[As Eren puts his device back on and taps it, Finnick looks around, forgetting where his is for a moment. Oh, right, in his pocket. He gets up and digs it out, holding it in his hand and looking at Eren again.]
[He relaxes with relief when he can understand Eren again.]
Different languages?
[Panem only has one language. Theoretically, others once existed, but it's never been a day-to-day reality for him in his life, to encounter others who speak so differently. It perturbs him a bit, that he and Eren had such a stark difference between them without even knowing it. More disturbing is that the device changes his perception of even the way Eren's mouth moves and the sounds it makes. He wants to know Eren as he truly is.]
I don't like that- the translating. I want to know how you really speak.
Well- yeah, I know what language is. My world only has one, but I heard there were different ones in the past. I guess it makes sense that people from other worlds would speak differently... But it honestly never occurred to me until now.
[He sits cross-legged, his hand finding Eren's to fidget with.]
[The corners of Eren's eyes pinch in that way that he almost looks like he should be smiling. He gives a very small shrug of one shoulder.]
Only humans speak languages where I come from. [Titan shifters are included in that, though...he knows that some pure titans can speak too; they...were human once...]
I liked hearing it. [A surprisingly earnest thing to say, coming from Eren.]
Even if I can't understand you, it's interesting to listen.
[There it goes. Eren's eyes follow Finnick's device as it flies. He takes off his own and lays it again on the nightstand, then gets comfortable on the bed, lying on his side.]
Now, I'm not sure what to say. [It's odd to feel...a bit naked, suddenly. Finnick and he haven't really been speaking this entire time, have they? Another piece of the real Eren showing through (to his core, and always, an Eldian).]
[Eren is looking at him funny, but he's not irritated. Success. He continues just staring at Eren's face, tracing his nose gently, and murmuring various pet names.]
[He's smiling. Eren can't be sure why. Eren doesn't return it, but he never does. He watches Finnick's eyes, savors the sound of his voice. They may never get a moment like this again. Fingers continue to stroke at Finnick's cheeks.]
You've ruined everything. [His voice is soft - so terribly gentle.] I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to love you...
[Finnick becomes hypnotized by watching and listening to Eren, as he often is. But there's something in Eren's voice and his eyes that's so vulnerable. He wishes he could understand the words, but he knows if he could, Eren wouldn't be saying whatever it is he's saying. He's just... Like that.
Finnick stares at those green eyes, so deep you can't see the bottom, and the way his lips form around strange syllables. The tip of his thumb brushes Eren's lower lip. He wants to jump into that deep green water, he wants to feel it on every inch of him. He wants to drown in it.]
Dearest... Sweetheart... My love.
[Those final words sound assured, with quiet intensity, as he locks onto Eren's dilated pupils.]
[Finnick's phrases are so short, with such a bobbing, consistent rhythm - buh-buh...buh-buh...buh-buh...
[Eren takes a deep breath. He doesn't break Finnick's gaze, locked with his own. They've inched closer without realizing. Eren's knuckles worry over Finnick's cheek. He is so novel, so very Finnick, as if there's only one, because there is, to Eren, only one person who makes him feel the way this beautiful man, these beautiful eyes, this beautiful voice makes him feel...
[They can both be honest, can't they, if only when speaking their own languages?]
Do you love me? [It's a whisper, a question.] Will you? Always?
[It's as though there's a magnet pulling them closer, and as their words become quieter, their tones matching in sincerity and vulnerability, Finnick knows without being able to decipher the words that Eren is saying something very important, perhaps very terrifying. It could be a secret, a sin he committed, but there's something in the way he's touching and looking at Finnick like the most precious piece of seaglass...
There are no shared words, and yet, there is understanding. Eren's inflection rises, not once but three times, and he looks almost scared, and Finnick just wants to reassure him.]
It's okay, Eren.
[He strokes the hair by his temple, then moves to gently kiss his forehead.]
I love you. It's okay.
[Like this, there's no fear at all in saying it. He just lets it pour from his eyes, his lips, his touch.]
[Eren searches for the words, but of course, he can't decipher any of them. Finnick's touch is more tender than ever, it seems, those seafoam eyes twinkling even in the dark. Eren clings to the sound of his own name instead; it sounds just like how Finnick usually says it...
[There's a lump in Eren's throat. He catches it before it can become a problem, but there's effort in choking it down. He takes Finnick's face in his hands and brings their lips together for a deep, urgent kiss. It lasts. When Eren pulls away, he breathes against his lover's lips:]
Eren is an exercise in reading between the lines, and Finnick is literate in that language by now. His microexpressions, his movements, the look in his eyes, and most of all, the way he touches Finnick.
And in this kiss, there is love. Coming from Finnick, but also from Eren. Something deep inside him just knows it.]
I love you, Eren.
[His lips and breath move feather-light against Eren's. They don't need words. They never have.]
[Finnick repeats a set of words. Maybe it's just wishful thinking when Eren pictures what they might be. It doesn't matter. He feels a weight has been lifted, even if only momentarily, from his shoulders; it's a rare feeling, unfamiliar.
[He pours himself into another kiss, and that's what he intends to continue doing - touch him, taste him, be as close to him as possible while his heart still feels like bursting. There's a freedom to this.]
[Finnick realizes that Eren's name probably sounds the same to him now as before, so he periodically whispers it between kisses, holding him close, trying to ensure there's no doubt his partner's mind how Finnick feels about him.
No matter what Eren said with words, Finnick feels loved. That feeling is all that exists here in this dark, warm little world they've created.]
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[As Eren puts his device back on and taps it, Finnick looks around, forgetting where his is for a moment. Oh, right, in his pocket. He gets up and digs it out, holding it in his hand and looking at Eren again.]
Say something...?
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Different languages?
[Panem only has one language. Theoretically, others once existed, but it's never been a day-to-day reality for him in his life, to encounter others who speak so differently. It perturbs him a bit, that he and Eren had such a stark difference between them without even knowing it. More disturbing is that the device changes his perception of even the way Eren's mouth moves and the sounds it makes. He wants to know Eren as he truly is.]
I don't like that- the translating. I want to know how you really speak.
[But then he won't understand him. Hmm.]
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[Eren hadn't for a long time; there's no judgment in his tone whatsoever.]
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[He sits cross-legged, his hand finding Eren's to fidget with.]
Is that dumb?
cw: fictional racism, genocidal ideology
It's ignorant, but it's not like that's your fault. I was ignorant too, and I hadn't even heard of past languages.
Now I know - I speak Eldian. It's the name of my race, but apparently a lot of places in my world speak it.
[Interesting, since most of the world also advocates for the eradication of the Eldian race.]
bb boy is so dumb
[Right, Eren isn't a regular human, since he can transform into a Titan...]
I don't think mine... Has a name? It's just... What we speak. Would it be human language?
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Only humans speak languages where I come from. [Titan shifters are included in that, though...he knows that some pure titans can speak too; they...were human once...]
I liked hearing it. [A surprisingly earnest thing to say, coming from Eren.]
Even if I can't understand you, it's interesting to listen.
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Yeah... I want to hear what you really sound like. Let's do it again.
[He throws his bracelet across the room.]
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Now, I'm not sure what to say. [It's odd to feel...a bit naked, suddenly. Finnick and he haven't really been speaking this entire time, have they? Another piece of the real Eren showing through (to his core, and always, an Eldian).]
there are two types of guy in this situation
Now I can say anything I want and you won't get annoyed with me.
[He bites his lip.]
I could call you... Sugar lips. Little guy. Baby doll.
[He pokes Eren's cheek gently.]
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[Something in Eren's face seems to both soften and focus at once. He reaches out, running his finger tips, feather-light, over Finnick's cheek.]
You really can't understand a thing that I'm saying, can you?
Promise me...
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Pookie... Cupcake... Darling... Sunshine...
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You've ruined everything. [His voice is soft - so terribly gentle.] I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to love you...
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Finnick stares at those green eyes, so deep you can't see the bottom, and the way his lips form around strange syllables. The tip of his thumb brushes Eren's lower lip. He wants to jump into that deep green water, he wants to feel it on every inch of him. He wants to drown in it.]
Dearest... Sweetheart... My love.
[Those final words sound assured, with quiet intensity, as he locks onto Eren's dilated pupils.]
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[Eren takes a deep breath. He doesn't break Finnick's gaze, locked with his own. They've inched closer without realizing. Eren's knuckles worry over Finnick's cheek. He is so novel, so very Finnick, as if there's only one, because there is, to Eren, only one person who makes him feel the way this beautiful man, these beautiful eyes, this beautiful voice makes him feel...
[They can both be honest, can't they, if only when speaking their own languages?]
Do you love me? [It's a whisper, a question.] Will you? Always?
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There are no shared words, and yet, there is understanding. Eren's inflection rises, not once but three times, and he looks almost scared, and Finnick just wants to reassure him.]
It's okay, Eren.
[He strokes the hair by his temple, then moves to gently kiss his forehead.]
I love you. It's okay.
[Like this, there's no fear at all in saying it. He just lets it pour from his eyes, his lips, his touch.]
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[There's a lump in Eren's throat. He catches it before it can become a problem, but there's effort in choking it down. He takes Finnick's face in his hands and brings their lips together for a deep, urgent kiss. It lasts. When Eren pulls away, he breathes against his lover's lips:]
I love you. I will. Always.
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Eren is an exercise in reading between the lines, and Finnick is literate in that language by now. His microexpressions, his movements, the look in his eyes, and most of all, the way he touches Finnick.
And in this kiss, there is love. Coming from Finnick, but also from Eren. Something deep inside him just knows it.]
I love you, Eren.
[His lips and breath move feather-light against Eren's. They don't need words. They never have.]
; n ; we can probably wrap here
[He pours himself into another kiss, and that's what he intends to continue doing - touch him, taste him, be as close to him as possible while his heart still feels like bursting. There's a freedom to this.]
ok! bookend
No matter what Eren said with words, Finnick feels loved. That feeling is all that exists here in this dark, warm little world they've created.]