my love, mine all mine
actor!eren x f!reader
**part of my method acting series
content: HEAVVVYYYYY ANGST. does contain one part where a man is being icky/hitting on a girl in a gross way. viewer discretion advised. protect your peace.
an: ok yall. chapter is named after a mitski song we know it's not good. don't hang me at the stake now.
songs mentioned: my love, mine all mine by mitski
previous part linked here
--
“This is disgusting.” you mutter, as Armin leans over and takes a picture from what might literally be the worst angle ever.
Connie Springer, human menace, has been sleeping on your shoulder for a majority of the flight to Seattle. And drooling on your hair in the process. You make a mental note to kick his ass when he wakes up for being responsible for the globbed up hair you'll have when you see Eren again.
“He’s been sleeping for almost the entire flight. And he slept all day before the engagement too.” Armin murmurs, flicking the picture in between his fingers as he waits for it to develop.
“Typical.” you respond, readjusting so his head falls on your shoulder more comfortably.
You lean your head against his as he continues to snore against your shoulder, the desperation, the anticipation of what you’re going to do sitting heavy in your head. You’ve run through it a hundred times, the words stringing together in your head.
You’re staying with Eren for the weekend. His birthday falls at the end, but he’s too busy to see you guys, so you’ll take him out the day after.
After making ten very aggressive phone calls to the Seattle Aquarium and throwing a nice amount of money their way, they agreed to close off the aquarium for the weekend, so that you and Eren could have it all to yourself.
So that you could drag him there after he was finished on set and lie down flat on the cold floors to just watch the fish swim above you. So no one else is there when you tell Eren that you still love him, so you’re both surrounded in your own little fishbowl. So that he understands you never did stop loving him. That you won’t ever.
You pause. The guilt sits deep in your stomach, eats at the smallest parts of your conscience and corrupts it. The desperation, the anticipation - it sits heavy in your mind. But the doubt, the guilt, and the anxiety does too.
You either get to have Eren forever or you lose him for good. Because Eren is dating another girl and it comes down to something really simple.
If he likes her more or you.
“You okay?”
You look over at Armin and his perceptive blue eyes are peering into yours, his forehead scrunched up near his hairline.
“I-I have a dilemma, Armin.”
“Do tell.” he responds, propping his elbow against the armrest and leaning his cheek on his hand.
“I….I want to do something. But it could hurt someone.”
He frowns, squinting his eyes at you in confusion.
“I feel a certain type of way. And I want to tell someone. But being honest means I could hurt someone else. Sh-should I still do it?” you ask, cracking your knuckles between your fingers.
“Will it hurt you if you won’t say it?” Armin asks.
Yes.
It’ll hurt you if Eren goes on thinking that you don’t love him the way you do. That walking away from him wasn’t the biggest mistake of your life. That him pulling away kills you, because all you want to do is keep him close.
You can’t keep it all in, regardless of what the outcome will be. And for all it’s worth, you have the feeling that when you’ll see him, it’ll get the better of you, that it’ll be a matter of when you tell him, not if.
“Yes. I-I don’t think I can keep it in Armin. I’ve been sitting on it for a while.”
He brings his hand down on yours and squeezes. And then his blue eyes are shimmering, in the pale fluorescents of the plane lights, and you can’t help but smile back. It’s surging through you - the want, the need, the love you hold for him.
And there’s only three more hours till you’re there.
“I can’t believe you’re finally telling Eren you still love him.” he asks, so nonchalantly as he slides the picture of you and Connie, fully developed, into his wallet as he turns back to you.
“Am-am I that obvious?”
“I mean. You feel a type of certain way? We’re going to see Eren? It wasn’t that hard to piece together.”
“No. You’re just perceptive.”
Armin brings his hand down on yours again, squeezing hard, as he smiles at you - so bright and cheery that it makes you excited.
“God, ‘Min. Why are you so excited? You’re kind of supporting me being a homewrecker right now.”
“I-I don’t know. Hyla, I’m sure she’s great and all, but I just don’t think she fares up well to what Eren needs. Not like you do.”
You can feel your cheeks burning at his admission, the compliment and the implication solidifying in your mind. That Armin, Eren’s best friend, thinks it should be you. That you’re good for him. He’s quiet for a few minutes, sliding through the pictures of Jean and Mikasa - the one’s she posted of Jean and her hugging on the ground, minutes after he proposed. Equipped with a caption, that brings you to tears.
the one place i’ll always find myself returning. jeanboy, it’s you and me always.
“What do you think love is, Y/N?”
“That’s such a loaded question to ask me on a dingy ass flight to Seattle, Armin.” you deadpan.
“No, no. Just think. What is it?”
You rack your brain, long and hard. And they all come to mind - your parents, Falco and Colt, Eren, Jean and Mikasa, Levi and Hange.
Levi and Hange. The love letters Levi wrote to Hange, that he gave you when you wrote invisible string for the vow renewal. Maybe the first time you figured out what love might mean. That it was sharing every little part of yourself and every feeling you’ve had - ecstatic, overwhelmed, happy, sad, bored, and soft.
“Knowing each other. Love is knowing each other, Armin. And-he’s pulling away. I-I don’t want him to leave because there’s still so much more of him I-I don’t know yet. I could have a lifetime and it still wouldn’t be enough.” you murmur.
He smiles, leaning his head against yours, as he talks again, his soft voice murmuring into your hair.
“Eren’s known one thing since he met you. And it’s that he wants you around, wants to know more of you, that you’re the best person he’s met. He picked you to be his co-star, called you almost everyday he wasn’t with you, ran into my room and talked to me what it was like to kiss you after you guys wrote New Year’s day, you’re just it for-”
“Wait, what? He did what?”
“Huh? What part?”
“The New Year’s Day thing. You-you knew that we kissed?”
“Yeah. He told me and Marco, like fully woke us up. Said that you guys were practicing the kiss after you wrote the song and that we both needed to kiss someone immediately so we could understand how he felt.”
You snort.
“I don’t remember it being that way. I like totally froze up when he kissed me the first time. We-we had to do it a few times to get it right.”
“Well, it’s always been you for Eren. I bet you could aim wrong and he’d still come and talk about how kissing you is divine.”
“Divine?”
He freezes up, eyes wide, as he realizes his choice of words.
“Armin. Did Eren say kissing me was divine?”
“No. No- we don’t talk about that stuff. It’s- long story, you-you don’t want to know.”
“No. No, now you have to tell me. We’ve known each other forever, it’s-it’s not weird. Quit being all shy.”
“Y/N.”
“Armin! Please. We-I want to know. Please, I won’t tell him and I won’t think much of it.”
“Okay, well. When I started dating Annie, you and Eren had already been together for like a year. And I wanted…to know how to…”
“To?”
“Have sex.” he murmurs.
You bite down on your lip to avoid laughing and he turns his face, cheeks glowing pink, as he whispers profanities at you.
“You’re so rude. I’m not talking about this.”
“No, no! Armin, you’re just so cute.”
“Quit calling me cute.”
“Sorry! It’s just. You and Eren are so sweet, you’re like brothers. Giggling like little high schoolers about sex.”
“We were highschoolers. And you’re acting like you and Mikasa are any different.”
“Yeah! But you guys know we do that, I just never thought you and Eren talked about this stuff. So what did he say?”
“No. This is breaking bro code. I’m not telling you.”
“Armin! Please! You brought it up now it’s going to bother me forever. And-and you and me. We’re cool like that. We can talk about sex because we’re two grown adults.”
“Y/N.” he responds, in a warning tone.
“Pretty please! I’ve always wondered what Eren thinks about me because he-he’s so reserved and-and it’ll help me. When I tell him, to-to know how he felt about me. Help me not back out.”
“You’re annoying. You-you can’t just use that against me to get me to tell you.”
“Fine. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He groans, leaning his head against the chair, and clenches his jaw. And then Armin’s turning his head, voice all quiet as he whispers.
“You tell another soul and I will kill you.”
“Okay, okay. I promise ‘Min.”
“I-I asked him about it. Because Annie and I were going to….I wanted to make it special. And-and I’m not the type to really, really take initiative when Annie does it first but I-I wanted to.”
“Uh huh.”
“And then I asked him, like. What it’s supposed to feel like. Having sex for the first time. Because, I mean. Isn’t it awkward? And I had heard it hurts for the girl so-”
“I’m trying not to like bite down on my own hand right now. You’re like a little angel.” you coo.
“Shut up. Anyways, Eren said that the first time he-he felt bad. Because it did hurt you and that he just held you after till you felt better. But the second time, he said it was like nothing he ever felt before. That he understood why people do a bunch of stupid shit when they’re in love because it feels divine.”
You swallow hard.
“Armin. He-”
“You’re it for him. I hope I got that through your head. Now just go tell him. And quit making me tell you secrets, you’re breaking every sacred code I have as a man right now.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to mess with your divine brotherhood.”
He flicks the top of your head as you link your arm with his and squeeze hard. And flutter your eyes shut, with him on your mind.
--
“Connie.”
You reach forward and shake his shoulder, as aggressively as you can, in the back of the car.
“Connie.”
He’s slumped over against the window, fast asleep, despite the fact that he slept nearly the entire way here.
“CONNIE.”
“Huh?”
His eyes flutter open, deeply filled with sleep as he registers where he is, holding his hand out to grab you.
“Con. We’re here. And why the fuck are you so tired?”
“Shhh.” he responds, pressing his finger to your lips as he tumbles out of the car, leaning the majority of his body weight on you as you both walk towards the house.
Not Eren’s house, the one you stayed at when Ricky locked you out, but the townhouse on set since Connie needed to be back as soon as possible. You switch positions with Armin, him taking the responsibility of lugging Connie, as you both walk up to the door.
You nervously reach up to brush the tangles out of your hair and rub the tiredness out of your eyes as you knock on the door, putting on your best smile.
Eren.
Or not. The door swings open and a short girl answers, a bored look on her face and a martini glass secured in her hand. Despite the cold weather, she’s dressed up in a mini skirt and her hair is all clipped up in rollers - clearly from a makeup team by the way they’re placed.
“Can I help you?”
“Um. I’m Y/N.”
“Okay?”
“I mean. We’re here to bring Connie back. He-he’s supposed to start filming again today. And we’re visiting for Eren’s birthday.”
“Oh. Okay fine.”
She swings the door open as you and Armin hold Connie upright, loose greetings falling out of his mouth as he waves at the twenty people that are in the room, their names falling out of his mouth. They’re all lounging around on the sofas and in the kitchen, heads pushed together in their own conversations or on their phones.
“Connie. We-where are you supposed to go?”
“Uh. Right. We-we can just go to my room.”
He drags you and Armin up the stairs, even more people crowding the area, as you shuffle past and make your way up. Connie shoves you both into his room, the two of you falling on his sofa, as you watch him shut himself in the bathroom immediately.
“Should we try to find Eren maybe? I think Connie’s like sick or something.” you whisper.
“Yeah. But it might take a while, there’s like sixty people in here.”
“I don’t understand how anyone lives here. Lana and Eren staying in a house off set makes way more sense now.” you respond, as Armin pulls you up and you drag yourself through the halls.
You both amble down, observing the mess all around, as you read the names on the doors. You’re both holding hands, hard, so you don’t lose each other in the bustle of people and the sweat hanging in the air. And nearly six paces down, you find the door with Eren’s name scribbled across the door. Armin lightly knocks as you both peek your heads in, to find Hyla - fast asleep in his bed.
You swallow hard, pushing hard on Armin’s hand, as you both quietly shut the door behind you and walk back down the hallway.
She’s sleeping in his bed.
“Let’s just see if anyone knows where he is, yeah?”
You nod and both push down the hallway again to the crowded room you entered in, nervously watching the swarm of people in front of you and nitpicking on which one to ask. Despite the chill in the Seattle air outside, the inside here is sweltering - the mix of people certainly being a fire hazard and responsible for the itching warmth in the room.
One of the girls, lazily leaning over the counter, beckons for the two of you to join her, which you awkwardly accept.
“Who are you guys?”
“I’m Armin. And this is Y/N. We’re friends of Eren’s, we were looking for him. Is he around?”
“Ah. Eren and Lana are probably busy with the Bear.” she says, turning her shoulder and snickering with the people around them.
The bear?
“Well. We’re going to his birthday dinner tonight. You guys can see him then, the bus leaves at like six.” she mutters, shuffling off to the other side of the house and walking away.
“Okay. Thanks.” you respond, awkwardly rubbing your hands against your arms and turning to Armin.
Right on cue, loud music starts blaring overhead and you and Armin instinctively reach to cover your ears, Armin signaling that the two of you should just go outside. You both leave the sticky, hot room and walk out, kicking the rocks as the music blares on inside.
“God. Levi would have an aneurysm if we ever did something like that to the townhouse.” you mutter.
“I think I had an aneurysm standing in there.”
“What should we do?”
“It’s only four thirty. Let’s just…walk and get coffee. It’ll be six by the time that we’re back and we can meet him at dinner.”
“Okay. Sure.”
--
Two hours later and you’re seated at the most awkward table, in the history of awkward tables. Maybe even more awkward than the thought of the Thirteenth Disciple of Jesus, Ryomen Sukuna, being at the Last Supper.
You and Armin are across from the two empty seats - because Lana and Eren are late. Armin’s stuck next to a weirdly rowdy crowd of people, with Connie at the center, who suddenly has a random burst of energy and has been screaming for a better part of the last hour. And on your left, you’re stuck next to Hyla and Myka, who are way too inquisitive for your liking.
“So like. Can I ask you a question?” Myka asks, leaning into your space.
You shake the glass of water in your hands, perspiration leaking down your elbow, as you give her a nod. You nervously twiddle with the straw in your mouth, biting it into oblivion as she starts talking.
“So. I listened to dorothea. And then I listened to lacy. And I was just wondering what happened between you and Historia? Because your song was really sweet but she makes you look like a bitch.”
You swallow hard.
“Ah. I don’t know, we used to be really close when we were younger and filming Attack on Titan together and stuff. I think we just grew apart. And-you know. Songs are more about their meanings, I-I don’t think lacy is about me and dorothea isn’t necessarily about her.”
“Okay but like. What actually happened? Don’t like beat around the bush.” Hyla states, her tone biting as she swirls her own straw through her glass.
It’s the first time you’ve ever heard her talk, with your own ears. Seen her with your own eyes and interacted with her in the flesh.
She’s scary. Freakishly high cheekbones, slicked back hair, and siren like eyes that pull back to her hairline. A pointed nose, a sharp jaw - and unlike Lana, there are no soft features, no soft expressions to offset the harshness on her face.
“She obviously doesn’t like you. And honestly, it’s fucked that she projects onto you so hard. If she wants to be successful, she should just work harder.” Myka states.
“Historia’s busy, Myka. Got other things on her mind.” she states, making a snipping motion with her fingers.
“Sorry, what?” you ask.
“Oh, you know. Scissoring. Because she’s gay.” Hyla states, the ice in her glass clinking against the straw.
You freeze. And swallow hard to think hard on what to say next.
A topic that you don’t personally broach, and never have, but one people can’t seem to stop talking about.
Maybe you’ve had your suspicions. And you push them down and let Historia be. The longing glances at Ymir when she was putting on her harnesses, the way they were attached at the hip - entirely different than the way you and Mikasa were and more like how you and Eren were.
People suspected. It was a hot topic of conversation, especially after Lacy dropped and the people thought the lyrics were…homoerotic. People were stuck trying to figure out if Historia wanted to be you or date you.
You don’t comment on that. She’s entitled to whatever she is and trying to figure it out for her does her no service.
“So what are you going to order?” Myka asks, leaning over to look at the menu.
“Probably the spicy brisket ramen?”
“Ugh. Ramen has so much sodium. That’s how you get fat arms.” she mutters, flipping her eyes through her own menu.
You swallow hard as you shove your face into your own menu this time, probably drawing blood on Armin’s ankle by the way you’re jamming your leg on his foot. He lifts his own menu as well, the two of you whispering behind them.
“This is what my worst nightmares look like.” you whisper.
“If he doesn’t show up in five minutes, we’re leaving.” Armin responds, giving you a nod.
You both drop your menus to find Hyla staring at you two weird, which you two return with less than peachy smiles and lift your glasses to drink together. And right on cue, Eren and Lana are speed walking to the table from the entrance of the restaurant, absorbed in their own conversation.
Lana takes the seat across from Armin and Eren takes the one across from yours - Lana’s eyes bulging out of her head when she sees the two of you while Eren’s too absorbed in the conversation he’s having with Hyla.
“Ok, I’m here. Quit whining.” he says, leaning his hand against the back of Hyla’s chair.
“Only you would be late to your birthday dinner, Eren.” she responds, giving him a smile as she leans forward to kiss his cheek.
“My birthday is tomorrow, so technically, I’m early.” he responds.
Lana elbows Eren in the side, which he rolls his eyes at before turning his head back to Hyla, who's pointing at the menu.
“Eren.” Lana repeats.
“Huh? What?”
He lifts Lana’s drink on instinct and takes a sip, putting it down as he glares at her.
“It’s non-alcoholic. Calm down, Lana.”
“No. Eren.” she responds, grating her teeth as she gestures her eyes over to you.
And then Eren looks over, his eyes bulging out of his head this time when he sees you. Except his shock goes farther than Lana’s because when he moves his hand off Hyla’s shoulder, he accidentally knocks his glass across the table, the cold liquid drenching the front of your shirt and your skirt.
“Jesus, Eren. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Myka asks, snickering as she looks down at you.
Armin’s quick to respond, yanking his jacket off and placing it on your lap, drying the wetness on your legs as Eren stares at the two of you and then immediately turns to look at Lana.
“Y/N. Armin. What are you guys doing here?” he asks, jaw clenched against his skull.
“They’re surprising you for your birthday. Such sweet childhood friends you have.” Hyla says, giving the two of you a sickly sweet smile.
“Um. I-I’m going to go to the bathroom, my clothes are really wet.” you mutter, beckoning Armin to stay as you quickly speed walk to the bathroom with his jacket wrapped around you.
The second you make it into the bathroom, you shut the closest stall shut and lock the door, hanging Armin’s mostly dry jacket on the ring as you survey the damage. Eren’s drink - bright blue in color - has left a big mark on the front of your white shirt, but is virtually invisible on the black pleats of your skirt.
You instinctively grab for the tissues and wipe down the front of your shirt, which only makes the stain worse. And you don’t know why - why this entire thing is so humiliating, but you can feel tears burning in your eyes and your throat itching with insurmountable heat - as the stain doesn’t lessen, the blue splotch staying.
The door swings open and you hear an immediate knock on your door, shiny black shoes visible from underneath the stall.
“Hey Tinky-Winky. You okay?” Lana whispers, her voice soft as she leans her head against the door.
“Y-yeah. Just, um. Trying to get the stain out, that’s all. I’ll just wear Armin’s jacket.”
“Okay. I-I’m waiting for you out here when you’re done, okay?”
You lift your head to the ceiling, hoping that it’ll push the flaming tears back into your eye sockets as you try to quiet your sniffles and shove Armin’s black denim jacket over your clothes. You open the door to find Lana, sweet Lana, leaning against the door with a smile on her face.
She looks different. Her cheeks are fuller and rosy pink, her short hair growing out to her shoulders. And you don’t miss the soft bags around her eyes, the tiredness sitting in her frame. She opens up her arms, which you quickly sink into, her hands in your hair.
“I missed you.”
“Yeah. I missed you too, La-La.”
She pulls back, her arms resting against your elbows as she talks.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“Surprising Eren for his birthday. We-we missed him.”
She brings her hand to your cheek, cupping your face.
“He misses you too. Lots.” she says, giving you a smile.
You give her a smile back as you wrap your arms around her neck, breathing in her sweet flowery smell, as the door swings open again, only for Eren to be leaning against the door frame. You pull back and look at him - brown hair, green eyes, and no smile - staring back at you.
“Y/N. You-you’re okay?” he asks, shutting the door behind him.
“Yeah. Hi Eren. H-happy birthday.”
He breaks a smile - the first one you’ve seen today - and opens up his arms, wrapping them around your frame as he leans down, lips close to your ear. His right hand is firm on your back and the second one is cradling the back of your head, firm around your locks of hair.
“It’s tomorrow.”
“I know that, Eren.”
“Okay, sweetheart. No need to show off.”
At the sound of your nickname, you’re only wrapping your arms around his neck harder, standing on the tips of your toes, in any attempt to be closer to him. His smooth, laundry smell, his skin soft to the touch, and his hair perfectly tousled against your hands.
“Y/N?”
“Hm, Eren?”
“As much as I like holding you, I am technically trespassing in a women’s restroom right now. I just wanted to see if you were okay.”
You pull back, nervously reaching up to tuck your hair behind your ears as you nod, giving the two of them a look.
“Okay so. I’ll go first. Lana, come out like five minutes after. Eren, give it like seven. Not ten, because the timing would be suspiciously perfect.”
Eren squints his hand at you, his forearms clutched across his chest, as he glares.
“Or we could all go back together.”
“No. No, no. That’s weird. Just wait. I-I’ll see you two out there okay.” you respond, giving the two of them a smile and a thumbs up as you push out of the door.
You nervously duck back to the table, buttoning Armin’s jacket up as you slide in next to him, squeezing his hand under the table when he gives you a questioning look. You shake your head as he gives you a nod, the two of you clear and focusing back on the dinner at hand.
“Y/N. Are you hooking up with Sukuna? He’s hot.” Myka asks, leaning into your space.
You spit your water back into your glass as you start choking on the parts that went down, Armin’s hand comforting on your back.
“Um. No, never in a million years. We’re just friends.” you respond, giving them a smile.
“The Promiscuous video was really hot. You’ve never looked better.”
You turn your head to find the guy seated between Connie and Armin leaning over, holding his hand out to you as he talks. He has short black hair and cold, steely eyes.
“Vinh.”
You place your hand in his, thrown off by the clamminess, as he smiles continuing.
“I mean. Some part of it has to be real right? That whole bit where Sukuna’s like on the floor crawling after you walk away, when he pretends to pass out when you blow him a kiss, and when you throw the water on him just to take his shirt off after...you can only fake chemistry like that to some extent.”
“Ah. I’m an actress. That’s my entire job. And the song is called Promiscuous. We-we obviously leaned into a little bit. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“That’s music to my ears then.” he says, smiling.
You know that smile. It reminds you of Ricky.
“Vinh, stop it. And Connie, you’ve had enough to fucking drink.” Eren says, glaring bullets at the two of them.
“Eren. Shut the fuck up.” Connie responds, clearly irritated with Eren. The two of them hold their eye contact, for too long, as you look at Armin.
“Connie. I will beat it out of you again if I have to.” Eren responds, which makes Connie drop his gaze. The group laughs as Eren scoffs, his knuckles white against his glass.
You’re thrown off by the sudden hostility, Eren’s demeanor entirely different from what he was in the bathroom. Granted, he was still a bit off-putting in there, but the fact that he’s…purposely picking a fight with Connie is entirely unlike him at all.
Connie gets so irritated that he storms off, leaving the table all together, as everyone murmurs what a buzzkill he is.
Connie’s always been the life of the party. Even insinuating he’s a buzzkill is downright ironic.
“So. How is filming for the movie going? Which one is this again?”
“Don’t Worry Darling.” Hyla responds, swirling her fork around her plate.
“I’m really excited to see it, you guys. I’m sure it’ll be great.”
Hyla twists her straw in between her fingers as she looks in between Lana and then you.
“Lana Banana.”
Lana curls up her nose at the term, tilting her head over to look at her.
“You’ve just been so busy lately. You’re not really looking fit for your part anymore. I think Y/N should take it. Don’t you think, Eren?”
Eren swallows hard as he looks at you, eyes flitting between you and Lana, as he stays silent. And the beat goes on for too long and no one talks, so you bite the bullet and do it for them.
“I uh. Don’t have time for that actually. Danny and Sareen lined up a four day only show in New York City for me the week of the Institute Awards. I’m supposed to close for that award show, so I-I’ll have a lot of rehearsals leading up to it.” you respond, dissolving the loaded question so Eren didn’t have to.
“Well our next movie. You should definitely join, everyone here loves you. Vinh especially.” she says, smiling.
“Oh! I-I’ll see about that.”
“Don’t you think Y/N and Vinh would be cute together, Eren? She’s clearly into that whole bad boy thing since she liked Sukuna.”
“Oh, I don’t-”
And then Eren’s leaning into her space, lips a few feet away from hers, as he smiles and tucks her hair behind her ear. And then he presses a kiss to the top of her forehead, her cheeks turning bright pink.
“Do you want to get out of here? Just you and me?”
She gives him a giddy smile as she nods, putting her hand in his, as he drags her out, arm secured around her waist. He gives Lana a look over his shoulder as he leaves, which Lana ignores as she gives you and Armin bright smiles.
--
You settle into the bed, Lana at your side, as you reach for your phone.
you: everything good?
armin: yeah. connie isn’t even here he like never came back. also his room smells like pop rocks LOL
you: so THIS is why he’s sleeping all the time.
armin: everything good with you?
you: yes. i’m sleeping with lana.
armin: okay. sweet dreams. don’t think about stuff too hard.
you: speaking of stuff, i don’t think i’m going to do it anymore, armin.
you: i thought that eren and hyla would be more like…me and ricky. but he actually likes her i think.
armin: yeah. i think so too, i’m sorry y/n.
you: our time just passed i guess. better to keep him around as my friend than not at all, right?
armin: it’ll pass, y/n. it-it goes away. talk to ymir. about hisu. she can help you better.
You turn on your sheets to find Lana next to you, already sprawled over the majority of the bed, and dead asleep. Her expression looks so tired, her deep breaths indicating that she’s already fully out, despite it only being five minutes since you’ve been here.
And she looks soft. Her jaw isn’t as sharp anymore, a little bit of fullness in her cheeks, but the same pointy nose.
It’s pretty. She’s pretty.
You bury your head into your own pillow as you flutter your eyes shut, trying to will away the image at dinner. Except you can feel it in your space, the thought of them together, like you’re being poked.
“Y/N.”
Poke.
“Y/N. Wake up, sleepyhead.”
You flutter your eyes open to find Eren, big green eyes staring at you, with his jacket pulled over his head as the source of the aforementioned poking. On instinct, you reach forward and make contact with his nose, which has him falling against the wall and groaning. The sound is so loud that you both look over at Lana, who is unbothered by the sound and still dead asleep.
You jump up and cup Eren’s hands in your face, fingers soft and feeling for his nose in the dark.
“Eren. What-what the fuck was that?”
“You’re asking me that? You’re the one who just punched me in the nose!” he whispers.
“Are you stupid? I’ve had like three different run-ins with people stalking my house. I-I learned self defense.” you whisper back.
His face softens and he brings his hands up to where yours are - still resting on his face - as he removes them and drags you towards the door. There’s a jacket on the desk, which he’s holding open for you and gesturing for you to put on.
“What are we doing?”
“I-Armin told me you want to take me to the aquarium the day after my birthday. But. I-I can’t. I’m busy but I still want to spend time with you so, let’s go.”
“Where? It-It’s like almost eleven. Aren’t you filming tomorrow?”
“Please? It-it’s my birthday? One hour to my birthday?”
You roll your eyes and nod which has Eren pulling the hood over your hair and carefully zipping the jacket up as he gives you a smile. The two of you tiptoeing through the townhouse as you sneak out. His hand is locked in yours, pulling you hard, as he pockets the keys to one of the cars and drives you out.
He’s driving along the roads, nearly empty, as the moon shines light on the puddles in the road. The car comes to an abrupt stop at a small house and when you get out, the breeze and the smell of salty air envelopes your nose as you march up together.
“You have a beach house?”
“Not mine. It’s a friend’s.”
You nod as the rocks crunch underneath your feet and Eren pockets his keys, shoving the brass into the door and dragging you in. The lights are open and there’s a decent amount of giggling getting louder as he pushes you through the house, a confused look on his face.
“Why are you guys still awake?”
You turn your head to find two people - a guy who can’t be much older than you holding a little boy - frosting cookies over a granite countertop.
“Eren!” the kid says, shaking his arms and leg in his hold until he’s dropped.
The boy runs over to Eren, wrapping his arms around his legs as he excitedly laughs, the sound so loud it pierces your ears. In a good way.
“Teddy. Why aren’t you sleeping, little man?” Eren asks, crouching down to pinch at his cheeks.
The other man, from before, takes your side as he responds to him, giving Eren a knowing look.
“Nightmare, Eren. I’m Landon, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Y/N.”
“Ah. The infamous Y/N. It’s very nice to meet you.” he responds, smiling as he holds his hand out for you.
“Are you here to play with me, Eren?” Teddy asks, jumping up and down against Eren’s legs.
“Not exactly. But I do have a friend I want you to meet.”
Eren looks up, a smile on his face, as he gestures for you to crouch down next to him, Teddy standing in front of the two of you.
“Teddy. This is my pretty friend, Y/N. Can you say hi?” he says, emphasizing each word slowly.
Teddy gets embarrassed when you smile at him and immediately buries his face into Eren’s shirt, the back of his neck entirely red as he nervously shakes his head against Eren.
“Teddy. Just say hi, she’s really nice.” his voice soft, coaxing Teddy to say hi again.
You smile as he turns his head, brown eyes peering into yours, as he awkwardly shuffles in Eren’s arms, his hands knotted together behind his back.
“Hi! I’m Y/N. It’s very nice to meet you.” you say, flickering your eyes quickly up to Eren who's beaming at you as he waits for Teddy’s response.
“I’m Theodore.” he responds.
“Theodore? Since when do you go by Theodore, little man? Trying to impress someone?” Eren asks, reaching forward to pinch his pink cheeks and lift him in the air, which has him giggling like no other.
You laugh as the two of them keep laughing together, leaning against the countertop where Landon’s leaning, the half frosted cookies in his hands.
“So how do you know Eren?” you ask.
“We have a mutual friend. And he keeps coming around, to play with the kid. Uninvited, mind you.”
“We’re sorry to intrude. Though, he dragged me here and I had no idea. So it’s his fault.”
“Sounds like him.” he says, dusting off his hands as he walks over to Eren, scooping Teddy out of his arms.
“Okay, Teddy. Say bye to Eren and Y/N now. It’s bedtime.”
You walk up to Eren, who’s hunching down so your faces are close to each other as you both wave bye, the silence filling up the room as you step back and away from Eren. He gives you a soft smile as he places his hands flat on your back and pushes you through the open door, the sand and ocean glimmering under the light of the full moon.
Eren swipes a guitar case and a blanket off the patio as you both discard your shoes and pad into the sand, a few feet away from where the waves are crashing. Eren hands you the case as he places the blanket flat onto the sand and lies down on it, tapping the spot next to him and beckoning you to join him.
You cross your legs and sit instead of lying down, his head a few feet away from your knees. His green eyes focused on the moon, shining above, bathing you in the pale light. You open up the case, a beautiful acoustic guitar lying in the case and start strumming aimlessly against the strings, not missing the way Eren smiles at the tune and closes his eyes.
“Can you sing me something?” he asks.
“What do you want to hear, almost birthday boy?”
“Invisible string.” he responds.
You smile as you switch the chords, fingers strumming against the strings as you quietly sing, watching Eren’s closed eyes and his soft smile. His dimples on display, the freckles underneath his eyes, his soft, soft hair.
It’s only then that it stings. That you hold all this love, all this big, real love for Eren. That at one point, you felt it together at the same time but that he’s moved long past that.
As you finish, Eren’s shooting up, swinging the strap of the guitar off of your neck and slipping it around his own. He’s tapping the ground in front of him, beckoning for you to lie down in front of him now, his fingers soft on the guitar.
“What song is it?” you ask, head turned to the side away from him and focused on the crashing of the waves, how they roll perfectly, rise and fall to crash against the sand.
“New one.”
“Hm. What’s it about?”
“Marco. He-he gave me this Maya Angelou poetry book on my birthday a few years ago, the birthday where you gifted me the vinyl. There was a quote in it that just made me think.”
“What was the quote?”
“Just like the moons and the suns, with the certainty of the tides, just like hope springing high, still I’ll rise.”
The wave rises. And it crashes. Again and again.
“Sing, Eren. I want to hear it.”
Moon, tell me if I could
Send up my heart to you?
So, when I die, which I must do
Could it shine down here with you?
'Cause my love is mine, all mine
I love, my, my, mine
Nothing in the world belongs to me
But my love, mine, all mine, all mine
You shuffle away from the tides to look at him, his eyes focused on the strings and his fingers plucking so softly. Eyes focused on his lips. The lips, that could end you here and now.
“The moon is blushing up there, Eren. You’re writing love songs about it.”
“The moon is my muse. I can only write songs about her.” he whispers, his hands making their way to your hair, to tuck your flyaways behind your ear.
You feel your cheeks burning, the image of Eren - seventeen and whispering in your ear about how you’re his moon, how you have a pull on him - on the forefront of your brain.
“Y/N. You-you don’t remember what it means?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“This.” he responds, his fingers switching to the other side and tucking your stray hairs behind your ears.
You feel your ears burning, when you remember. The secret signals that you and Eren came up with. And the tucking the hair behind the ears, it’s- it means he wants to kiss you. You shoot up and Eren swings the guitar off, knees hiked to his chest as his green eyes look at you, expectantly.
“You-you can’t, Eren.” you whisper, the thought of dinner still in your mind.
“Why not? Do you not want to?” he asks, whispering back.
“That’s not fair to her. You can’t.”
“You-you heard me right? Nothing in the world belongs to me, except my love. And-and you're the only thing that's really mine. You-you still do, right? Belong to me?” he asks, his voice wavering.
“Eren.”
“Please. Please, I don’t want to beg. Don't make me. Do you still belong to me?”
He brings his hand up to your face, warm against your cheek, which is ice cold from the biting wind, and you lean into it. The warmth, in his hand, his eyes, his honey sweet voice.
“Yes. Yes, I do.” you whisper.
“Y/N. You- don’t get confused. You know what this means right? Us?”
You give him your best smile and nod, your fingers tingling. It means he still loves you too.
He leans forward, eyes closed as he kisses you, warm and soft. The sensation tingles all the way down to your stomach, makes your cheeks burn, and your brain prickle. And you relax, the familiarity of this, so delicate, so unchanged from the time he kissed you last that you can’t help but smile into his lips.
You lean against his shoulder and look up, at the moon above you two, his arms wrapped around you.
“Moon looks pretty tonight, doesn’t it?” you ask.
“Always has.” he responds, his lips soft in your hair as the warm tears fill your eyes.
“Happy birthday, Eren.” you whisper, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.
“Thank you, my moon.” he responds.
And you stay there, to watch the sun rise. On the two of you, together, for the last time.
--
Eren tucks you back into bed with Lana as the sun peaks up, though it’s a battle in itself. Because Lana’s all starfish on the bed, her limbs tangled over every open space on the bed. But Eren’s rude and he’s just flopping her around, until he makes space, pressing a kiss to your forehead before leaving.
And hours later, the sun is sinking down, with Lana nowhere to be found and Armin reading at the couch to the side.
“Hey.”
“Jesus. It’s almost sunset, you’ve been sleeping all day. Whatever Connie has is rubbing off on you.” he mutters, reaching over to hand you a water bottle.
“Sorry. I slept late because-”
Because of Eren.
You jump up and take the seat next to Armin, excitedly telling him everything that happened last night. And he’s smiling so bright, blue eyes glimmering that you’re both excitedly hugging each other and squeezing hard.
“Well. He’s been out all day, but he should be back tonight. Let’s go to dinner before we leave, yeah?”
You nod, jumping up to the bathroom to get ready, the smile on your face aching your cheeks as you reach for the toothpaste. You peek your head out the door at Armin.
“‘Min.”
“Hm?”
“Do you have toothpaste?
“There’s some in Connie’s room. Just go grab it.”
You take your toothbrush and bustle through the hallway, past the crowds of people walking through. You’re lucky you never have to mourn the frat house experience. You’re fairly certain you’re living it right now.
You swing into his room, the smell of candy overwhelming, as you push forward and open the door. Only to find Connie, leaned over the counter, fixing up three lines of white powder with a credit card.
“Connie. What are you doing?” you ask, your throat burning in your neck.
He turns his head and his eyes nearly boggle out of his head as he quickly swipes the powder into the sink and the excess on his hands against his pants. He’s smiling, too big, too synthetic as he grabs your hands.
“Y/N! Nothing! You- it was a joke. It’s not what it looks like, I swear.”
You swallow hard as he presses you into a hug and the dots connect, your eyes burning.
Connie’s doing drugs. It’s-it’s why he sleeps all the time and then suddenly has intense energy out of nowhere, why his nose is red, why Eren told him to stop drinking.
Eren’s words from dinner ring in your head, of how he said he beat it out of Connie, and sit in a bad way.
Eren beat Connie up for doing this?
You pull back and press your hands to Connie’s face, to take him in. His skin is burning hot to the touch and there are beads of sweat matting his forehead, his entire demeanor so anxious, so jittery and nervous that it sets you off. And all you can think of is sweet Connie, so excited and energetic doing this in his free time that it makes you eyes burn.
“Connie. Are-are you okay? Why are you doing this?”
He freezes. And at your words, his entire demeanor changes and suddenly he’s on the floor softly crying, his head in his hands. You join him on the floor and put your hand on his shoulder.
“Connie. What’s wrong?”
“I-I just wanted to be the best, Y/N. I wanted to be the lead for once, I-”
“Connie. You, you’re-”
“Do you know how fucking tired I am of all of this? I-I can’t do this anymore. You- I’m done. I have to quit, I have to-” he says, shaking in your arms as you wrap your arms around him, tears streaming down your eyes.
“He couldn’t even let me have this one thing, Y/N. Eren just had to be the best.” he spits out, his chest heaving up and down as he mutters out more words, a long list of profanities directed towards Eren.
“Connie. You- we can go. Armin and I are leaving in a few hours, you-you should come with us. We-we want to help you.”
“You don’t get it, Y/N. Wherever I go, this thing follows me. That people know my fucking name when I walk down the street, when I go to the beach, when I’m at the doctor. We’re never getting fucking out of this. This is our life now.” he responds, cheeks straight on your face.
You reach for your phone on the counter as it buzzes, Armin’s name flashing across the screen. Connie’s still lying down flat on the floor, his tears falling straight onto the floor.
“Y/N.”
“Armin.”
“Are you crying? I-I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding, let’s just go-”
“It’s Connie. Can you come here? It’s- he’s not okay.”
“Okay, okay. I’m running.”
And a few seconds later, Armin’s pushing into the bathroom and his eyes are boggling at the sight of the two of you and his face falls when you explain. And then your phone starts buzzing on the counter, the notifications constant. You lift it and scroll, eyes flitting through the letters.
mikasa: don’t panic. we’ll figure out a response, okay?
jean: call us as soon as possible okay? ill kill him next time i see him
nobara: i’ll fly out to see you. are you still in new york?
levi: Call me when you get a chance. Hope you’re okay. Hange is going to talk to him.
sukuna: On your side. Whatever you do.
“Y/N. You- there’s something you have to see.” Armin says, dragging you out and handing you his phone. He rushes back into the bathroom to Connie, as you scroll through the tab on his phone.
It’s a video of Eren and Lana, with chunky headsets and microphones in front of their faces. You recognize the backdrop immediately - one of the WBS’s most popular podcasts, called Life in Love.
You press the clip and tilt the phone, eyes focused on Eren and Lana as they start talking.
“The person that you’re most associated with, Eren, is your co-star, Y/N L/N, from Attack on Titan. Can you comment on that, on what it’s like to have your first love be something so public?” the interviewer asks.
“First love is a funny way to describe it. I-I know that a lot of people like to assume things and we’ve never really said it publicly, but we never did actually date. It was a whole thing we did together, while we were filming Attack on Titan. Method acting.”
“Can you elaborate?” the interviewer asks.
“It’s like that thing with Ricky James. I mean, we’re all actors, we’re all part of the entertainment industry. And we do things, pretend a little, to make our art feel more authentic. The reason Y/N and I act so well in Attack on Titan, and win awards from it, is because we do it outside of it too. It’s like we’re acting all the time. You can turn it on and off.”
“So are you just friends, then? I mean, Y/N has an interesting track record with her own friends, like Historia and Jean and Mikasa that many people have pointed out before. Is that something that you can corroborate? That she’s a good friend?”
“She’s a good friend of mine, we-we laugh about it sometimes. And as for the stuff about her other friends, you know. You’re in competition and if you have something you really want, you-you’ll do anything to get it. That’s something I can admire. There’s only one person who ends up on a pedestal and if you have to kick people off to get there, that’s what it is.”
You jump off the bed and rush back into the background, where Armin is crouched next to Connie, his hand on his head.
“Connie.”
“Y/N. Hey, you ok-”
“What were you saying about Eren?”
“Huh?” Connie asks, eyes deeply lidded and his breaths becoming more labored.
You put your hands on his shoulders and shake, as aggressively as you can, as the tears stream out of your eyes.
“What did you mean? What did Eren do?”
“What he always does. Put himself first. Even if I’m the thing at stake.” Connie mutters, his hands shaking in your hold.
Armin gives you a pained look as your tears flow harder, your hands still on Connie’s shaking frame.
“Y/N. Get ready. We-we should leave.” Armin says, hands on his phone as he calls the car.
“Okay. I-I need a few minutes. And we’re taking Connie with us. I-I don’t care if he gets fired or whatever, he-he’s not staying here, Armin.”
Armin presses his hands on your shoulder, squeezing hard.
“I was going to say the same thing. C-calm down, Y/N. Okay? I’ll be back in a few.”
--
You wait in the kitchen as Armin lugs Connie’s bag down, swirling the glass of water in your hands. Your eyes are focused on everyone in the room, a smaller group, ambling around the room.
“Hey.”
“Oh. Hi Vance.”
“It’s Vinh.” he responds, giving you a smirk.
“Sorry.”
He scoots closer to you, his hand firm on your shoulder, as he leans down, a smile spread on his face.
“So, would you ever think about doing it with me?”
“Excuse me?”
“Faking it. Except, we can do all the real things too.” he says, securing his hand around your face and leaning closer to your lips.
You push his hand off as you put space between you two.
“Why would I ever do that?”
“Don’t act like you’re above it. Eren, Ricky James. I don’t see how I’m any different. Or if you have any dignity to preserve.”
You feel your throat dry, at the impact of Eren’s words solidifying in your mind. That him saying that your relationship wasn’t real only furthers all that hate you received after you told everyone the truth about Ricky.
That you were fake. And it meant now that people were going to start doing it again - start nitpicking every little thing, your relationship with Mikasa and Jean, with Eren and use every mistake you’ve made against you.
And for guys like this, it’ll just make them think this is okay. That you’re easy, that they’re entitled to what you’ve done for others because you’ve done it before.
“It-it’s really different.” you respond, running out of the kitchen.
You quickly duck out of the room as you see Armin dragging Connie down the stairs and make your way over to help him, the itchy, dirty feeling of the interaction you just had being pushed to the back of your mind.
You and Armin lug Connie to the back seat of the car, letting him lie down flat against the seats, as Armin reaches for the last of the stuff to put into the car. Connie’s still twitching in the seat, eyes pressed shut and sweating.
You place your hands on both sides of his cheeks, the tears filling your eyes again.
“Connie. I-I think we should take you to rehab or something, you-you’re not okay.” you whisper.
He’s quiet, still shaking in your frame as he opens his eyes and looks at you. And the tiredness, the red and the pain mixed together has your heart flinching in your chest, cutting deep.
“I hate myself for it. I didn’t want to be like this. That asshole who is high when his best friends are getting engaged.”
“They won’t be mad at you, Connie. We-we understand.”
“But I don’t understand. I wanted to remember it, Jean and Mika, they-they’re special. I-I wanted to remember it.” he says, his voice cracking as the tears start spilling down his face.
“Con.”
“I hate myself for it. I really, really do.” he says, so definitively, so sure of himself that all you can do is squeeze his cheeks in your hands as he falls asleep.
You brush your fingers through his buzzed hair one last time as you step out of the car, only to see Armin and Eren arguing near the bags by the door. You walk up, which stops them all together, as they both focus their eyes on you.
“Eren. Can I talk to you?”
He tilts his head towards Armin, who's still standing there, fists clenched. You give him a nod as he walks away, rolling the rest of Connie’s bags towards the car.
“Did you want something?” he asks, eyes squinting into yours.
“Yeah. I-I want to know what happened. You and I- we.”
“Y/N.”
You reach for his arm, for his fish tattoo right above his elbow and squeeze.
“Eren. It-it’s not true, right? There’s an explanation for this? Because we-we can help you. We’re taking Connie and leaving and you should come.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Eren. Whatever it is, we can figure it out. Just come with me. Or if you need me to stay, I’ll do that too. We can figure out how to tell the truth about it all. I won’t leave.”
He rolls his eyes, green eyes glaring into yours as he responds.
“Y/N. What part of what I said was a lie?”
You swallow hard, the acidic feeling in your mouth burning.
“Like almost all of it? You and I were real. We loved each other. And we still do.”
He places his hands on your shoulders and squeezes, as he drawls his voice out, each word stinging more.
“Do we?” he asks, his look so harsh it stings and the tears rise to your eyes.
Yes. You do.
“Yeah. What-what about yesterday? On the beach?”
He sighs, pushing his hand through his hair as he falls out of your hold, putting space between you two.
“I asked you if you knew what it meant when I kissed you. You clearly didn’t understand what I was trying to say.”
“And what did it mean, Eren?”
“That was a one time thing. For-for fun. It didn’t mean anything like that, I-I was just thanking you for coming down all the way for my birthday.”
You pale.
“You and I spent hours talking on the beach. About-about it all and-”
“We did other things too.” he responds, his voice biting.
You feel your cheeks burn with embarrassment, the understanding registering. That you spent hours on the beach talking, but amongst that there were other things you did too. The pale purple on his neck is proof of that.
“But-but you said all that stuff before. Sang that song, called me the moon and-”
“You’ve always been into that fluff shit. We always say corny shit like that before we do stuff.”
You pale, every memory of Eren whispering soft words against your skin as he kissed you souring in your mind. Because of the insinuation that none of it was real. That he just did it because he knew you liked to hear it, not because he meant any of it.
“Excuse me?”
“You know. The whole “we’re fish together thing” and the songs and all that.”
You stare at him, at his forehead crushed up in frustration and his green eyes, cold and soulless as they stare at you. You look down at his fish tattoo, and cross your arms to cover your own, glaring back at him.
“You’re a fucking liar, Eren. You-”
“Y/N. I’m a fucking actor. My entire job is to pretend like I like you, do you really think I am so incapable of keeping the act up when the cameras turn off?”
“It doesn’t make sense. There’s no reason for you to do that.”
“There is. I want to win Best Actor in a TV Series.”
“And what does that have to do with us?”
“Levi said that this role, if I did it right, could make me the fucking best. And you-you had no experience. I had to make sure that you actually liked me so that I didn’t have to carry you in every fucking scene. So that your acting wouldn’t bring me down.”
"Eren."
"Why did I win an award for the Thank You scene? Because you actually fucking liked me, because you were able to cry and act in the scene. You're a good actor, but you were never that good."
“But what about after? You-we were together when we weren’t filming.”
“You went on your tour. Got distant. Did I ever once make any effort to talk to you when you stopped? No, I didn’t. You broke up with me on that balcony because your team wanted you to date Ricky James instead of me. Did I stop you? No. You know why? Because who you date doesn’t fucking bother me, not in the slightest.”
“You knew. We-we understood each other. That’s why we broke up, because it’s fishbowl and-”
“Who the fuck would be okay with that? Seriously, if it was all in earnest, you think I’d just let you do that?"
“Then why the fuck are you writing depressing ass songs at the Met Gala and then taking care of me after the whole thing went down?”
“Y/N. You’re so fucking naive. That’s what you have to do. I act on the screen and I make people interested in me after the fact. I write songs about you, make it seem like you’re the one who broke up with me, so that people stream the songs. So that people talk about them. So that they’re popular. And then I save you after the fact, because at the end of the day, you and I still have a show to fucking finish and I can’t exactly leave you out there in the rain, can I?”
“Eren.”
“Think about it. After you were good and fine with Ricky, did we keep talking? Did it stay the same? No. I had no interest in putting effort in after that, because I was dating another girl. And I still am by the way.”
“Eren.”
“Get it through your head. You- I had to help you. In whatever way I did. Your parents weren’t famous and you had no ins. I have to do something to offset that if you’re my co-star.”
"No part of real to you? Not even one?"
"It-it's fun to pretend sometimes. But that's all it is, Y/N. Pretending. Faking it."
You feel a hand on your shoulder, squeezing hard, and turn to find Armin, his jaw clenched against his head.
“Are you serious, Eren? How can you even say that to her?”
“It’s the truth. She should try it sometime.”
You choke back a sob, your chest heaving up and down, as Armin lets go and pushes Eren, the irritation sitting in his chest.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you doing this to Connie? To Y/N?”
“Armin. We filmed one show together when we were kids. Don’t get mad when I don’t have the same loyalty that you all feel for each other. It was fun, but I still have a career outside of it.”
“Eren. You loved Attack on Titan. And us, you-you wanted to go back to it so many times after we stopped filming and went on hiatus.”
“Yeah. Because I was in a show that was actually good. Not shitty movies that were flopping. That-that had nothing to do with you guys.”
“Eren.”
“You guys should leave. I’ve had enough.”
Eren reaches for the last bag, grabbing Armin’s polaroid camera on top before pushing the last bag into Armin’s hands. And when he extends his hand to hand Armin the camera, he pulls back at the last second and lets it fall to the ground, with a resounding crack.
All you see is red.
“Eren. What did you just do?” you ask.
“My bad. I broke it.” he spits out.
Armin swallows hard as he looks at it, the camera that’s documented every portion of your childhood, every up and down and in between for the past seven years, now broken in his hands. Levi and Hange's vow renewal, every birthday, everyone messing around in between takes and- he just broke it.
You crouch down and put a hand on Armin’s shoulder, his tears falling straight onto the floor, over the camera. And pick up the pieces with him, the jagged edges hard in your hands, as you carry them over to the car.
You look back one last time, to see Eren with his hands in his pockets, illuminated by the moonlight, you take one last look and sit in the car. And then get in the car and let your tears flow freely. You lift Connie’s head and place it in your lap as Armin puts in the directions. And on your right, your phone buzzes and you pick up.
“Hello?”
“Hi! This is the Seattle Aquarium! We just wanted to know what time you would be coming by for your friends birthday tomorrow so we can set up?”
You swallow hard and hang up, cursing the stupid aquarium and the stupid fish that got you caught up in this in the first place.
You slide to Eren's contact - the picture of you two staring back at you - and block the number. And make a mental note to get your tattoo removed.
--
“Hello.”
“You’ve sat idle for three months now. And I’m not letting you sit around any longer. It’s-you have to defend yourself. This-you’re better than this. They’re making a mess of you.”
“Let them. Is there really anything I could say to stop them? No and-”
“Watch the link I sent you. Quit talking back with your shit excuses and remember why you even did any of this in the first place. And then call me back when you’re thinking straight.”
The line goes flat as the notification comes, the link in your messages. You open it up, a clip of Hange’s getting their triple threat commendation. Their speech, the one that got you involved in all this shit in the first place, ringing in your ears. The only reason you wanted to be a triple threat in the first place.
To anyone watching at home, in their living room in their rundown pajamas, this is a sign to never ever give up on your dreams. Because that used to be me, and it can be you too. Never let anyone stop you from becoming the triple threat you are meant to be. To let that fire run wild and true and let people see the real you.
The media made a shit show out of you, in the three months that followed. So much so, that you don’t even show your face in public. Because it snowballs so fast, the entire drama around Don’t Worry Darling, around you and Eren and Hyla becomes the only thing people talk about.
And the narrative is simple. You're quickly written off into something you’re not. That you faked your relationship with Ricky James and Eren Jaeger for publicity, that you leached off of their fame to be famous yourself. That it’s all you care about.
Hyla goes on the record and brings up the night you and Eren shared on the beach. And quickly gives you your reputation as a home wrecker, as a people pleasing attention seeker who likes people who puff up her ego.
People like Jean and Mikasa, like Connie and Sasha - who are still famous and good for your image, but not famous enough to over shine yoU. Not like Historia, who you so quickly discarded and then opened a full on competition with when you released your records.
That at the end of the day, all you are is a small town girl from Canada, with a sick need to be at the top of the pedestal. To have people clamoring around you, praising you, because of your inferiority complex. That you're easy, that you have no feelings, that you're not even a real person.
The words churn in your mind, the thought angrily swirling with every other feeling. And the push, the support in a moment like this solidifies your plan in your mind. To let that fire run wild and true and let people see the real you.
The real you.
you’re right. i’m in.
on my first flight out. we’re going to bury this asshole in the ground.
And in the most perfect way, you’ve got the best person at your side helping you. Always known for upstanding honesty, truth, and for digging people into holes when they deserve it. For burying them with art, with carefully chosen words and songs.
It’s what makes her the perfect right hand to your revenge. Historia's always had a flair for the dramatics.
--
next part linked here
an, again: sukuna reputation era? sorry. girls do it better. (im just kidding, he'll be part of the reputation era but our best baby girl historia will be too). there is just something so insane about them ALL using historia as a piece of evidence against y/n and then her being right at her side. also no one hang me at the stake please.
taglist:
@k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @bsenpai @sweetenertea @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @cutiejg @bokutosthings @bookwrmm @mblrrr @wheredidmycrowngo @somethinginyoureyes7 @chilichopsticks @okaystopwhore @you-always-made-me-blush @itzmeme @firelordazulaaaa @whoami-72 @g-ghostly @intimacywithceline @erensmoodygf @cocomellxn @princess-ackerman @jaegerfiles @cacapeepee @squirrelspoetry @rui-0836 @moonmalice @invisible-mori @sofiasber @bbybeeb @timetobegone @tee4str @ttokki2 @leave-rae-alone @ec3lipsy @officialsimpp @gojojang @yookayyo @lordbugs @multiplefandomthings @iobeyfandoms @camilo-uwu @justanotherkpopstanlol @mel-star636
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