i will be totally honest with y’all i can’t see Hobie (ATSV) in a romantic relationship ever. like, i can’t see him seeing anybody ever as “the one” or even having multiple partners or anything. I can barely see him having friends outside of the ones he already has. I can somewhat see the “are we dating or are we not dating” thing being something he gets involved in, but not really. i think a lot of people either don’t know or just forget that he’s probably homeless and that his world is shit rn and that stuff he needs isn’t easy to come by 😭😭 and a lot of homeless people just don’t have time/energy for shit like romantic relationships and the stuff he’s doing canonically because they’re so focused on trying to survive. That’s why when I make posts about him casually flirting or whatever it’s never serious, it never goes anywhere, because honestly! Between music shows, trying to find your next meal, fighting the power, trying to find a shelter for the night, helping other homeless people and others in need as both a civilian and Spider-Man, dealing with dimensional threats, trying to find a place to get clean, i just don’t think Hobie has time to even consider it. Sure, maybe there are facilities in the HQ to make it easier, but after that stunt, i think he’d avoid using them as much as possible. do you see what i mean??

A Theory about The Unproduced Amelia Season

I think Amelia’s book would have served to reframe her takeover of the train as, at least initially, a good thing. On some level, I think it was a good thing. When we first meet Amelia in Book 4, she’s in some form of Dialogue with One; he’s walking her through the proceedings of the train, laying it all out for her. And frankly, he’s framed a lot like a supervillian here.

This isn’t the One-one that traveled with Tulip. He’s a united front, with a specific goal and ethos. His name drips with ego. He’s cold, calculating. He’s a robot hidden behind an uncanny face. He knows the train kills people. Probably a lot of people. He doesn’t care. They fix their shit- with limited guidance and resources- or they die. For all intents and purposes, he’s either PG Jigsaw or he’s playing Metatron to one.

Then there’s Amelia. Amelia, about whom we can observe several things;

She’s known to have a knack for subverting tyrannical, bureaucratic systems. She undercuts the phone company. She jokingly tries to talk Alric into ditching graduation. She does poorly in a classroom setting but she’s brilliant when she applies herself.

In an era when all passengers have specific uniforms-branded with One’s face, no less, Amelia is wearing the boots, (which physically can’t be removed) but not the soulless; identity-erasing uniform.

She’s penetrated very far into the infrastructure of the train. You don’t get this far on your first day, or without subverting a lot of systems to get One’s personal, undivided attention.

She has no Denizen with her here. That’s odd; with the exception of Grace, most passengers tend to accumulate denizens pretty quickly after they board the train. Kez demonstrates that, under One, this is what Denizens do- it’s their duty to explain the set-up and assist the passengers, although she personally isn’t “conventionally” good at it (she helps by being so incompetent they have to devise workarounds to the problems she creates.) 

So what we’re looking at here is coded like a Bond Villain Speech to a protagonist that you’d get at the climax. This is after the plucky, headstrong, anti-authoritarian heroine has pushed through countless dangers on the train proper, to break into the inner sanctum of a sanctimonious demigod. This is after she’s asserted her individuality with clothes instead of a uniform. 

This is after any denizens she potentially encountered have left her company; maybe through second-act heroic sacrifice, or just by being left behind when One brought her into the main tour. (It’s possible she never encountered any, but from a meta standpoint it’s unlikely the whole book would have been her with One-One and no one else.) In the construction of a typical horror thriller or heroic action adventure, we’d be witnessing zero hour. Now let’s look at her influence on Ryan and Min’s adventure. She exerts influence twice; once at the Party Car, and once at the castle.  In the Party car, she gives them back their stuff. Ryan’s Guitar, Min-Gi’s minisynth, their clothes. All flatly necessary to get through the car, to resolve their problems in general, and it’s pretty clear that One wasn’t going to give them that stuff if Amelia hadn’t suggested it; she’s in some kind of dialogue with him that can be heard through the Steward. 

And someone pointed out that in the other seasons, the stuff that the passengers bring on board with them is a reflection of themselves, their strengths and their pasts. Someone aside from me pointed out that under One’s system, Tulip wouldn’t have had the pocket knife that she used to rescue Lake- and that was the only conceivable takeaway from that car, that you need to extend empathy even to people who are hurting you while pursuing their own needs. They pointed out that without his phone and the recording, Lake wouldn’t have been able to help Jesse through his issue with Nate and Troy. He could have kept dancing around that forever.  So this is clearly Amelia at a point where she’s trying to introduce a Reform to a broken system. And it’s a good one! The second time she shows up, she takes the pair’s magnoboots, proclaims that “we are on our own,” and (accidently)  self-destructs the stewards. That’s a demonstration that she’s in control at this point, if not competent control.

 It’s telling that the most prominent thing One’s regime provides to the Passengers are boots that can be used as restraining bolts if they start doing something he doesn’t like. It’s also telling that Amelia’s first act as Conductor was to remove those restraining bolts from everyone on the train. Her breakdown at the end of Book One is at least partially informed by her knowledge of how callously One-One ran things when she hadn’t rendered him a complete moron. Her brusque, no-nonsense attitude in Book 3 results from the fact that she’s not actually sorry about overthrowing One-One; she recognizes that there was a mechanical limit stopping her from bringing back Alrick, that she took One-One’s little speech about the train being capable of anything too literally, and that her time in charge could have been spent far more productively. But that was purely a practical error, not necessarily a moral one; she isn’t shown to care about denizens any more than One One or the Apex do, and she doesn’t care about the train working beyond what’s necessary to burn off her sentence.

Considering all of this, I think that a book about Amelia would have been framed as a full-circle revolution; a story about Dorothy finding the man behind the curtain, finding him lacking, and usurping him. The tragedy isn’t that the real conductor was overthrown; the tragedy is that Amelia fails to improve meaningfully on his performance.  She failed to recognize her newfound capacity, and her moral responsibility, to improve the system for everyone; Instead, she got lost for thirty years in the pipe dream of bringing back Alrick, with nothing to show for it but turtles.

Omg! Dookus padawan au is fabulous! I love it! Although now im curious about how melida daan would go with a more confident obi and a master whos supportive of him and listens

(i originally planned this to be a dramatic harrowing recounting of obi’s time on Melida/Daan, but it did not turn out like that ಥ_ಥ 

thank you for enabling me with this au, anon, i love it so much and i somehow don’t write little-shit-obi nearly as much as i should. i hope this satisfies! ( ˘ ³˘) bonus nield ‘cause he’s dead in dha kar’ta and i got big sad about it)

Alt+R to Quick Reblog on Desktop, Hold the Reblog Symbol to Quick Reblog on Mobile

 "Obi-Wan, did you fuck the Mand'alor."

  Obi-Wan grins at Nield from the cell across from him, sitting in half-lotus like any proper Jedi on a routine kidnapping, and Jango sighs in the next cell over.

  "You overestimate how much either of us would like that," Obi-Wan chirps, even though they all know that's not really what Nield is asking. 

  And he makes his feelings about that clear, leveling Obi-Wan with an unimpressed deadpan that Obi-Wan really doesn't think is warranted. "Is this what you thought I meant when I told you to lay low?" he asks gruffly. "Become the youngest Jedi Master in two centuries and shack up with another Anti-Republic System's leader?"

  Jango slants a look at him. "What do you mean 'another'?"

  "Well, technically, Nield, I never shacked up with you either," Obi-Wan reasons. "And you were only governor for about three days."

  "That still counts!"

  "De'jate werda, this is about the Young?"

  "Language, dear," Obi-Wan chides blandly, and Jango throws his stale roll at him through the bars; it misses him by a foot anyways. "But yes, I'm afraid so. I did tell you the Daan regularly kidnap me for ransom from the Jedi, didn't I?"

  Grumbling, Jango flops against the back wall to scowl. "I was under the impression they had stopped after your Cerasi renamed the planet."

  "They did," Nield pipes up, poking at his own inedible roll. "Since I'm here, it probably still does have to do with the leaders of Tahl, but why they nabbed your boyfriend is beyond me."

  Jango rolls his eyes. "Probably because I was with him when they grabbed him."

  "Don't sound so put-upon, we hadn't seen each other in months." Aside from a single holocall before Obi-Wan had gone undercover with a Mid-Rim diplomatic convoy, both he and Jango had been too busy to take the time off for even a quick visit, and they'd had all of twenty minutes together before their kidnappers had broken into Jango's apartment on Coruscant. They had been in the middle of dinner and everything, and Obi-Wan mourns the tiingilar left on their table.

  Though, he supposes, he had made it with Rodian chillies instead of Mandalorian ones just to kark with Jango, so Maker knows if it had even been edible.

  Snorting, Nield runs his hands through his hair and leans as far over as he can to look down the halls of their cellblock, as if he and Jango hadn't already done that. "I imagine you haven't broken out yet because you're the only one of us in cuffs?"

  Obi-Wan helpfully raises his bound hands to show him the new-fangled force-suppressing manacles that have become more popular over the last few years, what with the sudden spike in number of Jedi. "I’ve never seen them before," he offers. "They're not nearly as strong as Ventress' collar, but I'm afraid I'm of no use to you unless we get them off."

  Nield sighs. "I said to lay low, Kenobi. You were the one to bag Ventress?"

  "I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, my dear: she rather forced my hand."

  "No, no, we're not glossing over this again," Jango growls, getting to his feet to lean on his bars so he can glare at the both of them. "Why'd you tell him to lay low? When did you tell him to lay low?"

  “I’ve been telling him for years!”

  “But especially since the last attempt on Cerasi’s life.”

  “Ner ca’tra,” Jango sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Do you have a bounty on you again?”

  Nield waves emphatically, as if finally proven right. “‘Again’! What does he mean ‘again’, Obi-Wan?”

  Rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan knows it’s not nearly as bad as they’re both making it out to be. “To my knowledge, no, I don’t think I currently have a bounty out on my head, and Neild, it would only be the second time.” He unfolds himself and pushes upright, stretching his legs before sticking his bound hands through the bars. “Now, if you two would stop nagging, I need you to try shorting out the locking mechanism with your water cups.”

  Jango sighs but still moves to grab the single cup of water that had been in the cells when they arrived; Nield stays at his door and scowls. “You’re not sure if it’ll work?”

  Obi-Wan raises a brow. “No, I’m actually quite confident it will: Quinlan and I have escaped the Daan twice like this. I just wasn’t sure if your arms would reach.”

  “Ha ha,” Jango drawls, sticking his own arms out to try and reach across the narrow walkway between their lines of cells. “Was that before or after you liberated the planet.”

  Nield is absolutely no help, groaning and laughing both as he ducks back to get his own water. “I’ve yet to meet this mysterious Quinlan that you assure me is actually real, but it’s been a decade and a half, ‘Nobi.”

  He sniffs in offense, stretching out as far as he can for Jango to tip his cup over his wrists. “He’s doing it on purpose. Quinlan Vos is never more amused than when he is making my life more difficult, so I’m afraid he’s been avoiding you, my dear.”

  “A likely story,” Nield snorts, and his significantly-longer arms easily allow him to pour his water directly into the locking mechanism. It starts sparking immediately, Obi-Wan jerking to the side to protect his face while Nield yelps and pulls back. 

  Feeling the Force rush back into his bones like a splash of tihaar, Obi-Wan easily snaps the cuffs down the centre and kicks open his cell door.

-

  Obi-Wan wasn't even supposed to be here, but when he's on his way back from Ilum to finally build a second lightsaber so he can move up from the jar’kai practice ’sabers Master Windu has him using, the Force sidelines him by forcing the Crucible into an emergency landing for the first time since Huyang's creation. A problem with the hyperdrive or something, nothing crucial to replace, something easily fixed once planetside, but just bad enough that they have to land on the nearest planet to fix it.

  Where Qui-Gon Jinn just so happens to be already on a mission attempting to rescue another Jedi master. Where there are actual children fighting for control of the capital city. 

  It takes Obi-Wan less than an hour to find Jinn and the Young, and perhaps an hour more to decide he would be sending Masters Tahl and Jinn back to the Temple without him. Master Yan would understand, it would hardly be the first time he had taken advantage of his master’s absence to do what the Force was telling him to.

  He is there a month before Master Yan returns with four Jedi Masters and their padawans, and permission from the Senate to aid the Young until a treaty could be reached. Obi-Wan is frankly too intimidated by his master securing the warrant nobody had managed to in seventy-five years to ask just how he’d done it; and Master Yan doesn’t scold him except to tell him in no uncertain terms that he is never to trust Qui-Gon Jinn’s judgement on anything to do with children. 

  Luckily his following lecture about the faults of jar’kai and the importance of proper dueling technique is cut off by an ambush from the Melida, and he never gets back around to it even after the Young retake the planet. Obi-Wan is still unsure whether he prefers the three days of sexual education he gets instead, when Cerasi admits she had caught Nield and Obi-Wan kissing in the hall after her election.

-

  Yan meets them outside, not looking very surprised to see them simply walking from the brig that had been their home for the last eight hours. Their human kidnappers are cuffed and being processed by a pair of Judiciary Branch clerks Yan had evidently brought with him, which would rather explain why there had been no one to hinder their escape.

  Raising a brow, a million questions in the simple gesture, Yan holds out Obi-Wan’s cloak, waiting for him to put it on before giving him his ’sabers as well. “I fear I must apologise, your honor,” he rumbles like the words simultaneously amuse him and burn his mouth. “My former apprentice still has not learned how to keep others safe from his continued imbroglios.”

  Jango snorts, accepting one of Obi-Wan’s ’sabers to hold until he can get his blasters back; Nield’s eyes almost bug out of his head. “Do we know what they were after?”

  Yan’s lips curl almost-mockingly. “A trade agreement, I believe. President Cerasi and the Delegates of Tahl had already turned them away, so they thought to strong-arm the Melidaan system instead.”

  “So you weren’t even a political prisoner,” Obi-Wan teases a Nield already burying his face in his hands, “just a familial hostage, my dear.”

  “Shut him up before I do,” Nield tells Jango.

  Who simply smirks and holds up his hands. “You overestimate how much control I have over anything he does.”

  “Maker, he really does have you wrapped around his finger.”

  “To be fair, I’ve known Jango far more intimately.”

  “I’m leaving,” Nield announces, spinning on heel to stalk towards the rescue cruiser from Tahl despite knowing Obi-Wan simply means he’s never had visions of Nield, even as far back as the Civil War. 

  Jango leans over and surreptitiously whispers, "Was Nield the bad wall-makeout?"

  "Maker, he was horrible, my dear." 

Mando’a: Mand’alor — “Sole ruler”, contended ruler of Mandalore. "De'jate werda" — "By the Great Darkness", slang from Concord Dawn, used as an expletive similar to "Christ!" or "Good lord." tiingilar — Mandalorian casserole specified to be “blisteringly spicy” ner ca'tra — “my night sky”, intimate term of endearment  tihaar — Mandalorian strong clear spirit made from fruit

*also obi is a master earlier ‘cause of his clairvoyance, since i’m subscribing to the “you become a master jedi when you master a part of yourself” version of the master trials in this. anyways.*

Which Fic

I was tagged by @stusbunker and @there-must-be-a-lock!

I’ll do a mix of CM and SPN fics.

Which of your fics…

…did you think would get a bigger reaction/audience than it got?

For SPN, I think Never Saw Blue Like That Before. It’s Destiel, which is obviously a big SPN ship and I was really happy with how it came out.

For Criminal Minds, basically any series I’ve done that isn’t smut. But the three I’m happiest with are Upheaval, a season 13 ender fix it fic.

After a rollercoaster year filled with departing friends, jail time, and one of the most notorious killers the team has ever faced, the last thing anyone needs is this. A truck barrels toward a group of them, leaving their future uncertain, while others stand by unable to help in any way. What crosses their minds when their lives flash before their eyes? Even if the physical injuries don’t kill them, will they be able to recover?

Coercion - Started from a one line challenge.

You are just about to start your new job at the BAU after years of working to get there, when a man you don’t know approaches you with an evil plan and knowledge of every sordid detail of your past. What will you do? Will you give into the man’s demands? Or will you be able to find another way out?

And Caged

Years after Spencer’s wife is kidnapped, there’s a break in her case and she comes home. Or does she? Is she the same woman she was before her ordeal?

…got a better reaction than you expected?

For SPN, it’s probably The Perfect Storm, an Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader. It has about 260 notes but it was my first ABO fic and I was so fucking nervous about posting it, so I was surprised at the success it had.

For CM, honestly there are a bunch of smuts that I’m like...okay I wrote that and they BLEW UP. Most recently was Phone Calls Be Damned. I wrote it in like 20 minutes...it has nearly 900 notes. I work for ages on some pieces that BARELY get a tenth of that.

…is your funniest?

For CM, a lot of my general CM fics involving the whole team tend to be on the funnier side. I love Prank War, Secrets of the Bullpen, Pics Or It Didn’t Happen and In The Middle of the Night.

For SPN, I don’t have a ton of funny. But I think You Win or You Die is pretty funny.

…is your darkest or angstiest?

For CM, I’d have to go with Candyfloss and Novocaine, which was a collab with the lovely @cherrybombs-and-rabbitholes. 

For SPN, I’m working on what I think will be my angstiest to date, but the current one is Salvation, a Sam x Reader. I don’t really do angst super well. IMO, it’s my worst genre.

…is your absolute favorite?

For CM, it is impossible to pick. After 6 years writing CM, I have 1,000+ fics to choose from. Anything I’ve written as a request to “help” someone or make them feel better about themselves is important to me though.

For CM, it’s a Cas x Reader fic called Beauty In Stillness.

…is your least favorite?

Again, it’s hard to choose with Criminal Minds because I have so many, But I have a couple crossovers that I wrote early on in my writing that I don’t think are that good.

For SPN, it’s probably Searching for Oblivion. It was a Dean smut and one of my first forays into SPN writing. I don’t think it’s awful, but I can do better.

…was the easiest to write?

For Criminal Minds, the easiest to write was probably Passive Aggressive Partnership. I remember that one flowing pretty quickly.

For Supernatural, it has to be Cherry Red.

…was hardest to write?

For Criminal Minds, the hardest thing to write was Article of Faith.

For SPN, the hardest was Teetering on the Edge, another ABO, but I’m SO FUCKING HAPPY with how it came out.

…has your favorite lines/exchange/paragraph? (share it!)

For Criminal Minds, I am proud of a lot, but out of all the stuff I’ve written, a section from chapter 5 of Coercion stands out.

With the floodgates open, you couldn’t stop yourself from screaming. You stood up and got right up into Spencer’s face just as he’d done to you. Hotch had gotten up from his seat, thinking you were going to attempt to hurt Spencer, but you couldn’t Of course they couldn’t believe that under the circumstances. “I’ve been beaten! I’ve had my bones broken by the men that paid for me. I’ve been raped. I’ve had knives used against my skin because the rush of torturing and raping a 15-year-old girl got my clients off. I’ve been left on the side of the road with my thighs and vagina in too much pain to walk! I’ve been used as a drug mule! My only friend on the streets was murdered in front of me because I asked for a break and she had offered to take my client to let me rest. After all that, I tried to kill myself!” Your throat was raw, but you couldn’t stop. “But I had nothing. I had no money. So the only way I could think of doing it was to swallow the half a bottle of sleeping pills I had found in the trash. The next morning, I woke up in a pool of my own vomit. I took it was a sign that I was meant to do something with my life, so I pushed myself up. I walked away from the town I grew up in. Hid in sewers and pipes and abandoned buildings to make sure my pimp wouldn’t find me and kill me, or worse, rape me too, because he liked to do that if I haven’t mentioned it already, and send me back to my old life. I clawed my way up. I begged and cried and bled to get where I am now, and then that bastard came up to me and threatened to take it all away or he’d expose my past and kill you.

For SPN, there’s a section of Teetering on the Edge that JUST...I did it, man.

“Don’t you fucking dare pull that neanderthal bullshit with me, Alpha!” You yelled your throat hoarse. Sam dipped out of the area and back toward his bedroom. It didn’t matter. Whether he was here or not, you’d be seething. “You don’t get to decide my life for me! Have you ever thought that maybe I’d rather be in danger with you than safe without you?” He readied himself to respond but you pushed against his shoulder with a force that startled even you. “Did you ever stop to think that I’ve waited my entire life to find the person I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with? And that now that I found him, I’ll be damned if I let him go?”

You were on a roll. Dean wanted to speak, but you wouldn’t let him. “No! You didn’t fucking think about what I want! Because your number one priority is to make sure you don’t have anymore blood on your hands. Well, guess what. You don’t get to do that. Not with me! When you care, you get blood on your hands. That’s just the way it is. I get to make my own damn decisions!” It all just exploded out of you. You kept screaming and crying and drinking to the point where you weren’t even sure what you were saying anymore. As you kept going, your arguments shifted from his demeanor to your own health. “You claimed me,” you said, pulling your sleeve aside to shove the mark in his face. “You know what’ll happen to me without you? I could fucking die!”

Dean waited for you to stop ranting, steadily finishing his beer. Once you were all yelled out, he chose his words wisely. “There’s medication. You’ll be fine. You’re not going to change my mind,” he said flatly, trying to keep any sense of emotion out of his voice, even though you could tell he was right on the edge of acknowledging every amazing and shit feeling he was feeling in this moment. “I need you to get out of the bunker as soon as possible. For your own good.”

Without thinking, you reeled back and slapped him, open palm to cheek, relishing in the sound of the crack that reverberated throughout the bunker. “Fuck you, Alpha! Fuck. You.”

…have you reread the most?

For CM, I tend to only re-read things rarely when other people reblog. I’ll read something that they liked from a while ago and go, hell fucking yea. I wrote that.

For SPN, I re-read a lot of my Cas stuff because he’s my fucking angel :D

…would you recommend to someone reading your work for the first time?

For Criminal Minds, read all the general fic. I think it gives a taste of how I write the entire team. Though given how much I write Spencer I think I have his characterization down most.

For SPN, I think I’d go with Beauty In Stillness for fluff, Salvation for angst and Satisfaction Comes From Sharing With Others for smutttt.

…are you most proud of?

For CM, overall, I think I’d go with Upheaval.

For SPN, it’s definitely, Beauty in Stillness, Salvation and Teetering on the Edge.

Okay, this was BALLS hard, but I enjoyed :D

I’m tagging @heycasbutt @impala-dreamer @because-imma-lady-assface @covered-byroses and @illegalcerebral 

okay so. those of you who talk to me about elder scrolls know I don’t entirely like the portrayal of the Clockwork City as seen in ESO. this is kinda a big post of headcanons and other things to give you guys, my buddies, a better idea of how I view the Clockwork City when I write about Sotha Sil or Sulkan.

What is the Clockwork City:      So, basic concept is a city that’s some combination of “magic, metal, and natural” elements, but why. What is the goal of the Clockwork City? In some respects, I agree that the Clockwork City is meant to be some sort of “higher plane of existence” that is more perfect than Nirn. Truly, it is a place of learning. The City is meant to be inhabited by the people Seht believes have the capacity to learn something from their time there: it’s not a place for random people, nor is it a place that you can enter because you know someone that might live there. The City is a huge work in progress, even when Seht dies, and is never fully complete. 

Does it still have those robots tho?:      Kinda. I’ll be totally honest with you, my main beef with the Clockwork City in ESO is the whole SIRI thing it’s got goin on. I hate it. Apparently, it’s Sotha Nall’s voice that you hear? Cool. I still hate it. There’s no voice that reads off readings to you or welcomes you to places, and that goes for the factotums as well. So, the semi-human robots are still around, but they don’t talk. Factotums are mainly just used for basic jobs, it allows Apostles to do more important work while still sustaining the City as a whole. So watering or picking crops? Factotums. Cleaning? Factotums. Easy repairs? Factotums. However, there are still plenty of basic jobs that need to be done, who does those?

Yeah Marcus who does those other basic jobs?:      A p o s t l e s. Alright, lemme get fuckin zesty with you: knowledge doesn’t only mean “making robots”. The part earlier where I said this was a city for people who would learn from being there? I mean it. You aspire to learn banking? Well shit, the city needs one of those, so Seht might pick you up and give you a place there. You wanna make food with all kinda of wacky ingredients? Well the Apostles gotta eat, so you might get picked too. Want to run your own store? Fuck man, the city needs that: you’ve been chosen. Now, most Apostles end up as the Robot people since that’s what this place is known for. Maybe, you already know where I’m going with this. 

Where?:      Fuckin class system. Get hyped, the Clockwork City has an upper and lower class, and I think you already know what I mean. It’s like the real world where people see 4 year college as being super cool and awesome and 2 year college is not as good or cool and fuck them for thinking that but I digress. So get this: the Clockwork Apostles that are considered “Seht’s faithful” think that they’re more important and all around better. It didn’t start like that, but when you bring beings from Nirn to a “new, better Nirn” they’re going to bring their own fucked up brains with them. If you ask Seht, he would say that every person in the city is his apostle. If is ask the Clockwork Apostles: they’re the only apostles. For that reason, most of the non-robot people don’t call themselves apostles because then it just starts an argument. Clockwork Apostles gated off their ranks only for people of “reAl inTElleCtUAl PerSuITs”. However, there isn’t really a monetary class system? There isn’t a district that lives in poverty while the others don’t coughslagtowncough. This is a place of learning, not of wealth. Seht wants you there, he’s not going to just let you starve and die. The people Seht selects to live here have homes that they don’t need to pay for and are given a sum of money to take care of food and other things. However, jobs are still a thing and its a good way to get money since what you’re given for being there isn’t enough to furnish your house of buy something nice for yourself. I went on a tangent whoops. Anyways, these apostles that have other pursuits are called “Cogs” by the Clockwork Apostles: referring the whole idea of cogs in a machine, but enforcing that they’re not cool or special. Which is rude. 

Wait why does Seht let them be like that?:      Honestly, because he’s soft. They’re his kids, that’s how he treats them. But that doesn’t mean that discipline is something he does well. He doesn’t. That’s the problem. 

Also you mentioned free houses:      Hell yeah I did. When Seht kidnaps you into the ether, he makes sure you have somewhere to go. Sure, they’re little starter places meant for just one person, but that’s the beauty of it. There are plenty of other places to live, Seht even gets excited when someone wants to put their skills to work and build something themselves, but that’s all extra. If you want to just do research and live in your little place? Cool, thats kinda what the spirit of the city is all about. You found someone you want to marry, maybe have some kids? Neato, there are bigger houses you can invest in by working. 

Wait but isn’t this place religious?:      That is a good question: it is. But it wasn’t meant to be. Seht isn’t like the other Tribunes, he’s not preachy or anything and really isn’t all that temple aligned when you think about it. However, a God doesn’t have to say scripture for people to start making it. The Truth in Sequence isn’t a document written by Seht, it’s written by his “Fourth Tourbillon”. You know what that means? No. It doesn’t mean anything. Aside from that fact that a Tourbillon is a watch-piece, we have no idea what the job he’s bragging about it. What we do know, is that Seht has said some things about how he sees the Clockwork City as being a perfect world, but he really hasn’t talked much about the beliefs the Clockwork Apostles seem to think he has... Shedding your weak mortal skin for metal? He’s never said anything about it. The union of flesh and machine? I mean, he makes those things but that’s not really his end goal. The Dwemer are bad? Where do you think his designs came from: the Dwemer. Seht lets these beliefs fester since, well, he’s never said what he believes in public. He’s like a real god: vibing while his followers all freak out and make assumptions about what he does or does not like based on second-hand accounts. 

Are you done:      No. I gotta talk. About the fuckin water. You know what Seht likes? Water. He grew up seaside, his House was known  for magic and fishing. So, I don’t like that ESO shows all the water being polluted. And no one cares. The water is clean, the only oil you might see would be from machines that might have broken and fallen in or broken pipes. The water is normal. Also while I’m on this, weather is weird. Seht has engineered the systems that involve the weather and its pretty cool. You can see sunrise, sunset, moon phases, and even stars. What won’t you see? Rain. Why are there trees and grass? Magic. The Clockwork City exists outside of time and space, so I don’t find it hard to believe that the ground is weird and can sustain these weird forms of plants: the city is also watched by a Magnus so there’s a lot of magic involved. Does it make sense? Not really. But you know what makes less sense: letting it rain in your clock city.

Oh shit don’t they eat paste:      It’s around, but there are more kinds of food available. Honestly the paste happened when Seht tried to make cooking robots and maybe someone was into it. 

Is that fake Heart still a thing?:      Yeah, Seht made a replica of Lorcan’s Heart to power the city once he’s gone. Here’s the kicker: what the hell powers the Heart? So I offer you this: the Heart doesn’t last. Once Seht is dead, there’s a time-limit to how long the city will be on. It’s really more so people have time to get ready and leave once he dies. And that’s what happens. He dies and the city empties out. The gears rust with time and things don’t operate anymore. The plants die and water dries up, the Fabricants just. kinda die. No one is there to fix them or make more of them. Bigger things, more powerful things, still linger in the city: their soul gems still bursting with energy, but they can’t escape when the portals don’t even work without power. It’s a husk of what it was, now roamed by creatures that had been kept under lock and key back when the power was on...

Wait you mentioned kidnapping earlier:      That’s how you get here. Seht sees you and then just. Takes you. Welcome to the City.

Respite

Avengers fic (Barton fam + Natasha)

2,113 words

-

“Daddy?”

Clint looks up from the table he’s sanding. Nate has come in from outside.

“Yeah, bud?”

“There’s a rocket ship in the garden. Lila told me to tell you.”

Clint frowns. He doesn’t know which of the kids’ games this is. Is this the one where they pretend to be astronauts, or the one where he’s a space alien?

“Cooper says Auntie Nat’s in it.”

Clint smiles. A quinjet. Nat must have come to visit.

“Well come on then,” he says, reaching out so he can haul Nate up onto his hip. He walks out into the field where the kids have been playing, and spots the quinjet. He sees Lila, but before he can smile he realises she’s sprinting towards him, her face stricken with panic. His stomach twists.

“Dad!” she shouts, waving her arms as she runs. Clint starts to run too, because he’s joined the dots superhumanly fast. He is jolting Nate as he runs, so he sets him down and skids up the ramp.

“Nat?” he calls.

There’s no answer.

“She’s unconscious,” Cooper says, from where he’s kneeling by the pilot’s seat. Clint realises Natasha is still strapped into it, and he crouches down. Cooper has already released the buckles on the harness, and it’s easy for Clint to lift her out.

“I can’t tell if she’s bleeding,” Cooper tells him. Clint can’t find a balance between pride in his son’s calmness in a bad situation and guilt that his son has learned how to deal with shit like this at such a young age, so he focuses on getting one foot in front of the other as he carries Natasha up to the farmhouse. He opens his mouth to tell Lila to get her mother, but she’s way ahead of him and Laura is already running out of the front door followed by their daughter. God, his kids are good. He’s faintly horrified at that fact, and he pushes it away again.

“Any idea what happened?” Laura says, as she pushes the door open for him. He makes his way inside.

“Looks like she landed the jet and passed out,” he says, voice tinged with panic. “The kids found her.”

Laura bites her lip as Clint sets his best friend down on the couch.

“Nat?” he murmurs. He checks her pulse, then squeezes her hand. Nothing. He presses down hard on one of her fingernails. Her eyes flicker open.

“Ow,” she says. Her voice is hoarse, and now that she’s under the living room lights, Clint can see that’s she’s pale, and bruised.

“Hey,” he says, shakily. “Hey, you scared me there. You okay?”

“No,” she croaks. “M’not dead. But… not good.”

“Daddy?”

It’s Nate. God, his son is looking at him like he can save the day, and Clint can’t deal with that right now. Laura reads his mind, and ushers the kids away. Clint hears her tell Cooper to take his brother upstairs, and Lila follows them.

“Don’t,” Clint says, as Natasha opens her mouth again. “It’s okay. Just… is anything broken?”

She shakes her head.

“Anything need stitching up?”

She nods, and her eyes flicker to her torso. Clint isn’t sure he wants to see this, because he knows how he gets when he’s confronted with Natasha’s injuries - he doesn’t want to think about someone hurting her, about her being in pain. Laura’s hand on his shoulder reminds him what’s actually important. She’s passing him the first aid kit, and he does his best to go into field mode. Patch up first. Questions later.

He unzips Natasha’s suit down to her navel, and Laura helps her sit up enough to free her arms. Clint identifies the stab wound right away. It’s not near anything vital, but he knows she’s got to be in a hell of a lot of pain. There’s blood on every patch of skin, and it’s clearly been soaking into her suit for a while.

“Morphine?” he murmurs, asking permission first. He always does. She doesn’t always want it. This time he’s lucky, and she nods. He sticks her with a syringe of it, and Laura sits on the couch and shuffles so Natasha’s head is in her lap. Clint focuses on the wound while Laura holds her hands as she flinches. The morphine can only do so much.

Clint stops the bleeding and disinfects the wound before starting the stitching. He has to concentrate on his work, so he won’t remember that this is his best friend that someone stabbed. Laura is stroking her thumbs over Natasha’s knuckles, which are bruised and bloody as well, which Clint tries not to notice.

When he’s done, he bandages her as best he can. She’s limp on the couch now, gazing up at Laura with glassy, exhausted eyes.

“We can’t move her,” Laura murmurs. “Could you get me a bowl of warm water and a cloth?”

He nods, and packs up the kit wordlessly. His actions are robotic. In the back of his head, the anger is drumming on his skull, and right next door is the knowledge that later he’ll have to go upstairs covered in Natasha’s blood and explain to his kids what just happened.

He fetches the water and the cloth, and stops by the spare bedroom to grab an old t-shirt of Nat’s. He hands everything over to Laura and just sits, watching, as his wife gently sponges the blood from Natasha’s skin. She’s semi-conscious now, but she can move enough to help Laura get the worst of it. Laura removes her boots and the rest of her suit, and her gentle touches remind Clint of washing the kids when they were babies. Gentle, tender, loving. The hardest part is getting the t-shirt on, but Laura handles that smoothly and soon Natasha is tucked under a blanket, and Laura is stroking her hair while she drifts off to sleep. The sun is long gone outside the window.

“I can handle the kids if you like,” she says, when she finally gets up. Clint shakes his head, and kisses Laura’s temple.

“You’ve done the hard yards down here,” he murmurs. “I’ll talk to them.”

She kisses his shoulder and for a moment Clint just holds his wife, enjoying the knowledge that the two women he loves most in the world are safe in this room with him.

He can’t put the next part off any longer. Laura goes to the kitchen to make tea, and Clint climbs the stairs. The kids are all in Cooper’s bed, and Lila is reading them all a story. The book is forgotten the second Clint opens the door.

“Is Auntie Nat okay?” Lila asks. Clint can see that they’ve all changed into their pyjamas, and again he feels that weird mix of pride and guilt. They’ve learned to look out for each other. They shouldn’t have had to.

“She’s going to be fine,” he assures them. He climbs onto the bed and lets them rest against him, these precious little people that he made. “Mommy and I fixed her up, and she just needs some time to rest.”

“Is she gonna stay with us?” Nate pipes up.

“Of course she is,” he tells his son. “We’re all going to look after her.”

He carries Nate to his own bed, and tucks them all in one by one. He goes downstairs next, and kisses Laura, and tells her he loves her. She knows he’s not coming to bed tonight, so she helps him drag the mattress from the spare room into the living room, next to the couch where Natasha is sleeping. Laura grabs a pile of blankets, and in a quiet whirl of activity they both get ready for bed. Soon they are cuddled up under a mess of blankets, both watching Natasha sleep.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Laura tells him, even though Clint hasn’t given voice to the fears in his head.

“I know,” he lies. She rolls, and Clint lets himself be enveloped in his wife’s embrace. He falls asleep like that, wrapped in Laura’s arms.

When he wakes, he’s tangled in a blanket, and someone is moving on the mattress. He opens bleary eyes and finds Natasha picking her way through the blankets.

“C’mere,” he mumbles, patting the mattress. She gingerly slides down and sits. Laura rouses, and smiles sleepily at her.

“Feeling any better?” she asks.

“Sore,” Natasha sighs. “Guys, I’m so sorry-”

“Shut up,” they say in practiced unison. It’s a routine they go through every time something like this happens, and all three of them smile tired smiles.

“Thank you,” Natasha murmurs. Laura pulls back the covers, and Natasha, hesitant at first, slides down to lie between them. Clint and Laura both move in, and carefully shift so they are holding her, arms criss-crossed over her, legs tangling together. They fall asleep again, just as the first hint of light is appearing outside.

Clint is woken for a second time by a little hand patting his cheek. He opens his eyes. Nate. His son is uncharacteristically quiet, and Clint smiles at him, disengaging a little from Natasha.

“Hey, buddy,” he murmurs.

“Is it breakfast time?” Nate asks.

“It sure is,” he murmurs. “But let’s let Mommy and Auntie Nat sleep a little longer. C’mon.”

He gently moves Natasha towards Laura, and rolls out of bed, swinging Nate up into his arms as he goes. He takes his son to the kitchen, and sets him on the counter.

“Pancakes?” he asks. Nate nods enthusiastically, and Clint sets about making breakfast for the household. By the time the first cake is being flipped, Cooper and Lila have appeared in the kitchen, and Laura is up and about as well.

“Smells good.”

“Auntie Nat!” Lila exclaims. She scrapes back her chair and runs for Natasha, who has appeared in the doorway.

“Gently, Lila,” Laura reminds her. Lila hugs Natasha as gently as she can, and Natasha pats her back. In the light, Clint can see how exhausted his partner looks. She’s bruised all over, and there are cuts and scrapes he didn’t even notice yesterday. He bites the inside of his cheek as she sits down at the table.

“Hungry?” he murmurs. She nods. Clint serves her a pancake, which she drowns in syrup. She’s eating, at least. While she’s tackling the pancake, Clint goes back to the living room and hauls the mattress back to the bed in the spare room. He makes the bed, and arranges the pillows, then fetches a water bottle and painkillers. By the time he’s done, Natasha has appeared in the doorway, Lila at her side.

“Thank you,” she says. The fact that she hasn’t started making jokes or making fun of him is a little worrying to Clint, but he knows Natasha just needs time to rest. He pulls back the covers, and Natasha climbs into bed.

“Auntie Nat needs to sleep,” Clint murmurs to Lila. His daughter nods, and kisses Natasha on the cheek before she leaves. Clint follows suit, kissing her on the forehead.

Clint’s chore for the day is sanding back the table. He completely abandoned it yesterday, and now that he knows Natasha is safe and sleeping, he can return to it. He keeps sanding, scraping away the layers of the old varnish. With each mark he removes, he tries his hardest not to think about the marks on Natasha’s skin, and how they got there.

When he comes in a few hours later, Laura is reading by the window.

“Where is everyone?” he asks.

“Taking a nap,” she smiles. It’s a loving smile, so warm and tender, and Clint knows exactly where his kids are. He goes to Natasha’s room, and leans in the doorway, smiling fondly.

Natasha is sound asleep on the pillows. Under one arm, Nate is snuggled up beside her. Her other arm is around Cooper’s shoulders, and Lila is sprawled over her legs.

“Aren’t they beautiful?”

It’s Laura. He wraps an arm around his wife.

“She’s going to be okay,” he mumbles, more for himself than for her.

“Of course she is. We love her and we’re going to take care of her.”

He loves Laura so much in that moment he can barely contain it. She seems to know, and wraps her arms around him, helping him like she always does.

“Come on,” she murmurs. “I’ll help you varnish the table.”

He takes a last look at his sleeping children, tangled up with his Natasha, all of them so beautiful and so precious and so, so loved. Laura tugs him away, and Clint closes the door, letting them sleep.

Between two Voids ch 19

Pennywise x Beverly

summery:  It has been 12 years since Beverly was last in Derry. now 26 years old and returning with her boyfriend she strives for a life of normalcy in the small town. Unaware that a certain stalking creature has awakened much earlier than expected. Looking for a challenge to cure its boredom ,in the now crumbling town, IT aims to uproot her life as much as possible. Yet, is that really such a bad thing given her dark situation hidden from all but the eyes of a world eater? 

status: complete

rated: M - fowl language and gore

prev chap: Between two Voids ch 18

next chap: Between two Voids ch 20

_____________________________________

~ch:19 Fallout ~

Beverly sat on a rotten crate with the worst stomach ache. Holding onto a large bucket to vomit into. Having been using it for many hours keeping everybody away. Trey sitting on a rotten beaten couch near a can fire. Trey standing not too far out of concern for Beverly's getting worse. Erik working around to pack up as much of his pharmacy as possible.

“Are you okay?” Darius whispered to her. Wanting to avoid Erik wrath on either of them for talking.

“I don't know. This flus been sticking with me for over a month now. It's getting worse to the point i could need a doctor.” Confessing to him through her pain.

“... You were with that guy for how long?” Asking abruptly.

Hesitating on telling him she asked “why?”

“ it's been at least 3 months, right? … Do you feel sicker after certain foods? Any cravings in between feeling sick?”

The word of cravings catching her full attention now. “Why?!” Snapping at him unintentionally.

“... I had a sister who got the same kind of sickness… It wasn't the flu, she was pregnant. You were with that dude for a while and now you’re sick. It's morning sickness, that's when it's the worst feeling, right?” Whispering to her carefully. Checking Erik position from the corner of his eye.

Freaking out in her mind she sat there without a word. “Shit, that's why pen was so freaked out. He must have known. Heh, He was even the one to fix me.” Thinking back to that one night he paid extra attention between her legs. This made her situation much more serious.

“Don't tell Erik” Whispering to Darius

“I won't.” He answered without hesitation. Looking away when Beverly barfed into the trash can.

“You can be fucking quiet while sick!” Erik snapped toward her. “Trey go lock her in a bathroom. I don't want to hear her anymore! She's gonna make us all sick. Lorna do you know where Victoria is?!” Turning his rage onto others.

“I don't know. She wanted to go off alone and asked me to drop her off in town.” Lorna answered abnormally quiet. No longer feeling safe around Erik without Victoria calming him with praises..

“Ugh, fucking women. Too stupid to do anything.” Talking to himself.

“Go out and find her dammit! I need her to help pack shit!” Shouting at Lorna She didn't argue against the chance to bolt from his presence.

Beverly seeing her own chance to escape. Pennywise listened through the pipes. She could call him up through them. Following passively to where trey lead, or actually pointed, for her to go. Bringing her to a depressing dead end of a small half demolish bathroom. Everything clogged with cement, rubble, and dirt mixed litter. No way she could talk through them for him to hear her.

Looking back at the door locking behind her. Leaving her inside the jail cell like room with a cracked mirror nearby. She had to think of another way for him to find her.

“Probably no other working pipes around here. Everything's so rusted or broken. …” Thinking, debating, banking on pen finding her with such little energy to track. “Mark bonds two together. Crossing fates, lining their lives.” Repeating pens words.

“ i have to accept him.” Taking a deep breath. “I love him. He's done so much for me. Saved my life, protected me, healed me that now has me - he's not like how he used to be. He's different, he's different, he's different.” Repeating to herself so that any doubts rising about him in the past would be striked down.

Looking down at a warmness building at her chest. Tears brought to her eyes at seeing the forming bond mark. Not realizing how much she actually wanted it back since last time. “Now to wait” sniffling while wiping tears away with her sleeve.

Far off in the night darkened forest, penny was anxiously scouring every place he could think of. Desperate to the point he may be willing to ask that lazy turtle if he knew anything.

Freezing in his tracks at a warm pull forming in his chest. Angry for a split second that the turtle was spying on him. Dropping that the moment he realized it was the bond. Beverly had accepted him. Handing him a direct line of knowledge to find her.

Sprinting off in her direction turning into full on gliding from tree to tree in his true form.

Snarling at finding one of the rats. The friend of that disgusting girl who tried to bed him that day. Driving off down the road alone. A quick smash of his tail crushed the whole front of the car. Sending Lorna flying through the windshield across the tar road. Coming to a stop in a broken heap, but not dead.

Disgusted at the smell of fear off her when seeing him. Her body paralyzed by the multiple broken bones.

“You were willing to suffocate my darling. Lets see how you handle it.” Massive jaws opening to crush down on her. Shredding holes throughout her chest. Not even a scream was able to break out of her popped lungs. Twisting his body back down the road with the girl slowly suffocating in his jaws.

Erik, Darius, and they were busy packing their supplies when a girl screaming was heard outside.

“What was that?” Questioned trey.

“Sounded like Lorna” Answered Darius

“Her and Victoria are messing around. Or they ran into a junkie i bet. Darius go check on them and tell whatever customer it is to beat it. Pharmacy here is closing down.” Erik huffed, with a shove of drug baggies into a box.

“okay.” Darius nervously nodded. Taking up a flashlight to see outside the decrepit building.

Shuffling carefully in the dark forest on crunching snow. Making the forest all the more quiet. Navigation being a bigger pain as the sticking up roots were hidden. Tripping now and again between calls of either Lorna or Victorias name.

“Victoria?!” Darius shouted into the night. No answer coming raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Something was very wrong. The feeling of being watched convincing him to finally pull out his small Swiss army knife.

Stopping in his tracks at the sound of multiple whispering voices. Growing into a chorus of children's voices whispering out a children's song.

“If you go down into the woods today.” They sang along in chorus. Darius panicking with his flash light shining across everything to find any hidden child with no luck. The singing approaching closer the louder it got.

“You’re sure of a big surprise.” The sing along continued.

“Knock it off!” Darius shouted fearfully. Despite his pleas it continued on in taunting him.

“If you go down in the woods today. You'd better go in disguise.” The children's voices that started singing happily turned more ominous. Voices twisting into hissing growls. “For the teddy bears are having their-” Darius turned to face a large figure.

“Picnic!” The mass roared down at him.

Shining his flashlight upwards into the face of a massive, ragged, fur less purple teddy bear. Jaws open wide filled with crooked sharp knitting needles. Massive clawed paws raised to tear down into him.

He swung the knife right into the bear's stomach. Catching it off guard allowing him to run.

“Dammit.” The large stuff bear groaned while yanking the knife out. Following the terrified prey back to the hideouts front door.

Darius burst through the door without taking a moment to breath as he pushed a rusted metal cabinet in front of the door.

“What the hell happened?!” Erik asked at the sight of him.

“ there's a bear outside!” Darius panted for air.

“it's probably what scared the girls.” Erik spoke calmly.

“We need to get out of here! That thing followed me with children's voices following it!” Darius words spoken out speedily.

“ you been smoking? We’re fine, it's only a dumb bear.” Erik rolled his eyes.

“No, you don't understand it-!” Darius being interrupted by him flinching by a bash against the door. All going silent to the door bashing a few more time. Knocking the large metal cabinet over a few inches.

“It’ll give up soon, wait a moment.” Erik talked in his best staying calm voice. Finding himself right when the bashing did stop. “See, told you-” the sound of glass shattering drawing their attention in another direction.

“... Trey, go check that out. Darius, go fetch Beverly. I am sick of this twilight zone town! We're bolting, right now!” He ordered. The group nervously looking at one another before splitting off.

Trey walking as quietly as possible. Keeping his flashlight low to the ground. Avoiding the possibility of attracting the supposed bears attention if shined forward.

Further and further into the darkened halls until he heard the sound.

Shifting glass across concrete floor. Sounding like the bear had gotten some embedded in it's skin. A light flickering on around the corner revealing the silhouette of not a bear but a cat. The shadow growing into a towering height. Breathing out a growl that sounded far deeper then some little house cat. The flicking light dying as the forms final approach to the corner.

Treys low pointed light highlighting a large black paw. Then another paw dripping blood through the cracks of broken reflecting mirrors it was made up of. Shining the light upwards shining across more black fur. Exposing the face of a large black cat twisting to face him to the sound of glass crackling.

The look of the large black cat twisted between bloody matted fur, exposed muscle turning to half a body of broken mirrors. A bright shine in it's lone glass eye cracking to light the #13.

The cat hissed out a gurgle followed by a mouthful of blood oozing out it's jaws.

old tales referring to bad luck. Black cats to broken mirrors attached to the dreaded #13. all of it crossing his path locking trey in place to pure fear.

Trey wasn't able to take a single step away when the large broken cat lunged at him. Reflex caused trey to pull out his gun with a single fire only grazing the cats cheek. Splinters of mirror flying off making trey even more sick upon breaking a mirror himself. His hesitation from the shock missing to react to the claws hooking into his only good hand.

Carving the appendage to have a deep split down it's middle. The gun, his only means of defense, flying off into the unknown. Treys shock was broken by the immense pain. Fleeing away from the sound of the glass cat crackling behind him right at his heels. Dropping a heavy trail of blood down the halls off his hand.

Down the other half of the building, Darius knocked on the bathroom door. Wincing to the sound of Beverly vomiting.

“what?” Beverly sickly asked. Sounding worse than before. Darius hesitantly opening the door.

“there's a freaky bear attacking the building. Erik wants me to bring you back so we can try to leave.” mumbling unhappily. More worried over Beverly's condition at this point over Eriks plans.

“perfect.” Beverly thought with a close of her eyes to think of what to do next. She needed to somehow meet up with pen while avoiding Erik at all cost. Surely it was him attacking the building. Without argument she went with Darius. Receiving help by him to walk sickly down the halls. Arriving back in the central room he helped her sit on the couch. Erik standing off by the hall trey went down, anxiety written all over his face. His gun being out worrying Beverly on how safe pen would be. She wanted to escape Erik to meet up with pen alone without either being harmed. To get out, shed need an accomplice for help.

“Darius, I need you to get me out of here, away from Erik.” she looked to him desperately. speaking in the lowest whisper possible.

“i don't think-” starting in a scared whisper over the matter.

“please, you know why I am sick. You know what Erik will do when he finds out. It's not something a girl can hide. You're the only one who can help me get out to someplace safe.” pleading to him through the sickness.

Everyone in the room jumping to the loud sound of a gunshot within the building, followed by trey letting out a painful scream from down the halls. It was the final push needed for Darius to nod in agreement.

Erik stumbling away from a door trey ran through. Slamming the door shut behind him to lean against the wall in exhaustion. Pale, shivering, wheezing for air, and his t shirt around his sleeve soaked in blood from his split hand.

“what happened?!” Erik asked.

“b-b-b c-cat. Cat” raising a shivering hand to point at the door. Shivering out minimal words to communicate his fear.

“cat?! You got fucked over by a little cat?!” Erik raged over him. Choking on his words by the door splintering by a large cat crashing through the top half. Hooking its curved claws into treys chest to a loud thunk. Tearing through the skin to peel the lump of muscle in its grip. A single yank tearing half his chest away to reveal the underlying rib bones. Organs falling through the torn open hole to pile at the floor.

Erik, gagged at the sight. Fleeing from the broken doorway the cat had disappeared from, meat in hand. Running to hide behind Beverly and Darius staring in shock. Watching trey take his last remaining wheeze of air before passing painfully in a bloody mess of his own organs.

“go get his keys!” he shoved Darius forward toward the dead trey. Beverly sucked in a nervous breath. She did not want Darius being harmed because of Erik. Aside from being her helper in escaping, he didn't deserve such a torturous death she was sure pen was aiming to cause Eriks gang.

“no!” Beverly stood up in protest. Regretting it when her head swirled dizzily.

“no?!” Erik snapped at her. Shooting her the glare she knew all to well that told her to back down or else.

“were leaving!” shouting at him without an ounce of fear. Adrenalin mixing with pride at how she was standing up to Erik on her own.

A knot in her gut causing a wince.“ssshit.” hissed out of frustration in her mind. Recognizing something else was going on now. Darius was appearing overly twitchy. The bonds mark effects taking hold again since after the originals disappearance a week after it had worn off. This was not a good time to see someone twitch as a terrified rabbit would while sick. The movement having her look away to swallow the building spit in her mouth readying for the vomit to rise. Getting only a glimpse of Eriks aggressive posturing switching between twitches of fear.

“none of you are going anywhere without me! Now go get the damn keys!” shoving sick Beverly into Darius needing to catch her from falling. Flicking out a knife scarring Darius into cooperating better with him. Separating Beverly from Erik as best he could while forced forward. Leaving Beverly in the space between Erik to the door for her safety.

“let me get it!” offering urgently to protect Darius against his knowledge. Stomach knotting when he refused to let her near the dangerous door. Swallowing down the vomit rising when he snagged the keys without pen making an appearance.

“give them to me!” she demanded the keys from Darius. Snagging them from him as he got out a word.

Seeing this had made Erik furious. “why did you give them to her?! Give them to me!” he snarled first to Darius, then to Beverly.

“no! Were leaving without you!” she growled back.

“god dammit you bitch you'll be the death of me!” furiously rushing to tackle her. Slamming himself into her to wrestle the keys away. Beverly holding her ground hard helped by her own building flame of fury. Socking Erik square in the face giving off a satisfying crunch under her knuckles. His nose bleeding profusely from the break.

The wound temporarily stopping him before he swung right back. The two fighting viciously like wild dogs while Darius stood off to the side, confused on what to do. Beverly eventually getting the upper hand, beating Erik down to the floor. Punching his face repeatedly in releasing all those pent up years of receiving her own beat downs he didn't relent on. Even when she begged him to. Even when she was on the verge of dying, he never stopped. Now, neither would she.

Yet, she had no choice at the lashing of a massive pain upon her.

Erik had sliced open from her lower stomach all the way up her side. Her body paralyzed to a numb weakness washing over. Shoved off without remorse by a beaten bloody Erik.

“dumb bitch.” Erik spat down to her once up on his feet. “pick her up.” he ordered Darius.

“why don't we leave her?” Darius spoke up. Finding the idea giving her a better chance of living then Erik dragging her along.

“NO!” he roared over Darius. “she needs to learn a lesson! That bastard clown needs to learn a lesson! I won't let anyone beat me! Not her, not this town, no one! Pick her up before I leave you dead like trey!” shouting Darius into submission.

Darius as gently as he could, helping her up. Letting her lean entirely on him for support. Beverly focusing on holding her bleeding side being the only thing she could do on her own. Not doing too well at that either with only her hand working to keep the large laceration from flooding out blood. Drenching through all her layers of clothes in seconds below the wound. Flowing down along her side down along her leg.

Walking slowly for Beverly's sake Darius was shouted at the entire way by Erik. Reaching his car met with surprised shock. Atop his car was Lorna and Victorias car smashed down onto it. Closer inspection showing mashed between the two was the crushed body of Lorna. Erik going into a full on freak out at seeing his car un-drive able. Forced to rely on walking through the dark woods of horrors hunting them.

The two forced to be dragged along swallowing a lump in their throats at the sight of Erik pulling out his gun. Clawing into Beverly's arm to yank her over by him.

“go somewhere else!” Erik snapped at Darius going to grab Beverly back.

“but she-” interrupted by Erik shooting off his gun toward him. Blasting a hole by his feet into the dirt.

“fuck off! If you get eaten maybe it won't follow us!” threatening Darius with the gun. Darius looking at Beverly helplessly with little options to choose. He looked down to turn off in the opposite direction. Erik forcing Beverly on wards to weakly walk on her own ahead of him.

Beverly could barely think in her worsening condition. Bleeding out, horribly sick, now something deep down twisting painfully. Stopping to lean against a tree having Erik shout all sorts of abusive insults. Threatening her to get up or be shot dead right there. A deep guttural growl from the darkness yanking Eriks attention away long enough for Beverly to surprise him with a kick between the legs. rushing off into the dark as Erik dropped to his knees in agony.

Not making it far after when Beverly saw the idea as a horrible mistake causing more major blood loss.

“Beverly!” her name called at first being ignored. Stopping at the bright light of shining large eyes. A quick examination had her bolting to Pennywise appearing as his large monstrous insect like form. Running to him into the safe circle of his coiled body. collapsing to settle against his body ready to fall asleep knowing she was now safe. Mind screaming at her not to as a rush of adrenaline forced her more awake than ever to stay alive.

“hospital?” pen quickly asked her. Seeing her body in such horrid condition. Her body heat low the same as when he pulled her from the road side so long ago. Readying to scoop her up when she replied with a weak head nod. Attention hooked by Erik running up to them in search of Beverly. Freezing at the sight of the monstrous towering insect locking its burning gaze down on him.

A deep hissing breath lighting up the large creatures jaws bright as a fiery furnace. Pen wanted the human to suffer so many tortures, but he had Beverly to rush off for. If he wanted to do something it had to be quick in this very moment.

Roaring out in a lunge of wide jaws open toward Erik. Purposely snapping onto the already broken leg first. Seeing the gun, he shook him by the leg violently in the air. Mangling the leg long after the gun went flying from Eriks loosened grasp.

Flicking his head up to drop Erik further down into his jaws. biting down to feel every bone in Eriks body mash. Feeling the sensation of his teeth splintering the bones to pieces as Erik screamed out the entire time until his voice was lost after. Mashing him further up his body with careful pressure around his chest. Pen wanted the male to suffer without dying too soon from an important organ being crushed. Mashing his bones down up to his collar bone.

Stopping there he threw his head back to end Eriks existence down his throat glowing bright as a bonfire. Trapping him to the void of a burning prison for eternity. Finishing off the male he heard another rat approaching.

“Beverly?!” Darius ran up unknowing to the situation after hearing Eriks massive screaming. Beverly perking up in realization of it being Darius. Heart skipping a beat at pen lunging for him.

“don't!” he shouted. Pen managing to pull himself back enough that he didn't crush Darius under his clawed hand as someone would a raw egg. Pinning him down painfully instead into the cold muddy snow.

“don't hurt him! He tried to help! Let him go!” Beverly got out by her surprise with how she was feeling.

Pen looked at her, then back down at Darius. Debating whether after all that's happened if the male deserved living. Coming to the conclusion that he had no time to cause another agonizing death. If she said the rat helped her, hed grant mercy only once in thanks.

“leave Derry by morning, or I'll come for you.” he hissed down. Removing his hand from pinning the terrified male nodding up to him. Paying little attention when the male ran off as he carefully picked up Beverly. Rushing off to the hospital through the doors as Robert. Nervously handing over Beverly to the doctors rushing her off for emergency care.

She laid still barely conscious after all the blood loss. Only catching glimpses of things happening around her. One moment she was taken from front desk, now in operating room. Doctors gathering things, now she was going through surgery. Unable to feel anything in the meanwhile. The color of everything disappearing to black and white with a darkness growing at the edges of her vision. Readying to close her eyes when a hand rested above her bond mark.

Feeling an energy spreading out into her from the touch. The black vision of her eyes receding back to clear. Looking up to see pen, in his clown look, leaning over her head. One hand going to the mark and the other gently rubbing her cheek. Gently smiling down at her as he kept her alive at death's door. She smiled back up at him weakly. Bring a hand up to rest over the one on her chest. No one else in the operating room noticing him or her strange actions.

A bittersweet moment that she would be okay by the end of the surgery, but not everything. Erik landed his knife blow on the most important thing. One last payback, from beyond his grave. ___________________________________________________________

… 15 years later. The year 2016, April 6th.

Many things had changed in Derry over the years. Newer factory's settled to bring back life into the little town. Shops opening back after fresh owners moved in. schools filled back with children. The only thing that hadn't changed was Beverly.

Despite 15 years passing she had not aged at all past her 27th birthday long ago in 2002. working her way up the ladder in the diner. Eventually buying it for herself to own she loved the place so much. Making a nice profit as all the family's returned to Derry.

Pen, aka grey, had little trouble adapting once the children started swarming the schools again. His time in the almost dead Derry having his addiction withdrawals long having past. Keeping himself preoccupied at the multiple factories he ran. Spending time with his lovely Beverly when he wasn't.

Beverly was shopping in town. Mainly waiting for pen to show up over actually shopping. Watching people talk with others. The marks affects something she had grown used to in everyday life. The twitchy body language making conversation between others incredibly entertaining. Telling when someone was lying, flirting, or about to do something stupid. already locking onto some teenage kid acting nervously skittish. A shoplifter not so subtly shove a big bag of chips into his bag. Making all sorts of crinkling bag noises.

Laughing to herself when the kid fled out the door. Being reminded of helping the guys steal handfuls of supplies once. They all had the same looks of being prepared to get caught and go to jail. Looking around again for anything else interesting before sensing pen nearby. Watching the door for him to come in.

“hello darling.” he greeted warmly.

“hello. Thought of any dinner ideas since this morning? We still haven't thought of what to do for the big meal day.”

“pork roast? I thought we already settled pizza for the big day?” following behind as Beverly went over to the meats area.

“i would rather cook something, but pizza won't be too bad I guess.” turning to request a raw cut of pork roast at the butcher.

“i am sure it'll be fine. I also have big news to tell after a new worker joined today.”

“that new architect dude? How'd the deal go with him?” knowing pen had been expecting the architect to drive down for supply deals. It was the best way for the factories to make money by being the biggest supplier on a perfect track record of no errors or wrong orders. Pen made sure of that on the supplies prepared.

“mhmm, and yes, but that's not the big news.” teasing the surprise.

“you going to tell?” impatient over what the big news could be. Placing various items into their cart to stock up on back home. Moving onto the fresh produce section.

“once home I will. You'll find it a bit shocking.”

“me?” asking confused as to why she'd be shocked involving his work. “something to do with the diner?”

“no, it's nothing business related.” settling one fact. Confusing Beverly all the more while grabbing fresh potatoes.

“well, help me grab fruit so you can share the big news quicker.” the two sharing a chuckle. Beverly focusing on grabbing vegetables while pen handled the fruit. His diet still hadn't changed from when they first met.

He couldn't live off regular meats, although could still eat them just fine. Same with the sweeter fruits to super junk foods. Thankfully before the town started healing they figured out a less hostile feeding method in Derry.

While returning to their van along with a cart full of fresh grocery's Beverly paused. Spotting a man looking down at his cell phone in front of the place. A face that gave her deja vu, yet not recognizing from where.

“you alright?” pen asked next to her.

“yeah, I think I recognize that guy. But I am not sure.” thinking hard on if he was possibly one of Eriks old friends. Maybe even a possibly customer she had to sell to. Yet the man certainly didn't look anything like a druggie.

Brown hair slightly graying with a clean cut shave being the same. thin, average height. Very clean along with being well dressed. Holding one of the newest iphones in hand showing he probably made great money.

“that man?” pen gestured to him.

“yes.” answering annoyed. Still working to recognize him with no luck.

Pen leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“ that's Bill Denbrough.”

Diamonds made of Dragon Tears -  Ashratherose

*** Epilogue ***

It'd been a little over a year since Eren had last stepped foot in Mitras. The day they'd finally left the castle, both Armin and Mikasa had pleaded with him to stay, but he couldn't. It was time to leave, to start a real life with Levi outside the city and despite all the tears, he was excited. Excited for a future for his family where they'd no longer be expected to be anyone but themselves. It hadn't been easy to reestablish themselves, but the plot of land they wanted had been transferred into their family name, Armin making sure no matter what came that their family line would always own the plot a few hundred metres down from where construction of the orphanage began the following summer. Their own adventures with building were a fiasco. Having the space of the tower had been nice, but now he had children to think of, and with the clutch on the way, Eren only wanted enough space for their small family. His own little cottage, where he'd be playing housekeeper and wife. Levi felt it should be bigger for when guests came, which resulted in a compromise. Levi's study was built to back the nursery, with space for a spare bed should guests come. Using his magic to raise the walls from the ground, he'd felt like he was cheating, simply turning up to the middle of nowhere and magicking their house into existence. The walls he could do. The plumbing... not so much, and his skills with roof making... were nonexistent. Well, they existed, they were just slightly crooked... Levi laughing far too hard at his attempts, though after promised he'd take care of it, it was nearly a month of leaking ceilings before he did, and that was because his pride wouldn't accept help from the team of builders Armin had hired for the orphanage. They'd had a great laugh too. Much to Eren's embarrassment. It wasn't like he knew the building crew would be coming out to survey the orphanage site before they'd fixed things up.

Yet, despite all that, Eren was having the time of his life. Luca loved the space, happy to run around and annoy anything that moved. They'd brought chicken with them when they'd left the city, only Luca didn't know they weren't for playing. More than a few sent to early deaths by the dragon trying to befriend them. Not making the same mistake twice, Levi built a barn to the right of the house, space outside the structure for their horses, which gradually grew to house their cow, and then the replacement chickens Farlan and Isabel brought out with them on their first visit. Up from the barn, Levi built a greenhouse for his herb collection, which Eren left to the professionals when it came to the glass fit out of the space. Gradually, over the next six months, their home came together. Levi's vegetable patch requiring a small infusion of magic secretly more than once. His husband tried his hardest, but... Eren didn't know he kept killing everything. You sew the seeds. You water everything in. You weed and watch it grow. Somehow things went from being green one day to yellow and brown withered sticks of sadness the next. After the third failed crop, the Omega couldn't let his alpha continue to suffer. Denying all knowledge of the magical intervention, yet they both knew it was there, but neither of them spoke of it. Especially when comparing Levi's vegetable patch with Eren's small orchard. They'd purchased a variety of fruits and vegetables when leaving Mitras in an attempt to stock up, which didn't happen with Luca around, so Eren had sewn the remnants and now was the proud owner of some very impressive apple trees that were starting to encroach on the left side of their cottage. Luca especially appreciated being able to steal apples when he felt, though most of his time was still spent chasing after Viren. The pair of them... he loved them... but they were as thick as thieves. If they could be in out, out of it, covered in it, or hiding it, they were. Viren's first steps had been at the castle, their pup then deciding to make them wait a week before trying again... and after that... he never stopped moving. Each time Eren took his eyes off him, he was off. More than once Luca had to hook him by his nappy to prevent his escape, and more than once he'd turned around for what seemed half a second only to turn back to find Luca covered in Viren's food... mostly thrown at him. Each day his son looked more like Levi, right down to the look of annoyance they'd both share when scolded over spilling water from the bath. Their house might not be the nicest, but Eren was extremely proud of it... once things had been straightened out. He loved to watch Levi and Viren in the garden, his husband would sit their son in his lap to pull weeds, or when he Levi would put Viren on the back of their cow. He honestly didn't know who looked more confused, but each time Viren would giggle and scream for his "daddy". Most of the time the pair were together outside, Luca would inside with him. Being too pregnant to pick him, Luca had had to conquer climbing up on the kitchen bench on his own. A space definitely not made for their son, but mercifully his growth had slowed down so he could only just wedge himself there, ready for pats, kisses, rubs and most importantly leftover food. Levi was just as bad when he was cooking. As his pregnancy had progressed, his husband treated him like a princess while fucking him like a whore. Every single chore below waist level was taken care of by his alpha, and every single surface in their house had been christened at least once... Armin claiming he was traumatised for life from overhearing them when he and Mikasa came to visit for Eren's birthday. The joke was on him, they'd fallen into bed on the spare bed Armin was using earlier the same day... then we're forced to strip the whole bed with how carried away they'd been.

Now... now he was regretting that sex ever existed. Levi had gone on the fortnightly run to the city for supplies, and almost the moment his mate had left, his waters had broken. Entertaining a toddler while cursing contractions and attempting to control his magic, was not making for a fun morning at all. With Viren on his hip, Eren was making breakfast when the telltale sudden short gushing feel had come, then the telltale trickle as the warmth spread down his inner thighs. Levi hadn't wanted to leave, teasing him over how sweet he'd smelt that morning as they lazed in bed basking in each other's warmth. Assuring him he'd be fine, he'd waved his husband off. Swearing without thinking, his son had promptly echoed his cry of "fuck", in his cute little voice... all of which had brought him to still standing in the kitchen attempting to make Viren's breakfast while Luca clawed at the kitchen door, probably trying to attempt to free himself so he could go find Levi and not have to deal with him in labour alone. With tears rolling down his face, rising panic and contractions that he was sure he was never going to get used to, all he wanted to do was curl up in their nest and cry until Levi came home.

* Reaching the end of the road to their property, Levi didn't feel right. Eren had assured him that he was alright, that nothing would happen while he was in town, and that nothing would happen for a few more weeks. Yet, the feeling in his gut was telling him otherwise. Faced with either riding home to find Eren perfectly fine and laughing in his face, or heading to town only to come home to some kind of emergency, he knew which he'd take. Unhitching the wagon from his horse, it was a choice that took no thought at all. The past year and a half hadn't all been sun and roses, in the early days he wasn't sure how they didn't kill each other, then there were Eren's nightmares, his nightmares, a leaking roof and lack plumbing... some days it was a damn miracle they'd even got their house together in the end. Mounting his horse, the filly shifted skittishly, barely used for much more than a cart horse. Nudging his heels into her sides, she reared, nearly throwing him in the process. God. He missed his old horse. Holding his reins tighter, he urged her into a gallop, kicking up dust recklessly as he raced to return home.

Leaving his horse next to the front door, Levi didn't bother taking off his muddied boots as he jogged into their house, Eren would probably yell at him, but that was a discussion for another time. The moment he'd entered their yard he could feel his omega's pain. His gut feeling proving right again. Almost breaking the kitchen door down, he bellowed "Eren!" Only to realise Eren was still in the kitchen, Viren on his hip as he leaned heavily against the kitchen counter, Luca chirping and trilling as he nudged at Levi's legs "Levi... it's... it's started... I'm sorry..." What. Wait... oh... oh fuck... rushing to his side, he lifted Viren off Eren's hip "Ok. It's a bit early, but it's ok. What do you need?" Eren let out a long breath "I need to shower. Viren and Luca need breakfast..." "Ok... sh... sugar. Ok" Piping up, Viren smacked him with his hand "Fck" Blinking at his boy, he then shot Eren an accusing look "I didn't mean to. My waters broke and it slipped out... you'd be swearing too if you looked like someone had stuffed you with melons" By a year, Eren had looked like he was well and truly stuffed, by 13 months he was a horny mess with constant back pain. 15 months he looked like he couldn't get any damn bigger without physically bursting, it'd eased a little but he was well and truly bred to the brim "Let me get the boys settled. I don't want you getting in and out the bath on your own" "Mmm... mmm... ok... why is it that the contractions are always worse than the pushing part?" The pushing part was the part that had him worried. The contractions didn't cause Eren to shit blood or spend weeks torn and hurting... "Levi, don't you dare go pale like that. This is happening. It's going to take a few hours, but this is happening" "Sorry. You're right. Whatever you need" Giving him a pained smile, Eren pushed himself up to stand, his hands going to his hips as he whined softly in discomfort "Shower, and you'll need to write to Historia. She's supposed to be coming next week to stay, but fuck being in labour for that long" "Then... nest?" Their nest had gone up nearly a month and a half ago, Eren blushing adorably when Levi had sprung him layering his clothes into their sheets and furs "Barn... need to organise the barn..." Out of concern for their house, they'd made space in the outer half of the barn where the hay usually lived. There was no way Eren could give birth anally with the size of the eggs he was carrying "Ok. Breakfast for the boys, shower and barn" "What did you do with the horse and cart?" "Well..." "I married an idiot. You feed the kids, I'm going to shower" "You're not getting in alone" "There's a chair. I'll be fine" "Eren..." Raising his scolding finger at him, Levi swallowed down a smile "Don't give that. I was freaking out until you walked through that door. You're here now... don't... don't make me think I have to go through this alone" Reaching out, Levi wrapped an arm around his omega "You're not alone. You're not. I could feel something was wrong. I couldn't go to town because I was so worried about you... I'm here now... you're not alone" Eren smelt intoxicating, Levi forced to pull away "You're ok, Sweet Boy. You're ok. I've got the boys, you shower and I'll be right in"

Luca wouldn't settle, for the first time that Levi could remember the little dragon didn't want his food. He was still trying to nudge and rub against Levi's legs, pushing him towards the bathroom door, only for a crashing noise to come from the direction of the bathroom. Yelling at Luca to look after Viren, Levi ran straight into the kitchen door in his hurry to reach Eren, grazing himself impressively on the wall as he then tried to get through the door before it was open enough. Striding through to the bathroom, he found the shower rack had broken, causing the commotion. Eren was sitting in the shower chair he'd insisted on leaving in there given how helpful it'd been last time, trying to pick things up with his toes "What are you doing?" "I tried a little magic... and the rack fell down" "You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was rushing in here to find you on the floor" "I'm fine. My magic's just... off" "That's it. Shower time is over" His instincts couldn't take it "I only just got in!" "I can't... you can bath... but I can't..." Eren's face softened, Levi, realising he was tearing up. Fuck. He'd forgotten to write to Historia and now his alpha was getting the better of him, not wanting anyone close to Eren at all "I'm ok. But if you want me to bath, you kind of need to help me?" "Sorry. I..." "Levi, it's ok. We talked about this. I'm going to be ok... it's going to be ok. Here, come here. Luca can watch Viren" It wasn't ok. Viren's birth had been hard... he'd truly thought Eren was going to die. Catching him watching him one night, Eren had drawn his fears out, holding him as he snivelled pathetically in fear of losing his husband "I'm sorry" "It's ok. Birth is scary. I'm scared too... but we have a few hours. My contractions aren't that close yet. Now, come bath in my juices with me" "That sounds revolting" "You're lucky. I'm sure my mucus plug..." The colour drained further from Levi's face "I don't think I want to know" "Probably not..."

It wasn't his fault they ended up going for it like rabbits in the bathroom. One minute he was crying and Eren was crying, then Eren was in his lap and crying for a different reason. The only small mercy was that he didn't knot his mate, instead, he slipped out at the last moment and had to deal with his omega pouting at him over it, despite the fact he'd come twice as it was. Nuzzling into him, Eren sighed softly against his cheek "I need to shift soon. I won't be able to talk to you" "So soon?" "Mmm. My magic's already playing up" "I'm not ready for this. I don't know how to... what to..." "Levi, you're going to be great. We've talked about this, and it's going to be easier as a dragon. Remember? I told you I'll write if something's wrong" A sketch with a claw not writing. What if Eren couldn't change back...? "I don't think I can do this alone. I know you said to write to Historia, but... my alpha... I'm a failure as a mate" "You're not a failure. We know how screwed up instincts can be. I trust you. You're my husband and I trust you. Can you bring the boys out to sit for a while? After I've shifted? Luca can handle Viren, but I need to know they're both ok" "I..." He didn't know what to say. It was absolutely horrible. He adored his boys, but Eren was all he could think of "You can do this. You did this last time" "And you bled. You bled and you hurt for weeks..." "But I recovered. And look at Viren. Our baby. Every single day I thank the gods for him. I thank you for him. You're letting your fear do a me" "You're saying I'm spiralling?" "You are. It's time to get out. Can you bring the furs from our nest? I want your scent" "My scared scent?" "Your scent is still yours. You're going to get through this" "I'm supposed to say that to you" "We'll get through this, Levi. Just you wait until you see how many eggs you've knocked into me" Apparently, there was a chance of unfertilised eggs having not been absorbed completely and may be birthed. Not that he was going to be able to tell the difference. The nursery had been set up with a crib loaded with furs to settle their clutch into... but would one crib be enough? His mate wasn't... he hadn't seen his toes or his junk in the last 9 months... "You're spiralling. Here, I'm done soaking. Help me up"

Luca disappeared the moment Levi opened the kitchen door to retrieve everything Eren had asked for. His breakfast still untouched, while Viren had enjoyed himself by the look of it, his mashed apple smeared across the boy's face, hands, arms... the floor. The cupboard... Luca had obviously helped their toddler with the mess, before abandoning him to take all the blame and leaving Levi to clean it all up. If Eren saw the mess, he'd probably break down into tears then try to clean it all up instead of fussing over where he wanted to give birth. The stables hadn't been Levi's first choice. He'd wanted Eren in a soft bed, warm and safe... then his omega pointed out that he needed to be in his dragon form, and that he'd lost control of his magic last time and that he liked their small cottage in one piece, and he'd folded like a deck of cards as he agreed to everything Eren wanted. Anything to get him through this alive and safe... even if it cost them the clutch in the process.

Making it outside, Eren was sitting on a bail of hay, Luca standing next to him. Viren running to his brother, rather than his mother as he realised his best friend was right in front of him "Sorry. Daddy gave him mashed apple when he should have given him anything else" "It's fine. It gave Luca and me a chance to talk. He's scared, but he doesn't want to leave me. He's such a sweet boy" "He is. Now, I have all the blankets you want. Where should I place them?" "I was thinking of laying down with my head on the hay. I'll be on my side, so it'll be better to have them near my nose" "And you're going to shift soon?" Eren nodded "Yeah. It might help with the contractions too. I didn't miss them" "I... are you sure? So soon?" "Levi, I'll be ok. Luca won't leave my side, he's made that clear. When the... birth actually starts, he's going to play his part by watching Viren" It was his job to be by Eren's side. Luca was his damn son, not their baby sitter. He shouldn't have to be strong for his baby brother and his father who was having a miniature breakdown over Eren being so pained and in such a vulnerable position. Headbutting Eren lightly, Luca started licking at his cheek as Eren wrapped his arms around him "Ok. Yes. You're staying with me. Mummy isn't making you go away baby boy, and at the end of this, you're going to have more siblings to play with. You and Viren. You're my big baby boy, and I'm so proud to be your mother" Crying as Luca turned his attention away from him, Levi placed the bundle of furs down beside Eren so he could scoop their toddler up "Are you sure you're going to be able to communicate if something does go wrong?" "Yeah. Luca will know too. Come give me a kiss before I shift" Leaning down, Levi tried not to be jealous of Luca being in the way. Kissing his husband, he rested his face against Eren's "I'm not ready" "I can't exactly say no and try again later with this" "That's not what I mean. I want to talk to you. Hold your hand and rub your back. Know how bad it hurts and be with you" "I'm still me" That wasn't what he meant. Eren didn't sound happy with him, probably because he'd accidentally insinuated that dragons were too beastly to communicate "Message received. If you want to shift, go ahead. We'll be right here with you" "I know. Historia did say I should shift back pretty soon after I birth the last egg. I love you so much... and if it gets too much, or if my magic... if my magic is too much... take the boys and go" Tears rolled down Eren's cheeks. Levi feeling guilty for making his mate feel crappier when this was a real issue "I'm not going anywhere. Your magic won't hurt us" "I could bring the roof down on you" "And a freak storm could too" "Which would probably be my magic. I'm going to shift... before I end up crying even harder" "You're going to be ok" "Yeah... and we're going to have another pup or two..." "That are going to look just like you. With those pretty scales of yours" "No... I want them to look just like you. I love you" "I love you too. And I'm going to love them... whatever they look like" "You're making me cry" Like Levi wasn't also an emotional wreck "I'm sorry, Sweet Boy. You shift and get comfortable. I'm not going anywhere"

* Eren's labour continued into the night. His husband panting as his contractions grew worse. Luca refused to leave his side, even for bedtime. Their son insisted on laying with his nose against Eren's, licking, chirping softly, and nuzzling each time Eren would huff if pain, while Levi had a large clawed foot resting on his leg. He couldn't hold Eren's hand, so it was the closest he could be and the best he could do as he tried to keep Viren preoccupied. Forced to leave to given Viren his dinner and settle him in bed, he couldn't give two fucks about the mess he'd left out by his husband. Viren's lunch, three nappies, his lunch that he was forced to make after Eren glared at him when he returned without food. He'd also glared at him when Levi's horse had come wandering over, reminding them both that the alpha hadn't closed the gate, or moved the animals to the other end of the barn. Still. He didn't like leaving. He'd nearly missed being there as it was, sure he would have returned around sunset, yet Eren had been terrified over everything and he'd only been gone a good half hour to an hour tops that morning. He wouldn't have been able to even hold his husband before he shifted, nor soothe his worries, though Eren did most of the soothing.

As the night progressed, the temperature dropped. Eren nuzzling at Luca until Luca finally headed into the house, the look on his face clear that he'd be back out the moment the sun rose. Finally alone with his omega, Eren whined softly, calling him closer. Moving to stand between his husband's front leg and saddle, Eren shifted again, trying to rub against him in his own dopey way "How do you feel? Can I get you anything?" His mate had barely drunk any of the water he'd brought from the well for him. Shaking his head, he shifted shakily onto his stomach "Hey, are you close? You need to be resting" Whining, Eren rolled back, nudging at him with his leg "You want me to check?" Huffing like he was relieved Levi finally got the message, he placed his hand on Eren's side as moved towards his slit. He hadn't thought about adding to the glowstones on the outer side of the barn and regretted that Eren had to give birth in the dark with all the light and warmth of the house illuminated mere metres away. The first thing he noticed was Eren's dick. He'd forgotten how massive it was in his dragon form, and because his husband hadn't exactly had it hanging out with the kids around "You're horny? Is that it?" Huffing and rolling again, that was definitely it. He shouldn't be as surprised as he was. Eren had been a horny mess during the first clutch. Sliding his hand down, he skipped his mate's neglected dick, instead running his hand along Eren's opening. With his hand so close and intimate, he could feel the almost back to back ripple of his lover's strong muscles "You're close... it won't be long now" Thumping his tail, Eren didn't want to hear it "I feel like you're trying to tell me that if I don't make you cum, you're going to use your breath on me" When Eren didn't reply, Levi laughed softly "I told you'd I'd give you whatever you want and need"

Lapping and sucking at the soft flesh of his mate's clit, Eren's tail was thudding as he huffed and groaned, wriggling against Levi's mouth as the alpha thoroughly pleasured him, he knew by the weak way Eren tried to trust he was close, his rhythm shot completely and his pace exhausted yer desperate. With the kids taking up so much of their time, and settling in, making their home a home and organising the farm, then the random visits from Isabel and Farlan and few from Mikasa and Armin, and, Ymir, Historia and their girls, the only them time they really got when was the kids were sleeping or busy, and there wasn't space enough in their room for Eren to shift. He wasn't sure he knew what he was doing, but Eren was enjoying it, and his mate tasted amazing... so it was kind of a win. Sucking harder, Eren threw his head back hard enough to shake the barn, his dick spasming as cum gushed to join the wet puddle beneath the spent organ. Pulling back with a smirk, he tried not to laugh at his mate. His own arousal a smouldering mess he wasn't sure what to do with "Good?" Thudding his tail weakly, Levi's ego was stroked by the affirmation. Mindful of the puddle, he moved back to Eren's soaked opening, slipping his hand in deeper this time to essentially "finger" his dragon, he could feel their eggs, so close to being birthed but again there was nothing he could do but wait, hoping that massaging the muscle wasn't actually making it feel even worse for his exhausted love.

It was about 2 hours later that Eren finally birthed their first egg, a long and pained whine as the emerald egg slowly slid from him. Having spent the time trying to rub down his dragon and work him through the contractions the best he could, Levi was wincing at the size of the thing, easily as big as Luca's egg had been at the time of his hatching and enough to make him nearly regret impregnating Eren by accident. Setting the egg down carefully, the second that slid out in the connecting... grossness?... he didn't know what to really call the bloody mucus, was smaller and plain green. Exactly the same as Eren's lifeless clutch. His heart dropped as the third egg was the same. Eren panting softly, despite the pain Levi could feel through their bond. His mate was trying his hardest to be strong, though his lungs must be giving him grief with the cold air, uncharacteristic of a spring night.

The rest of the eggs came much more slowly than the four. The 6th another brilliant green egg, freckled with speckles of grey across the surface, yet the rest remained an empty clutch until they reached the last, the 9th egg a smaller egg than the previous two, Levi nearly placing it aside with those that were lifeless until he noticed that it shimmered grey under the light. Passing the birth, it took his husband half an hour before he took his human form again. Wrecked and dripping with sweat, Eren was barely conscious as Levi gathered him into a thick blanket, his mate trying to reach for their eggs as nasty coughs began to bubble. Nuzzling Eren's hair, he was forced to make the call. Eren needed warmth now, and to rest somewhere that wasn't a dirty and disgusting barn "You did so good. Three good eggs, baby. Three. I'm so proud of you. So proud"

Carrying his mate into the living room, he laid him down carefully in front of the fireplace, Eren crying out weakly as Levi moved away from him "I'm going to get out clutch. Our beautiful clutch, and I'll be right back. You want to see our clutch, don't you?" Nodding wearily, Eren's eyes were sliding closed as he did "I'll be right back, beautiful boy. I'm so fucking proud of our family" He was crying. He couldn't help it. Three perfect eggs. Eren had given him three more children. He couldn't be happier or prouder.

Returning with their eggs, Levi placed them down beside Eren, rousing him by cupping his husband's face. Exhausted green eyes blinking up at him questioningly "I've got our clutch, Sweet Boy. I thought you'd want to see them" Needing assistance, Eren's eyes filled with the same love and wonder he'd have for both Viren and Luca "I am so proud of you. You rest my love. I'll clean everything up" Like Eren's blooded thighs and arse. He prayed some of Eren's magic had healed things down there, but as he moved his mate to make preparations, he found him torn and bloodied. Not quite as badly as Viren, but enough to make his heartache. This time they'd wait. Eren would go back onto contraceptives, and they'd wait for the time they were ready for another child if they were ever really ready. They'd never planned for five children. Five small mouths to feed and five tiny personalities they'd be responsible for the rest of their lives. Though Eren was happy now, there was no way to tell if he'd feel that way with nightly feeds, nappies and long nights ahead of them. He could only pray this didn't break his husband or send him spiralling into a drop or melancholy episode that he couldn't recover from. He could only pray that he wouldn't lose his memory further, and wind up another "child" to his husband. He was so fucking proud of Eren. So proud the omega was his forever. And so beyond proud and relieved that only three eggs had been viable. Despite the exhaustion he felt, his primary concern was still Eren.

Cleaning Eren carefully and applying ointment to the wounds, Levi moved him from in front of the fire to their bed. A fresh kettle of boiling water positioned so the steam rose into Eren's face to ease his breathing and coughing. Outside the sounds of a storm had begun to rage, the day the perfect kind for spending in bed, even if that hadn't been his intention all along. With their clutch wiped down and placed carefully into folded blankets it sat with the other eggs Eren had birthed, across from the omega so they'd be the first thing he saw once he woke. The bleeding between Eren's legs had eased, yet each cough seemed to expel a little more, so he'd left the towel there, knowing Eren would be embarrassed once he woke. Settling down beside his husband, Levi couldn't take his eyes off of him. So in love, he wasn't sure love described his feeling anymore. They'd been through far too much to make it here, yet there was no place he'd rather be for the rest of his life. He didn't miss the castle like he probably should. He didn't miss the people like he probably should. He didn't miss the riches like he probably should. This was all thanks to Eren. As long as he had his husband by his side, he could do absolutely anything.

* Propped up in bed, Eren was tender. He was sore in all the wrong places, and he was exhausted beyond words, yet he was happy. Beside him, Levi had fallen asleep holding his hand, his head resting on the omega's shoulder exactly how he'd been when he'd been talking softly with him over their clutch. Three eggs. Two painfully large and a smaller third that had him worried for their child, but all of which intact and that was the main thing. He'd unexpectedly birthed 6 more eggs, which was upsetting to see given they could have been potential lives, yet relieving as hell given three eggs was equal parts ecstasy and stomach dropping fear. Curled around their clutch was Luca, who looked as proud as Levi and Eren both felt. Viren didn't understand that mummy was tender, so his son was sitting in his lap, nearly reducing him to tears but he couldn't let him go. This was his family. His crazy hectic family that had just grown by three more. Kissing Viren's hair, his pup was nearly asleep too. When Viren has started crying Luca had led him into their room. Levi climbing out of bed to clean their son up after he'd wet the bed, then feed him before returning him all smiles and giggles, both of them handing Eren a glass of water which he downed gratefully. Listening to the rain against the roof, he hoped the small and quiet moment wouldn't end. This is what his mind needed far more than the walls of the castle. A solid floor with no dungeons or cells beneath. A roof over his head and ridiculous over the top love and pride for his family.

Levi was apologetic when he woke, quick to lift Viren off his aching stomach as he scolding him for not waking him earlier. His poor husband had had to suffer through helping him birth their clutch, he deserved some kind of medal for his patience. Or at least a long holiday away. Preferably one where someone would wait on Levi like Levi was him. He felt bad knowing he'd be even more useless until his body healed and his magic returned, yet Levi was acting like all his demands were completely natural. Like he hadn't turned into some kind of hormonal monster obsessed with his dick more than his feelings for the last month or so. He didn't deserve such a wonderful husband.

Despite Levi warning him not to push himself, Eren was never great at bedrest. Insisting that he needed to get up, he stubbornly refused to admit the idea was terrible as he shuffled through the house to the toilet, regretting every life choice once he'd sat. He regretted it, even more, when it came to cleaning up then shuffling back through the house to the kitchen where Levi was preparing what had to be dinner by now. Refusing to let him help, Eren retrieved the note pad and pencil he kept for jotting down things they needed from town to pen his letters to Historia, and Armin and Mikasa. All three of them were going to be mad at him for going into labour early. Historia was excited to be there for him. Freya just as excited for him, writing shortly after they'd moved out of the city. She'd been amazing when he'd been forced to set foot in Marley again, then stay for the month in the manor he loathed so much in order to sort things with Asana and Onyankopon. Both wonderful people, but not quite sure how to handle him when each room held nothing but pain for him. Handing the throne over had been cathartic. To be finally free of its shackles completely had taken weeks to set in. Yet the thing that had truly healed his heart on the past was when Levi took him to visit Zeke's grave. His husband simply announcing one morning that he needed to borrow Eren for the day, then handed him a bouquet of red flowers that he "needed for when they reached their destination". Everyone had been so careful when it came to mentioning Zeke around him that he hadn't thought they'd approve of him visiting his grave, so for Levi to go that far for him, to let him sit and pour his guilty out to the man he'd been so briefly married to... he didn't think any other alpha in the world could do it. Keeping a distance so that Eren might have some privacy, Levi had told him he was proud of him once he was done, and to know that Dina hadn't disposed of Zeke like was garbage... he'd needed all of it. When he thought of the past, all he could think of was that it seemed like a dream now. He'd wanted so desperately to learn magic. He'd forcibly educated himself into a neat book induced coma so he wouldn't simply be a housewife. So he'd be an amazing mage that changed the future. He'd never thought he'd be here, being a housewife and being as ok with it all he was. He loved their little farm. He loved being simple and normal. He loved that no one stared at him or judged him, and he felt proud of keeping their house organised. He wasn't living up to Erwin's wishes of him being Armin's advisor, but it wasn't like he wasn't Armin's go-to man with most things. A letter between the castle and their farm only took an hour or so to arrive. Armin frequently writing back and forth a dozen times a day, sending eagle after eagle when Eren would take too long to reply. His friend having established the orphanage was well on its way had turned his eyes to Shinganshima. The place of so many painful memories for the three of them was to be rebuilt. Mikasa had led a small army to clean the city of those less than desirables, most driven to crime with the unstable economics, and most sent to work prisons on the west side of the island where the goal was rehabilitation and training. The not so hopeful side being that there were those past such methods. Armin had been forced to see his first hanging, something that had distressed them both greatly and ended up with Armin coming for a weeklong visit to get his legs back under him. Being the idealistic and loving fool he was, the blocks where their family homes had sat were to be turned into memorial parks. They could never take back those memories, but it felt right to remember the good times and to provide other people with similar happy memories there. Once the official opening came, they'd all be attending, but that was some time away. The only thing Eren regretted was that he'd never known what happened to Grandpa Arlet's, his mother's or his father's bodies, and wasn't able to lay the three most important parental figures of his childhood to rest. Sighing to himself, they were all thoughts for another day and his instincts were demanding he return to his clutch, despite wanting to finish his letter and to help Levi. Jumping as surprise kiss was dropped upon his head, Levi then slipped his arms around him, resting his chin on the omega's shoulder "Everything ok?" "Mmm. Yeah. Just thinking about what we've been through to get here" "A metric fuck tonne?" "Pretty much. I want to go back to our clutch, but I also want to finish these" "Historia? And to Armin and Mikasa?" "Yeah... you should write to Hanji and then to Isabel and Farlan. They'll all want to know" Isabel and Farlan were considering moving out to live closer, but Armin didn't trust anyone else with keeping the game populations in check, begging them to stay an extra winter before they moved out to work remotely. They'd be living on the other side of the road that led to Mitras, closer to thicker woodland once things had settled. They'd even found a cottage to rent from a farmer with a rat problem. Farlan hadn't seemed convinced, while Isabel was over the moon. Naturally, Isabel got her way. They'd be keeping the store in Mitras and dividing their time in a move Levi called "stupid" "They can wait. I'm making some clear broth for you, your stomach will probably appreciate it more than anything heavy right now" "You're amazing" "I'm really not" "You are. I've been thinking about it nonstop... I wouldn't be alive without you. I couldn't do any of this without you... I'm sorry I've placed so much responsibility on your shoulders" "You haven't. You're selling yourself short my love. Go rest, if our roles were reversed you would be doing all of this for me. I'll finish the letters and sign them from both of us" "Thank you. My instincts want to stay in our nest, but my mind..." "Is telling you to be an idiot by moving far too soon. Rest. We've got three beautiful children to think of, and three beautiful eggs to be proud of" Leaning back as Levi stood, Eren stared up as his husband's face with a smile on his lips "I love you" "I love you too. My Omega. My mate. My husband. My dragon. My Sweet Boy and stubborn little shit" Snorting out a giggle, Levi silenced him with a kiss "Now go" "Yes, master" "Don't start that shit unless you want a whole other clutch" "Oh god. Nope. My everything down there is a big fat nope right now. I'm behaving" "That's a first" "It might also be a last..." "Gods give me strength. Why did I marry you again?" "My charming personality and wit?" Levi shook his head "No. It was your arse. Definitely your arse" Faking offence, Eren pushed himself up to stand, forcing Levi to move out the way before he was headbutted. His alpha raising an eyebrow at him as he tried to appear huffy "Do these breasts mean nothing to you at all?" Taking a moment to gawk at him, Levi covered his mouth as he laughed "Go to bed already, you shit. I'll be right in" "Good. I wouldn't want this arse to be lonely" Moving to hug him again, Levi was careful not to press against his stomach "Oh come here. You know I love every single part of you" "You're a god damned sap, Levi Ackerman" "Only for you" Kissing him gently, the shared three more before Eren broke off with a happy hum "Mmm. Best alpha ever"

*** Historia kept to her original schedule of arriving the following week, dropped off by a dragon that wasn't Ymir the princess had stopped by the castle on her way to pick up gifts from Armin and everyone else. A stupidly ridiculous amount of gifts and enough food to last at least a month or two saving Levi from having to ride into town... not that he needed to at the moment.

Being in their own cottage the alpha's instincts hadn't gone as wild as they had when Viren was born. He didn't have to contend with everyone's shitty scents, or constantly worry over being disturbed by their friends. Eren seemed to be recovering much better from birth too. He was sleepy, spending the next few days napping and allowing Levi to pamper him properly, then stubbornly decided bedrest was over when he found out his magic had flared out of control during the birth, or rather after. Both of them had been relieved that he hadn't used his breath, or blown anything up. That the storm his magic created only hit after the birth and no real damage was done to the barn.

Foolishly letting Luca and Viren play outside, Luca had come back with a dozen white roses in his mouth for Eren. His husband then demanded to know what had happened and Levi was forced to admit the scale of the magic released during the birth. Outside their house was seemingly endless fields of white roses, running all the way up to the orphanage up the hill. Their vegetable garden now resembled something of a jungle, as did Eren's greenhouse. The tree surrounding their farm, and on their farm, had seemingly tripled in size, again, all the way up to the orphanage where the start of the orchard Eren had insisted they needed was now bursting with fresh fruit waiting to be plucked. It wasn't just the plant life that seemed to have received a boost. Animals seemed to be everywhere. Levi wasn't stupid, he knew Eren couldn't speed up a pregnancy with magic, yet wherever he looked there fox kits or baby birds, a random cat had turned up then had her kittens on their back veranda. Trying to keep Luca and Viren from the had been an experience, which only grew to include Eren once he knew of them. Said cat and kittens now living in their living room, thanks to Historia who planned to take two of the litter of five back to Draecia once they were weaned from their mother given they reminded her of her girls. Ymir had apparently been teaching them all the wrong things. Each time she'd yell, the three dragons would take off running to hide, but given their size, the girls were generally bigger than the scrub they were hiding behind, Ymir's even larger form not hidden in the slightest. She'd been teaching them that if they couldn't see their mother, she couldn't see them, then blaming Historia's magic each time they were found within minutes. For all her complaining and teasing, Historia was beyond a proud mum and had pretty much adopted the boys as her own leaving Levi to focus on Eren and their clutch. Luca had been completely taken by the kittens until they started moving around too much for him to corral them all back to their mother at once while chasing after Viren and guarding the smallest egg of their clutch. Their son chirping in alarm when the kittens started climbing on him and wanting his attention, his red eyes wide with a silent cry for help that had Eren laughing softly at their boy.

The first night Luca had made off with their egg, Eren had been in absolute tears thinking something horrific must have happened. That he must have done something in his sleep, somehow broken it or such. With his wailing mate in their nest, Levi tore the whole place apart, not thinking to look in Luca's bed, given that Viren usually climbed in there and was the lump between their fur blankets. It'd been a long night comforting his mate, Eren wanting to sleep with both their boys and the two remaining eggs, which lead to the discovery when Levi went to retrieve the two boys, finding their missing egg protectively hidden by their oldest son. Returning it to Eren, his husband calmed enough to be confused by the situation, holding his egg close as he nuzzled into the grey scales. Luca hadn't been raised by dragons, yet he instinctively wanted to protect the smallest and most fragile of their eggs, which Eren cursed himself over for not thinking of sooner. It took another few days for Eren to get what was going on. Historia calling them in to show them the sight waiting in the living room. Sitting on the lounge chair, Luca had Viren tucked up close to him, as he licked and nuzzled at the egg, their son deciding that he wanted his own little family with Viren like his parents. Puberty was still a long way off for their boy, yet he seemingly wanted a clutch of his own someday. Eren couldn't bear to let his eggs out of his sight just yet, so Levi was left to gently explain to their son that he had to wait to until his sibling was born before he could play with them, then Historia was left to distract the boys with the kittens while Eren returned the egg to their clutch. Both of them feeling like dicks when all Luca wanted was to share the love. It was simply too soon. Historia assured them it was quite normal to feel that way for the first month at least, then things would get easier for them, provided Eren stopped trying to fight the dragon side of his instincts and let him feel his chronic need for closeness. This resulted in his omega wearing his eggs in a sling against him almost every waking moment, then sleeping with their clutch between them every night. This didn't stop their son though. Within the first month Luca managed to slip in and steal the same egg three more times, each thinking he'd carefully hidden it in his bed, only for Levi to retrieve it and break his heart a little more.

A month passed after the birth, then a second. Eren starting to struggle over waiting for their clutch to hatch. Mikasa and Armin had written constantly for updates, but there weren't any to give, Levi left to answer their letters as Eren poured his attention into raising Viren and Luca, Viren having decided he needed to be glued to his mother's hip the moment Historia left. They both knew it could take some time to meet their new family members, but neither of them were particularly good at waiting. Three months after the birth, Mikasa and Armin came to visit at Levi's request. Farlan and Isabel needed help with their cottage, and though the journey was an easy ride, Eren didn't want to leave the farm and Levi didn't want him to be alone during the day. Not when the smallest thing going wrong had him doubting himself. His mate dropped a bar of soap in the bathtub, then cried against him for half an hour over being useless when it led to him accidentally setting the bath mat on fire. His magic was still a little iffy, but Eren had been trying to do everything without magic since giving birth as it was. It seemed to Levi that his husband was denying that part of him with each growing day. Hence calling in his husband's two best friends to distract him. He'd also written to Historia, but the princess was stuck with helping her brother and unable to come down to spend time with Eren.

It was the morning of Mikasa and Armin's visit that their first egg hatched. Curled around his husband, he'd woken to find their bed soaked beneath Eren. It wouldn't be the first time Eren had had an accident, but as he shook his mate awake, it was like his melancholy wasn't there at all. Shooting up, his words fell over each other, Levi confused as he hell until Eren scrambled around the other side of their clutch revealing the cracked emerald egg. He'd mentally named all of them. Eggbert. Eggeles. And lastly spatula, their little egg that had adventurer further then it's siblings. Eggbert was the one hatching, the thin membrane pushed by a tiny clawed hand. In his rush, Eren didn't notice that Eggeles had also cracked slightly as he pulled Eggbert into his lap, breaking the membrane ever so slightly so a tiny claw could hook against it. Holding Eggeles, the egg was a way off of hatching. Whispering and encouraging their tiny child, they needed a little more help to free themselves, letting out an adorable sneeze as their black eyes met Eren. It was like looking at mini-Eren. Their child's scales the same shades of green as Eren's facial scales, and they were all legs as the fell out into Eren's lap, shaking its head before sneezing all over Eren's arm. Scooping their baby dragon up, their tiny arse filled Eren's hands as Eren cooed, bringing them close to nuzzle nose to nose with them "Levi... look..." "I can see, Sweet Boy... but have you noticed what their twin is doing?" Levi mentally winced at twin. They were triplets, but twins what it came to the size. Lowering their child, his husband's face lit up all over again at the cracks in Eggeles "No way..." "Ready for baby number two?" "I... I thought it'd be like Luca..." "You're going to have to figure out names now" "We're going to have to figure out names now. We can't name them over their sneezes" "Luca did make it easier in that respect" "He did... do you want to hold your baby?" Was that even a question? Taking their dragon pup with shaking hands, the small dragon eyed him with wide eyes "Hello baby, I'm your daddy. Your mummy didn't even introduce himself. He's been waiting to meet you" Darting out its tiny tongue, their pup licked the top of his nose "I'm not naming them Sneezy or Licky" With a small crack, there was a gush of fluid into Levi's lap, the alpha flinching at the unpleasant sensation "Is that what it feels when your water breaks?" "A sudden gush when you're not expecting it? Kind of... I think there was more fluid with Viren" "I don't like it" "Then it's a good thing you're the alpha. Here, pass me our baby back while you help..." He paused. None of their prospective names seemed to suit now that they were meeting their children. Eren nodded as finally smiling again, and despite thinking he'd never spill his secret, he desperately wanted to keep his husband smiling "Eggeles" Eren scooped their pup back into his hold "I'm not naming my baby Eggeles" "No, I named the egg Eggeles" "You named our eggs?" "It helps with the memory thing. You're holding Eggbert" Eren wrinkled his nose "My baby isn't an Eggbert. Do I want to know what you called our third baby?" "Probably not" "I can't believe you named them without telling me. Tell me you didn't give them an equally horribly name?" "Uh... Spatula" Eren's eyes widened the way they do before he usually started yelling. Lowering his tone, he brought their baby to his chest, covering their small head with his cupped hand "You named our baby Spatula?!" "Not what you were eggspecting?" "Spatula?! Why?" "I don't know. I ran out of egg names. Besides, it's already had an eggciting adventure with Luca" "You keep making egg jokes and I'm going to fry you" "Come on, Sweet Boy. See the sunny side up" "Your brain is scrambled. Your upsetting our baby" Nuzzling into Eren's hand and chest, their dragon pup didn't seem too phased that they had idiots for parents "They look just like you. Their scales are the same colour as yours" "I don't feel much magic coming from them. Not like Luca... but kind of the same at the time. Maybe because they're a quarter dragon. Or is it eighth? I'm half, but you're full human..." "Leave the maths for another time" Ducking his head, Eren smiled softly "I'm sorry I've been..." "Shhh. We'll talk about it after Eggeles is here" Scowling at him, Eren wasn't going to let it drop anytime soon

Eggeles didn't have the struggles Eggbert did. The moment the shell had cracked enough, the baby dragon was tearing through the membrane with a tiny roaring squeak, announcing to everyone they were there. Gathering their speckled baby up to his face, Levi smiled as their front two feet went right to his cheeks, their baby "roaring" in his face again "Hello, Feisty! Look at you... You're adorable my baby. I'm your daddy" The speckles through the dragons tiny scales were the same shiny iridescent grey Eren's full form held "We have Sneezy and Feisty... and Spatula" "At least they won't be lost in a crowd with those names" "See if I ever let you between my legs again" "You're not mad. I know you're not... Mikasa and Armin are coming today too, and I'm thinking that I won't be going to see Isabel and Farlan" "Is that today? Why didn't you remind me? They don't get to hold our babies. Not until Luca and Viren meet them properly, and even then, I don't want to let them go. They're both so small... We'll need to move the kittens too... How is our cottage so full?" "Because you and the kids fell in love with the kittens, then Historia was swayed by them" "If she waits much longer they're going to be off having adventures before she can take the two she wanted" They were 12 weeks or so, weaned from their mother and attacking innocent feet with their tiny razor claws. Like Eggbert and Eggeles would be doing now they'd hatched. Placing Eggbert down, Levi placed Eggeles next to them, Eggeles immediately attacking their sibling in order to pin them down and groom them "I think they're both like you. Eggbert has your scales, and Eggeles has your personality. Coming out screaming then right into cuddles" "Eggeles freckles are the same grey as your eyes... and we're not keeping these names" "They'll work for now" "Mikasa will kill us if we name them that. I mean, we don't know what sex they are yet. Historia and Ymir lucked out with their names because when both their children shifted they were girls, but I have no idea" "We'll work it out. Was Luca this small? They seem so tiny" Tiny and determined. Coming into the world fighting and kicking as they wrestled with each other "Luca was smaller. Did... is the third egg..." Lifting Eggeles egg from his lap, he placed it by the twins, both deserting playing to start crunching on the shell. Picking up Spatula, he turned the egg gently "No. No cracks. They probably need a little longer to grow, right?" "Yeah. Yeah... it would have been nice to meet them too. I hope they're ok in there, and I hope these two won't shun them" Eren's smile turned sad, the omega placing the second egg remnants by their hungry children. Taking Eren's hand, he placed it on their third egg "No one's going to shun anyone. This little one is waiting to make a scene of their own when they come" "What if they're hurt like Luca was?" "Do you love Luca any less for his wing? Or for his lack of magic?" "No. No, he's exactly who he's supposed to be" "Exactly. This little one will be perfect, no matter how long they take to finally grace us with their presence. Luca already adores them, Viren's given all the eggs kisses and says goodnight to them at bedtime since they were born. They're going to be fine" "I really hope so... It's like they've heard all about Mikasa and didn't want to face her wrath of not yet hatching" "They're smart little dragons..." Which owned his heart the moment they'd hatched. He also didn't wish to take his eyes off them, but without the boys there's it didn't feel right "... I'll bring the boys in while you watch them" "Ok. Levi. Thank you. I know I've been down again, but thank you. For this. For us. For them. For everything" "You're welcome, Sweet Boy"

Viren was already awake, their son reaching for him the moment their eyes met. Lifting his precious pup from his bed, Levi winced when his small leg pushed his soaked nightshirt against his skin. He was definitely getting old. Despite the morning light he was freezing, and more than one joint had seemed to have seized up as Viren tugged at his hair "Daddy has someone he wants to introduce you too, but we need to wait for Luca" Luca was sitting on his bed, his head on his front feet as he silently watched them "Come on, Luca. It's time for you to meet your new siblings" Climbing down slowly, Luca moved to stand by Levi, licking at Viren's foot when his best friend failed to reach for him. It was unusual for Viren to spend the whole night in his own bed. He'd normally always climb in with Luca given Luca couldn't fit on the toddler's bed "Aunty Mikasa and Uncle Armin are arriving today too. They've missed you, boys. The ask more about how the pair of you are doing than Eren or I" Luca was still put off by Viren not reaching for him. Leading the boys back to their room, Eren had both baby dragons in his hold as he smiled "Boys, these are your new siblings. Do you want to come meet them?" Luca didn't move "Viren didn't sleep with him last night" Placing down both dragons, Eren reached out towards their son "Oh Baby Boy, come here" With slow steps Luca moved around the bed, then hesitantly climbed up on the edge. Wrapping both arms around their son, Eren nuzzled into his scales "My big boy. I love you, my baby. You're always going to be my baby boy. My precious little baby boy. Having you has made everything better, and just because Viren didn't sleep next to you, doesn't mean that your baby brother doesn't love you any less. You're the best big brother in the world, and I'm relying on you to help keep this household running. Someone's got to teach these two everything in life. And all the important things like how to chase after a ball, or how to play hide and seek. Where the best spots in the sun to nap are. How to steal food stealthily... Mummy loves you so much and wanted to make sure you met your new siblings right away. What do you think of them?" Chirping softly, Luca licked at Eren's face before lowering his head down towards the two dragon pups. Cautiously he sniffed at them, before taking Eggbert by the nape to bring them closer for grooming. Eren's whole face lit up as he met Levi's eyes, nodding like Levi couldn't see that Luca seemed pretty chuffed to be a big brother to the pair. Maybe it was dragon thing? He had no clue. He'd thought being married to a dragon would result in him learning just what the hell dragons got up to. What all their prayers and spells meant. All the kind of cultural things. He'd learned a big fat fuck all from his husband. Eren didn't know jack shit. Then he'd randomly sprout the information like he'd known all along when really it was mostly an educated guess. He was just as confused as the day he'd learned Eren was part dragon, but watching their dragon pups he wouldn't change a damn thing "It's ok, you can place Viren down"

Viren wasn't sure about his new siblings, the toddler starting to cry the moment Eggeles placed their front foot on his leg. Luca was quick to abandon grooming Eggbert in favour of licking at Viren's tears, all forgiven between the pair as Viren wrapped his arms around Luca and Luca climbed up to sit behind the toddler, despite the weird angle and how much it must be hurting his neck. Chirping at his siblings, Luca sounded like he was trying to scold them, only when both chirped back at him, he seemed startled and appalled, looking to Levi like he'd been gravely insulted. Scooping up their pups, the pair continued to chirp, Eren scolding them for teasing their big brother and failing to silence them as they did. Given chirping didn't work, Luca tried trilling loudly, both pups echoing the sound, trying out trill them, Luca was only digging the hole faster. Too curious and too young to understand, his siblings weren't meaning to mock him, yet Luca didn't understand, trying to almost hush them up as he started to "Lu", leading to the pair wriggling and squirming as they grew louder. Dragons were idiots and now he had four of them... Gods give him strength.

Nobody’s Around Prt 1

Prompt: Your highschool is known to be haunted. When doing some homework after hours, you hear a voice telling you the answers.

Dedicated to: @sin-cerely-mi, who indirectly gave me the idea. @jared-kleinmen​, @i-used-to-wear-the-fedora​ and @nyancheetosmusical​, y’all might enjoy this too? Maybe?

DISCLAIMER: I don’t mean to villainise any character, but the story is from Connor’s POV, and he doesn’t have an exemplary relationship with his family. I think all of the characters are deveoped and have their own depths, but it doesn’t show the way I want it to, because of the way the story ended up.

Warnings (also in the tags): Smoking, cursing, references to self harm, references to suicide, depressive thoughts, intrusive thoughts

Connor tried not to listen to the rumor mill at his school, most of it was shit talk on him anyway, but you had to be an idiot not to know to stay out of the greenhouse.

The school’s greenhouse was significantly older than Connor, Run down and falling apart. Nothing grew there, it was in a position that got too much sun and not enough shade ever since they tore the old maths block down and any plant in there burned to a crisp. It was a desolate wasteland that everyone had given up on. It was used only for the local stoners to hide their weed stashes and a graffiti target. Or at least, it was before Connor was a freshman.

Now he was a senior, and the whole place was lush with greenery. Flowers of every discription bloomed in various colours, fruits and vegetables grew plump and healthy, and the graffiti was all scrubbed away. The bench in the centre was fixed and an ideal spot for a loner or a couple who wanted privacy.

Despite this, no one went in the greenhouse. Ever. Because no one took care of the plants.

It spooked the students, it disturbed the teachers, it plain old weirded out the caretakers. Who had cleared the dead plants? Cleaned the griffiti? Who watered the plants or cleaned the pond or picked the vegetables and fruit that ended up in a neat basket outside the local curch after harvesting season? None of them did it.

So the rumor mill did it’s thing, and stories of a boy with an arm that was twisted and broken began circulating. At first it was the presendent of the enviromentalist club, who was obligated to inspect the greenhouse every month. She had said that she had seen the boy crouching over a pot of tomatoes, but when she had blinked, he had vanished.

The next sighting came from a staff member, and added some creditibility to the story. Miss Alton was one of thoe people who belived in the afterlife. She said that she had felt an aura coming from the boy, like a startled deer. Gentle, but scared. Some wrote her off as spouting nonsense. Others didn’t.

It had started maybe seven years ago, and to his knowledge, the only people to step foot in the greenhouse were people who did it on dares or people who wanted to bust the myth.

Connor thought it was bullshit, but it kept people out.

He had been coming here since junior year, whe he had stopped caring what people thought. The bench was a good spot to get high and no one ever came in. He had never seen the supposed ‘ghost’.

Sprawling out, he took out his biology homework. He didn’t put much stock in grades, but his parents were going to take his car if he bombed this test, and that wasn’t worth it. Glaring at the word problems as if it would make them solve themselves, he started writing.

Shit, he knew none of this. He was going to...

Um... Pho- photosynthisis and respiration actually have an almost codependendant relationship?  It- Well- They’re really closely connected, so your last sentence doesn’t really make sense...

Connor jumped at the voice in his ear.

“What the-”

He looked around, but there was nothing there. No one who could have spoken. He wondered if someone was screwing with him.

“Who’s there? Coming to laugh at the freak? Call me stupid? I’ll fucking kill you!”

He snarled, but nothing happned. Nobody appeared from the leaves to laugh ot point a camera. Eventually he sat back down, now even more ajitated than before. He was so fucking done with this. He looked down at his last sentence and blinked. The voice had been... right?

He rubbed out the error and looked around. No way someone was close enough for them to see what he was writing, even if they were hiding. Something was seriously off. Looking arond again, he double checked that no one was there.

There was no way.

The voice didn’t pipe up again, and he continiued with his homework. About halfway through, he threw it down. He couldn’t concentrate. Pulling out a baggie of weed, he rolled a joined anf lounged back. Screw homework, he’d do it later. Who cares if his parents are mad? It was hardly anything new.

The joint burned down, he smoked until the cherry burned his fingers. He hissed and flucked the butt into a nearby plant pot.

That’s bad for the saplings!

The same voice spoke up again, sounding dismayed. There was a slight shifting, and the cigarette but flew out of the pot and on Connor’s shoes.

“What the fuck?”

Connor asked the empty air. His dealer was usually so good, was this weed bad?

He picked up the blunt and examined it. It had been extinguished. The small saplings swayed in a breeze that he didn’t remember being there. Connor pushed his head into his hands and tugged at his hair. Maybe this was it. He’d officially lost it.

A- Are you alright? I- Well I didn’t mean- But it’s just- I didn’t mean to yell at you!”

Connor giggled to himself. Yup. He was crazy. They were right. Everyone was right. He was nuts. It would be better for everyone if he just-

Plip.

He heard something.

Plip.

It sounded like someone throwing pebbles into water.

Plip.

He groaned. May as well embrace it. Maybe a white rabbit will come and give him whatever shit Alice took. That sounded good. Following the sound, he found someone sitting by the pond, throwing small stones into the pond. It was a sandy haired boy in a blue polo. He growled. So this was the guy fucking with him.

“You think it’s funny to laugh at the freak, huh?”

He stalked towards the boy, standing overf him threateningly.

“Well I’m not laughing.”

The boy looked up at him. Connor glared down on him in return, like an angry dog standing over a kitten.

“I- I wasn’t laugh- I mean- You had the answer- then the plants- I’m sorry-”

The boy seemed to have trouble getting a coherant sentence out. Connor groaned. Not only was he being fucked with, but he was being fucked with by a coward. Great. Even the fearful want to have a laugh at him. He dipped his head into his hands again. He seemed to be doing that a lot today.

“Just... fuck off.”

He looked up and the boy was gone.

LONG below cut, just cosplay thoughts, nothing beyond lists of what i’d need for certain characters and some rambling

the reason for all this is that the friend who went with me to geek kon last year asked if i wanted to go this year. i told them maybe because on the one hand it was super fun but on the other hand i have a job now, so we’ll see. any amount of this may or may not pan out.

for jasprose:

white wig

white face paint

fur? (just for cheeks)

white cat ears

purple/pink headband

long-sleeved white tunic (with purple/pink trim and puff sleeves)

white leggins with pink/purple trim

pink/purple socks

white shoes with pink/purple trim

the fucking, neckpiece thing

pink/purple party hat

fangs (opt.)

pink/purple contacts (opt.) (ONE EYE OF EACH WOULD BE SICK AS FUCK)

for davepeta:

so much god. probably not worth it, sadly.

for karkat:

new, better wig

loose plain black shirt (to add symbol)

plain gray pants - do i already have these?

teeth (opt.)

gray/red contacts (opt.)

ears (opt.)

for dave:

wig (throwback to when i had dave hair haha)

shirt

red contacts (opt.)

for rose:

new, better wig

white/lavendar pencil skirt

purple contacts (opt.)

for dead aradia:

wig maybe

horns - wire, tinfoil, yarn, paint

black t-shirt - cut up sleeves + slit in bottom hem

long gray skirt - cut up

red and white socks

black vans w/ white laces (opt.)

white mesh contacts (opt.)

ears (opt.)

for kanaya:

wig maybe

black t shirt

red skirt - make?

white face paint (opt.)

green lipstick (opt.)

purple sash with green stain (if white face paint) (opt.)

gray/green contacts (opt.)

ears (opt.)

for roxy:

wig

shirt

skirt

legwarmers

scarf (opt.)

pink contacts (opt.)

for dirk:

wig (and id have to style it, ugh)

shirt

glasses - probably part thrift, part make, though it depends on what kind of stuff i can find

i have a broken styrofoam head so its a pipe dream of mine that i sculpt that with clay into a semi-realistic severed head and then either carry it around as dirk with the sendificator over my head or as jake and kiss it occasionally, but i have a lot of different feelings over the latter lately so probably i’d do the former. either way, that’d be a lot of work.

for sollux:

wig (hopefully not same wig as karkat/kanaya/anyone else)

horns

shirt

gray pants

a pair of white shoes and a pair of black shoes (which is annoying as fuck BUT i could use the black shoes for aradia w the white shoes’s laces and vice versa for roxy so id be able to use them for other stuff. plus vans-type shoes are cheap)

red and blue glasses (probably make somehow??)

red/blue contacts (opt.)

teeth (opt.)

ears (opt.)

nepeta’d be cool but a pretty particular (purrticular) type of person (nepeta stans, basically, and i’m not one of those) tends to cosplay her so ill pass

for terezi:

wig

horns

shirt

glasses - make somehow

red shoes

red contacts (opt.)

teeth (opt.)

ears (opt.)

for vriska (pre loss of eye and arm because that shits hard):

wig

horns

shirt

gray overshirt

glasses

red shoes (preferably something that looks like converse but i could just use the same shoes for her and terezi)

i dont actually remember if i have good blue lipstick or not. i know i have shitty blue lipstick that basically doesnt have pigment but im not sure about good blue lipstick. in any case i know tricks for that but hm. not sure.

blue/gray contacts (opt.)

fangs (opt.)

ears (opt.)

equius... im just not really interested. i once thought about doing eridan but i dont like him anymore so nah. feferi... would be cool, but i think the skirt would be a little beyond my knowledge of sewing. i could do jane or jade but frankly i find them harder to emulate as a cosplayer and i could do john, jake, or dirk, but i just dont wanna.

for meenah:

braids - i wont make the mistake of trying to make them out of real fake hair again, i promise you that, i still have two seven-foot chunks of loose hair in the basement that im not doing anything with

trident - i literally have all the materials for this i just havent made it

glasses - make somehow/thrift a pair

shirt - the one i used to have is ruined (i know canonically she wears a t shirt but for some reason everyone cosplays her in a crop top, including me.) (i fucked up my shirt by not knowing how to work the printing stuff i got, like, the night before the con.)

tank top (depending on whether my current one fits me still)

horns - the ones i have are pretty much beyond fixing now so i’d have to start over. that’s fine though, i have plenty of materials.

teeth (opt.)

mesh contacts (opt.)

ear fins - i have these but i could stand to paint them pink since atm theyre purple, but otherwise theyre pretty close to perfect as is.

universal items i’ll probably need no matter what:

black and white t shirts (thats pretty much everyone)

screenprinting paper for dark or light shirts, depending on who i do

i have paint but having more wouldn’t hurt, and i might want/need white paint as well

fangs/teeth - for these i’d like to buy nice scarecrow fangs and use those and then maybe make some shitty mouthfuls of teeth with fake nails and that melty plastic shit

wigs - i’m willing to shell out a bit more for these as well. i’d like a nice short black one for karkat, kanaya, and if i ever decide to do jane, john, or jake, and though i have a long black wig it sucks pretty hard and i need a better one, probably curly, with bangs. though straight would be okay for most of these anyway. the only person who needs a medium length wig is terezi, and that’s actually pretty much true for all of hs, which is... too bad.

horns - i have a few pairs of horns already and PLENTY of clay to make more, but for bigger horns i’d need more than model magic. for aradia (and probably eridan and mmmaybe equius though im not doing either of them) and maybe vriska and kanaya (just to make those joints easier) id use the wire, tinfoil, and yarn method, but anything smaller than that i can use my clay. i already have peixes and vantas horns, though the peixes horns are broken and are resisting being fixed and the vantas horns don’t attach very well. i also have leijon horns in the works as well that were originally for davepeta. but id use clay to make vantas, captor, leijon, maybe maryam, pyrope, and maybe equius horns, and i used it for my peixes horns (though i didnt attach them well to the headband so those didnt go great).

contacts - i have actual regular contacts now, so now i wont have to worry about being blind ever. the next step is to get cosplay lenses (yes i know safe sites to get them from, yes i know my prescription and what size to get, yes i know how to be safe buying contacts). the best investement for sure would be a gray pair and a mesh pair, just speaking in terms of sheer number of characters. beyond that, it depends on who i end up cosplaying as to what color lenses i buy. for instance, if i decide on aradia, meenah, and dave, white and red lenses make the most sense. if i decide on rose, jasprose, and karkat, purple and gray ones make the most sense.

for any glasses, i’m going to be looking at thrift shops first and foremost. if i don’t find anything in a reasonable time, i’ll find stuff online.

i have probably two-thirds of a pot of snazzaroo, which will probably be enough, but if i decide to do a sprite or vampire kanaya, i’ll need white paint as well. plus if i decide to do more than one troll, i might want more gray paint anyway.

ears - i dont have any rn. i know a few methods to make them and a few places i can buy them but i’d probably end up making them anyway, mostly for cost-effectiveness.

as for money... well, i’ll do my best. i have an actual job now, and it’s pretty good. ive worked a lot in my first few days and ill keep working so even with taxes my paychecks are gonna be pretty sweet. id take commissions but i still have yet to consistently create any kind of art so im waiting til i can do that. also i dont have a way to get that money rn. nbd either way; i dont have any expenses besides this type of thing atm so its not like im hurting for money.

also i wouldnt have to cosplay only homestuck but a) im lazy and b) ive never loved anything the way ive loved homestuck so i kind of wouldnt want to betray my brand(tm)

(but if i wasnt going to cosplay only homestuck, which might be a good idea since idk how much homestuck the person i’d be going with is doing, i’d probably do taako.)

Fanfic- Tough Business to Get Into

(i s2g this is the last holiday exchange i do)

I have finally finished my secret tax goat for @hexmaniacinien !!! I had so much fin writing this, I hope all of you enjoy it as well! Thank you to @kyrfiore for betaing!

Gen. 1920s/Mob AU. Guns and alcohol a plenty (with a touch of angst, my apologies ^^;)

AO3 Link Here

The aftermath of a show was always loud. Giggling girls critiquing their performance based on both what they thought and what the director saw. The flurry of feet making their way to dressing rooms and removing make-up, getting out of those extravagant (and skimpy) costumes to more practical clothing (that was still called skimpy by some older people) in order to head out for the night. Cigarette smoke filled the air, the clear alternative ever since Prohibition hit for a legal means of winding down after a big show.

Within the chaos, Markus was always able to slip in. Not like he wasn’t allowed, he was the lights and effects director, but it made it easier when everyone was moving to go into his friend’s room without questions being asked, mainly, “Are you and Inien going out?”

Which was ridiculous, Inien had been his closest friend ever since he got into show business.

She was snarky and strong willed and would be the very definition of a flapper if it wasn’t for the fact she refused to cut her hair.

It was easier, however, to just leave people guessing about their relationship status so they wouldn’t question other parts about Markus’ life… and Inien’s, for that matter. Performers were far too nosy.

So, he would slip into her dressing room while everyone was too busy to notice.

Tonight, Inien was quiet, which in Markus’ experience was never a good thing.

Especially with that look on her face, that vacant stare that meant she was thinking of something.

She sat up straight in her chair. “I’m bored… let’s start selling liquor.”

He barely registered himself standing up as he tried to process what his friend just said, “Inien…”

“What?” she said, innocently fixing her hair in the huge mirror in front of her.

“You don’t just sell alcohol. And why would you even want to do that?”

“I told you, I’m bored,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“You’re on Broadway!” He gestured wildly at her dressing room around her. “How is that boring?”

She shrugged and turned her chair to look at him. “It has for me, and besides, I’ve already thought part of it out.”

“I… how?”

“My cousin, Colvin. Even though he’s still in far east, he’s just as annoyed about Prohibition as we are, probably moreso because the U.S. was a huge import for him.” She explained casually, reaching for a cigarette. “So we started talking about getting his product over here. At first, I would’ve been selling to other speakeasies and splitting the profit with Colvin.” A small flick and she lit her cigarette. “But I’ve been thinking, why not run it myself? Cut out the middle man, make more money overall, and maybe even get out of Broadway once I have enough dough.”

Markus pinched his nose and let out a breath. “Yes, that’s very business savvy and all. But,” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “You are still talking about illegal business! Who’s to say this doesn’t go completely wrong?!”

She shrugged, letting a stream of smoke pass through her lips. “I’ll never know if I don’t try.”

He sighed, lowering his head in his hands as she put on her coat. “You. Are. Incorrigible.”

She turned to him after straightening her collar. “And you are incapable of thinking outside the box.”

Looking up, he was just able to catch the door shutting behind her. “Oh no, no, no,” he muttered, grabbing his coat and following her.

She was easy enough to catch up with. She had barely made it outside the building when he caught up with her.

“So, what are you going to do now?” he asked, falling into step with her.

“I need to talk with someone.”

“Okay, if we’re going to do this, you need to be less cryptic. And tell me shit like this earlier.”

She looked up at him, smirking, “ ‘We?’ ”

“Of course, we both know I’m the better talker out of the two of us. And you need all the help you can get if you’re going to do this.”

“Alright, we’re meeting someone with experience in this business. He’s had brief interactions with my cousin, so that’s how I know him. He agreed to help set this up.”

“Wow, sounds like a good guy.”

Inien snorted loud enough for people passing by to look over at them. Markus stared down at her confused.

“What? What’d I say?”

“Oh nothing. You’ll see.”

“Again with being cryptic.”

-=-=-=-=-

The man lived in a tenement house, which was a fancy word for the shittiest apartments you could ever think of. Overcrowded, dark, and dirty, it ended up being the homes to most immigrants upon coming to the New World. Markus and Inien both glanced to each other, both knowing the other was thinking of their childhood spent in one. Markus had been the lucky one, only spending about eight years in one as his family moved upstate to work as live-in servants to a politician. Inien hadn’t been so lucky and spent her entire childhood in one till she was eighteen.

“Come on, he said he had the afternoon free today.” Inien bounded up the steps, the excitement of starting her own speakeasy overriding the memories that threatened to spill over. Markus followed close behind.

This tenement house was made out of an old, four story house that had been a rich man’s house before he moved out to the cleaner countryside. Now it was packed with mainly Russian immigrants. As Markus and Inien climbed the stairs, they couldn’t help being be jealous of how cleaner this house was in comparison to the ones they lived in. The government had made tenement housing more bearable to live in. Not comfortable by any means, but there were windows and it didn’t feel like the flu would wipe out an entire building in a night.

The man’s room was on the third floor, last door on the left side. After passing a large family loudly speaking in a language neither Inien or Markus could understand, they knocked on door marked 47 by two mismatched numbers.

There was a long pause as no one answered. Markus was about to knock again when the door flew open, revealing a man with slicked back, black hair and wearing a wrinkled white button up and vest.

“What do you want?” he asked, looking between the two of them unamused.

Inien stepped forward. “Hi, my name is Inien. My cousin told me to come here in order to start up my… business.”

“Ah, you are Inien, yes, yes, now I remember. But who is this man?”

Without skipping a beat, Markus took of his hat and bowed low. “Markus Tannhauser Velafi. At your service. I’m her… business partner.”

The man looked unimpressed by the grand gesture. “Yes, but how do I know you won’t sell us out.” At the confused looks he got from the other two, he stepped forward. I’ve talked with Inien, I don’t know you.” His Russian accent grew thicker with every word, every step he took. Before Markus realized, he was against the opposite wall with the Russian man’s stare keeping him in place.

“Look,” Markus started, “I’ve known Inien for a while. Even if I’m still unsure on someone who’s never had experience in this, throwing herself in the business, I’m not going to go behind your backs.”

It took a moment, but the man stepped away and walked into the apartment. “My roommates won’t be back until night, we’ll be okay.”

Markus gave Inien a worried look before she shrugged and followed. He took off his hat before following into the small apartment.

“Wait!” Markus said suddenly, pausing midstep. “What’s your name?”

A beat of silence. “Just call me Thog.”

Markus nodded as Thog started talking about setting up.

Even though he knew Thog didn’t trust him wholly, and Markus was still on the fence on the legitimacy of this mob business, he was still glad Thog was there, or else Inien would have no idea what to do. His knowledge was easily seen in his planning, how he seemed prepared for any situation; cops come in to the bar, being seen carrying crates after dark, all of it Thog had a way out which made this idea… feasible.

“Alright then, all we need is a base of operations, right?” Inien asked.

“Mhm, and I know the right place. It’s a coffee shop downtown called ‘Number Seven’.”

Markus and Inien exchanged a confused look.

“A coffeeshop?” Markus asked.

Thog grinned, for the first time since meeting them. “No one would suspect a thing. The owner is… a character.”

“But, is there going to be enough room in the basement?” Inien piped up.

“For now, we can out-source later, but this will be a good enough base of operations.” Thog leaned forward, seemingly growing more excited as the plan came together. “Now, if we send for the shipment this week, this means it’ll arrive in about three weeks.”

It was Inien’s turn to grin widely. “There’s a big opening night around then. Don’t you think the cast would enjoy some ginger water, Markus?”

Markus stared at her before slowly shaking his head, a small smile growing.

“Ginger water sounds like something I’d be more inclined to say.”

-=-=-=-=-

The cast did enjoy the alcohol, no questions asked. Markus didn’t want to say it out loud, but the successful first selling made him more confident in this speakeasy business. It still scared him that he now owned a gun and had learned how to (sort of) shoot it as per Thog’s request.

“Jobs can get… rough” was all Thog gave as explanation, rubbing his left shoulder. He and Inien had simultaneously decided not to ask.

True to his word, the job did get rough. Second time the trio went to fetch the shipment, cops were patrolling. Markus had broken into a cold sweat the moment a flashlight’s beam passed by his feet. Quick thinking and stuffing his’ handkerchief in his mouth to keep him quiet rewarded them with the alcohol they paid for.

The bakery had also proved to be a decent base. Ol’ Inny was the character Thog promised, his ramblings petering off from English into Swiss and then into a weird combination of the two languages. Those who entered often wanted to buy what they need and leave, ignoring any signs of illicit activity.

They were all happy their business was off to a good start.

Something had to go wrong eventually.

It was their first European shipment, the good stuff from Colvin. Thog had predicted their profits to jump after these wares were bought. They needed this shipment to really bring the cash rolling.

The night seemed perfect, enough moonlight so they could see in front of them, but not enough to be spotted by the passing cop on the street opposite from the wharf.

Inien managed a handshake between the people unloading the goods before Markus turned, a noise setting him on edge.

“Did you-”

“As wary as we should be, it was probably a worker dropping something,” Thog supplied, pausing before putting an uncertain hand on Markus’ shoulder. “You need a nap once we get this shipment in the basement.”

He could only nod in agreement before turning to help the workers load the wares in the trunk parked nearby.

Markus managed to lift one of the smaller boxes when they all heard a “Hey!”

All heads turned, to a cop, who couldn’t have been more than 25, holding a gun. HE looked more scared than they were.

“D-Drop it!” the cop yelled again, addressing Inien, about to pay the boat workers.

No one moved.

“I-I swear it!! I-I’ll shoot!” The gun was shaking. “3! 2!”

Markus couldn’t hear the rest, blood pounding in his head as he ran, going for his gun. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do, just knowing there was no way this man was going to hurt Inien.

There was a bang! and Markus stopped.

He heard someone scream, but it wasn’t him. People were moving by him and when had he fallen onto the salt-encrusted wood of the dock? He only knew it hurt, oh Gods it hurt, how could something hurt this much?

He barely noticed the gunfire above him, only able to flinch every time he heard another shot.

Inien and Thog’s voices were muffled, like he’d been throw underwater.

From yards away, he could hear Thog yell, “I know where to take him!” before the pain brought him under.

-=-=-=-=-

It wasn’t clean, but it was clean enough. It wasn’t easy to get to, but considering how much blood was pouring from Markus’ hand, there was no other option. It wasn’t cheap, but it was better than explaining to nurses how he’d gotten a bullet in his hand.

The “underground hospital” actually just the basement of an abandoned building, the only traces of what it was were the chipped paint of “Alaran” on the front. They were allowed one day in this shit hole. One day before Markus had to give up the cot to another low life who couldn’t explain their injuries to professionals.

Inien stayed by his side the whole day, silently contemplating the bandages covering the 5 stitches in his hand. Thog, for once, was not so quiet.

“We weren’t ready. We should’ve prepared for. We need more people; people who know how to fight, at least one doctor…” He sat down on the other side of Markus, head in his hands. “Why am I even this concerned about you people? This isn’t my business.”

She glared at him. “Well, you’re basically family now after the shit we’ve been through. You’ve been a part of this since day one.”

He went quiet. They both did. They knew they had a lot to do; they had already lost money, only getting half the stock in the resulting shootout, recruitment of more people, selling what they could, establishing what exactly was this work relationship they had, but it could all wait.

-=-=-=-=-

Markus was now left handed now, still able to move his right hand, but the limits made it virtually impossible to use it for more than pointing and gesturing. For now, that was good enough as he and Inien descended the stairs to the club. Two weeks of scouting for new people led them to believe a man by the name of Gregor Hartway was the best for them.

He already had experience, being one of the front men for the Outriders, a notorious gang that had once ruled upper Manhattan, but one night had changed all that. Gregor was one of the few remaining people.

Markus and Inien gave the password and the entry fee as they entered. The place was huge, room for a bar, several tables and chairs, a dance floor and enough walk space to not feel crammed. Soft lighting gave the place a warm atmosphere despite the crimes everyone was committing but just standing there. The place was bustling, which was not a surprise for a Friday night.

The two walked toward the bar, eyes scanning the place for their man.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Markus stopped Inien with his good hand and quietly gestured with the other. “Is that him?”

He guided her line of sight to a shorter man with a ponytail sitting off in the corner, smiling to himself.

He wore simple clothes, a white collared shirt with pinstripes and brown slacks held up with red suspenders. From where they were, they could see the top of some blunt weapon leaned against an extra chair.

Inien nodded and the two started toward him. He only looked up when they were in front of him.

He smiled. “Hello.”

Markus smiled back, sticking his bad hand in his pocket. “Hello, my name is Markus Velafi, this is my associate Inien, and we were wondering if you’d like a job.”

Gregor paused. “That was a quick introduction.”

“We have limited time.” Inien said plainly as Markus picked up the conversation. “We need someone who can handle himself in a fight and we heard you were the one to talk to.”

The other man smiled. “What’s the job?”

“Helping to protect a bar like this, but better.” Markus winked.

“We want you in,” Inien deadpanned. “The pay’s good. What do you say?”

Gregor scratched his chin, considering it. “Can he come?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Who’s he?”

“He means me.”

The sudden voice behind her sent her nearly twenty feet in the air. She stumbled into Markus, who was equally unprepared for the new voice. The man calmly walked to Gregor’s side, a wide grin on his face.

“W-Who are you?” Inien asked, setting herself right.

“I’m Zalvetta, a pleasure.”

Gregor piped up, giving no reaction to the surprise entrance. “We’re kind of a team. I’m good brute force-”

“And you can imagine what I’m good at.” Another wide grin.

Markus looked to Inien. “We do need people…”

Inien looked directly at the two of them. “You’ll have to split a paycheck till our… business gets rolling.”

Zalvetta looked displeased, but Gregor looked hopeful, which seemed to sway his friend.

“Deal.”

-=-=-=-=-

“I’m surprised that went so well,” Markus commented as they exited the club. “Two for one? I’m calling that a good day.”

Inien didn’t look so impressed. “We still need a doctor.”

He rested his good hand on her shoulder. “Inien…”

“Don’t!”

Markus paused. “I’m fine, you realize that, right?”

Silence. They kept walking through the streets like that, letting the sounds of the city wash over what had been unsaid between them since that night.

“I don’t want it to happen again,” Inien finally said.

“I know, but if we can’t find one soon, it won’t be the end of the world, okay?”

“…Okay.” Markus gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before shoving that hand into his pocket.

Luckily, they had found the person who they were looking for. She was spoken highly of, those in the Alaran hospital had attested to that. Her ability to heal was unmatched by any other person who bothered to lend a hand there. It was a shock that she wasn’t an actual doctor, but no one asked questions. It was part of the policy.

What they had been able to find out was she worked at a printing press near the outskirts of the city. Her specific job was unknown, but a building was all Markus and Inien needed.

Even more luck fell upon them when they found her loitering around the outside, on a lunch break. Her white hair was in disarray, with ink splotches all over her trousers. Despite that she still held herself with some air for authority. Out of all the workers walking around, she stood out.

As they approached, she looked up at them, narrowing her eyes.

“What do you two want?”

Inien shrugged, “We need a doctor.”

“ ‘ow good?”

“Excuse me?”

“ ‘ow good of a doctor? I never got my degree.”

“Kicked out?”

The woman grit her teeth. “Money problems. Father refused to pay the rest, I didn’t have enough, I dropped out just before I would ‘ave graduated.”

“Well, we don’t care about that.” Markus cut in, glaring at Inien briefly before putting on another charming smile. “I’m Markus Velafi and we’ve heard you’re very good at what you do.”

The woman stared at the two of them. “Who’s the patient?”

Markus gave Inien a quick glance. “It’s more so we want to hire you for when the situation is needed. We want you to be on hand in case we get hurt.”

Inien butted in, slipping Ashe the number for what could be her paycheck. The number made her eyes go wide, but she schooled her expression quickly.

“What’s the business?”

“It’s a speakea-”

“I’m in.”

Markus and Inien shared a look.

“Really?” Inien asked.

The other woman nodded. “I haven’t had a drink in forever. You bet your ass I’ll take the job.”

Inien grinned and held out her hand. “Alright then, what’s your name.”

“Aesling, but call me Ashe.”

They shook hands.

-=-=-=-=-

From there, their business only grew. The basement area under Ol’ Inny’s place was turned into storage as they found a larger place, under a bakery run by a woman named “Dont,” where they had plenty of room to turn it into a proper speakeasy.

Thog, while still essentially the co-head of the place along with Inien, ran the bar, ignoring Markus when he tried to get him to flip bottles and put on a show. He’d roll his eyes, but when the bar emptied, he’d try flipping an empty bottle, just to see if he could do it (He couldn’t). Ashe helped him on the busier nights, when she wasn’t stitching someone up in the back or threatening someone with surgical equipment (Inien hadn’t expected her to be so good at it. It both scared and intrigued her).

Gregor and Zalvetta turned out to be key as more shipments came in and they needed a path clear of police. Their skills also became useful as people started not keeping up their promises.

Markus turned to be the sole employer, finding more people to build upon their so-called “empire” as Inien liked to brag. He found Firi, a flapper and a girl good wit organization, at a dance class. Batty, their bouncer, he found in alley as she beat up the man who tried to rob from her. Moren… Markus never told them how he found Moren, avoiding the question with wild gestures and a blush across his face. He slipped dollars to the orphan kids so they would make quick deliveries and return with all the cash owed.

All the while Inien sat back on her throne (it was the least rickety chair in the place) and grinned, ecstatic her once crazy idea had pulled through.

It was good to be the Queen.

Don Hall 1966–2018

If you haven't already heard...

I'm going to do my best to write this so that you can follow it. The emotion I’m feeling right now is crippling. But the responsibility I have to Literate Ape and this wretched news is serving as leg braces keeping me from collapsing.

Don Hall, husband, son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, storyteller, writer, musician, trusted collaborator and confidant, event producer, shit stirrer, and at times, the internet's most hated man has died. He was 52.

I was there when it happened. Sort of.

It happened Thursday night, March 29th. I was at Don’s place recording the week’s episode of the Literate ApeCast, as usual. When we wrapped recording, we chatted casually with Dana, his wife and Literate Ape contributor. We talked about the wellness of my wife, Katie, and son, Harry and the adjustment the three of us are going through in our home. We talked about the new pipe tobacco Don was in love with this week. We talked about Don and Dana’s birthday/wedding anniversary trip to Cancun — they were meant to leave this Tuesday. We talked about the Chicago Reader’s latest racial whoopsie when theater critic Justin Hayford printed the N-word in his review of Court Theatre’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. This is where, I believe, things went south for Don.

Don got angry. So maybe things didn’t go south for Don because Don thrives in his anger. So, really, this is where things went south for the rest of us. Because this particular bit of anger became his last.

To start, the Reader is often a point of anger and annoyance because it is bloviating and smug. In this way, the Reader is a lot like Don because Don had so often embodied bloviation and smugness. But for whatever reason, Don was to me far easier to take than the Reader. Thing is, it wasn’t even the Reader or Hayford’s choice to print a racial slur that got Don all wound up. It was the backlash Hayford and the Reader were receiving online.

Online vitriol has long been a rage-igniting issue for Don, and was often the topic of his writing. He saw most of it as emotionally reactive and ill-informed, and its result too often being an unreasonable public shaming and digital lynching, something that endorsed the ever-growing divide in modern America.

Don agreed that Hayford should have avoided the use of the word. The review was not made any better by having it, so why use it. But OK, he used it. So what? It wasn’t Hayford calling anyone an N-word, Hayford was only quoting a line from the actual play. Bad choice of quote to use, sure, but not worth the hatred he was receiving.

I had to get home to my wife and newborn son so I left Don and Dana’s with Don still steaming over the whole thing.

As I unlocked the door to my apartment, about 20 minutes later, Dana called me. Don had dropped dead. Or at least she was pretty sure he was dead. He had no pulse, wasn’t breathing and he looked pretty dead. She was surprisingly calm on the phone.

“Did you call 9-1-1?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll be right over.”

I told Katie what had happened. Harry was asleep and she told me to go. I sprinted the few blocks back to their apartment.

The medics were there. Yeah, Don was dead. I have seen enough dead bodies to know. I have been here too many times… He was lying on his stomach. There was a small amount of blood under his head from where he smacked it on the corner of the coffee table as he fell — the coffee table that still had the empty beer cans from our recording session only an hour earlier. The apartment stunk. It stunk bad. Like hot milk and scorched opossum innards. Don had shit his pants.

It wasn’t the most dignified way for him to go, or be found, but it’s the truth, and what do you expect from a man who are as much cheese as he did? I tell you that Don Hall shit himself when he died because Don Hall was a champion of truth.To leave it out would be a disservice to his memory.

Don never pulled punches. He was honest in his failings and his successes. He was honest with his wife and his friends and his enemies and his employers and clients and students. Sometimes his honesty worked against him but that was only when it was offered to others and then manipulated by them for their own selfish gains. Don was not a selfish man. Don was giving with his time and his knowledge, and Don wanted true equality and fairness for all people even if it meant giving up some benefits of his white male privilege. Hell, Don knew true fairness and equality was only possible if that privilege was given up, and he was more than happy to dispose of it as best he could.

When I arrived to the dead, shitty body of my friend Don, Dana, his loving wife, was holding her knees to her chest on the floor across from him watching the medics assess the situation and then pack him up. I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. She didn’t weep. Shock was in full control. Though I hadn’t yet asked, she offered me the details of his final moments.

“We kept talking about the Reader thing,” she said. “And he started going on and on about online attacking and how nasty and pointless and hypocritical it all is. You know how he is — was. Fuck… He kept going and going, talking and talking, you know, like Don… I went into my little office to read the book I had just started. He was still going… And then he stopped. Just like that. Suddenly. And then I heard the crack. I ran out and found him. Then he shit his pants.”

Don Hall’s killer was an aneurysm. Sneaky fuckers, they are. They’ll claim anyone for any reason at any time. Who knows how long it had been waiting to attack. Who knows if Don’s fury over the online community of angry villagers triggered it. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I could have left the apartment with Don and Dana laughing and hugging and happier than ever, and his brain still would have exploded. So to speak… I don't know.

Here’s what I do know… Life goes on for the rest of us. And while there are certainly some in the storytelling and online community who may find a quiet pleasure in the demise of Don Hall, those who respected him and loved him will miss him. Hell, maybe those who hated him will miss him, too. Everyone needs an enemy. He was well past his midlife but he had a lot of living left to do. Or so we thought. Our Maker, or whatever, clearly had different plans. But Don had plans, too. Literate Ape, books, events, teaching, being a husband, enjoying that pipe tobacco, not shitting his pants in front of his wife…

There won’t be a funeral. Don hated those things. Actually, he’d never been to one. And Dana wants to keep it that way. So, how do we say goodbye to a life so full and a man who was always saying hello with hugs and encouraging words? He wasn’t perfect but he was one of the good ones. He was always thinking, always thoughtful, always trying to be better.

With Don Hall gone, I think we’re all a little less better.

Thankfully, we can still get our Don Hall fix when we need it. He’ll live forever in his books, in his podcasts and in his writings on Literate Ape.

And yet, he will be missed. And in some strange way, I know he’s going to miss us, too. And that’s the worst part about it. There was so much left for Don to do and see, and he’s going to miss all of it. Most of all, he’s going to miss Dana whose heart will forever be crouched on the floor with its legs held to its chest, in shock. Broken.

Rest in peace, Don, you magnificent literate ape, you. I’m sorry you shit your pants.

Don Hall 1966–2018

If you haven't already heard...

I'm going to do my best to write this so that you can follow it. The emotion I’m feeling right now is crippling. But the responsibility I have to Literate Ape and this wretched news is serving as leg braces keeping me from collapsing.

Don Hall, husband, son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, storyteller, writer, musician, trusted collaborator and confidant, event producer, shit stirrer, and at times, the internet's most hated man has died. He was 52.

I was there when it happened. Sort of.

It happened Thursday night, March 29th. I was at Don’s place recording the week’s episode of the Literate ApeCast, as usual. When we wrapped recording, we chatted casually with Dana, his wife and Literate Ape contributor. We talked about the wellness of my wife, Katie, and son, Harry and the adjustment the three of us are going through in our home. We talked about the new pipe tobacco Don was in love with this week. We talked about Don and Dana’s birthday/wedding anniversary trip to Cancun — they were meant to leave this Tuesday. We talked about the Chicago Reader’s latest racial whoopsie when theater critic Justin Hayford printed the N-word in his review of Court Theatre’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. This is where, I believe, things went south for Don.

Don got angry. So maybe things didn’t go south for Don because Don thrives in his anger. So, really, this is where things went south for the rest of us. Because this particular bit of anger became his last.

To start, the Reader is often a point of anger and annoyance because it is bloviating and smug. In this way, the Reader is a lot like Don because Don had so often embodied bloviation and smugness. But for whatever reason, Don was to me far easier to take than the Reader. Thing is, it wasn’t even the Reader or Hayford’s choice to print a racial slur that got Don all wound up. It was the backlash Hayford and the Reader were receiving online.

Online vitriol has long been a rage-igniting issue for Don, and was often the topic of his writing. He saw most of it as emotionally reactive and ill-informed, and its result too often being an unreasonable public shaming and digital lynching, something that endorsed the ever-growing divide in modern America.

Don agreed that Hayford should have avoided the use of the word. The review was not made any better by having it, so why use it. But OK, he used it. So what? It wasn’t Hayford calling anyone an N-word, Hayford was only quoting a line from the actual play. Bad choice of quote to use, sure, but not worth the hatred he was receiving.

I had to get home to my wife and newborn son so I left Don and Dana’s with Don still steaming over the whole thing.

As I unlocked the door to my apartment, about 20 minutes later, Dana called me. Don had dropped dead. Or at least she was pretty sure he was dead. He had no pulse, wasn’t breathing and he looked pretty dead. She was surprisingly calm on the phone.

“Did you call 9-1-1?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll be right over.”

I told Katie what had happened. Harry was asleep and she told me to go. I sprinted the few blocks back to their apartment.

The medics were there. Yeah, Don was dead. I have seen enough dead bodies to know. I have been here too many times… He was lying on his stomach. There was a small amount of blood under his head from where he smacked it on the corner of the coffee table as he fell — the coffee table that still had the empty beer cans from our recording session only an hour earlier. The apartment stunk. It stunk bad. Like hot milk and scorched opossum innards. Don had shit his pants.

It wasn’t the most dignified way for him to go, or be found, but it’s the truth, and what do you expect from a man who are as much cheese as he did? I tell you that Don Hall shit himself when he died because Don Hall was a champion of truth.To leave it out would be a disservice to his memory.

Don never pulled punches. He was honest in his failings and his successes. He was honest with his wife and his friends and his enemies and his employers and clients and students. Sometimes his honesty worked against him but that was only when it was offered to others and then manipulated by them for their own selfish gains. Don was not a selfish man. Don was giving with his time and his knowledge, and Don wanted true equality and fairness for all people even if it meant giving up some benefits of his white male privilege. Hell, Don knew true fairness and equality was only possible if that privilege was given up, and he was more than happy to dispose of it as best he could.

When I arrived to the dead, shitty body of my friend Don, Dana, his loving wife, was holding her knees to her chest on the floor across from him watching the medics assess the situation and then pack him up. I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. She didn’t weep. Shock was in full control. Though I hadn’t yet asked, she offered me the details of his final moments.

“We kept talking about the Reader thing,” she said. “And he started going on and on about online attacking and how nasty and pointless and hypocritical it all is. You know how he is — was. Fuck… He kept going and going, talking and talking, you know, like Don… I went into my little office to read the book I had just started. He was still going… And then he stopped. Just like that. Suddenly. And then I heard the crack. I ran out and found him. Then he shit his pants.”

Don Hall’s killer was an aneurysm. Sneaky fuckers, they are. They’ll claim anyone for any reason at any time. Who knows how long it had been waiting to attack. Who knows if Don’s fury over the online community of angry villagers triggered it. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I could have left the apartment with Don and Dana laughing and hugging and happier than ever, and his brain still would have exploded. So to speak… I don't know.

Here’s what I do know… Life goes on for the rest of us. And while there are certainly some in the storytelling and online community who may find a quiet pleasure in the demise of Don Hall, those who respected him and loved him will miss him. Hell, maybe those who hated him will miss him, too. Everyone needs an enemy. He was well past his midlife but he had a lot of living left to do. Or so we thought. Our Maker, or whatever, clearly had different plans. But Don had plans, too. Literate Ape, books, events, teaching, being a husband, enjoying that pipe tobacco, not shitting his pants in front of his wife…

There won’t be a funeral. Don hated those things. Actually, he’d never been to one. And Dana wants to keep it that way. So, how do we say goodbye to a life so full and a man who was always saying hello with hugs and encouraging words? He wasn’t perfect but he was one of the good ones. He was always thinking, always thoughtful, always trying to be better.

With Don Hall gone, I think we’re all a little less better.

Thankfully, we can still get our Don Hall fix when we need it. He’ll live forever in his books, in his podcasts and in his writings on Literate Ape.

And yet, he will be missed. And in some strange way, I know he’s going to miss us, too. And that’s the worst part about it. There was so much left for Don to do and see, and he’s going to miss all of it. Most of all, he’s going to miss Dana whose heart will forever be crouched on the floor with its legs held to its chest, in shock. Broken.

Rest in peace, Don, you magnificent literate ape, you. I’m sorry you shit your pants.

ANDRE COLTA

>>>So Dhakan ditched you?<

>I don’t know<

“Did you always know you were into cock?”

“No.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah. I like it.”

“What does sex mean to you?”

“It’s nothing more than anything else... it’s fun... it’s the soul’s rebirth..”

“Did you know Dhakan was only with you to leave you?”

“No, but it makes sense. He’s a god. I’m not.”

“A god you say?”

A god.

You are to lay on the floor of the bathroom while you cry. You will feel agonies you didn’t know were possible. This is all as it should be, Kelja. The mess of a human being a human being (odd sentence.) A mammal that cries and snots and shakes all over. Pelicans frequently raid the nests of other birds on volcanic islands. No this should not be a new paragraph. The pelicans do this while the parents are away getting food in the ocean. And what they do is, they swallow these plump little downy chicks alive, and you can see the thing squawking as it gets sucked down the gullet of this sudden monster. This is after a short lifetime of security and warmth and food. It all just ends eaten alive for no reason other than that God thought it appropriate. How’s the gullet of life working out for you? Is it getting dark and bitter and suffocating?Is there any pleasure left in it, dragon chaser? Do you ever notice the visual snow? Do you realize you’re hallucinating your whole reality? That all this stuff in front of you isn’t what it seems to be?

<<<Why yes, now that you mention it. The volcanic islands of the pelicans, they are responsible for the loudest sound on record, a volcanic eruption that circled the earth three times and shattered windows thirty miles away. People within one hundred miles of the blast had their eardrums blown out instantly. You can be subjected to a sound that drives you to madness. Dhakan knew about Jamie somehow, and he used his voice to repeat the things Jamie said, and I was on a drug, and I couldn’t move...

<<<I have to say, Kelja, that none of this sounds logically connected and I’m wondering where you’re going with it and if there’s a point to it.

<<<Thank you for letting me know you feel that way.

<<<You’re welcome.

<<<Colta stands over the boy, puts a hand on his shoulder. His crotch is inches from Kelja’s face, and it’s giving him a boner and turning his stomach. He wants to suck on it and he wants to run away. He always wants to do pairs of opposites. The homonculi pull to either side of his corpus cavernosum, moving in opposite directions on the same line, trying to divide what is already barely joined. It would be tempting to say that Kelja is two people in one skull, but he is actually four, that is, two people who both have split personalities. He also has occasional blood clots from sitting in uncomfortable positions for long times, a completely unrelated offering that may be designed to provoke frustration and unease, because like de Sade’s work, this one also wants to victimize its audience. The real purpose behind all this writing is to get YOU to kill yourself. You are reading this for a reason. The universe is speaking to you through it. And the universe’s message is: don’t wait for the pelican. This book can be your pelican. You recently purchased an item and the brand name was Pelican, and this is no coincidence.

<<<There are realms none of the people around you know about. When you learn too much, you discover that truth is solitude, because consensus is the lie. It really is everyone else that’s wrong. Very few have gone as far as you have. Consider an analogy; only the man who climbs Everest knows what that’s like, even though everyone else will have a basic agreement on how it must be. How can the know? You have climbed your Everest, Kelja. And you have returned changed.The stuff peaked at behind the curtain can’t be unseen. Your blinded eyes will never forgive you because now they can’t stop seeing.

<<<Colta rubs the back of your head. He knows you like this. He does it in exactly the same way Dhakan did. He looks down at you with easy to read intensity. There is hunger on his face. You can see the outline of his meat through his loose-fitting athletic pants. Big. “Yeah,” he says. He’s watching you look at his favorite thing. “You want that, don’t you? Go on, take it out.” It is true that porn sells more than everything else media-wise combined. Mostly men want to see the cock going in and out, over and over, up close, with those melodious wet smacking sounds that mean dinner is being served, which conforms to the hunger on Colta’s face. Bodies are all there is. No head, no heart, no soul, just meat in a bag of skin waiting for the gullet.Everyone must be processed and picked at, opened, seared, ground, all and any varieties of damage must be meticulously inflicted on them until no intact meat in the skin bag is left to torture. This book is for you. It is about you, and you know it, and that’s why you got to this sentence, see, because the universe is talking to you through it. Connect with this and open the gates. We are ready for you, mate.

<<<So you were a film student, Kelja? Then where is the school? Why do you have to make up all this stupid shit to impress me?

*Loser with no prospects*No future*No skills*Unemployable*Not ugly but close*Not smart*Not talented*Useless*

“You’re a fucking cute little fuck, you know that?” Colta says the words/ smirk smile bedroom eyes face lit up like a witch at an Auto da Fe/“I’m sorry,” he says, “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable”/ Close proximity hand on shoulder room isn’t very well lit alcohol is kicking in smoke in the air music on something jazzy sexy swing maybe/

“It’s ok,” Kelja says.

From Colta’s mind the words this guy could use some affection, holy Christ I thought I was a lonely sonofabitch but him/ like a kid whose puppy is laying run over in the street, half the fucker impossibly flat like some kind of meat pancake and the boy is just this thing covered in the residue of yearning for some impossible connection/ or just the bare perception of closeness/ some chemical in the brain would be enough if it just produced the sensation that one had no boundaries, that the each was in all and the all in each and all the division and solitude had been horrific illusions brought on by the world’s maya, the trickery of surface appearances, but in the end if you were conscious you were all each other’s consciousness and there was no reason to feel this empty scraping smashed-out negative pressure making you grab out with sick cloying desperation, red in your starved eyes, your hunger making you unlikely to get fed/

<<<Dhakan ditched you and you’re ashamed at how much it hurts

<<<It’s not just that, though, is it? You’re fucking going looney toons with the retropredictive references got the psych manuals open to the tasty bits about schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder and every other name they’ve got problems for/ little detective wants to self-administer therapy and medication a machine trying to fix itself self-repairing robot/ and all the gears and firmware and wires get to be so obvious the steps behind all you do the machine learning to see itself as Other/

<<<“Where’s the school, Kelja?”

“I told you, I don’t know where it went.”

“You don’t know where it went?”

“No. There’s a fucking warehouse there. Boarded broken plate glass windows, some kind of deep pond, had a vision of it before I saw it some people were killed there I don’t know where my school is now and I wasn’t living in forever City before either-”

“Where were you living then?”

“Well that’s the odd thing, is, I’m having all these memory issues now cause Dhakan gave me that drug, the Gobstopper, only it did jack diddly shit at first had no effect sitting there pulling on the pipe like fifty times waiting for the bitch to kick in and feeling like I got ripped off even though I didn’t pay for any of it and then days later stuff, little things, stuff starts to happen, and now i realize that i did it. Onlyi it’s not a drug, see, there really is no drug at all. This is all a made up thing, some kind of big trick, all of it, my whole life, none of this is real, but it’s the only reality there is for me, but something is controlling it, authoring it, and you see, that’s why I was a film-maker, that’s why I was writing a screenplay, it was all a metaphor for my own situation, for me being scripted, my whole life start to finish, all this, right down to you and this room and the words I’m saying, all of it is pre-programmed and devised by this infinite evil intelligence-”

“Why does it have to be evil, Kelja? Am I evil? Do you think I’m going to hurt you? I wouldn’t. You should know better by now, i’m your friend. I’m not Dhakan. i have no motive to use you or trick you. I’m as cold and lonely as you are. Look at my eyes. I don’t sleep. My only thought is to find Mix N Match. Before he does something to me. He knows... he knows about me, I’m sure, oh that’s right, i told you, I told you about the pictures.”

“You told me about a lot of things, Colta, but why the gay stuff? How are you going to hit on me and then say how much you loved Dhakan’s mother?”

“I don’t follow.”

“Nevermind. It’s whatever. But it’s weird. It’s off. You know it is. You’re playing with me. All the things you said. Overheard conversations, the paranoia, it’s all started happening to me. For all i know it could be you. You could be the one doing all this. Is that the joke here? Is it you? Are you the one doing it all to me? Did you invent Dhakan? Are you creating Mix N Match? Did you make this city? Are you controlling my mind? Do you put thoughts-”

Colta grabbed Kelja by the arms and pulled him up to standing, hard, then hugged him close, harder when his young friend tried to resist. Kelja swore and exclaimed and thrashed, but the outburst was short-lived. Colta grasped him firmly and this was a kind of warm paternal embrace, there was nothing sexual about it in any way. It was the kind of thing designed to force the knowledge that you were cared about by someone who could take care of you. Someone bigger to look up to. At least that seemed to be Colta’s intent.

“I look at you and from a mile away i see the hurt in you, Kelja.”

“I’m not fucking hurt, I don’t give a shit, if this is about Dhakan, well, fuck that piece of shit, now let me go!”

“I won’t. Kick and scream all you like, but I’m going to do this until you give up.”

“Then I’ll just go limp and you can hold me like a fucking idiot all day if it makes you happy, but this is some stupid-ass shit if you ask me. What the fuck are you even trying to do? You think I need this? Like I have to get approval from you ? You want me to act thankful like you’re doing me some great thing I owe you for just cause you give me a few moments of your time every now and then?”

“Where the hell did that come from?” Colta sounded bewildered. “It doesn’t even make any sense, what you just said.”

“Nevermind, forget it, fuck off.” Kelja bucked two or three times but Colta’s arms were bunches of iron. “I’m going to do things you can’t even imagine,” Kelja said, resentful defiance in his voice. “You want to know something, Andre? I hate you. You get it? I fucking hate your guts, and all you are is a pile of them. Guts full of fucking shit. Lies. You’re nothing but lies. You did all this to me. You fucking did it all.”

But a spasm overtook Kelja’s voice. It was sudden and involuntary and caught him by surprise. It was caused by the emotion his affectations tried to conceal. His throat choked. He knew he’d been heard. Just like that, found out. All laid bare. And he gave up hiding. He began to cry. To cry like the kid with his run over pup.

Fake hard exterior reaction formation simple mechanism predictable. Little toy little toy stupid fucking little simple toy. Basic human programming machine operations. Emotion activation protocol circuits doing their thing in high dudgeon.

85 shall never end

*** Epilogue *** It'd been a little over a year and half since Eren had last stepped foot in Mitras. The day they'd finally left the castle, both Armin and Mikasa had pleaded with him to stay, but he couldn't. It was time to leave, to start a real life with Levi outside the city and despite all the tears, he was excited. Excited for a future for his family where they'd no longer be expected to be anyone but themselves. It hadn't been easy to reestablish themselves, but the plot of land they wanted had been transferred into their family name, Armin making sure no matter what came that the their line would always own the plot a few hundred metres down from where construction of the orphanage began the following summer. Their own adventures with building were a fiasco. Having the space of the tower had been nice, but now he had children to think of, and with the clutch on the way, Eren only wanted enough space for their small family. His own little cottage, where he'd be playing housekeeper and wife. Levi felt it should be bigger for when guests came, which resulted in a compromise. Levi's study was built to back the nursery, with space for a spare bed should guests come. Using his magic to raise the walls from the ground, he'd felt like he was cheating, simply turning up to the middle of nowhere and magicking their house into existence. The walls he could do. The plumbing... not so much, and his skills with roof making... were nonexistent. Well, they existed, they were just slightly crooked... Levi laughing far too hard at his attempts, though after promised he'd take care of it, it was nearly a month of leaking ceilings before he did, and that was because his pride wouldn't accept help from the team of builders Armin had hired for the orphanage. They'd had a great laugh too. Much to Eren's embarrassment. It wasn't like he knew the building crew would be coming out to survey the orphanage site before they'd fixed things up. Yet, despite all that, Eren was having the time of his life. Luca loved the space, happy to run around and annoy anything that moved. They'd brought chicken with them when they'd left the city, only Luca didn't know they weren't for playing. More than a few sent to early deaths by the dragon trying to befriend them. Not making the same mistake twice, Levi built a barn to right of the house, space outside the structure for their horses, which gradually grew to house their cow, and then the replacement chickens Farlan and Isabel brought out with them on their first visit. Up from the barn Levi built a greenhouse for his herb collection, which Eren left to the professionals when it came to the glass fit out of the space. Gradually, over the next six months their home came together. Levi's vegetable patch requiring a small infusion of magic secretly more than once. His husband tried his hardest, but... Eren didn't know he kept killing everything. You sew the seeds. You water everything in. You weed and watch it grow. Somehow things went from being green one day, to yellow and brown withered sticks of sadness the next. After the third failed crop, the omega couldn't let his alpha continue to suffer. Denying all knowledge of magical intervention, yet they both knew it was there, but neither of them spoke of it. Especially when comparing Levi's vegetable patch with Eren's small orchard. They'd purchased a variety of fruits and vegetables when leaving Mitras in an attempt to stock up, which didn't happen with Luca around, so Eren had sewn the remnants and now was the proud owner of some very impressive apple trees that were starting to encroach on the left side of their cottage. Luca especially appreciated being able to steal apples when he felt, though most of his time was still spent chasing after Viren. The pair of them... he loved them... but they were as thick as thieves. If they could be in out, out of it, covered in it, or hiding it, they were. Viren's first steps had been at the castle, their pup then deciding to make them wait a week before trying again... and after that... he never stopped moving. Each time Eren took his eyes off him, he was off. More than once Luca had to hook him by his nappy to prevent his escape, and more than once he'd turned around for what seemed half a second only to turn back to find Luca covered in Viren's food... mostly thrown at him. Each day his son looked more like Levi, right down to the look of annoyance they'd both share when scolded over spilling water from the bath. Their house might not be the nicest, but Eren was extremely proud of it... once things had been straightened out. He loved to watch Levi and Viren in the garden, his husband would sit their son in his lap to pull weeds, or when he Levi would put Viren on the back of their cow. He honestly didn't know who looked more confused, but each time Viren would giggle and scream for his "daddy". Most of the time the pair were together outside, Luca would inside with him. Being too pregnant to pick him, Luca had had to conquer climbing up on the kitchen bench on his own. A space definitely not made for their son, but mercifully his growth had slowed down so he could only just wedge himself there, ready for pats, kisses, rubs and most importantly left over food. Levi was just as bad when he was cooking. As his pregnancy had progressed, his husband treated him like a princess while fucking him like a whore. Every single chore below waist level was taken care of by his alpha, and every single surface in their house had been christened at least once... Armin claiming he was traumatised for life from over hearing them when he and Mikasa came to visit for Eren's birthday. The joke was on him, they'd fallen into bed on the spare bed Armin was using earlier the same day... then we're forced to strip the whole bed with how carried away they'd been. Now... now he was regretting that sex ever existed. Levi had gone on the fortnightly run to the city for supplies, and almost the moment his mate had left, his waters had broken. Entertaining a toddler while cursing contractions and attempting to control his magic, was not making for a fun morning at all. With Viren on his hip, Eren was making breakfast when the telltale sudden short gushing feel had come, then the telltale trickle as the warmth spread down his inner thighs. Levi hadn't wanted to leave, teasing him over how sweet he'd smelt that morning as they lazed in bed basking in each other's warmth. Assuring him he'd be fine, he'd waved his husband off. Swearing without thinking, his son had promptly echoed his cry of "fuck", in his cute little voice... all of which had brought him to still standing in the kitchen attempting to make Viren's breakfast while Luca clawed at the kitchen door, probably trying to attempt to free himself so he could go find Levi and not have to deal with him in labour alone. With tears rolling down his face, rising panic and a contractions that he was sure he was never going to get used to, all he wanted to do was curl up in their nest and cry until Levi came home. * Reaching the end of the road to their property, Levi didn't feel right. Eren had assured him that he was alright, that nothing would happen while he was in town, and that nothing would happen for a few more weeks. Yet, the feeling in his gut was telling him otherwise. Faced with either riding home to find Eren perfectly fine and laughing in his face, or heading to town only to come home to some kind of emergency, he knew which he'd take. Unhitching the wagon from his horse, it was a choice that took no thought at all. The past year and a half hadn't all been sun and roses, in the early days he wasn't sure how they didn't kill each other, then there were Eren's nightmares, his nightmares, a leaking roof and lack plumbing... some days it was a damn miracle they'd even got their house together in the end. Mounting his horse, the filly shifted skittishly, barely used for much more than a cart horse. Nudging his heels into her sides, she reared, nearly throwing him in the process. God. He missed his old horse. Holding his reins tighter, her urged her into a gallop, kicking up dust recklessly as he raced to return home. Leaving his horse next to the front door, Levi didn't bother taking off his muddied boots as he jogged into their house, Eren would probably yell at him, but that was a discussion for another time. The moment he'd entered their yard he could feel his omega's pain. His gut feeling proving right again. Almost breaking the kitchen door down, he bellowed "Eren!" Only to realise Eren was still in the kitchen, Viren on his hip as he leaned heavily against the kitchen counter, Luca chirping and trilling as he nudged at Levi's legs "Levi... it's... it's started... I'm sorry..." What. Wait... oh... oh fuck... rushing to his side, he lifted Viren off Eren's hip "Ok. It's a bit early, but it's ok. What do you need?" Eren let out a long breath "I need to shower. Viren and Luca need breakfast..." "Ok... sh... sugar. Ok" Piping up, Viren smacked him with his hand "Fck" Blinking at his boy, he then shot Eren an accusing look "I didn't mean to. My waters broke and it slipped out... you'd be swearing too if you looked like someone had stuffed you with melons" By a year, Eren had looked like he was well and truly stuffed, by 13 months he was a horny mess with constant back pain. 15 months he looked like he couldn't get any damn bigger without physically bursting, it'd eased a little but he was well and truly bred to the brim "Let me get the boys settled. I don't want you getting in and out the bath on your own" "Mmm... mmm... ok... why is it that the contractions are always worse than the pushing part?" The pushing part was the part that had him worried. The contractions didn't cause Eren to shit blood or spend weeks torn and hurting... "Levi, don't you dare go pale like that. This is happening. It's going to take a few hours, but this is happening" "Sorry. You're right. Whatever you need" Giving him a pained smile, Eren pushed himself up to stand, his hands going to his hips as he whined softly in discomfort "Shower, and you'll need to write to Historia. She's supposed to be coming next week to stay, but fuck being in labour for that long" "Then... nest?" There nest had gone up nearly a month and a half ago, Eren blushing adorably when Levi had sprung him layering his clothes into their sheets and furs "Barn... need to organise the barn..." Out of concern for their house, they'd made space in the outer half of the barn where the hay usually lived. There was no way Eren could give birth anally with the size of the eggs he was carrying "Ok. Breakfast for the boys, shower and barn" "What did you do with the horse and cart?" "Well..." "I married an idiot. You feed the kids, I'm going to shower" "You're not getting in alone" "There's a chair. I'll be fine" "Eren..." Raising his scolding finger at him, Levi swallowed down a smile "Don't give that. I was freaking out until you walked through that door. You're here now... don't... don't make me think I have to go through this alone" Reaching out, Levi wrapped an arm around his omega "You're not alone. You're not. I could feel something was wrong. I couldn't go to town because I was so worried for you... I'm here now... you're not alone" Eren smelt intoxicating, Levi forced to pull away "You're ok, Sweet Boy. You're ok. I've got the boys, you shower and I'll be right in" Luca wouldn't settle, for the first time that Levi could remember the little dragon didn't want his food. He was still trying to nudge and rub against Levi's legs, pushing him towards the bathroom door, only for a crashing noise to come from the direction of the bathroom. Yelling at Luca to look after Viren, Levi ran straight into the kitchen door in his hurry to reach Eren, grazing himself impressively on the the wall as then tried to get through the door before it was open enough. Striding through to the bathroom, he found the shower rack had broken, causing the commotion. Eren was sitting in the shower chair he'd insisted on leaving in there given how helpful it'd been last time, trying to pick things up with his toes "What are you doing?" "I tried a little magic... and the rack fell down" "You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was rushing in here to find you on the floor" "I'm fine. My magic's just... off" "That's it. Shower time is over" His instincts couldn't take it "I only just got in!" "I can't... you can bath... but I can't..." Eren's face softened, Levi realising he was tearing up. Fuck. He'd forgotten to write to Historia and now his alpha was getting the better of him, not wanting anyone close to Eren at all "I'm ok. But if you want to me bath, you kind of need to help me?" "Sorry. I..." "Levi, it's ok. We talked about this. I'm going to be ok... it's going to be ok. Here, come here. Luca can watch Viren" It wasn't ok. Viren's birth had been hard... he'd truly thought Eren was going to die. Catching him watching him one night, Eren had drawn his fears out, holding him as he snivelled pathetically in fear of losing his husband "I'm sorry" "It's ok. Birth is scary. I'm scared too... but we have a few hours. My contractions aren't that close yet. Now, come bath in my juices with me" "That sounds revolting" "You're lucky. I'm sure my mucus plug..." The colour drained further from Levi's face "I don't think I want to know" "Probably not..." It wasn't his fault they ended up going for it like rabbits in the bathroom. One minute he was crying and Eren was crying, then Eren was in his lap and crying for a different reason. The only small mercy was that he didn't knot his mate, instead he slipped out at the last moment and had to deal with his omega pouting at him over it, despite the fact he'd come twice as it was. Nuzzling into him, Eren sighed softly against his cheek "I need to shift soon. I won't be able to talk to you" "So soon?" "Mmm. My magic's already playing up" "I'm not ready for this. I don't know how to... what to..." "Levi, you're going to be great. We've talked about this, and it's going to be easier as a dragon. Remember? I told you I'll write if something's wrong" A sketch with a claws not writing. What if Eren couldn't change back...? "I don't think I can do this alone. I know you said to write to Historia, but... my alpha... I'm failure as mate" "You're not a failure. We know how screwed up instincts can be. I trust you. You're my husband and I trust you. Can you bring the boys out to sit for a while? After I've shifted? Luca can handle Viren, but I need to know they're both ok" "I..." He didn't know what to say. It was absolutely horrible. He adored his boys, but Eren was all he could think of "You can do this. You did this last time" "And you bled. You bled and you hurt for weeks..." "But I recovered. And look at Viren. Our baby. Every single day I thank the gods for him. I thank you for him. You're letting your fear do a me" "You're saying I'm spiralling?" "You are. It's time to get out. Can you bring the furs from our nest? I want your scent" "My scared scent?" "Your scent is still yours. You're going to get through this" "I'm supposed to say that to you" "We'll get through this, Levi. Just you wait until you see how many eggs you've knocked into me" Apparently there was a chance of unfertilised eggs having not been absorbed completely and may be birthed. Not that he was going to be able to the tell the difference. The nursery had been set up with a crib loaded with furs to settle their clutch into... but would one crib be enough? His mate wasn't... he hadn't seen his toes or his junk in the last 9 months... "You're spiralling. Here, I'm done soaking. Help me up" Luca disappeared the moment Levi opened the kitchen door to retrieve everything Eren had asked for. His breakfast still untouched, while Viren had enjoyed himself by the look of it, his mashed apple smeared across the boy's face, hands, arms... the floor. The cupboard... Luca had obviously helped their toddler with the mess, before abandoning him to take all the blame, and leaving Levi to clean it all up. If Eren saw the mess, he'd probably break down into tears then try to clean it all up instead of fussing over where he wanted to give birth. The stables hadn't been Levi's first choice. He'd wanted Eren in a soft bed, warm and safe... then his omega pointed out that he needed to be in his dragon form, and that he'd lost control of his magic last time and that he liked their small cottage in one piece, and he'd folded like a deck of cards as he agreed to everything Eren wanted. Anything to get him through this alive and safe... even if it cost them the clutch in the process. Making it outside, Eren was sitting on a bail of hay, Luca standing next with him. Viren running to his brother, rather than his mother as he realised his best friend was right in front of him "Sorry. Daddy gave him mashed apple when he should have given him anything else" "It's fine. It gave Luca and I a chance to talk. He's scared, but he doesn't want to leave me. He's such a sweet boy" "He is. Now, I have all the blankets you want. Where should I place them?" "I was thinking of laying down with my head on the hay. I'll be on my side, so it'll be better to have them near my nose" "And you're going to shift soon?" Eren nodded "Yeah. It might help with the contractions too. I didn't miss them" "I... are you sure? So soon?" "Levi, I'll be ok. Luca won't leave my side, he's made that clear. When the... birth actually starts, he's going to play his part by watching Viren" It was his job to be by Eren's side. Luca was his damn son, not their baby sitter. He shouldn't have to be strong for his baby brother and his father who was having a miniature breakdown over Eren being so pained and in such a vulnerable position. Headbutting Eren lightly, Luca started licking at his cheek as Eren wrapped his arms around him "Ok. Yes. You're staying with me. Mummy isn't making you go away baby boy, and at the end of this, you're going to have more siblings to play with. You and Viren. You're my big baby boy, and I'm so proud to be your mother" Crying as Luca turned his attention away from him, Levi placed the bundle of furs down beside Eren so he could scoop their toddler up "Are you sure you're going to be able to communicate if something does go wrong?" "Yeah. Luca will know too. Come give me a kiss before I shift" Leaning down, Levi tried not to be jealous of Luca being in the way. Kissing his husband, he rested his face against Eren's "I'm not ready" "I can't exactly say no and try again later with this" "That's not what I mean. I want to talk to you. Hold your hand and rub your back. Know how bad it hurts and be with you" "I'm still me" That wasn't what he meant. Eren didn't sound happy with him, probably because he'd accidentally insinuated that dragons were too beastly to communicate "Message received. If you want to shift, go ahead. We'll be right here with you" "I know. Historia did say I should shift back pretty soon after I birth the last egg. I love you so much... and if it gets too much, or if my magic... if my magic is too much... take the boys and go" Tears rolled down Eren's cheeks. Levi feeling guilty for making his mate feel crappier when this was a real issue "I'm not going anywhere. Your magic won't hurt us" "I could bring the roof down on you" "And a freak storm could too" "Which would probably be my magic. I'm going to shift... before I end up crying even harder" "You're going to be ok" "Yeah... and we're going to have another pup or two..." "That are going to look just like you. With those pretty scales of yours" "No... I want them to look just like you. I love you" "I love you too. And I'm going to love them... whatever they look like" "You're making me cry" Like Levi wasn't also an emotional wreck "I'm sorry, Sweet Boy. You shift and get comfortable. I'm not going anywhere" * Eren's labour continued into the night. His husband panting as his contractions grew worse. Luca refused to leave his side, even for bed time. Their son insisted on laying with his nose against Eren's, licking, chirping softly, and nuzzling each time Eren would huff if pain, while Levi had a large clawed foot resting on his leg. He couldn't hold Eren's hand, so it was the closest he could be and the best he could do as he tried to keep Viren preoccupied. Forced to leave to given Viren his dinner and settle him in bed, he couldn't give two fucks about the mess he'd left out by his husband. Viren's lunch, three nappies, his lunch that he was forced to make after Eren glared at him when he returned without food. He'd also glared at him when Levi's horse had come wandering over, reminding them both that the alpha hadn't closed the gate, or moved the animals to the other end of the barn. Still. He didn't like leaving. He'd nearly missed being there as it was, sure he would have returned around sunset, yet Eren had been terrified over everything and he'd only been gone a good half hour to an hour tops that morning. He wouldn't have been able to even hold his husband before he shifted, nor sooth his worries, though Eren did most of the soothing. As the night progressed, the temperature dropped. Eren nuzzling at Luca until Luca finally headed into the house, the look on his face clear that he'd be back out the moment the sun rose. Finally alone with his omega, Eren whined softly, calling him closer. Moving to stand between his husband's front leg and saddle, Eren shifted again, trying to rub against him in his own dopey way "How do you feel? Can I get you anything?" His mate had barely drunk any of the water he'd brought from the well for him. Shaking his head, he shifted shakily onto his stomach "Hey, are you close? You need to be resting" Whining, Eren rolled back, nudging at him with his leg "You want me to check?" Huffing like he was relieved Levi finally got the message, he placed his hand on Eren's side as moved towards his slit. He hadn't thought about adding to the glowstones on the outer side of the barn, and regretted that Eren had to give birth in the dark with all the light and warmth of the house illuminated mere metres away. The first thing he noticed was Eren's dick. He'd forgotten how massive it was in his dragon form, and because his husband hadn't exactly had it hanging out with the kids around "You're horny? Is that it?" Huffing and rolling again, that was definitely it. He shouldn't be as surprised as he was. Eren had been a horny mess during the first clutch. Sliding his hand down, he skipped his mate's neglected dick, instead running his hand along Eren's opening. With his hand so close and intimate, he could feel the almost back to back ripple of his lover's strong muscles "You're close... it won't be long now" Thumping his tail, Eren didn't want to hear it "I feel like you're trying to tell me that if I don't make you cum, you're going to use your breath on me" When Eren didn't reply, Levi laughed softly "I told you'd I'd give you whatever you want and need" Lapping and sucking at the soft flesh of his mate's clit, Eren's tail was thudding as he huffed and groaned, wriggling against Levi's mouth as the alpha thoroughly pleasured him, he knew by the weak way Eren tried to trust he was close, his rhythm shot completely and his pace exhausted yer desperate. With the kids taking up so much of their time, and settling in, making their home a home and organising the farm, then the random visits from Isabel and Farlan and few from Mikasa and Armin, and, Ymir, Historia and their girls, the only them time they really got when was the kids were sleeping or busy, and there wasn't space enough in their room for Eren to shift. He wasn't sure he knew what he was doing, but Eren was enjoying it, and his mate tasted amazing... so it was kind of a win. Sucking harder, Eren threw his head back hard enough to shake the barn, his dick spasming as cum gushed to join the wet puddle beneath the spent organ. Pulling back with a smirk, he tried not to laugh at his mate. His own arousal a smouldering mess he wasn't sure what to do with "Good?" Thudding his tail weakly, Levi's ego was stroked by the affirmation. Mindful of the puddle, he moved back to Eren's soaked opening, slipping his hand in deeper this time to essentially "finger" his dragon, he could feel their eggs, so close to being birthed but again there was nothing he could do but wait, hoping that massaging the muscle wasn't actually making it feel even worse for his exhausted love. It was about 2 hours later that Eren finally birthed their first egg, a long and pained whine as the emerald egg slowly slid from him. Levi wincing at the size of the thing, easily as big as Luca's egg had been at time of his hatching and enough to make him nearly regret impregnating Eren by accident. Setting the egg down carefully, the second that slid out in the connecting... grossness?... he didn't know what to really call the bloody mucus, was smaller and plain green. Exactly the same as Eren's lifeless clutch. His heart dropped as the third egg was the same. Eren panting softly, despite the pain Levi could feel through their bond. His mate was trying his hardest to be strong, though his lungs must be giving him grief with the cold air, uncharacteristic of a spring night. The rest of the eggs came much more slowly than the four. The 6th another brilliant green egg, freckled with speckles of grey across the surface, yet the rest remained an empty clutch until they reached the last, the 9th egg a smaller egg than the previous two, Levi nearly placing it aside with those that were lifeless until he noticed that it shimmered grey under the light. Passing the birth, it took his husband half an hour before he took his human form again. Wrecked and dripping with sweat, Eren was barely conscious as Levi gathered him into a thick blanket, his mate trying to reach for their eggs as nasty coughs began to bubble. Nuzzling Eren's hair, he was forced to make the call. Eren needed warmth now, and to rest somewhere that wasn't a dirty and disgusting barn "You did so good. Three good eggs baby. Three. I'm so proud of you. So proud" Carrying his mate into the living room, he laid him down carefully in front of the fire place, Eren crying out weakly as Levi moved away from him "I'm going to get out clutch. Our beautiful clutch, and I'll be right back. You want to see our clutch, don't you?" Nodding wearily, Eren's eyes were sliding closed as he did "I'll be right back, beautiful boy. I'm so fucking proud of our family" He was crying. He couldn't help it. Three perfect eggs. Eren had given him three more children. He couldn't be happier or prouder. Returning with their eggs, Levi placed them down beside Eren, rousing him by cupping his husband's face. Exhausted green eyes blinking up at him questioningly "I've got our clutch, Sweet Boy. I thought you'd want to see them" Needing assistance, Eren's eyes filled with the same love and wonder he'd have for both Viren and Luca "I am so proud of you. You rest my love. I'll clean everything up" Like Eren's blooded thighs and arse. He prayed some of Eren's magic had healed things down there, but as he moved his mate to make preparations, he found him torn and bloodied. Not quite as badly as Viren, but enough to make his heart ache. This time they'd wait. Eren would go back onto contraceptives, and they'd wait for the time they were ready for another child, if they were ever really ready. They'd never planned for five children. Five small mouths to feed and five tiny personalities they'd be responsible for the rest of their lives. Though Eren was happy now, there was no way to tell if he'd feel that way with nightly feeds, nappies and long nights ahead of them. He could only pray this didn't break his husband or send him spiralling into a drop or melancholy episode that he couldn't recover from. He could only pray that he wouldn't lose his memory further, and wind up another "child" to his husband. He was so fucking proud of Eren. So proud the omega was his forever. And so beyond proud and relieved that only three eggs had been viable. Despite the exhaustion he felt, his primary concern was still Eren. Cleaning Eren carefully and applying ointment to the wounds, Levi moved him from in front of the fire to their bed. A fresh kettle of boiling water positioned so the steam rose into Eren's face to ease his breathing and coughing. Outside the sounds of a storm had begun to rage, the day the perfect kind for spending in bed, even if that hadn't been his intention all along. With their clutch wiped down and placed carefully into folded blankets it sat with the other eggs Eren had birthed, across from the omega so they'd be the first thing he saw once he woke. The bleeding between Eren's legs had eased, yet each cough seemed to expel a little more, so he'd left the towel there, knowing Eren would be embarrassed once he woke. Settling down beside his husband, Levi couldn't take his eyes off of him. So in love he wasn't sure love described his feeling anymore. They'd been through far too much to make it here, yet there was no place he'd rather be for the rest of his life. He didn't miss the castle like he probably should. He didn't miss the people like he probably should. He didn't miss the riches like he probably should. This was all thanks to Eren. As long as he had his husband by his side, he could do absolutely anything. * Propped up in bed, Eren was tender. He was sore in all the wrong places, and he was exhausted beyond words, yet he was happy. Beside him Levi had fallen asleep holding his hand, his head resting on the omega's shoulder exactly how he'd been when he'd been talking softly with him over their clutch. Three eggs. Two painfully large and a smaller third that had him worried for their child, but all of which intact and that was the main thing. He'd unexpectedly birthed 6 more eggs, which was upsetting to see given they could have been potential lives, yet relieving as hell given three eggs was equal parts ecstasy and stomach dropping fear. Curled around their clutch was Luca, who looked as proud as Levi and Eren both felt. Viren didn't understand that mummy was tender, so his son was sitting in his lap, nearly reducing him to tears but he couldn't let him go. This was his family. His crazy hectic family that had just grown by three more. Kissing Viren's hair, his pup was nearly asleep too. When Viren has started crying Luca had led him into their room. Levi climbing out of bed to clean their son up after he'd wet the bed, then feed him before returning him all smiles and giggles, both of them handing Eren a glass of water which he downed gratefully. Listening to the rain against the roof, he hoped the small and quiet moment wouldn't end. This is what his mind needed far more than walls of the castle. A solid floor with no dungeons or cells beneath. A roof over his head and ridiculous over the top love and pride for his family. Levi was apologetic when he woke, quick to lift Viren off his aching stomach as he scolding him for not waking him earlier. His poor husband had had to suffer through helping him birth their clutch, he deserved some kind of medal for his patience. Or at least a long holiday away. Preferably one where someone would wait on Levi like Levi was him. He felt bad knowing he'd be even more useless until his body healed and his magic returned, yet Levi was acting like all his demands were completely natural. Like he hadn't turned into some kind of hormonal monster obsessed with his dick more than his feelings for the last month or so. He didn't deserve such a wonderful husband. Despite Levi warning him not to push himself, Eren was never great at bedrest. Insisting that he needed to get up, he stubbornly refused to admit the idea was terrible as he shuffled through the house to the toilet, regretting every life choice once he'd sat. He regretted it even more when it came to cleaning up then shuffling back through the house to the kitchen where Levi was preparing what had to be dinner by now. Refusing to let him help, Eren retrieved the note pad and pencil he kept for jotting down things they needed from town to pen his letters to Historia, and Armin and Mikasa. All three of them were going to be mad at him for going into labour early. Historia was excited to be there for him. Freya just as excited for him, writing shortly after they'd moved out of the city. She'd been amazing when he'd been forced to set foot in Marley again, then stay for the month in the manor he loathed so much in order to sort things with Asana and Onyankopon. Both wonderful people, but not quite sure how to handle him when each room held nothing but pain for him. Handing the throne over had been cathartic. To be finally free of its shackles completely had taken weeks to set in. Yet the thing that had truly healed his heart on the past was when Levi took him to visit Zeke's grave. His husband simply announcing one morning that he needed to borrow Eren for the day, then handed him a bouquet of red flowers that he "needed for when they reached their destination". Everyone had been so careful when it came to mentioning Zeke around him that he hadn't thought they'd approve of him visiting his grave, so for Levi to go that far for him, to let him sit and pour his guilty out to the man he'd been so briefly married to... he didn't think any other alpha in the world could do it. Keeping a distance so that Eren might have some privacy, Levi had told him he was proud of him once he was done, and to know that Dina hadn't disposed of Zeke like was garbage... he'd needed all of it. When he thought of the past, all he could think of was that it seemed like a dream now. He'd wanted so desperately to learn magic. He'd forcibly educated himself into a neat book induced coma so he wouldn't simply be a housewife. So he'd be an amazing mage that changed the future. He'd never thought he'd be here, being a housewife and being as ok with it all he was. He loved their little farm. He loved being simple and normal. He loved that no one stared at him or judged him, and he felt proud keeping their house organised. He wasn't living up to Erwin's wishes of him being Armin's advisor, but it wasn't like he wasn't Armin's go to man with most things. A letter between the castle and their farm only took an hour or so to arrive. Armin frequently writing back and forth a dozen times a day, sending eagle after eagle when Eren would take too long to reply. His friend having established the orphanage was well on its way had turned his eyes to Shinganshima. The place of so many painful memories for the three of them was to be rebuilt. Mikasa had led a small army to clean the city of those less than desirables, most driven to crime with the unstable economics, and most sent to work prisons on the west side of the island where the goal was rehabilitation and training. The not so hopeful side being that there were those past such methods. Armin had been forced to see his first hanging, something that had distressed them both greatly and ended up with Armin coming for a weeklong visit to get his legs back under him. Being the idealistic and loving fool he was, the block where their family homes had sat were to be turned into memorial parks. They could never take back those memories, but it felt right to remember the good times and to provide other people with similar happy memories there. Once the official opening came, they'd all be attending, but that was sometime away. The only thing Eren regretted was that he'd never known what happened to Grandpa Arlet's, his mother's or his father's bodies, and wasn't able to lay the three most important parental figures of his childhood to rest. Sighing to himself, they were all thoughts for another day and his instincts were demanding he return to his clutch, despite wanting to finish his letter and to help Levi. Jumping as surprise kiss was dropped upon his head, Levi then slipped his arms around him, resting his chin on the omega's shoulder "Everything ok?" "Mmm. Yeah. Just thinking about what we've been through to get here" "A metric fuck tonne?" "Pretty much. I want to go back to our clutch, but I also want to finish these" "Historia? And to Armin and Mikasa?" "Yeah... you should write to Hanji and then to Isabel and Farlan. They'll all want to know" Isabel and Farlan were considering moving out to live closer, but Armin didn't trust anyone else with keeping the game populations in check, begging them to stay an extra winter before they moved out to work remotely. They'd be living on the other side of the road that lead to Mitras, closer to thicker woodland once things had settled. They'd even found a cottage to rent from a farmer with a rat problem. Farlan hadn't seemed convinced, while Isabel was over the moon. Naturally, Isabel got her way. They'd be keeping the store in Mitras and dividing their time in a move Levi called "stupid" "They can wait. I'm making some clear broth for you, your stomach will probably appreciate it more than anything heavy right now" "You're amazing" "I'm really not" "You are. I've been thinking about it nonstop... I wouldn't be alive without you. I couldn't do any of this without you... I'm sorry I've placed so much responsibility on your shoulders" "You haven't. You're selling yourself short my love. Go rest, if our roles were reversed you would be doing all of this for me. I'll finish the letters and sign them from both of us" "Thank you. My instincts want to stay in our nest, but my mind..." "Is telling you to be an idiot by moving far too soon. Rest. We've got three beautiful children to think of, and three beautiful eggs to be proud of" Leaning back as Levi stood, Eren stared up as his husband's face with a smile on his lips "I love you" "I love you too. My omega. My mate. My husband. My dragon. My Sweet Boy and stubborn little shit" Snorting out a giggle, Levi silenced him with a kiss "Now go" "Yes, master" "Don't start that shit unless you want a whole other clutch" "Oh god. Nope. My everything down there is a big fat nope right now. I'm behaving" "That's a first" "It might also be a last..." "Gods give me strength. Why did I marry you again?" "My charming personality and wit?" Levi shook his head "No. It was your arse. Definitely your arse" Faking offence, Eren pushed himself up to stand, forcing Levi to move out the way before he was headbutted. His alpha raising an eyebrow at him as he tried to appear huffy "Do these breasts mean nothing to you at all?" Taking a moment to gawk at him, Levi covered his mouth as he laughed "Go to bed already, you shit. I'll be right in" "Good. I wouldn't want this arse to be lonely" Moving to hug him again, Levi was careful not to press against his stomach "Oh come here. You know I love every single part of you" "You're a god damned sap, Levi Ackerman" "Only for you" Kissing him gently, the shared three more before Eren broke off with a happy hum "Mmm. Best alpha ever" *** Historia kept to her original schedule of arriving the following week, dropped off by a dragon that wasn't Ymir the princess had stopped by the castle on her way to pick up gifts from Armin and everyone else. A stupidly ridiculous amount of gifts and enough food to last at least a month or two saving Levi from having to ride into town... not that he needed to at the moment. Being in their own cottage the alpha's instincts hadn't gone as wild as they had when Viren was born. He didn't have to contend with everyone's shitty scents, or constantly worry over being disturbed by their friends. Eren seemed to be recovering much better from the birth too. He was sleepy, spending the next few days napping and allowing Levi to pamper him properly, then stubbornly decided bedrest was over when he found out his magic had flared out of control during the birth, or rather after. Both of them had been relieved that he hadn't used his breath, or blown anything up. That the storm his magic created only hit after the birth and no real damage was done to the barn. Foolishly letting Luca and Viren play outside, Luca had come back with a dozen white roses in his mouth for Eren. His husband then demanded to know what had happened and Levi was forced to admit the scale of the magic released during the birth. Outside their house was seemingly endless fields of white roses, running all the way up to the orphanage up the hill. Their vegetable garden now resembled something of a jungle, as did Eren's green house. The tree surrounding their farm, and on their farm, had seemingly tripled in size, again, all the way up to the orphanage where the start of the orchard Eren had insisted they needed was now bursting with fresh fruit waiting to be plucked. It wasn't just the plant life that seemed to have received a boost. Animals seemed to be everywhere. Levi wasn't stupid, he knew Eren couldn't speed up a pregnancy with magic, yet wherever he looked there fox kits, or baby birds, a random cat had turned up then had her kittens on their back veranda. Trying to keep Luca and Viren from the had been an experience, which only grew to include Eren once he knew of them. Said cat and kittens now living in their living room, thanks to Historia who planned to take two of the litter of five back to Draecia once they were weened from their mother given they reminded her of her girls. Ymir had apparently been teaching them all the wrong things. Each time she'd yell, the three dragons would take off running to hide, but given their size, the girls were generally bigger than the scrub they were hiding behind, Ymir's even larger form not hidden in the slightest. She'd been teaching them that if they couldn't see their mother, she couldn't see them, then blaming Historia'a magic each time they were found within minutes. For all her complaining and teasing, Historia was beyond a proud mum, and had pretty much adopted the boys as her own leaving Levi to focus on Eren and their clutch. Luca had been completely taken by the kittens until they started moving around too much for him to corral them all back to their mother at once while chasing after Viren and guarding the smallest egg of their clutch. Their son chirping in alarm when the kittens started climbing on him and wanting his attention, his red eyes wide with a silent cry for help that had Eren laughing softly at their boy. The first night Luca had made off with their egg, Eren had been in absolute tears thinking something horrific must have happened. That he must have done something in his sleep, somehow broken it or such. With his wailing mate in their nest, Levi tore the whole place apart, not thinking to look in Luca's bed, given that Viren usually climbed in there and was the lump between their fur blankets. It'd been a long night comforting his mate, Eren wanting to sleep with both their boys and the two remaining eggs, which lead to the discovery when Levi went to retrieve the two boys, finding their missing egg protectively hidden by their oldest son. Returning it to Eren, his husband calmed enough to be confused by the situation, holding his egg close as he nuzzled into the grey scales. Luca hadn't been raised by dragons, yet he instinctively wanted to protect the smallest and most fragile of their eggs, which Eren cursed himself over for not thinking of sooner. It took another few days for Eren to get what was going on. Historia calling them in to show them the sight waiting in the living room. Sitting on the lounge chair, Luca had Viren tucked up close to him, as he licked and nuzzled at the egg, their son deciding that he wanted his own little family with Viren like his parents. Puberty was still along way off for their boy, yet he seemingly wanted a clutch of his own someday. Eren couldn't bare to let his eggs out of his sight just yet, so Levi was left to gently explain to their son that he had to wait to until his sibling was born before he could play with them, then Historia was left to distract the boys with the kittens while Eren returned the egg to their clutch. Both of them feeling like dicks when all Luca wanted was to share the love. It was simply too soon. Historia assured them it was quite normal to feel that way for the first month at least, then things would get easier for them, provided Eren stopped trying to fight the dragon side of his instincts and let him feel his chronic need for closeness. This resulted in his omega wearing his eggs in a sling against him almost every waking moment, then sleeping with their clutch between them every night. This didn't stop their son though. Within the first month Luca managed to slip in and steal the same egg three more times, each thinking he'd carefully hidden it in his bed, only for Levi to retrieve it and break his heart a little more. A month passed after the birth, then a second. Eren starting to struggle over waiting for their clutch to hatch. Mikasa and Armin had written constantly for updates, but there weren't any to give, Levi left to answer their letters as Eren poured his attention into raising Viren and Luca, Viren having decided he needed to be glued to his mother's hip the moment Historia left. They both knew it could take some time to meet their new family members, but neither of them were particularly good at waiting. Three months after the birth, Mikasa and Armin came to visit at Levi's request. Farlan and Isabel needed help with their cottage, and though the journey was an easy ride, Eren didn't want to leave the farm and Levi didn't want him to be alone during the day. Not when the smallest thing going wrong had him doubting himself. His mate dropped a bar of soap in the bathtub, then cried against him for half an hour over being useless when it led to him accidentally setting the bath mat on fire. His magic was still a little iffy, but Eren had been trying to do everything without magic since giving birth as it was. It seemed to Levi that his husband was denying that part of him with each growing day. Hence calling in his husband's two best friends to distract him. He'd also written to Historia, but the princess was stuck with helping her brother and unable to come down to spend time with Eren. It was the morning of Mikasa and Armin's visit that their first egg hatched. Curled around his husband, he'd woken to find their bed soaked beneath Eren. It wouldn't be the first time Eren had had an accident, but as he shook his mate awake, it was like his melancholy wasn't there at all. Shooting up, his words fell over each other, Levi confused as he hell until Eren scrambled around the other side of their clutch revealing the cracked emerald egg. He'd mentally named all of them. Eggbert. Eggeles. And lastly spatula, their little egg that had adventurer further then it's siblings. Eggbert was the one hatching, the thin membrane pushed by a tiny clawed hand. In his rush, Eren didn't notice that Eggeles had also cracked slightly as he pulled Eggbert into his lap, breaking the membrane ever so slightly so a tiny claw could hook against it. Holding Eggeles, the egg was a way off of hatching. Whispering and encouraging their tiny child, they needed a little more help to free themselves, letting out an adorable sneeze as their black eyes met Eren. It was like looking at mini-Eren. Their child's scales the same shades of green as Eren's facial scales, and they were all legs as the fell out into Eren's lap, shaking its head before sneezing all over Eren's arm. Scooping their baby dragon up, their tiny arse filled Eren's hands as Eren cooed, bringing them close to nuzzle nose to nose with them "Levi... look..." "I can see, Sweet Boy... but have you noticed what their twin is doing?" Levi mentally winced at twin. They were triplets, but twins what it came to get size. Lowering their child, his husband's face lit up all over again at the cracks in Eggeles "No way..." "Ready for baby number two?" "I... I thought it'd be like Luca..." "You're going to have to figure out names now" "We're going to have to figure out names now. We can't name them over their sneezes" "Luca did make it easier in that respect" "He did... do you want to hold your baby?" Was that even a question? Taking their dragon pup with shaking hands, the small dragon eyed him with wide eyes "Hello baby, I'm your daddy. Your mummy didn't even introduce himself. He's been waiting to meet you" Darting out its tiny tongue, their pup licked the top of his nose "I'm not naming them Sneezy or Licky" With a small crack there was a gush of fluid into Levi's lap, the alpha flinching at the unpleasant sensation "Is that what it feels when your water breaks?" "A sudden gush when you're not expecting it? Kind of... I think there was more fluid with Viren" "I don't like it" "Then it's a good thing you're the alpha. Here, pass me our baby back while you help..." He paused. None of their prospective names seemed to suit now that they were meeting their children "Eggeles" Eren scooped their pup back into his hold "I'm not naming my baby Eggeles" "No, I named the egg Eggeles" "You named our eggs?" "It helps with the memory thing. You're holding Eggbert" Eren wrinkled his nose "My baby isn't an Eggbert. Do I want to know what you called our third baby?" "Probably not" "I can't believe you named them without telling me. Tell me you didn't give them an equally horribly name?" "Uh... Spatula" Eren's eyes widened the way they do before he usually start yelling. Lowering his tone, he brought their baby to his chest, covering their small head with his cupped hand "You named our baby Spatula?!" "Not what you were eggspecting?" "Spatula?! Why?" "I don't know. I ran out of egg names. Besides, it's already had an eggciting adventure with Luca" "You keep making egg jokes and I'm going to fry you" "Come on, Sweet Boy. See the sunny side up" "Your brain is scrambled. Your upsetting our baby" Nuzzling into Eren's hand and chest, their dragon pup didn't seem too phased that they had idiots for parents "They look just like you. Their scales are the same colour as yours" "I don't feel much magic coming from them. Not like Luca... but kind of the same at the time. Maybe because they're quarter dragon. Or is it eighth? I'm half, but you're full human..." "Leave the maths for another time" Ducking his head, Eren smiled softly "I'm sorry I've been..." "Shhh. We'll talk about it after Eggeles is here" Scowling at him, Eren wasn't going to let it drop anytime soon Eggeles didn't have the struggles Eggbert did. The moment the shell had cracked enough, the baby dragon was tearing through the membrane with a tiny roaring squeak, announcing to everyone they were there. Gathering their speckled baby up to his face, Levi smiled as their front two feet went right to his cheeks, their baby "roaring" in his face again "Hello Feisty! Look at you... You're adorable my baby. I'm your daddy" The speckles through the dragons tiny scales were the same shiny iridescent grey Eren's full form held "We have Sneezy and Feisty... and Spatula" "At least they won't be lost in a crowd with those names" "See if I ever let you between my legs again" "You're not mad. I know you're not... Mikasa and Armin are coming today too, and I'm thinking that I won't be going to see Isabel and Farlan" "Is that today? Why didn't you remind me? They don't get to hold our babies. Not until Luca and Viren meet them properly. We'll need to move the kittens too... How is our cottage so full?"

85 updates DMODT

*** Epilogue *** It'd been a little over a year and half since Eren had last stepped foot in Mitras. The day they'd finally left the castle, both Armin and Mikasa had pleaded with him to stay, but he couldn't. It was time to leave, to start a real life with Levi outside the city and despite all the tears, he was excited. Excited for a future for his family where they'd no longer be expected to be anyone but themselves. It hadn't been easy to reestablish themselves, but the plot of land they wanted had been transferred into their family name, Armin making sure no matter what came that the their line would always own the plot a few hundred metres down from where construction of the orphanage began the following summer. Their own adventures with building were a fiasco. Having the space of the tower had been nice, but now he had children to think of, and with the clutch on the way, Eren only wanted enough space for their small family. His own little cottage, where he'd be playing housekeeper and wife. Levi felt it should be bigger for when guests came, which resulted in a compromise. Levi's study was built to back the nursery, with space for a spare bed should guests come. Using his magic to raise the walls from the ground, he'd felt like he was cheating, simply turning up to the middle of nowhere and magicking their house into existence. The walls he could do. The plumbing... not so much, and his skills with roof making... were nonexistent. Well, they existed, they were just slightly crooked... Levi laughing far too hard at his attempts, though after promised he'd take care of it, it was nearly a month of leaking ceilings before he did, and that was because his pride wouldn't accept help from the team of builders Armin had hired for the orphanage. They'd had a great laugh too. Much to Eren's embarrassment. It wasn't like he knew the building crew would be coming out to survey the orphanage site before they'd fixed things up. Yet, despite all that, Eren was having the time of his life. Luca loved the space, happy to run around and annoy anything that moved. They'd brought chicken with them when they'd left the city, only Luca didn't know they weren't for playing. More than a few sent to early deaths by the dragon trying to befriend them. Not making the same mistake twice, Levi built a barn to right of the house, space outside the structure for their horses, which gradually grew to house their cow, and then the replacement chickens Farlan and Isabel brought out with them on their first visit. Up from the barn Levi built a greenhouse for his herb collection, which Eren left to the professionals when it came to the glass fit out of the space. Gradually, over the next six months their home came together. Levi's vegetable patch requiring a small infusion of magic secretly more than once. His husband tried his hardest, but... Eren didn't know he kept killing everything. You sew the seeds. You water everything in. You weed and watch it grow. Somehow things went from being green one day, to yellow and brown withered sticks of sadness the next. After the third failed crop, the omega couldn't let his alpha continue to suffer. Denying all knowledge of magical intervention, yet they both knew it was there, but neither of them spoke of it. Especially when comparing Levi's vegetable patch with Eren's small orchard. They'd purchased a variety of fruits and vegetables when leaving Mitras in an attempt to stock up, which didn't happen with Luca around, so Eren had sewn the remnants and now was the proud owner of some very impressive apple trees that were starting to encroach on the left side of their cottage. Luca especially appreciated being able to steal apples when he felt, though most of his time was still spent chasing after Viren. The pair of them... he loved them... but they were as thick as thieves. If they could be in out, out of it, covered in it, or hiding it, they were. Viren's first steps had been at the castle, their pup then deciding to make them wait a week before trying again... and after that... he never stopped moving. Each time Eren took his eyes off him, he was off. More than once Luca had to hook him by his nappy to prevent his escape, and more than once he'd turned around for what seemed half a second only to turn back to find Luca covered in Viren's food... mostly thrown at him. Each day his son looked more like Levi, right down to the look of annoyance they'd both share when scolded over spilling water from the bath. Their house might not be the nicest, but Eren was extremely proud of it... once things had been straightened out. He loved to watch Levi and Viren in the garden, his husband would sit their son in his lap to pull weeds, or when he Levi would put Viren on the back of their cow. He honestly didn't know who looked more confused, but each time Viren would giggle and scream for his "daddy". Most of the time the pair were together outside, Luca would inside with him. Being too pregnant to pick him, Luca had had to conquer climbing up on the kitchen bench on his own. A space definitely not made for their son, but mercifully his growth had slowed down so he could only just wedge himself there, ready for pats, kisses, rubs and most importantly left over food. Levi was just as bad when he was cooking. As his pregnancy had progressed, his husband treated him like a princess while fucking him like a whore. Every single chore below waist level was taken care of by his alpha, and every single surface in their house had been christened at least once... Armin claiming he was traumatised for life from over hearing them when he and Mikasa came to visit for Eren's birthday. The joke was on him, they'd fallen into bed on the spare bed Armin was using earlier the same day... then we're forced to strip the whole bed with how carried away they'd been. Now... now he was regretting that sex ever existed. Levi had gone on the fortnightly run to the city for supplies, and almost the moment his mate had left, his waters had broken. Entertaining a toddler while cursing contractions and attempting to control his magic, was not making for a fun morning at all. With Viren on his hip, Eren was making breakfast when the telltale sudden short gushing feel had come, then the telltale trickle as the warmth spread down his inner thighs. Levi hadn't wanted to leave, teasing him over how sweet he'd smelt that morning as they lazed in bed basking in each other's warmth. Assuring him he'd be fine, he'd waved his husband off. Swearing without thinking, his son had promptly echoed his cry of "fuck", in his cute little voice... all of which had brought him to still standing in the kitchen attempting to make Viren's breakfast while Luca clawed at the kitchen door, probably trying to attempt to free himself so he could go find Levi and not have to deal with him in labour alone. With tears rolling down his face, rising panic and a contractions that he was sure he was never going to get used to, all he wanted to do was curl up in their nest and cry until Levi came home. * Reaching the end of the road to their property, Levi didn't feel right. Eren had assured him that he was alright, that nothing would happen while he was in town, and that nothing would happen for a few more weeks. Yet, the feeling in his gut was telling him otherwise. Faced with either riding home to find Eren perfectly fine and laughing in his face, or heading to town only to come home to some kind of emergency, he knew which he'd take. Unhitching the wagon from his horse, it was a choice that took no thought at all. The past year and a half hadn't all been sun and roses, in the early days he wasn't sure how they didn't kill each other, then there were Eren's nightmares, his nightmares, a leaking roof and lack plumbing... some days it was a damn miracle they'd even got their house together in the end. Mounting his horse, the filly shifted skittishly, barely used for much more than a cart horse. Nudging his heels into her sides, she reared, nearly throwing him in the process. God. He missed his old horse. Holding his reins tighter, her urged her into a gallop, kicking up dust recklessly as he raced to return home. Leaving his horse next to the front door, Levi didn't bother taking off his muddied boots as he jogged into their house, Eren would probably yell at him, but that was a discussion for another time. The moment he'd entered their yard he could feel his omega's pain. His gut feeling proving right again. Almost breaking the kitchen door down, he bellowed "Eren!" Only to realise Eren was still in the kitchen, Viren on his hip as he leaned heavily against the kitchen counter, Luca chirping and trilling as he nudged at Levi's legs "Levi... it's... it's started... I'm sorry..." What. Wait... oh... oh fuck... rushing to his side, he lifted Viren off Eren's hip "Ok. It's a bit early, but it's ok. What do you need?" Eren let out a long breath "I need to shower. Viren and Luca need breakfast..." "Ok... sh... sugar. Ok" Piping up, Viren smacked him with his hand "Fck" Blinking at his boy, he then shot Eren an accusing look "I didn't mean to. My waters broke and it slipped out... you'd be swearing too if you looked like someone had stuffed you with melons" By a year, Eren had looked like he was well and truly stuffed, by 13 months he was a horny mess with constant back pain. 15 months he looked like he couldn't get any damn bigger without physically bursting, it'd eased a little but he was well and truly bred to the brim "Let me get the boys settled. I don't want you getting in and out the bath on your own" "Mmm... mmm... ok... why is it that the contractions are always worse than the pushing part?" The pushing part was the part that had him worried. The contractions didn't cause Eren to shit blood or spend weeks torn and hurting... "Levi, don't you dare go pale like that. This is happening. It's going to take a few hours, but this is happening" "Sorry. You're right. Whatever you need" Giving him a pained smile, Eren pushed himself up to stand, his hands going to his hips as he whined softly in discomfort "Shower, and you'll need to write to Historia. She's supposed to be coming next week to stay, but fuck being in labour for that long" "Then... nest?" There nest had gone up nearly a month and a half ago, Eren blushing adorably when Levi had sprung him layering his clothes into their sheets and furs "Barn... need to organise the barn..." Out of concern for their house, they'd made space in the outer half of the barn where the hay usually lived. There was no way Eren could give birth anally with the size of the eggs he was carrying "Ok. Breakfast for the boys, shower and barn" "What did you do with the horse and cart?" "Well..." "I married an idiot. You feed the kids, I'm going to shower" "You're not getting in alone" "There's a chair. I'll be fine" "Eren..." Raising his scolding finger at him, Levi swallowed down a smile "Don't give that. I was freaking out until you walked through that door. You're here now... don't... don't make me think I have to go through this alone" Reaching out, Levi wrapped an arm around his omega "You're not alone. You're not. I could feel something was wrong. I couldn't go to town because I was so worried for you... I'm here now... you're not alone" Eren smelt intoxicating, Levi forced to pull away "You're ok, Sweet Boy. You're ok. I've got the boys, you shower and I'll be right in" Luca wouldn't settle, for the first time that Levi could remember the little dragon didn't want his food. He was still trying to nudge and rub against Levi's legs, pushing him towards the bathroom door, only for a crashing noise to come from the direction of the bathroom. Yelling at Luca to look after Viren, Levi ran straight into the kitchen door in his hurry to reach Eren, grazing himself impressively on the the wall as then tried to get through the door before it was open enough. Striding through to the bathroom, he found the shower rack had broken, causing the commotion. Eren was sitting in the shower chair he'd insisted on leaving in there given how helpful it'd been last time, trying to pick things up with his toes "What are you doing?" "I tried a little magic... and the rack fell down" "You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was rushing in here to find you on the floor" "I'm fine. My magic's just... off" "That's it. Shower time is over" His instincts couldn't take it "I only just got in!" "I can't... you can bath... but I can't..." Eren's face softened, Levi realising he was tearing up. Fuck. He'd forgotten to write to Historia and now his alpha was getting the better of him, not wanting anyone close to Eren at all "I'm ok. But if you want to me bath, you kind of need to help me?" "Sorry. I..." "Levi, it's ok. We talked about this. I'm going to be ok... it's going to be ok. Here, come here. Luca can watch Viren" It wasn't ok. Viren's birth had been hard... he'd truly thought Eren was going to die. Catching him watching him one night, Eren had drawn his fears out, holding him as he snivelled pathetically in fear of losing his husband "I'm sorry" "It's ok. Birth is scary. I'm scared too... but we have a few hours. My contractions aren't that close yet. Now, come bath in my juices with me" "That sounds revolting" "You're lucky. I'm sure my mucus plug..." The colour drained further from Levi's face "I don't think I want to know" "Probably not..." It wasn't his fault they ended up going for it like rabbits in the bathroom. One minute he was crying and Eren was crying, then Eren was in his lap and crying for a different reason. The only small mercy was that he didn't knot his mate, instead he slipped out at the last moment and had to deal with his omega pouting at him over it, despite the fact he'd come twice as it was. Nuzzling into him, Eren sighed softly against his cheek "I need to shift soon. I won't be able to talk to you" "So soon?" "Mmm. My magic's already playing up" "I'm not ready for this. I don't know how to... what to..." "Levi, you're going to be great. We've talked about this, and it's going to be easier as a dragon. Remember? I told you I'll write if something's wrong" A sketch with a claws not writing. What if Eren couldn't change back...? "I don't think I can do this alone. I know you said to write to Historia, but... my alpha... I'm failure as mate" "You're not a failure. We know how screwed up instincts can be. I trust you. You're my husband and I trust you. Can you bring the boys out to sit for a while? After I've shifted? Luca can handle Viren, but I need to know they're both ok" "I..." He didn't know what to say. It was absolutely horrible. He adored his boys, but Eren was all he could think of "You can do this. You did this last time" "And you bled. You bled and you hurt for weeks..." "But I recovered. And look at Viren. Our baby. Every single day I thank the gods for him. I thank you for him. You're letting your fear do a me" "You're saying I'm spiralling?" "You are. It's time to get out. Can you bring the furs from our nest? I want your scent" "My scared scent?" "Your scent is still yours. You're going to get through this" "I'm supposed to say that to you" "We'll get through this, Levi. Just you wait until you see how many eggs you've knocked into me" Apparently there was a chance of unfertilised eggs having not been absorbed completely and may be birthed. Not that he was going to be able to the tell the difference. The nursery had been set up with a crib loaded with furs to settle their clutch into... but would one crib be enough? His mate wasn't... he hadn't seen his toes or his junk in the last 9 months... "You're spiralling. Here, I'm done soaking. Help me up" Luca disappeared the moment Levi opened the kitchen door to retrieve everything Eren had asked for. His breakfast still untouched, while Viren had enjoyed himself by the look of it, his mashed apple smeared across the boy's face, hands, arms... the floor. The cupboard... Luca had obviously helped their toddler with the mess, before abandoning him to take all the blame, and leaving Levi to clean it all up. If Eren saw the mess, he'd probably break down into tears then try to clean it all up instead of fussing over where he wanted to give birth. The stables hadn't been Levi's first choice. He'd wanted Eren in a soft bed, warm and safe... then his omega pointed out that he needed to be in his dragon form, and that he'd lost control of his magic last time and that he liked their small cottage in one piece, and he'd folded like a deck of cards as he agreed to everything Eren wanted. Anything to get him through this alive and safe... even if it cost them the clutch in the process. Making it outside, Eren was sitting on a bail of hay, Luca standing next with him. Viren running to his brother, rather than his mother as he realised his best friend was right in front of him "Sorry. Daddy gave him mashed apple when he should have given him anything else" "It's fine. It gave Luca and I a chance to talk. He's scared, but he doesn't want to leave me. He's such a sweet boy" "He is. Now, I have all the blankets you want. Where should I place them?" "I was thinking of laying down with my head on the hay. I'll be on my side, so it'll be better to have them near my nose" "And you're going to shift soon?" Eren nodded "Yeah. It might help with the contractions too. I didn't miss them" "I... are you sure? So soon?" "Levi, I'll be ok. Luca won't leave my side, he's made that clear. When the... birth actually starts, he's going to play his part by watching Viren" It was his job to be by Eren's side. Luca was his damn son, not their baby sitter. He shouldn't have to be strong for his baby brother and his father who was having a miniature breakdown over Eren being so pained and in such a vulnerable position. Headbutting Eren lightly, Luca started licking at his cheek as Eren wrapped his arms around him "Ok. Yes. You're staying with me. Mummy isn't making you go away baby boy, and at the end of this, you're going to have more siblings to play with. You and Viren. You're my big baby boy, and I'm so proud to be your mother" Crying as Luca turned his attention away from him, Levi placed the bundle of furs down beside Eren so he could scoop their toddler up "Are you sure you're going to be able to communicate if something does go wrong?" "Yeah. Luca will know too. Come give me a kiss before I shift" Leaning down, Levi tried not to be jealous of Luca being in the way. Kissing his husband, he rested his face against Eren's "I'm not ready" "I can't exactly say no and try again later with this" "That's not what I mean. I want to talk to you. Hold your hand and rub your back. Know how bad it hurts and be with you" "I'm still me" That wasn't what he meant. Eren didn't sound happy with him, probably because he'd accidentally insinuated that dragons were too beastly to communicate "Message received. If you want to shift, go ahead. We'll be right here with you" "I know. Historia did say I should shift back pretty soon after I birth the last egg. I love you so much... and if it gets too much, or if my magic... if my magic is too much... take the boys and go" Tears rolled down Eren's cheeks. Levi feeling guilty for making his mate feel crappier when this was a real issue "I'm not going anywhere. Your magic won't hurt us" "I could bring the roof down on you" "And a freak storm could too" "Which would probably be my magic. I'm going to shift... before I end up crying even harder" "You're going to be ok" "Yeah... and we're going to have another pup or two..." "That are going to look just like you. With those pretty scales of yours" "No... I want them to look just like you. I love you" "I love you too. And I'm going to love them... whatever they look like" "You're making me cry" Like Levi wasn't also an emotional wreck "I'm sorry, Sweet Boy. You shift and get comfortable. I'm not going anywhere" * Eren's labour continued into the night. His husband panting as his contractions grew worse. Luca refused to leave his side, even for bed time. Their son insisted on laying with his nose against Eren's, licking, chirping softly, and nuzzling each time Eren would huff if pain, while Levi had a large clawed foot resting on his leg. He couldn't hold Eren's hand, so it was the closest he could be and the best he could do as he tried to keep Viren preoccupied. Forced to leave to given Viren his dinner and settle him in bed, he couldn't give two fucks about the mess he'd left out by his husband. Viren's lunch, three nappies, his lunch that he was forced to make after Eren glared at him when he returned without food. He'd also glared at him when Levi's horse had come wandering over, reminding them both that the alpha hadn't closed the gate, or moved the animals to the other end of the barn. Still. He didn't like leaving. He'd nearly missed being there as it was, sure he would have returned around sunset, yet Eren had been terrified over everything and he'd only been gone a good half hour to an hour tops that morning. He wouldn't have been able to even hold his husband before he shifted, nor sooth his worries, though Eren did most of the soothing. As the night progressed, the temperature dropped. Eren nuzzling at Luca until Luca finally headed into the house, the look on his face clear that he'd be back out the moment the sun rose. Finally alone with his omega, Eren whined softly, calling him closer. Moving to stand between his husband's front leg and saddle, Eren shifted again, trying to rub against him in his own dopey way "How do you feel? Can I get you anything?" His mate had barely drunk any of the water he'd brought from the well for him. Shaking his head, he shifted shakily onto his stomach "Hey, are you close? You need to be resting" Whining, Eren rolled back, nudging at him with his leg "You want me to check?" Huffing like he was relieved Levi finally got the message, he placed his hand on Eren's side as moved towards his slit. He hadn't thought about adding to the glowstones on the outer side of the barn, and regretted that Eren had to give birth in the dark with all the light and warmth of the house illuminated mere metres away. The first thing he noticed was Eren's dick. He'd forgotten how massive it was in his dragon form, and because his husband hadn't exactly had it hanging out with the kids around "You're horny? Is that it?" Huffing and rolling again, that was definitely it. He shouldn't be as surprised as he was. Eren had been a horny mess during the first clutch. Sliding his hand down, he skipped his mate's neglected dick, instead running his hand along Eren's opening. With his hand so close and intimate, he could feel the almost back to back ripple of his lover's strong muscles "You're close... it won't be long now" Thumping his tail, Eren didn't want to hear it "I feel like you're trying to tell me that if I don't make you cum, you're going to use your breath on me" When Eren didn't reply, Levi laughed softly "I told you'd I'd give you whatever you want and need" Lapping and sucking at the soft flesh of his mate's clit, Eren's tail was thudding as he huffed and groaned, wriggling against Levi's mouth as the alpha thoroughly pleasured him, he knew by the weak way Eren tried to trust he was close, his rhythm shot completely and his pace exhausted yer desperate. With the kids taking up so much of their time, and settling in, making their home a home and organising the farm, then the random visits from Isabel and Farlan and few from Mikasa and Armin, and, Ymir, Historia and their girls, the only them time they really got when was the kids were sleeping or busy, and there wasn't space enough in their room for Eren to shift. He wasn't sure he knew what he was doing, but Eren was enjoying it, and his mate tasted amazing... so it was kind of a win. Sucking harder, Eren threw his head back hard enough to shake the barn, his dick spasming as cum gushed to join the wet puddle beneath the spent organ. Pulling back with a smirk, he tried not to laugh at his mate. His own arousal a smouldering mess he wasn't sure what to do with "Good?" Thudding his tail weakly, Levi's ego was stroked by the affirmation. Mindful of the puddle, he moved back to Eren's soaked opening, slipping his hand in deeper this time to essentially "finger" his dragon, he could feel their eggs, so close to being birthed but again there was nothing he could do but wait, hoping that massaging the muscle wasn't actually making it feel even worse for his exhausted love. It was about 2 hours later that Eren finally birthed their first egg, a long and pained whine as the emerald egg slowly slid from him. Levi wincing at the size of the thing, easily as big as Luca's egg had been at time of his hatching and enough to make him nearly regret impregnating Eren by accident. Setting the egg down carefully, the second that slid out in the connecting... grossness?... he didn't know what to really call the bloody mucus, was smaller and plain green. Exactly the same as Eren's lifeless clutch. His heart dropped as the third egg was the same. Eren panting softly, despite the pain Levi could feel through their bond. His mate was trying his hardest to be strong, though his lungs must be giving him grief with the cold air, uncharacteristic of a spring night. The rest of the eggs came much more slowly than the four. The 6th another brilliant green egg, freckled with speckles of grey across the surface, yet the rest remained an empty clutch until they reached the last, the 9th egg a smaller egg than the previous two, Levi nearly placing it aside with those that were lifeless until he noticed that it shimmered grey under the light. Passing the birth, it took his husband half an hour before he took his human form again. Wrecked and dripping with sweat, Eren was barely conscious as Levi gathered him into a thick blanket, his mate trying to reach for their eggs as nasty coughs began to bubble. Nuzzling Eren's hair, he was forced to make the call. Eren needed warmth now, and to rest somewhere that wasn't a dirty and disgusting barn "You did so good. Three good eggs baby. Three. I'm so proud of you. So proud" Carrying his mate into the living room, he laid him down carefully in front of the fire place, Eren crying out weakly as Levi moved away from him "I'm going to get out clutch. Our beautiful clutch, and I'll be right back. You want to see our clutch, don't you?" Nodding wearily, Eren's eyes were sliding closed as he did "I'll be right back, beautiful boy. I'm so fucking proud of our family" He was crying. He couldn't help it. Three perfect eggs. Eren had given him three more children. He couldn't be happier or prouder. Returning with their eggs, Levi placed them down beside Eren, rousing him by cupping his husband's face. Exhausted green eyes blinking up at him questioningly "I've got our clutch, Sweet Boy. I thought you'd want to see them" Needing assistance, Eren's eyes filled with the same love and wonder he'd have for both Viren and Luca "I am so proud of you. You rest my love. I'll clean everything up" Like Eren's blooded thighs and arse. He prayed some of Eren's magic had healed things down there, but as he moved his mate to make preparations, he found him torn and bloodied. Not quite as badly as Viren, but enough to make his heart ache. This time they'd wait. Eren would go back onto contraceptives, and they'd wait for the time they were ready for another child, if they were ever really ready. They'd never planned for five children. Five small mouths to feed and five tiny personalities they'd be responsible for the rest of their lives. Though Eren was happy now, there was no way to tell if he'd feel that way with nightly feeds, nappies and long nights ahead of them. He could only pray this didn't break his husband or send him spiralling into a drop or melancholy episode that he couldn't recover from. He could only pray that he wouldn't lose his memory further, and wind up another "child" to his husband. He was so fucking proud of Eren. So proud the omega was his forever. And so beyond proud and relieved that only three eggs had been viable. Despite the exhaustion he felt, his primary concern was still Eren. Cleaning Eren carefully and applying ointment to the wounds, Levi moved him from in front of the fire to their bed. A fresh kettle of boiling water positioned so the steam rose into Eren's face to ease his breathing and coughing. Outside the sounds of a storm had begun to rage, the day the perfect kind for spending in bed, even if that hadn't been his intention all along. With their clutch wiped down and placed carefully into folded blankets it sat with the other eggs Eren had birthed, across from the omega so they'd be the first thing he saw once he woke. The bleeding between Eren's legs had eased, yet each cough seemed to expel a little more, so he'd left the towel there, knowing Eren would be embarrassed once he woke. Settling down beside his husband, Levi couldn't take his eyes off of him. So in love he wasn't sure love described his feeling anymore. They'd been through far too much to make it here, yet there was no place he'd rather be for the rest of his life. He didn't miss the castle like he probably should. He didn't miss the people like he probably should. He didn't miss the riches like he probably should. This was all thanks to Eren. As long as he had his husband by his side, he could do absolutely anything. * Propped up in bed, Eren was tender. He was sore in all the wrong places, and he was exhausted beyond words, yet he was happy. Beside him Levi had fallen asleep holding his hand, his head resting on the omega's shoulder exactly how he'd been when he'd been talking softly with him over their clutch. Three eggs. Two painfully large and a smaller third that had him worried for their child, but all of which intact and that was the main thing. He'd unexpectedly birthed 6 more eggs, which was upsetting to see given they could have been potential lives, yet relieving as hell given three eggs was equal parts ecstasy and stomach dropping fear. Curled around their clutch was Luca, who looked as proud as Levi and Eren both felt. Viren didn't understand that mummy was tender, so his son was sitting in his lap, nearly reducing him to tears but he couldn't let him go. This was his family. His crazy hectic family that had just grown by three more. Kissing Viren's hair, his pup was nearly asleep too. When Viren has started crying Luca had led him into their room. Levi climbing out of bed to clean their son up after he'd wet the bed, then feed him before returning him all smiles and giggles, both of them handing Eren a glass of water which he downed gratefully. Listening to the rain against the roof, he hoped the small and quiet moment wouldn't end. This is what his mind needed far more than walls of the castle. A solid floor with no dungeons or cells beneath. A roof over his head and ridiculous over the top love and pride for his family. Levi was apologetic when he woke, quick to lift Viren off his aching stomach as he scolding him for not waking him earlier. His poor husband had had to suffer through helping him birth their clutch, he deserved some kind of medal for his patience. Or at least a long holiday away. Preferably one where someone would wait on Levi like Levi was him. He felt bad knowing he'd be even more useless until his body healed and his magic returned, yet Levi was acting like all his demands were completely natural. Like he hadn't turned into some kind of hormonal monster obsessed with his dick more than his feelings for the last month or so. He didn't deserve such a wonderful husband. Despite Levi warning him not to push himself, Eren was never great at bedrest. Insisting that he needed to get up, he stubbornly refused to admit the idea was terrible as he shuffled through the house to the toilet, regretting every life choice once he'd sat. He regretted it even more when it came to cleaning up then shuffling back through the house to the kitchen where Levi was preparing what had to be dinner by now. Refusing to let him help, Eren retrieved the note pad and pencil he kept for jotting down things they needed from town to pen his letters to Historia, and Armin and Mikasa. All three of them were going to be mad at him for going into labour early. Historia was excited to be there for him. Freya just as excited for him, writing shortly after they'd moved out of the city. She'd been amazing when he'd been forced to set foot in Marley again, then stay for the month in the manor he loathed so much in order to sort things with Asana and Onyankopon. Both wonderful people, but not quite sure how to handle him when each room held nothing but pain for him. Handing the throne over had been cathartic. To be finally free of its shackles completely had taken weeks to set in. Yet the thing that had truly healed his heart on the past was when Levi took him to visit Zeke's grave. His husband simply announcing one morning that he needed to borrow Eren for the day, then handed him a bouquet of red flowers that he "needed for when they reached their destination". Everyone had been so careful when it came to mentioning Zeke around him that he hadn't thought they'd approve of him visiting his grave, so for Levi to go that far for him, to let him sit and pour his guilty out to the man he'd been so briefly married to... he didn't think any other alpha in the world could do it. Keeping a distance so that Eren might have some privacy, Levi had told him he was proud of him once he was done, and to know that Dina hadn't disposed of Zeke like was garbage... he'd needed all of it. When he thought of the past, all he could think of was that it seemed like a dream now. He'd wanted so desperately to learn magic. He'd forcibly educated himself into a neat book induced coma so he wouldn't simply be a housewife. So he'd be an amazing mage that changed the future. He'd never thought he'd be here, being a housewife and being as ok with it all he was. He loved their little farm. He loved being simple and normal. He loved that no one stared at him or judged him, and he felt proud keeping their house organised. He wasn't living up to Erwin's wishes of him being Armin's advisor, but it wasn't like he wasn't Armin's go to man with most things. A letter between the castle and their farm only took an hour or so to arrive. Armin frequently writing back and forth a dozen times a day, sending eagle after eagle when Eren would take too long to reply. His friend having established the orphanage was well on its way had turned his eyes to Shinganshima. The place of so many painful memories for the three of them was to be rebuilt. Mikasa had led a small army to clean the city of those less than desirables, most driven to crime with the unstable economics, and most sent to work prisons on the west side of the island where the goal was rehabilitation and training. The not so hopeful side being that there were those past such methods. Armin had been forced to see his first hanging, something that had distressed them both greatly and ended up with Armin coming for a weeklong visit to get his legs back under him. Being the idealistic and loving fool he was, the block where their family homes had sat were to be turned into memorial parks. They could never take back those memories, but it felt right to remember the good times and to provide other people with similar happy memories there. Once the official opening came, they'd all be attending, but that was sometime away. The only thing Eren regretted was that he'd never known what happened to Grandpa Arlet's, his mother's or his father's bodies, and wasn't able to lay the three most important parental figures of his childhood to rest. Sighing to himself, they were all thoughts for another day and his instincts were demanding he return to his clutch, despite wanting to finish his letter and to help Levi. Jumping as surprise kiss was dropped upon his head, Levi then slipped his arms around him, resting his chin on the omega's shoulder "Everything ok?" "Mmm. Yeah. Just thinking about what we've been through to get here" "A metric fuck tonne?" "Pretty much. I want to go back to our clutch, but I also want to finish these" "Historia? And to Armin and Mikasa?" "Yeah... you should write to Hanji and then to Isabel and Farlan. They'll all want to know" Isabel and Farlan were considering moving out to live closer, but Armin didn't trust anyone else with keeping the game populations in check, begging them to stay an extra winter before they moved out to work remotely. They'd be living on the other side of the road that lead to Mitras, closer to thicker woodland once things had settled. They'd even found a cottage to rent from a farmer with a rat problem. Farlan hadn't seemed convinced, while Isabel was over the moon. Naturally, Isabel got her way. They'd be keeping the store in Mitras and dividing their time in a move Levi called "stupid" "They can wait. I'm making some clear broth for you, your stomach will probably appreciate it more than anything heavy right now" "You're amazing" "I'm really not" "You are. I've been thinking about it nonstop... I wouldn't be alive without you. I couldn't do any of this without you... I'm sorry I've placed so much responsibility on your shoulders" "You haven't. You're selling yourself short my love. Go rest, if our roles were reversed you would be doing all of this for me. I'll finish the letters and sign them from both of us" "Thank you. My instincts want to stay in our nest, but my mind..." "Is telling you to be an idiot by moving far too soon. Rest. We've got three beautiful children to think of, and three beautiful eggs to be proud of" Leaning back as Levi stood, Eren stared up as his husband's face with a smile on his lips "I love you" "I love you too. My omega. My mate. My husband. My dragon. My Sweet Boy and stubborn little shit" Snorting out a giggle, Levi silenced him with a kiss "Now go" "Yes, master" "Don't start that shit unless you want a whole other clutch" "Oh god. Nope. My everything down there is a big fat nope right now. I'm behaving" "That's a first" "It might also be a last..." "Gods give me strength. Why did I marry you again?" "My charming personality and wit?" Levi shook his head "No. It was your arse. Definitely your arse" Faking offence, Eren pushed himself up to stand, forcing Levi to move out the way before he was headbutted. His alpha raising an eyebrow at him as he tried to appear huffy "Do these breasts mean nothing to you at all?" Taking a moment to gawk at him, Levi covered his mouth as he laughed "Go to bed already, you shit. I'll be right in" "Good. I wouldn't want this arse to be lonely" Moving to hug him again, Levi was careful not to press against his stomach "Oh come here. You know I love every single part of you" "You're a god damned sap, Levi Ackerman" "Only for you" Kissing him gently, the shared three more before Eren broke off with a happy hum "Mmm. Best alpha ever" *** Historia kept to her original schedule of arriving the following week, dropped off by a dragon that wasn't Ymir the princess had stopped by the castle on her way to pick up gifts from Armin and everyone else. A stupidly ridiculous amount of gifts and enough food to last at least a month or two saving Levi from having to ride into town... not that he needed to at the moment. Being in their own cottage the alpha's instincts hadn't gone as wild as they had when Viren was born. He didn't have to contend with everyone's shitty scents, or constantly worry over being disturbed by their friends. Eren seemed to be recovering much better from the birth too. He was sleepy, spending the next few days napping and allowing Levi to pamper him properly, then stubbornly decided bedrest was over when he found out his magic had flared out of control during the birth, or rather after. Both of them had been relieved that he hadn't used his breath, or blown anything up. That the storm his magic created only hit after the birth and no real damage was done to the barn. Foolishly letting Luca and Viren play outside, Luca had come back with a dozen white roses in his mouth for Eren. His husband then demanded to know what had happened and Levi was forced to admit the scale of the magic released during the birth. Outside their house was seemingly endless fields of white roses, running all the way up to the orphanage up the hill. Their vegetable garden now resembled something of a jungle, as did Eren's green house. The tree surrounding their farm, and on their farm, had seemingly tripled in size, again, all the way up to the orphanage where the start of the orchard Eren had insisted they needed was now bursting with fresh fruit waiting to be plucked. It wasn't just the plant life that seemed to have received a boost. Animals seemed to be everywhere. Levi wasn't stupid, he knew Eren couldn't speed up a pregnancy with magic, yet wherever he looked there fox kits, or baby birds, a random cat had turned up then had her kittens on their back veranda. Trying to keep Luca and Viren from the had been an experience, which only grew to include Eren once he knew of them. Said cat and kittens now living in their living room, thanks to Historia who planned to take two of the litter of five back to Draecia once they were weened from their mother given they reminded her of her girls. Ymir had apparently been teaching them all the wrong things. Each time she'd yell, the three dragons would take off running to hide, but given their size, the girls were generally bigger than the scrub they were hiding behind, Ymir's even larger form not hidden in the slightest. She'd been teaching them that if they couldn't see their mother, she couldn't see them, then blaming Historia'a magic each time they were found within minutes. For all her complaining and teasing, Historia was beyond a proud mum, and had pretty much adopted the boys as her own leaving Levi to focus on Eren and their clutch. Luca had been completely taken by the kittens until they started moving around too much for him to corral them all back to their mother at once while chasing after Viren and guarding the smallest egg of their clutch. Their son chirping in alarm when said kittens started climbing on him and wanting his attention, his red eyes wide with a silent cry for help that had Eren laughing softly at their boy. The first night Luca had made off with their egg, Eren had been in absolute tears thinking something horrific must have happened. That he must have done something in his sleep, somehow broken it or such. With his wailing mate in their nest, Levi tore the whole place apart, not thinking to look in Luca's bed, given that Viren usually climbed in there and was the lump between their fur blankets. It'd been a long night comforting his mate, Eren wanting to sleep with both their boys and the two remaining eggs, which lead to Levi moving to retrieve the two boys and finding their missing egg protectively hidden by their oldest son. Returning it to Eren, his husband calmed enough to be confused by the situation. Luca hadn't been raised by dragons, yet he instinctively wanted to protect the smallest and most fragile of their eggs, which Eren cursed himself over for not thinking of sooner. It took another few days for Eren to get what was going on. Historia calling them in to show them the sight waiting in the living room. Sitting on the lounge chair, Luca had Viren tucked up close to him, as he licked and nuzzled at the egg, their son deciding that he wanted his own little family with Viren like his parents. Puberty was still along way off for their boy, yet he seemingly wanted a clutch of his own someday. Eren couldn't bare to let his eggs out of his sight just yet, so Levi was left to gently explain to their son that he had to wait to until his sibling was born before he could play with them, then Historia was left to distract the boys with the kittens while Eren returned the egg to their clutch. Both of them feeling like dicks when all Luca wanted was to share the love. It was simply too soon. Historia assured them it was quite normal to feel that way for the first month at least, then things would get easier for them, provided Eren stopped trying to fight the dragon side of his instincts and let him feel his chronic need for closeness. This resulted in his omega wearing his eggs in a sling against him almost every waking moment, then sleeping with their clutch between them every night. This didn't stop their son though. Within the first month Luca managed to slip in and steal the same egg three more times, each thinking he'd carefully hidden it in his bed, only for Levi to retrieve it and break his heart a little more.