[ running would have to come in close second, there was something much more dire and that was getting rid of the fog child. the distraction was now, buffeted by the broom’s bristle and the whack of wood over his head. eren takes the opening to grab for the weapon, harshly bending the boy’s wrist to have him let go. eren quite possibly cuts himself, his hands, his palms in the process, because the fog illusion does still put up a startled fight, but he hardly feels the burns of open skin.
he just feels the massive rush of adrenaline that urges him to de the necessary. he doesn’t see a child. the fog isn’t him, it’s a monster, a threat— a threat that could’ve injured titan more than it did, could’ve killed him, himself and even arion. it can keep doing what it wanted as long as it kept lurking, only taking away what was important. he’s felt this before, in some way, and he reaction to it is simple. attack. no mercy in it. eren’s got the boy in a hanging arm lock, one that immediately chokes him into thrashing. eren’s not letting go, he’s only squeezing harder as he sits and asphyxiates.
little eren is a tough thing— he kicks, and punches, even attempts to bite before he squeaks out: fight. it’s nothing short of a gasp as he only turns purple, as eren turns red himself from holding his breath and pushing to snap him in two if he had to. if you don’t fight, you can’t— win-! fight! with everything it’s already caused, he had to. even after the young boy stops squirming, stops breathing, eren’s muscles still contract and constrict, until he’s completely sure— until the body in his arms slowly begins to dissipate, and fog begins to lessen.
he doesn’t feel a thing to have killed off a monster with his face, a child’s face— only that he’s capable. does it bother him? no. does the fact that it doesn’t bother him, bother him? no. eren’s . . . practical. ]
[It's hard to watch it, but deep down he knows he can't afford to close his eyes and pretend it's not happening. This is his life now. All because of an app that installed itself on his phone. So he watches Eren choke out the phantom of his younger self, all while keeping tabs of their surroundings. It would suck even more if something else came out of the woodworks while Eren was pre-occupied with not getting shanked.
When the fog Eren dissolves and vanishes, Arion lets out the breath he was holding. He has to use the broom to hold himself up. It's times like these he appreciates whatever shreds of normalcy he managed to hold onto during these trying times. The fog lessens, but the sense of danger still lingered in the air.
It takes a moment before he can speak.]
...You... You're bleeding...
[He may still be in a little shock. Numbly, he rifles through his pockets and pulls out a few small bandaids and sports tape.]
[ eren huffs his breaths deep, in and out, hands and fingers still shaking from the rush as he briefly holds them out. he hadn’t wanted arion to see something like that, like any of that, and the still startled look on the boy’s face is warranted. eren doesn’t take notice of the bleeding, neither the deepened cuts that drip— they don’t bother him, but the sentiment pangs his heart.
there’s someone who needs it more though, and swallowing hard he picks himself up and rushes to his dog, already at his side and painfully trying to breath. pressing titan’s head down so that he’s laying on his side, eren quickly leans over him. remember k9 first aid and on sight emergencies. now’s not the time to simmer down. he still needs a leveled and alert head, waving for arion to come over. ]
I’ll be fine— he needs it more. [ eren’s already searching for where blood smears the most on his palm from the fur, and where the worst one was. he has a tiny kit in his belongings, always ready and glad he was, rummaging into it for the right supplies and pressing down wherever needed. he’ll take the sports tape, though. that actually sticks amazingly well. ] How far is your house from here?
[Watching Eren methodically wrap Titan's wounds helps ground Arion and lets him catch his breath and his mental state.]
It's just a few blocks down that way. I think we still have our doggy first aid kit.
[He points to the area where the fog Eren appeared to ambush them. There's a growl and whimper behind them--Arion spins around in alarm, but it's just his dog. Convenient.]
Sasuke! Don't run.... off...
[There's something else in the fog, a figure barely visible, but clearly inhuman...]
[ eren's too engrossed with titan that he only offers a look over his shoulder just to make sure it's actually the dog, before going back to his partner. the one to the thorax was what worried him the most, it'd make it hard to breathe from here. lungs collapse like that, not to mention fluid build-up where there shouldn't be. he fastens titan to him, suspended by a vest and held tightly in front of him, like a backpack being used against your front. he'll have to carry the extra weight, but it was nothing alien. they're trained for this.
thank god for his mother being an ace nurse. he learned some tricks. now, he just has to be quick. ] Let's go.
[ he seems pretty urgent in making it fast, he had to go and take titan to the one person he knew who could save him. he doesn't notice that, behind them . . . ]
[Arion nods, and grabs Sasuke's leash tightly, winding it around his hand a few times. The older dog is curious about Eren and Titan, especially with Titan being carried like a baby. He gives them a sniff and a woof, but ultimately leaves them alone when he smells their blood.]
Y--Yeah... Can you run like that?
[Arion is still nervous. Even Sasuke, who is normally one of the most laid back dogs he's ever known, is getting antsy. The fog is starting to thicken again, and behind them, something is letting out an unearthly growl.]
[ you have to be prepared for that on the field, and he’s carried enough to know he has to be capable. a prerequisite. emergency first aid for the k-9 unit, kids! the more titan stays put, the better.
he doesn’t seem to have problems with the extra weight at all, muscles accustomed like an athlete is to running a marathon. it was normal. gesturing for them to go along, eren begins taking his steps— until the snark behind them pierced the air. the fog is thick again, and he quickly looks behind him with his hand pulling for his gun. the magazine’s fine—
[From the veil of the fog appears a demonic figure. An imposing torso with bulging muscles and massive red feathered wings that exuded strength and aggression. Black whisps that faded into the fog where legs should be. Clearly a monster. It rears a fist back, getting ready to strike.]
L--Look out!
[Arion pulls on his dog leash, and Sasuke wastes no time following his owner. They barely dodge the punch, which has enough force to stir up the fog around them.]
eren immediately rushes himself out of the way, tugging arion’s arm and giving his a massive boost with the swing of his own arm. he tried carrying him and titan, he’d just slow them all down for good. it’d make for an easy snack. ]
Run, just run!!
[ despite the weight, he’s still capable of staying a short distance from arion if he ran fast— he might even be close by. titan’s agitates, obviously, and eren pulls tightly on his straps to keep him from moving much. he had to do all the moving.
no time wasted, with titan secures and arion in front of him, he pulls his gun from his holster and looks around them, looks behind them as the monster tails. they were close to the house, titan was wounded— he thinks back on the robot he’d encountered with li-na, and improvises. they had to finish it here, quickly.
he’s looking around for any props to use, and most importantly, any weak spots. ]
[Arion runs ahead, keeping track of Eren's footsteps behind him to make sure he's not straggling behind. He can't hear the monster behind them, but that aggressive growling and screaming indicates it's still close. When he sneaks a peek behind him, it's not far behind, but as soon as he does...]
Ahh!!
[The misty tail of the creature shoots out and attaches itself to Arion's back and he is yanked back before he could react.]
[ eren doesn’t think before he does— his free arm shoots out to grab arion as he’s pulled from in front of him, wherever he could, his entire hand digging around the boy’s forearm and locking his grasp into a death grip. you’d have to cut it off if you want him to let go, or, the monster would have to take eren with it. ]
Arion!!
[ titan attempts to bark wildly at the action, but eren doesn’t seem to hear a thing. he only sees the fright in the boy’s eyes, and the monster wanting him. he was here for one thing, and it wasn’t a coincidence. i’m not letting you, eren’s mind snarls, wielding his firearm toward the monster’s eyes. his gut tells him, don’t let go, stand your ground, and go for the eyes.
and just as the beast opens it’s ugly jaws in protest, eren fires mercilessly, shot after shot aimed right for the sockets. ]
[Arion flinches at the sound of the firearm going off repeatedly, but hands on to Eren's hand. The beast roars in pain, thrashing mid-air before swinging its arms wildly in front of it. Its whispy tail is still anchored to Arion's back, jostling him with every movement. It's rather painful to be tugged so hard in so many directions.]
I need--I need to get it off!
[He's clawing wildly at the tail attached to his back. It feels like a part of him now, and he desperately needs to sever that connection.]
[ what does he do, what does he do— eren’s long abandoned the knives and blades his apparition had left behind. he only had his gun, with a little more than half a magazine left. he’s blinded the beast, that much was apparent, but he’d had to use the remaining bullets wisely. if he wanted to keep holding onto arion like he did armin, during that time . . .
that time, he was prying a monstrous mouth open, reaching inside and grabbing the boy’s wrist with all his might. his leg was bleeding then, no— it was gone. weight caved over his shoulders and carved into his knees, but even then, eren still held on. he found the strength somewhere, it erupted from the inside out, he jerked him from the throat of a beast and threw him onto a roof.
and that same strength, from inside him, surges. eren pulls, and screams— and aiming another round of blows, he fires at the monster’s tail and pries the boy free. no one’s dying here. not him, not titan, and not arion. ]
tfw the kid you saved is two letters off from your past bff
[Eren's shots at the tail do the trick to loosen Arion from its grasp. Arion stumbles forward, but is quick to recover and pull the rest of its tail off his back. It disappears like thick smoke, and it's not long before the monster does the same. The fog begins to let up again. Sasuke whimpers and licks his owner's and Eren's hands. Arion does his best to regulate his breathing and mentally recover from that.]
...Thank you...
[He gives Eren (and Titan) a quick hug to ground themselves again.]
[ if he still wasn’t holding onto him, the force in eren’s pull would’ve sent arion flying. his gun still stays aimed, even as the beast retreats, letting the boy go in favor of keeping both hands on the firearm. he’s shaking, but he stands the ground needed until the fog pushes back and recoils, until . . . his hands fall to his sides. one of them has titan’s wet nose pressing into it while the other has an even smaller tongue lapping, nearly making him jump.
it’s just— it’s just the other dog. and arion is okay. they’re all okay for now. the embrace comes as a slight surprise, but eren hurriedly returns it when he realizes he’s being thanked. firming the boy’s shoulders in front of him, he gives arion a firm nod. ]
You did great, too. [ he licks his dry lips, but already gets up, checking titan. ] Let’s— let’s leave you there, I gotta hurry.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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he just feels the massive rush of adrenaline that urges him to de the necessary. he doesn’t see a child. the fog isn’t him, it’s a monster, a threat— a threat that could’ve injured titan more than it did, could’ve killed him, himself and even arion. it can keep doing what it wanted as long as it kept lurking, only taking away what was important. he’s felt this before, in some way, and he reaction to it is simple. attack. no mercy in it. eren’s got the boy in a hanging arm lock, one that immediately chokes him into thrashing. eren’s not letting go, he’s only squeezing harder as he sits and asphyxiates.
little eren is a tough thing— he kicks, and punches, even attempts to bite before he squeaks out: fight. it’s nothing short of a gasp as he only turns purple, as eren turns red himself from holding his breath and pushing to snap him in two if he had to. if you don’t fight, you can’t— win-! fight! with everything it’s already caused, he had to. even after the young boy stops squirming, stops breathing, eren’s muscles still contract and constrict, until he’s completely sure— until the body in his arms slowly begins to dissipate, and fog begins to lessen.
he doesn’t feel a thing to have killed off a monster with his face, a child’s face— only that he’s capable. does it bother him? no. does the fact that it doesn’t bother him, bother him? no. eren’s . . . practical. ]
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When the fog Eren dissolves and vanishes, Arion lets out the breath he was holding. He has to use the broom to hold himself up. It's times like these he appreciates whatever shreds of normalcy he managed to hold onto during these trying times. The fog lessens, but the sense of danger still lingered in the air.
It takes a moment before he can speak.]
...You... You're bleeding...
[He may still be in a little shock. Numbly, he rifles through his pockets and pulls out a few small bandaids and sports tape.]
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there’s someone who needs it more though, and swallowing hard he picks himself up and rushes to his dog, already at his side and painfully trying to breath. pressing titan’s head down so that he’s laying on his side, eren quickly leans over him. remember k9 first aid and on sight emergencies. now’s not the time to simmer down. he still needs a leveled and alert head, waving for arion to come over. ]
I’ll be fine— he needs it more. [ eren’s already searching for where blood smears the most on his palm from the fur, and where the worst one was. he has a tiny kit in his belongings, always ready and glad he was, rummaging into it for the right supplies and pressing down wherever needed. he’ll take the sports tape, though. that actually sticks amazingly well. ] How far is your house from here?
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It's just a few blocks down that way. I think we still have our doggy first aid kit.
[He points to the area where the fog Eren appeared to ambush them. There's a growl and whimper behind them--Arion spins around in alarm, but it's just his dog. Convenient.]
Sasuke! Don't run.... off...
[There's something else in the fog, a figure barely visible, but clearly inhuman...]
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thank god for his mother being an ace nurse. he learned some tricks. now, he just has to be quick. ] Let's go.
[ he seems pretty urgent in making it fast, he had to go and take titan to the one person he knew who could save him. he doesn't notice that, behind them . . . ]
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Y--Yeah... Can you run like that?
[Arion is still nervous. Even Sasuke, who is normally one of the most laid back dogs he's ever known, is getting antsy. The fog is starting to thicken again, and behind them, something is letting out an unearthly growl.]
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[ you have to be prepared for that on the field, and he’s carried enough to know he has to be capable. a prerequisite. emergency first aid for the k-9 unit, kids! the more titan stays put, the better.
he doesn’t seem to have problems with the extra weight at all, muscles accustomed like an athlete is to running a marathon. it was normal. gesturing for them to go along, eren begins taking his steps— until the snark behind them pierced the air. the fog is thick again, and he quickly looks behind him with his hand pulling for his gun. the magazine’s fine—
but, shit. ]
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L--Look out!
[Arion pulls on his dog leash, and Sasuke wastes no time following his owner. They barely dodge the punch, which has enough force to stir up the fog around them.]
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eren immediately rushes himself out of the way, tugging arion’s arm and giving his a massive boost with the swing of his own arm. he tried carrying him and titan, he’d just slow them all down for good. it’d make for an easy snack. ]
Run, just run!!
[ despite the weight, he’s still capable of staying a short distance from arion if he ran fast— he might even be close by. titan’s agitates, obviously, and eren pulls tightly on his straps to keep him from moving much. he had to do all the moving.
no time wasted, with titan secures and arion in front of him, he pulls his gun from his holster and looks around them, looks behind them as the monster tails. they were close to the house, titan was wounded— he thinks back on the robot he’d encountered with li-na, and improvises. they had to finish it here, quickly.
he’s looking around for any props to use, and most importantly, any weak spots. ]
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Ahh!!
[The misty tail of the creature shoots out and attaches itself to Arion's back and he is yanked back before he could react.]
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Arion!!
[ titan attempts to bark wildly at the action, but eren doesn’t seem to hear a thing. he only sees the fright in the boy’s eyes, and the monster wanting him. he was here for one thing, and it wasn’t a coincidence. i’m not letting you, eren’s mind snarls, wielding his firearm toward the monster’s eyes. his gut tells him, don’t let go, stand your ground, and go for the eyes.
and just as the beast opens it’s ugly jaws in protest, eren fires mercilessly, shot after shot aimed right for the sockets. ]
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I need--I need to get it off!
[He's clawing wildly at the tail attached to his back. It feels like a part of him now, and he desperately needs to sever that connection.]
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that time, he was prying a monstrous mouth open, reaching inside and grabbing the boy’s wrist with all his might. his leg was bleeding then, no— it was gone. weight caved over his shoulders and carved into his knees, but even then, eren still held on. he found the strength somewhere, it erupted from the inside out, he jerked him from the throat of a beast and threw him onto a roof.
and that same strength, from inside him, surges. eren pulls, and screams— and aiming another round of blows, he fires at the monster’s tail and pries the boy free. no one’s dying here. not him, not titan, and not arion. ]
tfw the kid you saved is two letters off from your past bff
...Thank you...
[He gives Eren (and Titan) a quick hug to ground themselves again.]
We're only a block away from home now.
thanks for that regain yo
it’s just— it’s just the other dog. and arion is okay. they’re all okay for now. the embrace comes as a slight surprise, but eren hurriedly returns it when he realizes he’s being thanked. firming the boy’s shoulders in front of him, he gives arion a firm nod. ]
You did great, too. [ he licks his dry lips, but already gets up, checking titan. ] Let’s— let’s leave you there, I gotta hurry.