[ there’s something amiss in the house, new additions and the smell of dusty feather down. eren comes around the same way he always does: through the hole beneath the floorboards under the bed.
and what he finds roaming around are tantalizing little balls of yellow fluff, cheeping and pecking in between wooden seams. scratching. one wanders into the room just as the dragon slips from his hiding spot, slow and nearly at a stop with pin slit eyes thin and unblinking. he tongue flicks and his head hovers low to the ground, chest sleek against it and arms propped up to give him positioning.
the only thing that twitches underneath the bed frame is the end of his tail, as he waits for the little chick to get close enough. ]
[ Meanwhile, Jean is completely oblivious to the danger lurking under his bed. At some point, he probably should get those floorboards fixed so that Eren is forced to use the normal entrance, but somehow it doesn't occur to him. He's helped out on a farm, but he's never been involved with the avians, so he's pretty out of his depth on this. In retrospect, he probably should have contained those chicks in a crate somewhere ... Now, one is missing. ]
Where did that bird go ... [ The little chick🐥 wanders close to the bed, curious about the tail that's swishing about underneath. It won't be very difficult to snatch her up at all.
Jean is a few paces from his room, the other chicks trailing after him. Obviously, he won't stand for any feral shenanigans today. ]
these little birds, as far as lizard brain goes, are an invasion he didn't know about. they're free game for a stomach that always seems to be hungry for anything acceptable in the sweltering summer heat. what does emerge into the room was a person-sized dragon, seven feet in height but much wider in bulk. eren's ear flicks at the sound of a voice but pays it little heed. the chirping was much louder, and the dragon's size was so massive and still he'd probably be mistaken for furniture in the chick's eyes.
slowly . . . hovering . . . closer, closer— when the chick realizes the skull of a predator after it, cheeps turn loud and frantic for only a second. the next, the dragon strikes, the flightless bird between crushing teeth. the shriek and crazed wing flutters last for a half second before crunches are far louder. ]
[ At the frantic shriek, Jean storms into the room immediately, ready to jump to the little bird's defense. He finds himself too late, the last traces of his unnamed chick - yellow feathers that slip out from between the dragon's teeth - fluttering about in the air. In a normal situation that would be a cause for concern, with Jean pulling out a weapon in the defense, but he recognises those scales and makes out the identity of the dragon quickly. ]
What the fuck, Eren?! You ate her! Why would you do that?! [ While he has not known the little chick enough to really get attached, it's still so unfortunate. Jean was taking care of them because he had accidentally killed their mother with magic ...
The other little chicks cower behind Jean's ankle, shivering down to their little bones in fear. ]
[ when jean storms in and shouts, the immediate reaction is: swallow faster. eren doesn't need to chew much, if anything at all once his maw crushes a good amount, plus the chick's size hadn't helped in slowing him down— he only keeps jerking his head back until the animal has slid down his throat and left his tongue clean to smack and slither out again, for scent. ]
They're food.
[ eren's voice is— not quite his in full. it's guttural and deep, his words spit out from his cheekless jaws and form with front lips. his eyes aren't on jean, but on the chicks as he steps, his tongue extends and he doesn't have a reason to stop yet, with blood popping in his mouth and riling his appetite. the regular one, at least. they weren't magic and kind of tasted like the plain yogurt of meats, but. they're free and they're intruding. ]
[ This is Eren, but this is also a whole ass creature. Then again, Eren's always been ready to bite and claw, even when they were children, so somehow Jean finds the form so very fitting. In another situation, facing off a man-sized dragon with sharp claws and teeth would instill some sort of trepidation, but because it's Eren all Jean feels is a long-suffering exhaustion.
The blood pooling in the dragon's maw has Jean feel a tinge of guilt, because it's technically true that his oversight had put the chick in that predicament. ]
No. [ Actually, yes? But he likes his chicks. Jean grabs the nearest weapon he can get his hands on -- a broom. He wields it like one would a blade, preparing to hit some stupid lizards if need arises. The chicks keep in pace behind him like he's their sworn guardian. ]
You stay the hell away from my chickens or I'm shoving your scaly ass back into that hole.
[ the broom does so little (read: nothing) when wielded, the dragons slithering neck sliding past the others legs and nearly, just nearly nudging jean aside with his massive wing, but then he speaks. record screech. a wet blanket on his afternoon snack. a slippery noodle. a snowless christmas . . .
it's the only thing that remotely gets the dragon's attention, skull rising to hang face to face with jean. ]
[ He takes pride in raining on Eren's parade. It's an accomplishment. Jean's about to jostle Eren by the neck with the use of his broom and a foot, but then the dragon seems to catch on to the situation, removing the need for that.
Still, Jean stays on guard, because he's not putting it past Eren to eat his livestock just for the heck of it. ] I killed their mom by accident, so I'm caring for them now. You can go drool over something else.
[ Whether Eren is drooling or not is besides the point. Jean pushes his reptilian face farther back, keeping himself positioned in front of his chicks. ] I think they've seen enough trauma in the two days they've been alive.
[ Erejean is the cause for PTSD in avians. The chicks continue to cower in the presence of the dragon, huddling up in a fluffy ball against Jean's shoe. ]
[ he's kind of drooling . . . mixed with blood, but such was when you hungered yourself up for hunger, you know? jean, in between the shove, would get a much larger, wet tongue slithering out from between a mouth full of teeth the size of needles. licking his maw and swallow the taste, the remains, a few feathers stuck between his gums, he sighs harsh and deep; both apologetic as he is bothered. ]
Don't bring animals I don't know about and let them loose here next time.
[ things are slightly different now, and maybe it was a detail that escaped him to let jean know about in the first place. pets. livestock. familiars. they are all on the menu if they aren't welcomed. ]
Don't eat anything that moves. [ Comes the immediate, snappy response. He doesn't feel like he's entirely wrong in this situation, even if it's true that he probably should have given Eren a heads up. ]
So this is your full dragon form then ... A whole ass lizard. [ First time he's seen a dragon in their full form. He wouldn't go up to touch a dragon he doesn't know, but because it's Eren, he feels safe enough to poke at one of his spines. ]
[ jean, if a a lizard stare could look so deathly . . . actually, they can. it's done in iguanas and it's a disgruntled look called the iguana glare. the more you know! in silence. the ice blue spine, a finned spectacle that trails down into a dorsal path only ripples the same way his ear flicks, or the way hide shakes when a fly sits on an animal. ]
Just put them in a box. [ and after a snort: ] There's shit everywhere.
That's what happens with live animals, stupid. [ But the box actually does sound like a good idea. He starts to think about where he might find a crate. Maybe the neighbours might have one. Some might find the icy glare he's getting from the dragon intimidating, but Jean doesn't feel that way at all, feeling entitled to poke and prod at Eren all he wants given their history. ]
They shat themselves more at the sight of you. You're going to have to learn to play nice with them if you're going to come over here. [ Those chicks are still huddled up in a ball behind Jean's foot and definitely shitting themselves from stress. ]
[ live animals. in the house??? jean. eren snorts outwardly, and what comes with it is a puff of smoke in jean’s face as he stalks past him. chicks go ignored. ]
They’re not tempting, you know.
[ just balls of yellow intruders that’s double as a protein bar. dragging his tail behind him, eren starts for the storage closet, dragging his wing talons and hooking them into a curl to awkwardly open the door and rummage into it. ]
[ Jean is quick to wave that smoke away with a disgruntled look. He then sees Eren going through the storage closet, and there's really only one reason he does that. ]
You're cleaning up? [ Fair enough, but also, he's a dragon right now, so it'd be interesting to watch. ] Are you going to wear your head scarf too?
[ That's ... going to be such a jarring sight it might even be cute. ]
lol, even if eren’s face isn’t laughing about it, lifting his head to reveal the handle of a bucket between his teeth. two buckets. one with a cloth in it and the other empty, dropping them on jean’s feet. ]
You’re cleaning. And putting them in there. [ the spare bucket, he can’t clean like this, he’s— super hyped up. ] Unless you want me to.
[ He wanted to see a dragon try to work a tiny broom but fine. Jean catches on to Eren's meaning quickly, that letting him transfer the chicks would just be the worst idea.
Jean may be slightly messy, but he's not disgusting (though Eren and Levi might have a different opinion given their standards). He did actually have plans to clean the place up. However, Eren telling him to do it really makes him not want to do it. There's a grumble. ]
Fine, but I'm not doing this because your scaly-ass told me to. You can't boss me around, sharp teeth or not.
[ !!!!!
Jean squats his tall form lower, taking on a gentler expression as he nudges the chicks into his hands. ] C'mere, little guys.
[ mrrr. and with that . . . the dragon turns heel back into the bedroom. ]
Have a fire ready.
[ he doesn’t know what kind of dinner he’ll bring— but he’ll guarantee something by nightfall. without explaining, the bed clatters and gone does the massive reptile go into his hole, tail and all.
eventually, by dusk, he brings back a young buck. bon apetite. ]
Stop telling me what to do. [ Before he can turn to the dragon he's complaining at again, he's disappeared back into the bedroom, slinking back into his hole for the rest of the afternoon. Though Jean had a protest to make in response to everything Eren had said, he ends up doing as he's told anyway, starting that fire as asked to. Eren's probably coming back and has something planned. He's curious to know what that is.
The fresh carcass is not at all what he expects to see. ]
You brought us dinner? [ Are they going to prepare and eat dinner together like a normal household? It's difficult to wrap his head around that. 'Us', though ... ]
[ "us". eren's eaten plenty throughout the day, but something naturally rolls out of his mouth (now, all of him, humanish shaped) that felt more natural than agreeing. ]
It's for you.
[ maybe a percentage of that was an unspoken apology, the rest was probably just thinking about helping out. with the proper conservation, the carcass would last jean quite some time, whether cooked at the fire or dried under the summer sun or dunked in pig fat. what he wanted to do with that meat (like sharing it) was up to him. the urge to mention sasha (because an abundance of meat always reminds eren of her), he decides against voicing it this time. instead, as he ducks his head into the shadow his hair casts and hauls the buck forward: ]
It could last you the whole month— here. [ tossing jean a bag, looking inside will reveal a handful of white grains that are— oh, salty. ] Salt.
[ the expensive as hell shit that isn't so expensive here. it's ordinary, as are other spices compared to their bland as hell yeast and crackers. ]
[ All that meat could definitely last him a month. He's heard of magitech devices that can bring the temperature down to freezing too, preserving food well beyond their usual expiry dates. Back home, a whole buck and a bag of salt could equate at least a year's wages. Here, it's not quite as steep, but it's still a generous gift, especially for someone who doesn't have a lot of money to live on. ]
Oh ... [ He's so taken aback, he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't even feel up to feigning his usual combative attitude. Why was Eren doing something so nice for him? If it's in apology for eating one of his chicks, it's definitely an overblown apology. ]
This is worth way more than one chick. Why are you doing this for me?
[ well. the question kind of answers itself. even if no material thing would change eren’s deteriorating mental status back home or his choices— he could, and at least he’d try, to do differently. try. it’s why, rather than letting the questionable silence drag, eren speaks up: ]
Stop asking so many questions.
[ and leave him be from interrogation for today— as in, let him just slink away to his own things while jean can have all the time in the world with his new deer. ]
[ The obvious answer would be that he's being kind to him because he wants to, because they are friends. Though Jean knows this, that thought is difficult to wrap his head around, because ... it makes him feel soft inside when he really doesn't want to. ]
Fine. [ He'll leave him be for tonight. Mostly because he's not sure he wants the answer spelled out to him now. As Eren slinks away, Jean calls out to him one last time. ]
I'll make two shares of dinner tomorrow. Be there.
[ he'll try to be a better friend some other day, but the day to make them both fluster like two idiots was not today, he didn't feel like it. but at least, giving him an entire deer was a start.
eren lifts his hand in gesture, and surprisingly, he'll be there. ]
🐥
and what he finds roaming around are tantalizing little balls of yellow fluff, cheeping and pecking in between wooden seams. scratching. one wanders into the room just as the dragon slips from his hiding spot, slow and nearly at a stop with pin slit eyes thin and unblinking. he tongue flicks and his head hovers low to the ground, chest sleek against it and arms propped up to give him positioning.
the only thing that twitches underneath the bed frame is the end of his tail, as he waits for the little chick to get close enough. ]
eren why
Where did that bird go ... [ The little chick🐥 wanders close to the bed, curious about the tail that's swishing about underneath. It won't be very difficult to snatch her up at all.
Jean is a few paces from his room, the other chicks trailing after him. Obviously, he won't stand for any feral shenanigans today. ]
cw: animal death (to be safe!)
these little birds, as far as lizard brain goes, are an invasion he didn't know about. they're free game for a stomach that always seems to be hungry for anything acceptable in the sweltering summer heat. what does emerge into the room was a person-sized dragon, seven feet in height but much wider in bulk. eren's ear flicks at the sound of a voice but pays it little heed. the chirping was much louder, and the dragon's size was so massive and still he'd probably be mistaken for furniture in the chick's eyes.
slowly . . . hovering . . . closer, closer— when the chick realizes the skull of a predator after it, cheeps turn loud and frantic for only a second. the next, the dragon strikes, the flightless bird between crushing teeth. the shriek and crazed wing flutters last for a half second before crunches are far louder. ]
bye chicken daughter
What the fuck, Eren?! You ate her! Why would you do that?! [ While he has not known the little chick enough to really get attached, it's still so unfortunate. Jean was taking care of them because he had accidentally killed their mother with magic ...
The other little chicks cower behind Jean's ankle, shivering down to their little bones in fear. ]
we hardly knew she
They're food.
[ eren's voice is— not quite his in full. it's guttural and deep, his words spit out from his cheekless jaws and form with front lips. his eyes aren't on jean, but on the chicks as he steps, his tongue extends and he doesn't have a reason to stop yet, with blood popping in his mouth and riling his appetite. the regular one, at least. they weren't magic and kind of tasted like the plain yogurt of meats, but. they're free and they're intruding. ]
🐉💥🐥💀
The blood pooling in the dragon's maw has Jean feel a tinge of guilt, because it's technically true that his oversight had put the chick in that predicament. ]
No. [ Actually, yes? But he likes his chicks. Jean grabs the nearest weapon he can get his hands on -- a broom. He wields it like one would a blade, preparing to hit some stupid lizards if need arises. The chicks keep in pace behind him like he's their sworn guardian. ]
You stay the hell away from my chickens or I'm shoving your scaly ass back into that hole.
no subject
it's the only thing that remotely gets the dragon's attention, skull rising to hang face to face with jean. ]
Yours?
no subject
Still, Jean stays on guard, because he's not putting it past Eren to eat his livestock just for the heck of it. ] I killed their mom by accident, so I'm caring for them now. You can go drool over something else.
[ Whether Eren is drooling or not is besides the point. Jean pushes his reptilian face farther back, keeping himself positioned in front of his chicks. ] I think they've seen enough trauma in the two days they've been alive.
[ Erejean is the cause for PTSD in avians. The chicks continue to cower in the presence of the dragon, huddling up in a fluffy ball against Jean's shoe. ]
no subject
Don't bring animals I don't know about and let them loose here next time.
[ things are slightly different now, and maybe it was a detail that escaped him to let jean know about in the first place. pets. livestock. familiars. they are all on the menu if they aren't welcomed. ]
no subject
So this is your full dragon form then ... A whole ass lizard. [ First time he's seen a dragon in their full form. He wouldn't go up to touch a dragon he doesn't know, but because it's Eren, he feels safe enough to poke at one of his spines. ]
no subject
Just put them in a box. [ and after a snort: ] There's shit everywhere.
no subject
They shat themselves more at the sight of you. You're going to have to learn to play nice with them if you're going to come over here. [ Those chicks are still huddled up in a ball behind Jean's foot and definitely shitting themselves from stress. ]
no subject
They’re not tempting, you know.
[ just balls of yellow intruders that’s double as a protein bar. dragging his tail behind him, eren starts for the storage closet, dragging his wing talons and hooking them into a curl to awkwardly open the door and rummage into it. ]
no subject
You're cleaning up? [ Fair enough, but also, he's a dragon right now, so it'd be interesting to watch. ] Are you going to wear your head scarf too?
[ That's ... going to be such a jarring sight it might even be cute. ]
no subject
lol, even if eren’s face isn’t laughing about it, lifting his head to reveal the handle of a bucket between his teeth. two buckets. one with a cloth in it and the other empty, dropping them on jean’s feet. ]
You’re cleaning. And putting them in there. [ the spare bucket, he can’t clean like this, he’s— super hyped up. ] Unless you want me to.
[ with those teeth
no subject
Jean may be slightly messy, but he's not disgusting (though Eren and Levi might have a different opinion given their standards). He did actually have plans to clean the place up. However, Eren telling him to do it really makes him not want to do it. There's a grumble. ]
Fine, but I'm not doing this because your scaly-ass told me to. You can't boss me around, sharp teeth or not.
[
Jean squats his tall form lower, taking on a gentler expression as he nudges the chicks into his hands. ] C'mere, little guys.
no subject
Have a fire ready.
[ he doesn’t know what kind of dinner he’ll bring— but he’ll guarantee something by nightfall. without explaining, the bed clatters and gone does the massive reptile go into his hole, tail and all.
eventually, by dusk, he brings back a young buck. bon apetite. ]
no subject
The fresh carcass is not at all what he expects to see. ]
You brought us dinner? [ Are they going to prepare and eat dinner together like a normal household? It's difficult to wrap his head around that. 'Us', though ... ]
no subject
It's for you.
[ maybe a percentage of that was an unspoken apology, the rest was probably just thinking about helping out. with the proper conservation, the carcass would last jean quite some time, whether cooked at the fire or dried under the summer sun or dunked in pig fat. what he wanted to do with that meat (like sharing it) was up to him. the urge to mention sasha (because an abundance of meat always reminds eren of her), he decides against voicing it this time. instead, as he ducks his head into the shadow his hair casts and hauls the buck forward: ]
It could last you the whole month— here. [ tossing jean a bag, looking inside will reveal a handful of white grains that are— oh, salty. ] Salt.
[ the expensive as hell shit that isn't so expensive here. it's ordinary, as are other spices compared to their bland as hell yeast and crackers. ]
no subject
Oh ... [ He's so taken aback, he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't even feel up to feigning his usual combative attitude. Why was Eren doing something so nice for him? If it's in apology for eating one of his chicks, it's definitely an overblown apology. ]
This is worth way more than one chick. Why are you doing this for me?
no subject
Stop asking so many questions.
[ and leave him be from interrogation for today— as in, let him just slink away to his own things while jean can have all the time in the world with his new deer. ]
wraps this up also
Fine. [ He'll leave him be for tonight. Mostly because he's not sure he wants the answer spelled out to him now. As Eren slinks away, Jean calls out to him one last time. ]
I'll make two shares of dinner tomorrow. Be there.
like burrito
eren lifts his hand in gesture, and surprisingly, he'll be there. ]