[Elliot had been pretty upset about October, but finding a member of Class VII had done wonders to lift his spirits. A year of searching and worrying, and he finally found someone. And even better, it was someone he liked and got along well with! Talking to Crow felt like talking to an old friend, even without relying on the memories. It was more than he had hoped for.
What more, for the first time in forever, he felt real hope that the others were out there too somewhere. If he and Crow were both in this world, then maybe the other nine were too, just waiting to be found. Even if he was sure things would be different in this life than they were in the memories, it still was a huge weight off his chest knowing that there was a good chance the people his other self found so precious were okay.
All that aside, he was excited to introduce Crow to the people precious to Elliot in this lifetime. Eren was an obvious first choice, especially since Crow said he wanted to meet him. A few conversations (where Elliot basically gushed happiness) with his fiance, and he arranged for them to meet at Big Bang Burgers on Saturday.
By the time Crow gets there, Elliot and Eren are already there. Elliot's got one of the smaller burger meals for himself (which he hasn't touched), and having trouble holding still just from both excitement and nerves. His fingers keep absentmindedly drumming piano chords on the table, and his foot keeps tapping. His two lives colliding, oh boy. He sure hopes this goes well. ]
[ for a crisp november afternoon, it’s a great day to wear boots (although eren probably wears boots everyday regardless of the weather). a stylishmantoday, manbun flawless and going with a bold choice: a cosmo burger that’s still being prepared somewhere. he’ll just have to burn it all off at the gym before his arteries can complain.
the best part of the day still has to be his fiancé, in which eren just can’t. for the love of him. stop staring at! look how happy he is— look how giddy he is! sipping on his ginger ale and keeping his arm on top of the bunk of elliot’s seat, eren’s got this big set of blue eyes that just
they’re gooey and mushy and at maximum love drive. if this makes elliot happy, he wants to keep it forever. the mystery person from his past life makes eren curious, but just as eager to meet the friend that brings his partner importance. ]
You look happy. [ he says, flirting with a bump of his shoulder into elliot’s and a snagged look up and down. elliot is magnificently radiant when he’s happy. it’s beautiful. ]
[Elliot gives one of his light laughs as Eren bumps his shoulder, smiling over at his fiance. He looks good today!! He means, Eren always looks good, but the point still stand.]
[Nervous, but for perhaps a good reason. Because no sooner had Elliot given his answer, as lighthearted as it was, one Crow Armbrust has entered the door in the background. The burger joint wasn't an unfamiliar place to him, hailing down a familiar enough employee with a wave as he navigates his way around the line and over to the seating area.
He had to admit, it was exciting getting to meet Elliot's fiancee. Heck, he'd only found out a few days ago, and while it's not exactly surprising for a guy like Elliot to be snatched up already, the news certainly seemed hot off the press. Besides, he had to cement his new role as one of Elliot's friends by sitting down for a nice meal (at a fast food joint?) with the lucky man.
Crow's dressed for the weather too, putting away his tshirts in exchange for a nice fluffy coat, hands stuffed in pockets as he meanders his way through the booths and tables. Elliot had to be around here somewhere...
Ah, there's that spot of red hair.]
Yo~
[Unfortunately for Crow, the booth and more importantly, Eren's seat, is facing him, so all he can see right now is the spot of black hair pulled back into a manbun.]
Now what brings you here? [A playful tease, but in a voice that Eren's sure to recognize.
[ more than he would like! eren’s mid-sip, swallowing to soon speak up and say i’m sure they’re great before the voice makes him slowly
whip
around
his stare can glide through paper just like a pair of sharp scissors, crow being paper. why did he have to show up! the guy that thought that important classes were the emergency classes only! he sleeps through math! he’d rather be playing cards than studying?? he feeds himself horribly and in eren’s honest opinion— he needs help! he needs help or else people will die by his hand! he wouldn’t want to be the guy rushed to an ambulance if crow were carrying him!
no instead they get “big deck energy” and “titty yeet” or whatever the fuck he saw on his notes last time. from the death stare comes a narrow eyed glare, and obviously— he thinks crow is talking to him.
because why would this disaster of a professional example be good old friends with the bae ]
Not you.
[ please go away before he needs to introduce you. ]
[Unfortunately for Eren and Crow, this nightmare scenario is about to become reality. Elliot misses Eren's reaction, because he was too busy reacting to Crow's voice. He turns his head and looks up at the other, smiling with a level of familiarity that could only mean One Thing: ]
Hey Crow, you made it!
[He knew him.
He gestures for Crow to sit down at the table at an open spot. Either next to Elliot or next to Eren, whatever Crow feels is safer (answer, probably neither is the right answer)]
Hehe, Crow, this is my fiance, Eren. And Eren, this is Crow. He's the guy from Class VII I told you about.
[Only then does he notice that hey, Eren sure has his unhappy face on]
[What? Eren? The guy from his emergency classes that overzealously did the homework before the class let out? The one who counts his serving size to the exact triscuit? The one who constantly harps on him like
"Wahhhh Crow you can't sleep in class!" "Crow! Skipping's a waste of your tuition!" "Crow, stop writing stupid answers to your science questions!"
What was Eren doing at this burger joint? Did he even like burgers? Did he even like anything FUN??
He was about to follow up with a witty comeback to Eren's little grumble.
Until Elliot speaks. Until Elliot introduces them.
Crow's blood turns to ice in his veins, his brown eyes widening as they try to focus on the booth..with Eren in it. Instinctively, he backs up, butt sliding onto the table behind them (thankfully empty) and legs pulling themselves up as if the floor were now made of lava.
That stare pierces him, as if daring Crow to take Elliot up on his offer to sit next to him. Weighing his options, Crow is very quick to realize that neither is a goo choice. He'll either a.) get eaten by Eren if he sits next to HIM or b.) have Eren dive tackle him and THEN eat him if he sits next to Elliot.
No, he doesn't not realize that his wild, panicky thoughts are not an exaggeration with Eren, thank you.]
[Excuse him, he has to reboot. It seems like the shock was just too much for his brain and caused to reset.
The usual Crow will be back in just a moment, please hold.
Crow closes his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath to recollect his emotions, hand going to his heart. Never...EVER in his wildest dreams would he have suspected that the guy Elliot spoke of over text was Eren Jaeger.
He mentioned him studying Paramedicine, and while he'd kept that bit to himself to rule out any assumptions...
EREN?]
Ahem.
[Okay, there we go.] Heh, well, talk about being full of surprises. [That smile returns to his face, although he is completely faking it to make it.]
if there’s one thing eren can catch like breathing air, it’s when someone’s forcing things. the smile looks yellow and fake and it makes him grind his teeth, roll his eyes and lay his face flat against the table, arms covering him. at least be honest that you’re not liking this!! like eren!!
he cannot. fucking. believe this.
fate.
makes.
eren.
groan.
but he lifts his head, he breathes all the irritation induced redness on his cheeks outward and cools off. he can’t believe they possibly ruined elliot’s good mood. he’s afraid to even look at him, but— he does, and he can’t fake what he feels. ]
This is really not how he expected this meeting to go. He can feel his disappointment welling up. It was tempting to get upset about it, he sure felt it. But he bites back that urge, what with these two acting like children.
So, he takes a deep breath to steel himself and--]
Crow, please sit down. People are starting to stare.
Eren, you know this isn't how you behave in front of someone we invited.
[Easy for you to say, Elliot. Only one of the three people here has the chance of getting their head bitten by Eren Jaeger -- it sure isn't you and Eren can't bite himself (yet).
Still, with Elliot's firm tone bringing him back down to Earth, he slowly slides his feet back onto the ground, shuffling his butt off the table and making his way back to the booth.]
Heh, my bad. Guess it just...caught me a little off guard.
[Understatement.
But still, to be safe, he grabs an empty chair, turning it so it faces backwards as he sits down on it. His arms find a home on the back of the chair, still putting on that smile despite everything.
Eren may be honestly showing his reaction, but Crow can at least be THIS MUCH OF AN ADULT ABOUT KIDS HE DOESN'T PLAY WELL WITH.]
You betcha. We're in the same major, so we share a lot of classes. Don't think I ever mentioned I was training to be an EMT.
[ the power of such a small macaroni is displayed to the world: eren falls silent while crow takes his seat, tempted to nag about the way he sits but instead, eren himself sits completely upright and simply nods. ]
—Right.
[ no questions asked. would you like him to roll himself out on the ground so you don’t have to step on the dirty floor, honey? of course. please, step on him. you’re allowed.
crow no longer gets any frowns or glares his way, no matter how much eren’s features visibly twitch to do so. he is simply. he. he’s a good boy. ]
He just— needs to put more effort into some classes and, [ ah there’s his cosmo burger. clearing his throat, attention directs itself to that monstrosity instead. at least he could, like, eat this.
eren is still trying to situate his caring aggression and it’s hard and he’s suddenly awkward. please don’t force him to smile, it’ll be terrifying. ]
[Amazing. It was like Eren had just completely rolled onto his back belly-up the moment Elliot took a tone with his voice. It's honestly like watching a horse walk on its hind legs, and for a moment Crow's eyebrows disappear behind his headband, they shoot up so far.
Was this the same Eren Jaeger? Was this the same ELLIOT? How much power did macaroni have these days???
He needs time to process this. Because if anything, this undoubtedly proved that yes, Eren was the fiancee in question, and even more yes, it was as pure and blissful (as blissful as Eren "Face full of Burger" Jaeger can get) as he hoped.
He'll turn his attention to Elliot, now.]
Heh, whoops~
[Then again, Crow's classes weren't exactly the most exciting of topics during their card games at the cafe. Elliot's music often took hold of the conversation, with Crow's basic critiques and praises being more of what he focused on.]
Yeah, I'm aiming to be an EMT, if I play my cards right. And my grades aren't THAT bad, Eren.
[ and just like that, eren’s eyes dive into a death glare straight at crow. you know what it looks like as he dips some fries in ketchup?
he’s going wrap your legs up in string and deep fry you like thanksgiving turkey for taking advantage of his situation. deep fry you.
and with the stare still placed like digging daggers, he’s going to take his finger full of fries and RIP OFF THEIR HEADS, WITH HIS TEETH, LIKE HE WANTS TO DO RIGHT NOW
AND AGGRESSIVELY MUNCH SO THE CROW FRIES WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN ]
Eren. [He still has his smile, but there's a warning to his tone. WHAT DID HE JUST SAY MISTER.
But then he returns back to the conversation with Crow. He would point out that his past self's grades weren't exactly good either, but...you know, if Eren is going to keep acting like a child, he'll sit on that one.]
That's cool though! And it really explains how you were able to keep so calm during everything. [A glance at Eren] Crow was the one who cured me during the infection last month, even though he was brand new to the app and didn't know what was going on.
[He scratches his jaw with his index finger]
Ahaha if I'd been in your shoes, I probably would've been screaming my head off.
[Well, great. Better cross off fries as foods Crow can never look at again without thinking about how Eren would like to swap that out for his head. Or fingers. Or both.
The colour drains from his face slightly as he watches this horrific and yet fascinating (you know, in the same way you find a snake devouring a mouse fascinating) scene, pulling over the menu sitting on one of the tables to take a look at what he wants. You know, just letting Eren work through his aggression.
It'll pass. Maybe.
Although Elliot's compliment does seem to alleviate any tension.]
Awww shucks, you flatter me, Elliot.
Truth be told, I'm pretty surprised myself. I've been told I have a cool head but...
I guess I just shut everything else out when that happened and focused on the important stuff.
[Now it's his time for a bashful gesture, fiddling with his bandana rim just above his eyebrows.]
[ eren doesn’t say nor do anything other than briefly narrow his eyes at crow to not do that again, but other than that, yes, he will swallow his fries, and begin finishing the rest off like a normal, hungry looking person. just because his fiancé is asking doesn’t mean he won’t chew you out later, neither are you safe.
(crow was the child first anyway)
sliding the tray into the middle of the table, he exposes the rest of the fries. have at it. he’ll stay quiet for the most part, nodding at elliot. considering, yes, crow also cured him and his mother, but no free buttpats for you you don’t deserve it.
eren’s just a big damn tsundere where crow is involved. ]
That’s why you’re pre-EMT.
[ whether that was a compliment or statement, w/e. he doesn’t want to care at this point (except he’s so invested that he does care). there’s something else at the tip of his tongue, but he swallows it with a piece of his burger.
another jab at crow’s grades would have elliot step on him. not that he would be against that, but, there’s a time and place for everything. ]
[Jeez...that's the only reaction he gets from Eren? He surely thought bringing up that Crow saving him would get more of a reaction, but it looks like Eren's taking pages out of disapproving parenting book. Just what was Crow and Eren's relationship exactly? It's not like Crow's the first slacker Eren's ever met....
Whatever. He'll carry this conversation himself if he has to]
Haha, yeah. A trait like that is a really good thing to have as an EMT.
[He leans back in his seat, reaching over to take one of Eren's fries because heck yes fiancee rights. He munches on his like a normal soft human being. ]
I wonder if you'll have healing magic too. I don't actually remember yet what your abilities are.
[Excuse you Eren you were the giant titan-sized baby.
Elliot may be surprised by this, but it's pretty much old hat for Crow--it's nothing he hasn't heard already during a study session or in work time in class.
Nevertheless, he smiles as bright as always, and even if it's somewhat annoying and carefree, it does seem to light up the area a little bit.]
Now you guys are just being flattering.
[Crow watches Elliot take from the fries, figuring if they were put into the center of the table it was a peace offering/free for all. Crows fingers pluck one out of the pile, holding it between his index and thumb. Was he supposed to? Who knows.
Although fries do look a lot less appetizing after Eren personified himself in them. Hm.]
Heh, well I wouldn't say no to anything that makes my job easier!
but, answer: it’s the first slacker eren’s ever met and seen beyond that. he cares more than he’s letting on!! soon, elliot will know. maybe when the talk turns into terrorism and they share a mutual understanding of What Must Be Done. at least they aren’t getting more stares, and eren doesn’t bite crow’s hand off for taking a fry.
crow knows how to handle eren, at least. and hey, maybe he did mean to compliment him. without doing too much of it.
crow knows how much he’s grateful for curing him and his mother. elliot, even more so. but you give loose reigns to a floppy dog, they think they can lay all over your couch. no. ]
He looks more like a heavy hitter to me. [ see? he can converse!!! ] The kind that needs to recharge a lot but does good damage..
[Oh yeah, these two bonding over terrorism. That's exactly what Elliot wants. Not at all troubling.
But seeing Eren making an attempt to converse makes him relax just a little. This...definitely started on a rough spot, but maybe it can improve? Elliot is forever hopeful okay.]
Hmm, you think so? It's hard to picture him with a sword like Yusuke or Laura's though...
If you asked Crow, he might admit he sees what Eren's trying to accomplish. After all, Crow would never say that Eren's someone he didn't trust. They were both in the same class, after all, and for all the reliability Eren saw in Crow, the same applied back. He was just a little....quirky. That's all.
Let's bond over terrorism, Eren. What could possibly go wrong?]
Heh, are we looking into my past or choosing my RPG class? I can't tell anymore.
[He smiles, tossing that fry into his mouth.]
So if not a sword...what do you think I'd have, Elliot?
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