They could be having fun. Maybe, if fun was a concept Eren still understood in a real capacity. Maybe, in another life. But there had been that shift, hadn't there? It wasn't even Eren's fault, he's pretty sure, not this time. But he's seen this before, hasn't he, years ago, watching Reiner struggle with his fractured psyche, all the pieces of himself trying to align. They both have their insane shit to sort through.
It leaves Eren a little confused and more than a little pissed off, because that loss was humiliating. And he doesn't enjoy being humiliated. (That's a complete lie, but he's not enjoying it right now.)
Reiner pulls him out of the water and he's reminded, not for the first time, of how unmatched they really are in pure physical strength. He can't take Reiner in a fair fight, not as himself. As a titan, sure, but that's no longer a fair fight and they usually stalemate those anyway. If it were just him and Reiner, Attack/War Hammer vs. Armored, without anyone else fucking interfering for once, could he win? Maybe they'll find out someday. But in a regular fight, like this, him against Reiner before all Reiner's shit wore him down? No way.
Just kidding, Eren couldn't take older Reiner in a fistfight either.
He manages to climb back to his feet, a little ungraceful, like a baby colt getting its legs under it.
"I can swim fine," he says, eyes flashing with his irritation. "I've...never done it in the ocean. That's all. I got it now."
He absolutely does not and he knows he does not. But he has a better idea that it's different, so that's a start.
He spins the foam stick back into place in front of him.
"Again," he says, demanding, because in any context he will still push and push and push until he's gone too far. He's always been like that. Despite Levi judging him for losing this game, maybe the captain could at least be happy(?) that it's a throwback to how he was before. He wants to win because he's competitive. Because losing to Reiner is still losing to...an sometimes enemy (ambiguous). Because he fell off the stupid beam in like two hits!
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It leaves Eren a little confused and more than a little pissed off, because that loss was humiliating. And he doesn't enjoy being humiliated. (That's a complete lie, but he's not enjoying it right now.)
Reiner pulls him out of the water and he's reminded, not for the first time, of how unmatched they really are in pure physical strength. He can't take Reiner in a fair fight, not as himself. As a titan, sure, but that's no longer a fair fight and they usually stalemate those anyway. If it were just him and Reiner, Attack/War Hammer vs. Armored, without anyone else fucking interfering for once, could he win? Maybe they'll find out someday. But in a regular fight, like this, him against Reiner before all Reiner's shit wore him down? No way.
Just kidding, Eren couldn't take older Reiner in a fistfight either.
He manages to climb back to his feet, a little ungraceful, like a baby colt getting its legs under it.
"I can swim fine," he says, eyes flashing with his irritation. "I've...never done it in the ocean. That's all. I got it now."
He absolutely does not and he knows he does not. But he has a better idea that it's different, so that's a start.
He spins the foam stick back into place in front of him.
"Again," he says, demanding, because in any context he will still push and push and push until he's gone too far. He's always been like that. Despite Levi judging him for losing this game, maybe the captain could at least be happy(?) that it's a throwback to how he was before. He wants to win because he's competitive. Because losing to Reiner is still losing to...an sometimes enemy (ambiguous). Because he fell off the stupid beam in like two hits!