Okay, so this isn't exactly a prompt, but is actually a plotbunny that tickled me and forced me to write this out. The prompt was one I found on facebook: AU where everything is black and white until you meet your soulmate. When they die, it all becomes black and white again.
Before he came, I saw colours. When he came, I noticed them. When he stayed, I was engulfed by colours.- Just stupid old me.
_
Just let me see you
Eren Jaegar lived in a world where until you met you soulmate, you wouldn't be able to see in colour. When they die, it all becomes black and white again.
Eren Jaegar longed for a lot of things. He longed for Mikasa to stop mothering him. He longed for dogs and cats to let him pet them without them becoming offensive. He wished to figure out a method to successfully wake up before 10 am every single day. He longed for school lectures to move quickly, and weekends to move at a snail's pace. He longed for an ultimate brain memory drive where all his textbooks could fit in, and was easily accessible during exams. Armin couldn't exactly do much when he was an idiot who didn't know what he didn't know. He longed to kill Jean and for it to ruled out as a death of natural causes, so he wouldn't be arrested. He longed for boxers to be formal, decent clothes, waking up at seven and dressing up for school was nearly impossible. He longed for a machine on which if you pressed a button, bacon and eggs would come out, all ready to eat. He longed for a cleaner to be invented that would sort and clean out his room in a jiffy. He longed for horizontal scroll bars to be banned. He wished that scientists would invent edible staplers so that his tacos would effectively keep all the stuffing in.
But there was a thing that he longed for the most. Freedom. Eren Jaegar longed to see. He longed to see the world, to see all these things about and not just be described about or felt. He didn't mind the world in black and white, if it meant that he'd see the face of all the things he loved and hated(Jean still hadn't been abducted or killed.) He longed to see the face of that one guy who had led him on and then cheated on him, saying that he wasn't the one for him after all- Reiner Braun.
Meeting Reiner had felt like paradise, his ultimate utopia. Reiner was kind, gentle, fierce and loving. He was also loyal, at least that was what Eren thought. No, wait. He was loyal, just not to Eren. He was truthful, just not to Eren. He lied to him, claiming that Eren made him see the world in colours he'd only heard off, and later explaining that those colours were too faded. That by Eren's side, he did see colours, but they were just dull, faded ones. That Bertholdt, the guy Eren knew he'd cheated on him with, made him see bright, happy, lively colours. Colours that took him to new heights and down exhilarating slopes. That it wasn't Eren's fault. All Eren had replied was: "I know it isn't my fault, neither is it yours. After all, you could at least see colours by my side and away from me, faded or not. I have never known any of these, so I would never know the difference. Nor could I know that what we had was not meant to be. If I would've, it could have spared you giving me this pity and me falling for you." After that, there was silence. Eren left, running away, not wanting to give Reiner the chance to walk away from him. Little did he know, Reiner was there, sitting for a long time, wondering on who had broken whom. Eren Jaegar had no idea, of course, but he'd taught Reiner Braun a very important lesson that humanity needs, but never understands till it's too late: Pity is neither accepted, nor appreciated.
After Reiner, Eren felt like giving up on soulmates. It was a pointless effort for him, others could see colours before and after their soulmates, no matter how limited. Eren wouldn't know. He'd never know what his soulmate looked like, he'd never know how his face looked like when he was sad/angry/happy/excited. He'd never know whether his soulmate was in fact, his soulmate. That he wasn't dealing with him simply due to pity. He'd run all the way out of the town where he lived, not seeing anything, but knowing the path like it was burned into his brain. He ran all the way to the beach. It had been nearly three hours since he'd met Reiner.
Eren fell down to his knees, sinking into the sand that was cold. It was 7 o' clock. Eren knew there were tears flowing down his cheeks, but he didn't care anymore. He didn't care what people thought, because he couldn't see them anyway. He stayed for a while on the beach, staring at a sea that he couldn't see. He listened to the waves crashing rhythmically against the sand. He heard the winds roar about playfully. He smelt the salty air and felt the winds caress his cheeks, drying up his tears. He felt the rough sand beneath himself, and fisted a little bit of it, only for it to fall back. He drew shapes, names out of pure memory and wondered if they looked like what he thought they did.
The sea was calming. He could feel the gentle glaze that the moonlight cast on it. After a while of calming himself down, he heard soft footsteps, and the sand shifting as someone sat down next to him. A rough voice, male, adult, said, "What is a brat like you doing here late at night, huh? Return home." Eren frowned, instantly on guard. He hadn't heard any other footsteps, so he assumed he was not being ganged up on. "Who are you?" he asked, turning to face the direction from where the voice came. He felt something burning in front of his eyes. It was a bright light. "Damn it!" thought Eren. "What is this?! I can….see? No, I can't. But there's something white in front of me? Gods, did this guy kill me without touching me?"
"Who are you? What did you do to me? Why do I see a white colour… wait… it's gone…. Answer me, who are you?" Eren screamed at the man. There was a long pause. Eren was desperate. He groped around in the direction he'd heard the man from. He found nothing, still he mad desperate grabbing motions. He needed to know. All he heard was a voice saying, "I'm Levi. Don't wear it out, brat." The man thrust a piece of paper in his hand and was leaving, NO… Eren thought wildly. He can't leave! He'd seen a definite colour when the man had sat next to him. And now as he held his hand, he was burning. Or rather his eyes were. It was painful, but at the same time, he could see the sand beneath them. Eren let out a strangled gasp. "I can… I can see! I….. Who are you?" These words seemed to be the only ones in Eren's extensive vocabulary and he repeated them over and over again, tightly holding on to the hand that was enabling him to see. Well, he couldn't exactly see, but there were shapes in front of his eyes. Shapes that were focusing and un-focusing, and he couldn't be happier. Could he be my soulmate? Is he the one who will show me this world? So many questions, no answers. The hand is his hand was cold, but not uncomfortably so. It fit in his hand, as ridiculous as it sounded. It was almost as if the hand was meant to be by his side.
He looked up. The only thing he could make out was that a short man was standing in front of him, one hand in his coat pocket. At least, Eren thought he was wearing a coat. He began hysterically laughing.
"I already told you my name, brat. Geez, do I get a total ditz as my soulmate? I knew that stuff was faulty."
"….Soulmate?" was the only thing Eren said. "…Well don't you get it? Neither do I. All I know is that I opened my phone and I saw a hideous pink background. Also, my phone has all icons in fifty shades of pink, red and orange. I'm going to kill Hanji, that bitch. Probably got a kick out of it."
"I can't see. I am blind. Or I was. When you sat next to me, I saw something white. Just now I saw the sand beneath me and I can make out your outline." Eren whispered. The man was silent for a long time. Eren wondered whether he'd be disappointed at having a cripple as his soulmate.
"You're a shitty brat. Who gives out all that information and not their name?" was all he said. Eren realized he was true and immediately answered, "Eren. I'm a senior in Sina high." "Still a brat. I work at a company. See you soon, Eren."
Eren realized that the stranger, no, Levi, had left, his hand slipping out of Eren's. That the piece of paper Levi had shoved in his hands had something written on it. "Promise me we'll meet, Levi!" Eren called out to the disappearing figure. The man turned back, gave him a no-shit look and said, "Stop acting like this is a freaking movie, brat. I won't act lovey-dovey just cause I'm unlucky enough to have met you." Then he walked off. Eren grinned, suddenly feeling happy. Levi hadn't said he was never going to meet him again. He hadn't even commented on the fact that he couldn't see. He was prompt, bordering on rude, but somehow, Eren didn't mind.
Long after he'd returned home, addressing Mikasa's concern and Armin's questions, when he was about to sleep, did he remember the piece of paper Levi had shoved in his hand. He removed it from his coat pocket and squinted at it, trying to make sense of the letters. He could have asked Armin or Mikasa to read it for him, as he was not used to reading or seeing things, even if they were a bit blurred but improving greatly. He was given this by Levi, and it was for him. He didn't feel like sharing it so soon. He wanted to make an attempt to read it himself. He read it slowly and gasped.
Dear stranger-brat-who's-name-I-do-not-know,
Thank you. When I saw you sitting in the sand and staring listlessly at the sea, I thought, Oh god. Not another suicide-case. Then I realized that as I thought this, I'd made a sound mentally. Only, it wasn't just mentally. The sound came from my throat, albeit very weak. I guess I should have first mentioned that I am dumb. I have never spoken a single word in my life. But then I saw you. I whipped out my phone to see if I could make out colour. Bad decision, shitty-glasses will die soon for that. Then I TALKED to you, brat-boy-brat. You have no idea what that meant to me. I want to talk more to you brat. So you better call. Phone no- 8xxxxxxxxx.
P:S: You've got nice eyes.
How was it? stupid? Not good? Review, please!
All the love, Anika.
