Truthfully, Eren's curse surprises Reiner. The disconnect between Reiner's mind and body is too sharp, though not as severe as those times he fully forgot he could heal. He didn't hit Eren that hard, did he? (He did.) He would never attack Eren seriously. (He has.) After all, they're friends. (Are they?) Comrades. (Were they?)
Eren manages what might generously be called a follow-up strike, then loses his balance as the beam shifts, dumping him into the water. For one glorious second, Reiner grins, ready to give a good-natured laugh and coax Eren into another playing round. This is fun, isn't it? They're just having fun. After all that they've been through together—first as trainees, then as Scouts, now as companions in a new world—they deserve to cut loose and have fun.
But then Eren sort of … flails gracelessly in the water. Reiner's smile falls away, confusion setting in just in time for Eren to glare up at him, literally spitting salt water. He has no idea what Eren means about a cheap shot—they were trained in the same moves! (They weren't.) So Reiner dismisses that out of hand, choosing to address the far more important issue:
"You said you could swim!!"
He sounds properly offended, even as he drops down to kneel on the beam, one hand gripping the side while the other reaches out and grabs Eren's upper arm. Hauling Eren (relatively effortlessly) back onto the beam, all while sending an accusatory look Eren's way.
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Eren manages what might generously be called a follow-up strike, then loses his balance as the beam shifts, dumping him into the water. For one glorious second, Reiner grins, ready to give a good-natured laugh and coax Eren into another playing round. This is fun, isn't it? They're just having fun. After all that they've been through together—first as trainees, then as Scouts, now as companions in a new world—they deserve to cut loose and have fun.
But then Eren sort of … flails gracelessly in the water. Reiner's smile falls away, confusion setting in just in time for Eren to glare up at him, literally spitting salt water. He has no idea what Eren means about a cheap shot—they were trained in the same moves! (They weren't.) So Reiner dismisses that out of hand, choosing to address the far more important issue:
"You said you could swim!!"
He sounds properly offended, even as he drops down to kneel on the beam, one hand gripping the side while the other reaches out and grabs Eren's upper arm. Hauling Eren (relatively effortlessly) back onto the beam, all while sending an accusatory look Eren's way.