#bloody clothes

[how-much-for-a-whump]

Yabani 5. Bölüm

Prompt: "Curled up"

source

#yabani #halit özgür sarı #curled up #turkish #turkish series #whump #male whump #whumpedit #wounded #injured shoulder #blood #bloody clothes #shirtless #cared for #comfort #blanket #emotional #face touching #bandage

[letthewhumpbegin]

Criminal Minds, s4e1

#criminal minds #aaron hotchner #thomas gibson #whump #whump gifs #blood #bloody clothes #fainting #collapse #ltwbcriminalminds

[iwritewhump]

Bloody clothes

day 6 of @whumptember

431 words

warnings: teenage whumpee, bloody clothes, conditioned whumpee (implied)

part one | part three | part four | part five | part six

---

Hero sits next to Villain, cheek resting against his shoulder as the sun rises. She sighs and looks up at him, “Do you wanna go wake him up? I need to get back before Superhero sends a search party. I didn’t tell him I was coming here. Didn’t think it’d be the best idea, y’know?” 

Villain smiles and nods, “Just…wait here? I didn’t tell him I was calling you.” 

“Sure,” Hero smiles, “Yeah, that’s probably best.” 

Villain stands up and takes their empty mugs to the kitchen, gently setting them in the sink before walking down the hallway and knocking on the door. 

“Vigilante? Are you awake?” He pushes the door open and takes a step in the room. 

Vigilante shoots up from the bed, he pushes back to the headboard and pulls the blanket with him. Panting, he looks at Villain. 

Villain raises his hands slowly and takes another step forward, “Sorry, I…I should’ve waited for you to answer. Are you alright?” 

Vigilante scoffs but relaxes a little, the white-knuckle grip on the sheets loosening a little. “What’s going on?” 

“I called someone and she’s going to take you with her. You’ll be safer with her than I could ever imagine you being here.” Villain flips the light switch on and Vigilante winces at the brightness. “Do you wanna go meet her, or do you want her to come in here?” 

He shakes his head, “I don’t-I’m not gonna leave you. I don’t feel safe with anyone but you. Please…don’t make me go?” 

Villain sighs and sits on the foot of the bed, ignoring the pang in his heart when Vigilante pulls farther away. 

“I can’t keep you safe,” he says softly. “She’s good at doing that, she kept me safe for a long time, and I know it’s scary. But it’s what’s best. Trust me?” 

Vigilante leans his head against the headboard and takes a deep breath. He looks back at Villain and nods, “I’ll go out there. But…not right now? 

“Yeah,” Villain smiles and laughs in relief, “Of course! Take your time.” He stands up and turns to leave, but his eyes catch on something. 

A small pile of clothes are heaped in the corner of the room, blood spotting the cloth. Villain walks towards it and picks it up, “I’ll wash these for you, yeah?” 

Vigilante stares blankly at them, he shakes his head. “Just throw them out.” he closes his eyes and curls into himself. “Please.” 

Villain nods and holds everything under his arm, trying his best to hide all the dark brown stains from Vigilante. 

#whumptember #whumptember2023 #whumptember2023 day 6 #bloody clothes #teenage whumpee #vigilante whumpee #villain caretaker #escaped whumpee #whump #whump fic #whump writing #my writing #whumpee #caretaker

[arecaceae175]

Febuwhump Day 24: Bloody Clothes (Legend)

AO3 link. Warnings: blood and injury, but it's not graphic

Based on pelicanpig's request on AO3 :)

“Just a little bit further, Vet. Come on,” Hyrule muttered, voice shaking. It was more to himself than anything. Legend very clearly couldn’t hear a word he said. 

One of Legend’s arms was strung over Hyrule’s shoulder. Hyrule had one hand grasping Legend’s, keeping hold of Legend’s hand in a tight grip, and his other arm was around Legend’s waist. Hyrule tried his best to keep his hand from hitting any of Legend’s wounds, but it was no use. Legend’s clothes were drenched in his blood and Hyrule couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from.

Legend’s foot caught on a root and he pitched forwards. Hyrule tightened his hold around Legend’s waist, making Legend cry out in pain. Hyrule’s legs weree already unsteady with exhaustion and he couldn’t stop them from tumbling to the ground. He was able to shift so that he hit the ground and Legend fell on top of him in a heap. 

Legend’s eyes were shut tightly, his face drawn in pain. His breathing was steady, if a bit shallow and quick. Hyrule grit his teeth and quickly pushed himself to his feet, keeping one hand on Legend to keep him steady. 

“Lege, we’re so close, I need you to get up. I can see the smoke from the fire from here,” Hyrule pleaded. 

Legend sucked in a deep breath, then slowly nodded his head. 

“Okay, ready? On three,” Hyrule said, bracing Legend’s arms. “One, two, three. ”

Hyrule did most of the work dragging Legend to his feet. Legend leaned his entire weight on Hyrule, and his head lolled to the side. Hyrule’s heart skipped a beat. 

“Legend?” Hyrule said. “Are you with me?” 

“Fuck this,” Legend muttered, not even bothering to open his eyes. Hyrule huffed out a breathy laugh and shook his head as he pulled Legend’s arm over his shoulders again. Hyrule could see Legend gritting his teeth against the pain, determined not to make a sound. 

“You’re gonna be fine,” Hyrule said. “Just a little further.”

#febuwhump2023 #febuwhump #febuwhump day 24 #bloody clothes #fic #tw: #blood #injury #not graphic tho #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu fic #lu legend #lu hyrule #ace writes

[skyward-floored]

Febuwhump day 24 - bloody clothes

This was like the first one I wrote and I didn’t realize yesterday’s was going to focus on Cloud, so here we are, Cloud suffering twice in a row. Sorry man. You’ve had a pretty rough time this month XD

Minor blood/injury warning :)

Courage of ages explanation

————————————————————

Mini watched in silence as Cloud strode resolutely down the hallway in front of him, biting his lip when the older hero’s breath wheezed a little.

They’d barely said anything to each other since they’d been separated from Hibiscus and Sprite in the middle of a fight against some armored knights, Mini only asking whether Cloud had been okay after he’d seen him get hit. Cloud had brushed him off and they had continued through the odd dungeon where they’d ended up, hoping their missing companions were still in the temple somewhere.

They hadn’t said a word to each other since.

Mini could hear Cloud’s breath starting to rasp in his throat though, and his steps had slowed drastically in the past few minutes. He suddenly stumbled, and had to lean against a wall for a second, and Mini couldn’t stand watching him push himself any more.

“Cloud, I think we should stop,” he said quietly, coming up to his elbow.

Cloud swallowed and took a rasping breath, then pushed himself off the wall and kept walking. “No, we need... we need to keep going.”

Mini bit his lip and put a hand on Cloud’s arm.

”Cloud if you keep going like this you might hurt yourself more,” he continued, looking up at him worriedly. “I know you said it wasn’t bad, but...”

Cloud continued to walk, though it was more of a stumble now. “Mini... we’ve got to find Sprite and Hibiscus, or they...”

He stopped suddenly and hissed in pain, clutching at his chest.

Mini felt his stomach drop and darted around in front of Cloud, carefully pulling his hand off his shirt. He stared in dismay at the red starting to soak through Cloud’s tunic, crimson staining the green, and he gently tugged the hand still in his own.

“That looks bad Cloud.”

“N-no, I’ll be okay,”

Mini frowned. “Are you sure?”

Cloud winced, putting the hand not in Mini’s over his chest again. “We don’t have time to stop, we have to find, ngh, Sprite and Hib...”

Mini tugged on his arm. “Cloud, please sit down, it’s okay, they can wait a little longer.”

Cloud swallowed and looked down the hall, worry in every line on his face.

“But what if they can’t? W-what if we’re... we’re too—”

“Well you won’t be any use to them like this!” Mini cried, and couldn’t help the scared note that snuck into it. Cloud obviously needed to rest, why couldn’t he see that?! “I won’t let you push yourself until you drop, I don’t care what your reasoning is! You’re hurt!“

Cloud stared down the hall in silence for another few long moments.

Then he pressed his eyes shut and sighed heavily, squeezing Mini’s hand. His shoulders sank as the fight abruptly drained away from him, and he suddenly looked completely exhausted.

“You’re right Mini,” he whispered, then slid down the wall to land on the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Mini sat down next to him without a word, and gently began unbuckling his sword strap so he could help bandage the slice.

“We’ll find them Cloud, but we gotta wait and fix you up first,” he said, helping him tug his tunic off. He helped him get out of his under shirt and half-busted chainmail as well, then breathed out a short breath at the deep slice sluggishly bleeding across Cloud’s chest. “That doesn’t look even remotely okay,” he said quietly, and Cloud sighed again.

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” he said, voice taut with pain.

Mini didn’t bother arguing, and dug through his bag, sighing at the single measly potion he had left before handing it to Cloud. “Here. Let’s see if this’ll be enough.”

He was pretty sure it wouldn’t be though.

Cloud nodded then gulped down the potion, wincing as it began to work at knitting his skin back together, sealing flesh and fusing muscle back to how it was supposed to be. Mini leaned forwards once it was done, studying the slice. It wasn’t fully healed, but it was more of a shallow cut now, and a bandage or two would probably do it.

He sighed in relief and pulled out the roll, Cloud helping him where he could in bandaging it. They were both silent while he worked, and Cloud didn’t look Mini in the eye, only wincing a little as he was patched up.

“I think we should stay here a while longer and rest,” Mini said when he’d finished, sitting down next to Cloud. “We could both use a break.”

Mini looked up at Cloud, still staring quietly off down the hall. He knew mentioning directly they were stopping solely for Cloud’s sake would never go over with the other hero, but making it seem like they both needed the rest would hopefully convince him.

Cloud nodded.

Mini sighed in relief and settled in next to him, hoping his body heat would ward off the the chill from the stones they sat on.

The hall was silent for several long moments.

“I’m sorry for scaring you Mini,” Cloud suddenly whispered, and the small hero pressed himself tighter against his side. “I just... I hope they’re okay. I was late helping someone once, and she was hurt because of it. I... I can’t let that happen again.”

“It won’t,” Mini reassured gently. “The others are tough. They’ll be okay, I know it. And I know you weren’t trying to scare me. It’s okay.”

Cloud tucked the trailing edge of his sailcloth around him, and Mini leaned his head on his arm.

“...but don’t do it again, okay?”

Cloud nodded with a small smile, and not long after fell asleep, Mini right behind him.

#short and sweet #legend of zelda #legend of Zelda au #courage of ages #coa cloud #coa mini #writing from the floor #febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #day 24 #bloody clothes

[promptsforyourwhumpfic]

Whump Prompt #949

Submitted by Anon - thanks!

A is a serial killer who's in love with B - an FBI agent. During a difficult operation, B goes missing in action. A dedicates every day to the search of their lost partner, even putting themselves in danger. Things seem to be going uphill, since A got a good lead. But then they find B's torn up, bloodied jacket on the side of a raging river, making them think that B was shot and drowned…

#whump #writing prompts #ideas #missing in action #drowning #worry #angst #hidden in plain view #fear #near death experiences #bloody clothes #blood

[whumpdiary]

#emotional whump #bloody clothes #angst #near death experience #gabriel boutin #nathan byrn #the bastard son & the devil himself

[cannibalbite]

Abigail Hobbs' (Kacey Rohl) Bloody Shirt and Jacket.

Abigail Hobbs' (Kacey Rohl) bloody shirt and jacket from episode 302 "Primavera" of Bryan Fuller's thrilling drama series Hannibal. Abigail wears a red jacket with a white shirt as her neck spews blood while in the chapel with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).

#hannibal #abigail hobbs #kacey rohl #hannibal fashion #hannibal primavera #hannibal s3e2 #bloody clothes

[exquisiteagony]

blooddrunk au

#febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday24 #vampires #rpf #my fic #ao3 #fanfic #fanfiction #blind channel fanfiction #fic #blooddrunk #bloody clothes

[side-shuffling-hyperfixations]

@febuwhump DAY 24: Bloody Clothes

Fandom: Marvel (Webb Spider-Man)

Characters: Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy

~

“Didn’t even stop for a second to give yourself a onceover before you came, didn’t even notice,” Gwen muttered, her incredulity not quite enough to mask the worry in her voice as she began prying at the zipper track. The chilly air made her fingertips buzz as she worked—as if the blood didn’t make everything slippery enough. “You really didn’t feel it?”

Slumped against the wall of the alley before her, Peter tried out a sluggish excuse for a grin. “Adrenaline rush, I guess…Who knew?” As she yanked on the zipper, he shivered, voice hitching. “My heart’s racing, my knees are weak and I…I just thought it was cos of the company I’m keeping.”

Gwen swallowed her instinctive retort that now was not an ideal time to be stupidly romantic. If he hadn’t been, neither of them would have realized anything was wrong until he keeled over.

They had both been a little late to their rendezvous in the park; she had been waylaid by a search for her gloves which proved to be futile and he by a police chase that had evolved into a shootout. As a gentleman (and a hopeless sap), Peter had offered his nearest jacket pocket for her frigid hand. The warmth had been pleasant for about two seconds until she registered that the inside lining was not only hot but sticky.

Now as she managed to wrestle the folds of his coat open, she had to bite back a gasp and then a curse at the deep, dark streak soaking through the long-sleeved shirt underneath. Peter’s next shudder was deeper, setting off a slew of smaller tremors as he curled in on himself against the cold. His legs buckled briefly, eyes squeezing shut as he let his head fall back.

“Oh. Uh…huh, yep,” he breathed, cheeks draining of color. “T-Think I’m starting to feel it now. No good. One star outta five.”

“I’m sure the gunman would really appreciate your review. Brace yourself, okay?” Gwen warned as she yanked off her scarf and wadded it into a ball. As soon as she pressed it into his oozing side, he lurched and promptly buckled again, slapping his palms against the wall behind him to stick and hold himself upright. His next exhale was a wet croak.

“Hnhh…h-half a star.”

#marvel #spider man #the amazing spider man #fanfiction #febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday24 #bloody clothes #peter parker #gwen stacy #andrew garfield #emma stone #whump #petergwen

[how-much-for-a-whump]

Yabani 18. Bölüm

Prompt: "Stab wound"

source

#Yabani #Bertan Asllani #stab wound #turkish #turkish series #whump #male whump #whumpedit #stabbed #bloody clothes #weak #barely conscious #supported #pain #pale #sweaty #blood #help to drink #cared for #field medicine #face touching

[letthewhumpbegin]

Stranger Things, s4e7

#stranger things #stranger things netflix #stranger things spoilers #henry creel #eleven stranger things #jamie campbell bower #millie bobby brown #whump #bloody nose #bloody clothes #sarahsposts #ltwbstrangerthings

[jedi-lothwolf]

Febuwhump Day 24: Bloody Clothes

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Clone Wars

      Pain doesn't always register. Sometimes the adrenaline of trying to stay alive and keep your men alive; all while trying to win the battle in front of you, drowns out body signals. The warm blood mixed with sweat and become unnoticeable to Obi-wan. The gash in his side didn't bother him other then an uncomfortable feeling he couldn't pay attention to. It has come from a flying piece of debris. Stuff like that could move so quickly no one even knew.

    As the battle came to a close Obi-wan started to get dizzy. The uncomfortable feeling grew from when it appeared a few minutes ago. When the 212th overtook the Separatist base they knew soon they could rest. It only took a few minutes to overrun the remainder of the droids and the few sentient beings that occupied the base.

    Obi-wan searched for triage. He wanted to help prepare the men before they were taken somewhere for better help. Quickly the bloody fabric around the wound was noticed. "Sir!" The clone rushed up to their injured general.

    "Yes?" Kenobi felt lightheaded. He blamed it on dehydration.

    "You're hurt."

    "Huh? Where?" Obi-wan looked down at himself. The bright red liquid surprised him. The cloth clung to his skin. Blood allowed the man to find other injuries easier.

    Now the pain hit. The feeling brought Obi-wan to his knees. His breathing sped up and he pulled his brown robe off his shoulders and balled it up, careful to not get anymore dirt in the wound.

    The clone called for a medic and kneeled down to their general to help keep him from bleeding out. A medic would arrive and the Jedi was taken to triage.

    Once at triage the cloak was removed from the injury and thrown off to the side. Not long after Obi-wan would be moved.

    Cody had made his way to triage. He intended to help where he could as well. Seeing the blood-covered cloak struck fear into the man's heart. Cody loved Obi-wan; not that he'd ever tell him. He'd have to look later. For now he had a responsibility to help his men.

    When everything calmed Cody finally got the chance to find his general. He was fine. Visibly he relaxed and walked over to talk to him. "How are you feeling?"

    "Fine" he answered. "How are you?"

    "I'm alright. I saw your cape and got concerned. I thought I'd come check up on you."

    "That's awfully sweet of you." The two would talk about any known casualties, the next step to take, and anything else they needed to say.

    "Looks like I'll be needing a new set of robes." The general joked.

    "Looks like it."

#star wars #febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #star wars whump #star wars febuwhump #star wars the clone wars #obi wan star wars #obi wan needs a hug #obi wan whump #obi wan kenobi #commander cody #codywan #cody whump #bloody clothes #the clone wars #the clone wars whump #cody needs a hug

[faofinn]

DAY 24: bloody clothes

@febuwhump

This is related to this, possibly shiv's favourite ever piece we've written. Also! New character :)

The handover was quick and rushed, not much more to be said than already had been sent over. The crew hung around with him for a few minutes, trying to get him stabilised enough to get into theatre and survive it. 

Harrison took a step back from duty after that, the crew and his officers recognising he needed the time. Granted it, he paced outside of theatre, back and forth, back and forth, until someone snapped at him and told him to go get washed. It was only then that he realised how absolutely covered in blood he was, most of it Fao's, but a lot of if from the pack. They'd used more than normal, and Harrison had done more than he should, but none of that mattered.

Fao was alive. 

Harrison was numb as they transferred Fao, managing his handover and the slight bit more support the team needed before he was kicked from treating.

The adrenaline had faded by then, the harsh reality winding him and leaving him struggling to do anything. 

He knew he couldn’t stop, but couldn’t bring himself to leave the theatre space, just in case Fao needed him. The only thing he could do then was pace, back and forward, chewing his lip until it bled. It didn’t matter though, already covered in blood, and none of it his.

It had long since dried, soaked through to his skin, when Marcus finally got free. As soon as he'd heard it was Fao, that Hars had gone out for medical, he'd hunted his partner out. He'd not expected the state of him, though he knew some of the extent of it.

"Hars." 

He didn't listen, brushing past his shoulders and pacing the other way. 

Marcus grabbed his shoulder. “Harrison.” His voice was firm. 

"Get off me!" He snapped, whipping around. "Don't fucking touch me."

“Hey, come on now.” He said, unphased by his boyfriend‘s outburst. “Stop pacing, you’re going to wear the floor away.”

"I don't care."

“I know that’s a lie.” He said bluntly. “You can’t stay like this, you’re no use to anyone. You need a shower and to change.”

"I need to make sure he’s okay." His bravado faded quickly, his shoulders slumping. He couldn’t break, he just couldn’t. 

“You’ve done your bit, they’ve got to do theirs now. You’re no help like this. So you’re going to shower, you’re going to change, and you can sit and wait for news. Okay?”

"I can't leave him." He glanced at the doors again. "I promised him I'd look after him."

“They’re looking after him now, it’s okay.” He said. 

"But they're not me." He tried again, borderline begging. "I said I'd look after him."

“He needs their help now. It’s alright. You’ve done your job, he’s being looked after.”

"I can't leave him!" 

“He’s in good hands.” Marcus said. “You’re not leaving him.”

"Marcus, please."

“I know, I know. But have you seen yourself?”

"I don't matter."

“You’re covered in blood.”

"It's not mine."

“Doesn’t make it any better.”

"A shower, then."

“Yeah. You need it, and some clean clothes.”

"It was Fao." He managed, grabbing at Marcus as his legs gave way.

“I know it was Fao. But he’d bollock you for not looking after yourself.” He said, gripping him tight. “Alright, alright. Let’s go.” 

"I held his heart."

Marcus looped his arm around Harrison’s waist, shepherding him away from theatres. He spent a fair amount of time around here, despite it not being his job, and knew where he was going. Harrison’s quarters weren’t far, the showers nearby, and he grabbed some fresh fatigues on the way. He stopped outside the showers, his hands on Hars’ jacket. 

“Look at me?”

He slowly raised his head, barely meeting his eyes. 

“I’m gonna shove you in the shower, and it’s gonna suck, but it’s for the best, alright?”

"I really don't want one."

“I know, but you can’t stay like this.”

"I'll just get changed, I can’t."

“You need a shower, you’ve got blood literally everywhere. I’m not gonna hurt you, yeah?”

"Marcus, please."

“I know. I’m sorry, I really am, but you can’t stay like this.”

"Don't make me do this."

“I’m really sorry.” He said softly. “Don’t hate me, alright?”

"No, no, please."

Marcus sighed, reaching to turn the shower on. “It’ll be warm, it’s okay.”

He pushed against him. "No. Marcus, please."

“I’m sorry.” He said, undoing his jacket. “I’m really sorry.”

He'd descended into full blown begging, hands scrabbling at Marcus'. "Please, no."

“I know, I know.” Marcus said, catching his hands and squeezing them gently as he pushed his boyfriend under the water. He’d made sure it was warm, he wasn’t going to push Harrison even further, but he couldn’t get away without doing it. 

"Please!" He pushed him, but there wasn't any strength behind it. He slipped and pitched forward, landing in Marcus' arms.

It was a struggle, and it broke Marcus’ heart to have to do this to his boyfriend. He spoke soothingly as he tried to clean the blood from Hars, but eventually the pair of them ended up on the floor, water running over them, circling red down the drain. Curled into him, Harrison sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, and it was all Marcus could do to tell him everything was going to be okay. The lie tasted bitter on his lips.

#febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday24 #bloody clothes #whump writing #whump prompt #whump #oc #mental breakdown #emotional breakdown #trauma #ptsd #blood stained clothes #someone elses blood #army #soldiers #marcus is hars' first bf #he's hars' alex #lets just put it that way #harrison cunningham #Marcus #forced to shower

[linecrosser]

Febwhump 2023 - No.24 - Bloody clothes

someone made a mess!

#febwhump #febwhump2023 #febwhumpday24 #bloody clothes #blood #dismantling game they hunted down #and making a huge mess #or something like that #achaar djaanib #recha #kujuun

[whumpacabra]

Day 24 - Bloody Clothes

Hospital setting, wheelchair use, angst, implied character death, referenced captivity and torture, description of a corpse

[Directly follows Sleepless]

“…Can I see?” David could see Casey’s jaw working, tension gathering in his temples.

“I don’t think that’s - “

“I want - I need to see. Please.” His voice was tightening, and he dared to look up at Sarah. Even she wasn’t immune to those sad, blue eyes - and he wasn’t afraid to use that to his advantage.

Bear was dead - he had been for a while - but some part of David still needed convincing. To see for himself the rotted corpse of his best friend, his partner.

“He deserves this. And the techs will have a hell of a time getting a dental ID.” Casey shrugged, not quite meeting Sarah’s wavering gaze. “Let’s go Dave - elevator’s this way.”

—

“You sure about this?” Casey’s voice was low, soft eyes watching David with deep compassion. “It’s…not pretty.”

“Corpses in general aren’t that good looking, if you ask me.” David cracked a tight smile, breathing a sigh as he looked forward to opening elevator door. “I’m ready. It can’t be worse than what I’ve been imagining it for the last few months.”

It was closer to a year. A year buried in sand and gravel - too deep for the condors or coyotes to find - a feast for ants and beetles and worms.

David hoped he wasn’t recognizable. He couldn’t stand to look at Bear’s face again after he had betrayed him.

The morgue reminded him of Cortazar’s basement. Cold and bare and illuminated only by artificial lighting. It turned his stomach that Bear was here - was it familiar to him too? Was he still scared?

“L34…here he is. We haven’t started the autopsy proper yet - he’s not cleaned up. Are you - ?”

“We wouldn’t be down here if we weren’t.” Casey gave the mortician a nod, eyes drifting to David.

It was lucky - or not - that the compartment the body was stored in was low enough for David to see from his wheelchair.

The door opened with a soft hiss, icy air and the faint scent of decay spilling out. David breathed slowly, the way RJ had tried to teach him: four in, hold, four out.

It was lucky - or not - that the body was as unrecognizable as David had hoped. A few patches of desiccated skin and hair still clung to dried bones, eye sockets long emptied of any judgement they might hold.

The clothes he knew.

The bloodstained Metallica t-shirt, ripped at the neckline and frayed at the hem. The flannel - David’s flannel - he had given Bear when he own clothes did little to protect him from the freezing temperatures or cover bloody lashes.

The cause of death wasn’t evident, unless the crushed, broken in jaw of the skull was an indication of the brutal, horrible death he had condemned his friend to. He couldn’t quite convince himself it was inflicted post-mortem.

“Dave?” There was concern in Casey’s voice, a far away sound that drew David back from the aching, guilty nostalgia gnawing at his ribs.

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard, his voice cracking. “Yeah that’s - that’s my flannel. His shirt. Um.” It was getting harder to breathe, his voice constricted.

“We good?” David nodded in response. Casey gave a wry smile and looked to the mortician. “Alright. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” She cringed briefly at the nonchalance in her voice, words growing softer. “I‘ll take good care of him. We can coordinate contact with next of kin another time.”

David gestured for Casey to wheel him back to the elevator. His hands were numb, shaking too hard to grasp the rim of his wheels.

“Did…was there anything else? Where they found him?” David was surprised by how flat his voice sounded, drained of any emotion or energy. Casey’s concerned expression was gentle.

“Some stuff. Do you want to - ?”

“Not today.” His breathing shuddered in his chest as he wiped tears from his face. “Thanks.” Casey nodded, exhaustion etched in his expression.

“It’s the least we could do.”

[Before One step at a time]

(Part of my Freelancers: Retirement series)

#whump #febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday24 #bloody clothes #blood #angst #corpse #major character death #(implied at least) #freelancers #I always write better in the morning. feeling better abt this one than the last few. #trying (key word) to see if the readmore is gonna work this time without deleting the last three paragraphs like it did last time #edit: IT DID IT AGAIN WHY. WHY DOES IT DELETE THE LINE W THE LINK UNDER THE READMORE ANSWER ME STAFF