PSL / MEME CONTINUATION

[abandonhumanity]

I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine
and rage the likes of which you would not believe.
If I cannot satisfy the one,
I will indulge the other.

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[abandonhumanity]

[Softly, his eyes still closed:]

No.

You’re perfect…

[headhooligan]

[The only downside to sitting like this is that she can’t smother him in kisses as she so dearly wants to.]

[Aubrey lets out a sigh, for now, stroking his face. So soothing....]

I love you, too, Eren.

[abandonhumanity]

Mm.

[He's falling asleep now.]

You should lie down too.

[headhooligan]

[She could have fallen asleep like that, but since he’s asking…]

[It takes some shuffling, but Aubrey tries to position herself between Eren and the back of the couch, wrapping her arms snugly around him. She rests her face by his nape, tangle of hair be damned. And a nice thing about this place is that when she wants the lights out, there’s no need to reach; they dim with her will, bathing the two of them steadily in a late evening glow.]

[Aubrey closes her eyes, and breathes him in.]

little spoon eren jaeger REAL

[abandonhumanity]

[Eren shifts until Aubrey can comfortably wedge herself between himself and the couch. When she puts her arms around him, he takes one of them and tugs it closer, lacing their fingers.

[In mere moments, he's asleep, so much as snoring softly.

[He does indeed dream again.]

2/3 - a dream (cw: gore, horror, etc.)

[abandonhumanity]

[He's dying.

[He's dying, and it's terrifying.

[Titans swarm in the distance, swallowing crushed bodies while Scouts scream and beg for their mothers. Eren's hands grasp at nothing, finding only grass and dirt beneath him. He can't speak, let alone scream. He's gasping for breath, but only ends up choking on blood. His body is crushed, his heart beating slow. He isn't healing fast enough - isn't healing at all.

[In the distance, Armin and Mikasa are only two more bodies on the ground.

[He groans in pain, tears stinging his eyes. He tries to breathe, but he isn't. He's dying, he's dying, he's dying - "I don't want to die like this." He imagines a clean cut to the neck instead; finish him off quickly, don't let him be eaten, don't let him be crushed, crushed, crushed, he's crushed, his body is crushed.

["I'm sorry, I'm sorry - Aubrey, I'm sorry." But he can't make words. He's still vomiting blood.]

Why can't you just stay with me? Why can't you just live? You, idiot.

[His eyes pop open. Aubrey is kneeling, crying and swearing.

[There are titans everywhere, coming from all directions. The earth rumbles. "She'll die, she'll die, she'll die."]

Neither of us are dying. [She grabs Eren by his collar, but releases it quickly to cradle his head instead.]

Come back. Drop the goddamn horse. We don't have to worry about this anymore.

You said you'd live for me. Quit trying to die.

[He's crying. There's no way to stop it. It's all inevitable. Aubrey will be crushed. In the distance, his Founding Titan, all spine and bones.

["Not her, not her..."]

Eren...

I'm going to take us somewhere else now.

[Her hand ghosts over his cheek, runs through his hair.

[His heart stops beating. She kisses him.]

3/3 - assume he's been asleep a few hours at least

[abandonhumanity]

[With a gasp, Eren shoots up from the couch, fumbling out of it and landing hard on the ground. His heart isn't only beating - it's racing so badly that he has to grip his chest, eyes wide with tears and fear. He searches for Aubrey as if he can't see her, despite her being only feet away. His head whips desperately around, hair flying with it.]

What-- what-- I-- No-- No--

Aubrey-- [He chokes.] Aubrey-- Sh-shit...

[headhooligan]

E- Eren?!

[Aubrey barely noticed she’d fallen asleep; now Eren’s on the ground, frenzied, and she’s on her feet, on her knees, grabbing him, holding him, like he started shaking in the barracks all over again.]

Eren, I’m here. I’m here. It’s— it’s all right...

here comes the bo-oy~ hello boy~ welcome~

[wintolive]

[The room is dark. Eren hasn't noticed that he's changed. Somewhere between Aubrey holding him and taking a second look, he's fifteen again - or, at least, he looks that way. He's in his full Scout uniform, cropped short hair, eyes green, and wide, and pleading.]

What-- what-- [His brain still hasn't caught up yet. "She's going to die!"

[He's gasping, breath calming, but only very slowly.]

Aubrey? [His voice is young. Why does he sound like that?]

What's...what happened?

[insert harp emoji] 🐱

[headhooligan]

[She said “it’s all right” on instinct, without even seeing if they were anywhere else; seems not, despite the dark. But Eren himself—

[She’s only seen him like this in memories.]

Eren.... You…

[Aubrey tries to pull him into a hug, before he can notice her own face blank and stunned. He was confused in the barracks, too....]

A nightmare…? [Almost thinking out loud. God, she’d almost forgotten about the way he went rigid and shook. She should’ve asked— No, when he’s calm again, she will. Before this happens again.] You’re ali— You’re safe. [Insistent.] You’re safe, now....

[wintolive]

Safe...[He's echoing her, trying to process her words. His voice cracks like an adolescent. Why? He goes to tug anxiously at his hair, but it's...short?

[He drops his hands, frowning at them; then, looking to Aubrey, pleading.]

A nightmare...

I don't...remember...

[headhooligan]

[He’s confused. God, of course he is. Aubrey takes his hands—

[—and sees it, all of it. Titans, crushing, advancing; dead comrades, dead Armin and Mikasa; Eren himself, choking and panicked and dying; Aubrey begging him to live.]

[In the waking world, Aubrey covers her eyes with one hand, the other still holding Eren’s. It’s not because she doesn’t want to see him, though it’d be easy for him to assume as much; it’s because she’s about to start fucking crying again, and she can’t do that. Not with Eren still bewildered. Get a grip.]

[She swears under her breath. Too strong a thought not to be shared.] That wasn’t for you. Sorry.

You don’t have to remember anything.

[wintolive]

You saw it…?

[It’s a weak question. He can only assume. He sounds so young…]

[headhooligan]

[Aubrey takes a deep breath; shaky, in; steady, out. She lowers her hand.]

[She looks tired. Does Eren realize…?]
I did.

It’s just a bad dream.

[wintolive]

[It's about this time that Eren finally notices what he's wearing, boots and all, ODM gear indeed sitting next to him on the floor of Mari's living room.]

What's going on...?

[headhooligan]

[She follows his eyes; she didn’t notice the gear, either.]

I don’t know… I think you woke up like this?

[Despite the dark, Aubrey reaches for one of the gear-pieces—the part that stores blades, flat and smooth. Not the most reflective thing, but she gives it a perfunctory brush-off, and tries to show Eren what he looks like now.]

[wintolive]

[It's reflective enough. Eren hasn't seen himself like this in a long time now. Brow pinched, he reaches up to touch his hair again, bewildered. Just another trick of this universe, but...idly, he hopes that he won't be stuck this way long. He hasn't been this person in years...]

Careful with that...

[Carefully, he takes the gear and removes it from Aubrey's hands, setting it down.]

Why is this here...?

[It's all there, even down to the gas tanks.

[Dread creeps up his spine. As if out of nowhere, sunlight streams through the window. He stands up, and immediately starts putting on the gear.]

Look outside. Are there other buildings?

[She will indeed find that there are. It looks just like one of the towns on Paradis - Shiganshina, in fact.]

[headhooligan]

[It’s strange, the demeanor of the Eren she knows with the voice and body of one she decidedly doesn’t. The shadows of his childhood can be jarring enough as-is, and they’re not… him, not like this....]

[No matter. Aubrey lifts her arm for shade, squinting at the sudden light. But when she looks outside, it’s not Sunny’s yard at all.]

[She doesn’t like that Eren’s so alert. It’s not promising.]

Is this your home…?

[wintolive]

[Eren comes to her side at the window. They're almost the same height now.]

It is...

Shiganshina.

[His heart barely has time to ache. Past the buildings, Wall Maria looms; the gate has been destroyed.

[This could be very bad.]

Come with me...

[He takes her hand, not waiting for her permission before attempting to drag her outside.]

[headhooligan]

[Eren wants her; Aubrey’s there. And increasingly worried. Around the scenery of his tree was a wall; was that part… like that? Not that she was paying attention, but…]

[Aubrey follows, and squeezes Eren’s hand.]

[wintolive]

[He wastes no time. The second they're outside, he's putting his arm tightly around her.]

Hold on. We're dead on the ground.

[Not at all concerning. He fires the ODM gear's grappling hooks into the nearest roof, and off they go.]

[headhooligan]

[Thank god she had practice with Armin. There’s no thrill to this, though—just steadily-rising terror.]

[She holds Eren very, very tight.]

[wintolive]

[They land with merciful ease, considering it's Eren at the controls. He never was the best with ODM gear, but the situation calls for prowess. He scans the horizon, keeping a hold of Aubrey.]

Don't leave this roof unless you have to - and if you have to, run.

I'm not going to let anything hurt you.

[His grip is tight. He doesn't see any titans - yet. But from the rooftops, they can see Shiganshina destroyed - piles of rubble where houses should be, blood in the streets.

[It's all happening again...

[In the distance, a signal flare of black smoke.]

Abnormal...[He breathes the word. Since when is he concerned about run of the mill titans? Even abnormals. He's been through so much worse, but it doesn't feel that way right now.]

Aubrey. [His voice is firm. He indicates a chimney at the end of the roof.]

I love you.

Hide.

[headhooligan]

[She hasn’t questioned him, stopped to ask anything; she trusts him. But when he asks her to split, her heart lurches.]

Eren…

[It was supposed to be a dream.
[But this is real as it gets, and Aubrey knows she’d be a liability at best.
[She knows she loves Eren to the end.]

[Aubrey grabs his face, kisses him firm on the lips.] Come back for me.

[And, only hesitating for one last glance over her shoulder, she follows his word.]

[wintolive]

[Aubrey grips his face, and he grips hers. The kiss isn't a farewell - he refuses. He wants to live. He wants to be with Aubrey.

[The abnormal approaches with alarming speed, as they're wont to do. There's no one else here to save Eren if he fumbles; if worse comes to worst, he'll use his titan. There's this bizarre hesitancy to that he hasn't felt since he was young - like it might not work, like he's still learning how.

[But he knows how to use his gear. The titan approaches; instantly, it makes a grab for Eren. He flips out of the way, firing his hooks into its shoulder and launching himself toward the nape. He's done this a million times - what's one more? If Aubrey's watching, she'll see it - a twelve meter high beast that looks unsettlingly like a human, and Eren, unsheathing his blades and expertly slicing the nape. The titan falls to the ground with a crash, nearly taking Eren with it. He stumbles, firing his hooks into the opposite roof and landing.]