"How many of those have you had?"
His voice echoed throughout Eren's mind as the young adult lifted his head, looking blearily up at the shorter man. His narrow eyes were watching Eren, an unreadable look in his dark eyes. "I don't know," the shifter slurred.
Rivaille sighed, pushing Eren over slightly so he could sit down next to him. The younger male's head hit the table with a thunk, and bleary green eyes stared at the dark-haired Corporal. "I do realize why you've taken up this dull habit of yours," the man started, and Eren tried to focus on him. "But there is always a line in which you should stop."
Eren swallowed as Rivaille stared at him, not blinking and waiting for a response. "I.. I know, sir," he replied, his words a little clearer. "I miss them," he whispered quietly, and the Corporal almost didn't catch the words.
Yet he did. A grimace grew on his features as his mind flashed back to the day they had ventured to Wall Rose. There had supposedly been a breach, not one they could find, and the Corporal was damn near tearing his hair out at the situation. He lost far too many men for this to be happening to him now, and there was also the revealed identity of three other titan shifters that just set him off for an explosion.
And explode he did, as Mikasa and Armin recklessly chased after their best friend. He remembered swearing and following them closely, blaming the situation on the damn brat he'd grown so fond of over the year. Mikasa was colder than he had ever been, ruthlessly taking down enemies as they raced towards Eren.
"Armin!" Rivaille winced, unnoticed by Eren, as said boy's shrill scream echoed within his eardrums. He remembered the horror painting the two dark-haired friends' faces as the blonde was seized by Bertholdt, in his titan mode, and thrown against a tree hard enough to crush someone. Eren had went ballistic, and his roars of agony in titan mode sent a shiver down the recovery team's spines. Mikasa had finally broken, tears flowing from her enraged eyes as she stood atop Eren's head. She had managed to kill Bertholdt, but not before a furious Reiner killed her in response. Rivaille felt nauseous as the sick crunch of bones from Mikasa's body resounded through his memories.
"Eren," Rivaille murmured, turning the younger male towards him. Tears were flowing freely down his dirt-stained face, and the Corporal couldn't help but wonder with his clean freak side when the last time the boy had taken a bath was. His nose almost wrinkled before he stopped himself, his mind scolding him on being so harsh. "I'm sorry, brat. They were good soldiers, and people as well."
Eren stared at Rivaille, and the man wondered if the teen could even see him through the tears blurring his vision. Then with a wail, he launched himself at the Corporal, who focused on not falling backwards off of the bench before he awkwardly wrapped his arms around the shifter. "We were going to see the ocean," he screamed, and Rivaille's eyes softened slightly as his grip unconsciously tightened. "There was so much we were going to do and now they're dead! I'm going to kill them all!"
"Jaeger, you'll get to do that," Rivaille reassured him. He sighed lightly before placing a knuckle underneath the boy's chin. Lifting it up, he looked straight into green eyes and said firmly, "Just because they aren't here anymore does not mean you are alone."
Eren sobbed quietly, trying to focus on the words the Corporal was speaking. His chest was moving with his short and quick bursts of breath, and he felt nauseous as he sobbed.
"You have Sasha, and Hanji and Jean," he reminded him. "Hannes is still here for you as well, and... I am as well." Eren's lip quivered and he launched into more crying but this time he tightened his grip on the Corporal.
Said man sighed inaudibly, light-heartedly, before tightening his grip on the shifter. His lips lightly pressed against the brown, tousled hair before he laid his cheek on it.
"You'll see the ocean, Eren," he promised. "We'll take you there." And Eren believed him.