#forced bathing

When Whumpee woke, they didn't open their eyes. They simply laid there, reflecting on the hollow aching in their flesh, the dull gnawing of their bones, and the overwhelming exhaustion that clung to their very being. Their thoughts felt slow, sluggish, and Whumpee simply could not think. What the fuck? ran through their mind several times before they finally remembered.

They had tried to escape.

And, of course, they had failed.

God. They were so fucking stupid.

They knew they would never leave this place. They knew they would never leave Whumper. They knew they could never leave their past behind. They were stuck here. With Whumper. Forever. They would never see their family, they would never see their friends, they would never see their home. They were just…trapped. Here. Fuck. They wanted out. They wanted out, so, so bad.

But… why even try? Maybe if they just shut up, they’d be okay. Whumper would leave them alone then. Whumper only hurt them when they deserved it. They deserved this. Didn’t they?

Yeah. Yeah, they did. They disobeyed Whumper. They tried to run. They tried to run because they were tired of an existence only filled by pain. They tried to leave them because Whumpee was exhausted from the constant terror. They tried to leave because they were so sick of the beatings and the games and the starvation and the tears and the blood and the screaming and the mockery and the laughter and when Whumpee saw that unlocked door they just couldn’t control themselves.

And now? They were lying on the cold floor feeling worthless. Wasted. Ruined.

They let out a miserable whimper.

"Finally awake, huh?" Whumper said flatly.

Whumpee jolted at their voice, eyes opening and scrambling away from Whumper. They attempted to push themselves backwards with their arms, but they only moved a foot. They stared back at Whumper, shaking, mumbling a quiet mhm  as a response. Whumper glared back, standing above them, arms crossed. They moved closer to Whumpee and sat back on their haunches. Whumpee shut their eyes as tears began to brew. They tried to quiet their breathing, but they couldn't stop the panic spreading when Whumper's thumb touched their  forehead, brushing something away.

They sat in silence for several seconds as Whumper tilted Whumpee's head this way and that before Whumper finally spoke.

"You look like shit." Whumper murmured.

At that, Whumpee wanted to laugh. Their eyes shot open once more as they looked at their tormentor. This psycho, this sick fuck, who had spent so much time and effort hurting Whumpee, was now telling them they looked like shit? What a joke. What a fucking joke. Yet, when they tried to laugh, to jeer and mock their comment, they broke into a coughing fit that wracked their broken body. They choked on their air for several seconds, tears blurring their vision as they watched Whumper's face blur. 

"Yeah. Ni-" they coughed, "nice observation."

Whumper glared.

"You need a bath."

Thin rays of moonlight crept through flowing curtains, lighting up a cold stream flowing from a metal faucet into a tub, raising the water that Whumpee crouched in. They shivered, and goose bumps rose on their arms, but they stayed silent and pulled their knees closer. Whumpee fumbled with their fingers, their breathing uneven as they picked at the grime between their nails. It was so dirty.

Whumpee listened to Whumper's quiet movements behind them. They walked around the small room, opening cabinets and apparently searching for something. They placed a towel on a counter beside the tub before leaving the room without a word. 

The door, rotting old wood that had once seen better days, creaked as it closed. After several seconds of silence, Whumpee let out a sigh and lowered their head to hide their face between their knees. They closed their eyes, attempting to control their uneven breathing, contemplating their past life and where they were now. They’d fallen so far.

They let themselves cry in that tub, warm tears spilling down their face into cold water. Their eyelashes grew wet as they covered their face with pale arms. They sunk deeper into the water, trying so very hard to bury themselves beneath. If only it was higher. Then they could hide. Then their mind could drift away and they could leave Whumper, if only for a moment.

At that second, Whumper returned, entering the room in silence except for the whine of the door and their padded footsteps.

They crouched beside Whumpee, placing their palms on Whumpee's neck. Whumpee's breath hitched before Whumper began to massage them, kneading away their tension through slow, practiced motions. It made them want to jerk away, but for now, it felt warm and safe. They felt themselves ease into Whumper's touch, allowing themselves to become more pliable. Whumper moved downwards, sliding their fingers along their neck to their shoulders with a gentle pressure.

"Frankly, I'm disappointed in you."

Whumper tightened their grip for a moment before releasing Whumpee. Whumpee instantly stiffened at both the words and the physical tension. 

Whumpee felt the gentle motion of Whumper brushing their hair. They began with their fingers to detangle the worst parts, but quickly moved on to using a comb. Whumpee stared down at the water in silence.

“I expected better, Whumpee.”

Whumpee winced as cold water rained down on them.

“I thought you had finally learned.”

Whumpee chewed the inside of their cheek.

“But no. Of course not. Of course you always have to prove me wrong, and always have to prove your stupidity, hm?”

Whumper tucked a stray hair behind Whumpee’s ear and turned the water off. They pumped shampoo into their hands and began to work it into Whumpee’s hair. Whumpee focused on the night time atmosphere during Whumper’s silence; they listened to a breeze run through the trees every now and then, heard the crickets chirp, and focused on the soft buzz of the fireflies’ dance.

“It’s strange how you always seem to best your last stunt. Strange how you always fuck up even worse than before. And you know? I give you anything you want. I give you food, a home, and everything you ask for, yet you never stop bitching.”

Whumper worked on the back of Whumpee’s head, their movements light and gentle.

“You’re always crying, always whining about how something isn’t exactly to your liking.”

“And I put up with it! I put up with all of your bullshit. But as soon as I turn my back, you try to leave.”

Whumper’s hands move from the back of Whumpee’s head to their shoulders, gripping them tightly. They move their face closer to Whumpee’s ear, their breath hot and wet. 

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Such an ingrate.”

They drag their hands to Whumpee’s neck and lift Whumpee’s face upwards, leaving behind soapy trails. Whumpee looks eye to eye with Whumper, lips quivering and breath catching.

“But you know what?”

“That’s okay. I’ll give you another chance. I always will.”

“But why? Why should I forgive someone like you?”

Whumper’s pupils dilate, brimming with…adoration?

“Because I love you. I really do.”

Whumpee stares up, tears freely flowing now. No. They didn’t love them. Whumpee knew that. They were lying. Lying. Lying. They tortured them, for fuck’s sake.

“Oh, darling, don’t cry.”

Whumper moves their thumb to Whumpee’s terrified eyes, wiping away their tears.

Whumpee fumbles with their words as they try to think up a proper response. But they only have one thing to say.

“No. No, you don’t.” They mumble.

Whumper looks hurt, but they continue on.

“I know you don’t understand what I’m doing, you’re too stupid to know,” they knock on Whumpee’s skull, “but you’ll see. You’ll see, eventually, that I’m doing what’s best for you, Whumpee, because I care about you, I love you.”

Whumpee feels sick. Their chest tightens as Whumper smiles.

Whumper takes Whumpee’s silence as acceptance.

Lo was dragged to their feet and let out of the small storage room by the rope around their neck. They stepped outside to find the sun had just set over the horizon, casting a faint, eerie glow- the sky dotted with hues of purple and orange. 

Solomon led them to a well, surrounded by large rocks and patches of mossy grass. They tied the end of the rope to the side of the well. Sol dropped the bucket down, drawing it back up quickly and setting the bucket of water on the ground. 

Lo felt a cold, sharp tingle along their back, and winced- then a burst of cold air along their spine. They glanced to see a knife glinting in the vampire’s hand, and felt their stomach drop. Sol made a few more cuts with the knife and Lo’s shirt fell to the ground. 

The vampire knelt on one knee, a hand to steady himself on the human’s hip and began cutting away their trousers as well. 

Lo glanced away, shifting nervously where they were tied as the blade brushed across their body. 

“At- at least take me to dinner first.” They remarked. 

Sol glanced up at them from where he knelt, his dark hair framing the features of his face. He gave the human a flash of a smile, fangs glinting in the dim light. 

“Oh hun, you are the dinner.” 

Lo felt a chill creep up their spine but it was quickly replaced with a shiver as they were left there, standing fully naked out in the open. They glanced away as a rush of shame and embarrassment washed over them- and then let out a small scream as water was rushed down their back. 

“That’s- that’s f-freezing-” They shivered. 

“Oh quit your whining, I can easily give you more to complain about. Or I can put the gag back in if you like.”

Lo shook their head, shutting their mouth tight as another bucket was poured down their head. 

When the whole ordeal was finished, Lo had been scrubbed head to toe and washed clean over every inch of their body. Being free of the dirt, sweat and grime actually felt quite nice. But being naked and exposed, prodded and touched by the vampire that held them captive- well, that wasn’t quite as nice. 

“Alright, here’s how this is going to work.” Sol began to say. They untied the leash-rope from the well, wrapping it around their hand. “I’ve got eleven hungry vampires, all gathering in about ten minutes. You, are what they are waiting for. They don’t know it, but it’s going to be a lovely surprise for them, I’d say. I want you fully available, understand?” 

Lo shook their head, swallowing the thought of twelve bloodthirsty vampires, all digging their fangs into their skin. “I thought- I thought you only fed from-” 

“From the neck?” Sol chuckled. “A common misconception.” He sat down on the edge of the well and began to pull on the end of the rope, wrapping it tighter around his hand until Lo was forced to step forward, only a few inches away from the vampire. “Every vampire has a favorite spot. Blood tastes different from certain parts of the body. The neck is simply the most convenient.”

Lo shivered as the vampire’s eyes scanned up and down their shaking form. From where he sat, it put them almost exactly eye-to-eye. They wanted to step back- but the rope around their wrists and neck kept them only a few inches away from the creature.

“Do you know my favorite spot?” Sol whispered, leaning forward til their breath tickled against the human’s ear. They hooked their leg around the back of Lo’s calves, forcing them to step forward til they were standing right in between his knees- fully trapped. 

Sol chuckled as they could feel the muscles twitching beneath their hand as they grazed it across the human’s body. Fingertips roamed lower and lower, landing right at the back of Lo’s thigh and giving it a squeeze. “It’s right here.” 

Lo couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped them as the fingers dug into their skin. Almost instantly they caught any other noise in their throat. 

They were terrified. But they had to swallow it down quickly if they were to keep any sense of dignity left. 

“Now. All I’m asking from you, is a little bit of cooperation. I’d hate to have to restrain you in any way. So will you be good, or should I use other methods?” Sol rose to his full height, dwarfing the human beneath him. 

Lo’s eyes fluttered up to match the vampire’s from where they gazed down. They were so much smaller than them. They were shorter than average for a human anyways, so they couldn’t imagine themselves being surrounded by twelve of these blood-thirsty creatures willingly. At least not without some outside assistance. 

Lo closed their eyes and tilted their head back, letting their lips part slightly for the vampire as he let out another chuckle. 

“That’s what I thought.” He gripped the human’s chin, holding their mouth open and turned their head, covering their mouth with his own. 

The human’s breath was hot against his, and he let the venom seep down, pooling against their tongue, tickling in the back of the human’s throat. 

This was the most venom they’d ever used in a single moment, and they could feel the affects taking hold already. 

Lo stumbled underneath their grasp, and they moved the hand holding the rope against their throat, encouraging them to swallow as they continued to feed them more and more of the venom. 

Once the human had had their fill, Sol helped them wash it all down with a little bit of water. Lo could barely move their lips to swallow, and some of it instead dripped down their bare chest. After a few steps back towards the camp they were already tripping over their feet, head hanging low on their chest. 

When they were almost near the door Lo’s legs fully gave out from underneath them. Solomon chuckled and scooped them up in their arms, slinging them over one shoulder. There was a small mumble of some snarky comment but it was barely registered as a sound. 

Lo may still be conscious, but they definitely weren’t going anywhere, or making any protests any time soon. Sol could hear the whispers and laughter of the other vampires in his camp. They were gathered in the meeting room, all waiting for him and the “big surprise” he had been hyping up all morning. 

And finally, it was time to feast. 

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