So... I really have no excuse for this aside from I got an image in my head and... well... I didn't feel like working on anything else so here ya go~
Disclaimer: I do not own SnK.
Rating: T
Pairing: Ereri
Warning: Character Death
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Eren sighed softly as he leaned back in his seat until the chair was balancing precariously on its back legs. Teal hued orbs glanced off to the side and out the window, taking in the vibrant blue of the sky overhead, speckled with thin wisps of pale cloud. The earth below was painted white, only the occasional patch of pale blue shadow disturbing the otherwise pristine color of the fresh powder. The only thing not covered in pale fluff was the road where countless hoof, foot, and wheel tracks had stomped it down mere hours ago when he'd been forced to stand out in front of the castle, watching their backs as his friends and comrades embarked, thinking the same thought that he was now.
It wasn't fair.
He was a part of the Scouting Legion as well, and yet, while the others were all out there on an expedition, putting their lives on the line potentially fighting titans outside the walls, he was forced to stay behind and wait for them to return when he should have been out there helping them, not stuck at the castle sulking the day away, like some sort of dog waiting for its master's returned.
But... he had to follow orders.
And, it had, at the very least offered him a chance to think.
He'd been too busy sulking the past few days, his mood growing more and more sour for the last week as the day of the expedition grew closer and closer, to really think about the reason why he was being told to stay behind in the safety of headquarters where he could be looked after.
He knew there were those outside the walls that wanted to get their hands on him, probably now more than ever after what had happened the last time he'd been beyond the walls, and even if he despised it, if the thought alone was enough to make his blood boil, he knew it was probably for the best that he'd been made to stay behind.
He groaned softly, letting his head loll back and his eyes lock on the dark stone ceiling for a moment before he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to rub away the headache that was just starting to make itself known.
His annoyance was still there, now directed inwardly as he thought of how he'd been treating everyone the last few days. Mikasa, Jean, Armin... Levi...
He'd barely said two words to him all week, not even looking him in the eye when the other kissed him on the corner of his mouth, giving him the order to behave himself until he returned. All he'd done was give a low grumble of 'Yes Sir' before turning and walking away, though not before catching the sigh caught somewhere between exasperation and annoyance that left the corporal's lips before he mounted his horse.
He was so caught up in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear the low knock on the door before it was pushed open. He looked up, his eyes falling on the soldier, a small woman with dark brown hair who's name he didn't quite remember, as she peeked her head in, a warm smile on her lips.
"The Legion's on their way back. They should be here soon."
He sat straight up in an instant, the front legs of his chair clattering loudly against the stone floor as his head whipped around to glance out the window once more. He could already see them approaching, the forms of the wagons and the people on horseback easily visible against the pale backdrop halfway down the road, and he vaguely wondered how he'd gotten so wrapped up as to not notice them before.
"Th-thank you!" He said quickly, bolting to his feet and grabbing his jacket of the back of his chair before running past her and out the door, pulling his jacket on as he raced down the stairs.
By the time he got outside to the courtyard, the others were already filing in, and the sight of them, heads bowed and shoulders slumped along with the gaps among the formation enough to tell Eren that there had been more than a few casualties.
Occasionally a soldier would give him a look that seemed a cross between sympathy and pity, some even harboring jealousy within their gazes as though they envied him for not having to bear witness to what had transpired in the valleys beyond their borders of stone. After he caught that look from Hanji, pain and guilt clearly mixed with a sympathy and sorrow so much stronger than any of the others before she quickly averted her gaze he could no longer deny the way his stomach churned, chest growing tight with the beginnings of dread. He swallowed thickly, watching as the others filed in, taking stock of the faces of those he'd grown closest to, his chest loosening bit by agonizing bit as he recognized face after face of the ones he cared for.
His eyes shifted to the back of the formation where Armin and Mikasa rode, their eyes downcast as they entered the courtyard, but that didn't stop Eren from letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
They were all there... His friends... his family... they'd all returned unharmed.
He scanned the soldiers gathered as they slowly dismounted, brow furrowing ever so slightly as his eyes failed to find the one they sought. Hoof beats slowly approached, and he glanced up as they slowed to a halt just a few feet from the first steps.
"Hey guys," He greeted after a moment of silence had passed, neither of the two saying a word, even though he could see in their eyes that there was something on their minds, and from the looks they were giving him, it wasn't good, and he could feel the cold hand of dread once again moving to grasp his heart in it's bitter hold. He did his best to push back the whisper in the back of his mind, tongue darting out to wet his lips as he added, "Do You know where Levi is? I need to talk to him but I don't see him any...where..."
He trailed off as they both physically reacted, Armin tensing, and Mikasa flinching almost as though the words themselves were a physical blow. Her lips parted a moment as though she were about to say something, only for her to close her mouth a short moment later, brow furrowing as she averted her gaze, and he could easily see something in her eyes that he hadn't seen in what felt like years.
He swallowed thickly, turning his gaze to lock fully on her and taking a deep breath before speaking up once more, struggling to keep his voice steady."Mikasa... Where's the Corporal? Where's Levi?"
Mikasa opened her mouth to speak once more, but again no words came, one hand just coming up to worry at the scarf around her neck for a moment before pulling it up to cover her nose, and he almost didn't catch the choked whisper of apology that escaped her lips.
"E-Eren..." Armin called softly, easily drawing his attention. There was a look in his eyes, a tone in his voice that instantly made Eren's blood run cold in his veins. He swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the voice in his head that screamed at him to run, telling him that whatever it was that the other was going to say it was something he didn't want to hear.
Armin's eyes were bright, crystalline drops of moisture just starting to form at the corners, and Eren couldn't stop himself from taking a small step back, shaking his head slowly as though trying to deny the words that hadn't even been said.
Taking a deep breath and pulling something from his saddlebag with a shaking hand, Armin slowly dismounted his horse and approached the other male, his movements slow as though he were walking through deep drifts.
"Lance Corporal Levi..." The blond began, voice thick with emotion, almost choked, as his eyes lowered to the cloth in his arms, becoming shadowed by his bangs so that Eren could no longer see, "has died a heroes death, giving his life to help in humanity's fight against the Titans."
Eren's body froze, his mind not far behind as he stared at the blond, not moving an inch even as Armin placed the cloth in his arms. Mikasa kept her gaze away, her eyes shining bright with remorse, all the confirmation he needed to see that this wasn't just some kind of sick joke.
Slowly he glanced downwards, feeling his heart constrict, becoming painfully tight within his chest as he stared down at the bloodstained wings embroidered on the back of the dark green cloak, the edge of one missing, the threads frayed where that part of the cloak had been ripped away.
He felt something warm fall from his eyes, running a moist trail down his cheek, soon followed by another, and another as the tears began to fall freely from teal hued orbs. He took a couple of long, shuddering breath, his throat seeming to grow tighter and tighter with each passing second.
He clutched the cloth tight to his chest, feeling his knees give out beneath his feet as his eyes stared, unseeing at the snow covered ground. Slowly, his eyes shifted to the cloth in his arms, and he stared through the tears at the blood soaked insignia embroidered on the back of the dark green cloak.
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And that's it for my second little Ereri one-shot.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed ^_^
