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[fiddlestick]

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[fiddlestick]

[Ah yes sweet magic exchange. With Fie living with Shinjiro he doesn't get this as often anymore, so it feels nice]

Probably first my place to wash up. [Which that gives him an idea] Oh! I bet I could teleport us there.

[usurpers]

[ it's a lot faster than walking like eren did, even if he didn't mind the exercise (a tiny chip to his overall 5am workouts). ]

Go ahead.

[fiddlestick]

Okay! Here goes...

[He's done this trip by himself, but never with another person. But if it was his Bonded- it should be fine right? He closes his eyes and visualizes his home, singing a little to channel the magic. There's a swell of it, and runes appear and then--

The scenery changes. No longer are they in Elliot's music studio, but his living room. ]

Oh good! It worked@

[usurpers]

[ —that feels strange no matter how it happened and eren has to let go of his bond to get into a full body shake. like electricity? like magic washing over you? he didn't know but it made his spines feel tingly and want to stand even after he's done shaking. ]

No one home—?

[fiddlestick]

[It's a strange feeling for sure. Now that they've reached their destination, Elliot will pull away as well. ]

Ah, no. Towa's at work and Fie moved out to live her boyfriend.

Everyone else is... [He gives a little half shrug and looks away. They've gone home]

[usurpers]

[ oh. hrm. ]

Good thing I came.

[ he says this as he starts walking with elliot to wherever the bathroom should be. it's lonely as balls in here, though eren wasn't entirely one to talk when he purposely isolates himself in a hole. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Yeah but it's a pretty nice hole ok. He'll head over to the bathroom on the first floor, grabbing a couple towels from the closet on the way. ]

Aha, it is. I do miss the noise from everyone else sometimes. And Fie did offer me a spot at her new place, but...

[He shrugs] I couldn't get comfortable there.

[usurpers]

[ “with her bf” so he could only come up with one, miraculously not himbo explanation: ]

Too crowded?

[fiddlestick]

Haha, not exactly. More...

[how to put it]

I felt like a third wheel? [He's not sure if that explanation works. So he makes a "hmm" noise before he reaches over to touch Eren's hand.

As he does so, a quick memory plays out. Elliot was having a family dinner with a woman that was clearly his biological sister and her boyfriend. The dinner itself was going well, there isn't anything wrong - but there was no denying the feeling of awkwardness tied with the memory thanks to Elliot and Neithardt not at all sure how to go about changing their relationship from formal to one of a casual brother-in-law relationship. Not only that, but there were clearly moments where Fiona and Neithardt would share a look that lovers do or start to say something, but then stop when they realize Elliot was still there.

The memory fades a moment later, and in the present time Elliot is scratching his jaw]

Eheh, that feeling, but all the time.

[usurpers]

[ hah, so, he was right. to repeat that, eren’s lips curve as he rubs the back of his neck: ]

It’s crowded. [ they were talking about the same thing, eren’s simply never heard of the third wheel metaphor. shouldn’t it be fifth wheel, since there’re things with three wheels? either way— some relationships could, others couldn’t. and in other better news . . . ] Is that your sister?

[fiddlestick]

[Right, Eren used that wording again but...it seemed like he was having some understanding. Must be one of those times that Eren doesn't know slang. Ok.

He nods]

Yeah, that's my older sister. Fiona.

[usurpers]

[ he couldn't take too much out of the memory, so asking, as they get to the bathroom and carefully taking the towels out of his hold: ]

You guys get along?

[ nevermind that, with elliot's hand now free and slippery in his earlier getaway to his jaw, eren's hand brushes back to his palm. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot lets him have the towels, moving to start to remove his paint-covered shirt.]

Oh yeah! We live together when I'm not traveling. She's a musician too, so plays accompaniment to my stuff when I need it.

[So very close! And similar interests!]

I don't mind her boyfriend either. It's just he's also my father's second-in-command in his division and was my military instructor too so ... it's hard to see him as my sister's partner, you know?

[It'd be like if Levi started dating Armin]

[usurpers]

[ (you will never speak of such cursed imagery again)

even if eren couldn't exactly relate with the feeling (honestly, his younger self would've thought it cool), he could acknowledge it being felt. the "crowded" feeling. he's never had to think about his friends pairing off . . . and still doesn't enough that it'll never be weird until it actually happens. he won't even be around for it, if anything. ]

I wonder how it would've been, sometimes, [ he trails of, and walks over to turn the shower knob open. hot water and steam helps his psychology for getting in later. ] if me and my brother grew up together.

[fiddlestick]

Oh yeah, I forgot you have a brother.

[It doesn't come up often, but then again so do very few things in Eren's life.

His shirt off, he plugs up the sink and fills it so he can put the shirt to soak. Better to do it now so there's a better chance it'll come off in the wash later. Not even magic can solve some stains you know.]

I can't say for sure. My sister and I are close, but it's because we share common interests. But even then she can be really annoying sometimes. [Especially when she starts doting on him like a little kid] And I know some siblings who...well, let's just say they don't get along at all.

[usurpers]

[ that's fault advertising, magic should be able to do everything . . . :( eren considers the fact that he doesn't talk about much at all when it came to his life and elliot had shared a lot and— not that he feels obligated, but he does want to continue the conversation with substance. he brought up zeke because he wanted to in the first place. so, almost abruptly after a small beat: ]

I don't like him. [ just straight up. straight out. ] His way of thinking pisses me off. [ and it's in his nature, eren assumes. ] . . . It wasn't like he had a choice to think for himself, though.

[ and eren did? well, he thought he did. sure his world shaped him, but his parents never imposed an idea onto him. he created his own. and that probably created a monster. ]

Dad raised us both differently.

[fiddlestick]

I see...

[He says this with a bit of somber, thinking about what his brother must've be like...and how different their upbringings must've been. ]

That's pretty sad, never getting to think for yourself...

[He muses as he continue to undress. It's...a little awkward doing this in front of Eren, but he supposes Eren has seen him naked a few times even if it's been awhile...so it's alright. Not too much has changed, except there was a small black flower mark on his upper arm. It'd almost look like a tattoo, if Eren didn't know better]

[usurpers]

[ it's funny because "everybody's got a butt" philosophy eren has makes him rather oblivious while watching for his bonded's eyes as he undressed further, only realizing a ping of embarrassment from his end moments after (not the first moment, or the second, but the fourth for him to make the connection) and briskly turning his gaze to . . . his own pants. they needed off for a shower. yeah. taking them off has always been a new ritual ever since his legs grew; eren shoves them down to his ankles and pulls his foot out once it's in no risk of catching, same goes for the other foot.

when he looks back up, his eyes wander right to the blemish that didn't belong. ]

Isn't that where that implant was?

[fiddlestick]

[Aha, that was a delayed reaction with the embarrassment. He supposes with how much Eren spends naked as a dragon, he doesn't think much about it anymore. He still laughs a little sheepishly when he feels it.

As for himself, he may have glanced quickly at Eren but tries not to openly stare. What? Dragon or not, he's hot.

At least Eren breaks the ice with the question]

Oh...yeah. It's safe to touch now. As long as I'm careful with my magic energy levels, I won't infect anyone.

[usurpers]

[ there's nothing more proximate to freedom than nudity. and elliot deserves all the ten pack, double peck eye candy that eren could offer with it going right over his head initially. ]

How's your magic cycling? [ bonds, and such, and then with concern as he steps over closer to the shower box: ] Am I taking too much?

[ he's been . . . trying to work out the search for an extra witch and still no go, but eren was a heavy package to take alone without any aids— which he already takes to fighting and witch blood on the dl to balance that out and keep from overworking elliot but shhhhhh ]

[fiddlestick]

[Eren that's so thoughtful and sweet. But Elliot will shake his head as he also steps towards the shower]

Mm, not at all. [He seems to be telling the truth] I'm a lot stronger than I was a year ago.

[usurpers]

[ good, eren mutters quietly, blinking fully when water begins to sprinkle his eyes from leaning further in. there's some hesitance, mostly because of the water, but he's stepping in shortly after elliot. tattoos light up as needed. ]

I'm still looking for someone to help out. [ . . . it is time. ] That's something else I had to tell you.

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot will try to stand closer to the shower head, so he can actually get some of that water. He does check to make sure the tattoos are workin properly, don't need Eren dying in the shower]

Haha, good to know. [...but oh, he looks curious as he starts combing his own hair to get paint out] Oh? What is it?

[usurpers]

I think I might’ve found someone. [ at this point in time, he thinks. in between the points where elliot closes his eyes for the water to pour over his head, eren reaches for . . . the conditioner. not the shampoo. to this day, he doesn’t actively think to know the difference, beyond that this is what you need to use. rather than a drop, he squeezes out a generous blob and lathers elliot’s scalp as soon as he’s stepped behind him. when it doesn’t make bubbles at all, he just. sighs. wrong fucking bottle. ] We fought. The most I ever did with a witch— I even, [ gesture with his shoulder, as he picked up the other bottle, ] bit him.

[fiddlestick]

[It was probably a mistake to let Eren handle the hair washing, but it's not like he asked him. With his eyes closed, he doesn't see what Eren picked up- but he can smell it as it gets onto his hair so he quietly corrects him] Other bottle.

[He listens to this explanation and....um. Last he checked, fighting and biting someone is not how bonding works at all.]

Er...wait. You guys fought and then you bit him, and now...you wanna Bond?