under the moonlight

part one

"that's so pretty," you sigh, staring out at the sunset. the oranges and reds of the sky blend together like nothing you'd ever seen before.

it's simply breathtaking and reminds you of how you feel on those days when you feel the sun on your bare skin, how you feel when you come home to a comfort meal, and how you feel when you're with your favorite people in the entire world.

eren sits beside you, knees hugged to his chest, green eyes staring out into the horizon. you both watch the waves crash down onto one another again and again. the sounds of water colliding into itself are comforting, it's like white noise to your ears. white noise reminds you that you're never alone, that there's always something happening in life, that you would never truly be by yourself because life is full of so many little things that make it up.

it's nice to just take a breather and get to savor all of this.

the air is crisp and salty like it always is on paradis beach. the water is clear and so clean it almost sparkles at you under the rays of the setting star that is the sun. it's everything and more to you and so many others, you might as well be dreaming.

"yeah, it is," eren agrees, tucking his chin into the crevice at the top of his knees. "no matter how many times we've seen it, i don't think i'll ever get used to how wonderful this is."

he's right.

you've stared at the sun in this particular spot more times than you could count. despite the number of times you've watched the sky go from light to dark, it always felt like you were seeing it for the first time. you'd been living on paradise beach for longer than you could remember, you were practically born there. and you wouldn't have it any other way, there's nowhere else you'd rather be. but as much as you'd like to stay there forever, you couldn't.

you hum, shifting your head in your hands. you're laid out on your tummy on the beach blanket; it's summer and you want to pretend it's just like any other day and not the last week you have at home.

"you never get bored when it's just you and i? like, do you ever wish for other plans on your friday nights?"

eren looks over at you and quirks an eyebrow. "no, never. this is our thing." he says this like it's the most obvious choice in the world like it's the only choice he really has. he doesn't hesitate in his answer and you're a bit taken aback by his bluntness.

"that's true," you admit, "there's nowhere else i'd wanna be."

this was your and eren's tradition: to watch the sunset every friday. it's almost like a celebration of what's in the past, what's in the present, and what's to come. having this constant over the years made you feel less scared for change in the future, it made you feel like as long as you have a bit of something that never changes, life could never go downhill. it scares you that you don't get to have any of this for much longer.

at this moment, he can't help but notice how perfect you look with your cheeks peeling from too much time in the sun, hair messy from the ocean air, and your body in an oversized shirt that he recognizes as one of his. the golden rays of the sun complement your skin in a way that makes him feel like he's the moon staring at the blazing sun that'll always be too bright and too good for him.

eren scoots over to pet your head softly. "me neither. even though you're sometimes clingy," he teases you, ruffling your hair. you roll your eyes, giving him a deadpan expression that he simply sticks out his tongue at.

"you act as if you weren't the one who became friends with me first. the one who's been attached to my hip," you snort, pushing his hand away. you push yourself up, sitting on your bottom.