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[titanscience]

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un: hange
It's Hange! Leave a message!

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3/3 done

[hometown]

Oh, my birthday is tomorrow. I'm out celebrating. Sort of. When's yours?

1/3

[titanscience]

Making a cake IS hard!
If I tried to bake I think it would be a disaster to be honest and I would get banished from my own kitchen. I'd much rather pay a baker to make one.
This world has cake in abundance though!

2/3

[titanscience]

By 'celebrating' do you mean drinking?
That explains all the messages..!
Remember to drink plenty of water if you are going to continue!
It helps with the hangover!
Who are you celebrating with?

And since you asked, my birthday is September 5th! However I probably won't do anything to mark the occasion. When you get to this age it isn't as exciting as it is when you are young, amongst other reasons.

3/3 good thing they aren't charged 10p per text like the good old days

[titanscience]

Reiner do you like peach

1/3 HONESTLY, they'd go broke so fast

[hometown]

Yeah, this world has so much cake!! Did you know it even has ice cream cake? Ice cream cake! That's a luxury! You can buy it here for practically nothing. That's crazy!

2/3

[hometown]

Oh, yeah, I'm drinking. I'm not really celebrating with anyone. I just really needed a drink. Birthdays are weird. People in the bar are nice, though. I think I've made some new friends

Hey, can I get you something for your birthday? Would that be okay? I like you as a person. I kinda wish that

3/3 done

[hometown]

[ Again, Reiner just doesn't finish that thought? Anyway, ]

Yeah, I like peach! Peach is great. So is pineapple. Have you had pineapple yet?

SO broke

[titanscience]

I did not know about ice cream cake!!
But I like cake, and I like ice cream, so what's not to love?
If you want, you can get me one for my birthday
In return I'll get you some peach cupcakes that I saw!

I tried pineapple!
It's named weird
It doesn't look or taste anything like an apple
And it doesn't come from pine trees either

just assume each line is a rapid-fire individual text lmao

[hometown]

Yeah, I'll get you ice cream cake! Thanks!

Peach cupcakes sound incredible. You don't have to get me anything. I don't really [ … Oops, there's another abandoned thought. ]

But if you want to. I'd love to eat some. It sounds so delicious

I don't know why it's called a pineapple. Do you think it's because it's spiny? Spine-apple? The top is REALLY spiny

same lmao

[titanscience]

Great
You'd better not forget it!!

You said you're going to get me ice cream cake so actually I do need to get you something else I'm never going to see it
You'll hold it hostage out of spite

I'm not going to find any right now though it will wait until the morning
Or should I wait until the afternoon
How much did you drink
Have you even drunk alcohol before?

Oh
Spineapple works so much better
It's tough to hold them tightly because all of those edges poke at you!
It actually perfectly describes it!
They should be called spineapples from now one!

[hometown]

I won't hold it hostage! You're not Porco. It's okay. I'll get you an ice cream cake for sure

I wasn't counting. I've had alcohol a few times before. Mostly wine. Not this stuff. It's really strong. I don't think it'll matter much tomorrow. I heal really fast. REALLY fast

Spineapples! Yeah! I'm so glad you agree. You're so smart

[titanscience]

If you don't give me one you're going to be in trouble! Don't forget!

[It's not a real threat! Unless he really does forget!]

[Porco, that was the name of the person that Gabi's friend inherited the jaw titan from, right?]

What did Porco do?

Let's call them spineapples from now on. It can be added on to the no-hostility agreement as an addendum :)

I know I'm smart, but you're pretty smart too don't you think?

[hometown]

Porco is just. Porco. We compete a lot. We're rivals, you know? Have you ever had a rival? Porco is mine. He would throw me in a ditch but he wouldn't break my arm. I miss him

[ Clearly, this is a perfect explanation. Clearly! ]

Yeah. Yeah, I like that! We can call it the Spineapple Clause. I hope we can sign it soon. I'm trying

[ … Is that an abandoned thought or a full statement? Who knows! He moves on: ]

Hey, thanks! I try to be smart. I don't wanna die. You're way smarter, though. You're a GENIUS

[titanscience]

I never really have any rivals, I didn't really feel jealous if friends received praise or compliments.
Usually it was the opposite, I was happy for them!
Especially after being in the survey corps for a while and you realise that nobody is going to be around forever.

[You are trying, Reiner, even if it's only because you're drinking. Hange wonders if tomorrow, he will forget that all of this happened..]

I hope we can get everyone to sign it soon too.
Even though I don't think it would be taken that far, I don't want anybody else to have to die
Regardless of where they came from originally.
Even if death isn't permanent here...
In a way I think that's worse?
It's still going to hurt..

[hometown]

Yeah, I
I wish I knew some stuff then that I know now
I didn't, though
We were just dumb kids

[ There's a pause. Then: ]

Almost dying sucks
Remembering it sucks

[ … Apparently, that might be all he has to say about that. ]

[titanscience]

We didn't know any better either
But we cannot change the past
Which is why we are focusing on the future, right?!
Dying sucks, and fighting sucks, so let's try to put a stop to it!

I hope you dont forget about this conversation when you wake up tomorrow
If you do I'm gonna eat your peach cupcakes for myself

[hometown]

No!
Don't eat them!
I'll remember!
And if I ever forget, we wrote it all down, right? I can reread it
I forget stuff sometimes
It sucks
But I won't forget this!
Spineapple promise!

[titanscience]

Right!
The only way it could be gone for good would be if the both of us decided to delete it
But I think I'll hold on to it!

Don't worry I'll still bring them tomorrow
Spineapple promise
🍍🤝🍍

action!

[hometown]

[ Somehow, Reiner manages to avoid a hangover. (He can probably thank his Titan.) After getting back to his apartment and kicking off his birthday with a scorching shower, he reluctantly starts scrolling through his text messages to see how much damage he caused.

Some conversations went markedly better than others, even if they make Reiner wince in the light of day. Some he can barely remember. And then there's… ]

"Spineapple promise"…

[ Why did his drunken self coin a whole new term? More importantly, what are those little pictures Hange used in their message?

He's busy trying to figure those out when he hears a knock at the door, walking over to answer it in far more casual attire than Hange will have seen: loose pants and a t-shirt, his phone still in hand. ]

[titanscience]

[Hange is also dressed fairly casually too, though that is not too uncommon these days when not out and about causing trouble or taking on missions.

Once the door opens, Reiner will find Hange stood on his doorstep with a smile, a small box of cupcakes in hand that have little fruit toppers- mostly peach, but two had been exchanged for pineapple.]

Reiner! Happy birthday!

[hometown]

[ Reiner's eyes widen, not expecting to find Hange on the other side of the door. Then his eyes drop to the box, and— ]

You remembered.

[ Quiet surprise, tone holding a faint trace of wonder. As if Hange were the one who got completely plastered the night before, not him.

A second later, Reiner realizes there's no reason Hange wouldn't remember that drunken conversation. He meets their eye again, his expression markedly open: touched by their gesture and unprepared to conceal it.

He reaches out to accept the box, his next words sincere: ]

Thank you.

[titanscience]

Of course I remembered. It was only last night.

[Then again, Hange wasn't the one wasted enough to start texting "the enemy", so maybe it really is a surprise to Reiner that they showed up instead of 'forgetting' about it.]

You're welcome. There's a whole dozen in there, I figured you could share some with Gabi. Or eat them all yourself! They're yours after all.

[After handing the box over Hange remains in place, not expecting to be invited in or anything like that, but perhaps they can at least have a friendly conversation for a moment.]

[hometown]

[ Reiner nods, still rather bowled over by Hange's generosity. He'll certainly share some with Gabi. (And isn't that a show of trust? Sharing food with his cousin without worrying about poison?) ]

Thank you.

[ Repeating himself, but he wants his gratitude to be known. Then, after the barest hint of hesitation, contemplation and decision crossing his face one after the other: ]

Do you want some coffee?

[ Inviting Hange inside, albeit for a decidedly Marleyan beverage. ]

[titanscience]

[Coffee.. certainly an acquired taste. It's a little too bitter on it's own but manageable once you get some sugar into it. Plus, it's great at keeping you awake!]

[But never mind that, because Hange sees it for what it is. It isn't about coffee, it's about being offered an olive branch in return. A coffee branch?]

...Sure, I'll take some coffee.

[hometown]

[ Reiner nods and steps back to allow Hange inside, shutting the door behind them. The apartment is tidy but lived in, clean but not to Levi's standards. A Turtwig sits in a chair beside the living room window, sunning herself in the early morning light. She turns to look at the new arrival, blinking slowly, curious but apparently unbothered by strangers. There are a few library books on the coffee table, reference materials about edible plants in Ellipsa and so forth. A notebook sits beside the books, Reiner's neat handwriting (Marleyan script) filling approximately half the page.

Reiner heads toward the kitchen, which is open to the living room. There's a table there with more chairs than he and Gabi actually need, but it means there's plenty of room to sit if Hange chooses. (And, of course, there's seating aplenty in the living room.) In the meantime, Reiner gently sets the box of cupcakes on the kitchen table, then heads to the counter, starting the work of setting coffee to brew. ]

Those little pictures in your last message, [ he says over his shoulder. ] What are they called?