It isn't that Eren is entirely tired of fighting, of violence. He lashes out at people less than he once did, though when he does it, there could be such consequences. They're lucky he didn't accidentally set something on fire with all his rage and embarrassment. But he didn't, did he? No fire. No actual punches thrown. No lightning spark of titans.

What point would there be to any of that? He doesn't actually want to fight Reiner. He wanted to win a game he didn't stand a chance at, and he played dirty enough to hurt. He still lost, which grates on him, but it's his own fault.

That kind of thing, that's not how you treat a…

A what?

It's not even harsh enough for how he'd treat an actual enemy. It's too harsh for how he'd treat a friend (just kidding, he's shitty to his friends too), far too harsh for how he should treat someone who caught him in the dark. Maybe it's Reiner's fault he's a mess, those fractures inside himself trying to fit into two worlds at once. Pushing on those buttons, though…it's not fair. The whole world isn't fair, but does Eren really need to make it worse?

Reiner doesn't really absolve him, but he doesn't get pissed and shove him back into the water or say something shitty back. It has to be enough.

"Yeah," Eren says. But what was the cost?

"You still beat me," he says after a minute, still sullen because he hates losing.