#past bullying

[fletcherwilbury]

@whumptober Day 19: Repeatedly Passing Out

Warning for perfectionism, exhaustion, fever, canon-typical violence, past violent incident, and past bullying.

[redheadedsharksimp]

My R

Part 3 [AO3 Link] Links back to Part 1 and Part 2 [AO3 Links Part 1 and Part 2]

A/N: Gods I’m an idiot. I posted Part 3 on to AO3 but completely forgot to post it here as well. I am so sorry, even though no one actually reads this on here. Anyways, this is the happy ending that everyone was waiting for. I might eventually write another chapter for what happens after the war but for now I will just leave it here. As always mind the warnings and let me know if I need to add anything else.

!¡!WARNING!¡!

mention of suicide attempt, past bullying, mention of suicide baiting (the actual words are used in this chapter just as a heads up), minor mention of kidnapping

Eijirou paced the roof of the dorms later that night. He had already dropped off Izuku with Shinso along with their dinner and was now waiting on the "squad" to finish their own food and arrive on the roof. He was really trying to get his head on right so he doesn't immediately throw Bakugou off the roof the second he saw the ash blonde.

After another ten minutes, he finally heard the door to the rooftop open and only a couple sets of footsteps. He turns to see both Denki and Mina walking towards him. His brows knitted together at the lack of Bakugou and Sero. Mina seemed to understand the look on his face because she answered his unasked question. “They’re coming. Sero is making sure Bakugou doesn’t try to sneak off before coming up here.” Denki nodded in agreement. “What’s going on, dude?” The concern and confusion was clear in the electric blonde’s voice and Eijirou hated to hear him sound like that. Hated when any of his friends sounded down. The redhead took a deep breath before slowly pushing it out through his nose. “I talked to Izuku about some shit that happened between him and Bakugou. I think you guys need to know about it. I’ll explain more when Sero and Bakugou get here.” “Damn, dude. That’s like the fourth time you used his family name. And the cussing? What the hell did he do?” Denki asked, seeming to start and understand the severity of how bad this actually was. “Like I said I’ll explain more when they get up here.” Eijirou said as he moved to sit on the edge of the roof looking out over the campus. It was weird being there for him. From where he sat, he could see the crater he and Izuku dug through the ground when they landed. It was directly in front of him. He must be sitting in the same exact spot that Izuku stood before he jumped. It was a weird realization that hit him like a steel boulder rolling over him old school adventure movie style. He was broken out of his weird trance by the rooftop door slamming open, followed by the loud stomping that was very familiar to them all. He sighed as he turned and stood up locking eyes with the explosive blonde. Just seeing him set his anger a flame again. “Let’s get this shit over with. I want to go fucking bed.” Bakugou growled out keeping his eyes on the redhead. Eijirou ground his teeth together trying to bite back the urge to launch the blonde off the roof and onto the ground below. “I hope you know that you’re the reason why Izuku nearly killed himself yesterday. It’s all your fault, asshole.” “What do you mean it’s Bakugou’s fault?” Sero asked, looking between the two of them. Both acted as if he didn’t speak at all though. “How the fuck is it my fault the nerd decided to off his fucking self?” Bakugou spit back at him. “You’re the one that told him to do it. ‘If you think you’ll be born with a Quirk in your next life, why don’t you take a swan dive off the roof of the building.’ Does that ring any bells?” The wide eye look he received in response let him know he hit the nail right on the head. He was also momentarily distracted by the gasps he heard from the other three there. He had almost forgotten that they were even there. “You don’t fucking know shit about that. That was fucking middle school. We were different people back then.” Those few sentences cemented the fact that the blonde had actually said that to Izuku. Not that Eijirou didn’t believe the greenette. It just made it just that much truer. “It doesn’t fucking matter. You still said that shit to him. You still tried suicide baiting him. You still told him to fucking off himself because you thought he didn’t have a Quirk. What kind of fucking person does that?” The redhead snapped back, trying not to spill the greenette’s secret about his quirk. He could feel his own Quirk ripple down his fingers and up his arms with his anger. He needed to get a grip, but it was so hard to do with the way Bakugou was trying to defend himself and his heinous actions. “It isn’t fucking cool, Bakugou. You’re the reason he hates himself, and thinks he is fucking useless. The fucking reason why he thinks he is nothing, and stupid. He told me about all the shit you put him through just because you didn’t think he had a Quirk. Only fucking assholes and villains do the shit you did.” “You think I’m a fucking villain? If you fucking think that then why the hell did you save me back in Kamino?” The hurt was clear in the scarlet eyes in front of Eijirou, but he didn’t care. The thought from earlier comes back as actual words. “I shouldn't have. I should have left you there. I already feel bad about dragging Izuku and everyone else out there.” A rush of emotions flashed across the blonde’s face before he finally schooled it with a scowl. “Tch. Whatever. I don’t need you. Any of you.” He snapped, adding the last part to the other three there. “I’ll fucking prove it to you that I’ve changed and will become the best fucking hero any of you have fucking seen.” With that he turned and stopped off the roof, slamming the door behind him. Eijirou sighed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Well, I guess he can’t be called the ‘Bakusquad’ anymore.” Sero said quietly as he glanced between the door and his redheaded friend. “Guess not.” Denki agreed, keeping his eyes on Eijirou before carefully approaching him. “You alright man?” Eijirou nodded after a moment. “Yea. I’m good. I knew you guys would stand with me, especially Mina.” “Yea. Fuck that noise. You know I don’t like bullying in any form.” The pink girl responded. “You sure you’re good though? You were like best friends with him.” “Yea. It hurts because he did and said that stuff, and then tried to defend himself and those actions. I’ll be fine.” The redhead said with a small smile at them. “We have to come up with a new group name.” “We could always just go with ‘Kirisquad’, if you want.” The electric blonde suggests. “I would rather not. I’d rather stay away from names like that.” Eijirou answered, shaking his head. “What about ‘Rooftop Gang’? We’re always up here and eating on the rooftop of the cafeteria.” Sero reasoned. “I like that a lot better. We can add in Izuku and Shinso.” “I understand why Midobro but why Shinso?” Denki asked. “Shin knew about the whole Bakugou situation before I did.” “That makes sense. It’s also understandable that Midoriya told him before anyone else. They have been close since the sports fest.” Mina hummed slightly. “I guess I’m more surprised that they haven’t fixed that crater you two made.” She said, glancing down at the ground. “I am too. Like you would think that would have been the first thing to cover up. Like you can tell something hit the ground and hit hard, and the way it’s dragged out away from the dorms doesn’t look good.” Sero added. “Wonder if they are trying to use it as a statement about all of this. It was an attempted suicide after.” Denki suggested. “It’s kind of a big deal.” Eijirou glanced down to look at it as well. The electric blonde was right. “Aizawa is going to make a big deal about suicide and bullying once we’re all back in class. He is going to especially want to talk to me and Izuku. When I talk to him I’m going to see if Shoji can switch dorms with me. I would request moving floors completely but the only floor that has an extra dorm is one floor up and I don’t feel like that is safe for Izuku.” “Agreed. Though Tokoyami or Aoyama would probably be more than willing to trade with you if you explained the situation to them.” Mina added. The redhead shook his head. “I want to be close so I can keep an eye on Bakugou. I don’t trust him not to try and pull something.” “That’s understandable.” Sero hummed. “Though the next question is what are you going to do about your crush on Mido?” “I’m not going to do anything about it right now. He just needs a friend. He doesn't need me dumping my feelings out on him right now. Between this and the recent raid, it will look like I’m trying to take advantage of the situation, and I don’t want that. I don't want to mislead him like that.” The others all gave him an understanding nod. He was fine with being another shoulder for the greenette to cry on for now. He would bring it up when he was ready. Not a moment sooner. ~~~~~ It had been a long and crazy six months. The only good things were the school festival, and the work studies, even though it was mandatory this time around. Eijirou always enjoyed working with Fatgum and Amajiki. He even convinced Tesu to join him there. Fatgum was more than happy to let the steel hero in training join them. They all knew something big was going to happen in the months to come afterwards. He didn’t expect a full-on war though. They barely had time to mourn the recently fallen before the school turned into a refuge for their families and regular civilians alike. They all worked to the bone helping those within the safety of their school. Though they also had to convince the principal to let them go after Izuku. The greenette had mysteriously disappeared from the hospital after waking up. He had written notes to all of us, confessing the true nature of his quirk, and explaining that was why he had to leave. Apparently, All for One and Shigaraki were trying to steal it from him and didn’t want them to target the school. None of them were going to let that stand. If heroes saved people in need, then who saved the heroes when they needed help? It was a thought that constantly ran through his mind since before they went to bring their friend back. As they stood at the front gate of the school and tried to convince the people to let Izuku come back and rest, he couldn’t help but think back to the letter he received from said greenette. He carried it with him currently and practically was burning a hole in his pocket. He could clearly remember what was written in that familiar messy script. Eijirou, I can never express my thanks enough. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for believing in me when I couldn’t. Thank you for being my rock these last few months. Thank you for everything. I am writing these letters to let everyone know about the truth of my Quirk. I know you already know about it but I have to leave. I have to leave to protect everyone. As long as I’m around you all are in danger. Shigaraki and All for One are hunting me down for my quirk, One for All. They want to take it and use it for evil. I can’t let them do that. I can’t put you all at risk. Especially not you. You mean too much to me for me to put you at risk.Have for a while now. Probably the sports festival, if I had to pick an exact time. I know you probably don’t feel the same, don’t like me the way I like you. I know it sounds selfish to want you always by my side no matter what. No matter what happens between us. Even if you don’t like me the same way. I deserve to be a little selfish, don’t you think? I’m so selfless and give everything to everyone else. I deserve to be selfish about one thing, and I‘m choosing you to be selfish over. Don’t come after me, Ei. If we see each other again, I don’t expect an answer. You don’t have to tell me either way. I just want us to continue to be friends after all of this is over. If this ever ends. Love, Izuku The words all of them used to get to him still rang in his skull. His own was the loudest. He remembered seeing the sludge villain attack on the news after Izuku had mentioned it. Remembered the way it made him kick his ass into gear to be ready for the entrance exams. Bakugou’s were also ringing loudly in his head. He blatantly admitted to being harsh to the greenette, and apologized for it. Apologized for being mean. The blonde even bowed and used his first name. Izuku forgave him, but that didn’t mean Eijirou trusted him again. After Uraraka’s speech, everyone seemed to be in agreement and allowed him back. A bath and rest was what they all needed but he didn’t have long before they had to be on the ready to finally end this chaos the villains had created. All of the boys helped Izuku bathe. We all tried to take the time to relax for a bit afterward, and Eijirou ended up staying with Izuku on the couch. He kept watch while the other rested. Though it was hard for him to take his eyes off of the greenette. So much had changed in the few weeks that he was gone. He looked different. His hair was slightly longer and had deep purple bags under his eyes that put Hitoshi’s to shame. I was hard to look at but it was also hard to look away. His mind went back to the letter for a moment. Izuku liked him. Loved him even. He didn’t expect an answer but how could Eijirou not give him one? He had put off confessing his feelings for months because he was worried about Izuku not feeling the same. Worried because he had a lot on his plate because of everything. He had to tell him how he felt, and he would the moment he got the chance. He pulled the letter from his pocket to reread it for what had to be the millionth time since receiving it. He had it memorized by this point, but he still read regardless. It still pulled his chest into an uncomfortable knot every time. Still made his stomach twist like it was the first time all over again. He hadn’t realized Izuku had woken up until soft spoken words broke through his thoughts. “You still read that? I figured everyone would have just read it once and thrown it away.” Eijirou jerked his head up at the sound of the other’s voice, looking a bit wide-eyed. “It’s hard not to reread it. I have memorized it but I still reread it for some reason.” Izuku gave him a sad but understanding smile. “I get it, and I meant when I said you don’t have to give me an answer. I just want to keep you by my side no matter what.” “But I do. I have to give you an answer. If I don't, I think I will die.” He put the letter back in his pocket as he moved closer to the shorter male. “If you’re going to tell me that you don’t feel the same, I would rather not hear it.” Izuku’s voice cracked as he dropped his gaze down to the floor. “What if I say that I do feel the same? Would you rather want to hear it, or would you still not want me to say anything?” It was Izuku’s turn to jerk his head up with wide eyes. “I- You-” He took a moment to try and compose himself. “I would want to hear it.” His voice was nearly a whisper “I like you, Izu. Have for a while. You inspired me to get my ass in gear and become a hero. I saved you not just because I wanted to, but because I would have hated myself for not manning up and just telling you how I felt. I honestly was going to before you jumped. I was in the middle of trying to come up with an idea before I noticed. If I had been a moment too late or miss calculated the jump…” He shook his head to clear that train of thought. “After that, I pushed my feelings down. I hid them away because you didn’t need that. Didn’t need it to seem like I was taking advantage of a serious situation. So, I decided to wait and keep it all to myself. I decided that you need a friend and shoulder to cry on more than you need a boyfriend.” It was a long quiet minute after he finished talking. He expected a response but what he didn’t expect was for Izuku to slam into him and hold on tightly to him. He could feel him sobbing against him, but he knew that this was a happy sob and one of the depressed ones he used to let out late into the night. He wrapped his arms around him and held on just as tightly. “I love you. Ei.” “I love you too, Izu.” He hummed, swaying them slightly just like had done many times before letting the other get all of his feelings out. “When this is all over, I’ll take you on a nice date. I promise.” That just made the other cry harder. They stayed like that for a while. Just holding each other and letting their emotions spill over. They eventually worked everything out of their systems and laid down on the couch to get some more rest. They both needed it. ~~~~~ Eijirou held tight onto Izuku. They were getting ready to head out and finish this mess once and for all. He knew that his greenette was going with Bakugou and a few pros to take Shigaraki head on, and he was worried. “You better come back to me alive.” “I will, Ei. I promise.” Izuku muttered into his shoulder, squeezing him just as tightly as he was being held. “You still have to take me on a date, so you better come back to me alive as well.” “Of course I will. It will be the best date you’ve ever been on.” He promised his boyfriend. He leaned back from the hug to cup that freckled face he loves so much. “I love you so much Izu.” “I love you so much too, Ei.” He smiled up at the redhead in front of him and cupped his own hands over the large one on his face. “You have to come back to be alive. You just have to. I can’t do this without you anymore.” “I know. I can’t either.” He leaned up into his personal space more. Eijirou happily leaned down to meet him in the middle for a kiss. They melted against each other as they shared the last few kisses they would be able to for a while. “Deku. Red Riot.” The sound of their teacher’s voice cut the sweet moment and brought them both back to reality. “It’s time to go.” “Yes, Sensei.” Eijirou gave Izuku one last kiss before letting him go. “Go save the country and come back to me.” “Of course. Please be careful out there and come back to me.” “I will.” Izuku gave him one more kiss before turning to join their teacher and the others that were going to lure All for One out to them. He glanced around at everyone gathered around. He caught sight of all of his friends and Fatgum. He didn't want to lose any of them but he knew they had to do this. They had to bring All for One, Shigaraki, and the rest of the villains down and stop the chaos they were trying to release on the world. They could do this. He knew they were more than capable. He just hoped they didn’t lose anyone in the process.

[everysongineverykey]

i think it's dangerous to forget that although the character writing in deltarune is really really good, and it's remarkable that toby has managed to set up most of the main cast as lovable and well-developed and compelling in just the first two chapters, it is still just the first two chapters. there is SO much we don't know about everybody's character and backstory yet. susie, kris, and ralsei are the biggest mysteries, sure, but noelle clearly has a lot of character exposition to get through as well before we can understand her better, as does berdly. thinking we already know characters like the back of our hand can lead to instances like the newest girl girl blog post where people were calling susie ooc just because they thought she had been unshakably established as someone who "only bullies reactively" which. no?? what about when she stomped through the dark world in chapter 1 beating up everyone in her way? what about "but susie, what if the enemy might be nice?" "yeah, there's a word for that. striking first." we don't know nearly as much as we think we do. maybe susie only bullies when provoked, but (at least in and before chapter 1) she views everything as a provocation. she was very much okay with striking first to protect herself. and kris laughing at her when she attempts to scare them would DEFINITELY have come off as a challenge to someone like that. obviously it's not okay what she said, it's massively fucked up, but everyone in this game is fucked up in some way. don't assume every character is going to be perfectly laid out in front of you like an open book in the first two chapters of a seven-chapter story.

[floccinaucinihilipilificationa]

Hello may 31th anon! Look at that, another year behind us and a new one to come. Have a nice day! ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡

[willowser]

i just think katsuki is a very pinch their nose, tug on their ear, squish their cheeks, grab their whole face in his hand, hold them upside down by the ankles, put them in a headlock kind of dad.

[bluegiragi]

bunny konig 🐰

nsfw version on patreon

[softmangoes]

you, the LIs, and a bundle of rope

18+ only

pure! sydney is intrigued. "is this what you needed help with?" he chuckles softly, his golden eyes are so warm, so honey-sweet. you want to drink him, have him melt onto your tongue like communion. when you tug on his chest harness to take his bottom lip between your teeth, he mewls against your mouth.

corrupt! sydney is ecstatic. "beloved," he purrs, his limbs ensared by the rope you carefully wove around him. a bead of drool glistens in the corner of his mouth as the vibrator hums inside of him. "why don't you come a little closer?" his tongue, wet and pink, traces his lips. there's hunger in his eyes. "it's been too long since i've tasted you."

whitney fights you. "fucking freak," he spits, struggling to free himself. you knew he would be difficult and you certainly have a few more bruises. and yet, you can't help but admit that he looks so cute all helpless like that, fury twisting his flushed face. his protests quiet once you take him into your mouth, his snarls turning into nothing more than breathy huffs.

there's a glazed look in kylar's eyes. "m-my love?" he stutters, straining against the rope constricting his arms. tears begin to well in his eyes. you are so far. too far. can't you see that he needs you? why can't you hold him? it's only when you straddle him and take him inside that he finds his breath, planting desperate kisses along your chest as you fuck him into a whimpering mess.

"you thought this would work?" eden scoffs, breaking free with ease. he's on you before you can even realize it, tying your wrists to the bedpost with the practiced grace of years of trapping prey. his breath is hot on your neck, his teeth sharp. "it'll take a lot more than that to keep me from you," he growls, taking ahold of your hips before thrusting into you.

robin laughs. "i didn't know you were into this stuff," he says. you trail your fingers along his skin, grazing the knots across his chest. his breath hitches as you reach between his thighs, his length twitching against the warmth of your palm. he licks his lips, nervous. a blush spreads across his face. "you'll be gentle with me...right?"

"you think that can bind me?" the wraith croons curiously, the rope phasing through him. a cool tentacle wraps around you, pulling you into his embrace. fingers slip under your shirt as his tendrils caress your thighs. they sink into you while a pair of luminescent eyes train on you, amused. his gaze is depthless and full of a desire you cannot begin to fathom. the tentacle curls within you, making you moan against his neck. "we are already bound, droplet."

[cattimeswithjellie]

The First Rule

So just a reminder to everybody: the first rule of Hermitcraft fandom on any platform is DO NOT BE AN ASSHOLE TO THE HERMITS!

I will repeat it for anyone who was skimming the first time.

DO NOT BE AN ASSHOLE TO THE HERMITS!

I'm not sure why this is so hard for some people, especially on Twitter and Reddit, but we on Tumblr are not immune either. The Hermits are people and they are artists and they are entertainers. They are not your punching bags, their are not your parasocial therapists, and they are not mouthpieces for your political causes! Using them for any of these things is NOT OKAY.

The mental health of all the Hermits would probably be improved if they could just go completely private on their social media, only engage with their real-life friends and people they like, but they can't. Social media engagement is required for their work. That means that bellying up to the comment section and demanding they agree with your political opinions is like doing that to the barista at your coffeeshop while they're trying to pull you an espresso. It's totally inappropriate, it's bullying (especially in large numbers) and it's not going to get you what you want, if what you want is good Hermitcraft.

If you want to strike on your blog, that's fine. If you want to try and have nuanced political discussions on a format that only rewards lightning-fast bite size takes, no matter how bad they are, go for it. But the moment, the very instant you start badgering other people to do the same, you're wrong and you need to stop. This applies _especially_ when you know that the people you're badgering are reliant upon their social media for their livelihood. Nobody ever became morally good from what they do on Twitter or Reddit or Tumblr or Tiktok, but a hell of a lot of people have become worse.

[dovewingkinnie]

good teacher

[vitamimesea]

Some designs of Mike's best friends for the AU! Still figuring out a name for it yet, but it will center on the masked bullies dealing with the consequences of their actions.

UPDATE: The name of the AU is Past Bites Back!

[fletcherwilbury]

@summer-of-whump Day 13: "Did I say you could stop?"

Warning for past bullying and canon-typical violence

[uncanny-tranny]

The nice thing about reaching adulthood as a trans person is that there are plenty of instances where, before as a kid, your transness mattered, but now it doesn't necessarily

When I was in high school, I was required to take a P.E. class to graduate, and I was always yelled at for being late and bringing my backpack to class with me because I couldn't change in locker rooms like the other guys. I changed in a faculty restroom and brought my bag with me, my tardiness be damned. It gave me an unhealthy view of fitness because I despised how othered I felt, and I couldn't articulate why I didn't feel safe necessarily. I felt like transness would always be what others saw before they saw me, and I hated that feeling. I don't like being seen as The Trans Person, I just like being seen as me, where being trans is part of me but not the whole.

However, as an adult, I can join a gym and they don't fucking care. I get to retrain how to have a healthy relationship with fitness on my own terms because now, I have the freedom to be left the fuck alone about my transness. I love weightlifting, I love feeling physically fit, and high school was not the place for me as a trans person.

If any young trans person is feeling how I felt about their transness being front-and-center, just, please hold out hope. I know shit's scary, especially for you young people, and I do not blame you for how you feel. Just know that there can be good out there.

[cemeterything]

i can't believe there's a most annoying tumblr users poll and nobody nominated me when there are literally posts about how i'm the worst tumblr user out there with more notes than the population of some people's hometowns, but i'm glad nobody did considering how much harassment i've dealt with because of those posts to the point that i wouldn't wish the experience on my worst enemies. what a stupid, cruel idea. i hope whoever came up with it is ashamed of themselves.

[happyk44]

Obsessing over the concept of Percy having so many dreams about Nico dying in front of him in different ways at camp or on quests and he has no idea what to do about them so he starts trying to get Nico to hang out with him and tries asking him in subtle ways about what's going on, trying to figure out if Nico is in dangerous without possibly freaking him out about Percy's dreams (who would feel safe if someone kept having dreams about them being murdered by faceless entities in orange shirts or killed by monsters)i

It goes nowhere. Nico is apparently fine, flitting between camp and the underworld and New Rome as he wishes. With more underworld kids coming into CHB for the summer, he's started spending more and more time there though, and all Percy can think of orange shirts and Nico's blood drenched in them

Eventually he caves and drives to camp, hunting down and cornering Clovis, who's passed out in a sunbeam like a cat. Percy steps into the grass and kicks him gently. Clovis wakes slow and tilts his face towards Percy. He stretches long, yawns loud. Percy stifles a responding yawn and squats.

"What's up, Percy?" Clovis hums.

Percy tugs at his fingers as he finds the right words. "I keep having shitry dreams," he decides on. Clovis arches a brow. Percy sits back and pinches the bridge of his nose. "What does it mean when you keep having dreams about someone dying?"

Baby blue blanket creasing, Clovis cocks his head. "Who's dying?"

Percy grits his teeth. "Does it matter?"

"Well, some dreams are just subconscious processing and some are my siblings being weird." Clovis blinks slow. People compare him to cows a lot, that baby softness on his cheeks and easy going demeanour. But Percy sees a cat more than anything. Domesticated and pampered. "And some are prophetic."

The grit of his teeth begins to hurt his jaw. "How do you know which one is which?"

Clovis hums and sits up slowly. He reaches down to his toes and flexes with a long groaning grunt. He gives a little sigh as he pulls away. "Well, I'd have to ask them if they're doing things. As for subconscious processing, that's just what's going on in your brain. And prophecies..." He hums thoughtfully. "I guess you wouldn't know until it happens." With half-closed eyes, he faces Percy. His head lags to the side. "So is there anything going on your brain to worry about this person dying?"

"Well, there is now," Percy says through gritted teeth. Clovis laughs, a trilling dreamy sound. Percy glares at him. "Clovis."

He shrugs. "I can ask around tonight." He picks at a blade of grass. "Who is it?"

Behind them, Nico is calling out to someone. It makes Percy's skin crawl. Kids laugh and Nico laughs and Percy wants to grab him and hide him. Clovis's bright orange camp shirt makes him feel like a bull, caged up with some idiot waving a red flag in front of him. He needs to rush forward and break the things bothering him. Skewer them and feel their blood drip down his skin.

He's starting to lose his mind.

"It doesn't matter." He too aware that the gap between question and answer was too long.

Clovis isn't looking at him but he feels watched anyway. "It could," Clovis says. "But at least I know it's not Annabeth. Or Grover." Percy startles and Clovis's grin is soft. "If it was, you would have said it before you even sat down." He gives another big stretch then flops back on his blanket, rolling over into a warmer brighter patch of sun. "Actually, you'd say if it was anyone." He tucks his legs up into his chest. "You'd keep quiet because you don't want to worry them. Which means there's probably some real concern there."

His eyes slide fully shut and he doesn't speak again. Heart pounding, Percy watches his serene face. He doesn't like that Clovis picked him apart like that. But not much he can complain or deny in it.

Knees whining, he stands slow. Part of him misses the Achilles' Curse for that reason alone. He liked it more when his body didn't hurt because of constant strenuous activity and the passage of time. He runs a hand through his hair.

What is he supposed to do? Wait for Clovis to tell him that his siblings were being assholes for no reason? To sit down and meditate about the reason his mind was focused in on Nico dying in various ways? Or worry unendingly that the universe was giving him a sneak peek at the future and soon he'd be standing at Nico's memorial, trying to figure out which person around him was the killer?

"Percy!"

He startles and turns. His skin crawls as Nico jogs up to him. There's a little boy practically pinned to his side. The closet they grow, the more Percy wants to shove Nico down deep where no one can find him. Ocean depths. He'd like the darkness, Percy thinks. Then he slaps the thought away as his arms begin to rise, his gut yanking towards the beach.

"Hey." It comes out breathless and wispy. "What's up?"

Nico's smile is gentle. It makes Percy's stomach cramp, the idea of it gone forever, bled out on forest grass. "Joel and I were seeing if he could summon ghosts." He gazes down at the little boy still tucked into his side. The kid is looking at Clovis. "Might be a bit of a trial for him though."

When the kid doesn't stop looking at Clovis, Nico pinches his ear and he tucks his face into Nico's side instead. He gives a ragged breath but Nico's easygoing look doesn't change.

It flits to the top of his tongue, but Nico answers before Percy has a chance to open his mouth.

"Ker," he says, "is his mom."

There is little Percy has forgotten from any of his underworld adventures, including being chased by those spirits while trying to stop Ethan from escaping with the sword. Violent death and disease. Feasted on human flesh. They couldn't kill, but they could harm and give death a jumpstart.

Percy's shoulder gives a phantom throb at the reminder.

"Didn't know she'd be interested in having kids," he says.

Nico's lip twitches and his arm curved around Joel's shoulders tightens him closer. "He's technically adopted." Joel's face tilts further away from Percy. "She thought he was cute."

There's definitely more to that story that Percy doesn't know how to ask about, so he just agrees passively that Joel is cute and they move on. Joel doesn't speak to anyone but Nico or make eye contact. He's a barnacle on Nico's side.

All Percy can focus on is his bright orange shirt and the violent death that thrums in his veins and how close he is to Nico. It would be accidental, Percy thinks, if Joel killed him. It's clear he likes Nico. It would be accidental if Nico was torn to shreds.

Percy wonders how easy it would be to get water into his lungs from the bottle he drinks from, how suspicious it would be if he drowned on dry land. Quickly he leaves with rushed goodbye. His hands are already plunging into pockets for his keys. He doesn't hear Nico's goodbye.

That night he dreads his dreams more than ever.

Joel is there this time. His face is wet, half hidden in shadows. Nico is front of him, sword out, protective. Then things slip and it's not Nico and Joel anymore, but one older girl and two younger kids behind her. The kids look terrified but the girl is enraged. Her obsidian sword slashes at someone rushing forward.

The world is too bright, Percy thinks. There are no shadows. It's like the sun is standing in front of them.

The girl shouts and beats off a pair of people who charge at her. With snapped necks, they fall to the ground in front of her. She yells and shoves her sword into the ground.

It splits so easily. The grass trembles. The earth rumbles. Skeletal hands claw out of the ground. Hazy spectres join them. The girl turns and grabs the kids while people fight the entities she summoned. The world is so bright, but there's shadows at the edge of the sunlight. She won't stop running. One of the kids runs alongside her. The other is held in her arms.

The shadows twist and flex towards them. It's unable to spread into the light. They're closing in. The first kid is closer, free of the weight of another person. The shadows greet her but she stumbles to a sudden stop, spinning around and staring pleadingly at the girl Percy realizes is one of Nico's half-sisters from long before.

Are the kids' Joel's half-siblings? he wonders.

"Go!" the girl shouts. The kid hesitates but the girl shouts again, "GO!"

The shadows swallow the kid with a wispy black maw. The girl is almost there when the ground creaks and groans. It rumbles violently, separating and splitting at the very seams. The earth opens before her.

Percy can see the decision she makes before she makes it, jumping over a gap in the earth before it splits too wide. She doesn't stop running even as she tosses the other kid into the air. He screams, a bloodcurdling thing that chills Percy down to his bones.

The shadows catch him. And he's gone.

The girl pants, gripping her knees as she bends over. The earth stops quaking. There's a few seconds where the only sound is panting. But as the people they were fleeing from close in, the girl laughs breathlessly and turns around.

"Isn't it fun when we chase each other?" she says. "I think we should do that more."

The leader of the little group is some tall boy who looks like he's never smiled in his life. He's bulky. Each muscle bulges and he glares. The girl is unphased.

"How dare you?" he seethes.

She rolls her eyes. "Well, my dad protects their parents." She grins, eyes dark like the void. Her hands flex at her side. "Why shouldn't I protect them? Especially since you refuse to listen to reason." She gestures widely. "Just because Chthonic is in the title doesn't mean it's bad. Chthonic means dirt, earth." She just her chin towards one of the kids. "You are technically Chthonic." She shrugs. "Besides, you fucking morons, they're kids. What kind of dipshit is scared of little kids just because their dad picks up dead people for a living?"

Her arms haven't lowered from where she's spread them. Her hands flex again, each finger tapping in the air, one after the other. Percy can't hear anything else that's said. It all goes muffled. It's obvious arguing. Judging from the pulled weapons, there are threats abound.

Then the earth breaks.

It's not the same as the earthquake before. This is a complete cave-in, the ground falling out from under their feet. She's the only person who doesn't look terrified to be falling. They all disappear into darkness. Like teeth chomping, the earth slams back together and seals itself over.

Then there's his ceiling. His fan is going in fast circles, a soft whrrrrr.

Sweat is sticky against his neck. Oh, he thinks.

Violent death and disease being present at every meal, every training, every campfire song. Someone was probably unnerved by it. Unnerved by him. Nico's protective hold was a wall in front of the bomb. It needed to be broken down so the danger could be disposed of, bomb defused.

He doesn't know when he grabbed his phone. Only aware of it pressed to his ear by the ringing. It goes for a while. His stomach churns.

A tired "H'lo?" passes through.

His stomach doesn't settle. "Hey, Nico. Sorry." He glances at his clock and winces. "Did I wake up?"

Nico snorts. "No," he grumbles. "I'm a vampire." Quiet breathing, tense silence. "Percy? Why are we on the phone right now?"

"I..." Percy pauses. Glances up to his ceiling fan, still spinning in fast circles. "I just. Had a weird dream." Nico makes a "go on" noise. Percy bites his lip and leans against the wall, drawing his knees up to his bare chest. "Have any of your siblings had to..."

Fight against other campers? Run with a pair of kids people wanted to kill because they thought they were dangerous? Commit suicide to stop those from going after the kids once they were safely away somewhere else?

There's nothing good in those questions.

He closes his eyes. "What was camp like for your siblings? Before?"

"Uh." There's some rustling. "Not good. Most campers didn't trust us because of the whole Underworld children thing. Lucky for them, my dad doesn't really go around spawning kids on a monthly basis."

Percy snorted. His fingers wove themselves into his sheets so tight they started to go numb.

"But we didn't have a lot of friends. People avoided us."

Blood on dark grass flickers through Percy's mind. "Or killed you," he blurts out.

His mind shuts down at the words. He can't process what he's said, barely hearing the whrrr of his ceiling fan or the sound of his own breath. His skin floats away from him. Then pulls back solid when Nico says, "How did you know that?"

He swallows thickly. "Like I said. Weird dream."

"About my siblings being killed at camp?"

Nico viciously protecting Joel comes to mind and sticks in place. "No," he says after a beat. "Technically I think she committed murder-suicide."

"Which one?"

Percy hates that question. Sourness floods his tongue and he answers with a gritted, "I didn't get a name. She was fighting off other campers, trying to protect a couple other kids from getting hurt."

A sarcastic little laugh echoes through the receiver. "Yeah, that's happen more than once."

The sheets unwind from his numb fingertips. "Fuck."

"It's been over five thousand years, Percy," Nico says. "Things tend to repeat themselves a few times." Percy doesn't know what to say to that. "Why were you dreaming about one of my sisters anyway?"

"I don't know," he says. It's the truth. He has no idea. But he has theories. And he has fears. "She was just there."

Nico is quiet. The sound of his breathing is steady, and Percy hones in on it. He matches each inhale and exhale with his own breaths.

When Nico does speak again, he almost sounds far away. "That's odd." There's a creak and a thump, like feet hitting the tile. "Is that why you were talking to Clovis?"

No. "Yeah."

"Interesting." His voice is faint, before suddenly loud and fast. "Hey, I have to go."

Percy's stomach churns violently. "But-"

His words speed fast together as he says, "I have to go do something, I'll call you back later."

There's no dial tone, just a loud clattering that makes Percy's heart drop directly into his stomach. Clovis's sleepy voice eclipses to max volume in his head. And prophecies... I guess you wouldn't know until it happens.

A dozen thoughts blur through his mind as he hikes up the window to the fire escape outside his bedroom. He should tell his mom he's leaving, he should call Grover, he should call Annabeth, he should make someone check on Nico.

He gropes around the top of his dresser for a spare dog whistle then blows through it hard and sharp as he clambours out through the window, shirtless, shoeless, and panicking.

Mrs. O'Leary barks up at him from the dark alleyway. Shadows still cling to her dark fur. He doesn't even bother racing down the stairs. Just throws himself over the railing. Nico's name echoes in his head like a broken record as he falls. Soft fur grips tight in his hands. He doesn't feel the pain of landing, shadows swallowing them both before he can even recognize that he did.

It's strange to appear just a few feet away from a gaggle of kids threatening your cousin and the kid he's chosen to protect. Behind the group yelling words Percy can't hear under the roar of blood in his ears, there's a couple other kids - twins of Erebus - sneaking towards them.

They get close.

But they get caught.

Nico snaps forward and Percy's hitting the ground before he understands what's happening. It goes by so fast, he can barely remember his own actions. Everyone's still breathing. But banged up heavily, or unconscious. Joel is crying wheezy little tears while his aunts try to comfort him, and Nico...

Nico is gripped so tight in Percy's arms that Percy worries he might've broken something. He relaxes slow. Nico detaches. Mrs. O'Leary's hot breath huffs against the top of his head. Nico gives her a pat on the nose, not looking at Percy as he turns to Joel and checks in on him.

Percy's watching the slump of bruised campers before him. His blood feels too hot. Sweat drips down his back but his skin is too dry. He takes a step forward. A hand shoves against his chest and he gazes down at void eyes.

The world slams back into place.

He breathes.

"You are ocean water," Nico says very quietly. "Not blood and human viscera."

His mouth is dry. There's something inside him that wants. "Water is water."

"Not like that," Nico says. Percy swallows and steps back. Nico lowers his hand. Then turns to face Joel and the twins. His voice brightens up, feigned cheeriness, as he marches towards them. "Joel, do you want to go live with my brother's cult?"

Distantly Percy feels like he remembers Nico saying something about that once, but he can't remember what, so his mind draws question marks he doesn't ask as he twists on his heel. Nico crouches, speaking in a steady soft tone. The girls are holding each other's hands. They spare looks for the people who were scared of their nephew, and spare looks towards Percy. It's the same look.

They look away when Nico says something to them, vanishing hand-in-hand into shadows. Nico whistles and Mrs. O'Leary approaches with heavy steps. Joel hugs her leg. His ragged breaths are wheezed tired and weary into her fur. Nico keeps a steady hand on his back.

There is no murder-suicide this time. Instead the shadows swell and deposits the twins, with Mr. D and Chiron beside them. Nico cuts them off when Chiron tries to question him. He takes long way out with the girls on either side of him towards the Apollo cabin.

He doesn't follow the girls back into the woods with healers on their tail. Instead he opens the door to the Hades cabin and sits on a wooden chair. There's a buzz of white noise from a nearby noise machine. Otherwise everything is quiet. Nico's phone sits where it had been dropped to the ground minutes before.

His blood still feels too hot.

It feels like hours later when Nico walks in. However, the clock on the wall says it's only been twenty minutes. Joel is tucked up into his side. He goes down without a fight into Nico's bed. Lets himself be tucked in and drift off. Then Nico pulls another chair around and settles down in front of Percy, straddling the chair backwards. His arms cross over the top. His chin rests on folded wrists.

They watch each other. Then Nico moves to rest his cheek on his wrists instead. "You've been having those dreams for a while?"

Percy makes an affirmative noise.

"They haven't really been about my siblings, have they?"

He doesn't answer that. Instead, he says, "If people kept doing things like this, why didn't you guys make your own place?"

"We did," Nico says. "A few times actually. But no one liked that they didn't know what we were doing. So they made us come back to be hated and suffer." He snorts. "The old adage - keeps your friends close and enemies closer."

Percy doesn't laugh. "Why did she adopt him?"

Nico lifts his head. "Some things had happened when she found him. She took an interest and gave him her blessing."

"What things?"

Nico looks to the ceiling. "Things that help her fill her fridge with food to eat." His eyes flicker back down to Percy. "Only Chiron and Mr. D know the specifics. But Joel is fine." He glances over his shoulder. "He's a good kid. No one needs to be scared of him." He turns back to Percy. "Now answer my question."

Blood still too hot, Percy stares at a spot just above Nico's head. Then grits his teeth. "I don't like watching you die."

"I'm not scared of dying," Nico says. "None of us are. It's why it's always been so easy to take care of them. Take the dislike, take the insults, take the threats."

Percy stares at him. Then repeats, "I don't like watching you die."

Nico stares back. "You're not going to."

It's hard to believe that. So he leans forward, reaching out to grab the top of Nico's chair and pull it down until he can feel Nico's cool breath against his skin. "If I keep having those dreams, I'm gonna take a page from your dad's book and kidnap you."

Nico's lips twitch, but his voice stays even. "Then I guess you should keep in mind to make room in your dungeon because I'll be bringing a few people along." He lifts a hand and strokes a thumb down the side of Percy's face. "I heard your siblings were pretty protective too." His fingers slip away. Percy's skin yearns. "Something about how the ocean drowns what it loves and drowns what it hates."

That's not protection, Percy thinks. It's possession.

But he doesn't say that outloud.

Not yet.

He slowly lets the chair fall backwards until it lands stable on all four legs. He wants to deny Nico's statement about drowning. But he has - at least what he hates. Ahkyls, the mountain lion that tried to attack Grover, those kids. Only one success. But the want, the need...

"I should head home," he says slowly. It takes him a minute to process his words and stand up, heading for the door.

Nico makes a low noise and stands too. "Sweet dreams," he says once Percy has walked out into the night, still barefoot and shirtless.

Percy climbs onto Mrs. O'Leary's back. "I hope so."

[smashlovesscream]

Guys,

Bullying is a team sport.

A stuilly activity.

so please feel free to abuse a friend with your billy coded buddy or your stu coded hell raiser

[whumpshaped]

tw royal whump, abuse of power, past torture, implied future torture, bullying for zero reason, drowning

Whumpee had been working for hours. The Hall was enormous; the floor seemed to stretch into infinity whenever they looked up. So they just stopped looking, working square inch by square inch, never daring to check how much more work they had left.

Their knees were aching, bones pressed against an unforgivingly hard surface, skin catching on every little bump. Their arms and back were burning with the exertion, but they continued scrubbing, rewetting and wringing out the cloth again and again.

Just a little more, surely. They had to be close to done by now.

They didn’t stop working when they heard footsteps. People inside the palace would come and go all the time, it wasn’t any of their business — except this set of footsteps seemed to grow nearer still, way beyond the threshold of the Hall.

Whumpee didn’t look up. They scrubbed even more diligently, keeping their head low and their movements as silent as possible. It didn’t matter. By the time those expensive boots entered their field of vision, they already knew who it was. There was only one person who never left them alone even while working.

Her Majesty’s second son was as much of a brat as one could get, even within the royal family; with all the power and none of the responsibility, plenty of free time, and an unexplainable sadistic streak, he was the subject of many of Whumpee’s recurring nightmares. They didn’t understand what they’d done to warrant being the prince’s favourite chewtoy, and they were starting to suspect there wasn’t a reason, aside from simple misfortune.

“Busy?”

Whumpee put down the cloth, still keeping their eyes fixed on the floor. What were they supposed to say? Yes, they were, but that could come off rude. If they said no, however… well, that was a clear lie. “I’m happy to assist in whatever Your Highness may need,” they said in the end, hoping it was good enough.

“Look at me.” Whumpee swallowed and looked up, meeting the prince’s icy cold eyes. If there ever was a picture of pure malice, it must’ve been based off of him. “Do you think you’re doing a good job here, servant?”

“I’m doing the best job I can possibly–”

“Look at the water.” The prince suddenly grabbed them by the hair, making them yelp as they were dragged over to the bucket. “It’s filthy. You should’ve brought fresh water long ago, that’s not going to clean anything.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness. I apologise. I’ll bring–” They were cut off when the prince let go, shoving them down towards the admittedly quite dirty water. They caught themself before they could’ve fallen, their face just inches away from being submerged. “I’ll bring–”

He stepped on the back of their head, pushing them down as far as their body would allow. They didn’t have a chance to take a deep breath beforehand, and they certainly wouldn’t get one now. Their terrified whines and whimpers escaped them in large bubbles of precious oxygen, but the prince showed no sign of wanting to let them up.

They couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t–

The pressure suddenly disappeared and Whumpee yanked their head out of the bucket, getting water everywhere as they coughed and sputtered. Their lungs were burning with all the inhaled musky water, their throat scratchy and in pain from the abuse.

“Oh, by the way,” the prince began casually while they were still wheezing, “Mother sent me to check on the state of the Hall, since the event is about to start soon. I’m sure she will be very disappointed when I tell her–”

“I’ll be quicker,” Whumpee choked out, every word bringing more agony. “Please, Your Highness, I–”

The prince didn’t hesitate to kick them in the ribs with those expensive boots, and through the pain, Whumpee wondered how severely they’d be punished if their useless body were to make a scratch in the leather. “Do not interrupt me,” he hissed. “You can’t do your damn job or show respect? Have you already forgotten the last lashing?”

They couldn’t answer. It all hurt so much, they were too scared, they hated it all–

“That’s quite alright, I suppose. When I tell Mother about the servant who caused the delay, I’ll simply offer to handle the punishment arrangements myself. It’ll be a nice refresher — since the water doesn’t seem to have been enough.”