#lulan

@emeraldwhump go and have some fun with writing for me!

I'll enjoy this but i don't know how many others will haha

Content warnings: minor character death mention, guilt, hospital setting, grief, mention of medical prodecures

Titan Guard tag list: @nightly-whump, @angst-art-writing, @whipper-whumper, @yet-another-heathen, @why-not-whump-it, @kixngiggles, @annablogsposts, @whumpwillow, @for-the-love-of-angst (let me know if you'd like to be added!)

---

Lulan always figured that he could hold a good stoic expression. It had been helpful in the past when it came to dealing with bad news. It probably wasn’t quite as good as Ganex’s or even Lexus’, but it had always managed to be enough for him. It always seemed like a good quality in leaders, which hopefully some day he would be. Holding it for several hours on end, now that turned out to be a little harder.

Frankly, he was amazed he was still standing unscathed after the explosion. His balance still felt a little off from having to donate blood, but really he was fine. Only he and Byruk managed to walk away from the disaster with a few scraps and bruises. Everyone else was worse off in one way or another, and some…

Far, far worse.

He sat in the post-op room next to Lexus’ bed, where she still rested while recovering from her leg wound. His eyes wandered over to the opposite side to another cot, where their friend Dosair still laid and struggled through each breath. Byruk and Alek sat next to him, somber expressions on all their faces. At least Alek was up and moving now, albeit with one arm in a sling and a nasty bruise on the side of his head.

It was hard to see Dosair like this. He almost looked like a body embalmed, skin deathly pale where it wasn’t covered by gauze concealing burns from the fire. Part of one leg and one arm was gone, Talic wasn’t able to save them, and tubes stretched out across his body in a web Lulan couldn’t even think to begin untangling. His eyes were closed, but they weren’t sure if he was resting or even knew what was going on around him. Just a few days ago he looked normal, he looked fine. Now he was almost unrecognizable.

Day 6: “Hold on”

Content Warnings: hospital setting, surgery (descriptions are a little grizzly), minor character death, blood, burns, broken bones 

Follows this piece 

@whumpmasinjuly​

“Induced coma unsuccessful. Vital signs in critical condition.”

“Shit,” Talic hissed as he turned back to Koladi’s table. Warning signs flared up on her vitals screen, low blood pressure, fast irregular heartbeat, multiple broken bones and fractures in her body. He was going to lose her too if he didn’t get her stabilized in a coma within the next few minutes.

“How Lylimeph doing, Zanvir?”

Across the room, Zanvir sighed and brushed away the sweat gathered on his forehead with his sleeve, still leaving a streak of blood on his forehead and surgery cap. He looked down at the bloodied mess on the table in front of him, partially covered by a surgical blanket with Lylimeph’s pale face covered with a mask.

“I wish I could say better,” he shook his head as he went back to work, “Even if I get all this shrapnel out, I don’t know if we’ll have enough bulk blood to keep her stable.”

Talic bit his lip, trying to think as he recalibrated the controls for Koladi’s table. “Ok… Once, once we get these two stabilized, you and I can donate, and we’ll see about Ganex and Byruk helping too.”

“And Lulan?”

“Lulan’s donated twice already, anymore and he’ll be bedridden for days. We’ll just… have to hope it’s enough.”

Talic reactivated the machine’s sequence, hoping this time would go through so Koladi could stabilize. He turned his attention back to Prash. Broken spine, burns covering most of his body from the bomb’s flames, and Talic already had to take a leg too damaged to save. Infection was his greatest worry for Prash at the moment, on top of an endless growing list.

Talic was exhausted. Twenty hours since most of their team got caught in the explosion and they still weren’t even close to being done fixing everyone up. Lexus still had a hole in her leg held together by a medpack. Alek was unconscious from a head wound and a broken arm. Dosair was the only one Talic managed to fix up stabilize after barely reassembling most of his insides.

Hōdek died within a few seconds of being placed on an operating table.

It was horrible, but Talic didn’t have time to dwell on it now. Chief Medical Officers never had time to dwell in the terrible, painful things they saw in an operating room. He had four more lives to save. Once he knew they were out of harms way, then he could let everything crash down around him.

But not one moment before.

“Induced coma unsuccessful. Vital signs in critical condition.”

The warning sounded again, and Talic tore himself away from Prash back to Koladi. She was deathly pale, and the rising motion of her breathing was slow and labored. Sweat started gathering on Talic’s brow as he quickly tried to restart the sequence again.

“Warning: hemorrhaging detected in upper abdomen.”

“Fuck, no, no, no, no,” Talic muttered in growing panic under his breath, “C’mon, Koladi, just hold on a little longer, c’mon…”

“Warning: blood pressure not detected. Pulse not detected.”

“No!” Talic abandoned the monitor and yanked back the covering over Koladi’s chest. Already he could see the dark shading of blood pooling under her skin. “Open defibrillators.”

Slots on either side of the operating table opened and he grabbed a defibrillator out from each. The voltage charged and he held the flat ends against her chest. Her body jolted from the current, but the heart monitor remained flat.

“C’mon, Koladi, hang in there…” He charged them again and winced from the loud sound of electricity discharging. Still, nothing. He tried again and her vital signs still remained flat. He tried not to look at the grayish hue growing in her complexion as he charged them up again.

“Talic—”

“I can do it, Zanvir,” Talic didn’t look back at him as he discharged the electricity a fourth time. Still no pulse. He could feel Zanvir’s eyes staring into the back of his head.

“Talic, listen—”

“I’m not losing her!” Talic shouted as he charged the defibrillator again. Koladi jolted on the table, but remained lifeless. “I’m not losing another one, I can do it!”

“The cutoff is three, Vellatang!” Talic flinched as Zanvir’s voice rose to a shout. He turned back to look at him, the defibrillators still clenched tightly in his hands. Only now he noticed how short and rapid his breath was.

“It’s three times,” Zanvir said with a long sad look on his face, “You know that. You’ve done five now. I… You have to move on.”

Talic’s breath froze in his chest. He was right, trying again now would just waste time. He turned back to Koladi, setting the defibrillators down as he finally looked at her still face. There was nothing, no breath, no fluttering of her eyes. Even now, he knew the color of her irises were drained under her eyelids, leaving behind a haunting milky white.

She was gone.

“Go back to Prash, Talic,” Zanvir’s voice grew softer, “He still needs you.”

Talic didn’t need any other prompting. Zanvir was right, he had to move on. He had to hold on, try and save the others as best he could. Just for a moment, he allowed his hands to shake as he pulled the cover over Koladi. The look of death disappeared under the blue sheet, and he exhaled sharply.

“I’m sorry, Koladi…” His hand rested on top of her head for just a moment, almost as though he was trying to comfort her through her passing. He inhaled sharply and pulled away, feeling a sharp sting of sadness in his chest as he came back to Prash. He could still feel Zanvir’s eyes on him, making sure he was able to keep moving forward.

Talic pushed the rest of his thinking to each piece of shrapnel he pulled out of Prash. He could keep going like this, focusing only on those still breathing. There would be time to mourn the others later. But for now, he could hold on for Lylimeph, Prash, and Dosair.

CW: aftermath of explosion, impalement, mild gore, field surgery 

Titan Guard tag list: @whipper-whumper, @nightly-whump, @why-not-whump-it, @yet-another-heathen, @kixngiggles, @angst-art-writing (let me know if you’d like to be tagged!)

Lexus’ eyes fluttered open against the smoke and ash hanging in the air. The world around her felt undefined, like she was trapped in an endless dream. A harsh ringing filled her ears as she tried to focus on her surroundings. All she could see was the rising smoke from fires dotting rubble, growing in intensity as she lay on the ground looking at the rocky ceiling.

For a moment, she couldn’t recall what it was that caused this carnage. She drifted through a haze with the smoke in the air. Her head rolled to the side, and she saw movement against the flames. Even with her undefined vision, it seemed rushed and panicked. Her body shifted slightly, and she was met with sudden pain and fatigue. A moan escaped her throat and she remembered.

An explosion. A bomb left by Diçian soldiers and set off once they made their escape out of this old missile silo. They were so focused on fighting, no one registered the hidden threat in time. The others, who else had been with her? Byruk, Lulan, Prash, Lylimeph, she couldn’t remember how close they were to the blast. She had lost track of Koladi and Alek during the fighting. Dosair and Hōdek had been right next to her, and it was Dosair who spotted the explosive mere moments before it went off. He tried to push them both out of the way.

How long has it been?

Lexus groaned against the ringing and pounding in her head. She had to get up and make sure the others were okay. They could get attacked again at any moment any might not stand a chance against it. Her hands shifted against the ground to find her bearings before pushing herself up. A deep, overwhelming pain shot through her almost immediately and she fell back to the ground, letting out a strangled scream. Her head turned in a shaky motion and she saw it. A large metal spike sticking up through her thigh, her silver blood coating the end as it punctured through the burned remains of her armor. She reached a shaky hand out to brush away the dirt and rocks collected on the exposed scorched skin. Now seeing the wound, agony began to blind her.

“Over here!” The words were barely audible over the ringing and Lexus’ own screaming. The shadowy movement from before came closer to her, kneeling down next to her head and leg. Her head rolled back up towards the ceiling, and she saw Lulan’s face looking down at her. There were bruises and bleeding cuts on his face, but he seemed fine otherwise. His hand sneaked under her head to keep her steady, worry spread across his face. Lexus’ mouth gaped open as she tried to breathe amidst the screams.

“Hold on, Lexus…” Lulan’s voice seemed distant and faint above her. “You’re gonna be okay. Just—Just hold on. Hey, medpack!”

Please, it hurts… She couldn’t form the words she wanted, painful moans being the only sounds she could make. They were caught dry in her throat, frozen as she felt a cold dread flooding over her. She lifted her head, Lulan helping her, to look at the wound again. The other figure by her side was Byruk, who was already working at cutting back the metal in her leg. There was so much blood already. A sudden thought occurred to her, and tears flooded her eyes.

I could die like this… I don’t want to die… Em, please… I don’t want to die…

“Here!” She saw Talic rush to Byruk’s side, a medpack ready in his hands. She looked up at him, eyes pleading, begging him to keep her alive. He locked eyes with her and gave her a worried smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“Alright, we’ve got to be quick,” Talic spoke to Byruk and Lulan, “Steady her, then lift on three. Ready? One…”

All other noise blocked out of her ears from the ringing and screaming of her own voice. She felt her body shift up and over, wrenching her leg off the metal where it began to bleed in a steady stream. The cold seemed to take her faster now as she felt the compression of the medpack over her wound. It stopped the bleeding and began to numb the pain with time. Lexus felt her consciousness begin to drift, her breath turning to short gasps within a few minutes.

“Get her back, now!” Talic instructed to Lulan as he secured the medpack tightly. “Byruk, help me find the others.”

Whumptober’s finally heeeeeeere and it’s time for some canon content!

@whumptober2021 

CW: prisoner of war, slapping, mild blood

Titan Guard tag list: @nightly-whump, @whumped-cream, @whipper-whumper, @ghostcomit, @yet-another-heathen @why-not-whump-it (let me know if you’d like to be added!) 

He thought the ropes were a little excessive.

Of course, his captors might have thought it more than necessary based on the amount of trouble Lulan had been giving them. It took being outnumbered four to one and a small explosion before he finally fell to their strength. Even then, he never gave them a moment’s rest since getting captured. The handcuffs on his wrists grew tighter the more he struggled against them.

The ropes around his arms and torso were just annoying, even if it somehow made them feel safe. In any case, he wasn’t planning on making it easy for them.

“Hey, watch it!” Lulan growled as they gripped his shoulders painfully and pushed him forward towards a set of closed doors. The doors hissed as they opened, the bridge of the Dicio Council’s flagship in full view. Lulan’s jaw tightened as they shoved him towards the commander’s seat, knowing well who was waiting for him there.

“Admiral, we encountered this Pax Rebel on a scouting mission on the alien planet,” one of the Diçian’s leading him said as she and the other pushed him down to his knees in front of the commander’s seat, “He’s already severely injured one corpsman before we managed to subdue and restrain him.”

Lulan felt his nerves creeping under his skin as the ship’s commander turned and set her eyes on him. There was an instinct to keep his eyes down, to avoid fanning the flames of anger he knew was coming for him in time. But then again, not every instinct needed to be followed.

He kept his head high as he locked eyes with Admiral Jentari’s look of mild amusement. He already knew that this was making her day, capturing another Pax Rebel after managing months of hiding and silence. Lulan had loathed every minute of it, the will to fight back itching at him every moment of every day. He’d gotten his fill of that today, perhaps a little too much.

“Welcome aboard the Maverick, Captain Quioph,” Jentari said as she stood from her seat. “I sincerely hope that you think all the trouble you caused today worth it. I certainly don’t appreciate having one of my soldiers hospitalized.”

“Honestly, it has been so far,” Lulan smirked with a toothy grin. He tested against the strength of his bonds, growing uncomfortably tight. “I’m just disappointed I didn’t have time to take out more of your lackeys before now.”

“And here I thought your General placed diplomacy over conflict and violence.”

“Only for those who really deserve it.”

His arms fidgeted against the cuffs and ropes as Jentari stepped closer. His teeth gritted behind his forced smile. It wavered slightly as she leaned down and gripped his chin, raising his head until he barely remained on his knees.

“You and the rest of General Shorvakon’s meddlers have dragged this game on long enough. Most of your Guard division is dead, and the rest of you hiding like cowards, yet you keep fighting. And for what?”

Lulan wished he could punch her square in the jaw. His shoulders shifted as he tried to pull away from her grip. “Believe me, we think it’s still a hell of a lot better than living under the Council’s rule.”

“You’ll have to come up with a better reason than that.”

Lulan growled from deep in his throat. He had to maintain the façade, had to keep this up and keep her distracted as long as possible. The longer he kept her focus on him meant that she wouldn’t look for the others. They would be safe, hidden away until they could find a way back home. Or simply survive.

“I’m giving you one last chance to tell me where the other Pax Rebels are on this planet, before this gets ugly,” she said as her nails dug into his skin, “I will not be this nice if I have to ask again.”  

Lulan groaned, feeling beads of blood slowly run down his chin to the floor. He let out a harsh chuckle. “Yeah, right. Like I’m gonna tell you one fucking thing, you Diçian kharra.”

The satisfaction in his word still lingered after Jentari released him and slapped the back of her hand across his cheek. He fell to the floor on his side, the cuffs digging into the flesh of his wrists and threatening to bring forth more blood. Angry murmurs from the other Diçian officers echoed around him. That was worth it too, he thought to himself. If he was going to suffer by their hands, then he was going to make the most out of being their greatest inconvenience.

“Take him down to the detention block,” Jentari turned to one of the other officers, “Tonár, I believe you will take the greatest pleasure in conducting his interrogation. Drag out any information on the Rebels’ whereabouts. And… have some fun with it.”

Lulan growled under his breath as his weight pulled against the ropes, lifting him to his feet as he was led off the bridge. His cheek still stung, and he kept the same smile on his face even as he felt his courage waver. He would keep up the defiance, the strength, as long as he possibly could. Even so, he chuckled to himself sadly.

This is so late sorry.... part 2 of this! 

CW: prisoner, blood, electrocution, interrogation, death threats, head injury

Titan Guard tag list: @nightly-whump, @whipper-whumper, @whumped-cream, @ghostcomit, @yet-another-heathen, @why-not-whump-it (let me know if you’d like to be added!) 

--- 

The taste of blood reached towards the back of his throat as he coughed. The act sent a sharp pain through his trachea, but he clenched his teeth firmly and forced a smile all the same. He could tell his captor didn’t like it when a fist grabbed a handful of his green hair and wrenched his head back to look at him.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually enjoying this, Captain,” Tonár growled in his ear.

“No…” Lulan strained through raspy vocal chords, “It actually fucking hurts… but it’s funny that your mind goes there…”

He coughed and Tonár released him and slapped the back of his hand against his cheek. Lulan’s head whipped to the side, throwing his weight against the restraints on his wrists. He didn’t budge, the forcefield around him keeping the cuffs in place above his head. They took his armor a while ago, leaving him in his tracksuit, torn and bloodied from Tonár’s inventive interrogation tactics. Lulan wasn’t sure how long he had been here at this point. The Admiral’s henchmen didn’t exactly keep him up to date with the time. They weren’t even nice enough to give him a cell with a window. Figures.

“What’s funny is you thinking this is all some kind of game,” Tonár circled him from behind, “And you’re either an idiot or your sense of humor is just fucked up.”

“It’s both,” Lulan laughed bringing up more coughing from deep in his chest. “I’m surprised you don’t think it’s a game, honestly. Hasn’t it always been a game to you… the rest of us being your little toys to play with and throw away when you get bored?”

“I’m not the one broken and bleeding in a cell.”

Lulan shrugged as much as he was able, his shoulders screaming in their awkward position. “S-Stakes are just higher for me, I guess.”

“Seems so.”

Don’t let them win, don’t let them see you broken down.

—