Verity

"The castle is charming in its way, sure… But an HQ this far from the Wall and the river was worse than useless to the Survey Corps," Oluo lectured in that all-knowing manner of his that made me want to lean off my saddle and retch onto the road. "Who would have thought this oversized decoration would be the best place to keep you locked up?"

Eren, who seemed to be the only one listening intently to Oluo blabber about uselessly, glanced behind his shoulder. His gaze met mine for a brief second and then moved behind me where Captain rode. Eren flinched and twisted forward, clenching his reins with more force than necessary.

"Don't get cocky, rookie," Oluo leaned to him then, and Eren startled.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know about this titan business, but the idea of Captain Levi constantly chaperoning a pissant like you makes me… Aw!" Oluo broke off suddenly. He whined, leaning forward in his saddle and covering his face with his hands.

I chuckled, unable to stop myself, but when I heard laughter to my right, all the humor died on my tongue. I glanced at Petra, who had a palm against her mouth, stifling her giggles. She caught my eye and smiled widely. I swirled away, childishly refusing to accept her friendliness.

Mercifully, Oluo didn't talk for the rest of the ride, occupied with his bitten tongue, I imagined. When we finally reached the castle, everyone stayed quiet, admiring the old ruin we were about to stay in. I dismounted, following the lead of the others. Oluo went straight to the well in the corner of the yard, and the handle squealed, scratching at my nerves when he pulled out the bucket full of cold water. I watched him absent-mindedly stroking my horse. Petra joined him, and they started to bicker yet again. I rolled my eyes and looked away, disinterested.

Gunther and Eld, led by Captain, crossed the yard toward the main doors, checking the place out as they went. I looked at the last person in our small group, who stood to the side of everyone and was clearly listening in on the discussion Petra and Oluo had. Eren looked nervous and out of place. I felt a sudden flash of pity toward him. Ripped away from everyone he knew, with the powers that people feared rather than appreciated, he had to feel lonely.

I spoke before I could catch myself. "Don't let that idiot get under your skin. We were all new here once. It was scary and lonely for everyone at one point."

And for some, it will remain this way.

"You were all handpicked by captain Levi," he stated rather than asking. I couldn't resist a bitter smirk twisting the corners of my mouth.

"Not everyone. I was put under Captain's watchful eye by the Commander."

"Why is that?" he sounded surprised, and interest glistened in his eyes.

"I transferred from MP," I shrugged and, picking up my satchel, moved to join Eld, Gunther, and the Captain, who stood looking at the central part of the building.

"There are weeds everywhere. This place has really gone to hell…." Gunter dwelled as I stopped right behind them, followed by Eren.

"It hasn't been used in a long time. I bet it's plenty dusty on the inside, too," Eld replied, looking less optimistic with every passing second.

"That's a serious problem. Let's get to work at once," at Captain's command, we, however, grudgingly dispersed through the castle and got to work.

The view of the dining room and the adjacent kitchen made me groan inwardly. It was hard to breathe in the clumpy space with all the dust flying off in every direction from the barest of movements. I coughed, covering my nose and mouth with a shirt sleeve, and opened all the windows to let some air in. The only reprieve was that the ancient thick walls of the building didn't let a lot of heat in, and it was pleasantly chilly here compared to the blazing summer sun outside.

The wisp of air that flew in sent more of the dust flying off, and I covered my face with a handkerchief, tying it at the back of my head, before setting to work. Starting with the kitchen, I went through all the cupboards and shelves, throwing out old stuff that had a new life growing in them. There was a piece of long-forgotten bread, a half-full jar of cookies that turned green-blue with mold, the glass jars with a muddy colored liquid that had some clumps the size of a tomato swimming in it, a set of old paper napkins, stained and crumpled, and a lot more things that I wish I didn't have to touch. Cleaning out the surfaces in the kitchen took longer than I would prefer. After I was done, I was sweaty all over and would kill for a glass of water. While getting that, I decided to be friendly and brew some tea, as I noticed everyone on the team was always drinking it. I'd preferred clean water myself, as the bitter taste of tea leaves in my drink couldn't compensate for the sweet alluring scent of it.

I set a kettle on the newly cleaned stove and moved to wipe on the small kitchen window, removing layers upon layers of cobwebs. Mercifully there were no spiders – I hated those bastards even when my cell in the Underground was flowing with them. When the kettle whistled, I threw some of the tea leaves I found in the kitchen and deemed consumable into the pot and set the tea brewing while I moved to the dining room.

The footsteps on the main staircase made me turn to the hall entrance. Captain strode in, giving me his ordinary scornful look, before walking into the arch that led to the kitchen. I continued rubbing at the old grime covering the dinner table when I heard an audible choke. Twisting, I watched Captain pour the tea into the kitchen sink.

"I made tea…." I offered weakly, dumbfounded at his action. His appalled gaze jumped up, meeting mine.

"This is not tea. Sewage water tastes better than this shit." He refilled the kettle and put it on the stove again. I turned away, feeling hurt for no apparent reason.

One time I decide to be friendly, and this is what he pays me with?

Asshole.

Humanity's strongest asshole.

Returning to my scrubbing, I did everything possible to ignore his presence, which wasn't easy. He was not someone who walked into a room unnoticed. His demeanor was heavy; it left everyone present in the akin knowledge of him. It felt worse than having someone stare at my back. His gaze quite literally heated my blood, and I felt an angry blush creep up my neck and onto my cheeks. Turning my back to him, I moved on to dusting off the rest of the furniture when his footsteps neared. A quiet ding alerted me of a teacup put onto the now clean surface of a dinner table.

I looked at Captain questioningly, but he only nodded to the cup and walked back into the kitchen. Tentatively, I held the cup up to my nose, sniffing it. It actually smelled… nice. Tasty. More potent than what I saw served in the scout's dining room. I met Captain's gaze, who was studying my reaction.

"This," he held his teacup higher for me to see, "is tea. Drink it."

I hesitated, looking down at the offered drink for a few moments, contemplating. Taking a small sip, I swallowed it immediately, half afraid that if I hated the taste, Captain would…

What? Lock me in the dungeons because I hate the taste of tea he made?

But my worries were for naught because the hint of the lemon mint in the aftertaste, bitter-sweet only to the point of staying pleasurable, made me exhale in surprise. I took another sip, longer this time, marveling at the taste.

"This is actually good. Thank you." Captain ignored my unnecessary praise, and I leaned on the table, drinking my tea and enjoying the swift break I got.

Captain rinsed his cup and strode back to the dining room, heading for the exit. He paused on the threshold to the hall, looking angrier than bare moments ago. I stiffened, readying myself for whatever was to come. My heartbeat instantly picked up at the spiking anxiousness that I couldn't control, and my stomach twisted, threatening to choke back up all of the sweet drink I'd just consumed.

"Consider this my apology," he said, voice strained. And my mouth fell open in shock as I stared at him, at a loss for words.

"What?" I asked when I could again form words. He rolled his eyes at my expression and crossed his hands over his chest.

"I'm not repeating myself, brat. Get back to work." He said and left the room, his footsteps slowly disappearing into the hall.

I had to sit down in fright that my legs would give out. Disbelief and a weird sort of pleasure swirled inside my chest as I pondered at his words.

Captain had just apologized to me.

Am I dying?

"We'll probably be ordered to stand by for a few more days, but I heard we're supposed to be going on a large-scale expedition," Eld explained, putting down his cup of steaming tea. I glared at my own drink, unpleasantly noting that the one that Captain had made me before was ten times better. "And we'll be taking the new graduates with us as well."

"Is this true, Eld? Isn't it awfully soon? Even considering that they handled this last Titan attack quite well…" Gunther chimed in, looking worried. I forcefully swallowed the rest of my tea and pushed the cup away, leaning back in my chair.

This discussion had been going on for way too long, and I was bored with it. I saw no point in discussing plans so far away from our reach that we might as well scheme how to reach the stars. There was nothing we could change, nothing we could influence. So, what was the point of wasting our breath? We would do better just focusing on surviving our next run beyond the Walls.

"I heard those kids' pants required multiple washings to remove the shitstains," Oluo smirked, and I grimaced, annoyed at his commentary yet again.

"Is this all true, Captain?" Petra's worried voice made me glance at her. She sat to my left at the dining table, the look of disbelief making her big honey-colored eyes stand out even more. Why would she care what happens to random people she'd never even met? This girl was beyond my understanding. It made it much more annoying to share a bedroom with her. I could already see myself begging Eren to turn titan and eat me.

"I'm not involved in making our plans. It's Erwin. He's likely considering far more variables that might occur to us." Captain's voice was as bored as I felt. I stared at him, surprised at the similarity of our emotions, and his gaze jumped to mine, sending a shockwave down my spine. I flinched and immediately looked at my empty teacup, hating my body's reaction to his presence. If I hoped it would go away, it was in vain because it only got more vigorous with each interaction, now residing just on the border of pain.

"It's true that we're in an unprecedented situation. On the one hand, we lost the Maria reconquest route that we established through huge sacrifices, but on the other hand, we got an unexpected ray of hope. I still have trouble believing it." Eld said, facing Eren, who sat quietly at the opposite side of the table from the Captain. Everyone in the room followed suit, turning and staring at Eren.

The look Captain gave Eren would send me running. His face didn't change, yet I recognized the danger that turned his grey-blue eyes to steel. I knew now that he cared for his people more than anything, and if something posed a threat to his team, he would be ruthless in getting rid of it. For now, Eren was an enigma; he could end up being salvation just as well as humanity's downfall.

"You can 'turn into a Titan,' but what's that mean, Eren?" Eld finally broke the silence with his question, and Eren averted his gaze, looking suddenly tired.

"My memories from that time are quite hazy. It felt like a selfless, dreaming state. It can be triggered by hurting myself. Like, if I bite…." He trailed off and stared at his hand bewildered.

"You guys know all of this too. We couldn't get any more out of him than what's written in the reports. She won't stay put, though. Her meddling could even kill you, Eren." Captain said.

"She? Who?"

As if on cue, something banged at the dining room door, and a loud cry sounded. I jerked in my seat and stared past where Captain sat and at the entrance. Petra ran to the door, opening it wide to reveal Hange, who was rubbing her forehead.

"I'm so sorry. Good evening, Team Levi! How's castle life treating everyone?" Her tone instantly turned cheerful, and I couldn't help but feel stupidly relieved at her presence. I felt stronger around her for some reason. Safer.

"You're early," Captain said, not bothering to face her and lifting his cup of tea to take a sip. The way he held it looked wrong and uncomfortable — his palm up and over the rim of the cup, clenching the borders from above. It reminded me of how he held one of his blades backward during practice.

"How could I stay put now?"

Sitting straighter, I nodded to her in greeting when her gaze met mine, and she winked before walking around the table and taking a free sit.

"Section commander Hanji?" Eren asked, looking surprised and a little uncomfortable, as though he was preparing himself for the worst.

"Sorry for the wait, Eren. I'm charged with experimenting on the two Titans we caught alive in the city. I want you to help me out with tomorrow's experiments. I came to ask permission for that."

"An experiment? What am I supposed to…."

"Join me, of course! On a quest of scientific discovery!" Hange's hand flew up to her face, and she wiggled her fingers in the air as her face turned to that maniac expression she usually got when there was a puzzle waiting to be solved. I saw her go into this exciting state one too many times in the past months. A blush covered her cheeks and her eyes glazed over, sparkling with anticipation.

Eren looked lost for a moment, but he recovered quickly and looked at the Captain questioningly. "Uh... I can't give you permission myself. I don't have authority over myself, you see."

"Levi, what are Eren's plans for tomorrow?" Hange turned to Captain eagerly, and he replied, sounding bored again:

"Clearing out all the weeds."

"Excellent then, it's decided! I'll be counting on you tomorrow, Eren!

"Yes, ma'am. But what exactly are these experiments on the Titans?" Eren asked, and a few groans sounded. Puzzled, I looked around the table, watching everyone except Captain and Eren go rigid.

"Idiot! Shut up!" Oluo growled.

Hange, undeterred, jumped to Eren and clasped his hand. "Aw, I knew it. You pose a singularly curious mind, don't you?"

Eren looked as lost as I felt when everyone got up from their seats and headed for the door, Captain included. He stopped at the threshold and glanced at me. "Last chance," he stated, scowling. I gulped and looked at Hange, who raised her eyebrow at me. Deciding I would rather spend my time listening to her blabber about titans, which I can later relay to Kenny, I shook my head to Captain, who shrugged, shutting the door behind him.

"Why not lay it all on the table then," Hange's glasses twinkled in the lamplight, and she settled into her chair comfortably, getting ready for a long talk.

I really should have thought it over before deciding to stay.

My eyelids felt so heavy I stopped fighting their pull long ago, just letting them droop over my eyes. My chin lay cradled in the crook of my arms on the table, and I was barely awake at this point, only half listening to Hange's explanations of her experiments. I couldn't even tell if all I heard was real, as I was pretty sure I had lost consciousness more than once and could barely distinguish my haphazard dreams from reality.

Hange's lulling voice didn't help, and no matter how excited the titan subject made her, it did nothing to help me fight my fatigue. She was still speaking when a loud bang made me jump from my seat, my sleepiness shattering like a glass wall. I fell into a fighting stance before I even realized what was happening. A worried soldier burst into the room, yelling: "Section commander Hanji come quickly! The test subjects... They are dead! Both of them!"

Hange's scream made me flinch. It sounded as though her family was murdered right in front of her eyes. She fell to her knees, pulling on her hair, yelling titan names she'd apparently given them.

"This can't be for real! Someone, tell me I'm dreaming!"

I stepped back, unnerved by her dismay and unsure if I could do something to help. I couldn't quite understand her fascination with these monstrosities as it was, so deciding to let her grieve, I turned away from the scene, focusing on the discussion my teammates were having.

"Those experimental subjects were very valuable. Was it a soldier?" Gunther asked, frowning.

"Yes. The culprits are still unknown. Both Titans were killed before sunrise. When a guard spotted them, they escaped using their ODM gear," Eld replied.

"So, it was a premeditated move by at least two people," Gunther dwelled, and I stared at them in disbelief. Soldiers did this? But why? It couldn't have been Kenny's work, as there was no point for him in stopping titan's research. Unless I didn't know something about his plans, which was the case most of the time if I was being honest. But it still rubbed me as odd for him to decide to go for something like this. It didn't make sense. But then who? What was I missing?

"Sawney!" Hange screamed at the top of her lungs, and I flinched at the raw emotion in her voice. She really was hurt by this. My stomach twisted at the familiar pain of losing someone I cared about. Be it a family member or a friend, a pet, or in some cases, a titan – when a loved one dies, it leaves scars that never truly heal.

"Or dear. Someone's gone stark raving mad, haven't they?" Oluo chuckled, and my blood boiled at his words. I turned to face him, hands clenching into fists, and an overconfident smirk twisting his mouth sent my heart racing and my stomach churning. How dare he make fun of someone's pain? How dare he mock Hange's misery? My vision blurred, red stains growing and slowly covering the whole picture. The soft woosh of the air followed, and my fist connected with Oluo's face. My knuckles burned from the impact, but the satisfying thud when the hit landed sent a thrill down my spine. Oluo fell to the ground with a whimper. I stepped forward, looking at him with disgust that left a sour taste in my mouth.

"What the hell?!" Oluo yelled, touching his reddening cheek and staring at me in disbelief.

"Watch your filthy mouth," I growled, and someone grabbed me by the arm, shoving me back from Oluo. I didn't fight, I doubted I would win a boxing match against Oluo anyway, but I just couldn't deny myself the satisfaction of wiping that ugly smirk from his face.

"Verity, what…" I heard Petra whisper, no doubt shocked.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Eld growled in my ear, and I realized it was him who held my arms in a tight grip. I didn't reply, watching as Gunther helped Oluo up.

"Crazy bitch," Oluo exclaimed, and managed to take one step toward me, looking affronted and ready for a fight, when a loud voice broke out, stopping his approach:

"Enough!" I saw Oluo flinch and Petra's face turn horrified as Captain took place in between Oluo and me, looking angrier than ever. "What the fuck is going on?" He demanded, giving Oluo a once over and then focusing entirely on me.

"My hand slipped," I stated coolly. The look of pure murder crossed his face, but I found myself scarily unimpressed. Perhaps I was slowly getting used to his anger and addicted to the spike of adrenaline mixed with the stomach-twisting panic. My heart pounded in my ears as I forced myself to return Captain's gaze, ignoring the voice of reason in my head, screaming for me to look away, coward, or give in. I was getting sick of running away with my tail between my legs. I was done allowing asshole behavior. I was not the one to save humanity or run the streets saving maidens in distress. Still, I would not allow someone to act so disrespectfully towards someone I found pleasant.

"Get her out of here," Captain commanded in his icy tone, and Eld tugged at my arms, forcing me away and out of the crowd. He released me when we were a good ten steps away from everyone, and he sighed heavily, giving me a long look.

"What?" I snapped, leaning on the waist-high wooden fence with my elbows.

"This is not how we solve conflicts in our squad. You have a problem with Oluo - you talk to him. Don't go swinging fists when something isn't to your liking. It's childish and plainly stupid," he lectured, and I rolled my eyes, facing the other direction and watching Commander Erwin walk into the yard. "I don't understand why Captain still hasn't kicked you out of our squad, but if it were up to me, you would be long gone. Now calm yourself before you do anything that would force me to react with more than just words."

"Yes sir," I replied through gritted teeth, straightening as Eld went away.

Probably going to cradle sobbing Oluo, I thought bitterly.

"What do you see there?" A quiet voice sounded, and I turned to face Commander, who stopped beside me, staring me down. "Who do you think is the enemy?"

I looked at the crowd, frowning at Hange's wails echoing through the yard, turning to a choir of sobbing voices.

Humanity, I thought.

"Titans," I answered.

Commander disapprovingly shook his head and went off, leaving me with my burning anger and resentment, which made me wish for the familiar painful sting of the fresh cuts on my arms.

"What were you thinking?" Petra demanded when I stepped into the bedroom that we would be sharing for at least a month.

I scowled, my mood souring even more, and headed to the free bed near the farthest wall. Focusing on putting fresh sheets on the old feather-stuffed mattress, covered with colorful stains I didn't want to imagine the origin of, I replied, watching my tone carefully: "That he is a douchebag that deserves to be punched."

"He might act like that sometimes, but this is all just bravado. You shouldn't react like that to what he says. Especially with Captain around. There will be consequences." She stated, her voice soft and understanding. Sympathetic.

It made me sick.

I couldn't help a light humorless chuckle that escaped my lips. "It was worth it," I said, continuing to fight with the bed sheets. Petra was silent for a long moment, and then there was laughter. Startled, I turned, watching her go into full-on hysterics. She fell on the bed, shaking from the loud, infectious laughter and covering her face with her palms, fighting the tears in the corners of her eyes. "What are you laughing at?" I snapped, feeling anger rear its ugly head inside me again.

She shook her head, trying to catch her breath. "His face though… Oh, Walls, Verity. You might be right. It might have been worth it." Another wave of laughter shook her, and I couldn't fight the corners of my lips curving up in the faintest of smiles. When Petra's laughter subsided, she sat up on the bed, looking me dead in the eye, serious once more. "You should make it up with Oluo. We will go on the next expedition soon, and the team needs full cooperation. If you two are at odds with each other, it could affect the group survival rate."

I looked away, annoyed at the truth in her words. "Fine," I agreed after a pause, "I will apologize tomorrow. But only after I enjoy a long look at the bruise on his cheek."

"Why did you bother with him anyway? I thought you didn't care about anybody, so your reaction seemed…." She broke off, looking for the right words.

"I'm not about to stand by and watch someone enjoy another's dismay." I offered, returning to making my bed.

"You are friends with Hange, right?"

I threw the pillow on the bed with more force than necessary, annoyed at the continued questioning. "Why do you care?"

"You are my teammate. I want to be friends with you as well," Petra replied in a small voice, sounding a little hurt.

"Why? So that you get upset when I die on our next mission? Or the other way around? There is no point. We won't stay in this team forever; there is no reason to try and play nice with each other." Mainly because my mission would end at one point. And hopefully, that came before I was to die beyond the Walls.

"But… What's the point in living then if you can't get close to people? If you deprive yourself of what makes you happy?" Petra argued, and I faced her once more, hating the pleading I could distinguish in her voice.

"What makes you believe this friendship would make me happy? I'm perfectly content without it," I could barely restrain my voice. The frustration of the day, mixed with tiredness and the memories brought to the front of my mind by Hange's screams, made my body shake from poorly hidden pain. It was choking me, reminding me of how miserable I'd been back when I still had much to lose. Never again. To lose, one had first to own. No friends – no treachery, no loved ones – no loss, no happiness – no suffering. It was a simple rule, one I didn't consciously make myself obey, but the one that formed itself in my head because of my will to survive.

And honest to Walls, I was done obeying other people's beliefs on how to live my life. I didn't need Petra's pity, nor did I need her friendship. What I needed was for her to leave me the fuck alone. I had Kenny. It was enough. It had to be enough.

"Are you?" Petra pried.

"What are you getting at?" I snapped, losing the last threads of control.

"I can see how lonely you are. You barely talk to anybody and spend most of your time brooding somewhere away. I see how you look at people chattering off or bickering. I noticed how you look at Captain as well. You are only ever relaxed when Hange is around. I want to help you."

"My brooding is none of your business. I don't need your help."

"Verity, this…"

"Shut up," I barked, loud enough to make myself startle with my own voice. The quiet fell, and Petra looked worried and hurt at my outburst, but she had no right to feel any of that toward me. I headed for the exit, picking up my speed as I went, desperate to get the hell out of this room. Desperate to get rid of this painful pressure in my chest that seemed to intensify with every passing moment. "Just leave me alone," I said calmly before I shut the door, leaving Petra to pound over our argument and her dumb wish to be my friend.

The evening air was still smoldered with the day's heat. But it was better than a stuffed room with Petra interrogating me. When I stepped off the stone-clad porch, I instantly felt better, enveloped in the warm wind smelling of fresh grass and wildflowers. Of summer. If I closed my eyes, I could almost see myself back at Kenny's cottage, working out or fighting with the wooden dummy, going on my daily run to the creek for fresh water. I would have given anything to go back to that time.

My body suddenly hurt with a need to run, and my muscles clenched, readying for a strain. Begging for it. But I barely managed to get one step away from the castle when a voice sounded, freezing me in place: "Where do you think you're going?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, preparing myself for the worst, and turned to face Captain, careful of keeping my face blank. He stood, leaning on the side of the building, glaring at me. He was called to the Commander's office before he had a chance to reprimand me. But consequences never seemed to lose their way back to me.

"I needed to clear my head. I was just going for a walk around the area."

He watched me for a few moments, silent and unreadable. He didn't have a jacket on, and his white shirt was two buttons undone at his throat and sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I could see the muscles in his arms strain when he pushed off the wall, his movements slow and measured. My heart sped up as he neared, and my breathing hitched in my throat as shards of glass scraped at my insides. He stopped right before me, scowling. I couldn't hold his gaze this time, my previous courage leaving me alone with his all-knowing look. My blood heated, startling me, and a hot rush spread up my neck.

Why the fuck does his presence affect me so?

"Why did you do it?" He asked after a long stretch of silence.

"He laughed at Hange."

"Since when do you care?" My gaze snapped back at Captain, at his question. His face was devoid of any emotion, a common to him frown tugging at his brows. His gaze, however cold, didn't seem angry, and I found myself compelled to tell the truth. An unpleasant tingling sensation started at my fingertips and the sharp ball of unease that was only beginning to unravel tightened in my chest again.

"I couldn't stand watching him laugh at her misery," I croaked, my voice leaving me. He studied me, his scrutinizing gaze never leaving mine. For a long moment, he just stood there, but then he stepped around me, continuing a few steps down a paved path to what, from the looks of it, used to be a garden. I stared at him, confused, and he rolled his eyes at my expression.

"Is this your way of going for a walk? No wonder your times at the ODM training are so bad."

I practically choked, and heat rushed to my cheeks. "Are you joining me… sir?"

"No matter that I changed my mind about you, trust is not easily gained, brat. Yes, I will be joining you. Now start walking." At this, he turned away and started down the path. I hurried after him, unnerved and probably even more riled up than before I left Petra in our shared room.

"You are on stable duty for the whole time we stay here," he said a few minutes later as we continued to walk around the castle grounds in the dim light of the night skies. I grimaced at the idea of cleaning horse shit, but after he spoke again, that thought disappeared from my head: "I understand, though."

I stopped in my tracks, Captain, noticing, halted as well, giving me an annoyed glance over his shoulder. "Why? Don't you hate me? Why justify my actions?"

He turned to face me and crossed his arms over his chest. "I justify what I believe to be the right thing. And that would have been to tell Oluo to shut the fuck up, what you effectively did."

I stared at him, stunned and at a loss for words. Captain rolled his eyes at me again and continued walking. It took me a few moments to collect myself, but soon I rushed after him, catching up. The silence between us stretched, and I was comforted by it instead of anxious. Captain's assertive demeanor, so intimidating and aggravating, somehow calmed me. He didn't talk, nor did he want me to. It reminded me of how I always felt around Kenny: safe but on the tips of my toes. The air around both of them felt as though it was crackling with electricity, and the sting of it made it feel like home.