Quick note - This is the first bit of work I have published in around three years. I went through a stage of being scared to put up my work and still am. But I realised if I don't post anything I can't be told if it's good or not - so if you are a new reader of mine or an old - I'm going to try and become an active writer again. Also, I know reader inserts are frowned upon by but there are no overly sexual scenes in this one, only violence and bad language which I will put warnings in chapters for. If the site thinks I am in violation of the guidelines I will take this down. Hope you enjoy and please leave a comment, thanks - SofaBearr
(Disclaimer- I do not own attack on titan or any of the characters associated with it.)
Warning for bad language throughout.
She stood with such pride in her heart. Not many newly recruited cadets knew exactly where they wanted to go and had their hearts set on it. But for [Name], all she wanted to do was join the scouts, so she could investigate the titans. She wanted so desperately to join them to become a scientist, or at least some form of engineer, and to do her part for humanity. All her life she had lived inside the interior inside wall Sheena, right beside the king in her cushy life inside the walls, but no more would she sit back and wait for others to fail at what she knew she could do. Every book she could get her hands on about life outside the walls and the titans, [Name] would read for hours on end, trying to figure out what they were, where they came from and how she could help. The world before her was one huge mystery just waiting for her to get her hands on and solve.
Several years ago, while on a business trip, her parents had sadly lost their lives during the attack on Wall Maria and left her as an orphan. She knew surviving on her own would be tough unless she joined the military, but that wasn't the driving force that made her sign her life away. All her life, even as a young child, the girl had been fascinated by the monsters known as the titans, humanities greatest enemy. It hung in her mind how it was that humanity could not remember something that happened just over one hundred years ago. [Name] was a curious girl, even at the age of fifth teen. She needed to know everything about the world and everything in it. And the reality was, the military was her only way forward to follow her goal.
Her [e/c] orbs scanned the rest of the recruits that stood around her. The ones that caught her eyes the most were the emotionless stand-stills that the terrifying instructor Keith Shadis was ignoring. It was obvious to [Name] that they were here for a very determined reason. There were others who stood out too, like the one that stood beside her, although she couldn't see him she could hear him snickering at most of Shadis' comments and she instantly branded him as a jerk. At the other side of her was a dark haired freckled boy who seemed very nervous. She had turned slightly to look at him on several occasions as he didn't seem very comfortable with all the shouting.
[Name] focused herself after being startled by Shadis shouting at a small blonde boy in the row in front of her. "And what's your name Maggot?!" She may not have agreed with his method of greeting people, but she didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Armin Arlert, of Shiganshina District, Sir!" The petit boy shouted and [Name] raised an eyebrow.
"Is that right!" Shadis began to bellow again "Why would your parents give you such a dumb name?!" [Name] felt herself recoil slightly at his harshness "It was my grandfather, Sir!"
"What the hell did you come here for?!"
"To make myself useful in the struggle for humanity's victory, sir!"
"Well that's mighty admirable of you Arlert, I think you will make a great starter for the titans!" he placed his large hand on Armin's head and physically turned him to face [Name]'s row "Row three, turn around!" Without a moment's hesitation, he began his interrogation all over again with a string of new victims.
"Is all this really necessary..." The boy besides [Name] breathed out, making her turn her head ever so slightly and look at him from the corner of her eye. He was a tall boy, with two-toned hair in the style of an undercut. His piercing amber eyes were watching Shadis a few bodies away from him. "Whatever his reasoning, I don't think it would be wise to get caught talking…" [Name] whispered out to the boy stood beside her. Clearly, he wasn't expecting an answer from anyone and jumped slightly, turning his head to look at her stood to his right. He noticed that she was of average height with [h/c] hair that enhanced her features. Her eyes looked into his as if warning him to keep his mouth shut before returning to face ahead of her. There was something about her eyes that captured his interest in her. He wanted to introduce himself properly but knew now wasn't the time and so mirrored her behaviour, staring ahead.
It wasn't long before Shadis was looming over the boy "And who might you be Maggot!" Gulping before replying, he tried his best to not be intimidated. "Jean Kirstein from Trost District, Sir!"
"What did you come here for Cadet?!" There was a moment's pause in Jean's dialogue and [Name] could have sworn from the corner of her eye she saw the biggest shit-eating grin plastered on his face "To join the military police and live life in the interior, sir!" [Name] wrinkled her nose and frowned at the mention of the MP's. She had a clear distaste for them, even despite both her parents' position within the military. "I see..." Shadis continued gathering attention from surrounding cadets wondering eyes by his softened tone "You want to go live a cushy life in the interior, do you?" After considering it a moment Jean answered "Yes, Sir!"
"Hmph!" Shadis head-butted him with all his force, knocking him to the ground "Who gave you permission to sit down Kirstein?! On your feet if you expect to make it to the MPs!"
Eyes slightly widened by the act upon the poor boy staggering to his feet as he moaned and rolled around a little, [Name] realized it was her turn... "And what about you short stuff?!"
"[Full Name], Stohess District from inside wall Sheena, Sir!" She shouted out a little more nervously than she had intended to, her voice breaking slightly. It didn't take her a second to realize that most eyes were on her now. "Well look here! A maggot from inside the interior! What brings you here [L/Name]!" Throwing her best salute as passionate as she could, [Name] tried to hide the blood running to her face at the attention "To join the ranks of the Survey core and become a scientist to help humanity overcome the struggle against the titans, sir!" Pride filled her heart and a genuine smile crossed her face, but it soon fell. There was a long pause as everyone held their breaths to witness what the terrifying instructor's response would be. "Well then...I think you heart is well placed cadet!" A sigh of relief escaped her lips briefly and her shoulders hunched slightly "However cadet, if I am correct, your name rings a few bells..." She prepared herself for trouble and winced "If I find a single explosive on these grounds I will hold YOU entirely responsible and will not hesitated to end your military career! Is that clear cadet!" He shouted in [Name]'s face causing her to pull away slightly from the intimation. "Y-yes Sir! I understand, Sir!" She weakly responded reluctantly before Shadis moved on to his next victim, the boy besides her who she now knew was named Marco Botd.
It wasn't that [Name] was bad, but she did have a tendency to blow things up. When she was nine years old it was the equipment shed in her back garden, and when she was eleven it was the fruit stall in the market place. Her most impressive experiment by far was when she was thirteen, when she blew up the wagon that passed through her home district carrying black marketed goods. Although she never harmed anyone or saw what she was doing as wrong, she did always end up getting into a lot of trouble. All she wanted to do was test the blasting radius of her homemade explosives for their usefulness in battle situations. If not for her military police family background, [Name] would most defiantly be in jail right now, so it was no shock to her that Shadis would have information on her 'misdeeds'.
"Hey, what does he mean by Explosives'?" After Shadis had passed a few more people down the line, Marco had gained some confidence in talking to her "That's… kind of a long story…" [Name] whispered back to him.
Marco's eyed widened a little at the new information "You mean you really caused an explosion?"
"Not like it matters-"
"Hey!" Jean cut her words short by whisper shouting at them "Do you mind shutting up, I don't fancy dealing with Shadis again due to you two chatting during enrolment!" he said as he eyed the pair up and down before looking straight ahead again. [Name] frowned to herself 'what's got his feathers ruffled?' but did as he said anyway as she also didn't feel like meeting with the monster of a man a second time today. Shadis moved onto another 'victim' of his training, Connie, before having his and everyone else attention dragged towards a chestnut-haired girl eating a potato...
[Name] was leaning against the door frame that lead from the mess hall to the small balcony /decking area outside, with several others who were all intrigued by watching the girl dubbed as 'potato girl' run till sun set around campus. "It's odd..." Marco began "Being told to run till sun set didn't upset her nearly as much as being told she had lost eating privileges for the next five days..."
"She's been at it for five hours straight and she's still running though..." [Name] said crossing her arms over her chest "That's a hell of a lot of determination right there, Shadis probably eats that stuff right up,"
"You think?" Marco asked turning from leaning on the railings to look at [Name]. She shrugged before answering him "Just look at the guy, he probably won't show it but I bet he's a big softie really,"
"That's a strange way to look at it." Connie said from beside Marco "I can tell he isn't really a bad guy, but hell is he scary." [Name] continued just as 'potato girl', or Sasha Blouse, jogged past not too far off away from them. "Dauper..." Connie said to himself "If I remember rightly that's a small hunting village with a small population deep in the mountains"
"I didn't know villages like that still existed. Come to think of it Eren, we didn't get to hear where you're from" Marco asked a green-eyed boy who had recently joined the group with another boy that [Name] recognize as Armin. Eren placed a hand on Armin's shoulder and smiled softly "The same as Armin here, we lived in Shiganshina, then had to move to a settlement and stay there till we could join the cadets." Everyone's ears and eyes picked up at the new information. "Really?" Marco started before Connie butted in "So then...you must have been there that day!" [Name] was no longer leaning against the door frame, she was stood beside the dark haired, freckled girl; Mina, and staring at the two boys. [Name] was intrigued by the titans and wanted to know everything she could about them "Did you see it?!" She found herself blurting out turning a few heads "The colossal titan?! You must have seen it right?"
The conversation dragged on during dinner in the mess hall "I told you already, yeah I saw the big guy..." Eren said nonchalant as he lifted his spoonful of broth out of the wooden bowl. He sat with a crowd that threw question after question at him. [Name] had finished her food, and for the time being her questions as well. She stood leaning against one of the support beams a few tables away with a small A5 sized book in her hand. It was black leather and scruffy looking, it was well used. In the other she held a pencil that was continually scribbling away. Occasionally, her eyes would dart around the room analysing people. Her eyes meeting with golden ones as a buff blond met her gaze. She narrowed her eyes momentarily before pulling away, there were some people in the room that she made a mental note to be weary of. They were suspicious people who acted and responded differently to the majority. But for all [Name] knew, they could have just lived through the ordeal like Eren and the others...
On a table beside her sat Jean, who's amber eyes where drifting from Eren and the conversation about just how big the colossal titan really was, and back to [Name]. "What are you doing?" He asked her in a bored tone as he tilted his head to the side and rested it on one of his hands. For a moment it looked like [Name] was ignoring him, but she pulled her pencil away after a few more rapid hand movements and closed the book before putting it in her pocket insider her tan jacket. "…Taking notes." She said reluctantly. She didn't really want people to think that she was obsessed with the titans. "Taking notes? About the titans? You know we have barely just enrolled and you are already studying?" He asked before lifting his pitcher to his mouth and taking a large gulp. He eyed [Name] another time over the top of the pitcher and recognition kicked in. He remembered her [e/c] eyes looking at him when she answered him earlier, those eyes that didn't move from the group around Eren as she continued to listen intently with her arms crossed over her chest. "Of course, I want to become a scout after all."
"Right… So, I don't think I have introduced myself properly yet, I'm J-"
"Jean Kirstein, from Trost District." [Name] cut him off making him blink a few times in surprise. "Uh, yeah…." He confirmed a little dumbfounded. A thought flicked through his mind 'Hey. She actually remembered who I was…' "Surprised? I was stood next to you after all…" She said to him, the whole time still looking away from him. "Yeah, [Full Name]? Right? Stohess?" At that she smirked and pulled her head round to look at him "Figures you would remember that though, right? Wanting to gallop off and join the MP's…" Jean raised an eyebrow, 'Gallop?' he thought to himself 'Odd choice of words…'
"Hey, come on guys I'm sure he doesn't want to relive everything he went through!" Marco's voice shouted out through the room silencing everyone and making [Name] pull her head back around to eye the large group around Eren. "The titans are no big deal. If we can master the 3D manoeuvring gear, they'll be no match for us!" Eren's voice called out confidently and [Name]'s eyes widened in surprise as he continued his speech. He was such a strong-willed person, it surprised her. "I'm done working in the fields, I finally get to train to be a soldier!" [Name] caught herself smiling at his determination "So I'm gonna join the Survey Core and rid the world of titans!" [Name]'s smile had widened at this point. Eren had the potential to become a great soldier and she liked that. There was a fire in his eyes that said he was going to stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
An obnoxious snort cut through everyone's amazement "What, are you out of your mind?" Jean spoke out making [Name] turn her head back to him and frown. His narrow eyes met with hers for a second time but this time in a more uncomfortable manner. "And getting back to our conversation a moment ago, Jaeger isn't the only nut job with their heart set on the scouts, is he?" Jean prodded his words at her as she threw her arms down by her sides in angry balled fists. She growled at him from her throat, contemplating whether it was worth hitting him or not as all eyes were now on them. Eren joined the conversation between them "Hey you're the guy who wants to hide behind wall Sheena and live the easy life right?" His emerald eyes darted to the girl beside him "And [Name] you come from wall Sheena, right?"
"That's right" Jean stood up and towered over her. He was looking down on her both metaphorically and physically and it pissed her off as he continued to spout out his bullshit "What is wrong with you? I'm just being honest here, I would rather live a nice life safe than pretend I'm not shit scared like the rest of us pretending to be brave like Jaeger over there."
"You got a problem Kirstien, are you looking for a fight!?" Eren shouted at him causing several worried faces to dart around looking for help. "Even if Eren is scared, at least he isn't sitting on his ass inside the interior doing nothing about it!" It was a little difficult for [Name] to be intimidating most of the time, but a fire burned in her heart when it came to her life choices and nothing held her back from letting rip at the slender boy "Sorry short stuff, but I don't fight girls so back off,"
"I'll show you short stuff!" She shouted at him as she reached and grabbed hold of the sleeve of his tunic "What the... "humph!"" was all the sound Jean managed to make before he was pulled through the air and thrown into the support beam. 'Damn it!' she mentally scolded herself. The sudden action had hurt her wrist, she had been hoping to throw him, but until her training began her weak arms was all she had.
Eren and a few others laughed as [Name] stormed off "I really do hope you manage to make it to the interior Kirstien, then you can at least be around to throw me and Eren a party when we save your sorry little womanly ass from the titans." It was quiet for a moment as wide-eyed onlookers watched her leave the mess hall and Jean rub his temple with the heal of his hand "God damn crazy bitch..." He moaned and Connie elbowed him in the side comedically "I think she likes you~" he sang and Jean placed his whole hand on Connie's face to push him away 'did she say I had a womanly ass?' The bell to notify the cadets that dinner was over chimed and Jean decided he would call it quits for now "Hey Jeager look, sorry it's a bad habit of mine, let's call a truce now, how you choose to live your life is your own business."
"I guess I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder too, sure," he said slapping the hand he offered out to him as an agreement. Eren followed the crowd leaving the mess hall hoping to catch up to [Name] as Jean watched him smugly. It wasn't that Jean was an actual bad person, he was just far too honest. As it stood, he didn't give a damn about the titans or going outside of the walls. All he wanted was to make it in the top-ten, so he could join the MP's. A wave of glossy ebony hair drifted into Jeans view and he was stunned by the beauty of its owner. "H-hey! I um..." He squeaked out before he had a chance to think. Mikasa turned around in confusion to see who was talking to her "I, I'm sorry it's just that...I've never seen anyone like you before..." He trailed off as he rubbed the back of his neck, all the while blood rushed to his cheeks "It's just that...you have really beautiful, long black hair..." She scanned his ever reddening face a moment and turned to continue to catch up to the others "Thanks..." Was her quiet reply.
Jean swiftly followed behind but stopped when he left the dining cabin to see her join up with Eren who had caught up [Name]. Mikasa began scolding Eren "I take my eyes off you for one-minute and..."
"What Mikasa? I wasn't fighting..."
"That was me, my bad sorry for causing a scene," [Name] said rubbing her arm in embarrassment "Hey, no worries, I'm amazed that you were able to pull him like that," Eren chuckled slightly, he had enjoyed seeing Jean get shut up by face planting a support beam after all. "I caught him off guard is all... He needed to shut up and stop saying stuff like that, if we wanna join the scouts, so what?" [Name] stretched her arms above her head to flex her muscles a bit. "Yeah well, after you left he apologized to me about it, I don't think he's a bad guy...Oh! Sorry, this is Mikasa, she lived with me and my parents in Shiganshina."
"Nice to meet you [Name]" she said politely with a soft smile as [Name] nodded in acknowledgement "By the way, we will be starting our 3D Manoeuvring gear training soon, you should worry about how long your hair is getting" Eren pointed out to Mikasa as he swatted a hand through her hair. "I guess I could cut it, how short do you think I should go?"
"Hey Sparks! Wait up!" The three turned around to see Connie catching up to them "Sparks?" Eren asked confused "Yeah Sparks here!" He said patting [Name] on the back "Don't tell me you didn't see those sparks in her eyes as she presented that little speech of hers! It's what Reiner started calling her once she left so now you are dubbed Sparks!"
"Oh..." [Name] said slightly embarrassed and rubbed her arm again "Well, I like it!" She spoke out after reclaiming her confidence and beaming at them all "Sparks it is then!" Eren said smiling back at her showing off his teeth. She soon learned that Reiner was the bulky blond boy she had locked eyes with early and it wasn't long before she had met most of the others as well.
...
It was almost past curfew and the girls were beginning to settle down for the evening in the bunks. "So...Sparks" Mina cooed up to [Name] as she climbed up onto her bunk by the window. [Name] had taken a liking to Mina. She had sat beside her during dinner before she observed the whole questioning thing with Eren and they had spoken quite a lot about themselves. Once on the top she hung her legs over the edge and shrugged "I like it"
"I heard it's a pet name from Reiner...is that why you like it?" Mina teased as she grabbed [Name]'s legs and hugged them so she couldn't move "N-no! Mina! And it's not a pet name, it's just...a nickname I guess." She pushed her legs forward causing Mina to lose her grip and fall off of her bed onto the floor. Everyone let out a giggle as Mina lay laughing with her behind in the air. [Name] pulled her legs up and poked her head over the edge of her bunk to look at Mina as she turned on the floor to look up at her "I've never had nickname before...and Sparks reminds me of my experiments at home so..."
"That's right! You're the girl Shadis personally warned about explosives!" Mina said as her eyes widened and the others murmured around her "Well yeah but-"
"Did you blow anything up?!" Sasha butted in with a mouthful of stolen food "Yes but-"
"Oh my gosh was anyone hurt!" The goddess Christa asked worried with teary eyes "N-no! I would never hurt anyone I was-"
"Give Sparks a break girls, if she had, she defiantly wouldn't be allowed to enrol into the military right?" Ymir spoke out, a freckled girl who often came out as a little cold. "That's right, all I ever did was cause a few things to explode, sounds worse that it was." she looked up to the left to avoid everyone's gaze "I guess they did get a little out of hand but... I only wanted to do my part for humanity! I guess I should have waited till I actually graduated from the military though," she said with a small smile. "You do know explosives probably won't kill titans..." Mikasa said as she got into her bottom bunk and pulled her covers up over her body. "I know..." [Name] was cleverer than she gave herself credit. She didn't think it was worth trying to explain her ideas to the girls, not yet at least.
*Knock Knock!* "Lights out shit heads! Don't make me come in there!" Shadis shouted from outside the door making everyone hurry to be dressed and in bed. A chorus of whispered goodnights filled the dark room and before long it was silent besides the soft breathing of sleeping cadets...and Sasha snoring. The newly dubbed Sparks lay on her side, looking out of the window as best she could. The night sky was clear, and every star was visible. She always thought that it would be nice to chart the stars but had never found the time. When her parents were alive, she would hide from them during the day in the vast public libraries that could be found at home. The library in her house didn't have the books she wanted. The books she craved were forbidden, unheard of - unless you had a little money and knew who to ask. She spent her childhood taking forbidden notes and drawing the images from inside the books about the outside world, so she would always have a copy of it. She had always wanted to join the scouts, even when her parents protested she would still insist on 'doing her part' and 'wanting the world to change'. Secretly, she hated her parents. She believed that they were cowards for ever wanting to join the military police and hide from what was really happening in the world. That's when she discovered a book on making explosives that the survey core used to use to try and defeat the titans before they had the 3D Manoeuvring Gear over seventy years ago. She had a theory that they could be used in battle situations to the advantage of the scouts as distractions to save lives, but she still needed more strategic know how.
Sitting up she pushed the covers off her and tucked one of her [h/c] locks begin her ear. As quietly as she possibly could, [Name] got down from the bunk and pushed the window open fully. She didn't leave, only sat up on the windowsill to get a better look at the night sky. 'I know you wouldn't approve of me with my heart still set on the Survey Core... But I have to do this, and I don't care what you think anymore. You both died for nothing and you didn't even fight for anything!' (Name) continued to talk to herself in her head for a while longer.
Not far off, in the boy's quarters, Marco was sat unable to sleep beside the window. "Hey Jean, you awake?" He whispered not looking back at all "Yeah, what the hell man, get into bed..."
"She kind of does have a spark in her eyes," Jean raised an eyebrow and rolled over in his bunk to the empty one next to him where Marco would be in. "What are you talking about Marco?" Pushing himself up on his elbows he managed to get a view passed Marco and out the window. He could see the delicate figure with her knees up against her chest and arms wrapped tightly around them, sat on the windowsill of the girls sleeping quarters. "What is she doing?" Jean asked while running a hand through his copper blonde hair. Of course, he wasn't thrilled at the sight of [Name], she had slammed him into a wall earlier that day. "Maybe she just can't sleep, like me I guess," Marco breathed out, crossing his arms over the windowsill and tilting his head to rest on them. "You can't sleep?" It wasn't a surprise after all, with Reiner snoring like a train and the fact that it was their first day as cadets. "hmm" Marco hummed in confirmation. "I wonder what she's thinking about." Marco continued mumbling to himself more than to Jean who let out a snort and rolled back over "Who really cares, as long as Sparky doesn't piss me off again, I don't really care what she thinks about..." Marco rolled his eyes at him in a playful manner before looking back out the window a while longer. "Marco, man, you know it's creepy to secretly watch people, right?" Marco let out a quiet laugh and pulled away from the window "I wasn't watching her..."
"Yeah right Marco, get your ass to sleep and stop perving."
"I wasn't! Honest!" He whisper-shouted at him while pulling the warm covers back over his shoulders as he crawled into bed. "Hey Marco um… I don't… I don't have a womanly ass do I?" Jean asked and Marco was caught off guard as he let out a quiet laugh "Hey man, it's not funny."
"I can't believe you are still thinking about that"
"Well, do I?"
"I don't know! I haven't looked at it! Good night Jean."
"Hey, no fair" Jean replied rolling back over and shoving Marco playfully.
…
"All right, listen up shit stains!" Shadis' voice boomed around the cadets that stood at the edge of the camps buildings. It was a large open space with several structures set up for 3D manoeuvring gear training. "First, we are going to test your aptitude! All you have to do is attach a rope to the belt around your hips and dangle, understand me scum?!" He began walking up and down the lines of worried looking cadets "Keep your balance with the full belt on! Those who can't do this aren't even fit to use as bait!" He began to eye up each of the cadets, making a few of them nervous. "Sparks!" He bellowed in front of [Name] and she blinked bewildered for a moment, not quite sure if it was her he was addressing "Y-Yes sir!" There were a few chuckles from around her, it seemed that even drill instructor Shadis was now using her new nickname. "Get your ass set up and ready to go, you're up first cadet!"
It didn't take long for the first set of cadets to get set up and hoisted into the air. Sasha swung her legs in the air amused with the situation as Jean hung beside her, quivering slightly as he used his strength to keep himself up. [Name]wobbled a little to start with, but soon hung upright with a big smile on her face 'Hell yeah!' "Nicely done Cadet [L/Name]! Now as long as you don't decide to blow anything up, you might actually stand a chance at graduation in three years!"
"Y-yes sir, thank you sir!" She replied happily while still trying to keep herself up. She heard Jean beside her let out a snort and turned her head to frown at him. It was common knowledge, even just after a day, that there was friction between them. "And by the way cadet! You're on dish duty tonight!" [Name] let out a groan and almost lost her balance, threatening to topple over backwards. Mikasa hung completely relaxed on the other side of [Name], clearly a natural at it. The training continued as cadets began to swap places and take the test. "What are you doing Cadet Jaeger?!" The sudden outburst had all eyes on Eren who was unable to keep himself upright. He swung upside down, eyes wide looking at the crowd that stood in front of him, mentally scolding himself over and over. Mikasa and Armin looked worried, they had both passed the test and were beginning to wonder why he couldn't do it. He saw Jean showing off his usual shit-eating grin, quite happy with Eren's predicament and even more face's looking upset for him.
After practice, [Name] offered to stay behind with Mikasa, Armin and Eren to help him. She was hoping to find a chance afterwards to find out a little more about them, "You should be able to get it if you stick to the basics, nothing fancy" Mikasa started. "Yeah, stiffen the muscles of your upper body and let your lower body hang loose." [Name] added and receiving a grateful nod from Eren. Armin also wanted to support him "You can do it if you just relax, even I managed to do it and I have no coordination at all."
"Alright, thanks guys. Okay I think I can do it this time, lift me up Armin." Armin nodded at him and began to turn the wheel that lifted him up. Eren didn't make it very far though before he fell forward. He hadn't gotten high enough to miss the ground and so was completely knocked out when his head hit the floor. It did surprise the other cadets though when the three of them ran over haling him with them looking like a dead body.
…
Eren sat with Mikasa and Armin in the mess hall that night, completely phased out about what had happened. Everyone seemed to be talking about him "Hey Daz, isn't that the guy from last night that was talking about wiping out the titans?"
"Yeah, he's already almost got himself killed during step one, posture control!"
"How the hell does he plan on slaughtering those titans, at this rate, he will be kicked out before he has even been given a shot! He should just leave now and save us the food!"
"Hey! Knock it off!" [Name] shouted, throwing a wooden spoon at Daz and another boy she didn't recognize, who were gossiping "Woah, Sparks, relax - we were only saying…"
"Yeah well unless you want a grenade up your ass I suggest you don't just say" The two didn't take her threat lightly after all the warnings she got of Shadis about explosives. "You wouldn't really do that would you Sparks?" Ymir asked amused before she left with Christa on tow "Who knows?" was her reply with a shrug and a playful wink making Ymir laugh heartily at her. [Name] walked over to the others to offer some advice "Hey, Eren, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to ask a few of the others for some helpful advice on the aptitude test."
"Hey that's actually not a bad idea Eren!" Armin said smiling at [Name] as thanks. She just nodded and began to help shift plates and cutlery around the mess as it was her turn to help clean up. "Hey! Where did that spoon go?!" She shouted out when she realized she had lost the wooden utensil when she threw it across the room. Looking around a while later she realized that most cadets had left or were leaving. 'Uhgg, I don't wanna have to do the dishes…' She moped around, piling dishes in her arms as the room began to empty around her, several snickers were aimed in her direction, but she was too annoyed to retaliate at that point.
"Stupid Shadis with a problem with me…it's not like I'm going to use an explosive to- whaa!" Her foot slipped on a patch of water, causing her to fall backwards as she lost her footing "Woah careful!" A voice called out as a pair of arms caught her before she hit the floor. The same couldn't be said for the wooden plates and bowls that crashed down onto the ground, luckily they were all empty and clear of food so no more mess was created. One bowl had flipped up and landed on her head, covering her eyes and the view of whoever had caught her. "Ewww…" [Name] grimaced as she lifted a hand and pushed the bowl over her eyes. "Ha ha, you okay there, Sparks?" Looking up her eyes met with chocolate ones that decorated a freckled face. "H-Hey Marco, what are you still doing here?"
"It's a good job I stuck around, you could have really hurt yourself just now carrying all that stuff. I wanted to know if you needed any help cleaning up?" He said with a beaming smile that seemed to light up the room as he put [Name] down and back on her feet. "You don't have to do that Marco, Shadis is making me do it tonight, you could get into trouble for helping me out" She lifted her hand again and twirled a piece of her [h/c] locks in between her fingers. Marco was the nicest guy she had ever seemed to meet, and she had only known him two days. It shocked her that so much 'happy' could radiate from one person and she liked that about him. The tall boy leaned down slightly to match her height and lifted the bowl off of her head "I don't mind." He smiled at her a second time and due to the close proximity, she blushed a little. She wasn't used to anyone getting that close to her, let alone a guy.
"Here, let me help you pick these up before Shadis discovers we made a mess" Marco turned around and began to pick up all the plates and bowls that had scattered. [Name] smiled before also helping to pick up the rest. Marco stayed to help her wash the dishes and put them away while idly chatting about the day, by the time they began to head to their sleeping quarters, the stars were out on show. "Thanks again for the help Marco, but seriously, you shouldn't be so nice all the time… You could get onto Shadis' shit list if you're not careful" He let out an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah, you're probably right… Well, good night anyway, [Name]"
"Yeah, you too Marco" [Name] waved at him as she entered the girls sleeping quarters "Oh and Marco!" She called out to him before closing the doors "Tell Eren I hope he is feeling better after today!" He smiled at her again and nodded in acknowledgement before leaving himself.
When Marco entered the boys sleeping quarters he found Eren and Armin asking Jean and Connie for help. "Hey, why don't you tell me? What's the secret to keeping your sanity after disgracing yourself in public like that?" Jeans sarcastic voice drifter through the room "G-guys! I'm seriously asking for help here!"
"Woah, hey…" Marco said as he approached them, standing between Eren and Jean. "Why don't you forget Connie and Jean and ask Reiner and Bertolt, those two got pretty high marks as well" He said pointing to the bunk above his and Jean's bunk at the pair who were sat reading. "Oh! And [Name] told me to tell you she says she hopes you are feeling better Eren"
"Oh ho, so now it all comes out, so that's where you were Marco!" Jean said patting him roughly on the back "I was helping her with clean up tonight…"
"Uh huh…" Jean simply said doubtfully "But seriously, why bother get involved with that crazy bitch, she is practically female Eren" To that, Eren butted in "And what is that supposed to mean horse face?!"
"Hey wait a minute guys-"
"Horse face?!" Jean cut Marco off as he stepped forward and grabbed Eren by the collar "If Shadis hears you we will all be in the shit, knock it off!" Connie moaned at them as he pulled Eren away from Jean. "He's right…" Armin added quietly and Jean let out a "Tch" before shoving Marco off and walking away.
Meanwhile, back in the girl's sleeping quarters [Name] was already being interrogated. It seemed that even only after a couple of days 'girls being girls' couldn't be avoided. "Was that Marco, Sparks?" Sasha asked as she turned from hiding at the windowsill. Apparently, she had been spying on her as she arrived with Marco. "Yeah, he stayed behind to help me clean up. The majority of it being your mess Sasha might I add."
"We have only been here two days and already you are getting in there Sparks?!" Mina exploded as she jumped off of [Name]'s bunk and onto her back, pinning her to the floor "uhff!" Mina! Get off! Ha ha ha!"
"Sparks is ticklish!" Mina shouted at the top of her lungs as her hand brushed against her sides mercilessly making [Name] cry with laughter "Stop! Mina! Ah ha ha ha!"
"Why don't you call on Marco for help Sparks!?"
"Mina! Ah ha ha! I might wet myself, get off! Ha ha ha!" [Name] shouted out while flailing her arms about and kicking her legs. The other girls in the room laughed quietly at her throwing her arms around madly as she attempted to get Mina off her back. *BANG* the door swung open and a pair of terrifying dark eyes burned a hole into Mina and [Name]'s skulls "What is all this ruckus dipshits!" Shadis boomed as everyone froze and were completely thankful that everyone was fully clothed. [Name] moved her eyes over to look at their instructor and as she did Mina moved slightly, making a small glass jar rolled from out of [Name]'s jacket and along the floor. A sweat dropped down [Name]'s forehead as everyone watched it roll right up to Shadis, who reached down and picked it up in silence. "Cadet [L/Name]…Would you mind telling me what this is doing out of the kitchen, and in your possession?"
"I…uhhh…That is…I mean it's not…" She thumbed about over her words as Mina got off her and tried her best to stay quiet. "I HOPE THIS WAS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED IN THE CRAFTING OF EXPLOSIVES CADET!" He bellowed as he stepped into the room and hauled her to her feet by her collar. "N-No sir I was…"
"You were what cadet?!" He shouted into her reddening face. She knew she would be in more trouble than it was worth if she admitted that it was, so came up with something to save her ass on the spot "I was hoping to use it to collect fireflies, sir!" 'Fireflies? What the hell [Name], what kind of excuse is that genius?! I'm so frigging dead…' her internal monolog was in full panic mode. "Is that so cadet…well then, since you are still in uniform and you seem so keen, I want you to go outside and fill that jar to the brim with fireflies, and until then – you are not allowed back inside here to sleep for the night! And I will be checking cadet, so I suggest you start hunting!"
…
"…What have I done?" [Name] breathed to herself as she sat on a barrel outside the sleeping quarters "I haven't seen fireflies around here once, not to mention it's probably the wrong time of year!" She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, glass jar in her hand. Letting out a sigh she looked up at the starts. 'Well I guess it's not really that cold tonight, sleeping out here tonight might not be that bad…' She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the night. The gentle breeze that arrived occasionally was cold, suggesting that the next night might be a colder one. It blew her locks to the side and tickled her cheek slightly as a few strands blew over her face. It was a calming atmosphere that she liked, no noise beside the sound of the wind and the creaking of the log buildings that surrounded her. She felt that she could maybe, maybe, give in and just sleep outside. She didn't really plan on hunting fireflies tonight, or any other night for that matter.
The peaceful silence was disturbed when four clocked figures snuck their way out of the boys sleeping quarters, knocking over a barrel not far off. Opening one eye in curiosity and looking over in that direction, [Name] raised an eyebrow at the obvious idiots trying to sneak away after curfew. "What are they doing?" Cautiously, she hopped off her barrel and wondered over to them. They didn't seem to notice as she approached them at the rear "Hey" She said behind the group, making them jump out of their skins and one of them even let out a small high-pitched squeak. "Ah ha ha ha! Who was that?!"
"Sparks? What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to piss Shadis off?" A familiar face poked out from under the lead hood, the moon illuminating parts of his blonde fringe that could be seen. "Is that…Reiner? Ha ha, was that you just now? And I already have! Why do you think I'm out here and not in bed?" One of the other figures pulled his hood down "You have to sleep outside?!" Armin exclaimed in surprise "Well he said if I fill this jar with fireflies I could go back to bed…" She huffed pulling up the said jar for the others to view, the moon shining off of it slightly. "Wait…What?"
"Long story… but what the hell are you guys doing? Eren is that you?" She prodded at the slightly taller boy beside Armin and Eren pulled his hood down as did the forth figure "Yeah, and this is Bertolt, you haven't been properly introduced yet." [Name] looked over at the tallest boy she had ever seen smiling awkwardly at her "Hey" She chirped back giving him a small wave. "Look, these two said they could help me train a little more for tomorrow, so you won't tell, will you?"
"What the hell do you take me for Jaeger?!" She said pulling his hood back over his face playfully. "Hey Sparks, why don't you tag along?" Reiner asked pulling his own hood down. "I may have a way for you to get back to bed… Or you could just climb into mine…" He cooed to her as she rolled her eyes. "No thanks Reiner, I prefer my men, not to squeak like a puppy when spooked…" She teased back winking at him as the other chuckled at her walking past him and taking lead "But I will take you up on that other offer, where you headed? Better than sitting on a barrel trying to sleep…"
"You will have to wait and see, but bring that jar along, okay?"
"What else am I gonna do with it…make a bomb?" She joked putting it into her pocket as the others looked at her worried "…Please tell me that's not why you are on Shadis' shit list…" Eren said to her as his eyes scanned her hands putting the jar away into her jacket pocket "…Well, I didn't tell him that."
"You're crazy, you know that?"
"And you're not Eren?" Reiner said placing Eren in a head lock "But seriously we better go or we are all gonna be on cleaning duty for a month…"
After a good while walking, Reiner stopped, "Are you ready?" He said as if addressing children "C'mon Reiner stop messing around,"
"Okay Sparks, you go ahead, just over that mound there." She did as he said and as her head rose up over it, she saw what he was talking about "Wow…How the hell did you guys know this was here?!"
"Never mind, just get your ass down to that waterfront, if you are fast enough you should find just enough fireflies."
"Hell yeah, Shadis is gonna eat his words after this!" She shouted back at them as she darted off. They had taken Eren to train tonight in an area sectioned off from the rest of the usual forest training grounds. It was a long night for Eren, but [Name] had left earlier after waving good bye to them and thanking Reiner for his help. He had tried to show off at catching the fireflies with her, a matter of manly pride he had called it, but failed miserably when he fell over and face planted into the grass. It was a good job she had a good memory and a jar full of fireflies for light, or she might have gotten lost.
As she arrived back on the grounds she realized she hadn't been gone that long, and it was still a good opportunity to get some sleep. As she passed the building where the instructors slept, she lifted the glowing jar filled with the little bugs she had collected. She felt a little sad, knowing that they would probably die in the night or by morning, but left them on the windowsill of what she assumed to be Shadis' room. There was a light still flickering faintly from inside and she knew that he stayed up longer than any of the other instructors to do nightly checks on the cadets. She darted off right after she tapped on the window several times and heard shuffling from inside. 'I wish I could stick around to see his face when he sees that I did it, but I'm ridiculously tired and just want to flop into my bed…'
…
The moment of truth arrived, and all cadets were watching and waiting to see how well Eren would do in his test today. "Eren Jeager, are you ready? Control of the 3D Manoeuvring Gear is the bear minimum required to be a soldier. If you can't do that, then it's back to the fields, do you understand?"
"Yes sir!" There was no lack of will power and determination in his eyes, anyone could see that. As Thomas Wagner, another boy from Trost wheeled him up, breaths were held in anticipation, and no one's more than his two childhood friends and the two who had helped train him. Even [Name] was anxious and on edge for him. But he did it, he was up…for a whole ten seconds. Everyone's faces fell. "I wonder…if it is a gear malfunction…" [Name] said to herself quietly while holding her chin in a hand, her other hand resting on her hip. She wasn't expecting for anyone to hear her, let alone Shadis. "Wait, I can do it!" Eren pleaded, desperately trying to pull himself up.
"Wagner!"
"Y-yes sir!"
"Trade belts with Jaeger" [Name] tried to sink back into the crowd, thinking that Shadis was just trying to show her up and shout something like 'You think you know everything cadet?! Well you know shit!' But was relieved when people began to cheer for Eren as he managed to keep himself up right. "I don't understand what…"
"Defective equipment. The metal clasp in your belt was broken, someone failed to notice. Looks like I will have to head over to maintenance and crack a few skulls…"
"So sir, my aptitude score?"
"No problem, keep practicing. And Cadet [L/Name]!" The crowd of cadets moved to the side to pull her out into the open. "Yes Sir!" She was almost caught off guard as something was thrown her way and into her chest, but she managed to catch it. Looking down she saw her glass jar, unfortunately filled with dead fireflies. 'blergh…' she stuck out her tong as she held it up to her face to look in the jar. "Well done Sparks, I didn't expect you to complete my task. You can keep the jar…" Her eyes lit up and she puffed out her chest slightly "BUT IF I FIND THAT IT HAS BEEN USED TO CREATE A SINGLE GRENADE I WILL NOT LET YOU SLEEP TILL YOU HAVE FILLED ONE HUNDRED JARS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"
"Yes Sir!" she saluted with a big grin on her face. When he turned back around she pumped her fists in triumphantly and smiled widely to herself. She got a few odd looks from around her, unsurprisingly as she got excited over a jar and was warned about explosives for the fourth time in three days… "Hey…You don't actually want that jar for explosives…right?" A familiar voice spoke out beside her and pulling herself around and away from her moment of self-triumph she saw Marco looking at her with a wiry smile. Smirking at him, she only threw the jar in the air and caught it a few times, watching his expression "What if I did?" She stated with a wicked grin on her face "Umm…I don't think that's a good idea…" He said to her not making eye contact as he dragged his eyes away from hers and rubbed the back of his neck. She playfully punched him in the side of his arm "No idiot, I actually want to graduate…" She said putting the jar away into her pocket "Oh, that's good then…"
"Not yet anyway, no harm in gathering materials early though, right?" [Name] said shrugging her shoulders and walking away, Marco only smiling and shaking his head at her 'Can't put her down for her confidence and keen attitude I guess…'
…
There was an uproar of congratulations for Eren during dinner that night. "You even managed to stay up with that broken gear!" People were saying to him as he smiled as a thank you and continued to eat. [Name] arrived a little late because she had to dispose of the poor little corpses of the bugs she had collect the night before. She wasn't squeamish, but dead bugs were gross and she wondered if she could even stomach her food. She felt a little sick but put it down to being hungry. After collecting her bowl, she scanned the room looking for a place to sit. There seemed to be only one table with extra seats going spare and unfortunately for her, it occupies the sarcastic Jean. Letting out a sigh she walked over. It wasn't too bad, as she got closer she realized that Marco was also on the table across from Jean and took the opportunity to sit beside him.
"Hey [Name], running a little late to dinner?" Marco chirped as she sat down beside him, her eyes drifting over to Jean. At her name, Jean turned his head to look at her across the table narrowing his eyes "What, you come over here hoping to fall over and get swept off your feet by Marco again?" He asked nonchalantly turning a few heads on neighbouring tables. "Jean!" Marco exclaimed as his face turned a soft colour of pink "I told you what happened…"
"Don't worry about it Marco, I think Jean here is just a little jealous…" [Name] butted in as she attempted to spoon a mouthful of broth into her mouth, but changed her mind after feeling sick again. "Of what? You Sparky? What is there to be jealous of, all I see is a short, flat chested brat" [Name] was not flat chested, she knew that, but was still extremely insulted "You want me to throw you into a wall again Kirstien?!"
"I dare you to try it!" The pair of them were on their feet and had once again gained the attention of the entire room "What's your problem with me?!" [Name] shouted at him aggressively whilst Marco attempted to calm them both down "I don't have a problem with you! If you remember correctly, you threw me into a wall, so I think I have some kind of right to be a little pissed!"
"C'mon guys, you don't have to fight!" Marco pleaded trying to keep the peace. "Marco's right you two, we haven't even been here a week yet and already you are at each other's throats" Connie butted in as he slid into one of the empty seats on the other side of [Name]. "It's not my fault he's as asshole!"
"Wow, you need to shut up Sparky and-!"
"It's Sparks!" She screamed at him as she jumped across the table at him, knocking him over and sending them both crashing to the floor. Apparently, she was already attached to her nickname. She caught him off guard and before he even knew what was happening, his head hit the floor and pressure was forcing down on his shoulders. Most guys in the room began to cheer and egg her on whilst there were a few girls screams as the table was pulled over with them, plates scattering the area. "You listen to me Kirstein! I did not come here looking for a fight, quit it with the shitty attitude and I might actually tolerate your existence!" Bewildered, Jean opened his eyes to find he was looking up at scariest thing he could have imagined – An angry bitch pinning him to the floor. She was awkwardly kneeling above him, practically sitting on one of his legs. He gritted his teeth and frowned up at her, just like last time, he was caught off guard and didn't have a comeback. Marco was so shocked at the sudden move that he hadn't even got up from his seat as the table tipped over next to him, Connie had stood up and gasped. Jean's eyes pierced into her like daggers "Y-you crazy bitch, get off before I hurt you!" [Name] snorted out a laugh and hung down her head laughing "Ha ha! What with these noodle arms?" She asked pulling back one of her hands and using it to prod his forearm.
Jean took the opportunity to pull on her shoulders, rolling her over and pinning her to her back instead. "Whaaa!" *Slam* "Nughh…"
"What was that you were saying Sparky, that -!?" Before she could retaliate, Jeans sudden pause and head turn had caused her to examine what he was looking at. Tilting her head round uncomfortably, she gulped painfully and dropped a sweat down her face. The rest of the room fell silent at the same time when they saw Shadis stood in the door way. His soul-destroying eyes were locked on [Name] and Jean. "Cadet [L/Name]?" He asked, faking a surprised tone "Can you tell me why, once again, I have found you in the centre of trouble and for the second time already since you have been here, that I have found you pinned to the floor?"
"I'm not pinned to the floor sir!" She called back without thinking of the consequences. "Oh really? Cadet Kirstein! I want you to use all your force to keep Sparks there pinned to the ground."
"What!? But sir-!"
"I believe I was addressing Cadet Kirstein!" He barked back at her rebellion and when she turned her head back around quickly to look up at Jean, he was smirking with that shit-eating grin he wore during enrolment "Don't you dare!" He ignored her and moved his hands from her shoulder to her wrists before she could move away. "Sorry Sparky, I've been given an order from a superior officer…"
"Cadet [L/Name]! If you cannot get up and away, you will be put on stable duty for the rest of the week!" Shadis boomed and Jean laughed through his nose. "Yeah, laugh like that again Jean and I might mistake you for one of the horses!" Through the quiet, [Name] could hear Eren trying hard to hold back his laughter. "Well Cadet? Can you get up?" He was patronizing and [Name] only saw one way out of this situation. Jean was smart and was sat on her legs so she couldn't kick where it would hurt, but he was cocky and was leaning close to her face to intimate her "Are you even gonna try Sparky?" He said quietly enjoying the fact that she could be making a fool out of herself. "You ready?" She whispered back making him lean a little closer like an idiot "What?"
"Hyaa!" She cried out as she pushed her head up full force slamming into his fore head in a front on head butt. "Ghaa!" He pulled back as he loosened his grip and [Name], although dazzled and dizzy from her own attack, Grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him into the floor face first, holding an arm behind his back. There were a few cheers but Shadis' sarcastic slow clap cut through it all. "Well done Cadet [L/Name]…" She looked up at him confused, he didn't sound impressed at all "However can you tell me how that would help you in an attack against a titan?"
"But-!"
"For causing situations like these you are distracting yourself from humanities true enemy, for this, you are still on stable duty for the rest of this week." [Name] let her arms drop loosely as she sat up, still sitting on Jeans back. "Serves you right" He squeaked out as all the air in his lungs was being pushed out by the girl on his back. "Cadet Kirstein, don't think you are not going unpunished!" Jeans face dropped as he moved his eyes to look at Shadis, his cheek being pushed into the floor boards. "You also contributed to this fight, thus distracting yourself from our true enemy! You too are on stable duties with Cadet [L/Name]!" He let out a long groan as [Name] slid off of him to lie on her side on the floor just as Shadis was leaving.
"Already taking her home to meet the family Jean!?" Connie shouted as soon as the door to the mess slammed shut and the cadets began to laugh. Eren in particular, laughing the loudest at all the horse jokes. "Hey, at least when he leaves he gets a badge with his face on it…" [Name] said trying to hold herself together at her own joke. Even Marco let out a giggle at the bash at the MP's badge. "This is your fault Sparky, now I'm stuck shovelling horse shit for the rest of the week!" He said as he pulled himself up off the ground rubbing his head. [Name] just lay on her side watching him with an unamused face "Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled about being stuck with you either!" Jean mumbled something inaudible and stormed off out of the mess hall.
When he was gone she let out a sigh as most people began to lose interest and return to whatever meal they had left. A pair of feet stepped in to her view before her and her eyes followed up the figure as she rolled onto her back. "You didn't catch me this time Marco…" She deadpanned. "Well, you kind of shocked me, leaping over the table like that..." He said back to her with his usual soft smile that instinctively made [Name] smile back at him. He reached out his hand and she gladly took it to help be pulled to her feet.
Once up, she furrowed her brow and shut her eyes tight "uhhhgg…why did I have to head butt him…" She groaned as she rubbed her eyes with a hand. "Next time, he is so getting a knee to the gut…"
"Are you going to be okay?" Marco asked a little worried "You look a little pale" [Name] opened one eye to peek at him "I'm fine don't worry so much" She said putting on a weary smile. She defiantly did not feel fine. The reason she stayed on the floor was because she felt dizzy and even more sick than before, but she wasn't about to fall over again or throw up in front of everyone. 'If I fall over again now, Marco's going to start thinking that I actually like being caught by him…' A hearty laugh interrupted them as Reiner walked over, Bertolt behind him. "That was fantastic! You should use your head more often Sparks!"
"Oh man, you did not just make that joke…" Shrugging, Reiner hit her on the back as if to congratulate her for something "Yep! But just so you know, I wouldn't take too much of what Shadis said to heart. We do cover hand-to-hand combat training at some point, even if it doesn't count towards our final grade." [Name] raised an eyebrow and moaned "Whattt, so I guess head butting is somewhat useful…" Reiner chuckled at the point before saying good bye and leaving the mess hall with Bert and meeting up with Annie in the door way.
[Name] watched them leave because she hadn't had a chance to meet Annie properly yet. She had said hello to her in the sleeping quarters and had a general introduction, but the girl peaked an interest in her. Despite her cold 'I hate everyone' attitude, she seemed to get along fairly well with Reiner and the quiet boy Bertolt. When she spotted that Annie had noticed her staring, [Name] smiled politely at her, receiving a nod of acknowledgment back. "Well I better head over to the stables before Shadis strings me up by my boots…"
"Good idea, I'm going to stay and help Connie with dish duty today, so we might be finished the same time as you and Jean" Marco said as he reached down and picked up the now empty bowl that [Name] was going to eat from before she tipped the table "Are you actually on dish duty Marco?"
"No, but I don't mind staying and helping out" He smiled at her and she responded by shaking her head "What did I tell you about being too nice?" She playfully hit the back of his head as he was smaller than her while reaching down and picking up cups "I would help you pick all this up, but I really do have to go…"
"No I understand, if I don't see you, goodnight [Name]"
"Sure, night Marco." She didn't sound as happy as she did a moment ago due to the reminder of who she was spending the evening with. 'ugghh…' Her stomach didn't feel any better either.
…
The moon was full that night and its intoxicating beams illuminated the area enough for [Name] to see the way to the stables. The small building was close and the orange glow from the torches lit it up. It was cold that night and so she held her arms tightly, mumbling curses under her breath. "It wasn't this frigging cold last night…" As she got closer, she realized that there was someone stood outside, leaning against the building beside the door. "Bout time you got here" Jean called out as he stood straight and rubbed his hands together "It's god damn freezing out here."
"Nothing was stopping you from going on in dumbass…"
"Yeah well…shut up. Neither of us are allowed to leave until this is done and I don't intend on staying out here all night." Ignoring him, [Name] continued into the stables and looked around. There were a lot more horses than she was expecting to be, but it didn't really bother her. "Right, I will take the stalls on the right and you can take the left" She ordered as she took off her tan jacket and rolled up the sleeves of her white blouse. "Since when do you give me orders?" Jean protested as he finally entered the stables behind her "Since I know what I'm doing when it comes to horses. Now move your ass..."
It was no surprise to Jean, [Name] had grown up inside wall Sheena after all. That was where the nobles lived and almost all of them owned their own horse so children of military families like hers would often get an odd job here and there helping maintain them and the stables. He was expecting a few more horse jokes but was relieved to see that [Name] was too busy looking around for buckets and shovels. She rummaged around a little before she found what she was looking for. Picking up the shovel she walked over to Jean and handed it to him, reluctantly, he took it and mirrored her by taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. It didn't take them long to get started cleaning, but the silence was awkward and full of tension. The dizziness that she had begun to feel before was coming and going again and her stomached did not approve. Stopping for a moment she leaned against one of the stalls and rubbed her forehead with her fingers. The horse beside her snorted and nudged her arm with his muzzle. "What do you want, horse?" She asked lifting her hand and petting the copper coloured animal. "What?" Jean snapped turning around from an opposite stall further up frowning. "I wasn't talking to you Kirstein, I was talking to the actual horse, but it's nice to know that you are finally recognizing your species."
"Shut up! And stop slacking, I actually want to get to bed tonight."
"I'm not slacking I'm just-! Ughhh…" She tried to retaliate to his accusation by stepping forward to shout at him, but by moving so quickly and away from the support of the stall, her dizziness rushed over her all at once and something inside her jumped. Freezing in her tracks she spun around to spot the bucket and falling to her knees she emptied her stomach into it. "Woah hey! Are you being sick?!" Jean panicked as he dropped the shovel and rushed over to her. He kneeled down beside her, grabbing a few loose strands of her hair as she retched into the bucket a couple times more before lifting her head up and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ewww…" She breathed out and sighed. Jean instinctively tucked the loose strands of her delicate locks behind her ear in case she was sick again, but recoiled his hand back when she looked at him from the corner of her eye, a little confused and shocked.
"I was just – I mean, are you um…are you okay?" He asked pulling back a little realizing how close he was leaning to her face. "Y-yeah I'm just…a little dizzy…" Jean noticed her face flush red "A-are you sure? You look a little red." He lifted his hand and held the back of it to forehead. Although shocked, she didn't flinch when his warm hand connected with her head, in fact, she froze in place. She found that she couldn't move a single muscle as she watched Jean's face frown, his Amber eyes looking worried for a moment "You don't have a temperature or anything…"
The sound of the stable door latches being pulled up and pushed open made Jean pull his head up to look over her as [Name] sat there dazed. "Hey guys, I saw that the touches were still lit and figured you were still here and want a hand-!" The cheerful sound of Marco's voice cut short when he saw [Name] crouching over a bucket and Jean kneeling beside her "What's wrong?" He asked furrowing his brow creating an unusual worried look on his face. Jean had pulled his hand away and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest "Sparky here was just sick, I hope you realize that I'm still not gonna clean your side!" He huffed, turning on his heels to storm back over to his abandoned shovel. [Name] frowned at his conflicting behavior, it almost seemed like he could be a nice guy, if he tried. She opened her mouth to shout something at him but felt her stomach lurch a second time. Buckling over, she covered her mouth with her hands "[Name]?!" Marco rushed over and crouched down a little so he could place a hand on her back. "You told me that you were fine, do you need to go see the nurse down in medical?" He asked as he rubbed her back in case she was sick again. She shook her head and moved her hands down "No I'm fine, I guess I'm just still a little dizzy from that head-butt. Although, I didn't think hitting something so hollow would actually cause any damage…"
"What was that Sparky?!" [Name] laughed quietly through her nose and Marco hid a small smile "You need a hand up? I can stay and help you finish up here as well" [Name] never liked to ask for help, it made her feel weak sometimes. It seemed to her that Marco had already helped her quite a bit already and she was feeling guilty. It also didn't help with the fact that she was so stubborn with everything and so reached up her hand to hold the stall she was beside and pull herself up. "Nope, I'm good." Marco tilted his head at her doubtfully as she smiled wearily back at him.
"I've done my side." Jean stated blankly and coldly as he let his shovel fall to the ground. "Marco, you coming?" He asked as he passed by him on the way to the door, ignoring the staring angry eyes that watched him leave from [Name]. "We can't leave her here to do it by herself Jean! What if [Name] is ill?" Marco protested. "Pffttt, let him go Marco, at least I won't have to look at his horse face anymore"
"Yeah?! Well I hope you faint in here Sparky!" He retaliated and slammed open the stable doors leaving swiftly. The horse stood beside [Name] whinnied and nudged her arm again "Don't worry boy, I like your face!" She said as she nuzzled her face into his "I think I will call you Jean, what do you think?" The horse trotted its feet gleefully and Marco couldn't help but chuckle. He walked over and picked up the shovel that Jean had been using "What are you doing?" [Name] asked watching him "I'm helping you finish so we can leave" He said cheerfully with a chuckle and [Name] shook her head. "You idiot, do me a favour and go to bed, go catch up with Jean, it won't take me a minuet to finish…"
"Well then it will take less time if I help you and we can leave sooner." There was just no arguing with him, so she gave in and continued her work. "He isn't really a bad person, Jean I mean…" Marco said to her as they were finishing and putting the shovels away. [Name] thought to herself for a moment in consideration "I dunno Marco…" She breathed out finally as he held open the stable door for her to exit "Something tells me he is just one hundred percent jerk…"
"Honestly he's not! I can tell [Name]! Listen, I want you to come sit on our table with us, really, so could you at least try to be friends?" She looked over her shoulder at his face to see that he was sincere. 'Damn him, he is just too sweet…' she thought to herself. She really liked Marco and really wanted him as a friend, he was the type she could rely on and know he would always be there, she didn't really want to miss out on being good friends with him because of some jerk. "…I'm not making any special efforts Marco. But, I won't get into any more fights with him. How's that?" His eyes lit up and he nodded at her "Sure!"
[Name] looked up at the stars that were lighting up the sky. It was still freezing but it didn't bother her so much. She walked back with Marco again, talking about what they thought they would be doing for the rest of the week until they reached the girls sleeping quarters "You are going to have to stop walking this way with me Marco, the girls will get ideas, especially Mina!"
"I know, I know but, this is the fastest way back after all"
"Yeah, I understand it is really cold tonight… Thanks again for helping me, but if you do it again I will personally kick your ass okay?" Chuckling and placing his hands in his pockets, Marco nodded at her "Sure, but promise me if you are feeling unwell tomorrow that you'll go see the nurse!" She rolled her eyes playfully and turned to enter the warm building "I'll consider it!" Marco smiled and shook his head before leaving in the direction of the boys sleeping quarters to rest for the night. He did turn his head round as he was leaving when he heard what sounded like Mina shouting and [Name] laughing hysterically. All he saw was Sasha waving at him mischievously from the window as he waved back confused. He didn't stick around long when he saw Shadis walking past and then storm into the building. "I won't tell you maggots twice!"
When Marco finally made it back, everyone was already in their bunks drifting off. He got changed quietly and climbed into his bed beside Jean's. "Good night Jean" He whispered thinking he might still be awake but was a little disappointed when he didn't reply after a while, so he rolled over and rested his head on his pillow. Jean was awake, he was just in a mood because Marco had chosen to stay and help [Name] instead of leaving with him. An image of her when she looked up at him tucking her hair behind her ear flashed in his mind and he frowned with his eyes closed. Her watery [e/c] eyes looked into his and her face turned pink. 'How can someone so annoying look so cu- whoa Jean what the hell are you thinking?! She's not cute! She's just a pain in the ass, I'm gonna have a big matching bruise on my forehead tomorrow!' Jean was calling it a moment of weakness; he didn't like to admit it but seeing [Name] look so vulnerable didn't sit right with him. He guessed it would be the same with anyone.
"Jean, I know you're awake" Marco said rolling over in the bed next to him and Jean lay as still as he could like a child pretending to be asleep. "You talk in your sleep you know?" Marco insisted as he began to prod his back repeatedly. Eventually he had had enough and flailed his arms about as he rolled over to face his freckled friend. "Alright alright!" He whisper-shouted at him. "What is it?!"
"You're annoyed because I stayed to help [Name], aren't you?" Marco asked, his face falling a little. Jean didn't say anything just stared at him with a childish pout on his face. "Jean?" He asked, and Jean let out a sigh as he gave in "Okay fine. I'm pissed off." Was all he said before attempting to roll over again as Marco grabbed his shoulder to stop him "The only reason you guys don't get along is because you annoyed her on the first day and she is too stubborn to realize that that's just how you are, you don't have a problem with her. Right?"
"Why are you trying so hard to make us get along?"
"I just want us all to be friends, that's all…" Marco said innocently "You and me, we are friends, right Jean?" He asked with chocolate pools gazing into Jeans amber ones and for a moment, Jean even thought that Marco was adorable and couldn't stay mad at him. "You idiot of course we are friends…" He said pushing him away playfully making Marco laugh "I'm really glad that we are," Marco stated almost dreamily and Jean rolled his eyes as he reached below him, grabbed his own pillow, then slammed it over Marco's head. The pair of them had to hold in their laughter, causing their faces to turn red as Jean covered his mouth with his hand and Marco pushed his face into the pillow over it. Jean probably wouldn't show it often, but he was glad that he had made a friend, and a good friend at that. Marco didn't piss him off like most people seemed to do. "I will stay out of fights with her…" Jean continued after he had calmed his laughter "…but I'm not making any promises."
"Okay…" Marco knew that it was the best he was going to get out of either of for now, and gave it a rest. After they said their goodnights the pair drifted off to sleep with the knowledge that theory lessons began first thing tomorrow.
Thank you for reading chapter one, please let me know if you enjoyed it or if I can improve anything :) I hope you continue to read at the next update 3