"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Eren" a singsong voice woke him up, followed shortly by a weight falling atop of him.
"Happy birthday to you!" a lot of voices finished the song, all around his bunk.
"Couldn't you just let me sleep?" smiling, Eren sat up in front of all the people of his age living in the house. Connie was lying atop of him, obviously being the one to throw himself on him.
"Maybe we should have done that and let Captain Levi come and wake you" Jean was leaning on one of the posts of the bed, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.
"Anyway" Armin frowned, turning to Eren "Do you feel any different?"
He birthday boy shrugged, throwing Connie off him.
"Not really. I'm just…hungry" giving a half smile, Eren got up and made his way to where he kept his belongings, putting his a simple pair of pants with his a little too small shirt.
Everyone left to go and serve breakfast. It had become tradition to, in a simple way, celebrate someone's birthday. Small gifts, a good meal, a song sung poorly.
It was the closer they got to normal there in the middle of nothing, away from their families.
Everyone was waiting for him, few packages in the table along with fancy food they didn't see often, like a small cake.
"Here" Armin smiled, sliding the packages to him once he sat down.
The breakfast went by between the simple gifts and the wishes of happy birthday.
"Eren?" Mikasa called once they decided to take the cake to eat it outside and the room was left alone, grabbing his sleeve.
"Yes?" stopping and turning around to see her, he noticed her looking down.
"I have something else for you"
"But you already gav-" he fell silent when he realized what she took from under her shirt.
It was shiny, well cared, and just like his mother kept it always. The silver reflected the setting sun, the pendant still reading Jaeger as clearly as when his mother used it.
"How?" he can only whisper, reaching with his right hand for something so Carla. This was his mother's; this was something she never took off.
"She gave it to me some weeks before the fall, I wanted to give it to you sooner, but I… I think you should have it" she gently let it down on his palm, closing his hand and smiling a little.
He didn't say anything for a moment, just staring at his hand.
The decision came to him easily.
"No" he smiled, shaking his head.
"What? But it should be yours; it was a gift from your fa-"
"From Dad to Mom, I know" he took an end of the necklace in each hand, walking until he was behind Mikasa "But I think you should have it" closing the clasp and letting the pendant fall on her chest, he kissed the back of her head "She was important to you, I know. So wear it, and one day, when all the titans are gone and we live near the ocean, that necklace will have another meaning besides this" she smiled, reaching with her hand for his.
"Thank you" she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning on him.
"Of course" he wrapped his arms around her waist, his head falling on her shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Eren" she turned her head and kissed his cheek, running her nose up his temple.
"EREN? MIKASA? YOU BETTER HURRY IF YOU WANT CAKE!" Armin's voice sounded desperate, just as if he was holding the cake out of Sasha's reach.
"Hold on a sec! We're coming!" Eren shouted back, chuckling on Mikasa's ear "Yes, happy birthday indeed"
It wasn't the happiest, but it was a happy one.