Armin looked around the clearing where the small group of Survey corps soldiers was resting on its way to wall Sina for Eren's annual trial-thingy. On the other side he could see Levi Heichou talking about something (probably) important with Erwin Danchou, he could see Hanji walking around looking for someone who'd be willing to listen to her ramble, he could see Ymir and Connie in the middle of an insult match (Ymir was winning hands down but Connie refused to admit defeat) while Krista fruitlessly tried to stop them and Sasha laughed at them (when she wasn't busy complaining about how hungry she was). Jean was sitting next to him with an arm casually resting on his waist and Mikasa was glaring at it in a passive aggressive way (Eren wasn't the only one graced with her protective tendencies) as she was leaning on the tree behind them. But someone was missing.
"Isn't Eren back yet? His second is becoming kinda long..."
Behind him he could hear Mikasa snap to attention at this. Armin glanced back to witness her scanning the clearing with narrowed eyes and stiff stance, no longer leisurely leaning back.
"I'm sure he'll come back any moment now. What could go wrong on a toilet break...?" Jean tried to prevent panic with reason. They weren't outside the walls, after all. There wasn't much to worry about as a fully equipped, fully trained soldier. Really. What could go wrong?
Just as this thought crossed Jean's mind, an inhuman roar resounded from somewhere deep in the forest.
Jean had to resist the urge to bang his head against the nearest tree in favour of following Mikasa, Levi Heichou and Hanji, who immediately set off in the direction of Titan Jaeger's cry.
His only thought as he maneuvered between the trees was, 'Seriously, Jaeger? Seriously?'
Kinda long second ago, plus 2 minutes and 2 seconds
Eren just finished his toilet break and was slowly coming back to the clearing the Corps were currently resting at. He didn't bother moving quietly or paying attention to his surroundings because... what could go wrong?
Well, obviously, something could.
Being a trained soldier doesn't help you much when you don't see or hear the attack coming.
Eren didn't hear the noise of people closing in on him from behind, thinking he was making all the noise, going through the bushes without a care as he was. But suddenly, everything was black.
He woke up a little while later (yay for titan regeneration), in a cart that was just starting to move, his wrists tied behind his back, stripped of his 3DMG and surrounded by a bunch of ugly old guys.
They were arguing if they should just kill him or try to sell him. (He was young and kind of pretty. Someone was bound to want him for themselves.)
"Oi!" called Eren after he analysed the situation. "Release me and return my gear immediately and maybe I'll let you go without handing you over to the police. Do you idiots seriously think you can sell or kill me?" He hissed viciously. No one is allowed to look down on him. No one. Bound wrists are not nearly enough to hold him back.
The Idiots (as Eren decided to call them) all jumped. Obviously they didn't expect him to wake up so soon. They exchanged looks before Idiot no.1 smacked Idiot no. 2 next to him ("You went too easy on him! Now he's awake and he's gonna be a bitch about this!" "Sorry. But I really hit him hard; I don't know how he can be awake, yet."), while Idiot no. 3 laughed.
"Oh? And what will you do about it, huh? Even if you're from the strongest and craziest branch of the military, you can't do a single thing all tied up and alone, without this precious thing." He lifted Eren's gear for emphasis.
Eren growled, "I can take you all on by myself but for your information, I'm not alone. There are other 10 people close by. Levi Heichou is here. And Erwin Danchou. You have no chance."
"Really? Thanks for the info. We'd better hurry then. But I think we have time. How long will it take them to notice one little soldier's missing?"
"Oh, don't worry; not long," Eren mumbled to himself. The image of Mikasa and Levi and Hanji knowing he said he'd be back in a second and realizing he's been gone for more than five minutes was pretty terrifying. (He was sure Danchou and Armin will notice, too. Hell, they'll probably be the first ones to notice, but they are both always so calm and collected in critical situations; Eren wasn't worried about either of their reactions.) "But I'm more than enough to take you down."
The Idiots obviously didn't hear the first part and laughed. "I see you agree with us. Well, the Corps have such a death rate, what's one more?" Idiot no. 3 said jovially, before squatting right in front of Eren and staring him in the eyes, as if to challenge him.
Eren clenched his jaw and glared angrily right back at him. How dare they make light of all the sacrifices they make every time they leave for an expedition? He was quickly losing patience.
Idiot no. 3 looked him up and down when he realized he had no chance of winning in the staring contest. "But hey, now that I look at you, you really could fetch us quite a price. Pretty face, fit body, interesting eyes. You seem like you won't break easily. Some pervert will have fun making you break. Maybe you'll even like it." He laughed, obviously finding his own words funny. "Usually people with too much fight in them enjoy being under someone the most." He gave Eren a smirk that earned him a furious look in return.
Idiot no. 3 had to look away from the force of Eren's maniacal glare. His eyes fell on a particular odity of the young soldier's attire. "Hey, what's this?" Eren flinched and growled lowly when Idiot no. 3 reached towards his neck, pulling down the shirt a little to get a better look at the strip of leather sitting there snuggly.
"Oh my god, is this a collar? I don't know if I should be happy or disgusted I was right about you liking the shit the old perverts do."
Eren didn't say anything, to focused on trying to suppress his rage.
They taunted further. "So he's already someone's pet? Who do you think it is?"
"Maybe just one of the other little kids who are just going to die. Does it really matter?"
Eren had to, although reluctantly, agree. Did it really matter? What the hell did they care who he's dating?
"Yes, it matters. Look at the look he's giving us. It's funny."
"Won't you tell us who your master is, little pet?"
"He's pretty so maybe he's caught the eye of someone high up." Eren's eye twitched. "Oooh, bulls eye, huh?"
More laughter.
"So, tell us, who is it? The blond, macho big boss of yours?"
"Nah, he seems more like the cute, tiny type..."
"So who? Maybe it's Humanity's strongest. I saw him once. He's so tiny; he has to have a complex to compensate for. I wouldn't be surprised if he was getting off on putting leashes on kids who dared to be taller than him."
Eren's mind went blank. He had enough. He tried to raise his hand to punch the nearest Idiot but when it got held back he remembered he was somewhat tied up.
He contemplated what to do for a second. He didn't have much experience with fighting purely with his legs as he wasn't Levi to do so most of the time. However, suddenly he felt another skin on his. Idiot no. 3 went to tug at his collar to emphasize a point that Eren completely missed in his mind-wiping fury.
But that did it. No one is allowed to touch his collar but Levi. As much as he hated to admit it, he loved the piece of leather. It was the best proof of Levi's love he could wish for. (As long as the bloody leash wasn't attached to it.) It was making a statement. Eren was his and only his. No way some stupid disgusting Idiot can get away with putting his filthy hands on it.
'Why am I even holding back...?' thought Eren before looking them all in the eye one by one, smiling in that crazy, determined way of his before biting hard into his lower lip, until he could taste blood. 'You'll pay for this.'
His audience stared in shock wondering what the hell he was trying to accomplish by biting his lip off.
Until they realized what they were seeing.
Then they screamed, terrified and frozen in place.
Who could really blame them; they've never seen a titan, much less witness it materialize out of nowhere, so close to wall Sina. And they only wanted a 3DMG to sell and have money to feed their families with for the next month...
Eren would smirk with satisfaction were he physically capable of doing so in this form.
"What the actual fuck, Eren."
"They pissed me off."
Levi let go of a heavy sigh as Eren stubbornly glared into the empty space to his left.
"That doesn't really give you the authorisation to shift within the fucking walls on your way to the fucking trial that's supposed to judge if you are still trustworthy enough. And stop fucking laughing, Hanji."
"But it's so funny! Of all people they could choose to kidnap, they choose Eren!" Hanji had to lean on the giant, slowly vaporising body for support in her laughing fit. "How can you not find it funny? Look, everyone finds it funny!"
Levi looked around. He was horrified to see she was right. Well, mostly. Besides Mikasa, who was seething, being held back from beheading the poor thieves, who were still in shock and each sporting their own set of light and/or semi-serious injuries (that were obviously not inflicted by any sort of titan), everyone was doing their best not to start laughing. (Safe for Ymir. She wasn't trying.) Even Erwin was looking highly amused with the situation.
Levi glared at them but it didn't really have the desired effect as they were too amused to care.
People were still chuckling occasionally, Levi was still angry and Eren was still sulking by the time they arrived to Stohess and handed the thieves over to the Military police.
A/N: I just hope this is not as bad as I think it is...
