I do not own Attack on Titan
When we entered the Mess Hall, recruits were already gathered and forming small groups. Having no one to hang out with, I joined Mina and her group. With so many people, the Mess Hall was very tight. Although we were sheltered from the sun, the smell of body odor and humidity continued to cling to us.
I stepped away from the group to get a drink of water from the barrel in the corner of the room. Accidentally, I ran into someone while navigating through the bodies. When I looked up, I was met with moss green eyes and dark hair. Beside him was the thick blonde from the Initiation Ceremony. With their eyes on me, and their sheer height dwarfing mine, I was slightly intimidated by them.
"Sorry," I apologized.
"Don't be. It's awful crowded in here." The dark haired one asked. "What's your name?"
"Naomi."
He stuck out his hand to shake mine.
"I'm Bertolt. Nice to meet you." Bertolt pointed to his friend. "That's Reiner."
Reiner grunted a hello. "Lucky you bumped into Bertolt, otherwise I might've stepped on you."
I slightly paled at the thought as Reiner chuckled good-naturedly.
"I'm not that short. I come up to your neck."
Bertolt smiled. "Not even on me."
I replied with more energy in my voice, "Maybe I'll grow! Just wait and see me pass both of you in height!"
That received a hearty laugh from Reiner and a big grin from Bertolt. As Reiner's laughed died down he patted my head.
"Good luck with that, Little Mouse."
I remembered what I was doing before I met the boys, and worked my way to the water. As I quenched my thirst, I saw two girls sitting down nearby. She was a very tan individual with a dusting of freckles over her face and her brown hair pulled back. The girl rubbed her neck with a pained look on her face. The other one was a sweet looking girl with blonde hair.
"Feeling sore?" I asked the brown-haired girl.
She turned her head towards me, sizing me up.
"No, I'm fine," she said with a hint of sharpness in her tone.
I stepped toward her. "Want me to help?"
"No, go away."
The girl beside her said, "Ymir, just let her help you. What could it hurt?"
Wordlessly, Ymir glanced at her friend with annoyance, and then shot me a look. However her friend patted the bench in beckoning.
I sat down beside her and started kneading Ymir's back with my fingers. Still frigid towards me, she sat in silence.
The blonde girl said, "Don't worry about Ymir. She just doesn't like getting help often. I'm Krista."
I replied to her, "Naomi."
"Nice to meet you, Naomi."
"Alright enough," Ymir grumbled, standing up.
She flexed her back and rolled her shoulders.
Without turning to face me, she admitted, "That was ok."
Krista brightened. "You feel better?"
"I don't feel any soreness anymore," turning towards me, still with a cold look on her face, said, "Nice to meet you."
Before I could answer, Shadis burst into the Mess Hall and had us return to the training grounds. For the rest of the day, he yelled commands at us and we had to yell the response back. By the end of the day, I was drenched in sweat and Sasha was still running. The first wave of dropouts left by wagon just before the sun set on the horizon.
I swore to myself that I would make it through all the way, Military Police or not. Working in the fields was not an option for me.
At dinner, I sat with Ymir and Krista. Ymir acted stand-offish, but she tolerated my presence. Krista was the one that chattered to both of us. I politely responded, trying to forget the bland taste of our food supplied to us. Suddenly, all conversations ended and one boy was talking. He talked about the recent fall of Wall Maria. A group of captivated recruits circled his table.
I whispered over to Krista, "Who is he?"
"That's Eren Jaeger. He's from Shiganshima, the town that fell to the Titans." She added, "Those other two are Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. They too, come from Shiganshima."
"I feel sorry for them."
"Me too."
Eren growled, "Those stupid Titans. They're really not that big of a deal. If we focus on mastering the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear they gave us, then it's Titan payback time. I've waited years to be trained as a soldier. All of a sudden the reality is sinking in. I'm joining the Scout Regiment, then I'm sending the Titans back to hell. I'm gonna butcher them all."
Across the room, Jean piped up, "Hey, are you crazy or something?"
Sitting with his head propped up on his arm, he looked at Eren with mild scorn.
He continued, "Not that it's any of my business, but signing up for reconnaissance is like a death sentence."
The air started getting tense as Eren glared at Jean.
"I guess we'll see," Eren replied defensively. "Or at least I will. You seem content in hiding in the interior with the MPs."
"Look, I'm just speaking honestly here, kid. I think it's better than being some loudmouth-bragger-tough-guy-wannabe pretending he's not as piss scared as the rest of us."
He somehow managed to make a bad impression no matter what came out of his mouth. Eren abruptly stood up.
Krista clutched Ymir's arm in fright.
"Oh dear. I hope they don't fight."
Dryly, Ymir replied, "They won't."
"I have a feeling that it'll be like this often between the two," I whispered.
Just then the bell rang, signifying the end of dinner and preparation for bedtime. Eren and Jean stood face to face, ready to pounce on each other, but instead, Jean sighed.
"Hey, I apologize. Sorry for calling you names and dismissing your choice of career." Holding his hand out, Jean said, "Put'er there kid, whaddya say?"
Eren scowled at him, unconvinced. "Right. Yeah, I'm sorry as well."
With that, he slapped Jean's hand away and started for the door. Following after him, was Mikasa. I saw Jean unsuccessful try to talk to her, a flustered look on his face. Krista saw too and craned her head to watch the scene.
"Oooh. Jean likes Mikasa."
I said as Mikasa left out the door, "It looks like he got blown off by her."
He disappeared out the door after her. Krista was studying me when I turned to clean up my dishes. She had a smirk on her face.
"You like him, don't you?"
"What? No. He'd be handsome if not for his smug personality."
Ymir stated, "I think he's an ass. I doubt he'll have any admirers."
With that said, we put our dishes away and got ready for bed. After showering and changing into my casual clothes, I stepped out of the communal bathrooms and started for the girls' barracks. I was daydreaming about how nice my bed would feel after the first day when a voice broke through my thoughts.
"Hey, wait!"
Turning, I found Jean Kirschtein jogging up to meet me. He'd just taken a shower, and his hair was still damp. The nearby torch illuminated his hair orange. Up close, I saw the sharp masculine features of his face.
I caught myself gawking at him and replied, "Yes?"
"You dropped your comb," Jean said while holding it out to me.
I took it and said, "Oh! Thanks. Can't live without my comb."
There was a brief moment of silence. I didn't feel right just walking away, and I was slightly petrified in place by my faint attraction towards Jean. I wasn't fond of his attitude, but at the same time, I still found him attractive.
He cleared his throat and asked, "You're Naomi right?"
"Yeah." I pointed to him, "Jean?"
"That's right."
"How's your head?"
In the torchlight, I thought I saw a blush creep up his face.
He grumbled, "Fine."
"That's good to hear. I'd better get to the barracks. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
With that, we departed.
*O*O*
Upon entering the boys' barracks, Jean plopped down on his cot. Marco Bodt was already in his against the wall, reading. Looking at Jean, he smiled in hello. Jean grunted as he peeled off his boots. Mikasa and Eren hung heavy in his mind.
"What a day, huh Marco?"
"First day is always the hardest," Marco added.
"I can't wait to start training in the mobility gear." Jean sighed as he lay on his cot.
"Yo!" A boy by the name of Nac Tius called out in the barracks. "Who's the hottest chic among the recruits?"
Mylius hollered, "Thomas Wagner."
Everyone burst out laughing as Thomas turned red and cried out indignantly.
Marco said, "C'mon guys. Let's be decent here and not dehumanize the girls."
"Can we just go to sleep?" Armin asked to no one in particular.
Ignoring the protests, Nac continued, "What about Ackerman? She's got a hot bod on her."
Until then, Eren laid on his side trying to sleep when Mikasa's name came up. He bolted upright in his cot and growled, "Don't even go there, or I'll kill you."
Jean watched as Nac held up his hands in surrender.
"Fine, fine. But I think it's between her and the Peters girl."
Tom asked, "Is she Oriental too?"
"I don't know. Looks like it. Anyone go the deets on her?"
"You think I'd have a chance with her?" Connie asked wistfully.
Jean burst with, "She probably is really smart and has standards that none of us could compare to because she's too busy taking care of idiots who can't keep their mouths shut."
The boys who were awake and active in the conversation stopped and gaped at Jean with slight confusion. Jean didn't meet the gaze of his friend Marco and instead, rolled over and retired for the night. Marco looked over at Jean with concern.
It was then Reiner rumbled from his cot, "She's human like the rest of us. Now go to sleep."
The tone of his voice was enough to hush Nac and the rest of the boys in the barracks, and with the snuffing of the lamps, darkness cloaked them.
