night comforts
pairings: eren/gn!reader
content: fluff, comfort, nightmares, death mention, descriptive but not graphic death explanation
a/n: fluffy eren is very much so needed after chapter 139 ;;>
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memories flashed through your eyes like a vivid picture. even in your unconscious state, it felt as real as the day it had happened. from when everything started to the end. their screams, their cries, their pleads, how you felt. and your father. how he died. how you were the reason he died.
the night air was cold, it brought shivers to your arms as you sat up from the bed. the action had caused your blanket to fall down from around your body, exposing you to the cold air. you paid no mind to it, however. your chest instead heaved, mind swirling with previous thoughts pertaining to the dream you just had.
peeking from over your bunk, you checked to see if anyone had woken up due to your outburst. thankfully, it seemed as if no one had woken up. so, you gently threw your legs over the edge of the bed and slowly made your way down. a shiver wracked down your spine once your feet touched the cold floor. you were quick to put on your shoes.
if you were too loud, you were sure shadis would have you running laps for as long as daylight lasted. so, you walked slowly towards the forest side of the camp, hands buried in your pockets with a small frown. the night air was cold- but comforting. it cooled you down and helped clear your head from the nightmare. even now as you thought about it, you needed a distraction.
you shuddered, a harsh wave of wind blowing past your face as you neared a small opening to the forest. once you had wandered over to it, you realized that it was in front of a lake. you had seen it more than once when out during mock missions or on odm gear, but not really ever at night. it was beautiful.
after a minute or two, you found a small little perch to sit down at. you pulled your knees up to your chest. the silence the forest gave was comforting, even though the wind made it hard to ignore the cold creeping into your body, it felt nice. it had just started to get cold, the seasons finally shifting from the unbearable heat. while everyone else complained about the cold, you were thankful for it. it used to be your father's favorite season, there were so many things you did with him and your brother. from snowballs to makeshift snow castles, it almost seemed like a dream. though, now that you were sitting here alone, you realized it had been a dream.
before you could stop them, tears began to well up in your eyes. how long had it been since you thought about him? how long had it been since you stopped pushing it away and distracting yourself?
you were cut out of your thoughts abruptly when a noise came from behind you. adrenaline spiking, you turned around quickly. in the midst of your action, you almost fell off of the rock you had been perched on, but an arm grasped onto your own forearm and pulled you up before you could fall into the water.
"what the fuck?" you yelled, moving to throw a punch at the person who had snuck up on you, which was blocked immediately.
"calm down (y/n)! it's me, eren!" he cried out, holding both of your arms now to control your movements.
his voice caused you to relax immediately, however it didn't quell the annoyance he had caused. you faced towards him, yanking your arms away quickly.
"what were you thinking eren? you scared the shit out of me, what're you even doing out here in the first place?" you demanded.
eren matched your glare, soon to cross his arms as he scoffed, "i came out looking for you because i saw you walk in this direction. i wanted to make sure you didn't get lost. the real question is why are you sneaking out here after hours,"
you scoffed, "oh please eren, you don't need to know everything I'm doing. you didn't have to follow me out here- because now if we both get caught, you get punished too," you put your hands on your hips, giving him a look.
eren huffed out in slight agitation. he didn't respond for a few moments, instead shifting his eyes around your own to your face. his expression softened, and he reached a hand up towards your face, faltering when you flinched in surprise. he continued on after a moment or two, soon to gently cup your face with a frown, "why're you crying?" he murmured.
the feeling of his thumb gently swiping underneath your eye had you closing your eyes in response, your breath hitching. his touch was surprisingly...comforting. he didn't remove his hand even after you opened your eyes and stared back into his own.
"nothing really...just, nightmares," your voice had dropped down into a whisper, taking on an ashamed lilt.
it was almost like when the two of you were kids. everytime something happened, eren was always the quickest one to go out of his way to comfort you. when your older sister came back from a mission and the two of you got into fights. he was the first one to come to your aid before your own brother; even when your dad had told you what had really happened to your mother. he was always there.
eren sighed gently and dropped his hand, causing you to shiver once the warmth he had lent left your cheek. "you haven't talked to me about it before," he inquired softly, moving to take his cape off of his shoulders to wrap it around you once he had realized you didn't have anything to keep you shielded from the cold.
"i didn't want to," you replied, quick to continue as you watched confusion and slight hurt cover his expression, "you have so much more to deal with, you don't deserve my baggage," you told him gently, moving to grasp at his hand- which he immediately returned.
“that's bullshit, (y/n)," he said, his expression nothing less than angry. it worried you, but he cut you off before you could even open your mouth, "i care about you. just because you want to endure things on your own doesn't mean you have to," he told you with a heavy frown, turning his head away with a slight blush.
"a-and even if you don't wanna tell me, at least tell mikasa- or armin- or even, hell, annie- just...someone..." he added on, almost bashfully.
you didn't say anything for a moment, staring up at eren in surprise. sure, the two of you were friends, but you didn't think he cared for you in that way. at least, not with mikasa and annie around. you could have sworn he had feelings for one of those two- but now that you're standing here with him, you realized the look on his face matched the one yours always had when you were with him. it caused you face to flush bright red.
clearing your throat, you nodded shyly and looked towards the lake, messing with the hem of his cape’s fabric, "i appreciate it eren...and, uh, i care for you too...just so you know," you told him softly, causing him to grunt.
he soon tugged on your hand, shifting so that he was sitting on top of the rock that you were previously on, "c'mon, let's stay here for a while...and if you want, you can tell me about that nightmare," he told you softly, prompting you to follow.
you smiled and nodded, "yeah, sounds like a plan,"