BLOOM. ej

xii. YOU SMILED

     "mom, this is eren. he's a new friend of mine that i haven't talked to you about ever since he and i met!"

     your voice echoed in the empty green land, soft and light like the whispers of the wind. your elbow bumped into the latter's side, snapping him out of his starstruck eyes that looked into your childhood home just down the small hill.

     eren blinked once and soon he was back in reality again. under the shades of the old oak tree sitting snuggly on the hill, a clean gray tombstone lay underneath, rooted deep in the ground.

     words of love and death was carved in the smooth stone, with the name of your mother in cursive lettering. daffodils and daisies laid next to the tomb, bringing a burst of color to the dull shade of gray.

     he met your eyes, warm and full of concern.

     was it a bad idea to invite him?

     the sudden frown in your face made eren panic a little, placing a hand on your thigh as if saying he was okay before turning to your mother's tomb.

     "uhm, hello." the brown-haired awkwardly started, "i'm eren, y/n's... friend, as they said."

     you smiled softly at this, gently placing your hand on top of his that laid on your thigh. "it's alright, my mom is nice. she won't bite!" you laughed softly, squeezing his hand.

     despite your assurance, you could feel his hand starting to shake under your grip. eren's adam's apple bobbed and he glanced at the tomb again, silent, before letting out a tiny sigh. "uhm... i heard a lot about you from y/n. it was clear that they look up to you a lot and that you showed them lots of love and care while growing up, they had this look of adoration." he said, pausing after as he tried to find the right words to say once more.

     "i wish i could meet you. i want to say how thankful i am to find your child during the toughest time," eren mumbled under the howling wind, "we just met, but their friendship is enough to equal ten years worth of it."

     the corner of your lips tugged at this, your eyes suddenly moving downwards to the grass. "i... i am really thankful for them. you raised a wonderful child, so... thank you."

     you and eren soon climbed down the grassy hill in silence, admiring the cloudy sky. your mind went back to eren's little speech earlier, and you couldn't help but smile. eren was never open about the idea of talking about himself, and yet, he managed to do just that with your mother.

     "so..." you dragged on, "are we best friends now?" teasing, you turned to the brown-haired man and laughed.

     eren scoffed at this, "still a long way to go. you could say we're just... friends."

     "how boring! with what you said to my mom, i would've guessed we're besties!"

      he no longer replied, but you could see the mischief swimming in his green eyes. you shook your head at this, biting back a smile as you strolled around the backyard.

     the man beside you eyed the assorted flowers stretching for his green hues to see, scintillating like a star to catch his attention. you led him through the maze-like land, your face lax and warm as the flowers swayed with the gentle.