And so Reiner will. He doesn't look his best—too tired from poor sleep—but he's far from his worst. His clothes are a shade nicer than usual: his button-down shirt is accompanied by dark slacks and actual shoes in place of combat boots.
The wrapped gifts are so small he could hold them in just one hand. But he holds them in both, anyway, fidgeting slightly with the corners of the wrapping paper.
Eren has that same poor sleep problem. He doesn't think to dress much different than usual, but Mikasa got him more clothes a little while ago that I am too lazy to go pick out right now so he at least doesn't look like he's wearing the same shirt for the 200th time. These clothes are all black instead of shades of grey, but…baby steps.
He finds Reiner in Blossomcrown looking gorgeous despite being tired. He's still somehow surprised that after everything, Reiner…is like this. Here, with him, for him, presents and the whole thing. Should he have bought a present too? Well, too late now.
As soon as Reiner hears that voice, his restless fidgeting ceases. He turns to face Eren, a smile tugging at his lips, eyes warming despite the question.
"Eren," he greets. Eren. His Eren. His Eren, who attacked his hometown, who holds his hand, who is the same and worse. His Eren, whose lips he knows like no others.
"It's overdue," he says, gesturing Eren closer with one of the gifts. Evidently meaning for Eren to open that one first. "Plus, it's traditional this time of year."
If Eren accepts the gift, he'll find a Safety Pin inside, its design something that Reiner thought Eren might like. (Or perhaps something that just shouted Eren on an unconscious level.)
Eren feels a little lighter seeing that smile play on Reiner's lips. He doesn't deserve that smile, not after all he's done (will do). But he'll take it as long as he has it.
He's not about to outright refuse a gift. That would be shittier than he usually is (usually), and anyway, Reiner wrapped it and everything! Tradition doesn't matter to Eren at all, but even weird angry boys like to get presents sometimes.
The Safety Pin is shaped like a lightning bolt, blue with gold along the edge. The symbolism sure isn't lost on Eren, but he's not sure what it is. More than just a decoration, he assumes.
When Eren takes the gift, Reiner steals the excuse to move a half-step closer. (Not that he needs the excuse, really.) He just wants to be near. Wants to be close as he looks Eren in the eyes. Wants to reach out and take his hand, assure himself that there's no blood on Eren's palm, that it's his Eren—
Except that Eren's hands are busy. So Reiner waits, just watching.
"It's called a Safety Pin. Capital 'S' and 'P.' Do you remember that thing I had when the four of us went camping?"
Never mind the fact that Reiner brought many things in his magical bag.
"You choose a word to activate it. When you say that word, the pin creates a barrier that protects you for five hours." His voice softens, but his eyes are bright, intense. "Nothing can hurt you while it's active, Eren. Not even a Titan. You'll be completely safe."
Eren catches that movement, Reiner coming just a little closer. Suits him just fine. (Of course there is no blood on his hands, not visibly, only the psychological remnants of what has been and what might/could/will be. Lucky them.)
He thinks back. Reiner had a bunch of shit with him when they went camping, but…
"Kinda," he says, which is true. He meets Reiner's gaze, green to gold. His eyes go a little wide at the explanation.
This is a hell of a thing to give a boy who proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he's capable of ending the world. Not only capable, but he will do so. Not here. He hopes he never has to. But in Eren's mind, it's still no choice, even seeing what he told Armin in the end.
Nothing can hurt you, Reiner says. Not even a Titan.
Not even me, he means. Reiner, Galliard, even Armin, none of them could do anything if he had that pin active — a fact that Reiner knows, and gives it to him anyway.
He looks back down at the pin for a second.
"I got it. Thank you," he says, which is maybe a bit understated for the gravity of what it is, what it means. There's that trust kink, filling him with emotions he can't put words to.
Eren's eyes widen, bright and vivid green, so entrancing that Reiner sometimes wonders if there's anything else. Sometimes there isn't. Sometimes it's only the two of them, the world fallen away, all the horror at their heels no more than nightmares. Those eyes widen, and Reiner knows he doesn't have to clarify. Eren understands what he means.
It's good that Eren does. Reiner still struggles more days than not, the crushing weight of it keeping him abed for hours despite sleep eluding him. Maybe Reiner is doing well, all things considered; after all, it's barely been more than a week. Or maybe he's hanging on by a thread.
It doesn't matter either way. What matters is that Reiner wants Eren to be safe. He wants to protect Eren. He wants to take care of Eren.
(A part of him is furious with Eren. A part of him is begging to know why Eren didn't just kill him. A part of him wonders if things would've been different if they'd been together back home; another part dismisses that question, knowing he will never be enough.
But no part of Reiner hates Eren. No part of Reiner wants Eren dead.)
So he looks Eren in the eyes, and his lips quirk up into a slight smile again.
"Sure," he says, a hand reaching out to briefly brush his fingers over Eren's wrist. Not taking his hand (yet), but suggesting it. Then Reiner looks down at the other gift, and…
"… You don't have to accept this one if you don't want to."
(As if Eren would ever accept anything he didn't want to.)
He holds out the box. Unwrapping it will reveal a ring box containing a matched set of silver rings with conspicuously clear gemstones.
Sometimes it is just the two of them. There might be nothing else left in the world, like those moments in the Paths, just them and them and nothing. Other people on the street? They don't matter at all.
He knows that Reiner wants to take care of him, but he's not always sure what that means. It's so fitting that Reiner is the Armored Titan, shielding everyone he can from damage. (He probably also knows Reiner is mad at him on some level, but Eren himself is always mad at something or other, or someone, or everyone, so it's whatever.)
Reiner's got that little smile on his face again and part of Eren wants to lean over and kiss him. He doesn't (yet), settling instead for that little brush of Reiner's fingers on his wrist.
"Why wouldn't I?" Eren asks, genuine. Is there any gift he wouldn't accept from Reiner at this point? He can't imagine there is. It's hard to tell how Eren will react (or…not react) to things sometimes, but whatever this is, they're in it together now. Unfortunately for everyone, there is no undoing Eren's love.
He puts the pin in a pocket and takes the other gift to unwrap it. He stares at the rings there for a minute, eyes wide again, the hint of colour starting to touch his cheeks.
"Reiner, these are…" He looks up. "You really want to give me this?"
He doesn't even ask what they do. Something, probably, because that's how Ellipsa is, but there are two of them. (Maybe he should read descriptions in the shops more often, but you know.)
Reiner doesn't answer Eren's first question, simply waiting as Eren accepts the gift, setting about unwrapping it. The smile lingers on Reiner's lips for a bit, but it falls as nervousness settles on him again, the fear of rejection (never strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, good enough) crawling up his spine.
He's not ignorant. He understands the significance of giving someone a ring. The fact that these are magical rings doesn't detract from that significance; if anything, it amplifies it.
It doesn't have to mean anything more than what they want it to mean.
(Reiner wants it to mean everything and more.)
Eren stares at the matched rings, color rising in his cheeks. Reiner doesn't realize how intently he's watching until Eren looks up; still, he doesn't stop.
"Yeah. I do." He holds Eren's gaze, steady despite his fear. "I've wanted to give you this for a few months. I kept waiting for the right time…"
He trails off, releasing a little huff of laughter. The right time. What a ridiculous concept for two young men whose ages are flipped, times misaligned, both struggling to stay in the present (plagued by the future; plagued by the past). What would "the right time" even be?
"It hasn't changed," Reiner continues, steady again. "Knowing the future hasn't changed that. I still want to give you one, Eren. This one is for you." He reaches out to indicate one of the rings. "The other one's for me.
"They're magic," he adds. Not because it isn't obvious, but because Eren should know what the rings do before deciding. "If we activate them, we can find each other no matter where we are."
As distant as Eren often is — a thing Reiner might now understand more — he's not a total idiot. He gets the ring thing too, apart from magic and whatever else. Reiner is staring at him too intensely, but Eren doesn't shy away from that. There's nothing left to shy away from in each other now, is there?
For a few months, Reiner says. He'd been thinking of it for awhile, waiting for…well, who knows. Eren to leave. Eren to stay. Eren to smile. Everything to end in whatever way.
It could. It will, someday, in another world Eren hopes neither of them ever look at again.
But they have now, this, the stolen time that they both hold onto. It isn't quite hope in Eren's head, because he hasn't had that in a long time. Still, it's something warm inside him, that thing they haven't named, the way it feels when Reiner smiles at him.
Always, Reiner had typed right where anyone could see it. And now he came to Eren with this — rings that match, that mean anything in the world. Eren has never done anything by halves, of course. It means whatever they want. It means the world, right, the inevitable cost of loving Eren and being loved by Eren.
Reiner knows that cost and he still wants it.
Eren's mouth twitches a little, a little more sincere than that smirk he likes to wear despite what he says next.
"So you can never hide from me, huh?" he asks. Of course that works both ways. Of course either of them could take it off. None of that is the point.
There was a time those words might have been a threat, but they aren't now. It's just a tease, as light as Eren manages to get even if it's not in the best taste. He can still only be what he is.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dreamsofwings) wrote2021-07-13 03:17 am
text; un: reiner | on the solstice
I have something that I want to give you in person. Can we meet?
text;
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Blossomcrown, where we had those hamburgers.
[ Super romantic. ]
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> action;
And so Reiner will. He doesn't look his best—too tired from poor sleep—but he's far from his worst. His clothes are a shade nicer than usual: his button-down shirt is accompanied by dark slacks and actual shoes in place of combat boots.
The wrapped gifts are so small he could hold them in just one hand. But he holds them in both, anyway, fidgeting slightly with the corners of the wrapping paper.
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that I am too lazy to go pick out right nowso he at least doesn't look like he's wearing the same shirt for the 200th time. These clothes are all black instead of shades of grey, but…baby steps.He finds Reiner in Blossomcrown looking gorgeous despite being tired. He's still somehow surprised that after everything, Reiner…is like this. Here, with him, for him, presents and the whole thing. Should he have bought a present too? Well, too late now.
"Reiner," he says. "What is this?"
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"Eren," he greets. Eren. His Eren. His Eren, who attacked his hometown, who holds his hand, who is the same and worse. His Eren, whose lips he knows like no others.
"It's overdue," he says, gesturing Eren closer with one of the gifts. Evidently meaning for Eren to open that one first. "Plus, it's traditional this time of year."
If Eren accepts the gift, he'll find a Safety Pin inside, its design something that Reiner thought Eren might like. (Or perhaps something that just shouted Eren on an unconscious level.)
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He's not about to outright refuse a gift. That would be shittier than he usually is (usually), and anyway, Reiner wrapped it and everything! Tradition doesn't matter to Eren at all, but even weird angry boys like to get presents sometimes.
The Safety Pin is shaped like a lightning bolt, blue with gold along the edge. The symbolism sure isn't lost on Eren, but he's not sure what it is. More than just a decoration, he assumes.
"What does it do?"
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Except that Eren's hands are busy. So Reiner waits, just watching.
"It's called a Safety Pin. Capital 'S' and 'P.' Do you remember that thing I had when the four of us went camping?"
Never mind the fact that Reiner brought many things in his magical bag.
"You choose a word to activate it. When you say that word, the pin creates a barrier that protects you for five hours." His voice softens, but his eyes are bright, intense. "Nothing can hurt you while it's active, Eren. Not even a Titan. You'll be completely safe."
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He thinks back. Reiner had a bunch of shit with him when they went camping, but…
"Kinda," he says, which is true. He meets Reiner's gaze, green to gold. His eyes go a little wide at the explanation.
This is a hell of a thing to give a boy who proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he's capable of ending the world. Not only capable, but he will do so. Not here. He hopes he never has to. But in Eren's mind, it's still no choice, even seeing what he told Armin in the end.
Nothing can hurt you, Reiner says. Not even a Titan.
Not even me, he means. Reiner, Galliard, even Armin, none of them could do anything if he had that pin active — a fact that Reiner knows, and gives it to him anyway.
He looks back down at the pin for a second.
"I got it. Thank you," he says, which is maybe a bit understated for the gravity of what it is, what it means. There's that trust kink, filling him with emotions he can't put words to.
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It's good that Eren does. Reiner still struggles more days than not, the crushing weight of it keeping him abed for hours despite sleep eluding him. Maybe Reiner is doing well, all things considered; after all, it's barely been more than a week. Or maybe he's hanging on by a thread.
It doesn't matter either way. What matters is that Reiner wants Eren to be safe. He wants to protect Eren. He wants to take care of Eren.
(A part of him is furious with Eren. A part of him is begging to know why Eren didn't just kill him. A part of him wonders if things would've been different if they'd been together back home; another part dismisses that question, knowing he will never be enough.
But no part of Reiner hates Eren. No part of Reiner wants Eren dead.)
So he looks Eren in the eyes, and his lips quirk up into a slight smile again.
"Sure," he says, a hand reaching out to briefly brush his fingers over Eren's wrist. Not taking his hand (yet), but suggesting it. Then Reiner looks down at the other gift, and…
"… You don't have to accept this one if you don't want to."
(As if Eren would ever accept anything he didn't want to.)
He holds out the box. Unwrapping it will reveal a ring box containing a matched set of silver rings with conspicuously clear gemstones.
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He knows that Reiner wants to take care of him, but he's not always sure what that means. It's so fitting that Reiner is the Armored Titan, shielding everyone he can from damage. (He probably also knows Reiner is mad at him on some level, but Eren himself is always mad at something or other, or someone, or everyone, so it's whatever.)
Reiner's got that little smile on his face again and part of Eren wants to lean over and kiss him. He doesn't (yet), settling instead for that little brush of Reiner's fingers on his wrist.
"Why wouldn't I?" Eren asks, genuine. Is there any gift he wouldn't accept from Reiner at this point? He can't imagine there is. It's hard to tell how Eren will react (or…not react) to things sometimes, but whatever this is, they're in it together now. Unfortunately for everyone, there is no undoing Eren's love.
He puts the pin in a pocket and takes the other gift to unwrap it. He stares at the rings there for a minute, eyes wide again, the hint of colour starting to touch his cheeks.
"Reiner, these are…" He looks up. "You really want to give me this?"
He doesn't even ask what they do. Something, probably, because that's how Ellipsa is, but there are two of them. (Maybe he should read descriptions in the shops more often, but you know.)
no subject
He's not ignorant. He understands the significance of giving someone a ring. The fact that these are magical rings doesn't detract from that significance; if anything, it amplifies it.
It doesn't have to mean anything more than what they want it to mean.
(Reiner wants it to mean everything and more.)
Eren stares at the matched rings, color rising in his cheeks. Reiner doesn't realize how intently he's watching until Eren looks up; still, he doesn't stop.
"Yeah. I do." He holds Eren's gaze, steady despite his fear. "I've wanted to give you this for a few months. I kept waiting for the right time…"
He trails off, releasing a little huff of laughter. The right time. What a ridiculous concept for two young men whose ages are flipped, times misaligned, both struggling to stay in the present (plagued by the future; plagued by the past). What would "the right time" even be?
"It hasn't changed," Reiner continues, steady again. "Knowing the future hasn't changed that. I still want to give you one, Eren. This one is for you." He reaches out to indicate one of the rings. "The other one's for me.
"They're magic," he adds. Not because it isn't obvious, but because Eren should know what the rings do before deciding. "If we activate them, we can find each other no matter where we are."
no subject
For a few months, Reiner says. He'd been thinking of it for awhile, waiting for…well, who knows. Eren to leave. Eren to stay. Eren to smile. Everything to end in whatever way.
It could. It will, someday, in another world Eren hopes neither of them ever look at again.
But they have now, this, the stolen time that they both hold onto. It isn't quite hope in Eren's head, because he hasn't had that in a long time. Still, it's something warm inside him, that thing they haven't named, the way it feels when Reiner smiles at him.
Always, Reiner had typed right where anyone could see it. And now he came to Eren with this — rings that match, that mean anything in the world. Eren has never done anything by halves, of course. It means whatever they want. It means the world, right, the inevitable cost of loving Eren and being loved by Eren.
Reiner knows that cost and he still wants it.
Eren's mouth twitches a little, a little more sincere than that smirk he likes to wear despite what he says next.
"So you can never hide from me, huh?" he asks. Of course that works both ways. Of course either of them could take it off. None of that is the point.
There was a time those words might have been a threat, but they aren't now. It's just a tease, as light as Eren manages to get even if it's not in the best taste. He can still only be what he is.