Renovating the Heart (FFXV)

XXXVI) Crumbling

Rue practically peeled herself away from Eren's tight hold in the morning, combing a hand through her hair and quickly getting dressed. She almost forgot to pack a back of clothes, remembering with a start that her training with Gladio started that afternoon. As she waited for her coffee to brew, she scrolled through the news on her phone, hoping for any news on the group of killer-children she'd been tasked with tracking down. There was nothing exciting but news that the weather was going to be heating up soon.

There was a shuffle behind her and she took a deep breath, tucking her phone away and contemplating how to greet the solemn man behind her. Eren had been back for three days, and still, he was quiet, contemplating, ever so cautious to tiptoe around her as if anything he said might set her off like a bomb. He'd been snappy and rude at some points, and at others, he was meek and apologetic. She wasn't quite sure how to react anymore, and she most certainly had no idea how to help him get back to the way he was before this whole mess. All she could do was hope for the best, it seemed. Forcing a smile onto her face, she turned to face him.

"Good morning."

"Morning." He yawned, brushing his hair out of his eyes and nodding toward the coffee pot. "Did you make any for me?"

"Yup." She stepped forward to pull two mugs out of her kitchen cabinet. Honey weaved her way across Rue's legs, purring.

"When do you think you'll be home?" Eren asked tentatively; he looked anxious. Rue sighed, but not loudly enough for him to hear.

"I don't know, probably around six. It'll be a long day."

For the past two days, she'd come home early simply because that's what he wanted. She felt guilty forcing Ignis to take on everything alone, but he'd seemed understanding when she explained a bit of what Eren's situation was. He even suggested speaking with Rayne to see what she could do for him, but that felt too pushy. She didn't want Eren to know that she'd told anyone else about his episode. Today, she wasn't going to baby him any farther. She was going to push through a whole workday, come home to force him out of bed, and drag him to dinner with Relir and Dex. It'll be good for us, she told herself as she stirred her vanilla-flavored cream into her cup. In truth, she wasn't sure what was good for them anymore. They were so afraid to lose each other that their entire relationship felt as though it was a constant back and forth of gentle pushes.

"Okay," he sighed, falling into a seat at the breakfast bar and accepting his mug from her with a gentle nod. He'd forgotten his glasses in the other room; he was one of the few people she knew that looked older without them. "Shouldn't you get going?"

"Yeah, yeah," she huffed, checking the time and chugging down the rest of her scalding coffee. Quickly, she came around the other side of the counter and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Are you going to be alright by yourself all day?"

"I'm not a kid," he scoffed, offering a slight smile. "I'll be fine. I'm probably gonna head home just to get a few things, but I swear I'll be back by the time you come home."

"Don't worry about that," she shook her head, cocking it to the side. "Just as long as we're not late enough to piss Relir off."

"So we'll be twenty minutes early?"

"Basically." She hurried toward the door, tugging on her jacket and shoving her phone into her pocket. "Bye!"

With that, she was off. The walk was a blur, as usual, with nothing in particular to see other than bustling businessmen and hurried students. The guards let into the Citadel and she hurried up the stairs to Ignis's office, breathing in the familiar air of her workplace. She would almost call the warm feeling in her chest comforting if it wasn't for the many misfortunes that had also taken place under the same roof. Once in Ignis's office, she quickly tugged off her jacket, hung it, and then hurried to his desk, palms pressed to the smooth wood and grin spreading across her face.