#I tried my best but classes start tomorrow and I'm lowkey nervous

[ronnie-azumane]

Flower Rings

Hello everyone! I'm here with another Anisylum collab! This is the first time writing for my OG anime husband, so please go easy on me. But yeah! I hope y'all enjoy and check out the other works from the other creators participating!

CW: Abuse/beating, fluffy hurt/comfort, ATTACK ON TITAN MANGA SPOILERS, mentions of trauma, suicide, and death.

Life in the ghetto wasn’t a walk in the park. Sure, life could be worse, (Y/N) could be going hungry at night, slowly turning into skin and bones. (Y/N) could be shivering the night away in a flimsy tent with a single blanket to keep warm.

Although it’s a little hard to be grateful for what you have when it feels like the oppressor is always watching your every move.

It doesn’t take a genius to see the lack of justice in these ghettos provided by the Marleyan regime, however, young (Y/N) didn’t pay attention to her oppressors as much, they’re only a child after all. Why would they even want to be concerned about politics when the neighbors are playing a game of kickball?

Almost like clockwork, every week at precisely 5pm, the children born in the ghetto would gather in a courtyard and play kickball, with the ball being an old ball accidentally thrown over the fence years ago and the bases marked by old linens.

Kids of all ages gathered as usual at the court yard to divide out the teams and begin their game of ball. (Y/N) wasn’t the youngest there, but at seven years old, they were still young and scrawny, so it was no surprise that (Y/N) was one of the last ones picked.

(Y/N) sighed in relief, however, when they saw that Reiner was on their team. Reiner was three years older than (Y/N), and pretty much tied to their hip. Since both their mothers were friends growing up, they always had playdates together, playing with various figures and creating these elaborate plots to go along with them.

“We’re on the same team? Yes!” Reiner celebrates, jumping around excitedly as any ten year old would.

“You’re only celebrating because you’re too chicken to face me,” (Y/N) teased, sticking their tongue out.

A succession of ‘am not’s and ‘am to’s was promptly stopped when one of the older kids shouted that the game was about to start. Team Black would be kicking first while Team White would pitch.

(Y/N)’s favorite part of the game was kicking, so finding out that the Black Team was kicking first was music to their ears. They ran to the line, getting as close to the front as they could. Reiner held back, as he preferred catching the ball and running fast to get someone out.

(Y/N) was finally up to kick. Team Black had an out and kids on second and third base. If they scored, their team would get their first point.

The ball bounced a slight bit as it made its way toward (Y/N). (Y/N) wound back their leg and hit the ball back, aiming in between the second and third base. The ball flew and (Y/N) sprinted to first base.

What (Y/N) failed to realize was that Jameson, the eight year old boy that had a personal goal of making every day miserable for (Y/N), was waiting by first base.

As they ran toward the base, Jameson positioned himself to where his foot would ‘accidently’ get in the way of (Y/N)’s footing. Sure enough, (Y/N) stepped on his foot, causing them to lose their balance and fall to the ground before hitting the base.

“What the hell, (Y/N), you stepped on my foot!” Jameson shouted, landing a kick in (Y/N)’s side. (Y/N) yelped in pain as they curled into themself.

“You put your foot there on purpose,” (Y/N) sniffled as pain-filled tears leaked from their eyes.

“So what if I did? You still should have avoided it,” Jameson landed another kick to their side.

Reiner, who was zoned out looking at a bee buzzing around, snapped back to reality when he heard (Y/N) yelp in pain in the distance. Before he could think, he found himself running over to the two and punching Jameson square in the face.

Before Jameson could retaliate, Reiner picked up (Y/N) from the ground and ran away from the game, carrying them on his back. Deciding it was not worth the effort, Jameson let them run off as he got back to his game, but not before the team captain of the day switched him to outfield as punishment.

With (Y/N) on his back, Reiner ran to their self proclaimed happy place, if you could call anywhere in the ghetto happy. Near the entrance gate, there was a patch of grass where wildflowers grow, giving them a taste of the natural world that was unknown to them within the walls of the ghetto. He set them down and plopped next to their shuttering frame.

“How are you feeling, (Y/N), are you hurt? Do we need to go to the doctor?” Reiner asked.

“I’m hurt, but I don’t want to go to the doctor.”

“Are you still afraid that the doctor is going to give you a shot?” Reiner teased.

“Shut up! Needles are scary!” (Y/N) whined, causing Reiner to giggle.

Soon enough, the pain in (Y/N)’s side began to fade, and they focused themselves on making a flower crown while Reiner watched the Marleyan soldiers outside the gate train.

“My mama wants me to be a warrior, but I’m not too sure that's what I want to do,” Reiner sighed, lying all the way back on his back.

“How come? Isn’t becoming a warrior one of the best things an Eldian can do for Marley?” (Y/N) asked.

“Yeah, but that would mean I would have to work really hard, while buttheads like Jameson would get to play and make fun of you. It wouldn’t be fair!”

“Why are boys like Jameson so mean anyway? My mommy told me that it just meant that he liked me, but why would someone be mean to someone they liked?” (Y/N) asked.

“Is that a thing?” Reiner asks.

“That’s what mommy says,” (Y/N) finished their flower crown and unceremoniously flopped it onto Reiner’s head, earning a giggle from him. “I wouldn’t want to marry a guy like Jameson, I would want to marry a guy like you, Reiner, who’s nice to me.”

“Then how about we make a promise?” Reiner asked.

“A promise?”

“Yeah, like, we promise to marry each other now, and once we get big we actually do it?” Reiner’s cheeks were now bright red.

“Yeah! I like that! I promise to marry you, Reiner,” (Y/N) extended a pinky out.

Reiner crudely plucked a flower from the ground and tied the stem around (Y/N)’s finger. Reiner’s fingers were chubby and unskilled, so the flower ring didn’t turn out as pretty as the crown, yet (Y/N) still stared at it.

“And I promise to marry you, (Y/N).”

XXX

Reiner ended up joining the Warriors a few years later, to the dismay of (Y/N). The flower ring had since shriveled up beyond repair, but (Y/N) refused to let go of their promise, thinking that if the flower stayed in their possession, it would guarantee Reiner’s safe return home.

However, the mission that was estimated to take the four warriors a year or two to complete turned into a major failure with rumors stating that only one of them was making it home. However, (Y/N) didn’t have the time to mourn her lost friend, Marley was still causing conflict in both the battle front and the home front.

It wouldn’t be until after the Rumbling ended when (Y/N) would meet up with Reiner again. He was in the area negotiating peace with some other nations, and decided a late lunch and catch-up session with his childhood friend was in order.

“So, how was going through puberty like on an island without modern medicine?” (Y/N) asked shamelessly.

“What happened to hello?” Reiner asked, causing (Y/N) to erupt in laughter.

“I’m just sad I didn’t get to witness voice-crack Reiner,” (Y/N) wiped a tear from their eye, causing Reiner to groan.

They then began to catch up, retelling all their experiences from the past thirteen years. Reiner went into detail as to what it was like training with the man who almost killed all of humanity, his trauma, and even his suicide attempt while (Y/N) retold moments of agony in the ghetto, their dad getting drafted for one of the countless wars, and even confessed that they and Jameson dated at one point.

“You! And him!” Reiner stuttered.

“Apparently my mom was right, Jameson pretended he hated me because he couldn’t decipher his own feelings. Dumped his ass a while ago though, he started spending all his money on alcohol.”

“So I’m assuming you’re not seeing anyone?” Reiner asked.

“Not at the moment, why do you ask?”

“Well, (Y/N), I may have had ulterior motives to this lunch,” Reiner pulled out a small box from his pocket and set it on the table, inviting (Y/N) to open it up. Inside was a ring, with the centerpiece shaped as the flower that he tied onto (Y/N)’s finger all those years ago.

“What is this?” (Y/N) stuttered.

“You probably don’t remember, but one day, I gave you a flower ring with a promise. I’m sure it’s long gone by now.”

“Yeah, lost it in the rumbling. Are you really proposing to me right now?”

“No no no! This is just a reminder of that promise we made that afternoon. That promise helped me push through all the hardships I faced,” Reiner flailed his arms a bit, getting slightly flustered.

“So, a promise ring?”

“I promised I’d marry you, didn’t I?” Reiner asked as he pulled out his pinky. Smiling, (Y/N) slipped on the ring and interlocked their pinky with his.

“You did, Reiner, you did.”

[imagine-twilight]

Can I have a ship? I'm 5'2 with blonde hair and blue eyes. I absolutely love music and like to do archery. I'm shy in large groups but fun and loud with friends. People say I'm funny kind and comforting to be with. Thank you so much! 😊

I ship you with Edward!

-You were sitting in class, at the back, where you could hide the ear phones more easily from the teachers roaming eyes. 

-You were switching between songs, tracking songs that matched the weather. It was raining, but gently and peaceful. 

-It was your favorite weather. So you tried to find a calm song, with gentle instrumental music. 

-The back row of the class was mostly empty besides you and the Cullen kid. 

-You landed on a song and let it play through. Humming with it under your breath. 

-You could feel a pair of eyes flick over to you, assessing you. 

It was the Cullen kid. 

He stared, but without the usual intimidation that it held. It was more .. reproachful, maybe intrigued. 

You willed yourself not to look away. You had a habit with doing so, when it concerned the Cullen’s. 

Hell, everyone did. There was something about them that kicked in flight instincts. 

The moment the thought flew through your mind, a small smile appeared on his face. Fading as fast as it came, as though to hide whatever amused him. 

-When class finished, you took your time to pack away your stuff. It was last period after all, and you knew you wouldn’t get to your car in time to beat the traffic of school leavers. 

-Outside the class, you were surprised to see Edward standing idly by. He gave you a soft smile. 

-”I was wondering,” he said, his voice low and careful, “what was that song you were listening to? You were humming it in class …”

Your mind suddenly seemed to become a clusterfuck. Like many cars driving to sudden merge into one lane, and all it achieved was many angry honking drivers unable to move forward. 

“I can’t remember, it’s an old one … I can find it for you, if you want?”

“I know it must sound strange to ask, but it sounded beautiful. It makes more sense if you knew I compose music, and whatever you were listening to … it was kind of inspiring, I was hoping a name of it my help me.”

It made more sense now.

“I can find it for you, I kind of have to get home right now, but tomorrow I can get back to you?”

He smiled, “I would like that. Thank you.”

On your way home you thought of his soft voice and exploring expression. 

You wondered what type of music he composed. Maybe classical. Something about you made you think classical. 

-You scrolled through the songs on your phone, trying to locate the one you had been listening to … you had so many, it was hard to keep track off. 

-You found it and wrote down the name of the Song and the Artist. 

-You know it was such a small interaction, but you replayed it through your mind over and over. Suddenly intrigued by this enigma of a man. 

-The next day, you woke up and prepared for school, out the door slightly earlier then normal. 

-Snow had fallen during the night, so the roads were longer to make through, and you just made it through in time to beat the first swarm of people, able to claim a park closer to the front of the school. 

-You didn’t have many classes with the Cullen’s. Just Alice and Edward. 

-You can’t help but think you feel the pixie girls eyes on you when you have English with her. And you know it was strange to believe of her, but every time you glanced at her, it was like her eyes had moves off of you a split second before and was erasing a ghost smile off her face. Strange, right?

-You manage to catch Edward between classes, purely between classes when you were making way to next period. 

“Did you find that song?” He asked hopefully. 

“Yeah. I hope it lives up to something inspirational for your composing.”

The corner of his lips twitched up. “I think it will, you hummed a very beautiful tune, and I could see the Earphone cords, so I know you were listening to something nice.”

You hadn’t meant to say anything, but it blurted out, Politely at least. “What do you like to compose? What type of music?”

A real smile fell on his lips, “Classical.”

Knew it.

Something flicked past his face when you thought your triumphant thought. 

“You know,” he began, “I could show you something, if you wanted?”

“Yeah, I would like that.”

Before stepping away, “At lunch you can find me in the Music room, at the piano . Bring that note with the song name.”

You grinned this time, “I will.”

-It wasn’t until you reached your next class that you realized you never mentioned writing down the name of the song to him. 

-You were nervous as you made the music room later. One on one with the mysterious Cullen. 

-To his credit, he was playing when you walked in, taking away the awkward edge of conversation. Straight to it. He was reaching the end of the song.

“You really do that, how long have you been practicing?”

“A very long time. I wouldn’t call it practicing at this point.”

“That’s a strange part to say.” You reached into your bag and pulled out the note, “If you like this song, you love the artist. Unfortunately, he is dead so the songs are limited. I don’t think you would have heard of him, but, he made some great stuff  …”

You were ranting and you knew it, too. 

Edward looked at you with an amused expression. “Thank you, I’m sure I will.”

“So, you can play, any favorites?”

- It turned out to be really fun. Even teaching you a small tune that was easy to remember. 

-It became a thing you two do, a small bonding session each lunch time. To meet up and share music. 

-It was after school, and Edward was walking you to your car, “I was thinking you might like to come over sometime? If you don’t mind. I happen to have a curious family who wants to meet you.” he admitted after a beat.

You frowned. The Cullen’s wanted to meet you? They had never showed any sign during school that they wanted too. They could have said hi at any point … “I would like that.”

Edward seemed to sense your previous thoughts. “I know they can seem a little … reclusive, but trust me, they’re friendly. Mostly.” His voice teasing.

You grinned, “I’ll be there. I don’t think any of you will bite.”

Edward froze for a fraction of a second before a chuckle passed his lips. “Are you sure? We could be monster for all you know.”

Across the partly empty car parking lot, you heard a loud gruff laugh. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Rosalie hit Emmett on the shoulder. You eyebrows raised up in surprise when you saw the big burly man looking at you in bemusement. 

“I’ll take my chance with classical playing monster who probably folds his socks,” you quipped. 

“I’ll be you up at noon on Friday, then.”

-The rest of the week you anticipated the day. Gradually getting more and more nervous as the day neared. 

-If Edward could sense you queasiness, he didn’t say anything.

-When the day came, Edward picked you up. Perfectly on time. 

-He was a gentlemen and spoke politely to your parents held the car door open for you.

-The first person you saw within the house, was his Mother Esme, who quickly eased you into the house.

-You guessed she was the curious family member who wanted to meet you.

-Edward smirked at your thought because you weren’t wrong. 

-Esme was HIghkey and not even trying to hide it, but she was hogging the time with you.

-She was curious about the girl that was making Edward less pessimistic. 

-The next to meet you was Alice, who straight up hugged you. Like she was tiny, no doubt, but she picked you up a little bit in hug. 

-Basically who were unknowingly be interviewed by the Cullen women. 

-Rosalie made an appearance, but she mainly just looked at you from across the room. 

-The next to be met were Jasper and Emmett, but not for long, they were on their way out to a hunting trip, it was just brief hello’s. But Emmett did high five you.

-Jasper stared at you suspiciously. 

-Edward was talking loud enough for all Vampires to hear him telling them off. 

-Because you were meant to be spending time with HIM not THEM

-Esme let you go … barely … she was enjoying your company a little too much. 

-Edward rolled his eyes at them when Alice and Esme started lowkey planning your wedding in their head.

-It wasn’t that serious between you, but they were fantasizing and he wasn’t going to stop them. 

-Edward showed you his own music room, and all the songs he composed over time. 

-You geeked out a little at his extensive music collection.

-You visited more after that.

-One day during lunch when you could be found in the Music room, Alice skipped in, she didn’t do anything, just wanted to hang out. 

-It became normal for Alice to join you and Edward on the occasion. 

-Edward hated it. Because this was HIS TIME WITH YOU.

-Alice rolled her eyes at this and told him to bite it (essentially telling him off). In her mind, you guys would be best friends and Edward had no right or say in that. You were your own person.

-Alice shopped with you. That was your thing together. 

-And you loved when she dressed you up. You loved it when she had her fingers through your hair and twirled it between her fingers. 

-Sometimes you went to the Cullen house to see Alice. 

-Edward would give her the look when you did this because he doesn’t like to share your time. 

-You would think you would have noticed something by now about them but you hadn’t. Something did niggle at you at the back of your mind, but you never entertained these thoughts 

-There was a big debate on whether to tell you or not. 

-But only of Edward asked you out. That was the family made compromise. 

-The debate started when Alice brought it up. She really wanted a new friend, and one that wouldn’t die …

- Once of your interest are Archery, and Edward has taken you to his place to practice. 

-Even Jasper and Emmett are watching, commenting on how to help and refine your technique. 

-Besides Edward, Alice and Esme, you probably get along with Emmett best. He is like the older brother you never had, and he had easily taken you under his wing. 

- Once someone teased you in school, and you were pretty sure Emmett zeroed in on him, because you had gotten a verbal and handwritten apology back within an hour. 

-You asked Emmett if he did something when you passed him in the halls, but he winked and kept walking, looking very a proud rooster strutting away.

-Emmett is waiting for Edward to hurry up and ask you out so you can know the secret. 

-This is basically the only reason he want you two together. Your like this little munchkin he wants to protect. 

Emmett is lowkey getting impatient. So he ‘accidentally’ blurts it out to you.

You think he’s joking around, so your brush it off. 

“No, seriously Y/N, aim for the target and shoot, and I can bet I’ll get there before the Arrow does.”

You know Emmett and accustomed to this humor of his, so you agree. “Sureeeeeee, Em, beat the arrow, if you can.” Sarcasm dripping from your voice.

He grinned. 

Edward is internally freaking out beside you because what can he do without sending off a red alert?

“Don’t get mad if I shoot you.”

“I won’t.”

As if he’ll get in front of the arrow if he wanted to. He isn’t that fast. 

You aimed and shot. 

You didn’t know how to react when he appeared in front the target smirking, the arrow bouncing harmlessly off his broad chest. 

You just stared, and cocked another arrow in the bow and shot again. The same result. the arrow breaking on contact and falling harmlessly to the ground.

They had a lot of explaining to do. 

- It was kind of funny, in a way. You were in the house, surrounded by concerned looking vampires (Except Emmett, he showed no regret). 

-They were all so carefully explaining it to you as though you were about to stand up and run away screaming. 

-Emmett bulldozed basically over everything they said by going, ‘Edward shut up, you make us sound worse then we are. We’re not monster for crying out loud. Y/N we are Vampires, and no, we don’t drink human blood. Animal instead. And we sparkle. And some of us have gifts.”

- “Gifts?” You ask. 

- You came to terms pretty quickly with them being vampires, just like Emmett suspected. But you were mortified when you found out Edward could read your mind. 

-”Seriously? All this time! And you never said anything.”

- …. imagine all the things you thought in his presence that were inappropriate … just … imagine …

-After that, you found your place among the Cullen’s. 

- Edward asked you out. He knew you would say yes. So did Alice. They just wanted the timing to be right.

-Emmett asked if you would consider being a Vampire. 

-You said no.

-They were all kinda surprised by this. Rosalie warmed up to real quick. Bonding. Because someone saw their side of things … sort of. 

-It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be a Vampire, it was just, you wanted to be older. Just a little. Not to old that dating someone who looked seventeen would be weird, but … older. You didn’t want to pass for HIgh School age. 

-But then again, Emmett did, and he did not look like he was meant to be in High School. He was turned when he was twenty. So who knows.

-After a few years, you decided to turn. Your nineteen, you didn’t wait as long as you thought you would.

-When your twenty one. Edward marries you. There was no rush before … but now, he wanted it to be official with you. 

~Admin Bree