[ With a huff of effort, he hoists himself up to his knees, reaches for one of the shelves above the bed. When he flops back down, he has one of his many stolen library books propped up on his chest, opens it up to a place in the middle with a photo stuck between two pages.
Gently, he plucks it and nudges it into Eren's hands. ]
I took it from your room while you were gone. Sorry...
[A photo is placed in his hands. Eren props himself up on his elbows, holding it up right in front of his eyes. He recalls setting the timer. Maruki told him that he was afraid. Eren told him that everyone was...
The timer goes off.
[Eren blinks and looks at Maruki, lowering the photo.]
It's as much yours as it is mine, isn't it? I don't care.
[ Quietly insistent. He has his own version, on his phone. He still doesn't know what possessed him to go up to that bedroom Eren and Jean share while the farmhouse was entirely empty, to stare at the photos on the wall and take one down for himself.
In the end, he guesses he just wanted something of Eren's. In case it all started to disappear. ]
It was an important day for me. I still wasn't being honest with you back then, though... [ More guilt, twisting in his gut. ] We talked about creating realities, but I only let you know that it was something I researched, not something I did. [ A beat. ] Or do. Or– will, or whatever. [ Ugh, his head. ]
[Eren frowns a bit, watching his friend stumble over his words. Clearly, something is really bothering him. Apparent dishonesty, or...what he considers to be.]
I don't remember being angry that you kept the extent of your abilities a secret. It makes enough sense.
I might have been annoyed that you didn't trust me, but we hadn't realized yet. [That they're the same, that they were meant to meet, that they're who they are at all.]
[ Maruki props up just long enough to stretch an arm blindly over his head, haphazardly lay the book back down on a shelf so that he can turn on his side and face Eren. ]
I know. I had a reason for everything that I did or didn't tell you. That doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it in hindsight, though.
[ Everything happened exactly as it needed to, as it should have. They exited that circle of lantern light changed; it couldn't ever have happened sooner than that. Still, the guilt gnaws. Maruki is a man who lives steeped in regrets, after all.
He looks at the photo in Eren's hands. That somber face next to his own grinning one; it's the same as in the selfie on his phone, and he treasures that dichotomy between them. ]
Anyhow– I remember thinking you were letting your hair get long because you were a lazy little shit. I guess you just never cut it again, huh?
[Eren doesn't respond to Maruki's jab, the photo between two fingers again, turned about in the air in front of his face. As he settles back down against the pillows, he keeps it there.]
[ Maruki looks at him for a long moment, considering, calculating. Squints. Tries to picture it, pulls a face like he's just tasted something unexpectedly sour. ]
No. You'd look weird. Too clean-cut...
[ And then he reaches out to push Eren's head, musses his loose hair over into his face. ]
[Still possessing reflexes, as one does, Eren scrunches his face up when Maruki starts mussing his hair around in front of it. He smacks the man's hand away.]
I can never get all of it. [He mutters this as he takes out his hair, scrubbing his hands through it to shake it all loose.
[Along with the aforementioned niceties, Eren also has one (1) hairbrush he keeps nearby, which he sits up and takes now. Just let him get the tangles out...]
I like it better down, but then it really gets in my face.
[ Maruki watches him meticulously brushing out his hair and huffs a little laugh. ]
Get someone to braid it for you. Not me, though, I don't know how. Ah, maybe Maki does...?
[ And now he has to laugh even harder at his own joke! He's a funny man, that Takuto Maruki.
While Eren's sitting up, he takes the opportunity to curl up cozier in the bed, one of his many blankets haphazardly thrown over them. It's really more of a nest than anything else. ]
No way. [Immediate, dismissive. There's no humor to it.]
I'll just keep putting it up. It's not that much of a hassle.
[Not to sleep though. He gets tired of waking up to find it all knotted up.
[Eren settles back into the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. He lays his head all the way back on the pillow, eyes closed toward the ceiling again.]
Your hair's gotten longer too. Don't think I didn't notice.
[ Success! He wasn't even angling for this when he first brought it up, but success nonetheless. ]
I'd appreciate it. And if it turns out you're terrible at it, well... it'll grow back!
[ Never been vain a day in his life, that Maruki.
Now that Eren's looking at him and not just laying there like a corpse, he reaches over to gently tug on an arm. Come on. How many nights have they done this since Eren's return? Sleep like a normal person. ]
[He just needs the invitation, really. He's not sure why that is. Maruki only sees Eren as his friend, not a blade that's too sharp to touch. Still. Eren's found it difficult to reach out to anyone. He feels like his touch alone could kill.
[It doesn't. He shifts onto his side, how he's most comfortable, and faces his friend.]
I'll cut it in the morning, then. It doesn't look bad though. Maybe you should reconsider.
[ Maruki's face does something truly stupid then, eyes lifting to try to look at his own hair flopped across his forehead, brows raised high, mouth in a little oh. ]
You like it? Eh... It gets annoying, though...
[ He would like to feel a breeze on the back of his neck again, thanks!!! ]
Well, who knows? Maybe that war will come back to us and I'll lose track of time and grow it out again.
[ Now shut up and let him roll closer so he can pet Eren's hair. ]
[Well, Eren's not gonna twist his arm about it. They get closer. It's so easy. Eren feels himself relax, muscles releasing all tension. He carries so much without even realizing.
[There are hands in his hair. He closes his eyes. He's always loved this feeling. When he was young, it was his mother; later, Mikasa, Armin. When Eren wants to comfort someone, this is just what he does - hands through hair, as easy as anything.
[He hugs his friend, presses his face into his chest. He never wants to be alone again...]
[ Eren goes quiet, still, relaxed, and it's a personal victory for Maruki. He lets Eren bury into his chest, cards soothing fingers through his hair, careful not to tangle this time.
His voice is softer after a long spell of silence between them. ]
I could never hate you, no matter what you do. In any reality. I hope you believe that.
[Eren's already started falling asleep. Maruki's words cut through a half-dreaming haze. Eren thinks, at first, that they must not be real.
[No, that's Maruki's voice. He's still awake.
[And they're heavy words. Eren feels his throat go tight.
[He deserves every ounce of hatred that he receives. He knows this.
[He still wants to be loved. Who doesn't want to be loved? Better yet if someone could love him without also hating him. He thinks they all do, even if it's just a little bit. Loving Eren is a terrible thing.
[He knows this.
[But Maruki has never made him feel that way. "I could never hate you," and Eren doesn't deserve it, but he believes it. It's so much. One person whom he can trust above all others...
[ It's simply the truth. Maruki doesn't remember sharing Eren's reality with him, but he's heard about it, and he knows himself. He knows that even that version of himself, who would have had every reason to hate Eren for lying to him, for ensuring his death – even he wouldn't have. They said goodbye at The Paths. How could Maruki ever hate someone who loved him enough to remember him, and to say goodbye?
He sifts through Eren's hair, cornsilk soft. ]
It's hard, isn't it? Even if you think you deserve it, it's still hard.
[Somehow, Maruki knows. Somehow, Maruki understands. Of course he does.
[Eren feels himself breathe - sudden, as if he hadn't been. Maruki and he's entire relationship is based on Eren telling the truth about how he feels, but that has gotten hard too. He manages to nod his head. That's all.]
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[ With a huff of effort, he hoists himself up to his knees, reaches for one of the shelves above the bed. When he flops back down, he has one of his many stolen library books propped up on his chest, opens it up to a place in the middle with a photo stuck between two pages.
Gently, he plucks it and nudges it into Eren's hands. ]
I took it from your room while you were gone. Sorry...
[ The guilt is entirely genuine. ]
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[Eren blinks and looks at Maruki, lowering the photo.]
It's as much yours as it is mine, isn't it? I don't care.
I remember this day...
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[ Quietly insistent. He has his own version, on his phone. He still doesn't know what possessed him to go up to that bedroom Eren and Jean share while the farmhouse was entirely empty, to stare at the photos on the wall and take one down for himself.
In the end, he guesses he just wanted something of Eren's. In case it all started to disappear. ]
It was an important day for me. I still wasn't being honest with you back then, though... [ More guilt, twisting in his gut. ] We talked about creating realities, but I only let you know that it was something I researched, not something I did. [ A beat. ] Or do. Or– will, or whatever. [ Ugh, his head. ]
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I don't remember being angry that you kept the extent of your abilities a secret. It makes enough sense.
I might have been annoyed that you didn't trust me, but we hadn't realized yet. [That they're the same, that they were meant to meet, that they're who they are at all.]
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I know. I had a reason for everything that I did or didn't tell you. That doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it in hindsight, though.
[ Everything happened exactly as it needed to, as it should have. They exited that circle of lantern light changed; it couldn't ever have happened sooner than that. Still, the guilt gnaws. Maruki is a man who lives steeped in regrets, after all.
He looks at the photo in Eren's hands. That somber face next to his own grinning one; it's the same as in the selfie on his phone, and he treasures that dichotomy between them. ]
Anyhow– I remember thinking you were letting your hair get long because you were a lazy little shit. I guess you just never cut it again, huh?
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I guess I didn't. It stopped being necessary.
[A glance at Maruki.]
You think I should cut it now?
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No. You'd look weird. Too clean-cut...
[ And then he reaches out to push Eren's head, musses his loose hair over into his face. ]
Plus, I can do that when you start acting stupid.
[ And he'll do it again! ]
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I can never get all of it. [He mutters this as he takes out his hair, scrubbing his hands through it to shake it all loose.
[Along with the aforementioned niceties, Eren also has one (1) hairbrush he keeps nearby, which he sits up and takes now. Just let him get the tangles out...]
I like it better down, but then it really gets in my face.
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Get someone to braid it for you. Not me, though, I don't know how. Ah, maybe Maki does...?
[ And now he has to laugh even harder at his own joke! He's a funny man, that Takuto Maruki.
While Eren's sitting up, he takes the opportunity to curl up cozier in the bed, one of his many blankets haphazardly thrown over them. It's really more of a nest than anything else. ]
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I'll just keep putting it up. It's not that much of a hassle.
[Not to sleep though. He gets tired of waking up to find it all knotted up.
[Eren settles back into the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. He lays his head all the way back on the pillow, eyes closed toward the ceiling again.]
Your hair's gotten longer too. Don't think I didn't notice.
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I guess I'm a lazy little shit too.
[ Mild, still joking, and then not: ]
I spent a month babysitting, and then we were at war for god knows how long, and then– well, you know.
[ He was too sad to even move! ]
Things have been too busy for a while. Although I suppose I don't have that excuse now...
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Unless you want one of those things to cut it...[He speaks so fondly of the locals!] You'll have to find someone.
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Are you offering?
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I could, I guess. [He's trimmed his own hair before when necessary.] It can't be that hard.
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I'd appreciate it. And if it turns out you're terrible at it, well... it'll grow back!
[ Never been vain a day in his life, that Maruki.
Now that Eren's looking at him and not just laying there like a corpse, he reaches over to gently tug on an arm. Come on. How many nights have they done this since Eren's return? Sleep like a normal person. ]
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[It doesn't. He shifts onto his side, how he's most comfortable, and faces his friend.]
I'll cut it in the morning, then. It doesn't look bad though. Maybe you should reconsider.
god. muki de pochi.
You like it? Eh... It gets annoying, though...
[ He would like to feel a breeze on the back of his neck again, thanks!!! ]
Well, who knows? Maybe that war will come back to us and I'll lose track of time and grow it out again.
[ Now shut up and let him roll closer so he can pet Eren's hair. ]
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[There are hands in his hair. He closes his eyes. He's always loved this feeling. When he was young, it was his mother; later, Mikasa, Armin. When Eren wants to comfort someone, this is just what he does - hands through hair, as easy as anything.
[He hugs his friend, presses his face into his chest. He never wants to be alone again...]
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His voice is softer after a long spell of silence between them. ]
I could never hate you, no matter what you do. In any reality. I hope you believe that.
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[No, that's Maruki's voice. He's still awake.
[And they're heavy words. Eren feels his throat go tight.
[He deserves every ounce of hatred that he receives. He knows this.
[He still wants to be loved. Who doesn't want to be loved? Better yet if someone could love him without also hating him. He thinks they all do, even if it's just a little bit. Loving Eren is a terrible thing.
[He knows this.
[But Maruki has never made him feel that way. "I could never hate you," and Eren doesn't deserve it, but he believes it. It's so much. One person whom he can trust above all others...
[His voice comes out quiet, hoarse.]
I know...
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He sifts through Eren's hair, cornsilk soft. ]
It's hard, isn't it? Even if you think you deserve it, it's still hard.
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[Eren feels himself breathe - sudden, as if he hadn't been. Maruki and he's entire relationship is based on Eren telling the truth about how he feels, but that has gotten hard too. He manages to nod his head. That's all.]
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He cradles Eren's head, safe in the dark of this room if nowhere else. ]
Just breathe. You don't have to talk about it. I just wanted you to know.
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I know. They love you, too.
WE CAN SNACK WRAP UNLESS U HAVE MORE