Originally posted on AO3, I decided bringing it over here wouldn't be such a bad idea.
This fic was going to be a reader-insert, but we somehow ended up with an OC. I think it worked out well, and I'm usually pretty hard on myself about AOT fics I've worked on before.
But anyway: this story will be very short, with a set chapter count of 10. I will possibly have other small one shots that are related to this ficlet, but that's about it. The overall pairing here is OC/Eren/Reiner/Zeke, though I heavily ship this particular OC with Zeke so that will be a constant theme, prepare yourself lol.
The chapters will grow in length as the fic progresses, so have patience with me, please lol
"And tell me if somehow some of it remained
How long you would wait for me?
How long I've been away?
The shape that I'm in now is shaping the doorway
Make your good love known to me
Just tell me about your day."
- As It Was, Hozier
He saw her there, in the rose garden, arm looped through Reiner's in a gentle display.
Eren didn't approach, just watched them from a distant, and wondered why he felt no disdain towards that man in the moment.
Had he known, even then, the power that she had over them? Was that why he wanted nothing more than to let the girl with the rosy cheeks have her moment in the sun? Eren wondered many things, and they all involved the girl he watched move with such...intolerable tenderness. He couldn't even feel bitterness to the look of peace she caused to grace Reiner's face; he looked just a little less war torn than he actually was when they were together.
Eren was fine watching from afar, convincing himself it was just to watch Reiner when it was convenient for him. Who knew he had someone he knew in the same ward as Eren? If Reiner did, would he smuggle her out as fast as possible?
Probably.
"Eren." He wonders just what Zeke was thinking by introducing them. "This is Alida." Why the hell did he introduce them?
Did he know Eren would feel the way that he did?
"Eren..." His voice is somehow soft on her tongue. "I've been wanting to meet you."
The words made Eren almost...happy, but why? She was just a bystander to his recon of Reiner, yes? Perhaps not, judging by the way Zeke looked at her - the same as Reiner. A tenderness, one that changed them instantly, made these warriors turn into simple men upon sight.
And Eren found he was no different.
