[It's true. He has been alone. He's been alone in that terrible way where the only time you see another person is when you're at odds. Eren has lived that life before. This windmill is a safer refuge than anything he ever had back in his reality.
[But...even if that is true...
[His hand covers Maruki's where it touches his face.]
In a way, Maruki thinks perhaps his change of heart began even before he returned to undergo it in the true reality. With Eren, at least, he'd already learned not to hide his pain, to be honest about his fears and anxieties, to let himself be cared for.
He has to learn to do that with others, now. And that's terrifying, but–
He knows how to do it with Eren. That came long before Kurusu Akira saved his life to give him a new lease on it. ]
I... yes. I have.
[ He swallows, throat clicking, and nods as his wrist twists to try to grasp Eren's hand, clumsy as the motion is. ]
It was... difficult. [ Impossible, but he still got out of bed and faced the world every day. ] I still can't believe I'm not alone anymore. It felt like it would last the rest of my life.
No. [Maruki's hand is grasped tight. He shakes his head again.]
You weren't alone. Because I was here, waiting for you. You never will be alone. Because I'll always be waiting for you. Even after we leave this place, I'll be waiting for you.
At the end of everything, there will always be Eren. Here, or in their empty world, or in some other reality where they will find one another – he's never truly alone when the most important person exists in his very soul.
Still, though...
He draws Eren's hand down so he can hold it between them properly, clasping it in both of his own, fidgeting with it almost nervously. ]
I know. You're right. It's not that I ever forgot that, it was just... that loneliness felt realer than anything else.
[Of course. Because men like he and Maruki aren't meant to be alone. They aren't meant to be alone, and yet they're forced to be. Eren shifts and pulls and maneuvers the both of them until Maruki is lying back against his chest, Eren's arms around his middle, legs framing him on either side. He holds his other tight.]
[ Just like that, easy as anything, he's held fast in Eren's arms, completely enveloped by him as he matches his breathing to Eren's chest rising and falling against his back.
He's home.
He really is home...
He wraps both arms over Eren's, stroking over warm skin, and leans his head back against his shoulder. That phantom pain at his nape is more prevalent than ever. If Eren looks while they're in this position, he might see a small scar, striated in lines like those that cover Azathoth's tentacles. ]
I wish I could stay in here the rest of the day.
[ He can't. Obviously he can't. There are so many he needs to check up on... ]
[ Maruki lets that hang rhetorically; it isn't worth explaining to Eren that he does have a duty to others here, that he knows they weren't coping well in his absence. He isn't even sure it's worth explaining the state he left both Akechi and Akira in back in his true reality. The need to see them burns incandescent in his soul, but for now...
For now he can set it aside. They're here. He knows they are. He won't make them wait much longer, and he'll face whatever must be faced.
And at the end of the day–
He tips his head to look at Eren as his head still rests back on his shoulder, squeezing tighter in return, voice soft. ]
I don't want to sleep alone.
[ Ever again, really, but– ]
For a while... I need you to stay with me. If the others can understand, of course.
Edited (default icon my behated) 2025-10-14 03:49 (UTC)
They will. [Said so quickly that it's clear Eren doesn't particularly care one way or another what anyone has to say about it. Perhaps he should care more. He makes time to see everyone he needs to see, just as Maruki does. They won't go without him, but at night...]
I'll stay with you. No matter where you are, I'll be with you every night.
cries..... we can skip ahead to da sneepies if you want............
[ There was no part of him that expected Eren to say no, but still– hearing the reassurance, the promise, soothes Maruki in a way little else could.
He was doing okay with facing his new life alone. Wasn't he? He thinks he was. It wasn't easy, but he was able to do it. Being back in this reality makes that seem impossible, though. How could he have ever stood on his own?
He doesn't think he could stand to be alone for more than a few minutes now that he's back. In the coming days, weeks, perhaps even months– he'll always want the people he loves close at hand. He'll always want Eren closest of all. ]
Thank you, Eren...
[ All he can think about is that first night upon Eren's return, how Maruki held him close as he screamed himself to sleep in his bed. With their positions reversed, he doesn't know that he'll be able to make so much as a sound.
Maruki turns to brush a kiss against the underside of Eren's jaw, smiling a little despite himself. ]
[So, that night, it's quiet. Maruki and Eren are back in the machiya, just the same as they were the first night after Eren returned. They're tangled, of course, as always. Eren leaves murmuring little kisses across Maruki's temple, over the ridge of his ear, there at the height of his jaw. He doesn't say a word. The house is asleep, or so they say. Eren thinks they all have the good sense not to bother them.]
[ Eren doesn't say a word, and neither does Maruki.
He hasn't said a word since retiring to his room for the night. Since the moment he returned to this reality and ran into Chihaya in the garden, he hasn't had more than a minute to be alone with his thoughts. There were too many people he needed to see, too many situations he needed to handle–
And now, at the end of it all, the room is silent as Maruki truly begins to come to grips with being back.
It sinks in a little deeper with every feather-light kiss Eren brushes over him. They're sweet, undemanding things; he feels no pressure to reciprocate, knows Eren will pepper him with patient affection as he gradually decompresses.
There's not a single creak in the house. He doubts everyone is truly asleep, though, so his voice is a whisper when he finally breaks the silence. ]
I wish you could have seen where I was, the way I saw the Paths.
[ One hand at Eren's waist curls and uncurls, fingers toying with the fabric of his shirt. ]
It was a world inside my own cognition. I never knew about it until I returned...
[Maybe Eren should be shocked, but he isn't, of course. Maruki crafting realities of his own is the last thing that would surprise Eren. Every place he showed Armin, that world he and Mikasa created - surely, they're products of Eren's cognition too, as far as he understands it.
[ Maybe he will. Who's to say that can't happen? He shouldn't have been able to see the Paths either, and yet...
Perhaps behind another door in the labyrinth lies that model of Eden. ]
Can I tell you about it? [ A beat, and then a sheepish admission– ] I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this. Here, or back in my true reality. I want you to be the one to know...
[Eren's voice is soft, but he's immediately fascinated. Surely, it's clear to Maruki, who's learned so well to pick up on every subtle change in Eren's voice, the look in his eyes when he's awake.
[ Oh, Maruki looks almost painfully fond at that bright curiosity in his Other's eyes, his tone. He strokes fingers through the hair at his temple, hums a lilting sort of, sort of not kind of noise. ]
Not quite like the collective unconscious, either...
[ He saw that with his own eyes. The winding, twisting depths of Mementos, the absence of some all powerful god that was so easy to slot into, setting up his own monitors in the heart of humankind. ]
In some religions in my reality, the tree of knowledge is symbolic of the comingling of good and evil. Humans were never meant to know such a thing, I suppose, because when the first humans ate its fruit, they were blessed with the ability to gain knowledge of all things and have free will, but also condemned to know suffering, and to ultimately die.
[ It's relayed softly, in that warm cadence of a storyteller Maruki takes on when he's giving a lecture– but once it's done, he pauses, lips pressed together in a fine line as he searches Eren's face for– something. He doesn't know what.
Judgment, perhaps. And he knows he won't find it. ]
The place where I was, that world created by my own cognition... it had its own tree of knowledge. I think I wanted to return everyone to a time when they knew no suffering at all. [ A beat, and an admission, still searching for the judgment that won't come. ] No, I know that I wanted to. And for a time, I did.
[The judgment doesn't come. Why should it? Maruki's pursuits have always been nobler than Eren's. The only thing his face reflects is gentle, pained understanding. He knows his Other well.]
Of course that's what you'd want... You'd save them all if you could. I know.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[But...even if that is true...
[His hand covers Maruki's where it touches his face.]
Haven't you? Maruki...
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In a way, Maruki thinks perhaps his change of heart began even before he returned to undergo it in the true reality. With Eren, at least, he'd already learned not to hide his pain, to be honest about his fears and anxieties, to let himself be cared for.
He has to learn to do that with others, now. And that's terrifying, but–
He knows how to do it with Eren. That came long before Kurusu Akira saved his life to give him a new lease on it. ]
I... yes. I have.
[ He swallows, throat clicking, and nods as his wrist twists to try to grasp Eren's hand, clumsy as the motion is. ]
It was... difficult. [ Impossible, but he still got out of bed and faced the world every day. ] I still can't believe I'm not alone anymore. It felt like it would last the rest of my life.
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No. [Maruki's hand is grasped tight. He shakes his head again.]
You weren't alone. Because I was here, waiting for you. You never will be alone. Because I'll always be waiting for you. Even after we leave this place, I'll be waiting for you.
crawls back in on my hands and knees
He knows.
At the end of everything, there will always be Eren. Here, or in their empty world, or in some other reality where they will find one another – he's never truly alone when the most important person exists in his very soul.
Still, though...
He draws Eren's hand down so he can hold it between them properly, clasping it in both of his own, fidgeting with it almost nervously. ]
I know. You're right. It's not that I ever forgot that, it was just... that loneliness felt realer than anything else.
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That's over now. You're home...
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He's home.
He really is home...
He wraps both arms over Eren's, stroking over warm skin, and leans his head back against his shoulder. That phantom pain at his nape is more prevalent than ever. If Eren looks while they're in this position, he might see a small scar, striated in lines like those that cover Azathoth's tentacles. ]
I wish I could stay in here the rest of the day.
[ He can't. Obviously he can't. There are so many he needs to check up on... ]
Can I ask a favor of you?
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Please...don't go yet...
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Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere just yet. Not until I have to.
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[No one who missed Maruki missed him as much, in the right way, with as much love and heartbreak as Eren; he holds him even tighter.]
What's the favor?
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For now he can set it aside. They're here. He knows they are. He won't make them wait much longer, and he'll face whatever must be faced.
And at the end of the day–
He tips his head to look at Eren as his head still rests back on his shoulder, squeezing tighter in return, voice soft. ]
I don't want to sleep alone.
[ Ever again, really, but– ]
For a while... I need you to stay with me. If the others can understand, of course.
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I'll stay with you. No matter where you are, I'll be with you every night.
cries..... we can skip ahead to da sneepies if you want............
He was doing okay with facing his new life alone. Wasn't he? He thinks he was. It wasn't easy, but he was able to do it. Being back in this reality makes that seem impossible, though. How could he have ever stood on his own?
He doesn't think he could stand to be alone for more than a few minutes now that he's back. In the coming days, weeks, perhaps even months– he'll always want the people he loves close at hand. He'll always want Eren closest of all. ]
Thank you, Eren...
[ All he can think about is that first night upon Eren's return, how Maruki held him close as he screamed himself to sleep in his bed. With their positions reversed, he doesn't know that he'll be able to make so much as a sound.
Maruki turns to brush a kiss against the underside of Eren's jaw, smiling a little despite himself. ]
I don't know what I'd do without you.
AYE AYE CAPTAIN
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He hasn't said a word since retiring to his room for the night. Since the moment he returned to this reality and ran into Chihaya in the garden, he hasn't had more than a minute to be alone with his thoughts. There were too many people he needed to see, too many situations he needed to handle–
And now, at the end of it all, the room is silent as Maruki truly begins to come to grips with being back.
It sinks in a little deeper with every feather-light kiss Eren brushes over him. They're sweet, undemanding things; he feels no pressure to reciprocate, knows Eren will pepper him with patient affection as he gradually decompresses.
There's not a single creak in the house. He doubts everyone is truly asleep, though, so his voice is a whisper when he finally breaks the silence. ]
I wish you could have seen where I was, the way I saw the Paths.
[ One hand at Eren's waist curls and uncurls, fingers toying with the fabric of his shirt. ]
It was a world inside my own cognition. I never knew about it until I returned...
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[So, they're gods. And:]
I wish I could see it too. Maybe I will one day.
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Perhaps behind another door in the labyrinth lies that model of Eden. ]
Can I tell you about it? [ A beat, and then a sheepish admission– ] I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this. Here, or back in my true reality. I want you to be the one to know...
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[Eren kisses the crown of his head.]
Go ahead. I'm listening.
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Where does he start, describing the interior of his own heart?
Well... ]
It's funny. There was a massive tree there, too. Not quite like yours in the Paths, but not entirely different, either...
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[Eren's voice is soft, but he's immediately fascinated. Surely, it's clear to Maruki, who's learned so well to pick up on every subtle change in Eren's voice, the look in his eyes when he's awake.
[He gets ahead of himself, makes a guess.]
The collective unconscious...?
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Not quite like the collective unconscious, either...
[ He saw that with his own eyes. The winding, twisting depths of Mementos, the absence of some all powerful god that was so easy to slot into, setting up his own monitors in the heart of humankind. ]
Do you know about the tree of knowledge?
tree of knowledge do u mean the ymir myth
I'm not sure... You might have told me...
[He thinks about it a few moments longer, then decides it doesn't matter.]
Tell me again.
HONESTLY...........
[ It's relayed softly, in that warm cadence of a storyteller Maruki takes on when he's giving a lecture– but once it's done, he pauses, lips pressed together in a fine line as he searches Eren's face for– something. He doesn't know what.
Judgment, perhaps. And he knows he won't find it. ]
The place where I was, that world created by my own cognition... it had its own tree of knowledge. I think I wanted to return everyone to a time when they knew no suffering at all. [ A beat, and an admission, still searching for the judgment that won't come. ] No, I know that I wanted to. And for a time, I did.
closes my eyes
Of course that's what you'd want... You'd save them all if you could. I know.
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He smiles, thin and watery– and tired. Exhausted. It's been such a terribly long day, and it still feels surreal that he's back at all. ]
I would... I did, but it was too good to last.
[ Too good for everyone else. Too terrible for himself. He can only recognize that now in hindsight, after all the tears shed about losing his dream.
Maruki hesitates for a moment, unsure if this is a burden he wants to lay on his Other's shoulders... but if not him, then who? ]
Now that I'm back... I think I understand something about you that I couldn't really before.
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About me...? Why? What is it?
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I'm crying at this development ohhh MUKIS!!!
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they're so delusional
bad news king his threads continued chronologically so he must
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