Work Text:
The stars were flickering in the deep blue midnight sky and it had been a week since they retrieved the remaining two of the four children sent out to the island before they came to understand the gravity of their situation. With two shifters and five years lost, the lives of all the current bearers of the nine titans hung on threads. Zeke cupped his hand around the end of his cigarette and rolled the spark wheel of his metal lighter down rapidly. His head had felt heavy all week; his mind, clogged. Porco and Reiner had been at each other's throats ever since they set foot in Marley while Zeke had been wandering around like a ghost.
The War Chief took a long drag of his cigarette and leaned back further on the wall next to one of the windows. He took full advantage of having a room that opens onto the roof and ever since the news of his old man's deeds the blond had started to spend more time on the other side of the glass pane. He flicked the cigarette with the back of his thumb letting the spent ashes fall into the ashtray sitting next to him. Zeke squeezed his eyes shut, trying to concentrate on the vibrations rising from the gramophone sitting next to his bookshelf, the melody too chipper. He wrapped the woolen blanket tighter around himself. Suddenly he was a kid again, putting the blankets over his head struggling to drown out the voice of his father.
No good he thought, maybe a drink would be better. He pushed himself up from his cocoon, intending to head back inside when he heard a soft voice approaching. “Thought I’d find you here.”
Zeke felt a wave of relief washing over him, looking over his shoulder to see a weary-looking Pieck making her way towards him out of the shadows of his room with two mugs in her hands.
Pieck balanced the mugs on the windowsill before gripping the side of the window, placing one leg on the sill. Zeke held out his free hand in her direction while scooting over slightly to make room. As much as he had wanted to continue his week of sulking alone with his thoughts he still felt a warmth fill his chest, they hadn’t been alone ever since they returned to Liberio, mostly because he had been avoiding her.
“Phew,” she exhaled as she settled next to the blond.
“Are they still going at it?” he put his free arm over her slender figure wrapping the blanket around both of them. “Unbelievable… As if we’re not deep in it already. Thank you, Piecky.” he took the steaming mug from her hands.
The woman gripped her mug tightly. “They tire easily. Those three…” she paused, trying to select the right words “They’re all grieving in their own wa- Ah, careful!” she exclaimed a second too late.
Zeke flinched as he took a gulp of scalding hot coffee “Argh, hot!”
Pieck couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle resting her head back on the wall, looking at the night sky, a chill breeze blew through the tree branches making the hairs on her body go up as she drew her knees closer to her body. She was relieved, he hadn’t pushed her away again. For the last week, any attempt she made in conversation or to simply sit by him silently only to keep him company while he stared intently at the wall was met with a brush-off. The news of Marcel and Annie had been hard on all of them, although she knew that wasn’t what had been overfilling the man’s mind. In a moment of vulnerability, he had poured his heart out to her. Pieck had been worried sick that maybe he regretted it, but more worried that he was burdening it all by himself.
Zeke fumbled through the pocket of his beige overcoat, took out the half-empty pack extending it out to her. Pieck took one out and placed it between her lips. The blond balanced his own between his lips before leaning closer, flicking the metal cap off the lighter then cupping his other hand around the end of her cigarette and igniting it. She slowly exhaled the puff of smoke upward while Zeke affectionately tucked stray hair strands behind her ear before drawing back.
It was always a bad idea to bring up Zeke’s father; still, there had been something else she had been meaning to ask. “Do you…” Pieck hesitated for a moment “Do you ever think about what might have happened had we been the ones sent to that island?”
Zeke’s body tensed briefly before taking another slow drag of his cigarette. He let his grey eyes linger on the figure next to him. The full moon shining in the crystal clear night sky illuminated her face only slightly. He watched as she took her bony hand to her mouth, placing the cigarette between her rosy lips; inhaling and exhaling right after. The cloud of smoke lingered around her face briefly, making his heart flutter. Incredible how after all those years she still had that effect on him.
Pieck tilted her head to meet his gaze and gave him a gentle smile. This seemingly simple gesture tugged at his heartstrings as he felt his chest ache.
Had he ever thought about it? The image plagued his days and nights. He had reprimanded Reiner and Bertholdt for wanting to go back for Annie claiming they had “lost sense of duty” but would he be able to keep his cool had it been his dear little Pieck in her place?
He had missed the nights they shared. Sometimes inside, sometimes out his window here on the roof, sharing a cigarette talking about anything and everything to keep their minds off the dark future they faced. The brunette slowly lay her head down on his shoulder as she took another inhale of her cigarette. Zeke closed his eyes for a moment, lulled by the distant static sound of the gramophone and the familiar weight of Pieck on him. Maybe, just maybe he could forget about everything for the next few hours. What if he didn’t have to worry about his scumbag father, his promise to his dad, the looming threat of them being fed to the next bunch of kids what if it was just the two of them under the luminous night sky.
“You stormed off and left me to scold them.” Pieck continued, in an attempt to break the silence, changing the subject while flicking the spent ashes into the ashtray that sat next to the blond. “Some example you set, War Chief.” she teased, pushing him playfully.
She had spotted how his body went rigid for a split second in response to her previous question, to anyone else it would go unnoticed however Pieck had spent most of her life by his side, to her reading between the lines of his smallest gestures was second nature for the War Chief hardly ever put down his facade. It wasn’t until their return from the island on the ship did he truly shock her for the first time in years, distraught from the identity of the bearer of the Founding Titan, the man had put his guards down in front of her. It was the first time she had ever seen him cry.
Zeke let out a breathy chuckle “Now I’m sad I missed it.” he took one last drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out on the metal ashtray. “Playing mother, huh?” he joked nestling closer to her.
“Only when they’re acting like little boys.” It was okay if he wanted to waltz around the subject, he didn’t need to verbalize his answer, not to her.
Pieck closed her eyes, burying herself deeper into the smell of coffee and the man’s favored brand of cigarettes. The distant sound of gramophone rose once again as Zeke cupped her cheek with his hand, tilting her head only slightly meeting her gaze before leaning down slowly closing the distance between them before pressing his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.
They had shared maybe hundreds of kisses but these were the ones she held dearest. Pieck stubbed her cigarette out as she slid down further laying her head in Zeke’s lap like a cat waiting to be petted. She did have a cat once, a feeble black kitten she had found behind the barracks that would join them on the roof sometimes, the cat liked Zeke best though.
His hand found its way on her head, absent-mindedly caressing her raven locks. He looked up at the hundreds of glistening dots before him, there truly was something soothing about the night sky and the monotone movement of playing with Pieck’s hair, massaging her scalp. She had taught him the constellations, planets, stars; drew over them with her hand stretched out. What a beautiful night it was.
“Look, you can even see the Capella changing colors now.” he said tenderly.
She murmured a reply he couldn’t make out, her breaths growing deeper as his hand continued to run through her locks.
“Piecky?” he asked softly.
“Mm?”
His lips curled up in a faint smile. “You’re falling asleep. I can’t carry you through the window you know”
Pieck hummed a response.
“Come on, let’s get inside. Sleep here tonight.”