Hello! I'm back! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, sorry about the wee break, but here we go! Thanks for reading!

I was permitted to sweep. If anyone found me doing more than that, I was tutted at and made to sit down. To say the least, I was bloody unimpressed. My Captain was injured too! But was he relegated to sweeping? No! No one would have dared. Eventually I sulked in the kitchen, preparing some food as I sat at the long table. It took twenty minutes to convince Petra that this task was in fact easier than sweeping. Twenty. Minutes. Come on! I can peel a bloody potato.

For the rest of the day, everyone was busy with their own tasks. People rushed to and fro, carried things, fixed things, cleaned things and then cleaned them again. By the time the sun was setting, we had more of an actual base to call home, rather than a shambles to make do with. Having batch cooked a bunch of stews to keep us going, the next few days would be better spent focused on training. It seemed everyone enjoyed the food, though that could have also been down to the sheer hunger they felt from all their hard work.

Eren was to be kept downstairs in the cells. Hardly a welcoming place, but it was part of the condition for him staying with the Scouts. So for now, we would play along. If an MP appeared to check on things, we couldn't risk Eren being found elsewhere. I helped him unpack the few things he had, and got some extra blankets in case he got cold at night. He said he was all right with the condition, but his eyes remained lowered. Was he nervous? Perhaps. We hadn't started the training yet, perhaps he was scared? Or just worried about the mission maybe. Or his friends. Let's face it, the kid had plenty of things to be thinking and fretting over.

When he perched on the bed, I joined him and nudged his shoulder. "Want to vent a little?"

He clasped his hands tightly. "I'm fine."

"It's okay to be nervous, y'know?"

His jaw tightened. At the training camp he had seemed pretty open to talking, like he felt he could trust me. Then again, that was before he had graduated. Maybe he felt different about it now? Like he shouldn't be asking for help. Maybe.

I nudged again. "Seriously Eren, it doesn't make you any less–"

"I don't want to be seen as just some stupid kid. I can handle this."

"Not suggesting that you can't."

He swallowed hard. "What if I mess this up?"

I could see it plain as day. The weight pressing down on him, bending his spine into that question mark of doom, the pressure readying to turn him to dust. He wanted to help. He needed to be the key that Erwin had suggested he was. All our hope was threaded around this boy's neck, and it was getting tighter by the moment.

"Eren, do you have an instruction manual?"

He blinked at me. "A… Huh?"

"None of us know what the hell is happening. We're as lost as you are." I put an arm around him and gave a light hug. "The Scouts are used to pressing forward in the dark, or the rain, or whatever. My point being, we're used to not quite knowing what's round the next corner, but hoping that it is at least a step in the right direction."

A shine appeared in his eyes. "It's why I've always wanted to be a–"

"And now you're here." I squeezed again. "We're here for you, Eren. As a team, a regiment, a family, whatever the hell you want to call it. We're all a little lost, and as much as the Commander and Captain might be acting like they have all the plans, they are making shit up as they go as well. You just have to trust in their ability to adapt. And I think right now… That includes how to help you. Help you figure this thing out, and take down the Titans."

"You think so?"

"I really do."

The shine burst free and trailed down his cheeks, right before he hung his head and curled towards me. Shivering, sobbing, clinging to me like a lost kitten. The poor kid didn't exactly have the best options for paternal figures, but I'd do my best. I hugged him tight and let him ease some of that pressure with his cries. No one could hear him. And even if they could, no one would blame him for a single second. If they did, they didn't understand the situation. Or they just needed to get the fuck out.

It had been a long day for everyone. As soon as dinner was done with, I took my tea to my room to rest up. Not only were my bruises barking a bit, my head was fit to burst. Between worrying over Eren and trying to keep Petra from murdering Oluo out of sheer impatience, it had been a day. I showered and flopped onto my bed, hair still damp but body unwilling to do much more than breathe – and then remember with dismay that I'd left the window open. Dammit.

A knock sounded at my door.

I gave a vague mumble of admittance, flopping my head to the side to see who it was.

The door opened and in came my Captain, his own cup of tea in his hand, and his amusement clear when he took note of my current position. I probably should have hopped up and given a salute, but even my soul was tired.

He closed the door and perched at the end of my bed. "Tired?"

"Mm."

"I just wanted to chec–"

"Can you close the window?" I pointed towards the source of the ongoing draft.

He snorted and did as asked, saving my lazy arse from those three weary steps. When returning to the bed he sat next to me instead, and sipped his tea.

"Thank you." I mumbled.

"You're welcome. How're the injuries?"

"Bruising. Healing. The usual." I yawned. "Yours?"

"I wasn't the one who got stabbed in the hip."

I smirked. "You raise a good point, but I do not have the energy to check right now. I ain't bleeding out, that'll do."

He sighed. "May I?"

I waved a hand and rolled over. He gently pulled my civilian t-shirt up my stomach, revealing my hips bone due to my civilian trousers hanging that little bit loose these days. The wound tingled against the change in temperature. He traced the line gently. A tension entered the room and I propped myself unenthusiastically on my elbows. Had he spotted a problem?

"What? Is it infected or something?"

"No it's… Well it's almost fully healed." He frowned and traced it again, making me giggle as it tickled. He shook his head. "Have you always healed that quick?"

"I mean… I guess so?" I looked down at the pinked line. There was still a cut, and still a lot of bruising around the mark, with some pinked parts as well. So by no means was it gone, and one wrong move would likely make it pop back open. But he was right, it had healed rather nicely.

Levi clicked his tongue. "No steam or anything though…"

I blinked and despite it taking a couple of seconds for me to twig what he was talking about, eventually I realised that he had been reminded of Eren's healing. I couldn't help the bout of laughter that escaped. It broke Levi from his brooding at least, his eyes flashing to me like someone interrupted from reading a good book.

"Levi, I'm pretty sure we'd know by now if I was a–"

"Jaeger didn't know until very recently."

I bit back my laughter, as his genuine concern shined out. I pulled my top back into place and sat up properly. "I've been badly injured plenty of times."

"I know… Though Jaeger was in the belly of a Titan when he first shifted."

I bit my lip. "Want me to go take a look or something?"

"No." He rolled his eyes and prodded the end of my nose. "I'm just overthinking, sorry."

"It's fine, I just bounce back quick." I tapped his chin and kissed him softly. "I always have, came in handy when Daddy dearest got to work on my back."

Levi pursed his lips. "I'll take it as a silver lining then."

"Mm, good plan."

It's so quiet here.

Without the rest of the regiment, the big old building echoed with our movements and conversation. It wasn't creepy, just odd because I had never been somewhere with so much room to just be by myself. Since joining the army it had been barracks and mess halls. Hustle and bustle every moment of the day until those tiny slivers of quiet in the middle of the night – but even then I heard my fellow cadets breathing around me, the squeak of bed springs, the rustle of blankets. But here there was real silence.

After Levi had left my room, I'd assumed I would be asleep in seconds, but apparently my brain had other ideas. I was dog-tired but my eyes itched to stay open. Accepting defeat, I got up and went to the window. The surrounding trees shifted in the gentle breeze, and the stars shone bright. The peace was wonderful. It was the kind of thing I'd always dreamed of, but I think this might be the first time I'd really seen it. Was it this quiet beyond the walls? Were there forests where only the sound of leaves and animals had been heard? I had no idea why my mind had headed in that direction, but suddenly I ached to see that horizon, the real one.

Sleep obviously wasn't happening.

I pulled on my robe and headed down to the kitchens, seeking a kettle and some tea leaves. My side still ached, but it would be only another day or so before I could get back into training. Then maybe I'd be allowed to be involved with Eren's training, or rather, the experiments. The word grated on my tongue, but I knew in Hanji's hands it was a far kinder term. Water boiled. Eren was also a lot older than I had been, and I liked to think he felt able to speak up if he wasn't comfortable. He was driven, but still willing to say if he was hurt. I think. I had to keep an eye on him. That passion could drive him to making light of injuries in order to keep working – I wasn't a total idiot, that was very possible.

"Can't sleep?"

I jolted and grabbed the nearby knife. Spun in a stance, blade ready, before I'd even really thought about what I was doing. Eld held his hands up. Oh crap. He stood by the door a few metres away, his eyes fixed on the blade.

I blushed and left the stance, putting the blade down. "Shit, sorry. Eld, I uh… Sorry." I turned back to the kettle and removed it from the heat. Dammit. What an idiot. I poured the boiled water into the pot.

"It's fine."

"Mm."

"Really, it makes sense that you might still be jumpy after what went down at the main base." He lowered his hands and came in, smiling softly. "Sorry to startle you."

"Didn't realise I was so skittish." I sighed, rubbing my eyes and leaning on the counter. "Not what we need, really."

"No, but you're still healing, so go ahead and give yourself a break, huh?"

I grumbled, unable to not smile when he slung his arm around my shoulders and gave a light squeeze. "How come you're awake? You're not usually this much of an early bird."

"Seems your insomniac ways are catching." He ruffled my hair. "Just some bad dreams, that's all. Wrote some letters back home and figured I could get myself a hot cup of something and start on the breakfast for folks."

I stirred the pot. "Then you're a better person than me. I was only thinking about tea, not breakfast for people." I chuckled and then poured us a couple of cups.

"What can I say, I'm a fricking saint." He took his tea and blew on it gently. "Like I said though, you're still recovering. So sit down and just keep me company?"

"You're not going to let me help at all, are you?"

"No chance."

I rolled my eyes and pulled up a chair. He started to get some dough from the dry room and readied it for the ovens. Fresh bread was quite the luxury, but with so few of us here, it made sense to only make it when required.

"So, Robyn…"

"So, Eld?"

As he worked the dough, he struggled to find the words. Eld wasn't the most chatty of guys, usually only speaking when he actually had something to say. So I just waited. Whatever it was, either he needed to voice it, or needed it answered.

He sighed. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few things about the kid."

I set my tea down. "What do you want to know? He's a pretty open book, you could likely ask him anything and he'd be honest."

"For sure." Eld nodded, kneading the bread, still working through whatever was stewing in his head. He was a good guy, whatever his concerns were would be sincere. Eventually he just took a long breath. "You trust the kid, right?"

"I do."

"I probably sound like such a suspicious fool, but there's something about him I haven't quite managed to read yet. You said he's an open book but… I dunno, there's something I don't quite get yet."

"I know he's holding back a little on his more… Passionate moments."

Eld raised a brow. "How so?"

"When Eren talks about Titans, he can very quickly get swept up in the idea of fighting back, or eradicating them, of getting revenge for what they took." I cupped my tea close. "So I think for the time being he's been trying to curb that a little so that you lot don't think he's a total loose cannon."

At the training camp, it seemed like I had gotten a good look at the full scale of Eren's determination. There, he had been amongst friends. Fellow kids that had either seen what he saw that day in Shiganshina, or at least people that had known him a long time. And of course, that had also been before his status as a human was brought into question. Becoming a literal embodiment of humanity's rage against the titans likely made someone wary of their own temper.

Eld's kneading slowed. "That… Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Yup. He's a clever kid, and doesn't want to give you guys the wrong impression. I don't see him as a loose cannon at all, I see him as an arrow headed right for its target. But he's only fifteen, so I think he's just overthinking a bit."

Eld nodded and worked on the bread for a few minutes in the quiet. I let the words rumble around in his head, and knew if he had any other questions, he would voice them eventually. Eld wasn't a hard guy to read. Too honest.

"So have you ever seen him transform?"

I blinked. Oh. He had me there, not that he was trying to trick me or anything. But I couldn't honestly claim to know what to expect from that part of Eren's power. Thus far, the kid hadn't managed to make the change when prompted by Hanji or Levi.

"No, I haven't. I saw the immediate aftermath, like you did, but never the change itself. He hadn't known about it when he was a cadet at the camp."

Eld nodded. "Yeah, forgot that bit. How do you think you'll feel when you do see it?"

"Scared shitless, probably." I laughed and he stared at me. "What? Just because I trust the kid and know him to be a damned devoted soldier, doesn't mean I'm going to find the mind-boggling phenomenon of a human turning into a Titan not bloody unnerving."

Eld gave me a strange look. At first, I figured it was the usual 'she's so odd' look, but no. It had a warmth to it, and almost a sense of envy. Weird.

He set the rolls onto the tray and slid them into the now hot enough oven. "I admire that."

"What? That I might shit myself?"

"No, that you so freely admit it." He laughed and closed the oven door. "Some folks would bluster and assure me that there was nothing to fear, to ensure I was on side, but no… You're just… I dunno, it's the honesty that catches me off-guard with you sometimes."

"I'll go ahead and assume you're not meaning to insinuate you assume I'm full of crap." I chuckled and he blushed just like I knew he would. I waved a hand. "I'm joking, Eld. I know what you mean. And I appreciate that, it's a compliment."

"It was certainly meant as one." He snorted, wiping his floured hands and then perching by his tea. "It's a whole new shitshow, huh?"

"Yup, and we have front row seats."

"Goody."

It hadn't been going well.

Whether it was exhaustion or something else, Eren hadn't been able to transform. They tried the day before, and again this morning. But regardless of how bloodied he came back up from the well, there was no sign of 'the big guy'. And now, as we sat having tea, trying to regroup, Eren didn't even seem to be healing.

I checked his bandages again, but there was no sign of steam or any less marks visible. He wasn't running any kind of abnormal temperature either. But he was frustrated. My Captain was hardly helping either, muttering about Eren not being all that useful without his power. The others kept prying into things Eren had no idea about as well. The kid was likely panicking. If he couldn't be of use to the Scouts, would he be shipped back to the MPs and their scalpels? I hoped he wouldn't ask that out loud, as I had no idea. On the surface, no way. But how would the Scouts justify having Eren in their ranks, if his Titan ability was no longer working? The MPs would cook up some kinda reason for 'finding it again'. By digging through his entrails. Dammit.

He stared into his tea.

"Eren, we'll figure this out." I sighed, trying to think outside the proverbial box. No doubt Hanji was doing the same since she had tumbled into the base the night before. "All we have to do is–"

WHOOSH.

Shit!

I'm thrown back. Head over arse, rolling in the grass and left looking up at the blue sky with my ears ringing. What just happened? I blinked and tried to move, but my body was just taking a second to not cooperate. Ow. Noise erupted over by the table. I hauled myself onto my elbows, watching the squad stand ready to fight, blades ready, expressions soured. Crap. Get up. Eren was sat atop a partial torso formation, muscle and bones jutting up from the ground like it was submerged. He looked panicked.

"The hell Eren?" Gunter barked.

"Show us that you're not hostile!" Oluo bellowed.

They were completely thrown, panicking, ready to act on their promise to the court and people alike. They would cut Eren down if need be. But they didn't need to. I had to show them that.

But then my Captain stepped in.

At first I was worried he was just going for the kill, not daring to hesitate.

But no. There he stood, hand out to his squad, composed and ready to talk them down. My heart ached with gratitude. Whether it was trust of Eren, or my own belief in the kid, Levi had listened. And here was the proof. He truly believed this could work.

"Calm down." He spoke to them all, but Petra and Eld were just wrapped up in getting their Captain away from the threat. Shit, I have to back him up.

I got myself to my feet, stumbling between Petra and Eld to get to Eren's side. They gasped, they tried to pull me back, but it was no use. I'm a slippery bugger when I want to be. And right now, I needed to get between them and Eren.

"Guys, please." I held my hands out to them as well. "Look at him! Is he attacking? Is he even moving? No, it's happened by accident. Let's look at the evidence and go forward."

"He did it in our faces, Robyn!" Petra scowled.

Eld nodded. "We can't ignore that. You were thrown right off your seat."

"Yeah and I'll deal with the bruises later, but right now I need you to not ignore the rest of what's occurred. You're asking him to show he's not hostile, well what the hell has he done in the past minute? He's tried to talk to you, he's been surrounded by blades, and still this big husk thing hasn't fuckin' moved."

They breathed.

Eren struggled.

My Captain stayed very still, likely ready to grab one of them if they made a move. A deranged yelp sounded from across the field and over dashed Hanji, touching the damn thing, getting a burn and generally losing her mind. It made sense, this was quite the step forward, but it wasn't my focus. I went round to Eren.

He looked at me in desperation. "I… I don't know how to… I…"

"Breathe." I smiled and came as close as I could with the heat. "We're calming them down, and we'll get you dow–"

"Oof!" He managed to detach and fell back onto his arse in the grass.

At the training camp it had struck me how unlike children those kids had been – they had already seen far too much for the word to really apply anymore. But as he sat there, dazed and confused, Eren looked every bit the child. Lost. Confused. In need of a helping hand. I knelt beside him and helped him get up. Apologies tumbled from him, but they weren't needed.

My Captain nodded to me. "Escort Jaeger back to his cell for some rest, Sanshi."

"Yes, sir." I helped Eren, his skin slightly feverish, but not outrageously. "How you doing, Kid?"

"N-Not so great." He admitted, cheeks and ears turning pink. "They… They were really gonna–"

"One step at a time, Eren. The Captain will come and talk to you about that no doubt, just… just don't judge them too harshly, okay?"

He shook his head. "They didn't cut me to ribbons without at least talking to me first, I ain't judging them at all. Just a bit of a wake-up call."

With my arm around his shoulders, I gave a light squeeze. He was a good kid, and so understanding even when the madness of this world went into overdrive. We were lucky to have him. From here on, we just needed to convince everyone else of that fact.

Hope you enjoyed ^-^ thanks for reading, faving, following and reviewing when you can! Cya in a week! (Maybe, admittedly I am travelling again, so we shall have to see how things go!)