"Nice of you brats to finally join us mere mortals. So Arlert, what've your pals been up to? Did the sun come up ahead of schedule for them?"
Oh don't you dare, Armin. And is the Captain really going to make a big deal out of this? Why can't we just have breakfast, dammit? Apparently, Eren's countenance betrayed his scathing thoughts—his protector inconspicuously elbowed him as the three of them sat down. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad ate their meals in silence. Connie and Sasha however, looked like they desperately trying to hold back laughter. The two would often snort in between spoonfuls of soup.
"Well Sir, I believe Eren could supply a better explanation."
Levi shifted his gaze to Eren, those deadpan eyes seemingly scrutinizing his every thought. I'm gonna kill you, Armin.
"I... simply slept in Sir. Yesterday's been a long day, so I wasn't able to get up in time. I'll make it up to Armin by taking two of his shifts this week. Not that it matters but, the sun came up right on time today."
"Hmm," Heichou replied, letting the Titan shifter's insolence pass, "You'll take up Arlert's shift twice, and first watch on two more days. You're dead wrong if you thought you were off the hook. Do the dishes after we're done, and later tonight too. Pull that stunt again, I'll get a little more creative. And no Mikasa, come hell or high water, you can't protect your precious beau from me."
To which the girl calmly replied, ignoring the oohs escaping her friends and her reddening face, "Of course, Captain. I'm certain Eren wouldn't let it happen again. But I think it would only be fair to take half of his comeuppance. I didn't get up in—"
"If you think I forgot about you, you're mistaken too. But before I get to that, I'm curious. You've never been tardy for anything before, and this one time that you are, Jaeger's late too. Funny coincidence. Care to explain what's going on?"
Fucking checkmate. How is she getting out of this pickle? The Titan shifter thought.
"No Sir," replied the other Ackerman, leveling with his tone, "As you said, it was a coincidence. Fortuitously enough, we both slept in, worn out by the day. That is all."
At that point, no one dared to make a sound save the innocuous slurping of soup. Not even the usually bold Connie let out a quip; he valued keeping his head more than getting a kick out of the tense atmosphere. It was never wise to piss off one Ackerman, let alone two.
Though it was borderline insubordination, the Captain on the other hand appreciated how she held her ground. He would never tell her of course, but he did not expect anything less from someone who bore the same surname he did.
"Mhm, trust me, it better be. Now on to more pressing matters. We're expecting a new batch of recruits to arrive the day after tomorrow. After we cap off the mapping mission today, we'll be spending the entire day tomorrow setting up simple Titan dummies, similar to the ones you had in your trainee days. Workers and the supplies are expected to reach us by tomorrow at sunup. These carpenters will assist us in constructing the said dummies."
"Where would the training grounds be, Sir? In the woods? Not sure if I like the sound of that," Armin asked.
"That's right, Arlert. We'll only take up the eastern region, which is nearest the camp. That way, in case something goes wrong, we're not terribly deep in the forest. Off the record—I'm personally against this training exercise, especially since we're dealing with green trainees in an area we haven't fully secured yet. But since we didn't encounter any Titans yesterday, Hangi decided to give it a go. 'Treat it as the kids' first on-the-job-training session.' Fine.
"This is where your punishment comes in, Mikasa. You will help me train these eager boys and girls. Not asking you to show off what only you can do, we'll save that for later. First and foremost, I want you to teach these kids to stay alive. Evasive maneuvers, conserving gas, how to use the ODMs as efficiently as possible, maximizing cutting while minimizing the danger of being grabbed. That sort of thing."
"Yes, Heichou."
"Good," the Captain got up, dusting off his crisp white trousers, "Once you brats are done, turn over everything to Jaeger. Anyone who lends him a hand is asking for trouble. I'm off to see our dear Commander, poring over all your reports most likely. Get ready all of you; we set off in half an hour at the most."
Once Levi left, everyone breathed a little easier, no longer fearing for their lives. Unsurprisingly, Connie was the one who broke the silence.
"Oi Mikasa, is that really what happened? It is kinda unlike you to wake up late, and Eren usually isn't too."
The Titan shifter swore under his breath after finishing his soup. Why the hell can't they just drop this? Have they run out of blasted campfire stories or bloody plans for the future?
"Actually, Eren dropped by last night. The evening got chilly, so I asked him to stay for a while. Nightmares also aren't near anywhere as bad when he's with me."
What the actual fu... Really? You absolutely had to tell them now?
"So Eren spent the—"
"Yes, I did," said Eren, snatching Connie's empty bowl after collecting the others,' "And no Connie, nothing happened you twit! We used to spend the night together as children. End of discussion."
"Hey, take it easy man! I wasn't implying anything! Furthermore, hard as it may be for you to believe, but I don't think or talk ill of my friends."
"Yeah right," mumbled the offended party as he made his way to the stream, bowls in tow.
(-)
The Titan shifter was halfway done with his task when he heard soft, padded footsteps approaching him. He did not need to turn around to know who it was. His current foul mood getting the better of him, he lashed out before his visitor could get the chance to talk.
"What is it now? Gonna protect my fragile hands from these dastardly bowls?"
"I don't intend to. Listen, Eren. You didn't have to go ballistic at Connie earlier. That was uncalled for."
"No, you listen," he retorted, dropping the bowls on a wooden tray and turning abruptly to face her, "What's uncalled for was you spilling the beans just like that. Last night, I've had my first peaceful sleep in weeks, and it was great. But did you really have to tell them this early?"
"Eren, I don't really see the problem here. They're our friends, not strangers who talk behind our backs when we aren't around. Also, it's not as if we did anything wrong."
"I get that, but did they really have to know about my dropping by? They might get ideas that we're up to something, and I don't want that."
"They won't, and it's not about whether they have to know or not but..."
Rather to let them know that I'm yours, and you're mine, she did not say. Pondering on those words, she referred not to ownership or possessiveness, but belonging. The latter conveyed the meaning of the unsaid revelation perfectly.
"... to let them know that it's normal for you to drop by, ever since we were young and even until now."
"That's stupid! What the hell were you thinking? However you look at it, they did not need to know that."
"Okay, just calm down. It isn't the end of the world, Eren."
He turned on his heel, venting his frustration on the remaining unwashed bowls and scrubbed them vigorously, "Yeah, downplay your flub with the worst that could happen—the end of the world. Brilliant thinking, that."
She shut her eyes, holding back tears she thought indicated weakness, "You know what, no. I thought... after what we said last night... I can't let you do this again to me. We'll talk when you're a little more levelheaded."
He turned around to raise a question, but she was already walking away, "What did you mean by that? Mikasa?"
Without slowing her gait, she replied, "Finish your work, Eren. I'll catch you later."
"Mikasa, wait!"
She did not.