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whumpflash · 1 year

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Penumbra: Undoing

cw: illness, whump aftermath, death/war mentions

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They were locked in the blacksmith's woodshed; a cold, cramped room made smaller by the logs stacked along the walls. Once securely inside, one of the men loosened the bindings on Tansy's wrists; enough to grant a scrap of comfort, if not freedom of movement. Another fastened what looked like a bridle around Cerus's head, forcing the metal bit into his mouth and pulling the leather tight.

For the hundredth time, Tansy tried to pull at the party's sympathies.

"Sirs, please. I only wanted to—"

And for the hundredth time, they were ignored, this time rewarded not with a blow, but with the slamming of the woodshed door. As the footsteps outside retreated, Tansy tested the door, ignoring the throbbing of their bruised abdomen as they threw their weight against it.

It didn't give, not even a little, and they fell away from it with a wince. Their various injuries were scattered in such a way that while moving wasn't agonizing, anything they did caused some kind of pain. In their face, in their torso, in their knuckles, a flicker or a flare.

With an immediate exit out of the question, Tansy turned their attention to Cerus. They felt a twinge of relief as they watched the shallow rise and fall of his ribcage, and found themselves wondering once again why they'd done it.

Treating his wounds was one thing, but fighting for him? Hurting fellow villagers in the name of helping the damned Shadow King?

They pushed the prickly thought aside, scanning the cramped room until their eyes landed on a small woodaxe. In their hurry to lock the pair away, the search party hadn't bothered to clear the shed.

Tansy trudged over to where the axe lay, freeing their wrists, then carrying the blade over to where Cerus lay and cutting his bonds.

The man still seemed unconscious, though he was shivering uncontrollably, and after a brief moment's hesitation, Tansy sat against the wall and gently pulled Cerus into their arms, wrapping their cloak around his shuddering form and cradling him against their chest. It was likely they'd be in here for a while, and after all they'd already done, they weren't about to let him freeze to death.

Despite his fever-hot skin, Cerus leaned into them as if seeking warmth. His head lolled back onto their shoulder, eyelids fluttering as he uttered a soft groan. Shadow King or not, warmth was warmth, and Tansy made no effort to create a distance between them, instead setting half-numbed fingers to work on removing Cerus's makeshift muzzle.

They could break out of here. It would be fairly easy with the woodaxe handy, but what then? Would they spend the rest of their lives running? Would they even make it out of the village if they were dragging Cerus along? Abandoning him was no longer an option. They'd made their choice, however stupid, and they'd stick with it.

Still, there were better paths than further ruining their own life. They could wait for the Council to arrive, and explain the situation. They could claim it was a misunderstanding, and distance themselves from the Shadow King. Or maybe they could plead for mercy. For reason. Find a better fate for them both.

They'd managed to undo the first clasp on the bridle when there was a voice at the door, muffled and reedy and familiar.

"Tansy?"

They frowned. "Uncle?" Normally, Aldon would be out on the sea at this hour. Had the news already spread to him?

"So it's true."

They felt their heart sink at his tone, shock ringed with stark disbelief. Tansy wasn't particularly close with the old man, but he was the only family they had left.

"Why?" Aldon said, his voice quieting. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Tansy grimaced, fingers moving to the second clasp. All these whys. "If you'd seen him on the dock… if you could see him now, you wouldn't ask me that," they answered.

"Child—"

"He's suffered enough abuse, Uncle. I don't care who he is. I won't stand for it."

There was silence on the other side of the door, and for a moment they wondered if he'd left. Then,

"The men are saying you've allied yourself with him, Tansy," Aldon said, his tone sharpening. "Allied with the Shadow King. I'd thought them mistaken, but now—"

"Would you have me scorn a wounded man?" they cut him off, unable to keep the anger from their voice. "Leave him to die in the cold? I thought we were better than that. I thought we all were better than that."

Aldon sighed, and the door creaked, as if he were leaning on it. "Is there nothing I can say to sway you from this madness?"

Madness. There it was. Spoken insistence that Tansy really had lost all sense when they'd chosen to hold out their hand. "Nothing," they replied. For a moment, they were resolved to speak no more, to end the conversation there if it would only amount to more accusations, but thought better of it, remembering the healing herbs still tucked into their cloak.

"If you have any love for me… if blood means anything, will you bring me some hot water? And…" they swallowed, their head throbbing. "And some willow bark. For the pain."

"For him?"

"For us. Please, Uncle."

Another long silence, filled in with the slight creak of the woodshed walls and the short breaths of the Shadow King.

"I… I will. For your sake, not his."

And then the silence lingered. Tansy let out a sharp, frustrated sigh, and at last opened the final clasp, gently removing the leather from Cerus's tangled dark hair, and pulling the bit from his mouth. As they did, his body gave a little shudder. A reaction to the touch, they thought at first, but then it came again. And again, accompanied by a small gasp. Cerus was… was he crying?

Of all the things he'd done, from his insults to his wary questioning, this was the thing they'd expected the least. This was the thing they knew how to respond to the least. Even with friends in the battalion, most preferred to hide their tears. What were they to do with an enemy?

They opted for silence, shifting slightly beneath the man, hoping he couldn't sense their discomfort.

"I lost," Cerus said after what felt like forever.

"What?" they replied, wondering if the man was in the grip of a fevered dream.

"I l-lost the war," Cerus continued, his voice laced with a tremor. "The victor chooses the fate of the defeated, and the defeated accepts." The end of his sentence was choked out by a cough, but he pushed on. "I failed, and I'll reap the rewards of that failure. It's what is right."

"Is that what you think?" Tansy said.

"It's—" Another cough, punctuated by a whimper. "It's what I know."

Reaping the rewards. Was that why he seemed so numbed to the world? Had he accepted the Council's drawn-out death sentence, and consequently given up on life? They remembered how confused he'd been when they'd started cleaning his wounds, as if it was the last thing he'd expected to happen. Yet he'd gone with them without a fight, willing to bear whatever horrors a stranger decided to drown him in.

They didn't expect him to continue, but somehow were still unsurprised when he did.

"Th-thought it was a dream," Cerus said. "When I heard the shout to stop. I thought the fever had my mind, I thought, who would say that? Who would do that? Yet here you are. And I still don't know why."

Tansy opened their mouth, the same explanation they'd given a hundred times—to their uncle, to Cerus, and more than anyone else, to themselves—on their tongue, but the Shadow King spoke again before they had a chance.

"I know, I know, you don't want to see more suffering. Then look away. Or close your damned eyes." He let out a bitter laugh. "I lost. A-and I–gnh—I earned my fate."

"You think you deserve it then? All of…" they gestured aimlessly, "...this?"

He was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was even, devoid of the tearful quiver that had gripped it before, replaced with something hollow.

"Such a funny word," Cerus murmured. "Deserve. Who is to say what anyone deserves? I suppose the decision falls to whoever is in power. Yet seeing as it was these new powers who chose my fate… perhaps I do deserve this."

Before they'd won the war, before they'd watched the guards drag the Shadow King's broken body into the city square, Tansy might've agreed. A man who ruled with fear should be made to feel that fear himself, shouldn't he? Terror, pain, loss. All the things they'd wished on Cerus when their home burned, when they counted their battalion's casualties, when they raised their sword against an undead soldier.

But now that he'd tasted them all, Tansy felt no closure. They only felt tired. Putting Cerus through misery didn't make anything better. Fighting fire with fire only made more fire.

"What if you hadn't lost?" they asked. "What do you think those of us who rose against you are deserving of?"

"Death," Cerus said plainly. Despite the implications, Tansy felt no fear, nor anger, nor even indignation.

"And what would you have done?" they said.

"I would have the rebel leaders and generals executed," Cerus answered with little hesitation. "Leave their corpses hanging as a warning. Foot soldiers and lower ranks would choose to swear an oath of fealty, or follow their leaders into death." Something almost joyful had crept into his voice, and a sick sense of unease crawled into Tansy's gut in response. Cerus had reason to hate his former subjects, especially after the treatment he'd received from them, but that didn't make it any easier to hear him gleefully speak of murdering them. For a moment, they could remember their determination to see Cerus fall.

"I would double the patrols," Cerus continued. "Enforce a curfew. Set up wards to alert me of any future plots. But that would be all." His voice had grown quiet, the hint of joy swiftly fading. "The deaths of the traitors would be swift. I wouldn't—" his voice broke. "I-I wouldn't have…"

The moment passed. Not knowing what else to do, Tansy wrapped their arms around him, letting him clutch feebly at their shirtsleeves as his body shuddered with suppressed sobs. Another surprise. Even now, after all he'd endured, Cerus seemed opposed to torturing his enemies.

A soft knock came at the door, and Tansy looked up to see an earthenware flagon being passed through a gap in the boards that made up the wall. They gingerly removed themselves from behind Cerus to retrieve it. The water within was not hot, but it was warmer than the surrounding air, and they fished out the pouch of herbs, pinching some between their fingers and dropping it into the water to steep.

A finger's length of willow bark followed the flagon, and they took it with a murmured thanks.

"How long are they to keep us locked in here?" Tansy asked, once they'd repositioned themselves.

"The Council will be notified, but you will not walk free before their arrival," their uncle answered.

Would they be kept here in that time? Freezing in this tiny shed? "And when will they arrive?" they asked.

"With luck, they'll garner transport with a mage's circle and be here within a few days," Aldon replied. "But child, the village will not wait."

Dread curled in their stomach at his words. "Will not wait for what?"

The old man took an audible breath before continuing. "You are both to be punished," he said. "Flogged in the square. I tried to reason with them, but people are afraid. They want to show that the Shadow King, and… and any collaborators, are subdued."

Flogged? Tansy forced themself to take a deep breath, a futile effort to ease the curdling in their gut.

"Tansy?"

"I heard you, Uncle." They closed their eyes, resting the back of their head on the wall. "It's… it'll be alright."

"I will see if I can bring you a meal," Aldon said. "Please… I ask that you think on this in the meantime. How much are you willing to sacrifice for him?"

As the sound of their uncle's footsteps faded, Tansy placed the willow bark between their teeth, chewing anxiously. A public whipping would be both painful and humiliating for them, but for Cerus it may well be a death sentence. The bandages they'd wrapped around his torso the night before had already darkened with blood from the wounds that covered his back. The thought of layering more on top of those…

They couldn't let it happen. There was one thing they could do, one way to shield Cerus, but it wouldn't be pleasant for them.

A rueful smile crept across Tansy's face.

But what's one more sacrifice?

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@whumpwillow @rabbitdrabbles @kixngiggles @honeycollectswhump @chiswhumpcorner @whatwhumpcomments , @dont-look-me-in-the-eye , @turn-the-tables-on-them

#longish #hope it flows well? some parts seem rambly to me but no beta we write like romans #penumbra: shadow king #whump #fantasy whump #villain whump #caretaker turned whumpee #reluctant caretaker #royal whumpee #villain whumpee #royalty whump #tw death mention #i was doing really good with the ocean/fishing themed descriptions for tansy in their first appearance and it's kind of fallen off 🥲

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how-much-for-a-whump · 1 year

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FEBUWHUMP day 23:

Prompt: "You'll have to go through me."

Nemocnica S03E23

@febuwhump

#febuwhump2023 #febuwhump #febuwhumpday23 #you'll have to go through me #Nemocnica #slovak #slovak series #whump #male whump #shot #bleeding #blood #hospital #cpr #resuscitation #ambu bag #pain #Roman Varga #Richard Autner

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prodigal-explorer · 5 months

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roman sanders is the most whumpee coded character ive ever seen

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #tss #roman sanders #sanders sides fandom #whump #whumpee

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agonyalley · 1 year

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Succession 2x06

#succession #kieran culkin #jeremy strong #brian cox #kendall roy #roman roy #logan roy #whump #slap #pain #comfort #concern

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roman-cates · 16 days

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"The police… a-arrested me out of the back of your car, Master. They took… me to a house and wanted me to tell them about you and about what you do and who you work with… I di-didn't talk to them—" His voice speeds up. "I did-didn't talk to them— didn't even say one word to them— I swear—"

"Oh, puppy. I'd love to believe that… I'll have to see what my sources say."

Of course, given that Curt isn't a cop and Ross was off-duty today, she knows exactly what her sources are going to say. Have said, already. But she can't tell him that, of course, and anyway, she thinks the terror while he waits will look good on him. Not too long, though. She'll probably 'hear' about the result in the early afternoon or evening tomorrow.

"And they let you go? Even though you didn't say a word?" She allows skepticism to enter her voice, but her hand is still gentle on his face. She picks a fresh leaf out of his hair with her other hand.

"Oh, puppy. I'd love to believe that… I'll have to see what my sources say."

A little frightened whine escaped the pet's throat at that...

"And they let you go? Even though you didn't say a word?"

The pet gives a little shake of his head. "N-no, Master. I... escaped out a window and ran. They... One of them pushed me into a table and it... it cut my shoulder. When they took my shirt off to bandage it, they... they saw the tattoo you gave me. Then... they stopped questioning me. They... put me in a room... And I jumped out the window."

#rp #roman cates #roleplay #whump #whumplr reader #whumpee #whump roleplay #whump rp #bryce stryerson #caretaker

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snaillamp · 3 months

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Clash of the Bison Men

“Shit!” Roman hissed, watching the car disappear into the mist. “FUCK!” He yelled, slamming the wheel of the car, panting angrily as he drove back to town. With his spare hand, he grabbed the two-way, pressing the button in hard and his fingernail cut the silicone. “This is Rankin, I lost the car… Returning to the station.” Shae turned to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault Ro… He headed into Buffalo Head, you weren’t going to catch him once hit the forest…” Roman inhaled angrily, “But I had to catch them, Shae! I had to… Dammit!” He punched the wheel, the horn sounding loudly in the forest.

The two cops trudged back into the office. “Hmm.” Miranda greeted them. “Good try Roman. Better luck next time.” All three cops looked grim. They had been trying to find those traffickers for months, and finally had a lead… and Roman had lost them. “You two, first thing tomorrow, go to the Buffalo Head office, talk to Tom and see if he has any motion camera traps. If we can’t tail them, we’re gonna need Tom’s help finding them. He knows that park like the back of his hand.” Miranda looked serious. “We will get these guys. Now go home, get some sleep, y’all look like shit.”

Roman exhaled, walking out the door and slamming it shut. He was pissed. He wanted to get these guys. He had to!

“Ready big guy?” Shae asked, patting Roman’s shoulder. “Phew, you stink, man. You go to the gym or something?” Roman nodded, his hair messy as he ran a hand over it. It was shaved to the skin on both sides, the top longer. Usually, it was neat, slicked back, Miranda was hard on them to look good, to reflect the professionalism she expected. But today, the strands of hair were dangling down, hair in his eyes as he swooped it to the side. He looked liked he hadn’t slept all night.

He looked dead.

He grunted in reply, shoving the car into gear and driving off into town. Buffalo Head was a small town in northern Montana that Shae had moved to after her fiancé had got a job in the mine nearby. It was a sleepy, quaint town, surrounded by mountains and forests, along with the great Buffalo Head National Park. It was a famously beautiful park full of lots of hiking trails and rock climbing activities, and apparently also human traffickers…

Pulling up, the two officers trudged into the office, walking up a ridiculous amount of stairs to get the the reception. “Jesus…” Shae panted. The young officer was new to town, had only been around a few months, she had yet to experience the grand staircase of the old town hall turned Buffalo Head National Park Headquarters.

A young girl looked up from her desk, greeting the two officers. “Roman.” She smiled, standing up. “What can do you two for?” Roman sighed, rubbing his face. “Hey, Case… Tom ‘round?”

The young girl, Casey shook her head. “Long service leave. Cam’s in charge, I’ll get him!” She smiled cheerfully, whirling around to go get ‘Cam’.

Shae waited in interest as she watched Roman shuffle awkwardly, sniffing his boot on the ground. He all of a sudden looked a little timid, as he cleared his throat nervously.

Casey returned with a guy, tall, Asian and honestly, kinda cute, at least to Shae. He had cute curtain bangs, like a K-pop idol she liked. He was smiling brightly until he locked eyes with Roman. The smile disappeared in seconds, replaced with a dark scowl.

“What do you want?” He spat, walking up to Roman, his chest puffed up. The ranger was at least a head taller than Shae’s partner, who was decently tall, at least by her short standards, but this guy must be what… 6’2, maybe even ‘3? Roman met Cam’s eyes and puffed up his own chest.

“Cameron.”

“Roman.” The tension in the air was tense as the two men stared each other down, only for Roman to break first. Cameron leaned back, crossing his arms, seemingly satisfied with his win. “Can we go to your office? This is official business, on behalf of Sheriff Weston.” Roman spoke quickly, clenching his jaw as Cameron inhaled, making his already big chest bigger. “Fine.” He indicated with his head, letting the two deputies follow him.

The tall man walked into an office, sitting behind a large, honestly quite grand oak desk, folding his hands over themselves and tilting his head, waiting expectantly. “Uh…” Shae began, not knowing how to navigate the tension in the room. She had seen Roman angry before, he was always angry, but it was only now he seemed to have met his match. “So…. I’m Deputy Shae Mackroe, and I take it you know my partner Deputy Rankin…” She trailed off awkwardly as both men shot her a glance.

“Um. So! We are doing an investigation, on umm… some suspects… who we tracked into Buffalo Head last night. Ummm….” She sighed, the staring from both guys was starting to really get to her. Steeling herself, she swallowed, putting her face into serious cop mode and stepping toward the desk. “We need to know two things, m’kay? One, where is the best place to hide in that park, and second, do you happen to have any motion camera traps that we can check, see if we can track them?” She smiled politely at the ranger, who leaned back in his chair, thinking. “What road?”

“Uhhhh…” Shae looked to Roman. “The dirt one?” Cameron made a strange face, like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “They’re all dirt roads…” He pointed out, looking to Roman. “The one heading toward Glacier Pass.” The second cop added, as Cameron nodded, logging into his computer.

“Redfeather road…. Let me see what I can find…” He mumbled, logging into his computer. Despite the tension with Roman, he seemed to be cooperating quite well. “Yeah, there’s like two… I’ll check ‘em for you, email the results over.” Shae excitedly pulled out her card, handing it to the ranger and thanking him, Roman mumbling a thank you as well and earning a cold glare from Cameron.

As they left the building, Shae looked up at Roman, who seemed to be in even worse of a mood. “What was that about?” She asked, curiosity dripping in her voice as they slid back into the car. “Nothing.” Roman answered quickly, turning on the car and revving the engine loudly as Shae opened her mouth to ask another question. She got the message, smirking to herself all the way back to the station.

Cameron stalked back to his office, sighing as he went through the mountains of pictures. The cameras were triggered when anything moved in front of it, and the last few days had been pretty windy, so there was plenty of random grass pictures, and one of a lynx, which was good. Eventually, he copied the images all into an email, trying to send them to Deputy Mackroe, only for a message to pop up.

This file is too large. Please select a smaller size.

Cameron groaned, his head slowly sinking to the desk. He head butted it gently, moaning in annoyance, before finding a spare USB stick and copying all the files onto it. As he walked into the office, Casey looked up, curious. “Hey Cam! So I was wondering what that was about. You and that cop were toe to toe, it looked like you were going to rip his head off!” She giggled a little. Inhaling deeply, Cameron rolled his eyes.

“He’s just a cop, and like every other cop, he’s got a massive ego and superiority complex, and I… don't like cops.” He finished, as he walked from the office, beginning the slog down the stairs to his car. He was gonna go to Rose’s bakery first, get a pastry and iced coffee, then deliver the USB. It could wait, his gaffing cravings couldn’t.

Roman was pacing the office, waiting for the email to arrive anxiously. “Has he sent it yet?” He asked again. Shae sat back in her chair, exasperated. “Roman, I woulda’ told you if it came. The answer is the same as when you asked 2 minutes ago.” Roman huffed again, this time leaning against the wall of the office, puffing up his chest and crossing his arms. Shae rolled her eyes, a classic Roman Rankin ‘tantrum’. She hadn't been working with him long, but was becoming well acquainted with them.

Instead of throwing a fit, the deputy would get all huffy and grouchy- well grouchier than normal and usually end up shadow boxing or doing pushups. Shae supposed that was a better way to get energy out than punching a hole in the wall, pushing over a filing cabinet, or something, but behind those big, brown eyes was a very cranky boy.

“Has it-” Roman began, as Cameron walked into the station. “What are you doing here?” Roman snapped immediately. Cameron raised his eyebrows slowly, raising his hand, USB in full view, as he slowly began turning around. “Well I was gonna give you this USB, but if you don’t want it…”

He began walking through the door, only for Roman to shout, “Wait!” and grab his wrist. Both men looked down at the connection, confused. They stood frozen for a second, glancing up and making brief eye contact with each other, before quickly breaking it again, awkwardly jumping apart. “Uh, I mean, umm… I do want the files.” Roman stammered, Cameron raising an eyebrow with a smirk. “You do want the files, hmm?” Roman nodded, holding his hand out for them. “Yes.”

Cameron’s smirk only grew, “You want the files… What?” Roman frowned, “Umm, now.” He insisted, hand still waiting for the USB. Cameron made an expectant face, waiting for him to clue in, but Roman just lunged for the USB instead. However, the taller man raised his arm, holding it just out of Roman’s reach. “What do you saaaay?” Cameron teased meanly.

Roman scowled, looking down and mumbling a plea. “Please can the USB…” Cameron cupped his ear, leaning toward Roman. “What?” Roman went red. “Please, give me the USB Cameron…” He asked, Cameron finally relenting and giving him the USB. “Hope it helps your investigation, Cowboy.” Roman’s jaw tightened at the demeaning nickname, his cheeks going a slight shade of pink. He looked at the USB in his hand as Shae began to chuckle. “What?” Roman grunted, pushing past Shae and going to the laptop.

“That was cute.” She teased, ruffling Roman’s hair, much to his chagrin. “Shae…” He whined, annoyed. “I like him.” She continued, “He’s funny.” Roman blushed again, thinking about how he’d grabbed Cameron’s wrist… he had felt something… strange shift in him. It was nothing. Just… stress.

“Awww, you’re bluuuuuushing!” Shae teased. Roman ignored her, plugging in the USB and opening it, only to yell, slamming the desk. “SON OF A BITCH!”

Shae stopped her teasing and grimaced slightly. Cam had given them every single picture of the last week, thousands of photos, mostly that of waving grass. “Roman!” Miranda snapped at him from her office, pointing at the chair. “What the hell are you doing?! Grow up and do your job!” Roman deflated, looking at the ground, cheeks burning as he muttered, “Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.”

The rest of the day, they trawled through photo after photo until Shae jumped up, squealing. “What…” Roman mumbled, rubbing his dry eyes. “LOOK!” Shae ripped Roman from his seat before he could react. He yelped, tumbling to the ground, before grabbing Shae’s desk and pulling himself up with a grunt. “What?” He sighed, watching as Shae pointed at a blurry grey image. A large blade of grass had set the camera off, but in the the corner of the picture, there was a car. The car.

“Holy fuckin’ shit…” Roman breathed. “Where is that camera, it doesn’t look like it’s that close to the road?” Shae shrugged, “We’ll have to ask Cam,” she sighed as she glanced at her watch. “Uhhh, tomorrow… He’d be asleep. It’s 11:30 pm, Ro.”Roman sighed, yawning and nodding. “Yeah… See ya tomorrow.” The two officers left the office, but Roman was anxious. He looked out into the night as he drove home, careful for deer and maybe even someone jumping out into the road, looking for help… or for trouble.

Stumbling into his small, shitty apartment, he staggered around in the dark, not bothering with the light switch. He got read for bed, brushing his teeth and showering, but as he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, he thought about the poor people that were being trafficked. He was making progress finding them, but it wasn’t fast enough… He wasn’t good enough… Grabbing his phone, he looked at it, groaning in annoyance.

3:15 am

He just couldn’t sleep.

Instead, he decided to occupy his mind, thinking about Cam and how to get back at him tomorrow, when they both went in to ask him where the trap was. He could saunter in, tough and macho… No… That wouldn’t work.

Maybe he could comment on the ranger’s appearance. How fluffy his hair looked, or how goofy his big smile was.

How it lit up his face, a sunshine smile…

And how warm and soft his skin was and his wrist fitted in Roman’s hand weirdly well…

Groaning at how dumb and stupid and annoying Cameron was, Roman shook his head, clearing his strange, sleep deprived thoughts and rolled onto his front, smooshing his face into the pillow. Eventually he fell asleep, his mind vaguely dreaming about tracking human traffickers and hiking through the forest… Cam wasn’t even there. Why would he be? Roman couldn’t stand him. ‘Wait, am I thinking while I dream?’

A loud blaring, grating beep went off, waking Roman who moaned pathetically. He didn't want to get out of bed, he was tired ad it was so warm and soft and comfy… Peeling open his eyes, he sighed… Time for fucking work…

Cameron yawned as his alarm went off, easing out of bed and going to the kitchen. Cady was there, making him breakfast already. She had decided to move in after the storm, helping the ranger while he recovered from his leg injury and got the house fixed. She had basically adopted him after that, doting on him like a mother would, and it made Cameron happy.

The older woman placed a massive plate of cheesy, scrambled eggs in front of the young man, who beamed and began to dig in hungrily. After breakfast, he rushed around the house, getting ready. “Cady? Have you seen a uniform shirt?” He yelled from his bedroom. The ranger had torn apart his cupboard looking for it, and was now running around like a shirtless chicken with its’ head cut off trying to find it. Cady yelled from the bathroom, “Lounge room Cam! I ironed them all yesterday, they were all crinkled!”

Smirking, Cameron walked to the lounge room, finding a pile of neatly folded clothes, and his uniform. “Thanks Cady!” He yelled back, shrugging it on and buttoning it quickly.

Soon he was driving down the long, scenic road, admiring the trees and the way the sunlight danced through them… The morning was perfect. He smiled happily as he pulled into a spot next to Rose’s cafe, walking in and seeing a slightly dishevelled looking Deputy Roman Rankin. He was hunched over the counter, waiting for his coffee, looking honestly… terrible.

Cameron’s smile faltered a bit. Sure, he wasn’t a fan of the guy, but… seeing him like this made Cameron concerned. Roman had always looked after his appearance, the fact this case was getting to him so hard was making Cameron uncomfortable, he didn’t want the guy getting hurt, especially if he started running around his national park looking for mysterious cars.

Nodding politely, Cameron brushed past Roman, who had just been handed his coffee. He thanked the woman behind the counter, Rose, and stalked out. “What’s his problem?” Rose muttered, equally concerned. Cameron shrugged, as he held out his reusable travel mug. “Honestly, even if I did care, I’d have no idea.” He sighed, “One medium iced latte, Miss Rose, and the usual.” Rose nodded, making the drink, rattling off the local gossip to Cameron, who laughed, accepting the cup back and paying.

“I assume I’m keeping the change?” She asked, as Cameron nodded, smiling brightly again. “Have a beautiful day, my lovely!” The woman replied, waving as Cameron left the store.

By the time he got to the office, Roman and his partner, Shae were already there, waiting in his office. Roman looked slightly more awake, and seemingly slicked his hair back, his shirt now a bit more neatly tucked in and 5 o’clock shadow shaved away. He must have been roused on by his boss, who was famous around town for keeping her officers looking spick and span.

“Morn’ officer! Roman.” Cameron greeted Shae cheerfully, before flatly acknowledging the other officer’s existence. He finished his coffee, waving them into his office and sitting down. “So, what can I do ya for?” Roman placed a printed picture on his desk. “We need to know where this camera is.”

Cameron squinted, picking it up and looking. “Uhhhh, hang on do you have the file name? I can’t tell and the printing blew it up and stuff, it's all grainy.” Shae nodded, pulling out her note pad, before muttering, “See, I told you.” through gritted teeth. Roman however, had his eyes fixed of Cameron, or rather the buttons on his shirt. He smirked, snorting slightly.

“What?” Cameron asked, his face looking annoyed at the officer’s rudeness. “Your buttons aren’t done right.” Roman pointed out coldly. Looking down, Cameron nodded. “Huh, you’re right.” Cameron cackled inwardly as he leaned back in his chair and he pulled his shirt out from his belt, unbuttoning the buttons until his hands were half way up his torso. He reached the misplaced button, fixing it and re-doing them all again, slowly. Cameron glanced up at Roman, who looked away, slightly embarrassed. ‘Has all that rock climbing has finally paid off? Do I finally have a better six-pack than Roman fucking Rankin?’ Cameron gloated in his mind.

When they had been in high school together, Roman had been adored by all the girls. He had started working out regularly from about the age of 15, rapidly gaining muscle and bragging to his friends about how good his six-pack, muscle mass and BMI was.

Of course, it was all just teenage vanity, now the cop seemed to use his bulk as an intimidation tactic, more so than in high school, and because he was a cop, that was never a good sign. ‘Cops and power go together like water and oil…’ Cameron mused, as he continued his train of thought.

Cameron had been a little string bean in high school, but after he joined the Parks Service, he had quickly gained muscle hiking and started rock climbing on weekends with friends. He even occasionally saw Roman at the gym, even though they deliberately avoided each other where they could.

Cameron did have to admit, Roman had put in a lot of effort into his physique and it looked… good. The fact that he seemed, maybe not emasculated, but at least intimidated by Cameron’s own muscle building attempt made him feel veeeeery good about himself. It was amazing how much vanity was a fantastic work out motivator.

“Uhh, Camera A7-AH-TR.” Shae piped up, breaking Cameron’s thoughts. Nodding, Cameron sighed. “Yeah, okay… Hey, look, that’s off the road a little, pretty much bush land, there’s nothing out there, except an ancient, disused fire trail.” The two officers glanced at each other as Roman nodded. “Well,” Shae began, pointing at the image. “We caught our little suspects going off-roading then.” Cameron looked at the image closer, noticing the blurry car in the picture. It was an old, boxy, white car, like something from the 80’s or something…

“Well, you’re in luck.” Cameron piped up.

“I was going to go up there today, check on the cameras anyway, wanna hitch a ride?” He looked and spoke only to Shae, ignoring Roman’s presence in the room entirely. “You can come in my car. It’ll be a bit less… obvious. And no offence… but you’d drive through that delicate ecosystem… like a cop.” Cameron smiled politely.

“Yeah sounds great!” Shae piped up, looking excited. “Cool, I’ll see you in an hour. And uhh… bring guns and bear spray. There’s Grizzlies ‘round right now, and they’re hungry.”

“Why did you say yes to him?!” Roman snapped at Shae as they got into their car and drove back to the police station. Shae huffed, pulling over. “Okay.” She turned to the deputy.

“What the hell happened between you two? You looked like you both wanted to feed each other to the damn bears!” Roman scowled, folding his arms over his stomach and slouching.

“We went to high school together. Didn’t get along.” Shae raised her eye brows, scoffing. “Oh come on, Roman! You’re lying to a fucking cop, I can sniff out bullshit a mile away! What happened?!” She pleaded.

She was annoyed by the attitude the two men were giving each other, but more of her was just greedily fishing for gossip. “It’s nothing important.” Roman grunted. “Keep driving.”

Shae rolled her eyes, ‘Men.’ she thought. “Hey, maybe you should ask him what he’s mad about, hmm? Fix the relationship?” Roman scoffed. “Shae, there was never a relationship to fix. Besides, what’s done is done and can’t be undone. I don’t even care about it!” Shae shook her head. ‘Yeah, you do, dumbass…’

Shae parked in front of the police station, turning excitedly to Roman, who was gazing out the window. “Right, time to suit up, pardner!” She finger gunned at her colleague, with a bad Southern accent. “Oh shut up.” Roman smirked, shoving her gently to get out of the car.

As he left he thought about Cameron again. That son of a bitch had some how managed to worm his way out of Roman’s honestly pathetic bullying attempt, and he’d gotten ripped... But what freaked Roman out more was the slight tingle in his stomach that he’d felt when he glimpsed Cameron’s naked torso… It was nothing. Just, jealousy because now that fucking skinny dude was on par with him. HIM! Roman FUCKING Rankin! The high school Quarterback. The state champ for athletics. The LAW ENFORCER!

Groaning in annoyance at how Cameron had some how invaded his mind again, Roman went inside, ignoring the slight, ever so tiny tingle of a faint blush dancing over his cheeks…

“Ready Cowboy?” Cameron asked, glancing over at Roman, who had taken the passenger seat beside him. “Don't call me that.” He replied, unimpressed.

Shae looked ecstatic as they set off, looking out the window in awe. “Wow… This is so different to Chicago…” She breathed, looking at the wide open plains and tall mountains in the distance. “Yeah… It’s amazing, huh?” Cameron replied. Roman ignored them, staring out the window instead.

“So why is it called Buffalo Head National Park?” Shae inquired a while later, looking between the seats at Cameron, who’s eyes lit up. “Ahhh, you see….” He began mysteriously.

“It looks like a buffalo head.” Roman muttered flatly, interrupting Cameron.

“Well, that, my friend, is the common misconception.” Roman shot a glare at Cameron, who smiled back, eyes now more… venomous looking. “It’s actually called that because the Blackfoot used to harvest the bison around here. They’d take the heads up there for special ceremonies. Not that they really do that anymore.”

He glanced at Roman, who continued to glare out the window. “Wild bison are hard to find unless you track the herds. At least in Buffalo Head they have a safe place to live normal lives.” Cameron finished, pulling off the main road onto a dirt road. They had been driving though the public part of Buffalo Head for a while, so turning off onto the dirt road was a good sign.

After driving for a while longer, Cameron pulled off onto some grass. He turned to Shae, ignoring Roman and announcing happily, “We’re here! Feel free to trudge around in the grass. Just be careful, we’ve found some bear traps out here recently. I think we’ve got them all, but just be cautious.”

The two cops nodded, as Cameron disappeared off into the grass, doing whatever he was going to do. Roman and Shae began looking for clues, examining tire tracks and rocks, before wandering off down the road to find more clues.

Meanwhile, Cameron was happily wandering through the trees, listening to the birds and examining camera traps. He also checked on the Bald Eagle nest. They had been building it for a few weeks and he was excited to see how many eggs they were going to hatch. Suddenly a stick snapped behind him.

Cameron’s hand instinctively went to the gun on his belt, but when he turned around, all he saw was Roman and Shae, picking their way through the grass. “Hey, so do you know where anyone out here would be able to… say… hide?” Shae chirped, as Cameron frowned. ‘Now what makes you want to know that…?’ His mind flickered as he thought. “Uhhh, there’s some old caves around these parts, why?” The cops looked at each other and then nodded.

“Just wondering.” Roman mumbled.

“Could you show us?” Shae asked again, smiling sweetly. “Sure. I’m just about done here. We’ll have to drive up to Arrowhead trail and then hike though. Shouldn’t take more than… 30 minutes.” Everyone nodded, piling back into the car. “Thanks for showing us all this stuff Cam, you’ve been so helpful.” Shae said as she slid in behind the ranger.

Roman rolled his eyes, of course she was buttering him up. “No problem.” Cameron replied, though he seemed to be a bit short with her now too. He knew they were hiding something. He was glancing over at Roman, who had gone back to grouching out the window.

“I’d rather I drive out here, the roads are narrow and wildlife is everywhere… And no offence, but I don't want you hitting any Black-footed Ferrets or Porcupines. We’ve been working hard to keep them uhh… 3D…” Cameron laughed at his terrible joke.

He wasn’t trying to break the noticeable tension, but he was definitely using humour to cope with his situation. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere with Roman Rankin was bad enough, but now it seemed like they weren’t gonna leave, and the last thing he wanted was them to find evidence that would lead to cops trampling over his brand new pine saplings.

Pulling off onto Arrowhead Trail, they made their way down the steep and rocky terrain, Cameron navigating expertly behind the wheel before he pulled off again. “Welp, this is as far as the car can go, we’re gonna have to do the rest on foot.” He smirked, he was pleased that the cops were going to have to navigate Arrowhead Trail, the trail notorious for it’s steep, rocky terrain.

Looking around while he waited for the deputies to get out of the car, he noticed some squashed grass by the side of the road. “Huh… That’s weird…” He mumbled under his breath. “What’s weird.” Roman asked, shutting the car door quietly. Cameron pointed at the grass, clearly from a car.

“That’s not supposed to be there. Someone is driving off the track. Not only are they damaging the land, this area is dangerous, they shouldn’t be driving off the trails like that. They could go over a cliff edge.”

Roman and Shae looked at each other, sharing a knowing glance. “Let’s check it out.” Roman began, starting to stride into the grass.

“Woooooaaah, hold your horses, Cowboy.” Cameron grabbed Roman’s shoulder. The grip was strong and… kind of nice? Roman shook his head, turning to face the ranger. “What?” He asked, annoyed at the name calling.

Cameron sighed. ‘Typical cop.’ He thought as he grabbed a bag from the back of the car. “First aid kit, flares, map, compass.” He shrugged the pack on. It was an over the shoulder bag, there was probably only a few bandages, a couple of flares, a cheap compass and tiny map inside, but hey, Cam was confident he knew where he was going.

“Well, lead the way, Cowboy.” Roman grimaced at the nickname again.

They hiked through the brush, down into a valley, following the tracks for a while, until they came to a large huckleberry bush. The large SUV had been driven into it, masking it from sight, with large branches, shrubs and leaves stacked against it to hide it more. But it wasn’t any old vehicle… It was the car… The one they had been chasing.

“Motherfuckers…” Cameron sighed in annoyance, as he stepped towards the car. “Wait.” Roman stopped him. “That’s what we’ve been looking for. Don’t contaminate the scene.” Cameron scowled. “Oh, so now you’re concerned about collecting evidence.” He scoffed and walked over to a large rock, examining it, before looking up into the ridges around them.

He couldn’t see much, but he took a deep breath as the two officers carefully picked their way around the car, taking photos and picking up evidence in little bags. It was all packed away very quickly, before Cameron could see.

He was growing more and more worried about what they were looking for… Were criminals living in the park? Were they hiding something? Money? Drugs? Something even worse? “So what is it you guys are even looking for anyway?” Cameron asked before he could stop himself. Shae looked to Roman, who glanced up from his phone, reciting a robotic answer. “It’s a classified case. I can't disclose any information.”

Cameron shrugged. He expected that. “Okay, well let me know when you wanna head back… I’ll just sit here… staring at the ground.” Cameron mumbled. He didn’t end up staring at the ground, that was interesting sure, all the different minerals in the soil and plant species growing at his feet, but he wanted something more… interesting. He watched Roman work, really taking a good look at him for the first time.

He was good looking, hair slicked back and face clean shaven, sharp jawline… the face he made when he was concentrating was kind of cute, his eyebrows would move closer together slightly, and he pouted his bottom lip just a tiny bit. He must have been working out more, because his arms and legs were definitely bigger than a couple years ago. A lot of the guys out here did sport on their days off, gym work outs and rock climbing, though Cameron hadn’t ever seen Roman at the rock climbs he did.

Cameron smirked as he glanced at the officer’s butt. It was... nice. ‘Eww, you think Roman Rankin has a nice ass… Get a grip Cam.’ He scolded himself half-heartedly. It was kinda funny to check out people he didn’t like. People he didn’t like could still be… sorta nice to take in…

Cameron liked people watching on a good day, it was interesting and you could learn a lot about a person by how they looked, and Roman clearly cared about his appearance, both his aesthetic appearance and physique. Glancing over at Shae, Cameron looked at her too. She was quite pretty, short, mousey brown hair tied back in a little stub of a pony tail. She had a cute little freckle or mole or something under her left eye, and under her sleeve, a tattoo. Cameron couldn’t tell what it was, but it looked like come kind of word.

The other thing about her that was obvious, was that she obviously liked jewellery. She had lots of holes in her ears for earrings she obviously couldn’t wear at work, and a few ring tans. She even had a little engagement ring on. ‘Aww, that’s cute.’ Cameron smiled, going back to Roman.

A tiny strand of hair had unstuck itself from the copious amount of hair gel holding his black hair back. It curled a little, the end brushing his right eyebrow, which had a little slit that Roman had defintely shaved himself. His fingers absentmindedly tucked it away, and a slight tingle went down Cameron’s spine. The way his fingers had been so gentle, tucking away the hair… It was hard to believe that that hard, brash, loud, obnoxious, angry, impatient prick could be so soft and…

“Hey, we’re pretty much done here.” Roman sighed, standing up. Cameron blinked, coming back to reality. “Okay, cool… Uhhh, wanna go check out the caves?” Roman and Shae both thought it over, before Roman nodded.

“Sure. Plenty of daylight left in the day, right?” Cameron nodded, beckoning them back up the hills and to the car, before leading them off into the trees on a tiny, barely visible trail.

After walking in the heat of the day for an hour, Roman and Shae both stopped, panting. Cameron was a little sweaty, but he was fine otherwise. “Aww, come on guys, nearly there.” He teased, Roman shooting him a glare. “Aww, brighten up Cowboy.” Cameron teased again, as Roman bristled. “Tell you what, there’s a stream down the ways, you can both go get a drink and-”

Shots rang out, bullets whizzing by Cameron’s head by less than a millimetre. Instinctively, Roman launched himself at the ranger, tackling him to the ground with a grunt, Shae diving out of the way into a bush as the bangs echoed around them.

After they stopped, everyone lay still and quiet for a moment, paralysed with fear. Cameron could feel Roman’s pounding heart in his chest, and he was sure the cop could feel his too. After a second, the deputy shifted, pushing off Cameron a little, their noses almost touching.

“You okay?” He asked, swallowing as he panted. His voice was low and growling, making Cameron’s breath catch in his throat slightly. They stared into each other’s eyes, Cameron marvelling at how shiny and black they were. “Yeah… Thanks…” He breathed, releasing he was panting too.

For a second longer, they two men looked at each other, before Roman blushed a little and pushed up, off Cameron. He brushed himself off awkwardly, Cameron doing the same, as they both ignored each other. Cameron felt his cheeks and ears burning red as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder ad rubbed the back of his head gingerly. Roman’s crash tackle hadn’t left him without a little bump on his head.

Shae crawled out of the bush, pulling a stick from her hair. “You two alright?” She asked, as the two men nodded. They were all still a little in shock. “Okay.” Cameron began firmly. “I don't give a fuck if it’s classified information, what the hell is going soon?” Roman glanced at Shae, who nodded. “Okay… We’ll tell you, but only if we get moving. Know a place with good cover?” Cameron nodded. “Yeah, follow me.” He walked off the path, picking his way through the bushes.

The two deputies prayed he knew what he was doing.

“So. Spill.” Cameron spat, Roman sighing heavily and beginning his story. “We… We’re hunting human traffickers. They’ve kidnapped women, girls, boys… anyone, and ship off somewhere… Canada maybe? We aren’t sure. But one the girls escaped, the girl who said she was a hiker who’d gotten lost a few months ago and turned up in town? She told us the real story. She was afraid if we started hunting them down her family and the others she’d left behind would be hurt. She was from fucking Florida.”

Cameron nodded in surprise. He’d heard vaguely about the so called missing hiker turn up at the local tavern battered and bruised, but hadn’t questioned her story. He had no reason too. He went looking for missing people all the time, people got lost so much in Buffalo Head, but they were usually found in a few hours, if they didn’t flag down a vehicle themself when they stumbled upon a road.

“So what, these traffickers are hiding up in the caves with their victims?” Cameron asked. Roman nodded. “Looks that way. And they don’t seem happy we got close. Shit they’re probably gonna bolt now…” Cameron hummed. “Ya know, if you walk about 5 ish hours that way,” He pointed in a random direction.

“Canadian border. If they’ll go anywhere it’s there.”

Shae hummed in agreement and Roman nodded. It was a logical conclusion. “We need to get back to the car, get to town and alert everyone. The Border Force, Mounties… FBI…” Cameron nodded pressing on, until they heard shouts behind them. The people who had shot at them sounded like they were tracking them. Cameron indicated with his head to follow him off into the trees, and the two cops followed, hoping they would reach the car soon.

The three people stumbled through the bushes, Cameron randomly taking a random turn and going in another direction, before continuing and doing it again. They must have walked for an hour before the ranger finally stopped, panting as he turned around. He fumbled for the compass in his bag, pulling it out and orientating it while Roman and Shae caught their breath.

“This way…” Cameron breathed as he walked off into the trees again. The landscape had become steep and rocky, and soon, they all collapsed under a tree to rest. Roman slid down the large tree trunk, his hand brushing against something soft. Looking down, he watched Cameron’s fingers brush his for a second, before he also looked down and they both quickly pulled away from each other, like it had burned them.

Shae noticed, and slightly shoved Roman over, so that his shoulders were forced to touch Cam’s. He glared at her, but she pouted. “What? I need shade too Rankin.” Cameron scoffed, smirking at the cop, leaning against him slightly to annoy him more. Roman’s heart skipped a beat slightly. He brushed it off.

‘Just adrenaline…’

But their rest was brief, their fear of being followed weighing on their minds, so they carried on. “We will have to climb that ridge, but we will be back at the car soon.” Cameron grunted as he climbed a large rock, reaching down to help Roman up. Roman grabbed it, surprised at the ranger’s strength as he helped haul the guy up the smooth surface, then he helped Shae.

“How did you… climb that thing…? It’s like… smooth as fuck…” She asked, causing Cameron to smirk. “I’ve been a rock climber and boulder since I was a kid. After I finished college I really got into it…” He looked kind of sad for a second, then turned to the ridge, looking at his compass and adjusting it. “You learn to climb flat cliff faces after a while, the grip strength and techniques come through.”

They continued up the ridge, cautious of how visible they were, until they crested it. They were all tired, and it was growing later, the afternoon well and truly set in. Roman glanced at his watch, 2:45 pm. “Hey man, lets pick this up, it’ll be dark in a couple hours.” He said to Cameron, scowling. “Look, man,” Cameron replied. “I am trying my best to get us out of here, but it’s gonna take as long as it takes.” Roman groaned, huffing. “I know, but you need to pick it up, they could all be gone by now.”

Cameron scowled now, turning around. “An’ that’s my fault, huh?”

Roman made a face of disbelief, nodding. “YES! You’re the one who lead us on this round about way to the car-” Cameron fired back instantly. “In case you forgot we were being fucking shot at! I did what I could and I said I’d get you back, I have no control over how long that will take!” The deputy shook his head.

“No, you do! You could’ve lead us straight back to the car instead of a hike through the fucking forest!” Cameron scoffed, “And you think I haven’t been trying my damndest to get you out? I’m just taking you on a little tour? We are being HUNTED Roman!”

Roman was fuming. “Why didn’t you lead us back to it straight away? We could have a thousand officers looking for them right now!”

Cameron sighed, exasperated. “What do you want Roman? We’re only as fast as our slowest person and that is currently you! Quit whining, shut up and walk, we will be there soon!”

“Not soon enough!”

“For God’s sake!” Cameron roared. “If you’re such an expert on the area, you lead us back the quicker way!”

Roman glared at the ranger.

“Thought so.” Cameron spat, turning and leading them over the ridge. “This is just like last time.” He mumbled under his breath, loud enough for both deputies to hear.

“What the fuck did you say?” Roman bristled.

“You know what I said.” Cameron fired back.

“Listen, what happened was a mistake-” Roman started, but Cameron’s eyes flashed.

“YOUR MISTAKE! YOU BLAMED ME WITH NO EVIDENCE! WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT?! AND YOU KNOW WHAT HURT THE MOST? YOU NEVER APOLOGISED FOR FUCKING UP MY LIFE AND MY CAREER! MY OWN FATHER REFUSED TO SPEAK TO ME FOR MONTHS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT I WAS A CRIMINAL! AND YOU JUST WENT ABOUT, LIVING YOUR LIFE LIKE YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG!”

Roman went red, puffing out his chest and squaring up to Cameron. “YOU DON’T THINK I DIDN’T TRY? YOU NEVER CAME TO ME TO LET ME TRY!”

Cameron glared at him. “IT WASN’T MY JOB TO COME TO YOU, GROVELLING FOR AN APOLOGY FOR FUCKING UP MY LIFE! THAT WAS ON YOU TO D-”

“Will both of you shut the fuck up!” Shae yelled, stepping between the two men and pushing them apart. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but there are more important things to worry about right now than your pissing match, grow up for God’s sake! Both of you, your big boy pants on and get drop it!”

Both men went silent as they stared at each other, before following her silently, Cameron leading them onto the final ridge. “I see the car.” Cameron spoke flatly, still seething from the fight. Roman scoffed, “Finally.”

The next thing Roman knew, Cameron yelled and shoved him roughly. Roman staggered, hitting the ground hard and grunting, about to yell at Cameron, only to gasp as he heard a strained cry of pain.

Cameron had his shaking hand pressed over his mouth hard, preventing him from giving away their location. He was as white as a sheet, tears in his eyes as he stood frozen in place, quivering like a leaf, sweat collecting on his skin as he tried to calmly breathe.

~~ Cameron rolled his eyes, turning around to fire back some snarky comment at the cop, only for his eyes to grow wide. Without thinking, he yelled, “Watch out!” and shoved Roman away from the lump of leaves and sticks. He heard the click, feeling the plate go down. His stomach sank as at first nothing happened, then a ripple of horrendous pain shot through his whole body.

He pressed his hand to his mouth quickly, trying to stop himself from crying out and throwing up as he let out a muffled cry, throwing his head back. Roman’s eyes were wide as he looked at Cameron’s leg. The ranger couldn’t bring himself to look yet, if he looked, it would be real… But he had to...

He glanced down at the bear trap clamped around his leg, rusted, sharp teeth sunk thoroughly into the flesh of his right calf. He was numb with pain, his mind empty as he didn’t know what to do. He knew the first aid for this but he couldn’t pull it out of his head… The next moment, something big and warm was beside him. He leaned into it, closing his eyes, only to be shaken awake again.

“Cam. Stay awake.” The deep voice murmured as he slumped against the warm, soft thing… He liked the voice, it vibrated against him in a pleasant way, calming him…

“No, stay awake.” Roman’s voice was clearer now as Cameron felt the ground beneath him. He was gasping for breath as he stared at the blood leaking out of his wounds. He was trying not to hyperventilate, somewhat successfully.

“Get the trap off…” Cameron’s voice shook as he pointed at it. “How?” Shae asked, Roman pushing in to see. “There’s… levers… Push ‘em d-down…” Roman followed the ranger’s instructions, releasing the trap, hearing Cameron gasp in relief.

“Hey, what do we do?” Roman asked, his voice shaking in panic. Cameron blew out a strong breath and fumbled with shaking, tingling fingers at the zip for his bag. Shae tore it from around him and opened it, looking at the contents.

Cameron reached for it, pulling out a small bandage and began to wrap his wound. He wrapped it tighter and tighter, until it seemed to be secure. “Band… Bandage is… is good ’n tight…”

“Can you walk?” Shae asked. Cameron tried to get to his feet, but couldn’t, his injured leg dropping out from under him. Roman swooped in at the last moment, picking Cameron up and carrying him bridal style.

“Heh… I guess… now we’re even…” Cameron mumbled, slightly delirious with pain. “You saved me from being’ shot… ’n I saved your sorry ass… from a bear tr…” Roman jostled him to keep him awake. “Heh… Yeah I guess we are. Listen, man, where do we go?” Cameron pointed up at the ridge, “Up the hill… Should be dow….. the trailll….”

Cameron’s vision was blurring as his memory flashed back to the tree branch impaling him earlier in the year. How much it had hurt… How he’d had to have 3 surgeries to get it fixed…Now he had lost all that progress…

With a moan, Cameron went limp in Roman’s arms. Roman looked down at his pale face, now dangling over Roman’s arm, chin pointed at the sky. His mind went blank as he sprinted up the hill, the heavy, unconscious man suddenly light in his arms as they reached the top. Shae was red and panting as they made it back to the car, Roman diving into the back with Cameron, his hand’s immediately searching the ranger’s pockets for his keys.

Finding them, he threw them at Shae, who caught them, jamming them into the ignition, and throwing the car into reverse. She floored it down the road as Roman held Cameron tight, hoping that they could get out in time, only for the car to jolt suddenly. “Uh, Ro…” Shae whimpered as she stared out the windshield. Roman glanced up and saw a three men in the middle of the road, large rifles pointed at them. They looked at each other, as the men fired into the cabin…

Shae screamed, curling up as Roman hunched over Cameron protectively, as the doors were ripped open and both cops torn out.

“GET ON YOUR KNEES PIGS!” A man screamed, forcing the cops to their knees. “HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!” Roman nodded at Shae, and they obliged. Two of the men rushed forward, taking both of the deputies sidearms and aiming them at their heads. “What about him?” The leader growled.

Roman looked up at them, eyes desperate. “He got hurt in a bear trap, badly. He’s passed out. He won’t be any trouble.” The three men nodded as they forced both cops onto their stomachs and began to tie their arms behind them.

Roman gulped, this was it. They were going to murder them, and probably Cameron, in cold blood. They were going to die like animals.

They were dragged off into the woods by the men, one of them grabbing Cam and throwing him over his shoulder. ‘No…’ Roman thought. “He needs a hospital…’~~

The two cops were dragged up into the rocky caves. The half hour trip felt like an eternity as they followed their captors, being roughly man handled over rocks and into a hole in a cliff. Roman felt sick as Cameron was dropped on the ground, looking pale and not moving. He seemed to be breathing, Roman could only hope that the tourniquet was working.

Shae and Roman Bothe looked up as a rifle was pointed at their heads, before they were forced to their stomachs again. The cave floor was damp, and smelled like wet mud. It was slightly pleasant, all things considered, nice and cool after a couple hours of intense hiking in the afternoon heat.

The two other men began to hogtie them, preventing them from running… or helping Cam. The men hadn’t even bothered tying him up, he looked inches from death anyway. Roman wanted to be near him, make sure he was warm and breathing… this cool floor wouldn’t be doing the ranger any good.

His mind drifted, the teeth hadn’t gone all the way, the rust had stopped it from doing that, but they’d gone in deep enough to make him bleed bad… Willing him to make it through, Roman stared at the man beside him, a few feet away… so close and yet so far…

“We’ll be back, then you and I will have some fun.” One of the men drawled, looking at Shae. Roman growled. “Don’t touch her!” The man cackled. “Ahhh, I know plenty of people who’d like to fuck a pig… But we’ve all gotta test the product ourselves first, gotta know what I’m selling.” He grinned wickedly, walking out of the cave with his two friends. Roman looked at Shae, who looked terrified. “Hey… Look at me. I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?” Shae looked at him and nodded, even though she knew it was a lie. Roman was stuck, he couldn’t do anything to stop the men from touching either of them…

They lay in silence for a while, watching the sun begin to sink lower in the sky. “He okay?” Shae asked, looking at Cameron, who was still lying motionless on the ground. “No…” Roman replied, his voice catching.

“God I’m such an idiot. I should’ve listened to him… They knew we were close to the car, they must have… Shit…” Roman bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry. Shae sighed, wiggling to be closer to Roman, at least a couple of inches closer. She didn’t know what to say.

“What happened between you two?” She asked quietly, hoping it wouldn’t make Roman worse. Roman gazed out at the late afternoon, remembering something with a sigh.

“We were collaborating with the national park for an investigation into a guy growing weed out in Buffalo Head. Cameron found the grove and reported it. Anyway, the guy seemed to realise the jig was up and burned it all, starting a forest fire. I accused Cameron of actually being in on the whole thing, reporting his buddy so he could have the whole crop to himself and setting the fire to burn the evidence when he realised I was onto him.” Shae glanced over at Roman, before going back to the road. “And… did he?” Roman sighed.

“That’s the thing. I accused him on a hunch, and had no evidence to back it up… And he was innocent the whole time. It uhh, nearly ruined his career, and to add insult to injury, he nearly got killed fighting the fire… Which also destroyed a sacred place for the Blackfoot…

He blamed me for it. The site being destroyed also damaged the Blackfoot relationship with the Buffalo Head Rangers too, or at least I heard it did. They were mad that not many resources were put towards saving their… I don’t even know what it was, but that the park office up there had been saved. I don't know about any more of that, but Cameron took it hard.

He’d been instrumental in building that trust and, to him, I destroyed it. He’s hated me ever since, and I just… I never really knew how to apologise. I know I should, but… how do you do that? It’s been 4 years, I left it too long and… I don’t know anymore.”

Shae was silent for a moment, thinking. “I don’t think he wants an apology.”

Roman looked up, confused. “What?” His parter looked at him, smiling softly. “God you’re an idiot… I think he wants you to admit you were wrong. Take accountability for the role you played in the whole thing and give him the closure he needs. That's all he wants, is closure.” Roman sighed, nodding. “I never thought about it like that. “Yeah, cause you don’t think.” Shae laughed. She was nervous, but Roman was impressed how well she was keeping it together.

Minutes later the heard the grunting men return. One was a very thin, sunburnt man with a bad moustache, one a bulkier, more muscular guy with a big red beard and a red baseball cap and the final a slightly fat guy who was balding.

All three seemed to be in a bad mood.

“We need to decide now!” Fat guy said. “I’m not killing a fucking cop!” Sunburn said. “Well I am!” Beard dude said, readying Roman’s side arm. Fat guy shrugged, getting Shae’s sidearm out of his pocket. “Let’s just get it over with. We have to move.” The three men closed in on Roman and Shae, who both gulped.

Roman shuddered, sighing a scared breath as something cold touched the back of his skull. A tear fell from his eye as he tried not to cry, body quivering as a shot rang out. Then another, and another. The sound of three bodies falling filled Roman’s head as he opened one eye.

The three men were lying on the ground, one bullet wound in each of their backs. Craning his head around, he saw Cameron slumped against the wall of the cave, his own side arm drooping in his hand. He pushed up and limped forward, pain screaming through his leg as he opened his pocket knife from his belt, cutting the ties and collapsing to the ground.

“How-” Roman stammered as Cameron grinned. “Adrenaline is one hell of a drug.” He rasped, “Guess we’re double even now… Radio in my car… call for help…”

Shae slung one arm under the ranger, Roman taking the other and helping Cameron limp down the cliffs to the car. They all groaned when they saw the deflated wheels.

Roman sat beside Cameron as Shae used the radio, glancing over to him. It was an agonising hour long wait for for anyone to come and get them from town and Cam was still in a lot of pain. Roman put an arm around him, pulling him close. Cam hissed in pain, but leaned into it. “Okay, I have to know…” He asked. “How long where you unconscious?” Cameron shrugged. “No idea, last thing I remember was the bear trap, then you carrying me… Then I woke up face down in mud. You and Shae were talking about something, I didn’t catch what… I realised they didn’t take my gun and when they were distracted with you I took my shot.”

Roman smiled. “I’m glad you did…” He looked into Cameron’s eyes. They were so dark and… glittery… They were beautiful… He was beautiful…

Their faces drew together slowly, and the next thing either of them knew, their lips touched. It was like an electric shock went through them as they kissed again, harder this time.

Pulling back, they both glanced away, redder than either of them thought they could go, until they heard Shae laugh, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

“I saw that.” She smirked, going back to the radio. Roman went redder still, looking at Cameron for help. Cameron shrugged, leaning against Roman more and sighing. Roman didn’t even notice he had reached out for Cameron’s hand until the ranger took it. Both men blushed as they gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, before Roman awkwardly cleared his throat and glanced away.

They were saved by the ambulance wailing up the road, followed by a long line of police cars, lights and sirens flashing as Shae got out of the car. “I’ll give you two some time to… talk…” She winked mischievously as Roman grimaced. Cameron looked up at him with a tired, pained smile. “I’m gonna need help getting in that ambulance.” He mumbled.

~ 3 months later

“So… I’m sorry, for everything.” Roman looked into his noodles, ashamed. Cameron looked up from his own, nodding. “Thank you, Roman. Really I appreciate that.” He smiled, breaking the seriousness of the topic a little.

He had taken Cameron out to the local Mongolian restaurant, something he’d been planning while Cameron was recovering from his surgery on his leg. Then he’d procrastinated about it for two months until Shae had to basically ask Cameron for him. He had finally apologised for his fuck up four years ago and… a little bit of him was just happy to be with Cameron again.

Since the whole chasing human traffickers through the forest thing, and the kiss...Roman and Cameron had both been thinking about the other more and more… Both knew it was a kinda, sorta, teensy weensy, itty, bitty, slightly a date.

“Your dad’s cooking is really good.” Roman mumbled, stuffing his face with noodles. “Yeah, good choice, taking me out to dinner at my parent’s restaurant, Rankin.” Cameron teased, serving himself more flat bread. “Well it was the only restaurant in town to choose, unless you wanted to drive 2 hours to go to McDonalds.” Roman shot back playfully.

“I’ll get my dad to make you proper Mongolian some time. You’d loooove honinii tolgoi.” Roman looked up, smiling playfully. “Yeah, what is it?” Cameron smirked, “You’ll find out… It involves… mutton.” Roman perked up. “Mutton is good.” Cameron laughed, imagining Roman being confronted with an entire sheep’s head on his plate, skull, eyes and all, and watching him have to eat it.

“Well, let me know when he’s cooking up a storm, proper Mongol food.” Cameron smiled, nodding as they finished and paid for their meals. They walked down the dark street together, their knuckles brushing against each others as they walked, completely by ‘accident’.

“You know I’m starting to think this wasn’t just an apology dinner…” Cameron smirked, as he limped along beside Roman, sliding his hand into the deputy’s own. Roman was glad it was dark, because he he knew his cheeks were burning red. He stopped, his breath catching, Cameron stopping, turning to face him.

“Oh, so it was a date. Smooth.” He teased. Roman looked at his feet, embarrassed. “I did wonder why you wore that cologne.” Cameron stepped closer, so they were inches from each other. His finger brushed Roman’s arm as they slowly inched closer. “I like it… You should wear it more often…” Cameron murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he cocked his head.

Roman leaned forward, kissing him softly, tentatively… nervously, only for Cameron’s arm to wrap around his waist and pull him closer. Cameron’s lips pushed harder against Roman’s own, the policeman gasping a little as the ranger’s tongue slid between his lips. He melted into the kiss as the two men held each other close, the world disappearing around them as they kissed.

Pulling back, Cameron was blushing hard, Roman equally red. “Uhh…” He started, looking at the ranger. “Wow…” Cameron breathed. “Let’s do that again.” He smiled, leaning in and kissing Roman again…

“By the way…” Cameron breathed in Roman’s ear, “I accept your apology… This one is way better than the one at dinner…” Roman smiled as Cameron kissed his neck, then pulled away. “My place or yours?” Roman frowned, confused, still dazed from the sudden make out session.

“Huh?” He gasped. “Well I assume you wanna keep hanging out, so… My place or yours?” Cameron asked, voice low and eyes full of… full of love. “Either works for me…” Roman whispered, breathless as he gazed back at Cameron with the same love in his own eyes. “Your’s it is…” Cameron smiled. “Besides.” He slid his hand back into Roman’s and began walking. “I’ve always wondered where you lived.” Roman shoved him gently. “Creep.”

Roman snorted as he awoke, feeling a heavy weight pinning him down. He realised he was passed out on his sofa, Cameron sleeping soundly on his chest, the movie they had been watching long passed being finished. The deputy smiled. Cameron was so cute when he was asleep…

Running his hand over the man’s hair, he kissed his forehead, Cameron stirring and opening his eyes.

“Hmmm… Morning…” He mumbled, his arms wrapping around Roman’s torso as he snuggled against his chest.

“Morning.” Roman mumbled back. He could’ve stayed like that all day… His heart swelled with a joy he hadn’t ever felt before, and he smiled as he knew Cameron’s was doing the same.

~masterlist~

✨taglist✨

@i-eat-worlds

@emcscared-whumps

@bonedealer

#whump #whump writing #whumpblr #whumpee #original post #snaillamp #whump oc #cameron oc #roman oc

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unanchored-ship · 2 months

Text

Louis getting whumped for a change ackcflkhuag

i have thought of this before

#whump tag #tw knife #tw blood #leo being jealous af of louis #kidnapping him #and then torturing the boy #uh #i dont think i made leo ugly enough for me to say that #leopold i #holy roman emperor #emperor leopold i #louis xiv

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tss-whumper · 3 months

Text

how the sides would be described as whumpees in a scientific report

(this is just for fun because i saw another whump blog doing this!)

(also i didn't include patton because i just don't like writing him as a whumpee.)

(cw for mentions of torture, kidnapping, and mentally breaking a person.)

roman -> young adult male, late teens to mid twenties. a perfect subject for senseless torture. noble, eager to please, idealistic to the point of delusion. a beautiful crier. most effective in front of a camera. could make millions in ransom $$. has a bad habit of trying to steal attention and favor that makes him generally unlikeable among other subjects. attached to his brother, is extremely distressed when they are separated.

logan -> adult male, late twenties to early thirties. very difficult to break. be cautious; he has the ability to outsmart you if you are not careful. does not view himself as valuable, will accept degradation with little reaction. knowledgable about the workings of the human body. a viable candidate for an assistant position, if broken enough.

virgil -> adult male, mid to late twenties. sarcastic and mouthy, but will submit quickly to those stronger than him. a martyr who will always put himself in front of weaker subjects. does not think highly of himself. breaks easily. not as strong or athletic as he looks. eats very little, is known to give his food portions to other subjects.

remus -> young adult male, late teens to mid twenties. very opposite to his brother. strong-willed, does not submit. seemingly impossible to break. not defiant, but not submissive either. sometimes appears to enjoy torture, but not in a sexual sense. it seems to be some sort of coping mechanism or front. mindlessly loyal to his brother, will do anything to ensure his safety.

janus -> young adult male, early to mid twenties. enigmatic, will not reveal anything about himself or his past. protective of weaker subjects, but his own safety always seems to come first. regularly attempts to manipulate his captors. be careful. he can be very convincing. the most determined to escape. keep a close eye on him.

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comfy-whumpee · 1 year

Text

The Forum

References events in this post. TW: modern slavery (BBU).

@neuro-whump, @rosesareviolentlyread, @mylifeisonthebookshelf, @pumpkin-spice-whump, @whumpsday @kira-the-whump-enthusiast

r/boxieadvice holepunch5309 two hours ago

Office pet beat up by other staff (advice)

Posting this from a throwaway so I don’t get fired. My company is a small business that has a boxie in the head office. He technically belongs to the manager but he was bought with company funds. He does hospitality, cleaning, filing and stuff. But recently the heads of department have started hurting him.

It's a really small office, less than ten people. Boxie does a good job, works hard, but he's not that bright. Sometimes he fucks up and the guys hurt him. At first it was just small stuff, a slap or something. But he made a big mess last week with some accounts and one of them drew blood.

I don't know if I'm overreacting. I grew up with a really shitty dad and I guess I'm sensitive to people escalating that kind of thing. Nobody else seems to have a problem with it or thinks he deserves it. Boxie ends up hiding and can't take care of himself. Even if someone helps him they're usually kinda weird about it, making him beg them or stuff.

I feel like it's going to get worse and worse. The boss beats him up when he's stressed already. He's really helpful normally and I don't want to see him get broken. Is there anything I can do?

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vivaciascar (pet owner) two hours ago

The best thing to do in a situation like this is go to the root cause. Your boxie has got tasks he doesn't know how to do. If he can't handle accounts, don't give him accounts. Let him stick to making coffee. Pets aren't designed for being in work environments without specialist training. You're already straining him with filing. Stop overloading him and the mistakes will stop too.

somethingboromired (pet owner) two hours ago

This is the answer. He's overloaded and he can't keep up. Your team is putting too much pressure on him and he's buckling, which gets him punished, which makes him tired and hurt, making more mistakes. Remember boxies are fundamentally dumb. They shouldn't be near money and your boss could get in trouble if he lets it happen.

pm_me_your_salads (wannabe owner) one hour ago

His problem isn't with the mistakes though, he's upset at how the others are punishing the pet. Sounds like reasonable punishment to me though, if he makes a big mistake it should be a big consequence. It's how they're trained and it's how he'll learn.

ree4ree (pet owner) one hour ago

Jumping on top comment to point out as well that boxie already got punished for his small mistakes and he didn't learn. OP can't see that they are escalating with him because he hasn't shown improvement

holepunch5309 48 minutes ago OP

He has training for office work and we trained him on the accounts. He does fine 99% of the time but the moment he screws up someone is beating him up. He can't take that from them forever.

IDontEatCrab (verified handler) two hours ago

I get your concern but that's not your pet. He belongs to the company and the name on the paperwork is your boss. It's his decision what the pet gets and what's right for him. Focus on doing your job.

Nineteen84 (ex-owner) one hour ago

Don't get fired for a boxie's sake, they're not worth it. They'll sell you up the river for praise. Take it from me.

holepunch5309 42 minutes ago OP

Is there any way to get his ownership transferred to me or can I do anything for him as part of the company?

Britbird03 (pet law) two hours ago

It sounds like there's things missing from your account OP. You're worried about escalating punishments, but your boss already beats him. You said in another comment that he's trained for office work, but the only company that does that is Help at Home, and they advise against giving your Boxie paperwork. Is your manager pushing him too hard, or do you have a genuine pet abuse case on your hands? I've advised on those before, please DM me if you need advice.

holepunch5309 seven minutes ago OP

Thank you, I have

BigAl69 (pet owner) one hour ago

Boo hoo for your pet. He fucks up, he gets hurt. It's the only way they learn. You're making the classic mistake thinking about him like a person. He's not a person. He's trained to understand orders and pain. He doesn't know anything else. He doesn't need your sympathy

CoachCheesey (wannabe owner) 39 minutes ago

The problem isn't the punishment the problem is that he's doing accounts. Would you trust a boxie with your money? Why does your boss? Sounds like you need to ask why you're even using him for the jobs your finance team should be doing. Someone's slacking and making the boxie pick it up.

ree4ree (pet owner) 19 minutes ago

This. Even if a pet is doing data entry or something, the finance team should still be checking what he does like any boss would do for a human employee. Even more so in fact

cootiesmaster (multiple pets) two hours ago

This is way to vague for us to help with, what even is "drew blood"? Did they break skin on a hit or did they stab him??

holepunch5309 36 minutes ago OP

I can't be specific because it would identify me. It was a small but deep wound. He's never had anything like that before.

holepunch5309 Hi.

Britbird03 Hi OP. Thanks for coming to talk. I'm not a lawyer first of all, so I won't be suing you or reporting you or anything. But I'm a welfare campaigner, and I thought I could give you some advice on what you're seeing.

holepunch5309 Ok. So what…happens?

Britbird03 Why don't you start by telling me what happened in more detail? You've realised that something is wrong, and I want to help you understand why your instincts went off today.

holepunch5309 I guess

holepunch5309 I guess it was just a shock. Not because he got hurt. Is that shitty? I was used to him getting hurt. The boss does beat him. Uses him like a stress toy punching bag. He always picked him up afterwards though, looked after him. Got hi patched upand stuff.

holepunch5309 But today it was like…everyone just left him. He was hiding and crying and he didn't do anything to fix it. I don't know if he even knows how. He was just sitting on the floor crying and I went to help him and nobody else even paid attention. And I guess I just thought…what if they do something worse sometime and I can't fix it for him? He's already got one thing that'll probably scar now.

Britbird03 Thank you for explaining. It sounds as though you're right, and things are escalating. This is the most dangerous time for a boxie. We don't have a disproportionate incident to act on, but we know one is coming.

holepunch5309 Do you think?

Britbird03 I do. It sounds as though your colleagues have been pushing boundaries and daring to see where the line is. None of them are stepping up and making things stop. Of course, you could be that person, but it can be risky to try. You're the one who has seen there's something wrong. You're not okay with what is happening. Your boxie needs someone like you looking out for him.

holepunch5309 Damn

holepunch5309 I hadn't thought about it like that. Thank you.

Britbird03 You're very welcome. There are two options ahead of you. One is safer for him, and the other is safer for you.

holepunch5309 Let me hear it

Britbird03 If you want to guarantee that your boxie won't be hurt anymore, the only way to do so is to liberate him. It is difficult to do legally, I have to warn you, but it is the safest thing for him. You may be saving his life. The alternative is to wait until something provably abusive is done to him, and report it then. But the investigations are slow and the bar you have to clear is very high. Police are very strict about what counts as abusive because of the influence of pet companies. You can do this anonymously, but it might not work to save him. And obviously, along the way, something unquestionably awful has to be done to him to give you the evidence.

holepunch5309 Those are both pretty fucked up options

Britbird03 I'm afraid that's all I can recommend within the limits of the law.

holepunch5309 What do other people do?

Britbird03 Some stay under the radar, bury their conscience, and wait it out. Others intervene, try to prosecute, and more often lose than win. A few take matters into their own hands and smuggle the boxie to a shelter or across the border.

holepunch5309 But that's illegal

Britbird03 It is. I can only imagine they see it as more important than the law. A risk worth taking.

holepunch5309 All that for a boxie. Seems weird.

Britbird03 Often those are people who recognise the human dignity of pets. It's a rare thing and arguably heroic. But as I've said, I can't suggest that. It's safer for you to follow a legal route.

holepunch5309 But

holepunch5309 Not safer for him

Britbird03 No.

Tyler leaned back from his laptop with a sigh, his old gaming chair creaking at the movement. The stranger was all facts, as best he could tell, mercilessly concise. The only thing people did that properly worked was liberating or smuggling them. Anything short of that and the problem didn’t go away. Maybe there would be a way to force it to court, sue for ownership or persuade Charlie to let him go, but it would be an uphill battle.

Maybe he’d just make the whole office hate him and get himself driven out of a job. Maybe he’d make things worse for Roman, making them blame him for turning one of their own against the group. Maybe he’d get the poor fucker sent back to be brain-blasted into forgetting everything and getting resold.

He had no idea what he was doing with this. He just knew that Joel stapling Roman in the hand made him feel sick at the pit of his stomach. Finding Ro in the kitchen hyperventilating about it was even worse. He couldn’t get the image out of his head. Roman had been white as a sheet, platinum hair and white shirt only adding to the sallow look of him, hand clutched to his chest with a dark line struck across his hand. The resistance of the skin against the bent metal as he’d tried to work it free with as little pain as possible. Roman’s wide, teary eyes, one brown and the other blue, fixed on him with gratitude. The hitch in his breathing. The way he’d wobbled on his feet. The red.

He would have sat there alone if Tyler hadn’t gone. He would have stayed there.

He was so stupid. He’d just made it worse with the outfit. It had been a joke, but it wasn’t a joke to Ro.

He was so fucking stupid.

He didn’t know what to do.

Roman had a little strip band-aid on his hand when Tyler went in the next morning. The little wound was covered up and he seemed more like his usual self. He was sitting on the floor between the desks, sorting out sections of the newspaper along with everyone’s post. He smiled at Tyler when he came by.

“Morning, Ro.”

“Good morning.”

“C’mere a second.”

Roman got up, gathering the unsorted envelopes, and followed Tyler across to his desk. He went to his knees when Tyler sat, setting his stack on his lap.

Tyler glanced around. Dillon wasn’t in yet and Phil was with Charlie. Joel was off on his far side, not yet caffeinated to the point of acknowledging anyone else. Tyler asked, “I got a question for you. I was just wondering if you like it here.”

Roman’s eyes lit up. “I do!” he affirmed brightly. “It’s wonderful here. There’s lots to do every day and I can be helpful for everyone. I’m happy to be helpful.”

Tyler frowned. He’d heard Roman say that a dozen times. He was almost certain it was a trained slogan. “That’s good. Yeah, good stuff. Is here anything that you want to make it better?” If Roman said he didn’t want to be hurt, Tyler would fight for him. That would be the line. If Roman knew what discipline was, what a real punishment felt like, if he’d been trained for that like everyone said – then he would recognise what counted as excessive, right? They wouldn’t train a Box Boy without any self-preservation.

“I…can’t think of anything,” Roman answered after a dutiful pause for thought. “I am happy. I’m sorry that you were worried.”

“Nah, not worried.” He couldn’t let that get back to the others. “Just wanted to make sure you knew you were doing a good job. Mostly. ‘Cause of yesterday, you know. Don’t let it get you down.”

“Thank you, Mr Tyler.” He seemed to be smiling again, but like he couldn’t remember how. He made those expressions sometimes, like he couldn’t just do them instinctively, they were all put on or...trained.

Tyler pretended not to notice.

“You’re a good guy,” he said, hand moving automatically to ruffle the pet’s hair. “Doing a good job.”

#bbu #pet whump #epistolary whump #reluctant whumper #box boy universe #pet whumpee #stockholm syndrome #regret #the birdhouse #tyler #roman #my fic #the research for this one was fun but i don't have reddit #so if dms look different chalk it up to bbu not being our universe ok

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