psl / meme continuation

[wintolive]

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word association for @headhooligan

[wintolive]

[He's a shadow of the Eren she saw that night at the marketplace dance. "I'm a soldier," he told her; at fifteen, he looks like one, seated on some ledge the universe created for him, eyes as dull as they are bloodshot. He's not looking at Aubrey. His gaze is faraway, pointing somewhere between the ground and the distance.]

Sacrifice.

[headhooligan]

[She’s concerned immediately. Just about enough to ignore the game from start, but the universe won’t allow that; so Aubrey joins him, with a tentative slowness, on the ledge. Heights don’t scare her.]

[So long as he’s not startled, she’ll stay there. And even then…]

…Tragedy.

[wintolive]

[He's not startled. He knows she's there. He still isn't looking at her.

["Tragedy". He's not sure if he wants to cry or fake a bitter laugh. He settles for shaking his head.]

Fault.

[headhooligan]

[“Fault”…?]

[Are they close enough t— Oh, hell with that. Aubrey reaches for his hand, just to lay hers over it.]

Responsible…?

PSL starter for @feminae

[wintolive]

[It's nice out today - nice enough that the other cadets are lagging on coming in from outside. They've decided to make the best of the weather and their break time, opting to mess around on the field instead of resting. It took Eren some work to get Mikasa not to follow him, but she definitely isn't suited for what happens when he and Annie manage to get behind closed doors.

[Of course Annie would be in the barracks already; of course she wouldn't be participating in whatever childish nonsense their comrades are getting into. Eren's glad they're alone, closing the door behind him; you wouldn't be able to tell by his face, though. It's uncharacteristically stern.]

Hey. I thought you'd be in here.

I wanna talk to you about something.

[feminae]

[ Annie had been hoping — expecting, really — that Eren would come after her. She craves the moments between them like it’s a physical need, and oh how she hates it. It’s more than the vulnerability, which yes, is as painfully uncomfortable as if she’d peeled her skin and allowed Eren to see her muscles and blood and viscera; mostly, it’s the knowledge that every moment she spends with him is a moment that she’ll regret later, when he’s gone inside a Titan’s mouth.

But isn’t it better to enjoy it now while it lasts?

It hadn’t taken much to get him to find her here, today. Just a long look and a little nod, as if no more words were necessary. As if he understood her, even without her having to say anything. And here he is. He closes the door behind her, and she turns to meet him. ]

What’s the matter?

[ Talking isn’t exactly the bulk of what they usually do, but hey. She’s more than willing to see where this goes. ]

[wintolive]

[Talking certainly isn't the bulk off what they do-- And hey, speaking of which:]

Hold on. [He takes her arm - not a tight grip; just a suggestion, really. But he wants to kiss her, and he'll try to, if she lets him. It feels impossible not to when she's so close, and they get so little time to actually be alone. Sometimes Eren feels like he's waiting all day - multiple days, even - just to kiss her again.

[So, this first. A hand to her cheek, lips on lips, so long as she doesn't push him away.]

[r_naught]

[ Grisha Jaeger is not the first of her colleagues Eren's lost in the past year, and he won't be the last. But he is the colleague whose death holds her attention the longest.

[ Not for lack of empathy; it's just that she can't - none of them can - afford to stop working to mourn every single time someone dies. Nothing would get done, and the dead would only scold them all for it.

[ It doesn't take Erin long to find out about Carla. It takes her even less time to follow up about Eren. Which hospital he's admitted to, how he's doing. Better now that he's off the ventilator, but really, she isn't sure if 'better' is the best word to use regarding him right now.

She can't imagine how he feels, both for lack of experience and for difficulty in naming emotions in the first place. But what she can do is practical. She can bring him clothes, snacks he might like, some small things to maybe keep him busy. They're the things she'd want when she was his age, so she's hoping some of it helps him even a little.

[ Everything's sanitized before she's allowed onto the ward, her vaccine band's scanned, her hands are washed before she goes into his room.

[ He looks just like her. Like Carla. Erin only met her a couple of times, but... ]

Hello, Eren..? [ She slows to a stop at the end of his bed. ] I'm Dr. Erin Mears, I'm- [ Come out of Doctor-mode.. ]

I've, ah...I've brought you some things. [ Wait, rewind a bit. ] I worked with your father.

[wintolive]

[Eren isn't expecting visitors. Who would he be expecting? It's not as though his mom or dad can come see him, and his friends are all stuck at home so they don't end up in the next room. When Erin introduces herself, it makes more sense. She's a doctor. Probably here to give him more bad news, or something like that. The mention of his father surprises him. A while ago, some nurses injected his IV with "a little something to calm you down", and it's working wonders; still, tears have been steadily, silently flowing out of his eyes ever since he woke up (was that yesterday? The day before?). They don't stop now.

[He tries to take a deep breath. The oxygen in his nose helps, but his chest still rattles with it, and when he exhales, he coughs. His voice comes out hoarse and croaky, partly from the fading illness, and partly from having a tube shoved down his throat.

[Quietly, he says:]

He's dead now. Sorry...[The words may sound oddly detached; they are. Although he cries, although he thrashed and screamed - nearly made himself pass out more than once doing so - he still hasn't fully processed the truth. He'll never see his mother or father again. They're gone.]

Your name's Erin...? [Did he hear that right?]

[r_naught]

[ While she feels a touch awkward - a situation thing more than an Eren thing - she's entirely sincere when she offers her condolences, which she does so before depositing her backpack on a nearby chair. ]

I'm so sorry, Eren..-

[ He asks about her name, and she's forced to de-and-rerail her thoughts. ]

Uh- yes. Yes, we have that in common. Mine's spelled a little differently, but...

[ She's still holding the bag with his things inside, prompting her to move closer to him, to take things out one by one, hand him a small, handheld marble-maze puzzle. ]

I, ah...I brought you some things. Maybe they won't be what you like, but I know how dull staring at the same walls all day can be...

There's some clothes here, some better toothpaste, toothbrush. I wasn't sure what you were missing, so I kinda just got everything. There's some snacks, too. I didn't know if you preferred sweet or savoury, so again, a bit of everything...

[ It's a lot of talking, but it's delivered at her usual calm, thorough pace. ]

dream for @headhooligan

[wintolive]

[He's at their spot, waiting for her. It's fall, but not the pretty sort; brown leaves litter the ground, the last of them clinging just barely to the branches of the tree where they carved "E + A" with Eren's dad's pocket knife. He should be able to hear the leaves crisping and crunching as Aubrey approaches, but nothing yet. His back rests against the trunk, shoes stomping on whatever leaves he can reach. They make a nice sound.

[Feels like he's been waiting forever, an impatient frown on his mouth. Can't find his phone, though.]

not actually in kid mode but this felt fitting

[headhooligan]

Eren!

[She’s excited to see him. Always is. Leaves crunch and fly as Aubrey breaks into a run, kicking all that dead detritus aside and throwing her arms around him as soon as they’re close enough. It’s unusually childish for her. Something in the air, maybe.]

Sorry to keep you waiting! [Nervous?] I kept calling and calling—you didn’t pick up. [She frowns; playful, but worried. She doesn’t like when she can’t reach him.]

[wintolive]

[No one's ever been so happy to see him in his life. A wide smile breaks out on his face before she can tackle him; the next thing he knows, they're a pile in the leaves, arms wrapped around each other. He's laughing.]

I must have forgotten my phone. [Weird. How did he ask her to meet him here?]

Where were you, anyway? [His hands are in her hair now, messing it all up, setting the bow askew - his favorite way to say hello.]

Feels like I've been waiting for years.

childhood AU LETS GOOOO

[enteloki]

[It used to annoy him - those days when his mom would settle across from him, plucking toys and small pieces of bread into a well worn satchel. Words would follow - always the same, never changing - a promise he wouldn't need to do to this forever. He remembers the care he felt, even as she ushered him out the door to let in people who didn't belong in his house.

He would give anything to have those moments back. Remembers the day he had to sneak in through a window, a hallway filled with absolute silence, a stone cold body, a-

But his life now isn't bad. He wanders from place to place, settling most often at the home of his friend. A kid he is now pestering with a dramatic tug to the blanket wrapped around his frame, black hair barely hitting his peripheral vision. It's late. It's night. It's been hours since they were both ushered off to sleep, but-]

Hey!

[Whispered loud and fast, accompanied by a persistent poke against his stomach.]

I have to show you something. [Beat.] It's outside.

[wintolive]

Hey! [Echoed back at Akechi, but with irritation instead, entirely feigned. Eren's halfway to giggling by the time Akechi pokes him in the stomach. They've been messing around all night - never can quite seem to get themselves to sleep.]

Shhh. You're gonna wake Mikasa up again, and then we'll both be in for it.

[enteloki]

[This is more important than waking up Mikasa. It's to her benefit that she wakes up, actually. The super cool thing ™ is for everyone in the household, except for a couple adults who might not understand the value of it.

Akechi pokes him again - lighter and with a giggle of his own as he starts to tug the blanket free out of Eren's grip. Time to get up!! Voice soft, he leans down to make sure his friend hears him since the gravity of the situation isn't making him move any faster.]

We have to go now. It might go away if we don't.

contagion au wedding for @wormchick

[wintolive]

[Eren is happy for Zeke. He's not the type to admit that sort of thing out loud, but he is. He's lived with his brother (and basically Erin) for over three years now, and, despite all odds (and, honestly, largely due to Erin's presence), they've managed to - at least, somewhat - bond. Above anything, he's happy that Erin will be moving in, and will stay with them - a true member of their broken little family forever (so long as Zeke doesn't fuck it up).

[That being said, he was genuinely looking forward to their wedding day. He helped do some of the planning, and he has a sharp outfit to wear (not a stuffy suit, but a collared shirt and nice pants - toss a cardigan over it, and he's looking pretty nice). Over the last week, his body has cooperated with some relative consistency, but...the morning of the wedding, his lungs decided that they didn't want to breathe anymore.

[He hates having to wear oxygen out in public (or a crowded private event). He's been subdued all night, preferring to stay in his seat, or pressed into a corner, away from the crowds. Guests who rarely see Eren keep coming up and touching him, asking how he's feeling. He hates it. Finally, at one guest, he snaps, lashing out with something like, "Will you get the fuck away from me?" She leaves. He glances sideways at someone in his peripheral vision - a girl with chunky headphones placed over her ears. What the Hell is that about...?]

You're listening to music? [But it's already playing. Everyone's dancing, having a nice time.]

[wormchick]

[ Truthfully, Lily wasn't sure about coming to the wedding. Her mum had told her it wouldn't be huge or 'too much', but Lily's not always so sure she knows what constitutes 'too much'.

Five people can be 'too much' sometimes. It all depends. But this more than five people, and Lily only really knows Erin and Zeke; not well, but she's at least familiar with them. Everyone else..? Not at all. She knows about Eren (her mum pointed him out at the start), but they haven't met yet. Lily's been too focused on trying not to use the headphones tucked neatly into her bear-shaped shoulder bag. She lasted a while, but soon enough, on they go.

She hears when Eren speaks to her, though - they're close enough to allow for it. Hopefully close enough that if she's speaking too softly, he'll be able to hear her.

She shakes her head. ]

Mm-nn, no. It's just too loud and there's too much talking, and overlapping sounds. It's making me very aware of the seams in my dress and how warm it is in here, so these help keep me calm.

[ With a glance at his oxygen pack; ]

Is that uncomfortable to wear for a long time?

[wintolive]

[Lily's explanation doesn't really make sense to him, which causes him to arch a rude brow, but her rather bold question quickly has him furrowing instead. It's not...really the same type of pitying "aw, poor baby" type shit he usually gets, which catches him off guard - disarms him a bit, in fact. He shrugs.]

Sort of. I don't wear it all the time. It rubs my nose all raw and bugs my ears. [A note that he does, indeed, have to pause several times while talking to take breaths. The oxygen helps tremendously; without it, he'd probably be hospitalized right now.]

contagion au wedding for @r_naught

[wintolive]

[The Mission Impossible theme plays as Eren attempts to locate Erin-- AHA! She is Zeke-less. It's the perfect moment to strike. He just has to, uh...get over there quick enough.

[He arrives a bit breathless, but what else is new? Readjusts the tubes on his face.] Hey. I'm okay. [That, before anything else.] Can I talk to you just real quick?

[Seems Zeke is sucked into-- AHA! FAITH HARGROVE IS SEATED BESIDE HIM. They can double-team this for sure...]

ov o

[r_naught]

[ She goes to ask - it's always one of the first things she asks - but he takes the question right out of her mouth, and follows it with one she's only half expecting. She's wondering if he wants - or needs - to go home already.

Honestly, she wouldn't mind the excuse to step away for a bit. Thank God Zeke isn't the sensitive type; she has no idea what wanting to step away from her own wedding says about her. ]

Yeah, of course - come on, let's sit.

[ A table and chairs enter, stage left. ]

exit, pursued by a bear (sophs)

[wintolive]

[Eren follows his new sister-in-law to a couple of seats at an empty table. He wonders if this kind of party is really Erin's thing; maybe she needs a break too. They've bonded over that before, though for different reasons.

[He's about to add more stress. It's selfish to put the pressure of this question on Erin when she's trying to enjoy her wedding, but...he never gets offers like this, and he wants to go - wants her and Zeke to have a nice time too.]

I met Lily. Faith's daughter? She's nice. [...] They're inviting me over to their house tonight so you and Zeke can do your whole...[Nose wrinkling - gross.]...wedding night thing...

[Quickly:] I'll be okay. I can bring my cpap and my emergency stuff, and I'll take my medicine and everything in the morning. [An anxious look.] I know Zeke has to say yes too, but I'll really be okay. I will.

Contagion AU babeyyy

[wormchick]

Hello Eren!

[ Texting like they're besties after x1 sleepover? It's likely. ]

It's Lily 🙂
Chris also says hi!

Last night was fun!

[wintolive]

[In all honesty, Eren got home from Lily's house and immediately fell back asleep until about 3:00pm. Waking up to a text from her feels like Christmas morning. His thumbs start moving before he even bothers sitting up (takes the Darth Vader mask off, at least).]

hey lily
last night was awesome

the wedding was fine but i loved kicking it at your house
lmao
i cant believe i watched ur brother stream all those years and never realized he was in the same town??

hes kind of a dork in person lol

hi chris

[wormchick]

Oh he's a BIG dork actually! You're factually accurate! He had fun having someone there to play with him though. I can only play a couple of games with him because I'm not good with very quick controls.

You can come over whenever you like okay? Or whenever you're allowed to; I know what that's like in a way, I'm not really allowed to do a lot of things either but for different reasons.

Or I could come over to your house next!