Freefall | Eren x OC

Chapter 29: Dinner with the Jaegers

Eren comes back a few hours later and rushes upstairs to check on you. You had retreated under the blankets again but as you dozed off, your head popped out to feel the fresh cool air and you cuddled into your pillow. Now Eren walks in and comes over to sit on the bed again. Your eyes flutter open as you feel him sit down and face you.

"Rose?" he says gently.

"Mmm," you mumble, half asleep.

"Are you okay? Really, are you okay?"

"Mmhmm," you mumble, keeping your eyes closed and your face buried in the pillow.

"Did—did something happen last night? You can tell me Rose...please..." 

You shake your head slowly and hear Eren let out a heavy breath.

You feel his weight as he bends down and hugs you. You take a deep breath to stop yourself from pulling away. Eren's hand reaches out and he caresses your cheek gently.

"I don't know what's going on but I'm here when you're ready to talk. I don't care how long it takes; I'll be here for you when you're ready." He bends down and kisses your cheek softly and feels you flinch under his touch. You turn your head away from him and further into the pillow. He sighs gloomily, pulls aways, gets off the bed, and goes downstairs. You nestle into your pillow as you feel hot tears well again and you sob quietly as you drift off to sleep.

The next morning, you wake up feeling slightly more like your old self. You see the wind chime dance softly in the balcony door, and you hear the chirping of birds and buzzing of cicadas outside. The room is radiating yellow, it must still be the morning. You get out of bed, noting sadly that the body aches have really set in, your body feels like a piece of wood. You groan miserably, wishing you knew how long it will be until you can move freely again.

You put your hoodie back on and walk downstairs slowly. Eren's at the dining table, reading a magazine and eating cereal. His hair is loose and hanging down his back and he's wearing a faded black Baphomet graphic t- shirt and dark grey jean shorts. Your eyes widen in surprise, he's never usually up before 11 at the earliest. He sees you and gets up, still chewing his food.

"Mmm good morning," he says cheerfully as he goes to pull your chair back for you. "Morning," you mumble as you rub your eyes with your sleeves.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Ok I guess, at least better than last night," you mumble as Eren grabs the jug of orange juice sitting on the table and pours some in a glass for you. 

"Are you hungry?" he asks carefully.

"Yeah, I am actually," you feel your stomach grumble; you haven't eaten since the paella yesterday afternoon. Eren smiles as he goes to the cupboard and pulls out a bag of oatmeal. 

"Blueberry oatmeal it is, I'll grab you some eggs as well."

"That sounds really good, thank you," you murmur as you reach for the magazine Eren was reading. It's Heads and Tails, Paradis' leading music magazine, with Shiganshina's very own Juan Morales on the cover. You flip through it absentmindedly and see a page devoted to the Battle of The Bands competition. You scan the texts, seeing if Eren's band is mentioned. Eren looks at you and grins as he pours hot milk into the oatmeal. 

"They've been in touch you know; we could get the cover if we win."

"The cover..." you exclaim softly and smile. "That must have been quite the phone call."

"It really was. The guys were with me when Levi got the call. I don't think I've ever seen him prouder. I can't believe we might actually be featured one THE COVER of Heads and Tails Magazine!"