...Avoiding...
Eren mopped the floor in silence.
When he was done, he moved to the wooden tables, leisurely wiping their corners. Afterward, he shuffled over to the fireplace and lazily dusted off the cobwebs.
"That's it. I'm done watching him mope around like that," said Jean. "What the hell happened to you and Y/n after we left her room this morning?"
"What?" Eren turned around and was met with the stares of every single one of his friends. They had been cleaning up the cottage they were sent off to and were told that you and the Captain would join them shortly.
"Eren, is something wrong?" asked Mikasa. "You're not even talking. I get that you could be bored without her, but you're dead silent."
"It's nothing," he muttered and got back to cleaning.
"I smell -bullshit-," sang Connie.
"She couldn't have rejected you. Because that's out of the question," said Jean.
"I'm not even sure anymore."
"So you did confess?"
"I wanted to," he grumbled. "Then she cut me off."
"She does hate confronting her own feelings," said Armin. "So, no wonder."
"Tell her first to confront the fact that she kissed me."
"WHAT?!?!" screeched out a variety of voices.
Eren spun around and clutched the feather duster to his chest. "Fuck." She doesn't like it when people get into her business, and I just told it to them all!
Mikasa seized his collar, her glower seeping into his soul. "When. Was. This." It was the first time he'd seen her this angry in months.
He gulped. "Yesterday."
"When. And where."
"When I was rescued. Right before I sent all the titans our way."
"You let a whole night by without thinking of telling me? Without telling Armin?"
Jean scoffed. "So while the rest of us were fighting for our lives, you and Y/n were over there smooching?"
"That was not what happened!"
"Enlighten us, then! What did happen?"
"Come on, Eren! We can't help you if we don't know the full story," added Sasha.
After some more convincing and encouragement, he released it all like an open book. How he almost gave up, but you pulled him right back. How he visited you this morning, but you acted like nothing had happened, like you didn't do anything. How he tried bringing it up, but you switched topics like switching blades, something easy and natural to you.
When he was done, they broke out laughing. "It's not funny!"
"Eren, she's just shy," reassured Historia.
"Yeah, you can't expect her to admit it willingly. You've got to force it out of her," said Connie. "Or else the two of you would've gotten together long before you even came to the Training Corps. Seriously."
"But what if she just doesn't feel the same and only did that thing to shut me up? I don't want to make her uncomfortable."
"No, they're right, Eren," spoke up Armin. "Y/n's not the type to outwardly say what she wants unless it's something small or dumb, of course. I think it stems back to how she grew up. Before she had us, it wasn't like she had any other friends to open up to in the orphanage. The only way she knew how to defend herself was to fight back. So there are definitely still some traits from her childhood that stay with her."
The others nodded, listening in carefully. "Damn, Armin," mumbled Connie.
"So what the hell do I do? I can't just force it out of herâI don't know how to do that without overstepping."
"Yeah, because if she tells you to shut up, you actually do. If she told you to crawl around the field, you actually would," said Jean, making the rest of them laugh.
"This isn't funny! I don't want to ruin things between us by ticking her off."
Mikasa pointed a firm finger at his face, almost poking into his eye. "If you don't fix this with her before it's too late, things will be ruined."
"Mikasa, lay off a little," said Jean. "You're scaring him."
"Y/n and I have been babying him for years. It's about time he learns to take situations into his own hands," she said. Jean shut up immediately.
"But I don't know how to!"
"Relax, that's why we're all here," said Connie, grinningly. "We're going to help you. Or what else are friends for?"
"This is Operation Brainsick Lovebirds!" cheered Sasha. "In which we unite the craziest two of the Survey Corps!"
The door to the cottage opened. Levi entered with you following. "What are you all standing there for? Get back to work."
"Yes, sir," they said.
Levi traced his fingers along the bottom of the table. "Tch. We were gone all morning. How can dust still exist after being cleaned? Unacceptable. Y/n, get to work. Show them how it's done."
"But Levi, we just got back," you whined. He ignored you and went down the hall. You grumpily picked up a cleaning rag from the counter and noticed the rest of them. "Why're you all looking at me like that?"
When your eyes landed on Eren, you quickly looked away to someone else. Eren sighed and went back to dusting the cobwebs.
"So, how was the trip? Did you find out who your parents were?" asked Armin.
"No. But I did find out that I have an uncle." You watched Historia for her reaction as you dropped the news: "His name is Rod Reiss."
Her broom almost fell out of her hands.
"So you know him then, Historia?"
She dropped her gaze. "He's my father."
"So you're sisters?" asked Connie.
"No, my father's an Ackerman."
"Your father's Captain Levi?"
"No! My father's some other Ackerman, and I guess my mother is this Rod Reiss guy's sister."
Jean swatted Connie on the head. "You dumbass, two men can't have children."
"They can't?" Everyone turned to you in disbelief except for Eren.
"Y/n, do you even know how babies are made?"
"Of course I do. The storks deliver them."
Connie and Sasha collided with each other, cackling their heads off.
"Who the hell told you that?" asked Jean, deeply concerned.
"Eren did."
He finally glanced back. "Yeah, I did." Then he turned back.
You wanted to roll your eyes. Great, now he has a fucking attitude. I should've just let him keep squabbling apologies yesterday.
Jean glanced back and forth between the two of you. "Suddenly, this all makes so much more sense."
"Anyway, bring it in, Historia." You gave her a side hug. She mustered up a smile and hugged you back. "I've just collected three relatives on the same squad. Next up, I'm going to find out Connie's my long-lost twin or something."
"Yeah, wouldn't that be awesome?"
"Gather around, brats," said Levi, popping back into the kitchen. "I just spent my entire morning chasing after someone to find out Y/n's past. Now it's your turn to tell us everything you know, Historia."
You all sat at the wooden dinner table. From the way that she shared it, you could tell her childhood was a sensitive subject. Turned out that she was the illegitimate daughter of Rod Reiss and his mistress. After the fall of Wall Maria, her father came for her, but the MPs killed her mother and almost her, too. She was forced to go to the Training Corps under a new name.
"So, Historia Reiss," you said, sounding out her full true name. "Does that make me Y/n Reiss or Y/n Ackerman?"
"Y/n Reiss-Ackerman?" suggested Armin.
"That's a mouthful."
"Stick with L/n for now," said Levi. "Until we find out what is so special about this Reiss Family and what's so 'dangerous' about your mixed blood. Everyone, suit up. Hange's outside preparing for the experiments with Eren."
* . * .
The experiments weren't going in anyone's favor.
Ever since yesterday, when Eren managed to control all those pure titans to do his bidding, not only were his transformations not the best, but he himself was acting a bit odd. A little aloof. Avoided your eyes and all. You hoped he was just being moody and your little out-of-the-ordinary action wasn't the cause.
Because, in all honesty, you weren't even sure what compelled you to do that either. And until you figured out what the hell was wrong with you, you hoped he'd just ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. That would probably be the best way to go.
Hange, Levi, Historia, and other Scouts were at the cliff. You and the rest of your friends, the new members of the Levi Squad, were on your horses, surrounding Eren and his transformations.
Hange's research revealed that the Reiss Family was apparently closely involved with the Order of the Walls. Even closer than the royal family, which was alarming. So you and Historia were given these cloaks with hoods to hide your identities.
At his third transformation, his titan wasn't even ten meters tall, and his skin wrapped around his bones like a hairless cat. You would know that because a stray cat once tore open Mikasa's skirt, so you boiled hot water and dumped it inside. It thrashed, but you held it down with a straight face, uncaring when it scratched up your arms. Then it died, which was boring, but all the fur had fallen off. Mikasa was torn between being thankful and disturbed.
Eren's titan howled in pain. And then he collapsed to the ground. "What's wrong, Eren? Get up!" yelled Hange. "The future of humanity depends on you!"
"Hange, I don't even think he's conscious," you called out to her. "Maybe he fell asleep?"
"Eren, can you move? Give us a signal or something, at least?" There was no response. "Okay! We're done here, then!"
"Moral Support, get him out."
You hopped off your horse and climbed onto the titan as Hange swung down here with Moblit. Eren's entire body was hanging out beside his face and his arms. You lightly kicked his torso. "You asleep?" He didn't respond. "Guess so." You kneeled down behind him, hooked your arms under his, and pulled him back, but the flesh of the titan was still attached to his face and his hands. "What the hell? Eren, let go!" You pulled him back again, and some of the flesh ripped off from his face. Mikasa gasped. You and Hange shrieked.
"Do you see his face, Moblit?! Sketch, quick! We've got to get this!"
You turned to her. "Hange, seriously?!"
"Section Commander! Have you no compassion at all?!"
"Cut him out," you told Mikasa, and she did. He fell back in your arms, and you finally got a good look at his face. You hissed as if you shared his pain. "Is the titan power supposed to help you or hurt you?"
"Mikasa, help him onto Y/n's horse." Hange waved her arms around. "Experiment's over! All troops, withdraw at once! Make sure we weren't seen!"
Mikasa stationed Eren behind you, his arms hanging loosely on his sides, his head leaning on your shoulder. Levi, Hange, and the older Scouts headed to Trost as you and your friends returned to the cottage.
*
by the time this gets published im already writing chapter 67 ð
"how do u write like ur running out of time" by listening to that song