💕 the unofficial, unedited, and incomplete tbaw epilogue. proceed with caution.
“Happy birthday, asshole.”
“Hello to you, too, sunshine.”
Eren laughs, leaning back against the outer wall of the house as he pulls the vape from his pocket. He thumbs the button, watching the red ring flicker to life, then brings it to his lips for a slow drag. The once-familiar burn of vapour scratches down his throat as he inhales—and he clears the pain with a sharp cough.
“How’s things?” Eren asks, voice strained.
“Fine.” The voice crackles over the phone. “I didn’t call to chat. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
“Sure.” Eren takes another drag. “Things have been good with me since I left Titan. Finally got that whole work-life balance thing figured out after I started working remotely full-time. You’ve probably seen me on IG. We do social media for local businesses.”
“Don’t care.”
“The gang pulled together to throw a little surprise party for me at Sash and Nic’s new place,” Eren continues, “and Nic’s a baker—you know that—but Connie fuckin’ insisted on making the cake. Not even Sasha wants to eat that shit. Armin took a slice to be polite, but he’s just pushing the pieces around on his plate. Hasn't got the nerve to actually try it.”
“And what about…” they trail off, pausing for Eren to fill the silence. When Eren doesn’t, they spit out your name like it hurts to say, but Eren can hear the voice soften even with the strain.
“She’s good, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Eren says. “She’s still working lots, but it’s been so much better for her. She loves her job and she’s good at it, too. She’s finally happy again.”
“That’s… I’m happy to hear that.”
Eren hums, taking a final pull from his vape before stuffing it back in his pocket. His head already feels woozy—he doesn’t smoke the way he used to, not anymore—and he doesn’t want to go back to the party on his ass after a ten-minute phone call. The few puffs he had are enough to settle the nerves coiling in his gut.
Eren figured this call was coming today, but that doesn’t make it easier. Things are still awkward—still tense. And with these calls being few and far between, Eren knows it’ll be a long time before things are back to the way they once were, but he’s optimistic.
“What about you? I saw you on a magazine the other day: Top Thirty Under Thirty.”
“Fuck off.”
“Nah, man, come on. That’s really cool.” Eren laughs. “Jean Kirstein, the new King of Titan. Following under Erwin’s lead, this young bachelor has been rising the ranks of the corporate world—”
“Ok, ok, fucking stop it.” Eren can practically hear the scrunch of Jean’s brows as he groans. “Do you have it in front of you right now?”
“I’m a big fan of your work, that's all. I’m surprised you’re still working there after the rest of us left.”
“Nowhere else will take me.”
That’s a lie, but Eren doesn’t push it. If Jean wants to keep living in his weird fantasy world, Eren’s not going to bothing wasting his breath trying to change his mind. He’s done enough of that already.
Eren rests his head against the house as he looks up at the sky. He feels a dull ache in his chest and a sense of nostalgia wash over him, longing for a time when he’d be sitting out here on the porch with his best friend. Instead, he’s on the phone with someone who feels like a stranger.
“You should be here,” Eren says. He rolls his tongue against his cheek during the silence, regretting the words after speaking them outloud, but then—fuck it—he doubles down. “I miss you. We all do.”
“I want to,” Jean sighs, “but you know I can’t. I’m not even in town right now. I’ve been working crazy hours. I’m out on a job in—”
“In fucking Marley, or wherever… yeah, I know, Jean. You always have an excuse.”
“Things are better when I’m not around.”
“Whatever.” Eren won’t argue with him. “Are you still seeing that girl? What’s her name—”
“That girl? Eren, don’t call her that, Jesus.”
“—what am I supposed to call her when you won’t tell me her name—”
“My therapist?” Jean groans. It’s so easy to picture him sitting on the edge of his bed in some hotel room on the other side of town, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance like talking to Eren is giving him a headache. “Yeah, yeah. I’m still seeing her. She’s been helping me with… well, you know.”
“And? Are you better?”
“You don’t just get better. I gotta unpack all the damage from my shitty upbringing and figure out coping mechanisms and—”
“Sounds like she’s helping.”
Jean sighs. “We’re getting there.”
“And when you’re finally there… then we’ll see you, right?”
“Eren, come on, man. Do you really want me hanging around when I'm the guy that fucked your girlfriend?”
“Nobody told you to say it like that, Jean.” Eren snorts, and the two boys break out in laughter.
Back when he and Jean were fighting over you—yeah, he hated seeing Jean around—but now you live with Eren at his apartment. You kiss him good morning every day before going to work, and Eren gets to hear you say his favourite three words every day for the rest of his life.
So yeah, it doesn’t bother him anymore that you and Jean had a… thing. It's water under the bridge.
“Hey, I’ll let you go, ok?” Jean says, his tone lighter. “Go have fun. I don’t wanna hold you up.”
“It’s good talking to you, Jean. You know you can call me any time, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Have a good one, man.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Eren brings the phone down from his ear and looks down at his lockscreen as the call disconnects. It’s a photo of you and Eren together—not the one from the Point—this one’s new. You’re grinning so hard at the camera. Eren has his arm wrapped around your waist and his lips pressed to your cheek.
Looking at this photo always makes his chest feel warm. Today especially.
“Eren?”
The sound of your voice snaps him out of his thoughts, and he glances over to see you peeking your head from the sliding door. He doesn't even need to think about smiling when he sees your face, it just comes naturally.
“I thought you were on the phone?”
“Yeah, I was.” He shoves his phone back into his pocket. “Come ‘ere for a sec.”
Eren opens his arms for you to walk into, and with a grin, you step outside, sliding the door shut behind you before rushing into Eren’s arms. You squeeze him tight around the middle, pressing your cheek into his chest.
“Were you talking to Jean?” you ask quietly, like you don’t want to be heard.
“Yeah, he wanted to wish me a happy birthday.”
“How is he?”
“Same ol’ Jean.” Eren sighs, and he feels you sink into his arms.
“Did you tell him we miss him?”
“Every time.” He presses a kiss to your temple. “Jean’ll be ok, don’t worry about him.”
“I know, I just feel like it’s my fault everything's weird between us.”
He cups your face in his hands, tilting you up to look at him, and he can already see the waver in your eyes as you blink up at him. “It’s not your fault—it’s him, ok? He doesn’t try. Never has.”
You nod and pout up at Eren. “I’m glad the two of you are talking again… even after how messy everything got.”
“We’re not kids anymore.” Eren laughs, kissing you on the forehead. “He’s like a brother to me—better than my real one, but that’s not saying much—and I don’t want to lose him.”
You sigh in response, but it quickly turns into giggles as Eren starts peppering your face with more kisses. “Eren!” He presses you into the wall, one hand resting on your lower back to pull you into him. The other cups your face.
“Stop being so grumpy on my birthday,” he says in between kisses, and you giggle against his lips. “Are you mad I’m not giving you enough attention? Huh? Jealous that today is all about me?”
“Eren, there you—oh, god!” Both of you turn to look as Sasha steps out on the desk, covering her eyes with a squeal. “What did I just walk into?”
“Nothing!” you insist, struggling to push Eren away. “We were just coming inside.”
“Coming inside? Gross, guys.” Sasha groans, peeking at the two of you between her fingers.
Eren grins, nipping your earlobe gently before returning to his full height. “Nah, that was earlier.”
“Jesus, you two are like a couple of teenagers.” Sasha sighs, but she’s smiling. “Let’s go back inside, everyone’s wondering where the birthday boy ran off to.”
“We’ll be there in a sec, Sash,” Eren says dismissively, and she takes that as her cue to leave.
“Eren,” you scold, looking up at him. But there’s no bite to your tone when you’re smiling at him like this, and Eren feels warmth growing in his chest from the sight of you.
Your eyes flutter shut as you press up on your toes, already pursing your lips for a kiss, and Eren closes the gap. He kisses you soft and slow, lips moving against yours as your arms come up to circle his neck.
“I love you.” He can feel you smiling against his lips.
“I love you, too.”