fiddlestick | IC Contact

[ there was no time to make an entire run back to his car, considering the distance he had trekked from the start of the patrol to actually running a second time from a second monster in the fog. with arion home safe, eren had to make a choice: run the risk of sprinting double the time needed to get on wheels, avoid more fog— or run half the time and double the chances of titan still being alive when he got there. it was in the same area, it wasn’t far.

eren makes the choice and runs, his partner strapped to him the way the uniform allows in time of emergency. he’s done what he can of first aid, and eren keeps checking titan’s mouth for color. pale, heavy and desperate breathing— he ignores the gashes on his own arms, flesh, deep and bleeding for titan, who’s worse. much worse. adrenaline allows him to lift the extra eighty pounds as trained to, and by the time he gets to the parking lot, he’s drenched in sweat, uniform profusely bloody. some of it is his, but most is titan’s, weak, but still conscious.

in a huffing rush, despite how much his legs and back seem to burn, he pays no attention to it. he didn’t care. he bolts a final sprint to the main door and bangs on it desperately until it opened. be home be home be home please be home— ]

Come on—!

[ the dog is whimpering through his breaths, his chest doing so much work to inflate that eren pauses only to begin unstrapping him. he didn’t know what else to do if not bring him here, he didn’t. ]

[Luckily, Elliot had been home tonight. Unless he had things to do with ReVA or Club Sunshine, he tried very hard to stay home and avoid the fog. There were too many dangerous things lurking out there, and Elliot was actually a pretty cautious dude.

So about a minute after the knocking, Elliot will approach the door and check the peep hole. The second he sees who it is, he'll swing open the door- looking worried and confused]

Eren?

[Without questioning it, he'll step aside to let Eren in. He did not want him lingering out in the fog-- and oh no, Titan was here and not looking good]

Oh no- what happened??

[ eren’s face drops, a mix of contained horror and relief spreading across it when it’s elliot that opens the door, gripping the handles to titan’s work vest and dragging him inside. there’s blood there too, and it might smear, but he tries his best to lift more to lay him down gently. he’s been running all night, half of that with extra weight, titan was a big dog. he’s a little tired, even if his mind rejects it. ]

I was taking a kid home, and, [ he huffs, lips and throat dry, enough to crack his voice. he knew he was trained for this, that he was supposed to be ready but— that dreaded feeling of loss is starting to choke him. ] the fog, was me, and—

[ but he’ll clean that, he’ll clean all of it. titan is set by the door, but just enough for them to close it. kneeling down with urgency and unclipping the vest, flipping it up— he did as much first aid as he could on the spot, peeling the bloody bandages off the reveal the holes and gashes that caused his wheezing state now. even his paws, they’re all gashed up. ]

I told him to attack, I didn’t see he had another knife, he— [ he knew why, he saw the flashes of memory when he was running. he was trying to protect someone. him, a ten year old kid— killing two men, with his own furious hands to protect someone.

his eyes are watering. he doesn’t feel like he’s protected anyone like that. titan wouldn’t have been this way if he did. ]

Help him, please—

[His eyes zero in on the blood. It's all over the place, and makes his stomach twist. This isn't the first time he's seen blood....but well, this month sure holds the record for the most amount of blood he's ever seen. From his sickened expression that's among the horror, it's clear he hasn't gotten used to it.

He listens to Eren's explanation. He was attacked by something in the fog. It's not clear what, but it didn't matter. Titan was hurt, badly. And Eren was-

He swallows and kneels down next to Titan. He looks pale and his hands are shaking much more than he'd like. He's healed people before, but there's a streak of terror in someone pleading for your help. In all the responsibility resting on you, when it's someone you care for so much-

Keep it together. you're a Craig. He reminds himself, steeling himself up.]

G-Go to my room and grab my staff please. It's in the black violin case, not the brown one.

[In the meantime, he starts channeling the magic from his ARCUS, his hands hovering over the dog. There's a flash of ~~blue~~ gray light, and glowing water appears over the holes on Titan, working to heal and seal the wounds to stop the bleeding.]

Edited 2017-10-29 21:08 (UTC)

[ it’s desperation, it’s wrong, but he doesn’t think— but he needs him. eren complies with everything, not wasting time in hovering around and storms into elliot’s room. it’s rushed and he probably leaves lights and doors open (his own sleeves leave drops of blood from his own wounds behind), paying no head to anything that wasn’t a black case.

he comes back with it in a dash, nearly stumbling as he falls to the ground next to elliot and opens it for him with shaking, smeared fingers. his eyes dart from elliot to titan, titan to elliot— he can only watch, and allow him concentration.

he needs to calm down, but there are too many things going through his mind right now. he only watches, as titan’s breathing steadies from the raspy huffs, pedaling a paw— weak, but responding. and of course, the light hum of brightness that makes his mouth part all over again, as if he’s seen it for the first time. his own breathing is erratic, but it hitched as he sits against his heels and waits beside them. ]

[Elliot keeps working, recasting every time the glow of the water starts to fade. Luckily, it's easier to heal the injuries of a dog than a person- they tend to be smaller, after all. Once he finishes with the stab wound, he'll do some quick work to seal up the bleeding on the paws.]

It's okay, boy. You'll be okay...

[He'll finally stop with the water magic, the glow fading from the water as it splashes down, now regular old water that pools with the blood. Elliot will turn to glance at Eren- giving a "thanks" as he grabs the violin case. He pops it open and pulls out what looks like the staff- except the staff part shortened down to violin size.

He stands up, and concentrates for a moment. The staff glows white and extends out to full size. Once that's done, he'll slam the end of the staff down against the sound. It rings out like a tuning fork, and a golden light will appear under titan briefly. Once the light fade, Titan will start regenerating over the course of the next few minutes. Any of the wounds not fixed by the water healing will start to heal themselves, and the blood he lost will start to replenish itself.

Elliot will lean against his staff, watching to make sure it works]

Whew, there. I gave him regeneration. It'll last a few minutes...hopefully it'll be enough.

[ titan whimpers as he breathes, occasionally vocalizing the discomfirt, but the more the healing water invelops him, the more he seems to relax, looking up at them, between his owner, between elliot. his tail wags once or twice when he does this, soon stopping to just breathe and relax as the energy pools into his wounds and soothes him.

eren watches in complete awe when elliot brings out his staff and works even further, it sounds like something unearthly, but tranquil all at once. titan’s breathing through the snout now, with no problems, and for a moment eren reaches out to brush through the fur by his neck. a wound had been there, and it no longer was. his fingers stroke the dog’s ear with affection, rubbing lightly by his neck. good boy, he says, and pulls back to let him rest. he needed it, he deserved it.

elliot’s words don’t even seem to hit eren just yet. you know when you haven’t had the time to catch up to things, and when you finally sit down, when you finally breathe and feel safe . . . it all comes crashing down on him, from relief, to gratitude, to adoration and even self criticism. his arms begin to throb and burn from the gashes in his forearms, his palms, but eren’s reddened eyes can’t hold emotion back any longer. he cries. he immediately gets up, grabs elliot in his arms and embraces him. maybe when he can speak, he’ll probably thank him better. his throat’s all right.

[Elliot had been watching Titan, feeling immense relief as he sees the dog's condition continue to improve as the regeneration power worked on him. No good boys would be lost today, it'll be alright.

Because his focus had been there, he's caught by surprise when Eren pulls him into a tight embrace. Enough that he makes a bit of a squawk noise. ]

H-Hey it's ok--

[Except he stops when he notices for the first time, the gashes on Eren's arm]

Eren! You're hurt...?!

[ at least he isn’t bawling— choking back sounds and huffing inwardly to keep things from spilling out. just a little shaken, from running, from the rush, from the fog, the memories, the thought of loss, and that train of thought only seemed to extend to elliot, that one nightmare. he felt a little weak. he felt like he definitely couldn’t go up against something the way he was now. an unprepared wuss, which blindingly takes away his merit of helping the people he actually did. was all that training worth anything? stupidly, he had thought he was ready.

eren slips off of elliot after something of a reluctant sort of grip before his arms fall, rubbing the back of his hand across his eyes and drying those suckers right up. with his forearms exposed, it’s clearer now, rios in his sleeves and blotches staining light-camo print. it’s dripping, and he has to double take and lift both arms up as soon as he sees, pressing them to his stomach and curving so it doesn’t, you know. bleed everywhere. ]

It’s— Nothing, I didn’t notice— [ but it sure is burning more now that he sees it. psychology. ]

It doesn't look like nothing. You're really bleeding. Here-

[He'll step back and slam down that staff against the ground. Yet again, the tuning fork sound rings out, and a glowing golden light appears underneath Eren. As soon as it fades, Eren might feel the wounds start to repair itself.

Elliot is watching, with complete concern on his face. ]

Did you really not notice?

[ eren folds his sleeves back the best he can, and before he could even say anything coherent, elliot’s already working his spell. it’s warm, like— did having a song being sung to you on the inside count as a worthy description? it’s the first time he sees how deep the lacerations are, and how many there actually were. it’s also the last time he sees them, leaving only the blotches of blood while the skin healed.

his mouth stays agape, it was— more than amazing. he’s seen elliot do it on himself, but having it done to you . . . stitches would be the least of his worries if he didn’t have elliot. he opens his mouth, closes it firmly again when he wants to say more, but there’s no escaping the concerned weights looking at him, though, he can feel it even before his vision swerves up. wetting his lips, he takes a deep breath in, lightly shaky at best. ]

I just ran.

[ at least he’s telling the truth; he really didn’t notice them, and when they started to sting, he considered them superficial and nothing more. he takes a heavy seat next to titan, and holds his arm out as a gesture for elliot to sit with him. ]

[Eren...

Elliot worries his lip a little. It was pretty like Eren to get so caught up on adrenaline and concern for someone he cared about that he doesn't notice his own well-being. Eren was very protective of those close to him - Elliot often experienced that firsthand. While it was incredibly sweet, it was worrying. He wanted Eren to be okay too.]

N-Next time I'm checking you too before I start healing...

[That way he can make sure you're okay too. He can do group heals, it's fine. But he'll oblige with taking that hand and sitting down next to the duo.]

Is it healing okay?

[ reluctantly, but with more of a soft sort of half grunt, he shakes his head as eyes go briefly back to his dog. more than a dog, they were trained together. he was an extension, and both were soldiers. no words come for more than one reason, though— he can’t get some images out of his head so soon. they were like . . . addicting flashbacks. thinking back made his chest tighten and his stomach turn, it even kept his heart rate up when it shouldn’t be. it was violent, and raw, and he felt it in his blood. maybe it was always in him, and maybe he just didn’t have the right (or wrong) circumstances to uproot it. eren was intense to start. feed him, and he was a beast in brittle chains.

the actions of the past didn’t bother him. it was the present that did, and that’s . . . what was probably the most concerning. with titan checked first, mildly slumbering, eren then raises his arms, skin patching and smoothing out. it’s like it never happened. his shoulders slump, and he lets his hand fall to grip elliot’s forearm. urgently, wanting to reassure him, but also give him his heart. it’s right there in his voice that he means everything. ]

He’s alive now because of you. [ “thanks” felt . . . so little, though. ] I had way more time than he did, Elliot.

["He's alive now because of you". It's not the first time someone's expressed such a sentiment to him this month, but it still seems so...huge. Something too big to be said to someone like him. He still has no idea how to respond to it, not really. So he elects not to...for now. He takes a deep breath, feeling the reassurance from Eren's hold.]

I-I'm not arguing that. But I can heal more than one person at a time, you know...

[ maybe it was eren’s bull head that halts him from getting it completely. maybe, sort of. he tries to get it, but still— he wasn’t a priority, in his head. he could wait. silence cuts in and the airman persists no more in it, dipping his head back against the wall and hitting it a few dull times. he finds himself staring at elliot, then a few smears on the floor— he should get that and clean that up, and he will, but.

all that happened and he still thought of healing two at once. his hold on his hand doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. it doesn’t want to let go. ]

You really make those powers amazing.

[ without elliot’s mind to it . . . it wouldn’t be the same at all. it’s not the powers that made him amazing, it was the other way around. ]

[Well to be fair, it was less time and energy consuming to heal multiple people at once. There was only so many times he can cast that regeneration spell before he needs to rest...but he won't mention that right now.

Instead, Eren's words make his ears turn a slight shade of pink. By now, several people have complimented his powers. Or told him he was something along the lines of amazing after witnessing his powers. Which were all very nice words, and he did appreciate them! But Eren...Eren's words were touching in a whole other way. It reminded him how Eren cared for him before he ever had magic. He could lose his powers tomorrow, and Eren would still be there.

Not that he had any desire to give up his powers, not in the least. He was really glad he could help, like he just did. But still...it was a nice sentiment]

Haha, bleeding on my floor and you still manage to be charming somehow.

[ eren might not be in the greatest of energies to smile wide, but if there was one person who could stir the dark cloud over his shoulders and get some rays of light to crack through— it was elliot, as he did just now. eren’s eyes fix on him and after a moment, his lips curl fondly, a heh being breathed and feeling his own ears warm at the sight of him and his flush. it always matches his ginger hair, somehow. he loves it. his thumb strokes over where he holds, and he feels . . . lighter. even for that, he’s thankful. ]

I’ll clean it up.

[ he’ll just need a cloth and some cleaner. even if he’s a little reluctant to let go of his hand. ]

Haha, it's okay. You just keep an eye on Titan.

[He does a lot of cooking, he's pretty used to cleaning up blood. He just...has to imagine it as that.]

Though you guys should stay here tonight.

[ nonono eren mutters, shaking his head. you’ve done more than enough, you’re not cleaning their blood, too! he’s reluctant to let go of his hand, but stubborn enough to keep to his word and shift up to get a piece of cloth, squeezing elliot’s hand before slipping away. he’s going to have to . . . disarm a bit though, removing his cap, jacket, some straps, the gun and extra magazines at his side. sliding the used magazine out, there are . . . two left, out of fifteen rounds. at least it helped with something. putting safety on, he places his things by titan’s head, who perks his ears to watch him. good boy.

going out again was stupidity in that fog, too, so it’s not like eren objects. quietly, he only nods his head in understanding and gratitude, and while he had briefly considered the couch just now . . . he doesn’t want to find himself alone, tonight. titan would rest and behave at his feet, he wasn’t worried about that, but considering the roommate situation! ]

Can I stay with you?

[ and probably just. spoon him all night. ]

[Welp okay, if Eren insists on cleaning it himself...Elliot's not gonna stop him. It's not like he likes cleaning up blood. Still, it was nice to insist! He was a polite boy! But he'll watch Eren disarm, reaching over to give Titan a comforting pet of his fur. Thank you for practicing proper gun safety in his home Eren. He appreciates it. ]

Aha, of course you can. [He was going to offer the guest bedroom, but like he was going to object having his boyfriend stay with him.] Though I should warn you, my bed's smaller than yours so it might be a tight fit.

[Aka it's a good thing you're thinking of spooning. He bought the bed back when he was single and had assumed he wouldn't have to worry about someone staying over - so the cheap twin-sized mattress it was. ]

[ that. brings immense relief even if his heart sort of knew the answer already. it’s something— deep that’s relieved to hear it officially, he can’t explain it, enough that his shoulders give a visible untense while his back is turned to get everything and start cleaning up for real, kneeling over to the spotty places and wiping them clean. ]

I’ll make it fit. [ another smile is offered over his shoulder as he finishes getting the rest of the smears. nice and clean, now. he’ll have to wash his clothes, probably, but he can do that in the bathroom. clothes wouldn’t be a problem, he’ll sleep with his boxers and undershirt. elliot would approve.

once he’s officially done, though, he quietly, slowly bounds up to him with a slight swing in his legs, reaching over to pull elliot into a hug, and breathing softly into the head of hair he’s buried his face into: ] Thanks.

[ for everything, ever, in the history of forever. ]

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when your hand slips in your sleep at 1am

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