points to himself obliviously before his head turns on a swivel, eyes drawn away to check their immediate surroundings. jonas' first thought: someone's putting him up to this, knowing he's at a disadvantage with the blue cometfly chipping at his inhibitions until he's relaxed enough to crave physical attention. a bit late for an april fool's day joke, but it could potentially happen and he'd been ridiculed before; however, the sincerity he's faced with is difficult to imitate.
this is the look of someone shyly seeking company. eren's tell is in his scales and the way they light up like the fourth of july, jonas jealous of the how warm they look to the touch. he must be embarrassed. a dragon, embarrassed?)
Me? (he checks again to be sure, then realizes how cruel it'd be to make eren repeat himself.) Well, I am Jonas, so... caught red-handed.
(haha... ha...)
Um, I hope it wasn't too difficult to track me down if that's really the case. Can IIIII help you?
[ oh, thatās his name. jonas. he looked like a jonas. there couldnāt possibly be another jonas in the world that mattered most. this was the jonas. jonas. did you . . . heāll kill everyone for you, jonas? ]
Iā think you just did. Jonas. [ helped him, he means, helped him out of this hole heād been digging himself into for five years straight and now! now? he understands, even more, when it came to waiting out on your duties. eren waited four years to make a move on the world, and now . . . he doesnāt have the self restraint to say that he couldnāt wait another four years here just for jonas. how does jonas jaeger soundā? ] Iām . . .
[ oh fuck he canāt lie to the love of his lifeā technically, he could, and did to many, but his chest squeezes far too tight when he considers feeding the other a fake identity. how the hell do you start a healthy, budding relationship with deceit? absolutely not this time, satan. ]
Eren. [ something tells his bumbling fool self to make a move. do something! do something liberating! ] We can grab some drinks. If you drink, I meanā
(oh, wow. wow, this isāĀ he's being asked out on a date right now. a real fucking date.
jonas wonders what kind of harm could come to him hanging out with a skyscraper of a dragon man, picturing each separate scenario in his mind. only one manages to persuade him into tripping gracefully on another "uh"āhe hasn't gotten up to many familiar things he did back home, like drinking until sun up, getting into trouble for that addictive rush of adrenaline, going out with peopleāfiguring it's not the strangest thing to ever happen to him.
nothing will ever top nuclear submarine ghosts communicating to you via radio chatter.
so, oblivious to eren's fantasy marriage, jonas jaeger lifts an arm to indicate the city outside of the plaza and the taverns beyond.) Sure, I drink. I'm an avid, uh... you know, whatever. Yes, I'd like that. Sounds warmer in a bar, actually; It's freezing out here. (tries not to appear too flustered, ignoring the way his palms have clammed up and ears have gotten warm.
keep cool, this is just a fun little outing. enjoy it, live it up, put the holy-shit-wings-this-close-look-like-leather-stretched-over-a-drum aside, and embrace him as just another mirrorbound shyly reaching out to others. this could actually be pretty great; jonas has been ready for a drink all week with the turmoil in his life. already walking with a momentary duck of his head, trying to straighten in a show ofā
jesus, he doesn't know. it's certainly not confidence. maybe he'll look a bit taller if he's drawn out of a slouch.)
There's a place just down 'round the corner. I'm totally blanking on what it's called, but let's head on over. (smiling in eren's direction, humbled by the interest.) You doing alright, Eren? You seem... as surprised as I am about all this.
[ anything involving ghosts in some way, shape or form canāt possibly be capped. thatās a mutual experience to share, one day. hey, whenever it comes up. eren felt like he could spill absolutely anything to āØjonasāØ. he walks with mild, fluster-induced avoidance when all the dragon could share in turn was giddy confidence beginning to rise. a dragonās pride was steel once youāve got them going, and the thought of acceptance has him standing tall, neck bent all the way to look down (and make sure he could always see jonas) and, yes heās definitely flexing.
reds turn to not just reds, but of more orangey meshes with gold, sprinkled with plum specks. one of those stormy sunsets you get to see with too many clouds in the sky. eren might not actively think to attract his new life partner, but his body most certainly does, and yells in full: eren is beautiful, eren is big mac sized, and eren could successfully hunt a meal at any hour desired. oh! and let us not forget, his specialty. upon hearing the word cold, eren acts even as they walk: his armwing extends from the flaps of his poncho and gently wraps him into his side like a somewhat-burrito. fire dragons were some degrees above the average.
even if the autumn chill was upon them, enchanted clothing and the runes literally carved into his skin through ink keeps him plenty warm. who was he kiddingā heās too twitterpated to feel cold. everything about the edge of his fingers, talons and belly burned. ]
Here. [ youāre warm, now. and close enough for his tongue to flicker, because what does jonas taste like??? fantastic. ] I just didnāt think Iād meet someone like you in my life.
Someone like me? Uh, have weāĀ woah! ("met" is summarily forgotten when an impressive span of wing engulfs him in such an immediate bubble of warmth that his squawked protest dies in his throat. because ho-ly shit, all of his concerns about not dressing heavily enough for the evening cold are dashed, wide eyes like saucers staring over a scaled wrist.
squeezed against a muscled side and squired along to the tavern, jonas tries to keep his stride normal with a kind voice spoken directly into his ear. maybe he was too quick to sign up for this. maybe all of this heat is getting to his head. he could pull away nowāĀ but why should he when eren's so fucking toasty?
ah, bliss. true bliss.)
C'mon, you'veāĀ you've met others, surely. I'm, like, not even being self-critical here, I'm genuinely a pretty average guy even now that I'm a Witch with all these crazy abilities. (that doesn't sound too humble, actually, and jonas typically isn'tāhe's very aware of his strengths and weaknessesābut eren's never met someone like him in his life? those are words tailored to flatter.) Maybe you just need a bit more... experience with people? Now I'm not saying "play the field," orā I mean you could, butāĀ Jesus Christ, I can't even talk. I've clearly never been side-hugged by a dragon guy before.
(taking a deep breath, turning his face a bit to admire the shifting colour in scales. there'll never be another chance like this, wondering dimly if he should ask to snap a picture. the sepia will ruin the texture, a smooth hardness and the lacquer polish, but it's worth it for the memory.)
Are you adapting alright to your Monster changes? You look... comfortable. It doesn't hurt at all, or anything like that?
[ eren is going through that phase where everything, absolutely everything that falls off jonasā lips is entertaining and heartfelt. it makes his ribs rattle with how much the inside of his chest skips. the smell of smoke falls on the forked bit of his tongue and presses the bitter, crisp taste of fumes at the roof of his mouth. erenās smoked beforeā well, not eren jaeger, but the memories of eren krĆ¼ger sit in his thought library like one of his own sometimes. on top of breathing fire and spitting lava-like saliva, it was nothing short of breathing fresh air anymore.
he just. chuckles. jonas, youāre cute?? you are dastardly cute and you just need to accept that. the word of him being a witch has the dragonās pleasured orb eyes seem to twinkle. the magic tasted good, tooā ]
Itās a smaller price than what Iām used to. [ a sad truth of trauma and gore but masked with the tone of excitable diversion. hm!! you know what!! ] Even the shifting feels like a blankā but Iāve been here a year.
[ with a high threshold for pain already, it was like downing whiskey: fast and ready for more. his talons are tentatively carding at whatever coat the other wears, soon smoothing it out and keeping him comfortably under his wing as they neared a cheerful little pub, enchanted with a bell to jingle into festive poetry when someone swings the frame forward.
itās warm in here but if you think thatās enough reason for the dragon baguette to keep his wings to himself, youāre deadass wrong. they just need a spot to sit in . . . ]
Iām sure of myself. [ a beginning to his monsterisms and an end to his questionable tastes. ] What kind of magic are you working on?
(what could he be used to that's pricier than this? has this brand of change happened to him before? jonas thinks on sasuke, how little he understands about his world, or even stiles' with different beasts like werewolves, banshees, kanimaāevidently, geardagas acts as a sort of nexus. an interdimensional crossing.)
... so you've been through the ringer before. It's difficult to believe it's been over two months for me, so I can't imagine a year. It... it must go by more quickly as time goes on. (wants to ask him more and will, but his shoulder's being pecked at by talons that glint like a natural blue topaz. they sort through the layers of his military jacket and hoodie, and he's surprised to report that it doesn't feel intrusive. feels preened, if anything, heart in his throat as he wonders for one out-of-body moment if he should be returning the favour.
no, no, that's not in his realm of experience. hiding beneath his wing as they walk imposingly into the bar with a smattering of patrons who areāafter a quick check on the door and its bell's announcementācontent to ignore them, his hand emerges to point at a quiet spot in the back. amply large seats sit in a nook that'll segregate them from an audience, the witch preferring his dates private, especially as envious as he is of the occasional glance eren is paid by the larger monster species. thanks to the green cometfly from earlier, jonas side-eyes them, hand settling on the small of eren's back in a possessive gesture.)
Hey, focus on your drink, buddyāĀ (muttered to a witch who immediately averts his gaze to pay rapt attention to the book he's reading,) uh, sorry; we can sit. I've been studying a lot of abjuration and enchantment? Support stuff, mainly, so I can focus on protecting people. I didn't want to go too aggro with everything, since I-I don't know. Hurting people isn't up my alley.
(manoeuvres himself into their comfy niche, hand up immediately to flag down a server. he needs something to take the edge off, or he'll be stuttering like a fool all evening, and it's become obviousāby the lack of outdoor influenceāthat jonas is unbonded and practically shedding magic, aura a cool, fresh breath of air.)
Makes me a pretty effective sidekick... what are you having, Eren?
[ eren relinquishes a curt sound of affirmation. he had yet to tell jonas that he arrived here at seventeen and skipped up to twenty in a year, but that was all in the hands of the timelessness in aefenglom compared to the other worlds so far from here. it almost reminded him of paths, where the flow of time and space don't follow the general rules of present-day events, always forward and never back. in paths, you can do pirouettes in every fucking direction.
he wasn't paying enough attention to any monsters that had eyed him for whatever reason, eyes on jonas instead and how the short locks of hair around his forehead fell and split— did something happen? did he need to kill someone? he had a knife.
the bit of palm pressure just above the ridge of where spines (thin, if they don't erect like now) that lead down to his tail is more than enough of a distraction. nothing else is happening except this and this was. nice. the equivalent of putting a hand on his thigh and uh,
this is fine. when they do sit, eren rustles his wings back to his sides, almost reluctantly. his hands and talons say plenty when they sneak ghosting to the back of jonas' neck before eren's hands are on his own lap. his hair felt as nice between his fingers as he thought. like satin (it probably wasn't, but red cometflies exaggerate every detail into a miracle). the dragon's fleeting tongue dances over his digits for a second that only seemed accidental by how fast it happened. jonas smell, and he's radiating magic like a nuclear furnace.
delicious wouldn't be the word he'd use for his massive magical appetite, but i'm using it. as jonas speaks, his words get an astounded sort of glance, regardless. hurting people isn't up my alley, and talk about being a sidekick-? ]
Uh— Whiskey. [ starting strong. get in the zone. nothing else really works for him where drinks are concerned. he almost got more distracted than he already was, and attempts to get his attention with a quiet hey, ] You know— that's not a bad thing, right?
[ coming from someone on the complete opposite spectrum with zero pride and neck-deep in spiraling depression. no. and that isn't even sidekick status. ]
(talons. talons. they slink featherlight across the back of his neck and he shivers with an instinctual raising of his shoulders. this isāĀ well, it's an intimate venue and jonas feels as though he might be leading this guy on. that, or the cometflies are and when the smoke of this awkward bomb clears they'll be lying in a pile of awkward rubble. red in the face, clutching the hand that's been flitted against with a reptilian tongue, the witch tries not to casually die.
the waiter who catches eren's order waits for jonas' with as astounding amount of patience for his very sly, very purposeful slide closer to eren to reach for one of the menus, then simply orders the same. a beer would've been nice, but the enviousness in his chest makes him frown and demand a whiskey for himself. that'll warm them up, as if they weren't hot and bothered already.)
Oh, notāĀ not at all. I mean, not protecting people or being... a support. I like it a lot, actually. I think it's what I was made to do. (careful of eren's wing, ensuring he doesn't catch on spiny elbows or anything that could stick them together in a less than affectionate way, jonas gives the dragon a very fond, very appreciative smile. it's kind of him; sasuke said the same thing, warning him away from calling himself a sidekick in people's lives.) Plus I get to take a backseat and watch all your guys' sick moves. Pretty smart, right?
(leaning onto the table with an elbow to prop his face up by the jaw, concentrating on eren's form and function. apart from the agony it seems to take to moult into a higher form, would it be cool to live as a dragon? think in similar ways, eat what they eat, breathe fire with the great bellow of a chest so warm he can practically feel that sweet, sweet temperature from here.
this fucking blue cometfly. jonas has half a mind to check the back of his jacket to see if the stains are fadingāthey're notābut that'd be too conspicuous. maybe he'll excuse himself to the washroom later. their drinks arrive on that thought and he wets his lips, quick service in a place sparsely populated in the ongoing meteor shower.)
Whew, whiskey's... it's stronger here than at home. Good lord. (yikes, while true it's more than he's inexperienced with it, far more fond of mixed drinks. like a woob.) How have we not met until now? Do you live close by, or maybe outside the city? I thinkāĀ actually, I remember Stiles talking about you. He went on that trip to the Wildes with you guys.
Are youāĀ this is gonna' sound rude. I just worry about everyone travelling too much out there. Do you... fight, I guess? You good at that?
[ oh, there wasā actually a reason for that. and he should mention such, has a tug in his gut that tells him to, blindly. the smile sent to him makes his chest flutter like a fucking butterfly house. ]
Been fighting my whole life. [ was it something he was good at, though? ] If Iām any good, itās because of persistence.
[ otherwise, he wouldnāt have climbed high enough to learn. not even his hand to hand skills were the best, he came in, perhaps, third in his class? he knows he can put up a good fight, but he also knows . . . thereāre plenty, plenty of people better than him. thereāre people who give him a hard time, make him sweat and work for it. honestly, he wasnāt high powered at all. the only thing that could truly diferencia-te him from many others was his inability to desist. he wants to bring the drink to his lips, stops for a second, only to add: ]
Iāve been hanging low, though. The last two months. [ specifically these last two months, in which one (1) mikasa ackerman has shown her face and eren is too much of a weenie to face her. it was difficult enough to see the face she made at him the first time, when they were in liberio. after everything, itās even harder. but, new beginnings start here, donāt they? itās probably a golden rule not to bring up exes of anything. ] Looks like I made the wrong call, huh?
[ might be feeling just a touch remorseful, with the way his smile canters into an apologetic pull, but at the same timeā a happier one, he decides, clicking his talons against his glass, and lifting his drink to clink against jonasā. ]
(persistence. he had trouble with that in life. now, in death, hard work comes easily to him. go fucking figure.
jonas feels the need to reassure eren somehow, that even if he isn'tāor is, by the sounds of itā"good" by his own standards then he certainly would be to him. of course, he frets over whether or not he'd consider it pitying, but better to chance it than to not.)
I mean, it... sounds impressive. Sad, you know, having to fight for that long, but... (ah, well, ducks his head when their glasses clink, a bit hot under the collar from the steady attention,) it's cool. I think so, anyway. Being a dragon must help regardless. I don't know the first thing about combat or anything, besides a few scraps.
(leaves his drink near eren's after a long swig that he feels in his veins, settling back in his seat.)
You did, though. Make the wrong call. (bluntly, though a brief sidelong check of his expression can tell his date he's teasing him rather fondly, wanting to protect the good mood and keep spirits higher.) Now we're hanging out, having drinks... I needed a break from everything, just two seconds to breathe, so this is great. Zero complaints.
[ youāve only made it in life when youāve died, ask eren!!!! while the dragon canāt quite come up with anything to retaliate, he does chuckle. a breathy one that shows hasnāt had much exercise in having an outgoing chortle that could be heard from all. the way his lips pull up shows that he really should smile more, a reminder that only came to peck at him when heād expect less.
itās okay to stay elbow to elbow, isnāt it? ]
What kind of scraps?
[ it piques his interest enough to rewind to it, as well as making a silent call that he agreed. jonas jaeger is absolutely correct: eren was wrong in not coming out and theyāre having a fantastic time he didnāt want to get rid of, with or without the urging of a red cometfly. itās been a while since heās just hung around someoneā chill, as the modern folks say. ]
(more than okay. they both benefit, jonas leeching heat where he'd been so frigid before. it's perfectly comfortable, allowing him to relax out of his awkward tension.)
If people stepped to me and got in my face, or whatever... like, you'd have to shove 'em away or way more physical if they chose to keep harassing you. (those guys were a dime a dozen, all talk with nothing to back it up. a few of his "friends" were in serious tussles, though. ones he witnessed and wisely tried to break up before someone called the cops.) I've really never been in any real fights, nobody actually wanted to follow through. Thankfully.
I have hurt someone bad... even if I didn't want to. That wasāĀ it was one-sided on my end. Not proud of it.
(a shrug, because it is what it is now. there's no changing that.) I'm just freaked out people I know here might get into some trouble and I won't know what to do about it. That's why I'm gonna' try to learn, I guess. On top of the magic and stuff, which... only goes so far, you know what I mean?
I can get that more than anyone. [ especially having far less than zero pride in hurting people. itās all heās done recently and all he seems he could do, given the circumstanceā he just couldnāt regret it, and doesnāt look back to.
the need to help wouldāve sparked either way, if he hadnāt been stained with red and his scales equally colorful enough to peacock the entire time they sit, but the urge bubbles enough that it skyrockets from his chest and makes him eager. lightbulb! š” ]
What do you feel about self defense? Not just magic, I mean, [ if he grabbed his collar, heād get the idea. erenās talons clip and compact the fabric of his sweater into a fistful of presage that doesnāt quite match his expression. some boom some draconic fucking danger there for less than half a second before heās very quick to let go, otherwise, smoothing down the wrinkles . . . yes ] physically.
[ š yes ]
Edited (one day, i wonāt typo) 2020-04-26 12:46 (UTC)
(jonas barely has time to form another thought, arm coming up like a bar across a barrel chest to stop eren's lean that scares the next breath out of him in a sharp exhale. with claws like a vice in the front of his hoodie, his eyes shut tight with a tilt of his head in anticipation of a strike to the face or body, which proves very quickly and very obviously that he has little to no fighting experience.)
J-Jesus! (patted at, tugged sweater flattened by eren seeing to the new, rumpled state of him, jonas grabs at talons with a tightening of fingers.) WhatāĀ what do I feel about it? Not good, soā what the hell was that?
(there's not much more to say, when they're in such close proximity, finding it difficult to swallow when his face gets as tomato red as it does. out of embarrassment, flustered, yes; less out of fear now than before. maybe he's not cut out for physical fights, even if his stature says the opposite. jonas has to focus instead on flashy scales that betray how the dragon's feeling.
they calm him out of his momentary panic.)
... oh, dick move, man. (time to laugh this off wheezily like it never! happened!) But point taken; I clearly don't know how to defend myself.
[ the recoil was powerful enough to knock eren emotionally backwards. flying. boom! to a wall. the moe in jonas is too fucking strong for him and it all backfired in a way that the intention whiplashes the dragon straight in the gut.
something in his chest aches deep and he wishes he hadnāt gotten so enthusiastic about eleven times now that heās smoothing the witchās shoulder for the fourth time, in his head. ]
āIt was. [ like a massive. dick. move. with both sides faltering, seeing through to a recovery was in sights and eren grabs for the opportunity like water in a desert. ] Iāmā sorry, I, [ this is about to look increasingly shoujouā eren doesnāt think twice to clap his hand freely around human fingers gripping for his claws. unable to get the flinch out of repeating in his head, he claps again, this time in a more companion-like one-two over the top of his hand. firm shake. youāre good. youāre okay, and most important of all: ] wouldnāt hurt you.
[ he wouldnāt hope to ever create the circumstance. satan, be gone with those thoughts, youāre unwelcome here. ]
I wantedā [ he swallows dry. he swallows goddamn dry that not even faking the sound of his throat clearing would help how thick it felt, but the staring, believe it or not, brings him some ease. something soft at the back of his mind tells him that staring at a colorful display is a promising thing. maybe in the end, it all worked toward success, but heād rather have it without the scare. it doesnāt taste good. ] I could teach you, if you want.
Hey, I know, It's okay. (it's not, but jonas doesn't have the right amount of self-esteem to be able to rally against it. eren seems genuinely regretful, which makes theājoke? test?āmoment tenser than he meant to make it, which is why his fingers loosen around talons to revel how warm their are over the back of his own hand.)
I'dāĀ honestly, I really think I need to... at least try to learn. (confidence... waning.) You'd really be down for that? Like... it wouldn't suck for you, would it?
(eren's generously offering training and here jonas is waffling. he's never been one to make bold, decisive plans, but maybe it's time he tried it out. his date seems receptive if their handholding is any indication, they're getting along, and despite the scare he seems like a nice enough guy. why not?)
[ oh, holding,,,,, hands, now. by the time he realizes that his weight has settled and theyāre in this weird little cup, itās too late to retreat any of his fingers beyond a safe little curl. this is fine. this is actually excellent. the fuzz-buzz in his belly is pleasant and. ]
I had a good teacher. If I could pass on some of what she did, Iād be glad.
[ he might not be a good teacher, he hasnāt taught long enough to know if he was, but heās given some pointers here and there. couple it with magic, and a witch might be able to do some gnarly things with something as simple as takedown or mount. erenās worried fizz deflates enough to have a conciliatory smile replace most of the nervous energy. vibrating inside and even feeling his ribs hum with each beat, his thumb brushes once. brushes a second!! a fidgety sort of movement that has too much spirit to hold. ]
Iād love itā [ like he loved all of this right now?! wetting his lips with a flicking tongue, forked tip between his teeth, he adds: ] Earlier wasnāt okay, though. You can be honest with me.
(seems to realize how close they are and where their hands are clasped in solidarity when eren's thumb brushes at skin, ears and cheeks immediately darkening with the burn of blood. oh lord, they'reāĀ oh boy. this really is a date, isn't it. he's on a date with a dragon man a solid foot taller than him, all wings, spines, and scales. swallows thickly, trying to find his chill again.
focus on the words coming out of eren's mouth.)
Then, uh. (out of his fucking element and enjoying the fluttery nervousness in his gut that reminds him he hasn't done something quite this normal in monthsāit's, dare he say it, nice.) Then, yes. Yeah, I'm in.
I was a little freaked out, but that's par for the course here. I think I'm justāĀ well, you know. I've never been in any real danger before, until Aefenglom. It wasn't okay, it really wasn't, though... I should learn how to become okay with it. Does that make sense? I don't know what I'm saying anymore, my neurons have all fired and died and I am still holding your hands.
(oohhhhhhhhh nooooooooo)
God, Jesus Christ, I am the most embarrassing person in any dimension. C-CanāĀ I need a drink.
[ jonas is babbling restlessly and, hello, operator iād like to a report an emergency: itās been years since eren hasnāt smiled so much. it doesnāt. cease!!! it doesnāt go away. it just gets all the more softer and courteous and, hand clapping is an addictive thing heās not really going to stop doing, is he. no. he may not ultimately realize where the excitability comes from until itās said, and even then his fondness only rises like the thumping in his ears.
ālive a littleā, they said to him. mikleo, elliot, sokieā and more. he hasnāt had a sound, normal young adult experience in who knows how long or even never. even if cometflies had been the one to give him the push, the rest? the rest was sought after. he couldnāt say it wasnāt great.
what a life, if he had the freedom to live one like this. ]
āSure.
[ jonas will lose a hand, but only so that he could pour them some extra shots of whiskey. they could cheers to that. ]
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points to himself obliviously before his head turns on a swivel, eyes drawn away to check their immediate surroundings. jonas' first thought: someone's putting him up to this, knowing he's at a disadvantage with the blue cometfly chipping at his inhibitions until he's relaxed enough to crave physical attention. a bit late for an april fool's day joke, but it could potentially happen and he'd been ridiculed before; however, the sincerity he's faced with is difficult to imitate.
this is the look of someone shyly seeking company. eren's tell is in his scales and the way they light up like the fourth of july, jonas jealous of the how warm they look to the touch. he must be embarrassed. a dragon, embarrassed?)
Me? (he checks again to be sure, then realizes how cruel it'd be to make eren repeat himself.) Well, I am Jonas, so... caught red-handed.
(haha... ha...)
Um, I hope it wasn't too difficult to track me down if that's really the case. Can IIIII help you?
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Iā think you just did. Jonas. [ helped him, he means, helped him out of this hole heād been digging himself into for five years straight and now! now? he understands, even more, when it came to waiting out on your duties. eren waited four years to make a move on the world, and now . . . he doesnāt have the self restraint to say that he couldnāt wait another four years here just for jonas. how does jonas jaeger soundā? ] Iām . . .
[ oh fuck he canāt lie to the love of his lifeā technically, he could, and did to many, but his chest squeezes far too tight when he considers feeding the other a fake identity. how the hell do you start a healthy, budding relationship with deceit? absolutely not this time, satan. ]
Eren. [ something tells his bumbling fool self to make a move. do something! do something liberating! ] We can grab some drinks. If you drink, I meanā
[ okay, here it fucking goes. ]
I donāt need anything else.
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jonas wonders what kind of harm could come to him hanging out with a skyscraper of a dragon man, picturing each separate scenario in his mind. only one manages to persuade him into tripping gracefully on another "uh"āhe hasn't gotten up to many familiar things he did back home, like drinking until sun up, getting into trouble for that addictive rush of adrenaline, going out with peopleāfiguring it's not the strangest thing to ever happen to him.
nothing will ever top nuclear submarine ghosts communicating to you via radio chatter.
so, oblivious to eren's fantasy marriage, jonas jaeger lifts an arm to indicate the city outside of the plaza and the taverns beyond.) Sure, I drink. I'm an avid, uh... you know, whatever. Yes, I'd like that. Sounds warmer in a bar, actually; It's freezing out here. (tries not to appear too flustered, ignoring the way his palms have clammed up and ears have gotten warm.
keep cool, this is just a fun little outing. enjoy it, live it up, put the holy-shit-wings-this-close-look-like-leather-stretched-over-a-drum aside, and embrace him as just another mirrorbound shyly reaching out to others. this could actually be pretty great; jonas has been ready for a drink all week with the turmoil in his life. already walking with a momentary duck of his head, trying to straighten in a show ofā
jesus, he doesn't know. it's certainly not confidence. maybe he'll look a bit taller if he's drawn out of a slouch.)
There's a place just down 'round the corner. I'm totally blanking on what it's called, but let's head on over. (smiling in eren's direction, humbled by the interest.) You doing alright, Eren? You seem... as surprised as I am about all this.
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reds turn to not just reds, but of more orangey meshes with gold, sprinkled with plum specks. one of those stormy sunsets you get to see with too many clouds in the sky. eren might not actively think to attract his new life partner, but his body most certainly does, and yells in full: eren is beautiful, eren is big mac sized, and eren could successfully hunt a meal at any hour desired. oh! and let us not forget, his specialty. upon hearing the word cold, eren acts even as they walk: his armwing extends from the flaps of his poncho and gently wraps him into his side like a somewhat-burrito. fire dragons were some degrees above the average.
even if the autumn chill was upon them, enchanted clothing and the runes literally carved into his skin through ink keeps him plenty warm. who was he kiddingā heās too twitterpated to feel cold. everything about the edge of his fingers, talons and belly burned. ]
Here. [ youāre warm, now. and close enough for his tongue to flicker, because what does jonas taste like??? fantastic. ] I just didnāt think Iād meet someone like you in my life.
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squeezed against a muscled side and squired along to the tavern, jonas tries to keep his stride normal with a kind voice spoken directly into his ear. maybe he was too quick to sign up for this. maybe all of this heat is getting to his head. he could pull away nowāĀ but why should he when eren's so fucking toasty?
ah, bliss. true bliss.)
C'mon, you'veāĀ you've met others, surely. I'm, like, not even being self-critical here, I'm genuinely a pretty average guy even now that I'm a Witch with all these crazy abilities. (that doesn't sound too humble, actually, and jonas typically isn'tāhe's very aware of his strengths and weaknessesābut eren's never met someone like him in his life? those are words tailored to flatter.) Maybe you just need a bit more... experience with people? Now I'm not saying "play the field," orā I mean you could, butāĀ Jesus Christ, I can't even talk. I've clearly never been side-hugged by a dragon guy before.
(taking a deep breath, turning his face a bit to admire the shifting colour in scales. there'll never be another chance like this, wondering dimly if he should ask to snap a picture. the sepia will ruin the texture, a smooth hardness and the lacquer polish, but it's worth it for the memory.)
Are you adapting alright to your Monster changes? You look... comfortable. It doesn't hurt at all, or anything like that?
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he just. chuckles. jonas, youāre cute?? you are dastardly cute and you just need to accept that. the word of him being a witch has the dragonās pleasured orb eyes seem to twinkle. the magic tasted good, tooā ]
Itās a smaller price than what Iām used to. [ a sad truth of trauma and gore but masked with the tone of excitable diversion. hm!! you know what!! ] Even the shifting feels like a blankā but Iāve been here a year.
[ with a high threshold for pain already, it was like downing whiskey: fast and ready for more. his talons are tentatively carding at whatever coat the other wears, soon smoothing it out and keeping him comfortably under his wing as they neared a cheerful little pub, enchanted with a bell to jingle into festive poetry when someone swings the frame forward.
itās warm in here but if you think thatās enough reason for the dragon baguette to keep his wings to himself, youāre deadass wrong. they just need a spot to sit in . . . ]
Iām sure of myself. [ a beginning to his monsterisms and an end to his questionable tastes. ] What kind of magic are you working on?
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... so you've been through the ringer before. It's difficult to believe it's been over two months for me, so I can't imagine a year. It... it must go by more quickly as time goes on. (wants to ask him more and will, but his shoulder's being pecked at by talons that glint like a natural blue topaz. they sort through the layers of his military jacket and hoodie, and he's surprised to report that it doesn't feel intrusive. feels preened, if anything, heart in his throat as he wonders for one out-of-body moment if he should be returning the favour.
no, no, that's not in his realm of experience. hiding beneath his wing as they walk imposingly into the bar with a smattering of patrons who areāafter a quick check on the door and its bell's announcementācontent to ignore them, his hand emerges to point at a quiet spot in the back. amply large seats sit in a nook that'll segregate them from an audience, the witch preferring his dates private, especially as envious as he is of the occasional glance eren is paid by the larger monster species. thanks to the green cometfly from earlier, jonas side-eyes them, hand settling on the small of eren's back in a possessive gesture.)
Hey, focus on your drink, buddyāĀ (muttered to a witch who immediately averts his gaze to pay rapt attention to the book he's reading,) uh, sorry; we can sit. I've been studying a lot of abjuration and enchantment? Support stuff, mainly, so I can focus on protecting people. I didn't want to go too aggro with everything, since I-I don't know. Hurting people isn't up my alley.
(manoeuvres himself into their comfy niche, hand up immediately to flag down a server. he needs something to take the edge off, or he'll be stuttering like a fool all evening, and it's become obviousāby the lack of outdoor influenceāthat jonas is unbonded and practically shedding magic, aura a cool, fresh breath of air.)
Makes me a pretty effective sidekick... what are you having, Eren?
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he wasn't paying enough attention to any monsters that had eyed him for whatever reason, eyes on jonas instead and how the short locks of hair around his forehead fell and split— did something happen? did he need to kill someone? he had a knife.
the bit of palm pressure just above the ridge of where spines (thin, if they don't erect like now) that lead down to his tail is more than enough of a distraction. nothing else is happening except this and this was. nice. the equivalent of putting a hand on his thigh and uh,
this is fine. when they do sit, eren rustles his wings back to his sides, almost reluctantly. his hands and talons say plenty when they sneak ghosting to the back of jonas' neck before eren's hands are on his own lap. his hair felt as nice between his fingers as he thought. like satin (it probably wasn't, but red cometflies exaggerate every detail into a miracle). the dragon's fleeting tongue dances over his digits for a second that only seemed accidental by how fast it happened. jonas smell, and he's radiating magic like a nuclear furnace.
delicious wouldn't be the word he'd use for his massive magical appetite, but i'm using it. as jonas speaks, his words get an astounded sort of glance, regardless. hurting people isn't up my alley, and talk about being a sidekick-? ]
Uh— Whiskey. [ starting strong. get in the zone. nothing else really works for him where drinks are concerned. he almost got more distracted than he already was, and attempts to get his attention with a quiet hey, ] You know— that's not a bad thing, right?
[ coming from someone on the complete opposite spectrum with zero pride and neck-deep in spiraling depression. no. and that isn't even sidekick status. ]
"Sidekick" is pretty debasing for it.
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the waiter who catches eren's order waits for jonas' with as astounding amount of patience for his very sly, very purposeful slide closer to eren to reach for one of the menus, then simply orders the same. a beer would've been nice, but the enviousness in his chest makes him frown and demand a whiskey for himself. that'll warm them up, as if they weren't hot and bothered already.)
Oh, notāĀ not at all. I mean, not protecting people or being... a support. I like it a lot, actually. I think it's what I was made to do. (careful of eren's wing, ensuring he doesn't catch on spiny elbows or anything that could stick them together in a less than affectionate way, jonas gives the dragon a very fond, very appreciative smile. it's kind of him; sasuke said the same thing, warning him away from calling himself a sidekick in people's lives.) Plus I get to take a backseat and watch all your guys' sick moves. Pretty smart, right?
(leaning onto the table with an elbow to prop his face up by the jaw, concentrating on eren's form and function. apart from the agony it seems to take to moult into a higher form, would it be cool to live as a dragon? think in similar ways, eat what they eat, breathe fire with the great bellow of a chest so warm he can practically feel that sweet, sweet temperature from here.
this fucking blue cometfly. jonas has half a mind to check the back of his jacket to see if the stains are fadingāthey're notābut that'd be too conspicuous. maybe he'll excuse himself to the washroom later. their drinks arrive on that thought and he wets his lips, quick service in a place sparsely populated in the ongoing meteor shower.)
Whew, whiskey's... it's stronger here than at home. Good lord. (yikes, while true it's more than he's inexperienced with it, far more fond of mixed drinks. like a woob.) How have we not met until now? Do you live close by, or maybe outside the city? I thinkāĀ actually, I remember Stiles talking about you. He went on that trip to the Wildes with you guys.
Are youāĀ this is gonna' sound rude. I just worry about everyone travelling too much out there. Do you... fight, I guess? You good at that?
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Been fighting my whole life. [ was it something he was good at, though? ] If Iām any good, itās because of persistence.
[ otherwise, he wouldnāt have climbed high enough to learn. not even his hand to hand skills were the best, he came in, perhaps, third in his class? he knows he can put up a good fight, but he also knows . . . thereāre plenty, plenty of people better than him. thereāre people who give him a hard time, make him sweat and work for it. honestly, he wasnāt high powered at all. the only thing that could truly diferencia-te him from many others was his inability to desist. he wants to bring the drink to his lips, stops for a second, only to add: ]
Iāve been hanging low, though. The last two months. [ specifically these last two months, in which one (1) mikasa ackerman has shown her face and eren is too much of a weenie to face her. it was difficult enough to see the face she made at him the first time, when they were in liberio. after everything, itās even harder. but, new beginnings start here, donāt they? itās probably a golden rule not to bring up exes of anything. ] Looks like I made the wrong call, huh?
[ might be feeling just a touch remorseful, with the way his smile canters into an apologetic pull, but at the same timeā a happier one, he decides, clicking his talons against his glass, and lifting his drink to clink against jonasā. ]
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jonas feels the need to reassure eren somehow, that even if he isn'tāor is, by the sounds of itā"good" by his own standards then he certainly would be to him. of course, he frets over whether or not he'd consider it pitying, but better to chance it than to not.)
I mean, it... sounds impressive. Sad, you know, having to fight for that long, but... (ah, well, ducks his head when their glasses clink, a bit hot under the collar from the steady attention,) it's cool. I think so, anyway. Being a dragon must help regardless. I don't know the first thing about combat or anything, besides a few scraps.
(leaves his drink near eren's after a long swig that he feels in his veins, settling back in his seat.)
You did, though. Make the wrong call. (bluntly, though a brief sidelong check of his expression can tell his date he's teasing him rather fondly, wanting to protect the good mood and keep spirits higher.) Now we're hanging out, having drinks... I needed a break from everything, just two seconds to breathe, so this is great. Zero complaints.
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itās okay to stay elbow to elbow, isnāt it? ]
What kind of scraps?
[ it piques his interest enough to rewind to it, as well as making a silent call that he agreed. jonas jaeger is absolutely correct: eren was wrong in not coming out and theyāre having a fantastic time he didnāt want to get rid of, with or without the urging of a red cometfly. itās been a while since heās just hung around someoneā chill, as the modern folks say. ]
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If people stepped to me and got in my face, or whatever... like, you'd have to shove 'em away or way more physical if they chose to keep harassing you. (those guys were a dime a dozen, all talk with nothing to back it up. a few of his "friends" were in serious tussles, though. ones he witnessed and wisely tried to break up before someone called the cops.) I've really never been in any real fights, nobody actually wanted to follow through. Thankfully.
I have hurt someone bad... even if I didn't want to. That wasāĀ it was one-sided on my end. Not proud of it.
(a shrug, because it is what it is now. there's no changing that.) I'm just freaked out people I know here might get into some trouble and I won't know what to do about it. That's why I'm gonna' try to learn, I guess. On top of the magic and stuff, which... only goes so far, you know what I mean?
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the need to help wouldāve sparked either way, if he hadnāt been stained with red and his scales equally colorful enough to peacock the entire time they sit, but the urge bubbles enough that it skyrockets from his chest and makes him eager. lightbulb! š” ]
What do you feel about self defense? Not just magic, I mean, [ if he grabbed his collar, heād get the idea. erenās talons clip and compact the fabric of his sweater into a fistful of presage that doesnāt quite match his expression. some boom some draconic fucking danger there for less than half a second before heās very quick to let go, otherwise, smoothing down the wrinkles . . . yes ] physically.
[ š yes ]
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J-Jesus! (patted at, tugged sweater flattened by eren seeing to the new, rumpled state of him, jonas grabs at talons with a tightening of fingers.) WhatāĀ what do I feel about it? Not good, soā what the hell was that?
(there's not much more to say, when they're in such close proximity, finding it difficult to swallow when his face gets as tomato red as it does. out of embarrassment, flustered, yes; less out of fear now than before. maybe he's not cut out for physical fights, even if his stature says the opposite. jonas has to focus instead on flashy scales that betray how the dragon's feeling.
they calm him out of his momentary panic.)
... oh, dick move, man. (time to laugh this off wheezily like it never! happened!) But point taken; I clearly don't know how to defend myself.
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something in his chest aches deep and he wishes he hadnāt gotten so enthusiastic about eleven times now that heās smoothing the witchās shoulder for the fourth time, in his head. ]
āIt was. [ like a massive. dick. move. with both sides faltering, seeing through to a recovery was in sights and eren grabs for the opportunity like water in a desert. ] Iāmā sorry, I, [ this is about to look increasingly shoujouā eren doesnāt think twice to clap his hand freely around human fingers gripping for his claws. unable to get the flinch out of repeating in his head, he claps again, this time in a more companion-like one-two over the top of his hand. firm shake. youāre good. youāre okay, and most important of all: ] wouldnāt hurt you.
[ he wouldnāt hope to ever create the circumstance. satan, be gone with those thoughts, youāre unwelcome here. ]
I wantedā [ he swallows dry. he swallows goddamn dry that not even faking the sound of his throat clearing would help how thick it felt, but the staring, believe it or not, brings him some ease. something soft at the back of his mind tells him that staring at a colorful display is a promising thing. maybe in the end, it all worked toward success, but heād rather have it without the scare. it doesnāt taste good. ] I could teach you, if you want.
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I'dāĀ honestly, I really think I need to... at least try to learn. (confidence... waning.) You'd really be down for that? Like... it wouldn't suck for you, would it?
(eren's generously offering training and here jonas is waffling. he's never been one to make bold, decisive plans, but maybe it's time he tried it out. his date seems receptive if their handholding is any indication, they're getting along, and despite the scare he seems like a nice enough guy. why not?)
I'm game if you are. Sounds pretty fun, actually.
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I had a good teacher. If I could pass on some of what she did, Iād be glad.
[ he might not be a good teacher, he hasnāt taught long enough to know if he was, but heās given some pointers here and there. couple it with magic, and a witch might be able to do some gnarly things with something as simple as takedown or mount. erenās worried fizz deflates enough to have a conciliatory smile replace most of the nervous energy. vibrating inside and even feeling his ribs hum with each beat, his thumb brushes once. brushes a second!! a fidgety sort of movement that has too much spirit to hold. ]
Iād love itā [ like he loved all of this right now?! wetting his lips with a flicking tongue, forked tip between his teeth, he adds: ] Earlier wasnāt okay, though. You can be honest with me.
[ thatās how marriage works ]
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(seems to realize how close they are and where their hands are clasped in solidarity when eren's thumb brushes at skin, ears and cheeks immediately darkening with the burn of blood. oh lord, they'reāĀ oh boy. this really is a date, isn't it. he's on a date with a dragon man a solid foot taller than him, all wings, spines, and scales. swallows thickly, trying to find his chill again.
focus on the words coming out of eren's mouth.)
Then, uh. (out of his fucking element and enjoying the fluttery nervousness in his gut that reminds him he hasn't done something quite this normal in monthsāit's, dare he say it, nice.) Then, yes. Yeah, I'm in.
I was a little freaked out, but that's par for the course here. I think I'm justāĀ well, you know. I've never been in any real danger before, until Aefenglom. It wasn't okay, it really wasn't, though... I should learn how to become okay with it. Does that make sense? I don't know what I'm saying anymore, my neurons have all fired and died and I am still holding your hands.
(oohhhhhhhhh nooooooooo)
God, Jesus Christ, I am the most embarrassing person in any dimension. C-CanāĀ I need a drink.
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ālive a littleā, they said to him. mikleo, elliot, sokieā and more. he hasnāt had a sound, normal young adult experience in who knows how long or even never. even if cometflies had been the one to give him the push, the rest? the rest was sought after. he couldnāt say it wasnāt great.
what a life, if he had the freedom to live one like this. ]
āSure.
[ jonas will lose a hand, but only so that he could pour them some extra shots of whiskey. they could cheers to that. ]