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[He appreciates the background music. Elliot always loved the sound of music, and it helped calm his nerves a little. He can focus on the music and Eren- and ignore any weird sounds that he might hear outside. Outside is bad, okay.

When they reach the couch, Elliot won't hesitate to take up that spot offered to him. He'll sit down next to him, resting against Eren's side and his arm. So happy.

Though Eren's statement brings him back down to reality a little. Sure, he could pretend he never got hurt, it'd probably be easier on Eren's nerves, but......]

Eheh..actually, I have one more ability I haven't mentioned yet. [He glances up at Eren] Promise not to freak out? It's easier to show then tell.

[ eren lifts his head up from the lull it had been behind the cushions; actually, don’t freak out and it’s easier to show when they were just talking about getting hurt isn’t something, well. soothing!

eren’s emotional output was a pretty wild thing— stay calm! yeah, what’s calm sometimes. don’t do that eren! well, here he goes, doing it anyway. sometimes there are certain promises he’d hate to break (which is why he’s not actually promising anything, he’s that honest!). without nodding his head or verbally agreeing, because he’s unsure of where this is going, he only stops, sits up with attention and watches . . . expectantly. ]

[EREN ITS ALWAYS WORRYING WHEN YOU DON'T ANSWER A PROMISE. Elliot just knows he's going to freak out. But....oh well. Better he finds out now than later, right? Right.

Gulp.

Elliot will lean forward to the table in front of them, picking up the knife they used to cut the apple strudel. He'll wipe it clean as best he can with a napkin. When that's done, he'll lean back so Eren can get a good look and-

Makes a small cut on the back on his hand- enough that there's blood. He winces a little as he does this. But before Eren can start squawking-]

- Don't freak!

[Because sure enough, as soon as he finishes making the cut? The cut starts repairing itself]

[ don’t freak more like

he was watching, tensing up when elliot’s got a knife in his hand— eren even seems to hold his breath the more he lets it slide, and while he certainly would love to trust elliot on this . . . seeing sudden self harm was more than enough for alarms to sound off and for him to react, and for a few seconds he wishes that he acted sooner.

eren snaps for the hand holding the knife, probably the strongest vice around the other’s wrist to this day, forcibly tight and deterring. he wants him to let go, and out of a heightened sense of concern, forces the hand to let go so he can toss it back onto the table. it’s clear like crystal in his eyes that the act itself freaked him out to intense levels, as silent as he still was. maybe out of startlement. his heart is lodged in his throat and he doesn’t know what to really say beyond wanting to be worried and upset all at the same time.

the cut begins to heal before he can say anything beyond cracked stuttering, watching with wide eyes. he takes elliot's hand, inspects it up and down, palm to surface. it’s . . . healed. his thumb brushes over where it should’ve been cut, and he stares, feeling like a plate of jello. eren releases the breath he had been holding, and does his best to calm himself before actually running his mouth, putting a hand to his temple. there’s only one thing he says, quietly, as he still processes: ]

Don’t do that again.

[ he cared too much to just say that everything was okay as long as he could heal. it might be apparant that he does a lot more than “like” and “care”. ]

[Elliot had been expecting Eren to freak out a little. He's always been protective of Elliot. However, he wasn't expecting him to panic to that degree. He makes a surprised noise when his wrist gets grabbed, and lets go without any sort of fight.

After the initial surprise passes? Elliot feels an overwhelming feeling of guilt at how badly Eren reacted. It had been stupid, so stupid of him. What was he thinking doing it? He should've said something, he should've stuck to words. It's not like he enjoys injuring himself. It hurt. But he just thought it was the best way-

But no. He screwed up. ]

I-I won't. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It was stupid. I shouldn't have-

[He swallows. He looks up at Eren with pleading eyes.]

I'm okay. It's okay.

[ he’s okay! he’s fine! he wasn’t the one who could’ve chopped his own hand off by mistake or slashed an artery (eren why are you so fucking extra)! he’s just— never seen it before, and by now instinct was trained to stop things like that. elliot and said things are not a good mix!

maybe he would’ve reacted a tad more differently if it weren’t for the nightmares, if it weren’t for his memories. he’s goddamn outed himself that something’s wrong. as said, there’s no explosive yelling, at least. there’s no directed upset, he’s trying to channel that at the very least to avoid ruining a pretty good night. after exhaling, eren lifts his neck, stretches it back because holy has he gotten tense. any grip or hold he has on him, on elliot’s now uninjured hand is light as a feather, looking at it again— he even checks the other one, just to make sure he didn’t hurt him with that hold. it was . . . instinctual. but everything looks okay.

this means that elliot’s gotten quite a few injuries that would’ve healed themselves. he’s not sure how okay he is with that, but he meets elliot’s eyes again— damn it those eyes! he takes his hand with more grip, affection in it, clapping his other hand over it and holding it in his lap. it’s all okay.

(just you wait until you figure out you can get titanic you self harming doof) ]

Does it hurt after?

[Eren it's a kitchen knife, you can't chop off your hand by mistake with a kitchen knife. Stop watching gorey movies.

Even if Eren isn't doing the explosive yelling, Elliot still feels awful. He had not intended that level of freak out from Eren. He was probably stressed from all the nightmares and the fogs like Elliot was, and Elliot had to go make it worse. It's probably a good thing Eren wasn't there when he broke his nose - that's not gonna be a story he openly shares, he decides]

N-No. When it heals, it feels like it never happened.

[The broken nose, the cut, the burn he got when he first discovered the ability...the only pain left were the memory of them, and even those fade as memories of pain often do. ]

I can also give other people regeneration ability, but it only lasts a few minutes.

[ a very good thing. he’ll wipe that fog off the face of the earth. there won’t be a single fog cloud left . . .

he can feel even more tension from elliot now that his shoulders have fallen on their own, hands in his lap instead of resting on his head. feeling a pang of guilt on one hand, but not on the other, he swallows and leans forward, his elbows resting on his legs, with eyes straight on elliot. ]

Hey, [ to get his attention, but it’s nowhere near strained. as much as an eren can sound, he’s making an effort for it to be more considerate. there’s always something that he was good at expressing, though: sincerity. ]

That’s something amazing you have. I know you’re using it to do really great things.

[ and that he’d keep using it to do such! he could imagine, people he’s helping, people he’s helped, hell, even helping elliot himself. it was fantastic. ]

So . . . [ it’s better to explain it this way, in a much calmer state. he wasn’t angry. he just wants him to . . . maybe understand what’s going through his head a bit. his hand reaches for him again, fingers out to press into elliot’s chest. he just wants to show him how important he was, and do go around cutting yourself just to prove a point!!! ] If you’ve got the guts to do that, then you can do a lot more than you think. Preserve what’s already great, when you can.

[ and that was his preach session for this life. ]

[Eren that's not how science works. At all.

He'll glance up when Eren gets his attention, and listen to his little pep talk. It does help to hear, truthfully, as there's nothing like having someone you care so much for freak out to make you doubt things. ]

Th-Thanks... [Slowly, his hand will reach over and take that hand that's pressing on his chest, wrapping his fingers around Eren's]

I...still have a long ways to go though. More people are saving me than I'm saving them. [Eren, Minako, Terra, Akira...he would've been in a lot of trouble without them] Though, until then, at least I won't have to worry about medical bills...eheh.

[ they said that about titans

hand holding has always given him stomach fuzz. do not be fooled by wording, it feels good to have stomach fuzz. most tension has eased up a ton by now, enough that eren has some light in him to crack a small smile at the joke attempt. maybe he’s staring again instead of saying something, but by now it shouldn’t be an abnormality— it just goes to show, silently, how completely gungho he was about him. god. ]

That’s good, you know.

[ while it wasn’t frigid, a blanket was not a bad idea right now. even if they still had some to talk, it should try and be as relaxing as possible, right? eren tugs at the folded blanket hanging from the couch’s back, pulling it over elliot’s shoulder, making sure it’s around his other side before sharing some of it. ]

I once heard a coach say the scariest opponents are the ones who always want to get better.

[ too much confidence is as much as a black hole as no confidence at all. ]

[Eren's smiling does a lot to relieve the remaining tension that was in Elliot, letting his shoulders relax and his stomach stop churning. He's used to the staring by now, since Eren does it a lot. It wasn't like Elliot wasn't guilty of his own staring.

The blanket is such a sweet gesture, and he gives him a thankful smile. Maybe things weren't frigid, but Elliot was never much fan of the cold. He scoots closer to Eren once again so he's leaning on his shoulder, tugging his side of the blanket so it wraps in front of him. Give me all your warmth Jaeger.]

Hahahaha...really?

That's a nice sentiment...but I'm not sure I'll pull off the scary part. [He makes a wistful sigh] I can't even get a cool looking scar anymore.

[Baby soft skin forever. The true woes of having regeneration powers. ]

It’s not all looks that count.

[ you’re unlucky he has yet to have a slightly higher body temperature than normal people— maybe in time for winter, who knows! arm now around him just under the blanket, eren turns elliot’s hand over, to see its top again. clean. opening his own hand now, you can see very small, subtle scars between some of the knuckles.

the time he punched a phone booth. a dark time for teenager eren, but he’s very past that. it’s just a dumb reminder of when he was stupid(er). ]

You like them?

I know. It's what's on the inside that counts.

[He's seen the disney movies too you know!!

Elliot's seen those scars before. They were small, subtle, but still noticeable if you looked long enough. Yeah, he did like them. He always had a bit of a weakness for scars. But instead of saying that outloud, he'll smile at him while he lifts Eren's hand with his own up towards him. When his hand's close enough, he'll tilt his head down and give a very gentle kiss on top of the scars.

Does that answer your question?]

[ he chuckles, and in his bit of mumbling he says something along the lines of that’s not what i meant, but there’s something else that gets him to trail off and stop. forget the disney movies, that’s one of those answers where eren’s got his own words just. doop.

after a moment, he tugs his hand in enough take elliot’s attention to the leaning his doing, neck dipping his head low enough so they’re much more face to face. a lot less shakier than he was the first time (but there’s still some from his heart skipping), eren watches him for a bit, before he’s inclining, inhales softly and presses a kiss, lips to lips and keeping it there, to match the one he’d just gotten.

a lot less nervous and a ton more open to following gut feelings— there’s been improvements. ]

[Elliot will look up to see Eren watching him. He gives him a little smile, and there's a slight bit of blush on his cheeks - he was still getting used to actually flirting in such a way.

But then Eren leans in and presses a kiss on his lips. He can feel his heart skip a few beats, and a fluttery feeling returns to his stomach. But he'll return that kiss, slow and gentle. His free hand slides up Eren's arm to his shoulder, holding on so it's easier to remain close.

There's been improvements, Elliot can tell that much. Still, Elliot's content to try to let this kiss last as long as possible]

[ once the nerve wracking first time was out of the way, eren’s keen on feeling more than he actually allowed himself before; the gentle press to his lips makes them react after a moment, move, just as gentle but slow enough to let him know where and how to keep going. he’s already feeling hot-faced from his own flushing, and the way elliot has his arm on him— they don’t need a fireplace to warm the room up. it’s eren.

he adjusts the blanket around them completely, and honestly, he didn’t know where to put his hands for a minute and let’s them have it their way for now. one’s around elliot’s body as a whole, putting his own touch to use and keeping them close while the other settles just behind his neck. it fits perfectly.

he wanted to hold it as much as he could, too. his heart was doing insane laps, the rest of him felt like flipping out, and at some point, eren accidentally bumps teeth. it happens! occasionally!! there’s a brief moment where eren tries his best not to keep his awkward smile to that too stretched— else he probably wouldn’t be able to kiss right. like right now.

who knew he’d like it so much, but liking elliot was a given to make it better. the only time he actually forgot about . . . everything, even if it was for a few moments. he just thought of elliot. ]

[Even with the awkward moments with the teeth bumping and Eren struggling with his smile, Elliot loves this. He loves feeling Eren's lips against his, his arms on his neck and around his body, the warmth that he feels coming from Eren...he loves it all.

Like it was for Eren, it was these moments that made it easy to forget about his fears and the world around them. He felt so safe in Eren's arms, with that blanket wrapped around them both. He could just think of Eren, could just enjoy the moment.

One hand will remain on that shoulder, while the other slowly reaches out for Eren's side. The kiss will remain gentle, guiding- giving Eren the room to figure out what to do on his own. That was the best way to do it, and Elliot wasn't going to sit around and pretend to be an expert anyway.

Eventually, the kiss has to end - usually around the time you need air. When it does, he breaks away slowly and gently, and still hover close to Eren- his hands remaining where they are. After a moment to take a breath, he'll ask in hushed voice, as if he only wants Eren to hear even though they're alone right now.]

M-More, or...?

[ he didn’t notice how much he adored holding him until he actually did it— his shoulders were broader and his arms certainly did rest around him enough to give that protective feel, as he had wanted. in turn, elliot had become his own safe haven, pulling back when he did to breath and bumping noses on the way, but hardly letting go and wanting less for elliot to do the same. no one’s ever gotten this close to him, let alone touch him, and while it’s new— it’s sparks flying every minute. that’s still more than alright, it’s what has him give these short, breathy chortles and admire the color to elliot’s face, to his eyes, to thin lips . . .

here’s an answer for you, that has eren flash a grin before he steals one last one. it’s hard to say nah i’m good to something so great. ]

Just a little. [ you’re that great. forehead to forehead, he gives elliot’s a little knock of affection with his. he just wanted to sort of. keep him here, and to think that he was staying the rest of the night made him smile even further. he wouldn’t be alone— he wouldn’t have time to think about the things he’s been thinking of. ]

Tired yet?

[ eren was . . . wide awake. but they had video games, more movies, and talking, best of all, if he wasn’t. ]

[He gives a happy little laugh as Eren steals that kiss, full of the warmth and affection he feels for him. What it was fricking cute of Eren okay. He won't pull away, taking a moment to admire Eren's face before their foreheads touch. ]

Heehee, not yet. [It wasn't that late in the evening, he still felt plenty awake. He didn't want to pull away from this, not yet. If anything, while feeling a little emboldened, he gives Eren a little grin as he shifts around in his hold. Carefully, he turns to face Eren fully as he moves his knee to the over side of Eren's legs, resting it on the couch like the other so he's straddling Eren's lap. He's not really sitting yet, he's barely touching. He's just closer to him without having to bend his spine a lot.]

This okay?

[ he was already smiling when bed time was only a faraway thought for now, glad that he could set it aside, but once elliot begins to shuffle, he loosens his hold and gets a straight lipped look, thinking of where he’s going so soon, and when he finally gets where he’s moving (more than halfway through), oh

boy

it’s not like he’s no longer smiling. there was a momentary pause in it before just to figure it out, but now it just comes back in a crash of shy and trying to look normal all at once. there’s the big dope smile, and for a few ticking seconds, his reddened face would have to speak for him. new things! ]

This, [ asfdghgg ] good.

[ he knows how to word. he knows how to word so well that he skips his words and makes up his own grammar. all that’s left for him is to grunt some and he’ll go back to the ancient roots of man.

he can just leave his arms at his sides though, they feel awkward and aimless like that. unless! with a little hesitation at first, but not enough to worry, eren’s hands lift and settle on both sides of elliot’s waist. it’s like a hug, right? a different sort of hug. they’re light and gentle for rather rough hands, going with the flow and it’s— nice. he could see him better -and stay closer.

before he knew it, he was staring all over again. eren should be the ultimate eye flirter, and takes one hand away to fix elliot’s hair, pushing stray locks in his face back from the moving. ]

Really good, actually.

[He can't help it. When Eren first answers with that broken English and expression, he finds himself giggling. It's not mean spirited- but Eren's response is just funny and cute at the same time. It also help that he felt a little nervous about doing this.]

Heehee, good. I've never actually done this before...

[His hands will find their way to wrapping around Eren's neck to keep his balance. He blushes a little when Eren pushes a lock of hair out of his face. In response to that and the staring, he'll lean forward and kiss Eren. It's still gentle, but at least it's much easier now in the position their in]

[ two nervous heads should cancel each other out, right? there’s ease in knowing they’re in it together, but he does quietly breathe to keep from going tense. the last thing he wants is for either side to think they’re doing something wrong, and he’s sure elliot would speak up just as much as he would. nothing’s wrong, in fact— everything’s right.

with the combination of blush and smiles, damn, he’ll never get out of it, will he? he doesn’t even want to. he’ll dip his head sideways and kiss him back; at the same time he shifts upright a little, carefully pressing the one hand on elliot’s side downward to guide him to fold his legs and sit, on his lap, while the other slips behind his back. different kind of touching that he’s never done or really thought of doing. maybe what’s going through his mind is different, but one common thing was clear: it felt right. damn right.

and if he was making elliot feel as better as he was getting, then it’s more than great. ]

[It was making him feel better. Or at least, it was a much needed distraction. If you let Elliot, he could dwell on things forever. His worries could bring him an early grave. But at this moment, it was easier to push those thoughts aside. He was here with Eren, the person important to him beyond words. Not only that, but he knew that he had a whole night with him- a whole night where he'd feel safe and knew Eren would be safe too. How could he not be happy right now?

Once he gets sure of his balance, one of his own hands had left Eren's neck to reach for that blanket. He tugs and adjusts so it's still draping over them because eff the cold- even if he was close enough to Eren to get a great deal of body heat.

Which hey speaking of that closeness? He'd been so involved in that kiss, that he barely thinks about it as he lets Eren guide him to sit on fully on Eren's lap, and goes along with it with ease. Except with how close he is, and the fact he's still straddling the guy? Causes him to accidentally press up against, well, parts. Which holy crap, that feeling from that surprises Elliot enough to break the kiss and scoot back a little.]

O-Oh. [He sure is turning completely red.] Uh- s-so that's why it's a big deal...

[W H O O P S]

[ it’s very, very easy to lose track, to explore the array of sensations that pop up one after another instead. the longer they delved at it, the more comfortable and enticing it was to continue. it was his thumbs, brushing against clothes, it was the puffy warmth under blankets and the shared breathing, the smell— there was just something about elliot’s smell, don’t ask him what. he started to take more notice of elliot as he kissed him, someone who’s meant this much to him for so long that even he didn’t realize the extent of it. how light his lips were, how they felt on his and how he’d do everything to breathe through his nose and not break apart. even the taste of it. it was a sense of closeness that he’s always imagined and never could put it in words or actions. how warm his body was when it started pressing up against him and how, naturally, he does the same until they’re very well chest to chest and, yeah, that.

how much he realizes his adoration makes his insides flurry, from his heart to his stomach and everything else, and with a slightly bolder attempt to deepen the last bit of the kiss just to show him a little extra somehow, as he feels elliot pull back, eren nearly goes after him, and his hands grip him so he doesn’t fall.

that’s when he stops. might’ve— gotten a little . . . tiny bit . . . enthusiastic with his feelings, but he does sit back to stare at the startled look in elliot’s eyes, immediately wondering if he was starting to get too. you know. eren was always passionate, and once he lets the heart take the wheel, take cover.

big deal . . . he doesn’t get it. he was too engaged (which wasn’t even at your 50% mark of engagement, eren). ]

What’s a big— [ clock’s ticking and he just looks like a hybrid of confused and concerned until he starts to cool off his head and notices the one spot that’s still. tingling. the only time that happened was when he did it himself, just like every normal human being with human urges, but.

that’s certainly the first time someone else caused the tingles on a whole different level. dangerous tingles. very strong feelings. elliot’s not the only one with a completely red face by now, so much that he needs to poke their heads out for air. ]

Uh— [ opens mouth, closes mouth. ] It’s— it’s okay. It wasn’t . . . I’m.

[ you’re what, eren . . . ]

[Eren's turned on by the smell of violins, got it.

Elliot lingers where he is, worrying his lip as he looks both embarrassed and conflicted. He hadn't really planned for this to happen, or to get as far as they were clearly teetering close to. It made him nervous to think about- he really had no experience with things like this.

On the other hand, there was a part of him that didn't want to stop. The feelings were enticing, and extremely tempting to want to pursue more.

Meanwhile there was Eren, yet again stumbling through words. It's hard not to smile at that. It was still cute]

Ha...You're what?

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