#she's such a brat i need her to be bullied for wanting an extra blanket and silk pillowcase

[msommers]

10, 18, 33 for elena and riya!

ty alana kees kees kess // 40 oc development questions

How open is your oc to trying new things? Are they the adventurous sort, or would they rather stay in their comfort zone? Why?

ELENA — i'd like to say that she's adventurous because she deserves the fun (all she does is work and then stay in her house lmfao), but i know in my heart that she's set up camp in that comfort zone of hers. it's because she already has to test the boundaries of her comfort regularly vis-à-vis certain social interactions, so once she's finished with that she likes to retreat to what she knows and feels secure in. most open to trying new foods, but nothing too wild or far removed from what she usually has. more amenable to trying new things if she's close to someone who is bringing up the idea(s) tbh. if she trusts them with everything else than she believes they'll have her best interest at heart and have faith in their thinking she'll enjoy something.

RIYA — opposite of miss angel there, riya is always down to try new things. constantly chasing new highs and looking for the Next Thing. she's the type of person who can't stick to a single hobby because she jumps around so much, eager to sink her teeth into whatever interest catches her eye. said new things can be anywhere on the scale of safe to dangerous and it usually doesn't take much convincing to have her agreeing to anybody's suggestions, if she's not the one to propose one first.

How does your oc fare in an emergency situation? Do they panic, do they freeze, do they take charge?

ELENA — she doesn't panic all that much when it comes to danger, there's a calmness and confidence in her during those times because she has faith that things will work out if she (and/or companions) use resources smartly. she's the ding dang daughter of pelor, giver of life and beacon of hope, and she strives to present those things herself, especially during emergencies. she isn't the one to turn to for a battle plan, but she's quick to helping others in need and relaying any information she deems important for reaching safety/peace

RIYA — unfortunately because of what a clown she is presently, she's more the type to charge in first and ask questions later. someone else can certainly take charge but she has already thrown herself forward, probably into combat if it's that sort of danger. only time she may panic is during a medical emergency because she has no idea what to do then, she hasn't done any reading and could never grasp that type of magic. she knows how to shoot lightning from her fingertips but couldn't heal a papercut with a gun to her head lmfao

How does your oc’s own perception of themselves compare to how other people see them? Is your oc aware that other people see them differently (if it’s different)?

ELENA — so here’s a thing about elena. i think that in her formative years there was some kind of encounter with somebody where they reacted poorly (not horribly, but they didn’t address it properly) to elena expressing hesitation about some task she was asked to do, and it formed this huge part of her character right then and there with the natural “oh I don’t like making people sad” response combining with “oh I just have to do this and they’ll be happy”. add that on top of all the other general pressures and anxieties of hers that i’ve talked about before, and it’s created this scenario where elena tries to only present The Sunblessed to everybody. because in her mind they want to see the glowing darling who will cure their illnesses, heal their wounds, support those in need, chase down their damn missing cat if that's the emergency of the day—they certainly don’t want to see the lady who gets nervous in crowds, struggles with insecurities and very very rarely thinks about how life could be different. there aren’t very many people who see her differently from how she presents herself because they’ll only see her for small amounts of time here and there, so they truly only see the sweet divine girl happy to be of service, but for the folk who spend time with and get to know her then they’ll start to put some pieces together. ((the pieces being yeah she positively loves what she does but she doesn’t know how to say No and needs to find some fun for herself somewhere.))

RIYA — unfortunately she thinks that she’s a goddess walking the earth and isn’t very subtle about it, everyone and their mama’s know that riya thinks she’s on top of the world and the hottest person in each room she’s in. and i mean like,,,she’s not Entirely wrong. she’s incredibly popular in her social circles (and the circle itself bc duh) and people love her because she is incredibly fun at events or outings and knows how to put on a great show, plus her confidence and teasing can be quite endearing. there are for sure people who aren’t fans though, the folk who find her cockiness grating and wish she’d just go back to the circle where she’s supposed to be. i think that she’s selectively aware of how people view her if i’m honest lmfao. if she cares about a person’s opinion then she’ll be more open to vibechecking their connection to her, but if it’s someone she doesn’t like or considers an enemy then she straight up doesn’t care. doesn’t waste her time considering it.

and this is all without considering how much of a spoiled, pampered brat she’s going to appear as to the grey wardens :)

[weeb-writor]

Bakugou’s S/O dies in a crash, leaving him a single father

Hello, gonna be very honest I forgot how to read properly and read a request wrong and wrote a 3000 word fic for it, woohoo! But i mean at least you guys get a fic from it, lol. Italics are flashbacks, bold is reality trying to pull him out of his head, and the regular text is reality. The actual request should be up tomorrow. Reader is neutral and I didn't specify the birthing process! Hope you all enjoy.

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Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

Bakugou’s S/O dies in a crash leaving him a single dad, he has flashes backs of your life together.

TW: Death, depiction of a car crash and blood. Kinde heavy angst

Words: 3052

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“I am so sorry sir but there's nothing we could do for them, w-” The doctor went on but the words slurred together in Bakugou's mind. This isn't how it was supposed to go, you were both supposed to grow old together. Supposed to send Kaori to her first day of school together. To bully the shit out of her first significant other. Go all out on each and every one of her birthdays. To give her at least 3 more brats to hang out with...to cry as you sent her off to college. This isn't how it was supposed to go, he was supposed to protect you, to be your hero. Everything you both had promised to each other was slipping through his grasped fist and the flashbacks were not helping either.

“Watch where you are going, Pomeranian.” You said to him.

“Pomeranian? The fuck, watch your mouth shitty extra!” He roared back at you.

“I think you’re the one who needs soap in his mouth, you're cursing every other word.” You cocked a brow at him.

“Whatever you god damn extra, get outta my way i'm gonna be late.” He backed off shocking his small group of friends.

“What the heck bakubro! If I said that to you I would be dead! You’re caught by the balls already!” Denki said pouting

“Whaddyah just say dunce face? I am not and it doesn't matter. I went easy cause they're so insignificant I wont see them again.” He said with a shrug as they walked into the training yard where their class was meeting.

“Alright, today we have a few helpers from other classes to help you with physical combat skills without the use of your quirks. Pair up with them, if you can actually beat them the first go than you pass. If you don’t, then well you fail, and will do supplementary training with me after every class.” Aizawa said, zipping himself into his sleeping bag.

“Hello class 1-A, Im Y/N. I am in charge of everybody you're about to fight, we've all trained in various types of Martial arts, and uhh you're probably all gonna lose but try your hardest alright?! I've got match-ups based on your physical abilities, so let's begin.” You said getting everyone into their pairs.

“So much for never seeing them again, huh?” Sero said laughing at the fuming bakugou.

“Yeah you’ll be seeing a lot more of me Pomeranian boy, but for now let me wipe the floor with you.” You said getting into a fighting position. He remembers how he lost that fight, terribly he might add. You only offered to help him after the loss, ignoring all his cries of protest. He didn't only lose the fist fight, he lost his heart to you. He had hoped you would never give it back to him, but here you are giving him his heart back. He hated these images, he wants them to stop.

“Bakugou”

“Go on a date with me.” You said as you and bakugou walked back to the dorms together after a sparring session.

“What!?” He yelled at you a deep shade of red.

“You know, on a date, and then you know if all goes well like 2 more before you kiss me and ask me to be officially yours because i'm not easy, you know?”

“Who asks like that!” He continued to yell.

“What did you want some flowers too, bakugou.” You giggled at him.

“You damn, dumbass! Fine but we're going now!” He said grabbing your hand and pulling you away.

“Wait but we are sweaty and I wanted to look nice! You're such a tyrant, Bakugou!” You sang as he pulled you away but slammed into his back as he came to a halting stop.

“Katsuki...call me Katsuki.” He said looking to the side with a blush. This moment was precious to him, your stupid giggle always brought brought blood rushing to his cheeks and made his heart race. As precious as it was, he begged his mind to stop, he didn't want to see what he couldn't have anymore… he wants to forget.

“Bakugou!”

“You know, if i knew you were so messy I wouldn't have moved in with you.” Bakugou yelled to you as he put up one of your many blankets that were always littered around the house.

“Sorry not Sorry, Kat, it's your fault for keeping this damn house like an ice box all the time.” You said as you shoved some more takeout into your mouth.

“And why did you order takeout, i wanted to cook instead of eating that shitty and so unhealthy food.” He nagged you some more but you only giggled. He smiled, that had become his favorite sound.

“Because Mr. Pro- Hero some of us are college students barely staying afloat! It's my last semester so let me live, you ass! Also you are so much like your mother babe, it's kind of funny.” You said to him. His head was bulging in irritation as he sat next to you.

“I can't believe I want to marry you…” He said shaking his head with a sigh. You put down your takeout and stared at him with wide, teary eyes.

“You want to marry… me?” You said to him, he chucked at you before placing a black velvet box in your hand.

“Yeah, so say yes and put the ring on.” He blushed looking away from you.

“You jerk, this is how you ask me? And like an idiot of course I'm putting on the ring with no hesitation.” You giggled around your tears, admiring the ring you had just placed on your finger.

“Yeah, as I recall, you asked me out the same way. Whaddyah want some flowers?” He teased you with a grin. You looked at him with burning passion before your lips met, engaging in a fiery dance of passion. Stop, stop. Please just stop, he begged his brain. At the moment he thought it was perfect, it was so you and so him. Now, he wished he did it on tv or yelled it from the rooftops. Maybe then it would have shown the universe, or god, or whatever was taking him from you just how much he needed and loved you. Just maybe it would have permitted this outcome.

“Bakugou!!”

You and bakugou stared down at the little 6 pound baby. She was sleeping peacefully for the first time since the girl came home, which was 4 day ago! Maybe it was because you had just taken her to meet her grandparents and she didn't want to deal with her grandparents much like her father.

“Give me that baby!” his mom said swopping the baby into her hands. You only giggled at her excitement but Bakugou threw a fit.

“Mom! She's a fuc-freaking newborn! You’ve got to be gentle and support her head! You’re gonna hurt her, it's dangerous” He shouted at his mom.

“Oh hush you ingrate. If that was true believe me kid you’d be dead by now, would've saved me a lot of trouble. Now come on little Kaori, I know you've got it.” She said looking down at Kaori.

“What's she got?” You asked curiously. The blonde did not respond, only blew a little stream of air on the baby's nose and then turned her towards you and the blonde next to you who was still pouting. The baby stirred before waking up giving you all the meanest mug you had ever seen come from a baby.  She stared at bakugou and then at you before going back to sleep.

“She’s got the bakugou bitch face or the bakugou glare or even the bakugou mean mug. However you want to call it but that doesn't matter cause she’s got it.” His mom said placing the sleeping baby in the basinet you guys had brought.

“Did that brat just glare at me!?” Bakugou whispers, causing you to burst into full belly laughter.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” he said to you trying to hide his small smile that was brought out by your laughing.

“Nothing, I just love you and I believe you just said H-E double hockey sticks so we're getting takeout on the way home, love.” You said kissing his cheek. He only stuck his tongue out at you before mumbling a quick ‘i love you back’. It's getting more painful now he's drawing closer to the day he knew his mind was counting down to. As much as he wanted to relish in the memory all he could think of was how Kaori wouldn't remember you or your melodious laughing. How he should have said I love you more clearly in that moment. He wanted it to stop, he wanted the flashes to stop, the memories to stop but they wouldn't and he knew because they were telling your story.

“BAKUGOU!!”

“Come here, dumbass I wanna cuddle!” Bakugou yelled from your bed.

“Hold on I just wanna call your mom and make sure Kaori is okay. It's the first time Kaori has been away so long. She’s only eleven months, she's probably scared without us.” You said with the phone in your hand pacing.

“Babe, if you are so worried you should know I called my mom while you were bathing. Kaori is chasings around my mom's fat cat. And my moms gonna call when they are putting her to bed so we can say goodnight. Now, get over here and quit worrying I want to cuddle you.” He said finally getting you relax enough to lay down, you rested your head on his chest.

“You're such a good dad, you were worried enough to phone your mom.” You said breathing in his caramel scent.

“Of course I did, I worry about you and Kaori whenever yall are out of my sight. I love you both too much yet not enough at the same time.” He said to you kissing the top of your head.

“Katsuki I want us to always be this way, I want to always be with you and kaori smiling. I love you both too much too.” You said back to him straddling him to meet his eyes.

“I want some more brats and a cat and a dog. I want everything with you. And I want it for forever” He said looking up at you with passion. He needs it to stop, he can't relive the same nightmare. He didn't want the image of you dying in his hands to replay, but that's where his mind was heading, wasn't it?

“Bakugou!? Can you hear me!?”

“You know when people said you become boring when you have a baby I didn't believe them but were totally boring. We just did 10 over the speed limit to pick up Kaori.” You said taking a glance in the mirror to see her cute little grumpy face.

“Baby I realized we were boring when we went to that baby store on our day off to look at baby stuff and we went “ ohh” and “awhh” to every third object we saw.” He said back to you with a chuckle. You giggled at him and your eyes fluttered shut for just a second, it was a second too long because when you opened them you slammed into a car ahead of you that had just been in an accident causing a pile up. Behind you a semi rammed into your suv doing terrible damage to the car and everyone inside. Bakugou was the first to wake and quickly fought to get himself free. Once he did he was all over you but you were in far worse shape and the metal of the car dug into you, slicing you open, and locking you into place.

“Noo.. Kat get Kaori first.” you whispered to him.

“Y/N, i'll get you out first, you're right here. Then we’ll get kaori together.” He said tears spilling from his eyes.

“Katsuki, please get Kaori first. Please, i'll try to get loose myself” You plead with him, he thought about it but you were more stuck than her and you were bleeding heavily from the metal cutting into your abdomen.

“Katsuki Bakugou! Her first, then me! I’ll wait for you, promise.” That was all he needed to hear, his heart ached for his little girl who was crying softly more shocked than hurt.

“It's alright baby we're gonna get you safety and then dadas gonna come get mommy and we’ll all go home cuddle.” He said as he pulled the baby from her car seat, recognizing ‘home’ and ‘cuddle’ she clapped at him. He planted gross, wet kisses all over her face before dashing to the place where he saw all the flashing lights congregating. It was a pretty big pile up so there were a lot of ambulances. He took the first one open.

“This is Bakugou Kaori, she’s eleven months and has no allergies to anything or any medication. I'll be coming back with Bakugou y/n who has a pretty deep gash in their abdomen and isn't allergic to any medication either.” He said as the EMT took his baby from him. He almost didn't want to leave her but he knew you were waiting on him, so he dashed back to your totaled car where he saw people crowding your figure as they had just pulled you out.

“Y/N!” He said dropping to the ground taking you from the girl who was holding you.

“Come on, you're bleeding a lot we’ve got to get you to the ambulance.” He said tears cascading from his eyes as he tried to lift you while simultaneously slowing your bleeding but as he lifted you not only did you scream, blood rushed out of your gash at a very alarming rate.

“We can't lift them, they're losing too much blood, the ambulance got to come down here….They’ll die if we take them down there.” Someone said as Katsuki placed you back on the ground. He wanted to yell at them and tell them they were wrong but he knew they weren't. As well as he knew the ambulance wouldn't fit down here, it was hard for him to fit through the cracks of the cars. He had to try though for you, for Kaori, and for himself.

“You're all hurt, go get to an ambulance and get some help, idiots.... And please, I'm begging you, make one of them come down here.” The group of people nodded as they raced for the ambulances.

“Told you I’d wait on you, Kat.”

“Yeah, you did such a good job, baby! You are so strong, love. They went to get help, everything's gonna be alright.” He whispered to you clutching your body closer to him.

“Who are you trying to convince me or you.” You laughed coughing up blood.

“Stop laughing, dumbass this isn't funny.” He gritted his teeth at you.

“Alright then stuffy, onto the serious business. I want Kaori to grow up knowing what love is, so tell her all our cheesy stories. I want her to grow up knowing she is so loved by you so tell her everyday from me and you that you love her more than anything. I want her to know she can come to you for anything so don't be such a hardass to her when she starts to rebel a little…. I don't want her to forget my face or my voice too much, so as much as it might hurt at first show her all the pictures and videos we took over the years. And when she's old enough to understand what happened tonight tell her she doesn't need to go to my grave if she ever wants to talk to me, I'm always watching over you both, promise.” You paused to throw up some more blood. “And now for you my love, I won't say anything to cliché. Like ‘i want you to find love’ cause we both know I am the jealous type but if it happens don't worry I'm not turning over in my grave. I want you to keep following that dream of yours if anyone can be the Top hero and a single dad it’s you, Kat. I want you to indulge yourself and eat takeout sometimes that stuffy diet of yours isn't fun. Be sad for as long as you need but just don't hold it all inside and try to continue on like everything is fine. It's okay to cry, to need a break or some help or both really. Lastly, Bakugou Katsuki, I love you and I am so sorry we didn't get that always and forever we wanted.” You said using the last of your strength to caress his cheek. He sobbed as he grasped your hand and held it tighter to his cheek.

“I love y-” he tried to say but stopped as he realized you were already gone. You didn't get to hear it back from him… the scream that ripped from him was pure anguish in its finest form. He should've been quicker to say it. He should have said it more often. He just should have. And now he was begging his head to stop playing these flashbacks to stop driving the knife further into his heart, he had a daughter he was trying to live for. He just wanted it to stop.

“DADA DADA”

Just like that he was drawn from his head. He looked around to see his friends and family staring at him in concern and his daughter at his feet with fat tears rolling down her face. He quickly picked her up, cursing at himself as he probably just scared her.

“What are you crying for you, little brat?” He started but paused as fat tears of his own rolled down his sunken cheeks “Everything's gonna be alright soon, so we shouldn't cry for too long okay, Brat.” He said as he hugged Kaori tighter than he should have. Somewhere in his mind he did believe it. That he and his daughter would be okay but for right now he was trying to stay afloat in the waves of suffocating flashbacks.

[hymn2000]

Freeze - MCU AU Fanfic - C9

(Title subject to change)

Previous chapter(s): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Story synopsis:- When a burst gas main destroys everything and leaves Peter with nothing, the Stark’s take him in. Thrown together by necessity, they then need to try to keep it together and build a new life. Devastated by loss, Peter doesn’t make things easy for them, and Loki and Tony struggle with their own grief and the responsibility of having someone completely dependant on them.

Chapter description:- Tony is still struggling, unbearably so, and Peter doesn’t make it easy for him. Ryan pushes Peter to breaking point

Chapter warnings/themes: character death, hurt/comfort, trauma, grief, depression/mental health issues, bullying, corporal punishment, violence, descriptions of injury

Relationships: Frostiron (Loki x Tony) (romantic), Tony and Peter (platonic), Loki and Peter (platonic)

From the same AU as Called To Be A Rock

Chapter 9 - Throw It All Away

-

Tony made Peter sit up.

“This is what’s going to happen” he said. “You are going to go to school. You are going to do your work, take down your homework, and you are going to come home. And after that, you will sit with me and do your homework. And then, we will do extra lessons for two hours. And then you will go to bed. That’s it. And things will continue like this until your grades are up, and a little longer besides. No objections. This starts on Monday. Now, have you got any questions?”

“...Do you think May would be ashamed of me?”

“She’s be ashamed of your grades” Tony said carefully. “Anything else?”

Peter shook his head.

“Right” he wasn’t sure what else to say to him. “Go to sleep”

“But I haven’t had tea yet”

“And you won’t have any” Tony said firmly. “Now lay down and go to sleep. That’s not a suggestion, Peter”

Peter didn’t move. Tony sighed heavily, taking hold of his shoulders and forcing him onto his back. Peter grabbed his shirt. Tony sighed.

“What are you doing, Peter?”

“I need a hug”

Tony looked into his tearful eyes and sighed. He pulled him close. He was warm - hot - and shaking. Despite his anger, Tony felt sorry for him. 

“We can’t carry on like this, Peter” 

“It’s so hard...”

“I know”

“It hasn’t even been two months yet”

Tony closed his eyes for a moment. “I know” 

He let go of him and stood up. “Go to sleep”

He left the room before Peter could do anything to make him stay. 

-

The mood had dropped drastically by morning. Peter was furious with himself and with the world. He was sick of being stuck here all the time. 

"You said you'd take me out today" Peter said, finding Tony in the living room. 

"I said maybe, if you were good" Tony said. "But you haven't been good, have you?" 

"So? I'm sick of this house. I'm going out" 

Tony stood up and grabbed him. "No, you're not. You're grounded" 

"What?! Why?!"  

"Because you're a bad kid and you're still in trouble. You stay here" 

Peter pushed his hand away. "It's not fair!" 

"It's not raining either" 

Peter lost it. "I HATE IT HERE! I hate it! I don't want to stay here anymore!" 

"Oh Peter, for gods sake, don't start" 

"Well why not?! You never listen to me anyway! I wish I didn't have to live with you! I wish it was just me and Loki. We'd be better off without you!" 

Tony was done being patient. "Well that's just tough! What, you think you and Loki are gonna go off and play happy families? Get real, Peter. What makes you think he'd choose you over me?" 

"Shut up! I want nothing to do with you! You don't care about me anyway!" 

"Oh really, is that so? I don't care? Why did I take you in then, hey? Just for something to do? Don't be an idiot. I took you in because I love you, even though you're driving me totally insane" 

"If you really cared you'd never have sent me to that stupid school!" 

"Oh for the love of all that is good in this world! How many times do I have to say it? Your old school is too far away from here. You have to go to the one closest to us. Is that why you've been so stupid at school? Because you're bitter about leaving your old one?" 

"No!" Peter said indignantly. "It's a rubbish school and I hate it! I've said it thousands of times!" 

"Yes, but you've never given us a reason, valid or otherwise" 

"Why do I need a reason?! I hate it and that's all you need to know! I don't wanna go there any more!" 

"Well that's just tough! You will continue to go to that school, you will do your work and you will behave yourself, do you understand me?" 

"Of course I understand you! I'm not thick. But I don't agree with you so I'm not gonna do it" 

"You will do as you're bloody well told, young man! If it means that I have to drag you there every day, then so be it. I'm not going to let you throw your life away"

Peter growled. "I don't have to listen to you! You're not my dad!" 

"I'm your legal guardian and you will either do as you're told, or suffer the consequences of disobeying me. Your choice" 

"It's not fair! I'm going to Mr Loki" 

"Go then. He'll tell you exactly the same as me" 

"He won't! He's just as much my guardian as you are. More, in fact" 

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that so? And how did you come to that conclusion?" 

"Because I actually want him, and I don't want you!" 

"That doesn't make him more of a guardian. You think ‘want’ has anything to do with this? Do you think every kid out there wants their parents? Because they don't. I never wanted my father, but I was stuck with him anyway. And you might not want me, but you've got me, and I'm all you have got now" 

"Well I hate you! You're a rubbish guardian and I wish I'd been taken into foster care instead of being dragged home with you!" 

Tony knew deep down that he was just saying it because he was angry, but it still hurt. 

"Fine, you want to go into foster care? I'll call Ms Allen then, shall I? She's an efficient woman. No doubt she'll be able to find you a foster placement today and have you out of here by tonight. Better start packing your bags" 

Peter stared at him for a moment, hot tears dripping down his cheeks. "Ring her then! See if I care! I'll be glad to be shot of this place! I never want to see you again!" 

"Fine, I'll call her now then. You hate it here so much? Well let's send you away, see how happy it makes you" 

"I don't have to listen to this! I'm sick of the sight of you! I hate you!" 

"Well go to your room then, you ungrateful little brat!" Tony shouted. "I've got a phone call to make" 

"FINE" Peter yelled, and he stormed out of the room. 

- 

Peter burst into Loki's room. Loki looked up from his book. 

"Peter? Hey, what's wrong?" 

Peter collapsed onto Loki's chest and cried his eyes out. 

"Oh sweetheart" Loki set his book around and pulled a blanket round him. He held him tight and rubbed his back firmly. "It's alright, darling, I've got you" 

- 

Tony dialled Li Allen's number, his heart thumping. He tried hard to breathe evenly. As usual, the phone was answered promptly.  

"Good morning, Mr Stark" 

"Morning Ms Allen..." 

"How can I help you?" 

Tony took a deep breath. "You know, last time we talked... You said there was someone I could call? If I was struggling?" 

"Yes, there is a helpline I can put you in touch with. Is everything alright? How's Peter?" 

"Miserable and difficult" Tony answered. "He's just... I don't know. I don't really understand him right now. He was always such a good kid" 

"And now?" Li persisted. 

"He just keeps acting out. He's been in trouble at school for hurting some kid. He played truant for a full week while I was away, and he was really deceptive and sneaky about it. I mean, he even printed off worksheets so he could pretend he was doing homework! He ran away from home the other day too. We found him at the airport. He's rude and disruptive and he's still not eating properly. And we got his school report yesterday and it was atrocious. Turns out he hasn't been doing any work at school whatsoever. I don't know what to do with him. I just keep getting cross" 

Li listened patiently. "I know it's tough. People really change after they go through something traumatic. Is he still refusing to see a councillor?" 

"Yeah. He won't talk to me properly either. He's still a human fountain, crying constantly. He's so argumentative sometimes too..." 

"Have you just had an argument?" she asked. She'd noticed the slight tremble in his voice, not to mention the stress. 

"Yes, we have" he admitted. 

"How did it end?" 

Tony shifted. "With me threatening to send him into foster care and him saying he hates me" 

"Mr Stark, you know what I told you right at the start? It's ok to admit if you aren't coping. You and your husband are allowed a break. If you're really struggling, I can organise something for Peter. Short term foster placements are easy enough to come by-" 

"No" Tony said quickly. "No, I couldn't. I couldn't do that to him. Even though he said he hates it here, even though he said he wished he'd been taken into care, I know he was just speaking out of anger. He'd never forgive me if I sent him away, even just for a week. He’d feel so betrayed" 

"Ok. Well in that case, I think we need to offer some more support to you. I'll email you the contact details for that helpline. I'm afraid they just changed phone number and I don't know it off by heart yet" 

"Thank you. I'm sorry, but this is just getting really hard" 

"I know" she said sympathetically. "How's Loki doing? Can’t you talk to him about it?" 

"Loki's great. He's always been brilliant to vent to, but he's struggling as well, and I just - well, it'd be good to talk to someone impartial, y'know?" 

"I understand, Mr Stark, I do" Li said. "Now, I apologise for changing the subject, but I am glad you called" 

"Oh?" 

"Yes. I was meaning to call to schedule another visit. I've not had a chance to talk to Peter since we met at the hospital. I understand he was otherwise engaged during my other visits" 

"Oh. Right. Yes. Uhh. When were you thinking?" 

"Ideally as soon as possible. I do like to keep up to date. I understand you're a busy man, Mr Stark. Are you free Monday evening, by any chance?"

"Um" Tony thought for a minute. "Yeah, I'm free" 

"How does that suit you? What time does Peter finish school?" 

"He usually gets back around quarter to four" 

"How does five o' clock suit you?" 

Tony nodded slightly. "Five is fine. I-I'll see you Monday" 

"Thank you. I'll see you then. I'll put a reminder in the email for you. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" 

"No, I think I'm ok. Thank you. For listening to me" 

"Of course. It's my job"  

"Yes... But thank you anyway. See you later, Ms Allen" 

"Good day, Mr Stark. Goodbye now" 

- 

Tony was slightly annoyed to find Peter in Loki's room. 

"Loki, can I have a word?"

Loki looked down at the boy sprawled across his chest. "I'm a little preoccupied just now" 

Peter whined, covering his ears with his hands. Loki cuddled him close. Tony sighed. 

"Ms Allen is coming round on Monday night"

Loki nodded. "Right" 

Tony looked at him. "What's up? Have I done something wrong?" 

"I'm just worried about the kid" Loki said. "He's acting funny" 

"Isn't he always? He's just attention seeking" 

"He is here, you know" Loki frowned. 

"I'm going out" Tony suddenly decided. "Do you need anything from the shops?"

"Painkillers" 

"Right. See you later then" 

- 

Ryan sat tracing circles on the mouse-pad of his laptop. He was thinking. He’d threatened to expose Peter, and since he’d done it publicly, it meant he had an expectation from his friends to do exactly that. He had to find something on the new kid, anything. The thing was, he knew very little about him. He was clever, his aunt had died, and he cried a lot. Those were the only facts Ryan knew for certain. He’d never caught the name of the man who had turned up the day Peter had pulled his chair out from under him. All he knew about him, was that he was a strict-looking businessman. Without a name, he couldn’t find out anything about him. He wasn’t sure there’d be anything bad to say about him even if he did.

Ryan sighed, looking round the grubby room and tapping his foot on the threadbare carpet. 

“What should we do, Tilly?” he asked the white cat who was curled up beside him. 

The cat blinked slowly at him. Ryan looked back at his laptop. He sat up properly, opening Google, and typed ‘Peter Parker’ into the search bar. He expected to be met with social media accounts, but the real results were much more interesting. The top result was a picture thumbnail, linking to a news article. Ryan clicked on it, and the web page opened, throwing the headline; ‘Ward of The Stark’s’ across the screen.

‘Not the catchiest headline’ Ryan thought.

He scrolled, and peered at the picture. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at it. It was definitely the right Peter Parker, but more shocking than that, was who was in the picture with him. He recognised the businessman from the head teachers office - and he recognised Tony Stark. The Tony Stark. A distinctive character, but not someone Ryan knew an awful lot about. Usually, tabloids and celebrity gossip went unnoticed by him. He kept looking at the photo. It was a generic low-grade paparazzi shot, dated the previous year. They’d been caught unaware, and the Starks looked less than pleased. They had their arms round Peter, attempting to shield him from the cameras. It looked like it had just been taken in the streets. Nowhere special, by any account.

Well, it was who Ryan was searching for, so he continued on to the article, and his eyes soon widened in disbelief, and glimmered with excitement. He’d found exactly what he was after: something to expose. He knew why the silent crybaby had appeared now. The article told him everything he needed to know: that the explosion in Queen’s not quite two months prior had made Peter homeless and killed his aunt, and that Tony Stark and his husband (famous only for his spouse and brother) had taken him in. The article was mostly impartial, but it detailed other theories and thoughts. No one in the press quite knew where Peter had originally come from. Many considered he was an apprentice at Stark Industries, others thought Tony had been involved with the aunt and he knew the kid that way - and some even speculated that he was an illegitimate son. 

Ryan laughed triumphantly. This was just too good.

“We’ve done it, Tilly! There’d better be ink in the printer” he grinned, touching her fur gently.

The cat jumped down from the sofa, padding over to the kitchen. Ryan watched her go, and stood up. He had things to do. 

-

Tony didn't know what Peter had told Loki - if anything - but the two were definitely now in cahoots. Peter spent the rest of the weekend clinging to Loki, and Tony ended up getting left on the sidelines, feeling very neglected and upset. He could deal with Peter being distant, but having Loki near enough ignoring him too was painful. He was used to being able to cuddle up to Loki whenever he liked, and now that he couldn't, he felt incredibly cut off. 

- 

Monday morning came as a relief. Loki got Peter ready for school, but he didn’t fancy going out in the cold, so Tony had to walk Peter to school again. 

"Stop sulking" Tony said. 

"I'm not sulking" Peter said, sulkily. 

"You are. Look, I know I got cross with you, but it was justified. I need you to be good now. If not for me, then for yourself. School isn't so bad" 

"What would you know?" Peter snapped. 

Tony sighed. "Don't speak to me like that, Peter"

Peter huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Look, kid-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Peter interrupted. “You can go now”

He picked up the pace, and Tony sighed, leaning against a nearby wall. As always, he waited until Peter had gone through the school gates before heading for home.

-

Peter trudged up the stairs to his form room. Like it always did, his stomach started squeezing as he got closer. It was only a matter of seconds before he’d see Ryan, and get jostled by the group who always insisted on hanging about directly outside the door. 

There they were again, laughing. One of them spotted him.

“Hey Peter, hey, we’re friends, right?”

Peter looked at the girl, confused. Firstly, because friendship was the last thing anyone in this school wanted from him, and secondly, because she called him by his name, and no one ever did that. 

“Lend us some money, won’t you?” Another girl said. “We know you can spare it”

Peter decided they were just being stupid, and tried to ignore them. 

“Heyyyy, Parker!” Ryan’s familiar voice broke through the air, and he appeared in the hall, followed by his loyal giggling rabble members. “You never told us you were a billionaire! We’ll be your friends”

Peter looked at him, the confusion evident on his face. 

“Ooh, it hasn’t seen it yet!”

It was then that Peter noticed that everyone seemed to be clutching a sheet of paper. Ryan himself held a stack. He smiled, holding one out to him.

“Here”

Peter took the paper reluctantly, and Ryan wandered off a little way down the corridor to meet up with a friend who had just arrived and share the news with him. Peter looked down at the paper he’d been handed. ‘Ward of The Stark’s’ it read, and there was a picture. Peter recognised this picture. He remembered the paparazzi jumping out of the bushes, begging Tony to tell them about his kid. Tony and Loki had tried to shield Peter from them, and moved valiantly on. Loki had managed to invalidate most of their photos with elaborate and inappropriate hand gestures, but a few had turned up in a tabloid article. Tony had told Peter to ignore it, and he had. He’d been caught in the press a few times over the last few years. It never bothered him.

Peter swallowed hard and moved on to the article.

‘Billionaire’s Tony and Loki Stark have taken the next step in their relationship by having a child - but not in the conventional sense. An explosion caused by a gas main in Queens last week-’

Peter could feel himself shaking. He could hear people laughing at him, but he couldn’t stop reading. It told them everything: the death of his aunt, the people who had taken him in, the fate of the block of flats, the speculation of who he really was - it was all there, and Peter had never seen any of it before. Who had written this? Who had published it? How had Ryan found it?

Peter dropped the paper like it was red hot. He could feel his breathing getting faster. His pulse was beating uncomfortable hard in his throat.

“Shame about your aunt” Ryan’s voice called from a few metres away. “Or maybe not. After all, if she hadn’t kicked the bucket, she’d still have to put up with y-”

“YOU’VE GOT NO RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT HER!”

Before he knew what he was doing, he’d sprung forward, lashed out, and Ryan had hit the floor. Peter paused, breathing heavily, a dull pain throbbing in his still-clenched fist - and he realised what he’d done. The corridor was sickeningly quiet, everyone shocked to silence by hearing Peter’s voice and witnessing his retaliation. Ryan groaned, sprawled out in a mess of papers, blood dripping down both sides of his face.

“Uh-oh”

Peter made a run for it, and smacked straight into someone’s outstretched arm. He looked up at the teacher who had caught him, and he knew he’d seen everything. He glanced over his shoulder at Ryan, still on the floor, and back at the teacher, and finally, at the floor. He didn’t try to run again. There was no getting out of this one.

-

Peter felt like he was boiling over. He couldn’t stop shaking. He gripped the edges of the chair he was on and stared at the floor. He only lasted for so long before he became too agitated to stay still, and stood up, pacing in circles and ignoring everyone. 

New footsteps sounded - familiar ones - and Peter looked up. For a moment he couldn’t help feeling happy to see them, but the look on both their faces was enough to shock him back to reality. Loki shook his head at him.

“Oh Peter” Tony said sadly. “What have you done?”

-

Ryan’s dad had been called too, and turned up in much the same garb as before - but his easy-going composure was nowhere to be seen. He recognised Loki immediately, and grabbed his hand.

“If I had known, I’d’ve put a stop to it, I swear”

-

The five of them were ushered into the headteacher’s office - Tony, Loki, and Ryan’s dad standing, and Ryan and Peter on chairs in front of their respective guardians. 

“I’m sorry we had to call you down here” the headteacher said grimly. “But with a matter so serious as this, we needed to address it promptly”

The adults had been given a version of events, both slightly different, but the motive of Peter’s attack remained unclear, and Tony voiced this.

“I believe” the head said, holding a sheet of paper out to him. “That this may have sparked it off”

Tony looked at him, and took the paper. Loki moved closer to see. Tony felt queasy all of a sudden. He recognised this article. It was from a small local news company. He’d thought tooth and nail to keep it from getting into the national news, and even threatened to sue the paper if they printed it, just in case Peter ever saw it. It was obvious now, that publishing online had been their loophole. 

“Can I-?” 

Tony let Ryan’s dad take the article and read it over. He handed it to the head, turned, and slapped Ryan round the back of the head.

“What the hell is wrong with you!? Why would you go spreading someone’s personal business around like that?!”

“Why am I the one getting into trouble here?” Ryan demanded. “Look at what he did to me!”

Ryan glared at Peter. Peter glared back. Ryan had a cut and the starts of bruising on one side of his face, and a cut on the other side where he’d hit the floor. 

“Can we conduct this meeting in a civil manner, Ryan?” the head said. “From what I understand, you’ve done far more damage”

Peter went back to staring at the floor and gripping his chair. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Everything felt uncomfortably close and hot. It had all happened so fast. Peter had been ushered downstairs and told they’d be calling home, and he’d been left in a room on his own while Ryan was being seen to in the medical room. Peter had lost it a bit, shouting and swearing and crying. Once he’d calmed down a bit, he’d been moved to the corridor, a mere fifteen minutes before Tony and Loki had arrived. They’d all been shown into the headteacher’s office about ten minutes after that. Peter was too swamped in fear and emotion to think straight. He was trying hard to hold his tongue.

“-Bullying? Where would you get an idea like that?”

Peter looked up. Ryan sat so confidently, so defiant of the accusation. His father had been told over the phone, and wasn’t happy to see his son denying it. Loki and Tony were exchanging looks.

“There’s no use denying it, Ryan” the head said patiently. 

Ryan scoffed, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at Peter again. “I haven’t done anything to that kid”

“Say that again!” Peter shouted. “Say it again and see what happens!”

“Peter! That’s enough” Tony put a hand on his shoulder, and turned back to the head. “Are you sure about this?”

“Quite certain, Mr Stark. And as I informed your husband last time he was here, we won’t tolerate bullying in this school. However” he looked at Peter, who was seething with rage, tears dripping down his face, his body shaking. “I want to know exactly what’s been going on”

“I can answer that” Ryan said easily. “He started here about a month ago. He’s never spoken a word until today. He hasn’t got any friends. That’s it”

“Is it now?” The head said. “Because, Ryan Jefferson, that’s not what I’ve been told”

“Well, it’s the truth”

“No it fucking isn’t!” Peter exploded, jumping to his feet and glaring at Loki so fiercely that he drew back from his attempt to grab him. “You’ve done nothing but torment me since the moment I arrived! Why lie about it?! You obviously like the attention, so why not brag about it, you silly cu-”

Tony clamped his hand down over Peter’s mouth before he could finish his sentence. Peter pushed his hand away. Suddenly he wasn’t quite so scared of Ryan. Ryan himself was a little on edge now that Peter was speaking and showing some fight. He wasn’t used to his victims suddenly turning. 

“What exactly is it I’ve supposedly done to you?” he said, not quite holding eye contact.

“Don’t act as if you don’t know! You’ve been having the time of your life”

“But we don’t know” Tony said. “Peter, if this kid has been bullying you... He hasn’t, has he? I mean, surely you would’ve told us?”

“And let you worry even more? And risk it getting worse?” he was crying properly now, choking his words through his sobs. “I’m not like this just because of May, you know”

“Darling” Loki tried to hug the boy, only to be pushed away. 

“Peter, we’re worried about you anyway! Why did you ever think hiding it would be the better option?” Tony pulled him close, and Peter just about allowed it. 

“What exactly have you done to this kid, Ryan?” his dad demanded. 

Loki looked over at him. Now he knew what he’d meant when he said he’d have put a stop it it if he’d have known. He must have been told over the phone that his son was a bully. Ryan shrugged, but he was starting to look very nervous. His dad was very red in the face. He looked over at the Starks, at Peter.

“You have to tell us what he’s done to you”

“I haven’t done anything!” Ryan insisted. “It’s nothing!”

“Nothing! You think this is nothing?” Peter shouted, pulling away from Tony. “I don’t need to tell them what you’ve done”

“Why? Because I haven’t done anything? You’re pathetic!”

“No, because I can show them” Peter said, and he grabbed the bottom of his jumper and pulled it off over his head.

He stood there, unable to see through his tears, barely able to breathe his chest was so tight. For a while there was a horrible silence as Ryan saw for the first time exactly how much of an impact his games had had, Ryan’s dad and the head saw exactly how grievous the situation was, and Tony and Loki realised why the boy had flinched so much when they’d hugged him recently.

Peter’s torso was a mess of grazes and cuts and bruises at various stages of healing. His stomach was 90% bruise, an ugly mix of black and green and purple, with the cuts of fingernails unmistakable on one side.

Loki was the first to crack. This surprised everyone, and horrified Peter, who started crying again as a result.

“H-h-hey, Mr Loki, don’t cry! I didn’t want to make you cry!” Peter gabbled, and started sobbing.

“How could you not tell us about this?! How could you just let him hurt you?” 

He pulled Peter close, holding his jumper round him to cover at least some of him, and rocked him while they both cried. 

Tony slowly turned to look at Ryan’s dad, who looked every bit as horrified as he felt. He looked over at the head, who had gone very white in the last few minutes. 

“When the teachers told me you’d been bullying him, I never imagined anything like thi-”

“Hold on, you knew about this?!” Tony said. 

“On the contrary” the head held a hand up defensively. “I only found out today. But some of the teachers have been aware of the situation for some times now, and they’ve told me as much”

“What, and they just stood by and let it happen? They just let this little thug do as he pleased? I don’t believe this!” 

He looked at Loki, who had composed himself a little, but was still very much occupied with holding Peter protectively. Tony moved closer to Ryan and looked down at him. Ryan shifted uncomfortably.

“I don’t know what possessed you to do what you’ve done, but what you did goes far beyond playground bullying, which is bad enough in itself. This is violence. Why would you do it?”

Ryan shrugged. “Bit of fun”

“Oh, is that what you call it?” Tony said, his voice dangerously calm. “Well let me tell you something: a ‘bit of fun’ doesn’t constitute ABH. You think this is ok, that you can keep doing this kind of thing your whole life? You can, and will, end up in prison. Heck, you could go to prison now. Do you want to go to juvie? Because that’s where you’re heading”

He stepped back, if only for his own sake. He noticed Mr Jefferson staring at him. He looked at him, and for a split second, imagined what he must be feeling. Tony had been upset and angry when they’d thought Peter was a bully, even though now it had been proved to be a falsehood. But Ryan was very much a bully, and there was no denying that. He couldn’t quite comprehend how horrible that must feel. 

“Are you going to press charges?” he asked, his face grey.

Tony looked at Peter, clinging helplessly to Loki, many of his bruises still visible despite the jumper being held round him.

“No” Tony said, and he turned back to Mr Jefferson. “I’m not dragging my kid through courts and police interviews and statements. He’s suffered enough. And you shouldn’t have to go through all the same just because of what your son did”

“We need to decide where we go from here” The headteacher said. 

Ryan stared at the floor. Being the centre of attention wasn’t so good now. Truth be told, he felt sick. He’d never been called out on his behaviour before, especially not like this. What was going to happen now?

Peter pulled away from Loki, put his jumper back on, and sank back into the chair, looking at nothing in particular and trying to decipher his feelings. 

“I can’t believe your teachers knew what was happening and didn’t do anything about it” 

“It will be investigated” the head looked at Mr Jefferson. “Would you and Ryan give us a few minutes?”

“Yeah..” Mr Jefferson hauled Ryan up from his chair and pushed him towards the door. He went over and took Loki’s hand. “I am so sorry”

Loki shook his hand encouragingly. “It’s not your fault. You weren’t the one who hurt him”

Mr Jefferson found himself in front of Peter. He looked terribly small. 

“If I had known sooner, I would have put a stop to it. I swear” he said. “He should never have been allowed to get away with it... Take care, kid”

-

Peter pressed his hands down hard over his ears until the sound of the blood rushing in his head was louder than the grown-ups arguing. Tony and Loki were annoyed at themselves for being so oblivious to what was going on, and angry that the school knew and did nothing about it. They didn’t know what to do next, and could only argue the options. 

Eventually, a brief silence was broken by Tony.

“This isn’t working” he said, looking at the headteacher properly. “I really do appreciate what you’ve done, understanding Peter’s situation and taking him on such short notice, and keeping us from being common knowledge. But this just isn’t working. He’s miserable, and with good reason. That kid had done horrible things to him. I don’t blame you - but I blame your teachers for knowing and doing nothing about it”

“I can’t apologise enough” the head said. “They should know better. I will investigate it. It’s not good enough. I’m so sorry that Peter came to such harm here”

“I appreciate it” Tony said. He looked at Peter, and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I’d like to withdraw Peter from the school, effectively immediately”

The head nodded slowly. “I imagined you would. I have no objections. He’ll never feel safe here after what happened”

He stood up and came round from behind his desk. He stood before Peter. Peter slowly opened his eyes and looked up, taking his hands away from his ears.

“We saw your grades. Your old school sent them to us. You’re clever. You’ll go far, given the right environment. I really do wish you all the best for the future” he held a hand out to him, which Peter took shakily. “Goodbye, Peter”

-

Peter was exhausted by the time they got back to the house. They’d left the school at 11.30am, and Tony had taken him straight to the doctors to be checked over for any serious damage (thankfully none was found) before finally returning home.

They all three sat on the futon in the back room. For a while there was numb silence, but then Tony collapsed. He held Peter close, and Loki held the both of them, and together they all cried and silently cursed the Earth for being so cruel. 

*

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

I'm a selfish woman who wanted Hanji cuddling Eren

Eren slept fitfully. His mind wouldn't stop spinning the words of abuse he'd been subjected to, into some kind of horrible song. His hands ached, his body felt incredibly drained and uncomfortable, yet sleep evaded him for the most part. He couldn't even shift, he'd tried even though he was sure Levi wouldn't want him to, he'd still tried. At this point, he'd basically do anything it took to get out of his own head. This night had just been one disaster after another, and he'd never expected that they'd be there. That they'd openly whisper in his ear about what they'd done, while Levi didn't even seem to notice... no, he was already mad at him. Erwin having dropped in the deep end, and twisting his words to make it seem like he'd asked to leave. He kind of had, just not in that manner. After following every single one of Levi's directions, he still felt he was lacking. Lacking in something other then a lack of sleep, so had approached Erwin asking about it. Asking if it really was alright for him to stay with the Survey Corps, and how he could improve... he didn't expect the man to twist his words and throw them in Levi's face. He'd thought being mature enough to ask for help would earn him some glimmer of respect. But no. It got him an argument with Levi. A dog collar and cuffs. And a stupid freak out that he couldn't remember.

When morning came, he was sure he hadn't slept for more than a handful of minutes. His eyes and throat both scratchy, as if filled with sand. The dressings around his hands were stained a dirty red, he'd picked at them around his wrists with his teeth. Moblit having dressed them way too tight. His whole body felt way too hot and between his legs was a sticky mess, something he was glad from Levi's watching eyes by the thick blanket on the bed. Even if the Survey Corps wasn't popular, they'd at least given them decent blankets for the night. With all the misery he was feeling, he almost laughed at the fact his mind had finally given him something to focus about and that was on the blanket. His musings over the blanket was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Hanji's cheerful voice

"I hope you're both decent! Or you better make space for me!"

Levi merely groaned as he rose and walked to the door, revealing Hanji with a stacked tray of food

"Keep it down"

"It's ok. Everyone is helping clean up from the gala. It's you, me, Eren and Erwin, but he's in a meeting. Anyway, I brought you breakfast, and I brought you extra Eren"

"You didn't have to"

"You didn't get to eat last night, and Levi's going to take a shower while I take a look at those hands of yours"

"I am?"

"You are. From the way things smell in here, you need it"

"This coming from the woman who forgets to shower"

"There needs to be more hours in the day"

"Even then, you'd forget"

"Rude. Back me up, Eren"

Eren shook his head

"Even the brat knows I'm right"

"I feel so betrayed. Go away"

"Like I want to see your shitty mug so early in the morning"

Hanji poked her tongue out, carrying the tray over to the bed, setting it down just shy of him while Levi went about huffing off to the bathroom

"Moblit told me you had a rough night. Wanna tell me about it?"

"Which bit?"

"I saw what they put you in. The suit was really nice"

"They still made me wear a collar and cuffs"

"I know. I might have gotten a tad bit drunk and abusive. Moblit had to carry me out"

"You shouldn't do that"

"You're a person. You shouldn't have to be subjected to that. It ok if I look at your hands"

"I... they were there. I didn't expect them to be there"

Taking his right hand, Hanji ignored the fraying of the bandage as she unwrapped Moblit's work

"Who were there?"

"People from... when they took their samples. I recognised their voices"

"You should have told Levi"

"I was to be executed if I talked"

"But Eren, I'm... I'm sorry that happened. Is that what lead to...?"

"I think it was. I couldn't get their voices out my head, and a few of them asked when the next time would be. The pressure on my wrists... I just wanted it to stop"

"We'll have to remember that and I'll make a note of no touching your wrists. You're scents off, and you feel hot. Do you feel like you might be going into heat?"

"I feel like I'm dying"

Tugging the last of the bandage free, Hanji frowned down at his hand. The skin was still bunched in places, and his nails still cracked

"You did a good job"

"I wanted them off"

"I can see that. Do you think you can eat?"

"Thirsty"

Hanji's eyes widened

"Of course you are. I didn't think. Here we go, can you hold the cup, or should I?"

Clenching and unclenching his hand, Eren shook his head

"I've got no strength in it"

"It's ok. Let Hanji take care of everything"

Orange juice made a nice change, but it burnt at his tender throat, making his eyes water in the process. Forced to allow Hanji to feed him, Levi was taking a suspiciously long time in the shower, the woman having finished by the time Levi stepped out. Crossing to his bed, Eren swore he could smell something on the man that went straight to his groin, an involuntary whine tumbling from his lips, which went ignored by Levi

"How is he?"

"He's going into heat. Once you've finished eating, we need to leave"

"Shit. I had the feeling that was the case"

"Yep. Did you know some of the people from his surgeries were there last night?"

Eren kept his head low, wanting to flee to the now empty bathroom

"Eren, is that true?"

Nodding, he really didn't want to talk to Levi about it

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Hanji wrapped her arms around him, shooting a glare at Levi

"Leave him alone. He was scared enough as it was"

"He should have told me"

"And faced being executed for talking? What was Erwin thinking? How could he possibly agree to Eren being treated like that"

Levi let out a trademark sigh, rubbing his face

"If you're done eating, go clean up"

"Levi, he's going to need help"

"Then you help him. You're the one who said we needed to leave"

"Because he's going into heat"

"Then you help him. Eren doesn't mind"

Eren did mind. He minded a lot

"I'll be ok..."

"Are you sure?"

"Hanji, let the him make his own decisions"

"Nooo. He's stressed, hurt and exhausted"

"I'm fine... I think I can managed to shower on my own"

Hanji didn't seem convinced, but Eren wriggled from her grasp, managing to face plant right on the floor in front of Levi. Letting out a moan, his back dipped as he tilted his head, something inside of him telling him that this was the pose he should take for Levi, even if his own mind wasn't yet clouded or hazy by heat. Rushing from the bed, Hanji took him by the arm and pulled him up, his tenting underwear hard to miss, which Levi didn't. The man's face turning red in a way Eren didn't know was possible, before looking away

"Seeing Levi isn't going to help, I guess you're stuck with me"

"I'm fine"

"You're not fine. Last night was rough and it was cruel. You're allowed to ask for help Eren. You're allowed to rely on us more. We're you're friends and we want to help. Right, Levi?"

"Sure. Just get him cleaned up"

Hanji didn't back off until Eren was sitting in the bath. She didn't trust him standing, so he'd been forced to sit, while she fiddled with the taps

"I don't know why Levi has to be so stubborn"

This was mumbled more to herself than him, so Eren tired to ignore it. Even though he really wanted to know what she was talking about. Levi was his superior, even if the man had been designated his partner, that would never change. To Eren, it meant that Levi had every right and no obligation to help him. Jumping as Hanji pressed a kiss to the top of his head, he looked up at her in confusion

"I'll be right back. I should have some sedatives, which will help take the edge off the pain and your heat"

So her solution was to drug him? If it meant not popping any more awkward boners in front of Levi, he could live with that

"Thanks, Hanji"

"You're welcome. Try to clean yourself up the best you can while I'm gone. If you need help, call out for Levi"

"You're overreacting. I'll be ok"

"And you're just being stubborn. I swear. You and Levi, the pair of you are going to be the death of me"

"I didn't mean to make you worry"

"Eren. I'm always going to worry about you. You're not just a werewolf or a wolf, or a Lycan or an experiment. You're also a teenager going through a really tough time. You mean a lot to me, so just accept the fact I'm going to nag you to death"

Taking a shaky breath, tears began to form. He had no idea how much he'd actually needed to hear that. Reaching out for Hanji, the woman returned the embrace

"Thank... you"

Instead of medicating him in the bathroom, Hanji kept her arm around him as he rinsed off, closing her eyes to give him privacy when it came to cleaning up his slick. After the awkward bath, she helped him dry and dress. Holding onto him as much as he was holding onto her. With his hormones a mess, he couldn't stop crying and though he kept trying, he couldn't shift, and couldn't stop apologising for all the trouble he was making. When it was finally time to leave, Hanji bullied Erwin into letting Eren ride in the back of the supply cart with her, rather than him being in the back of it with Levi, their commander agreeing almost too fast for Eren's liking. He wanted Levi and he wanted Hanji... in completely different ways, but he'd definitely take the almost maternal caring over publicly begging Levi to touch him the way his body was demanding. On shaky legs, he climbed into cart, careful not to jostle the supplies as he finally reached the back corner space for him and Hanji. Hanji wasted no time climbing up to join him, and settling down next to him with a soft smile as she opened her arms for him. Curling up in her hold, she covered him with a blanket and held him tightly, before confirming he still wanted to be sedated. Nodding his consent, he closed his eyes and nuzzled into her neck as she bossed someone around. Her scent didn't give him the same reassurance as Levi's, and was actually kind of gross now that they were so close, but he was happy not to be alone.

*

Erections and horse saddles didn't make a great pair. Hunger, arousal and Eren in the arms another while whimpering in his sleep, really didn't improve his mood either. He wanted to tear Eren from Hanji, but each time he looked at the kid, he'd buried himself further under the blanket, now in Hanji's lap, the woman looking nearly squashed in the corner... not that she knew, she was still sleeping off the pervious night. Or she could have sedated herself and he really wouldn't have been surprised if she had. Readjusting himself, Levi nudged his horse away from the group. It was bad enough that the cold shower he'd taken back at their lodgings hadn't helped his arousal and he'd been forced to take matters into his own hands again... literally... something he swore Hanji noticed when she'd looked over Eren to him. He didn't need this from her. It was hard enough to contain himself while Eren tossed and turned, the room filled with his breathy pants and moans during the night. He couldn't blame Eren for this. He hadn't known some of those "elite" pieces of shit had watched him being tortured... though a heads up would have been good. He could taken the kid and left earlier, or even better, he could waited outside for each of them. He'd always wondered if aristocratic blood tasted like money, or the bullshit they spilt.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

He really did work hard... SCSI

Eren slept fitfully. His mind wouldn't stop spinning the words of abuse he'd been subjected to, into some kind of horrible song. His hands ached, his body felt incredibly drained and uncomfortable, yet sleep evaded him for the most part. He couldn't even shift, he'd tried even though he was sure Levi wouldn't want him to, he'd still tried. At this point, he'd basically do anything it took to get out of his own head. This night had just been one disaster after another, and he'd never expected that they'd be there. That they'd openly whisper in his ear about what they'd done, while Levi didn't even seem to notice... no, he was already mad at him. Erwin having dropped in the deep end, and twisting his words to make it seem like he'd asked to leave. He kind of had, just not in that manner. After following every single one of Levi's directions, he still felt he was lacking. Lacking in something other then a lack of sleep, so had approached Erwin asking about it. Asking if it really was alright for him to stay with the Survey Corps, and how he could improve... he didn't expect the man to twist his words and throw them in Levi's face. He'd thought being mature enough to ask for help would earn him some glimmer of respect. But no. It got him an argument with Levi. A dog collar and cuffs. And a stupid freak out that he couldn't remember. When morning came, he was sure he hadn't slept for more than a handful of minutes. His eyes and throat both scratchy, as if filled with sand. The dressings around his hands were stained a dirty red, he'd picked at them around his wrists with his teeth. Moblit having dressed them way too tight. His whole body felt way too hot and between his legs was a sticky mess, something he was glad from Levi's watching eyes by the thick blanket on the bed. Even if the Survey Corps wasn't popular, they'd at least given them decent blankets for the night. With all the misery he was feeling, he almost laughed at the fact his mind had finally given him something to focus about and that was on the blanket. His musings over the blanket was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Hanji's cheerful voice "I hope you're both decent! Or you better make space for me!" Levi merely groaned as he rose and walked to the door, revealing Hanji with a stacked tray of food "Keep it down" "It's ok. Everyone is helping clean up from the gala. It's you, me, Eren and Erwin, but he's in a meeting. Anyway, I brought you breakfast, and I brought you extra Eren" "You didn't have to" "You didn't get to eat last night, and Levi's going to take a shower while I take a look at those hands of yours" "I am?" "You are. From the way things smell in here, you need it" "This coming from the woman who forgets to shower" "There needs to be more hours in the day" "Even then, you'd forget" "Rude. Back me up, Eren" Eren shook his head "Even the brat knows I'm right" "I feel so betrayed. Go away" "Like I want to see your shitty mug so early in the morning" Hanji poked her tongue out, carrying the tray over to the bed, setting it down just shy of him while Levi went about huffing off to the bathroom "Moblit told me you had a rough night. Wanna tell me about it?" "Which bit?" "I saw what they put you in. The suit was really nice" "They still made me wear a collar and cuffs" "I know. I might have gotten a tad bit drunk and abusive. Moblit had to carry me out" "You shouldn't do that" "You're a person. You shouldn't have to be subjected to that. It ok if I look at your hands" "I... they were there. I didn't expect them to be there" Taking his right hand, Hanji ignored the fraying of the bandage as she unwrapped Moblit's work "Who were there?" "People from... when they took their samples. I recognised their voices" "You should have told Levi" "I was to be executed if I talked" "But Eren, I'm... I'm sorry that happened. Is that what lead to...?" "I think it was. I couldn't get their voices out my head, and a few of them asked when the next time would be. The pressure on my wrists... I just wanted it to stop" "We'll have to remember that and I'll make a note of no touching your wrists. You're scents off, and you feel hot. Do you feel like you might be going into heat?" "I feel like I'm dying" Tugging the last of the bandage free, Hanji frowned down at his hand. The skin was still bunched in places, and his nails still cracked "You did a good job" "I wanted them off" "I can see that. Do you think you can eat?" "Thirsty" Hanji's eyes widened "Of course you are. I didn't think. Here we go, can you hold the cup, or should I?" Clenching and unclenching his hand, Eren shook his head "I've got no strength in it" "It's ok. Let Hanji take care of everything" Orange juice made a nice change, but it burnt at his tender throat, making his eyes water in the process. Forced to allow Hanji to feed him, Levi was taking a suspiciously long time in the shower, the woman having finished by the time Levi stepped out. Crossing to his bed, Eren swore he could smell something on the man that went straight to his groin, an involuntary whine tumbling from his lips, which went ignored by Levi "How is he?" "He's going into heat. Once you've finished eating, we need to leave" "Shit. I had the feeling that was the case" "Yep. Did you know some of the people from his surgeries were there last night?" Eren kept his head low, wanting to flee to the now empty bathroom "Eren, is that true?" Nodding, he really didn't want to talk to Levi about it "Why didn't you tell me?" Hanji wrapped her arms around him, shooting a glare at Levi "Leave him alone. He was scared enough as it was" "He should have told me" "And faced being executed for talking? What was Erwin thinking? How could he possibly agree to Eren being treated like that" Levi let out a trademark sigh, rubbing his face "If you're done eating, go clean up" "Levi, he's going to need help" "Then you help him. You're the one who said we needed to leave" "Because he's going into heat" "Then you help him. Eren doesn't mind" Eren did mind. He minded a lot "I'll be ok..." "Are you sure?" "Hanji, let the him make his own decisions" "Nooo. He's stressed, hurt and exhausted" "I'm fine... I think I can managed to shower on my own" Hanji didn't seem convinced, but Eren wriggled from her grasp, managing to face plant right on the floor in front of Levi. Letting out a moan, his back dipped as he tilted his head, something inside of him telling him that this was the pose he should take for Levi, even if his own mind wasn't yet clouded or hazy by heat. Rushing from the bed, Hanji took him by the arm and pulled him up, his tenting underwear hard to miss, which Levi didn't. The man's face turning red in a way Eren didn't know was possible, before looking away "Seeing Levi isn't going to help, I guess you're stuck with me" "I'm fine" "You're not fine. Last night was rough and it was cruel. You're allowed to ask for help Eren. You're allowed to rely on us more. We're you're friends and we want to help. Right, Levi?" "Sure. Just get him cleaned up" Hanji didn't back off until Eren was sitting in the bath. She didn't trust him standing, so he'd been forced to sit, while she fiddled with the taps "I don't know why Levi has to be so stubborn" This was mumbled more to herself than him, so Eren tired to ignore it. Even though he really wanted to know what she was talking about. Levi was his superior, even if the man had been designated his partner, that would never change. To Eren, it meant that Levi had every right and no obligation to help him. Jumping as Hanji pressed a kiss to the top of his head, he looked up at her in confusion "I'll be right back. I should have some sedatives, which will help take the edge off the pain and your heat" So her solution was to drug him? If it meant not popping any more awkward boners in front of Levi, he could live with that "Thanks, Hanji" "You're welcome. Try to clean yourself up the best you can while I'm gone. If you need help, call out for Levi" "You're overreacting. I'll be ok" "And you're just being stubborn. I swear. You and Levi, the pair of you are going to be the death of me" "I didn't mean to make you worry" "Eren. I'm always going to worry about you. You're not just a werewolf or a wolf, or a Lycan or an experiment. You're also a teenager going through a really tough time. You mean a lot to me, so just accept the fact I'm going to nag you to death" Taking a shaky breath, tears began to form. He had no idea how much he'd actually needed to hear that. Reaching out for Hanji, the woman returned the embrace "Thank... you" Instead of medicating him in the bathroom, Hanji kept her arm around him as he rinsed off, closing her eyes to give him privacy when it came to cleaning up his slick. After the awkward bath, she helped him dry and dress. Holding onto him as much as he was holding onto her. With his hormones a mess, he couldn't stop crying and though he kept trying, he couldn't shift, and couldn't stop apologising for all the trouble he was making. When it was finally time to leave, Hanji bullied Erwin into letting Eren ride in the back of the supply cart with her, rather than him being in the back of it with Levi, their commander agreeing almost too fast for Eren's liking. He wanted Levi and he wanted Hanji... in completely different ways, but he'd definitely take the almost maternal caring over publicly begging Levi to touch him the way his body was demanding. On shaky legs, he climbed into cart, careful not to jostle the supplies as he finally reached the back corner space for him and Hanji. Hanji wasted no time climbing up to join him, and settling down next to him with a soft smile as she opened her arms for him. Curling up in her hold, she covered him with a blanket and held him tightly, before confirming he still wanted to be sedated. Nodding his consent, he closed his eyes and nuzzled into her neck as she bossed someone around. Her scent didn't give him the same reassurance as Levi's, and was actually kind of gross now that they were so close, but he was happy not to be alone. * Erections and horse saddles didn't make a great pair. Hunger, arousal and Eren in the arms another while whimpering in his sleep, really didn't improve his mood either. He wanted to tear Eren from Hanji, but each time he looked at the kid, he'd buried himself further under the blanket, now in Hanji's lap, the woman looking nearly squashed in the corner... not that she knew, she was still sleeping off the pervious night. Or she could have sedated herself and he really wouldn't have been surprised if she had. Readjusting himself, Levi nudged his horse away from the group. It was bad enough that the cold shower he'd taken back at their lodgings hadn't helped his arousal and he'd been forced to take matters into his own hands again... literally... something he swore Hanji noticed when she'd looked over Eren to him. He didn't need this from her. It was hard enough to contain himself while Eren tossed and turned, the room filled with his breathy pants and moans during the night. He couldn't blame Eren for this. He hadn't known some of those "elite" pieces of shit had watched him being tortured... though a heads up would have been nice. He could have taken the kid and left earlier, or even better, he could waited outside for each of them. He'd always wondered if aristocratic blood tasted like money, or the bullshit they spilt. Ignoring his wish to be alone, Erwin pulled his horse along side him "Levi. Are you alright?" "Why wouldn't I be?" "You didn't sleep" "No. I was taking care of the soldier you sent into a mental breakdown" "We couldn't have known he was going to act like that" "Did you know they were there?" "Who?" "The rich pigs that paid to watch him tortured?" "I doubt that was the case" "He fucking heard them" "He's upset..." It seemed more and more common of late that he was looking to Erwin in disgust "He has better hearing than you humans. He knows what he heard. He thought they were coming for him again. It sent him into heat" "Is that why you're keeping your distance? Because he's in heat?" "The only person he's letting near him is Hanji. The only person he wants to talk to is Hanji" "He can't cling to Hanji" "What? You want take over? You're going to dress his hands and wipe his arse? Jerk the shitty brat off? We already had to leave ahead of schedule due to his heat" "No. We need to find a more permanent solution. Removing his womb hasn't lessened his symptoms" "How do you propose we fix this? It's part of him" "I'm sure that Hanji can figure something more permanent out" "Saying it like that, it sounds like you want him dead" Erwin gathered his reins tighter "Eren is the closest we've come in a hundred years to finding out the secret of the werewolves, if he dies before we get answers, then all this has been for nothing" "And if he kills himself? What happens to your answers then?" "Do you believe it's likely?" "I honestly don't know. He's suffering. Before all this happened, he was a normal snotty brat. Now he's the most hated person in the world" "It's you're job to keep an eye on him" "Then as his babysitter, I'm telling you that he need to be treated like a soldier. He needs a proper room, and needs to be allowed to train and partake in missions like a normal soldier. Keeping him in the dungeon is only going to reinforce the fact he's different" "Can you assure me he won't shift in the middle of the night?" "He's not about to become a Lycan. A wolf is far more likely" "We'll move him onto your floor after his heat, and I expect you to keep a close eye on him. What happened last night, can't happen again" Nudging the sides of his horse, Erwin pulled back to fall in line with the cart. He hadn't set out to defend Eren... let alone have the brat moved to his floor. He appreciated his silence, and solitude... Just what in the name of Wall Maria was the kid stirring up inside of him? Pulling up at the castle, Hanji called him over. Eren had woken sometime during the ride back, the boy shaking like a leaf and unable to get his legs up under him. Helping him down to the end of the wagon, Levi took the teen into his arms, inhaling a deep breath of the boy's scent, that scattered his rational thoughts. Fuck. He wanted to pin Eren down, make him completely full and filthy with cum and blood... his dick already throbbing in agreement. He had to get away from Eren "Levi?" Blinking, Levi swallowed down a growl. Hanji was too close... "Take... him" "What?" "Hanji. Take him right now" Instead of Hanji lifting Eren from his hold, Erwin did. Eren immediately trying to push his way out of Erwin's arms, his fingers twisting almost unnaturally as he reached for him "You're on standby until his heat has passed" "Fine" The word came out in a bitter growl, Levi having to force himself away from his friends, knowing his disheveled he looked. After a shitty week of undeniable hunger and horniness, Levi was wrecked and deeply regretting his life choices. No matter what he did, the fog never cleared his head, and he never felt sated. He thought he looked bad, until he set his eyes on Eren. The kid had been crying again, his scent was crying out for comfort, and the way he was avoiding sitting down... it was clear his week had been worse. Hanji was helping the boy move into his new room, two doors down from Levi's own, though Eren didn't look happy at all over it. Not as happy as he'd thought at any rate. Clearing his throat, Hanji broke into a wide smile "Levi! How are you?! Erwin said... no, never mind. Can you do me a tiny favour?" He hadn't come out of whatever that was, to do her a favour. Not that she cared, in fact, she probably planned it all to force the pair of them to spend some "alone" time "I just need you to keep an eye on Eren for me. I need to run back down to his old room and grab his blankets. Poor guy is pretty exhausted. Thanks, Levi. You're the best!" And there it was. Hanji rushing off before he could actually say anything, and leaving him with Eren, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Schooling his features, Levi walked over to the teen, taking him by the arm and leading him to his new bed. The room was filthy, something he itched to do something about, though Eren had come leaps and bounds when it came to cleaning, the kid definitely wasn't up for the task "S-sir?" "Relax. I'm not about to do anything to you. You look dead on your feet" "Sorry sir. Hanji told me I went into heat..." "You did. How are you feeling?" "About as good as you look, sir" "So pretty shitty?" Eren gave him a tiny smile, that somehow made the last week seem worth it "I... I just want to sleep, but Hanji said I had move up here" "You don't want to move?" "I don't want to inconvenience people... and I know they're scared of me" "That's their problem, not yours" "I don't want them to be scared" "Then ignore them. They'll get over it" "But what if I shift?" "Then I'll kill you. I'm two doors down, and can be here before you do any damage" "I... I didn't realise" The kid was more out of it than he realised "Shitty Glasses will probably be a while. You should rest. There's training this afternoon" "Training?" "You'll not only be training and strategy meetings with my team, but training with the other recruits. As well as attending lessons, and mock battle simulations. On top of assisting Hanji with her research" Given how in synch his team was, most of those things were below them. Bumping Eren straight up to his partner meant he'd missed a lot "I... what? I thought I was supposed to stay in your care..." "I will still be supervising you, but until we have our next mission, we've rearranged your schedule to something a little more normal" Eren let out a half strangled sob, before throwing his arms around Levi. Levi tensing immediately, not sure if the kid realised how much more work had just been dumped on him... or if he was about to call him out on the fact he'd just decided everything on the spot. Hopefully Hanji hadn't told him he'd been "indisposed" for the last week. Releasing him, Eren wiped at his face, beaming at him "Thank you, for giving me another chance" "Don't thank me brat. Just go to bed already" "Right... sorry for hugging you" "Just try not to make a habit of it" Crawling onto his bed, Eren groaned as he sniffed at his pillow "This room needs cleaning" "You noticed?" "Despite what you think, I do pay attention" "I was wondering" "I'll have to clean it tonight... I'm too tired to care right now" "Don't push yourself too hard..." "Coming from the man who looks like he went through a heat of his own" "Just shut up and go to sleep" "I'm working on it" Sinking down on the edge of Eren's bed, he knew he should leave, but the kid looked so vulnerable. With silence settling between them, Levi felt Eren's hand brush his hip, the boy's fingers closing around his waist cloth with a happy sigh. Eren was lucky Levi was too tired to deal with it at the moment... or at least that's what he told a cackling Hanji upon her return. * Eren was exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted. Levi had packed his schedule, so there wasn't a moment in the day when he wasn't busy. Which meant there was no time to let himself get too caught up in his own self hate. Levi had said to ignored the others, and for the first month it had taken everything he had not to snap at everyone who looked at him the wrong way, or shift and run away when it became too much. Levi had pulled him back from his self implosion, and for that, Eren vowed to be the very best partner he could be. Once the others finally settled down enough not to trip him or "whisper" about him, which wasn't until halfway through the second month of his new routine, the teen actually managed to make a new friend... completely by accident. The day had been rough. They'd been running battle simulations all day. Sometimes Eren was in his wolf form, sent to scout ahead. Sometimes he was running messages between the various teams. And for the final hour or so, he running around as a Lycan, while Hanji rode on his shoulder giving him directions. He'd been forced to spend another two hours after everyone retired back to the castle, doing simple exercises with Hanji and Levi. Once he was finally dismissed, Eren had staggered up to his room, wanting to climb into bed and sleep for a week, but thanks to Levi's obsession with cleanliness, the teen gathered his things up before heading down to the communal shower blocks. Eren had just turned the taps on when his exhaustion caught up with him, forcing him to shift into his wolf form. Deciding it was too much effort, he sat under the running water until it ran clear and the drain was filled with bits of leaves and twigs. Trying to make the effort to shift, he found he couldn't... leaving him pawing at the taps in a futile attempt to turn them off "Do you need some help?" Jumping and slipping on the wet floor, the girl staring down at him just howled with laugher before reaching over. With a screeching shudder from the pipes, the water cut out "There we go. You should head back up before anyone else comes along" Making the mental note to thank the girl the following day, Eren padded from the shower, grabbing his clothes into his mouth, and walking from the room. With his exhaustion, Eren forgot about the whole thing. It was another two weeks before he saw the girl again. Once again he was in the bathroom, this time cleaning with the rest of the group. It wasn't until they were leaving that he noticed her, standing away from the group. Waving Levi's team off, Eren approached her "Thanks for last time. I was too tired to shift back" "That's what you get for always working. You need to stop letting big brother Levi boss you around, Eren" Big Brother? Since when did his partner have siblings? "You know my name?" "Everyone knows your name. Are you stupid? Did someone drop you on your head?" Eren grinned, he couldn't help it. The girl felt like an old friend, not a new one "Probably. My mother was always yelling at me for getting into trouble" "I can see why. Anyway, you're welcome" "For what? Oh. Right. The taps. You should come sit with us at dinner tonight" "No, I'm ok. I wouldn't say no to a cookie though" Eren snorted. He'd just about kill for proper home cooking... for his mother's cooking. Her sweets were always amazing, just the right amount of sugar... but they had nothing like that here, and Sasha would always eat the ingredients every time they tried to cook "I can't help you there..." "I know. You better hurry up before Levi comes looking for you" "Right. Thanks... uh...?" "Isabel" "Thanks, Isabel. If you see me around, you should say hi" "I will" After that, Eren always seemed to run into Isabel in the bathroom. It was better than running into Jean or Connie, especially when the pair of them got into towel flicking contests over the slightest thing, and his showers usually ended up being too late for Armin to join. It was weird talking to a girl while he was naked, but Isabel always stayed on the other side of the door, leaving once the taps turned off. She was weird. And loud. And couldn't sing to save her life. And she was a lot like Hanji, without the constant want to poke and prod at him. Though after his panic attack, she'd made it a point of not doing anything more than what the Government wanted tested each fortnight. They weren't fun, but she'd keep him sedated for it, and always snuck in something as a treat for his food behaviour, or she'd spring him for the night, letting him run free for a few hours. Having woken early, Eren had taken the initiative by asking Levi to come running. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on his partner, but the nights Levi seemed to sleep badly, were the nights before he ask if Levi wanted to go for an early morning run. The first time he'd asked, Levi looked at him like he'd grown a second head, but now it was his thing... their thing. His small way of asking if Levi was ok, without overstepping his station. Besides, Isabel said keeping Levi busy was the best way to take his mind off things... for someone he'd never seen around the man, she knew a hell of a lot about him. Maybe she had a thing for him? He'd never asked her what she'd meant by the big brother thing... something inside him didn't want her liking Levi... not when he didn't know what the man was to him. He liked spending time with Levi. He liked the fact he could get the man to smile, or to laugh, but each time something like that happened it felt like something would snap, and Levi would push him away. Isabel had assured him that Levi liked him in more than just a friendly way, his heart had nearly burst when she'd told him, yet now he could only see he as a curse. Even if he liked Levi, and Levi liked him, he would never be good enough. So, he'd decided he'd try finding someone to help him out. He didn't necessary need to date them, he just needed Levi to think they were so the man backed off... he'd tried asking Isabel out, but she'd said it would never happen. Sooo, while today's run might have been to distract Levi, but it was also the perfect time to ask the man exactly who Isabel was. Having finished the trail he liked to call "Levi's in a shit mood", Eren flopped down in the grass, panting hard as his muscles protested being forced to use so early in morning. It wasn't all that early, the sun had been rising as they'd left, and it was still sitting quite low in the sky. Shooting Levi a half-smile, Eren groaned as the man took his hand to pull him up "You're about a decade too young to be complaining over such a simple run" "I stayed up light..." "And then decided to go running? You could still be in bed" "A little bird told me you could use the distraction" "Does this little bird have Shitty Glasses?" "Nope. She's got pig-tails and calls you her big brother" Levi looked like he'd just been slapped. His steely eyes narrowing as he yanked his hand back from Eren's "I don't know what game your playing, but I suggest you stop it" Eren was genuinely confused. Levi was actually shaking, his hands clenched into fists "I'm not playing any game. Her name is Isabel. She's about yay-high, can't sing and loves cookies" Eren didn't have time to react as Levi's fist connected with his face, sending the teen flying backwards from the impact "Don't you ever mention her name again" "But she..." Growling, let raised his hand as if to strike him again, Eren immediately whimper as he cowered "I don't know what you've been told, but the next time you say her name. I will personally slaughter you without hesitation" Turning, Levi stormed away. His scent causing Eren just as much pain as his nose dripping nose. Did Levi not like Isabel? Was that it? Did they break up or something? No. There was definitely more to this... and somehow he'd made Levi hate him. Confused and hurting, Eren gingerly got to his feet. Tears now rolling down as freely as the blood from his broken nose that wasn't healing. He'd never set out to hurt Levi, especially not on purpose. He'd been trying so hard to be a better partner. And now Levi hated him. Taking off running, he couldn't stop crying. It felt like his heart had shattered, and the pieces were being ground to dust. Hanji. He'd run to Hanji without even thinking. They'd gotten so close that he'd nearly slipped up and called her mum. Throwing himself into her office, he ran straight up to her and into her hold "Eren!? What's wrong, what happened?" "I... fucked... up" Taking his face in her hands, Hanji eyed his nose "Who did this to you?" "L-Levi. I didn't mean to make him mad" "Come on, let's get this healing and you can tell me all about it" "I stuffed up and now he hates me..." "I'm sure he doesn't hate you" "He does! He told me he'd slaughter me. I'm trying Hanji! I'm trying and what was it all for?!" Overrun with emotion, Eren was led out to an examination bed. Hanji sitting him down before grabbing a couple of pieces of thick gauze and placing it against his nose "Tell me what happened?" "We... sometimes he doesn't sleep, so I invite him to go running... but when we finished... I made him so mad" "That's not telling me what happened" "I mentioned Isabel and he yelled at me. He told me to stop playing games and told me if I ever said her name again, he'd kill me" Hanji let out a long breath "Alright. I see what happened. Isabel and Levi used to be best friends, with another soldier named Farlan. This was all a while ago now, but there was a mission that went wrong" "But... missions have gone wrong in the past..." "Eren, Isabel and Falran were like family to Levi. A bit like you with Mikasa and Armin. They were a band of three, until Falran and Isabel were torn apart by werewolves" Eren's eyes widened, before he let out a small laugh "Isabel isn't dead... I was talking to her yesterday" "Eren, she's been gone for a long time. I promise you, she's very dead" "And I'm telling you she's not!" Hanji raised her hands in surrender "Maybe we're talking about two different people" "She said her name is Isabel. She wears her hair in pigtails and calls Levi big brother. She can't sing, but she's sneaky and loves jokes and cookies... she said Levi saved and they kind of together since" Hanji frowned at him "Where did you meet her?" "In the communal showers, about a month and a half ago... I was too tired to shift, so she turned the taps off for me" "And you've seen her since?" "Almost every night. It's always late by the time I get to shower... and I don't want to creep everyone else... she's always there though" "Did Isabel tell you anything else?" "That Levi was different and closer to me than I thought... and that he likes me, even though he's old and cranky... and she um... she said he drinks blood" Hanji pinched the bridge of her nose, her normal excitement non-existent "I think we need to have a little talk, now that you're older" "What does that have to do with anything?" "It might be that with age or with your heats, the wolf side of you is increasing in power. People have often said animal have the ability to sense things humans don't" "Are you calling me an animal?" "No. But you do have this ability to shift into an animal. Your senses may be heightened because of it" "I'm sixteen, not sixty" "I know you are. Look. I know you didn't mean to upset Levi, but there is just no plausible way that ghosts can exist" "Then what?! Are you saying I made it up?! That I made up that Levi drinks blood?!" "No..." Eren paled "Levi drinks blood?" "He does. It's one of the mostly guarded secrets around here... he's not completely human, like you aren't completely human" "He what..." "We use the generic term of vampire. He can eat and function of human food well enough, but he needs to consume blood fairly regularly to keep his mind and body in check" He'd only said it because it sounded insane. Now he was being told that the man who was his hero, wasn't even a human?! On top of her expecting him to believe in ghosts?! Maybe Levi had given him brain damage? Because it kind of felt like it right now "Hanji... ghosts and vampires don't exist. We've never even learnt about them... they're not in our books..." "Not everything you read or see is the full story. There are plenty of things the government would like to keep secret. If they knew who Levi really was, he'd be in just as much danger as you are. They'd be experimenting on him. Cutting him open to see how he heals. You of all people know why it's so dangerous for him to show his true self" "I... didn't know" "I don't know if Levi would have eventually told you, but he does care for you. He's also tried to distance himself from you, as your heat sets him off. There's something about you that triggers his other side, making him incredibly possessive of you. It has since the first moment he met you" "Why didn't he tell me?!" "Because you're going through a lot, and because knowing would put your life in even more danger. He doesn't like people acting or treating him differently because of it. Something you should be well aware of" So Levi wasn't being kind because Eren was doing better. He was being kind out pity for the freak which could have just as easily been him... it hurt. It really, really hurt. Levi didn't see him as human, he was just a monster... like he was... he'd never be anything to the man, because after months, he finally got it. Levi only liked him because Eren's fucked up body made him "I won't tell anyone" "I know you won't" "But can I ask a question?" "Sure" "Who does he feed on?" "Either me, or Erwin. Usually Erwin" Eren felt like his heart had finally fallen low enough to be sitting firmly in the bottom of his shoe "Are they... they're an item, aren't that? Sometimes I smell it on him... I smell Erwin on him" "I don't think they're an item..." "It would explain why Erwin hates me so much" "Erwin doesn't hate you" "He does. He only sees me as a weapon, and he gets mad every time I'm with Levi" "No. Don't go there. Erwin doesn't hate you, and as far as I know, they aren't an item" "I think I want to go back to my room" "You're not going anywhere until your nose has healed" "It's fine. It'll heal" "Eren..." "No. I just... I worked really hard Hanji. Being benched from missions was really hard, but then Levi filled my schedule and I thought he actually thought I had potential. Instead he's being forced to be nice to me. I feel so sick" "That's not the case at all" "That's how it feels... I want to be alone for a bit" "I don't think that's wise" "Fine. I'll go lock myself in the cell. That's where I belong" Slipping off the bed and past Hanji, Eren held the bloody gauze to his nose. He didn't really know when he'd fallen for Levi, but now he knew those feelings weren't real. It was just because they weren't human that they were drawn to each other. Walking through the halls, Eren literally walked into Armin. Bouncing back from his friend with a growl, before realising who it was "Whoa! Eren, are you ok?" "Hey Armin. Yeah, I'm fine" Mikasa reached up and pulled his hand away from his nose "What happened? Did someone hurt you?" "Oh. No. It was a stupid accident. That's why it's not healing. Where are you two off to?" "Breakfast. You're joining us right?" "Hanji said I have to rest today" "But..." "Eren, we'll bring you something up to your room. You should be laying down" "I'm fine, Mikasa" "Maybe we should..." "Guys, just drop it. Go have breakfast, I'm just gonna go sleep or something" "Eren..." "Really, Mika. I'm ok. Hanji is just being cautious" "Mikasa, we should go. We're not going to get a seat if we wait much longer" "See. I'll see you both later" Now that was unable to lock himself away in his cell, Eren returned to his room. The room he thought he deserved... but it was only so Levi could keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn't realise the man's secret all on his own. At least now he knew why he was attracted to his partner... Levi would probably be revolted if he'd told him. So he never would. He'd start hanging out with his normal friends, maybe even find someone to date. Sure he preferred guys... but there just weren't that many options, and none that would help fix his broken heart. He'd just have to throw the dice and let them roll... maybe people would like him more if he was like some of the other soldiers, who just opened their legs for anyone. He was made for sex... to be bred... his dream of wiping out every single werewolf now seemed laughably naive. Ever since his mum had been eaten... no, even before that, he'd wanted to wipe them out and see the world beyond the walls. He wanted to see the ocean and the lakes of fire. He wanted to see everything that Armin had told him about, and he wanted everyone inside the stupid walls to be free... So since when did his love life become more important? Right. When he'd turned into a fucking Lycan and found out he'd had a womb... at least Hanji had removed it. That was something... Armin and Mikasa brought him breakfast as they'd promised. By the time they'd arrived, his nose had healed, just leaving the traces of blood behind. While he ate, Mikasa tried to get the truth of the morning's incident out of him, while Armin kept shooting him worried looks. Being inside was only serving to depress him further... but he just couldn't face the outside world yet. What he needed was a mission. Something far away from Levi and everyone else. Something he could take his time and finally get right. So, once his friends left, Eren headed up to Erwin's office. Despite what Hanji said, Eren was convinced Levi and Erwin were in some kind of relationship. It didn't seem normal for them not to be, not when Levi was feeding on the man. Knocking on the door, he waited for Erwin to grant him permission to enter, the man looking at him almost tiredly when he did "Eren, what can I do for you?" "I was wondering if there any missions coming up?" "You want to go on a mission?" "Yes, sir. Even if it's simply scouting the surrounding area" "May I ask why?" "Because... because I want to be of use, sir!" Erwin raised one of his eyebrows, it rippled as if it was actually alive "Did you tell Levi?" "I haven't seen him since our run this morning, sir. I would like to see how other missions are run, in comparison to working with his team" "With his team? Or with Levi?" "Uh... Levi, sir" "Petra, Eld and Gunther are scheduled to scout the forest to the south of the castle. Would this he acceptable?" "Yes, sir" "It's surprising you wish to distance yourself from Levi. Did something happen?" "No, sir" He hated how amused Erwin sounded. He'd been careful to clean the blood from his face and change his clothes. Well, Mikasa had cleaned his face and told him to change, but it still counted "There's a cabin to the south, that we've been thinking of claiming for some time. Your mission today is to assess it's usefulness, and structural integrity. Hanji has suggested it in place of the dungeon for when you go into heat. How long ago was your last one?" "Nearly two months" "Which means another month until your next one hits" "Y-yes, sir" "Do you have anyone you wish to spend your heat with?" "No, sir" "Not even, Levi?" "No, sir. He may be assigned to watch me, but I would prefer to spend my heats alone" "Very well. I'll inform Petra of the mission changes. Be ready to embark in 3 hours" Snapping to salute, Eren felt like Erwin was laughing at him internally. He felt like the man knew he couldn't help but have feelings for Levi, so was warning him to back off. He didn't want to step on anyone's toes... or cause any more friction. Erwin said nothing as he left, and Eren... Eren regretted setting foot in his office. * It's late by the time the four of them reach the castle. They'd found the cabin, it was a wreck inside but structurally ok, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was the pack of werewolves that had crossed their path. There'd been 7 or 8 smaller, three metre class wolves, with two about 5 metres. Petra's gear had malfunctioned, and when Eren had saved her, she'd scolded him for not leaving her. He couldn't leave her. He didn't care if that was what she wanted, he wouldn't do it. Instead, he'd left her high in a tree and joined Olou and Eld in battle, taking on the two larger werewolves as the smaller ones tried to get to Petra. I'd been messy and rough, Eld explaining that they'd been abnormal werewolves, with higher than usually exhibited rage. Personally, Eren hadn't seen the difference. The moment he'd laid eyes on them, his heart had started racing and the desire to kill them came rushing back. He'd brought the fight five metre down on his own, using the momentum of his descent to plunge his blades down, killing the beast before it even realised. The second, closed in, its rancid breath washing over him as its hand grabbed for his manoeuvre line. Eld struck while it was distracted, taking its arm off and saving him from the situation. Once the two taller ones were dealt with, he acted as the bait to get them away from Petra. Olou and Eld killing the pack while he just looked stupid. Retrieving Petra, it had been a long trip back home, each of them taking turns to manoeuvre with her in their hold until they reached their horses. They'd barely dismounted when Levi strode over to him, Eren flinching in expectation of being hurt by the still angry man "We need to talk" "No. I... this morning was wrong of me, sir. I'm sorry for overstepping my bounds and it won't happen again. Please just forget it" "What's going on here?" Inserting herself in the conversation, Petra looked from one to the other "Is everything ok?" "It's fine, Petra. I stuffed up this morning, and I was just apologising to Levi. More importantly, are you alright?" "I'm ok. Thank you for rescuing me" Levi crossed his arms "What happened?" "We were attacked while scouting" "I'm sorry, but I need to report to Erwin. I'm sure Petra can fill you in completely" He might have dumped Levi on Petra, but he didn't want to talk to the man. His stomach was in knots, and his heart still racing from being in his presence. Levi would probably track him down later, but that was then and this was now. Erwin wasn't impressed over the fact they'd been attacked, the man flying into action to plan an elimination mission for tomorrow. It was rare for werewolves to get so close. Or so he'd said. Reporting everything that had happened, he proud of himself for keeping his voice so even, and managing not to fall into an exhausted heap. Training dummies and simulations were nothing like the real thing.