Hello all! For WIP Wednesday, I present a little glance at the fifth chapter of my and @midori-moonflaw's fanfic, The Sun's Shadow! This isn't a final draft.
It was a while since Reiner had visited Rose Street. The sidewalks that had been laid with red, brown, and gray bricks were a welcome sight. According to Gabi, one of her favorite places in the nearby mall had closed, and something undoubtedly inferior opened up in its place. Otherwise, things more or less looked the same. The community college was a 20 minute walk northward, and even further away in the opposite direction, was the Ymirheim Historic District.
He scanned his surroundings, looking for Bertolt’s tall form among the huddles of people. There were quite a few hanging around, but it wasn’t so crowded that it would be hard to spot him--
Suddenly, an icy grip landed on his shoulder. It felt gentle, but firm… and as cold as death.
“Ah!” Reiner yelled and jumped, wrenching his body around to meet Bertolt’s large eyes. It took a moment to register that he was safe, and then he laughed, to alleviate any lingering remnants of fear. But his hands were still clammy and the pounding of his heart couldn’t be quelled, “…oh, you scared me.”
“Sorry…”
“I-it’s fine! I’m okay! It really isn’t a big deal,” Reiner stammered, holding up his hand, giving Bertolt a disarming smile, “It’s nice to see you, Bertolt…”
Simply saying his name warmed Reiner’s body, and dusted the apples of his cheeks with pink and red. He wasn’t sure if his heart was racing from being scared… or if it was something else. Rather than dwell on those possibilities, he spoke instead, “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“Not for too long.”
He’d never seen Bertolt out during the day. While his presence during those hours were missed, in this moment, Reiner couldn’t imagine him at any other time. He belonged to the night, and was more beautiful than the smattering of stars and clouds above.