"Eren" I called out, my hands on my hips and glaring at the boy. The soldier from the military police holding him by his arm had just told me Eren had been expressing his feelings towards the military police. It had of course been in Erens usual way and had ended with him trying to pick a fight. Mikasa had stopped it but the soldier had decided to make a house visit and inform me.
"But they're useless and incompetent." I sighed at the boy, fiery green blue eyes looking at me. I narrowed my own forest green eyes at him.
"And that doesn't mean you have to tell it to the whole wide world."
"Why not?" Was the angry answer I got.
"I don't want to hear it!" I told him and before he had the chance to say anything more I spoke again. "Your room, now!" He looked at me with angry eyes and jerked his arm out of the soldiers grip before he stomped towards the stairs and up to his and Armins shared room. I could hear the door slamming shut all the way down and looked towards the stairs. A loud sigh escaped my lips. "Let him be for a while!" I said as Mikasa and Armin passed me in silence. They looked at me and nodded. Not that I needed to tell them, they knew better than me to leave him alone when he was like this but I felt the need to say it anyways.
"I'm sorry about him; he has…quite strong opinions." I looked back at the soldier with an apologizing smile. Now that I focused more on the soldier I noted that he seemed to be around my age, tall and with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
"It's alright. I just thought it was better to follow him home so he wouldn't get into more trouble." The man smiled at me, his brown eyes glowing with warmth and I couldn't help but to smile back at him.
"Well thank you for that, uhm…"
"Private Caleb Turner of the Military Police, Ms…" His smile widened a little in pride.
"It's Mrs. Mrs Valerie Evans." The mention of the honorific his smile dropped and his eyes widened slightly, seeming surprised.
"Ohh, sorry of course it is considering." His eyes moved beyond me and at first I didn't get what he meant and then it hit me that he thought Eren and the others where my children. I blushed, feeling embarrassed.
"No it's not like that. They're…I'm their guardian." I gave him a weak smile.
"I see. That's very kind of you and your husband." He politely told me his smile now more forced than before.
"I'm widowed." It slipped out of me before I had a chance to think about it, I suppose I was just used to saying it by now. He tried to look sorry about my status but the genuine smile came back to his face and his eyes sparked up again.
"I'm sorry to hear." He said, not looking especially sorry. "Well if you need help with anything, anytime just…let me know."
"Thank you Private Turner, I will be sure to remember that."
"Caleb, you can call me Caleb." I gave him a smile and he saluted me. "Good Bye, Mrs Valerie Evans." He said and I nodded as a response before he turned and walked away. I watched him for a moment before I sighed to myself as I walked inside, closing the door behind me.
I looked towards the stairs after I'd closed the door. Armin and Mikasa were sitting in the sofa, having watched me until I turned around. I sighed again before I turned towards the kitchen to prepare dinner. I figured it was best to let Eren calm down by his own. After an hour the dinner was almost finished.
"Dinner." I called out, loud enough so Eren would hear it. Mikasa and Armin made their way to the table and I started filling their plates with potatoes and fish. Eren didn't come down so I walked up and knocked gently on his door. "Eren, it's dinner."
"I'm not hungry." I could hear him call from inside the room. I took a deep breath before I continued.
"It doesn't matter how angry you are at me. You have to eat." It was silent for a moment then I heard movement and at last the door opened. He didn't look at me as he passed me and walked down stairs. "Thank you." I called after him and he grunted.
"I'm not doing it for you."
"Well I don't care as long as you eat." At last we sat down and ate in silence. After the dinner Eren went up to his room again. Armin and Mikasa helped me to clean up in the kitchen before they too disappeared upstairs. After a short moment I made my way up towards the stairs and silently sat down against the door to Eren and Armin's bedroom, eavesdropping on their conversation. Words like killing the titans, getting revenge and joining the survey corps rang loudly thru the room by Eren's angered and energetic voice. I sighed; it was no secret he wanted to join and with everything that happen it had only fuelled his will. I also knew Mikasa and Armin would follow him wherever he would go. I sighed again. I wanted to burst in and tell them there would be no joining of any military fractions for any of them. But it would only be for my own selfish reasons because I didn't want to lose them like I lost Levi, Farlan and Isabel. They were all I had now, my new family. And the day of the attack, watching Eren call out his revenge on the titans, I'd decided that I wouldn't try to stop him, or Mikasa and Armin, from doing what they felt they needed to do, even if it meant joining the survey corps. I sighed again, leaning my head forward.
"Just stay alive." I whispered silently, knowing that they couldn't hear my wish.
A little over a month passed by and I ran into Private Turner a few times after he'd brought Eren home. I greeted him kindly every time, to Erens dismay.
"He's a useless swine." I sighed as I picked out some apples.
"Language!" I pointed out.
"But he is. I don't understand why you bother being nice to him." I looked down at the boy besides me, capturing his jaw in my hand.
"It calls being civil, you should try it sometimes!" I smiled at him but he snorted and pulled his head out of my loose grip. "Anyways you know I agree with the most of your thoughts about the military police, but that doesn't mean everyone in the police is corrupted and useless. I happen to think Private Turner is a nice and kind man, civil." I said and looked down at Eren with a smile. He rolled his eyes at my little joke at the end.
"Well I still don't like him, so don't think about marry him like you did with Friedrich." My smile dropped slightly and I lowered my eyes. I hadn't thought about him for a long time now and I felt the guilt rise inside of me. Eren seemed to notice this because suddenly he took my hand and I looked at him. I smiled at the small gesture of comfort.
"Don't worry; I'm not planning on marrying Private Turner, or anyone else." Eren let go of my hand and put his own hands behind his head.
"Good because if you do I move out." I laughed and paid the man at the stand for the apples and other vegetables I brought.
"I don't need any other man in my life as long as I got you." I said and put my arm around the boy. He snorted again but a smile crept upon his face and it made me happy.