What Lies Beyond || AOT Boys x Reader

Chapter 11: Unspoken Feelings

"You're weak." She hissed, shoving your small body to the ground.

You whimpered and curled into a little ball. You were too tired and sore to get up and too afraid if you pushed yourself up she would beat you back down.

"Get up."

Raven's iron-like grip latched onto your arm and dragged your limp body back to your clumsy feet. Your head lolled to the side at the sudden rush of blood that filled your head and caused a dull pulsing in your temples.

Her sharp nailed fingers dragged your chin towards her, forcing your eyes to meet hers. The dull hazel burned into your own (e/c) with a glare of distaste.

The black haired woman scoffed and released you suddenly, causing you to stumble to your knees.

"It's a mystery why Anthony chose you out of all of us. You know, at first I thought he had a reason for choosing you, but now...Now I don't know if he's crazy or just fucking stupid."

You whimpered again and refused to meet her glare, eyeing her worn boots that paced angrily around you.

"You're a waste of space." She spat, bringing back the toe of her boot and giving you a harsh kick to your already bruised ribs.

You screamed and doubled over, tears dripping to the dusty floor when you doubled over in agony.

"You're supposed to be a weapon, not a tool, you fucking disgrace."

Raven took a handful of your hair and pulled your head back, her lips pressed into a thin line. You grit your teeth and stared straight ahead of you into the thick forest. You're only escape.

"Maybe, this time you'll learn." Raven hissed, bringing back her clenched fist. "Little Kestrel."
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You woke with a start, the first thing that you registered was the shooting pain in your shoulder and the achy burn of bruised ribs.

Grunting in discomfort you sat yourself up slowly, noticing someone else was with you. Thomas's hand held onto yours tightly, hunched over your bed in sleep.

You smiled slightly and tapped his head. His dark eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times before realizing you were awake.

"(F/n)!" He cried, jumping up and throwing his arms around you. He smelled like the forest and faint perfume, probably Doctor Cinna's.

You gagged in your mind at the thought and hissed in pain when Thomas jostled your tender shoulder a bit too much.

"Thomas," you gasped. "That hurts."

"Sorry!" He said, eyes shinning with tears. "I-I thought you died." He sniffed. "W-when you hit that tree and didn't get up, I-I.."

You scoffed and ruffled his hair, like he always did to you. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Sparrow."

He sniffed again and smiled slightly at the use of his nickname. You never used it, preferring to call others by their actual names, not the ones given by Raven. It was just another thing you did to try and distance yourself from her, something to convince you that you were *nothing like her and Anthony.

Thomas sniffed again and caught your hand before it fell from his hair. "Im serious, (F/n)." His dark bottomless eyes held a glint of seriousness as they bored into your own. He gave your hand a squeeze. "You can't scare me like that. I don't know what I would do without you.."

You were touched by his words, tugging him into a rare hug even if your dislocated shoulder protested at your movements.

You'd never admit to it, but you felt complete with him here. Not in a romantic way, but in a way that if you lost each other it would feel like half of yourself were missing. He made you want to fight for your life, something you were grateful for.