#cold whump

When a whumpee wakes up ill or rouses from passing out and they have no clue what’s going on, what happened, where they are, or even who they are. They might not recognize familiar people. Maybe they feel affection, safety, relief, or fear towards the person/people above them, but can’t recall names.

Alternatively, a whumpee gets more and more confused as their condition progresses. This can be from blood loss, intense pain, shock, concussion, hypothermia, heat stroke, dehydration, starvation, and exhaustion as well as fever.

Always remember to give your whumpee slurred, spacey dialogue. Here are some examples:

“….ngh….w-wh’re m’I…..?”(a classic. It’s especially good when the whumpee is in their own bed)

“…wha’s…goin on….?” (when they don’t want to open their eyes and/or people are freaking out over them)

“…wha hppnd...? (When the floor/bed/cold bath/hospital/person’s arms they’re on/in is very different from the last thing they remember)

“…m’scared…” (because that’s their reaction to knowing nothing)

Of course, Caretaker will have to collect themself enough to explain to Whumpee in simple sentences what happened in a way that lessens the severity of what’s really going on. For example:

“It’s okay, it’s me. You had an accident, but we’re patching you up.” (Whumpee’s body is completely broken)

“You’re in bed. You’re not feeling well” (Whumpee passed the fuck out)

“Hey, shhh shhh… We’re just getting your fever down” (Whumpee wakes up thrashing in a cold bath)

✭ “Go, sit by the fireplace, love. I'll bring tea.” ✭ “Holy shit, you're freezing. Come here, put your hands under my coat.” “You are very warm but why exactly did I have to put my hands on your abs?” ✭ “You're icy. Do you now have any warmer clothes to wear?”   “You think I'd be wearing this if I did?” ✭ “Don't fall asleep on me now. Eyes on me.” “Mh. I'm awake...” ✭ “There are other ways to generate heat, you know?” “Go turn the heating up before I lose my mind.” ✭ “My hands are numb.”   “I could think of a way or two to wake them up.” ✭ “If you really are cold, I can keep you warm tonight.”   “I might take you up on that.”    “Oh, you must be freezing.” ✭ “Heating's out.”   “Fuck. Okay, come here. We'll go somewhere else.” ✭ “Take my coat. I don't need it.”   “What? I don't need–”   “Take it.”  ✭ “I told you not to go out in this weather! And look what happened!”   “I-I'm sorry.” ✭ “Put your hands in my pockets before they freeze off.” “You're so bossy.” ✭ “Just hold on, I'll get a fire going.”

after going missing, whumpee is found halfway buried in snow

can’t move fingers or any limb properly

curling in to try and preserve some body heat

entering warmth again and the entire body burning from the cold skin being warmed up

forced to work in the cold

forcing self to keep walking and moving to prevent falling and fully freezing

getting freezing water tossed on them OR whumper tossing warm water on them, offering temporary relief until the water cools and makes the cold so much worse

huddling for warmth

leaving a trail of bloody footsteps in the snow

seeing their breath fogging before their face

stuck without heat when the power goes out

trying to keep warm with a fire in a place without proper ventilation, leaving them coughing and getting lightheaded as smoke slowly fills the room

unable to stop trembling even after leaving the cold

They’re confused and too tired to fully understand what’s going on. Caretaker feels their skin and is taken aback by just how unnaturally cold it is. They grasp Whumpee and start asking them questions, but everything sounds distorted and unreal. Whumpee slurs out something half-coherent along the lines of “I’m tired,” and Caretaker + the team realizes just how bad it is. They also realize that they need to keep Whumpee awake and warm them up NOW before they lose Whumpee for good.

i don't want this. whumpee thinks it over and over again, every time whumper comes to visit. i don't want this. i don't want this. whumper is spooning up behind them, their hands wandering whumpee's body, their heat a blissful relief from the awful cold that they can't escape any other way. whumpee's eyes are squeezed tight shut and they can't breathe right. they can't resist leaning into the chest at their back, skin on skin, the thick blanket that whumper always brings with them settled around them, holding their warmth in.

they don't bother to say it out loud anymore. they did, the first couple of times. whumper had laughed, groped their chest, pinched their skin, breathed heavily into the crook of their neck. "someone who doesn't want this would be fighting it," they'd said. they'd taunted whumpee about their neediness, pulled away suddenly and laughed even harder when whumpee whimpered and chased after the abruptly stolen heat.

so whumpee doesn't bother begging for them to stop anymore. they just close their eyes and cry and try not to think about what's happening. they try to focus on the warmth, putting aside everything else.