Chapter 2: Tasting Happiness
The trip to the training field was not as thrilling as they imagined. They had been sitting in the carriage for two hours and despite they managed to keep a spontaneous conversation along most of the ride, boredom and tiredness started to show up. Eren was now just staring at the sky as his two friends were taking a little nap so the journey would be shorter for them. The glimpse of some birds flying over him made a question emerge from his thoughts.
"When was the last time I actually laid myself down in the ground and just contemplated the sky with no worries in my mind?" Without any noticeable change in his face, he realized when that was. "That day, huh? Who would have thought that going out with Mikasa to grab some wood would end with the walls being destroyed and both my parents killed…" Still swimming through his mind, he remembered something from the vision upon the future which made him to start shaking in a worrying way. There were two conversations that were troubling with himself at that moment.
The first one was the one he had with Zeke just before activating the rumbling. His lost-and-found brother was trying to bring some sense into him about what had to be done with the Founding Titan's powers. He continuously remarked that his father had brainwashed him to make things the hard way and that euthanasia was the best solution to the nonsense problem of this world. Then he remembers himself taking the lead in the conversation, revealing to Zeke that almost everything that Grisha had done was, previously, requested by Eren, making the promise to his dad that his sins would help Eldia to survive this witch-hunt. Even killing Reiss family's little kids.
"Wouldn't that mean that I was the one who ordered my father to give me his powers? Just so I could end what he had started, being also manipulated by me, his own son, all the time?" Eren thought. Knowing that his father was supposed to die any time soon helped him to let the blame fade away. A little bit at least. "Nothing can be changed now anyway, so I just wish that he and mom are now resting peacefully together in a happier place."
Mom. That word made him wanting to freak out. Her death was more difficult to excuse. The second conversation he remembered some minutes ago was the one he had with Armin, when his friend was in the Azumabito's ship going after him, who was leading the rumbling. The last talk they would share if future couldn't be fixed. Eren had revealed that his mother's death was his own fault. When Bertholt came out from the Colossal Titan's nape after breaking the wall, he was left defenseless under the gaze of a 15-metter Titan. As Bertholt could not die that day, he ordered it to ignore him and keep going inside the little city that used to be his own home. Little did he know that Carla was the one to sacrifice so everything he had planned wouldn't end in a mess. He had, unintentionally or not, killed his mother. His hands started to sweat uncontrollably; trying to stop his shaking body, he tried to slow down his breathing so he could think rationally about everything. He was feeling awful since he hadn't yet left out some tears to honor his family's tragical deaths.
"I am not a soldier yet, but I'm already carrying over my shoulders the responsibility for two deaths. Actually, that's not even near the truth. I could say in some way that every demise back at home was my fault. I could have saved them all. If I was somehow willing to sacrifice both of my parents for all of this, maybe there was never a chance that they made it through that day. At least without dooming Eldia to perish." Eren kept ordering his mind as he made sure nothing he was thinking about would come out of his lips by accident. Despite the fact that Armin and Mikasa were still asleep, he couldn't risk they knowing everything. At least, not now. The kid actually questioned himself a couple of times what could happen if they knew. How they would react or if knowing it before they were supposed to could lead to their later deaths. After all, the only thing that allowed Eren to keep some hope about what he saw in his vision was that both of them managed to survive till his friends' crew managed to stop him from killing everyone outside the walls.
He allowed himself to think of a tiny joke. Despite all the tragedy he witnessed back then, his hairstyle was something he really liked. Due to this, he had started to let his own hair growing. Not having it long enough to make a bun with it, he just had it unleashed. Anyway, he didn't know someone with the enough mood to cut his hair back in the refugees' camp.
Having calmed down, he came back to reality and noticed that the carriage was now going down a slope. Looking down he could see the training barracks where they will be staying the next years. He felt kind of nervous knowing he will meet everyone "again". Eren just wanted to take the first days acting like he did not know anything. After having spent some time playing along, he would make up his mind and decide which would be his first steps in order to save the world.
"Mikasa. Armin. Wake up, we have finally arrived." Eren said as he shook his friends' sleeping bodies.
Stepping down the carriage, they made their path into their bedrooms. There were only two, one for boys, another one for ladies. Mikasa walked her own to the ladies one located next to the barracks, in the left side. Spotting the boys one to the right side, Eren and Armin headed there. When they went in, they saw uncountable litters and a couple of bathrooms which consisted of one toilet and one sink in each one; the showers were at the end of the room. If they had any kind of privacy complex, it would have to fade away as soon as possible.
As they didn't have any kind of luggage (for obvious reasons), they searched for a couple of litters that were not occupied and let themselves lay down before the training started. Both boys knew that not having any clothes would not be a problem as Training Corps will be providing uniforms to the new recruits. Eren, from his upper bunk, eye-checked his surroundings looking for his new comrades. There they were. Jean, Connie, Franz, Thomas, Marco, Daz, Floch, Reiner, Bertholt… Everyone. Due to the long trip they had just had, he left introductions for later, knowing that Shadis would give a nice display when he gets to know the kids he is supposed to turn into soldiers.
Time for presentations arrived. Seeing Shadis again in flesh and bones reminded Eren why nobody would do anything that could get that man mad. Taking advantage of the fact that he was standing in the last row of the formation, Eren took a look around, his eyes now focusing on some of his female friends. Sasha, Historia, Ymir, Hanna, Mina and Annie. Remembering some of their alleged fates, he could not help but feeling some sadness invading his heart. Nevertheless, seeing the "potato girl scene" again helped him to recover some of the joy he left behind some instants ago. When the introduction process came to an end and Sasha started to serve her punishment, Eren and his friends sat in a small bench beside the barracks as they were given free time till next morning, when their training would finally start. They were talking about how they felt about the bedrooms they were settled in when Eren noticed that Connie, Marco and Jean were heading to the bench they were sitting in.
"Hey guys, it's Connie here. Armin, right?" said Connie. "These are Jean and Marco. We were having such a boring time that we thought we could pass by and share a little talk. And you two are…?" He asked addressing to Eren and Mikasa. He already knew Armin as Shadis had asked for his name back when he started to yell at us like we were deaf.
"Eren here. This is Mikasa. Nice to meet you guys." He wasn't surprised to see that Connie was the first one to try and break the ice, despite him being probably the dumbest one of the new crew, only a few would have half the friendliness he seemed to be born with. His eyes drove through the three guys, noticing that Jean was staring at Mikasa, not seeming he minded to even hide it. This made Eren ask himself in which terms they would end in the near future.
"So, I guess you three are from Shiganshina, right? I mean, you three seem to keep being friends for a long time already. Then, if Armin is from there…"
"Such a nice detective we have here, right?" Answered Eren in an ironic tone. "Yes, we all come from Shiganshina. And if you were about to ask; yes, we were there that day."
Many people that were overhearing the talk between the six new recruits turned all their attention to them when they heard Eren's words. Some started to approach the little group, while others preferred to step aside, not having the courage to ask the hundreds of questions that were running through their minds. Oy maybe they did have that courage to ask, but they just were not willing to hear the answers for them. In the blink of an eye, Eren and his friends were surrounded by many other cadets, their faces showing curiosity to anything involving the mysterious creatures that used to roam outside the walls. Even Reiner, Hanna, Mina and Bertholt were among that crowd.
"If I may ask, how was that day?" Marco asked. He always managed to ask things in a way that didn't bother others, letting the three guys from Shiganshina know that if they didn't want to talk about the matter, he would understand it and he would not look further into the matter.
"It's alright." Eren left out a short sigh before starting to tell them his experience in the fall of Shiganshina. "It all happened too fast. First, something like a thunder sounded behind the walls. When we looked up there, we saw the Colossal Titan's face. Before we could understand what was happening, the wall had already been destroyed. The large pieces of stone that were once part of the wall started to fall on the district's streets. Titans were not inside yet and I can say now that hundreds of people had already died. Maybe they were the lucky ones. I mean, I would not hesitate if any of you asked me what I would rather, to die crashed by a big stone or to be chopped up through the stomach by some Titan's teeth." Before going onwards, Eren straightened his position on the bench, wanting to look like he was fine about reviving those nightmares. He felt like telling them was needed in order they knew that what they were fighting against were not just some wild animals that lived in the woods. "Then the first Titans made their way across the hole. With the Colossal Titan nowhere to be seen, all of our gazes switched to the giant monsters that were looking to us like we were food. A lot of people could not move due to the fear they were feeling, others started to run without caring about who they would step on or harm, as long as they got to survive. When the remaining survivors, among which we were, were boarding some boats heading to Rose Wall, the Armored Titan broke Shiganshina's interior wall, clearing the way for Titans to go in. And that's all." Eren closed his eyes for a short moment, trying not to lose composure. Opening his eyes, he looked back to the little crowd around him, waiting for someone to say something and not making this moment more uncomfortable than it actually was.
"Holy shit…" Connie, as usual, made a choice of his words before letting them out. The guy from Ragako's village felt miserable now, being the one who brought out the topic was something made him meet some blame inside himself.
"D-Did you… happen to lose anyone close to you?" Mina was now the one who formulated the question.
Armin felt like answering this one now. Eren had already talked for a while, he would give him some time so he could recover himself up. "We did. Eren's fathers could not make it. My grandfather was sent back there to "reconquer the land", but everyone knew that they would not survive." Armin's mind started to rage, but he managed to stay calm as he was aware of the fact that there was nothing he could do, so becoming angry would not help anyone. Instead, a sense of sadness invaded his mind as he understood that Titans were not the only threat as people inside the walls were something to keep on check too. Being people around the monarchy the most dangerous ones.
"I'm sorry for your loss guys, it would have felt like hell back there." Reiner said, making Eren's inside churn. "Trying to lighten the mood a bit here; I guess you will be joining the Survey Corps then?" he asked looking directly at Eren.
"We will. I have always wanted to join the Scouts and explore the outer world. But with all that happened almost two months ago, I feel like I have some kind of responsibility for my parents' deaths. It might sound stupidly to you though. Anyway, I feel like running away is not an option for me anymore, even if fighting back ends up killing me." He had just finished talking when Eren felt a strong hit on the top of his head. Turning back to see where it came from, he locked eyes with Mikasa, seeing the notorious angry face of the girl.
"If you dare to do anything stupid out there, I'll make sure you end up believing that being eaten by a Titan is not that big of a deal. Did I make myself clear?" Mikasa's words caught Eren off guard. Being in shock yet, he managed to apologize despite feeling ashamed due to the scene the two of them had just starred. Besides, hearing some laughs emerging from the crowd did not help. On the other side, Mikasa didn't care about the others reactions; hearing Eren saying those words made her imagine the only family she had left (alongside Armin, of course) being killed by those giant monsters. After losing both the two families she had had, she couldn't allow herself to lose anybody else, making that emotions harden giving the case that it was Eren who she was thinking of leaving her behind.
The previous low laughs turned into belly ones when Eren raised his head after apologizing to Mikasa. With everyone being in a happier mood, Eren took a second to stare at his friends who were standing still, forming a circle around the three guys from Shiganshina. Taking his sight out of the crowd, he saw her again. Annie was leaning to a wall, with her typical "no-feelings" face, with her sight lost into nothingness. Eren just wished that she could approach them and laugh with everybody. After all, this happiness is set to be only 3 years long. He wouldn't lie to himself, pretending to be friends with the group that had come from Marley was something he actually enjoyed. Reiner and Bertholt didn't mind to join in conversations or to worry about everyone, despite their true intentions. But she was always alone, not wanting to talk to anybody. After all, it made perfect sense; only a fool would forge a friendship with someone that he or she would have to kill in a not-so-distant future. Eren contemplated the chance to play the fool role this time. He would try to keep everyone alive, even the ones that were sent here to capture him and bring him to Marley. He just didn't know how to make it work yet. But, in the case that it couldn't work, he would not doubt to take them down. But he felt like he had to try the friendly and naive way first.
After having lunch in the small cafeteria behind the barracks, he stepped outside being followed by the pair that he always had next to him when needed. They didn't know what to do now. Resting all the day would seem perfect for a lot of people, but spending more time with the rest so they could know each other better was actually something they would look forward to. Their wishes will fulfill not even half an hour later, when Connie, Reiner, Mina and Hanna approached them.
"Hey guys, I've brought this ball with me for the spare time we might get along the training. You wanna play for a while?" asked Connie with the said ball below his right arm.
"Sure. After all, I'm not keen on sitting on a bench and do nothing for the rest of the day." said Eren. Armin followed him and the other guys till they got some space away from the bench in order not to disturb the girls. Mikasa remained sat as Hanna and Mina were looking to join her while the guys were in their own business. The four guys formed a little square and started playing with the ball, passing it among them and not letting it hitting the floor. Eren was delighted with the moment they were sharing. Playing with them for a while kind of reminded him when he, Armin and Mikasa did the same back in Shiganshina with their own ball. Eren used to be running in the front, having the ball in his feet. Mikasa would follow him close behind, trying to steal the round object from Eren, and Armin would be at the back, trying to catch up with them and taking advantage of any unlucky rebound from any of his friends.
"So, Connie, Reiner… which military branch are you two joining? You already know we both, me and Eren, are joining the Scouts, but what about you?" asked Armin while he eye-followed the ball switching owner between the four of them.
"I'll be joining Scouts too. I don't have such a mission or objective in mind like Eren does, but I just feel like being a cop or standing in the walls cleaning canons are just not my things." answered Reiner without hesitation as he managed to kick the ball up for three times before passing it to its owner.
"I haven't made up my mind yet, but I feel like joining the Military Police. I mean, I'm looking forward to afford some money and help my parents with their farm back in my town or maybe even buying them a house in the city so they could live in a more comfortable way. Furthermore, I'm not looking forward to be Titan food as soon as we graduate." Connie, without the same technique as Reiner, repeated his comrade's movements and passed his ball to Armin.
"I see." answered Armin shortly when he received the pass that his comrade had sent to him.
"I guess that means that you leave us the job to protect your family from the Titans. Seems I will have to work harde-" Eren could not finish saying his last words as he felt another hit right into his face, the second one today, which made him stumble backwards and spin around for a brief moment. When he came back into his senses, his head was now turned into where Mikasa and the other girls were sitting, the three of them sharing a small smile behind their hands, covering their mouths so Eren could not tell if they were laughing at him or not. Behind them he could see someone else. There she was again; Annie was in the same place he had seen her before having lunch, but now Eren managed to see something different in the girl he had his gaze set at. She was actually laughing in a low way so the least people saw her, the better. When she could see that Eren had realized that she was laughing at him, she just turned her look to her right side and pretended not to have made eye contact with Eren, retrieving her typical cold face.
"So, you truly are able to laugh, Annie…" thought Eren as he regained his body posture and looked back to the boys group. Getting out of his mind he could see that both Connie and Reiner were bursting out in laughter. Armin started to approach him in a hurry way, despite the small space that there was between each other.
"Eren! Please, forgive me! I'm so sorry!" said Armin with a worried face. After making sure Eren was alright, he started to feel nervous, making him speeding his talking in an excessive way. "I just lost control of the ball and when I tried to reach it and pass it to you, I lost balance and end up kicking the ball harder than I wanted to. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"Hahahahaha, don't worry Armin. I'm not mad. To be fair, it must have been really funny." said Eren showing a confident smile in his face. Getting to see Annie Leonhart laughing was not something he would see every day, so, in some way, he was grateful to his worried friend.
After that little incident, they kept playing for some time until dinner time arrived. The group, after having a fast shower in order to get out of all the sweat they were bathed in, stepped into the cafeteria again and each one grabbed one tray so they could start eating. Eren was looking where to have a seat as he started walking around the tables that were displayed in the room. He then caught sight of a blonde girl sitting alone in one table far away from most of the crowd made by the cadets of the 104th Cadet Corps. Wanting to finally share some words with Annie, he decided to approach her, wishing she didn't notice him until he had arrived by there.
"Are any of these nine seats already taken?" Eren asked in a joking tone. Annie raised his head to see that she was the one those words were addressing to. Keeping up with her "don't talk to anyone policy", she left out a sigh before answering the dark brown hair boy.
"Don't you know that it is not very polite to disturb someone when they are trying to eat their meal in peace?" the classical trick to answer someone's question with another question was something she had proved to work when trying to get people go their own way and leave her alone. Surprisingly for her, Eren ignored Annie's words and let the tray he was holding slide on the table while he took a seat in front of her.
"I'm nothing but sorry to say that my parents did not teach well on my "table manners". On the other side, they did really well on making sure that I would not laugh at strangers." replied Eren with such a confident gaze. Annie could not help but feel that this kid was not the usual one that would be easily scared by showing him some bitter faces. "Therefore, as I am such a thoughtful guy, I decided to pass by and introduce myself so you did not have a bad time sleeping tonight thinking of yourself as some kind of bad-mannered girl. Eren Yeager here."
Taken aback by Eren's words, Annie didn't know how to answer him. She just decided to ignore the guy that was talking to her and prayed he went away right after making clear she was not keen on holding a chat right now. To her bad luck, he just kept pushing her to talk in some light ways.
"So, I guess you are just a few-words girl. May I get your name at least?" said Eren as he took a sip from his water glass and started to stir his food with a fork.
Letting another sigh getting out from her mouth, Annie found herself obligated to answer if she did want Eren to go away. She was about to try something though.
"I'm Annie Leonhart. I'd say nice to meet you but you are actually pissing me off. Is there anything I can help you with so I can get my attention back to my dinner?"
"Leonhart, huh? Like strong lion? I'm worried about my surname meaning hunter." Eren chose to ignore the last part of her answer, but getting the picture that his fool joke did not get any reaction from the blonde, he went for another try. "So, not much of a talkative person, neither a funny one. Tring to speak your language of seriousness, which branch are you joining after our training is over, Leonhart?" asked Eren.
"I've enjoyed talking to you hunter, but this lioness has ended her dinner and she is now going to take a long nap. At least, until the next morning." after hearing Annie's reply, Eren thought that maybe mocking her was not that bad of an idea in order to get her to talk with him. She was going to leave, when he even managed to reply to Annie's last words.
"Showing a better face would not harm anyone, you know it, right? You look better with a smile upon your face than you might think. Maybe one similar to the one I saw some hours ago." Annie's head turned back to look madly at Eren. The boy knew he had managed to piss off the blonde from the moment he took a glimpse of her face.
"Fuck you." those were the last words Eren would hear coming out that girl's lips that night, but he was not done. When she started to make her way away from the table where they had been sat, Eren managed to raise his voice so his words would not be unheard by the Female Titan's holder.
"Come on! You are doing it again! Are you not supposed to listen to any piece of advice when you are given some?" this time, either for Eren's satisfaction or regret, she would not turn back to him again, leaving the cafeteria right after leaving the tray in a place intended for their claim.
Despite how the conversation ended, Eren got nothing but good vibes from it. To be fair, it was Annie who he had tried to talk to. After having ended his own food, he also left his tray where he was supposed to and headed outside the cafeteria, hoping to hang with Armin or Mikasa out there for a while, before going to sleep. When he stepped outside, what he saw made his lower jaw fall, leaving his mouth open-wide. Jean and Mikasa were talking, sitting in one of the five benches in front of where the cadets had their meals. He was not going to interrupt them so he just headed to the male's bedroom.
Arriving them, he saw Armin and Bertholt already on their beds, talking with Reiner who was sat in the upper bunk. How ironic it was that he had to sleep right next to people who would try to kidnap him in the future, or even kill him. Leaving his thoughts in the back of his skull, he made his way to his bunk, also one located in the upper zone.
"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" asked Eren as he managed to lift his body to his mattress.
"Nothing important. Just teasing Armin, asking him which girl he would choose to frig with if he had to. We have been stuck for 30 minutes now, waiting for an answer." answered Reiner in a mocking way.
"If you want to know the answer that hard, you better pray. I have never listened something near the issue coming out of Armin's mouth. He would always change the subject when I ask him about ladies." Eren took advantage of the situation to tease his childhood friend before the night was over. He really wanted to know something of Armin's preferences referring to girls. He never showed any kind of affection for anyone in a romantic way.
"EREEEN, COME ON! NOT YOU TOO! Thought you were not having any kind of resentment against me after what happened today." Armin complained when he saw that neither Eren would try to get him out of that tough situation.
"I don't have such Armin, just enjoying the moment. And I may be curious as well." said Eren, keeping on with the teasing.
"Reiner, let's change the target. Eren, what do you say? Have you seen any hips that had your eyes lost for a moment?" asked Bertholt. This was the first time Eren heard his voice, not being astonished for this as he remembers Bertholt only talking when needed.
"Hope you don't laugh at me, but the first one that comes to my mind is Annie. She is, let's say, one of a kind? Maybe? But I would be lying if I said that that would make me lose the interest in her. Not that I have a crush on her or something, just think that I could get along with her in more than one way." Eren's answer got the other three guys caught by surprise as they did not expect such a direct one.
"If that's the case Eren, I wish you all the luck I can, you will be needing it. Me and Bertholt come from the same village as Annie, she has always been that reserved. I swear that if you find a way to get through her, I'll be hosting some kind of party back in our village once we retake Wall Maria." both Bertholt and Reiner started laughing due to the blond guy's words. However, Reiner's words made Eren's stomach churn.
"Tell me. I tried talking to her back in the cafeteria."
"You did? And not getting killed as well?" asked Bertholt with a worried tone.
"I did. Well, it seemed like it was almost a monologue as she did everything she could to ignore me, but breaking the ice is always the hard step, right? I guess that telling her to remove that bitter expression from her face was just not the correct one to take."
"YOU SAID WHAT? HAHAHHAHAHAHA." Reiner started to laugh in such a loud and uncontrollable way due to Eren's words. "Did she not hit you or take you down after telling her that bullshit?" asked Reiner trying to recover from his laugher explosion.
"She didn't. If I had known that I would better fear for my life when talking to her, I had not called her "lioness". I may be afraid to sleep now." his words were now telling that kind of joke that you know that it had its part of truth in it.
"Oh my god, Eren. I have all my expectations in you, don't disappoint me soldier!" Reiner was now aching due to all the laughing he had been through during the reveal of Eren's interests in girls. Bertholt would sit in his litter as he tried to make eye contact with Eren to let out his backing on reaching Annie's heart.
"If you don't get Annie to fall in love with you and actually manage to pull through her deadly temper, you can be sure that no Titan is sending you to the grave. Believe me when I say that she is more lethal than any Titan out there."
"You are really starting to freak me out. I'm going to sleep now. Armin, if I don't wake up tomorrow, you can take all the books I have in my bedroom's shell, back at my house."
"Noted here!" said Armin in a cheerful mood that Eren was now not used to hear him speaking in. The last months were actually hard to overcome and knowing that joining the Training Cops helped Armin to feel better made him feel relieved somehow. Besides, Eren was looking forward to the training to start, and now that he's about to spend his first night sleeping with some of his comrades, he can be grateful for the choice he had made some time ago.
Some minutes later, the lights went off. Everyone who was doing something when he came back from having dinner were already on their respective litters. Everyone but one person. Jean. When he realized that the tall boy was missing, he heard someone coming inside their bedroom. There he was. By that time, he had already forgotten about Jean and Mikasa hanging out by themselves and he felt like he should be asking her how it went out there. For now, he chose to leave his mind empty and try to fall asleep as soon as possible. The next day was expected to be tough as it's going to be their first lesson ever. It's said that first days are always the toughest. Suddenly, every noise that surrounded their bedroom came to an end and a relaxing silence could be sensed in the atmosphere, only being interrupted by someone's snores, probably Reiner among all the boys in the room. In spite of sleeping like they had not had a rest for ages, the night was shorter than they wished it'd be.
"WAKE UP MAGGOTS!" Shadis disturbed the boys' dreaming when the first sunbeam made its way through the windows. He had opened the door and yell at them in a way that they would surely wake up or leave them deaf.
The cadets got up as fast as they could, as they started to put on their given uniforms. Being newly awakened made that task more difficult than it was. After five minutes of fighting against their will to lay in bed again, the male cadets made their way out into the field so they could get started with their first day of training. For their surprise, all the girls were already there waiting for their male comrades. Shadis started explaining the main task for today. They will be trying to keep balance in the "3d maneuver gear"; anyone who could not achieve this goal, would be automatically expelled from the Training Corps. As there were only three sets for all of them, Eren took the chance to approach Mikasa while others were taking their first tries. He had something to ask her.
"Hey Mikasa. How did last night go?"
"Actually fine, I found myself having a nice time resting. Why you ask?" asked back Mikasa, not understanding the casual question coming from his friend.
"Well, I wasn't exactly asking for your sleeping time. My mind was worrying more about him." replied Eren, moving his head to his right side and looking somewhere at the front of the crowd. Mikasa's eyes followed his gaze and realized who he was staring at. Jean Kirschtein. He was now dealing with the belt, trying to pass the test they were given. And, to be fair, he was doing really nice. "I saw you two having a nice chat after having dinner. I was about to pass over to talk for a while before going to bed, but after giving it a second thought, I rejected the idea. Might be afraid of interrupting something. You catch me, right?" finished Eren, blinking an eye when he looked back to where Mikasa was.
"Eren!" Mikasa sent him a deathful but embarrassed look when she understood where this was going. "This is not what you are thinking of. We were just talking about our lives before getting here. You know, getting to know each other, nothing serious. Besides, he's a good guy, you could get along with him."
Eren could not believe that Mikasa didn't see why the tall guy had approached her to talk for a while. He just hoped that she'd eventually realize. Jean's eyes when he first saw Mikasa were not the ones of someone looking for a new friendship. Anyway, he would not miss the chance to tease her about the topic.
"Sure. I am just trying to avoid my best friend from becoming a heartbreaker."
"Yeah? And what about you? I saw you sitting with that silent girl yesterday at dinner time. Nothing to reveal, Eren?" answered Mikasa to Eren's accusations, trying to change the subject by returning the punch.
"You caught me. Nevertheless, I have more concern for getting myself murdered by Annie, than if we might end becoming closer or not."
"And you better be, hunter."
Eren and Mikasa turned back when someone's voice emerged from nowhere to join the talk. The boy recognized it as soon as he had heard it, but he was wishing that it had been the wind the one to speak those words out. Annie was now behind them, back with her no-emotion face, with her arms crossed upon her chest. Moving her eyes towards Eren, she spoke again.
"I thought that you were the one lecturing me about manners involving strangers. So, I get that laughing at someone is a thing, but talking about them behind their backs is not that bad, huh?" Annie's blank face made difficult for Eren to know if the girl was mad at him or not. However, he tried to downplay the issue.
"Good point. Guess I will be eating again with you today as a punishment. I hope you have already forgiven me by that time." Eren faked a sad face looking at Annie's eyes, which made the girl even madder. She lifted up her right hand, with one of her fingers pointing to where the examinations were taking place.
"Let's first see if you can do it trough this test. Maybe yesterday was your first and last day here, moron." Annie was now, somehow, challenging Eren. This made him feeling like this was about to get interesting.
"On my way, Leonhart."
Mikasa had not said a word since Annie's arrival. Seeing the both of them teasing each other was far more than enjoyable. Coming back at Eren, he started to move toward one of the sets provided to test their abilities. Annie and Mikasa were following him, no words coming out from any of them. Jean had now ended his turn, emerging victorious from his try. He wished Eren good luck and went next to Mikasa to watch Eren's performance. The kid grabbed another belt that the own Shadis gave to him. He connected it to the poles, so it would be left hanging in a high near his abdomen. Getting in position, he tied the belt around him and got ready for his try. He first took the time to breath some air to relax his muscles. Knowing his belt would be sabotaged didn't bother him, just thought that this way another chance to piss Annie off would appear. His comrades started to lift him up and Eren's turn began. He managed to stay straight for some seconds, until his head, uncontrollably, started to go all the way down, hitting the ground. Some laughs could be heard nearby.
"Lift me up again, please. Give me one more try." this was everything that Eren said. Going up again, the sequence was destined to be repeated, hitting the floor harder this time.
"How did you call it last night? Show a better face, right? You could take your own advice on this one." said Annie after approaching the boy who had already failed two times in a row, just before starting to walk away. This made Eren crack a little smile beneath his nose. That was the chance he had been looking for.
"Sorry, sir. I feel like this belt is damaged or something. Could I try with another one for a last time?" asked Eren, ignoring Annie's words. He would answer back after this was over. On the other hand, Eren's words made Annie stop walking and return her gaze to where he was.
"Damaged? I see. Why not? SPRINGER?!" Shadis yelled at Connie, trying to get his attention.
"Yes, sir?" Connie's face showed both a sense of fear and inquisitiveness.
"Lend your belt to Yeager." seeing Connie obeying his order, Keith started to travel through his mind. "Was that kid that qualified to notice something going bad with the gadget he used? I guess that I never had the chance to get him out of here. Seems that your son is set to do something big. Maybe, and only maybe, he can get to be someone special. Hope you are looking after him from wherever you are, old friend."
Eren changed the belt he had used with the one that Connie handed him. When he was lifted again, under everyone's gazes, Eren managed to do well this time effortlessly. When he was lowered to the floor once again, he started to walk straight to where Annie had stopped to see him try again.
"I guess we will be eating together again. Though, I'm sorry to say that I'm having lunch with Mikasa and Armin so you will have to wait for the night. What time can I pass by and pick you up?" knowing that everything would print well, he had been thinking what to answer the girl since when she had approached and mocked him.
"Glad to know you are not only a word-of guy. However, don't act that smug, you have proved nothing but the basics." Replied Annie. She was convinced to keep up not getting attached to anybody, but Eren kind of managed to mock her in a way that no one had ever achieved. She would lie if she said that she didn't enjoy it someway. She was about to return to her loneliness when Eren spoke again.
"I believe that that's your way of saying "you can meet me at the cafeteria at 7pm, see you there", am I wrong?" Annie turned back to look at him for a last time and, after thinking twice about the idea which Eren had just proposed, she left unconsciously some words go out of her mouth. These were preceded by a sigh that sounded like she was giving up on arguing with him any longer.
"I warn you. If you continue with that attitude of yours, I'll be kicking your ass before you manage to sit down to eat. Did I make myself clear?"
"Loud and clear." Eren started laughing due to Annie's threat. When his laughter ended, he was about to meet with Mikasa and Jean, staring at the both of them. Before going away, he looked back at the girl who was in front of him.
"So, see you there, Annie."
Annie walked away from the crowd, noticing that those last words from Eren were filled with kindness, unlike all the chat they have had until now. She no longer knew how to react to his behavior. Mocking each other was something quite easy to manage, but knowing that some kind of tie was starting to form between them had Annie, above all, worried. She tried not to think more about the matter and keep playing along a bit more, who would harm to do it, right?
After everyone ended trying their luck in the test, Eren found Armin among the cadets. The blond boy joined Eren, Mikasa and Jean on their way to the cafeteria, with the intention to fill their bellies. Eren was the last one to arrive to the table where his friends were sitting. Finding his place next to Mikasa (in front of Armin, who was sitting next to Jean), he joined the friendly chat they were having.
"After all you have suffered, you intend to join the Scouts and deal with that hell again? Some may think of that being admirable, but I only find myself believing it to be a horrible and idiot idea." said Jean who was apparently addressing Mikasa with those words.
It was not that difficult to see that Armin felt like he was not needed there, so when he saw that Eren had finished picking up his food and was now sitting with the trio, he felt extremely relieved.
"It's not that hard to understand. The most reasonable and common outcome when someone experiences extreme panic over something is them running away from it. However, it's not that strange to see people coming back to face their fears. We will see if we were lucky or not to be part of the second group." Eren disrupted in the chat without giving any time to Mikasa so she could come with something to mind to answer him back.
"If that's the case and no one is changing your mind, I hope you survive long enough to be the ones who retake Wall Maria."
"Appreciate it."
"So, I guess you are joining the Military Police, right Jean? I admit that I wished you could join the Scouts too." Armin finally reached a way to participate in the talk.
"Why's that if I may ask?"
"I've seen you back then. You had no difficulties trying the 3d maneuver gear. Besides, you actually give me the impression of someone who could stand out among the average soldiers. Just a feeling, I guess."
"Seems this guy has a better eye than it looks." said someone from their backs.
The four people sitting in the table turned their gazes to the source of the unfamiliar voice. They met with Historia and Ymir standing still, carrying their foods.
"Ymir here. This pretty girl next to me is Krista. May we take a seat?" asked the tall girl. Eren had not the chance yet to meet them, he felt a bit merry seeing the time had finally arrived.
No one declined Ymir's suggestion, what lead to the girls sitting next to Eren. The introductions were made and the talk kept in its pleasant way.
"As I was saying, I came to think the same thing as you, Armin. Not trying to sound as a show off, but my sixth sense has never failed me. For example, when I first saw this chic girl, I thought of her to be an angel, and I didn't go wrong." Ymir started to hug Historia in an excessive but kindly way when she made it through the middle of the sentence. On the other side, Jean was giving second thoughts to his decision due to his comrades' flattery.
"Ymiiiir, pleasee, you are hurting me." Historia's pouting caused the group to laugh along the scene they were witnessing.
"However, what are your plans after graduating?" Mikasa took her turn to speak. Mainly moved by the urge of wanting to make their affection display end.
"We will probably join the Scouts, it's not like we see ourselves making it to the top 10. Furthermore, even if one of us does, we feel like sticking together rather than anything."
"If you don't give up that tacky acting, I'll be throwing up sooner than later." said Jean, emerging from his deep thoughts.
The atmosphere was getting better second by second. Jokes and laughers being the most hearable noises coming from their table. But somewhen along the chat, Eren remembered one thing that didn't go over his head until that moment. Ymir was someone he would have to lead with, which could be quite easier than talking to Marley's warriors as he could take advantage of her tie with Historia. Unluckily, he would have to make sure having the Jaw Titan under control, for both Ymir and humanity's sake. He had only spent two days in the barracks, but he knew that, despite the funny moments he was sharing, the time when he would have to step into action would come before he realizes.
The day went by as usual. More spare time was given to the ones who managed to pass the "exam" in their first tries, so most of Eren's closest friends spent the day by hanging around with everyone else.
The sunset was starting to settle down and the day was coming to an end. Annie was alone again in her litter, doing nothing but staring at the ceiling and thinking of how slowly these 3 years were going to pass for her. Messed by her own thoughts, she got up to have a quick dinner so she could go to bed as soon as possible, not wanting to be awake any longer. The girl made her way through the girls' bedroom's door and stepped outside. Having almost arrived to her destination, she raised her head and could see someone standing on the cafeteria's entrance, staring at the floor. The boy noticed Annie when she was not further away than a couple of meters from him. Lifting his head, he smiled to the blonde.
"Thought you were going to stand me up. Glad to know you didn't forget my punishment." Eren welcomed her with the typical mocks they would throw at each other when given the opportunity.
"How did you call it before? Getting yourself murdered?" replied Annie taking her usual position, crossing her arms upon her chest, when she reached Eren's side.
"I wouldn't mind eating something before you start planning on kicking my ass." Eren grabbed the cafeteria's door from the knob and stepped aside. "Women first."
"Such a gentleman. I hope you keep your manners when you piss me off and I make you bite the dust." however, she appreciated Eren's gesture and decided to enter the building.
"I swear I will." Replied Eren, following Annie inside and leaving the door behind to close itself. Deep inside, the girl was thinking of her time in the island being not that bad. It's true that Eren could be far more than annoying, but he actually managed to lift the heavy weight of the atmosphere where she was always in.