#Ooooh i can't wait to see WHICH slice of time this is

[completeoveranalysis]

[9]

Oh!! That hasn’t happened before either! The poor bean!

Is that because of the enormous strain of travelling to THIS world in particular, as cut off and protected as it is? The same strain that Yuuko was under in performing this task?

Or is that just IT for a while? Is Mokona out of travel juice (either temporarily or permanently…?) as another signifier of the stakes? That there’s no escape from here, and no help from the outside. That there’s no way out of this whatsoever.

OOF and Mokona even has to ask if she did it correctly. Thank goodness Lava Lamp can confirm it for her, she deserves to know she did a good job! <3

Aaaaand here we are at the Kingdom of Clow! Curiously, a version of the Kingdom of Clow where the ruins still appear to be partially buried - or at least it looks like it from here. Is that just because we’re far away, or is it a signifier that the piece of time we’re in is entirely separate from anything our characters have touched? A world beyond anything Syaoran achieved with his excavation even before we started the series? Completely outside of anything we as readers have ever had the chance to see. 

Then again perhaps I'm jumping the gun and it's completely fine once we get closer. Either way I love the visual!

And... OH. OH FINAL PAGE. END OF CHAPTER.

Whole chapter just to get here! Whole chapter well spent!

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 038: A Nova-stic Mystery (ASM 171, Nova v1 12)

MASTERPOST

Ooooh! Another murder mystery! Come along, let's figure this out, unlike last time.

So Nova, aka Rich Rider, goes to see his uncle, but he learns at the train station that the latter has been abducted by a being named Photon.

There's at least two reasons to not believe this Jason Dean. First off, we don't have proof (yet) that anything he says is true. Secondly... look at the clock in the upper middle panel. 2:15. Now look...

Wait... Huh?

See, the clock is very clearly put at the forefront here. But I read it as 3:30, not 2:30... But if Rich says it's 2:30... Okay, let's assume so. The drawing isn't clear, but let's believe it. My theory was that 1 hour and 15 minutes was enough to kill Rich's uncle and clean the crime scene, but I guess this is moot.

The police chief, Rich and Jason Dean go back to the house.

Well, that's certainly not suspicious at all!

What the heck are you doing here, tiger?

Turns out Connors recommended him to check out the uncle's library, and so Peter did. Photon appeared quickly after they talked for a bit.

They also make a special point to emphasize that the uncle was fond of wordplay and especially anagrams. Hm.

Rich calls his dad to explain the situation to him. When he returns to the parlor, Daze says he's still dazed (but call him Happy!) and Rich decides to change into his super-hero self, Nova.

Anyway, Spider-Man gets in his suit and spots someone running away. They fight, and the man lets out that he's happy that the uncle died. Oooh!

Nova spots Spidey and they have a little confrontation.

They get better.

Turns out the strange man was the uncle's lab assistant!

...Wait wait wait wait.

The next page involves the characters talking to each other and using their names... Anagrams.

For reasons hopefully clear enough, we won't include Peter in this little game.

I have no experience trying anagrams. Normal font: my attempt. Bold: The computer!

Harry Daze: Dear [Rahzy]. Solver inconclusive. Michael Lincoln: Nonchemical, conman Jason Dean: Solver inconclusive. Franklin Risk: Solver inconclusive.

... I'm bad at it, but I feel like Lincoln is the most probably culprit if there's truly a wordplay at bay... Although my solver only searched for singular words.

Let's continue.

Rider, aka the uncle, screamed at 2:25? Jason Dean met Photon at 15, so is it really possible? He arrives at the train station at 30...

Hmm, this is suspicious, but still. The butler suddenly interrupts them, then the suspicious Harry Daze "excuses himself". HMM.

Everyone leaves Nova and Peter alone, and then Photon is back! He declares that one of them saw Photon's true identity. Hmm, really?

What. It feels just as messy as a Murder, She Wrote plot.

I feel like it must be Daze, so that means I'm probably wrong.

Or not?

Time for another discussion! It becomes more and more clear that everybody wanted the uncle's research results for their own evil deeds--A.I.M., the maggia...

Well, who can it be?

Suddenly, the light switch is turned off! When it's back on, the police chief reveals that the butler died before saying who was the culprit. How convenient!

That's a fun way to do it!

And I'm not sure at this point. So let's check out ASM, shall we?

Hmm.

If everybody had disappeared, does it mean that they're all the culprit? Obviously, none of them wants bad press, but they may all be accomplices...

As he leaves to catch them, Nova thinks about the fact that the police chief left out a lot of things in his reports, notably the ties of each character to bad business, which I did notice, but can't quite decide on the meaning. I don't see how he could have killed the uncle if he's the police chief and was at his station the whole time. But he might have a lot of interest in keeping the ties to himself, if he wants to manipulate them later...

MEANWHILE: SLICE OF LIFE!

"I'd sooner die than put the woman I love in danger" HA. HA. HA. Oboy.

That man who wants to confront her, though... Could it be her brother? Raxton? The Molten Man? He's the one that immediately comes to mind. And the get up and footprints also seem to indicate as much.

The bad guys are all gathered in the lighthouse by the coast. Franklin Risk reveals he's the one who pulled the plug back at the house, as he wants to do business with those men.

The "Ms. Marvel" mentioned is Carol Danvers, by the way. Oh, I'm going to see The Marvels in a few hours actually! I'll tell y'all how it was. (Update: It was fun!)

Anyway, Spidey and Nova pay everyone a visit, but they're captured by Photon (and obviously, the suspects have disappeared).

The heroes escape and decide to recap what happened AGAIN. Dear Lord.

Yeah, I noticed the "shot" thing but wondered if it was just a script mistake. Spidey says Dean should have arrived quicker. I don't know. I did notice they said it was a miles away, but you know. Panic. Old vehicles. That kind of stuff.

So everybody gets back to the uncle's house...

Pretty panel.

Rich's dad arrived there! He's taken as hostage by Photon, but Nova jumps around everywhere and knocks Photon down.

OH MY FUCKING GOD. I KNEW IT. I KNEW THE CALENDARS WERE IMPORTANT. I KNEW THEY WAS LINKED TO THE ANAGRAM THING. I EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT DOING THAT EXACT THING.

But I just forgot about it. Oh my Goooooooooooooooooood...

So, I think it was an alright duo of issues, but the plot loses his way around its second half. It introduces too many motives, too many mishaps, a lot of empty talks... And it turns the clues used to discover the culprit's identity were things that showed up in the first three pages of this 40 pages story. I can see the scenarists having the basic clues figured out and needing to fill the rest to get the page quota. How disappointing! Well, it was still fun to try and figure out, and I do like the last clue.

The readers page tell us that WOTW was a popular character, and he came from one of Len Wein's fanzines. That's nice to know! Apparently, Marv Wolfman and Mark Hannerfeld begged him to include the character.

In the next post: White Tiger in SSM! I know her from Marvel Snap, the card game on mobile that has banger music. After that, Hitman's return (which no one asked for) in ASM, mystery villains in SSM, and finally, the Green Goblin's return in ASM to close this run!

I'll reserve my judgment for when I finish it, but so far, it's been sadly unsatisfying. The long plots are very intriguing and interesting, but the individual issues, not so much. I wonder how I'll even deal with that in my Recommendation post...

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

DOTW 50 - Update coz I can't remember if I posted this before falling asleep last night

Levi wasn't sure if he'd done something wrong again or not. Eren had been off since they'd come back from the festival. He'd nearly forgotten his had earned rabbit in the Ferris wheel cart as it was, and then was in complete daze on the drive home. Arriving home, his boyfriend had disappeared into the bathroom, coming out showered and changed, ready for bed... in his own room... It'd fucking sucked for the alpha. He wanted to spend every single second he could with Eren, before he started back at work. But it hadn't worked out like that. Eren was busy rereading his "school" books, and not nearly as cuddly as he'd been, right up to the day of him returning to work. Starting work again was exhausting. It felt weird being out of his apartment. All his instincts screamed to stay home with Eren, even with the shit new suppressants he was on. Both he and his secondary dynamic just wanted to be there with Eren incase he needed anything, especially after his last ultrasound. Eren had had a rather spectacular meltdown when they'd gotten back to the safety of his car. Ovarian cysts weren't exactly uncommon, but Eren had freaked out over it. His mate leaping to the conclusion something was majorly wrong with him, apologising on repeat until he'd finally passed out. He hadn't listened to his obstetrician explain nothing was wrong with the pup, and that they were already monitoring him due to the excess amniotic fluid he was carrying. The cyst was noted, but given its size it should cause any worries, or cause any complications if Eren opted to have a natural birth. Part of the problem was that his omega was just freaking out as his dynamic slowly returned to playing an active role in Eren's mentality. The suppressants finally wearing off enough that Levi was being constantly flooded by his lover's pheromones. Not that he minded at all... his debit card on the other hand... he'd gotten a little carried away buying presents for his expecting mate. He'd shopped up a storm buying Eren books, clothes, blankets and pillows. Anything and everything he could think of to keep Eren preoccupied while stuck at home. They'd also talked about finally revealing his pregnancy to Hanji. With things going well with the pup, Levi didn't see why they should hide it, not when he was so fucking proud. The fridge was covered in copies of photos Eren's growing stomach, having used his lover's phone as he slept to forward every single one to him. His pup wasn't even here yet and he fucking adored it. Which brought them up to the current issue they were having. The spare room. Eren insisted that he didn't need to push himself to get rid of Isabel and Farlan's things... So some how, a month had passed since he'd first suggested the idea. He knew he could just go ahead and do everything alone, he just... he wanted to organise things with Eren. He wanted to tell him more about Isabel and Farlan, and to plan their nursery together. He didn't understand why Eren kept shooting the idea down. Ever since they'd bonded, he'd found himself more in tune with Eren. He could almost feel his mate's emotions, but when it came to the nursery, his mate was distant. He didn't know what was causing it, all he could think it was as Mike had mentioned, Eren's omega wasn't bonding properly with his pup, and causing him to "reject" it. Eren didn't deserve to feel that way, not when he'd so desperately wanted this pup. In an attempt to make his boyfriend happy, Levi had stopped by a florist on the way home from work, picking up a huge bouquet of bright flowers that he was assured were cat safe. He'd also picked up a few different cake slices from the bakery near home, and extra chocolate. It'd made him nearly an hour late returning home, but hoped would all be forgiven when Eren saw why. Letting himself into their apartment, Eren was sleeping on the sofa. The blankets having slipped from his lap, exposing his swollen stomach. Curled up on top, Titan looked up at him smugly, the fat feline having formed an obsession with sleeping on Eren's stomach. It was rather cute. Eren couldn't even brush his teeth in the morning without Titan jumping up onto the counter and nuzzling into his swell. Since Eren's omega had started to return, it seemed like Titan was more excited over the pregnancy than Eren. Placing his gifts down on the coffee table, Levi backtracked to make sure the door was locked properly, then headed off to shower. He'd forgotten how nauseating the smell of other alphas could be, though funnily enough, Eren didn't seem to mind or care when he came covered in the scents of others. Showering quickly, he towelled off and dressed in sweats with one of Eren's shirts. Moving to sit on the floor, next to the sofa, he ruffled Eren's hair lovingly. His omega sighing softly in his sleep "Hey, brat. I'm home. How do you feel?" "Sick" "You don't feel well?" "Headache" Kissing Eren's cheek, his boyfriend swatted at him "Let me sleep" "Are you sure? I brought you home a present" "Fuck. I said, let me sleep" No mistaking that. Kissing his cheek again, Levi tried not to let the fact it bothered him show "Ok. I'm going to make us dinner" "Just go away" So what? When he wanted attention, it was just tough shit? Fuck. No. He wasn't going to get mad. He'd cook dinner, than he and Eren would talk. Levi had only just pulled the pasta out the pantry when his phone started to ring. Hanji's name repeating until he jogged over and snatched up his phone. Groaning, Eren covered his face with the cushion he was using as a pillow, not happy over being disturbed... and probably less happy about the apartment lights being turned on, his lover had fallen asleep with just the TV playing. Sliding his thumb over the screen, he answered Hanji's call, not putting the device to his ear until he was back in the kitchen "Levi?! Are you even listening to me?" "Sorry. What?" "I was congratulating you. Why didn't you tell me Eren was pregnant? How far along is he? He can't be that far, he hasn't mentioned it before. How's he doing? I bet he's suuuuuper excited" "Hold on, Shitty Glasses. One step at a time. Eren told you?" "He put it up on Facebook..." So they were telling everyone then? "Levi? Are you ok?" "What? I'm fine. I just got home from work" "I thought you'd be excited" "I am" "You don't sound happy. Oh, no. Don't tell me you two are fighting?" "No. Eren's just... having some side effects from the shot they gave him in Karanes. They fucking dosed him with a normal suppressant" "Why would that have an effect? Hang on. How far along is he?" "Just over 18 weeks" Hanji screeched through the phone, Levi growling as he was forced to swap the phone over to his other ear "18 weeks! Why didn't you tell me?! Is it yours?" "He wanted to keep it to himself until he knew everything was alright with the pup, and who the fuck else's was it going to be?!" "Is he? Is everything ok? I tried calling, but he didn't answer" "He's not happy, and he's taking a nap at the moment" "Not happy? I thought he'd be thrilled" "His omega. It was suppressed remember. It's taking him a while to readjust and he's been off for the last fortnight. He told me off for waking him from his nap" "I'm not surprised. My poor, Honey. Sooooo. A pup?" "Yeah. Big and healthy. He's got a cyst on an ovary, and extra fluid, but both have been noted. Other than that, it's really his omega. It's still going to take a few more weeks for the suppressant to wear off completely" "He probably feels like shit, and he probably can't help being so moody. You know what he's like" "Yeah. He gets mad, gets upset and then feels like shit for it all. It's just hard. He was so keen to do the nursery, and now he's doing everything in his power to avoid it" "Can I help?" "No. I've ordered him a few things, so when they come, they should help take his mind off things. Until then, I guess I'm stuck with a pregnant omega who doesn't want anything to do with me" He timed that perfectly. Eren climbing off the sofa and running to his room. The way he slammed the door sent Titan flying into the kitchen, while Levi sighed heavily "Levi?" "Eren heard me. He's just fled into his room" "Oh..." "Is that all you've got?" "I don't know what to say. He's obviously hurting" "No fucking shit. I brought home flowers, cake and chocolate and he didn't give two fucks" "Try not to take it too personally. Like you said, he doesn't really mean it" "It's still hard... I... we've just bonded and now it feels like he regrets it" "He doesn't regret it. You know how long he's waited to bond with you" "Yeah, well I was going to fucking propose first, but..." Levi winced as Hanji screeched again "You were going to propose?!" "Before bonding, so he'd get used to the idea of us being together before bonding with him. But I went and fucked that up" "Ooooh. Do you think he knows you were going to? Is that why he's mad?" "I don't see how he could... the ring is hidden" "Is it hidden, or is it Levi hidden?" "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" "That you've lived alone so long, you haven't needed to really hide anything away. Anyway. I have to go, but if you need me to come over, let me know. Or if Eren wants to come stay, I wouldn't mind. It'd be great experience for him" "I'll keep it in mind" Ending the call, he felt better for having talked to Hanji. Even if Eren was upset at him, he hadn't known how much he needed to get everything off his chest. Even if it was to Hanji, rather than Erwin. Levi went ahead and made dinner for them, he could Eren crying in his room, but he forced himself not to go to him. He wanted to give Eren a chance to organise his own thoughts... and he felt guilty as fuck. Eren had missed the whole of the rest of the conversation, or maybe he just didn't care? Leaving both plates of chicken and pasta on the bench, Levi headed to Eren's door, knocking lightly before trying the handle. He'd thought it would be locked, but reddit gave under his hold. With the suppressants waning, Eren's whole room stank of distress, with after notes of rejection. He wasn't going through that bullshit again. The bonding mark on his neck throbbed in response to his mate's rejection "Brat..." "G-go away" Hidden under his blankets, only tufts of brown hair was visible. From the looks of his room, Eren was trying to nest. Items of their clothing had made it into the organised chaos, even his missing spare work jacket. Knowing better than to ruin Eren's attempted nest, he was careful to climb over the side and up to his boyfriend, pulling back the blankets enough to reveal Eren's pale face "Oh, Eren. Hey. It's ok, I'm here" Reaching out for him, Levi cursed himself. Eren had scratched at his arms. He'd fucked up by giving him space. Lifting his boyfriend up to sit, he took Eren's hands in his "L-Levi... What's wrong with me?!" He had to play this one carefully, but at least with Eren thinking he was mad at him had gotten him to talk. Once again, he'd been so concerned about Eren's needs and need for space, he hadn't pushed him when he really should have. No. The reality was, that he was running again. It was easier to say Eren was in the wrong, rather than risk talking to him and being yelled at. His omega might not be the same omega he'd met, but after everything, Eren always picked himself back up. He should have fucking known. He should have fucking tried harder. Why was it that Eren reduced him to spineless coward without saying a word "Nothing. Nothing's wrong with you..." "Then why don't I want our pup, anymore?! Why am I so angry with you?! I don't know what's happening anymore" "It's not you. It's your omega" "My omega is me... and you're stuck with me" "I didn't mean it like that. I was talking to Hanji. She's really excited for us. She said she saw your online post" Eren wasn't having it. His lover's scent replacing it's hints of rejection with pure anger "Why can't I be excited for us?! I was so happy!" "Eren, it's because they gave you the wrong kind of suppressant. We've talked about this. Your omega is coming back, and it's going to take some time to get your head around it" "You don't get it! I want to want you... but I feel so angry all the time... I deserve this..." His mate's words faded into a mumble, Eren drawing his knees up to cross his legs, then becoming very interested in his green blanket "No. No, you don't. Why didn't you talk to me?" "Because what was I supposed to say? You're under so much stress and you've only just gone back to work. I want to be strong. I want to be reliable. I can't say that I don't want this pup? I'm angry because we bonded before you even proposed? That I hate myself and now that my omega's coming back... I feel so fucking guilty, Levi... I... I wasn't supposed to survive. People died again... and Floch can't tell me anything" Floch? What the fuck did he have to do with anything? And people dying? He'd... sort of figured... "What does that even mean? That you weren't supposed to survive?" Eren shook his head, letting out a small huff "I... just... I'm not ok, am I? Why am I so mad at you...?" "I don't know. But, I've spent the last two weeks trying to figure it out" "I'm an arsehole. Why can't we go back in time? Before everything happened?" "Because it doesn't work like that" "I... don't hate you... I'm just sorry you're stuck with someone like me" "I'm happy to be stuck with someone like you" "What... what does it mean? Y-you called me that on the Ferris wheel..." "Have you been worried about that?" "Y-yes" "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything bad by it. I just meant, you're the most amazing omega I've ever met. Even if you were wearing gold shorts when I met you" "I miss dancing. I guess I'm never going to dance again" "Becoming a mother doesn't mean that you won't dance again" "Not like that" "Do you miss it?" Eren nodded sadly, his scent changing back to rotten fruit again, with hints of exhaustion "More than you could know... I think I want to sleep now. I don't feel good" "You said you had a headache?" "I did?" "I tried to wake you up when I came home. You told me to go away" "I'm sorry. I don't mean it... I don't want to be mean to you... anyone but you" "It's ok. You're going through a lot of scary changes right now" "It's never ok to be mean to you" "I'm an alpha, I've got thick skin" "We both know you're a big softy" "Only for you. Let me clean your arms, then you can sleep off your headache" "Sorry... I don't know if I can handle it" Levi momentarily felt like a kicked puppy, forcing his face to remain neutral as he nodded "If I bring everything in, will you do it?" "Maybe... I hate this, Levi. I hate all of this" "It'll get better as your hormones balance out and your omega settles. I really wish you hadn't scratched" "I feel dirty" "You're not dirty. I'll be right back" Eren did as he asked, rubbing antiseptic cream on his arms, but he didn't want to dress them. Letting his omega curl back up, Eren was soon asleep again. For now, the nursery would have to wait. He'd expected some kind of self hatred from Eren, given how upset the omega would get over something as small as gaining a kilo or two... He'd even expected the rejection of the pup, but to hear he hated it... He couldn't fucking take it. Dinner no longer seemed appetising, so for the time since Eren returned home, he pulled out the scotch. He'd found it in the spare room, after thinking he'd rid his apartment completely of alcohol. Now he was glad it'd been hidden away. Pouring himself a double shot, he nursed the drink in one hand, while cleaning up Eren's surprises. The flowers naturally didn't need to be refrigerated, but the cake was in danger from Titan. It blew his mind to think Eren could possibly hate the life they'd created within him. Especially are the pregnancy scare. It wasn't fair on his omega. Nor was it fair that Eren had seen more people die... not that he was sure he understood that... Floch seemed to know what was going on... Maybe he could call him? Let him know Eren wasn't doing so great and that he really needed answers or something... It was so fucking hard to know just what his omega needed. * Laying on his bed, Eren was rubbing his stomach. He couldn't quite believe he was pregnant. He and Levi had both wanted a pup so badly, and now... Now they were going to be parents. When his father had done the tests, he'd thought he was just sick from the amount of stress he was under. He'd been spotting blood, and all it took was the slightest movement to make him want to vomit. It was the happiest moment of his life... until he realised he was living in an organ farm. His father had been scared, destroying the test and test results, and banning him from mentioning it, then pumping him full off injections that he was too sick to fight off. He'd even offered him an abortion, almost forced it on him when he said no. He wasn't about to sacrifice his pup, not after everything he and Levi went through when his tests had been negative. He was already in love with it... He didn't care what his father said he wasn't about to talk. It wasn't like had anyone to talk to anyway. He didn't want to make friends. He was allowed to talk to his father's patients and that was it. Which was limiting with no voice. Sign language was fun in a way, but he struggled with even basic letters. His father losing patience with him from time to time, leaving him cowering in fear. Certain that one day he was going to hurt for not being the smart and perfect alpha son the man had wanted. He'd only known for a couple of weeks when his father woke him in the middle of the night. He had no idea what was happening, only that his dad was covered in blood and babbling like a mad man. Eren's heart was racing as he rushed to dress, begging his dad to tell him what was wrong. Dragged over to the door, he didn't even think to question why it wasn't locked... instead he hurried through the house thing they were living in, his father finding a knife from somewhere and pressing it into his hand. Reaching the centre courtyard, the main research building was on fire. Scared omega's huddled together "Eren, they know about your baby. We need to get you out of here" His father tried to pull him along, but Eren dug his heels in. Dropping the knife so he could angrily sign "We need to get them all out of here" "We don't have time" "I'm not fucking leaving them! I'm not you! I don't kill innocent people" His father looked to the other omegas "Alright. Alright, there's a way..." Snatching up the knife, his father took off in a jog towards the omegas. Getting hysterical omega's and children to be quiet was impossible. The black smoke in the air stung at Eren's eyes, making him hack and retch from chemical smell in the air. Trying to lead them, his father was bringing up the rear. That was when a pack of alphas came out of nowhere. Screaming at them, the omega's ran on, while Eren ran towards his father. He didn't know why his feet didn't carry him the other way, only that seeing them chasing the others made him fucking furious, and seeing them without the backup of the compound... He felt strong. These men wanted to hurt his pup and there was no way he was letting that happen. As one of the alphas pulled a gun on his father, another grabbed him from behind. He didn't even think twice as he jumped onto the back of the large man, the knife he was holding sliding into the alpha easily as he let out a feral growl. The stabbed alpha roared, releasing his father and staggering as Eren released his hold, pulling the knife from him and driving it into his back. The other alphas were yelling at him. Even his father was yelling at him. He didn't see how the man got the gun from the alpha he stabbed, but his father shot three of the four remaining alphas, before their leader shot him. Screaming in rage, he tried to start forward, but his father tired again. Hitting the man in the leg and dropping him down. Shooting the man again, his father looked to him to coldly. Not even phased by what had happened. Blood rushed to cover his white sweater, his knees going weak as Eren rushed to grab him before he hit the ground "Eren. You need to run" Shaking his head, he didn't want to hear it "Yes. I've taken care of them... they won't come after you if you get away from here. Not now..." Eren kept shaking his head "I deserve this. Let me do this" No. He didn't fucking forgive him and he didn't get to die like this... "Eren, I'm bleeding out. If they catch you, they can start this all over again. Your baby is perfectly healthy. You and Levi can build a family, but you have to run" He had no right talking about family! "Y-your mum... she wanted to stay and fight. She didn't understand. She didn't understand what they made me do. She didn't understand when I wanted to send you away. I didn't mean to kill her. They were going to come after all of us. And if they caught us, death would have been the least of your worries... When I shot her... I wasn't thinking straight. I thought if she was going to die, I should be the one to kill her. But you... you need to run and don't look back" Hearing a snap, his head shot up "There's a fence, they're running towards a fence. If you can get over the fence, you're free" That didn't work for pregnant omega's or the small children. He needed to get to them to help... "Go, Eren" He fucking hated his father and couldn't forgive him for his mother. Looking at the pathetic shell of man, he turned and ran. He was going home to Levi. This was the closest to an escape he'd gotten, because his piece of shit father had given him an opening. Used his pregnancy as an excuse to kill. He'd never be like his father. Running, he found the fence. Omega's were helping other omega's climb. Turning back towards the way he came, he saw Bertholdt running towards them. Again, his feet carried him forward, running at the alpha. Bertholdt had fucking killed Zeke. Had bashed the shit out of Levi and threatened to kill him. He didn't give two shits what the man did to him, but Levi. No one touched his fucking alpha. Charging the alpha like a mad man, he grappled him around the waist as he blindly tried to stab at the same time. Thrown to the ground, Bertholdt snarled, while Eren verged on being feral. All the could think about was protecting his pup and getting back to Levi. Rolling and picking himself up, he charged the alpha again. Lashing out with the knife, he slice deeply into Bertholdt's arm, Bertholdt answering by punching him in the face. He'd never imagined being able to overpower the alpha, but driven by pure rage, he somehow did, straddling Bertholdt's lap as he stabbed downwards. Drenched in blood, Eren realised what he done. Climbing off Bertholdt, the alpha was still breathing. Looking over his shoulder to the fence, the omegas and children that couldn't go over. Had somehow gotten the fence up enough to go under. Turning, his ankle was grabbed. Trying to kick Bertholdt off, his shoe came loose. It was some kind of impractical sandal thing. Taking off the moment his shoe snapped, he reached the fence and started climbing. Too scared to let the knife go... not when Reiner could still be out there. He made it a little over halfway before his ankle was grabbed again, Bertholdt howling as his fingers closed with a vice like grip. Kicking down, Eren clung to the fence hard enough he felt the metal digging in, and heard himself crying out in pain. Fighting him the best he could, the alpha's nose crunched as his heel came into contact with his face. Kicking him again, Bertholdt grabbed him by the other ankle, Eren screaming as his body was stretched against his will. He wasn't going back there. He wasn't going to be locked in that dark room for being bad. He wasn't going to watch his father come back covered in blood and know another omega had been butchered. He was going home to Levi! Yelping as Bertholdt tried to climb up him, Eren forced his left hand to let go of the fence, swinging and waving the knife like a mad man. Screaming at him to let him go. If Bertholdt pulled him down, it was all over. They take his pup and butcher it. They'd make him watch and kill him... He fought. His hand cut open on the metal fence that was scratching at his chest. He couldn't reach Bertholdt, but it was enough to make him pause. Hearing Reiner scream his name in the background, he felt like another burst of strength hit, or maybe Bertholdt was distracted by his mate. Releasing him just enough, Eren got his left ankle free, driving his foot into Bertholdt's face. The alpha howling as his heel connected with his eye socket. Releasing his right ankle, Eren nearly fell from the sudden release and shift in balance... And he fucking took his chance, scaling then fence and catching his shirt as he did. The thin flimsy fabric did nothing to protect him anyway. It tore so easily when it caught on a stray piece of barbed wire. Another omega had stolen a blanket from somewhere, but in his hurry, he scaled the bit that wasn't covered. Dropping to the other side of the fence, Reiner was screaming at him. His hands covered in blood as Bertholdt bled out in his arms. He didn't regret it. He knew he should. But because of him, he was dirty. He was dirty and Zeke was dead. He'd lost someone he'd loved, even if it'd all been a lie. Zeke had been what he'd needed, and even after betraying him, he still cared more about him than his father who'd just died for him. Holding the knife tighter, he fucking bolted before Reiner could come after him. He didn't even care where he was running. The other omegas all scattering. He didn't know what was going to happen, or what would happen if anyone found him. He just knew he wasn't going to let anyone stop him from getting back to Levi. * Levi had dozed off the sofa when Eren's screaming woke him. Screaming to be let go, it sounded like he was having the worst fucking nightmare to date. The pain and panic in Eren's voice, causing his chest to tighten as he rushed into his mate's room. Eren was thrashing and fighting whoever was in his nightmare, his nest half destroyed as he screamed. Rushing up and onto the bed, his lover's fought him as he tried to shake Eren awake "Eren!" Yelling his name, Eren's body arched up under him, his omega howling in what Levi could only describe as misery "Eren! You need to wake up!" Shaking him harder, Eren sucked in a huge breath, shooting up under him, before dropping back down and whimpering "Eren... Hey. Hey. It was just a dream..." Releasing his shoulders, Eren rolled away from him, curling into a ball as he his whole form continued to shake. Reaching over, Levi flicked the lamp on, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them and releasing it. His boyfriend had pissed his bed. His pyjama bottoms soaked through, as were the sheets and blankets of the nest "Eren" "Leave m-me alone" "I can't do that..." His omega's voice was scratchy from his screams. How he hadn't woken himself, Levi didn't know. Placing his hand on Eren's shoulder, Eren whimpered "You're alright. You're safe now. It was just a dream" "I... it wasn't just a dream!" "Just now, you were having a nightmare. Was it your mum? Or Zeke?" "I killed someone... I think I killed him..." "Eren..." "Stop saying my name! Just stop!" "Eren, I'm here. I love you" "Didn't you hear me... I kill someone" "You..." No. He needed Eren to calm down enough to listen to him "Eren. I know how that feels" "H-how could you?" "I've lost so many many people" "P-people you were trying to save" "And people who begged for help, only for us to be there as they died... It fucking sucks" "I just wanted to come home to you. That's all I wanted" "You made it home. You're home with me... come here" Rolling Eren back, he stroked his mate's hair as he took his cheek into his hold with his other hand "P-people died" "I'm sorry you had to go through that" "D-dad... he k-killed them" Levi swallowed down his shock "Your father?" "H-he was alive. All this time... but he died!" Sobbing in earnest, the nightmare had shaken Eren up enough to talk a little more. Levi had to wonder if their earlier conversation had anything to do with it "He died! I hate him! I hate him!" "I know... I know you do" Levi wasn't particularly fond of the man either. Crooning softly, he tried to release as many soothing pheromones as he could, which wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish while on suppressants. Slowly Eren let himself be drawn into his hold, nuzzling his neck softly "You need a shower. Don't worry about the bed, I'll take care of it" "O-ok..." "And don't worry about what happened. If it was that bad, Floch would have told you" "Ok..." Showering his exhausted Eren, Levi had to do all the work. His boyfriend too exhausted to voice any of his needs, wetting himself further as Levi helped him into the shower. It was like he was on autopilot, keeping his eyes closed for the whole process. Drying and dressing him in sweats alone, he carried Eren to their room. Eren might not be able to handle physical contact or welcome his touch, but there was no fucking way he was making Eren sleep in his filthy bed. Making sure he was warm and comfortable, his boyfriend was still awake, yet too tired to move. Retrieving Titan, the fat cat settled up against Eren's stomach "I've got to take care of a few more things, then I'll come to bed. Try not to worry, ok. I'm not mad at you over any of this" Brushing Eren's fringe from his face, he felt a hint of clamminess. The last thing Eren needed was to be getting sick or feverish, especially when he felt so shit. Opting not to sleep, he knew he'd regret it, but his love needed him more than he needed sleep. As he'd feared, Eren spiked one of his stress fevers during the night. His boyfriend mumbling in his sleep, making it hard to go to work the following morning. Calling Erwin for advice, his friend had suggested taking him to the hospital. Levi was 90 percent sure that that would only serve to put more stress on Eren, though he was worried about the pup. He'd hated Eren's fevers before he'd fallen pregnant, so it was understandable that he loathed them now he was. No. Loathed didn't encompass every single fibre of his hate for them. Though, this was Eren's first real fever while pregnant. It was only a few minutes after he'd hung up on Erwin that Hanji called, telling him to take Eren to the ER and she'd stay with him. It wasn't a great plan, but Eren had sweated through his sweats and risked dehydration. Not to mention the stress on his body. Disobeying almost every road rule he could, while driving as safely as possible, Hanji still managed to beat them there. Her, Mike and Nanaba all ready and waiting for them upon arrival. Erwin was there too, just off having a cigarette rather than spending 30 fucking seconds to make sure Eren was going to be ok. Explaining Eren's troubles with his omega and his nightmares, Mike took it all in his stride, while Hanji felt the need to translate despite him knowing exactly what was going on. His anger was poorly contained as he was forced to leave his omega in their hands, the promises of updated doing nothing to reassure him. Anything could happen while he was at work. Eren could suddenly take a turn for the worse, or could miscarry the pup, and he'd be too far away from him to help. It was sorely tempting to tell his boss to go fuck himself, but at the same time, Eren wanted him to be working. They needed the money... Not for the first time since they'd met, was Erwin forced to suffer through a shift filled with Levi's insufferable mood. * Coming off shift, Levi had Erwin drop him at the hospital. Despite the late hour, he was known well enough to be allowed to see his omega. Guided through the ward to Eren's room, his boyfriend was all alone. Connected to both a heart rate monitor and an IV drip, Eren still managed to look peaceful as he slept with his hands on his stomach. Grabbing the visitors chair, Levi carried it closer, setting it down next to Eren's bed before he went about taking his boots off, and retrieving a good dollop of hand sanitiser. The last thing he needed was to make Eren actually sick, not when his boyfriend actually seemed to be getting some real rest. Unable to resist temptation, he leaned in an stole a small kiss, Eren rousing as he did. The smile on his brat's face was equal parts sleepy and dopey "Hey" "Hey. How are you feeling?" "You just missed it. I had another ultrasound" Levi doubted he "just" missed it. It'd probably been hours. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the tucked Eren's hair back behind his ear "Yeah?" "Mmm... He's ok. They were worried he was distressed, but he's ok" "He?" They were due to find the sex out at the next ultrasound... "Mmm... I don't really know. I just think a mini-Levi would be adorable" What was adorable was the small yawn Eren gave while trying to say "adorable" "Did Hanji leave?" "Earlier, Anna was tired so I told her to go. I have to stay for a few days as it is" Mike had mentioned that, but he hadn't been sure if Eren knew, or how much his boyfriend would understand. Smiling softly, he nuzzled into Eren's hair, still damn from fever "Yeah. Mike mentioned it" "Apparently my omega was flooding my system with testosterone instead of oestrogen. He wants me to stay until my hormones level out. And they want to monitor the pup" "Your omega's a bit of a dick" "That's what I said. I'm sorry, I'm really sleepy" "Get some sleep, I'll be right here" Going to slide off the bed, Eren lightly tugged his shirt "Can you stay?" "I'm not leaving" "I mean here..." Here would be in bed... Eren had struggled so badly with him touching him before, and now he wanted him to stay? He was not saying no to that "Let me just take my belt off, alright?" "Mmm... sorry I'm so sleepy" "Don't worry about it. You need all the rest you can get" Stripping off his belt, he decided to lose his pants too. He probably didn't want to think about what on the... next went his work shirt, leaving him in a plain black shirt and his boxer briefs. He was more concerned with being there for Eren, than if the nursing staff copped a look at him in his underwear. Climbing under the covers, Eren whined softly as he curled into his side, his swollen stomach resting against Levi's, making it the perfect place to rest his hand "Everything ok?" "Mmm... I'm sorry I'm an arsehole" "You're not an arsehole. Your omega hadn't returned as much when you had your last bloods. The hormone spike would have been picked up in your next test" Eren yawned again, snuggling into him further. His face hidden against Levi's chest as one hand sleepily gripped his shirt "I love how you explain it so I get it. They all talk at me, not to me" Mike should have known better, but then again, he wasn't used to dealing with Eren on a daily basis. And with Hanji in the room the conversation had probably, for the most part, gone right over Eren's head "That's because I love you. Get some sleep. I'm right here" "Love you too, Lee"