DAFFODIL.
— its latin name is 'narcissus', named after the river god from greek mythology. it symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings, as it's the first one to bloom after the winter frost.
eren jaeger, though quiet and reserved for most of the time, was always a good company throughout busy or boring days.
you were the chatterbox between the two of you, always have something interesting to say in any occasion with no break and the brown-haired man would simply listen. it was a special friendship, you could say, and you wouldn't have it in any other way. his company alone was enough.
ever since you visited carla jaeger's grave, eren seemed to be different than before. of course, he was still grieving over the loss of his mother but his change... it was just like your first day of meeting him.
the sadness was still there, locked up behind the jail of his bright green eyes, threatening to break free.
but... he looked at peace for the first time.
two weeks have passed, and it's been four months and a half since you met eren. he has been by your side by the past few weeks, as often as he could, sometimes dragging you back to the graveyard and often lingering around in your shop. a surprise really, but it made you happy that he was no longer locking himself in his room.
you never forced eren to tell you everything that's bothering him. with a quiet person such as himself, hiding all that's 'negative' about him, you knew better than to force him to talk to you.
but you make sure tell him, through ups and downs, that you're by his side.
he doesn't really mind your outgoing company as well, often by your side in every second of the day as much as he could, when he isn't too lazy to go out or if you're busy with handling your shop.
"oh!"
your soul almost jumped out of your skin when you got to the front of the small building, the keys of your flowershop dangling on your finger as you look up to meet the green hues of eren.
"you're early today, is something the matter?" you asked with a soft smile after calming your racing heart, "the sun is just peaking."
eren bit his lower lip before handing you the bouquet of gardenia once again, nestled in his arms. a warm fire ignited inside you, not too hot to scorch you but enough for you to want more.
it was confusing. that sort of thing always happened when he hands you the bouquet, though you never really chose to question it. maybe it's just nothing after all.
"thanks again for accompanying me yesterday, i hope i'm not making you tired for dragging you almost every single day." he handed the flowers to you and you smiled, gently taking them from his touch.
"they're lovely as always, thank you."
this has been the usual routine. every time you come with him to visit his mother, he gifts you gardenias. ironic, really, for you are a florist with the flowers planted in your shop but you never complained.
they're exquisite, their meaning too, and you could never turn down such flowers.
you took a whiff of them, letting out a contented sigh. "in fact, you never bother me when you ask me out," you paused before correcting yourself, "out as in... visiting your mother. made me remember that it's been a while since i visited mine."
trailing off, you looked down on the cement with red ears.
"why haven't you?" the man asked, careful with his tone as he raised an eyebrow, seemingly ignoring your mistake. "i'm sure you miss her as i miss mine."
"i've been busy, that's all." you sighed out, "but..."
you trailed off before turning to the latter, who seemed a bit creeped out by the look of realization you wore. eyes wide and lips slightly parted.
"do you have a car?"
a bit surprised, he shook his head. "no, but my brother does, why?"
within the span of thirty minutes, you and eren sat inside zeke's bmw with the brown-haired man driving to the destination you have given him, somewhere far away from the city.
"when you said you wanted me to visit your mother with you, i thought it would be in a nearby graveyard or the like." eren muttered amidst the comfortable silence, his eyes shifting from the road to you. "i had no idea it would be a bit far away, but i guess it was a good idea to use a car. luckily, zeke is nice enough."
you looked away from the window's view, turning to eren as you smiled softly. "sorry, i hope i'm not bothering you today." you laughed, "it's the same reason why i haven't visited her in months. it's far away and i've been too busy tending my shop, though i'm sure she won't take that as an excuse. she'd probably haunt my dreams."
eren shook his head in response, eyes focused on the road. "i didn't even get to bring her flowers..." he mumbled, clearly disappointed.
"you don't have to," you hummed, "you'll see what i mean soon enough."
silence coated the vehicle like a thick mass of fog, though it wasn't suffocating and even comfortable. you laid your head on the window, watching as the familiar houses distant from each other passed by in a blur.
the same old trees filled your vision, their leaves a healthy green of color.
how you missed the nostalgic view.
it was just like the time you first arrived in your new home.
soon enough, you and eren reached your destination.
"this is my childhood home." you turned to eren and smiled, watching his eyes as they stare at the clean and silent house in a peaceful reverie. "i never got to visit much as soon as i went to the city, but i make sure that it's clean and organized everytime i come to visit."
you elbowed his arm gently, snapping him out of his thoughts before dragging eren inside the baby blue house, cozy and inviting despite the lack of life inside.
he followed and let you lead him to the backyard, his eyes trained on you in awe before looking away, settling on the scenery you were invested in.
green soon filled his vision.
grass coated the horizon where the land and sky meets. it was still cloudy, a bit dark like it was about to rain, but you didn't seem to mind as you jumped over the fence that surrounded the garden you and your mother had few feet away from your house.
eren followed, eyes astonished as he gazed at the flowers that bloomed and thrived in their home.
the brown-haired man gazed at you, wanting to ask how the flowers and plants were still vibrant and alive despite you barely going back home.
however that question stopped short as you knelt down beside the row of daffodils, a gentle smile decorating your face as you plucked each from the soil, collecting them into a tiny bouquet that you gathered.
his aventurine eyes shined.
you looked absolutely peaceful. you always did, from his point of view, especially when you were around the flowers in your quaint flower shop.
but this... it was different. your aura was soft, gentle, and caring. it pulled him in like a strong magnetic force that he couldn't escape from, and it was hypnotic.
you didn't look sad, even when you're at the place where you lost your mother. you had moved on. a smile dancing on your lips was proof to that, but he could see in your eyes that you still love her like you always had.
warmth covered his entire being and the ticklish pricks inside his stomach made him slightly confused. why was he getting that feeling every so often now? it seemed... familiar, but he couldn't name what it was.
he looked up at the sky to find the dark clouds covering it entirely, but streaks of the sun shone down the land like a god showcasing his blessings to the human world. it was beautiful, eren noted, this home of yours was truly one of a kind.
"eren! look!"
your voice caught him off-guard. he whipped his head to face you, the smile you had before was now big and excited as you pointed at a part of the garden.
"what is it?" he asked, eyes trained on your glowing face.
"the bells of ireland! they're still blooming!"
a/n: i'm so sorry for the late update! i'm currently busy with school works that i didn't have the time to write! i hope this makes up to it, next chapter is the last btw! thank you all for reading :)