Eren staggered toward Corporal on wobbling legs, nearly fell, but then caught and held himself up against his jaw. This time where was no blood dripping between his teeth or threatening growls issuing forth, just a low rumble—almost a purr—as he let Eren grope at his face like a fool. Eren didn't care. He buried his nose against the cool scales and twined his fingers in Corporal's mane. He smelled like rainwater, foliage after a storm, salt, and sea, and everything that Eren normally feared. He hugged it all close to his chest, refusing to let go.
"You're okay," he whispered and Eren got a puff of hot air in response to that—clearly the non-verbal version of, 'No shit, brat.' Eren laughed as he waved the smoke away.
"Glad to see you're still a dick," he said and turned back to his friends.
Annie and Petra were human again. Annie gave Corporal a cool nod, still yawning around her hand, but Petra was crying nearly as much as Eren had been before, all while grinning and doing a happy little dance in place. Erwin looked downright stoic next to her but he was radiating his own brand of contentment. Even the lamp had come alive again, squeak-squeak-squeaking as it bounced in place. The only one who didn't seem to be pleased was Armin. He lurked in the doorway, giving the two of them a hesitant glance.
"It's fine," Eren said. He beckoned his friend over though he still came reluctantly. "Armin… this is Corporal. I'm sure you've seen each other around, yeah?"
Armin nodded. He dithered, then summoned a book but kept it pressed close to his chest. He scribbled a moment, crossed whatever it was out, wrote again, ripped the page away entirely, wrote once more… and finally turned the book around to show them. It read, "Hello."
Corporal's head lowered in a rather regale gesture and then he was moving past them, stopping just an inch or so away from Erwin. Armin slipped back against Eren's side as the two came toe-to-toe—or rather toe-to-claw. Rather than backing away from the beast currently curling teeth at him, Erwin calmly lifted both hands and placed them palm down over Corporal's eyes. He closed his own eyes and together they swayed until, after a minute of silence, he opened them again. Erwin's eyes held an expression of barely contained satisfaction.
"Excellent," he said. "Corporal has convinced my brother that he's here to retrieve Annie. You too, Eren. Apparently Irwin has agreed to a contest of sorts for you to regain your name and family."
"Contest?" Eren gaped.
"It matters not. We'll be there to help you whether you succeed or not."
Those words seemed to hold meaning that went straight over Eren's head. Annie and Pertra understood though. They moved as one to stand beside Erwin, their backs as straight and taught as any soldier's. Opposite them, Corporal backed up until Eren could once again wrap his hands into his mane.
"You've got a plan?" Petra asked.
"Of a sort. We haven't much time though."
Eren dug his toes into the dirt. "Whaddya mean? We've got until dawn—"
He cut himself off though when Corporal huffed in disagreement. Jerking his head so that Eren followed they faced east and Eren's mouth dropped at the line of light he saw in the distance. It was just beginning to hit the tops of the trees.
"But-but... but we got here an hour ago!" He looked to Armin for confirmation. "Not even!"
"He's summoned the dawn again," Annie growled.
"But how? You said he wouldn't do that, to save magic..."
"And so he shouldn't." In one motion Erwin tore off the frilly apron, casting it aside where it disappeared into thin air. He replaced it with a brown leather jacket. "It seems as ifmy brother is more concerned with strategy than I would have given him credit for. You agreed to return in the morning? That's when the test will take place?" Corporal inclined his head. Erwin grimaced. "Then we need to move. No doubt he's realized that denying us time to formulate plans of our own is more useful than conserving his magic… but he also thinks Annie will be returned to him. He's counting on it. Let's use that to our advantage."
Erwin started summoning maps, spreading them out right there in the dirt. "Annie, Petra—you two stay with me. And Armin? I assume you want to join this fight?"
Within seconds he had a book open, the pages filled with "Yes" written a hundred times in a hundred different fonts.
"Excellent. Then I'll need you to remain as well. I have something for you, a gift." Erwin's hands glowed with power. "The change will benefit us in battle as well."
Armin stiffened at the word "change" but obediently separated himself from Eren. The desire to help was the only thing stronger than the desire to stay. Still, Eren let go of his hand reluctantly. He pressed himself closer to Corporal.
"Eren?"
"Yeah?" His voice cracked.
"You go on ahead with Corporal. You'll need to be back at the bathhouse by the time the sun has risen. He'll claim a technicality otherwise." Erwin's face was stern. "The magic will allow it too. He'll use it as a means of keeping you and your family here, forever. You need to go, Eren. Now."
Corporal was already scooting his head back against Eren's knees, lifting him so he tumbled onto his neck. Eren snatched at his mane to avoid falling off completely, letting out a string of curses all the while. He'd never ridden a horse before but his thighs knew how to grip Corporal gently and he dug his heels against the rows of scales. They were slippery under his bare skin.
Then the air changed.
It started just like any wind but one that came from all directions, pushing them down and then upwards in a ferocious whirlwind. Then they were literally off the ground. Eren looked, gasping as he saw Corporal's claws hovering an inch or so above the soil, scraping clods as they bobbed in midair. It felt like treading water, including the same chill and shortness of breath.
"We're flying," Eren whispered. He didn't think that anyone heard him.
"We'll be right behind you," Erwin was saying to Corporal. "Distract my brother as long as you can. If he forces your hand do what you need to… Eren?"
Eren tore his gaze away from the space between them and the earth. "Yeah?"
"Fight." Erwin said.
"… What?" he repeated dumbly.
Erwin only took a step forward, his face a mask of intensity. "Fight."
And Eren understood.
"Right!"
There wasn't time for anything else. No sooner had the cry escaped his lips then Eren felt the earth truly falling away below them. His hair whipped across his eyes, he dug his fingernails between the cracks of scales, and then his friends were becoming just the tinniest dots. Eren shook his head and managed to get a last glimpse of them all: Erwin and Annie standing stoic but faithful, Petra waving madly, Armin holding up a sign Eren was now too far away to read. He could only hope that he wasn't missing out on some super important advice or something.
"Let's go!" Eren shouted, half just to hear his own voice. They were already gone though. Up into the clouds, then plunging back down to skim along the trees. Eren saw the lights of the bathhouse far in the distance and swallowed his growing fear. There was crisp air and a reunion to drink in instead.
"Let's go, Corporal, let's go!"
They flew, the two of them, speeding together towards the dawn.
They couldn't have been flying more than two minutes when Corporal took a sharp turn to the left. The sun was rising full speed now and as the night lights of the bathhouse spluttered out Eren noticed that the ones remaining were condensed. Something was happening at the main gate so…. that's where their course took them. Emerging from the trees they flew over the river-turned-sea. Eren watched the blue ripples passing below.
"Can you take us lower?" he whispered.
What a stupid thing to ask but if Corporal found it odd he didn't show it. Instead he dived, twirling halfway with a speed that made Eren shout with both exhilaration and fear. When they pulled level again the water was right at their feet. Eren could touch it with his toes if he just stretched a bit.
No one was more surprised than him when he actually did it.
The water was cold, little droplets of ice that splattered against his ankles. Eren saw his own reflection staring dumfounded back at him.
"This feels familiar," he said to it.
And it did: the speed with which the water passed, the rocking of the body under his legs, even the green of Corporal's hair in comparison to the blue below. Hardly daring to think through his actions Eren lay until he was flat against Corporal's back. Like this he could reach his arm out too, letting his fingers skim the waves they created. Daring, he plunged his whole hand in and came out with a sip. Eren drank from his palm.
The water went down easy.
"This is stupidly familiar," Eren said, smacking his lips. He pressed even closer to Corporal, placing his mouth to where, on a human, his ear might be. "Like... this is freaky, okay? I've done this before. I know I have. I nearly drowned, Corporal."
It was an admission. There might have been tension now in the scales but Eren was too preoccupied to notice. His eyes remained on the water while his speech picked up speed, words tripping over themselves in an effort to escape. Then they truly caught momentum. They flowed.
"I... I was on the beach. With my dad. I love my dad. I know that sounds stupid but things have been kinda shitty lately and... just yeah. I love him. And mom. And Mikasa. I found her on the beach, Corporal. No." Eren shook his head, his breath picking up speed with his words. "No. I found her in the water. She was drowning Corporal, or she would have, I'm sure, if I hadn't gone out there. Is that... what? Conceited? Fuck. But I saw this white spot and everything was so dark and I knew, I just knew that something was out there. I swam because I'm good at swimming and I found Mikasa and she... she had rope burns all over her arms, did you know? From where she was caught. Even with everything wet they still rubbed her skin away and in the hospital I kept thinking about how much it must hurt which was stupid because she'd just lost her parents. Stupid, shitty rope isn't going to hurt more than that... I gave her a scarf. I think it helped. And I got her out, except..." Eren swallowed. "Except I didn't. Not really. She was so heavy, Corporal, and the wind was so strong. The water too. We were sinking. I... I couldn't breathe. I was dying. Then...this happened."
Eren ran his hands over the scales, feeling Corporal trembling beneath him. "I didn't swim back!" He cried. "I know I didn't. I died, except I didn't. Someone pulled me out…you pulled me out." Eren knew it was true the second he said it. The truth felt cool and weightless.
"You were there, Corporal." He whispered. "Don't you remember? It... it was the sea. The Levi Sea. I… Corporal—I think that's your name!"
The flash of light was blinding enough that Eren cried out, shielding his eyes. When he tried to grab at Corporal again there was nothing to hold onto. Scales and hair alike were flying away, carried off by the wind before they disintegrated entirely. Eren kept clutching, feeling the body he was sitting on growing smaller—and this time he caught onto what felt like fabric. A shirt: complete with a chest and arms that wrapped around his. The fingers dug into Eren's skin.
Through the jewels of light around them Eren finally found Corporal's face.
"That's your name!" he cried again, grinning. Corporal's eyes were wide.
"Brat," he said and that was all the warning Eren got.
They plunged into the water. But this time—like last time—Corporal didn't let go.
"This is the most horrible of all horrible things," Hanji growled and slammed her fist onto the railing. Again.
She stood with... well, everyone. The entire bathhouse's population spread out on the balconies behind her, overlooking the main entrance. At the very front were those who had a true reason for being there: Sasha and Connie, the soot-balls, Jean and Marco, Moblit, and Hanji herself. It was Marco who snatched her wrist before she could do any more damage.
"It'll be fine," he said.
"And if it's not?" She shrieked right back. Marco lowered his eyes. There hadn't been much time between when they'd returned to the bathhouse and when the sun had started to rise, but what time they had they'd dealt with in fears—fear of Irwin calling them up to his office, of their human not making it back, of all the numerous, terrible things that could happen the next day. Then the next day arrived and an announcement had shaken the bathhouse.
"A test," Jean spit. Then he literally spit, half hoping it would hit Irwin below. "Who the hell does he think he is? Testing the kid..."
"It's more of a chance than anyone else has gotten," Marco said.
Jean glared. "Are you actually defending him?"
Marco glared in turn. "Of course not. But magic is binding. So whatever happens... they'll both have to keep their ends of the bargain."
At least, that's what Irwin's voice—booming out over them all—had said just an hour before. His devoted Corporal had gone out, risking life and limb to retrieve the human and a number of other "radicals." The human had apparently stolen something quite precious. Of course, Irwin was a man of mercy, but even he couldn't overlook such a heavy betrayal. At sunup the human would undergo a test. If he won he was free to go. If he lost he would stay to pay off his debt.
"Debt!" Moblit cried indignantly. Connie had to clamp a hand over his mouth, lest the sound carry. An angry stream of mutterings could still be heard though.
"Yeah," Sasha agreed. She stuffed a roll into her own mouth. "A debt that lasts his whole human life I best. Afterlife too." She hissed and chomped violently.
"How the hell can you eat at a time like this," Jean marveled.
"Gonna need my strength," and she touched the bow hidden at her feet.
At that, all of them straightened. Connie drifted a hand over his slingshot and Jean touched the dagger under his shirt. The rest of them hadn't brought weapons but that didn't mean they didn't' possess hands, feet, and teeth.
"You think we're gonna need all this?" Connie asked. His gaze drifted to all the other spirits. They gossiped, twittered, utterly oblivious.
"I think," Marco said slowly. "That if Human wins the magic will force Irwin to let him go." He swallowed. "But once Human is free... once the contract is null..."
"Irwin can do whatever the fuck he wants," Hanji said. Her whole body was tight and coiled, now more of a snake than a squirrel. "I'd like to see him try."
"Corporal." Jean said. It was a reassurance, the most he was willing to say with Irwin so close. All of them knew without a doubt that Corporal would never betray Eren. They felt it. Whatever Irwin thought was going to happen... he was wrong.
At least, that was the hope.
"Two minutes!" Irwin called. His voice was gleefully manic. He held a pocket-watch in one hand, his other tracing the path of the sun. In two minutes it would have risen and Eren would have lost his chance.
"Hurry up." Jean muttered. "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry—"
"THERE HE IS!"
The shout came from a spirit far above them, one with a better view. In seconds Hanji and the others were able to see it as well—two figures following the path to the bridge.
They were walking hand in hand.
"They made it!" Sasha cheered. She and Hanji launched into a ridiculous side hug but no sooner had they started than the cheer was dying down. A hush settled over the crowd as Eren and Corporal reached the entrance. Irwin held equally still.
It appeared as much anyway. In truth he was shaking, a violent tremor that started from his hands and rolled up through his chest. His eyes, if any of the others had been close enough to see, were blazing.
"I see," he said.
And Irwin did: the calm that had settled on the human and spirit alike, their walk that was perfectly in synch, the way their fingers intertwined so tightly that all the knuckles were white...
How they were both sopping wet.
"That was the test, wasn't it, you shit?" Corporal said as soon as they were close enough. He looked around, noting that there was nothing but the spirits and the river below you them. "You were going to tell the brat he had to swim."
Beside him Eren stiffened, even though he'd realized the same thing just moments before. A part of him wondered if he'd have been able to do it... jump in, with everyone watching, with Irwin standing above... he didn't know. All Eren was sure of was that his shorts were already weighted with river water and his hair was plastered to his head. Corporal's hand was slick between his.
"I already have," Eren announced and shook his head as evidence. Droplets flew.
"Before sunrise too," Corporal said. Was there pride in his voice?
"Doesn't that fulfill the contract, brat?"
"I think it does."
"Well, well. Then hand it over, Irwin."
Irwin, for his part, appeared to be seizing. Eren was sure he wouldn't let him go, no matter what Erwin had said about magic binding him… but then his hand rose into the air, seemingly pulled by an invisible string. It twisted and a single sheet of parchment popped into existence.
Eren could see his name written at the bottom.
"Look at you. Still making demands." Irwin's voice was level, more controlled than any would have expected. Those above exchanged silent glances, thinking that perhaps he was content with this outcome. Eren was close enough to see his eyes though and there was no shred of contentment there.
As always, Irwin still had a plan. Fuck all if Eren was going to let him follow through with it though.
Corporal's nails forced notches into Eren's skin. He knew. They settled their weight as one, expecting the unexpected.
"A deal is a deal, Shifter." Irwin purred. "Even I can't deny that... ah. Or should I be calling you 'Eren' now?"
Above them the contract began to burn and as it did Eren could feel the bonds lifting from around his heart. They'd increased the moment he'd stepped onto the bridge with Irwin, thrumming a terrible beat, but now they constricted only once more before dissolving completely. It felt like something tangible was loosening from his chest and Eren opened his mouth wide to let the awful substance free. When he felt like he could breathe again—lungs still loose and murky from the water—he parted his lips in a familiar rhythm.
"Eren." Eren said and he smiled.
"EREN!" Came a shriek above him and he looked up to see Hanji. She was leaning over a balcony, just close enough that she could hear their voices. She said his name for the first time since their meeting, with more jubilation than he could have hoped for, and within seconds the others were taking up the cry. His friends chanted it, tasting it, while the spirits who hadn't gotten to know him joined in with respect. Even those who hadn't seemed to care for him contributed. Eren saw a toad who'd shoved him on the stairs and a cat that had sneered his way. They seemed pretty content with his presence now.
"Eren," Corporal said. The word was soft. He didn't take his eyes off Irwin though.
"Eren," came the screams from his sides. "Eren," came the calls from above. Eren heard his own name reverberated back to him in a hundred different voices, each one causing the tick in Irwin's jaw to grow. His breathing grew more labored with every recitation... but his hands remained at his sides. He did not raise them and thus he cast no spells. No fire yet flew their way.
"You do realize this changes nothing between us." Irwin finally said to Corporal. His own voice was audible above the cheers. "I see you let Annie fend for herself... your precious Petra too. Our own deal is moot, Corporal, and you'll work for me for as long as I choose. Tell me, was this human worth it?"
Corporal smiled. An actual lifting of the lips that drained all the blood out of Irwin's face—and brought a happy flush to Eren's.
"I don't need your deal, you sack of shit." Corporal said. His mouth was still twisting upwards. "I found my own name. I took it back and fuck all if I'm ever letting you get your hands on it again. Right, Eren?"
"Hell yeah, Levi."
It was Corporal who lifted his hand first, summoning a scroll with his own name written at the bottom. Irwin stiffened when he saw it appear—then he lunged. The crowd went quiet as he stumbled and grasped and failed, the paper rising triumphantly over his head.
"I don't cast magic," Corporal boomed. "But I'm damn good at breaking it!" and he sliced his hand down through the air.
The paper tore itself to shreds, raining down in a blaze as each piece set itself aflame. Eren skittered backwards and fell, partly trying to avoid the mess of fire, partly scared of the violent jumble that Irwin and Corporal had become. The former was leaning forward, hindered by the latter's hand caught in his shirt, a scream of rage unlike any Eren had heard issuing in waves from his throat. It went on and on, his right hand twisting spastically, looking as if he was having some sort of fit. Except that it really did go on, too long, until it almost sounded like...
Like its own recitation.
Like a call.
Eren felt the bottom of his stomach dropping away right when Corporal seemed to realize it too. He stepped forward, attempting to clamp his hand over Irwin's mouth, both of them shaking. When that didn't work he hooked one arm about the sorcerer's waist and drew a gleaming blade with the other. Eyes locked on the right hand—the one summoning something—Corporal sliced downwards and neatly Irwin's right arm at the shoulder. Eren felt the breath being punched from his lungs as he watched the limb flop to the ground. Blood began spreading out in a fan.
Irwin's voice ceased but he made no sounds of pain. Head hanging, sweat dripping from his hair, his eyes rose back up to look directly at Eren.
"Too late, Shifter." He said.
There was a beat of true silence. The spirits above them stood stunned, Corporal wheezed with his sword dripping blood, Eren dug his fingernails into the wood of the bridge, and then...
That's when he felt the tremor.
It came from behind, sweeping down from the path and into the boards beneath him. Eren clung tighter, feeling like the very earth was rolling like a sea in storm. Something was definitely coming—and fast.
"Titans." Corporal whispered and Eren nodded, his own eyes wide.
Titans.
"Get inside!" Screamed a voice from above. All heads shot up. It was Historia, standing tall atop the bathhouse's entrance roof, the burned remains of her own contract held in hand. Beside her stood Bertolt, Reiner, and Ymir, already drawing swords of their own. She'd donned a white dress similar to the one dream-Historia had worn and Eren watched as she balled the skirts in her hand, glaring down at her subjects.
"This is my bathhouse, stolen from me by that coward!" A finger was shot out like a lance, pointed at a heaving, bleeding Irwin. "As your employer I demand that you get inside. Leave now before—"
Before that. One moment Eren was still lying prone on the bride, the next he was in Corporal's arms as they dove out of the way, a stampede of titans crashing through the small gate. With a roar they ran straight at anything that looked remotely edible, their cries drowned out only by the screams of the spirits. They certainly didn't need to be told twice. As Eren lay stunned atop Corporal's chest, hidden in the bushes off to the side, he saw his coworkers rushing back through the doors as Historia desperately waving them on. The titans were only a few steps behind.
There looked to be twenty, maybe more, but Eren was more concerned with their characteristics than their number. Rising unsteadily to his feet he looked for any with that size, that hair, those bits of red trapped near its neck—any that looked like his family. Eren didn't even realize he'd been walking towards them until hands clamped down hard around his waist.
"They're not here—brat! They're not here!" Corporal shook him, taught breaths puffing against his ear. Eren could feel him sweating. "They reverted back the second that damned contract burned, so just… just… fuck. We need to go."
"Go?" He said dumbly. Go where? His friends were right in front of him.
Most of the spirits had made it inside—the titans held off by Ymir and the others—but one managed to scoop up a squealing toad, his legs jerking in terror. Eren stood, convinced he was about to watch him be eaten alive… until an arrow hit the titan square in the eye, followed closely by numerous stones. It reared back as Sasha and Connie stepped aside, allowing Reiner to move in for the kill. They used the height of the roofs to their advantage, landing neatly atop the titan's head and carving out a section of its neck. The thing toppled like a skyscraper and when Eren though that its body would crush the others… it was suddenly halted by a wave of magic. Annie burst from the path followed closely by Petra. Erwin brought up the rear, his arms held high and magic thrumming from his palms. He scowled when he saw them standing off to the side and a slab of guilt began settling in Eren's stomach.
He was supposed to be fighting.
"What are you waiting for?" Erwin shouted. "Get out of here!"
What?
"You heard the man. Move." Corporal grabbed hold of Eren's arm, already tugging him away.
Eren stirred. "But we have to help…"
"You can help by moving your skinny ass."
"No!" With a wrench Eren broke free but Corporal was right there again, his hands tight as iron bands around his wrists. He pressed right against Eren's back and spoke directly into his hair, the words overly sharp and brittle.
"What exactly do you expect to do, Eren?" Corporal hissed and Eren shivered at hearing his name. "Kill one of those? Get yourself killed? No fucking way. You've done enough, dammit. Who the fuck do you think they're fighting for? Are you going to throw that away, brat?"
"Too right!"
Eren heard the shout and turned to find Hanji breaking through the mayhem. Jean was beside her, his knife already soaked in blood and he had a wild look about his eyes that Eren had yet to see. They both skid to a stop beside him, heaving.
"You need to leave," Hanji said. "Now."
"But…"
Eren paused. But what? Isn't this exactly what he'd wanted? To leave, to return to his family… to escape? Jean seemed to be thinking the same thing because his jaw dropped the second the word left Eren's mouth.
"But nothing!" he cried.
"But nothing," Hanji agreed. She knelt. Corporal was still half-hugging him from behind but she took his hands, giving them a vicious squeeze. "Are you blind now, huh? The tide is turning. We've got this, so don't worry your stupid little head about it." A hand moved to his cheek. "Annie and Erwin and Historia… we're stronger together. That bastard is down and he's gonna stay down this time. It's over and it's time you went home, but do you really think for a moment you're actually leaving? That we'd leave you alone? Trust me, human."
Eren gulped, tears escaping down his cheeks to wet her palms. "Eren," he blurted. "I'm Eren."
"But you're Human to me." With a grin Hanji dropped his hands, pushing him further back into Corporal's arms. "Go." She said, turning away. "Go!"
So he went.
They were moving again, Eren stumbling backwards, refusing to look away until he absolutely had to. He saw Krista, Ymir, Bertolt, and Reiner fighting in a tight group, taking down titans at a staggering pace. Marco, Sasha, Moblit, and Connie were still on the roofs, helping from afar. Petra was guarding the last of the vulnerable spirits; Annie was raging with a terrifying efficiency, power radiating about her like a storm. The last was Irwin. He stood in the middle of it all, face pale and his shirt stained red, watching them leave. Before they rounded the bend Eren saw Erwin coming up from behind to bind him, Hanji moving to block them from his gaze… and Jean, who lunged forward and punched Irwin straight across the jaw.
Eren cracked a grin.
Things moved fast after that, almost too fast for Eren to process. Corporal's hand was in his, small and slick with sweat as they tore through the village. There were no spirits here now. With the sun shining bright overhead it could have been any town, sleepy and peaceful, even the one Eren had once resided in. The only distinguishing feature was what they were leaving behind: cries of battle and the occasional roar of a titan.
Eren couldn't help but throw a look or two over his shoulder.
"They're fine." Corporal snapped. They both jumped a series of loose tiles, taking the upcoming steps three at a time.
"Are you just saying that?" Eren cried back.
"Dammit, brat! If I say they're fine, they're fine. So just fucking shut it and run, would you?" Corporal took a sharp left and then an eerily familiar stretch of meadow came into view. "There," he breathed, almost reverent, even as Eren felt his own breath coming to a halt.
"The water." He said. "It's gone. I can walk across now…"
Corporal nodded. "Your parents woke up on the other side as soon as your contract burned. I can't go any farther though… fuck." He ran a hand through his hair, tightening his hold on Eren with the other.
"Go," he said, echoing Hanji. The word was the exact opposite of his actions though. He held on. "Go, fucking go, just don't look back until you've crossed through the tunnel. If you pull an Orpheus on me, kid, I'm gonna be beyond pissed… do you even know who Orpheus was?"
"No." Eren whispered.
"He was an idiot. Don't be him. Now go."
Eren stared out at the stretch of grass. A few of the taller blades rolled in the wind, becoming him forward and warding him away. He wanted to go home, of course he did… but were they ever going to see each other again? Eren squeezed Corporal's hand until the ache could be felt in both their bones.
"Eren." Corporal pleaded. "You didn't listen to me the first time, brat, so listen to me now: go."
Eren went.
His fingers slipped through Corporal's and then his bare feet were sliding through patches of dirt, toes kicking up tiny pebbles along the way. The air and the sun and the violence of before had dried his clothes, but the wind still left a cool shiver running through him. Or maybe that was something else entirely. Eren ignored it, taking the hill at a run until bits of grass were flying away and his lungs were screaming in a way he simply couldn't. Eyes to the ground, tracing his progress, he didn't look up—didn't look back—until—
"Eren!"
He jerked to a dead halt and said, "Mom?"
She was there, standing beside his dad, looking for all the world as human and impatient as ever. Between the two of them stepped Mikasa. A red scarf was restored around her neck, caught in the wind that currently felt like it could bowl Eren over. He just stood there. Breathing.
"Where have you been?" Kalura called. She raised a hand to shield the sun from her eyes. "Eren? We've been worried sick!"
"You—?" Eren spluttered. "You've been worried… no. No, no, no," and he took off running again.
Frankly, he was expecting tears once more. Something, anything, everything to mark this moment. Instead Eren was dried-eyed and smiling as he came to a grassy stop before his family, the four of them standing in an almost ceremonial circle: Kalura with her hands on her hips—but shaking her head fondly—Grisha checking his watch, Mikasa already reaching for his hand. Eren grasped at it desperately.
"Oh fuck," he said.
"Eren! Who taught you that?" Kalura gaped but it surprised a laugh out of Grisha.
"That's a fun little word, huh, son?"
"Grisha, really."
"Aw, c'mon. You're blind—deaf really—if you think boys his age don't curse."
"Yes but that's no reason to encourage him—"
"Corporal, he…" Eren started to say but they had already turning from him, heading back the way they'd come. He watched them, wide-eyed, then moved his gaze to Mikasa's hand. She gently pulled the scarf away from her mouth.
"Who's Corporal?" She tiled her head, eyes narrowing. "What's wrong? Something happened."
"Yeah. Yeah it did but… later."
Mikasa nodded. Eren could feel her curiosity rolling off in waves but she knew when to keep silent. She always had. Instead she tugged him forward for once and Eren went, hesitating for only the briefest moment..
Don't look back.
Though a part of him really wanted to.
Into the tunnel, one hand still attached to Mikasa, the other finding his mother's arm. "Don't cling so much, Eren." She said. "You're going to make me trip." But all her words did was make him hold on tighter. Halfway through, when it was darkest and they still had half a way's to go, Eren felt an "I'm sorry" bubbling up in his throat. He swallowed it down, content with leaving imprints in Kalura's arm and hearing his father walk beside him. By the time they'd reached the light of the other side his mom had gone from huffing in annoyance to laughter in confusion.
"Really, Eren, what's gotten into—where are your shoes?!" Back in the sunlight she yelled at his feet.
"Uh… oh. Right." Looking down Eren spotted his own grimy toes, wiggling guiltily. "They're—"
"Here!"
No one was more surprised than Eren when the shout came from behind.
He whirled, safe now having passed the edge of the tunnel, and saw a figure approaching. Mouth hanging open Eren watched as a sandy-haired boy about his age came barreling out of the darkness. He had the bluest eyes Eren had ever seen and the only thing he could think was that they looked otherworldly… and ancient. There was also something familiar about his expression, earnest and knowledgeable and unbearably hopeful. Eren didn't fully understand though until he spotted the book tucked under one arm.
"Armin?" He whispered.
"Yeah," came the stuttered response. His eyes—human and bright and bearing no markings—flit between Eren and his parents, uncertain. "I… I'm… Erwin says goodbye—" Pronounced one way, not the other. "And he says… thanks." Eyes jumping back to his own, human body. A gift. Magic. Proof. "Also that you forgot your shoes." Armin scrubbed a foot against the dirt, looking very much as if he wasn't entirely sure what to do with it.
Eren nodded. Dumbly. He didn't feel his free hand taking the shoes and slipping them awkwardly onto his feet. He didn't feel anything until he'd taken Armin's hand too. The three of them formed a chain, Mikasa peering curiously at this new addition. Her shoulders were relaxed though and there might have been a happy, if bemused, smile hiding behind her scarf.
"Well you're… making quite a lot of friends today, huh, Eren?" Grisha raised his eyebrows, looking the most confused of them all. "Good. That's… good. Armin was it? You need a ride, son?"
"Yes, sir."
Kalura nodded enthusiastically at his admission. It wouldn't have mattered of course. Eren and Mikasa were already dragging him forward. It also wouldn't be the first time they'd picked up a stray.
"Hop in then I suppose… goodness."
They didn't need to be told twice. Eren thought he heard his mom saying, "I told you" as they scrambled into the backseat. Sure enough, with seatbelts donned—helping Armin through each tiny, human step—the adults significantly cleared their throats.
"Maybe you'll make some more friends at school after all." Kalura said. She looked back at him hopefully.
"Maybe." But Eren wasn't really listening. The car started to move, taking them all backwards, and as it did the three of them turned to look out the back window, compelled by invisible strings. Rounding the curve, the edges of the trees pulled back and the sea came into view. Eren leaned towards it eagerly. Face pressed to the glass he watched as the waves rolled up and then down, taking all sorts of secrets with them. One secret was intimately familiar though. There, skimming just beneath the surface was something indescribably large and fast. It flew amidst droplets of green and blue, weaving in a manner that held just a hint of playfulness. Armin bounced in his seat, Eren's face was fit to bursting with his smile, and the softest gasp alerted him that Mikasa could see it to: that something. That wonderful, familiar something. Between the powerful sun and the illusion of the waves, one might have foolishly thought they were looking at a dragon. A dragon that was following their car faithfully, all of them moving in the same direction.
Grisha peered at his kids through the rearview mirror, misinterpreting their expressions. "I know this isn't what you wanted, Eren. And I get it. A new home, a new school… it is a bit scary."
"Yeah." Eren agreed, smiling. "It is. But after school… do you think maybe we could go swimming?"
Fin.
15