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#past trauma
stevesbipanic · 2 months
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@steddiemicrofic prompt: edge, WC: 509, rating: T
Eddie arrived home to a quiet house, which wasn't completely unusual for the Harrington home to be quiet but usually Eddie found his boyfriend moving around the kitchen making dinner, softly singing along to the radio.
"Steve?" He called out but was met with more silence. Strange, but Steve could be up in bed, maybe he had a migraine. Eddie checked quickly upstairs but found their bed cold and empty too. He'd seen Steve's car in the driveway so he hadn't left, and Robin didn't have her licence yet so she couldn't have picked him up, plus he'd have left a note.
Eddie went back downstairs checking the loving room hoping maybe Steve had just fallen asleep on the couch. Still, he was nowhere to be found. He went back to the kitchen ready to start calling around hoping maybe Steve was just visiting someone and forgot to leave a note. He was halfway through dialling the Hendersons when a shadow in the backyard caught his eye.
"Oh sweetheart," he mumbled to himself as he hung up the phone. Eddie grabbed a blanket off the couch and opened to sliding door to the back deck. Steve didn't flinch at the sound, eyes staying ahead. Sighing, Eddie wrapped the blanket around Steve's shoulders and joined him sitting at the edge of the pool.
The two boys sat silent for a few moments, Eddie knew better to just wait for Steve to talk, he'd made his presence known and that's what Steve needed right now. He wouldn't always talk, sometimes choosing to simply sit before they went back inside and curled up in bed. Sometimes Steve wanted touch, sometimes he'd just want to know Eddie was there.
Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Steve spoke. "It's been five years and I can't look at this pool and not see her." Eddie knew who they were talking about, after all only one girl had drowned in this pool. "She should be at college with, Nance, she should get to have a grave with a body in it, she should be here instead of," Steve choked out a sob instead of finishing that thought. Even though it ripped Eddie's heart to shreds, and wanted nothing more than to tell Steve he's loved and that it's not his fault, he knew Steve didn't want that, he'd said those words a million times before, Steve knew so Eddie waited.
Steve tilted his body until he lent against Eddie's side and Eddie let out a breathe as he was finally allowed to comfort his boy, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight. He sat there with Steve crying softly in his arms until they slowed to a stop, it was time for bed.
Eddie took his hand leading him back into the house and upstairs, curling him into his chest and reminding him he was there, that he'd always be there.
"I think it's time to move, Steve."
"Do you think she'd forgive me?"
"I know she already has," and that was enough.
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whumpshaped · 4 months
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I know it's cliche, but hear me out. The Whumpee thinks Caretaker is their new master trope, just that Caretaker is trying to give Whumpee a bath, and Whumpee used to be punished being drowned or something like that, so they beg Caretaker that they'll be good, that they'll behave, etc.
tw past trauma, caretaker new master, conditioned whumpee
“No! No, please, Master, I’m sorry!”
“What’s gotten into you?” Caretaker stared down at the poor thing in front of them hugging their legs like there was no tomorrow. “Whumpee–”
“I’ll be good! I’ll behave! I don’t know what I did, Master, I’m sorry! I’m sorry for being so stupid that I didn’t even realise I was being bad! I’m so sorry!”
“Whumpee, I’m just trying to give you an opportunity to wash up–”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry–”
Caretaker sighed. Alright, they just had to pet their hair and wait it out.
“Hey, Whumpee…” they tried again once the pet had quieted down a little. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yes, Master,” they sniffled. They didn’t sound very okay, but it was a start. “I’m s-sorry.”
“Why do you think you did something wrong, honey?”
“I– I must’ve, I must’ve! I know I did something, if you want t-to– to ‘give me a bath’, I– please, please d-don’t, I’m so sorry…”
Caretaker frowned. “What do you think a bath means?”
Whumpee looked up at them with those wide, tear-filled eyes, so terrified that Caretaker could barely stand it. “D-drowning, Master. Please, I, I know I must deserve it, but please, punish me any other way! I can’t do it again, I can’t, please…”
Oh, that sick bastard.
“Shh, sweetie… It’s okay…” They tried to unwrap Whumpee’s arms from around their legs so they could help them stand up, but eventually they just settled for getting on the floor with them. They pulled Whumpee into a tight hug, rubbing their back as they continued to cry. “I didn’t mean it like that… I’m never gonna hurt you like that, yeah? Ever.”
“Y-you’re… not?”
“No, of course not. Of course not. I promised you’d be safe here, and I meant it. Let’s just calm down.”
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straight-to-the-pain · 3 months
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I’ve been thinking about how often we see stories about people getting out of an awful situation and being surrounded with support and care and getting to move on and recover.
But what if they don’t. They’ve spent god knows how long in their own personal hell, captivity, torture, isolation. For what felt like an eternity, they held onto the idea of finally being freed, rescued, released. And one day it just happens. Political pressure, a hostage exchange, a rescue. Whatever happens, one day they’re just free.
But they come home and everything’s different. They never had a huge network to begin with, and now the people who still care just don’t know how to deal with them and their trauma. It’s all too much. They’re not the person they used to be, the person their friends used to love.
Sure, they’ve been given medical treatment for their obvious wounds but the doctors just don’t seem to understand them when they say that there’s a pain that never quite goes away. They’ve had the mandatory counselling, but the therapist’s empty platitudes made them feel all the more disconnected from their reality.
For so long, they waited for this. But now it feels like their past is an impossible weight on their chest, never letting them move forward. People tell them that they have their future ahead of them, but they can’t help but wonder if they should have just died there.
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You will never have it all figured out. That can be an uncomfortable truth to accept, but remember that the goal is not to be prepared for everything. It is simply to be capable of responding healthily to the unexpected.
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Whumpuary 2024 Day 14
14. (Jan 27-28) Flinching / Breakdown / Sleep Deprivation 
cw past trauma, implied noncon/torture, hurt/comfort, aftermath of whump
“You’re slower than usual,” Hero teased when they pinned Villain to the wall. “Lost your edge after that little vacation you took?” 
Villain was breathing heavily. Their hands grasped at Hero’s, which were fisted in the front of their suit, but Villain lacked their typical strength. “Wasn’t a vacation, you jerk,” they huffed. “And I’m doing my best here.” 
Hero pulled one of their hands back, and their heart jumped when Villain flinched away from them; they’d never reacted like that before. The instinctual fear was clearly visible in their eyes.  
“Whoa, hey,” Hero said softly. “I was just gonna—your mask is slipping.” 
Villain looked down, frowning. “Sorry. I just...go ahead.” 
Hero raised their hands slowly and adjusted Villain’s mask, noting the sharp intake of breath when Hero’s fingers grazed their cheek. As they put it back in place, Hero could see a dark bruise hiding under the mask. The slightest bit of purple spread up their cheekbone. 
Villain was trembling when Hero stepped back. 
“Are you okay?” Hero asked. Logically, they knew they should take advantage of Villain’s weakness and bring them in. But they just couldn’t bring themself to be that cruel. 
“When I was gone this week,” Villain whispered, “I was...Supervillain took me hostage. I’ll spare you the details but...they did some shit to me I wouldn’t even do to my enemies.” 
Hero felt their heart ache at the admission and the pained expression in Villain’s eyes when they looked back up. “I’m sorry, I—I had no idea.” 
“Not your fault,” Villain said with a shrug. They tried to force a smile as well, but it didn’t quite work. “But it messed me up pretty good. I can’t sleep. I can’t move without remembering their hands on me.” 
A sick feeling curled in Hero’s stomach as they imagined what the normally collected Villain must have been through to have them on the verge of tears at the memory. They slowly reached out, giving Villain enough time to stop them—but when they didn’t, Hero pulled them into an embrace. “It’s over,” they muttered into Villain’s hair. “You're safe now.” 
Their words seemed to open the floodgates, and suddenly Villain broke down. Hero didn’t know what to do, so they just held their nemesis as they cried. The fact that they’d been in the middle of a fight passed through Hero’s mind, but it didn’t matter now. They were a hero—their job was to help people. Even if those people regularly made their life hell. 
“I’m sorry,” Villain choked out. “This is pathetic. And I—I deserved it.” 
“No one deserves to be hurt like that,” Hero said, rubbing their back in soothing circles. 
Villain tried to steady their breathing as they looked up at Hero, eyes glistening with tears. “Thank you. Just—give me a minute, and we can get back to it.” 
“What do you say we get a rain check,” Hero asked with a small smile, “and you let me buy you a coffee instead?” 
Villain sniffled and rolled their eyes. “As long as you promise to reschedule. Because I was looking forward to kicking your ass.” 
Hero laughed. “Okay, deal.” 
Although the coffee may not have truly fixed anything, it was a welcomed comfort. 
taglist: @morning-star-whump
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dialogue 15
bad caretaker ask game
15. "one more sound and i swear i'll bring you back to whumper."
[tw bad caretaker, whumpee goes nonverbal, betrayal, past trauma]
"One more sound and I swear I'll bring you back to Whumper."
The room immediately fell silent after that, and Caretaker didn't even seem to care about the way Whumpee's tear-filled eyes widened in sheer terror. They went on with the bandaging process as though their words had meant nothing at all. As though that wasn't the most horrifying thing they could've said.
Whumpee couldn't see straight from the panic. They took the rough treatment without a single hiss, focusing all their energy on drawing the quietest breaths they could.
They were not going back. They didn't want to go back. They didn't want Caretaker to bring them back. Going back was one thing, but if they absolutely had to, they would've... wanted their friend to object to it.
Was that selfish of them?
Had they been selfish this entire time?
Was that why Caretaker was so incredibly upset with them, to the point of wanting to hand them over to their abuser?
After minutes of having worked themself up, Whumpee's mind gave out. It was like a switch being flipped, all that anxiety suddenly disappeared and left a gaping hole in its wake. They felt nothing. They couldn't hear anything over the buzzing in their ear; the sound of static was too overwhelming.
They stared at the floor for what felt like an eternity. Their mind was going to places it hadn't in a very long time, and they flinched violently when Caretaker shook them by the shoulders — they didn't let a single sound escape, though.
"Whumpee. We're done."
Whumpee looked at them almost like they were a stranger. In a way, they were. It was easier to believe that, than to think a person who had promised them protection and safety was so ready to threaten several more years of torture at the hands of someone who had already done it once.
They nodded in acknowledgement.
Caretaker sighed. "Don't... don't do this. I didn't mean that. You don't have to go on a week-long nonverbal strike against me."
Whumpee opened their mouth to answer, to make sure Caretaker knew they weren't upset at all. Because they weren't. Not at all. They weren't upset. They weren't. They couldn't be. They had no right to be. They had to be good, they had to be pleasant so Caretaker wouldn't have a reason to threaten this again. But as they tried to form the words to reassure their friend, they just couldn't do it.
"For fuck's sake, Whumpee..." Caretaker rubbed their temples in frustration. "I– no, I'm not– I'm not doing this. I'm not indulging your fucking paranoia. Not today. Take your time, calm down a little, and then we can talk later if you want." They stood up and grabbed the remaining roll of gauze, promptly leaving Whumpee alone in the kitchen.
Whumpee eventually forced themself to move so Caretaker wouldn't get even angrier by the time dinner rolled around and they were still sitting in the same spot, retreating to their room instead. They knew hiding in there would cause more conflicts, but their brain still felt like it had been scrambled. There was nothing in their head but a primal need to protect themself, a need so strong it made their throat close up every time they tried to practise their apology.
They couldn't even cry. Whumper hated whenever they cried.
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meraki24601 · 2 months
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You didn't do anything wrong.
“I’m sorry,” Whumpee said, cleaning up the largest shards of the broken glass they knocked off the table.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Caretaker replied, plastering a smile on their face as they wrote a mental note to announce themselves before approaching Whumpee from behind. 
-----------*-***-*-----------
“I’m sorry,” Whumpee moaned as their tears stained Caretaker’s new shirt.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Caretaker sighed. They held Whumpee tighter in their arms, hoping their presence would scare away the bad dreams haunting the night.
-----------*-***-*-----------
“I’m sorry,” Whumpee laughed. Their hand rose to cover the lopsided grin spreading across their face.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Caretaker squealed, running to shut off the watering hose. Their soaked clothes clung to their skin, and their shoes squeaked as they ran.
-----------*-***-*-----------
“I’m sorry,” Caretaker wailed as Whumper’s thumb covered the large red button.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Whumpee closed their eyes. Their muscles tensed, ready for what came next. 
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lionlena · 9 months
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Unforgivable mistake (JoelMillerxreader) Part 3
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Summary: Reader is much younger than Joel and is in love with  him. One night, after arguing with Tess and getting drunk, Joel spends  the night with a reader, but in the morning he breaks her heart…  She  runs away from Boston hoping that she will never meet this cold bastard  again in her life. But almost six years later, she unexpectedly sees  Joel in Jackson. She decides to hide herself and her little secret from  this asshole.
Warnings: age gap (reader is about 28 years, Joel 58),  strong language, swearing, past trauma, bullying, attempted rape, memories of sexual abuse,  unprotect p in v,  dom!Joel, Joel is asshole, ANGST, hurt, sadness and heartbreaking
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Part 3
Joel stared blankly at your door. His breathing was heavy, and his hands moved restlessly and clenched into fists. He wanted to start knocking, banging on the door, and screaming. He wanted to know more about his baby boy. He wanted to argue with you, but at the same time, he didn't want his son to associate him with evening arguing. He didn't want Teddy to be afraid of him.
He finally came home and locked himself in his room. He slept little in the night, still thinking about what he had learned and… He didn't agree with you. He was Teddy's father. Whether you wanted it or not, you wouldn't have gotten pregnant without him. No matter how small and bad a part of him was, he had a part in it. And he knew he would be a good father to his son, just as he was to Sarah. He may not have always been perfect, but he could love and show fatherly love. He wanted to look after Teddy. He just didn't know how. He suspected you'd stop him every time he tried to get close.
So all he had to do was watch the boy from a distance.
Almost 3 weeks after he found out about his son, he saw a scene that made his blood boil.
He had just returned from a patrol with Barbara. He was beginning to suspect that Maria kept connecting him whit this idiot on purpose because she could see how much he hated her.
Suddenly, the woman laughed and murmured, "This little son of Y/N is such a weakling."
He shot her an angry glare, then looked at the scene that was playing out a few meters away. Two boys, older and taller than Teddy, laughed at him as he tried to take his stuffed bunny away from them.
"Weakling? Is that what you call a child who is the victim of two bullies?!" He looked at her with contempt. "But what do you know about children? You're too old for your own. Which is lucky, because you'd obviously make a terrible mother!"
The woman opened and closed her mouth, and he moved quickly to the children. He snatched the stuffed animal from the boy's hands and growled: "Are you having fun? Why don't you try it with me."
Only then boy's mother appeared, who had previously been standing with another woman a few meters away, step in.
"What's going on?! They're just having fun."
"Play? Rather, they bully the younger child."
The woman snorted and looked at him indignantly. "How dare you." She reached out to her sons. "Boys, we're going home."
Joel snorted, then looked softly at Teddy. The boy ran to him and with a big smile took his bunny.
"Thank you," he said and looked at him like a hero.
Joel patted his head, but their interaction was interrupted by the woman who was the mother of the little girl.
"Teddy, we're coming back too."
The boy shook his head and suddenly snuggled up against Joel's leg, taking him completely by surprise. The woman winced slightly.
"Your mom asked me to take care of you. Come on."
"No," the little one moaned.
Joel bent down and picked the boy up. The toddler immediately wrapped his arms around his neck and it was the moment when Teddy, completely unconsciously, took over his dad's heart. Joel cleared his throat and confidently said, "I'll take care of him. I live next door to Y/N."
The woman looked uncertain, but she did not have the strength to face the childish tantrum. She shrugged and finally said, "All right."
Joel smiled and patted his son on the back. "Teddy, do you want to meet Ellie?" The little boy nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go. Do you want me to carry you?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
When Joel entered the house, Ellie gave him a surprised look. He walked past her and sat Teddy in a chair in the kitchen.
"Wait here. We'll find some crayons and paper for you in a moment."
Ellie grabbed his arm as he tried to cross the threshold. "What happened witch keeping distance?"
"Maybe it's time to break the ice." Seeing her shocked expression, he laughed a little and added: "Two boys were bullying him and I chased them away. And he stuck with me. What was I supposed to do?"
Ellie looked at the boy, who sat politely and waved his legs rhythmically. "Yes, he's cute, but what about Y/N?"
"Leave Mama Bear on my head."
"As you wish." She spread her arms and ran to the baby. "Hi, Teddy!"
The little one smiled widely and started talking to her, and Joel… Joel felt proud and happy. He had a wonderful, beautiful, smart son and he was not going to give up being his dad.
*
You were furious when Joanna told you who she allowed to take your treasure, your precious little one. You wanted to yell at her, scratch her eyes out, but at the same time, you knew that she often helped you by taking care of your child. Plus, how could she know about your hatred of Joel, from what she said, Teddy really wanted to go with him.
Ellie opened the door for you and gave you a sharp look. You knew he didn't like you, and you guessed why.
"Where is he?" you asked trying to contain all your rage.
The girl nodded and led you into the living room, your heart skipping a beat at the sight you saw. This could be the cutest picture in the world if it wasn't for the fact that your son fell asleep in this asshole's arms. Teddy looked so calm that your heart trembled. Joel was sitting on the couch with your little one sleeping on his chest, Teddy's little head resting on Joel's shoulder. You saw how protectively he held the little one and you wanted to break his arms. You moved towards him and hissed, "Give him to me."
Joel sighed heavily and whispered, "Calm down. I'll take him to your house in a moment."
You shook your head. "Give. Me. Him. NOW. And never touch him again," you hissed.
Joel rolled his eyes and muttered, "I won't hurt him."
You felt a wave of rage wash over you, and you didn't even care that Ellie was standing next to you. "You already hurt him. The moment you conceived him. The moment you ignored the fact that your dick was causing me pain."
Joel felt as if someone had punched him in the face. You took advantage of this and quickly took your son, who sleepily purred, "Mommy?"
You rubbed his back and whispered, "Shh, sleep baby."
You looked at Ellie who stared at you in shock. " I'm sorry that you heard this," you said as you walked past her and left their damned living room.
*
Ellie looked at Joel sadly. "Teddy is your son." he nodded. "And you hurt Y/N?"
Joel immediately stood up and walked over to her, but she backed away sharply, so he stopped. "What? No, Ellie... It's not like that. Y/N was an adult and... She wanted it."
She looked at him. "Really? Because it didn't sound like that at all!" He reached out to her, but she pushed him away and ran out of the house.
Joel rubbed his temples and sighed heavily. Why did he have to screw everything up? But he didn't do anything wrong. He just wanted to spend some time with his own child.
*
You put your son to bed when you heard a soft knock. You swung the door open and growled, "What the fuck..." You stopped mid-sentence. "Ellie? Sorry, I thought it was Joel.”
"Can we talk?"
Her behavior disturbed you. She didn't look like the saucy, rebellious teenager you used to see. She was more like a scared child, and your maternal instincts took over immediately. "Of course. Come on." When she came in, you put your arm around her and led her to the kitchen. "Would you like some lemonade?"
"Hmm."
You sat across from each other at the kitchen island. Ellie was silent, and you decided to break the silence. "Look, I'm really sorry. I lost my nerves. I just told Joel not to go near Teddy and..."
"Did he force you to get pregnant? Did he rape you?"
You froze at first. Ellie stared at you with sad eyes, and you realized there was something more in this question. You grabbed her hand and calmly asked, "Ellie, did someone hurt you?"
She nodded at first, but then said, "No... I mean... He tried."
You swallowed, afraid to ask if it was Joel. Part of you absolutely didn't believe it. Joel was a bastard, he was an asshole, he was a complete dick, but... Not a pedophile. You didn't know how far you could go and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
There was silence for a long time and you wanted to apologize to her when she took a shuddering breath and started saying, "It was after we left Jackson. Joel got hurt and (...)"
You listened patiently to her stories about David and his cult, how they ate people, and how he wanted to use Ellie, even force her to have children with him. You were scared and angry at the same time. The dude was worse than Joel. He was a hundred times worse dick. If it weren't for the fact that he was already dead, you would have found him and killed him yourself.
"Then Joel found me and I thought... I thought I was safe with him."
You wanted to hit yourself when you realized how Ellie read your words to Joel. You squeezed her hand tighter and said, "You're safe with him. I can say a lot of bad things about him, but Joel is not a pedophile, cannibal, or rapist."
"But you said..."
"I know what I said." You took a deep breath. "Listen to me. I was young and naive. I was in love with him and he... He didn't act like a decent guy, but he didn't rape me. I went to bed with him of my own free. Sex with him... He wasn't gentle, and in the morning he thought our night together was a mistake. He said a lot of nasty things to me and left me with a broken heart."
Ellie nodded and muttered, "He was an asshole."
"Yes."
"He's acting like that less and less." You smiled slightly at her words. "And Teddy?"
"He didn't know about him. I left Boston the next day and found out about the pregnancy while traveling."
Ellie looked down and mumbled, "I'm sorry that I thought you were a bitch."
"It's okay. I even understand you a little."
Suddenly Teddy appeared in the kitchen. He was still sleepy and rubbing his eyes with a small fist, but when he saw the teenage girl, he immediately woke up. "Ellie! Will you play with me?"
The girl looked at you, and you said, "Go ahead."
You were surprised at how well they got along. You didn't know if Ellie was affected by your son's charm or the fact that he was Joel's son, but you didn't care. You enjoyed their good relationship. By evening, Teddy had told you about how Joel helped him, and you felt a little silly. Maybe you needn't have been so hard on him. Your son obviously already loved him, not even knowing it was his dad.
You heard Ellie's quiet grunts and turned your attention to her.
"It's getting late," she said, and you nodded. "Could I stay here tonight?"
You were really surprised how quickly the relationship between you two changed.
"Of course you can, but Joel won't really hurt you."
"I know, but I'm still mad at him, for cheating me. He said you were getting revenge because he didn't want to leave Tess." You snorted annoyed. "He left out the rest."
"Okay. But you have to tell him." Ellie winced, and you sort of automatically added, "Okay, I'll let him know."
You didn't really know why you suggested it. Did it was, your motherly instinct to protect Ellie? Or did you want to stick another pin in Joel, letting him know that the teenage girl prefers you?
You couldn't back away from your words and you made your way to his house with heavy steps.
It was even funny to see how stupid Joel looked when he opened the door.
"Y/N?"
"Ellie wants to stay with me for the night. I agreed."
Joel leaned back slightly. He blinked once, then twice before he understood your words. He was sure Ellie stayed somewhere in town. When he realized she was with you, he felt uneasy.
"She talked to you?"
"Yes. She told me about David and wanted to know if you raped me." You could easily see the horror on his face. "You care about her?"
"Yes," he croaked.
"I told her the truth that I went to bed with you willingly. And that you were an asshole in the morning, but... You're not a pedophile or a rapist."
Joel's shoulders slumped and he breathed a sigh of relief. You had the opportunity to hurt him deeply. Ruin his relationship with Ellie, but as always you had a good heart.
"Thank you and… I'm sorry I took Teddy."
He surprised you, but you didn't show it. You calmly replied, "Teddy told me what you did. He thinks you're a hero."
Joel smiled slightly. "These kids were teasing him and I..." He looked at you confidently. "I am his father, Y/N. No matter how hard you try, you won't change it. And I won't abandon him. I will protect him, love him, and take care of him. You can fight me or accept my help in raising him."
You shook your head and replied, " And here is old Joel. You're trying to fix the whole world, even though you're destroying it yourself, but fine. I'll let you date him but on one condition."
"What?"
"You're not allowed to say you're his father. You can be his friend or uncle, but not 'dad'. Do you understand?"
Joel clenched his jaw and looked at you angrily. He thought you were playing unfairly, but at the same time, he really wanted to look after Teddy.
"Alright," he murmured.
"Great" you replied and smiled. Then you turned on your heel and went home pleased with yourself. You knew your requirement would hurt Joel, but you thought he deserved it. Yes, he defended your son and took care of him, but that didn't mean your wounds were healed. You still felt that Joel didn't understand how much he hurt you. So you had every right to attack him.
*
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A/N: I really think after what happened in episode 8, Ellie should talk to someone.
Part II
Part IV
Taglist:   @ajeff855​, @anislabonis-love​,  @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi​,    @i-workwithpens​, @milla-frenchy​,  @quality-lust    @liatome​  @sarahhxx03 @creedslove​ @jojo-munson​ @pascalislove​​ @sofiparallel  
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echoingalaxies · 3 months
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A Whumpee who never smiles, never laughs, never shows happiness in those typical ways. When it finally does happen, everybody around them knows something is terribly wrong, and that the hysterical laughter is not from a place of joy, but because of the endless pain and horrors that have brought Whumpee to this extreme state of exhaustion and despair.
Whumpee's breaking down right in front of their friends' eyes, nearly unable to breathe through the fits of laughter because crying is no longer enough, and it's terrifying.
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whumperofworlds · 7 months
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A Whumper who has the power to enter dreams. They entered Whumpee's dreams and made them nightmares. Maybe they make them dream about a past trauma. Maybe they make a dream where Caretaker hurts them so bad that when Whumpee wakes up, they're outright terrified of Caretaker. Or maybe they trapped them in nightmares that they can't wake up from, as Caretaker and the team have to find a way to wake them up.
Feel free to add more!
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friendlylocalwhumper · 7 months
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your character witnesses someone else going through the very same trauma that broke them. except it doesn’t break this person. it turns out okay - no one dies, or a gruesome injury is avoided, or someone actually comes to the rescue. your character is left to cope with the grief of not having been so lucky back in the day.
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Whump Prompt #1086
Anon asked:
Need me some prompts for a really happy-go-lucky character who hides their traumas behind a witty remark and a cocky smile
Happy go-lucky is a trope I’ve modelled an OC on so:
Nothing appears to phase the character at first: even when it really should. 
When the Worst Stuff is revealed about their past, everyone is sat in horrified shock except your character, who passes the whole thing off as a funny story. The character shrugs and says ‘and I’m still alive so... I’ll drink to that.’
The ‘it is what it is’ mentality. Someone is mean to them? They’ve heard worse. They’re injured? ‘Not as bad as the last time.’ They’ve just witnessed something horrific? ‘Eh, at least no-one died in my arms this time.’
They’ve learnt to craft their backstory into something more humorous to reduce the impact it has on other people. 
“Hahah, well actually I’ve dealt with this before. It’s a funny story really, I was nearly executed for...”
Maybe one day they can’t hold it in anymore. That One Thing is enough to push them over the edge. Maybe they drink, maybe they do something else self destructive and it all comes out. There’s no cocky smile, there’s no joke; your character is being 100% real and It’s jarring for the caretakers... but also a relief that the trauma is finally being addressed. 
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whumpshaped · 4 months
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this is a disgustingly fluffy prompt so beware slfkdh
caretaker always calls whumpee a word in their (caretaker‘s) native language, which whumpee doesn’t understand. but since they are very self loathing they just assume it’s something negative, since caretaker has to spend so much time and energy caring for and „tolerating“ whumpee. one day whumpee gets too curious though and decides to look up the word, only to find out it’s a pet name and caretaker has been calling them something lovingly the entire time
(bonus points if you do it in your native language i love learning new cute pet names!!)
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sorry to all hungarians i know seeing this will cause some whiplash
tw pet whump, past trauma, caretaker new master
‘Easy, szívem.’
‘Szívem, could you bring me some water?’
‘You don’t have to push yourself, szívem.’
Whumpee accepted the nickname as their own easily. Whumper had given them plenty, although never ones they couldn’t even understand; useless, stupid, mutt… who knew which one Caretaker was using on them?
They avoided asking about it for the longest time. They told themself they were prepared for the meaning, that they could handle whatever degrading thing their new master ‘friend’ threw at them, but in reality… They weren’t prepared at all. They didn’t want to know. They wanted to pretend it was something nice, a term of genuine endearment, dear, darling, honey… Something people said to each other with kindness.
But eventually, curiosity won out. Whumpee sneaked into the study one day, picking out one of the dictionaries from the shelf. They thought about using the computer, but they chickened out. It would’ve been a much more egregious crime than opening a book.
The issue was, they had no idea how to spell the word. They started at ‘S’, flipping through pages upon pages and finding nothing. See-vem. See-vem. None of the words looked right. They eventually crossed over into the next letter, ‘Sz’, unsure what sound that would even make. It was all so confusing… How did Caretaker even speak this?
“Can I help you?”
Whumpee flinched at the voice, slamming the dictionary shut immediately. “C-Caretaker– I– I wasn’t– I wasn’t doing anything! I was cleaning, and the book fell down, I was just trying to check whether it was intact–”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” they said with a smile. “I’m not mad, szívem. But if you were looking for something specific in there, maybe I could help.”
“N-no, no, it’s… it’s nothing… I…” They took a deep breath, trying to ground themself. It was now or never, really. They wouldn’t get a better chance to ask. “Well… I, I was wondering about, um… The nickname, I guess. What you always call me.”
“Ah, of course. I’m sorry, I’ve never really explained it, have I? It’s just a term of endearment.” They pulled out their phone and typed something. “I’m pretty sure the dictionary only has the root word. Here.”
Whumpee took the phone gingerly, looking at the translation program. Original word, in Hungarian: szívem. Yeah, they would’ve never gotten that right. Translation, in English…
Their eyes widened in disbelief. Next to them, Caretaker chuckled. “What did you think it meant?” they asked cheerily, seemingly unaware of all the horrible options that had been swirling around in Whumpee’s head before.
“I… I don’t even know,” they breathed.
They definitely didn’t think it meant something as innocent as ‘my heart’.
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straight-to-the-pain · 8 months
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I’m not usually one for conditioned whumpees, and especially not for recovery, but I think I would really enjoy those types of scenes more if the trauma responses were allowed to be more nuanced and complex.
This isn’t a criticism of anyone specific, it’s just something I think I lack in the community, and I don’t think I’m the one to write it either, but I think that what puts me off is that I know what it’s like to be triggered by something, and it’s such a complicated and not always conscious process.
Like yes they might feel that someone they’re with is angry or upset with them and suddenly try to do anything they can to please them, but that might come with a wave of shame and self loathing once they’ve realised that nothing was wrong and they’ve just embarrassed themselves in front of someone close to them.
Or maybe they’re scared of that part of themself, and they’re so scared that other people will see it or hurt them again that they push them away, maybe they test their boundaries, maybe they hurt the people they love instead because they want to see what happens when they finally do get angry.
Maybe they hate that part of them that makes them become someone else, that makes them get lost in their mind. Maybe they resent how it makes relationships hard, how they try to move on but some small thing ignites a carefully buried spark of fear and the whole thing starts again.
I also wish there wasn’t so much of a power dynamic of whumpee and caretaker, where the whumpee is someone who is mentally ill and traumatised and not expected to ever be independent or live alone. No, I want them to have friends and partners and lovers, and struggle and find joy in equal measure, on their own terms.
There’s absolutely people writing this sort of content, and there are things I will read because I think they capture that complexity, and of course these are my personal feelings but I do urge people to think about this when they write, if they want to.
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100% this. Like I cannot stress this enough how much of a delay you can have in processing things that impacted us when we were younger. There’s still plenty of shit I’m processing from high school, things that until I really sit and think about it I don’t even realize were fucked up. Give yourself time, every day is another chance to heal a little more 🖤
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raaorqtpbpdy · 2 months
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Have You Ever...
Danny gets invited to a hero convention as Danny Phantom, and his booth is next to none other than the legendary Ben 10, one of Danny's own favorite heroes. But when the two start playing a modified version of Never-Have-I-Ever to alleviate their boredom between handshakes with fans, they accidentally expose some things they didn't really mean to.
You can also read it on AO3
Written for X-over Danuary Week 2024, Day 1: Ben 10 | Prison Thanks @crossoverdanuary for running this!
I got a late start because I had DnD today, and I finished this at like 10pm, so I didn't have time to edit. I'm planning on editing it later this week, but until then, sorry for any mistakes. [Edit: it has now been edited]
[Warning for mentions of past traumatic experiences]
It was weird to see such a huge convention center so empty.
Well, it wasn't completely empty, but a few people carrying boxes and setting up displays was a significantly smaller crowd than Danny would normally expect to see in a place like this.
"Ah! Danny Phantom you're here!" A woman with a high ponytail and a convention staff t-shirt walked over to him. "Wow, I'm so excited that you actually came!" 
Her voice was familiar.
"Sally, right?" he guessed. "Sally Braddock?"
"You remembered!" She said brightly.
Sally had been the one who'd convinced Danny to come to this convention. She'd offered him pretty substantial payment, but it was only when she told him he could have three free tickets to the convention as well that Tucker told him he had to agree or they wouldn't be friends anymore. 
So here he was, at San Diego Hero Con, halfway across the country, to sit at a table and sign autographs for a few hours each day, and then do an hour-long panel with a bunch of other teen heroes, and another tomorrow on specifically ghost hunting. (He was still debating whether he should actually show up to that one, or if it would be too dangerous.) The worst part, though, was how early he had to wake up to set up his booth before the event started.
"Here's your presenter badge," Sally said, and handed him a bright yellow name tag clipped to a blue lanyard with the convention's logo on it. "Celebrity meet-and-greets are over there. I'll lead the way. We try not to put them too close to each other or the lines get out of control, but your booth is right next to Ben 10's."
Danny perked up at that. "The alien guy?"
"Yup!"
Oh, man, he hoped he'd get the chance to talk to him. Ben 10 was Danny's favorite superhero. He got to fight real life aliens, sometimes in actual space! And sure, Danny had been to space before that one time Technus had taken over a satellite, but it had still been a ghost fight. It wasn't the same.
"So, this is your table," Sally said, pointing to an empty, white folding table. "Do you have a tablecloth, or banners or headshots or anything?" she asked him with a tight smile.
"Uh.... I don't photograph well," he replied.
Sally sighed. "Well, I can bring over one of the convention tablecloths, but you really should get some kind of poster or cardboard cut-out or something that shows people who they're meeting. And you'll definitely need something to sign. Comic books, or T-shirts. Anything, really. There's a portrait artist in Artists Alley who works pretty fast, her name is Jess. If you get something from her, I can send a gopher to make copies for you to sign." 
"Uh, okay? But, I can just call a friend to bring something."
"Whatever works." With that, Sally left to go organize something else.
Danny called up Sam, who was back at the hotel with Tucker—Tucker would no doubt still be sleeping—and asked her to find a nearby print shop and get a Danny Phantom Banner to hang up and a whole bunch of 8x10 illustrations of him. He let her pick the picture, but asked her to please not pick anything too embarrassing.
Right as he hung up, a pair of people approached the booth next to him carrying plastic tubs. It was none other than Ben 10 himself and a tall, furry, blue alien who was no doubt one of his allies. (That or a cosplayer, but since they were with Ben 10 himself, Danny felt safe in assuming that they really were an alien.) The two of them placed their tubs on the floor and opened them up to start unpacking their display.
"Woah, hi!" Danny said, louder than he meant to.
Ben 10 snapped his head around, muscles tensing. Danny recognized that response all too well, and tried not to let out a sympathetic wince.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said. "You're Ben 10, right? I know this is cringey to say, but I'm a huge fan."
"Uh, thanks? Just Ben is fine."
"I'm Danny Phantom, but you can just call me Danny."
"I can see that... uh... nice to meet you?" Ben replied. He seemed uncomfortable. Had Danny come on too strong.
"Something wrong?"
"What? No, of course not," Ben said, though it wasn't very convincing.
"I am Rook Blonko," Ben's companion said, offering Danny a handshake which he excitedly accepted. "It is an honor to meet another hero, though I will admit, it was only recently that I came to learn about you." 
"Oh, yeah," Danny let out an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "My scope is a lot more regional and sometimes not very... in this dimension." 
"That would be... the Ghost Zone, right?" Ben said casually. "What's it like? Anything like the Null Void?"
So he was at least somewhat familiar with Danny and his exploits. Danny tried not to let that go to his head, but he couldn't help feeling a little giddy nonetheless. Ben laid down a black tablecloth with his logo on it and spread it across his table. This definitely wasn't his first rodeo.
"I don't know about the Null Void," Danny said. "It's like the bottom side of this dimension. It's where ghosts live... or... not live. Reside. Almost everything is green because of all the ectoplasm there, and when humans go there, they can pass right through walls and objects just like ghosts can in this dimension."
"That does not sound like the Null Void at all," Rook observed, pulling rods and boards out of one of the boxes and assembling them into a small standing shelf.
"What's the Null Void like?" Danny asked.
"Mostly red," Ben said with a shrug. "Full of floating islands and enormous aliens. Used as a penal colony for this dimension's worst criminals."
"Oh... yeah, no. Aside from the floating islands, that doesn't sound anything like the Ghost Zone," Danny agreed. "Although it's kind of a cool coincidence that we both have experience with alternate dimensions."
"Yeah, I guess so." Ben looked over at Danny and his sad excuse for a booth—really looking for the first time. "First time at one of these things?"
"Oh yeah," Danny confirmed. "My friend is bailing me out at a print shop right now, but I was so unprepared."
Ben snorted. "Here," he said, digging through one of his boxes and pulling out a bright green swath of fabric. "You can use one of my tablecloths. I brought an extra, just in case. It has my logo on one side, but if you turn it around so the logo faces you no one will be the wiser. We have basically the same color scheme, so it works out."
"Thanks," Danny accepted the tablecloth, slightly surprised, and spread it out over his table. It was almost exactly ectoplasm green, just a shade or two darker. "Have you been to a lot of conventions?"
"A few," Ben said.
"This is your fourth," Rook said.
"That sounds right. If it hadn't been for Rook, I probably would've been just as lost as you at my first one. He's all about preparing in advance. But yeah, I've been a public hero for over a year now, and since my identity isn't a secret anymore, it's easier for the people who run these things to get a hold of me."
"About that... why don't you have a secret identity?"
"It wasn't exactly my choice," Ben replied. "Some kid found it out and exposed me on the internet. It turned out surprisingly well, though, for the most part. Must be nice for you though, not having an alternate identity—not that being dead is nice or anything like that—I mean, it's not a bad thing—or it is a bad thing? I uh... yeah, I don't know what I'm saying."
After taking a moment to parse that rambling sentence, Danny burst out laughing. 
"Hahaha! Is that why you're acting so uncomfortable around me? Because I'm dead? Ha! You don't have to worry about that. You're fine."
"Serious?"
"Dead serious," Danny replied with a smirk.
Ben shook his head with a soft laugh. "Alright, fine.... Actually, that's not the only reason. Back when I was ten and just starting out I had... a bad experience with a ghost-like alien of mine. Ever since, ghost stuff just puts me a little on edge."
"Oh... I see. Well, don't worry, I won't take it personally," Danny said. "Did you really start doing this when you were ten?"
"Yeah. Although I kinda retired for a few years when I was eleven, and started up again when I was fifteen."
Danny did some quick math in his head. "Oh, so altogether, you and me have been in this for about the same amount of time. 'Cause I got started a little over two years ago."
"Yeah?" Ben was silent for a few moments. He pulled out boxed figurines of his alien forms and lined them up on the shelf Rook had assembled. "So... when did you...."
"Die?" Danny finished for him. "I was fourteen. I'm almost seventeen now. In about three months, I mean."
"Do you still age?"
"Sort of?" Danny shrugged.
He and Jazz had come up with an answer to this question a little while ago, when people noticed that Danny Phantom was starting to look older, even though ghosts supposedly didn't age.
"A ghost's body is a reflection of their mental image of themself. In the Zone, ghosts don't really age or change unless something specific happens that makes them feel older or different. Because I spend so much time in the human world still, because I learn and grow with each fight, I still feel like I'm growing up, so I look like I'm growing up, too."
"That is fascinating," Rook said. "I would love to learn more about ghostly biology."
"I would love to tell you about it. Problem is, I really don't know that much," Danny told him apologetically. He shrugged. "Sorry. I'm a superhero, not a scientist."
"I'm here!" Sam called, her heavy combat boots tromping into the room. She was carrying a large cardboard box. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to put together a design for the banner. Luckily I found a printer that could make one for you on short notice like this, or you'd be screwed."
"You're a life saver!"
"You wish," she scoffed. "I got you a banner and three hundred head shots."
"That's not gonna be enough," Ben said immediately.
"Ya think?" Sam asked.
"Trust me."
She sighed heavily in annoyance. "Okay, I can go back and get some more, but you so owe me, Danny."
"Yeah, I know," Danny said, taking the box from Sam. "You're the best!"
"Yeah, yeah," she said, taking one of the head shots off the top of the stack and leaving again.
"Is that your friend?" Ben asked.
"One of them," Danny confirmed, setting the box down on the table. "That's Sam. She and Tucker have been with me since the beginning. He's probably still asleep at the hotel."
He pulled out a stack of head shots for the table and slid the box with the rest underneath. She'd picked a good picture. It was a poster illustration for a local ghost awareness presentation he'd done a while back, and he nearly sighed with relief when he saw it. He'd been half afraid she'd pick one of the grainy newspaper photos of him in his underwear.
"That's cool," Ben said. "Yeah, I don't think anyone could do this job without allies. When I first started, I had my Grandpa and my cousin, then my cousin and my best friend, and now I have Rook as my partner."
"We have been together for a year," Rook added.
"Like... together together or...?"
"Working partners," Ben clarified insistently. "It's not like that."
"Oh, okay, my bad."
Hoping to alleviate his embarrassment, Danny unfurled his new banner and flew up to hang it on the wall behind his booth. It looked cool, but not too complicated. Just his name and logo and a little bit of ghost designs around the edges. Sam had done a good job with it.
"You are not the first to think that," Rook consoled. "It is a more common assumption than one might think."
They continued chatting idly while they set up their booths. Danny got to ask Rook what kind of alien he was, and what his home planet was like. Sam showed up with a whole bunch more photos and then immediately abandoned them to get a sneak preview of artist alley before she came back as an attendee.
Just before the convention center officially opened, Danny worked up the courage to ask Ben for an autograph, and Ben obliged him with a smile, offering an exchange, rather than asking for payment. Danny eagerly accepted, signing one of his own pictures and trading it for Ben's. Ben's looked far more professional than his own. He hoped people wouldn't be disappointed.
As people started trickling in past the security checkpoint up front, both heroes only got a few people in the beginning. After only about twenty minutes of boredom, Ben suggested they play a game.
"Sure," Danny agreed. "What game?"
"My buddy Kevin calls it Reverse-Never-Have-I-Ever, and my cousin calls it Have-You-Ever." Ben said. "See, we could never play regular Never-Have-I-Ever, because we all knew all the weird stuff we'd done and we'd target each other mercilessly. With this version, You say something you have done, and anyone who hasn't done it loses a point. If everyone's done it, no one loses a point."
"Okay... I think I get the idea, but why don't you start? Five fingers or ten?"
"Let's start with five," Ben said. "Rook, you playing?"
"I will pass," Rook said. "I always lose this game."
"Alright, if that's what you want." Ben shrugged. "Alright, Danny, have you ever... transformed into a different species?"
"Yes."
"You have?!"
"Uh, yeah. I went from human to ghost. Duh."
"Oh... right, duh," Ben agreed, shaking his head at how foolish he'd been to blow his first question like that. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't even think about that...."
"My turn, right?" Danny said. "Have you ever fought an evil alternate version of yourself?"
"Yeah, like six of 'em."
"Okay, well, now you're just showing off."
Ben smirked. "Oh, I never get to use this one on my friends. Have you ever been to space?"
Danny smirked right back. "One of my rogues possessed an orbital satellite."
"Damn it!" 
Someone walked over to Danny's table and he smiled at her, pointedly ignored the way she shivered when he shook her hand, and signed a photo for her.
"Okay," he said, shifting his attention back to the game, "have you ever... been cut in two."
"I regenerated, but yeah."
"How?" Danny demanded.
"Plant alien."
"I should've guessed. Stupid plant creatures with their stupid regenerative powers. Undergrowth-ass alien. Lame." 
Ben laughed at him while he signed a figurine for a fan who came to his table. "How about this. Have you ever fought a medieval-style knight?"
"A knight? Hold on." Danny considered that for a moment. Had he? He'd rescued Sam from Dora's realm that one time, and yeah, he'd definitely had to fight the ghosts of knights then. Oh! Also Fright Knight. How could he forget about him. "Yes, I have definitely fought knights on several occasions. Ghost knights, obviously."
"Ugh! I really thought I had you with that one. Why do ghosts who died a thousand years ago have to stick around for so long?"
"Nope!" Danny teased. "Okay, how about this one. Have you ever fought a ghost?"
"Define ghost?" Ben asked.
"The law defines a ghost as any creature which produces ectoplasm, is composed of ectoplasm, or requires ectoplasm to survive," Danny recited. 
There was no need to say which law—that would be the anti-ecto acts. It was stupid that those stupid acts were still even law when public support of ghosts had never been higher. Although, they hadn't been as heavily enforced the last year or so, since the G.I.W. lost a lot of funding after repeatedly failing to catch their most wanted, Danny.
"Then yes, I have," Ben said. "Have you ever fought an alien?"
"Define alien."
"A creature originating from a planet or plane other than Earth."
"Then yes, ghosts."
"Ah ah ah!" Ben argued. "Ghosts are the spirits of dead humans, which means they originate on Earth."
"Except that not all ghosts are the spirits of dead humans," Danny countered right back. "Many ghosts originally formed inside the Ghost Zone, which makes them, by your definition, aliens, and I have fought them, too. Also I fought off some Incurseans back when they invaded the Earth a little while back. It was awesome." 
Ben groaned.
"Haha! Gotcha!"
"Just go already."
"Have you ever died?"
"Ha! Yes, I have," Ben said, as if dying was some huge victory. "You probably thought you had me, but you were wrong. I may have been brought back through alien magic and/or time travel, but yes, I have died. Speaking of which, have you ever time-traveled."
"Psh, have I time traveled?" Danny scoffed. "I have literally met the Ancient, omniscient Master of Time. He's a huge pain in the neck."
It was at this point that more people started accumulating at the two heroes' tables. Some got in line for autographs, though both Ben and Danny were too engrossed in their game at this point to give their full attention. Others just stood, watching, and listening to the two of them. A few even started filming their little game.
"Alright, my turn," Danny said. "Have you ever... oh, I have a good one! Have you ever had to fight your best friend after he copied your powers which then caused him to lose his mind and become evil?"
"Literally how?!" Ben shouted.
"Is that a no?"
"No, I meant 'literally how' as in how has something that specific happened to both of us?"
"No way!"
"Yes way! That's happened to Kevin more than once."
"What?!"
"I know, right?"
"It is also strange for this game to go so long without any of the participants losing a point," Rook said. "I believe it is at this point that I would have lost, had I been participating."
"You put up a good fight, Rook," Ben joked.
"But... I was not playing?"
"I was teasing, Rook."
"Ah, yes."
"Whose turn is it now?" Ben asked. "Mine, right?"
"Yeah," Danny confirmed.
"Have you ever had a limb severed?"
"Yes, but I'm a ghost, so I reattached it pretty easily. Have you ever altered the fabric of reality?"
"I once had to recreate the entire universe after it got destroyed, and then went on intergalactic trial for doing it. And the worst part is, ever since then, grape smoothies just don't taste the same. It's so frustrating. I did get this super comfortable hoodie out of it, though." 
"Ew, smoothies?" Danny grimaced. "What are you a yoga mom?"
Ben stood up, slamming a hand on his table and with the other, he pointed accusingly at Danny. "Smoothies are delicious, screw you!"
"You're just frustrated because I'm winning."
"You're not winning, neither of us have lost a single point! But you will!" Ben declared. "Have you ever saved the whole entire universe."
"Yes."
"What?" Ben fell back into his chair, deflated.
"A while back, this one group, the G.I.W. tried to destroy the Ghost Zone with a special anti-ghost nuke, and I stopped them. The Ghost Zone is the flip side of our dimension, so if it had been destroyed, it would have taken our universe along with it. Hence, I saved the universe. I just didn't let it get all over international news first."
"Boo!"
"Isn't that my line?" Danny said. 
Ben threw a sharpie at him and he turned intangible and let it pass right through him while he laughed at his own joke.
"Anyway, have you ever visited an alternate timeline where the entire earth is barren and desolate and the alternate version of you rules supreme?"
"Yes, I call it the Mad Universe, because it looked like Mad Max, you know?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess I can see it. But really? You have?"
"Yup. The alternate version of Rook was a jerk." 
Rook frowned but didn't have the chance to say anything before Ben kept talking.
"Have you ever... I don't know... every time I go weirder, you just match me. Have you ever had a family member be friends with one of you enemies?"
"Yeah, my dad considers my archenemy his best friend in the world," Danny said. "The feeling is not mutual, though. Have you ever been imprisoned by one of your enemies?"
"More times than I can count. Have you ever asexually reproduced?"
"Do clones count?"
"No!" Ben refused.
"Yes," Rook argued, possibly still upset about Ben's jerk comment. "Technically, cloning is a form of asexual reproduction."
"But could they fly?"
"I don't see how that's relevant to asexual reproduction, but yes," Danny said. "They were ghosts. They could fly. Most of them were too unstable to survive though. There's only one left." He frowned.
"Oh... sorry."
"It's... fine." It wasn't fine. He still found himself lying awake at night thinking about them sometimes. Danny shook his head and plastered on a determined grin. "I really think I've got you this time, though."
"Do you?" Ben did not sound convinced.
"Have you ever had to fight sentient food that was not still alive?"
"Y—wait...." Ben frowned as he thought about it for a long moment. "No... I haven't."
"Yes!" Danny cheered and Ben buried his head in his hands, humiliated. "This puts me in the lead."
"Not for long," Ben said. "Have you ever eaten food from another planet?"
"Wha—noooo...." 
"Ha!"
"We're dead even again." 
Their game continued.
"Have you ever fought a cult's subject of worship?"
"Have you ever had a Christmas-themed battle?"
"Have you ever fought on the same side as one of your enemies?"
"Have you ever been called upon to end a war?"
"Have you ever unexpectedly developed a new power that caused you trouble?"
"Have you ever used your powers to get out of other responsibilities?"
"Have you ever had to skip out on something you were really looking forward to and save the day?"
"Have you ever been blamed for property damage your enemies caused just because you happened to be there at the time?"
"Have you ever been mind controlled?"
"Have you ever fought an evil circus?"
The game kept going on and on, while they absently shook hands and signed autographs, with neither of them giving up another point. Until Sally showed up to tell them it was time to go to the teen hero panel they were on. 
It was only then that they looked up and saw all the cameras that had been recording their game. How long had they been recording? How much had they gotten?
"Uh... right," Ben said. "Sorry everyone. You can come back for autographs after the panel. And Danny, I think we're gonna have to call it a draw."
"We'll have to have a rematch some other time," Danny said, trying to keep his tone light, despite his sudden anxiety. 
Sally led the two of them to a large room with rows upon rows of empty seats, right down the aisle to the stage up front where a man in his thirties was already standing, and a masked teenage girl with glowing pink hair and eyes was sitting behind the table.
"Hello, I'm John and I'll be moderating this panel," the man introduced. "This is Lucky Girl, another teen hero we invited. Lucky Girl, this is Ben 10 and Danny Phantom."
"Nice to meet you," Danny said.
"I can't believe they roped you into this," Ben said, smiling at the girl like he knew her.
"Shut up," the girl barked back. "We can't all gain international fame overnight, and I have to pay for student housing."
"You two already know each other?" John asked, surprised.
"Oh yeah, we've known each other for a long time," Ben said. "All our lives, in fact."
"Ben, I swear if you give me away I will hex you so bad your children's children's children will travel for miles just to spit on your grave."
Ben put up his hands in surrender, and took his seat without another word. Danny followed his lead. This Lucky Girl didn't seem like the kind of person he wanted to mess with.
Once they were all in their seats, John gave them a quick run down of how the panel would go. He would ask a few questions. They would answer. He would open it up to questions from the audience, and they would answer those too. After an hour, the panel would be over, and they would return to their booths, or in Lucky Girl's case, simply leave, as she apparently didn't have a booth.
"She uses her powers to disguise herself, but she can't keep that up for more than an hour and a half," Ben whispered to Danny, clearly sensing his confusion. "She'll probably hang around for a little while after to greet fans, but she'll have to leave when her mana's drained."
"Oh, okay, that makes sense," Danny whispered back, nodding. "I was worried it might be like a sexism thing."
"As if she'd stand for something like that," Ben scoffed.
Soon enough, the doors opened, and people started trickling in. The seats filled up with mostly teens and young adults, with a few parents and older adults sprinkled in. Danny noticed Sam and Tucker come in and sit in the back row and waved at them. Rook was also sitting in the back row, trying not to draw attention to himself. Although, it seemed like most people thought he was a cosplayer, so he didn't really have to bother hiding.
When the doors closed, John started the panel.
The first part was easy. 
John asked questions like: "How do you balance being a hero with the other responsibilities you have as an adolescent?"
"Honestly, not well. You know how people say 'you can sleep when you're dead'? Yeah, that's a lie." 
"I'm lucky enough to have a good memory so I don't have to study much, otherwise my grades in school would tank. For me, the real struggle is finding time to do chores." 
"I prioritize my other responsibilities. I don't usually face world-ending, city-destroying threats like these two, which allows me the luxury of saving hero work for after my homework is finished."
And: "Where do you go when you want to de-stress after saving the day?"
"I usually go over to my friends' and play video games. I feel safe around them."
"If the sun's still up, Mr. Smoothie. But if it's late, I like to go out for chili fries."
"The library. I know it makes me sound like a nerd, but whatever. I am a nerd. Who cares."
And: "How do your parents figure in to you heroic activities?"
"They... don't know. They don't exactly have a great opinion of ghosts, and they don't recognize me when... I mean, they don't recognize me anymore. So I guess they don't figure in." That wasn't entirely true, but Danny wasn't about to say they shot at him in front of a crowd of hundreds of people.
"My parents are actually very supportive. At first, they wanted me to quit, because they were worried about my safety, but I changed their minds. They raised me to know right from wrong, and to help others whenever I can, and they're proud of me."
"My parents don't know either, and I don't live with them right now because I live on my school campus, so I guess, like Phantom, my parents don't really figure in either."
They were easy questions to answer, even if Danny didn't always tell the whole truth. John kept things light, focusing mostly on them being teenagers, and how being a hero affected that aspect of their life, rather than the other way around. There were a couple questions about battles and enemies, but for the most part, they avoided the heavy stuff.
Then, about halfway into the panel, John opened it up to the audience to ask questions.
They didn't shy away from the heavy stuff.
"Hi, I'm Mandy, big fan," said a girl with curly brown hair. "I have two questions for Ben, first is, are you dating anyone?"
Ben chuckled, trying to sound amused, even though, up close, Danny could tell the question made him uncomfortable.
"No, I'm not dating right now."
The girl giggled for a moment before asking her next question. "My next question is: when you're fighting an alien invasion basically by yourself, do you ever feel afraid?"
Ben didn't answer right away. He took a breath, and nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I know I'm strong, and there's a lot that I can do and have done, but when I'm outnumbered a thousand to one, yeah, I'm a little afraid."
"Not that you were ever actually by yourself," Lucky Girl pointed out.
"Heh," Ben rubbed his neck awkwardly. "That's true. Even if there weren't many, I've always had people in my corner."
The next person who stepped up was a guy in a Danny Phantom T-shirt which read 'it's not gay if he's dead.'
Danny immediately groaned and Ben grinned hugely. "Before you ask your question, I have a question for you. Where did you get that shirt?"
"I got it at a souvenir shop when I went to Amity Park, but I think you can buy them online, too," they guy said.
"I'm getting one."
Danny groaned even more insistently.
"My question is for Phantom. If you hadn't died, do you think you still would have become a hero, and protected your home from ghosts?"
"Honestly? I don't know," Danny admitted. "Amity Park does have other ghost hunters, the Fentons and Red Huntress, for example. If I hadn't d... if I didn't have my powers, I wouldn't really have the ability to protect anybody. I'd probably leave it to the ghost hunters who were better equipped."
"And for Lucky Girl, are you single?"
"Ha ha no," she said flatly. "I have a boyfriend."
"Figures."
Next up was a girl in some pretty fantastic Lucky Girl cosplay. Her wig even lit up. Although she looked like she was quite a bit taller than the real thing.
"Lucky Girl, do your periods ever interfere with fighting crime?"
"Uh... that's a bit personal," Lucky Girl said instantly, as if the answer was instinctive. 
But when she saw the way the girl reacted like she'd been slapped, hunching in on herself with shame, Lucky Girl bit her lip and answered anyway. 
"Actually... the life of a superhero is really stressful. The kind of stress that has... biological effects. When I first started fighting crime as, like, a regular thing, I didn't have a period for months. When I finally did again it was... you know what, I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say, it was really bad. Like, my doctor prescribed me pills to stop me from menstruating bad. So... I guess the answer to your question is 'not anymore' and also sorry for the TMI." She finished with a short grimace.
"Thank you for answering," the girl said before going to sit back down.
Ben covered his mic and turned to her. "How come I never knew about that?"
"Are you kidding?" Lucky Girl muttered back. "Like I'm gonna discuss my cycle with a fifteen-year-old boy."
Ben didn't even attempt to argue with that.
As... much as those questions were, it was the next one that really stopped everything in its tracks.
"Hi, I'm Michael. I don't know if you know about this video that's going around. It was only posted, like, less than an hour ago, but it's really blown up in fan circles already," the young man said. "The video shows Phantom and Ben 10... I guess playing a game or something? Where you guys are asking each other if you'd done certain things and basically comparing experiences with each other? Do you know it?"
Ben and Danny shot each other anxious looks.
"Uh... I haven't seen it, but I think we know what you're talking about," Ben answered cautiously. "Is that your question?"
"No, my question is... well, in the video you guys are talking about alternate timelines, and fighting evil versions of yourselves, and getting mind-controlled, and changing reality. I guess my question is. Did all that stuff really happen to you guys?"
Neither Ben nor Danny wanted to answer. They didn't look at each other, or the crowd. They deeply regretted playing a game that revealed such personal secrets in a public space.
Finally, Ben cleared his throat. "Yes, all that happened." Danny nodded his own confirmation. "The life we lead is a dangerous one, and it demands sacrifices, and it takes a lot from you, and it puts you in a lot of strange situations that few others can understand. It's... not for everyone."
The next fan stepped up to the mic. "Follow up questions. First, how are you guys like... functional? Because I mean, if I'd gone through the kind of stuff you were talking about in that video, I think I'd have a mental breakdown. Second, why would you put yourselves through all that?"
"Well, first off, bold of you to assume I've never had a mental breakdown," Danny said. "And secondly, if we don't do it, who will?" he asked. "We're not just random ordinary high schoolers who up and decided to subject ourselves to unspeakable trauma just for the fun of it. 
"We do this because we have the power to do things others can't, to fight enemies other people can't fight. We do this because if we don't... if we don't, people die. Or worse. People experience the kind of things we do trying to protect them. So I guess the answer to both of your questions is, what other choice do we have?"
"Yeah, exactly what Danny said," Ben agreed. "I tried to give up my powers, and my responsibilities once, and people got hurt because of it. My grandpa.... Because I wanted to live a normal life, to take it easy, there was no one else to protect them. It is every individual's responsibility to do what they can to help others. It just so happens that we can do more than most, and that comes with drawbacks. 
"Lucky Girl, care to weigh in? You weren't in the video, but I know you've had your share of superhero related trauma."
"I think you guys pretty much covered it," she replied. "I don't think I've been through quite as much as you two, but I definitely know about the sacrifices we make for this life. I also know that it's worth it to know that the people and places you love are safe and protected because of you."
The boy's both nodded in agreement.
The questions didn't really lighten up after that. "What's the worst experience you've ever had as a hero?" "Have you ever failed to protect someone?" "We heard Ben 10 say so already, but have you ever wanted to quit, or wished you never had powers in the first place?"
After a point, John noticed how uncomfortable they were getting and had to step in and ask that the next few questions not be so dark.
A younger girl, maybe even a middle schooler, hand mercy on them at last, and asked, "What was the funniest thing that ever happened to you while you were saving the day?" and from there the questions finally eased up.
It felt like it had been far longer than an hour when the session ended, and they left the stage and returned to their booths to sign autographs and shake hands and listen to dozens of people gushing, "I'm you're biggest fan!"
They didn't pick up their game again, even when things got slow. Evidently they'd learned their lesson. And they kept learning it as more and more of the people who came to visit them asked about that video. Each time Danny had to smile and laugh it off, the regret deepened. 
It had been a while since he felt like such a complete idiot. Since he'd done something so thoughtless. He'd gotten a lot better at keeping secrets over the years, but he'd just been so excited to talk with someone he had so much in common with—and yeah, he'd probably gotten a little too competitive also. He should have known better.
"So uh... I was at your panel earlier," said a girl who placed a science magazine on the table for him to sign. The cover touted an article about 10 Things You Didn't Know About Ghosts (they have their own culture!). Danny remembered doing that interview.
"That's nice, thanks for coming," Danny said, his smile tensing. "Do you want me to sign the cover, or the page with the article."
"The cover please," the girl said. "For Marnie. And um... I was too nervous to stand up and ask before, but... I was really curious."
"Oh?" Danny asked, keeping his eyes on his hand as he signed the cover 'To Marnie, stay spooky'.
"Why would you make it a game?" she asked. "Wouldn't it be better to try to forget all those things?"
"Easier said than done," Danny said. "Things like that stay with you. Turning them into a joke or a game takes the power away from those bad memories. When you're laughing at your fears, what can they do to you? That's the way I see it. Ben might have another reason, and technically, it was his game. He came up with it."
"So... what you're saying is, laughter is the best medicine?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Danny agreed. He slid the magazine back to her. "Thanks for coming by."
Finally, Danny's shift was over, and Ben's ended at the same time. Just in time, too, because Danny was just about out of photos. He'd have to get more for tomorrow. He signed his last picture with a sigh of relief, thankful that the convention staff had come by to cut off the line when it was about time for him to be finished.
"You finished too, Danny?" Ben asked.
"Yup."
"You wanna go get lunch with us? Wait... do ghosts eat?"
"We do, but I was gonna meet up with my friends for lunch today, and then explore the convention a little." Danny said. "Are you gonna be here tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'm here for the whole con," Ben said. "Here, let me give you my number. We should keep in touch."
"Totally!" Danny agreed. "It'll be nice to have an actual superhero friend. I love Sam and Tucker, but there are some things...."
"Yeah, I get what you mean."
After swapping numbers the two of them headed off to their separate engagements. Danny transformed and got to experience what else Hero Con had to offer without getting swarmed by fans like he saw happening to Ben that afternoon.
They met up again the next day. Chatted at their booths, had lunch together, checked out the fan artists, just hung out for a while. This time around, Danny didn't have his human form to protect him from the crowds. 
That video of their game haunted them both for the rest of the convention. People kept bringing it up until it became almost more annoying than mortifying. 
When Hero Con finally ended, they both breathed sighs of relief. The convention was over, but Ben and Danny kept in touch. They never did have that rematch though. In fact, they were both pretty much done with 'Have-You-Ever'.
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