You guys would be so proud of me!

I felt bad for disappearing like that, especially because that last chapter had just been sitting on my computer, just waiting to get proofread. As a special 'sorry', I updated in like 5 days. So, enjoy and be merry!

Does anyone have any ship name ideas?! Because I'm struggling heavily.

…I only give you a hard time

Cuz I can't go on and pretend like

I haven't tried to forget this

But I'm much too full of resentment…

"This is ridiculous," Mike muttered to himself as Ares sprinted past him.

She was on her twentieth lap. She was running, mostly because Mike didn't have the first clue as to how to train someone like Ares. He didn't know what he could train her on.

She zipped past him with incredible speed once more and he shook his head. How long could she run like that for? He had never met anyone like her in his entire life. She just never seemed to get tired. It didn't matter how much she pushed herself, she never slowed down.

She was an incredible force to be reckoned with and Mike found himself mentally giving a round of applause to his Commander for pushing for her to be a part of their legion. She was an excellent soldier. Sure, she had a terrible past, but ultimately, her skills would be irreplaceable for the legion. Maybe one day, she could lead her own squad.

Some days, Mike liked to imagine that her entire situation was genuine. He wanted to believe that she was here because she wanted to be, because she wanted to make a difference. But Mike didn't think that that was the case with the silver-haired woman.

He didn't agree with Levi that she was here to kill somebody or cause trouble, but he didn't disagree with him on the aspects of her reasons for giving herself up. He accepted that there was a big possibility that this was all a horrible façade. That she wasn't here to make a difference or be better, she was here with an ulterior motive altogether.

Still, Mike hoped that there was a chance she'd stay anyways. That she'd find a bigger purpose here than where she was before. He believed that she genuinely did like her time with them on occasion. It was a shame that her good experiences were being clouded by this terrible one. She looked good with them. She worked well with them. And Mike thought that she might be able to save more lives with them.

A small price for the lives she took before.

So, Mike hoped. He hoped that she would stay. That despite her circumstances now, she would decide to forgive them and stay anyways.

Whoosh…

She passed by him again, shaking him of his thoughts of her. It didn't take long for her to make another lap around and come up on him again.

"Alright, alright, stop," Mike got her attention. She immediately came to a stop in front of him and clasped her hands behind her back with incredible posture.

Mike looked her over, eyes dilating. He wondered how she was so good at it. The whole soldier thing. For someone who seemed to absolutely abhor law and order, she was very proficient at following orders. A natural. He wondered where it came from.

He crossed his arms, his pale blue eyes meeting gold. She kept an even stare, waiting patiently for her next orders. She was like a statue. Stiff and unmoving.

It was very unnerving. It was one of the many things about her that tended to throw him off.

"Do you ever get tired?" He asked her curiously.

She smirked lightly before shrugging. Not really an answer…

"What does that mean?" He asked.

She licked her lip, swiping her right thumb across her lip in thought, before shaking her head.

A 'no'.

"How long can you run like that for?" He asked her. He tried not to let his shock shine through the feigned indifference of his question.

She shrugged again. Mike rolled his eyes, puffing out some air in exasperation, "You're weird, you know that?"

She flipped him off with both hands in response.

"Is there even a point in making you train today?" He asked her.

She shrugged again.

"Are those the only responses I'm getting from you? Flipping me off or shrugging?"

She decided to do both at the same time.

Mike sighed, running his hand through his hair in thought, "How does Erwin even talk to you?"

She didn't respond at that, instead, smirking widely at his question.

Mike stared evenly at her, simply observing how she stood, how she looked. She was a conundrum if Mike had ever seen one, and it was frustrating just how well she was at being one. So, Mike had to think of something else for her to do. Something that would grant him an opportunity to unravel her, see her better.

"Fuck this, let's do something else," He placed his hands on his hips before walking away. Ares followed him suit, "You ever had Bavarian Torte?"

Ares looked taken aback by his statement, shaking her head in response.

"Good, maybe you can learn something new today," Mike sighed.

…

It was the strangest thing, Ares thought.

Of course, Ares was familiar with the aspect of cooking, she had watched her foster mother do it all the time. In fact, she preferred to help her in the kitchen most days instead of playing with the other children. She had never really cooked anything herself, though, acting more as an assistant than anything else. Nova used to call her her 'Little Helper'.

The thought made Ares' mouth twitch in an almost smile.

But it wasn't the aspect of cooking that Ares found strange. No, it wasn't that.

It was the image she had before her. The sight of Mike Zacharias in an apron, covered in flour and mixing a concoction in a bowl that sat in his hands. He cradled it like it was a baby and Ares had to cover her mouth to keep her chuckles at bay.

"You laughin' at me?" He asked her. It only caused her to chuckle a little more, using both hands to cover her mouth now.

"It's the apron isn't it?" He asked her.

Ares tightened her mouth, running her eyes over him once. She cleared her throat, shrugging nonchalantly, trying to keep her giggles in.

It was almost…sweet.

He was just such a giant man, much much taller than her. To anyone else, Mike could appear very intimidating. He was quite a serious man who refused to talk almost as much as Ares. Combine that with his massive height and his tendencies to sniff people at first meet, he didn't seem that approachable.

However, Ares quickly came to realize that most of the soldiers in the legion weren't approachable by any means. It was like the whole legion seemed to have a preference for employing the most peculiar people.

But Ares didn't mind this. She figured that it could only be the unusual people that would come to accept her. Only weird people would allow a serial killer to fight alongside them.

It was Mike thrusting his bowl of batter at her that brought her back from her thoughts. She grabbed it and cocked at eyebrow at him.

He nodded to the bowl, "Stir it."

She slowly began to mix the odd mixture, looking down in confusion at what it was. When Mike turned back around, he was holding a few apples. He grabbed a sharp knife, twirling it in his hands with a professionalism that could have rivaled hers, and he began to chop the apples into smaller slices. He must've seen the confusion on her face, because he soon started explaining whatever the hell it was that they were doing to her.

"We're making Apple Bavarian Torte. It's my family's recipe," He started. He finished chopping the apples, putting them in a separate bowl and turning around to grab other ingredients. Ares leaned over the bowl of apple slices and grabbed a couple, stuffing them in her mouth. Mike quickly turned around and smacked her hand away. He gave her a look and pointed back to her bowl, "Keep mixing."

Ares threw him a look but followed his instructions. Eventually, the mixture became smooth and Mike leaned over to check it out. When he was satisfied with her work, he put a pan in front of her and tapped her arm, "Pour that in there and press it along the pan."

Ares felt herself get goosebumps at the action. Mike touched her often. More than most people. She wasn't sure if it was because he felt comfortable or what, but she found that she enjoyed the sensation. Ares swallowed at that possibility—that he was just comfortable with her. He wasn't scared of her like everyone else.

Ares liked scaring people, she did. She liked inspiring fear into others. She liked the taste.

But she was beginning to think that maybe she liked it because she didn't have a choice otherwise. Ares naturally scared people here. That was a fact. Whether it was due to her historic violence or her strange mannerisms, oftentimes, Ares found that she rubbed people the wrong way.

However, Mike didn't seem to mind this.

He saw that she scared people, he knew her past, but he chose to act indifferently towards her. Well, as indifferently as he could.

Ares didn't think it was an attraction. He didn't stare at her chest nearly enough for it to be an attraction.

But Ares thought that if he ever did display those intentions, she might not mind it. Mike was an attractive man. And just the fact that he didn't show any interest in her beyond human decency triggered her curiosity.

Because men had always been interested.

But Ares found herself wanting to be around the ones that weren't.

When Ares was done pressing the dough into the pan, Mike handed her another bowl of ingredients to stir up. He told her she had to do it until it was fluffy. When she was finished with that, he instructed her to pour the concoction over the dough in the pan. He put his apple mixture on top of hers and grabbed the pan quickly.

She watched as he put the pan in the oven and closed the door. He then turned back to her, grabbing a towel and wiping his hands. She turned to eat the remaining apple slices that she believed he had purposely left, and he leaned against another counter across from her, grabbing some almonds. He chucked them in his mouth and sighed.

"Now, that's going to bake for twenty minutes," He motioned to the oven.

Ares nodded her head, eating more apple slices.

"That your first time cooking?" He asked her.

Ares took her hand, gesturing a 'kinda' to him.

"It's a hobby of mine. Helps me relax, helps me think," Mike sighed again.

Ares rose a brow at him in question at his statement. Was he stressed?

"You have to understand, while I don't believe you murdered that kid, someone must have done it. And I don't have the slightest idea who," He crossed his arms, a look of frustration appearing on his face, "We've never dealt with something like this before. Honestly, as shitty as it sounds, I almost prefer it was you."

Ares bit her lip once, turning her head back to the oven. She understood his issue. There was a murderer on the loose, and for once, it wasn't her. It looked like Erwin had a big problem on his hands.

Sounded like a personal problem to her.

Ares shrugged, tossing another apple slice into her mouth.

She noticed Mike watching her carefully and made a face at him as if to say, 'what are you looking at?'.

"Is this real?" He asked, motioned to her body, "This whole…soldier thing? Is it real?"

Ares made a face at his question. She didn't understand it.

"I mean, you have to admit, it's a little strange. You just gave yourself up, and now you want to help humanity? A serial killer wants to help humanity?" He sniffed, "Just smells a little like bullshit to me."

Ares didn't respond, tossing another apple slice into her mouth.

"I don't think you're trying to do anything bad. That's where Levi and I tend to disagree," He ate another almond, "But he's got a point on the rest. Why are you here?"

Ares smiled knowingly at him, chewing the last of her apple.

"I bet Erwin knows," Mike scoffed, "That guy knows everything."

Ares made a face at the name and Mike sighed, "Look, I get why you're mad at him, I do. But you have to understand where he's coming from."

She rolled her eyes at that statement.

"If you were him, how'd you have handled it?" He asked her, "Really, think about it. You're the Commander of a whole legion of soldiers that trust you and among those soldiers is a serial killer. Now, this person is known to have killed more than seventeen of your fellow comrades. Then, suddenly, only months after their arrival, there's a murder right on your grounds. What's he supposed to think?"

Ares scoffed, crossing her arms. She understood that he made sense, but she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to listen to his sense. Sure, he had eventually agreed to let her out of her cage and train with the rest of her squad, but she was still angry with him, didn't trust him.

He didn't trust her. So why should she trust him?

Mike had no idea what she had been through, what their relationship was like. He didn't know how long they had even known each other. So, Ares didn't want to care about what he had to say about his precious commander. To her, he was still a dick.

"He made the best decision he could have. You need to understand that and get over it. He could've kept you locked up. He could've, but he didn't."

Ares didn't give him any credit for that. That didn't prove anything to her. Mike said so himself that he was the one to convince Erwin to let her out. She took her finger, pointing it at him and making a face as if to say, 'No, you did that. It wasn't him'.

Mike sighed, throwing his towel over his shoulder and pursing his lips, "Yeah, I gave my opinion. We all did. Levi, too," He gave her a knowing look, "He didn't have to agree with me. He had more cons than pros. But for whatever reason, he decided that he would give you the benefit of the doubt. I've known Erwin a long time. The fact that he decided not to hold you in your cell means a lot."

Ares understood what he was saying. In some ways, she could agree. She knew that Erwin was a very calculating and determined man. He trusted his instincts and she could understand how she might have shaken his confidence within himself.

She could admit that she was surprised that he still decided to let her out, especially after their heated exchange of words the other day. But Ares was a woman who was stubborn. She held resentment and never forgot how someone made her feel.

For someone like her, trust was a difficult thing to come by. She naturally had reservations for such certainty. She'd like to blame her upbringing, but Ares liked to think that she'd have trust issues even without it.

Ares believed that people were inherently terrible. That they had instincts to harm and terrorize even at birth.

She believed this because she had seen it. She had a firsthand account of humanity's depravity. She had witnessed murder, rape, injustice. Hell, she had committed many of some herself. And she always knew one thing to be true. People were shitty. Even good people.

Even people like Mike.

She had been staring at him now for more than her share of moments, taking in his words and listening to his opinions. Mike was very interesting to Ares. For one, she noticed how often he didn't talk around others. It seems that he'd rather spend his time observing instead, something she was fond of as well. So, the fact that he spoke as often as he did around her—it was fascinating. She attributed this to the simple fact that she wouldn't speak herself, and it took at least one person to communicate or have a conversation. But that didn't mean he had to talk to her. He could've just told her to train today. He could've told her to run circles around the base all damn day until the sun went down and not said a word to her.

Instead, Mike Zacharias took her to the kitchens, taught her how to make his family's recipe, and tried to make her see reason. He didn't have to do that—because fuck what she thought of his commander or the world around her, but he chose to.

Ares liked Mike. She did.

She liked his face. She liked his weird obsession with smelling people. She liked how goofy he looked wearing an apron with flour all over his face.

He made her feel comfortable. That's why she liked him.

And even though she had already been fucked once, she could already feel herself wanting to open up to him. Wanting to trust him.

It made her sick.

So, she turned away from him. She didn't want to see him talk anymore. She didn't want to bake with him anymore. She didn't want to give herself anymore reason to want to like him. Because fuck everyone here.

But Mike didn't allow her the chance.

Unknown to many people, Mike had been observing the girl pretty heavily during her time with them. He had watched her do all kinds of things. Walk, communicate, train, eat. He had watched her just sit outside in the sun for a couple of hours. At first it was because he was playing it safe. He needed to be vigilant in case she decided that she craved the taste of blood one day. But eventually, he stopped trying to anticipate, and started making it a simple habit. He didn't watch her because he feared her, because he did fear her, he watched her because she was very interesting.

Everything she did.

And it wasn't just what she did that he found interesting, but how normal she was sometimes.

She smiled like everyone else. She ate like everyone else. She walked like everyone else. Of course, she was much more beautiful than anyone else, so all of these simple things seemed explicitly more alluring, but she was a regular person.

And regular people got their feelings hurt. He knew that she was being petty. He knew why. And he made sure to communicate that to her.

"You wanna know what I think?" He asked, obstructing her line of sight, "I think you know that you're being stubborn. I think you know that Erwin had a tough choice to make. I also think that if he wasn't your friend, you wouldn't have cared about decision, whatever it was."

Ares crossed her arms and made a face at his statement. She rolled her eyes and tried to walk around him, but he gripped her shoulder and turned her back around. Her eyes flashed, but it didn't deter him, something that made Ares swallow because that meant that she didn't scare him the same way she scared others.

Or maybe Mike was just cocky. He was certainly acting cocky now.

"He hurt your feelings," He continued, "That's why you're so mad. And now, you're deflecting because you don't want that to be the reason. You want to be angry, but you don't have much reason to be."

She scoffed and smacked his hand away. What did he know?

He was right, of course, but it still bothered her. She did know all of these things. And she knew that Erwin's lack of trust in her was very upsetting, offensive even! But the only people that could possibly understand how unreasonably angry she was were her and Erwin. Only he knew the reason why she was here. Only he knew all of her past, all of her dark and twisted. Only he knew her deepest fears. She had opened herself up to him, and he decided that it wasn't enough.

And Ares was tired of always feeling like she was never enough.

"I know you don't want to hear it," Mike said, "But I'm right. And you're an idiot if you think I'm letting you get out of finishing this cake."

He dropped it after that, walking back to the oven to open it. He slipped on some protective mittens and pulled out the giant cake. Ares huffed but begrudgingly walked over to stand directly behind him. Leaning over, she peeked at the cake he held in his hands and her mouth began to water at the smell. It smelled like apples and cinnamon and she wanted the whole thing in her mouth immediately.

When she reached around him to grab a bite, Mike smacked her hand away, "Are you twelve? It's hot."

She made a face at him as he sat the cake down on the kitchen island. It looked delicious. The pastry looked like something Nova had made for her and the other children before, but it didn't look nearly as beautiful. However, Nova was a poor old woman who didn't have nearly the same kinds of ingredients as Mike had access to. She wondered what good Nova could've done with the children she already had to take care of before Ares came along.

Mike proceeded to grab two plates and a knife. When he returned to the counter, he tentatively cut two slices and plated them. Grabbing two forks, he handed one to Ares and sighed.

Ares wasted no time in cutting a piece and taking a large bite. It was very hot, but she didn't mind it because she was so busy orgasming from the flavor exploding in her mouth.

It tasted like nothing she had ever had before. It was sweet, it was flakey, it was soft. But most importantly, it was bursting with apples. Sweet, spicy apples that had her knees weak. She wondered if Mike had chosen the cake specifically because he knew she liked apples.

The thought made her smile.

Mike saw this and nodded to her, "You like it?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically before taking more bites. She had finished in less than a minute while Mike had just taken his first bite.

He motioned to the cake, "Have more."

She didn't waste her time with the knife, choosing instead to abandon all manners, and eat straight from the pan. He shot her a look before chuckling.

"You did a good job."

She gave him an incredulous look. She hadn't done anything at all. She stirred some shit and placed it in a pan. She was just good at following directions.

"You helped, so you did a good job."

She beamed up at him and licked the reminiscent cake from her lips. She didn't really ever hear 'good job'. She heard it from Nova. She heard it from The Man once or twice when she had killed something the way he liked. But 'good job' wasn't a thing people told her.

So, she didn't argue. She didn't refuse his praise. Instead, she basked in it, taking her hands and signing a 'thank you'.

"What does that mean?" He asked her.

She did it again while simultaneously mouthing the words 'thank you' so he could understand. He smiled at her, taking his fourth bite.

"How do you say 'you're welcome?'" He asked her.

She did the gesture for him and he nodded, repeating it back in response to her.

She giggled at his almost clumsy way of imitation and took her hands to correct him. She noticed he didn't flinch when she touched him and smiled wider at the observation.

…..

"You know, that's a useful language to know," He stated as they walked back to the fields.

She raised her brow at him in question.

"Sign Language. I think it's useful," He started, "Can you teach me some other words?" He asked her.

Ares licked her lips to keep herself from smiling too hard. She nodded her head as they walked to the stables.

"How do you say, 'I need a drink'?" He asked her.

She took a few steps in front of him, choosing to walk backwards and she showed him the signs for the phrase. He copied her perfectly and she nodded her head in encouragement.

"Well, after today," He spoke, then finished in Sign, 'I need a drink'.

She giggled at him, spinning back around so she was walking forwards again. The afternoon sun brushed her face and she basked in its warmth.

Mike thought she looked so normal again. Smiling, walking backwards, enjoying the sun on her face. In that moment, he didn't think she looked like the vicious serial killer that everyone was afraid of. He thought that she looked like any other happy girl.

It was nice to see.

…..

Erwin had been finishing up some reports in his office. His mind was swimming with possibilities of who could have murdered Muller. Part of him didn't want to believe that Ares had done it.

But another part, a much bigger part, wished that she did. Because if she didn't do it, then who?

That seemed like a much bigger problem than the notorious serial killer doing it.

It was almost unfathomable to him that someone could hate her so much that they killed someone just to have her taken away. Now, this scenario wasn't completely brushed aside. Erwin had already accounted for the possibility that someone might try to frame her.

Days before she had been 'captured', they had discussed it in length before…

…

She was leaning against his window, staring out into the rain. She was quiet as she took in the world outside. The only light was the soft glow of a lantern in Erwin's room.

"Your soldiers," She paused in thought, "You trust them?" She asked.

"Yes," He said quickly, doubtlessly.

She nodded her head slowly before caressing her chin with her scarred fingers. Erwin could never stop staring at how many she had. He even believed he had seen the beginnings of a tattoo on her wrist once. But he didn't know. Ares didn't seem to ever wear anything without sleeves around him.

Erwin ran his eyes over the skin he could see, catching the numerous scars that graced her beautiful tanned skin. He wondered if it was because she was hiding the rest of them.

Knowing what he knew now, he believed that to be the case.

"Why?" She asked him, breaking him from his thoughts.

Erwin blinked at her, "They risk their lives for humanity every day. That seems like a good enough reason to me."

She walked over to his vanity where a painting of his father sat in a frame. She picked it up to inspect it, "Not for me."

Erwin watched her as she carefully looked over the painting, a look of remorse on her face. He asked, "Why not?"

"I don't trust people. They're too unpredictable. Kinda like titans," She turned her head to smirk at him, "Fear," She sighed, "Is an incredible motivator," She said before placing the frame back down.

"I guess I'd agree with you."

"Good," She sighed, "Because I'm trusting you, Smith."

She walked up to him slowly so that she was almost chest to chest with him, but still keeping her distance, "Don't let me down, okay?" She whispered.

….

So, he selfishly hoped that she did it. Because that was easy. It was obvious.

But when Hange knocked on his door and entered his office, he felt a sense of absolute dread. Not because he thought she did it, but because somewhere in his gut, he knew that she didn't.

"I've been able to place the time of death at around ten PM," Hange chirped.

Erwin paled, "Ten? You're sure?" he asked her, his eyes widening.

She nodded, "Yes."

Erwin fell back in the seat of his chair, staring at the random office supplies on his desk. Ten? He didn't even know of any soldiers that usually stayed out past ten. The only person he could think of was Ares, and she had been with him the entire time.

Ares…

Erwin swallowed harshly. Yes, he had fucked up.

"So that rules her out then?" He directed his rhetorical question towards Hange, already knowing the answer, and further punishing himself for wanting to hear her confirmation.

"Seems so, but this isn't over. We have a murderer on the grounds and no way to figure out who did it," She voiced his concerns.

Erwin nodded solemnly, "We have to approach this delicately. We need to draw them out. They were obviously trying to frame her."

Hange shook her head, "But why go so far? I mean, murder? That's crazy."

Erwin's haunted eyes met hers, "Fear is an incredible motivator," he said, repeating the chilling words that Ares had spoken all those months ago.

"You should talk to her," Hange sighed, "If anyone can find out who did it, she can."

Erwin frowned, "She won't help us. She's probably planning her escape right now," He rolled his eyes.

Erwin knew she was. He knew her. She had given him the privilege of knowing her. And he messed it all up.

Hange furrowed her brows in thought, "Apologize to her."

He sighed, licking his lips, "She doesn't care about apologies."

"Just try, you never know," Hange insisted.

Erwin shook his head, "You don't know her."

Ares was stubborn. She was resentful. Her past spoke as much. He couldn't even imagine what she would have done to everyone if he had decided to keep her locked up for those two days.

Mike might have prevented a massacre for all they knew.

Erwin himself wasn't afraid of her killing him. She had promised that she wouldn't. And while she had no reason to uphold that promise, he knew that she would.

Ares didn't break promises. Not like him.

Hange spoke up again, interrupting his vivid images of her ripping apart their bodies, "You guys are friends, right? That has to mean something."

Erwin stared ahead sadly, "It means everything. She trusted me, and I ruined it."

He sighed, remembering the way she looked at him the other night. The hatred in her eyes when they last spoke. She wouldn't help him. Why would she? He had lost her trust and her confidence, the only things she cherished. And he had thrown it all away over an assumption.

Looking back at it, he was livid with himself. He should have known better. He was usually much smarter than this.

He had known her for so long now, long enough for her to deserve more than what he gave her. From the beginning, she had been so honest with him. There was no way for her to be dishonest. Between the two of them, it was her who had to most to lose. Since the start of their friendship—since she had told him the truth about his father's disappearance and his death, they had both been honest with each other, trusted each other.

But he was so clouded by his uncertainty that he punished her for it. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve most of what life had dealt her.

He had to apologize to her. Explain to her that he wasn't perfect, he made mistakes too. He was human, even though she was anything but. And he would make her see that she meant something other than what he made her out to be.

Just a soldier. A pawn.

He would make her forgive him, no matter how long it took, and somehow, he would make it up to her. He just had to figure out a way how.

No Levi this chap, but worry not, he's coming soon. This story is all coming together. Oooh guys just WAIT! It's getting there. It's getting HOT and soon.

….Well, as soon as a slow burn story with slightly heavy plot can get before it gets mucky.

Do people even read these?