Before, Reiner was tense only in his mind, watching Eren with suspicion he finds impossible to shake. Even in that alleyway, where Reiner found his defenses and inhibitions stripped away one after the next, he still expected something. Anger, violence, punishment, blood. And there was blood, but not in the way Reiner anticipated. Somehow, that has only made this meeting worse: more confusing, waiting and waiting and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Then Eren wipes his mouth with his hand. Reiner's shoulders stiffen, an ultimately useless spike of adrenaline shooting through his veins. A muscle jumps in his jaw, fingers tightening on his fork. Who the fuck taunts someone like that, knowing what the consequences could be? What would happen if Reiner flipped out when Eren's hand neared his lips?
Eren is so damn reckless. Always has been, probably always will be. At least until he's twenty-three. That makes more sense than nineteen, as far as timing goes, but…
Reiner frowns down at his ramen, twirling the noodles around his fork a touch too aggressively. If Eren is slated to die then, why would he think he had a different expiration date?
"… Yeah," Reiner finally says after he's taken his time with another bite of ramen. "Same."
It's not an answer to Eren's earlier question, the one about Reiner's last memory. But it's a trickle of honesty. One more thing they have in common: the age at which their time runs out.
Not that Reiner expects to live that long. Twenty-two is a more reasonable wish after the shitshow that has been his mission to Paradis. But whether it's twelve years or thirteen, it still feels shorter than Reiner thought it would.
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Then Eren wipes his mouth with his hand. Reiner's shoulders stiffen, an ultimately useless spike of adrenaline shooting through his veins. A muscle jumps in his jaw, fingers tightening on his fork. Who the fuck taunts someone like that, knowing what the consequences could be? What would happen if Reiner flipped out when Eren's hand neared his lips?
Eren is so damn reckless. Always has been, probably always will be. At least until he's twenty-three. That makes more sense than nineteen, as far as timing goes, but…
Reiner frowns down at his ramen, twirling the noodles around his fork a touch too aggressively. If Eren is slated to die then, why would he think he had a different expiration date?
"… Yeah," Reiner finally says after he's taken his time with another bite of ramen. "Same."
It's not an answer to Eren's earlier question, the one about Reiner's last memory. But it's a trickle of honesty. One more thing they have in common: the age at which their time runs out.
Not that Reiner expects to live that long. Twenty-two is a more reasonable wish after the shitshow that has been his mission to Paradis. But whether it's twelve years or thirteen, it still feels shorter than Reiner thought it would.