The Wings Of Our Dreams

AN: Well, inspiration hit me like a tidal wave. My dear readers, this is yet another chapter of The Wings Of Our Dreams. Hope you enjoy!


9 In Our Past


Collin felt a bit awkward as he stood in front of Shadis' desk, with the man's golden eyes glaring at him. He honestly just wanted to have a little nap this morning before an officer practically screamed in his ear that Shadis needed to see him.

It didn't take him long to realize why.

So now he stood in the half-shaded office with Shadis sitting behind his desk and a piece of ODM gear set on the desk itself.

"Cadet Holt," Shadis began, his tone a bit strained as he pointed at the gear. "Do you know what this is?"

"Um, the ODM gear that we train with to fight Titans," Collin answered.

Shadis' eyes narrowed further. "This is the same piece of equipment that you broke while doing that little stunt of yours. Tell me," he said before swiftly rising and slamming his hands on the table. "Do you think these devices grow on trees?!"

Collin flinched, not from the tone necessarily but from the fact that it was true that he did ruin a good piece of equipment.

"Well, that stuff does hang from trees quite often," Collin jested, trying to defuse the tension, though mostly for himself.

Shadis practically growled at that. "You're lucky you're injured, otherwise you'd suffer the most grueling punishment yet!" he exclaimed. "I'm telling you this right now, Holt. You better keep yourself in check, otherwise, I'll personally make sure you never get close to a regiment uniform! Understand?!"

"Y-yes, sir!" Collin confirmed.

"And I promise you, once that arm heals, I'll make sure you catch up on every moment you missed," Shadis said threateningly. "Understand, runt?!"

'Runt? You're like an inch maybe two taller than me?' Collin thought, smart not to actually voice it this time. "Yes, sir!"

"Now get the hell out of here!" Shadis commanded to which Collin nodded and quickly walked away.

Seating back, Shadis gave a sigh. He had to admit, the kid had heart and talent, but even he can go a bit too far. Collin was so far one of the most promising ones, and would easily rank among the top ten, even if the injury might prevent him from getting there.

Collin was protective of his comrades, something Shadis really liked about him. It is a good trait to have based on what regiment he planned on joining. Remembering Eren Yeager's own drive and ambition, Shadis was relieved Grisha's son had someone like Collin as a friend.

Taking some of the papers, he filled out a form to have the broken gear repaired. Hopefully, Collin would be more careful after this situation.


Collin took a bite out of his bread as he pondered on what to do for the rest of the day. It had already been several days since the incident, and he had to admit… it was really boring.

No training, no exercise, other cadets were busy a lot of the time, which meant that he hardly had anyone to talk to, there wasn't something interesting to read either. The fact he couldn't sleep in the barracks like usual because of his arm didn't help.

Luckily, meal breaks in the mess hall were a good time for him to spend time with others.

"So, how are you holding up?" Eren asked.

"Oh, I'm holdin' up just fine," Collin answered somewhat unenthusiastically as he took another bite. "Just fine."

"You wouldn't even be in this situation if you didn't act out of line," Reiner said with his arms crossed. "Remember, a good soldier should-"

Collin groaned audibly. "Yes, I know. Show restraint when necessary and follow protocol. I swear, ya told me that ten times already."

"And I'll keep doing it until it is drilled through that thick skull of yours," Reiner said.

Collin rolled his eyes before finishing his bread.

"I heard that Shadis called for Collin a couple of days ago."

Ears perked up, Collin heard a little conversation happening behind him.

"Yeah, he definitely was."

"Heh, if I'm being honest, that moron had it coming. Shadis would have probably broken his arm himself."

Collin's eyes narrowed. He shifted in his seat, ready to show those two a piece of his mind, before halting as Reiner put a hand on his shoulder.

"Collin, don't," Reiner simply said.

"But I-"

"Don't," Reiner insisted. "Just don't."

Collin scoffed. "Fine," he said before readjusting himself. He went to take one more piece of bread, only for another hand to grab it at the same time.

Looking to the side, he saw that hand belonged to Sasha at the next table, with the ponytailed girl staring back at him intently, their hands still grasping that small loaf.

Several silent moments were spent with them staring at each other before Collin spoke.

"Sasha. Let go of the bread."

The girl from Dauper didn't respond, her eyes simply darting between Collin and that loaf for several moments. Then she quickly snatched the bread and moved away.

"Wha- Hey!" Collin exclaimed, getting up from his seat. He reached for the bread but Sasha avoided him. "The hell, Sasha?!"

"Sorry, Collin," Sasha said teasingly. "But it's mine now."

"Why you…!" Collin reached again, and Sasha got out of the way away.

At that point Collin practically ran after her, cursing the fact he needed to be careful with his arm. Sasha also felt a lot of amusement from this. She remembered that time where Collin did the same thing to her and it was a good time for some payback.

"Come and get it, then!" Sasha challenged.

"Oh, trust me, I'll… I'll…" Collin paused as he came to a sudden stop. "Gah!" His eyes closed shut before he kneeled down, clutching his broken arm as if he was in pain.

The scene made everyone in the vicinity look in surprise.

"Collin!" Reiner practically yelled as he got out of his seat alongside Eren.

Sasha looked back and saw the quivering form of Collin kneeling down on the floor. All the joy got sucked out of her at that moment as she quickly ran over to him.

"Oh my God, Collin, are you-?!"

Collin's good arm then suddenly shot up, quickly snatching the bread out of her hand and holding it high, a large smirk plastered on his face.

"Hah! Gotcha!" Collin exclaimed before taking a bite.

Reiner then roughly grabbed Collin by the shoulder, an irritated look on his face. "What the hell was that?!"

"Oh, that. That was me pretendin' so I could get 'er to come here, and take this little thing," Collin said before taking another bite.

"But, do you know how worried we were a moment ago?!" Eren asked.

"I think that only compliments my actin'," Collin said with a shrug.

"You… so you just pretended…?" Sasha stammered as she looked at him in shock, with her face quickly morphing to a frustrated one. "You… What is the matter you?!"

"Hey, ya never said how I could get the bread, so I improvised," Collin deflected the accusation.

Sasha grumbled before speaking. "It's not about the darn bread, ya big lug! I thought I actually hurt ya!"

This got Collin wide-eyed for several reasons. One, she wasn't upset about the bread. Two, her accent was slipping through. Though, nobody seemed to notice yet.

"Um, well, sorry 'bout that," Collin said as he took a bite that left half of the loaf. He then presented that half to Sasha. "Here, you take the rest as an apology."

"Uh, what… you think that it will be… Ugh, give me that!" Sasha said before taking the bread and eating.

Collin chuckled. 'Never change, Sasha.' "So, we good?"

Sasha looked at him, her eyes narrowed as she chewed on her mouthful. She then swallowed. "Yeah, we good." And then she walked back to her table.

Well, this certainly turned out to be an amusing situation if nothing else. Collin really had to thank his grandfather for that little stunt.


It was late in the afternoon in the village of Karno, and the Holts were currently located near their small wooden house, and each one was occupied with something.

Amelia sat on a chair near the door and was sketching something in her notebook, while Karlo was busy chopping some wood before wiping some sweat off his forehead.

Collin was seated on the grass in front of an older man in a wheelchair. The man had graying black hair and a full beard, and a muscular physique, though only stumps for legs as they were missing below the knee. He was dressed in beige pants and a white shirt, and a small brown cap adorned his head.

"…and then, just as the fifteen meter Titan was 'bout to bite," the man said dramatically as Collin listened intently. The man then swung his arm in an arc. "I swooped in at the last second, and slashed the Titan through its nape! The Titan fell… dead!"

"Wow! That's amazin', gramps!" Collin exclaimed as his eyes joyfully lit up.

"Hehehe, thank you, my boy," Ferris said with a smile.

"How many Titans did you take down durin' your time as a Scout?" Collin asked curiously.

Ferris rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, it's a bit hard to say since I didn't really count," he said before smiling again. "But at least a hundred, I'm sure."

"Oh, that's incredible. You must be one of the greatest Scouts to ever live!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I was just a really lucky one."

"I'm sure you were great," Collin said before looking sadly at Ferris' stumps for legs. "It's a shame what happened to ya."

"Oh, this?" Ferris said while tapping his legs. "Yes, this is bothersome, but your gramps is still as tough as ever, I tell ya."

"Really?"

"Hm? Wanna test me?"

Collin got a mischievous smile on his face before rising. "Alright then, gramps. Come and catch me!" he said before running away.

"Why you little…! Oh, so that's how it's gonna be?!" Ferris exclaimed. "Oh, trust me, I'll get ya!"

Ferris then began pushing the wheels of his wheelchair and went after Collin as fast as he could.

Amelia couldn't help but laugh at the scene, while Karlo sighed and shook his head.

"Your pa's really something, ain't he?" Amelia asked.

"You're tellin' me," Karlo said before chopping another piece of wood in half. "That man don't know when to take it easy."

Collin ran across the grassy field before stopping and looking back to see his grandpa moving his wheelchair and chasing him. "C'mon, gramps! Don't go slackin' off!" he said before going into another run.

"Oh, slackin' off, eh?!" Ferris said with a smirk. "Kid, when I get my hands on ya- WHOA!"

Ferris's chair then suddenly tilted and the man fell out of it on the grass.

Amelia let out an audible gasp, which gained Karlo's attention. Seeing what happened he immediately panicked before dropping his axe.

"PA!" he yelled before running down with his wife quickly following.

Collin stopped before turning back, and seeing Ferris laying face-down on the grass. "G-gramps?" he said as he looked at his unmoving grandfather "Grandpa!"

Running over to Ferris, Collin got there before his parents did. But just as he was about to lean down, Ferris' hands shot up and quickly grabbed onto Collin's arms, making the boy yelp. Ferris then rolled onto his back and pulled Collin along with him, all the while wrapping his arms around Collin's small frame as the youngest Holt struggled.

"Gotcha! Haha!" Ferris exclaimed he held the flailing Collin in his grasp.

"Hey, that ain't fair!" Collin protested.

"You told me to catch ya! So I did!"

Karlo and Amelia caught up, with Karlo looking less than pleased.

"The hell, you stupid old man?!" Karlo yelled. "For God's sake, don't scare us like that!"

"Oh, come on! Nobody got really hurt!" Ferris defended himself as he let Collin go. "And did ya really think that little tumble could've hurt me like that?" He crossed his arms. "I'm disappointed."

Karlo let out a frustrated sigh. "Let's just get ya back up," he said before bringing back the wheelchair up and helping his father sit on it. "I swear, you do it again, ya get yourself back in that chair."

"Pretty sure I actually can do that," Ferris countered.

With a shake of his head, Karlo left.

"Please, Ferris, you know we had every right to worry," Amelia protested.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ferris said. "Why don't ya go to your husband? I need to speak with Collin a bit."

Amelia nodded before going after Karlo.

"Hey, Collin," Ferris began as he looked at his grandson, who rubbed his arm a bit. "Sorry if I gave ya a scare."

"No, it's fine," Collin said. "I'm just glad you ain't hurt, gramps."

"Still, I guess I could've done it differently. But then again, ya have to admit that was a pretty clever trick, eh?" Ferris asked with a small wink.

Collin smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

Ferris then ruffled his grandson's hair, much to the youngest Holt's amusement. "Good to hear. Now, let's go back. I have a small surprise for ya."


"Well that's good to hear," Collin said as got back from his memory before turning to the others. "See? All's well that-"

Reiner grabbed Collin roughly by the shirt, though careful not to damage the arm. "I swear, if you pull a stunt like that again, your arms will match."

"Whoa there, Reiner!" Collin said defensively. "C'mon, where's your sense of fun?"

"On a different place than where yours is, apparently," Reiner said before getting back to his seat.

'Least he can still joke.' "Reiner, please, it ain't that bad!" Collin said as he went to rejoin his friend.


A few more days of waiting, and it almost became unbearable. Not hearing Shadis shout at him for so long just didn't feel right. And hearing his comrades training in the distance while he sat there doing nothing didn't really help lift his spirits up.

So, now he sat alone outside of the barracks on one of the chairs he brought, with a small table where he had several sheets of paper. Right now, he tried drawing with his non-dominant hand.

His eyes narrowed as his hand moved slowly across the paper, as the black marks steadily formed. God, this felt really awkward. He was grateful he didn't actually lose his arm; otherwise, he would have just been miserable.

"C'mon, c'mon," Collin mumbled to himself as he continued to draw.

Only for the point of the pencil to break from him applying too much pressure.

"Ugh, dammit!" he exclaimed before flicking the pencil away. He then leaned on the palm of his good hand as he looked at the barely half-drawn tree. And what was actually drawn wasn't even that good. "God, and I have to bear at least three more weeks of this."

"You know, they say talking to yourself is a sign you've gone crazy."

Collin turned to Jean, who now stood next to him, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"With all that's happenin' to me, I just may have," Collin said with a sigh. "So, whatcha need?"

"Oh, nothing much," Jean answered. "I'm just here to tell you that we were practicing some ODM gear maneuvers, and, well, Ymir ended up breaking her leg."

That immediately got Collin's attention. "Say what?"


Ymir sighed and leaned back into her bed. After today she really needed some rest.

"That was a nasty fall back there," Mina said as she approached Ymir with a small tray of food. She glanced at the cast on Ymir's leg. "But I was certain you would've pulled off that maneuver."

The freckled girl casually shrugged. "Eh, it was a heat of the moment thing."

"You shouldn't be so careless, Ymir," Krista said with a worried look. "You remember what happened to Collin? His arm still hasn't healed yet."

"Aw, my Krista is worried about me? I'm touched," Ymir said teasingly.

Krista puffed her cheeks in frustration. "Will you stop joking around? Graduation will come soon and if you're not at your best you'll never make it to the top ten."

Ymir rolled her eyes. "Oh, trust me, that's the least of my-"

The door then opened, revealing Collin who's right arm was still in a cast.

"Oh, hey there, Collin," Mina greeted with a smile. "What brings you here?"

Collin smiled back. "Oh, nothin' much. I heard from the others Ymir got a little accident durin' an exercise, so I thought to come over and check on 'er."

"That's very sweet of you," Krista said happily.

"Yeah, I thought you didn't like me all that much," Ymir said with a grin.

"You know I ain't that petty," Collin said. "So, you're bedridden 'till that leg heals?"

"Pretty much."

"Well then," Collin said before turning to the door. "I wish ya a speedy recovery."

"Thank you, handyman," Ymir said, her grin getting wider as she waved her hand around.

Collin paused in his leave while Mina and Krista looked at Ymir in shock. Collin then turned back with a grin of his own.

"You know, Ymir, you were right when you said I could be too reckless," he said. "And I got injured before you did so I guess you got a leg-up on me."

Ymir clicked her tongue. "Oh, that's a clever one. Here, let me give you a hand," she said before slowly clapping.

Mina put a hand on her mouth to stop a chuckle from coming out while Krista had a disapproving look on her face.

Krista began. "Please, you two, don't start-"

"Why, that's very kind of ya, Ymir," Collin said. "Perhaps you should give me a standin' ovation."

"How about you lift me up, country boy?"

"Please, stop it!" Krista said frustrated.

"No, no, Krista," Collin insisted. "You gotta admire that Ymir stands her ground."

"You're not that bad yourself, gotta hand it to you," Ymir said.

Collin opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself and put his good hand up. "You know what, this is immature," he said before turning back and opening the door. "I think I'll be the bigger man and walk away." Before closing the door, he turned to Ymir with a grin. "Walk… away." And then he closed the door behind him.

Mina struggled not to burst out laughing while Ymir chewed on her lip.

"I swear, when I walk again I'll tear off that arm of his and shove it right up his-!"

"Ymir, enough!" Krista interrupted, her blue eyes narrowed. "When will you two get along already?!"

Ymir laid back. "When the stars fall down."

"But we're comrades!" Krista insisted. "We will rely on each other on the battlefield! We can't have anyone hating each other!"

"Um, Krista," Mina said. "Ymir is just upset because she had that accident." She then began pulling Krista away. "Why don't we… leave her alone for a little while? You know, so she can clear her head a bit."

"But, Mina-"

"Come on, it's for her own good," Mina insisted as they approached the door. She then turned for a wave. "Bye, Ymir! We'll see you later!"

And then the two got out and Mina shut the door behind them.

Ymir just frowned. She knew what the pig-tailed girl was really up to. Mina was definitely trying to get to her after all the berating Ymir had given her. That little stunt of hers was no doubt Collin's influence over her.

Taking a spoonful of her soup, Ymir's frown deepened. She hoped that the soup at least wouldn't be cold.


Reiner chuckled as Collin finished telling his story. "Really? That's what you pulled?"

"Yeah. You should have seen Ymir's face as I left," Collin said with a grin. "But I bet it was even more priceless when I closed the door. Whaddya think, Bert?" No response. "Um… Bert?"

Bertholdt only seemed to stare into the barrack wall, trapped in his own world as his two friends talked.

"Hey, Bertholdt!" Collin said louder.

Bertholdt flinched. "Oh! Oh, sorry about that. I was just… I was just thinking about… something."

Collin raised an eyebrow. "Really? And what might that somethin' be, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

"Well, it's, uh," Bertholdt stuttered. "It's… Nothing really."

"Bertholdt's got a crush," Reiner quickly said.

Both Collin and Bertholdt visibly showed their shock.

"W-what are you talking about, Reiner?!" Bertholdt asked as he slowly began sweating.

"Oh, come on, you were subtle about it as a brick to the face," Reiner said.

"Oh, now this is gettin' interestin'," Collin said with a teasing smirk. "So tell me, Bertie, who's the lucky lady?"

Bertholdt tried his best to look elsewhere. "Well, it's actually, um… N-no, wait…"

"God we'll go forever like this," Reiner complained. "It's Annie."

The tallest of the three quickly blushed and looked away, while Collin sat silent, caught completely off guard by that.

"Um, Annie?" Collin asked. "Like, Annie Leonhart? That Annie?"

"Unless you know any other Annie around here?" Reiner said with a shrug.

Collin once again looked at Bertholdt. "Is that true?"

Bertholdt bit his lip for a moment before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Alright, fine. Yes, it's Annie."

"Oh. Well, uh," Collin said, starting to feel himself sweat though he tried his best to suppress it. "That's… quite an interesting development."

Reiner looked a bit confused. He honestly thought that Collin would have some sort of joke prepared for the situation.

"Though I have to admit, not a bad taste, Bert," Collin said, his grin back. "That girl's got a pretty good midriff."

Bertholdt let out a few coughs as he almost choked on his own spit. "Wh-what?"

"Yeah. Trust me, I can tell. I wrap my arms around it very often," Collin said, his grin widening.

Bertholdt was currently feeling a whole slew of emotions after what Collin said, but confusion currently seemed to be a dominant one. "B-but… What are…? What do you mean by that?!"

"He means that they're training together," Reiner clarified. 'So there was the joke.' "Remember? Collin asked her to train him to fight. Seriously, anyone could see from a mile away that Collin was playing you."

Bertholdt seemed to calm himself. "O-oh. Uh, yeah. You're right," he said softly. "Sorry about that."

"C'mon, Bertie. Ya know me," Collin said. "So, when are ya gonna tell 'er?"

"Oh, well," Bertholdt said. "I'm honestly not sure. Just… give me time."

"Well, don't wait too long. Somebody else might snatch her," Reiner jested. "As unlikely as that is."

"Oh, and what about you, Reiner?" Bertholdt asked. "What about that crush you have on Krista?"

Reiner got some rosy cheeks before recovering. "Yeah? What about it?"

Bertholdt blinked. "W-well… I just thought that…"

"Thought what?" Reiner said with a smirk. "That I'd be embarrassed like you? Really, Bertholdt?"

Reiner and Collin laughed while Bertholdt's embarrassment intensified from his backfired plan.

While laughing on the outside, Collin also had a lingering thought. 'Dear God, I really need to learn to keep my mouth in check.'


AN: And that's it for now, my dear readers! Well, looks like we actually get to see Collin's grandfather this time. Hope he came off as charming and not annoying. And boy, that ending made it feel like it was some sort of teen romance drama. Sorry about that, but as I said, important to the story.

Now, I implore you again to check out my other stories. And leave a review. They are great motivators.

See ya next time!