Of Epic Proportions

by authorinprogress97

And I thought life was hard enough the first time. OC self-insert (because I'm that shameless)

4. Growing

And I thought life was hard enough the first time.

OC self-insert (because I'm that shameless)

I get so tired thinking about how I need to make everything in chronological order without making this story boring. You know, a good tired. Awesome tired. Finally finished the last bit of episode two and first half of episode three -insert victory sign here-

WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS NII-CHAN I WONDER HMMMMMMM

I got ten reviews? I'm so touched I don't even know what to say. I'm incoherent and just – ARIGATOU GOZAIMAS (or something like that). So many thanks to you awesome people -crying-

Nina – Who you calling marvellous and awesome, you precious cutie patootie? Are you going to review every chapter, because if you are I'll let you know that you're stroking my ego too much calm down girl. I'm so glad you love Dani because frankly, I love her too.

bggirl – Aw, that's sweet! I don't really think I could consider this one of the best though…

-0-

It's funny how time passed.

It felt like just yesterday our lives were crashing down around us. Now, the Central Government was planning on launching the biggest campaign since planting mobile cannons on top of the walls.

I blinked up at the roof. One year and we were still living in the food reserves, not that I could complain. At least we had a roof over our heads. There wasn't much I could complain about anymore.

I felt a nudge to my side, accompanied by a whispered, "Dani?"

I rubbed my eyes, turning my head so I was facing Armin. "Yeah?"

"Oh, you're awake."

I turned on my side so I could look at him without hurting my neck. My muscles protested – it was a hard day of work yesterday – as I moved. "You want to talk?" I inquired, even though I didn't need to. I could tell from the look on his face that something was troubling him and he needed to get it out.

"Today's the day," he whispered. "They're going to try and retake Wall Maria." He paused, gathering his thoughts. I could see unease swirl in his blue eyes. "Do you think it'll work?"

I hummed thoughtfully. I didn't have to think, of course. I already knew. I knew that the whole campaign would be a huge failure; that the only reason the Central Government was doing this was to reduce the population in order to overcome the food shortage. I knew all this… but I couldn't say that to Armin. His grandfather was participating in this sham.

"Maybe," I replied after some thought. I ruffled his hair. "We won't know until they come back, right?"

"Right," he agreed reluctantly, sitting up. He looked around the food reserves, emptier than it was the morning before. "We should go if we want to catch them."

I smiled softly and maybe a little sadly too. "Right behind you."

My hands clenched in my skirt as I watched Armin walk away from me. I knew he was going to lose his grandfather in this expedition, but I couldn't say anything. Even if I had wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to change this.

I tried. Believe me, I tried. I had talked to Armin's grandfather, pleaded he not volunteer for this, but he had just told me I was worrying too much. I wondered if he knew – if he was like me – but Armin's grandfather had never made any allusion to Back Then. Maybe I was just too desperate in looking for a kindred spirit.

I ran a hand through my hair, heaving a deep sigh. I didn't want to see this, but Armin's grandfather had been taking care of me too for the past year. If anything, I wanted to see him one last time while giving Armin moral support.

"Ah, Danika, I see you're seeing me off as well," Armin's grandfather chortled, hand lifting to ruffle my hair. My nose wrinkled, but I was just glad I hadn't decided to tie it up.

"Of course, sir," I replied, smiling faintly. It sucked, knowing what was going to happen and not being able to do a single thing to stop it. "Stay safe."

Armin's grandfather looked sadly at Armin, who was looking down at the ground. I watched as he took the hat that was perpetually on his head and pressed it onto Armin's head.

"Take good care of it," he said, "and take care of each other." With that, he turned, joining the troops of refugees that would attempt to retake Wall Maria (and who would fail with nothing to show for it).

We stood there long after the last person was a speck in the distance. Silently, I took Armin's hand and led him back inside, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from crying.

After all, how could I tell my best friend his grandfather – his last family member – was never coming back?

•●•●•●•

I had been loitering near the gate with Mikasa, the two of us keeping a silent vigil. It wasn't awkward or anything, but it was certainly tense. I wasn't sure if it was because we had been waiting for news for three weeks or because of our relationship, which sometimes seemed like it was barely there.

The bells tolled and I immediately stood up from where I had been sitting. I shared a tense look with Mikasa before we strode forward, trying to look over the crowd that had gathered. I was about to brave the crowd when Mikasa grabbed my arm.

"Over there," she said, pointing at a couple of crates that should be sturdy enough to hold our weight. I let her pull me towards the crates reluctantly.

Now that they were back… I didn't want to see them. I didn't want to see the two hundred and fifty thousand refugees reduced to a mere one hundred. It was bad enough that I knew this was going to happen, but it was even worse seeing it in front of my eyes. That's how most things went, didn't they? Out of sight, out of mind; if it wasn't in front of me, I didn't have to believe it.

I took a deep breath as I stepped onto the crate, trying to prepare myself for the sight I was about to see.

Mikasa's grip on my arm tightened as we watched the survivors trudge into the walls. They looked… horrible. Some of them were missing limbs and they all had this empty look in their eyes. It scared me and I worried that I would see that same look in Armin's, Eren's or Mikasa's eyes.

I scanned the crowd quickly, but I couldn't find Armin's grandfather among the survivors. I looked towards Mikasa, hoping against hope that I had missed him, but she shook her head. No, he really wasn't there.

I linked my fingers with hers and we took silent comfort in each other's presence as we meandered back to the reserves. Briefly, I thought about suggesting to Mikasa we hurry, but I immediately shot down that idea. Why would I want to hurry to tell Armin bad news? I don't want to see my best friend cry.

"I'll tell him," I told her when we neared the food reserves. I could feel her curious gaze on me, so I explained, "It'd… be better coming from me."

I thought she would protest, but instead she answered with a quiet, "Okay."

Nobody wanted to be the bearer of bad news, but I'd rather take the burden than push it onto Mikasa. She'd have enough stress looking after Eren anyway. I didn't need to add on to that.

Armin knew even before we said anything. He wasn't my genius best friend for nothing. The moment we came in, just the two of us, he flopped down to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. I wanted to get rid of the forlorn look on his face, but as with most things concerning Armin, I didn't know how. As I threw my arm around his shoulders for a one-armed hug, I couldn't help but wish I wasn't so useless when it came to emotions.

All he did was clutch his grandfather's hat, his tears silently staining the fabric as he held in sobs. It broke my heart to see Armin grieve like that. Silently, I grieved as well. It sucked, having someone who took care of me like that taken away so suddenly.

It's despicable, sacrificing a fifth of our population just to alleviate the food shortage. Despicable… but that's human nature. Good to see some things haven't changed at all, I thought sarcastically, dashing away a stray tear as I held Armin close.

"The Titans are to blame," Eren stated, sounding a little sad himself. Armin's grandfather… he had taken good care of all of us. I know Armin and I won't be the only ones to miss him. "If only we could defeat them, we would regain our place in the world."

"We can't," I said quietly. I could feel Mikasa's and Eren's gaze heavy on the top of my head. "Not the way we are now."

The wet slide of fabric against stone could be heard as Eren knelt down on the opposite side of Armin. I had a feeling I knew what Eren was going to talk about; we had discussed it not too long ago. "I know," Eren said. I glanced at him to see him looking at me with a fierce gaze of determination. "That's why I'm applying for military training next year. I'll become strong enough to fight them."

Armin turned to look at Eren as Mikasa sighed, but Eren's gaze didn't waver; a silent challenge. Are you, or aren't you? I let out a sigh of my own, leaning my head back and breaking our gaze. The words were out of my mouth before I gave myself more time to think.

"I'm applying too," I said firmly. Armin jerked and I could feel his fearful gaze on me, but I didn't turn. I just stared at the floor in front of me. I'm in if you are, Eren.

Armin shrugged my arm off and I let him. I didn't think my joining the military would sit well with him. It never has.

"Me too," Armin said quietly and the quiet conviction in his voice was a little frightening. I knew – I knew he was going to join, but that didn't mean I wasn't scared for him. There was a nagging feeling that told me if Armin enlisted, I wouldn't be able to watch over him the way I wanted to. That I'd fail and I'd end up breaking the promise to myself. Regardless, I accepted his decision, even if my lungs tightened at the thought of losing Armin.

"Armin?" Eren gasped.

"Me too!" Armin repeated, a little more confidently. I placed my hand over his and squeezed. No, I won't lose him. Armin is smart and he has me. I won't lose him.

"I'll join too," Mikasa added. She looked at me and understanding passed between us. We would both be there to watch out for Armin and Eren. I had to admit that it was a relief, knowing that I didn't have to take on that job alone. I nodded slightly, causing the smallest smile to spread across Mikasa's lips; we would watch out for each other too, because that's what friends did.

"Mikasa? You don't have to," Eren exclaimed. "You said survival is the most important thing!"

"Yes," she agreed, "and I will be there ensuring your safety."

Eren stood up suddenly, the movement drawing my attention. The fire burning in his gaze was enough to put me at ease. I could see him years from now as a reliable adult. I could only hope I would be able to see it for myself. "Alright, we'll all join."

"We're in this together," I added, clenching my hands into fists. "The four of us."

The others didn't have to say anything for me to know they agreed.

•●•●•●•

I felt so distracted by the blue sky, dotted with white clouds. The clouds were so close that it seemed like I could touch them if I stretched out my arms. I suppressed a sigh, letting it stick in my lungs. Now wasn't the time for wistful thoughts and distractions. It was time to be serious.

"You are now officially members of training unit number 104," our instructor bellowed. I maintained a neutral expression, which wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. "Unfortunately for you, I, Keith Shadis, will be in charge." I scanned his face quickly, taking in the deep-set eyes and no-nonsense expression. I couldn't help but think he was somewhat familiar though… "I'm not here to give you a warm welcome. All of you are now merely livestock, waiting to be eaten by Titans. You're even worse than livestock!"

Well, he certainly was a morale builder, I thought sardonically.

"For the next three years," he continued in that loud, harsh voice of his, "I'll train you useless shits. I'll teach you how to fight Titans. When you face a Titan in three years, will you still be just food? Or will you become a glorious wall to protect these walls? Or a mighty champion of mankind who will destroy the Titans?"

I swear it took all of my willpower not to turn and look at Eren when Shadis said that. I guess I've gotten more disciplined since being in this world. If this is the me from Back Then, I don't doubt that I would have turned and most likely be chewed out by Shadis.

"The choice lies in your hands," he finished.

I cast a cursory glance around the trainees, finally letting it sink in. I clenched my fists a little tighter to reign in my excitement and nervousness. This is it – I made it into the 104th Training Squad. I kept an intent gaze forward. I was going to graduate and go on to the Recon Corps. No more self-doubt.

Just you wait, nii-chan. I'll show you Danika Vale is not a weakling.

Shadis started to move towards us trainees and I almost started, catching myself just in time. I'd forgotten he'd start approaching those he thought wasn't worthy. But… why was he heading towards Armin?

"You there!" Shadis barked, standing in front of Armin.

"Hai!" Armin replied, saluting with his right hand thumping over his chest. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, noting the determined expression on his face. I'd seen him wear that expression multiple times in the time I've known him, but this was different somehow.

"Who the hell are you?" Shadis demanded, his voice booming throughout the valley. Someone didn't have an inside voice.

"I'm Armin Arlert, sir! From Shiganshina!"

"Sure you are," Shadis said, condescension dripping from his voice. "Good name for a retard. Your parents call you that?"

My fists clenched reflexively, but I forced myself to relax before I drew his attention. I couldn't always fight Armin's battles for him. It's not like he ever wanted me to in the first place. I still hated it when people said bad things about my best friend, though.

"My grandfather, sir," Armin replied, loudly and evenly.

"Arlert! Why are you here?"

"To contribute to mankind's victory, sir!"

A textbook answer. Well, I assumed it was a textbook answer. I wouldn't know; I haven't touched a textbook in years.

"Fucking splendid," Shadis roared. "You'll make fine Titan feed! Line three, about turn!"

I started to tune him out, distracted by the person in front of me. I scanned the face briefly, waiting for the familiar click in my memory, the one from Back Then. It was fine with recognising faces, but it would take a while. I accidentally met his gaze, my eyes widening minutely before I slid my gaze to somewhere below his right ear. Damn it, who is he?

I glanced to the side as someone went down. Huh, I think Shadis head-butted him. Is that even allowed? Oh, wait, Shadis practically makes up the rules here. It probably is.

Shadis stopped in front of me – only he wasn't facing me.

"And who the hell are you!" Shadis demanded, leaning in to the guy I had accidentally been caught ogling. "Why are you here?"

"Marco Bott, sir!" I heard him answer promptly. "From the southern Wall Rose town of Jinae, sir! I came here to join the Military Police and offer my body up to the King!"

Holy shit… I was just staring down Marco. Of all the places I would be placed, I didn't think I'd be standing right in front of Marco! Of course I couldn't recognise him.

"Oh. What a patriot." The patronising tone in Shadis's voice was scorching; even I could feel it. "You've got the right idea. But, y'know, the King doesn't need a talking sack of shit."

Yup, I would definitely want to visit one of Shadis's motivational talks. He really… has a way with words, doesn't he?

Shadis moved on to the next person and I accidentally met Marco's gaze again. I swiftly looked away, a blush heating the back of my neck and threatening to colour my cheeks.

Can I… please stand somewhere else?

I heard a loud commotion as Shadis caught someone… holy crap, is that girl actually eating a potato now? Of all times, why now?

I couldn't help but watch in muted horror as she offered up half of her potato (not even half, actually) to Shadis. I winced ever so slightly as Shadis roared out the ultimatum of skipping lunch or running laps until she dropped.

Well, at least I know it's going to be an interesting next few years.

•●•●•●•

I couldn't help but stare out the window. Man, I can't believe she's still running. Five hours of running laps would kill me.

"Is she still running?" Mikasa asked, although she sounded extremely disinterested.

"Yeah," I replied. I was glad we got neighbouring beds. I glanced at Mikasa, reclined on her bed (and I call them beds only because we weren't sleeping on the ground) with her eyes closed. I was feeling antsy, needing to get out and move. Mikasa didn't seem like moving, though. I chewed on my lip contemplatively, watching potato girl – Sasha – run absentmindedly. Finally I stood up, the wooden boards beneath me creaking.

Mikasa opened an eye. "Where are you going?"

I stretched, tugging on my blouse. "I'm going to find Armin and Eren," I answered. She made to move, but I pushed her back down. "You rest. I'll come get you when dinner rolls around, okay?"

She watched me, but I was too used to her eyes on me like that. It was like a thing between me and Mikasa; we were always watching each other. It wasn't due to wariness or anything like that. That was simply how our relationship worked. We could communicate without words in a way we couldn't communicate with the boys.

She nodded, lying back down and closing her eyes. I sighed inaudibly, glad that Mikasa would finally get some rest. She might think I hadn't noticed how little she had been sleeping these past few nights, but I had. I didn't doubt she was worrying about Eren, because that kept me up at night sometimes too. Worrying about both Eren and Armin did.

I walked briskly towards where I knew Eren and Armin were, waving slightly when they noticed me.

"Potato girl's still running," I commented casually. I glanced at the others on the porch with them; Connie Springer, a girl whose name I never caught and… oh, Marco Bott. Really?

Eren rolled his eyes, looking pointedly behind me where we could see her still-running form. "We can see that," he said sarcastically.

I slapped the back of his head. "I was trying to make conversation, doofus," I reprimanded, raising an eyebrow when he scowled and stuck his tongue out. "How old are you, six?"

"I'm older than you," Eren announced.

I shot him with a disbelieving look. "Are you seriously going to try and hold four months over me? Seriously?"

"He's running out of arguments whenever you bring up his childishness," Armin pointed out with a slight grin. I snorted at Eren's betrayed look, tugging on my vest.

"He never had any arguments for it in the first place."

"Respect your elders," Eren demanded, flicking my forehead.

"What the hell, Eren?" I yelped, rubbing my forehead. "Grow up."

He opened his mouth for what he probably thought was a witty retort, but ended up distracted by something else. I followed his gaze curiously, my eyes resting on a cart that was slowly making its way up the road leading out of the training camp. "What's that?" Eren asked.

"Dropouts," the girl answered. "They asked to be transferred to the landfills."

Armin turned to the girl in shock. "Seriously?" he asked. "But it's only the first day."

It's a little weak, I had to admit, dropping out on the first day. I mean, we haven't even done any training yet. All we did was stand in the sun and wait to get yelled at.

"It's only natural," Eren said. I looked at him, a frown settling on my lips. He had tone in his voice he only had when he was going to say something that made sense but was a little pessimistic. "Those without strength have no place here." The others turned to him, not expecting those words to come from Eren's mouth, not after the comedy act we just put on. "But still, wanting to pick up rocks and pull weeds…"

I shrugged, tugging the hem of my vest and fingering a loose thread. "To each his own," I said. "At least they're not getting in our way."

"That reminds me," Marco started somewhat hesitantly. I glanced at him, our gazes meeting briefly once more. This time, he was the one who looked away. "You weren't asked where you were from and all that. Both of you."

I blinked and pointed to myself. "Me?"

Eren kicked my ankle. "Who else?"

I backhanded his shoulder in retaliation. "No need to be so sarcastic, butt face."

He smirked, pulling me into a headlock and ignoring my protests and insults. "The three of us are from Shiganshina," Eren answered, messing up my hair, which he knows I hate. Why else would he do it?

"Jaeger, I swear I will push you into a large body of water one day," I spat, pushing away from him as my hands immediately rose to my hair to do damage control. My hair was a hopeless mess of curls on a good day and with Eren messing it up, I might not be able to get it into a manageable state in the morning. If I have to cut my hair off, I'm going to give Eren a haircut similar to Connie's.

"Oh, so…" Marco didn't continue.

"Does that mean you were there on That Day?" Connie asked, ignorant of the growing tension among us.

"Oi," Marco interjected urgently, but Connie didn't pay heed. My left fist clenched, the charm hidden in my fist.

"Did you see it?" Connie continued excitedly. "The Colossal Titan?"

"Yeah," Eren answered slowly, glancing at me worriedly. I sighed, rolling my eyes slightly in a universal sign of don't bother about me, I'm fine.

I looked up at the sky, humming contemplatively. "I should get Mikasa," I told Eren and Armin. "Dinner should be soon. See you guys later." I looked towards Eren's and Armin's, er, roommates, I guess, and gave a shallow bow, which they returned. "It was nice meeting you guys."

I headed off towards the building my room was in, slowing down when I heard footsteps behind me. I figure it was Armin catching up to make sure I was fine, so I got the shock of my life when I turned to find Marco walking next to me.

"Uh, hi," he greeted awkwardly. I blinked at him, inclining my head in acknowledgement. This is… weird. Most definitely weird. "It's just… I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't say it."

The awkwardness between the two of us increased and holy fuck, I could have slapped myself. Way to go, Dani. You had to go all awkward penguin on this nice boy who hasn't done anything mean to you.

I scratched the back of my head, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry," I apologised. "I'm just… tired. It's been a long day, you know?"

"Yeah," he agreed. I waited for him to say something, only to realise that was all he had to say. Come on, Dani, think! Be a nice person and not… awkward.

"I'm Dani Vale," I finally introduced, giving Marco a proper smile.

He smiled back, looking a little at ease now. "Marco Bott," he said, only to wince. "You probably already know that."

I laughed a little. "Yeah." I stopped in front of the building that had my room. "Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me over here, even though you didn't really have to."

He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling faintly as he didn't meet my eyes. "Right. No problem. I'll… see you later."

"Probably," I agreed, waving goodbye. Before I entered the building, I turned back, watching him walk off with my head tilted in thought. A small smile played on my lips as I continued my walk to my room. Definitely going to be interesting.

•●•●•●•

I sipped my soup, eyeing the crowd around us somewhat disdainfully. It's not that I didn't like crowds… it's just that I didn't like being in a crowd while I was eating. Honestly, couldn't they have done this after I was done eating?

"Like I said, I've seen it," Eren said seriously. Ugh, I can't believe he's actually encouraging this. Why did I think it was a good idea to sit with Eren?

Wait, I didn't. Mikasa was the one who tasked me with making sure Eren didn't get in trouble while she had a peaceful dinner.

(Even Mikasa can get sick of Eren sometimes.)

"Seriously?"

"How big is it?" someone behind me asked, leaning in a little close to me. I shot him an annoyed look that he couldn't see, elbowing him slightly so he would back off. Someone needs to learn the concept of personal space.

"Big enough for its head to peek over the wall," Eren replied, taking another bite of his soup.

"What?" another person gasped a little too loudly in my ear. I scowled, glowering at the person. Screw looking after Eren. If this keeps up, I'm sitting somewhere else. "But I heard it could step over the wall!"

"Rumours," I disputed irritably before Eren could say a word. "It wasn't that big. I don't think it's even possible for a Titan to be big enough to step over any of the walls. Besides, why would it kick the gate in if it could step over the wall? Why not just kick the whole wall down?"

There was stunned silence following my words. I didn't pay them any attention, trying to focus on finishing my meal as soon as possible so I could get away from all these curious people. Eren's foot brushed mine and I looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow and I shook my head, telling him to just ignore me. He knew how irritable I could be when people crowded around me. I didn't mind being in a crowd, but it was a big problem when they were crowding around me, like now.

"What did it look like?" the girl from earlier asked in a hushed whisper.

"It had pretty much no skin, but its mouth was huge," Eren described and I could see it in my mind's eye. My spoon stilled over my mess tin before I blinked the image away and resumed my eating.

"What about the Armoured Titan that smashed through Wall Maria?" another curious bystander asked.

"That's what they're calling it, but to me it looked like a normal Titan," Eren commented.

"It didn't," I said quietly, my voice cutting surprisingly well through the chatter. I glanced up, noticing that everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for me to speak. I shrugged, looking back down at my food. "Look like a normal Titan. It looked… fitter somehow." I shook my head. "It definitely moved faster than a normal Titan." Impressive, I almost added, but held my tongue.

"T-then, what are the normal ones like?" another idiot asked.

Flashes, so fast I almost didn't catch them. I bit my spoon, settling the person who had asked the question with a hard gaze. He gulped. I turned towards Eren when I heard his breath hitch and in his green eyes, I could see him being transported back to that day. His spoon dropped into his soup and that was when I decided it was enough.

"No more questions," I announced and even I could hear the hard edge in my voice. I watched Eren carefully as he clapped a hand to his mouth.

Connie looked at me. I didn't know what I was showing on my face, but it had him looking down apologetically as he said, "Sorry about all the que – "

"That's not it!" Eren interrupted. He was back to his normal self in a flash, the fire burning in his gaze. He bit into his bread almost forcefully. He had the look on his face that meant he was getting overconfident. "Titans are really just a bunch of pussies." I finished off the last of my soup, pushing away my mess tin and leaning my elbows on the table so I could rub my temples. I have a bad feeling about this. "If we master the 3D Maneuver Gear, those things won't stand a chance!"

I sighed a little wistfully, envying Eren's idealistic nature. I guess it's people like him who gave other people hope.

"I've finally become a cadet," Eren said, excitement shining through his eyes. "I just got a little too excited, is all. I'm going to join the Recon Corps and exterminate every last Titan."

"I'll say you got a little more than a little excited," I drawled, hitting the back of his hand with my spoon. He drew it back with a glare. "Come on, finish up your food and we can leave."

"Come on," another voice drawled. "Are you retarded?" I turned, rolling my eyes slightly. It was that guy that got head-butted – Jean Kirstein. "Did you just say you wanted to join the Recon Corps?"

"Yeah, I do," Eren replied, frowning slightly. I think he recognised Jean too. "Didn't you say you wanted to join the Military Police and take it easy?"

"I'm an honest man," Jean said haughtily. "You won't find me acting like a hero when I'm actually pissing my pants."

"Well, that much is obvious," I muttered under my breath, biting into my leftover bread and standing up. "Come on, Eren. Let's – "

"You talking to me?" Eren asked, his voice dangerously low. I huffed slightly, resisting the urge to stomp my foot. The testosterone levels were beginning to rise and I could feel myself choking on it. Did Jean really have to try and pick a fight with Eren? He should have just stopped at I'm an honest man.

"D-don't!" someone protested, but they obviously don't know Eren well enough if they think that's going to stop him. Only a hard knock to the head will.

Jean let loose a sharp laughter of disbelief. "Come on, now," he said in what I supposed was supposed to be a placating manner, but came out really patronising. "I wasn't really…" The two of them stepped up to each other and I could feel a fight brewing. If this wasn't stopped, Eren would get in trouble and Mikasa would have my head. The bells tolled, signalling curfew, and I let out a sigh of relief. Talk about being saved by the bell.

Jean smiled, although it seemed more like a smirk. "Alright, sorry about that. I'm not saying your ideas are wrong." He held out a hand towards Eren. "Let's just drop it."

I stared at the back of Eren's head, willing him to take Jean's peace offering. I was tired and just wanted to get some sleep in an actual bed with a mattress and a pillow.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Eren relented and I smiled slightly. He slapped Jean's hand and I bounded forward, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you," I cooed, pinching his cheek. "You really did grow up!"

"Get off me," Eren muttered, slapping my hand away.

Mikasa walked up next to us and I smiled at her, shooting her a wink as I slid my arm from Eren's shoulders. "I did a pretty good job keeping him out of trouble, right?"

She hummed. "Good enough. But Eren…"

"What's the big deal?" Eren complained when he found himself pinned with Mikasa's disapproving glance.

"You're letting yourself be led by your emotions again," Mikasa chided lightly.

"Not this shit again," Eren muttered.

I slapped the back of his head. "Don't be rude," I reproached. "Mikasa's right. You were too quick to fly off the handle."

Eren shot me an irritated look before turning back to Mikasa. "More importantly," he drawled, "don't you think your hair's a bit too long? Might cause an accident during Maneuver training."

I looked around Eren to scrutinise Mikasa's hair. "I think it's fine," I protested. "She just needs to trim her fringe a little and when training comes around, she'll have to tie up her hair."

Mikasa pinched a lock of hair between her fingers. "Okay," she said, even though I could tell she was reluctant to cut it. "I'll cut my hair."

Then, Eren turned to me and tugged on a lock of my hair. "You too, Red."

I slapped his hand away, scowling. "Keep my hair out of this," I exclaimed. "You don't need to worry about my hair, so don't."

"If it annoys you during Maneuver training – "

"Focus on your own Maneuver training, Jaeger. Don't worry about mine."

"How long do you think it should be?" Mikasa asked, no doubt in an effort to stop me and Eren from getting into another argument.

I eyed her hair, lamenting her decision to cut it. All she really needed was a trim, but if she wanted to cut it short, then she could. I wasn't going to stop her. "How about shoulder length?" I suggested. "Or better yet, I'll cut it for you."

Mikasa nodded. "Thanks."

"So, Dani, about your hair…"

"Eren Jaeger, if you don't shut up about my hair, so help me I will cut yours."

I didn't know why, but I ended up turning back to the dining hall, noticing that Jean was standing there with a forlorn look on his face. I laughed slightly, elbowing Eren playfully. I guess some things never change.

•●•●•●•

I sat behind Mikasa after our shower, a small pair of scissors in my right hand. I picked up a lock of hair and brought the scissors up. I managed to get the lock of hair between the two teeth of the scissors before sighing and putting the scissors back down.

Mikasa turned, curiosity in her eyes. "What's wrong, Dani?" she inquired.

I sighed, pouting slightly. "Do you really want to cut your hair? I mean, it's so pretty…"

Mikasa frowned lightly, eyeing her hair in the small mirror in front of us. "Everyone keeps saying that," she murmured. By everyone, I assume she meant Jean.

"That's because it's true."

I wanted to try and persuade her not to cut her hair, but I could tell from the look in her eyes that what I said didn't matter. All that mattered at the moment was her own desires… and Eren's. She wanted to have her hair cut and she was going to do it with or without my help. "Dani."

"Yare, yare," I said easily, finally snipping off a lock of her hair. "I'll cut your hair, since you're so keen on it."

"Maybe you should cut yours too." The suggestion sounded like a sneaky way of not suffering alone. Hey, I'll support her if she wants to cut off her hair, but I'd really like it if she could keep my hair out of it. I like my long hair.

I rapped the back of her head lightly with my knuckle. "Don't you start with me, Mikasa Ackerman."