Chapter 22: Confrontation
A week after Ymir's confrontation with Reiner, Ymir and Krista hurriedly ran around, trying to gather their things for school. They had a late night, due to Ymir's brilliant idea of marathoning scary movies and consequently forgetting Krista's fears of the living dead. Well, the brunette did not complain, hiding her grin against the blonde's neck every time she jumped and clutched her shirt tighter. Krista had practically crawled up her shirt when the protagonist thundered through a horde of walking corpses with a chainsaw.
But now they regretted that decision, especially Ymir, since she suffered the brunt of Krista's scolding and awkwardly stood to the side, watching the blonde jump around the house while munching on a piece of toast and putting her sock on. The tall girl fidgeted and raised an eyebrow when the shorter one stumbled over her book bag, and outright laughed when she received a face full of floor.
"Ymir," Krista whined, pushing herself up.
"C'mon, squirt – we're gonna be late," Ymir replied, grinning.
"I know that! I'm trying to hurry, but there's so much I need to do! And I think I'm forgetting something!" Krista bit her lip as she tried to remember, but all she could think of was that movie they had seen last night. She shuddered and stood up, dusting herself off.
"Who cares, it's probably nothing important," Ymir sighed, shrugging and opening the door.
"Yeah, but…" Krista followed Ymir out the door, looking back anxiously. She was missing something she was sure of it!
"Let's go," Ymir drawled, tugging on her girlfriend's wrist. They had a unit test in Keith's class today, and they couldn't afford to be late. Krista nodded belatedly, not really listening and simply drifting off in her own world. When Ymir slammed the door shut Krista stepped forward and put her key in before Ymir. The brunette chuckled and started walking down the hall, making Krista smile to herself. Ymir trusted her with their home, she trusted her with the key and with the ability to lock it and keep it safe – and that made her feel responsible, confident and wonderful.
Checking the doorknob to make sure it was locked, she skipped down the hall and looked up at Ymir, grabbing her hand and leaning against her shoulder. Ymir intertwined their fingers and smiled slightly as they walked out of the building.
As they began the trek to school, Krista tried hard to concentrate on what she was forgetting. It had to do with school, she was sure of it, but between watching bodies get mutilated and creepy children performing rituals, it was difficult to recall. So focused in her thoughts, it took Ymir a while to grab her attention.
"Krista? Krista!" Ymir muttered, shaking the girl slightly. The blonde had almost walked into a traffic sign pole.
Krista shook her head and looked at Ymir, tilting her head to the side. "What is it?"
"Watch where you're going," Ymir sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets and walking ahead of the blonde. Dismayed by the loss of contact, Krista ran up to Ymir and wrapped her arm around the brunette's elbow. The freckled girl brooded slightly but enjoyed the contact. They approached the school fence and ignored the usual mutterings about their closeness.
When they reached the front entrance, Krista broke out into a smile and waved excitedly after putting her book bag down momentarily. Bertholdt raised a hand in greeting and gave a closed smile. He came up to them and nodded to Ymir, who returned it with one of her own. He fidgeted slightly, looking around nervously. He appeared uneasy about something, and he certainly had a right to be.
After Ymir had thanked Reiner for defending Krista's name from those boys a week ago, their relationship hadn't improved or deteriorated, but Bertholdt had been talking more and more to Reiner about reconciliation, which then infuriated the blond teen and, for the first time in their friendship, shouted at the tall boy. Bertholdt was wary of being seen with Ymir by Reiner, for fear of incurring his wrath once more.
"I wanted to say hi," Bert started, scratching the back of his head, "and that I really want everyone to be friends again, including Annie. Eren tried talking to her, but she's still hung over the past."
Ymir shrugged but said nothing. Krista looked down for a bit, clutching her book bag tightly. Why were they holding onto this grudge so tightly? Why couldn't they just let it go? It puzzled Krista, as well as frustrated her, because goddamn it's been years and Krista had accomplished so much in just a few months with Ymir than the entire student body could even begin to understand.
"I have to go," the tall boy continued, "I don't want Reiner to see me and get angry again. I'm sorry, I wish I could do more for you. But Reiner said some things and I can't risk it again."
"That's okay, Bert, I understand – we understand, right, Ymir?" Krista queried. It sounded more like an affirmation rather than a question. The brunette rolled her eyes and grumbled something positive.
"Thank you. I'll see you around, goodbye."
"Bye!"
Ymir sighed when Krista elbowed her ribs and waved half-heartedly. Bertholdt grinned and returned the wave with vigour. He disappeared around a corner and the couple continued their walk into the school.
Ymir looked down when Krista tugged on her sleeve and failed to notice the student running into her. They both landed on the floor in a thud, and Ymir snarled and prepared herself to cuss the idiot out like mad. Papers were strewn about in the air, and before they could fall down completely Ymir was on her feet and holding the kid up by his collar.
Just as she was about to punch his lights out, she felt a sharp pinch on the back of her upper arm.
"Ow!" she complained, dropping the kid abruptly. Ymir turned to Krista with a murderous look that rapidly faded at her unimpressed expression. The blonde bent over and picked up the papers, and, motioning with her hand, commanded Ymir to do the same. With great reluctance, Ymir helped her girlfriend collect the papers and sort them out, grumbling all the while.
Students all around watched in shock, surprised at Ymir's compliance with Krista. They had expected her to give that boy the beating of the century, but she hadn't done anything. In fact, she had gone as far as actually helping the guy! And it was all thanks to Krista and her ability over Ymir.
What they didn't know, however, was that Ymir secretly did not do it to please Krista, but did it for herself.
She was starting to see the benefits of a healthy reputation – teachers tended to give more leeway for model students, and she could grab more favours easily if she was seen in a good light. Although part of her desired to please Krista, a greater part wanted to selfishly reap the benefits of being rewarded for proper behaviour. That didn't mean she would suddenly do a one-eighty and turn into Krista – no, now she would simply complain less and take up Krista's offers to help more often.
As the blonde took the papers and handed them over to the boy, Ymir crossed her arms and looked to the side, keeping her eye on Krista. The short girl was smiling politely and talking gently to the teen, calming him down and sincerely apologizing for the trouble. Ymir noticed how the boy flicked his eyes downward and blushed madly, obviously developing a crush for the goddess of Rose Academy. The brunette couldn't help but grip her elbows tightly and lock her jaw from spitting out any profanities – Krista seemed to be completely oblivious to the boy's interest in her, which calmed Ymir down slightly.
Once the boy dashed away, Ymir put her arm around Krista and tugged her along, glancing down at her beaming smile. "You know, that boy has a crush on you. Lots of boys do, actually… probably even some other girls," Ymir remarked, observing Krista's reaction.
Krista's expression morphed to confusion and she looked up at Ymir, as if not understanding what she was trying to say. "Why does that matter to you, Ymir? You know I love you." To emphasize her point, the blonde pulled Ymir down by her collar and glued their lips together. Ymir grinned and pushed back heartily, peeking beneath her lashes to watch the reactions of their peers. They were in the middle of the hallway, and could clearly be seen locking lips, though what rendered everyone speechless was the fact that Krista had initiated the kiss and not Ymir. This meant that she was a willing part of the relationship, and that Ymir had not put her under a spell of some sort, as many liked to believe.
When Krista wrapped her arms around her neck, Ymir grinned wider and closed her eyes, fully leaning in to and concentrating on the kiss. She rested her warm palms on the blonde's hips and pulled her up against her scrawny but firm body, earning a nibble on her bottom lip. Just when they started to get into it, a cough sounded from behind them.
"Though I do understand the necessity of displaying your affection for each other, kindly keep your kissing within the confines of a private room, and not the public hallway."
Ymir pulled back from the passionate kiss to grin at Hanji. "Oh, we do more than kiss 'within the confines of a private room', Hanji," she laughed.
"Ymir! Why would you say that?" Krista gasped, eyes wide and face red in embarrassment.
The teacher shook her head in amusement when Krista head-butted Ymir's chin, sending the brunette sprawling to the floor in a bloody mess. She had sliced her gums again with her surprisingly sharp teeth. Krista puffed her cheeks and dragged Ymir down the hall, both of their bags sitting on the brunette's stomach.
"I'll see you around, Hanji," Krista called out cheerfully. Hanji waved as she walked to her classroom to prepare the lessons of the day.
They reached the class and by then Ymir had started walking on her own, carrying both of their bags. The bleeding had subsided, thankfully, and Ymir whined about the sting in her mouth.
Just as Krista touched the doorknob of the door leading into their classroom, Ymir covered her small hand with her larger one and opened the door. She kept it open for Krista to enter, and when a few other tardy students passed by, remained at her spot to keep the door open. Two teens nearly tripped over each other as they did a double take, making Ymir roll her eyes and Krista giggle, since the blonde had stayed to supervise her girlfriend.
Ymir grumbled angrily and entered the classroom, plopping down onto her seat near Krista's. Sweeping her eyes over the classroom, she noticed that Reiner was absent. Krista noticed as well, and sighed sadly, turning to Sasha with half a smile. The hungry brunette chattered excitedly about everything and nothing, and soon, Krista perked up and conversed brightly. Ymir rested her chin in her palm and smiled in Krista's direction, flicking her eyes to Mikasa and seeing her smile similarly to Sasha. Only Jean sat by himself, seemingly struggling with the sheet in front of him.
He slammed his palms on his desk and turned to Krista. "Krista!" he said urgently. The blonde in question turned to him and excused herself from Sasha, who had bounded over to Mikasa to ask for a quick revision before their test. Shadis was late, and all the students were taking advantage of his absence to brush up on their knowledge.
Ymir watched as Krista's smile dimmed and she shook her head, frowning worriedly. Suddenly, she turned to Ymir and beckoned her over. The brunette reluctantly stood and trudged on over to Jean's desk. In front of him was a sheet containing what appeared to be lyrics. Ymir read the first few lines and deduced it was indeed a song, but for what she knew not.
"What's up?" she asked, turned to Krista.
"Jean needs help with his song – he needs a rhyme for these words," she pointed at the words in question, "and I can't think of anything! He needs these songs done by lunch so he can pass them on to Marco for revision."
"It's not my problem if Jean is lazy–"
"Ymir! It's not a lot of work," Krista sighed. "Please?" She pouted, looking up at Ymir with her big blues. Jean watched on amusingly, grinning wryly as Ymir melted in Krista's palms.
"Fine!" Ymir snapped, blushing bright red, "but you owe me, you got that squirt?"
"Got it!"
Ymir glared at the sheet and snatched it from Jean's hands. The boy leaned back and observed Ymir's expression slowly neutralize into concentration. Her eyes darted across the page, and she put her hand out, silently demanding for a pen. Jean handed it to her by slapping the writing utensil onto her palm, and the brunette immediately went to work. Once she finished scrawling her answers, she tossed the sheet at Jean's face and returned to her seat. The singer muttered a 'thanks' and read over her writing, slowly smiling wider as he nodded. He looked back at Ymir and his eyes softened slightly, gradually coming to a conclusion that he had misjudged the brunette greatly.
Krista noticed his expression and grinned brightly as she returned to her seat. She turned to Ymir, who stared at her, and pressed her palm to her lips. The tall girl smiled and frowned, wondering what Krista was up to, when the blonde winked and blew a kiss. Ymir blinked several times then turned her head away to hide her growing smile and blush.
The next period, Bertholdt immediately grabbed a seat next to Ymir and smiled at her, to which she replied with a raise of her eyebrow and a nod. Krista looked between them, expression softening, then turned to Sasha to continue her conversation from the previous class. The girls had been talking about the types of foods their loved ones preferred, and while it was no surprise that Mikasa enjoyed the traditional Japanese, Ymir was fond of Italian foods. All in all, it was a bunch of dribble to Ymir.
Instead, she turned to Bertholdt and stared him down. "Where's Reiner?" she interrogated.
Bert flinched and sighed. "He's off, thinking. He won't even let me get near him. I think he's seriously contemplating rekindling his friendship with you."
"Whatever he decides, it doesn't matter to me," Ymir mumbled, peeking beneath her lashes at Krista, "as long as she's happy, I don't care."
Bertholdt smiled and crossed his arms, leaning on them over his desk. "You've grown soft, Ymir," he whispered, chuckling to himself.
Connie walked in then, setting down his things and purposefully ignoring Ymir. "Hey, Bert, Krista, Mikasa, Sasha," he greeted happily. Ymir raised an eyebrow but didn't comment; Krista, however, was not impressed.
"Connie, aren't you forgetting someone?" Krista asked, frowning. The boy pressed his lips together in thought, then shrugged, sitting down.
"I don't think so."
"Ymir – you're forgetting Ymir, she's sitting right next to Bertholdt."
Connie sighed. "Hey, Ymir."
"Hey."
"There! See, Connie? Ymir doesn't bite!"
"I guess not. Sorry, Ymir, I know I sorta forgave you three weeks ago, but I saw Reiner a while ago and I just got pissed off at you."
Ymir's expression didn't change from her bored one. "I don't care," she replied simply. Connie blinked but turned to the front when Hanji walked in. Bert gripped the sides of his desk tightly, hoping to calm himself before he hounded Connie and interrogated him ruthlessly. Where did he see Reiner? And what was that guy up to?
"Oh!"
Everyone turned to Krista, who had her eyes and mouth wide as if she just remembered something. She suddenly slammed her palm to her forehead, groaning and putting her head down on her desk. Her face steamed from the attention, but soon it dissipated and only Ymir was left with watching the horror fly through Krista's expression.
Ymir was tempted to pass notes to ask Krista what was bothering her, but thought it a bad idea when Hanji passed out a surprise quiz. She would have to ask her later. Her attention was captured by Connie, when the boy leaned over to tell Sasha that he wouldn't be at lunch, because the Titans were coming for a basketball game and he was required to play today. Ymir grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the thought of the Titans – those damn bastards just wouldn't stop would they?
When the bell rang for lunch, Krista was the first one out the door, surprising the entire class. Ymir quickly dashed after her and held onto her arm, spinning her around. "What's the rush?"
"I just remembered what I forgot! I have this group presentation today, in Levi's class, and I forgot my part at home," Krista explained, easing her arm out of Ymir's grip. "I'm sorry, I need to go get it."
"Are you sure you can get there by yourself? You won't get lost?" Ymir snickered and bit her cheek from laughing. If Krista got lost, she'd look like a kid who lost their parent in a store. She just looked so innocent.
Krista pouted and pinched Ymir's arm. "I'm not a kid!" she snapped. She fumed to herself as she stomped off, muttering about Ymir's crude teasing and her jerk-ness. Before she left, she faced Ymir and walked backwards, smiling brightly. "Take care, okay, Ymir? And make sure to eat your lunch! I'll see you soon," she chirped happily, hurrying down the hall with a wave.
Ymir snorted and turned around, but she suddenly felt lost without Krista. Where was she supposed to go? Would the others welcome her in their circle without the blonde with her? The brunette turned around again and began to walk in Krista's direction. She would much prefer to be by the blonde than alone with people she knew did not like her.
Just as she passed a corner, a firm hand came down on her shoulder and she was spun around to face hard eyes and a tight expression. Her own expression darkened and she slid the hand off her shoulder, glaring across from her and folding her arms against her chest defiantly.
"We need to talk," Reiner said quietly.