiro's blood-stained body collapsed into his arms.

Sora had been the one that snapped out of his panic first to remind Yukio that they needed to get Shiro to a hospital as fast as possible.

They don't know how long it took for them to get to the hospital,but the second that they arrived the staff had Yukio place Shiro onto a gurney and wheeled him into another room.

After the staff left,Yukio stood there for what felt like hours(but was really only about a few minutes)before Sora pulled him aside.

"We need to sit down."He'd said,his voice as gentle as ever.Yukio nodded and let Sora guide him to a nearby seat.

Now here they were,Yukio sitting there in the hospital waiting room.Still covered in Shiro's blood and with Sora asleep next to him.

How did I not see it?Yukio asked himself.It was probably the hundredth time he'd asked himself that question that night.

And he still was no closer to finding out.

Yukio's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening then closing and an unfamiliar voice asking for him.

"Yukio-san?"

Looking up,Yukio recognized one of the nurses that had wheeled Shiro away on the gurney.He cleared his throat."Yes Ma'am?"He asked politely.

The nurse looked at Yukio as calmly as possible."We believe that Shiro-san is going to be alright."She said and Yukio didn't bother to hide his sigh of relief.

She gave Yukio a small smile."He lost a lot of blood,but he's a stubborn one it seems."Yukio nodded with a smile."That sounds like Shiro."He replied,and the nurse looked at him with a smile."You two can go and see him whenever you like."She said before opening the door and leaving the waiting room.

Yukio felt a weight lifting off of his shoulders.Turning over to the sleeping Sora,Yukio shook his shoulder gently and slowly waking him up.Yukio smiled at the half-asleep Sora."Shiro is gonna be okay."He told him and Sora gave a tired smile in response.

"I'll go and call Mamoru-san to come and pick me up."Yukio was slightly baffled.Sora seemed to notice his confusion and smiled."You want to go and see him,right?"He asked,and Yukio already knew the answer.

A Few Minutes Later,Shiro's Hospital Room

"You idiot."

That was all that Yukio could say.Shiro looked small in the hospital bed that looked too big for his frail body.

The only other sound in the room was the occasional sound of the beeping of the machine next to Shiro's bed that Yukio didn't bother remembering the name of.

All Yukio could do was sigh.He didn't know what else he could do,holding Shiro's unmoving and cold hand with his own two hands."I know that you can hear me idiot."Yukio told him,though he knew that probably wasn't true."You better wake up soon."

Resting his arms and head next to Shiro,Yukio felt himself began to drift off.Looking at Shiro's unconscious figure Yukio gave him a tired smile.

I'll be waiting for you when you wake up.

The Next Morning

5:36 AM

Yukio was stirred awake by the feeling of someone touching his hair and a soft familiar laugh.

"You look so cute when you sleep."

Yukio lifted his head up at the sound of the familiar voice and was greeted with sight of a delirious,but very much awake Shiro.

"Shiro-"

Shiro stroked his hand,cutting Yukio off.He patted the empty space on his hospital bed."Come here."He told him.

After some reluctance,Yukio managed to lay down in Shiro's hospital bed,laying his head on his chest.

Shiro ran his fingers through Yukio's hair.

Neither of them said anything.And there was nothing that need to be said.

END

[spritehouse]

ShortMC's Bad Things Happen Bingo is Here!

Prompts:

Row 1: Scalding, Cauterizing a Wound, Never be Hurt Again, Crisis Catch & Carry, Poison/Venom Row 2: Mind Rape, Punishment Box, Self-Loathing, Parrilla, Conditioning Row 3: Sore Throat, Damaged Wing(s), Take my Hand, CPR, Taking the Blame Row 4: Forced Out of the Closet, Bedside Vigil, Mouth Stitched Shut, Zip Ties, Held at Gunpoint Row 5: Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured, Chloroformed, Sacrifice, No Anesthetic, Strangling

Green: Completed Orange: In Progress Red: Have an idea/concept White: Open for requests/suggestions (also accepting requests/suggestions for red)

[joyful-soul-collector]

Spider-Man Lesson Number One

Prompt: Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured

This was requested by my friend on Ao3 happy_to_be_here!

Irondad Tag List: @phahbiyah​ @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars​ @clevermuffinalmondpeach​ @stuck-in-a-fictional-universe​ @canonismybitch​

Thank you to @nazezdha321​ and @sketchibilitea​ for beta reading this for me!

And of course we have to tag @badthingshappenbingo​! 

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list! Hope you all enjoy!

Read on AO3

“Oh my gooooooooooood this is so boring! Friday nights are usually crazy with crime, how is it so dead out here?” Peter said to himself. 

“Crime levels fluctuate, Peter,” Karen said into his ear, startling him so hard he almost fell off the side of the building he was sitting on. “Though I did get a report of a disturbance a few streets away. My guess is law enforcement will not arrive for about ten minutes, plenty of time to help out and leave before you get caught.”

“Finally, good lord,” Peter said, shooting a web and swinging his way towards the street Karen indicated. “I mean it’s a Friday, where’s all the raging drunk college kids doing stupid stuff?”

“Perhaps they have all gone to sleep, Peter. It is rather late.”

“Pfft, it’s nine o’clock, the day’s just getting started for them,” Peter said with a snort. Peter landed with a flip on a building by his destination. “Karen, where exactly did you say--”

A scream cut him off and Peter whirled to look down in a dimly lit alleyway. 

“Shit, Karen, night vision please?”

“Of course, Peter.”

Peter could suddenly see a man cornering what looked to be a woman and her son. The man lunged at them and the woman punched him hard, and Peter could hear the snap of one of her fingers from even up on the roof. Peter quickly lept down as the woman howled in pain. 

“Woah! Hey hey buddy what’re you doing!?” Peter shouted as the man recovered from her punch. He pointed a sharp pocket knife at Peter and snarled, “Give me all your money you little brat!” Peter rolled his eyes. 

“Why is it always the same with you guys? Can none of you get that I’ve beat up supervillains? What in the hell makes you think you’ll last longer than the Vulture?” Peter scoffed. The man faltered but didn’t back down, still pointing the blade directly at Peter’s face. 

“Goddamit--I need this money!” The man growled. 

“You don’t need anything enough to kill someone over it man,” Peter said. “Now are you gonna leave so we don’t have to do the ‘you struggle while I win’ thing, or is that the route you prefer? Remember, this action will have consequences.”

Heh, Ned would appreciate the Life is Strange reference, Peter thought absentmindedly. Hey actually I’m not sure how far he got on that game, I gotta ask him about that tomorr--

Peter’s thoughts were interrupted by the man suddenly swinging the blade far too close to Peter’s chest. 

“Woah!” Peter said, doing his best to dodge the man’s swings but stay in front of the woman and her son behind him. “Not cool man!” Peter stopped the mugger’s fist on the fourth swing, squeezing his arm hard until he shouted and dropped the knife. Peter threw him against the wall and webbed him there muttering angrily to himself. 

“Stupid fucking ADHD. Of course I forget my meds on a Friday, the day I should be the most focused! Dammit! C’mon Spider-Man, way to be an idiot,” Peter said as he scribbled a note and stuck it to the webbing over the man’s chest. 

He turned to face the woman who was still holding her hand with a grimace while her son wailed next to her. 

“Oh jeez, yeah that’s definitely broken, here lemme help with that,” Peter said as he saw a deep bruise blossoming over her dark skin. He shot a bit of webbing into his hand and gently wrapped it around her fingers. “That’s gonna dissolve in an hour so you’ll wanna get that checked out as soon as possible, um, I know someone who can help out if you need the bills paid for that--”

“It’s fine, I’m actually a nurse,” the woman said with a strained chuckle. She glanced up at Peter, but her expression suddenly changed to a look of horror. “Oh god, Spiderman--”

“Woops, I can just tell you missed a hyphen there,” Peter said, giving her a good natured glare. “It’s Spider, hyphen, Man. Man with a capital ‘M’. Sorry, I’m a bit of a stickler for this stuff--”

The small boy next to them cut him off with an ear splitting wail, and Peter suddenly felt his heart squeeze. 

“Aw, kiddo, you’re alright!” Peter said, squatting down to be at eye-level with the child. He only cried harder, scrubbing his eyes and sniffling miserably in fear. 

Peter gently touched his shoulder and looked right into his eyes. 

“Hey,” he said softly. That seemed to calm him down a bit, his wails shrinking into small whimpers. “What’s your name kiddo?”

“M-Miles,” he squeaked. 

“Miles, huh? That’s a pretty cool name.”

“Not as cool as Spider-Man,” he huffed. 

“Well who knows, kid! Maybe you’ll be Spider-Man someday too!” Peter said. Miles’s eyes lit up excitedly and he bounced on his feet. 

“Would you teach me!?”

“Ha! I’m sure you could guilt me into it with those little puppy eyes,” Peter said. Miles made his best little doe eyes and Peter gasped. 

“Oh no! I’ve been defeated by the cuteness! You’re too powerful Spider-Man!” he cried. Miles giggled in delight and Peter squinted his eyes in a mocking glare. 

“Alright kid. Spider-Man lesson number one: Don’t watch the mouth, watch the hands!” 

Peter flung an arm up and shot a web, flying high into the air with an elated shout. Peter could hear Miles shrieking with glee below and he smiled.

“See ya later Spider-Man!” 

And Peter headed to the tower, taking no notice of the wet warmth dripping down his side. 

~~~

Peter arrived at Stark Tower right on time for his curfew, which he still felt was too early to be heading home. Ten pm? Really?

But Tony said Aunt May would flay him alive if he let Peter break curfew just because she’d be gone for a week, and to be honest, Peter 100% believed him. She’s definitely a bit of a momma bear. 

Peter quietly opened one of the windows, only noticing Tony was there when he jumped in surprise. 

“Jesus kid, you about scared the hell outta me. You gotta quit that, you know I have heart problems,” he said, tossing his phone to the side on the couch. 

But oddly enough, Peter was having a hard time hearing him. Or at least focusing on hearing him. Probably his ADHD again. 

“Heheh,” Peter said, his laugh feeling weak. What was he laughing at again? Man, he really should’ve taken his medication. 

“Kid? You alright?” Peter ignored him, staring at something on the window he’d just climbed through. It was a footprint, but it looked all smeared, and oddly… red. 

“Wassat?” he mumbled, staring at the bloody footprint, and feeling rather dizzy. Was this an ADHD thing? He couldn’t remember. 

“Oh my god, Peter! Shit, kid you’re bleeding!” Tony said through the water that seemed to be surrounding Peter’s ears. 

“Hmm?” Peter said. Then he looked down at himself and realized there was a deep cut along his side, and blood had leaked out and run all the way down his leg. 

Tony was saying something else, grabbing his arms and trying to lead him somewhere, but Peter resisted. He didn’t want to get blood tracked all over the carpet. 

“Pr’tty sure this stuff ‘s s’pposed to stay inside me,” Peter mumbled. But the sight of his own blood flowing out of him had made Peter dizzy, and he very suddenly wasn’t worrying much about the carpet anymore. 

In fact, he wasn’t worrying about anything at all. 

~~~

Peter’s side was rather sore when he woke up in a hospital bed, though he was more surprised by the hospital bed than he was about the ache. Peter pushed himself into a sitting position and winced as pain lanced up his side. 

“Careful kiddo,” a voice said from the doorway. There was Tony, standing there with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “You don’t wanna rip a stitch.”

“Oh. Yeah that’s a good idea. Wouldn’t wanna, um, do that.” They stared at each other for a moment before Tony rolled his eyes and gave him a soft smile. 

“What I wanna know, is how the hell you swung all the way to the tower without noticing you had a seven-inch long gash in your side,” he said. 

“Um… ADHD?”

“Ha! Well whatever you were thinking about must’ve been pretty damn distracting,” Tony prompted. Peter grinned, thinking back. 

“I met this little kid named Miles. He said he wanted to be Spider-Man like me. I told him I’d teach him if he ever did become Spider-Man, I was thinking about what I’d show him,” Peter said. Tony’s gaze softened as he walked over. 

“Well that’s real nice of you kid. But, you know that even though that gash will heal by tomorrow I still gotta tell your Aunt about this, right?” he said. He held out a cup of strawberry Jell-O, which Peter took with a snort.

“Yeah yeah, but can we just save that for later? I think I should recover from this before going into another battle,” Peter said, making his own version of Miles’s doe eyes. Tony scoffed and ruffled Peter’s hair. 

“Sure kid. Eat your Jell-O and we’ll go watch some Star Wars,” he said. 

Peter grinned widely and ate his treat, too distracted by the warmth in his chest to care about the ache in his side. 

[mkayswritings]

The next prompt for @badthingshappenbingo​ has been posted, this is only the first chapter as I will be adding more since it’s gonna be a short multichapter fic. I haven’t decided how long it is going to be yet, maybe three chapters? Anyways I hope all of us are dead fans enjoy reading!

[castershellwrites]

I’m writing for Bad Things Happen Bingo! (and I am so close to a bingo!)

Jin/Taka Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured has been posted :)

Rating: Teen Fandom: Ghost of Tsushima Pairing: Jin/Taka Content warning for: canon typical violence, blood, burns, description of injuries.

Jin sighed.  That had been close… far too close.   There had been so many of them.  Worse, they’d seen him and blown the war horn, summoning reinforcements out of nowhere.  There had been too many.  But he couldn’t give up.  They’d had prisoners.  He couldn’t let them die. He didn’t. Jin saved them all. But at what cost?

Jin gets injured but doesn’t realize it, Taka nurses his back to health.  Maybe something happens along the way ;)

I'm trying to fill out this whole card so please send me prompts for any Ghost of Tsushima characters and spaces you'd like to see written; romantic, platonic, I'll write it all!  My asks are open and anonymous prompts are more than welcome. I'll also write for Thunderbolt Fantasy and some Super Sentai seasons. We’re so close to bingo, send me an ask!

[buckieys]

adrenaline rush ; tk

part twelve of bad things happen bingo

read on ao3 ; requested by anonymous

There was no fire by the time the 126 arrived, but there were still dozens of people inside the building, so it was all hands on deck to get everyone out. The building was mostly stable, so the 126 worked with the 226 to get everyone out quickly and safely, getting people medical treatment where necessary.

“Mateo, TK, there should only be three people left in the building, up on the third floor, Paul said only one of them has a serious injury,” Owen called out, spotting the two men running back and forth between the building and the makeshift triage area they’d set up.

“On it, Cap!” Mateo yelled back, running back into the building, hot on TK’s heels. He quickly lost the other man, the smoke and ashes still obstructing his vision. “Hey, TK, are you there?”

“I’m here, Mateo, I’m going up to the third floor,” TK yelled back, his voice getting farther and farther away from Mateo. Mateo quickly tried to catch up, trying to get to the stairs before TK was too far away for Mateo to even try and find his way up.

By the time Mateo reached the third floor, TK had guided two of the three people towards the stairwell to be led to safety. So he took them down, getting them both down as safely as he could, given the smoke. TK wasn’t too far behind, coming down with a limp body in his arms.

TK grunted, his heart was pounding in his ears as he slowly walked down the stairs and out of the building. He carried the woman over to medical and then started to run back towards the building only to get stopped by Carlos.

“Hey, TK, come here!” Carlos yelled over the chaos, beckoning for his boyfriend to come over before heading back over to do final clearance on the building. When TK jogged over with a smile on his face, Carlos tried to return the smile, only for it to turn into a grimace when he looked TK up and down.

“Like what you se-” TK’s smile got wider before he actually saw Carlos’ face morph into a grimace. “What’s wrong, babe?” TK asked, cocking his head to the side, glancing over his shoulder to see where the rest of his team was.

“Baby, your leg…” Carlos started, pointing to the gash in TK’s leg, dripping blood onto the ground as well as seeping into his sock, staining it red. “What the hell happened?”

“Oh,” TK said, looking down and noticing the gash for the first time. “I didn’t even realise I’d gotten injured.” TK looked back up at Carlos with tears in his eyes. Now that he’d noticed it and attention had been brought to the injury, TK was really starting to feel the pain and he wasn’t a fan of it.

“Come on, let’s get you over to medical,” Carlos said, wrapping an arm around TK’s waist, knowing that TK could walk just fine by himself, but he still wanted to feel close to his boyfriend. “You have got to stop injuring yourself. Seriously, I think I’m starting to go grey.”

The comment got a small smile from TK as they carefully moved to medical and as Carlos was helping TK to sit down, he noticed how pale his boyfriend actually looked. Carlos knew TK had a water bottle in the fire truck at all times. He spotted Judd over by the rig and started to jog over.

“Hey Judd, do you know if TK’s water bottle is in the truck? He got injured and is looking a little pale,” Carlos asked, slowing to stop in front of the man.

“Yeah, it’s in there, let me go grab it real fast. What happened?” Judd asked, climbing into the truck. He reappeared moments later with TK’s water bottle and a granola bar. “He manage to hurt himself in some dumb way again?”

“I actually don’t know how he hurt himself, but he didn’t realise that he got hurt until I stopped him. He had such an adrenaline rush going into the building that he didn’t know he was hurt,” Carlos responded, shaking his head.

He and Judd walked back over to the ambulance where TK had been set up to get checked out. His turnout coat was hanging over his lap and his eyes were drooping closed. Carlos hoped his injury was just something minor and he’d just lost some blood and there wasn’t another injury waiting to be discovered.

[5-falsehoods-phonated]

Prompts with boxes around them have been taken. Highlighted prompts have been written.

Death of a Bachelor

Summary: Prisoners set in an unfair game, Logan and Remus plan to both come out alive.

Warnings: major character death, blood, violence (If there are others you notice need tagged please let me know)

Prompt: Deadly Game and Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured Combo (Only one is marked off the card as per BTHB rules)

Ships: Intrulogical, Logan x Remus

wc: 2496

AO3 link!

@warcraftedtardis​

Remus was numb as they strapped him into the armor, poorly made with an even poorer fit but with little he could do about it in the situation he was in. He glanced over subtlety so as to not attract the guards attention, the man across from him offering a grim barely there smile.

Make that the situation they were both in.

He winced as he was shoved into line behind the other, taking comfort in the others presence even if they couldn't speak. Up against the wall as they were he waited until no one was looking and reached forward, brushing fingertips with the darker haired man. Logan reached back to grab at him quickly, offering a tight squeeze before letting go. That was all Remus needed. They would get through this. They would win and they’d be alright and taken care of until the next tournament. Guards didn’t care what anyone did in a shared cell as long as it didn’t effect their fighting and Remus was definitely counting on cuddles and stories after this.

An alarm sounded outside and the crowd cheered as another fight began. Idly he wondered what weapons the prisoners had chosen. You were only allowed one, prisoner against prisoner until one died and left one less mouth to feed in the system and left thousands entertained. A mockery of the ancient gladiator tournaments turned to keep jail cells empty and offer a small chance bag freedom. Your crime didn’t matter here. Only your skill. A deadly game set to leave a bloodstain on the tragedy human history was becoming, setting you free with fake honor and a grudge against the barbaracy of society.

The crowd cheered again as a winner was declared, alarm sounding for the next two contestants. The line moved forward as a slashed and bloodied woman stumbled through the door, adding together stains on the floor and glaring at anyone who dared even peek at the state she was in. She was hustled away quickly to be taken care of and thrown back in a cell to heal. Logan tensed in front of him but another brush of hands let him relax slightly. Everything was fine.

A man stood out from the line suddenly, looking the guards straight in the eye before rushing them head on. Remus' ears rang before the bullet wound in the mans head registered and he sucked in a quick breath. The body was left there, cold eyes staring sightless as a challenging warning to anyone else that might think of going the route of stupidity. There was at least one everyday.

"Remus." Logan whimpered quietly.

He turned his head to look at Logan in confusion, the other nodding to the lines order. The mans spot was already filled by another moving up and the guards weren't rearranging them. The pairs were different now.

Remus would now be paired with Logan.

Ice ran through his veins as the line moved forward with every battle. Every alarm sent another wave of unwanted thoughts pounding against his brain. Every winner that stumbled through the door brought another image of a dead Logan or Remus being dragged out another. He couldn't bring himself to speak as they were shoved towards the weapons rack, both choosing simple swords as they gave each other panicked looks through the crowds demanding cheers. Simple refined weapons for a quick painless death. Remus winced at the thought.

The guard waited for them by the door, thankfully not looking as Logan turned to him. "Remus listen to me if we hold out and fight for long enough they might get bored and declare a tie. They've done it before and since we've already proven before that we're decent fighters they may do it again."

The alarm sounded and Remus shot panicked eyes to the guard heading their way. Snapping back to Logan he sucked in as much air as he could to calm his shaking form.

"Do you understand Remus?"

"I-"

"What the hell are you doing? Get over to the door!" The guard laid a hand on his belt, prompting them both to hurry towards the door. Remus gave Logan a determined nod before pushing the door open letting blinding sunlight stream in.

The feild was a little less than the length of the average football field, grass well kept despite its constant carnage. The stands rose up as high as a 10 story building easily, maybe even a bit higher; a huge screen sat on the far end up high enough so that people could see and bet on the prisoners, the smaller screens in front of them allowing them to see as the fight went on with added updates in between. The screen zoomed in on their faces, both white as snow as they stepped carefully forward to the starting positions. Remus gazed at Logan across from him, the shorter man looking smaller and more fragile than Remus had ever seen him. Their swords were gripped tightly in their fists, the shouting and jeering of the crowd fading out until it was just the two of them. Their chests were heaving and faces twisting though they hadn't even started yet, white knuckled and weak knees with apprehension. The grass between them seemed to stretch for miles yet it may as well have only been an inch for all the details Remus could pick out. He saw how Logan’s freckles stood out proudly against his blood drained face. Saw the way his lip quivered and jaw worked as if he had his inner cheek caught in his teeth. Watery brown eyes met his own as he took a sick sort of comfort in knowing Logan was just as terrified as he was.

The alarm sounding snapped him back for only a brief moment, crowd practically roaring as they ran towards each other.

---

Remus giggled madly as he ran towards his friend, backpack slipping off his shoulders and falling behind as Logan caught him up in a squirming mess of a hug.

"Hi, Lo!" As he squeezed his favorite person in the world the other groaned in mock annoyance, hugging him back all the same. Logan was in second grade while Remus was in kindergarten which made the hours spent in school especially lonely for the hyperactive younger child. Logan swung Remus around to grab his bookbag and placed their fingers together carefully to walk home, Remus carefully tucked at his side on the inside of the sidewalk as they both babbled on about their days. Remus had gotten a gold star on his latest art project while Logan was at the top of his class in the reading assignments. Their arms swung between them, oblivious of everything else outside of their comfortable bubble.

---

Remus' arm swung down and to the side, jumping back to avoid a wide swipe by the others sword. Remus bit his lip as he jabbed at the air a centimeter from Logan's face and winced when it came close to slicing off an ear.

---

"It'll be fine I promise." Logan held his hand comfortingly while Remus squirmed in the chair. "You won't even feel it."

The tattoo artist had all the tools laid in front of her, antiseptic at the ready. "You sure this is what you want kid?"

"Yes!" Remus eyes gleamed with nervous excitement as he squeezed Logan's hand, getting an immediate answering squeeze back. His ears were swabbed and he caught Logan's eyes as the needle was pushed through, hardly able to contain his bouncing excitement.

Later as Logan admired the work at a cafe down the street, he laughed a little to himself. "Your parents are going to be so pissed at you."

"I'm 14. What are they gonna do?"

Ground him without phone privileges for a month it turned out. Logan didnt believe him when he said it was worth it, clutching his own ears in horror.

---

Alternating between stabbing offensively and slicing defensively they danced around the field in a carefully improvised dance, eyes locked in desperation and worry. Remus' sword arm was already numbing from the constant clashing but he couldn't let his concentration waver. A misplaced backstep nearly sent him to the ground, crouching low to recover his balance before rolling quickly out of the way of a powerful downward strike.

---

"Remus!" The front of his shirt was caught as he was yanked forward, Logan tipping backwards and letting him fall on top of him with only a slight groan.

Remus huffed against his chest and propped his chin on his hands, palms flat against the others chest. Logan eyes him carefully, looking for any sign of injury. Finding none he breathed out a sigh of relief and gently whapped him upside the head.

"Idiot." He declared fondly.

"Your idiot." Remus corrected.

"I regret ever meeting you if only because you decided dancing on top of an apartment building was a good idea."

"But you can see the stars up here."

"You aren't even looking at them."

Remus locked eyes with him, smiling softly at the way the moonlight caught Logan's eyes, making them practically glow with the mirth that was already there. "Yes I am."

Logan sputtered and flushed darkly, tightening his hands around Remus' waist. Grinning in victory, Remus snuggled in further into the warm safety.

---

Remus heart skipped a beat as he nearly knocked the sword from Logan's hands, panic flashing in his eyes as he fumbled for a second. Feigning a stumble he let him recover, covering it with a close swipe that was easily covered.

---

Logan stumbled forward in his haste to get into the house, nearly dropping the stack of boxes in the process. He looked up gratefully as Remus braced his hand against the top ones to keep them from falling, nodding gratefully as he recovered.

"So this is it." Dumping his own stack in the living room he looked around at their new home. A nice trailer just big enough for two people in a quiet neighborhood with a park just down the road. Logan stepped beside him and took his hand, squeezing it tightly before bringing it to his lips with a soft smile.

"This is everything." Logan answered quietly, adoration so clear in his tone that Remus could think of nothing better to do than lean forward, capturing his boyfriends lips in the peace of their fresh start.

---

They were both tiring, movements slowing down dangerously but still they fought. Eyes locking along with their swords as their feet slid on blood soaked grass and their ears rang with the crowds jeering. Metal found metal again and again as Remus became slightly more aggressive in his delivery, driving Logan back inch by careful inch.

---

They were both tired, Logan slumped in Remus' lap as he gently carded through his sweaty locks. A guard slammed into the door but neither flinched. No one cared. No one had the energy to. Silent tears tracked down the shorter mans face as Remus tried to gently bring him back to reality. Logan had done the same with him after his own first kill and he'd be damned if he didn't do the same.

"I killed him." Remus froze as Logan spoke his first words in days, quickly resuming his careful touches.

"No. They killed him. They put you on that field to see if you survived and you did."

"I could have-"

"No you couldn't." Remus cut him off with an accompanying scratch to the scalp. "You go out there and its kill or be killed. You aren't a monster Lo."

---

Remus froze as he drew back his blade, the tip slick with blood that ran down its length and stained his fingers. He brought it up quickly as Logan swung down again, switching to careful defense even as shock racked his body.

"Logan-"

Sweat dripped down the others face mixing with the tears that had been falling since the start. Muscles strained and tendons twisted in his valiant attempt to keep moving. Remus saw none of this as his eyes were locked onto the spreading stain on the others shirt, chest plate having done nothing to protect him from the clumsy jab to the abdomen Logan hadnt ducked away from in time.

"Logan!"

Still they fought, legs stumbling and movements becoming clumsier by the minute. The blades flashed in the late morning sun that rose above the stands to shine light on the carnage below. Blocking another blow, he wrenched the sword to the side and knocked Logan’s out of his hands. Dropping his own Remus reached out desperately.

"Logan." He choked on a sob as the other finally stopped moving, grimacing as he looked down and brought a hand to his stomach.

"Oh."

Remus didn't care about the crowd yelling. He didn't care whether or not the guards would be coming. He didn't care what the moderators caught on their stupid screens. Logan was in his arms and on his lap and bleeding and reaching for him and crying in sobs that caught painfully as his breath hitched in desperate gasps.

Remus caught the grasping fingers tightly in his own and held on for all he was worth, his sole focus on Logan’s eyes and Logan touch and trying to stop Logan from bleeding out and Logan Logan Logan

"I didn't mean to, oh god no please." Remus words bordered on hysterical wails as he brought the rapidly cooling fingers to his cheek. "I'm so sorry I'm so so sorry Logan you can't-"

"I love you." His breath caught as Logan focused on him for only a second before his eyes began glazing over. "I love you so much, Remus."

"Logan." Clutching at him tighter he began rocking slightly, pressing down insistently on the wound even as he felt the blood rush out regardless. The hand against his cheek relaxed as Logan's entire body went limp, eyes void of the stars he loved so dearly. "Logan? No no no no no Logan please!"

He clutched at the body even as he was jerked away, screaming at the top of his lungs as Logan was ripped away from him. Grass and dirt slipped from his blood soaked hands as he tried to claw his way back, the other being dragged by his leg in the opposite direction. To be declared dead and disposed of. To clear the field for the next game. To tick one more number off their list.

No one spared him a second glance as he was dragged past the line and down the halls. Thrown into his cell where stars were scratched carefully on the ceiling and only one bed was ever used. His wails echoed unnaturally in the emptier space, cold unforgiving walls slamming his sorrow back into him tenfold and he curled into himself and wept.

Blood stained his hands hours after it cooled, the only thing he had left of the man he had loved.

[set-phasers-to-whump]

at fault

X=done, O=taken

Prompt: doesn’t realize they’ve been injured

Whumpee: Lucifer Morningstar

Fandom: Lucifer

For: @deepwoundsandfadedscars​

I may have played a bit fast and loose with my headcanons here but what can I say it’s just where the story took me lol, hope it’s okay (please lmk if it really sucks and i can rewrite it!!!)

warning for mentions of a shooting (not graphic or anything but that is what happens)!

Everything had happened way too fast. He’d been pushing Trixie on the swings, higher than the Detective would probably have liked, but she wasn’t there and the spawn had begged and pleaded, and who was he to say no? So he was pushing her higher and higher, and she was laughing and he could practically feel the grin that was splitting her face, and. Well. It made him feel nice. Happy, even. Her pure joy was infectious, and he found himself begin to smile too, wondering vaguely if this was what it was like to be simply human, and-

And then there was a gunshot. And another. And another. A figure in a black mask holding some sort of rifle strode through the entrance to the playground, and continued to pull the trigger. Screams rose through the air, and Lucifer plucked Trixie from the swing by the back of her t-shirt and spun to shield her with his body. He started to run-away was the only direction his mind was capable of producing, and he sprinted for the back edge of the playground, opposite the entrance and the shooter. He jumped over the fairly small wall that surrounded the playground on all sides, but his foot must have caught on the edge of it, because he (and Trixie, by extension) went tumbling down unelegantly across the wall, and he hastily threw himself into a poor imitation of a roll, slamming his right shoulder into the ground but keeping Trixie out of harm’s way. He was on his feet immediately, running far faster than a human in his position would be able to, but he had no idea where he was going: still, the only thing on his mind was away.

Trixie was trying to talk to him, but he could barely hear her over the pounding of his thoughts and his heart. He might have taken a second to wonder why he could barely hear her, but if he did, the memory of doing so was gone immediately after he did it.

He didn’t stop running until he heard sirens in the distance and they were several blocks away. He ducked behind a service yard in a move he wouldn’t exactly call trespassing, since he was running for his (Trixie’s) life.

He didn’t let go of Trixie until she coughed and muttered, “Lucifer, you’re squishing me,” at which he immediately released her from his grip. He closed his eyes for a second and felt Trixie settle herself next to him, pressing her body into his right side. He raised his arm to drape it around her shoulders protectively, which made something, a muscle perhaps, in that general area pull painfully. He was wondering how that was possible when the Detective wasn’t anywhere close by when Trixie pulled away from him with a horrified sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeak.

He turned to look at her, right arm dropping to the ground, and nearly passed out at the sight that greeted him-her entire left side was covered in blood, bright red and wet, and there was too much of it, far too much, and how had he not realized she was bleeding until now? He frantically fumbled for his phone, but his arm wasn’t cooperating and his phone was just there in his pocket but he couldn’t get to it. Trixie reached into his pocket and got it for him, before he could stop her, warn her against moving her injury. “Trixie!” he shouted.

She interrupted whatever he was about to say. “It’s broken. Lucifer, your phone’s broken, what are we gonna do?”

“You’re not going to do anything, Trixie. You are going to sit right here and apply pressure to your wound, and I am going to go find help.”

She looked at him confusedly, and no, no, she’d lost too much blood, she couldn’t understand what he was saying to her-

“I’m not hurt, Lucifer.”

It took a second for him to comprehend what she had just said.

“What?”

“I’m all bloody, but it’s not my blood, it’s yours, can’t you feel it? You’ve...you’ve been shot.” Her little voice sounded far too grave to be coming out of her mouth, and the words she was saying took a minute to sink into his brain.

“Shit.”

Trixie gasped. “We’re not supposed to say that word!”

“Under the circumstances, it’s allowed,” he replied, and then, before he could think the better of it, he shoved himself to his feet with a groan.

Which was a monumentally stupid idea, of course. He barely bit back a scream of pain as he felt the pain in his side in all its intensity for the first time. He leaned back into the side of the service yard, then steeled himself and pushed slowly off of it.

“Trixie, I have a very important job for you.”

She looked at him, her eyes terrified but determined. “What is it?”

“I need you to look down the street and tell me if you recognize where we are.”

Trixie nodded and ran off, returning seconds later. “We made it almost home,” she reported. “I can see my house at the end of the street.” She thought for a second. “It was a good idea to come this way, or we could have ended up way far away.”

Lucifer nodded distractedly, not bothering to tell her it was pure luck that they ended up so close to her home. “Let’s get going, then.”

“Are you okay? Can you walk all the way there?”

He nodded. “Got us this far, didn’t I?”

As it turns out, however, it’s a lot easier to move when you’ve been shot if you haven’t realized you’ve been shot. Any adrenaline that was in his system had worn off, and every step was pure agony. Trixie was doing her best to keep him from falling, but she was a small girl and he was a tall man, so they swayed dangerously from side to side as they made their way slowly down the sidewalk.

They were perhaps halfway there when his vision started to go fuzzy and he swayed dangerously to the left. Trixie valiantly attempted to push him upright again, but this time his stumble was too big to correct, and he collapsed to the ground. He stayed there for a second, senses fading in and out, until he heard Trixie crying, begging him to get up.

He struggled to his feet, feeling the wound in his side pound in time with his heart. It hurt like few things he’d experienced before, and he wanted nothing more than to crumple once more to the ground and scream until he couldn’t feel anything anymore, but Trixie was there and desperately pulling on his left arm to keep him moving, so he had to keep moving, for her, and the only noise that escaped him was a short, high-pitched whimper that hardly encompassed the volume of pain that he was in.

Trixie’s grip on his left hand tightened, and she pulled him along harder still, resolutely not looking back at him, but stating firmly, “You’re gonna be fine, okay?”

“Mm.”

“You’re gonna be fine,” she repeated. “You have to, Lucifer.” There was real panic in her voice, and it was this which forced an answer out of him.

“Of course I will be.”

“I know.”

The rest of their agonizingly slow walk was spent in silence, save for Trixie’s occasional insistence of “come on,” and Lucifer’s occasional whimper of pain. It occurred to him at some point that both of them were terrified, and that it was all his fault. He was the one who got shot. He was the one that even took Trixie to the park to begin with. He had done this to her, he had scared her. It was his fault.

Before he could think anymore on this troubling topic, Trixie announced that they’d arrived-but there was a problem.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?”

“Mommy’s car isn’t here.”

How could he have been so stupid? Of course the second the Detective heard there was a shooting at the park her daughter was at she would have left! Why hadn’t he thought of that?

“‘Cause you got shot, duh.”

Had he said that out loud?

“Yeah.”

Oh.

He tried to think of what they needed to do, but it was hard with a lot of his blood missing. He had finally decided that the thing to do was break in when he looked down to Trixie and found she was gone, and the door was open.

Ah.

“-okay, just please hurry,” Trixie was saying to someone over the phone. She hung up and turned around as Lucifer pulled the door shut behind him.

“It was unlocked,” she said. “You kinda spaced out.”

“I was thinking.”

“You have to lay down.”

“What?”

“That’s what the lady said.”

“What lady?”

“The 911 lady. She said to make you lay down and put your feet up and...and apply pressure to the wound. So go lay on the couch.”

He obliged without really thinking, and Trixie shoved a throw pillow under his feet. “Now just push real hard on your side where you got shot.”

“That sounds painful.”

“The lady said to do it, so you have to,” Trixie insisted. “She said they would come as quick as they can, but it could be a while.”

Lucifer pushed a hand into his side. As expected, it hurt, and he was about to pass out from the pain when he remembered something important-“the Detective! Trixie, you have to call your mother right now and tell her you’re okay.”

Trixie nodded and picked up the phone again. Lucifer, deciding everything was mostly taken care of, closed his eyes.

He woke up a second later to frantic little hands slapping his face. “Lucifer! The lady said not to let you fall asleep!”

He blinked his eyes open. “‘M awake.”

“Good. Mommy’s going to be here soon, I told her what happened and she said to do exactly what the 911 lady said. So you can��t go to sleep.”

He nodded slightly, which made him far dizzier than he thought it should have. “Wonder why this happened,” he muttered, on the edge of unconsciousness but not giving in to it. “Why did I bleed, if the Detective wasn’t there?”

“You got shot, that’s why,” Trixie said, as though it was that simple. He was about to explain why it was not that simple when the door banged open and Chloe rushed in, the frantic look on her face subsiding as she laid eyes on her daughter, who looked up to her but made no move to leave her position next to the couch.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, Mommy, I already told you that, but you have to help Lucifer, he’s not supposed to fall asleep!” Those last few words were directed at Lucifer himself, and came with another slap to the face. “You have to stay awake, remember?”

He forced his eyes open again and looked up. “Hello, Detective.”

Chloe quickly stepped over to the couch and dropped to her knees beside his head. “Where were you shot?”

“Side...right side.”

She moved away from his head and swiftly cut away his jacket and shirt with scissors he hadn’t even seen her grab. He turned his head to look at the wound, and found himself staring at quite a large quantity of his own blood, smeared across his skin and still bubbling up from the wound.

He quickly looked away, swallowing back nausea, and Chloe chose that moment to press his shirt firmly into the wound, in a proper application of the words “apply pressure.”

He could only groan quietly at the pain. “Hurts…” he managed to say, squeezing his eyes shut as though that would stop the pain.

A hand ran through his sweaty hair, blissfully cool against his forehead. “I know,” Chloe said, her voice a reassuring, gentle tone that he recognized as being the same one she frequently adopted when Trixie had been frightened, or when someone brought in for questioning was nervous. She’d rarely used it on him. It made him feel safe.

It didn’t make anything hurt less, though. She pressed on the wound harder still, and he couldn’t stop the tears that leaked from his eyes.

A small hand, sticky with his own blood, reached out and brushed them away. Trixie looked at him and offered a small smile. “You’re being very brave,” she said, echoing words that she’d heard doctors say to her before. “We’re gonna get you all fixed up.”

He, too, managed a smile at that. “Thanks, Trixie.”

A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Lucifer was not particularly keen on the idea of going to the hospital, but it wasn’t as though he had much choice in the matter, so he kept his mouth shut and let the voices of the paramedics, Chloe, and Trixie float over him as he was loaded carefully onto a gurney.

He attempted to think about what was going to happen-would the Detective stay while he was getting surgery, making him vulnerable the whole time? Or would she leave, and the doctors be presented with a baffling case of self-healing? Or would she leave, and would he remain vulnerable? After all, he’d been shot well out of range of her, so who was to say what was happening?

He didn’t get beyond thinking of these three possible outcomes before he lost consciousness once again.

The next time he woke up, he was in bed. Not his bed, he noticed immediately. A hospital bed, small and uncomfortable. He lifted his right arm experimentally, noting a slight pull in his side which was unaccompanied by pain.

He was about to see if he could get out of his rather horrible bed when he realized he wasn’t alone-curled up in two chairs next to the bed were Chloe and Trixie, the latter now in clean, unbloodied clothes, both asleep.

He smiled at them, and at the idea that they had stayed, stayed for him.

I should call Amenadiel, he thought, then remembered that his phone had been broken.

“Chloe,” he said, and winced at the rough feeling that speaking brought to his throat. “Chloe,” he tried again, when she didn’t stir. “Detective!” he said, louder. Finally, she sat upright and looked at him. “Detective Decker, may I please borrow your phone?” She handed it over silently, then gently shook Trixie’s shoulder. The girl opened her eyes slowly, then jumped out of her seat when she saw Lucifer awake.

“Easy, honey, he’s on the phone right now,” Chloe warned her. Trixie nodded and sat down patiently.

Lucifer explained his situation to Amenadiel as best as he could given his audience, providing vague answers to his brother’s questions of was there any chance Chloe was nearby, were they some kind of special bullets, do you know if she was there the whole time you were getting stitched up…

After deciding he’d talked to Amenadiel enough, Lucifer hung up, then turned to Chloe and Trixie. Trixie leapt up from her seat once again, throwing her arms around him as best she could, jostling his injury a little, but not enough to hurt. He carefully picked her up and let her settle next to him on the bed, an echo of their positions earlier, but less painful and less bloody.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” Chloe announced, standing up. “And see if I can get you some water, too. Your voice sounds terrible.”

“Why, thank you, Detective. So kind.”

She smiled at him in fond exasperation before leaving the room.

“Does it hurt?” Trixie asked.

“No, not really. Wonder what kind of drugs they gave me…”

Trixie ignored his speculation. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad you’re okay, Lucifer.”

He nodded somewhat absentmindedly. I’m glad you’re okay. As though him being okay was what really mattered, when Trixie could have been shot just as easily as he had been, she could have died, and it would have been his fault, he could have killed her, and here she was glad that he was okay!

He expressed all of these thoughts in a simple, uncharacteristic, “sorry.”

Trixie looked up at him. “Sorry for what?”

“All...this. Putting you in danger.”

“You...didn’t do that?”

Trust a child to not understand the complexities of being at fault!

“I brought you to the park, Trixie.”

“Yeah? I go to the park all the time.”

“But this time…”

“You didn’t make that person come.”

“No, but I brought you.” Why couldn’t she understand?

Chloe returned just as Trixie stated, rather angrily, that, “it doesn’t matter, Lucifer. Besides, nothing even happened to me anyway.”

“What doesn’t matter?” Chloe asked, handing Lucifer a paper cup of water. “The doctor will be here in just a minute to talk to you, by the way.”

“Lucifer says he put me in danger.”

Chloe looked at him, not angry, not yet. Just questioning.

“But he didn’t!” Trixie quickly added. “He saved me! He picked me up and ran, and he even got shot!”

“Did you put her in danger, Lucifer?”

He looked up at her with shining, guilty eyes. “Of course I did, Detective. I brought her to the park and there was someone with a gun!”

Chloe sighed. “Trixie, can you go get a snack from the vending machines at the end of the hall?”

“Can I have money?”

Chloe handed her more money than was necessary for a trip to a vending machine, and Trixie scampered off, with a quick promise of “I’ll bring you something too, Lucifer!”

As soon as her daughter was out of the room, Chloe rounded on him. He shut his eyes and braced himself for her wrath.

Except...it didn’t come? She carefully sat on the edge of the bed and put a gentle, soft hand on the side of his face.

“Lucifer...I don’t even know where to begin. You protect my daughter from a gunman, getting shot in the process and not even slowing down, and you have the audacity to sit here and apologize for putting her in danger? Lucifer, you saved her! You did nothing to hurt her at all, maybe you scared her a little when she realized you’d been shot, but Lucifer, you. did. not. put. her. in. danger.”

“But…”

“No. You do not blame yourself for the actions of someone else. You couldn’t possibly have known what would happen when you took Trixie to the park.”

He took a shaky breath. A tear rolled down his face, and he tried very hard to ignore it, but another followed it, and then another, and Chloe stood up from the bed and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Not your fault,” she whispered.

Trixie chose that moment to step back into the room, her arms loaded with chips and candy bars. She set them carefully on a chair, then picked out a bag of chips and turned to Lucifer to ask what he would like.

“Why are you crying?”

He hastily swiped a hand under his eyes. “I’m not.”

Trixie frowned and climbed onto the bed. “Yes you are.”

“It’s nothing.”

Trixie thought for a second, looking to her mother. It’s okay, Chloe mouthed to her. Trixie nodded and once again curled herself into the space beside Lucifer, opening her chips.

“You wanna hear about this guy I saw at the vending machines? He was wearing two different shoes and his shirt was backwards!”

Trixie continued telling Lucifer all about the vending machine man. He smiled lightly as she spoke, feeling his eyes drift shut.

Chloe smiled at the pair: Trixie, still talking, but softly, in acknowledgement of Lucifer’s tired state, and Lucifer himself, eyes softly closed and a contented smile on his face, breathing deeply and evenly. She had never seen him look so peaceful, so young, so...completely human. It was nice.

So basically my thinking for this is that once lucifer gets closer to trixie he ends up becoming vulnerable around her too, which isn’t canon or anything but i really love their dynamic and wanted to write it and thought this could be interesting! Hope this didn’t suck too bad (except the ending bc i Know that sucks i can’t write endings for shit lol).

[mtap-comics]

What should I write next? UPDATE (Now also a Masterlist)

To the folks out there following my Bad Things Happen Bingo, I have once again a question for you.

I'm stuck writing and thought maybe I could write something for another prompt, so I pondered a bit more about those.

Result: I now have an idea for each prompt and am even more confused than before…

I'm really close to rolling a dice to decide what to write. So if you have a specific request, out with it!

Here are all my ideas that are floating around in my head (in brackets is how many words I have already written for the prompt.):

Drowning: Elenya just wanted to fix the railing of the platform of the hot air baloon ride so that no one could fall into the freezing water. Arlo, who was waiting for her a little further away, had warned her to be careful because it could be slippery. She should have better listened to him.

Asthma Attack: Elenya’s lungs haven’t betrayed her this badly in a long time, so why did it have to happen now in front of her crush, the Civil Corps captain, of all people?

Stumbling and Staggering: Elenya had a really bad week. She was completely exhausted and she just wanted a hug from her favourite person, even if she had to stumble up the hill to the Civil Corps Headquarters to get it.

Bloody Nose: Elenya never thought getting her nose broken by a door was the way to get a boyfriend.

Worked Themselves to Exhaustion: Elenya was tired. No, scratch that. Elenya was exhausted. She didn't think she'd ever been as exhausted as she was at that moment.

Bedside Vigil: Elenya knew dating the Civil Corps Captain meant he might not always come back to her in one piece, but that it would happen 5 days before her wedding was not something she had anticipated.

Passing out from Pain: Elenya never thought she would see a Rogue Knight, let alone fight him. However, she would have gladly done without the resulting compound fracture.

Bruises: Participating in the martial arts tournament while already covered in bruises was not Elenya's best idea. Especially not when she had to compete against Arlo.

Forgetting to Eat: Elenya knew the perfect birthday gift for Arlo. All she had to do was dig it up in the abandoned ruins. That shouldn't take too long, right?

Sunburn: Elenya should have listened to Arlo. He had reminded her to reapply the sunscreen if she planned to stay in the Eufaula Desert all day. Which she hadn't done. 

Now she was paying the price, namely that she could no longer cuddle with him (and the pain, but that's less bad).

Knife to the Throat: Elenya wouldn't have thought they could defeat Everglade and her two men, but now they were actually lying tied up in front of them. If only there wasn't suddenly the sharp, cold steel at her neck, rendering her motionless, and the demand that they release the Flying Shark Pirates if she wanted to keep her head.

Allergic Reaction: Elenya was on her third date with Arlo right now and she couldn't have been happier. If only there wasn't the sudden itching and burning in her mouth and throat and the feeling of not being able to breathe.

Stabbing: Elenya thought that after fighting the Bandirat Prince, nothing would surprise her anytime soon. That there was now also a Bandirat King, who could speak and who wanted to take revenge on her, was not something she had expected.

Motion Sickness: Elenya never suffered from motion sickness before, but since she was pregnant, she couldn't stand being on a horse anymore. And that, although she was over the morning sickness phase. Maybe she should have told Arlo that a little more precisely before he planned a picnic with a leisurely ride for her.

Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured: Elenya and Remi successfully freed Arlo, Sam and Mint from Ingalls Mine and defeated this strange AI without any significant injuries. Then why were there black dots dancing in her field of vision?

Caught in a Storm: Elenya, loud thunder and a bad expirience with loud crashes don't mix well.

Trapped in a Burning Building: Elenya had been a bit skeptical when she received Huss and Tuss' invitation to their hotpot. But she never imagined that it would end with her being trapped in a burning building.

Twisted Ankle: Elenya's day off didn't go as planned, but maybe it wasn't all bad either.

Vertigo: Elenya's day got off to a bad start, but then revealed a wonderful, albeit surprising, twist for her.

Crush Injury: Elenya was just mining some iron ore when the earthquake hit.

Cradling someone in their arms: Arlo came home late that night to the sight of his wife curled up on the couch, sound asleep and with a much warmer forehead than he would have liked.

Trying to Wake Them Up: Arlo will never forget the day he found his wife Elenya lying at the bottom of the stairs near Central Plaza late at night, a pool of blood around her head.

Bleeding Through the Bandages: Startled, Elenya turned to her garden gate as her favorite voice called her name. Unfortunately, as she did so, her arm caught on a sharp edge of the bus station she was building for South Block, leaving a deep, burning cut.

Anger Born of Worry: Elenya takes a hit for Alro. The latter, of course, is not pleased about this at all.

Bundled Up in Blankets: Elenya really hated this time of the month. Luckily, this time she had an Arlo who made everything a little better.

[infectiouswriting]

Doesn’t Realize They’d Been Injured

TW: blood, death mention 

Characters: Declan and Mia

Notes: Takes place before vampires and humans unite.

The attack was finally over.

They were sent on a mission to kill a small vampire clan that was residing just a few miles east of their home base. It seemed simple enough for the two of them. Declan and Mia knew all their weaknesses and they expected them to fight back but what they didn’t expect was for them to all go for Declan and nearly take him down in the process.

He stabbed the last one through the heart before pushing them off himself and sitting up right.

“We did it!” Declan exclaimed a smile on his face.

“Yeah...” Mia said as she kicked a vampire’s corpse out of her way walking over to Declan, “You alright, they all went for you at once.” She kneels next to him examining all that she could see until she paused,

“Yeah! I’m surprised I was able to fight them off so well…That was awesome,”

“Declan…” Mia whispered as she grabbed his arm and lifted it, softly gasping when she saw the scratches.

“What?”

“They got you – how do you not feel that?”

“Feel what?” He reached down and touched where she was looking, once his hand made contact he hissed in pain and pulled his hand away, “The fuck.”

“They must of. The adrenaline probably distracted you so you couldn’t feel it.”

“Well no shit.” He says with a sigh before slowly standing up, keeping a hand against his wound.

“We should probably head back now. Are you ready?”

“Do I have a choice?” He asked and with that they set off.

[fallenqueen2]

The Future Of Their Clans 1 [K]

The Future Of Their Clans

Munakata and Mikoto experience something unusual; this allows them a look at the future of their clans.

Fandom: K 

Hinted at Misaki Yata/Saruhiko Fushimi

Rating: T

Ao3 Link

Tags: badthingshappenbingo, Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured, time travel, future AU, Red King Misaki Yata, Blue King Saruhiko Fushimi, canon level violence

Created for @badthingshappenbingo​

Chapter 1: Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured

BINGO TWO WAYS, FINALLY!

“What have you done now Suoh?” Munakata placed his hand on the hilt of his sabre as he and the Red King looked around. They had been on the roof of a building, about to have their clans face off when a blinding light engulfed them both.

“I haven’t done anything Munakata.” Mikoto lit a new cigarette as he looked around the now empty rooftop before the cigarette dropped from his lips. Munakata turned towards the direction Mikoto was looking at and found himself frozen as well.

The Red and Blue Swords of Damocles were lazily hovering in the distance, side by side instead of opposite each other as they always were.

“Shall we go investigate?” Munakata asked, mind abuzz with questions and confusion.

“Ah,” Mikoto breathed out as his Aura lit up his feet and hands and he was taking off towards the Swords of Damocles. Munakata shook his head with a small smile but was quick to follow the impulsive Red King with his own Aura aiding him.

The two Kings arrived at the site where the Swords were hanging over and found themselves freezing at what greeted them.

“Fushimi and…” Munakata’s eyes went wide from behind his glasses while he took in the scene below.

“Misaki,” Mikoto said in shock, golden eyes just as wide as Munakata’s.

“Misaki!” Fushimi called out as he ducked under a blast of green flames and threw his hands out, creating disks of Blue flames upwards.

“Right!” Misaki shouted as he easily leapt up the disks that Fushimi had created, using them to get an advantage as his Red burned brightly around him.

With a battle cry, Misaki launched himself at a man in a green and black helmet that held some sort of rocket launcher and left both in a carter, taking them out of action.

Fushimi’s sabre was alight with his Blue and he was slashing his way through a small army of green and black helmeted men. Misaki leapt back into the fray, this time familiar knives held between his fingers that were coated in his Red that also surrounded his feet, allowing him to glide and speed around the men fighting as if he was still on his skateboard.

“This isn’t working! There are too many of them!” Misaki shouted as he was blasted back to Fushimi’s side by a combination of green flames from their opponents.

“We better use that then,” Fushimi adjusted his glasses as Misaki threw a red-coated punch to take out a man who was trying to sneak up behind Fushimi.

“No Blood!” Misaki shouted as he was launched up into the sky by a disk of Blue from Fushimi while a blast of Red surrounded Fushimi in a protective ring of fire.

“No Bone!” Fushimi shouted as his Blue began to spike up high to mirror the way Misaki’s Red was from his place high in the sky.

“No Ash!” They shouted in unison.

“Fushimi, ready!” Fushimi held his Blue flaming sword in front of him, one hand behind his back in his usual ready stance.

“Yata, ready!” Misaki echoed his arms crossed in front of him in an X form with his knives raging with Red flames.

Munakata and Mikoto watched in stunned silence as they were forced to throw up their own shields as a huge blast of Red and Blue lit up the area.

“Their Weismann levels must be off the charts!” Munakata grunted as he and Mikoto both fought to keep their shields intact. Finally, the flames disappeared and the two Kings could lower their shields and stare at the street below. Every enemy Fushimi and Misaki had been fighting were on the ground and the two were standing side by side, fist-bumping as if they did this every day.

“So, they really became us huh?” Mikoto lit up a cigarette, inhaling deeply.

“Not exactly like us, they are working together in a way I’ve never heard of before. Not for a Red and a Blue King at least,” Munakata knew Fushimi held potential, but he hadn’t expected this.

“It’s Fushimi and Yata,” Mikoto said as if that explained everything and perhaps it did.

“If they are Kings now, we must be in the future. It would be prudent to ask them for aid to get back to our time.” Munakata suggested and Mikoto hummed in his usual way. Munakata adjusted his glasses before he followed his Red King off the rooftop and down towards the future of both of their clans.

“You idiot, why didn’t you say anything?” Fushimi seemed to be fuming; his hands were hovering over Misaki’s side that was now coated in blood. Misaki was leaning against a wall of a building with a pained look on his face.

“I didn’t notice okay?” Misaki huffed as he allowed Fushimi to inspect the wound on his side.

“Didn’t notice, of course, you didn’t.” Fushimi ran his fingers through his hair in exhaustion before he stiffened up. Fushimi turned and threw his left arm out in front of Misaki, his knives lighting up Blue while his sabre in his right hand glowed Blue as he stared down the approaching men.

“Who are you?” Fushimi growled as Misaki lurched forward with a pained sound, but Fushimi used his outstretched arm to keep the injured Red King back behind him protectively.

“Mikoto-San?” Misaki’s eyes were wide and glassy with unshed tears.

“Misaki,” Mikoto inclined his head with a small smile, “The Red looks good on you.”

“Don’t talk to him, identify yourselves now.” Fushimi snarled, his eyes flicking between Munakata and Mikoto.

“Reisi Munakata, Captain of Specter 4 and in my time the Blue King.” Munakata knew the procedure and was proud of the way Fushimi was acting and the way Fushimi had grown into his Specter 4 uniform. Munakata held his hand up, allowing his flames to light it Blue.

“Mikoto Suoh, Homra, Red King,” Mikoto grunted with his own display of Red, before inclining his head at Fushimi who blinked like he was taken back before he steadied himself.

“Saru, the strain we were trying to track down before the damn Green’s cornered us.” Misaki placed his hand on Fushimi’s shoulder.

“Time displacement, right. Damn.” Fushimi sighed and relaxed, both his and Misaki’s Swords of Damocles turning into crystals and fading from the sky.

“You’re going to have to come back to Specter 4,” Fushimi sheathed his sabre as Misaki bounced on his feet.

“Of course,” Munakata agreed pushing up his glasses. “You’ve become a man Fushimi,”

“Tch,” Fushimi rolled his eyes as he tossed his head to the side as Misaki lunged at Mikoto. Mikoto willingly caught Misaki in a hug, allowing the smaller man and now the Red King to cling to him.

“Mikoto-San!” Misaki sobbed into the man’s white shirt.

“Misaki, you’ve done well.” Mikoto praised.

Munakata watched Fushimi’s reaction and was pleasantly surprised when Fushimi’s eyes softened at the sight slightly before sighing and pulling his phone out.

“Akiyama, we’ve got a code 12…Yeah, we’re bringing them back to Specter 4… Yeah do that, he’ll want to see this and call Homra while you’re at it.” Fushimi ordered with an ease that made Munakata proud to watch.

“Misaki, you’re hurt,” Mikoto stated as he did his best to balance the swaying Red King in his arms.

“Tch, idiot!” Fushimi was at Misaki’s side, sweeping him up into his arms bridal style. Misaki just squinted up at Fushimi before leaning his cheek against the Blue Kings’ collarbone with a sigh.

“We can follow you back to Specter 4 Fushimi, don’t concern yourself with us.” Munakata offered and Fushimi glanced at Mikoto who nodded silently agreeing with Munakata.

“Try and keep up,” Fushimi stated shortly as a disk of Blue formed under his feet and it took off into the sky carrying both Red and Blue Kings.

“Our future huh? It looks like it’s in good hands,” Mikoto exhaled a puff of smoke as both remaining Kings lit their flames to follow Misaki and Fushimi.

“Indeed it does,” Munakata hummed as they followed the men who seemed to have succeeded both of them.  

[attractthecrows]

A collection of atrocities - MagnaMnemosyne - 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga) [Archive of Our Own]

Chapters: 2/25

Fandom: 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Characters: Myo-o Ujizane, Kibutsuji Muzan, Toumomi Raisho, Hijikata Genba, Myo-o Ujizane/Toumomi Raisho/Hijikata Genba, Okazaki Rinko

Chapter 2- Doesn't Realize He's Been Injured- is finally up!

[cadrenebula]

Bad things happen Bingo: Doesn't realize They've been injured.

(Prompt: Doesn’t Realize They’ve Been Injured. Character: Alfarinn Westergaard. This is prior to Alfarinn leaving Tailfeather so this is a little backstory for him and his reasons for leaving home.)

“Dom!”

The dark skinned duskwight looked up from where he knelt checking tracks on the ground. Alfarinn jogged over to join him where he stood. The stood mere inches apart, a wild grin on Alfarinn’s face.

Then the distance disappeared when Alfarinn leaned in to steal a kiss from the shorter man. Forest green eyes met gold. Domitien didn’t look quite as amused as Alfarinn did. Not that he looked displeased but his eyes did dart around to check if there was anyone else nearby.

“Must you always do that when there could be someone watching, Alfa?” Domitien sighed softly before finally giving Alfarinn a small smile.

“You know I can’t resist. I know you hate hiding things between us and I appreciate your concern for me.” Alfarinn kept his hand resting against Domitien’s left cheek. Thumb lightly stroking over the scar that ran across it. “Everyone thinks we’re just out for normal hunting routines.”

“I wish you’d just let us tell them. Instead of this escaping to the woods for us to have some personal time together. Not that it’s completely personal since you make us do the hunting we’re supposed to do anyways.” Domitien huffed softly before rolling his eyes. “You really think your parents would disapprove so much of us?”

“My mother mostly. I don’t think my father would care either way.” Alfarinn leaned in again. This time the kiss was more than brief. It was more tender as Domitien practically melted against Alfarinn. Both were near breathless when it ended. “Come on. We should go to our spot. Then we can do our hunting afterwards. You know I like to keep up appearances.”

It didn’t take the two of them long to reach the spot they considered their camp. Hunting gear was discarded carefully off to the side before the two of them went for the small tent they kept there for privacy. Just in case any fellow hunters did attempt to come out this way. Even if the sounds coming from the tent made it quite obvious what the two hunters were doing together.

Domitien rested his head against Alfarinn’s bare chest once they were done. His fingers wandered over a scar on the other man’s shoulder. “I still feel bad I shot you that day. I should have been paying better attention.”

Alfarinn laughed softly in response. Taking Domitien’s hand and raising it to his lips to kiss the knuckles. “Accidents happen. Besides you didn’t kill me an that matters more than one more scar does. Not that we killed that damn beast though.” His other hand was idly running over Domitien’s short black hair.

“I guess we best get dressed if you want to keep up appearances.” Domitien sighed softly before leaving his spot next to Alfarinn. Of course he had to suppress a soft yelp when Alfarinn took the chance to smack his bare ass while he was getting up. Which of course earned his partner a rather sharp look.

“Shouldn’t tease me if you don’t want me to smack it.” Alfarinn grinned as he watched Domitien move. Earning him a gently kick to the shin from the smaller man. Alfarinn rubbed his abused shin, pretending it had hurt though Domitien definitely didn’t kick hard enough for it to hurt. He waited till Domitien was dressed before finally moving to put his own gear back on.

Alfarinn found Domitien standing outside, scanning the area with his eyes. Leaving the wildwood a perfect chance to sneak up an nip at the side of Domitien’s neck teasingly. A swat to his shoulder for being so brazen of course.

The two of them once geared, heading deeper into the forest. Domitien was the tracker out of the two of them. Not that Alfarinn couldn’t track prey. The archer was just better at it. It was why they made such a good pair. Alfarinn was the close range while Domitien harried the prey from a distance.

Domitien stopped dead in his tracks with a sharp frown. He motioned Alfarinn over before pointing down at the footprints in the dirt. “These are not a hunter… Someone else is in the woods. Someone besides our people.”

“Someone with heavier gear. Multiple someones. The shape is all wrong for a hunter’s boot. Maybe we have ourselves poachers.” Alfarinn smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Looks like we better take care of this. How fresh you estimate the tracks are?”

“Within the last few hours. No idea how they slipped past some of the other hunters unless they aren’t paying attention. They would have come near Hagen’s camp. Lazy sod… I keep telling them they need to post someone else down that way. You know we could also be dealing with assassins too right?” Domitien shakes his head before removing his bow from his back. Drawing an arrow to rest upon the bow, Domitien began tracking the ‘guest’ in their woods.

“Let’s hope not. It’s been a long time since anyone came searching for my parents. I’m hoping they gave up by now. It’s been years since the last attempt to find them. I was still a boy then.” Alfarinn looked troubled as he followed after his partner, his axe drawn and ready. “If they are searching for them… I’m take their heads.”

The two fell into silence as they went. Not wanting to alert their prey to being tracked by two hunters. Domitien paused near a large boulder and motioned for Alfarinn to duck behind it too. Silently he held up four fingers. Four people were just in sight beyond. Their dark garb and stances clearly separating them from the hunters of Tailfeather. They could barely make out the words being spoken though. Clearly from what they could hear though… They were from a group of hired assassins from Ishgard. The kind nobility hired on the sly to take out opposition.

“We should head back and tell the others. They’re far enough from Tailfeather that they’re not likely after one of our own.” Domitien spoke in a hushed whisper so the men nearby couldn’t hear them.

Alfarinn held up a hand to silence his partner. Pointing as two more figures emerged near the four. One was clearly another of this team. The other? A girl in her mid-twenties. No older than them. She also clearly looked beaten up. Not that they could tell if these men had done it. She was lightly armored like some of the knights for Ishgard’s lesser houses.

“Alfa!” Domitien hisses softly, knowing full well that Alfarinn was thinking of going out there. Especially when they could hear some of the pleas from the girl towards the men. “It’s five against two. This isn’t a hunt. The risk is too high for a girl that we don’t even know.”

“I can’t just let them. They’re likely to kill her. She probably fled from Coerthas to escape them. We have to help her.” Alfarinn took his helmet from where it hug at his belt when not wearing it. Placing it onto his head as he gave Domitien a grim smile. “Would you bulk in the face of the Yowie if he was after your chocobo? No? Then stop quaking in your boots an let’s do this.”

“You’re going to get us killed one of these days…” Domitien muttered before setting up a shot and waiting for Alfarinn’s signal.

Alfarinn nodded before letting his axe rest against his shoulder as he walked out towards the men and girl. Several of them drew weapons but didn’t move beyond that. All eyes were on Alfarinn though regardless. The girl making a plea towards him before the man beside her backhanded her.

“This is Tailfeather territory, men. I’m have to ask you to leave. Unless you wish to do things the hard way. Oh and leave the girl.” Alfarinn stopped near the five of them and dropped the head of his axe to rest on the ground. Enough to make him look like a threat without them realizing he was also ready to strike.

He heard one of the men scoff at his words. Another made a rude gesture to Alfarinn. Clearly they didn’t find one hunter to be much of a threat. For assassins… That made them really foolish to think Alfarinn would be alone. Or not a threat. Alfarinn cracked his knuckles as he gave these wanna-be hunters a cocky grin.

Down went the first assassin. An arrow straight through an eye. That moment of surprise for them gave Alfarinn the chance to swing that axe in an upward arc, cleaving another nearly in two with the strength he put behind it. Two down and three to go. Now these were better odds.

The other three went straight for Alfarinn with him being the closest target. That confused him. Usually someone went for the ranged target that was trying to pick them off. Shit… That meant they had a scout somewhere nearby watching. Alfarinn parried using the handle of his axe.

“Domitien! Scout!” Alfarinn shouted a warning as he kicked one of the men away. Swinging his axe in a wide circle to give him space as the other two dodged out of the way.

He heard the pained cry. Soon followed by a body hitting the ground somewhere behind him. Not that he could afford to look back and see. He had to keep his attention on the three in front of him unless he wanted to end up dead.

“Alfa…” Domitien gave a wheezy answer as he walked up behind his partner. “I’m here…”

Alfarinn nodded, glad to hear Domitien’s voice even if he was worried. Could hear the pain in that wheeze. Just as one of the three launched himself at Alfarinn. The hunter roared in response as he swung that axe up to meet the dual blades of his enemy. One of the other two had slipped by at just that moment. Right after Domitien.

“No!” Alfarinn felt fear grip his heart. Now he couldn’t keep his attention from her partner. He turned in time to watch Domitien try to fend off the enemy. Only to end with a blade in Domitien’s gut. Everything felt both cold and hot at the same time. The cold of fear. The flames of rage. However the rage was stronger then the fear.

The two nearest to him took a step back when he looked their way. His lips were curled into a silent snarl. He was a whirlwind of steel and rage as he took on the two of them at once. All Alfarinn felt was that white hot anger as he fell the two before him. Felt the presence of the third at his back but didn’t even feel the blade that had pierced his left side just above his hip. He turned and grabbed the man by the throat. Crushing the man’s windpipe before tossing him off to the side with the rest of the bodies.

There wasn’t even a glance spared towards the fearful girl. Alfarinn went right for Domitien’s side instead. The berserker’s rage was gone now. Tears clouded Alfarinn’s eyes as he knelt down beside Domitien. Fingers gently brushing along Domitien’s cheek.

“Dom… Just hold on. I’ll get you home an you’ll be just fine. Just hold on…” Alfarinn pleaded as he went to press a hand to the wound but found the other wound. The one the scout had given him. The first had likely pierced a lung. It was why his partner had sounded so wheezy. He felt panic now as he tried to think of how to staunch the bleeding so he could get Domitien home.

“A-Alfa…” Domitien croaked softly as he opened his eyes. Coughing hard enough that blood flecked his lips. “I love you…”

“Dom… Please no. Please…” Alfarinn pleaded as tears ran down his face. It didn’t matter that Domitien smiled up at him. They both knew he’d never make it back to Tailfeather in time to save Domitien. As Domitien’s eyes began to flutter closed, Alfarinn leaned down for one final kiss. A kiss goodbye. Alfarinn gently scooped Domitien up into his arms so he could make the trek back to Tailfeather. It looked like Domitien was just resting his head against his shoulder. As if his partner was merely sleeping.

Alfarinn blamed himself. This had all been his idea. He’d gotten his best friend and lover killed over a girl they didn’t even know. He didn’t even care that the girl followed behind him from a distance. Or that the girl had grabbed their dropped weapons.

The hunters closest to the gates paused upon seeing Alfarinn and Domitien. Alfarinn vaguely remembered hearing words. Right before he felt himself falling. The wound he didn’t realize he had, finally bringing him down. Vaguely he recalled voices and being moved.

Alfarinn wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he finally woke up. In a bed with a bandage where he’d been stabbed in the fight. Hissing softly when he prodded the bandage. This was real. He’d gotten Domitien killed. Gotten himself injured without realizing it. All over someone they didn’t know. Alfarinn raised his arm to cover his eyes. How stupid of him… He should have listened to Domitien.

Now he was alone.

Domitien Logedanrel was dead and it was all his fault.

[mkayswritings]

The second chapter for the prompt from my bingo card and the all of us are dead fandom has been posted! I hope that everyone enjoys reading! I am looking forward to reading any comments that will appear! <3