[He sees that red. He wonders how Subaru felt, sitting around waiting for him; at least, that's what Eren pictured him doing. His heart beats soundly in his chest, but he feels it in his wrists. He's nervous, but it doesn't show.]
Hey.
[He lets himself in past Subaru as he did the last time.]
[Ah. That's right. Subaru will leave one day, and Eren may never see him again; a grim reminder. He doesn't let his frown come to fruition as he helps himself inside, taking a seat on Subaru's couch.
[All the more reason not to waste time, he figures.
[He thinks of Reiner. His heart dully aches.]
Assuming you weren't cleaning up your mess trying to prove that, what did you do with yourself all day?
[Shitty liar. Does Subaru really not realize that Eren knows it's him? Sometimes he can't tell if his crush is actually naive, or just full of shit. It's cute either way, even if he does prefer the real Subaru over anything.]
[Eren bumps his knee against Subaru's. For all his bravado, there's no agenda to the touch. There he was, ready to waltz in and make a move; suddenly, he feels intimidated instead. It's weird to realize that you actually don't want to just be friends with someone; it's a line Eren has trouble drawing anyway, so to have it put in such explicit terms - a hard "no, don't touch me" - would be...
[A little heartbreaking, maybe, for someone like Eren. His heart is so easily broken.
[Anyway, he doesn't let any of that show through; remains casual.]
[…He already knows, doesn’t he? That thought crosses Subaru’s mind, but in that case, why bother asking him to elaborate?
He could be cornering him into a trap. But that light bump of the knee feels too reassuring for such an ulterior motive.
Ahhh…what to do?]
…Well, we got pretty close the other night, right? Not that there was anything wrong with it, it’s totally fine, it’s just…you’re a pretty full-on guy, Eren…
[He chooses to play innocent, for as long as he’ll entertain him.]
What I mean is, you’re really intense! You don’t have a lot of boundaries and just go for it, getting real close and personal…
[Yeah, he’s aware of how his tone is.]
I said there wasn’t anything wrong with it, but… [He looks a little hesitant. He’s avoided confronting it all this while.] It gets kind of confusing, you know?
[Oh, seeing that look in Eren’s eyes makes his heart clench. It feels bad. Has he done the wrong thing, here…?
He sighs.]
Man, I’ve really gone about this the wrong way, huh?
[There’s no going back. No resets. How daunting.]
…It really stirs up some weird feelings inside of me, that I don’t even know how to make sense of. [After all, he’s in love with Emilia, right?] But…selfishly, I don’t want you to stop. I want to keep feeling those things, even if they’re confusing.
[Ah. Their knees touch yet again. Eren keeps his there this time.
[Subaru might not be sure what he wants, or he might just have a weird way of talking around something he doesn't fully understand. Eren doesn't want to keep teasing him; doesn't feel so fun anymore. Some of his confidence is renewed, though. He thought by Subaru's next sentence he'd be telling him something Eren really didn't want to hear...
[He hasn't, though.
[Eren reaches over for Subaru's hand and takes it with both of his; brings it to his lap.]
It's pretty simple on my end, if you want to know the truth.
[Eren pulls Subaru's hand upward, tilting his head down, and pressing the bridge of his nose against the other boy's knuckles. He lets his eyes close, lashes fluttering against Subaru's skin. It isn't a move. It's just what he wants to do; feels natural, and that's kind of the whole issue with Subaru...
[He doesn't lift his head, nor release Subaru's hand, as he speaks.]
I want to be close to you. Every time I see you, I feel like kissing you, but I haven't. I don't want to scare you away.
[He turns his face, cheek pressing down where his nose had been.]
If you told me I could, I'd kiss you whenever I wanted to. I'd kiss you a lot...
[The gentle touch of his eyelashes, the soft skin of his cheek…it’s all so overwhelming for Subaru. He hasn’t gotten this close with anyone, not even Emilia.
Emilia, Emilia…was it really okay? She wasn’t here. His heart yearns for her, but it’s also found a place for someone else he vowed to save.
Maybe…that was okay?
What Eren’s telling him feels surreal; never could he have guessed that was what was going on in his head all this time. With him - when Eren had his own wife and husband?]
Man, you really have some questionable taste…
[He jokes, but it’s true. It’s not an affection he’s had to fight for. What on Earth did he do to earn it?
His voice takes a softer tone. He doesn’t know his feelings yet, himself. But maybe he’s on the way to figuring them out.]
…You really think that would scare me away, after everything you’ve told me?
[It’s a little silly, right? To think that a kiss or lying close would be a worse sin than destroying the world. Yeah, but, then again, there’s only so much Eren deserves, and he knows it isn’t Subaru’s love, or Mikasa’s, or Jean’s, or Thorfinn’s - or anyone’s.
[”Questionable taste”, Subaru says, but Eren could say the same back, and a hundred times more.
[They’re both here, and they both hate themselves - but it feels better to sit beside Subaru on the couch with a racing heart and a nervous itch. He doesn’t ever want to be alone again, to feel that clawing, awful emptiness at its worst.
[Subaru’s hand is still in his, and he isn’t running away. Sometimes Eren thinks that loving him is a worse fate than anything he could have done intentionally. Subaru should be scared away; he isn’t.
[Eren puts Subaru’s knuckles to his lips, but doesn’t press them down; warmth breath, soft skin.]
You’re special to me…[Soft words. He kisses Subaru’s knuckles - once, twice, three times. He doesn’t have to be special for anyone else. It’s alright to be a girlfailure an average guy. Eren likes him. He wants him…
[He shifts on the couch to better face Subaru. Keeping the boy’s hands in his, he lowers them back down to their laps, leans in, presses their foreheads gently together.]
[All of a sudden, Subaru finds it very difficult to look at Eren. It feels ridiculous for him to be so flustered, and yet, all he wants to do is hide his face in his palms.
Get a grip, Subaru Natsuki.
But then those words come - that he’s special, that he’s wanted - and he just wants to sink into the feeling that comes with it. He can feel Eren’s breath on his face, but he feels no desire to push him away.
Ah, it finally makes sense now.]
If that’s what you really want. [There’s no way he can approach this smoothly. He’s not suave. He’s blushing furiously and barely able to get his words out.] I’m no catch or anything…
[There’s no point in further self-deprecation; Eren’s already fully aware. But still.]
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(He definitely has)
Still, the knock startles him, and he puts his phone away in a hurry. The jig is practically up, but he might as well pretend.
When he gets to the door, he’s grinning, a little red around the ears, but his usual self nonetheless.]
Hey, Eren.
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Hey.
[He lets himself in past Subaru as he did the last time.]
You've kept it clean.
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After all that work you did, I couldn’t let it get that bad again…
[Closing the door, he rubs at the back of his head.]
Your cleaning skills are nothing to sneeze at - I’ve seriously gotta take some notes for whenever I go back to the mansion.
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[All the more reason not to waste time, he figures.
[He thinks of Reiner. His heart dully aches.]
Assuming you weren't cleaning up your mess trying to prove that, what did you do with yourself all day?
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[Talking about you online.
No, he absolutely can’t say that!]
N-not much! I did my morning exercises, practiced with the dagger, and - [Thought about you an unreasonable amount] not a whole lot else!
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Sounds pretty boring.
I saw this weird post online today...
[C'mon, man...How far will he let it go?]
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…Weird? How?
[It wasn’t weird, Eren!!]
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You might have seen it. Some guy asking for advice on a friend who's too touchy, I guess.
[A glance at Subaru, searching. He'll have to learn eventually to read Eren's flat expressions; they probably won't be going away any time soon.]
You ever have that problem?
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He’s keenly aware of the conclusions he came to; of just talking it out with him. It becomes pretty daunting up close.
He takes a seat next to Eren.]
Oh yeah, that one… [He lets out a slight laugh.] Guess I kind of do, actually.
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[A little heartbreaking, maybe, for someone like Eren. His heart is so easily broken.
[Anyway, he doesn't let any of that show through; remains casual.]
Tell me about it.
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He could be cornering him into a trap. But that light bump of the knee feels too reassuring for such an ulterior motive.
Ahhh…what to do?]
…Well, we got pretty close the other night, right? Not that there was anything wrong with it, it’s totally fine, it’s just…you’re a pretty full-on guy, Eren…
[He chooses to play innocent, for as long as he’ll entertain him.]
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I don't get what you mean...
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Of course you don’t. To you it’s just normal, right?
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You aren't saying what you mean.
"Full-on." Tell me what you're talking about.
[Maybe it really is just that Eren can't understand, but...he's trying to, at least.]
You almost say it like it's a bad thing. Also said it doesn't bother you...
[Was that in person, or on the post? Who cares, anymore...]
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[Yeah, he’s aware of how his tone is.]
I said there wasn’t anything wrong with it, but… [He looks a little hesitant. He’s avoided confronting it all this while.] It gets kind of confusing, you know?
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[Yeah, Eren's not feeling all that confident anymore at all. He stills his knee, keeping it from bumping into Subaru's again for the moment.]
If I told you I knew that was you, would you still be confused?
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I - [And all that other stuff he said?? What about that??] I guess not.
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You confused me more than I confused you, Subaru. I really can't tell if you mind or not at all.
Kinda figured you'd say something if you did, though.
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He sighs.]
Man, I’ve really gone about this the wrong way, huh?
[There’s no going back. No resets. How daunting.]
…It really stirs up some weird feelings inside of me, that I don’t even know how to make sense of. [After all, he’s in love with Emilia, right?] But…selfishly, I don’t want you to stop. I want to keep feeling those things, even if they’re confusing.
[It’s a really convoluted way of saying it, but…]
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[Subaru might not be sure what he wants, or he might just have a weird way of talking around something he doesn't fully understand. Eren doesn't want to keep teasing him; doesn't feel so fun anymore. Some of his confidence is renewed, though. He thought by Subaru's next sentence he'd be telling him something Eren really didn't want to hear...
[He hasn't, though.
[Eren reaches over for Subaru's hand and takes it with both of his; brings it to his lap.]
It's pretty simple on my end, if you want to know the truth.
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…Yeah?
[He feels he might already know, but he’ll let Eren say it to his face his time.]
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[He doesn't lift his head, nor release Subaru's hand, as he speaks.]
I want to be close to you. Every time I see you, I feel like kissing you, but I haven't. I don't want to scare you away.
[He turns his face, cheek pressing down where his nose had been.]
If you told me I could, I'd kiss you whenever I wanted to. I'd kiss you a lot...
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Emilia, Emilia…was it really okay? She wasn’t here. His heart yearns for her, but it’s also found a place for someone else he vowed to save.
Maybe…that was okay?
What Eren’s telling him feels surreal; never could he have guessed that was what was going on in his head all this time. With him - when Eren had his own wife and husband?]
Man, you really have some questionable taste…
[He jokes, but it’s true. It’s not an affection he’s had to fight for. What on Earth did he do to earn it?
His voice takes a softer tone. He doesn’t know his feelings yet, himself. But maybe he’s on the way to figuring them out.]
…You really think that would scare me away, after everything you’ve told me?
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[It’s a little silly, right? To think that a kiss or lying close would be a worse sin than destroying the world. Yeah, but, then again, there’s only so much Eren deserves, and he knows it isn’t Subaru’s love, or Mikasa’s, or Jean’s, or Thorfinn’s - or anyone’s.
[”Questionable taste”, Subaru says, but Eren could say the same back, and a hundred times more.
[They’re both here, and they both hate themselves - but it feels better to sit beside Subaru on the couch with a racing heart and a nervous itch. He doesn’t ever want to be alone again, to feel that clawing, awful emptiness at its worst.
[Subaru’s hand is still in his, and he isn’t running away. Sometimes Eren thinks that loving him is a worse fate than anything he could have done intentionally. Subaru should be scared away; he isn’t.
[Eren puts Subaru’s knuckles to his lips, but doesn’t press them down; warmth breath, soft skin.]
You’re special to me…[Soft words. He kisses Subaru’s knuckles - once, twice, three times. He doesn’t have to be special for anyone else. It’s alright to be
a girlfailurean average guy. Eren likes him. He wants him…[He shifts on the couch to better face Subaru. Keeping the boy’s hands in his, he lowers them back down to their laps, leans in, presses their foreheads gently together.]
I want you…Let me have you…
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Get a grip, Subaru Natsuki.
But then those words come - that he’s special, that he’s wanted - and he just wants to sink into the feeling that comes with it. He can feel Eren’s breath on his face, but he feels no desire to push him away.
Ah, it finally makes sense now.]
If that’s what you really want. [There’s no way he can approach this smoothly. He’s not suave. He’s blushing furiously and barely able to get his words out.] I’m no catch or anything…
[There’s no point in further self-deprecation; Eren’s already fully aware. But still.]
As long as you don’t mind that…
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Re: Zero expectations
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