Eren has met Reiner, but not really touched him, especially since…
But he knows the feeling, knows Bertolt's feelings for him, same as Bertolt knows his for Armin, Mikasa, his mother.
He feels the shift, finally, his anger bled into Bertolt's. It drives him harder, their shared fury, their hurt, their revenge. Like so much about him, Eren's revenge is messy, uncoordinated, dangerous not just to his opponents but to any allies. It's probably better that they're fighting this one alone.
This is what they're here to do. The Kaiju (this time) didn't stand a chance. There will be others that will be more fearsome, that will cause more pain, but not today. Today is the bittersweet taste of victory. It's hard won, like they all are, but Eren never even slows down.
This is why they're allowed to continue the way they do. Most of their superiors just put up with Eren's erratic moods, his tendency for violence even towards other people, the distance he slips into because of untreated trauma. The memory bleed makes him an unreliable narrator in his own life, not quite trustworthy. Bertolt is an anchor he can't find anywhere else with Mikasa gone.
But his determination, his resolution to exterminate Kaiju, is unshakeable.
Eren screaming, like he always does. A trickle of blood that pours into his vision, sticky and dark, the world blotted out on one side. One of the many fights he picked as a kid, losing battles against people bigger than him. Mikasa, coming to save him. Armin, scolding. Reiner's warm smile from somewhere he can't place.
Eventually, the Kaiju is dead, but Eren slides a little in and out of reality. Is he really breathing that loud, or is it in his head? It doesn't matter. What matters to him is still victory, at any cost.
He doesn't quite want to let this go, detach, pull himself free from the mesh of their minds together. He never does, really. He had the same problem with Mikasa. He's had it with the other partners they've thrown at him, some handling him better than others.
There's a sunny day somewhere, back in Shiganshina (Liberio) before the monsters crashed in. The three of them (Armin/Mikasa/Eren, Reiner/Annie/Bertolt) running. The cool water of the lake (the ocean) in the hot, humid summer. The smell of bread when they come home, energetic children, one of them (Eren. Reiner.) too loud, quick to smile, quick to anger. One of them (Armin. Bertolt.) shy at first, but quick-witted and sharp. The last one (Mikasa. Annie.) quiet, sometimes unreadable.
Eren is distantly aware it's a memory, not real, but fuck he wants to stay there.
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But he knows the feeling, knows Bertolt's feelings for him, same as Bertolt knows his for Armin, Mikasa, his mother.
He feels the shift, finally, his anger bled into Bertolt's. It drives him harder, their shared fury, their hurt, their revenge. Like so much about him, Eren's revenge is messy, uncoordinated, dangerous not just to his opponents but to any allies. It's probably better that they're fighting this one alone.
This is what they're here to do. The Kaiju (this time) didn't stand a chance. There will be others that will be more fearsome, that will cause more pain, but not today. Today is the bittersweet taste of victory. It's hard won, like they all are, but Eren never even slows down.
This is why they're allowed to continue the way they do. Most of their superiors just put up with Eren's erratic moods, his tendency for violence even towards other people, the distance he slips into because of untreated trauma. The memory bleed makes him an unreliable narrator in his own life, not quite trustworthy. Bertolt is an anchor he can't find anywhere else with Mikasa gone.
But his determination, his resolution to exterminate Kaiju, is unshakeable.
Eren screaming, like he always does.
A trickle of blood that pours into his vision, sticky and dark, the world blotted out on one side.
One of the many fights he picked as a kid, losing battles against people bigger than him. Mikasa, coming to save him. Armin, scolding.
Reiner's warm smile from somewhere he can't place.
Eventually, the Kaiju is dead, but Eren slides a little in and out of reality. Is he really breathing that loud, or is it in his head? It doesn't matter. What matters to him is still victory, at any cost.
He doesn't quite want to let this go, detach, pull himself free from the mesh of their minds together. He never does, really. He had the same problem with Mikasa. He's had it with the other partners they've thrown at him, some handling him better than others.
There's a sunny day somewhere, back in Shiganshina (Liberio) before the monsters crashed in. The three of them (Armin/Mikasa/Eren, Reiner/Annie/Bertolt) running. The cool water of the lake (the ocean) in the hot, humid summer. The smell of bread when they come home, energetic children, one of them (Eren. Reiner.) too loud, quick to smile, quick to anger. One of them (Armin. Bertolt.) shy at first, but quick-witted and sharp. The last one (Mikasa. Annie.) quiet, sometimes unreadable.
Eren is distantly aware it's a memory, not real, but fuck he wants to stay there.