A/N: Hey everyone! I didn't do an introduction on my first chapter because, well, I'm new to this site and I was still trying to figure out how everything worked. So anyway my name is Jodie and this is my first fanfiction! I got the idea for this as I was listening to Christmas music and "packing" for a family vacation to NY. I'd never really thought much about writing fanfiction but I was so hooked on the idea so I figured I'd give it a shot. With that said, let me know how I'm doing! Message, review, and follow for more!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters. Nor do I own Great Expectations, Catcher in the Rye, Oliver Twist, or The Night Before Christmas.
Chapter 2: Basements and Boxes
6 Days till Christmas
Eren yawned and stretched as he looked about the hazy darkness of the dungeon cell that was his room. At was still about an hour before down and although the blizzard appeared to have died down some, the soft howl of the wind could still be heard from the cracks in the stone walls. Eren got up, picked up his clothes, and walked quietly up the stairs to the men's bathroom. He showered changed, and then made his way to the dining hall where Annie, Bertholt, and Reiner were already sitting in silence, waiting for breakfast to be served. "Morning," he said with a yawn.
"Morning," Reiner replied. Bertholt nodded in Eren's direction. Annie didn't look up. Eren took a seat across from Reiner.
"Have you guys thought about what gifts that you're going to give?" asked Eren.
"Sure have. Bertholt and I figured we'd get ours out of the way. We already got them all figured out and wrapped up," said Reiner.
"Wha-?! Where did you find gifts in a place like this?!" exclaimed Eren.
"In an old cellar we found in the castle," said Bertholt, "This place is way bigger than it looks on the outside. It's got a cellar full of some pretty cool stuff that must have been here from when the Scout Regiment first used it as an HQ."
"Huh…Maybe I should look into that….where did you find it?"
"Over in the east wing past the girls' bathroom," said Reiner, "make a right and there's an old door at the end of the hall that will take you down a flight of stairs. It leads to the basement. The whole room is full of boxes. It's pretty cool."
"So when are you planning on giving your gifts?"
"As soon as we get the chance," said Bertholt.
"Yeah, and by that you mean the perfect moment" said Reiner nudging Bertholt in the ribs. Bertholt blushed and remained quiet. "Anyway, if you want to find a gift or two for your person, you might want to go there now before everyone else gets the good stuff."
"Thanks! I'll check it out!" Eren said, getting up and heading out the door. Just as Reiner said, past the girls' restroom there was a long hallway with an old wooden door at the end that lead to a long, dark stair well. Eren reached into his pocket and lit a match to help him see through the gloom as he walked cautiously down the stairs. At the base of the stairs, Eren gazed around the room in awe. The basement was huge and contained wooden boxes piled high up to the ceiling. He grabbed a candle that happened to be sitting on one of the boxes and lit it just as the flame on the match was about to singe his fingers. He pulled out a knife and pried open the lid on the nearest box and began the long, arduous process of searching for a gift.
About an hour later, he still had not found a suitable present. "This is nuts!" He thought, "At this rate I'll be here all day! Plus, I don't even know what to get for this guy. What does Jean even like besides being a pain in my ass? Fuckin horse face…his nasty ass should go sleep in the stables where he belongs…" At that moment, Eren moved an old hat aside from the box and saw the perfect gift. A sly grin crept across his face. He knew exactly what he was going to do for Jean's gift. He grabbed it and dashed up the stairs.
Levi strode down the hall. He had never been one to enjoy being inside and this weather was killing him. He had taken to wandering the halls to pass the time. Even if it they were the same halls he saw every day, just being able to stretch his legs helped him keep his sanity. He was just beginning to feel relaxed when-
"Good morning Levi!" said an all too familiar voice behind him. Hanji. Fantastic.
"What are you doing here, shitty glasses?" replied Levi as he kept walking.
"Oh you know, a little bit of his and a little bit of that. I finished some documentation earlier so I thought I'd see if you'd be interested in helping me with Sonny and Bean's pain trials. I can't think of anyone better at inflicting pain than you!" said Hanji as she walked along beside him.
"You got that right."
"So you'll help me then?!
"No."
"Oh don't be like Levi! You know, this weather is the perfect thing for my trials. It I can't wait to see how they react to the cold!"
"I don't care. Do you ever do anything besides your 'research'?"
"Well…I sleep, and eat…and sometimes I shower."
"You're filthy."
"And you've got a big piece of something stuck up your butt! Smile, Levi! It's almost Christmas! By the way have you thought about your Secret Santa gift?"
"No."
"Really?! Christmas is only 6 days away! You should hop to it! Not everyone likes getting brooms and cleaning products at this time of year, you know!" Levi had had enough. Who did this woman think she was? She would never know about the filthy slum where he grew up. Or that to him, a clean room was a sign that he was no longer a slave to the underground city. She would never know he had been so poor he had never even had a Christmas. Or that he had never received a Christmas gift in his life. But she didn't know that. She didn't know him and she never would. He spun around, grabbed her by her long brown ponytail, and glared at her as he said,
"Listen, shitty glasses, what I do with my time is none of your damn business. So listen and listen good. I am going to get whatever the hell I want for my person for Christmas and then I'm never celebrating Christmas again. I hate Christmas. I always have. If it wasn't for your stupid little idea, I wouldn't even be celebrating Christmas. So next time you want to get in my way, don't. Got it?"
Hanji nodded nervously. What got into him? Was it something she said? "G-got it…" she stammered.
"Good. I'm leaving now."
"Levi, wait!" she called after him but he had already stormed off down the hall leaving her alone in the musty hallway. "Geez…what a grouch…" she muttered as she walked off in the opposite direction.
It was now mid-morning and the dining area was buzzing with activity. Armin and Mikasa were sitting side by side eating breakfast when they saw Eren enter the room with a smile plastered across his face. "Hey Eren! You're in a good mood. I'm guessing you got your present taken care of?" inquired Armin.
"You got that right! My person is getting exactly what they deserve…." Replied Eren with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "What about you guys, have you gotten your gifts yet?"
"No, not yet. We're waiting for the weather to die down before we go into town to look for presents," said Mikasa.
"Oh! That's what I meant to tell you guys! There's this awesome basement downstairs that's full of cool stuff! You can find some awesome presents down there. That's what I did."
"Really?!" said Armin, "Wow, that's amazing! This place must be older than it looks. I wonder how old the stuff down there is. Are you sure it's still in good condition?"
"Of course I'm sure! Come with me and I'll show you!" said Eren.
"Ok, let's stop by my room first so I can get my candle. I'm sure it'll be dark down there," said Armin. The trio walked back to the large makeshift bedroom that Armin shared with Connie, Reiner, Bertholt, and Jean. Armin walked over to his bunk bed and saw a beautiful wrapped green package laying on his sheets. "Look guys! I think I got my gift!" he exclaimed with excitement. Eren and Mikasa gathered around.
"That's so cool! Open it, and let's see what it is!" said Eren. Armin peeled off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a collection of leather bound books with faded gold lettering.
"What are they?" asked Mikasa.
"These…these books are really old," said Armin, "The Catcher in the Rye…Great Expectations…Oliver Twist…. They must have been written before the fall of mankind! This is incredible!" exclaimed Armin pulling them out one by one. The last book fell from the box onto floor and fell open.
"What's that one?" said Eren picking it up. He held it up and read the title out loud "The Night Before Christmas…"
Armin gasped, "These HAVE to be old then! This book might have some insight into the history of Christmas! Before the titans appeared! Maybe we can finally figure out what the true meaning of Christmas is!"
Before Eren and Mikasa could say anything, the door bust open. "Sup, losers!" said Jean as he strode into the room closely followed by Bertholt and Connie. In the crook of his arm he held a large red box. "I see you got your gift, Arlet," he said eyeing the book in Armin's hand, "well I got mine too. How about you, Jaeger, you get anything yet?"
"Nope, not yet," said Eren doing his best to keep a poker face as he eyed the package in Jean's arms, "but why don't you open yous, I'd love to see it."
"Yeah, man, open it!" pipped Connie.
"With pleasure," said Jean. He ripped the paper off the package, opened the box, and a rancid smell filled the air.
"OH GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! IT SMELLS LIKE SHIT!" exclaimed Connie covering his nose."
"Because it IS shit!" snapped Mikasa.
Sure enough, the box in Jean's hands was full of wet brown horse poop. The note on the package simply read, "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!"
"UGH! That's disgusting!" said Jean. As he went to sit on the side of his bed, he pulled back the sheet and let out a high pitched shriek. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" he screamed. Under his bed sheets was a horse's head with its mouth wide open. Jean scrambled back and he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his rear end. In his surprise, Jean dropped the box and the horse manure spilled onto his lap, soaking his pristine white pants with hideous brown stains. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" he shouted, "THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT! WHO THE FUCK DOES THIS?!"
"Calm the fuck down! It's just a mask!" said Connie pulling the sheet off the bed and holding the mask up. "For someone who talks big, you scream like a little girl, Jean!"
At that moment, Reiner walked in. "Hey guys! Oh god, what's that smell?" he said.
"Jean's Christmas present," smirked Connie.
"This is fucking stupid! I'm telling Hanji! Whoever the fuck did this is going to get it!" screamed Jean
"Slow your roll, tough guy," said Reiner, "I'm sure there's some kind of explanation behind this."
"What the fuck do you know?! Did you get SHIT in your gift box?! How do I know it wasn't YOU who put it in there?!"
"What the hell?! ME?! Why the hell would I do that?" Reiner said, taken aback.
"So it WAS you then!" screamed Jean as he grabbed the collar of Reiner's shirt and pulled his face just inches away from his own.
"NO IT WASN'T!" bellowed Reiner, "Now watch it, you filthy animal! I need to get my stuff," he pushed Jean off and strode over to his bed.
"Wh-…what did you say?" stammered Jean.
Reiner grabbed his bag and stood up, glaring at Jean, "I said, 'you…filthy…animal…need me to spell it out for you?" Jean stared at Reiner with his mouth open. Without another word, Reiner pushed past Jean and stomped out the door.
At this point Eren couldn't hold his laughter in any more. He grabbed Armin and Mikasa's arms and lead them toward the door. "We're leaving. Have fun with your shit, Jean!" and with that they were out the door. Behind him, Eren could hear Jean's agitated screams and he allowed himself one satisfied smile.
