seasonsrpg | Attack on Holidays

WHO: the Attack on Titan cast and their +1s
WHAT: holiday shenanigans
WHEN: around the Solstice
WHERE: an inn in Stormreach
WARNINGS: tba; please check subject lines

Sometime after a less than stellar conference call, Reiner sends an invitation to everyone from his world. "You're Invited to a Holiday Party," the store-bought invitation reads in swirling seasonally decorated letters. How very fancy!

The invitation specifies three things. Number one: it is a celebration of the holidays. Number two: it is a celebration of a year of a successful non-aggression pact. Number three: everyone is invited to bring a "plus one."

Surely, nothing will go wrong with this plan. Surely!

The party itself takes place at an inn in Stormreach, part of which has been reserved by Reiner. The inn is made of stone and wood, its aesthetic closely resembling buildings in Paradis. There are several spacious rooms available: places for eating, places for mingling, cozy corners for more private conversations, and access to the inn's bar.

In one of those cozy spaces, one might find a lit candle known as a Candle of True Feelings. In its presence, people understand their feelings better and feel inspired to talk about them. How very curious!
Of note: magic supersedes technology in Stormreach. One is far more likely to run across potions and crystals than gaming systems… But that hasn't stopped Reiner from setting up a gaming system in a corner, anyway.
If one steps outside for a breath of (cold) fresh air, they'll find themselves close to the clock tower. Local legend claims that those who kiss on top of it are destined to never breakup. However, that legend has not been tested … yet.
During the party, a table is filled with various gifts for the "+1s," created by those from Paradis and Marley. The gifts include knitted clothing (scarves, mittens, socks), chocolates, sweet baked goods, and fidget toys made of wood or stone. Feel free to partake, +1s!

Naturally, there is a wide assortment of food—some of which is best described as "ungodly spicy"—with a particular focus on potato-based foods. Also, peaches and pineapples, for Reasons™.

Have fun, and try not to break anything!

( ooc: this is a mingle! top-level, tag around, etc. put any warnings in subject lines, and if a thread heads toward smut, please take it to an inbox or something. ♥ )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eren made absolutely zero effort to dress up, holiday or not. He put on a green shirt instead of a black or grey one. What do you want from him, cheer? Perish the thought. He isn't glued to Reiner's side by any stretch of the imagination. That's not how he functions. Though he's more touchy than he was before, a brush of a hand or a lean in when Reiner reaches for him. (They're probably annoying to other people.)

After awhile, Eren finds Reiner outside half on accident. Maybe they're just drawn to each other no matter what. Maybe it's just Eren's constant habit of bailing on parties. Maybe both!

"Reiner," he says, closing the distance between them. He doesn't stay at arm's length, not now. There isn't any need for it. Whatever pretence once existed that kept them apart in public is long over (not that they were ever particularly subtle).

As far as Reiner can tell, he and Eren aren't touching any more often than before. They aren't obvious, despite the words they spoke—the fact that they're in love said aloud. Reiner is sure they're acting little different than before.

(Reiner is absolutely incorrect.)

The difference shows mostly in Reiner's eyes, and how they soften when he looks at Eren. His affection is laid open, Eren's unexpected reciprocation bringing about a quiet sort of glow. There is a part of Reiner at peace, now. A part he genuinely thought would never be so.

What a strange thing to think, that Eren Jaeger's love could bring Reiner any peace.

But they're not glued together. And besides, Reiner is in full friendly extrovert mode. The first quiet moment they get is this: Reiner hearing Eren's voice while outside, turning and reaching without even thinking.

"Eren," he says, his hand finding Eren's, fingers entwining. Titan-hot as they should be, a balm against the chilly air. "Hey. Are you having fun?"

Eren isn't really aware that they touch more than they did either. He's too myopic when it comes to whatever his relationship is (love, it's love, he knows) with Reiner. Nothing changed between them.

Everything changed between them, the way that naked honesty changes things.

He does notice that softness in Reiner's eyes. It isn't quite mirrored in his own. Whatever passes for softness doesn't linger in Eren's eyes. It's only in his touch, in the slight uptick of the corner of his mouth, the way he doesn't drift off as much or as wholly. He doesn't want to be anywhere else — anywhen else.

He'll never be an extrovert again, if he ever was one, though. He was more outgoing as a kid, but he was never actually friendly. He's always been too angry, too intense, too inclined to viciousness. He'd throw down with an adult as a kid. It didn't win him friends.

He spent a long time isolated since then. Being around a lot of people can be exhausting, even if most of them are people he knows and loves.

His hand is there to meet Reiner's automatically, without thought. He doesn't even consciously notice it half the time, his need to press his (unbroken, too smooth, definitely not bleeding) palm against Reiner's.

"I guess," he says, non-committal. He's not miserable, and that's good enough.

"Are you? It's your party."

Reiner can be single-minded to a fault, his thoughts, feelings, and even his vision narrowing to a specific point. In the past, that point was his mission, fulfilling objectives with brutal efficiency (until the aftermath set in). These days, that point is usually Eren.

However, this party isn't one of Reiner's single-minded endeavors. He doesn't expect everyone to flourish in each other's company, nor is Reiner himself entirely fond of everyone invited. And it hasn't escaped his notice that Eren isn't basking in the social atmosphere.

But that's why they're at an inn with plenty of room. That's why they can steal moments away from the others, and stand outside beneath the clock tower. It's possible to have fun like that, isn't it?

Reiner hopes so. He's having a good time, sure, but he wants everyone else to have a good time, too. He wants Eren to have a good time.

When he gets the noncommittal answer, he figures that's about as much as he can hope for. Besides, if Eren hated it, he'd just leave.

"It's not just for me," he says, resting his free hand on his hip. "But, yeah. I'm having a good time. Everyone seems to be getting along."

That's the crux of it. Reiner has striven for the impossible here, trying to make peace between the Eldians from Paradis and those from Marley. Trying to balance two halves of himself. He never thought they could come together and enjoy a holiday—yet here they are.

He squeezes Eren's hand, smiling. "If no fights break out, I'm calling it a win."

Eren would definitely bounce if he hated it. He's…enjoying parts of it, and that's good enough for him. He has a hard time connecting to people the way he used to. Parties are never going to be his scene. But he does like seeing everyone together, a reassurance that they are all still here. Tomorrow, maybe someone else will disappear. But tonight he knows that the people he loves are all here.

He has no use for or belief in peace. He told Reiner once he only signed the agreement for Reiner. Eren's word isn't reliable, but he's kept it. Ironically, the only person he's actually fought with is Reiner. Things could have been so different between them, and he knows that. Sometimes he thinks they'd always have ended up where they did. Sometimes he doesn't know (he hates not knowing).

"Well. There's still time. Someone could piss me off enough to punch them," Eren says. His expression doesn't really change, but he is joking. It's progress, for him.

"Everyone's having a good night, I think," he says. "Who cares about anything else."

Attack on Holidays

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