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[Going to Eren's graduation was never a question. He showed up right on time, and quickly found himself being brought over to sit with the Jaegers. Eren's mother was extremely nice, though Elliot couldn't shake the constant fear that she might try to pinch his cheek at some point. Still, it was easier to talk to her than Eren's father, who reminded him just a bit too much of his own aunt and uncle. His conversations with Mr. Jaeger were kept polite and short.

His focus for the most part was on Eren. He was so proud to see him finally achieving his dreams after all the years of work. Eren looked so happy too, as he should. Elliot smiled and teared up through the ceremony (Mrs. Jaeger was quick to offer a tissue and fuss about what a sweet boy he was). After the ceremony, he tried to keep a polite distance - it was his family's day after all.

But next thing he knows, there's Eren making a bee-line right for him. Before he can react, he's scoop up into a tight hug (there was an oof out of him). Were it anyone else or any other time, he'd probably flail and try to get out of it? But right now, he's just too happy and proud of Eren to care. So he's getting a tight hug right back]

Congratulations! I knew you could do it!

I know, I— [ That's the best and probably only congrats he ever needed today. He's— God, he's such a wuss, getting all tearful again as he finally pulls away from the embrace with the widest smile the world has seen an Eren with, staring back at Elliot with eyes that still feel like they were caught in a dream, somehow. It's all he needed. He had the door open to his dream, and his friend, more than best friend (look, just say 'boyfriend') was the one that was there. He realizes he's the one he wants to be with, right now, for however long. Don't start getting so bashful so soon—! ]

The best part about it was seeing you there. [ He had to show him the surprises that are half the reason why he's possibly this giddy, and wastes no time in wanting to zip him away to the car. ]

[While Eren is smiling wide and cheerful, Elliot is simply beaming up at him as Eren pulls away from that hug. Eren really did it, he was actually an airman! All those years of hard work Eren put in, at long last they had finally bared fruit- and he had been able to see it. Not just hear about it through texts and photos while he sat in NYC. None of that would've ever done it justice. ]

Aha, awwww. [His cheeks turn a little pink at the compliment] Of course I was going to come. I wouldn't have missed this for the world!

I won't miss your's, either.

[ He hopes he wasn't being too cheesy, but with the way he reacts, Eren can't help but to feel the satisfaction and a brush of color to his own face. He opens his car's passenger door for Elliot, like a gentleman, and sort of— tries to rush him in there.

Something's . . . Happening! Hm! ]

Hehe, I'll hold you to that.

[And aw what a gentlemen Eren is, holding that door open. He notices him rushing him in. He'll oblige though, laughing a little]

Hey, what's the rush?

[ And away they go, for the thing(s). Some pretty rocking music for starters then a little bit of fast feet. Rather, fast wheels. He still respects the speed limits and signs, including the very famous intersection stop lights: red means stop, green means go, yellow means go faster. ]

You need to pick between wings or scenes.

[ Eren that ain’t an answer ]

Uh..?

[Yeah, that's not an answer at all. In fact that only makes it all the more confusing. But it's not the first time Eren's been cryptic, and it is Eren's day- so he'll just go along for the ride]

Aha...how about wings?

[ Wings . . . Alright, that's a good choice.

It doesn't count though, because either one would be the good choice. It might be difficult to show now that he's driving, but he'll slip his blazer and cap off at the first red light they're on. If only it were spring time, this button-down would've been short sleeved. There goes his tie, too—

Eren, what are you doing, stripping in the car. ]

[!!!!!

Okay he was expecting a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings NOT STRIPPING]

What're you...?!

[HONEY I THINK YOU SKIPPED ALL THE BASES]

[ He's got it! When the light goes green, at least he's down to undoing the buttons of . . . the button-down's cuffs. You thought. What's next? The whole thing? The pants? No, your little heart can relax, his mad abs will make an appearance some other day. ]

Alright, [ He says, still smirking, making a few turns here and there, before forcing his sleeves up. ] see anything?

[ He can't look for you, he still needs to be a responsible driver— but that's certainly something peeking out from his sleeve, on his skin, ink stretching close to his elbow . . . ]

[His little heart is sure racing at this. Eren dangerously stripping while also driving. He knows he said he had a surprise, but this was not what he had in mind-!

But he'll look at his arm for Eren. It takes a second to notice but that sure looks like--]

-- Is that a tattoo??

Yep.

[ andddd— the winner is you. look how proud he looks! raising said sleeve up a little higher as he parks the car, eren finally has enough room to show him more. they might have to get inside so he can show him the rest, since it climbs up past the shoulder, but most of it is clear: feathers, a wing that stretches in a way that follows the contours of muscle. ]

My graduation present. It goes up to, [ he reaches over to his shoulder blade. ] here.

[Elliot looks at the tattoo as Eren reveals it with complete awe, his eyes transfixed on it. Now that he can see more, he can tell it's a wing even if part of it is covered up. It was very fitting for Eren, with how much he always wanted to fly. How much he valued freedom.]

Wow.

[But more than that...]

Eheh, i-it makes you look so tough and cool...

[It was really hot. The longer he looks it, it becomes clear there's a distinct blush on his face. He wrings his hands together, to stop himself from reaching out and touching it. ]

[ then— he liked it. the color on his face alone (but not without ignoring the complements), has eren basking in his own vibrancy, ear tips giving him away. elliot, there's more though. eren unclips his seatbelt and does the same to elliot's. where they happen to be if he looks around . . . in the city somewhere. there're a lot of buildings. ]

Wanna see the rest?

[Thanks Eren for doing that, because Elliot is way too busy having Gay Thoughts to even remember he's wearing a seatbelt.]

T-the rest? Y-you mean-

[DEEP BREATH. Then said very quickly so it almost comes out as a squeak]

Yes please!

[ At least Elliot seems excited enough to get on with the rest-! Eren’s failed to pick up any gay cues, and continues to smile at the enthusiasm. He’ll grab his things from the back seat, blazer and cap included, before beginning to slip out of the car. Ah, one more thing before he does, though. ]

You’re gonna have to close your eyes for a bit. Deal?

[He'll take another deep breath and slip out of the car too, shutting the door behind him.]

Huh?

[weird request but okay...]

Aha um, okay. Deal. [He shuts his eyes and hold out his hand to be taken] Just make sure I don't walk into anything okay?

[ eren wants the surprise factor ever present, and feeling just how little elliot is waiting for makes for a rather rare grin. perhaps you won’t see it at its brightest, elliot, but he does take his hand and lead him along. he’ll even adjust to make him feel a little more secure, going from his hand to encircling his back— and walking.

he didn’t park right in front of it after all . . . looks like they’re walking into some building. ]

You trust me, right?

[He'll let himself be led, making sure his eyes stay close as they walk. He can tell they walked into some place by the change of the air and sounds- but that was about it.

That question is easy for him to answer, at least]

Haha, absolutely. You know that.

[ it’s obvious they’ve walked into an elevator for a few moments, with the sound and the sensation of ascension, his hand gripping elliot’s shoulder and pulling him closer to him. he was getting . . . better at this, he hoped. a little more confident in closing in on some proximity, his fingers stroking his shoulder— and caught staring down at him, feeling his chest pop and a little extra something stir when he stopped to just watch him. watch his face, eyes taking in every detail from the way his hair falls to softly closed eyes and lips, and, and, hah. that’s where he’ll stop, thanks.

(he sure was thinking about it— and it makes him a little anxious going from a previous “i’m not into it” to “i’m . . . curious”. lord.)

but soon enough, he’s moving them again, hooking his arm (clearing his throat to shake that nerve off) and guiding elliot’s into it so he could follow. a few more steps and they’re at a door, keys clinking together and the sound of something large and slobbery sniffing said door with the intensity of a thousand noses. the thing snarls, and eren makes sure he’s the one to enter first.

with it open, elliot will probably feel the chilly snout of a dog smelling him. tsst eren would say, snapping his fingers and getting his attention to leave elliot alone. with the click of the door behind them, both of eren’s hands are on the other’s shoulder, taking one, two, three more steps . . . ]

Open up.

[ to reveal a spacious, top notch apartment complex that looked more like a house with the space that came with it, a spot outside for lounging, and a pretty neat view of the city as a whole. nothing too fancy, but there’s tv, video games, rather plain decor, but at the same time, very eren. wait until you see his room.

also, there’s titan. ]

[It's a little bizarre, having to go through an elevator ride with his eyes closed. But He feels Eren pull him closer, and that gets a little smile out of him. He could tell from body language alone that Eren was getting a little better about it, or at least less nervous. He was glad for it.

But soon enough they're moving again, with Eren guiding him. Elliot takes note of every sound: the jingle of keys, the sound of a dog sniffing the door and snarling, the opening of a door. And followed by that, he feels the chilly snout. The dog must be huge but Elliot doesn't flinch. It must be Titan, he thinks to himself, with Eren commanding him away. And then it's a couple more steps and...

He opens his eyes, and they immediately widen at the look of the place. It was huge and fancy. Much bigger than what he lived in back in New York by far. It might even be enough to rival his house in Recolle- though in terms of building condition it definitely had his place beat. Basically, it's way nicer than anything that Elliot's ever lived in. AND LOOK AT THAT VIEW.

At the same time? Yeah, it did seem to have a thing about it that screamed Eren. There was little doubt who lived in this place, even if they hadn't just walked in and were greeted by Titan]

Wow...this is your place? It's incredible...!

It was, [ he starts, giving his dog a pat over the head before leading elliot over to the couch for a seat. titan will follow with curiosity, scanning their guest before he trots away into one of the rooms to grab a plastic toy tire and bring it over to show them. he’s not really one to ask for too much attention, reserved and content with sharing the space.

once they’re sitting, eren begins to smile again, turning his body enough to face him and lean forward in his seat. ] before I moved to Fort McCoy, when I started basic. I was gonna put it up for rent, but. [ he had planned on staying there— to be honest, he had moved there and everything, but . . .

with all of his belongings back in place, it was pretty clear where he’d be living. ]

I’m moving back. [ with a soft look in his eyes when he glances at elliot: ] I can see you a lot more here than the fort.

[He'll sit on the couch next to Eren, his own body turned enough to face him. When Titan comes over to show off his toy, he'll give the dog a good scratch behind the ears before turning his attention back to Eren.

"I’m moving back. I can see you a lot more here than the fort."

Elliot's eyes widen at that as the words sink in. It's not surprising Eren had planned to live at the fort. You didn't need to live at the fort, lots of people don't. His dad hadn't and neither did other people in his family. But Eren was the type that'd choose to live at the fort- to embrace that way of life with complete devotion. It would be a very Eren-like move. And yet-

"I can see you a lot more here than the fort."

He was moving back. So he could see him more. He was moving back...for him. That's how strongly he felt about him.

He blush on his face? It comes back and this time it's so strong that his entire face is almost redder than his hair. He even seems to be loss for words, opening his mouth and trying to speak but-]

I-i-i- [It basically trails off into some strangled squeaky sounds. Holy crap.]

[ he would’ve done just that, perhaps if elliot had stayed in new york instead of moving to recollé. he wouldn’t have realized how deep feelings had laced and nothing would’ve sparked enough for him to notice without that sudden locality. he could still run after his dreams while keeping something equally important in minds with the right balance. he just— didn’t want to be so far away anymore, and of course, the liberty and privacy to go about it.

elliot’s stuttering might’ve been a little worrying at first, but only when he connects to the flush with the reason, he notices how deep that actually was, even if it felt like something so . . . natural and obvious. if you’re too far, get closer. if it’s too crowded, make space. that’s what you get for following your heart more than thought. as sheepish as they both were at this point, eren’s shoulder bumps into elliot’s as he gives a slight scoot over, reaching to curl two fingers into elliot’s, giving a small stroke with his thumb to offer calm. ]

Surprise.

[Surprise huh? Yeah, surprised was a very good way to sum up Elliot's feelings. There are a hundred different thoughts in his head right now, zooming through as fast as sixty-fourth notes. Some are belittling towards himself ("I'm not worth this"), but so many more are just in awe of Eren. What an incredible person Eren was. How lucky he was to have Eren.

He tries again with words, but it doesn't work. His mouth feels dry, this throat closed up, and so many things he thinks to say doesn't sound right. It's his reflex to berate himself in response to things like this, he did it all the time. But he knew Eren would hate to hear that, and he's been told enough times to stop that. He didn't want to ruin this moment that Eren had clearly planned out because he had such trouble with himself. So maybe his mouth was working in his favor for not working.

Instead when Eren bumps shoulders with him and strokes his thumb, he'll shut his eyes and give a touched smile. He takes a deep breath, letting himself try to calm down for a moment. He's happy, he's really happy. Even if he's not sure he's worth this, he's really happy at what this all means. The happiness bubbles up inside of him, until he feels the overwhelming urge to do something. Show some sort of sign of how much Eren's gesture means to him.

Finally, without really thinking about it, he'll open his eyes and look over at Eren's face. Then he leans over quickly to plant a single kiss on Eren's cheek.

Thank you.]

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