୭ ˚.⁺⊹ .ᐟ modern!eren jaeger x reader
you begin to think that maybe it was a bad idea to bring eren to the amusement park when the small group of kids runs off with snotty noses and whining cries after losing to him at the squirt gun game.
but you just laugh, turning to him and his smug smile.
“eren, you could have at least given them a chance.”
eren shrugs, puffing his chest out. “i don’t see why, i kicked their asses.”
“they’re kids!”
“tch, they’ll have plenty of time to win, they’re young. me, though, i gotta establish my dominance.”
he makes a ridiculous show of flexing his muscles as you burst into a giggle fit. both of you have forgotten the carnie standing behind you until he clears his throat. “which prize will you be taking, sir?”
eren flushes and clears his throat, trying to regain his bearings.
“i’ll take, uh…” he glances over at you and sees you staring in awe at a giant teddy bear with a green bow-tie. “i’ll take that one. please. thanks.”
the carnie takes it off the hook and gives it to eren, returning to his place behind the counter.
“i- oof!” it’s heavier than eren expected and while it’s not exactly a brick, it’s still rather large. “who the fuck made these things so heavy?”
he hauls the bear away awkwardly to free up the game for the next round of people, you trailing close behind. you’re still staring at the bear over eren’s shoulder. he glances back over at you and stops in his tracks, eyes roaming your face.
the infuriatingly endearing curve of your mouth in a surprised ‘o’ and then quirking into an adorable smile. the way your eyes flutter shut from how wide your smile is, the slight lift of your shoulders like the happiness inside you manifested into a force that could lift you off your feet.
“here.”
your eyes go big and your cheeks tinge pink as eren holds out the bear to you. you shake your head quickly. “what? no, i can’t…i mean, you won it.”
he scoffs and clicks his tongue. “what am i gonna do with it? here, you can add it to your fuckin’ collection. don’t even lie, i’ve seen ‘em on your bed. you don’t even try to hide them.”
your cheeks flush even more pink, along with the tips of your ears. you laugh bashfully. “yeah. i guess. but i really-“
“just take it already,” eren sighs, huffing like he’s irritated but really he’s just trying to cover up his blush.
you hesitantly reach out as eren drops the bear into your arms.
he laughs when the momentum of the large bear drags you down with it, nearly collapsing like a sack of flour.
butterflies erupt in his stomach when you make a little ‘oof’ sound and try to regain your balance. eren chuckles and takes your hand in one of his own, the other reaching out to rescue to poor bear just inches away from the dirty floor.
“c’mon, you klutz,” he snorts, helping you to your feet. “i’ll carry him for you, okay?”
you shake your head in a daze. “you say that like you didn’t buckle under it when you grabbed it first, too. but thanks.”
eren just hums, hoisting the bear onto his back and taking your hand, continuing to wander the park with you.
“what’re you gonna name him? don’tcha have a whole ritual and everything?”
you giggle. “i don’t know. what does he look like his name is?”
eren pretends to think it over, glancing back at the bear smiling pleasantly at him.
“i think he looks like a ‘big pain in the ass’.”
“eren, stop it! you’re verbally abusing him,” you whine, but you’re laughing. “maybe i’ll name him armin. so he’s not mean, like you.”
“no freakin’ way you’re naming him after armin! did armin win this for you?”
“jesus, eren, just tell me to name my firstborn after you,” you snort, petting the stuffed bear between its ears.
“you definitely should. i’ll even name my firstborn after you.”
you laugh, reaching a hand up to smack playfully at eren. “who would ever put up with you long enough to marry you?”
eren catches your hand easily, intertwining your fingers and says nothing, instead smiling warmly down at you.
you would, i hope.
you take a seat on a bench, admiring the light from the sun sinking low to the horizon and washing the entire park in golden hues.
“i would,” you state firmly, and eren turns to look at you in surprise, mortified that somehow you were able to read his mind.
“huh?”
“i’d marry you,” you repeat matter-of-factly. “like if you were about to get deported, i’d marry you to keep you here. or if you had a secret uncle who left you a huge inheritance but you had to be married to get it, i’d do it. or like if we were in olden medieval times, if i had to have an arranged marriage, i’d pick you.”
eren just stares at you dumbfoundedly. “what the fuck?”
you were weird. he knew that. you’re prone to spout nonsense. it’s part of what he likes about you. in what scenario would eren be deported? he was born here. and what chance would he have of getting some huge inheritance from some relative he didn’t know? and how in the world would you ever end up in a medieval situation? but nonetheless his cheeks are still red and his heart is still beating fast. you’d pick him. he knew you didn’t explicitly mean that you’re romantically interested in him, but still, it made his heart jump in his chest to know that of everybody you knew (and that was a lot because you’re something of a social butterfly) you’d pick him. it didn’t matter for what, you would pick him.
he smiles and you beam up at him.
“i’d pick you too,” he hums, slinging an arm over your shoulder and pulling you close. you giggle, nuzzling your head in his neck.
it feels warm and just right, the way you fit into his arms. like maybe it was meant to be.
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