"What is this?"
"Your birthday present."
"A hill?"
"It's more than that, Ann, jus-just sit, 'lright?"
The brunet laid a red blanket across the lush grass, gesturing for the blonde to sit down upon it. Her blue eyes flitted to him before sighing, crossing her legs to sit down the same way she has since kindergarten.
"Usually, you just give me a present. What happened to that?" She asked, her eyes swinging across the midnight sky, gazing at the stars that were now visible thanks to their distance from city lights.
The boyfriend grinned as he reached around the tree, pulling a long black case from it, as well as…that.
He placed the black trilby with white pinstripes on top of his head, giving his normal, but lovable, crappy smile to her.
"No," she said in a simple tone.
"You love it."
"No…no I don't."
He sat down, legs sticking straight out, the black box being put in his lap. "You so do. Admit it."
"I am not." Her hand shot out to grab it.
The boy expected this, and he leaned out of her short reach. "Admi-admit it! You love it!" He laughed, reeling back as she leaned forth.
"Eren!" She exclaimed, getting on her knees as he was running out of air to fall into.
Eventually, gravity took effect on both of them, with Annie falling onto Eren's chest, her fingers clutching the rim as he hit the ground, grabbing the top of the hat.
"Admit it." He muttered, seeing the blush creep into her cheeks as their eyes met.
Her eyebrows turned down as well as her face into the crook of his neck. He was able to feel the warmth pulsating from the blood rushing underneath her skin.
"Ahh muhv eht." Her muffled voice said into his skin.
"What was that?" Eren asked, taking his hand off of the hat.
"I love it!" She snapped as her head turned up. She snatched it and pushed herself off of him, falling back into her cross-legged position.
He leaned up, running fingers through his hair as his other hand put the black case in his lap once again.
She set the hat down by her side, glancing at the case. "What's that?"
Eren's green eyes switched from her to the case and back. "I would call it…you're present. But I am not giving it to you."
She scoffed. "Then what's the point?"
The young man held a finger up. "One second."
As his fingers undid the latches on either side, Annie's eyes stared at the case itself with curiosity. What does he have up his sleeve? She thought to herself.
He looked at her one last time, giving her another grin, before opening the case, revealing what was inside to be…
An acoustic guitar.
Annie cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you have that?"
Eren pulled the acoustic out, setting the case aside as he reached into his jacket pocket to extract a guitar pick from it. He balanced it on his lap, holding the neck with his left hand while his right arm stretched over the top to test the strings out, strumming them one by one and readjusting the strings according to the sound which they produced. The process was lovely to hear in the silent night.
"I…have been taking lessons," Eren explained as he fixed the strings.
The young girl's eyes widened. "You have? Why didn't you tell me?"
The boy was fixing the last string, strumming it a few times before nodding to himself. "I wanted it to be a…a surprise."
"My birthday surprise?"
He smirked, nodding. "Yeah…you deserve it."
"No I don't," she said, looking away.
"Hey…hey, Ann, look at me." He reached out and gently pushed her cheek to face him, their eyes meeting and locking. His hand then caressed her cheek before sliding down to rub her shoulder through the fabric of her sweatshirt.
"You deserve so much. You're kind, caring, understanding, and just an all-around wonderful person…once people get to know you. So please…you're gonna love this."
Annie placed a hand on his, her thumb sliding across the surface of his tan skin. She nodded, taking his hand and putting in on the guitar before looking at him. "Alright…what are you gonna play?"
"You'll see, babe."
Eren looked up at the stars, amazed at the brilliant display they provided to him.
He began to whistle. Annie's head snapped instantly to look at him. "Eren…"
The whistle was interrupted by his chuckle. "Just…sing the girl part."
"No…no, I'll…I'll screw it up."
Eren leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, gentle, as he always was. "No you won't. Just…please?"
Annie glanced at the guitar, then at her boyfriend, hesitating. But, then, she nodded. "Alright. Let's do this."
He smiled and began whistling again, not long after, he began to strum his guitar.
Annie began to sing. Her voice was angelic. Heavenly.
"Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my ma and pa, not the way that I do love you."
Eren smiled. This was Annie's favorite song. He began to sing, his deeper voice helping. "Holey moley, me oh my. You're the apple of my eye. Girl, I've never loved one like you."
A small smile appeared on Annie's face as she sung the next part, "Man, oh man, you're my best friend. I scream it to the nothingness. There ain't nothing that I need."
Eren saw her hand rest on the top of the trilby. His smile got wider. "Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ. Ain't nothing please me more than you."
He played the guitar a bit longer without her singing as they both joined in the chorus, looking at each other with an intense passion. "Ah, home! Let me go home! Home is wherever I'm with you! Ah, home! Let me go home! Home is wherever I'm with you!"
Annie picked the trilby up and placed it on her head, making sure it fit before clapping her hands, the couple singing in unison once again, "La, la, la, la, take me home! Mama, I'm coming home!"
Eren stopped strumming, letting the silence overcome them. He looked over to his girlfriend. "You look beautiful in that."
Annie's cheeks turned a bit red. He smiled and started to strum and whistle, soon after, he began to sing.
"I'll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark. Girl, I never loved one like you."
Annie smiled at the ground as she sang her part, "Moats and boats and waterfalls. Alleyways and payphone calls. I've been everywhere with you."
Eren chuckled and nodded. "That's true, laugh until we think we'll die! Barefoot on a summer night!" He sang, with Annie joining in on the last two words of both sentences. He did the next part by himself, "Never could be sweeter than with you!"
Annie adjusted the hat on her head as she shouted with an energized vigor, "And in the streets you run a-free, like it's only you and me!" Eren added his voice with hers as they sang, "Geez, you're something to see!"
The chorus came around, their two voices combining once again. "Ah, home, let me go home! Home is wherever I'm with you! Ah, home, let me go home! Home is wherever I'm with you!"
Annie pulled the hat off of her head to place on his head, resting her head on his shoulder
as he strummed a little bit longer before they sang, "La, la, la, la, take me home! Mama, I'm coming home!"
He continued playing the guitar, his head turning to look at her and smile. "Annie?"
"Eren?"
"Do…do you remember that one time we climbed that huge tree, before we started dating? Wanting to see Maria from above?"
"Yes, I do. You…haha…you fell out of the tree. Nearly got yourself killed."
"I broke a few ribs, maybe cracked my pelvis, and you remember what you did?"
"Of course. I picked you up, threw you over my shoulder, and ran you to the hospital."
"And you remember what I said to you before I got taken away to be fixed?"
"I do."
"What was it?"
Annie smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You said, 'Annie Leonhardt, if I don't make it, I just wanted to say that I love you,' and I didn't say that back until a week later. That's when we began dating."
"How long ago was that?"
"Let me think…three years?"
"Yeah, and I still never regret falling out of that tree. Because it meant I wouldn't have had the situation to tell you how I felt."
Annie reached up and cupped his cheeks to pull him into a deep kiss. As she rested her head back on his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Let's finish this song."
Eren nodded. "You got it."
He whistled a bit as his guitar pick worked at the strings. Then they jumped into the last chorus, "Ah, home! Let me go home! Home is wherever I'm with you! Ah, home! Let me go home! Home is when I'm alone with you!"
Annie stayed silent as Eren stopped playing the guitar and sang, "Ah, home. Let me come home. Home is wherever I'm with you."
The two switched, with Annie now singing, "Our home. Yes, I am home. Home is when I'm alone with you,"
Eren went back to playing his guitar as his girlfriend sang, "Alabama, Arkansaaaas! I do love my Ma and Paaaa! Moats and boats, and waterfaaaalls! Alleyways and payphone caaaalls!"
The couple joined together for the last two lines.
"Home is when I'm alone with you!"
Eren slowed his guitar, as their last line echoed out into the night. "Home is when I'm alone with you!"
Annie exhaled, letting silence return as Eren ceased his strumming and put the instrument off to the side before wrapping his arm around her to pull her close.
He brought his lips close to her ear, whispering. "Happy birthday, Annie Leonhardt."
The birthday girl turned her head to kiss him on the lips. "Thank you, Eren."
The boy gave a simple nod as they lowered themselves to the ground. She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat within the cage of bones. He rubbed his hand up and down her side.
They looked up to the sky, the many stars twinkling, shining bright.
"I love you, Eren Jaeger."
Eren waited a moment, letting the silence grow, before he said, "I love you too, Annie Leonhardt."
A few minutes passed when Annie began dozing off. Her arms wrapped tighter around him as she muttered one last thing.
"I love being home."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this! I got the inspiration for this by listening to "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros multiple times. I was just in a fluffy mood. I had a lot of fun writing it. It's my way of saying thank you to all of you who supported my writings. It's really been a fun time, and I only hope for more fun times in the future. So thank you all for reading, thank you nakamatoo, ask-sane-belarus, titan-wolfdog, ghastmine, dorminchu, nanisketchs and officialtrashbin. You are all amazing friends. I couldn't ask for any better.
Also I am still doing commissions.