Chapter Text
You loved how the hay farms looked at night. A flickering, unearthly glow revealed itself under the inky sky. Fireflies, hidden amongst the rows of hay before harvest. Sometimes, you and Eren would venture out to the fields with nets in your hands and a couple of glass jars in your backpacks. It was one of those nights.
You both rushed to the top of a small hill. Settling down, you pulled out the jars and carefully poked holes into the lids.
"All done!" Eren turned to you, holding his jar up proudly. You furrowed your brows and poked a few more holes before standing up, grabbing your net and running down the hill. "Wait up!" Eren shouted, trailing behind you.
"I'm gonna catch more than you!" You teased as you ran through the field, fireflies erupting from the tall grass in your wake. They lit up the empty field like shooting stars. By the end of the night, Eren managed to collect the most in his jar. Out of breath, the two of you practically toppled over on the grass, giggling and laughing.
"They're so pretty!" You raised the jar to your face examining the pretty little bugs. Eren nodded, staring at you with those beautiful eyes of his. His eyes trailed down to the jar that sat in his lap. He unscrewed the lid and held the glass jar to the sky. Fireflies fluttered free. You watched in awe before turning and letting yours free as well.
"Goodbye, fireflies!" You shouted and waved to them.
"[Name], Eren! It's time to head home!" Eren's mother, Carla, called from the dirt road that led up to the farm. You and Eren gathered your things and began the journey home hand in hand.
You used to love the night. It didn't matter where you were or what you were doing; you always loved to look up and admire the starlit sky. Things were different, though. When the sky dusks, the white noise fades, and the distractions don't distract you anymore. Everything wrong, everything that was quiet becomes loud; too loud. At the mercy of your thoughts, it becomes difficult to sleep. It had been that way since your father passed but sitting there, surrounded by laughter and the warmth of the fire, you were able to close your eyes. It felt like the first time you slept in months, perhaps it was, and that's why it hurt all the more when you opened your eyes. The tranquility faded away, leaving you with the weight of your emotions again. Would things ever actually get better? Or would you live your day to day life in a cycle of distracting, forgetting, and remembering?
Sitting there in your half-empty room, on a mattress placed on the floor because you couldn't be bothered to put your bed frame back together, you weren't sure how to feel.
You sauntered out to the kitchen and opened a few cupboards before deciding that you weren't hungry. What were you going to do today, you wondered as you made your way back to your bedroom to get dressed. It was then that you noticed the pitter-patter of rain against your bedroom window. You pushed the curtains to the side, and the outside world almost didn't look familiar. The sky was overcast and water puddled on the ground. It was a curious sight. You didn't realize how different a place could look just because of the weather. Rain wasn't a rare occurrence in Maria Bay. You knew that much because of the many storms you had encountered as a child. You couldn't say you hated rainy days, but you did prefer a sunny day in Maria Bay to a dreary one.
A small ding from your phone broke you from your thoughts instantaneously. You reached into your pocket and fished it out.
xxx-xxxx-xxxx
9:18 AM
Eren:
Yo
You busy today?
You:
Nope, what's up?
Eren:
Meet me at the playground in an hour yeah?
You:
Ooh, is this a playdate? 👀
Eren:
Maybe... 😅
It wasn't long before you were walking out the door, clad in a rain jacket, joggers, and a pair of old runners. You pulled your hood over your head and began the short walk to the playground.
Sitting on one of the swings was Eren, who waved you over with a smile on his face. Unlike you, he seemed unprepared for the weather. He sported a plain green hoodie and some jeans. You gave him a look which only seemed to make him laugh.
"Aren't you cold?" You inquired, coming to a stop in front of him. He looked up at you and shook his head.
"In this weather? Nah, you haven't even seen the worst of it." He announced with a shrug. You only nodded. You had seen the worst of it, though. You quickly cut off that train of thought before it could spiral into another mess of thoughts.
"So," You folded your arms over your chest in an attempt to muster up any extra warmth. "Why did you invite me to the middle of nowhere? Not to murder me, I hope." You joked and attempted a genuine smile.
"Certainly not! Who do you take me for; I thought we were friends." Eren pouted as he moved to stand up from his place on the swing. He reached over, grabbed your hand, and began to pull you along. You walked along a dirt trail that led you up the tree-covered hill behind the park. At the top of the hill, there was a ridge that overlooked the ocean. It was familiar, you thought as you glanced up at a tree you could recall climbing with Eren when you were younger.
"The tide's awfully high today." You muttered, looking out to the ocean solemnly before turning to examine the tree further. Your finger traced over the little messages that had been carved into the bark all those years ago.
"I used to come here with friends when I was little. We liked to carve silly messages into this tree." Eren suddenly said, and you realized how close he was, standing right behind you. His eyes left the trunk of the tree, trailing back to meet your eyes. You were unsure of what to say, and it seemed Eren took note of this. He grabbed your hand, which he seemed to have made a habit of doing, and led you away from the tree.
"I like to come here to think," He explained and continues when you don't reply. "You know, you always seem to be somewhere else, far off," Eren said, taking you by surprise. You sent your gaze downcast. It was strange to hear, almost ironic. You had always felt like Maria Bay was your home, but now that you're here, you seem anywhere but present. You suppose it was silly of you to wish or think that moving back here would magically fix everything because it won't.
"Yeah," You paused and took a breath. "To be honest, I tend to get caught up in the past." You finally turned to look at Eren, who gave you a small smile.
"Happens to the best of us."