the hilt | eren jaeger

t h i r t y f o u r

She was so beautiful.

She looked like a daydream in his eyes. She was washed with beauty from the goddesses, crafted with connive from the foxes of the groves. She was everything anyone could need. She was all that he needed.

He looked at her with such kindness. With such a happy glean to his eyes.

At first, their pinkies intertwined. Slowly, it shifted to two fingers, then to all of them. The two individuals walked down a cobblestone street, a yellowy glow to the air. Jovial music was blaring. Everything was happy. Everything was remedial.

These Marleyan streets were bustling and alive with laughter and cheer. There was a serene glow to everyone's faces, and sights of joy were all around. 

He looked to his right and wished her with a small smile, one of which she returned gladly. She gave his palm a reassuring squeeze. He took a moment to simply gaze at her. It was one of the few things he could spend hours doing.

Her eyes were filled with pride as she looked back at Eren, her voice soft. "I forgot that Marley wasn't all bad."

The streets were decorated with banners upon banners, and the crowd of people were all far too happy.  The festival was one of the last places Eren thought she'd want to walk around in.

She had dragged him out with a smile on her face and told him "It'd be good for you to stop moping." He laughed heartily as she slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

His worries dribbled off his shoulders and down to his elbows where they gently fell to the floor, being as forgotten as the words 'I love you.'

Seeing her happy was driving him. He was following her around everywhere like a lost dog. He was so entertained with the way that she interacted with the world. 

He bought her food, watched her stuff her face, watched the tiny crumbs of sugar fall onto her chin only for him to clean them up with his thumb later. 

The sweetness of the treats made it all the better when they'd kiss in between stands. 

Soon, there was an area where people were dancing and had on their brightest smiles imaginable. She grabbed Eren by the hand and drug him out into the circle. 

He stepped on her toes a few times, and she would just laugh and laugh and laugh at his incoordination. Her eyes had a shine to them. She looked so happy. With the glow in her irises and the beauty of her laugh, the world's air felt buttery, thick, warm, and complete. 

Time slowed down. Could this be one of the infinite moments between seconds? Could time pass like this forever?

"I keep stepping on you," He said.

"If you didn't step on me, you would never learn." 

He leaned in and kissed her for a moment, a brief moment.

She shook her head as he stepped on her once more, "You still never learn. I'm sacrificing my ability to walk for this."

"As long as you can still use ODM gear, I think you're fine."

"Humph." She looked quizzical, "I had forgotten about that."

"It's like riding a bike, Jo."

"I've never ridden a bike in my life, dickwad."

"Not my problem. That's on you."

"Whatever you say, Eren." She scoffed. "You've never ridden a bike in your life either."

"That's not an important detail here."

"I think you just like the look of the ODM gear, simp."

He threw his head back and laughed a bit more as he purposefully stepped on her once more. The others around them were no longer anywhere in his mind. It was just him, and it was just her. And this moment was theirs alone.