like no, i know that logically my body is not dead or decaying, i know logically that the universe most likely is not a living being that i can speak to, i understand reality and logic for the most part, that does make the delusions go away and honestly at this point i cant be bothered to try and make them go away
This is a bit shorter than the other chapters. It was going to be merged with the next chapter and I waffled between the two before deciding not to do that. Idk, both are proofread so both are going up 2nite. Dividers by @/cafekitsune!
This fic is for: Anyone who can handle it! The reader does have an afab physical form, but as this is a reincarnation fic, it can be anyone mentally. Imo that adds to the horror. Reader and the person whose body they are in are referred to using they/them pronouns.
TW FOR: DEAD DOVE, DO NOT EAT! Forced pregnancy (heavy on this one, this chapter), dehumanization, self-loathing, existentialism only flirted with, nightmares, implied violence, Epel sucks at forethought, general insecurity.
Link to last chapter HERE!
You can hardly walk anymore, but Epel carries you often. Any chance he gets, he scoops you up, kissing your cheeks and neck. You hate it. Your waddling is awful, and you’re tired, and to top it all off, your tits are sore.
Epel keeps taking you to his apartment. You like it more than your own, though you should not. It’s smaller, but cozier. The rug in his bedroom is apparently a textile his “meemaw” handmade for him. It’s beautiful, a pattern of deer, apples, bells, and bottles in a soft, welcoming array of pinks, blues, and violets.
Epel looked almost ashamed to show you his place at first, but you genuinely like it in his apartment. Comparatively, yours is a cold, beautiful coffin. Epel has a roof that leaks and his boiler smells weird, and there’s a stain on his wall from something that he doesn’t know, but it’s lived in. The space feels alive. And the food he cooks tastes more like food and less like sand when it’s made by him in his apartment.
The only downside is that every time you spend the night there, you have these terrible dreams. You’re running, and you can hear garbled screaming and shouting. There’s thumping, and you seem to be in your apartment, but you’re also not sure, as everything is blurry.
It took you a while to figure it out, but it’s a replaying of the night whoever your body used to belong to fought with Epel for the last time. From what you can understand, the last inhabitant of this body was frenemies with benefits with Epel. He wanted more than casual sex and the occasional hatefuck, and whoever you were had a pretty severe psychotic break when he wouldn’t drop it. They scream in your dream and you wake up screaming, which makes Epel concerned and grouchy as he wakes up with you. You haven’t told him exactly what the issue is.
So you ask not to spend the night too often, but you don’t have much of a choice as you still don’t know this city very well. Besides, wandering around at night pregnant isn’t a stellar idea. It doesn’t matter as much anyway, since ironically, Epel seems to strongly prefer your apartment to his. He seems far more pleased to lounge over your legs with his ear against your growing belly on your couch rather than his.
You must be getting dumber… or complacent, because one day, as he’s doing just that, you hear yourself talking before you understand what you’re saying, “If you move in with me, or we move somewhere else together, can we use your furniture? I like the rug in your bedroom.”
Epel freezes, then sits up to stare at you, those pretty blue eyes watery like always, “You wanna get a house together?”
“A house?” You repeat dully.
Epel leans up and kisses your forehead, then your eyelids, then your nose. Then he leans back, “Honey, that’s a big step. You sure you’re ready?”
“I’m… going to shove out a baby in less than two months. I think that’s a bigger step than… than getting a house together.”
His cheeks redden and you don’t feel bad for him. It’s like he didn’t think about any of this aside from the initial idea- get you pregnant and be together. You’re sore, physically and emotionally. Your poor tired nipples, your poor swollen ankles, your weak, weak, pathetic soul-
He leans in again, kissing you, and you can’t help but feel even more irritated when he stands up, stretching, and says, “Well, I’ll start lookin’. We can keep the stuff from my place.”
Starlo, on set, has also taken to speaking to your belly. You hate this, for many reasons, the most of which is that it makes you feel like a fancy incubator more than a person. Pepper seems disturbed by how round you’re growing- like he’s never seen a pregnant belly before. Belle talks to you more than your belly, but her questions feel increasingly vapid, and you don’t retain any of them but one.
“When did you guys really get together?”
You don’t know. As far as you’re aware, Epel thinks you’ve always been destined for each other. He references things that you should know, but don’t because you aren’t you. Is it destiny if one of the destined is not alive anymore, a different ghost possessing their form?
You don’t think that thought often, if you can help it. You’re busy, but, of course, the day production closes, your water breaks.
you know sometimes I think about that time I dated a gay man (I am mostly if not entirely a woman and am mostly if not entirely a lesbian) and I'm still not entirely sure why either us thought that was a good idea.
the relationship still lasted nearly a year of very awkward but caring interactions between us until I finally broke up, he was like "ohthankgoodness I've seen you as just a friend for, like, 2 years, I just didn't want to hurt your feelings" and I was like "for real??? me too!"
just to clarify again both of us were aware the entire time that he was gay and I was a women thing.
Sara’s relationship with Ei and the Shogun makes me so so so sad like Shogunbot only has a line about sara saying she’s a good soldier but she’s a fucking ROBOT and Ei doesn’t know who she actually is because she was chilling in her plane for 500 years. and Sara only worshiped the Shogun and is complletly unfamiliar with Ei (that scene at the festival is acutally tragic) and Ei was never the hero she though she was. and the Shogun nor Ei didn’t even save her so her devotion is entirely misplaced and she was always being manipulated by Takayuki who doesn’t even care about her like he does his other sons and manipulated her for her entire life and basically made her a child soldier. and she has no life outside of her job and devotion to the shogun and role as a solider and is incredibly lonely especially when she sees people having families and stuff. and she’s bullied and manipulated by half the inazuma cast and we aid in it. Lol! Lmao!