#and the rat that was being eaten was screaming horribly

[hungersauce]

I'm not part of the peoples the conversation concerns, so take me with a grain of salt, but I like helping and I want to help create new associations that aren't actively racist and have their roots in observations of the real world [vs the appropriation of indigenous beliefs.] And I want to encourage the creation of one's own mythos that isn't 1 to 1 translation thus still engaging with the racism. Soo. As a literary dweeb & freaky little grotesque fan, here's a few [but not all of my] ideas.

Carrion eaters are an obvious choice but you risk further demonizing them - if you use this I'd advice making your 'monster' something that is not actively malicious but instead just an animal existing. [And yes, your horror monsters can DEFINITELY be things that aren't going out of their way. It can actually be scarier and carry more depth to have them be things simply existing, or things of pure metaphor/symbolism. Yknow, anything other than "out to get you."] Honestly, most 'obvious' choices are probably at risk of this. Pick something weird or innocuous if you can.

Rabbits are an animal that are present enough to be hunted and eaten and if they are the primary food source you will still be starving. Your stomach will be full but you will still be dying. There is not enough fat on their lean bodies to feed a human being. Like most rodents, rabbits kept in captivity as livestock are apt to just fall over dead one night. They have real purpose to their cannibalism - only when stressed or they don't have the resources or the baby is sick ect ect ect. They don't do it for giggles.

Horses are a bit trickier. I feel you might risk continued association due to the horse also being a hoofed animal, but there's a very real argument to be made for horses being the first to go during hard times. They need a lot of food and are really fragile and cultures that surrounded horses would eat them in times of need (and you could further use the point that horses are also loved companions - humans feel guilt for the things they do in the name of survival to the things they love.) Horses also just eat small animals for no real reason, and meat in large quantities is toxic to them because their liver isn't made for that, so.

People don't like to think about dogs and death in the same string, but they're important in this conversation I think. They're hunters and companions and that little detail of being companions to humans is what makes them incredibly viable. As previously mentioned, humans generally don't feel very good about it when a companion has to die, especially in our current culture of dogs as things to love and not animals we designed to do work. Carnivores don't usually taste very good and you lose more energy the further away you get from plants in the food chain as far as things you can eat go. Dogs require a decent chunk of resources to have and maintain and the average person probably wouldn't like looking at a starved dog very much. Dogs can read human body language and infer the meaning of new words/movements fairly well, and they are capable of deception, but their cognitive ability is comparable to most other domestic animals. I have a soft spot in my heart for dog imagery - there's a lot of associations to play around with in theming, positive and negative, and using something seen as "cute" and "lovable" that is truly dangerous and needs proper understanding like any other animal is a good way to disturb people.

Any domestic animal is probably good in its own right (hell, how many recorded instances are there of birds feeding on their owners? Cats? Dogs?) but my back hurts and I don't want to be typing anymore. Get creative and look at the world around you for inspiration. Your choices are great and many and you'll find things that fit your purpose shockingly well, if you try.

[onyxhellebore]

Wasn't paying attention and my roommate threw out my seaweed snacks that I JUST BOUGHT during our pantry clean out and I hate this shit. I'm trying to only keep a couple things that I really need so I can eat in case of flare ups downstairs and I'm slowly dismembering the diy rat pantry but shit like this makes me want to return to my packrat like tendencies

[foccaccia]

i like the Hunger Games a lot but im always gonna be a little bitter it took off when her Underland Chronicles never did. those books were so good and so fucked up. snippets of spoilers for a 20 year old book series for middle schoolers ahead:

cockroaches the size of horses who talk and are actually super chill and great babysitters for human toddlers. these books are the only reason i dont have nightmares about cockroaches anymore

cannibalism happens a lot. at one point a rat the size of a bison says "man go ahead and eat your dead friend, we wont judge" to a spider, who then proceeds to eat her dead friend. everyone but the rat judges.

another rat, who is still relatively a baby, is found later eating his babysitter's liver in an attempt to hide the body.

dude, pandoras death was so fucked up. "wow an island! im starving im gonna have a snack. brb guys" flies a little bit over, is immediately devoured in seconds by bugs and her skeleton crashes into the jungle below

plague book! humans try to commit genocide and blame it on bugs

hey. hey eleven year old. kill this tiny baby screaming for his mother. he sounds just like your baby sister you think just died horribly. kill this baby with a sword. you didnt? you didnt kill a sobbing baby who watched his mother die? we're putting you on trial for treason and will execute you

baby rat gone insane, now 15' tall and leading an army, ripping the head off of his friend/gaslighter, immediately heartbreakingly asking where she went, and then finding the head and accusing a twelve year old boy of doing it

dude gregor is eleven and in the first book willingly leaps off a cliff to his death (despite it being his worst fear) in the hopes itll stop his two year old sister boots from being graphically torn apart and eaten, like he has seen happen to others

thalia's death. they dont just kill unnamed children (they do absolutely kill a lot of unnamed babies onscreen) they also kill beloved named children

"the fireflies had to gnaw ares' claw off of his corpse bc you wouldnt let go of your friends claw. its been almost three weeks and the viscera has dried and glued it to your grip. we cant get it off without breaking your finger. you gotta let go of your friends corpse, twelve year old boy"

twitchtip.

forcing the twelve year old into a prophesied battle where he will die, and making him dissociate so hard for months he blankly allows others to make him cause/be complicit in war crimes

HAHA HEY THE SAPIENT, INTELLIGENT MICE DYING BY THE HUNDREDS SUFFOCATING ON POISON GAS WHILE A TODDLER SINGS A NURSERY SONG ABOUT THE MICE DYING.

the six year old boy losing literally everyone hes ever known and cared for over and over again

just so much violent gore and death for middle schoolers, man. i love it.

hey that was objectively a good and well done ending. and i also loved it. but "hey gregor my husband was in the war. he had ptsd that will never go away just like you" hey hes twelve :( someone help him

prim's death in the hunger games has nothing on the shit collins pulled in the underland chronicles this is like a tiny chunk please read them

[harrison-abbott]

Little Bobbles

Davies was in his room when he first heard this smattering from across the yard. The noise made him look up from the newspaper. And listen. Then it came again and he frowned and blinked. Then stood up and put the paper down. Davies’ office window didn’t look on to the school yard – it was around the corner at the tail end of this narrow corridor.

 He heard little bobbles of screams. From girls and women.

 “Gunfire,” he whispered. He swallowed and felt his breathing accentuate.

 When Davies was a kid he used to live near an army barracks. He grew up in this horrible provincial town of 10 000 people, and there was a military training base a few miles from his house. The trainee soldiers would go running along the fielded lanes. And in the afternoons they’d do target practise in the forest. So he knew the sounds of guns.

 That was what he was thinking about when he closed his window. Then pulled the curtains across. And sat under his desk in the semi-dark. And called the police.

 “Police, please,” Davies said.

 “Okay, sir, what’s the problem?”

 “I think there’s a shooting at our school.”

 “Which school is that?”

 He told her the name. She asked if the shooter were near him right now and he said yes but he hadn’t seen him but was pretty sure that’s what it was.

 “You work at the school?” she queried.

 “I do, yes.”

 “Are you one of the teachers?”

 “I’m the janitor. And you need to send people down quickly. Armed men. Hurry.”

 He hung up. And went out of his office, down the corridor, to the FIRE ALARM. And smashed the little box of glass open. Which trinkled pleasantly below him. And pressed the fat crimson button therein. And these alarms began screeching throughout the building. In Davies’ thirty five years as a janitor he’d never pushed the ALARM seriously; they’d all been mandatory trials beforehand.

 Davies figured the best thing to do was get back into his office, lock the door, and wait for the authorities to come and shoot the shooter. Whoever that was (who had the weapon – probably some bullied male, who didn’t know where to direct his anger; which of course matched about three hundred people present in this building already).

 And as he was walking back … this person burst into the corridor.

 From the far doors. And he flinched, and turned. The kids weren’t normally allowed in this hallway during lunch times.

 It was a girl and she was crying and she must’ve been thirteen and she got a fright when she saw him.

 There was this absurd moment where they both stared at each other.

 “Come with me,” he called.

 She didn’t hear him because of the alarms. The first time: so he shouted the same three words again, and her face changed and she came jogging up to him.

 “We’ll hide in my office,” Davies said. “There’s a big lock on the door. And I’ve already called the police, and I’ll keep you safe for the time being.”

 The girl nodded. And then he showed her into the office. And, as stupid as it sounded, was embarrassed by the smell of coffee and onions and old tobacco in his room. Davies wasn’t supposed to smoke in his office but he did it anyway, through the little window slat.

 When she’d come in he took out his ring of keys and locked the door behind them.

 There was a rat a tat a rat rip rat rip rumble somewhere in the distance. The girl whimpered silently.

 “Here,” Davies said, and he took the cushion off his seat and placed it on the floor. “Sit down. And we’ll wait it out.”

 She sat down in a perfect image of terror. And he sat down next to his desk.

 “We shall be fine in here,” he said, trying to be confident with his crackly voice. Davies had never had kids in his life. Had never understood children. He thought about giving her his coat. Because she wasn’t wearing her one and she looked cold. But thought this might be too overreaching. So he thought about offering her some of the salt and vinegar crisps he had, next to the half-eaten sandwich on his desk … but thought that was inappropriate as well. When he was her age – living next to the barracks – he used to long to be able to shoot the guns, like the soldiers. You know, how boys are like. How naïve he was … “This will all be over,” he said, “and I will get you back to your folks once it is. Don’t worry.”

 The girl gaped at him as the total stranger that he was.

[dxrknessembr8ced]

12:30 A.M.

Awaken from the constant screaming right outside of their hotel room, the oldest sister Mei-Ling peaked through the window only to witnessed a horde of zombies marching around killing and cannibalizing residents of the hotel. Setting her in a state of panic she had to get dressed and leave immediately with her sister still sleeping inside of her coffin. Even through all this chaos her sister sleeps through it all so well but regardless she can't leave the coffin. Using her strength after getting dress, placed the coffin behind her back she burst through the door and try her best to avoid the undead, no doubt still infected with the new strain of the T-virus Hsien-Ko had unintentionally spread, and began fighting her way through it all with her bare hands and magic, utilizing them into the journey to hell she placed them both in.

As she continued fighting her way down the stairs she witnessed a police officer getting eaten alive by the zombies, tackling him on the ground where he drops his sidearm now in front of her. Noticing the sidearm on the ground that is a glock 19 she grabbed it off the ground, aiming at a few zombies now all swarming at her. Despite being experienced in weapons she never had experienced with modern firearms, until now.

" There's no end to this, this is all my fault, I made my bed and now? "

Beginning to feel shaky from the horrible suffering of her guilt to not kill her sister to not only end her suffering but to spare the lives of others but now? No longer shaking she regains her composer and finally the woman accepted her dark fate.

" I will forever lie in it in and protect my sister, no matter the cost! "

With that Mei-Ling fired a few shots, killing a few zombies going near her by destroying the brain, killing them immediately as she continues pushing through the now zombie infested area to get to her motorcycle she came across the B.O.W.s to attack her being the new evolved hunters, the Vurdalak have arrived from all corners to tear apart and kill including killing Mei-Ling. The Vurdalak are not under Hsien-Ko's control due to sleeping in the coffin. Being hyper violent killers the vurdalak swarmed against the woman with fury she manage to hold them off killing a few of them with both sidearm and martial arts. However she know that she could not hold all of them off, not wanting to waste all her ammo she quickly avoided both zombie and vurdalak all together running towards her bike.

Her heart beats with adrenalin and sweating in fear and desperation as the now evolved hunters give chase. When she finally arrive towards her bike she hopped on, starting up the engine and immediately drive away and narrowly escaping the area and those large sharp claws of the Vurdalak driving into the night panting heavily that she almost have died. The good news is she escaped from harm, the bad news is that now they have to find a place to live again so soon. She knew that she had to leave sooner, but not to this extent. Let alone being kicked out by both the undead and the B.O.W.s. after she just witnessed innocent people behind her just die like rats and converted into one of the undead. It sickened her, but it's either her or them and they won't hesitate to slaughter her piece by piece. Just like the raccoon city incident all those years ago.

[chisatowo]

Ok so me and my sibling got to Ryoma's body discovery and holy shit I knew v3's character writing sucked ass but I forgot just how bad it is holy shit

[ererokii]

Is there Time? || Eren Jaeger

Eren Jaeger x Fem! Reader

Warnings: contains spoilers from manga, tw: death, fluff, angst, blood, 

Word Count: 11,422

Synopsis: I may have changed it just a bit but the concept is still there! Italics mean flashback

Taglist (message to be added): @shoutosteakettle @kingtamakimurder @pixxiesdust @sacro---sainte @miinaashido @z-iridest @freckledoriya @tspice283​

Tears of pain streamed down your face–the blood, sweat, and dirt sticking on your skin like glue. The atmosphere was thick and the air in your lungs was scarce as you tried your best to move through the debris. The smell of smoke carried throughout the air as screams of terror from innocent men, women, and children traveled through the once peaceful district.

The ground beneath you shook that made the core of the earth tremble in fear. Each step from the monstrous creatures made a spark of fear ignite inside of you. Fighting the creatures that kept you caged years ago was nothing compared to the trepidation you felt. Nausea formed in the pit of your stomach until you could feel the burning sensation eating away at the back of your throat. Despite knowing the area like the back of your hand, you had no idea where you should be  going. Your eyes constantly flickered through the fumes to find any escape route. 

After the transformations of the new abnormals and Commander Pyxis's death, you were forced to transport yourself to the dock by foot, on the lookout for any injured civilians trying to find shelter, just like you. Keith Shadis, your instructor from your years in training, helped you and the rest of the Levi Squad fend off the creatures. 

Seagulls let out their cries as they flocked towards the dock, each soaring away from the mess and the horizon. You refused to look behind you. A sigh of relief left your lips as the boat came into view. Finally, your shelter was near.

As you ran up the steps to reach the dock, familiar figures caught your eye as you gasped, waving your arm. “Jean!!”

The man who now had longer hair turned around in shock, his eyes widening at your form. “Y/N!”

A small sob wracked your body as you collapsed into his arms, finally giving up its last will to fight. His arms tightened around your weakened form as he held you close. Your frail body trembled in his grasp as your fingers curled against his once white shirt that was ripped in places, covered in the red substance of his blood and dirt from the chaos. You wheezed into his arms as you wracked your lungs for clear air to intake. 

“H-He—”

Jean shushed you as he pushed your head into his chest as he held you close, closing his eyes as he heard your sobs of agony. He was in the dark just as much as you were. Even his comrades were clueless. Here they were, awaiting the departure of their ship as enormous creatures started their slow march to Paradis, their leader standing behind them with the cages of its ribs digging into the ground, resembling the structure of a dinosaur. This form sent him high above the air. Standing at 60 meters tall, this creature was superior to everyone else. The nape of its neck was all bone. Straight hair was covering the face of the holder, their head facing down. Steam emitted from the openings of bones, the fumes carrying through the air. 

“What are we going to do, Jean?” you whispered, pulling away from his vice-like grip as you stared up at him, your lashes wet with your tears. “What about Eren?”

“I—” he choked up as he kept his eyes trained on the creatures in the far distance. He couldn’t answer you. He couldn’t lie either. Lying would give you false hope, and that was something he did not want to do. Honesty was one of Jean’s best qualities, and he knew that as well as you did. “— I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he whispered, looking down at you, the strands of his hair flowing in the hot air. “I don’t even know who Eren is anymore…”

You grew quiet as you dug your nails into the center of your palm, applying as much pressure as you could. The amount of pain you physically felt couldn’t compete with the pain that strangled your heart. You oh so desperately wanted to see the vast amounts of blue in his eyes, the small sparkle they had whenever he was looking at you. The way his lips quirked up when he laughed at your dumb jokes. His calloused hand with ridges and calluses that managed to fit against yours perfectly. 

A hand placed on your shoulder kicked you out of your thoughts. A small hand gripped your muscle as a little sigh left your lips. “Y/N,” Mikasa started as she looked at you, her black orbs staring intently into yours. “We have to keep moving. If we stay here any longer, we’ll get crushed.”

You gulped as you saw Annie, Armin, Connie, and Jean, waiting for you and Mikasa to join aboard. “You have to trust Eren. After all, you love him, don’t you? So trust him,” she demanded, letting go of you as she placed a hand on your back, shoving you forward. “Don’t look back anymore. Only forward, Y/N.”

And she was right.

As everyone got settled on the ship, you walked over to the far end of the vessel. Your hands rested on the railing, fingers curling around the steel handling. Your eyelids fluttered shut as you tried your best to calm the frantic beating of your heart, inhaling as much air as you could before exhaling the stress. The smell of the saltwater filled you with a sense of uncertainty and fear. Your face felt clammy with your sweat and dried up blood stuck on your skin like glue. You desperately wanted to sleep and forget about the moments leading up to this hell hole. 

A tear or two trailed down the side of your face, tracing the underline of your jaw before letting go of its hold and dripping onto your hand. 

You longed to smile. You longed for laughter to erupt from the depths of your throat as you felt the wind carry through your hair, shivers running down your back. You longed to feel happy again. You longed for him.

Eren. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

It seemed like just yesterday you were admitted into the safety of Wall Rose, the only shelter you could obtain after the vicious attack on Wall Maria. You couldn’t find your parents anywhere in the foreign area. You assumed they either got eaten or had no other way to get into Wall Rose on the boats that carried countless of injured civilians. You decided on the latter, not wanting to think of the horrible fate your parents could have gone through. 

You were just a mere, helpless ten year old, wandering the streets of the second wall. As you passed by some of the garrison soldiers, they muttered to themselves and called you a street rat. Your clothes looked more like worn-out rags, dirt splotches covering the once white material. Your feet felt heavier than you last remembered. You were always dragging your feet now, something your mother never failed to reprimand you of. 

A bed.

What was that again? What did it feel like? Was it as warm as you remembered? Were the blankets still as comforting as they protected you from the harsh winters of hail and snow? Did it feel like your mother’s arms around you? Singing softly to you that everything was going to be okay?

Voices filled your ears as you turned around, noticing the commotion of a boy no older than you, yelling up at the superior officers. Your eyes widened as a hand was lifted in the air and came down to strike the boy across his face, sending him to the floor. Your eyes trained on a blond boy who came running in, standing in front of what you assumed was his friend in a protective stance, his smaller arms opening wide.

Their voices were inaudible to you. You could only see their angry expressions. Their eyebrows caved in, moving their hands as their mouths opened and closed frantically. A crowd of commoners gather by the stands to watch the scene at hand. The blond boy nodded his head eagerly, a forced smile on his round face as his sky blue eyes scanned the older men as they left.

Curiosity took over you as you continued to watch the boys interact. A girl with jet black long hair ran up to them, immediately checking up on the brunette boy. Must be their friend as well. 

You quietly chewed on your bread as the brunette got off the floor, slapping the girl's hand, whose hand was near his head. He looked angry. He had a bruise forming on his left cheek, a small scratch on his forehead as he yelled at them, his little hand clenching into a fist. His turquoise eyes held so much sorrow and defeat. He stopped his yelling as he looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking with your orbs. 

Your eyes widened as your cheeks heated up in embarrassment at being caught. Yet, the boy didn’t seem to break eye contact with you as he panted softly through his mouth, his shoulders heaving with every breath he took. You refused to look away as well, forming what some would have called a staring contest. 

He growled before turning on his heel and made his way away from you. His friends behind him called out his name. You didn’t quite catch what they were saying. It looked like he was stomping with each step he took to get away from the area.

He didn’t look familiar at all. Maybe he was from the other districts? But perhaps you could have seen him before. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

The past two years were the hardest to endure if you had to be honest with yourself. Living on the streets was one thing, but making it without parents? Without your role models, you felt relatively small. Yet, you overcame obstacles and took refuge in a shelter they had for kids just like you. You were hoping to see that boy again, maybe go up to him and become his friend. But after that show, you felt like he had no intention of doing the same with you.

Military sign-ups were yesterday. As soon as the head director told the district you resided in about sign-ups, you were first to enlist. 

You and many other children your age stood in lines, some facing each other, some with their backs turned to others. You stood up straight, keeping your shoulders back as you stared forward. Deep down, you hoped for the instructor to pass by you. 

Luck was on your side as he walked past you. Even his presence was enough to make you cringe in your shoes. His boots hit against the dirt, the small particles crunching underneath his steps.

You could feel yourself grow small when he lifted one boy, headbutted him, and dropped him to the floor. Another boy did the salute wrong and ended up getting his temples rubbed hard with the instructor's knuckles. One girl was brave enough to be eating a potato and even had the audacity and ‘share half’ with him, but kept the more significant piece for herself in reality. She ended up having to run until she passed out.

In front of you was a brunette boy, his hard eyes trained on the spot above your shoulder. Your eyes lit up faintly at the sight of him. The view was quickly disturbed as the instructor stood in front of him.

“...Eren Jaeger!”

Eren, huh? That’s a nice name.

“Shinganshina District!”

Weren’t they hit hardest? Was the rest of his family okay?

“Kill them all!!”

He’s got drive. Kill them all? Sounds almost impossible at this rate. Maybe he’s an optimistic one.

Now you stood outside, in your ordinary clothes of black pants that were a bit too big and a white loose long sleeve with the sleeves scrunched up to your elbows. You watched as the girl continued her laps. ‘Potato Girl’ is what the rest of your class called her, although Sasha Blouse was her actual name. Your elbows touched the worn-out wood of the patio, and you were surprised that you haden’t received any splinters. 

It was hot. Even from under the shade, you could feel the sun beating down on you. Thankfully, training was shortly cut after a few minutes of hand to hand combat. You were paired up with one of the boys, Armin Arlert. He was sweet, almost too precious to be here in the military. He was an easy opponent to go against. You took him out in less than eight minutes. You felt bad for him after. 

“She’s still running, huh?”

You hummed in response as you looked over your shoulder. Your orbs locked with bright water eyes, the boy in front of you looking down at you from his height. He wore an olive green loose fitted shirt, a small dip by his collarbones with strings attached to either side, almost in a cross-stitch fashion. His shirt was tucked into the brown pants that seemed to fit him well with matching color shoes. “Yeah, she still is.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

“Eren Jaeger!”

A proud moment for the said boy. The brunette walked up and stood in line beside his female comrade, Annie Leonhart. Having placed fifth in the top ten of his class was an accomplishment. Not only was he getting closer to fulfill his dreams of becoming a member of the Survey Corps, but he was also getting closer to being outside. To see what the books always stated. The books that Armin made him swear that he wouldn’t tell a soul. 

Was it vast amounts of salt that it was endless? Ice that seemed never to melt? Huge marks of land that grew beneath the earth and wouldn’t move in their lifetime? The greenery, was it as beautiful as the drawings?

He couldn’t help but let those thoughts swarm his mind as he stayed still, not paying attention. His eyes trained on the lit-up torches, their flames dancing with their embers popping off, and the wind immediately blowing them out. Each crack of the orange flames kept his attention away from the graduation at hand.

“Christa Lenz!”

At the name of the petite blonde, Eren blinked in shock. Christa? She made it? Was she the last one? Who else made it? God, he was so invested in his thoughts that he didn’t hear who made it past Jean, who was ranked sixth in the 104th cadet corp.

“These are the top of your class!”

With a turn of their heel, each newly graduated soldiers faced the rest of their class, each letting out a cry in unison as they saluted. His heart was racing. He could burst. A newfound look was glinting in his eyes as the fire’s light reflected off of his orbs. His blood was pumping as he itched to be able to choose his regiment finally. He waited for this moment since his father told him about the people who risk their lives for humanity. 

He was ready.

A face in the crowd caught his attention. He could see a face with a bright smile from the corner of his eye, like a light shined on them and singled them out. He looked over and made eye contact with you. You greeted him. Out of everyone, you chose to look his way. He caught sight of your lips moving before you shot him a thumbs up.

‘I’m proud.’

His lips curled up in a faint smile as he mouthed something back to you, enjoying the way your smile seemed to brighten and the way you looked back down at your feet. He felt his cheeks warm up in the slightest as he felt more relaxed than he was before.

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

No, no, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen. They were out of the oven and ready to face anything. Titans weren’t supposed to infiltrate Wall Rose. The Colossal Titan shouldn’t have reappeared again. He should have been gone! What was worse was that he shouldn’t even have this type of power. The one thing he despised most in this world, and he was now one of them. 

A monster.

Everyone now targeted him. Everyone now hated him. Everyone wanted him dead. 

“Eren isn’t a monster!”

Why did you defend him? Didn’t you think he was a monster as well?

“He can save us!”

A hero? Is that what you thought about him?

He was shocked by the number of screams and shouts in the courtroom that day. The Garrison wanted nothing to do with him. The Military Police wanted to use his body for science. The Survey Corps wanted to use his newfound ability to take back the land that the Titans took from them.  

Out of all the screams there, yours was the only one he could hear. Your tearful expression gave him a pain he didn’t want ever to feel again. Your fingers curled around the iron railings that separated you from him. Your body racked with each shout of his name, begging for them to let him go. Weren’t you scared of him? He almost killed Mikasa. He could quickly lose control and possibly kill you. Just thinking about that outcome sent shivers down his spine.

In his cell, it was dark and smelled a bit off. The guards watching him didn’t spare him another glance, making snide comments about him. No matter how many times Eren begged, they refused to listen.

The sound of footsteps caught his attention as the voice of a female filled his ears.

“I’m here on visit! Captain Levi and Squad Leader Hanji permitted me too!”

Y/N? You came to visit him?

“Why would you visit him, huh?”

“Because I want to, sir! So please, if you excuse us!”

He could hear the faint sounds of curse words from his cell and the shoes' soles hitting the damp floor as their footsteps decreased in noise. 

He was still confused deep down. Why did you come?

“Eren?”

“Y-Y/N.”

You walked closer to his cell, the flames of the torches illuminating your way as your face shone through the darkness, your smile never faltering. 

“Why did you come..?”

“I wanted to visit you, Eren. Especially after the trial,” you whispered and wrapped your fingers around the iron bars. “Mikasa and Armin are worried sick about you. But I wanted to come and see you myself. Luckily I got permission from our superiors.”

Eren gaped at you. His mouth parted as the insides felt incredibly dry all of a sudden. He moved his hand and felt a weight resting on his wrists. The chains' heavy metal kept him restrained, keeping him from doing something that could get him killed. 

“Why would you want to see a monster like me?” he growled and leaned forward, gritting his teeth to the point where there was a small ache in his gums. 

“A monster?” you whispered, your eyes glazing with confusion. “Is that what you think of yourself as?”

There was a moment of silence before you continued. “I don’t think you’re a monster, Eren. You’re far from a monster. That’s out of the question. You saved us in Trost! A monster could never do that!”

“Yeah, but—”

“No,” you interrupted, shaking your head. “A monster kills and creates fear in others. I’m not scared of you. You don’t scare me. You give me hope, Eren. You’re our savior, or at least my savior.”

Eren could feel his heart flutter at your statement. Is that what you thought of him? As your savior? Was that too much to consider? No. It wasn’t.

He licked his lower lip and looked up, locking eyes with your own. He could feel a new set of tears form slowly as he blinked away quickly. He opened his mouth, speaking with determination and courage. “Y/N, I'll be your savior.“

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

These were the days Eren enjoyed the most. The times where he was finally let out of his cell and able to wander around, of course, with an officer or a comrade with him. 

As soon as he stepped out into the outside, he immediately let out a sigh of relief as the fresh air filled his lungs. A pleased hum rumbled in his chest as he opened his eyes. As he waited by the doors, he watched the leaves of the tree sway in the breeze. It brought a small smile to his face, knowing that he was still alive. 

Today, Eren had some plans. He wanted to lounge around in the grass as he stared up at the sky, and wanted to go into the districts. He was more cautious about the latter, not wanting anyone to yell at him for any past actions or the fact he was a Titan. 

“Eren!”

He looked over his shoulder and smiled, waving slightly. “Hey! Are you coming with me?”

With a skip to your step, you nodded as you approached him. “That I am! Captain Levi thought it would be good to let me come instead of someone else! Or him, I should say, but he said he had business to take care of with Commander Erwin!”

“Oh? I wonder what it is. Must be something important.”

You hummed in response as you started to walk with him. “What did you want to do?”

He looked down at you before training his eyes back forward. “Just want to enjoy the day.”

And that he did. 

The trip to the districts deep in Wall Rose went well, minus the small groups of people calling him out and saying he was a monster. That part wasn’t fun. Who knew you knew how to cuss someone out. 

You guys didn’t buy much, only the things that would help get you through the day. Some small snacks that Eren remembered eating as a child. It brought some memories to him, something he thought he had forgotten as the years went by. 

On the other hand, you talked for most of the trip, not that he was complaining, of course. He loved to hear you talk. If anything, he would rather hear your voice the rest of his life than his other comrades. Your voice soothed him. Like you were the medicine to heal his aching wounds that needed to be fixed. 

You both lay quietly in an open field of grass, the Survey Corps headquarters in view. Your fingers picked at the soft blades of green, mindlessly running through the patches of dirt. 

You quietly stared up at the sky, humming softly. Eren matched your position as he quietly listened to the humming you produced. Both of you had taken your shoes off, your feet sore from the walking you did through town today. He wiggled his toes in the tall blades, letting out a sigh of content.

Eren took a glance at you before looking back up at the sky then did a double-take. Your eyes were closed, eyelashes resting against the upper swell of your cheeks. Your chest shifted up and down slowly, your hands resting by your sides. The rays of the sunlight shone against your complexion, your hair sprawled underneath your head in a way that made you look ethereal. An angel. An angel in this hell. 

He preferred seeing you like this instead of covered in blood and tears. Your black long sleeved shirt hugged your curves. Your light brown ankle-length skirt somehow brought out an angelic yet simplistic look on you. Eren felt his cheeks heat up as he scooted over slowly, his hand brushing against yours.

You opened your eyes, making eye contact with his orbs. Your neck heated up, the warmth radiating to your face. Oh, he was so close. 

Small puffs of air exerted from your lips as you glanced at his lips before looking into his eyes.

Eren gulped lowly before slowly leaning in. You mimicked his movement as your lips met in a sweet kiss, both of your eyes closed, ignoring the rest of the world as you only focused on the person beside you. You laced your fingers with his, feeling his calloused palm rub against yours. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

The 57th expedition was a disaster. Too many casualties, too many to be counted, and too many unnamed soldiers. 

The Survey Corps were dealing with so much already. Not only was the mission a failure, the Military Police was requesting Eren’s presence. For what? To dissect him and experiment on his titan capabilities. 

Even during the escort by Annie, his friends, including you, were there. Commander Erwin Smith came up with the conclusion that the identity of the female titan was none other than Annie Leonhart. Of course, Eren was in utter shock. How could someone he has known for three years be the ultimate traitor? It just didn’t make sense. 

And as always, the Commander’s suspicions were correct. In the flesh, the female titan appeared, and Eren had no choice but to stay behind as you and Mikasa tried pursuing her. With the help of Jean and Armin, he was able to transform fully. 

He still couldn’t come to terms with it. Here she was, a full-blown murderer standing in front of him. He had no choice but to defeat her right now. As always, Eren doubted his abilities until he froze, noticing you on the floor, passed out as Jean quickly lifted you. That’s where he lost it. Streaks of orange covered his body as he let red hot anger take over his senses. 

That was the last thing he remembered before he fluttered his eyes open, his brown tresses swaying slightly from the open-air that flowed in from the window. His turquoise eyes studied the ceiling before he slowly turned his head to the side, noticing your figure standing by the opening. 

“Y/N?”

At the sound of his voice, he watched you whip your head around as a sigh of relief exerted from your lips. “You’re awake, thank goodness.” A small, sad smile graces your features as you walk over to him, bandages reaching from your shoulder to your forearm. Eren took notice as his lips turned down, sitting up from his previous position. 

“You’re hurt.”

“Yeah.” You averted your eyes and sat by the foot of his bed. “It’s okay, though. I’m fine. What about you? How are you feeling?”

“I’m…” he trailed off and brought a hand to his bronze cup, curling his fingers around the metal, grunting softly. “I’m fine. Where is everyone else?”

You reached for his hand, lacing your fingers with his as you squeezed gently. “Mikasa was just here. Armin and Jean got called in before her.”

“What do they need you for?”

“I don’t know.” You sighed softly, brushing his hair out of his face. “I haven’t got called in yet. I’m not sure if I will.” 

“That was her..? What happened?”

You stayed silent as you looked down at your lap. “She’s frozen.”

“Frozen? What do you mean?”

“She’s in a crystal. We can’t break through, no matter how hard we try. She’s underground. Hanji is there right now with Captain Levi.”

“She got away?”

“...yes.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Traitors. Enemies of humanity. Murders. Warriors.

His friends in training, his comrades, his motivators.

They were not who they said they were.

Reiner and Bertolt, the Armored and Colossal Titan. 

It happened way too fast. The Beast titan came running in and destroying Wall Rose. His friends getting stuck at Utgard Castle with all the superior officers dead. Ymir was their only source of protection as she used her titan capabilities that no one knew about, not even Christa. With the help of the Survey Corp, everyone was able to reach safety.

Or so they thought. 

Eren thought Reiner wanted to have a simple conversation with him.

“I’m the Armored Titan. Bertolt here is the Colossal.”

What kind of sick joke was that?

Eren tried laughing it off but felt sick to his stomach. Something was telling him that he was dead serious. “Come on, cut the crap. That’s not even funny. Let’s just get back.”

There was yelling on Reiner’s end as he removed his makeshift cast, dropping it on the wall. Bertolt yelled for his blonde friend to stop, asking if it was the right time now. Mikasa charged at them as she slashed Reiner’s arm and stabbed Bertolt through his neck.

“Mikasa!!” you yelled in anger as you ran towards them with Hanji and Armin on your tail. 

Too quick. In a flash, the two boys Eren thought he knew were in the flesh of their titan forms. Having to fight not only Annie but Reiner as well was making Eren doubt those around him. How many other traitors were there? Were you one?

No. You weren’t. Eren trusted you with his life. He trusted your word no matter what.

Their former comrades kidnapped Ymir and Eren. Getting them back would have to be the most challenging mission you will have to accomplish. 

It was brutal fighting against Reiner. He was throwing titans everywhere, with Bertolt clinging onto him with dear life. Mikasa was with Eren. She was injured but would be alright. A sudden strike of lightning sent all of the Titans in the direction of the one that ate Hannes. It was like a change of time, a shift of reality as the two managed to escape from the hell they had to witness, once again. 

As everyone gathered up on the wall, you rushed towards Eren, tears welling up in your eyes. “Eren!”

The brunette boy turns around as his eyes soften, bracing for impact as your body collides with his. His arms wrap around your shaking body, burying his head in the crook of your neck. Small sobs escaped your lips as you tried quieting yourself down. “I’m not leaving you, Y/N,” Eren whispers into your ear, placing a gentle kiss on the crown of your head. 

You still didn’t lose any hope. You were an angel in this world, always giving him the reassurance he needed. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Every time Eren closed his eyes, he relived life through his father’s view. He could hear the screams and shouts as he begged the royal family to end this nightmare. 

Frieda, the rightful owner of the Founding Titan, went against Grisha, Eren’s father. He could see the blood splattering against the crystal walls. He could feel the bodies smashing against his hands. Each ghost-like touch sent shivers down his spine. 

“Stop this!! Why won’t you?!”

Eren’s eyes fluttered open, his orbs adjusting to the brightness of the sun. Where was he?

A hand running through his hair broke him out of his train of thought. Finger pads rubbed his scalp softly, a humming melody filling his ears. “You’re awake.”

“Huh?” He looked up at you, bringing a hand up to his eyes and rubbed them softly, wiping off the remnants of sleep. “How long was I out for?”

“Maybe an hour or so,” you replied, flipping the next page in your book as you took in every word the paper had to offer. “You look...very tired, though.”

“I feel drained,” Eren confessed as he relished the way your fingers soothe him. “It’s hard for me to get complete rest without seeing them.”

“Them?” you asked, puzzled by his word choice. “Who are they?”

“The royal family,” he muttered and closed his eyes only to reopen them once more. “How my dad murdered them only for power. They wouldn’t listen to him. He kept saying they should stop this, that they could end it.”

“What else happened?”

“They refused. The girl...Frieda was her name, I think. She was Historia’s half-sister. She fought my dad instead of fixing anything, and in return, he ate her. Then later that day, he came by and picked me up, taking me to a forest. He told me I could end it, saying I have to reach the basement. And he injected me with fluid, and I ended up eating him.”

You stayed silent as you listened to him speak. You knew some things went on in Eren’s head, but you weren’t expecting something like this. 

“Do you—“ you paused before continuing, “—wish he didn’t do that?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered, clenching his fists as he stared up in the blue sky, watching birds fly off into freedom. “Things would have been way different if he hadn’t. Trost would have never been repaired.”

“Well...” you trailed off and grabbed his face in your hand, forcing him to face you. “If things weren’t the way they were, everything would be off. Trost would have been different...maybe the situation with Annie would have been different. Reiner and Bertolt..we would have never found out who they were. Be proud of who you are, Eren. Cause, in the end, you’re the only one who can save us,” you whisper, stroking his cheek with the pad of your thumb. “You’re our savior.”

He doesn’t respond, only closes his eyes and feels the feathery touch of your lips brushing against his. He leaned up slightly, wrapping his arm around your waist to bring you close to him, rubbing small circles on your back. Eren could feel your lips tug up somewhat in a small smile as your fingers curled around the material of his olive green shirt.

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

The Beast Titan arrived with its minion in a line. The Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan were suspected to make an entry somehow. 

Armin was put in charge of finding them. There was an open cavity in the wall as Reiner emerged from the inside, killing the soldier who found him in the process. 

A shrill scream filled the air as Levi made his way down the wall at top speed, stabbing the blond male right through the neck. Reiner’s eyes rolled back before coming back to normal position. 

Smoke covered the area as a shadow came to position. The soldiers drew back as they watched the Armored Titan lying on the floor. 

“Blades ready!!” The commander’s voice rang through the air, each soldier listening to his command. 

This was the mission that they would take back to Wall Maria, where Eren could finally reach the basement in his home, where everything started. 

Two squads were separated. One would be joining Captain Levi to fight against the Beast Titan. The other would be dealing with Reiner and the possible appearance of the Colossal titan. 

“We need a plan!” you yelled over the commotion of Eren fighting against the Armored. “There has to be a way we can defeat Reiner using our thunder spears!” You looked over your shoulder and moved out of the way, a boulder landing where you were just at. 

Before anything could happen, it got worse. A barrel was sent above the air, which only meant one thing. 

“Everyone, get on Eren!” Armin yelled as everyone kept a firm grip on Eren’s long locks as he ran away from the vicinity. 

Eren growled as he hid behind a home, far away from both titans. 

“We still need that plan! Before we know it, he can kill us all right here if he wants too!” Connie cries out, looking over his shoulder constantly at the 60-meter creature of pure flesh. 

Jean took command. You were to run beside Mikasa and get the back of the knees while Connie and Sasha would aim for the corner of his lips, allowing access for you to come up as fast as you could and throw the spear into his mouth that would hit the back of his throat. 

Of course, Eren went head-on and latched himself onto the Colossal’s foot that only sent him flying and collided with the top of the wall, temporarily paralyzing him. 

“I’ll go after Eren! I know a way we can defeat Bertolt! Trust me!” Armin yells, his eyes frantically searching over everyone. “You can do this! Belief in yourself!” And with that, Armin made a detour around both titans and on top of the wall where Eren was currently at. 

It didn’t go as planned. Sasha had missed her target on his lip. Your eyes widened as it began to explode. “Sasha!” you yelled, pushing her out of harm’s way. 

A cry of pain emitted from your lips as the explosions caught half of your body. You already knew burns would take its place as your figure shot backward, colliding with a house and fell. A crack was heard underneath as your leg was bent in a way it shouldn’t have. 

Eren was stuck. He couldn’t move his body no matter how hard he tried. His eyes were open as he groaned inside the body's heat, desperately trying to move an arm or anything. He had to move. 

He probably looked pathetic. A pathetic excuse of a savior for those around him. He couldn’t even control the limp body. He could feel his eyes roll back into his skull. What were you doing? Were you safe? Were you disappointed? 

He missed you already. He missed your bright smile that could make him feel better in an instant. 

He hated them. He hates them. Traitors. He wished they weren’t real. Because of them, his mother was dead, his father as well. If only they hadn’t come and destroyed everything, maybe everything would be better. 

“Eren!”

Armin? He came? How did he make it past Reiner and Bertolt?

“I know a way we can defeat Bertolt! But you have to trust me!”

Trust was a big word. But Eren trusted him. He trusted Armin’s every word. 

If only he knew the actual outcome, he would have never agreed to this. Here Eren was, in front of the hole of Wall Maria as he sealed it, concentrating at the task at hand while Armin was being burned alive on his own free will.

Why would he sacrifice himself like that? Didn’t he want to see the outside? 

Course he did. Armin was a genius. He knew what he had to do to take both traitors down. 

It seemed to happen in slow motion but happened so quickly. Eren was able to harden up and shield a barrier in Wall Maria and sliced Bertolt out of the nape. 

A man with blonde hair and a beard was tied up to what seemed like a new breed of a titan. His arms were chopped off as steam emitted from his wounds. Was this the Beast Titan?

“You’re a victim of your father.”

Dad? No. Who was he? He didn’t know this man at all. How did he know about his dad? Were they old friends from years ago? Was he a coworker? 

None of that mattered. 

The fight over the serum was the biggest thing that day. Eren yelled and got in his captain’s face, begging for him to pick Armin instead of the commander. Levi had no choice but to kick him out of his way, which caused Mikasa to attack and almost kill him. 

Levi was right. They were letting their emotions get the best of them. He knew his decision off the bat.

From afar, the scouts could hear Bertolt’s screams at the top of his lungs, begging for another chance, begging for the trust that he had lost. 

Now that everything seemed to be okay, the soldiers were resting on top of the wall, each checking up on their injuries or catching up with a friend. 

You laid limply as your eyes were shut, burn marks, and bruises forming on your face's right side. Your leg wasn’t properly put back in place, but Hanji moved it into a correct position while you were unconscious, even if broken. A green cape was draped over your chest. Your once white pants were littered with your blood and debris. 

You’ve been unconscious for a while now, and you didn’t show any signs of waking up soon, but your chest's steady movement brought relief to your comrades. 

Eren was beside you, his hand holding your left hand as he squeezed gently, watching any expressions you could make. A bandage covered your head that reached below your ear. How could this happen? You were safe one minute and then injured the next. He was supposed to protect you. He was supposed to be your hero. Your savior. 

Armin had woken up slowly as his friends bombarded him, Levi standing behind the both of them. The shorter male forced the brunette to tell him what happened. When he wasn’t pleased, he kicked Eren in his back, enough to hurt him. 

“I said everything, you brat.”

“You guys talk...loud…” You groaned in pain, moving your head as your eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the blue sky above you. Eren gasped as he quickly crawled over to you, not that far to begin with. 

“You’re awake!”

“Please, Eren, don’t scream so loud,” you whisper, a small smile curling at your lips. “But yeah, I’m awake.”

Eren teared up as he grabbed your hand, bringing it to his chest. “I thought I lost you.”

“Come on, don’t be silly. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

He looked away as he felt the warmth of your hand radiating into his enclosed one. All of his worries could be forgotten now. You were still here, breathing in front of him. You were alive. You weren’t dead. 

“We still have to go to the basement, Eren,” Mikasa reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The brunette shook his head stubbornly.

“I can’t. Not without Y/N.”

Mikasa opened her mouth but then closed, glancing over to her superior, who was unamused. All of this work, just for him to say no. 

“Listen, Jaeger. We have to go whether you like it or not. We came all this way for that basement. We are going.”

“B-But Captain—“

“Eren,” you whispered, and weakly lifted a hand, cradling the side of his face in a gentle hold. It took all of your might to lift a limb. “Go.”

“I can’t go without y—“

“Go, Eren. You have to. This was what everything was for, right?” you said softly, squeezing his cheek gently. “I’ll be here waiting for you. When you get back, you can tell me everything.” 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Fall turned to Winter. Winter turned to Spring. The snow melted off the ground as a new season of life began. Citizens were now allowed to move back into Wall Maria, the titans eradicated during the harsh winters. With the help of Eren’s hardening skills, they could make a gadget that allows them to smash a titan’s nape open without losing any more soldiers. 

A year from where they were, the Scouts ventured off into the open area once more, a sense of relief flooding each of them, as no titans were in sight except for one. 

Eren placed his hand on it. His comrades were wary of his actions.

“This one was sent to Paradis. This means it’s a fellow patriot,” he whispered, as his longer hair swayed in the wind. He pulled away from the creature as he walked back to his horse. “We should be getting closer now.”

Red hot sand floated into the air as the horses ran across, itching to reach their destination. You were beside Eren. Your injuries healed miraculously;  the only reminder was a slash across your right cheek. There was a small frown on your lips as you kept your eyes forward. 

Sometimes he wondered how you were still here. Not in that way, but by his side after all this time. Was he indeed the savior you thought of him as?

“This is it,” Eren whispered as they rode past a grey cement wall, at least 25 meters high. “I remember this from my old man’s memories. On the other side, that should be it.”

As in his father’s memories, it was true. The horses slowed to a stop at the sand base, each soldier in awe as they stared at the waters. 

Bluer than the sky, the ocean rippled as waves crashed against the shore. The sun’s rays reflected off of the waters as the smell of salt filled their noses. This was it. This was the moment. 

Your eyes widened with shock, your mouth utterly open as you stared in wonder. You lost the ability to speak. The air felt weird; you weren’t used to being in the open like this. You felt like a baby deer, being let out into the wild for the first time without its mother. 

A choked noise left your throat as you looked over at Eren, who didn’t look amused at all. He was frowning, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared ahead. To you, it didn’t look like he was happy. 

It was like every soldier suddenly turned to little kids. Sasha, Connie, and Jean immediately ran into the water, boots off and pants rolled up to their knees. The trio splashed water into each other’s eyes, pushing each other and even drinking it, to which Jean yelled out about how salty it was. 

You let out a shriek as you jumped up, the cold waters hitting your shins. The feeling of it splattering on you was something you didn’t expect. You let out a laugh as you kicked at the water, throwing your arms up in happiness. 

You remember the endless nights where Eren would recall random memories from his father. You still couldn’t get the thought of a delicious cold treat called ice cream out of your head. Just the way he described it made you crave it. 

This one was the most significant memory Eren had ever told you. Vast amounts of sea creatures living in the salty oceans, trinkets, and jewels buried deep in the depths of darkness. The dullness on his voice whenever he spoke broke your heart. Where was the loud boy you knew three years ago?

“Y/N! Look!” Armin called out as he ran over to you, holding something in his enclosed hands. “I found a shell! Not just any! A conch!”

“Ooo.” You looked over as his hands opened, revealing a blue china like shell, the ridges at the top shining with the soft light of the sun beating down on everyone. “That’s pretty! Have you shown Eren yet?”

“I haven’t! Hey Eren! Look!” he yelled as he followed you to where your boyfriend was at. He stood there, unfazed as the water crashed against his shins in slow waves. His long-sleeve was rolled up to his elbows, his neck craned as he stared at the sky. The cries of the seagulls flying up above started to make Eren grow anxious. 

He despised them. He hated how they could grow a pair of wings and fly free from any worries that humans have. They had their freedoms; Eren didn’t. The brunette shifter took a step forward, kicking the water as he stopped moving, lowering his head as his bangs covered his eyes.

“Eren?” you asked softly as you placed a hand on his shoulder, immediately recoiling as you felt how tense he was. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see the ocean?”

“Yeah,” he whispered as he looked ahead yet again, his turquoise eyes looking over the horizon as if he was searching for something. “Just on the other side...”

“What did you say?” you ask, taking a small step back.

“On the other side...are our real enemies.” He lifted his hand slowly, sticking his index finger out. “If we cross this ocean, and kill our enemies, will we finally be free?”

He couldn’t stop. He had come this far; he had to keep on pushing forward. He knew the outcome. He knew he had to keep on fighting. Eren knew what he had to do, the mission. The task his dad told him to do before his son ate him. Deep down, he knew it wouldn’t end well. But if it meant freedom for you and his friends, he would do it. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Eren’s demeanor changed drastically as he witnessed his friend enjoying the outside world firsthand. All of them were dressed up in fancy clothing to blend in with the citizens outside Paradis. The Scouts managed to infiltrate Marley with no problems at all. 

Eren watched you from his peripheral vision, a small smile curling on his lips at the reaction of ice cream hitting your lips for the first time. A squeal emitted from your cold mouth as you gasped in excitement, holding the treat to his lips. “You have to try some! It’s so good!!”

“I bet it is,” he hummed as he took his top hat off, placing it against his chest as he leaned against the railings.

“What’s wrong? You don’t seem excited about being here.”

“I’ve seen it all already from my dad’s memories. It’s cool to see it first hand, but the excitement of living the moment is gone.”

You move over beside him, your shoulders touching as you lick the white goodness off the cone, humming softly. “What else do you know about?”

He stayed silent as he listened to the kids' constant cries behind him, parents yelling at them to calm down. “Not much,” There is much. “It’s pretty boring,” It's life or death. “Nothing too big to know about,” It’s big, and it's coming soon. You have to be ready.

You pout as you grab his hand, squeezing it gently, tracing his knuckles with the pad of your thumb, enjoying the ridges of his skin underneath yours. “Sounds pretty boring. Your dad must have been a lame man.”

“Yeah, that’s one way to put it,” he hummed as he wrapped an arm around your waist, bringing you close to his side as his lips pressed gently on your temple.

The meeting didn’t go well. A representative spoke to all of you about Historia, the rightful queen now sitting on the throne. As soon as she was brought up, you noticed Eren stand up and walk out of the meeting. You frown as you watch the door swing shut, Eren’s footsteps retracting as he walks down the hall. 

Eren ventured outside of the place, his veins filling with dread and agony. He hated it. He hated that this place will be covered in red, dirt, and bones in a couple of months. Debris upon debris resting on innocent citizens, the stomping of giant creatures marching across the earth. 

He knew this had to be done. There was no other option. He had to do it. He had to end them. 

He walked with a stern look in his eyes. His hands shoved in the front pocket of his coat. His body had changed over the years. Now he was 19 years old, and his hair reached the top of his shoulder. He’s gotten taller as his shoulders broadened. He was different from who he used to be. He doesn’t have much longer, and everyone knews it. Eren only had four years of life left until he passed on, giving his power to the next successor of the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan. 

He heard adults yelling at children who stole, begging for anyone to stop them. Eren would do it, but stopped himself in mid-motion. He could help them all he wanted now, but he couldn’t help them later. It was useless. In time, they would be nothing but blood and a pile of rotten bodies. 

He walked down the streets of the town, taking in each random detail they had to offer. The houses looked nice for now. The ground was more gravel than cement. He’s not a fan of gravel floors. Stands were put up for random things, which was cool for the owners. He wondered how much time they all have. 

Day turned into night as Eren made his way back to his friends, entering a tent that a family was friendly enough to let them stay for a bit. He found it amusing that they were all able to get along quite well.

He couldn’t remember how it happened. One minute they were all fine, laughing and smiling. Then the next, the conversation fell dark to the point that Eren walked himself out again, a single tear trailing down his face. 

He couldn’t stare at their faces, knowing the outcome. Whenever he stared at the young boy from earlier, he saw dirt. How futile it was to try and help him when the boy was going to die soon.

You too, he couldn’t stand to see your smiling face, unaware of the destruction he was going to cause. Your laugh only tightened the strings around his dull heart. 

“Eren?” you called out, emerging out from the tent. “What happened?”

“Huh?” He lifted a hand and wiped his tears with the pad of his finger. “Nothing. I just wanted to come outside. I needed a break from that.”

“Are you okay? You’ve been acting strange ever since we got here. What’s going on?” You walked over to him, your bare feet hitting the ground as you stopped beside him, grabbing his hand. 

He stayed silent as he stared at the night sky, his eyes reflecting the moon’s light as it brightened your path. Mountains were in the distance. You could make out their silhouette from where you stood. There was a chilly breeze that made goosebumps form on your arm. The trees surrounding the area created a barrier from the outside world, the leaves falling from the branches as they swayed with the swishes of air. Eren let out a puff of air, the fumes blending in. 

He had been more distant. He knew that  he had. He needed to keep it this way. He was going to ask you, and he knew your response. Yet, he needed to hear it up close. Maybe you could change his mind. Possibly, there would be a look in your eyes that will make up his mind. He didn’t want to kill innocent civilians. He wanted to get away from this mess and live the rest of his life that he has left. Yet, his calling of freedom was knocking at his door, and could only wait for so much longer. 

“Something will happen, Y/N,” Eren whispered into the cold air, turning on his heel to face you. “I don’t want it to.”

“What do you mean something is going to happen? Is it something with your father’s memories?” you asked, placing a hand on his arm.

“No, it’s not. It’s me. They are my memories. It can’t be stopped.”

“What are you talking about, Eren? You aren’t making sense.”

“Y/N,” he said and looked down at you. His eyes were sad. They held a thousand mysteries, puzzles that were begging to be put together for someone to understand the story behind it genuinely. “What am I to you..?”

“Huh?” you searched his eyes, only getting the sense of defeat and sorrow. His eyes weren’t bright anymore. They’re not as bright as they used to be. His drive was still there, but not the same. He didn’t show it anymore to anyone. He became reserved as he refused to tell anyone but yourself or maybe Armin. That was it.

“What am I to you, Y/N?”

“You’re my boyfriend,” you finally answered him, your mouth going dry. “Why are you asking me that question, Eren..?”

“Of course..” he muttered, ignoring your question as he grabbed both of your hands in his, holding them to his chest. “Do you trust me?”

“You didn’t an-”

“Do you trust me,” he demanded, his own eyes welling up with tears. “Do you?”

“Course I do,” you breathed out, your voice cracking as your tone pitched up. “Why wouldn’t I..?”

“I just needed to hear you say that. Promise me, that even after, you’ll still put your faith in me.”

“I- I promise, Eren. B-But, what is going to happen? Will you be okay? Will we be okay…?”

“Don’t ask such silly questions,” he muttered and brought you closer to him, enveloping you in his warmth. “I have something I want to show you. I saw it when I went out earlier.”

And with that, he did. Hand in hand as he walked you to a secluded area. A blanket was spread out in front of a pond. He led you to it as you both laid down on it, star gazing as he let you ramble about mindless things, pointing up at the constellations. The nagging voice in the back of his head kept reminding him of his plan, but he had better things to focus on.

You.

Laying here with you reminded him of the first time you ventured into town with him, the moment he knew he wanted you by his side out of everyone. Now, at 19, you had matured a lot since then. Your skirt hugged your curves as your jacket clung onto you in the cold. The moon illuminated your complexion but mostly brought out your award-winning smile. He couldn’t help but let out a hum as he leaned over you, bringing a hand to cradle your face, lowering his head as his lips captured yours in a sweet kiss.

The evening was spent with breathless words of love and sweet confessions between the both of you. One final moment of tranquility and serenity for him, for you. One last kiss, one last touch, one last gasp of the others name. One last time, before he leaves. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Eren’s eyes opened slowly as he took in his surroundings. His eyes drooped as he watched the houses below burn up and explode from the fires. In front of him were massive creatures, marching slowly to their destination. 

How long had it been since he was dreaming?

Where was everyone?

Where were you? God, were you safe? Were you on high ground? Please be safe, please, please.

Ever since he got into his form, his eyes fluttered shut as he went into a slumber like a mode as his memories played like a movie that he had no control of. He remembers how he first got into this mess, his training years. Those years inspired him to do better, to be better than the rest. To show everyone that his goal of eradicating the titans will come true. 

Trost showed him that not everyone would be on his side. That some could turn on you quickly at any sign of danger. You had to be ready for people to switch sides regarding the situation. 

Not everyone was who they say they are. Reiner, Annie, Bertolt. The warriors that caused Eren’s story to have a beginning. The ones who started this cursed cycle of death upon death. 

Eren slowly lifted his head, his long brown hair covering his whole face. He could feel the marks ingraining into his skin, how he hated them. 

He heard children screaming from below before there was silence, signifying their death. He internally hated himself for what had happened, for the monster he had become. If his father stopped it back then when the Colossal and the Armored first broke down Wall Maria, would this have happened? Was there a sign he didn’t notice? Were there warnings that he could have taken notice of the future? What was out there?

He knew he only had little time left on this earth, four years to be exact. He wanted to spend it in peace with you. In a small place away from all this mess, away from everyone. He only wanted you.

You.

The blood sticking to your face made you feel disgusted. Your lungs ached as all you inhaled was the fumes of the smoke. You desperately needed food and water, but those weren’t on your priority list. You fluttered your eyes open and blinked in surprise. 

The sky was no longer an ashy grey but was replaced with the night time sky, thousands of stars twinkling in the heavens as white streaks mixed with greens and purple were painted across. Your eyes followed it until it stopped at a beacon of light, the branches shooting out from above that made it look like a tree with the bottom symbolizing the roots. 

In front of the beacon, a person stood there with their back facing you. Curiosity got the best of you as you stepped forward, taking notice of the sand underneath your barefoot. You wiggled your toes as you ventured forward, wary of who it was. “Hello..?”

The person lifted their head but didn’t dare to look behind their shoulder. You observed their movements as their long hair swayed with no breeze around. They wore a jacket with a hood that went to the curve of their behind, matching brown pants. They looked stiff, were they okay?

“Y/N...”

You tensed up at the voice, a choked noise leaving your mouth as you stumbled forward, using your hands to catch yourself on the floor as you fell to your knees. “You—”

Eren turned around, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’re safe..”

“But- How?! I saw you from the sky and you—”

He shook his head as he walked over to you, kneeling in front of you. A strand fell in front of his face as he lifted a hand, cupping your cheek. His thumb reached out as he stroked the swell gently, taking notice of the scraps and dried up blood on your features. “...I’m sorry.”

“W-why, are you sorry..?” you ask softly, leaning into his touch. This was what you wanted. You wanted him again to be here with you. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

“I’m not here. I’m communicating with you through this,” he motions with his hand to the tree-like beacon of light. “This is what I’m able to connect with all Eldians. Subjects of Ymir, you’re all connected to this. You, Jean, Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else.”

Your eyes widened at the news, looking over his shoulder. You took in the blinding colors of white and light blue. It was beautiful, almost too beautiful. It swirled as the colors contrast yet complement each other. It was like it was drawing you closer and closer. 

“Then...where am I?”

“Don’t worry about that. I need you to listen to me, my love,” he said seriously as he suddenly held your face in his hands. His face was so much closer to yours. “I don’t have much longer, and you know that.”

“Course I know that.” You placed your hands to rest over his, curling your fingers around it. “Why would you bring that up..?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Course I do,” you breathed out. “I always have, I always will.” This time, you said it with confidence. You replayed the memories of him asking you weird questions from that night that seemed so long ago. “I put my faith into you, Eren..”

He stared down at you with sad eyes as he leaned down, pressing a kiss to your forehead, lingering his lips there and not caring of the salty taste of sweat and the horrid smell of dirt. “Promise me that you’ll stay safe no matter what. nd when the time comes, you know what to do.”

“I promise you, Eren.”

“And when the time comes, you’ll do it.”

“T-Time..? What else is coming?! Eren, what aren’t you telling me?!”

“I can’t,” he said as he stood up, bringing you with him. “There isn’t enough time for me to say it.”

“Yes, there is!” you cried out as you curled your fingers around his jacket. “There’s always time! Why are you leaving me in the dark?! I thought you trusted me?!”

“I do trust you! I can’t tell you! You have to keep trusting me!” he snapped and suddenly held you close to his chest, his arms wrapped around your protectively. “No one else but you. I promise it’ll be okay.”

A choked sob left your mouth as you snapped your eyes open, gasping for air as you looked around suddenly. The murky sky was back, the smoke of fire mixing within the clouds. Your hands clawed at your throat, scratching and feeling for anything out of the ordinary. “What happened?!” you cried out as you fell back on your ass, feeling the ship’s deck underneath. “Where did you go?!”

“Y/N!” Jean yelled as he comes into your hindsight, shaking you with his hands. “Snap out of it!! We can’t lose you here! What’s going on?!”

“E-Eren,” you whispered and look up at him with wide eyes, tears flowing freely. “I s-saw Eren..”

“You saw Eren..? How did you see him?”

“I don’t know,” you choked up and brought a hand to your head, panting softly. “I opened my eyes, and I was in this place, it was dark with the night sky. There was a beacon of light, i-it looked like tree branches, and Eren was standing in front of it! He kept saying I had to trust him over and over and told me it would be okay, and... I had to do it when the time came to it.”

“Did you ask what he meant?”

“He kept saying there wasn’t time. He wouldn’t answer me. He held me close, and I opened my eyes and now... I’m somehow back here again.”

You were glad Jean didn’t look down at you like you were crazy. He nodded slowly as he looked above, yelling out words to someone you didn’t know. You didn’t bother to listen to him. You were still confused about how Eren managed to pop right in and out as nothing happened. 

“I’ll be back, okay?” Jean muttered as he walked off quickly to whoever needs him.

You brought a hand to your face, tracing the outline of your scar. “Eren..where are you..?” you whispered as you shut your eyes, desperately trying to go back to the place you were just at. “Come on!” you yelled in frustration as you tried again.

‘It won’t work. Only I can do it.’

You froze as you looked around quickly, no sight of anyone near you. Everyone was at the head of the ship. “Huh?”

‘I can bring you, Y/N. Wishing yourself there won’t happen.’

You let out a small sigh as you rubbed your temple in a circle. “I’m going crazy, I guess. Eren isn’t even here..”

‘I am. I’m only speaking to you.’

“Where are you then..?”

‘I’m nowhere near you. You guys are safe, but not forever.’

“What did you mean when you said, I have to do it. What are you talking about, Eren?”

‘Like I said, I can’t tell you,” his voice rang through your head, almost leaving an aching feeling in your heart. 

“Is there time…?” you asked softly, bringing your hands to your chest. You wanted him to say yes, there was time and that this hell was a dream. You wanted to wake up in his arms, in his cell that he was kept in even after all these years. 

You wanted to see him smile. You wanted to see him run around with your children with the amount of years he has left. You want to hear his melodic laugh again. You want to see his ears go red when he tells a small white lie to protect himself for whatever reasons.

You want time to reverse itself.

‘There isn’t enough time, my love. I love you. You better remember that. Don’t be afraid about it. Nothing will happen to you nor anyone else. I’m protecting you. Just remember, trust me.’

“Eren.” you whimpered and looked up at the sky, a tear falling off the curve of your face. “I love you, Eren. I promise. I’ll do it. I trust you. I fucking trust you! You hear me?!” you sob out as you placed a hand to your heart, the silver band resting on your left hand shining from the sun's rays. You trusted him. You put your faith in him.

Now it was time for you to stay true to your word.

[platypanthewriter]

Hook Possum 1/4

Art by @monsdasarah​ for Harringrove Big Bang!

Steve had told the manager of Camp Butternut Springs every year of his life that the mildewed, papier-mache-masked, six-foot-tall opossum mascot was terrifying.  The mask was chipped and patched, fixed with different colors of gray over the mangy glued-on fur.  Its long, stained rat tail had drug through the red camp dirt for decades, and by the summer of 85, the dirty thing looked like it had been dyed with blood.

Hook Possum looked more like a zombie than a possum, with its mesh eyes staring in their ragged, uneven sockets, its lovingly molded teeth half broken off and stained with grime.  Inexplicably—but later, retroactively, mythologized by a ton of camp folklore—it had a hook hand off a pirate costume, gleaming in the sun.

Every goddamn year the goddamn manager had the goddamn Hook Possum outfit on some poor camp counsellor, out greeting campers—the goddamn moron—and every fucking goddamn year one of the already-homesick and worried new campers burst into sobs at first sight of the horrifying thing.  Steve wondered whether the manager was actually in the huge, blank-eyed Hook Possum costume this year, like a prick, because it was even bigger than usual—as tall as Steve, with its ripped ratty ears, and broad-shouldered in a way Steve suspected wasn’t padding.

The hook hand didn’t exactly help.

Steve grabbed the first wailing child he saw around the waist, then two more, and stomped over to the damn possum.  “Here, look, Hook Possum’s not scary,” he said, and they all screamed, because it was so clearly a lie.  

Hook Possum, somewhat to his credit, dropped to a crouch, his shoulders hunched, and Steve thought maybe it wasn’t the manager, just some poor camp counsellor that got roped in, because the manager probably would have roared like a lion—just for fun—and the kids would have wet themselves all over Steve’s lap.  

“Hook Possum just lives here!” Steve told the screaming infants he was holding.  “If you get scared at night,” Steve shouted over their desperate wailing and struggles, “—away from home?  Hook Possum is here to keep you safe.  Right?”

Whoever was playing Hook Possum flinched, and its creepy head jerked around to look at him.

“HELP!” shrieked the kid under his arm, his voice nasal, because he was holding his nose against Hook Possum’s fug of mildew and B.O.

“Nobody has ever yet been murdered by Hook Possum,” Steve gritted out.  “Right?!” he prompted the moron in the mascot suit again, nudging a fur-suited leg with his shoe.  “Hook Possum is like a...camp guardian!  Right?”

Hook Possum stared at his face, which was chilling—after Steve’s first visit to Camp Butternut Springs, Hook Possum had featured in every one of Steve’s childhood nightmares, and the costume was even worse after nearly two decades of wear—but Steve was as tall as the thing now, and he set his jaw.  

“Hook Possum is friendly, right,” he growled, and Hook Possum gave a jerky nod, making a weird choking noise, like maybe it had already eaten a couple of kids.

“Y-ye-ahssss,” the thing hissed, and Steve was tempted to push the whole mess, including the person inside, under a bus.  “Safe as houses,” said the possum, just as strangled-sounding, but it was better than staring silently, so Steve grinned ruefully at the kids, who were quieting as they realized they weren’t murdered—not yet, anyway.  

“You’ll get used to Hook Possum,” he said cheerfully.  “We all do.  Eventually.” 

It had occurred to Steve one night when he was fourteen, and firmly over his terror of Hook Possum, that the perfect cover for an actual serial killer would be a terrifying full-body costume everyone was trying to ignore.  He and Tommy had followed the costume around every time it had someone in it, looking for suspicious behavior.  Years later, he’d donned it himself, and for the first time in his life didn’t fear getting murdered by Hook Possum.  He only worried he might die of heatstroke in padded fur boots, gloves, and a bodysuit in July in Indiana, except for a few startling glimpses of himself in the mirror over the sinks.  

His suggestion every week in the suggestion box was still ‘burn the Hook Possum costume and bury the ashes under a rock’, though, because he was a rational human being who understood what needed to be done.

When he’d talked Robin into applying with him at the camp instead of the video store, he’d snuck the costume on and leaned into her cabin.  She’d screamed satisfyingly, and nearly killed him with an oar.  She’d argued for burying the ashes of Hook Possum in seven different locations around the US, lest it rise again, and they’d put that in the suggestion box, to no response whatsoever.

 It was pretty obvious the current Hook Possum wasn’t used to the cheerful voice necessary to offset its...everything, so Steve did his best.  “Are you guys telling me you’re afraid of possums?” he teased, and the littlest kid, a girl, reached out and lightly batted its nose.  The smell of cigarettes wafted up.  

“I’m afraid,” said the boy, thickly, and Steve nodded slowly, feeling nothing but respect for a smart child.

“Hook Possum protects you guys,” he told them, sitting them on their feet.  “From whatever, you know, else.”

“What could be out there,” the scared boy whispered, his eyes widening, “—that’s worse than—”

“...yeah,” said Hook Possum, in a weird squeaky voice like a Disney mouse.  “Yeah, that’s what I’m here for, I’m here to protect you guys from...nightmares?” he suggested, glancing at Steve, who shrugged, nodding, because it was a pretty good idea.

“You’re soft,” said the littlest kid, grabbing one of the other snifflers by the wrist, and shoving it into Hook Possum’s fur.

“You stink,” said the boy, and Steve elbowed him.

“I’m a possum,” hissed Hook Possum, and the kid nodded.  

“That makes sense.”

Steve muffled his laughter, but he was pretty sure the possum heard, because his crooked, whiskery mask jerked up, and his terrifying mesh eyes stared into Steve’s soul.  He smelled like long winters in a damp shed, and cigarettes, and B.O.— because it was worn every year in the summer in Indiana—but the smallest kids were gathering around and asking questions about possums, and Steve had to call upon his knowledge from years past, and explain things like how possums were too awesome to get ticks.  

Hook Possum listened intently—or maybe just glared at him, smoke drifting from its eye mesh—until Steve was a little annoyed, and mentioned that mother possums carried babies around on their backs.  That was probably way too mean, because the whole horde of children grabbed hold of Hook Possum’s every appendage, and he flailed his hook only once before vanishing in the giggling pile.  

“Here, here, no—” Steve yelped, unable to watch a human being consumed by piranha, and he reached into the laughing, yelping pile and hauled Hook Possum up by the arm, dusting him off.  Two small children dangled from his other arm, and one had him around the neck.  “You have to be nice to Hook Possum!” Steve told them.  “Who’s he gonna stay up protecting, huh?  The kids who’re nice to him, or the little, uh, cusses that knee him in the...shins?”

“...the nice ones,” came a small, grumbly voice from one of the criers, and “Probably the nice ones,” from a little girl who sighed heavily, and another kid just said, “Fine.”  The dude in the possum suit just panted against Steve’s shoulder for a second, and Steve let him, familiar with getting dogpiled by small children with weaponized knees.  

“...jesus,” came a faint whisper from in the possum suit, and Steve pinched him, even though he was grimacing with sympathy.  He lifted the kids off Hook Possum—once the littlest ones had decided he was safe, they tried to drag him around and show everyone how brave they were—and the human in the suit tried to wipe his face, or something, and smacked his hook-hand into the head of his costume.  He sighed, and Steve squeezed his shoulder, and patted his back, ushering the kids away.

“What are you doing here,” Hook Possum wheezed, as Steve pushed him back to sit on one of the picnic table benches.  “What are you doing here,” he repeated, sounding bewildered.

“My dad owns the place,” Steve said in a low voice, as the littlest boy ran back to the buses, screaming about how he’d met Hook Possum, and Robin and Nancy looked over, resigned.  “That’s why it pays so well.  We went to him and told him he could have a staff that would work hard, or he could have three underpaid girls who want it on their resume for becoming teachers, and the second week they’d all have nervous breakdowns.  Why, do...do I know you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at the blank mesh eyes, and trying to place the weird squeaky voice.

Hook Possum nodded slowly, but Steve was pretty sure he was still staring.  Maybe it was just the mesh eyes.  “...oh,” he said quietly.  “Your...dad.  Owns...it.”

“Yep,” Steve said, shrugging.  “I mean, he owns the company that owns a bunch of camps, you know, but—anyway, you’ve never been a counselor before, right?  I can show you around, if you want.  What’s your name?  How d’you know me?”

Hook Possum stared at him some more, and then said, even higher, like Mickey Mouse, “He’s, like, the owner’s boss?” he asked weakly.  “...name’s Hook Possum.”

“What the fuck,” Steve muttered, staring back into the mesh eyes, but then he saw Robin’s arm fly up as she was consumed in a wave of children, and he clapped Hook Possum on the shoulder and ran off.  

 He saw the guy later, too, still in the costume, even though it was July in Indiana.  He was talking to Max Mayfield, so Steve wandered over.  “You need some help getting out of that?” he offered, because nobody would stay in a horrible hot stinking furry sweat bag by choice.

“No,” said Hook Possum, too quickly, and Max groaned into her hands.  

“Uh,” said Steve, who was starting to wonder if they’d found some possum-obsessed weirdo for a counselor.  “You must...really like possums.”

Max burst into giggles, laughing harder than Steve had ever seen her, and Hook Possum’s long face swung to look at her, then at Steve, then back at her, and then he stomped away.  Because the costume had big, dirty, saggy fur paw-booties, he had to lift his feet high, like a cartoon, and Steve started snickering too.

Hook Possum hunched his shoulders, and scuttled around the edge of one of the cabins, out of sight.  

“Oh my god,” Max cackled.  “He’s finally found his true identity!  Trash rat.”

“Is...is that...Billy,” Steve asked, the thought of Billy Hargrove, camp counselor, hauling off and punching kids, or murdering them, suddenly much less funny.  “What—isn’t he back in Hawkins?!  How’d he get here?!”

“Uh, no!  No, no,” Max said quickly, grimacing and waving her hands.  “Definitely, um, not, no.  It’s, ah, he lives on my street.  He’s, um, saving money to move out.”

“Oh,” Steve said, relieved.  

“The pay’s really good here,” Max explained, too fast.  “—and, uh, mmmm...hiiiis dad’s kinda shitty, so he needs money to get out of his house.”

“Well, he should be able to,” Steve told her, giving her two thumbs-up so she’d make a face.  “We’re practically all seniors, that’s what a lot of us are doing, that or paying for college.”

“...yeah,” Max sighed.  “He can...move away.  Finally.”

“Sounds like you’ll miss him,” Steve said, grinning at her, “—he the brother you never had?”

“...yeah, he um.  He sort of is,” she said, swallowing, and Steve patted her shoulder gingerly.  

“Uh,” he said cautiously, “Um, you...you know you can always give me a call, right?”

“Thought you had kind of a problem with my family,” she sighed, and he shook his head.  

“I’ve got no problem with you.”

“...yeah, that’s what we thought,” Max muttered, maybe, and Steve frowned at her.  “Go away,” she told him, sighing, “It’s fine.”

 They got everybody sorted into cabins, and Steve saw Hook Possum ducking into a bunk in the counselor’s cabin.  He stared for a long moment, watching the enormous possum negotiate its tail and its creepy, vacant-eyed mask and lie down on the lower bunk.

“It’s hot as Satan’s asshole in here,” he groaned.

“...what are you doing,” Steve hissed.  “They cannot be paying you enough to stay in that thing.  There is not enough money in the world to stay in that thing for more than a couple hours.”

“Ah, fuck,” said Hook Possum, sitting up and smacking his head on the upper bunk.  “Shit fuck,” he groaned, “—I can’t see in this thing—”

“Then take it off,” Steve told him, sitting next to him on the bunk and reaching in to feel for the ties behind the guy’s neck, but Hook Possum grabbed Steve’s hand, scrambling back.  

“No!  No, uh,” he stopped, then tried again.  “I need the money,” he said softly.  “I need it—”

“Okay, okay, did you agree to some—some massive bonus bullshit to keep this damn costume on?  Because you’re gonna die of heatstroke in there,” Steve told him.  “I don’t care how much he offered you, you can’t wear that thing all summer—”

“No, I did, I agreed to—to bonus bullshit to keep the damn costume on,” Hook Possum whispered, the fingers in his paw-glove squeezing Steve’s arm, hard.  “I can’t take it off.  He’s—he’s giving me a huge bonus.”

“Fuck,” Steve breathed.  “You’re gonna die in there, I’m not kidding.  You can stay in the shade, or—and we can bring you ice, lots of ice, you could try an ice pack on your neck—”

“I need this job,” the guy said, and Steve nodded, letting him go.

“Okay, okay.  We’ll figure this out, but if the manager comes out, I’m kneeing him in the balls, because—”

“No!  I need the money,” Hook Possum hissed, the weird cartoony voice even odder in a serious conversation.  

“Jesus,” Steve said, sighing.  “Okay.  I’m gonna check in with you, alright?  If you start to keel over, I’m taking it off, we’ll figure out something to tell the manager.”

“Don’t take it off,” said Hook Possum, like he was the last soldier holding the line, and Steve got caught up in it, like a moron.  

“I’m not leaving you in there,” he said, like the trenches were getting shelled.  “I’m not letting anyone die in a possum costume,” he said, to remind himself they weren’t at D-Day.  Hook Possum sighed, his shoulders slumping as he growled.  “And you can’t sleep in that thing, jesus,” Steve said,  “At least change at night.”

“You’d—somebody’d see me,” Hook Possum said, and Steve shook him, a little.  

“We aren’t possum spies, nobody’s gonna tell.”

“How do I know you’re not possum spies,” Hook Possum hissed back, and Steve started snickering.

“Okay, okay, um, curtain?  What about a curtain, we’ll just staple it up here and nobody’ll see your, uh, late night transformation.”

“Oh,” said Hook Possum, snickering a little, like he did realize how ridiculous it all was, and looking around.  “That...might work.”

“Gonna transform out of your outfit like a shitty Cinderella,” Steve sighed, and Hook Possum laughed harder.  “You’re gonna have to shower in the dead of night,” Steve told him.  “I’ll let everybody know it’s just, y’know, just our resident possum.  Creeping around.”  He started laughing again, and Hook Possum elbowed him.  “How are you gonna eat?”

“Shouldn’t be feeding the wildlife in the cafeteria anyway,” Hook Possum pointed out.  “There are signs everywhere.”

“...you know you’re a human, right,” Steve told him, trying not to giggle.

Hook Possum shook with laughter against him.  “I’ll just climb into a trash can and knock it over at three am.  It’s the way of my people.”

“Oh my god,” Steve wheezed.  “I’m gonna get in trouble for feeding the wildlife and letting a possum nest in here, aren’t I?  I’ll sneak you burgers, I promise.”

“Why,” Hook Possum laughed, edging away.  “It’s not your problem, Harrington—”

“Hey, Max likes you, you’re part of the weirdo family we got going on,” Steve said, clapping the guy’s shoulder, and the possum mask swung towards him again.

“...does she?” he asked, snorting softly.

“She does,” Steve confirmed.  “She said.”  Hook Possum stared like a creepy puppet, and Steve was unable to resist reaching up and patting the dusty, greasy fur between the costume ears.  “You’re one of us, now.”

“...once you feed wildlife, it can create a dependency,” Hook Possum said, batting Steve’s hand away, but he was laughing audibly now.  “I read that in a flyer.”

“I can’t believe they handed a possum a flyer about possums,” Steve said, and Hook Possum snorted.

“Right?  Like who the fuck deals with wildlife by handing them flyers, what a moron.”

“I didn’t know possums could read,” Steve said, and Hook Possum kicked at him, completely missing.  “What a smart possum you are.”

“Fuck you, if I could see in this thing—” 

“Oooo, you gonna murder me with your little—your plastic pirate hook hand?” Steve asked, and Hook Possum laughed harder, letting himself fall sideways to curl up on the bunk.  

“Fuck you,” he mumbled again, wheezing with laughter.

Steve wondered who he was—whether he’d defended Max from Billy, or just showed her some skateboard tricks.  Whether he was younger, maybe—Steve didn’t know most of the freshmen—and what he’d look like in about ten minutes when he gave up on the incredibly stupid idea of living in a possum suit for the whole damn summer.

 Steve got hauled into setting up the welcome dinner, sitting the tables out, and putting cleanish rocks on the stacks of napkins to keep them from blowing away.  Hook Possum was useless at it—he nearly dropped the plates, and then bumped into a table because he couldn’t see, almost overturning it, and finally Steve put both hands on his furry possum shoulders and walked him over to a group of smaller kids who were milling around, bored by the orientation speech.

As he wandered by later, he heard Hook Possum telling them “Possum Facts.”

“Possums are gonna be the next police dogs,” he was saying, as Steve stared over.  “They’re gonna yell ‘Fly, my pretties!’ and the perp will be overwhelmed by possums.”

“That’s good,” said one solemn little kid, softly.  “I’m afraid of dogs.”

“Hook Possum is here to protect us,” said another one.  “You can find him if you’re scared of dogs.”

The first kid nodded, wide-eyed, and Hook Possum stared at one, then the other.  “...uh, yeeeah,” he said, slowly.  “Sure.”

“He’ll fight the dogs, Robin said,” said the first kid, and Hook Possum’s mask jerked towards her.  

“Wait, what?!” he hissed, and Steve ducked away, smothering snickers.

 Dinner was uneventful, as usual, in that there was so much chaos Steve was deadened to it, automatically reaching in to stop Dustin from using his spoon to catapult peas at Erica Sinclair and starting WWIII.   

He snuck off when he saw Hook Possum tiptoeing away like a stealthy cartoon.  “D’you need me to feed the wildlife?” he asked, and Hook Possum yelped, spinning around, so his tail whipped Steve in the legs.  

“Holy shit,” he panted, in his weird squeaky voice.

“Sorry, forgot you were a possum on the edge, man,” Steve told him, clapping a hand to his shoulder, and Hook Possum started laughing again, cigarette smoke trailing out of the eyeholes of his mask.  Steve watched it.  “...you have no idea how fucking creepy that looks,” he said.  “It’s eerie.”

“Creepier than my big blank eyes?” Hook Possum asked, and Steve wished he could see the expression of the person in the suit—whether it was resigned, or entertained, or what.  

“D’you want me to get you some food?” Steve asked.  “I can’t see you using the tongs, or like...seeing the buffet very well.”

“Also, I’m filthy,” Hook Possum said, raising a dusty paw.  

“That too,” Steve agreed.

“...I can get something later,” Hook Possum said, laughing a little.  

“You still have to eat, man,” Steve told him.  “And drink some water, at least.”

“What’s going on back here,” came Max’s voice, and they both swiveled.  She had a tray in her hands, and her eyes narrowed.

“Harrington was offering to feed the wildlife,” said Hook Possum, and she snorted.

“You’re a camp counselor, set a good example,” she hissed, waving Steve away.  “Didn’t you see the flyers, Steve?  You can’t feed possums.”

“Everyone saw the flyers, they even gave them to him,” Steve said, pointing.  “Possums probably can’t even read.”

“I barely can, in this,” Hook Possum admitted.  “I had to hold it up over my eyeholes.”

“Hrm,” said Max.  “Okay, Steve, go away, Nancy said to tell you you’re on dishes.”

Steve sighed, and left them to it.

 When he was done, he found an old tatty camp flag in the storage shed, half faded and ripped—he remembered somebody getting in trouble, in years past, for leaving it up all winter—and nailed it up over Hook Possum’s bunk with pruny fingers from the suds in the cooking tent.  He put a hook where the grommet could lift it away, in case Hook Possum’s struggles with his mask caught on the fabric, and then stepped back to look at his handiwork just as Robin wandered in.  

“That’s...really something,” she said, raising his eyebrows.  “We all get one of those?”

“No, it’s for the possum guy,” Steve told her, hooking the flag’s bottom corner up to show that the bunk was slightly easier to climb into.  “He’s like...contracted to wear the damn thing 24/7.  He gets a bonus or something.”

“That’s bullshit.  He’s gonna die of heatstroke,” Robin said, and Steve nodded, shrugging.

“That’s what I said.  Anyway, I told him I’d hide the bunk so he didn’t have to, like, lie there in the costume all night.”

“Playing possum,” she snorted, and Steve grinned, imagining the dude in full possum array, sprawled on his back like roadkill.  

“Sexy,” he snorted, and she waggled her eyebrows.

PART ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #540

Top Ten Gruesome Disney Villain Deaths

Here’s the thing about Disney animations: they’re proper nasty. No, seriously; they’re all about young people who suffer enormous hardship and bereavement. They’re full of betrayal and murder and scenes of abject horror. Nobody dies in Pinocchio, but a bunch of kids are mutated into donkeys and the main character’s dad is eaten by a whale. Lilo and Stitch? Dead parents. Lady and the Tramp? Killer rat. Dumbo? Racism. See? Darkness shrouds the House of Mouse.

One of the ways the films are surprisingly grisly is the manner in which the villains are dispatched. I’ve written before about great Disney villains and their penchants for great musical numbers, but another common connection is that the films end with them being bumped off. It’s not universal – sometimes they’re just deported (Frozen), arrested (Pocahontas), or, well, appear to suffer no punishment at all (Cinderella). And, of course, there is the depressing modern trend for Disney movies to not have a villain at all, something that doesn’t appear to be changing in Strange World (which, from the teaser at least, appears to be one of the “non-musical adventure” films, sadly denying us yet again a proper Disney Villain Song).  

Anyway, it’s not enough that the baddies frequently die, but they also have a tendency to die horribly. These are kids films that, alright, don’t feature fountains of gore, but still go to some nasty places. Immolation, dismemberment, damnation, and lots and lots of falling off tall things. Seriously, Disney villains don’t half fall off things. I could have had several more here. So that’s this list: a celebration of the macabre and the gruesome, the violent and the extreme. From body horror to, well, actual eldritch horror, Walt Disney Animation Studios really runs the gamut. And this is the company that gets called saccharine, sappy, and soft! Nobody’s soul is dragged to hell in My Neighbour Totoro. Although, to be fair, there is an extended sequence where you’re lead to believe a toddler may have drowned, so I guess that’s nasty enough.

Right, here we go. Parental guidance is advised. Ten best Disney deaths.

Ripped to pieces by a pack of hyenas (Scar, The Lion King, 1994): Scar is spared by Simba but, in his own hubris, ends up falling into a pit full of hyenas – the same hyenas he’d just thrown under a bus to save his own skin. The hyenas pounce on him, and as we see from a shadow cast by flickering flames, proceed to tear him apart and devour him. Think about this: he’s literally ripped apart and eaten alive. I know he killed James Earl Jones, but that’s still horrible.

Hit by train and explodes (Sykes, Oliver & Company, 1988): in an underrated and largely forgotten film, small-time mob boss Sykes ends up chasing our heroes (a bunch of dogs, mostly) down a subway track, his demonic and imposing car riding the rails like a train. But, wouldn’t you know, there’s a train coming the other way, and poor old Sykes drives right into it, his car exploding. There’s nothing to imply wider casualties, but this is a brutal end to a villain, like something out of a Bruce Willis movie.

Literally dragged to hell (Dr. Facilier, The Princess and the Frog, 2009): Dr. Facilier is dealing with dark magic, his “friends on the other side”, promising them souls and all sorts to satisfy their demonic urges. When his plan fails the bill comes due, as Mordo would say (from Doctor Strange, keep up!), and these freaky voodoo dolls and tribal masks come to life, dragging Facilier screaming into a grave, his fingers gouging channels in the ground as he tries to get away. He fails. That’s dark.

Hanged by vines (Clayton, Tarzan, 1999): Clayton is another villain undone by hubris, trying to kill Tarzan despite our hero warning him of the dangers of the jungle. He ends up falling from a great height (of course), hanging himself in some vines and presumably breaking his neck. Nasty enough, of course, but the animation really oversells it, the vines going taught as he falls, the shadow of Clayton’s body illuminated by flashes of lightning, his limp feet swaying in the breeze. Quite grisly, all told.

Falls off cliff then crushed to death by a boulder (The Wicked Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937): after seemingly killing Snow White, the evil Queen – still in her haggard old woman disguise – is chased through a stormy forest and up a cliff by the dwarfs. Attempting to crush them with a huge boulder, providence intervenes when her outcropping is struck by lightning and she tumbles to her death, the boulder and huge chunks of the cliff-face falling after her. As if to solidify the whole thing, two nasty-looking vultures then wheel their way down to feast on what remains. So this was how Disney’s first film ended: seven blokes chasing an old woman to her death, after which she’s eaten by birds.

Falls into pool of molten lead (Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996): Once again we have a confrontation up on top of something, once again we have a villain hubristically, vengefully lunging for one final kill instead of just escaping. And the gargoyle he’s resting on crumbles, its face contorting demonically, before filthy old Frollo plumets into a pool of molten lead, the damning implications of which are pretty heavily signposted throughout the film. Again, I will say: he literally falls into molten lead and is burned alive.

Stabbed through the chest by a boat (Ursula, The Little Mermaid, 1989): there’s not really anything poetic about this one, nor is there really any kind of hubristic overreach. Ursula seems victorious until sexy Prince Eric sails a shipwreck from the bottom of the ocean and plunges its broken prow straight into the Sea Witch’s chest. Really, it’s just how visceral and nasty it is, as Ursula flails her tentacles and slowly succumbs.

Ages rapidly, falls from a window, then crumbles to dust (Mother Gothel, Tangled, 2010): yet again – yet again! – we have a Disney villain falling to their death, although here I’d argue she was dead before she hit the ground. The magic that kept Gothel youthful dissipates, so she ages like that guy from Last Crusade, before – and I think this bit is often overlooked – cute li’l chameleon Pascal deliberately trips her up so she falls out the window to her death. Yes, she’s so far gone that by the time she reaches Earth she’s nought but dust, but all the same: murdered by a lizard.

Falls off Big Ben (Ratigan, The Great Mouse Detective, 1986): as we’ve discussed, the most common way for a Disney baddie to die is to fall off something tall – what we call the Reverse Tom Cruise – and I could have picked a few more here. But there’s something about this finale, a feral Ragitan chasing a dishevelled Basil round the clockwork innards and onto the face of Big Ben, that feels more visceral and, oddly, down-to-Earth. The fight is a brutal struggle, the climax of an action movie, before that final fall. Also just think how high this is for a mouse. He’d hit the ground like a water balloon full of passata.

Turned into a firework (Shan-Yu, Mulan, 1998): Shan-Yu is a nasty piece of work, one of the most violent and murderous Disney villains. Ultimately, however, he’s bested by Mulan in a thrilling rooftop battle, the climax of which is when he’s hit with a rocket that sends him flying through the air and into a tower of fireworks. All the fireworks go off in a tremendous explosion, no doubt scattering bits and pieces of Shan-Yu across a wide area as his charred and tattered remains are turned into a beautiful lightshow. Aw, this one was quite nice actually.

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

Sweet Pandemonium - Gally (The Maze Runner) Part 9 of 16

ahhhhhhhhh

~~~~~~~~~~

( not my gif :) )

Teresa tried to keep a blank face as she heard you screaming in agony, your face twisting and contorting in absolute fear as you were being pumped full of chemicals that made you see and live through horrible things in your mind.

Being put back in the Maze, being eaten alive by Grievers, crushed to death by the changing Maze walls.

All for a cure... 

Though Teresa never told the doctors the one thing that would absolutely break you, shatter your mind into a million pieces, never to be sane again. She couldn’t. Even if she wanted the cure, and the terrifying fear that you went through could be the thing that makes a cure, she couldn’t do it. She loved you as if you were her own sister. It was easier with Minho, not being a relative of his, but it was still hard to watch.

With Ava Paige and Jensen looming over her shoulder, Teresa had to look strong, even if she never felt that way. 

She watched as the enzyme was drained from your body, the possible key to end all the suffering in the world.

You slowly came to consciousness, seeing the same darkness you always saw whenever you were delivered back to your cell after being tortured. Of course, the people at W.C.K.D. never called it torture. It was all for a cure. It was a great privilege doing something so honorable to save the world. Yeah, right...you never had a choice in the first place.

“You look like shit.”

You sat up with a groan. “You should see how you look after your tests, Minho.”

“Oh, I don’t have to, I can feel how bad I must look.” He huffed.

The good people at W.C.K.D. were so kind enough to place you in a cell with your fellow captured friend. So fucking kind...

“To think being Teresa’s cousin they’d give me special treatment...no offense.” 

Minho rolled his eyes, laying back down against his small bed. “None taken. I’d die for just an unsupervised bathroom break so I could take a klunk in peace.” 

“Nice image, Minho...” You sighed, trying to keep your hands from shaking from the repeated trauma you had to endure. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Minho knew he was going to be taken to get those same tests run on him soon. It had been that way ever since you two arrived at the tower. They’d test you first, then him right after. For evil people, they were always on time. “Yeah,” Minho finally answered, “I always am.”

“We’re gonna get out of here, Minho. I promise. We just have to come up with some sort of feasible plan.”

Minho laughed bitterly. “Feasible? What about escaping from here would be feasible?”

You huffed, leaning up against the cold wall. “We have to get out of here...”

And just like clockwork, a few soldiers and doctors came into the cell to grab Minho, and like always, they had to sedate him so he wouldn’t fight. But what you didn’t expect, they brought you out of your cell too.

“What’s going on?”

You got no answer, and you couldn’t fight. You were too weak to fight. So, you had no choice but to allow them to bring you to wherever they were taking you. You weren’t walking down the halls that led to the testing room, so that was good at least.

They walked you into a small room, sitting you down and handcuffing you to the table you were sat at. Quickly, they left you in the room by yourself. You fiddled around with the handcuffs, but you were no locksmith, and you ultimately gave up trying to brute strength your way out of the steel. 

Eventually, you heard the doorknob rattle and you sat up, trying to prepare yourself for whatever was coming through that door.

“Hey, Y/N...” You scowled when you saw Teresa walk through the doorframe, taking a seat across from you. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly.

“Just peachy, no thanks to you, traitor.” You spat.

Teresa sighed. “Please don’t speak to me like that. I’m your family.”

You shook your head. “No, you’re no family of mine. My family was left out in the desert after you betrayed them. No, family wouldn’t betray each other.”

“Y/N...finding a cure is the most important thing right now. No matter the cost. I’m gonna give you something to make you understand that.” 

Teresa approached you with a syringe, and you tried to squirm away, but unable due to your cuffs to the table. “What is that?” You shouted.

“It’ll help you remember. It won’t kill you. It’s the same serum they gave me to remember...although, we made a few changes have been made to make it work faster.”

You thrashed about, not liking the idea of getting poked. “No! No, I don’t need to remember! I don’t want to remember you!” You hissed at her, making her sigh and turn to the door.

She knocked twice, and with that, a couple guards come into the room and forcibly held you down. “No! No!” You fought, but it was no use.

You hissed in pain as you felt the needle entering your skin, the burning of whatever mixed chemicals entering your bloodstream. “It’ll take a minute, you might get a migraine.” She informed.

And just like she said, a migraine hit you. Like a cinder block was just dropped on your head over and over again. Every time a pulse of pain hit, a wave of memories came flooding back like a tsunami.

You remembered.

The Flare taking everyone you loved. Your parents. Your baby sister, who was just born into the world, she didn’t even have a name yet. Having to deal with survivor’s guilt. Your aunt taking you in, her having a daughter of her own. Your cousin. Having to share a room with her due to the small two bedroom apartment they lived in at the time.

All the late night talks about each other. Comforting each other after vicious nightmares. Becoming so close you referred to each other as sister. Helping take care of each other after her mother got sick, and being all each other had left after her mom killed herself, and being taken by W.C.K.D.

Meeting Thomas, and hating him with a fiery passion. You hated that he quickly became Teresa’s best friend. You were jealous. But after seeing the way her eyes lit up every time she talked about him was really why you started to like Thomas, and eventually called him a friend.

You remembered being so lonely after Teresa and Thomas became W.C.K.D. favorites, and you were left alone altogether. Only rarely were you able to see your only kin.

And you remembered being so scared when you were chosen to go into a Maze trial.

“Y/N?” Teresa’s voice snapped you out of your trance.

“I remember now...”

Teresa smiled softly. “Good. Now do you understand why this is so important?”

You teared up. “...yes...”

Teresa grinned hopefully. “I knew you would.”

“We need to find a cure...but this isn’t the way, Teresa.” Her smile quickly turned into a frown. “You can’t keep testing these kids, traumatizing them. It’s not right, you must know that.”

“This is the only way.”

“You haven’t tried other ways!”

“You have no idea how much we tried avoiding testing on kids!” Teresa raised her voice, which she rarely ever did. “We hate hurting these kids! I hate hurting Minho! But we have no other choice. I have no choice. This method is the only way to get what we need to make a cure.”

“Even if it kills all of us? Even if it kills Minho...kills me?”

Teresa stayed silent. “I thought you’d understand...you were so smart, Y/N. They almost chose you to be with Thomas and I. But they thought you could be more useful in the Maze.” Teresa chuckled tearfully. “You weren’t even supposed to go into that Maze, you were scheduled to go to the all girl Maze. But since I knew I was going there, I made it so that you went into the Maze before Thomas.”

“...you did?”

“Yes...I knew you’d be in good hands with Thomas, even if he couldn’t remember who you were.” She paused. “I never wanted you to get hurt. I pulled some strings...you won’t have to share a cell with Minho anymore. You’ll be staying with me.”

Your heart felt like it dropped. “But...what about Minho?”

“It’s different with you since you’re my cousin. I can’t do anything for him, I’m sorry.”

You chuckled bitterly. “No, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t be torturing him.”

“It’s not-” She sighed. “Please, don’t make this any harder than it has to be. I’m getting you out of that cell, you should be thanking me.”

“Am I still going to be tested?” Teresa didn’t give you an answer, that alone told you all you needed to know. “Wow...so the only difference is that I get to suffer in luxury...thanks a lot...”

“Just don’t fight, okay?”

“Whatever...”

Upon entering Teresa’s apartment, instead of being in awe of how nice and fancy everything was to accommodate you two, your anger just intensified more. Minho was trapped in a cold dark cell while you were here...you definitely didn’t deserve to get special treatment, even though you were still going to be tested on everyday...

You walked to the large window in the living room and gasped softly, you had never seen the city before. You didn’t know how incredible the whole place looked...

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Teresa smiled.

You quickly wiped the look of awe and shock off your face. “It’s alright...”

“Are you really going to keep acting this way? To me?”

“I already told you, just because I have my memories back doesn’t mean I automatically agree with everything you do.” You looked back out to the city. “It would look a lot nicer without the wall...”

Teresa sighed, taking a seat on her couch. “We can’t let the infected inside.”

“And all the people deemed unworthy...right?”

Teresa scowled. “If you went down there, see all the innocent people that are down there, children, you’d agree with having the walls.”

“Oh really? Well, I haven’t been around the city. And I probably won’t. I’ll probably die here before I even step foot outside this place.”

Teresa got up and stormed back over to you. “You’re not going to die, Y/N. I won’t let that happen.”

“But what happens if that’s the only way to make a cure? For one of your little lab rats to suffer a painful death to create the enzyme you need for a cure.”

“Then I’ll make sure it’s not you.” Teresa said, turning back around. “Your room’s this way.”

You sighed, following after her down a small hallway of her home. “A bit different from our previous house, eh?” You said when you saw your own queen sized bed.

“We had to share a twin back then.”

“The things we take for granted...”

“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but...we’re gonna start testing all day from now on.” You snapped your head to look at her with wide eyes. “I’m sorry...just get some rest.”

And unfortunately, Teresa was right. 

W.C.K.D. started to test you all day, and it was excruciating. Days starting blurring together again, the pain and exhaustion you felt was unexplainable. But the worse part of it was how little you could differentiate what was real and what was a simulation. Even the nights that you went back to Teresa’s apartment was hard to tell for sure if it was real life.

It was frightening.

Even if you hated Teresa for what she did to the Right Arm, she was one of the only reasons why you weren’t completely insane. When the days got particularly bad, she’d order you to have breaks. She’d have you repeat a set of five numbers, didn’t matter which numbers, forwards and backwards. It helped keep you grounded when things got tough.

Like the situation you were in now. 

You screamed for it all to stop, for all the pain and fear to stop. It was too much to handle.

“Okay, okay, stop!” Teresa shouted, entering through the door. “She needs a break.”

Ava sighed. “Teresa...if you need to remove yourself from here, you should. You can’t let her being your family get in the way of progress.”

Thankfully, Teresa was quick on her toes. “It’s not getting in the way. I’m saying she needs a break because she might run out of the strength that’s keeping her alive. We won’t find a cure if she’s dead.”

Dr. Paige looked to your exhausted and almost dead looking face and sighed. “Alright...let’s wrap it up, give her the day off.”

Teresa nodded gratefully, soon helping the rest of the doctors unhook all the wires and machines attached to you. She noticed how dead inside you looked, and it worried her. You didn’t just need a break, you needed for the experiments to stop, but that wasn’t possible.

Teresa had an idea, most likely the worst idea she’s had and will ever have, but she truly thought it would be somewhat beneficial to your mental state and overall health. Maybe a walk around the city would reignite that strength she saw in you in the beginning of the trials.

Yeah...maybe it wasn’t a bad idea.

~~~~~~~~~~

[alice-angel12x]

☁ Drider!Shouto x reader

Dystopian AU/ Monster AU

[Sorry if shouto is a bit ooc]

The world fell into ruin when the all powerful All For One took over all of japan. He took control of everything, and who ever dared defy him would face a horrible fate. Once he had control he shapped society the way he found entertaining. It's not like they could stop him. He had a large following that helped spread his rule and terror. Those who had a transmitter, or transformation quirk were safe. They were treated like people or held in higher regards. Those who had mutation quirk were called monsters and were locked away.

So All For One seperated people. Those who were safe where human. Brainwashing them into believing they were better then those monsters. Those who were Mutated were teated like wild and unpredictable animals, The monsters. They were mocked, humiliated, tortured, and locked away from the pretty cities, and only human Capitals. Some were unfortinate to be born with a mutation quirk, but some were forced to have this fate by All For One. By curing people with said quirks, some were criminals, rebels, or innocents to show his power. Those who are 'lucky' just get their quirk taken and turned into a slave.

What about those who were quirkless you ask. Well... They are slaves.

____

Just outside of the grand Capital, there was a large Dome loomed over the forest. It covered 50 miles worth of land. Inside was a forest, a river, rock hills, cliffs, and caves. Inside were the monsters. This is were they are locked away, and put into their natural habitat. Left to starve, except the occasional 'mouse' that was let inside for them to feed on. With no other food they are left with no choice. As the mouse tries to run and hide the monsters hunt it down and devour them. This hunt is recorded and broadcast all over the cities. As a sick entertainment for the rich, Powerful, and citizens. But for the quirkless slave or the mice it is a form of warning to stay in line and to know our place.

___

"Oh looks like our little mouse could not out run that pack werewolf," the commentator said with so much enthusiasm in his voice.

"Yeah John looks like he's dog food now," John's partner joked.

The slaves all watched in horror, as they watched their friend get eaten alive. The quirkiness were all in their cages and forced to catch the monitor, as a constant reminder that soon that will be their fate. To become a meal, a mouse for sent to die for entertainment.

"They ate Ochaco," a close friend of hers sobbed.

I didn't know her personaly, but she was a really nice girl. She didn't deserve to go out the way she did. I sat in my cage, trembling as I watched the carnage. Denki, Momo, Jirou, Sero, and know Ochaco.

They were all the unfortunate mice picked. I survived another month. Sadly my luck ran out the next month.

"Haha this little rat will do," said a gaurd as he opened my and quickly grabbed me.

I tried to struggle and break free from him, but something hard hit the back of my head. I blacked out.

........

"Welcome back everybody, it's that time again. Our favorite little game of survival. Today our lovely little mouse this month is Y/n L/n. A bit on the petite side, could probably squeeze tight spaces. She's a pretty face, it's sad it's wasted on a mouse. Well place your bets now folks. Who will she find herself being eaten by," John the host said with a laugh.

I opened my eyes to see that I was in a forest. It seemed go on forever, but quickly relieazed where I was. I was inside the dome.

"Jeff sound the dinner bell!" John said as the sound of the air horn filled the dome.

I ran, I didn't know where I just ran into the forest. There was no point in banging on the door. No one was going to answer. So I ran through the forest till I saw a clearing. The same clearing were Ochaco was eaten. I came to a halt right at the edge of the forest. I hesitated as flashed of Ochaco's mangled corpse appeared in my head.

Suddenly I heard growling behind me. I turned to see the pack of werewolves. The leader was a ashy blond with spiky hair and blood red eyes. I slowly started to back away, as he took a step foward.

"Sorry, nothing personal. Were just starving and everyone needs to eat," a red headed werewolf said with a sorrowful look on his face.

"Kirishima shut up! Lets just make this quick before some other monster gets her," said the leader.

"Bakugou, could you be a little more sensitive," Kirishima said bitterly.

"Yeah, well your sensitivity almost cost us last time," Bakugou shot back.

While They were arguing, I quickly made a run for it. Dying by werewolves is probably the worst way to go. I could hear them give chase once they relieazed I ran. Just beyond the open field was tall grass. I managed to loose the wolves, as I came across willow tree by a lake. I stoped their to take a break, when I heard hissing.

Looking up into the tree was a Naga. He had green hair and eyes to match his green tail. He was skinny and so malnourished he didn't have the strength to move anymore. I quickly left that spot and kept moving, till I came across some caves.

It was almost night and it started to get dark. So I went inside the cave, to learn to late that what is a hole in the ground three steps in. I fell into the darkness and blacked out.

_____

Dark and lonely. Thats what I would describe my life to be. A lonley spider in cave.

While the other people in the some wait for their next meal I'm working on making my way out of this hell hole. As I continued to dig my tunnel when I felt my webs vibrate, something fell into my webs.

I slowly made my way over to the cave entrance, surprised too see a unconscious girl tangled in my webs. She had soft silky h/c hair, and smooth s/c skin. I slowly started to inspect her entirely. As I did I found a mouse brand burned onto her skin.

Like me, a monster brand was burned on my side. I untangled her and placed her down softly on the ground. She felt So warm in my arms, I almost didn't want to let go. So I took her deep within the caves, too hide her from the monsters. But also to keep her here, with me.

___

I slowly started to wake up, as I sat up I found my self in a cave. Looking down I was laying on some sort of silk thread, or web. Actually the whole room was covered in webs. I slowly started to stand and started to rip the remaining webs on me.

Suddenly I heard something crawling. Then I saw it a Drider, though I never saw one before. He had half red and half white hair, with a big hurn on the left side of his face, all over his body he bore scars, and on the right side of his chest was the monster brand burned on his skin.

   "Umm, hello," I said as I slowly sat back down. He did block my only exit.

"Hello.... I'm suprised your not screaming, or trying to escape," he said bluntly with a neutral face.

"Well your blocking my only exit, and even if I scream no one is gonna hear me so, yeah... I'm y/n by the way," I said as I held out my hand.

"Umm, I'm shouto the Drider," he said simply slowly shaking my hand.

"So.. Umm, why did you spare me. I thought you would be hungry like the other people up there?" I said looking up at the ceiling.

"Well I have a slow matabalizem, so it takes a while for me to get hungry. I.. I was just lonely," he said with with a light blush.

"Oh... O-okay, I'd be happy to

acompany you, shouto," I said with a smile.

Shouto seemed stuned at first as he seemed to just stare at me for a bit. Suddenly it seemed his eyes began to water, then he pulled me into a tight hug. As he did he stood up to his full hight, which lifted me a few feet of the ground. I slowly and hestitanly returned his hug. His spider half looked like it was an albino verson of a black widow.

As I was studying I could hear him smelling me... It was weird but I didn't say anything. Suddenly I heard a buzzing noise.

____

I could hear them. The humans flying spies, they were looking for Y/n. Gently placing y/n down on the nest, I went to investigate.

I saw it the flying cameras. I quietly sneaking up behind it and quickly smashing it with a rock. They weren't going to take my friend away from me.

-----

As the weeks went by Y/n and Shouto got closer and closer. Y/n would help with Shouto's tunnel, and sometime shouto would go out to the surface to bring berries for y/n. She would clean up any wounds Shouto would gain.

As the weeks went on y/n became more, and more weak. The berried weren't enough to sustain her. She could even afford to move or spend any energy, or she will starve even more. So in desperation, Shouto worked on the tunnel even more. Till he finally did it, he finally tunneled his way outside the dome.

Quickly and quietly he scools y/n into his arms and escapes from this hell. Shouto travled for days, getting as far away from the city, and the dome as possible. When they finally settled down, high up in a tall tree, Shouto went out and hunted down a strong stag.

Cooking it and feeding it to y/n. As time went on y/n did regain her strength.

_____

I slowly crawled down the tree with y/n in my arms. I was so nerves, always worrying if somethi g would come and take y/n away.

We finally made it to the ground , and I let y/n down. She stood still for awhile then she started to.. Roll around on the ground with a wide a smile.

"Were free Shouto. It feels so good," she exclaimed as she jumped up and hugged me.

"Y/n... Thank you for staying with me. Even when you were close to dying. I never want to lose you, and I treasure you, Y/n," I said as is quickly pulled her into a passonite kiss.

And I was happy went she slowly melted into my kiss. This is my paradise. She is my Utopia.

[hazbincalifornia]

Soiled Tea

Chapter 23: Blitzo gets home and contemplates things.

Warnings: As always, mpreg, and brief mentions of underage drinking. Generally shitty thoughts about babies.

Likes, replies, and reblogs are all appreciated, both here and on ao3!

Ao3 link

“Blitz.” There was a pounding on his door, and it took a few seconds to process that it was Loona. “You’ve been in there for like three hours. The fuck happened?”

“Piss off!” Blitzo called back, scrolling mindlessly down Voxtagram with only a pause to scrub at his sore eyes. The phone buzzed with another text from Stolas, and he swiped it up without looking like the last twelve. A growl rumbled from behind at the door, and the scratch of Loona’s claws dragged down the wood.

“Fine, don’t tell me! It’s not like I care either way, I just want to know if you’re going to start bitching at me over whatever it is!” Loona’s weight creaked the floorboards as she padded away from the door, mere moments before Blitzo’s stomach growled.

Oh. Right. He hadn’t eaten properly in days, and the little fucker was going to be feeling that.

...It’d be easier to starve the bastard if it wouldn’t hurt him too. He only realized that his fingers had dug into his stomach when the red glow fluttered in and out, and his teeth gritted as he pushed himself off the bed, the creak reminding him how badly he needed a new mattress and frame. Stolas sleeping on it the other day couldn’t have helped, and it was going to collapse under him one of these days. There was probably some kind of metaphor in there he didn’t feel like puzzling through at the moment.

Moping later. Food now. He was pretty sure they’d stocked up a few days ago, so unless Loona had eaten everything since he’d been out, he could make some cup noodles and curl back up on the bed in peace. Loona was draped over the couch with screams and gorey splatters echoing from the TV when he exited his room, and she raised an eyebrow at seeing him mere moments after he’d told her to piss off. Blitzo sighed.

“Look, I just want to bury my sorrow in some cheap-ass junk right now, got it?”

She pointed to the freezer. “Try the strawberry scoop.”

“Thanks, dear.” First he needed to get the noodles, though. Blitzo opened the cabinet, reaching for the cups before brushing against a small bag. Why did he have a bag in the…?

His fingers froze, touching the edge of the packet- it was Stolas’s tea from their café meeting, tied with a pretty little bow. He’d mostly been over the nausea hump by the time he’d gotten it so it had been stuffed in the back of the cabinet, and right now, it was leaned against a partially-opened hot chocolate packet that must have been years old. It made the wood smell both moldy and chocolatey-fresh. Over the last few weeks, the powder had seeped into the mix of the tea- and probably ruined it too. There was an ant curled up in front of the fancy little bag which was almost certainly dead, flat on its back with legs curled heavenward.

The thing was moving again, but when he smacked the side of his stomach, it turned over a little with a shudder and stopped. Progress.

His hands were shaking by the time he pulled the noodles out from next to the tea (and next to the hot chocolate, and some expired crackers, and the little baggie of rat poison he’d borrowed from Millie and Moxxie’s closet) and began boiling the water to prepare them the same way he’d done hundreds of times before. No thinking required. The TV droned on in the living room, but the volume was low and he could still hear the water dripping from the leak over the fridge and his own heartbeat.

Casually, he leaned back against the countertop as he waited for the water to soak in, then realized that angle made the bump stick out even more, and also that he’d never actually taken off Stolas’s shirt. The knot in the back was thick and hard on his back, and it pressed on his protruding vertebrae against the granite. He tapped the end of his tail next to a stray protein bar wrapper on the countertop before sweeping it towards the trash. It missed, fluttering down to the dirty floor like a dying moth. Blitzo scooped up the cup, stabbing the top with a fork before bringing it back to his room and turning on a video of some idiot screaming at video games to drown out whatever thoughts couldn't be suppressed otherwise.

Loona didn’t bother him for the rest of the night, but he could hear her slam the fridge’s door shut and pop open a can of something around ten. He peeled off the shirt and went to bed.

__________________

An hour after going to bed, he realized that the sex-sweat stuck to his skin was itchy, sticky, and smelled like shit. He managed to last approximately fifteen more minutes before dragging himself off the bed and crawling into the shower, flipping on the water and twisting it to scalding. He didn’t bother to scrub anything down, simply letting the pounding water pelt into his body until the caked sweat slid off like a bug shedding its skin.

Loona was still in the living room, playing some kind of racing game. They made eye contact for a few seconds and she sighed, chucking him a chocolate bar that she’d fished out of the cushions at some point during the night when he’d been in his room.

Sure, she couldn’t actually eat it herself anyway, but the gesture was nice, even though his teeth felt kind of fuzzy when he flopped back on the bed again after pulling on a worn-out band tee that had become a crop top at some point even before the pregnancy. 

__________________

The kid was moving. Of course they were. It wasn’t like he could ask for sleep or for them to allow him to pretend they didn’t exist for a few hours, could he? They were just a lump of stupid meat, they didn't know any better than being an annoying pest that their daddy couldn't stand. He screamed into the pillow again. It didn’t help.

__________________

Maybe he could join the circus again. He had new, better jokes now. Like his life. (That one would have gotten a laugh, or at least it would have with a crowd that wasn’t drunk off its ass- or maybe that would have been the exact audience for it. Kids were never drunk enough, and the ones whose parents shoved bottles at them to get them to shut up just puked everywhere. Their taste buds weren't developed enough yet, it just tasted like piss half the time before you got used to it. He still remembered the smell of the cheesy chips incident.)

__________________

Had Stolas planned this all along? He’d sure as fuck seemed to think that Blitzo had already known what the deal was, and maybe he’d wondered a little, but come on, the guy had been so excited, anybody would have figured that he wanted to be the one to raise it. Babies were (literally) shitty little leeches on the lives of whoever was unlucky enough to pop them out, but Stolas had been so pumped for another kid, obviously he’d wanted to raise it. This was entirely his fault. This was entirely his fault. Blitzo was a smart guy, he'd find some way to get out of this. He'd made it this far, hadn't he?

__________________

Could he get out of this? He tried to remember exactly how the deal had been phrased, but then realized that Stolas would probably yank the book back if he did manage to find some way to kill the thing without offing himself. Well, shit. That’d suck, and he’d probably lose Moxxie and Millie in the bargain, and then him and Loona would get chucked out on the concrete and have to forage for scraps until they managed to mug some particularly wealthy sinner. Could you pass on syphilis through bites? Loonie’d probably know. It was something to keep in mind as a potential threat.

__________________

Did orphanages do speed dial? No, Stolas would find it somehow. He probably had some kind of magic tracking device for occasions like this.

__________________

God damn he needed a better mattress. He could still feel the indent where Stolas had been if he rolled over just right, and he smacked at it until it felt like the rest of the bed.

It didn’t actually help that much, but at least when one spot got hot, he could roll over a little to the cooler half without sinking in.

__________________

What would it even look like? Would it be kind of cute or some mutant monstrosity? Both its dads were hot, so it would have to have something going for it if it wasn’t just some horrible moaning mess of feathers and patchy skin.

He hadn’t really minded the thought of being, like, an uncle or some shit. There for the fun parts, popping in like twice a month to jingle keys above its face and teach it to play paintball. If Barbie had squeezed something out after fucking around when they were still a duo act he could have dealt with that as long as they didn’t have to sleep in the same room- he didn’t really mind kids that much in small doses. They could be fun little chaotic monsters, even though they were judgmental as shit and smelled fear.

With this, though, he couldn’t just hand it back when he got bored, and he always, always got bored or scared or- fuck, not thinking about that.

He would try scrolling Voxtagram again, but he came across an ad for maternity wear before trying to go to sleep the first time and nearly chucked the phone. 

__________________

The only thing that kept him from rolling off the bed and grabbing a hard drink to knock him out, baby be damned, was the fact that he’d found a spot that almost was comfortable in the sheets now soaked with sweat again. Unfortunately, the clock said it was 5:13 AM.

__________________

The alarm blared directly in Blitzo’s ear and he whapped it with a pillow, slamming it off the bedside table and into the floor. It was definitely broken now from the horrid cracking noise, and he groaned, scrubbing at his eyes. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuck."

“Morning, sleeping ugly,” Loona said as she gargled mouthwash in the sink. She had the bags under her eyes that probably matched his and said she’d been drinking more than usual last night. Smart kid. He’d picked one that he could be a parent to without changing diapers for a reason- so he could be supportive to an actual person and not just a screaming little meat-lump that couldn’t even drink or smoke yet. Maybe Stolas could make it magically grow up so he wouldn't have to deal with that shit? “You gonna finally tell me what the fuck happened? You look like you watched the apartment blow up and you smell even worse.”

“Come on, honey, I showered-” Blitzo cleared his throat. To be fair, sex-stink didn't come off that easily when you were going at it for days, and Loona had always had a real sensitive nose. “Daddy’s maaaaaybe got a little tiny problem,” he muttered, and she raised an eyebrow.

“And that problem is? Usually, you’ll be upfront about why you’re being a whiny-“

“Apparently,” he started, and his tone made Loona’s mouth snap shut, “Stolas thought I was going to be the one actually raising the little bastard.”

“What the fuck? You two didn’t clear this up months ago?” Her claws dug into the counter as one eye twitched, and a bit of mouthwash foam dripped off her chin.

“I didn’t think we’d have to! He wanted the thing, he’d take it, that made sense!” He dragged a hand down his face, and Loona leaned back against the sink, crossing her arms. The foam hit her top, soaking in next to the left tit.

“So get rid of it.”

“I can’t, he enchanted my guts.” Blitzo snatched a butter knife smeared with long-dried jam off the table and aimed it at his stomach- moments before it touched the skin, red flashed. His hand shot to the side, preventing anymore more than a slight scratch. “I don’t even want to know what’d happen if I tried to take a pill or something and puked it up. Explode, probably.”

Loona sighed. “Well, this is fuckin’ peachy.” She crossed the kitchen, grabbing some toast that popped up, pressing more down and dropping the plain bread with a pad of butter on the side on a plate in front of him. “Toss it at an orphanage.”

“It’s gonna be a freak, it’d probably just get mauled. Imp kids are vicious, especially orphans, they’ve all gotta fight for table scraps.”

“Why would you care?” Loona shifted a little on her seat. “You get rid of it either way.”

“Stolas’d kill me.”

“He likes your dick too much, he wouldn’t. I’m not changing diapers. Why can’t he take it again?”

“He thought his wife would shank the fucker. Considering she tried to stab me, it’s probably not that far off. I’ll find some way to-” he yawned. “To pawn it off or something. Maybe we find somebody that likes exotic pets.” His head swam with visions of a shiny, gilded cage containing a little feathered imp that wore sequins and hissed at anything that got too close. He stabbed at the butter. “I don’t want this either, alright?”

“But you went along with having it anyway, and with me, you wanted-” She cut herself off and drummed her fingers against her bicep. “This is your fuck-up, I’m just saying don’t drag me into it.”

“Very reassuring, thank you,” Blitzo muttered, sarcasm thick enough to gore like it was a pig. "We have any coffee?"

"I finished it the other night. We can go to that place on Sixth before work." Loona snatched her own toast as it popped up too quickly to actually have toasted any and stuffed it in her mouth plain, tearing off a bite and chewing in a way that was reminiscent of thoughtful. “I don’t think he’d be nice enough to let you die when it pops out, and you screw up all the time and haven’t completely ruined your life yet. You can figure shit out from there. Maybe we can sell them on the black market and move out of this fucking dump, or you can flutter your eyelashes and get him to change his mind. Worst comes to worst, it's sharing your room.”

“Thanks, Loonie,” Blitzo mumbled around a mouthful of bread. “Always know how to cheer me up.”

The phone buzzed, and he was about to ignore it again until he saw that it was from Millie.

“Still at Stolas’s or coming in to work today Blitz? Moxx and I miss you :)’

Blitzo wiped crumbs on his pants and groaned before typing back.

‘yeh im coimin back’

He added extra jam to the bread before shoving the rest in his mouth, and the kid kicked his bladder hard enough that he almost pissed himself right at the table.

Today was gonna be fuckin’ peachy.

[ninja-go-to-therapy]

Day 2: Alone

@ninjago-angst-week

As a street rat, Lloyd is used to waking up alone.

Trigger Warnings: abandonment, implied beating, starvation, suicidal ideation

This takes place pre-series

653 words

Lloyd woke up freezing.

He put up the hood of his jacket, wishing it was enough to block out the cold. It wasn’t.

The hoodie was old and tattered, and it was all he’d had for weeks. When they’d kicked him out of Darkley’s, he’d been allowed to bring nothing with him other than the very clothes on his back. He had no money, no food, and nowhere to go.

Sleeping in alleys, trees, and caves wasn’t much of a solution, but it was all he had. No matter what he did, nobody wanted to help a pathetic little kid like him.

He carefully opened the lid of a dumpster he’d spotted, hoping to find some old food in there. He was so hungry, he would take anything at this point.

He picked out a piece of moldy bread, cringing. Well, maybe not anything… 

There had to be something good in here! People were selfish and wasteful. He wouldn’t be surprised to find a takeout box with reasonably good food still in there. Oh, he hoped he could find something like that. It sounded like heaven.

He reached back in, digging around. Surely there had to be something. Please, please, let there be something.

“Hey!”

Lloyd froze like a deer in headlights.

“Get out of here, you little brat!”

Lloyd ran. People hated when homeless kids stole from their trashcans, he’d learned. If he didn’t leave, it would get violent. The bruises from last time still hadn’t healed yet.

Lloyd didn’t stop running until he was in the middle of nowhere. There hadn’t been anywhere good in that town, anyway.

All he had was the piece of bread.

He held it up, weighing his options. He couldn’t afford to go any longer without food. But eating this could mean he would fall ill. He couldn’t afford that either.

He wished he could be with his dad. He wished his mom hadn’t left him. He wished his uncle wanted him. Lloyd knew he didn’t. If he did, he wouldn’t have been alone.

He hated being alone. 

His stomach growled painfully, and he made up his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, saying a quick prayer that he wouldn’t regret this.

The bread tasted surprisingly decent. The texture was horrible, and the smell was even worse, but with how hungry he was, he could actually stand it. If he’d eaten anything in the past two days, he would probably have a different opinion.

He shivered, curling up on the ground now that the bread was gone. 

Maybe he would be better off dead. It wouldn’t be hard to die. He would just have to stay here, on the ground, and drift off. He imagined it wouldn’t even hurt.

But if he died, he would never get to see his dad again. He knew his dad, at least, cared. Nobody else did, but his dad really did love him. He always had. 

He didn’t want to die, if it meant seeing his dad again.

He needed to keep going. He was close to Jamanakai Village, he thought. He’d heard good things about that town. Maybe he would find food there. On the other hand… in every place he’d gone so far, everyone had screamed at him, had chased him out, had hated him.

He hated them right back. He hated them for letting a child starve. Even a villain shouldn’t let children go hungry. 

As terrible as Darkley’s had been, he wished he hadn’t been thrown out of there. It had been better than this. He wanted to be evil, really, he did! He could be evil. He would show them. When he was done, they would be practically begging him to come back. He wouldn’t accept their pathetic offer, of course, but it would be amusing to watch them try.

He would be a villain. He would be the worst villain Ninjago had ever seen.

[zambie-trashart]

Land of the Free and Home of the Wayne pt7

previous part

masterlist

Summary: Tim takes the students on a walk around Gotham City. Not the smartest decision.

.............................

Marinette woke up at four in the morning sweating slightly and breathing heavily. She had a nightmare about Chat being taken by Hawkmoth and beaten beyond recognition and all she could do is sit there and watch as his cane came down once, twice... she got up and roamed the halls of Wayne Manor and heard laughter from a living room.

“No, no, no, you smell like fucking maple syrup you are not fucking touching me Dick!” someone from inside the room yelled.

“Give me a hug dear brother or I might just die!” another person said and a loud thump was heard. Marinette peered around the corner to see what was going on but she was going to stay out of sight. Jason was standing above Dick with his arms crossed and Dick was on the ground with an arm over his forehead dramatically. The room reeked of sugar and two other people walked out of a clock. 

“Jon, you’ll give me a hug right?” Dick asked hopping up and extending his arms. Jon laughed but hugged the older boy. “See, Jon actually likes me.”

“He’d be the first,” Jason said sitting down.

“Oh yeah, good job putting out the fire there Jonno, your freezy breath really came in handy there,” Dick said patting Jon on the head.

“We should shower and change before breakfast but seriously I know that I’ve been saying this all night but a fucking maple syrup factory?” Jason got out and puffed out his chest. “All right, tonight I have a big assignment for you. You’re going to go put out this fire cause someone might have lit the old Gotham Maple Syrup Factory on fire,” Jason said doing a really bad Batman impression and Jon and Dick started laughing. “Yeah ok Bruce we’ll go put out the fire, look at who he sent to put out a fire, Golden Boy, Murderous Rage, Demon Brat, and Sunshine Child. Like what the fuck Bru...” Jason was walking though the door and saw the shadow of someone running away.

Jon walked over and heard the footsteps. “That’s not good.”

Everyone walked down for breakfast later, Marinette eyed Jon and Damian who were looking around at people seeing if anyone looked suspicious. Marinette was still putting the pieces together but there was only one thing that made sense: they had to be the Batfamily. She looked over to Dick who was talking to Kory both sitting on a counter top. He was looking around too.

Adrien walked down the stairs. He was excited to walk around Gotham but it sounded like a really bad idea. He sat down and across the table, Alya let out a frustrated growl at Lila. Jon looked over perking up a little. Alya stormed out of the room and Lila followed yelling something in Italian that made Damian, Jason, Jon, Dick, and Kory flinch. Tim walked into the room wincing slightly.

“Who peed in her cornflakes?” Tim asked and Jon got up and followed the girls.

“I can’t believe you stole my necklace from my secret admirer!” Alya yelled arms thrown up in the air.

“Whatever, if you don’t want to be my friend anymore then I’ll just have to tell Clark Kent not to put in a good word at the Daily Planet and you’ll never get a good job in reporting,” Lila said and Alya looked at her with fire in her eyes.

“That’s not fair, you can’t ruin my chances just cause you’re a spoiled brat who knows people,” Alya said crossing her arms.

“You’re gonna regret that, go crawl back to Marinette you useless pig, you’ve been draining me long enough,” Lila said and other students started to flood the lobby.

Tim was sipping the last of his coffee and threw the mug over his shoulder and Jon caught it and placed it carefully on a table. He made a motion for the students to follow outside.

“Hi, I’m Tim I’ll be your tour guide for today,” Tim said looking out at the students who followed him down the driveway and down a random street. There was a noticeable lack of Miss. Bustier and some of the students couldn’t help but be nervous about being placed in the care of a twenty-year-old caffeine addict. They had made their way to a nameless skyscraper and they stood awaiting further instruction.

“Tim, we stopped,” Jon said and Tim pulled Jon next to him.

“Alright kids, I have three rules, if you break any of them I can’t promise that your body won’t be found in a ditch being eaten by rats,” Tim said with a light smirk on his face as the students grimaced.

“What the hell Drake?” Damian asked from the back.

“Ok rule one, have a buddy. Rule two, don’t wander off. Rule three, don’t talk to or look at strangers.” Tim kept an arm around Jon. “Buddy up!” The students rushed to find a buddy. Sabrina grabbed Chloe, Nino climbed on Adrien, Nathaniel hugged Alix, Mylene ran into Ivan’s arms, Alya stood by Juleka angrily, Lila stood next to Rose smirking, and Max stood next to Kim quivering. That left Marinette and Damian, the two stood close but far enough away for some comfort room.

They started walking again and Tim and Jon were laughing arms linked at the front with Damian and Marinette making sure that no one wondered off or slowed down too much.

“Tim?” Jon asked smiling.

“What is it my good fellow?” Tim asked in a fake posh accent. 

“Where are we going?” Jon asked looking down the road in front of them and then quickly behind him to see the slightly less scared students.

“To get more coffee,” Tim said pulling Jon into the Starbucks next to them. It was sizable with a good amount of booths and around five employees. “Order whatever you want, it’s on Bruce,” Tim said pulling out a card and ordering a black coffee with extra espresso. Thirty minutes, an indifferent staff, and a caffeinated class later the students were walking through the city of skyscrapers and smog. Tim was spitting facts off the top of his head with had arm reattached to Jon’s who was smiling at Tim’s horrible British accent.

They had been walking for around two hours when a man jumped out at them and demanded for money. A few students started screaming and frantically taking out their wallets. The mugger grabbed Jon and held a knife to his throat making the students panic even more. Jon rolled his eyes and stepped on the mugger’s foot making him hop back and Jon spun around hitting him in the face with a fan kick knocking him out.

Adrien was near the back standing next to Damian who put a hand on his shoulder. “I know what you’re wondering and yes, he is single,” Damian said making Adrien blush before stepping back in line with Nino.

“I can’t believe it took us two whole hours to get mugged!” Jon said hooking his arm back with Tim’s after adjusting his glasses and shirt.

“Hurry up guys, we’re approaching the best part of town!” Tim yelled pointing to an arcade which was two buildings down from the police station. “I’m going to go talk to Jim, Jon you’re in charge,” Tim said handing the youngest of the group the credit card patting his head. Jon walked inside behind Damian and Marinette.

The teen working the register looked out the the sea of bouncing toddlers and popped her gum sliding Bruce’s credit card. “Have fun,” she said in monotone looking back at her phone. All of the students split up going to different games. Jon walked up and sat on the table where Damian was standing.

“Damian?” Jon asked smiling maniacally.

“What Jon?” Damian asked looking out over the students.

“Wanna play Dance Dance Revolution?’ Jon asked before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter.

“I take it that Logan told you about his defeat?” Damian asked now understanding the joke.

“Gar was pissed,” Jon said and Damian smiled back at his friend.

“He shouldn’t have challenged me.” Damian looked over at the students again. Adrien was racking up tickets with Nino for something and Damian couldn’t help but think that he was trying to win Jon something. “How do you feel about Adrien?” Damian asked thinking of the first day the students were there and hearing Adrien’s confession.

“He really hasn’t talked to me a lot but I’d like to get to know him,” Jon said turning his attention over to the blue-haired girl. “What about you and Marinette?” Jon asked trying to set his friend up too.

“What do you mean?” Damian asked defensivly.

“There’s so much chemistry,” Jon nudged Damian and he looked out at her seeing her smile and have fun.

“I don’t kn...” Damian was cut off by a loud bang and the front door flying off it’s hinges. Two-Face walked into the arcade worming through his henchman. “DUCK!” Damian yelled and all of the students got to the ground behind games and under tables as guns went off. “The the words of Todd: fuck.”

..........................................

JPS:  @wannajointhecrabcult @loveswifi @ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole @liquid-luck-00 @mochegato@thatonecroc@mochinek0 @toodaloo-kangaroo @moonspiritwolf1

Tag list:  @abrx2002@finallyaniguana@danielslilangel@chocolateherringtacofan@animegirlweeb @fleur-de-jasmin-fdj@pawsitivelymiraculous@justcourttee@ayamestudios@greenteacz@thornalchemist23@vixen-uchiha@readeracctagmepls@tomanyfandomsinmymind @t1dwarrior-of-earth@michaelshadow7779 @i-is-mysterious

[bonesthebeloved]

Complicated- creativitwins

Digging up old drafts baby here we goooo.

The father in this story doesn't have a name so you can imagine it as anyone you'd like/ as simply a stranger. Happy reading.

Trigger/ squick warning: father figures, complicated relationship with parental figures, mention of screaming, child services mention (in like...one sentence) mention of crying, mention of animal death (bunnies) mention of homophobia. <- if I missed any let me know.

Edit: I did not check spelling. We die like men

-

Pappa had always been with them.

When they were three and just formed their first memories they might remember in distant futures when all was quiet and nothing was holding them back from reminisent, they would remember about the time they’d gotten two big stuffed bears bigger than themselves When Papa had still been alone and Dad hadn’t been with them yet.

They would remember the soft fur in their little hands as they cuddled close to the things when it was naptime.

Pappa was always there for them

When Roman was five and he woke up from a nightmare where a squirrel was chasing him around the playground pappa was there to wrap his long arms around him and tell him that he was safe and that he would get his squirrel catching gear out of the supply closet the man they had started calling Dad had built for them, first thing in the morning.

When Remus faked being sick the first day of school because a kid in his class had laughed at the white streak in his hair he'd had since birth pappa had come and picked him up, explaining that poliosis is nothing to be ashamed of and laughing warmly as his son tried to pronouns the word.

-

Pappa would always protect them.

When Roman first talked about his pappa and dad in school the teacher had looked like she'd eaten something nasty. Later on Roman was moved to the same class as his brother, his own teacher saying she didn't want to be associated with his kind.

When Pappa came to pick him up that day Roman asked what that ment. And for one of the first times in his life he'd seen pappa frown.

They baked a cake to celebrate them being the same class that evening and Pappa and dad lifted the two of them high up in the air and twirled them around while cheerful music played.

When Remus got told off by a teacher for the first time because he had pushed another kid in his class he had to sit in the corner for ten minutes.

When he was allowed to go back to his spot Roman thanked him for protecting him and Remus threw the paper ball that had been thrown at him right back.

When Pappa came to pick him up he and the teacher had a long talk and they left quickly afterwards. Pappa holding both his and Roman's hands in his own big one's and telling them about how they had done the right thing.

-

Pappa would always comfort them.

When Roman came back home with scrapped knees and an attitude Pappa had asked him what had happened.

Roman hadn't answered and his brother had later told their dad's that he had seen Roman getting pushed around by some older kids. The had been yelling a word he didn't know the meaning of. When he had told it to pappa he had looked angry. And told his boys that those kids were mean and to never use that word because it made fun of good people.

When Remus began to get more friends his pappa asked him to include Roman in all of their games.

His brother had trouble connecting to people and was quickly becoming the bullied kid. And while Remus would gladly take any bullets for him he couldn't protect him at all times.

And while Remus played star wars with his friends, running around the playground and pretending to know the characters, Roman sat and drew in the little notebook pappa had given him for school.

And Remus bought him a new one with his own pocket money when a mean kid threw it in the lake nearby when they went there to explore with the class around the time that eggs would magically appear in their garden and they pretended like it was a bunny putting them there.

Pappa would always be with them.

When they went to highschool and Remus his friends could no longer play starwars with him because one moved away, one said she’d never liked him and two others went to the same school but suddenly forgot about their being friends, he sat with his brother more often.

And when Roman got friends that he wasn’t sure he liked but hung around anyways because it was better than sitting alone, Remus was left sitting at a table at lunch, other kids coming to sit at the same one in the hopes he would get up and leave.

When he had refused to do just that they’d began whispering about him pretending he didn’t hear them. And when he acted like he didn’t hear they had began calling him mean things.

After two months at the new school they came home and both called for their Pappa with shaky voices too quiet to bare any sort of good news.

And when Remus showed off his bruised wrist he’d gotten when a kid had grabbed him harshly and Roman told him about how his friends hadn’t been friends but bullies in a trenchcoat and a mustache to make him think they were friends before telling him he was too weird to hang around, Pappa had brought them both into his arms. Whispering something like ‘oh my poor, brave boys,’ before holding them a bit tighter and then telling them that sometimes, the world was mean like that and that, sometimes, it takes a while before you find the right people.

And when they went to bed that night they laid in the room and stared at the same ceiling. Both pretending they couldn’t hear Pappa arguing with Dad in the hallway.

Both pretending they weren’t crying silently until they fell asleep to Dad accusing Pappa of being a vile and horrible human being.

Pappa didn’t have all the answers.

They learnt that when they were on their second year of highschool and both of their pet bunnies died in the same night. 

Roman had sniffled and stood near the gardendoor as he watched them dig a deep hole all the way at the back of their garden. 

Remus decided that he would be sad about this at night when nobody would see or worry and stood close by Pappa as he put the two bunnies in a shoebox and put it in the hole. Saying they had probably died because of the rat poision Dad had spread across the lawn and that the mice must’ve gotten into their food somehow.

They learnt this when Dad and him had sat them down after breakfast that had strawberries to tell them that sometimes love died and that weddingrings would rust and be put in two seperate homes in two seperate boxes that would never be opened again.

They learnt this the fifth time that Remus came home with bruises and Roman began to listen to darker music and emote less dramatically. Unlearning all the expressions he’d picked up from those animated childrens series they weren’t allowed to watch but watched them anyways. He faked having imagined a happy place when the woman that was supposed to help them through the divorce told him to invision one. Instead invisioning Remus, and how he should have punched the guy that had made him drop his books the moment he saw it happening.

Pappa was  a human being.

They realised this more clearly than ever when he’d found out why Remus only wore long sleeves and got sent to therapy after their Pappa had hysterically cried over it and begged his son not to leave them before he could grow old.

When Roman stared at the ceiling after he’d taken 14 paracetamol and googling how many it would take to leave them before he could grow old, only to find that he would probably be fine and go to school the next day feeling as empty as usual. Pappa had yelled at him when he had gotten back to be more careful and not get invloved with his brothers troubles after he’d shown off the scratched shoulder from where he’d been thrown against a fence when he'd tried to stand up for him.

And when Remus got diagnosed with dyslexia and Roman with depression they said nothing. Roman shaking his head when the doctor suggested therapy and Remus sitting quietly as they explained that he might have adhd aswell.

Their father wasn't perfect.

They learnt this when Remus came back from school with a black eye and a failed math test and the test was all that was focused on. Shouting not unlike the one they'd heard all those years ago when love began to die and rings began to rust booming through the house and piercing through the music Roman was listening to in his room. A bottle cap with water falling off his desk and the little growing plant in it falling with it.

They learnt this when Roman said he was asexual aromantic and their father said that he should consider therapy again because surely that couldn't be normal.

And when Roman told him that maybe they weren't normal he'd been send to his room. Doors slamming shut and noises too loud for Remus to process.

-

Their father was wrong sometimes.

They realised this when Remus first brought a friend home and jokes about countries the kid wasn't from were made around the otherwise uncomfortably quiet dinner table. And when religion was brought up in a house full of atheists Remus stood and took his friend's hand, saying that they'd eat something at a foodtruck and storming of, leaving Roman to feed little stripes of unseasoned meat to the cat.

-

Their father was bad sometimes.

They learned this when the both of them started college and the racist microagressions turned into jokes about how they'd never make it since they were both going to art schools.

And when Remus showed him his homemade costume he huffed and said it looked great in a tone that Implied anything but. And when Roman showed him the finished piece he'd worked months on he said it looked nice even if it had mistakes while pointing at every single one of them while his son, hands still stained with markers and pencil smudges, gave a watery smile and the artwork was put in a art map to never be looked at again.

Their father wasn't good for them.

They realised this. Finally realised this, when Remus was twenty and had decided to move out, getting a small apartment would have been to expensive had his brother not eagerly asked him if he could come with him.

And they told their father while their bags were already packed and the rent was already payed.

And their neighbours registered a noise complained and whispered about calling childservices when their father started another screaming match to tell them how much he didn't want them to leave and how they wouldn't make it.

And they painted the walls mint green while Roman painted a mural around the spot where their couch would be.

And they ate lukewarm noodles from the plastic canisters while sat on the empty apartment floor.

And Roman bought a dozen succulents to take care of and make it feel more like home.

And the wall was always covered in outfit designs and storyboards as the jar they had put the sticker 'for a couch' on slowly filled up.

And they still send him Christmas cards but didn't plan on visiting that house for a long long time.

And their father would have killed them for the mess they made of the apartment sometimes.

And they preferred it that way.

-

This is both an extremely specific vent and goes out to all the kids with complicated relationships with their parents.

You're allowed to not like your caretakers. You're allowed to not want contact with them after you've moved on. You're allowed to think how they treated you was unjust because it probably was.

-

-

Taglist

@purp-man @crazycookie13o @deceitifullies101 @sapphire-knight @ragingdumpsterfiremess @chronophobica @lance-alt @mylifeisadeceit

[cesabutterflywrites]

“Marry me.” Moceit or intruality (whichever you want)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN! SEND PROMPTS!

Word Count:  996

Notes: Self-doubt, insecure thoughts 

Remus was never scared. Why should he be? He was the one who inflicted fear to others, whether on purpose or not. He was the one always  in control. He was chaotic, spontaneous- he never planned ahead.

That is, until he met the first person who he wanted to protect from everything, including himself. The one who captured his ugly heart. Patton was the opposite of everything Remus represented. He was fun, he was personable, likable. He was so beautiful. He saw life through rose-colored glasses. Well, figuratively.

Remus fidgeted with his green light up fidget spinner. He felt the small box in his pocket was a weight. Not pulling him down, God no, Patton was never pulling him down. That was everyone else. Everyone else thought of him as lesser than. Rough, horrid, ugly- he learned in early childhood to embrace the image in order to never be hurt. Can’t be disappointed if everything about you is horribly unpleasant

Then he met Patton. God, Patton, he lifted Remus up on a pedestal that hurt at first. Patton had infinite patience. Remus used to lash out. He’d accuse, he’d scream, he’d resist-yet Patton pushed through. Patton put aside his discomfort. He stayed up with Remus every night. He withstood Remus’ ugly nature. He found the monster that Remus thought of himself as, endearing.

The best part, the part that Remus loved most? Patton never expected a change. He never wanted Remus to be normal. Never asked Remus to tone it down. He only wanted to soothe the pain of rejection that stabbed at Remus’ heart at two in the morning. He looked at Remus as if he were the moon. That adoration is what drove Remus to the decision to propose. 

He got to the park where he had planned to meet up with his boyfriend.He started setting up what he needed. The setting needed to be better than what Patton ever dreamed of. Remus had planned ahead. Nothing could go wrong. 

He was done setting up when he saw Patton making his way up the path. His brunet hair shined in the light of the setting sun. He looked so beautiful; his face was painted with orange and pink hues, accenting his freckles the best. His shoulders were adorned with the cat hoodie he had been wearing when they first met. His crooked smile reflected to Remus what he could never be-beautiful.

Patton set the picnic basket he had in his arms down gentle before jumping into Remus’ arms.  He peppered kisses all over Remus’ face, causing them both to laugh. Remus held onto the shorter man after they calmed down. Patton giggled, then must have sensed that Remus was off. 

“Mus? What’s wrong, my love?” Patton asked, pulling away with concern. 

Remus laughed, a nervous edge bordering on hysteria lacing his voice. “Nothing, Sugar! I just feel extra happy to see you.” 

“Oh, I’m happy to see you too,” Patton sighed in relief. “Wanna sit? I haven’t eaten in a bit.”

Patton sat down, then looked up at Remus in bewilderment. “You gonna sit and eat?”

“Yes, I just need to do something first.”

Patton tilted his head, still smiling but confusion decorated all over his face. He was so adorable. Remus smiled back, a surge of confidence in his body. He could do this. 

He didn’t want to waste time with fancy words. He had the rest of their lives to do so. With no more hesitation, he pulled the ring box out of his pocket, and knelt on his knee. Patton’s eyes instantly welled with tears as he cupped his hand over his mouth to cover a gasp of shock. 

“Marry me.” Remus requested, simple. All of the chaos in his mind and body cleared enough to know for certain this is what he wanted. 

Patton sat there, crying into his hand. It wasn’t a no. It couldn’t be. 

“…Say something, please.” Remus felt blood roaring into his head. He couldn’t have messed this up. Everything else could be destroyed at his hands except his relationship with Patton. 

Doubt succeeded in clouding his vision. Or were those tears? Most likely, both, and he slowly set the box down. He was about to curl into himself when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He looked up, and teary eyes met teary eyes, then smiling lips met surprised lips. They embraced, and Remus felt the weight of doubt start to climb off of his chest. 

“Of course,” Patton sniffled with a watery smile, “Of course I will. Why wouldn’t I? You are so perfect to me, Remus.” 

Remus felt secure in that opinion. Patton was the only direction he was sure of, he needed to know if the other man felt the same. 

“Are you sure?” he let his voice drip with vulnerability. 

Patton picked up the ring box, opened it, and smiled. It was a gold ring, and instead of a diamond there was an emerald encrusted octopus. 

“It’s perfect,” Patton whispered in reverence as he put it on. “Just like you.”

Smiled, happy that the one he chose was the right one. “I love you. I’d be lost without you.” 

Patton smiled brightly, holding his hand out to see the ring glitter in the sunset. The warm summer breeze just accentuated the perfection of the moment. Patton leaned into Remus’ chest. Remus automatically started stroking his fiance’s hair. 

“I just realized something,” Remus remarked, “This is the only good thing I’ve done that hasn’t involved fake blood, dick jokes, trash, or a rat army.” 

Patton snorted, sat up, and crawled over to the picnic basket. He gave Remus his egg salad sandwich, and held his own cheese and bologna up. “I propose a toast, to the first day of Remus finally being tied down!”

Remus mock-toasted, smiling at the pun. They watched the sun set, content in each other’s space. Remus felt, for the first time in his life, stable. 

-

-

-

-

Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist for any ship!