#devin connally

When up-and-coming investigative journalist Devin Connally gets an anonymous tip suggesting that society's golden boy, Erik Wildre, may be involved in the dangerous gangs that rule Middleland from the shadows, they sneak into one of his notorious parties to do a little snooping for themself. However, they're caught spying and brought to the man himself. Their time with him will change their life forever.

CW for the series: kidnapping, light-ish torture, Erik is just really creepy towards Devin (in a non-sexual manner)

Chapters:

Before Drabbles:

Brontide // Capernoited // Apodyopis // Lygerastia

Captivity (Whumptober 2020):

One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // Seven // Eight // Nine // Ten // Eleven // Twelve // Thirteen // Fourteen // Fifteen // Sixteen // Seventeen // Eighteen // Nineteen // Twenty // Twenty One // Twenty Two // Twenty Three // Twenty Four // Twenty Five // Twenty Six // Twenty Seven // Twenty Eight // Twenty Nine // Thirty // Thirty One

Recovery (Comfortember 2020):

One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // Seven // Eight // Nine // Ten // Eleven // Twelve // Thirteen // Fourteen // Fifteen // Sixteen // Seventeen //

Comfortember Day 17 - Flashbacks

Tagging @mnmlover2002 @cupcakes-and-pain @lave-e @appy-polly-loggies @lovely-little-whumpee @just-another-whumper let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: nightmares, flashbacks, PTSD, referenced trauma, referenced violence, imagined death, referenced attempted execution, let me know if I missed anything!

Masterlist // Previous

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Devin curled into the warmth of the thick blankets layered over them, their mind racing as they were trapped in the deep thralls of sleep.

Whumptober Day 27 - OK, WHO HAD NATURAL DISASTERS ON THEIR 2020 BINGO CARD?

Tagging @mnmlover2002 @cupcakes-and-pain @appy-polly-loggies @lave-e @lovely-little-whump let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: extreme weather, flashback/nightmare to battlefield-type setting, Wildre is kind of creepy here, but also comforting? Let me know if I missed anything!

Masterlist // Previous

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There was a loud crack and then a boom. They were surrounded by gunshots and explosions. Their head was pounding, their ears were ringing, their vision was blurring. They were shaking and sobbing and breaking. Blood dripped down their forehead, tears dripped down their face, sweat dripped down their back. Their ankles protested and cried out and broke a little more with each step. 

The next explosion was louder, closer, scarier. They whimpered, their limping pace slowing. Their legs finally gave out under them, and as they collapsed to the ground, they could feel the broken bits of concrete break their skin and dig into them. They ignored the blood leaking from their scraped up palms and knees, their body folding neatly in half as they tried to make themself as small a target as possible.

please someone anyone help me save me i don’t want to die don’t let me die please-

The explosion overtook them, gravel and metal and glass flying through the air around them. They felt cuts and bruises and sores blooming across their body and they wanted to scream but it was so loud. Their mouth was open, their vocal cords vibrating, but they couldn’t hear themself. A piece of rock hit their shoulder, shaking them, and it seemed to feel more real more painful more deadly. They squeezed tighter into themself, darkness beginning to spread from the edges of their vision.

Devin jerked awake at the next explosion. They looked around, shrouded in near complete darkness, their heart pounding, but there was no threat. Instead there was the silhouette of a very grumpy man standing over them, a hand lifted outward, as if to touch them. They blinked up, uncomprehendingly.

“What happened?” they asked groggily. “What- where- what?”

He leaned down in front of them, in front of where they were laying in a bed they didn’t know but did. “Devin, you were having a nightmare.” He spoke in a smooth, low voice.

“A- a nightmare?” They shook their head, brow furrowed as they scrambled to make sense of their memories. “No. No- there was a- an explosion, I know, I saw it, I was there. There were explosions and guns and people and oh god I almost died-”

He put an arm on their back, rubbing soothing circles as their breathing picked up. They tried to focus on the touch, but their mind seemed to keep spinning, bouncing from one fragment of a thought to the next. “Yes. There was an explosion, l-Devin.” He hesitated, not that Devin could see much in the dark. “You were there, but that- that was days ago. You’re fine now, just a mild concussion and some scrapes and bruises. The doctor cleared you, said you’d be okay.” He repeated this in a manner that implied he’d had to remind them several times.

There was a burst of blinding light followed quickly by a tumultuous boom. Devin thought this is it i’m going to die i’m still trapped in the gunfight they’re going to kill me flinched, a racking sob escaping their clamped lips. 

The man paused for a moment before leaning in and wrapping his steady arms around their shaking body. He rubbed along their back and arms gently, murmuring softly, “Don’t worry, now. It’s just a thunderstorm. The raid is over, we won. You don’t need to be scared anymore. It’s just a bad storm.” He repeated quiet reassurances until their breathing returned to a normal pattern, their heart to a normal speed.

Devin nodded slightly. “It- it’s just a storm, just a b-bad storm,” they echoed shakily, leaning into his embrace.

“That’s right,” he whispered. “Now, are you good? Because it’s the middle of the night, and I’m exhausted from the last couple days.” He made to pull away, but they gripped his arms with a surprising strength.

“No!” they cried. He froze and they begged softly, “Stay. Please, stay, until- until I can fall back asleep.”

He tilted his head slightly, before giving a shallow nod. “Okay, just until you go back to sleep.” He pulled the rest of his body up onto the bed, his large frame dwarfing their own. His arms tightened back around them, and they seemed to melt into his chest. 

Almost immediately, their body relaxed and they were slowly rocked to sleep to a quiet chorus of “You’re okay, Devin, you’re mine, love, I won’t let anything happen to you,” that soothed the stormy seas of their mind.

-

Wildre stared down at the small body pressed into his own, the chaotic storm outside the walls of the house fading away in his mind. Devin seemed so much smaller, more fragile, more breakable like this. 

Their cries had woken him up, from all the way down the hall, and he had shot out of bed, thinking someone from that other damn meddling gang had broken in, had found them, and was hurting Devin. He had stumbled down the hallway, his footsteps muffled by the thick socks he wore. He had flung open the door only to see Devin thrashing around in their own sheets, sobs ripping free of their throat. Their brow was furrowed and they seemed terrified, in pain, in need of help. 

He had reached out, had gently laid a hand on their shoulder to wake them up. They had flinched back and for a moment he had thought, Good, they woke up, before he realized that their eyes were still closed. They curled in on themself, their whimpers of pain growing louder.

He shook them more insistently. “Devin,” he said, voice thick with sleep. “Devin, love you have to wake up.”

They woke up slowly, as if with great difficulty. When their eyes had opened, he had expected them to widen with fear, with anger, at the sight of him. Instead they were blown open, irrational terror written over their face. Their eyes had locked onto him, and where he thought he’d see disgust, hatred, horror, he saw pure trust, a cry for help.

Now, the two of them laid here, together, on the bed not quite big enough for the both of them. Once he was sure Devin was asleep, he had tried slipping away, back to his own too-big bed, but they had immediately stirred, reaching for them. Not wanting to wake them back up, he had simply stayed put.

He was no longer tired, the events of the late night, or early morning, depending on how you looked at it, had made sure of that. He remained like that, half sitting against the headboard, half reclined on the bed. He knew his neck would regret it in the morning, but he thought again of the trusting look Devin had given him. He knew they probably thought he was someone else, Duncan, or one of those other names they had repeated while they were delirious with fever. That one in particular, that they spoke with so much emotion.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts. There’s no use dwelling on these things. Instead, he watched over Devin as the storm settled and the sun rose, slipping back out of their bed, their room, as he saw them beginning to wake.

Comfortember Day 1 - Rescue

Tagging @mnmlover2002, @cupcakes-and-pain, @lave-e, @appy-polly-loggies, @lovely-little-whump, @just-another-whumper, let me know if you want to be added/removed!

Y’all thought you saw the last of Devin? Nope! Now there’s going to be a whole ‘nother month of them for @comfortember 2020! I’m super excited for this month and I hope y’all will be too!

CW: rescued whumpee, medical whump (pretty vague and probably not accurate), heavy references to past trauma/injuries/violence, injuries descriptions, anxiety/panic, let me know if I missed anything!

Masterlist // Previous

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They awoke to a flurry of activity and sharp pain. They sucked in a gasping breath, their eyes fluttering, but unable to stay open for long. They caught flashes of light and murmured words. Groaning softly, they tried to roll over there was something digging into my back it hurts but then there were hands pushing them down, holding them there.

They whimpered quietly as the voices said something about sedation and restraining. They tried to speak, to tell them i can be quiet i can be good please don’t hurt me anymore but their throat, their voice, wasn’t working.

There was a small prick on the inside of their arm and then this warm, floaty feeling spread through their veins and into their head and they knew nothing.

Whumptober Day 21 - I DON’T FEEL SO WELL

Tagging @mnmlover2002 @cupcakes-and-pain @appy-polly-loggies @lave-e let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: medical whump, referenced injuries, referenced gun violence, Wildre being an intimate whumper? let me know if I missed something!

Masterlist // Previous

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The rest of the day was a blur for Devin. They had briefly awoken when Duncan had laid them down in what they thought was a car and for a moment they thought they heard Wildre’s voice, but they weren’t sure. They were drifting right back into unconsciousness almost immediately.

The next time they opened their eyes, they were staring at the all too familiar ceiling of their room. There were voices talking around them, but their brain just could not seem to focus, before they were back to drifting.

Devin woke up with a gasp and a cough, their eyes flying open to take in their surroundings. Which, it turned out, they could barely see. The room was swathed in darkness, causing them to squint and tap down on the surge of fear that began coursing through them.

What happened? They thought, lifting a hand to rub their eyes. But a stab of pain stopped them and caused everything to flood back in. The meeting, the shootout, the running, the bullet. The pain. But where am I now?

Swallowing against their dry throat, they tried calling out, “Du-Duncan?” fearing the worst.

Much to their relief, however, the door along one wall cracked open, sending a beam of light cutting across the room that they now recognized as their own.

“Devin?” Duncan’s gruff voice said, softly, from the doorway. “You awake?”

Lifting their head up, they licked their cracked lips, rasping back, “Y-yeah. What, um, what happened?”

He stepped partially into the room, enough so they could see most of the top half of his body. He hesitated before saying, “I need to go get Wildre. He said to get him once you woke up.” He seemed to pause a moment longer than was necessary before he was gone again, closing the door with a soft click.

With a slow exhale, Devin rested their head back on the pillow, shutting their eyes for only a moment before the door opened again, and, through their eyelids, they could see the lights turn on.

“Good morning love! Or rather, good middle of the night.” Wildre’s voice sounded like he’d actually been worried about me was lacking its usual chipperness.

They slowly opened their eyes, allowing them to adjust to the harsh lighting with a soft groan. They moved their gaze from Duncan, standing right by the door, looking as if he was about to bolt to Wildre, who they had to do a double take on.

He looked like a hot mess less put-together than he usually did, his hair mussed from sleep and his clothes wrinkled, as if he’d thrown them on in a hurry. They tiredly looked back at his face, where his smirk seemed less severe than normal, but it seemed to widen when he saw their eyes on him.

Sitting down in the chair next to their bed that they hadn’t noticed, he offered them a glass of water, which they tried taking from him, only to bite back a cry at the pain that raced up their arm. Instead of one of his usual retorts, he simply held it to their lips and watched as they took a greedy gulp. 

The fire in their throat soothed, they asked again, “What, um, what happened?”

Setting the glass back down on the nightstand, he sat back in the chair, thinking for a moment before replying. “We were attacked,” he started. “By one of my rivals. I’d guessed that they’d discovered a couple of the locations I use, but I didn’t think that they’d found that one yet. It was.. unexpected.” His mouth turned downward. “But they chose the wrong day. They thought catching my top men and I all together would be easy pickings. They forgot, I think, that each of us had to claw and fight our way to where we are now.” He grinned slightly at that, a vicious thing that almost had Devin flinching back. “They won’t be a problem anymore.”

Devin opened their mouth to clarify their question, but Wildre cut them off with a wave of his hand. “In the middle of all the chaos, you, love, got yourself shot, so Duncan-” a pointed look at the man, who seemed intent on staring at a patch of floor- “had to do a quick fix solution, so you wouldn’t bleed out and die.” Devin was taken aback, both at the casual manner in which he spoke of their close call and how close that call had actually been.

They glanced at Duncan and softly said, “Thanks.”

Wildre scoffed at that. “Don’t thank him. He was just doing his job.” He rolled his eyes before continuing. “Anyways, those tunnels are filthy, and he didn’t have the time to clean the wound out before he bandaged it up, and apparently Dr. Lenus-” The way he said the doctor’s name showed he wasn’t too pleased with the man- “was too busy sewing you up to do it either, so you’ve been near delirious for the past several days, fighting an infection.” Devin was finally able to identify the emotion playing across Duncan’s face. Guilt. A smile slowly spread on Wildre’s face as he leaned forward and purred, “And you’ve said some of the most interesting things, love.”

Devin blinked, needing a moment to comprehend before they glanced away, tracing the pattern on their blanket with their eyes, determined not to flush at that. Their mind raced with oh god what did i say did i say anything he can use against me anything he can punish me for possibilities. 

He sat back with a laugh and a slight wave of his hand. “Aw, don’t worry. Nothing too incriminating. This is the first time you’ve been lucid enough to hold a conversation.”

Their eyes stilled as they struggled to say, “H-how, how long?” How long have i been gone have i been unconscious have i been here how much longer am i going to have to suffer like this-

Wildre paused, as if counting in his head. “This would be the middle of the night of the second? No, third day. Yes, so you’ve been out over two and a half days.”

Devin sank back into the pillows. At this point, their mental calendar and clock had become so twisted, so confused, they didn’t even know what day it was anymore.

After a few moments of silence, Wildre stood. “Well, if you don’t have any more questions, love, I’m going back to sleep. Duncan will be just outside your door if you need anything-”

“Wait!” The fingers of Devin’s good arm reached out and latched onto the hem of his shirt. “Wait, I have one more thing to ask you.”

He turned back to them, an amused brow raised as he made the ‘go ahead’ gesture.

They licked their lips, trying to figure out how to phrase it. “Why did you- I mean- You could’ve just- Why did you save me?” they finally spit out and, judging from his facial expression, it was not what Wildre was expecting. 

He froze before pulling gently out of their grasp. “Because I take care of what’s mine, love. And you are..?” he trailed off, clearly waiting for them to finish the sentiment he had drilled into them.

“Yours,” they replied dully, a heavy weight on their chest. “I am yours.”

He patted their cheek before leaving, and as they closed their eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep, they just couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that Wildre had actually, even if only for a moment, seemed to care.

Comfortember Day 3 - Nightmare

Tagging @mnmlover2002, @cupcakes-and-pain, @lave-e, @appy-polly-loggies, @lovely-little-whump, @just-another-whumper, let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: flashback, trauma, violence, implied/fade to black torture, Wildre rears his fancy-shmancy head, let me know if I missed anything!

Masterlist // Previous

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I woke up with a start, my heart pounding. Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at a familiar ceiling. I squeezed them shut, my breath picking up. no no no i can’t be here i escaped i’m free i’m safe Tears began escaping from my eyes as I heard the telltale sound of rustling clothing.

“Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?” Wildre asked, his voice as silky as ever. I had no choice but to open my eyes and look at him as his fingers gently pulled my chin in his direction. He swiped a thumb across my bottom lip and smiled at my shudder. “There’s those beautifully frightened eyes,” he murmured.

Whumptober Day 29 - I THINK I NEED A DOCTOR

Tagging @mnmlover2002 @cupcakes-and-pain @lave-e @appy-polly-loggies @lovely-little-whump @just-another-whumper let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: medical whump, heavy references to past violence, descriptions of injuries, let me know if I missed anything!

Masterlist // Previous

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There were voices. They could hear them, talking over them, around them, through them. They knew there were people there, but they were floating, away from reality. Their eyelids felt too heavy to lift, so they didn’t. They thought one of the voices sounded angry, but they didn’t know.

Then they were being lifted up and moved. They tried to curl close to the warm chest but it hurt too much, so they stayed where they were, limply hanging from their arms.

They felt themself being laid down on something soft. They heard what sounded like an injured animal’s whimpering, and it took their disjointed thoughts to realize that it was them making the noise. Before that thought could even sink in, they were floating away again, the pain nothing but a distant memory.

-

Devin awoke to pain. They had been slowly swimming out of the dark foggy haze of their mind, about to surface, when it had started. The pain was in my stomach through my legs around my throat everywhere. A near silent groan slipped their lips as they struggled to open their eyes.

Immediately, they heard rustling of clothing next to them, and a warm hand was taking their smaller one in theirs. They clenched their teeth slightly, stopping as the action sent a burst of pain through their head. 

“Hey, shh, shh,” a deep voice soothed. The hand rubbed circles into their skin. “It’s okay, Devin. You don’t have to try to talk or, or do anything right now.”

They relaxed at the words, recognizing Duncan’s voice. Still, with much more difficulty than they’d have liked, their eyes fluttered open, taking in yet another unfamiliar bedroom, this one filled with the quiet hum and beeping of machinery.

They took in the well lit room, brightened by the natural sunlight filtering in through translucent curtains. The bed they were laying in was much larger than they were used to, and they couldn’t help but feel as if they were drowning in all the pillows and blankets. The room was sparsely decorated, leaving plenty of room for the medical equipment that looked like it belonged inside a movie. 

Finally, they dragged their gaze back to Duncan’s somewhat hunched form. He sat in a chair next to them, leaning forward to hold their hand in his much larger ones. Their tongue darted out to wet their lips, even that small movement hurting their throat. 

They tried to ask What happened? but their voice refused to cooperate. All that came out was a breathy whisper.

Duncan ran his thumb over the back of their hand in a soothing, repetitive motion. “Please, don’t try to talk right now.” He hesitated before adding, “The doctor said there was some pretty bad damage done to your throat.”

Panic cutting through the last of the fog, Devin’s eyes widened and they made to grab for their throat. Duncan gently held back their hands. Their mouth opened and closed uselessly, and they closed their eyes with a frustrated grimace.

They heard him stand and walk a few steps. “I’m going to go get the doctor now,” he said before the door was shutting with a soft click.

Devin couldn’t help the tears that welled up in their eyes. They weren’t able to talk, and every single part of their body hurt. Waves of pain rolled throughout them, causing even their shallow breaths to feel excruciating. 

A few moments later, several footsteps walked in, and Devin forced their eyes back open. They went immediately to Duncan, who smiled reassuringly, to the familiar face of Dr. Lenus, who seemed distantly troubled. Finally, their gaze settled on the figure leaning in the doorway.

Their breath caught, and they scrambled to leave get away from me stop don’t touch me don’t hurt me again get out of the vulnerable position they were in.

Before they could do more than twitch slightly, Lenus was reaching for them, not unkindly holding them down. They stared up at him pleadingly, but he just sighed and shook his head, directing his annoyance at Wildre.

“I told you,” he said tiredly, “if your presence disrupts my evaluation, you’re going to have to leave.”

He grinned. “Don’t worry. Devin, here, can behave perfectly.” His steely eyes shifted to their wide ones. “Can’t you, love?”

They let out a breath of air and nodded- or tried to, wincing in pain before they could really move.

The doctor just grumbled more under his breath, moving around their body to check the various machines with the air of someone who’d done this many times before. After a moment or two, he turned his attention to their battered body. 

“This could be a bit uncomfortable,” he said unapologetically. He pulled the blankets off them, revealing them wearing a thin, nearly transparent t-shirt and some equally thin shorts, and Devin couldn’t help but gasp. Their stomach was every mottled shade of purple, blue, green, and yellow they could imagine, plus more. Their legs were worse, somehow. Thick lines of red crisscrossed them, some as raised welts and others where the cane Wildre had broken the skin. Their legs looked crooked and broken. The gasp caused fire to rip up their throat, their eyes watering and their lungs stalling in response. 

Lenus shook his head. “I wouldn’t be making any noise at all, if I were you. There was extensive nerve damage and bruising in your throat, meaning talking might be a bit of a struggle for a bit. But the trouble should go away fairly quickly, hopefully.” Should? Devin wanted to scream at the top of their lungs.

But it was all they could do to bite back their whimpers and groans as Lenus brought his unyielding fingers along their body, poking and prodding until they felt completely bared. Their eyes squeezed shut as he worked. They just prayed for it to be over soon.

Whumptober Day 28 -  SUCH WOW. MANY NORMAL. VERY OOPS.

Tagging @mnmlover2002 @cupcakes-and-pain @lave-e @appy-polly-loggies @lovely-little-whump @just-another-whumper let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: caning, beating, choking, threats, referenced injuries, referenced past violence/trauma, this one’s kinda rough, let me know if I missed something!

Masterlist // Previous

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Devin lay in bed, listening to the steady sounds of their breathing. All around them was stillness and quiet. Their open eyes stared at the darkness above them.

After the raid, they’d come to this house, further out into the country. It was one only Wildre, Duncan and a handful of his other most trusted men knew about. Much smaller than his city residence, it consisted of a downstairs common area, with a few bedrooms upstairs. Still, it was decorated lavishly and with care.

Slowly, they pulled themself from the comfort and warmth of the blankets, only the slightest pain when they stood. They silently opened their door and padded down the stairs. They shivered slightly in the cool air downstairs, wrapping their arms around themself. 

They didn’t really know why they had come down here, only that they had needed to get out of that room i felt trapped i couldn’t breathe some fresh air. They slipped over to one of the large windows, standing in front of it, staring out on the scene in front of them.

The moon weakly illuminated the tree line a short ways away from the cabin and the high grass that sprung up in front of it. Devin put a light hand atop the glass, feeling the chill sink deep within their skin. They let out a short huff of air, feeling the window warm up slightly before quickly cooling off.

They fingered the latch, debating opening it, their skin prickling in anticipation of the feeling of the cold air sweeping across it. Before they could, however, a voice piped up from behind them, causing them to whirl around, their heart leaping into their throat.

“Trying to escape again, love?” Wildre leaned against the doorway, his tone light.

Devin flinched back before they could help themself, their mind going back to their first escape attempt. Their hand seemed to ache in response, despite the fact that it had all but healed, a bit of raw, pink skin the only sign of their injury. That, and the occasional pain they would have when trying to move it, but they tried not to think about that.

They quickly shook their head, twisting their fingers around the hem of their shirt to hide their shaking. “No, I- I, um, I just wanted some fresh air. That was all. I know- know better now. There’s no escaping.” They gave him a weak smile, but it faded quickly as he crossed the room in slow, measured steps until he was mere inches in front of them. He continued to press closer to them, forcing them to back up until their back hit the wall and then a bit more. 

He stared down at them and only then did Devin see the seething anger radiating from his eyes. Their heartbeat sped up as he brought one too-still hand up to tilt their head until their eyes were forced to meet his. But I haven’t done anything wrong, a small, broken part of themself wanted to cry.

But they forced themself to stay still and silent as his gaze moved slowly over them. Finally he spoke, moving his hand gently to rest on their throat. “It looked a lot to me like you were trying to escape. Awake in the middle of the night, hand on the lock on the window. What else could it be?” As they opened their mouth to explain, his grip tightened slightly in warning. “And remember, love, that I absolutely detest when people lie to me.”

They swallowed, knowing he felt it, and the words fell out of their mouth in a rush. “I- I swear, Wildre, I wasn’t trying to escape. I really, I really did just need a, a quick breath of fresh air. Some- sometimes it feels like I just can’t breathe in here. That’s all, I promise.”

His expression quickly shifted, turning into one of pure rage and all of a sudden, their airway was shut off. They gasped as he pressed tighter, black spots already dancing in the corners of their eyes. They brought their hands up to rest softly on his own, still having enough of their wits about them to not try to pry him off of them. 

Instead, they choked and looked up at him with pleading eyes, their mouth moving in silent apologies. He glared down at them and they felt a sudden thrill of true terror go down their spine. 

“Did I not,” he hissed, his face nearly touching theirs, “just tell you not to lie to me?”

But I didn’t lie! Devin wanted to scream, as they began clawing at his grip in earnest, their survival instincts kicking in. 

Just as they thought they were about to pass out, Wildre didn’t release his grip so much as fling them from him. They tumbled forward, shaky legs causing them to drop down to the ground. 

On their hands and knees, they gasped for air, their bruised throat protesting but their lungs grateful. They didn’t notice Wildre until he was standing right in front of them.

They started to apologize again before noticing the object he held in his hands. “No,” they whispered hoarsely, “No, please, Wildre, no, not that, anything but that.” For in his hands, he held the same cane that had ruined me broken me destroyed me forever hurt them so badly.

He grinned, the grin of the murderous, ruthless criminal he was. “Oh, yes, love. You tried to escape and you lied to me. You need to be punished, else you’ll never learn.”

They backed away slightly, still crawling, tears beginning to leak from their eyes. “Please,” they begged again. “Anything but that. Not that, please, Wildre.” 

He wasn’t backing down this time, though, and as they went to back up more, he reached down to grab one of their ankles, ignoring their small cry of protest, pulling it out. Before they could curl it back towards the rest of their body, the cane was swinging down, hitting them in the shin with a sickening crack. He brought the cane down several more times on their defenseless legs, seemingly deaf to their pleas and cries of pain. The pain was somehow worse than the first time, causing stars to explode across their vision.

Finally, he lifted the cane. “Well? Are you ready to tell the truth?”

Devin whimpered, barely able to form the words through their pain-addled mind. “I am! I was! I- I was just looking! I was- wasn’t escaping!”

Wildre frowned. “Hm, that’s not the answer I was looking for.” He dropped the cane outside of their reach and bent down to drag them up by the front of their shirt.

They stared up at him, eyes already slightly foggy with pain. They didn’t see his fist until it was buried deep in their gut and they were gasping for breath again, their mouth opening and closing like a fish. They couldn’t breathe, they couldn’t breathe. He drew back and struck again and again and again. Tears were freefalling from their eyes and they couldn’t seem to draw enough breath to make any more noise than a few whimpers. 

Yet again, he paused after a few minutes of flying fists. “Have I convinced you to tell the truth yet?” His voice was hard, none of that ever-present humor in it. They opened their mouth but couldn’t force any of the words out. “I guess not.” 

Then they were flying, colliding hard into the wall, as Wildre held them off the floor by their throat. They wheezed and weak fingers scrabbled at his hands, futilely trying to get him to let go. He banged them hard against the wall again, light exploding behind their eyes again.

There was a fury in his eyes that made me think this is it he’s actually going to kill me i’m about to die Devin had never seen before. There was a sudden sense of a calm sweeping over them, an exhaustion that caused them to drop their hands and limply hang from his grip. 

The darkness had almost completely taken over their vision, and they were nearly completely unaware of their surroundings when a rush of cold, sweet air rushed down their throat. Their battered body, covered in welts and bruises, finally gave out as they heard the words, “You’re never escaping me, Devin. Love. I decide when this is over, not you, not anyone else.”