A/N: Your reviews are making me smile, guys. Thanks heaps!
This fic was supposed to be all fluffy and nice but I feel like it's going in a very wrong direction...
"Aww he's adorable! Is he really Eren?" Petra exclaimed, and I winced as she squished my cheeks together, giggling happily. I tried to ignore a man, apparently called Mike, sniffing curiously at my neck. Tried.
Seriously, what is the problem with people here?
"Yeah…" Levi sighed, sipping from his cup. "Oi brat, you should eat."
I look down at my bread and sigh. It didn't look one bit appetising, to be honest. I wasn't really hungry.
"Here, do you want me to feed you~?" Petra giggled, tearing off a piece of bread and waving it in front of my face. Seeing me seal my lips shut and scoot back further into my chair had her giggling even more. "Eat Eren, come on!"
"Tch, he's six, he can eat his own fucking food." Auruo grumped, his lips set in a hard grimace. He glared at me lazily with a distasteful expression, biting at his bread.
"Auruo! Don't swear in front of him!" The orange haired girl cried, blocking my ears with her hands. I looked down at the spotless floor glumly. I've already heard it, Petra. Many, many times.
I heard Levi sigh for the billionth time. "I just hope the Military Police doesn't find out…" He set his cup down onto the wooden table and leant on one elbow, brushing microscopic dust particles off the tabletop.
Suddenly, there were three sharp knocks on the door.
Levi slid his gaze uninterestingly towards the door, and Petra jumped out of her seat. "I'll get it!" She exclaimed as she marched over and flung the door open.
Standing at the door was a smiling Hanji, an unhappy blonde man with amazing eyebrows and an even more unhappy man with a Military Police jacket.
There was a moment of still silence before Hanji gave an awkward laugh. "Ah… I'm sorry~"
Levi slouched over even further onto the table. "Tch. Of course." He glared over at the three. "I knew it was only a matter of time, but already? Hanji-"
"Yeah, well, I told them Eren's run away somewhere but I guess that wasn't a good idea-"
"Quiet." The man with the horse logo said, and they stopped to look at him – I saw a receding hairline and dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. "Where is Eren Jaeger?"
Me?
What did he want with me?
"BRING OUT EREN JAEGER IMMEDIATELY!"
"Ah… I am… I guess?" I stammered, trying to turn myself around clumsily in my chair so I could face him.
He stared at me hard, almost creepily, before turning to Hanji. "So you were telling the truth at the end. Surprising." He suddenly marched quickly over to me, leaving mud footprints behind on the wood that received a scornful look from Levi. "You will come with us, then."
Wait, what?
He grabbed painfully hard onto my arm and dragged me off the chair, not letting go even when I fell right off my chair into a heap on the dirt-trekked floor.
"What are you going to do with a dumb brat like him?" I heard Levi's cold voice come from above me, and I looked up to see the man staring back just as emotionlessly.
"Jaeger is technically currently a titan. He attempted turning into a titan, there was a spark, but when the steam disappeared he was a young boy." He yanked me up forcefully, and I find myself biting back a whimper as my arm goes through a thorough amount of abuse.
"Are you fucking kidding me? I didn't know the survival of humanity was in the hands of such idiotic men." Levi rose from his seat, glaring to a terrifying degree.
"Levi, don't." The blonde man at the doorway spoke for the first time, his voice low and intelligent. His piercing blue eyes stared at him, warning him.
"Are you saying you're fine with this, Erwin?"
"Of course not."
The man walked up to the one still grasping onto my arm. "I think it fair that we give him a chance. He has been harmless for the entire day, and in this physical state it's unlikely he'll cause any problems."
The Military Police man looked at him with blank eyes, and then at me. His glare bore into me, and I felt his hand dig further into my flesh. "The chances of him turning into a titan in this state…?"
"Is close to zero." Hanji said swiftly, still standing in the doorway. "He doesn't have the ability nor the knowledge to do so."
The man studied her for a moment, then me, and then finally released the grip on my arm. It throbbed for a bit and I rubbed at it through the fabric of my sleeve, staring up at the man. "Very well then." He said finally, "But to prevent any… unfortunate accidents, he must be chained at night and must have 24 hour surveillance."
"Didn't we just tell you that he's-" Levi started, but Erwin cut him off. "Yes, we understand. We agree with your terms."
The man hesitated, but left in the end with an unconvinced look clear on his face. I watched him leave and the door close after him.
Questions swam endlessly through my mind. Why was he going to take me away? Why did everyone keep talking about how I was a titan?
I heard Hanji sigh and I glanced over at her, still standing near the doorway. Her hands were placed on her hips, and she looked at me from behind her thick glasses. "Eren." She said at last, letting her hands slip off to dangle beside on either side of her. "Have you finished eating?"
I didn't end up eating, but sure. I nodded at her, wondering what was going to happen.
"Come with me, then." She said and walked past the table, past the corporal and his squad, and paused at the top of the staircase when I didn't follow. "Come on."
I opened my mouth to ask her where we were going, but Levi spoke first, his arms crossed unhappily. "Hanji. Are you really thinking about chaining him up-"
"Well that's what they said to do. I don't want to either."
"He's six Hanji, fucking six!"
"I know that! But if it's between him being ripped apart to be experimented on or chaining him up, I'd rather the latter."
Not having a clue what they were discussing, I looked down at the floor. It was polished to such a degree that I could almost see my reflection in the surface.
"Levi, Hanji's right about this one. For now, we'll just have to go by their orders." Erwin's voice drifted over and I looked up just as Hanji grabbed my hand and pulled me along, but her grip was far gentler than the man from before.
I could almost feel the corporal's glare burning holes through my back.
Led by Hanji, we trudged down two flights of stairs before we reached a bare, cold room with a single white bed in the corner.
"This's going to be your room from now." She said as she pushed my reluctant body further into the coldness. "You'll sleep here."
Seeing her expectant stare, I climbed up onto the bed. It felt hard and uncomfortable underneath my body, but there was no way I was going to complain, not after all that just then.
"And…" She sighed, and reached her hand out to either side of the bed to retrieve handcuffs with chains attached to them. "I don't want to do this at all, but you're permitted to wear these while you sleep."
I looked at them blankly. Chains? Handcuffs?
Now this bare room reminded me too much of a prison. And I was the criminal.
But why?
"I'm sorry." She added quickly when I remained silent, and I quickly regain what little composure I had. "Ah, no… it's fine." I stutter as she slipped them around my wrists and I heard a clank as they locked in. They felt cold and heavy around my wrists, and they weighed down my arms to the bed.
"I'm sorry, really." She said again, but I managed a small smile.
"It's okay. Good night." I told her, and she smiled weakly at me before patting me on the head and walking out of the door, shutting it securely behind her. As her footsteps faded away, I realized how alone I was, and shivering I struggle with the chains to pull the thin blanket over me. It did little to shield me from the impending chill, but it was better than nothing. And I knew better than to complain.
I looked sideways at the chains, the smell of rusting metal lingering in my nose. I heard them clink every time I moved.
Why am I chained?
I didn't want to be bound. I didn't do anything wrong.
I was trapped enough with the walls surrounding us.
I wanted to be free.
I felt a sudden warmth slide down my deathly cold cheeks, and I blink unexplainable tears out of my eyes.
I had no idea why I was crying, to be honest. I didn't want to either.
Struggling to lift one heavy arm up, I rub the tears off my face but give up when the chains connecting to the cuffs kept bashing into my face. More tears just slide down, anyway.
I stared at the ceiling, willing them to go away. Every breath I took in stung my lungs with icy air, and my throat burned.
Suddenly, I felt warmth engulf my hand, and I slide my eyes to the shackled wrist to find a pair of hands holding mine. I looked up to see where a face should be but found it was too dark to see.
"Oi, brat. Don't cry. You'll stain the sheets." The owner of the hands told me, gripping my hand gently. I choked out an apology and swallowed my sobs down, which just caused hiccups to echo through the room. I heard a sigh, and felt soothing hands brush my tears away.
"You'll be okay. I'm here."
Was it corporal…?
Whoever it was, the warmth from his hand and the sound of his voice were the only reasons I managed to slip into oblivion in this cold and painfully lonely room.
