Penumbra {EreJean} SnK

Chapter 3

   Unlucky. That's what it was. Jean didn't have nightmares often. In fact that was his first in several months. I won't let it get to me. That was two weeks ago, anyway, stop thinking about it. Jean rolled up the sleeves to his flannel. Today he will go take pictures. His first completely free day in a week, and he'd be damned if he didn't take advantage of the opportunity.

   "Eren, I'm heading out. Call me if you need me." He said, tying his shoes. Eren peeked from his desk, and swiveled his chair to face Jean. Jean always woke him up early on mornings like this, just in case he wanted to go. "Um.. Can I go with you? It's fine if you don't want to take me, since I have class in four and a half hours, but.."
   That surprised Jean. Since when did Eren change his mind about going hiking so early in the morning? "Dude, yeah! Hurry up and get ready if you don't want me to leave your ass." Eren shot up and changed into a pair of capris and a loose t-shirt, then rushed to put his shoes on. Jean watched him, swirling his keys around on his finger and smiling. Eren had never wanted to go before, always complaining that going out and about at the asscrack of dawn just wasn't his thing. "Ready?"

   "Yeah." Eren grabbed his sketchbook and bag before walking out the door. So that's why. Jean grinned and followed Eren out, locking the door behind them.

   The trip wasn't too long, the ride took about 50 minutes. The sun was just barely rising as they got out of the car. "So, I'm wondering. Why do you like to do this so early? How are you not tired?" Eren asked.

   Jean thought about it. "Well, you know me, I've always loved mornings. Nights too. I can't help but get excited to see the sun rising, and the sky growing lighter. Mornings just give me good vibes and inspiration for my hobby." He gestured to his camera. "Plus, morning fog is dope to take pictures of."

   Eren nodded. "I can see why you like it." Raising his arms and stretching, he added, "So where are we going to go? Are we.. gonna hike far?"

   "Nah. There's a trail that we'll follow that leads up to the top of the mountain, but there's this perfect spot a little less than a mile in." He gestured for Eren to follow, and they began their walk. They didn't talk much after that, but it was a comfortable silence. The sound of the forest insects filled the air, and gentle wind brushed through the trees. Jean loved it. It was a place like this that he could really feel the most at peace. Not to mention his best friend was with him this time. As they walked, Jean ahead, started talking again. "You know.. I'm really glad you came."

Eren smiled. "Yeah? How so?"

   "Well, I'm usually alone up here. Which is nice, I can really focus on this type of thing and I have no stress at all." He paused. "With you here, I feel even better. It's just the two of us, but if we had brought any more people, it wouldn't be as fun. It's kind of hard to describe, but, I can hear the trees sing when you're here." At that point, Jean was just rambling on his thoughts. After the last sentence, he stopped, and laughed. "Oh god, sorry. I think that was a little too poetic, even for me." He turned around, ready to joke, but one look at Eren's face made him freeze.

   Eren had stopped walking completely, and was looking at Jean with star-struck eyes. His cheeks were burning, and his lips were parted slightly. Jean quickly lifted up his camera and snapped a photo. That made Eren flinch, and his face turned annoyed. "Ah man, what the hell? I never said you could take pictures of me."

   "Oh, ah, sorry dude, but there is no way in hell that I could not have taken a picture just now." Jean stammered. What was that? It had totally caught him off guard. He furrowed his brows and turned back around, immediately walking. "A-Anyway, let's keep going. Idiot. We're almost there."

   Eren was amazed at how beautiful Jean's spot was. Definitely picture worthy. There was a clear view of the growing sunrise, and the forest below had tints of pink and orange as the sunlight caressed the the trees. Eren settled down on a fallen log while Jean began fidgeting with his camera bag. It was still relatively chilly outside, although somewhat comfortable. Eren played with his breath while waiting for Jean, pretending to be smoking as he blew. He hadn't even realized Jean was watching him until he heard another click. He scowled at his friend when he saw him snicker and lower the camera. "Dude, we get it, you vape."

   He threw a rock at Jean. "Oh shut up."
"Make me." He stuck out his tongue. Eren punched his arm and took out his sketchbook, hoping to change the direction of the conversation. He always felt a little warm when Jean did things like that. Though the taller of the two noticed his change in expression and red cheeks. "Did you just think of something dirty?" He teased.

   Eren jerked his head up and yelled, "No!" Jean began laughing, and in attempt to stop, covered his mouth. Eren leaned forward and flicked his forehead, then went back to searching for the pencil he had brought. "I-I was just, fuckin', remembering that one time when you said that and I ended up kissing you. That's all."

   Jean snorted. "Ah, yes. Back in the good ol' days when I barely had any hair on my balls." He mocked a thoughtful look.

"Oh god, you're sick."

   It was true though, back when they were freshmen, Eren had kissed Jean in order to prove a point. "You always have to get your way, don't you? I don't know how I get along with you. You stole my first kiss and you didn't even apologize." Jean joked, once again sticking out his tongue and winking.

"I did apologize! I even let you copy my homework for a week!"

   By now, Jean had already turned back to the sunrise, which was now in full view, and began snapping photos. "That's hardly an apology, Jaeger."
He earned a grunt in response, "At least you'll have a funny story to tell your wife and kids."

"True."

   Eren began sketching a nearby tree with particularly beautiful branches. "So you plan on getting married?"

"You don't?"

   Well. Not that Eren hadn't thought about it happening someday, he just couldn't see himself with anyone. He couldn't picture himself settling down with a girl and getting married and having kids. It wouldn't... feel right. The only person he could see a future with... was his very own best friend, Jean. They'd been inseparable for years, and it scared Eren to think that there might be some day when Jean wants to move on and have his own family. He didn't want to be left behind. He didn't want to be alone..

"Eren?"
"Huh?"
"I asked you; Do you want to get married some day?"

   Eren's face was on fire. Stupid Jean, doesn't he know to be careful how he words things? That almost sounded like.. "Why? You wanna get married? I can't promise you bountiful children, Dear."

   The photographer snorted. "Yeah. Too bad, I was hoping we could become the new cheaper by the dozen and flood our house with little idiots."

   It carried out like that for awhile, occasional sarcastic remarks and pleasant conversation. One took pictures of the now bright morning, being sure to get as many fog shots as possible, while the other secretly drew the other, pretended to draw trees and scenery. Time passed and neither of them minded. That is, until Eren realized he was late for class.

{I.. didn't proofread this.}