...Training...
"We now begin the enlistment ceremony for the 104th Trainee Corps!" Yelled Commander Keith Shadis. That man has got the worst case of sunken eyes you've ever seen. "You are all cattle, fit for nothing but titan food! But in three years, you worthless pieces of shits will be trained to fight them back!"
Then he started grilling random people he'd pick out. Obviously the ones who looked a little lost and dazed. But one of them was Armin. You rolled your eyes. Couldn't he just skip him?
"Who're you rolling your eyes at?!"
Shit. You pounded a fist to your heart in a salute. "Nothing, sir! I had an eyelash stuck in my eye!"
"What is your name!"
"Y/n L/n, sir!"
"L/n? Is that not the name of the Shiganshina orphanage?!"
"Yes, sir! All the orphans of Shiganshina take the surname of the orphanage, sir!" Come to think of it, technically Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are now also eligible to take that name too.
"Is that so?! Well you sure aren't finding any new parents here to kiss you goodnight!"
"Damn right I'm not!"
He eyed you weirdly then carried on. From the corner of your eyes, Mikasa shot you a side-glare, as if telling you, Stop messing around. You bit back a smile and ignored her. It was one thing to be like Eren, to mess around and get into trouble for something you weren't even involved in. It was another thing to mess around when the spotlight was pointed on you. That meant showtime. It meant basically doing whatever the hell you wanted.
At least you weren't as bold as that brunette girl who brought a whole raw potato with her and ended up being punished.
Later, you settled into the barracks in the girl's building. You set your things down on your assigned bedâthings, as in some spare clothes stored in the sack you took a year ago.
"You're my bunk-mate?"
You glanced up at a blonde girl with a hooked nose peering over on the upper-bunk. "Guess so. I'm Y/n L/n," you said, holding out a hand.
She stared at your hand and took it. "Annie Leonhart."
Mikasa set her red scarf down on the bed next to you. You asked her who her bunk-mate was and she said that it was Sasha the potato girl. You also met some of the other girls in your assigned room, one of them being another petite blonde girl, Krista, who you helped give directions to her bunk.
In the evening, you entered the dining cabin noticing a swarm of people around Eren. It sounded like they were asking about Shiganshina, as in the day Wall Maria fell. Mikasa and Armin were chatting at the opposite end of the table, not having noticed you yet.
"Y/n."
You looked down at Annie who bore a nearly emotionless expression. "What's up, Annie?"
"How old are you?"
"Thirteen. You?"
"Me too." She nodded to two taller boys sitting opposite to her. "These two are fourteen."
"Y/n, right?" spoke the blond one who already looked to have a bit of muscle. "I'm Reiner Braun and this is Bertholdt Hoover." The brunette beside him gave a greeting smile. Reiner nodded to the kids behind him. "Most of the rest of them are all twelve. Why don't you sit down with us? Hang around the big kids for once?"
You snorted. He's a little pretentious. "And why should I?"
"Must be tiring running around with the immature ones blabbering about things they don't even understand."
"You make it seem like being a year or two older is twenty years older."
"Isn't it, though? A year makes a big difference. A lot of shit could happen in one year."
You glanced at your friends' table. The crowd was still there, and they all seemed to be having some fun. I've eaten with them everyday for two years anyway. Making some new friends wouldn't hurt. "Fine Reiner. I'm convinced." You set your plate down and sat next to Annie.
"So what's your story?" he asked. "How long were you in that orphanage?"
"Raised in Shiganshina's orphanage my entire life until one the day the Colossal Titan graciously set me free from my cage. There's my one sentence story."
"Youâyou're grateful for the Colossal Titan?"
"It's called sarcasm, Bernard."
"I- it's Bertholdt."
"Okay."
Reiner chuckled as Bertholdt's cheeks heated up from embarrassment. Even Annie's lips twitched upwards.
"What about you guys? Where are you from?"
Bertholdt cleared his throat. "We come from a small village in the mountains of southeast Wall Maria, near Shiganshina. The news was slower to reach us than the bigger towns by the river. In fact, the titans reached us first. It was dawn when-"
"When the titans trampled and ate everyone across their paths and you guys escaped? Oh, good for you. Cool story," you said and took a bite into your bread. From the moment he cleared his throat, you knew you were in for a whole life-storyâwith all the emotions, self-reflections, and other detailed shit. You didn't want to rudely interrupt him by saying how you weren't interested one bit so you just cut him off. He'll get over it.
"Anyway," started Reiner. "Where are you looking to go after the Training Corps? Annie's already got her eyes on the Military Police Brigade."
"Good taste," you complimented Annie. "But I'm joining the Scouts."
Both Reiner and Bertholdt's eyebrows flew up. "Already? You're not even a day in yet," said Reiner.
"A girl can dream early, right? Just got to put in a little more work to make it come true."
Then you noticed from behind them, Eren had gotten up, fists ready for another boy with a slightly long face. Reiner turned his head back too to see the commotion. You put your face in your palm. Can he please go on one day without trying to throw hands? Thankfully, Mikasa came to his rescue before you could. Then he spotted you with wide, surprised eyes and immediately headed over.
"Y/n?! You were here this whole time?"
Your face fell slack. "Okay, I see how it is, Eren. You got so popular that you don't even notice your best friend sitting three tables down? Blind bitch."
"What? That is not what I meant! You always sit with us. Who even are these people?" He skeptically glanced at the other three.
"Her new friends," said Annie, monotonously. "Can't she make some for herself?"
"That's not what Iâwhatever. It doesn't matter. But you should still sit with us tomorrow onwards," he said, heading to the door. "I'm going to bed."
"Damn, good night to you too then."
"I'm going too," said Mikasa, nodding at you. "See you back in the barracks."
"See you." Then that tall boy Eren almost fought chased after her. Look at her getting some action already.
"Well isn't he demanding," noted Reiner. "One of your old friends?"
"Yeah, so is Mikasa and Armin over there." You noticed Armin chatting with a kid near bald. Good, he's getting out of his shell. "Eren wanted to join the Training Corps with me at the same time. He's pretty much the reason why I didn't enlist last year."
Reiner nodded. "I see. So you said you're friends?"
"Yes, I just said that."
"You're just friends."
You arched an eyebrow. "What else would we be?"
He glanced at Bertholdt and lightly shook his head. "Nevermind."
"So, uh, you've got any fun stories from the orphanage?" asked Bertholdt.
You narrowed your eyes and grinned, feeling excited, pumped up. "Oh, I've got a lot of fun stories. Let's start off on who the Twisted Witch of Southern Wall Maria was."
* . * .
"First, we'll evaluate what you've got!" Shadis was yelling again. "Anyone unable to do this can't even serve as some decoy! They will be sent to the frontier!"
The next day started off with the basics: mastering the Maneuver Gear, otherwise known as the ODM Gear. Mikasa went first and succeeded in staying still the moment she was hoisted up. "Great job," you said to Mikasa as she passed you. "And nice haircut."
"Thanks."
Sasha went up next, struggling for a few seconds in the air, but ultimately remained in balance.
"Nice job, Sasha," you patted on her back as you went next.
"Thanks, Y/n, good luck!"
The supervisor helped attach the ropes to your belt. "Alright. You ready?" You gave him a thumbs up and you were hoisted up into the air.
This... is the easiest fucking thing I've ever done in my life. You were as still as a rock, possibly even stiller than Mikasa was.
"Damn, three in a row..." muttered the supervisor as he put you back down to the ground.
"Y/n, that was awesome," said Sasha in shock as you walked over. "You didn't even need my good luck."
You smiled and put an arm around her as you guys headed off. "Now, who said that? I probably wouldn't have done that well without your good luck." Then you noticed someone hanging upside down. Eren, who kept on trying over and over again to stay upright, but was failing. "But he probably needs it more than me," you muttered.
At sunset, when the rest of the cadets were off during their breaktime, you, Mikasa, and Armin stayed to help out Eren.
"I need to get this right. I need to prove to every single one of them from last night that I'm able to do what I say!"
"What'd you say last night?" you asked.
He was silent for a moment. "I said that I'll kill all the titans."
You raised an eyebrow. "Yikes, that's going to bite you in the ass if you fail."
"I know that! That's why I need all of your help!"
"Then stop yelling!"
"Eren, stick to the basics, and you should be fine," said Mikasa as you helped attach the ropes to his belt. "Don't worry about doing well. Watch the balance and stay centered. Then rest your weight on the belts attached to your lower half of the body."
"Stay calm and believe that you can do it. I managed to," said Armin.
"In other words, Eren, no one's here to laugh at you so just focus on practicing. And keep in mind that the secret is in the core," you said, putting your hands on the sides of his ribs. He immediately stiffened.
"Whatâwhat are you-"
"Oh, shut up. You wanted our help. No need to be shy now," you said and went back to Mikasa, who eyed you oddly. "What?"
"Uh, raise me up, Armin," said Eren, whose face was damn near tomato red.
You nodded. "Okay, okay, you're getting it-" He flipped over and hit his head on the ground. "Oh."
Mikasa let out a long, frustrated sigh. "What are we going to do with him?"
"Not give up on helping him, obviously," you muttered as you walked over.
"Obviously," said Mikasa, following.
You kneeled down beside his head. "Eren, you alive?"
He twitched. "...I'm eating titans and killing apples..."
"Oh, he's gone," said Armin.
You shook your head. "Right. To the infirmary, I guess."
Armin led the way as you and Mikasa had his arms around your necks, helping him walk as he mumbled incoherent things along the way. He woke up not long after and got some bandages tied around his head.
At dinner, he pulled you over to sit with him before you could go anywhere else. He and Mikasa sat across from you and Armin. As you ate, some man behind you was mocking Eren for making such big claims. What are adults doing, making fun of children half their age? Eren must be angry as hell, because you were starting to imagine steam coming out of his head.
Mikasa grabbed his shoulder and he yelped. "Ignore them."
"There's no point in worrying. You just have to pass tomorrow's test," said Armin.
"But what if I don't? God, I'm pathetic. I'll never be able to kill them all like this."
"Then let it go," said Mikasa, which shocked him and Armin. But you understood her point already. "If you can't do it, then give up on becoming a soldier. There are other ways to fight too than throwing away your life."
"What are you saying? Y/n, are you going to let Mikasa sprout all this bullshit?!"
You looked off to the side and popped a green pea in your mouth.
He huffed and turned back to Mikasa. "You can't just convince me to leave like this! I saw what happened that day and I'm not letting it go. You know how bad I want this!"
"It isn't your decision whether you end up a soldier or not," she said.
Before Eren could say anything back, the bell rang. Everyone started getting up. Mikasa, definitely pissed at him, stormed off and Armin followed right after. Just as you stood up, Eren grabbed your wrist reaching from across the table.
"Y/n, do you think I'll be sent to the frontiers?" he asked, and you could tell that he already thought about it himself because of the layer of fear on his face.
You looked at his hand wrapped around your wrist. You sat back down. "You want me to be honest?"
"Yeah. But not really."
Right now, he didn't look far off from those Scouts who came back from the outside. The ones you thought were pathetic. So there was no way you'd let him become one of those depressed, soulless bodies, not under your watch. "I think you'll pass the test tomorrow."
He stared at you, stunned and disbelieving. Speechless.
"I think you won't allow yourself to fail because your will would outstrength your weaknesses. In fact, I think you'd kill that Shadis guy yourself before he can tell you 'no.'"
"Y/nâyou can't just openly say that out here."
"What, killing? It's not like you haven't done it before."
"I know that, and so have you."
"Yeah, and I own up to it and you should too. Besides, we're the only ones in here and everyone else hates his guts. Point is, shut up about worrying over the bad things that haven't even happened yet and do your best to make sure that they don't happen."
"Easier said than doneâThe final test is tomorrow. In a few hours."
Then you thought of something. "Eren, you know the two boys I ate dinner with last night?"
"Yeah," he grumbled.
"Blond one's Reiner and the brunet's Bertholdt. They seemed to already have mastered the gears and were helping out a few other cadets this morning. You should ask them for help."
"Do I have to?"
You hit his arm and he yelped. "If you can't do it yourself then you've got to ask for help. How else are you going to improve? Ask them and gather some useful advice. They're nice boys."
After some thought, he nodded. "Fine, I will."
"Great. Now can you please let go of my wrist?"
He shrank back his hand. "Sorry."
Then you looked down at a hand creeping in from out of the frame. "Sasha, what are you doing?"
She gave you a cheeky smile from the other end of the table with her arm extended out. "Can I have your potato, please?"
You handed it to her. "All you had to do was ask."
"Thank you so much, you goddess!"
"Eren, we're going. Come on Sasha," you said, pulling her by the arm as she ruthlessly chomped on the potato like a beaver. "Do as I advise or you fail."
"Alright..." his voice trailed behind you.
. * . *
Eren ended up taking your advice. At midnight, he, Armin, Reiner, and Bertholdt sneaked out to practice for tomorrow's final test.
"So what made you think of us to help you out, Eren?" asked Reiner as they walked in the dark.
"Actually, it was Y/n who thought of you guys first." He regretted bringing you up the instant both Reiner and Bertholdt looked back with interest.
Armin raised an eyebrow. "She did?"
"Y/n, huh? She's a smart one, isn't she?"
Eren narrowed his eyes at the back of Reiner's head. "Yeah, she is."
"And a pretty one."
Eren's eye twitched. "Yes."
"And she's strong."
He balled up his fists. "Mhm."
"And she's scary too." Bertholdt turned around and Eren immediately defaulted his facial expression. "Is it true that she mixed in ripped-up pieces of rats with cabbage and water and convinced the girls in your town to drink it as a beauty potion?"
Armin smiled at the memory. "Only because they said something mean about Mikasa when she first came to town."
"And she's protective. This girl's got it all, doesn't she?"
"She definitely does," said Eren through gritted teeth. Why am I getting riled up when everything they're saying about her is good?
"So Eren, what is she to you?"
He blanked out. "What?"
"She's your friend, right?"
"Right."
"Is she something more?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." I literally don't.
"Is she like a sister to you?" asked Bertholdt.
"Gross, no. That's Mikasa."
"Is she a best friend?"
"Yeah, but Armin's more of that role."
"Thanks," added Armin in the background.
"So what is she?"
"She's... she's..." Shit. What the hell is she to me? "She's... she's a friend! Just a friend! Now shut up, I didn't ask you guys to come with me to talk about Y/n! I actually need to learn something!"
Reiner and Bertholdt chuckled to each other. "Fine, fine, we'll leave you alone in your thoughts."
Because of their stupid words, Eren started deeply wondering what role you fit in his life. Holy shit, does she even have a role?
"Eren," whispered Armin. "Your ears are red."
"What?" He covered his ears with his hands. "No they're not." I'm not lying. Armin sighed and said nothing. "...Don't tell Y/n about this conversation. Please. Not even Mikasa."
He shrugged. "I don't know, I've finally got dirt on you that the others don't."
"What? Armin! You can't!" He hissed as quietly as he could.
"I'm kidding," he said. "I won't tell Y/n. But no promises about Mikasa."
Eren groaned in defeat as they finally reached the field.
* . * .
"Jaeger, you're up!"
Eren stood tall and determined as Thomas helped attach the ropes to his belt. You didn't know if he took your advice or not, as you heard that he finished his breakfast early to train before you even woke up.
Thomas raised him up in the air and a lot of people near you held their breaths. Even though most had mocked him, you could tell they were still rooting for him. Eren was in the air. He was struggling, you could tell, but he was upright. After a few seconds, everyone jumped and cheered for him, you as one of them.
But then he flipped over again and the cheers died down. Shit, he has to pass. Shadis, faint and die or something. Then upon closer look, you realized something was wrong. You raised your hand up. "Commander, isn't his belt too loose?"
People around you gasped. Shadis glanced at you, not surprised at all, and walked forward. Which made you a little suspicious. "Wagner, change belts with Jaeger."
"Yes sir."
After they switched, Eren was pulled up again. And this time, he had no problem. Still twitched at times, but not once did he struggle.
"Cadet L/n's suspicion was correct. Your equipment was defective. The fitting on your belt was damaged. I've never heard of this part getting damaged. I'll have to add it to the maintenance checklist."
Never heard of it? Then why aren't you acting like it?
"Cadet Jaeger has passed. Commence training."
You let out a deep breath. Oh, thank god. And here I was, wishing death on the commander.
"Well, it all worked out at the end," said Reiner.
"He found you guys after all?"
"Yeah. But he's got you to thank."
Eren gave a pointed look to Mikasa, as if telling her, Look how wrong you were! But Mikasa was smiling, as if saying, Glad to be wrong.
Then he looked at you. And you saw the biggest, happiest smile you've seen on him for years. All directed to you. You smiled back at him. Now, he's secured a spot with you all for the next three years. And day by day, you all were going to get stronger and stronger.