...Resolving...
You picked up the note that slipped into your room from under the door.
Come with us to town! There's a fun festival today! Meet at the stables! We leave before noon!
- Armin
Yes __ No __
A letter? It wasn't even that early in the morning. He could've just knocked on your door and told you himself. And since when did his handwriting get a little jagged?
Anyhow, you took a pen from your desk, checked "Yes," and slid it back under the door. The Scouts rarely got a day off, and though you originally planned to spend the day rotting in bed, going into town with your friends seemed like a more attractive idea.
Once you were done getting ready, you headed down. The halls were oddly quiet and vacant, you noticed.
When you turned the corner and stepped foot into the stables, you locked eyes with somebody in the back. Those bold, curious teal ones you'd recognize anywhere, anytime, no matter how many days you went by without seeing them. Your heart abruptly pounded upwards, and you almost thought you were going to throw it up with your breakfast.
You whirled around, stepping back out.
"I'm just here to pass on a word!" he quickly called out, leaving his horse that he was tending to. "Nothing else, I swear!"
You did stop and turn back, but somehow locking eyes again was difficult, so you resorted to watching a horse snore in its sleep. "Okay. Pass it."
He proceeded to inform you that your darling friends had left without you because you were "taking too long," hence the absence of their horses.
"What?! No way! They said to meet here before noonâit's not even noon yet!" You whirled around again, stomping your way out. "Once I find them, I fucking swearâ"
"Wait, wait, wait! They're gone! They're not here anymore!" he shouted, a tiny bit of panic surging. She's always in a hurry to leave!
Yet again, you stopped and turned back around, to the point it got a bit dizzy. "Inviting me and leaving without me? They'd never do thisâit's probably just some poorly thought-out, childish prank. And you're probably in on it as well."
Damn it, I forgot she's still kind of smart. He held up both hands in surrender. "It's not a prank," he said. "They really did leave because Sasha couldn't wait for this new food invention, and Armin wanted the latest edition of a new book. So I chose to stay behind to wait for you."
You made a skeptical face. "You? Waiting for me?"
Is she serious? He wanted to grab your shoulders and shake the sense into you. "Yes, Y/n. I did because last time I checked, I'm still your goddamn boyfriend. Even though we're on a breakâand one that's not that serious, let's be honest. I personally don't see anything wrong with waiting for my girlfriend," he said, sounding the last word out.
Fuck, we're still dating. It wasn't that you forgot about it; you just disregarded the knowledge to make it easier to stay away from him, to make sure he was safe.
"So can we go now? You did check 'yes' on that slip."
You furrowed your brows. "How'd you know about the slip?"
"Uh, Armin showed me. Anyway, let's go. We've only got this much time in a single day, and we both know they're not the most patient bunch."
You debated with yourself. This clearly seemed like another one of your friends' set-up, aiming to get you and Eren to spend time alone. Too much of a coincidence for this not to be. The question was if you would give in or not.
"Look, I'll stay a safe distance from you if you'd like, okay? Just come with me. Please," he said, softening at the end.
You turned away and rubbed your eyes. To him, you might've looked tired, fresh out of bed of a sort. But really, you were just having a mini battle with the heat spilling into your face because that single little "please" at the end indeed sounded very, very convincing. Before you knew it, your feet shuffled you over to your horse. Whatever, it's just heading the same way. Not the end of the world.
Once you two got on the road, he handed you a giant sunhat out of nowhere. "Levi wanted you to wear this to conceal your identity when you're in town. Since you're in the papers every week or so."
"Levi knows we're going into town?"
"Y-yeah, he knows," he loosely said.
"And he approved of me leaving without the MPs?"
Shit. "Well, we've got Mikasa. And me. And Armin. He's not worried. Not really." He pressed his lips in a thin line and swallowed.
You took it, and though he noticed you were wary of touching his hand, he didn't call you out. The fact that you were already on the road with him, wearing that hat, finally speaking to him, satisfied him enough. For the moment, at least.
Somewhere out in the countryside, a picnic was being laid out.
"Aren't they supposed to be here by now?" asked Jean, setting down a basket of treats and wiping the sweat off his forehead. "It's almost noon."
"I thought you told them we were leaving in the morning, Armin," said Connie. "Eren said he'd come. Didn't Y/n say she'd come, too?"
"Well, that's what Eren said after offering to pass on the word and saying he'd stay to wait for her since she overslept," he said. "I've no idea why it's taking so long, though."
Jean scoffed. "I've got an idea now that you clarified for us. He probably never even told her to begin with, and he's using the opportunity to finally mend things."
"So you think he lied to us?" asked Sasha. "Why'd he do that? He could've just said they weren't going."
"Maybe he wanted us far away," suggested Mikasa, tossing bread crumbs into the river, attracting swarms of fish. "You heard him the other day. He wants her back no matter what. Nothing we can do about it now, so let's just wish them the best of luck. Connie, pass another bread."
He stuck his hand in the basket, only to find it empty. "Sasha!"
"What?" she shrugged, mouth full. "I might as well eat for their share if they're not here!"
. * . *
"You said they'd be waiting at the entrance."
"I guess they got tired and decided to go in first. Whatever, we'll bump into them soon enough."
You narrowed your eyes at the back of his head, following him into the crowded streets. Since it was some festival, children and their families were everywhere, eating food and playing games at the booths that lined up the sidewalk.
When he told you to wait here while he went to the counter to buy raffle tickets, you asked him if he brought money. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and his face went pale. I did not get this far tto turn back now! "Uh..."
You lightly sighed, sticking your hand in your own pocket. You threw him your coin-filled pouch like a ball. He caught it easily with both hands. "Spend it all, I don't care. Zachary finally gave me access to the vaults."
Eren's mouth parted. "You have vaults now?"
"Well, not exactly mine," you said, bringing up your fingers to start counting. "There's one that used to belong to the fake King Fritz's son, also his other son, a split share of the Reiss's inheritance between Historia and me, and my mother's own vault. That's all, I think. Or what I've been told so far."
He shook his head in disbelief. "You don't have to work another day in your life," he muttered as he left to buy the raffles.
You leaned against a tree, still trying to spot familiar faces, but there were none. When you glanced at Eren again, he was whispering something to the man at the booth. The man frantically looked around like he was searching for somebody important. But Eren held up both hands as if stopping that man from getting too excited.
"What were you talking to that guy about?" you asked as he came back with a whole roll of raffles.
"Nothing," he said with a casual smile, passing you. Weird, you thought, but kept up alongside him, still maintaining a safe distance. Along the way, he attempted small talk, and you responded. He was rediscovering the way to talk to you and not push you away, which was the more casual and unserious the conversation was, the easier. As your eyes trailed after booth by booth, watching the amusing games being played, his eyes only trailed after you.
Suddenly, your Ackerman senses was tingling. You abruptly ducked, yanking Eren down by his jacket. An axe flew over your heads, cutting into the ground right by his feet. "Hey, watch it!" you shouted at the group of boys around your age. "You could've hurt him!"
Eren, however, completely disregarded the axe that could've sliced his head open. He was too busy containing the excitement within. I knew she still cared about me!
One of the guys scoffed. "This game ain't as easy as it looks, farm girl!"
"What'd you call me?!"
"Am I wrong? Ain't no way a town girl would ever wear a hat like that if they don't do farmin' all day long!"
You huffed out a laugh. Levi, when I find you, I fucking swear. "Oh, I'll show you what 'easy' looks like. Eren, axe." He promptly handed it to you. Just as your hand hovered over his, about to take ahold of it, you moved your placement down, grasping it without touching him.
The unimpressed boys barely moved aside as you marched over, twirling the axe with your wrist like you would your blades. That was until, in a blink of an eye, your axe landed front and center of the target. Those boys looked as if they had just seen a titan.
"Th-that must've been a fluke!" said one of them.
So you took the other three axes on the counter. Two landed on either side of the first axe, all within the center. The last axe pierced directly into the center, splitting the handle of the axe, only stopping once it made contact with the steel.
Not one face wasn't twisted in some form of astonishment. Even the owner of the booth was backed against the tent. You smiled smugly to yourself, wiping your hands off of each other. Once in a while, proving yourself to people lesser than you felt pretty good. Cheap glory, but glory nonetheless.
As the owner cautiously brought out the prizes for you to pick, Eren nudged the first guy who doubted you. "You have a girl?"
"What? Yeah?"
He nodded his head to you. "That's my girl. Can yours do what mine can?"
"No," he said, slightly self-consciously.
"Can you even do what mine can?"
The guy ducked his head. "No..."
Eren nodded, unable to hold back a smirk. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Better watch your mouth the next time you doubt her or call her a farm girl. You've got no idea who she is." Then he saw you struggling to choose an animal rag doll hooked up to the pole. "Y/n, don't you pick the catâ"
"I pick the cat."
He let out a sigh, heading off with you. "I thought we were over this."
"I'd never pass on a potential punching bag." When he made an unamused expression, you added, "Kidding. I'll treat this one right, I swear."
Treat me right first, please, he wanted to say but held his tongue back. Couldn't let his impulsive temper take over now, not when his plan was rolling.
The next booth you came across was a game of stacking rings on poles. Eren gave the owner the raffles without you needing to tell him, and you were handed three rings. All made it through the pole. "Alright, where's my prize?"
"Miss, a win is six rings in."
"Oh. You didn't clarify at first, but okay. Can I get three more?"
"Sorry, miss, but three raffles make three rings."
You turned over your shoulder. "Eren!"
He handed the owner a few more tickets, but he waved it away. "No, it doesn't work this way. You used up your turn already."
"What? That doesn't make sense," you argued. "You set the winning number to be six, but make the limit three? This shit's rigged!"
The owner gasped scandalously. "It is not! It's meant to be a partner game, yet you insisted on playing alone!"
"I insisted? I didn't even know! And you didn't tell me!"
"Same difference! Just have your friend over here be your partner if you want the prize so bad!"
Eren cleared his throat. "Boyfriend." No fucking wonder he thinks we're only 'friends'âshe won't even stand near me. So he tried something risky. He extended an arm and looped it around you. He felt you tense up, so he mumbled low enough for you to hear, "No skin." With his other hand, made in one ring. Then, the second. But the third got knocked to the ground.
"Whoops," said the owner, shrugging. "Guess luck isn't on your side today, buddy. Or hers."
"What did you just say to me?" Eren could've started a whole damn scene if it weren't for you trying to leave, slipping out of his arm. "Luck is on our side! You're just mad nobody else is playing at your booth! Hope nobody ever comes to your booth!" he shouted as he kept up with you. "Can you believe that guy?"
"I'm finding it harder to believe that you trained alongside Mikasa and me for three years and still ended up like that."
"Aiming is a difficult thing to do! The boy back there got that right, at least. Not my fault I'm not Ackermans like you two."
"No, but you're also a Scout, the Attack Titan, and the Founding Titan, so..."
"And it's a very difficult balance. I just need some more time to get the hang of it," he argued, then added, "or else that embarrassment of an excursion would happen again." Once those words slipped out, he bit down on his tongue so hard his eyes watered. When he casted a glance at you, your lips were one tug away from a frown. Fuck, fuck, forgot to stick to lighthearted jokes. "Just don't dare to tell the rest of them about this. More of a reason for Jean to think he's better than me."
"Speaking of them, where are they?" you asked, peering over the crowd. "Did they just forget about us? Or are they even here?"
It was truly eye-opening for Eren to finally realize just how terrible he was at this. "T-they're here. They're probably just around the corner. Not far at all." He frantically searched for another diversion. Aha! "Just for what you said, I'll prove to you that I might not be a good aimer, but I've still got my strength."
He led you to the next game, which was punching a bag connected to a scale that'd show the points. He waited until the guys at the front of the line went, whose scores on the scales never exceeded past two-thirds. When it was his turn, he got into his stance. He knew his attributesânot his aim, maybe not even his blade skills, or any skills in general, but he packed a damn good punch. And when he launched the punch, the score shot straight up and hit the top of the scale. Everybody else watched in awe.
Goddamn! Your mouth slightly hung open. Once again, you pretended to rub your eyes, covering your face as you fought away the heat creeping back in.
"See? I'm not weak at all. You may be a better aimer, but I think I might be the better puncher."
You snorted, brows raising. "You think? Alright. Ma'am, I'm going next," you told the woman. She accepted the raffles from Eren. You didn't even need to get into a proper stance to launch your punch. Suddenly, there was a shattering noise. When everybody looked up, the score object had cracked through the scale, flying into the sky. "Oh. Does that mean I win?"
"No, it does not!" exclaimed the woman. "You just broke it! You need to pay for the damages!"
"Sorry about that. Uh, Eren?" He snapped out of his shock and held out the roll of raffles, but the woman waved it away.
"Those are useless! I need money! Coins! Do you've any idea how much this machine cost? Pay up!"
You backed up a little, getting a bit irritated at the woman's impatience and shrill voice. "Eren, give me my pouch."
He blinked. "Uh..."
"You actually spent it all?!"
"You said you didn't care if I did! How else did you think I got a whole roll of these?" He held up the roll of raffles.
The woman marched forward from her station. "You have to pay, lady! If you don't, I'll hand you over to the Garrison!"
Before you knew it, you and Eren were running down the streets. Hand in hand. That realization came second. Your grip loosened, but he instantly tightened his.
"Eren, you know thatâ"
"I don't care! If you fucking let go again, I might just deliver you to the Garrison myself!"
You audibly gasped. "You bitch, you would not!" You squeezed his hand not enough to make his bones crack, but he yelped. Then there was a sharp turn, and once he pulled you along past a gate made of stacks of hay, you both finally slowed down. "Where are wâ"
"Oh, great, our last contestants!" Some guy tossed over a rope. "Hurry up, the race is about to start!"
"The what?"
"Race," said Eren, bending down, and started tying the rope around yours and his ankles. "The ticket guy at the counter was looking for people to sign up for this race, which is two people running down the street with their legs together. The prize is special and a secret, so I agreed."
This came out of nowhere. "You didn't mention anything about it."
"Hard to when there were so many other things happening all at once, right?"
"Right..."
When the referee said to go, a few other pairs had already fallen flat on their faces. But you and Eren stayed on the course, bit by bit picking up the speed. He focused on matching up to your speed, and you focused on slowing down, so it was all balanced. Barely took much energy for you and him to win the thing. The crowd that had gathered to watch all cheered for your easily won victory.
"Now, for the prizeâa little birdie has told me that Her Highness the Princess is here among us! And this lovely couple has just won a special hangout with her!"
Your stomach plummeted. Huh? Suddenly, your hat got swiped off. It landed on a branch. Not by the wind or the referee. But by Eren. The crowd gasped. You were sure you looked just as stunned as they were.
"Oop, never mind! Looks like the winner herself is Her Highness! In this case, it seems it's only fitting for everyone to hang out with her!"
"What?!" you exclaimed. "I didn't agree to that!" But the entire crowd was already pouring in, demanding autographs and answers to their questions. A woman even wanted to hand you her baby to hold. Before you had a chance to reject, you were yanked out of the way.
Eren could barely contain his crazed grin. My master plan is finally coming into place!
All of a sudden, a group of kids from the side swarmed in, separating his hand from yours. When he turned back, you were already lost in the crowd that had chased after you.
At this point, bashing his own head into the pavement to end his stupidity didn't seem that psychotic anymore.
You slipped past children, people, and even the elderly. You were aware that your face was on the papers often, but you had never known that this wasn't recognition anymoreâit was fame.
You turned over your shoulder, seeing that you'd lost a part of the group as you headed down a thin alley. But you caught a glimpse of a figure from the reflection of a window you passed. Yet the image lingered in your mind. It was a blond girl. But you couldn't make out her eyes. Then, when you passed another window, you caught yet another glimpse of a silhouette. A man with dark hair and undiscernable eyes, too. But there was a blue spark on his head. It oddly reminded you of your diadem.
When you turned the corner, you crashed right into someone. Someone tall with strong arms that held you upright.
"Shit! Sorryâ" Your breath hitched when you were met with a pair of dull green eyes. Cold and sharp. But the longer you stared, the more you thought they looked teal. "Ereâ"
You were yanked away. "Finally found you! Sorry that there were so many people!" exclaimed Eren, glancing back at you worriedly with his vibrant, lively teal eyes.
"Wait, weren't you just..." When you glanced over your shoulder, nobody was there. Huh.
Once you finally lost those couple of kids, he led you up to the watchtower to hide, sitting by the balcony. He was out in the sun while you were in the shade.
Now's my chance. "So, since we're just by ourselves, you want to...talk? Actually talk?"
"You set that whole thing up, didn't you?"
He whipped his head to you. "Huh?"
"Our friends aren't even here; I've already noticed that. So you brought me to town alone, just the two of us. Then, at the counter, you told the referee that you brought the Princess into the town and devised that secret prize with him like I was some party trick. Then, you got me to open up while playing games with you. And then you brought me back to the referee, who announced that 'secret prize,' which really was just a plan to get the people to corner me so that you could rescue me, and now we're here. Cornered, up in a watchtower, all alone. And we're finally talking."
Oh, I am fucked. "You weren't a party trick."
You raised your brows. "Are you admitting that I'm right?"
Eren's mind scrambled to weigh his options. If I tell her of my master plan, how would she react? If she gets pissed and decides to leave now, it'll all be for nothing. But would there be a chance she'd be glad?
He placed a hand on his chest above his heart. "Y/n, I am telling you that I had no involvement in those events that happened beforehandâthose were just complete and utter coincidences. True, maybe our friends headed back early, but I wouldn't know if they did. As for that referee, I was buying tickets! Really! He was just stunned that I was willing to spend that much moneyâyoursâon raffles. That's all, I swear."
"Okay...well, either way, I'm cornered. You have me. What's this talk about?"
"Us." When you rolled your eyes, he continued, "No, don't give me that. You said it yourselfâyou're cornered, and I have you. You just need to carefully listen to me without jumping to conclusions."
You let out a frustrated sigh. "How could I not jump to conclusions when the ending line is that I could possibly kill you."
"Well, screw that, too! I'll die in a few years, anyway. Honestly, I wouldn't mind it at all if I died by your hand. You could kill me in the most slowest, brutal way, and I'd still be wanting to be with you."
Your face was stretched in shock. "Eren, what the fuck is wrong with you, you brainsick, suicidal maniac?"
" I'm just telling my truth." And indeed, he truly was.
You dragged a hand down your face, already feeling an ache in your temple. "I keep saying this, but it isn't that simple. It's not just usâit's the roles we play now. And for a long time now, sounds like our roles, the Founder and the Fritz-Ackerman, were meant to be pitted against each otherâ"
"Which is why I've thought of a solution." Once he got your curious gaze and your attention, he took your hands in his. And you let him. "I can't get you to follow their way. Facing reality. So we'll go with your way. Avoiding."
"What?"
"I'm telling you that you win, Y/n. I won't argue with you about reality anymore. So go ahead and avoid it all. Our roles, the world, everything. Just don't avoid me. And I'll do the same."
You couldn't seem to form out a single word. Is he serious? Is he this ridiculous to actually ask for that of me? When you finally spoke, you didn't sound at all like your usual, confident self. "You only have eight years left. You don't want to waste it with this."
He scoffed. "God, you are really pissing me off." He clutched your shoulders and pulled you forward, your faces inches away. "Do I have to spell it out for you? I don't care! I just want you! Nothing else! If I had just one day left alive, I'd be spending it all with you! Do you get it now?! Do you?!"
"Okay, I hear you!" you yelled back, leaning away. "I'm going deaf!"
"What do you say, then?! I just poured out my whole heart! Now you've got to pour out yours!"
You didn't know what to say. You've always let your brain dictate your actions, and now he's asking for your heart. "I just don't want to be selfish anymore."
He frowned. "Please, I've never seen you selfish once in your life. And that's not an answerâI need a better one!"
You clicked your tongue in annoyance. "What do you want me to say?! That I missed you, too? Because yes! I did! By a whole lot!"
I knew it! "That's very good to know, but still not enough! I don't need you to say what you think I want to hearâI need you to say what you want!"
You scoffed, feeling your blood boiling in your veins, almost getting the urge to punch him in the face. "Fucking fine, you rude, demanding bitch! I want to be with you, too! Are you happy now?!"
He crashed into you with a kiss without another word. It felt like returning home after a long time away. And moreso, it was like gold. The moment you get ahold of it, you don't let go. That was exactly what was happening, with the kiss deepening, hands grasping at each other closer and closer until you ended up in his lap, yet still not feeling close enough.
When you both parted, it was only because you'd both run out of breath. "So," he took in a breath and out, face flushed, "so we're done? I mean, with the break?"
You sighed, closing your eyes. "I signed myself up for this shit the moment I started liking you anyway," you mumbled under your breath. When you met his eyes again, you were calmer and steadier. "Avoiding reality to be with you? Okay, you've won me over. I'll do that. But I can't promise I won't go back to old habits."
"That's okay. If you do, I'll pull you right back." His lips met yours again, this time in a sweet, chaste movement. Finally, this was what he had been waiting for. This was what this entire day was about. And he finally found success by himself for the first time.
"I had no idea how ecstatic people were to see me," you said, heading down the staircase with him. He'd given you his jacket with a hood, which you wore over your head. You also clutched the ragged cat that he'd found on the streets earlier. "But glad I could be of service even off the battlefield."
"Yeah, in case you haven't noticed, you're surprisingly pretty likable."
"You say that like it's surprising."
"Well, considering your history..."
You lightly swatted his arm. "But did that hat really make that big of a difference? The referee's entire mood changed before and after my hat fell."
He snorted. "You have no idea how thrilled he was when he first learned you were present."
"Really? What'd he do?"
"He almost left his station to search for you all by himselfâ"
"I knew it!" You punched hard into his shoulder, making him yelp. "So you did fucking set it all up! 'Coincidences' my assâyou lied in my face!"
Shit! "Wellâwell, I didn't know how you'd react if I'd told you the truth! And seeing how mad you are right now, seems like I made the right call after all! My dumbass just slipped up at the end..."
"I'm not mad!" Then you cleared your throat. "I'm not mad." No, but you were deeply impressed. Oddly enough, flattered. He'd gone through all that just to win you back? He sure as hell deserved to be your boyfriend now. "But did you have to lie again right in my face? Your face didn't even twitch!"
He scratched his neck. "Sorry...I was just trying to stay character."
"Whatever." You waved your hand dismissively. "Who I really have a bone to pick is with Levi for that goddamn hat."
"About that..."
"It was from you too?! You fucker! You got somebody to call me a farm girl for it!"
"Shitâ" He was out the door in a second, sprinting down the alley.
"Yeah, you better fucking run!" you yelled as you chased right after him.
*
can yall tell im running out of gifs
a lil bit of a rollercoaster this chap but we survived
fun fact just found out my math tutor's newborn daughter is named freya ð