Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

FALCO'S P.O.V.

"Falco, I'm home!" Called my older brother, closing the door behind him.

"Oh good. How'd it go?" I asked, turning towards him.

He took a seat next to me on the couch.
"Not bad. Just a regular old day. What did you do all day? Training doesn't start until fall."

"I KNOW."

"So?" He asked again.

"Mostly I watched TV..." I sighed.

"Have you eaten at all today?" He asked. Not long ago I'd begun to forget to eat when he was at work.

I shrugged.
"I did earlier."

"Promise?"

I nodded and hugged him.
"I promise."

He straightened.
"Okay. When was that?"

"Maybe...two?" I guessed. "I had an apple..."

"Falco! Have you had anything else?"

I shook my head.
"No..." I mumbled.

"Falco, you woke at seven, didn't eat until 2:00 and it is now 7:30. HOW are you not starving?" He yelped.

I shrugged.
"Maybe I am. I'm lazy."

Colt shook his head and stood up.
"Okay okay...you keep your lazy butt on the couch then and I'm going to make stew."

LATER…

Colt frowned and set down his bowl.
"Falco? Are you okay?" He wondered.

I nodded.
"Just tired."

He stood up and tugged me to my feet.
"Come on...Let's get you to bed then."

"You don't need to baby me..."

"Apparently I do."

"I just feel...like something's going to change soon."

"Something's going to change?"

"Yeah...something that'll become important."

"Like what?"

"I don't know yet...in time, I'm sure we will."

He ruffled my hair.
"Come on, get some sleep before you pass out."

"It's not even nine..."

"Yet you hardly managed half a bowl of stew because you were so tired."

"Fine..." I muttered.

THE NEXT DAY…

"Falco, I have to go off to work. There's leftover stew in the fridge, PLEASE eat it," Colt said. "Mom and Dad aren't here to take care of you anymore. You've got to step up to the challenge and take care of yourself when I can't."

I sighed.
"Fiiiine..." I groaned. "After I do, may I go out though?"

He nodded and headed for the door, pulling on his jacket.
"Yeah, of course. I just need you to take care of yourself."

"Okay, see you later. I promise I'll eat," I told him, then promptly forgot all about it.

LATER…

I remembered the stew only a couple hours before my brother would be back and quickly ate, thankfully I was hungry. Huh. That's a first in the past month or so. Almost as soon as I had finished, I headed outside, letting my mind drift as I wandered aimlessly down the street. I didn't care where I was going, the day was warm and pleasant and a cool breeze occasionally blew through my short blond hair, cooling me from the summer's heat. I didn't realize where I'd gone until I headed into an alleyway I hadn't been to in a long time, where my brother and I use to hide out and talk in secret before we moved into our apartment after we lost our parents. When I lifted my head, I saw that it was now occupied with a pair of girls about my age, dressed in dirtied and faded clothes. The younger of the two had a tight blonde ponytail and wore a faded t-shirt and black pants with holes in the knees, shoes broken and worn. Her face was smudged with dirt. The older girl leaned against the wall of a building. She wore a knee length dark purple dress with a small black jacket overtop, sleeves going just past her elbows, and faded black shoes. Her hair was done in a messy high ponytail, hair brushed away from her forehead but for two strands which hung down on either side of her face. She had emerald green eyes and pale skin and her dress was covered with dirt and dust. When I came near, the younger girl lifted her gaze, her expression blank and apathetic. She didn't seem surprised to see me. The older girl turned sharply at the sound of my approaching footsteps. She rushed forward and threw a punch to my jaw. I ducked the blow and she came at me again, glaring as she landed a hard blow to my stomach. I gasped and staggered back, slamming my back against a wall. She lunged forward and pinned me there.

"Hey! What're you doing here?" She demanded, her tone rough and loud.

I held my hands up to guard my face.
"H-Hey...no need to get violent..." I whimpered. I had to remember. Don't show fear. "I'm...I'm not here to hurt you."

She didn't release me, but instead pinned my shoulders painfully against the wall.
"Then what're you here for, kid?"

"I was just walking, just passing through!" I yelped. "Please...just let me go, let me pass...I'll go, I'll leave you alone."

She eyed me, leaning closer.
"You...You're scared of me."

"Well...you just...just attacked me and s-slammed me against a wall...did you expect me to be c-confident and unhurt?"

She shook her head.
"No, but I expected you wouldn't be a coward either," She stated. "I mean...you lucky rich kids...you're just given whatever you want, you have nothing to fear, so you walk around with foolish courage."

"Well...actually...my brother works a low-paying job every day just to put food on the table...we live in a two bedroom apartment which is mostly empty because...we don't have much."

She dug her fingernails into my shoulder.
"You still have so much more than we do. Zovia and I have been stuck out here for three years since her parents abandoned her and my parents died in a car crash. We beg for money and have to look through the trash for scraps of food, we don't even have blankets to keep us warm at night during the cold season. When we get sick, we suffer harder than anyone else, we run the risk of death when we're sick or hurt. You have three meals a day, you have a war, bed and house and when you get sick you go to the drugstore and get medicine, when you're sick, you bandage and wash it. We don't even have clean water. Count yourself lucky."

"So...what? You hate me because I live differently than you?" I demanded, trying to pull free.

She was stronger than she looked.
"We have to fend for ourselves. We don't have a choice," She growled, tone threatening.

The other girl, Zovia, gasped.
"Gabi, stop! Not again, don't do it..."

My attacker locked eyes with me.
"You're nothing but a cowardly child. You force your brother to work hard to provide for you, who I reckon does nothing to help, you walk around saying you have little when you have so much more than a lot of us..."

I tensed.
"I know...I'm sorry?"

"You are no use to anyone," She growled. "All you are is trouble for your family."

"Colt doesn't care...he loves me."

"Only because he has no choice."

"No, because I'm his brother."

"Nobody could love a cowardly, useless and spoiled brat like you."

"Well first off, I'm not spoiled, useless OR a coward. Second, damn you, jerk! Where do you get off-" I was cut off by a sudden sharp pain in my side and gasped.

The look in her eyes was dangerous. She pulled away and released me. At once I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Her gaze was cold and unfeeling when she looked down at me. I glanced down and saw the source of my pain and felt sick. I was bleeding heavily from right under the ribs on my left side. Upon a more careful examination, I nearly threw up when I saw what a deep wound it was. I forced myself to look up at the girl in front of me, Gabi. In her hand at her side, she held a bloodied knife. What the hell? Was she mental? Thinking about it, living out on the streets for that long probably HAD made her gone mad after a while.

"Gabi? I said not to..." Sighed Zovia.

Gabi knelt next to me, knife still in her hand.
"Sorry, Zo...it just kind of...happened."

"How does something like that just kind of happen?" Zovia demanded, marching over.

Gabi never let her eyes leave me.
"He was beginning to annoy me."

"He began to annoy you...so you STABBED him?" She shrieked. "I get that's what you do when the members of the local Gang come, but..."

My attacker examined me.
"How do you know he's not an undercover Gang member? He's certainly of age and somehow just managed to SOMEHOW find his way in here to our hideout."

"I...I found it because...it use to be the hideout of me and my brother..." I managed, gasping through my pain.

"Lies," She decided, scowling.

She reached forward, pressing her hand firmly against my wound, all the while locking eyes with me. I cried out, shrieking in pain. To my horror, the look in her eyes held a gleam of satisfaction. She wasn't doing it as an act of self-defence, I hadn't threatened her. She wasn't doing this by accident, that was impossible. She wasn't doing this because she HAD to, she was just doing this because she WANTED to. Maybe she really did want to see this, a victim, writhing in agony on the ground at her feet, because of the blade in her hand, her hands were stained with my blood, quite literally as it dripped from the sharp blade down to her pale palm.

"Is...Is this what you WANT to see?" I whimpered weakly. Such a blow shouldn't've done so much damage, but it WAS a deep wound, and I wasn't accustomed to pain. "Y-You want to see an innocent boy s-sobbing in pure agony?"

"So sue me."

I forced myself to prop my back up against the wall.
"If...If I don't die first, I will...and you'll lose your case. You have...have no excuse for assault. You'd...You'd go to jail for it and the local Gang would know your friend Zovia is on her own."

She clenched the knife tighter.
"Is that so? Is that for certain?"

"Yes, it is. I guarantee it," I assured her.

"Then I suppose...I'll have to prevent it, huh?"

"How?" I demanded, trying to stay strong. This girl both interested and terrified me. Despite her aggressive and almost murderous behaviour, I wanted to help her.

She held up her knife again, still covered with my blood, and pressed it against my throat.
"I dare you to take a guess."

I tensed, freezing nervously.
"Oh my god...You...You wouldn't ACTUALLY kill me...right?" I asked, meeting her eyes. "I mean, I'm j-just a kid...I never hurt you..." I reminded her. "Please...I'll drop any charges...I'll cover for the cause of the wound. I'll...I'll help you out."

At this, she froze.
"Help us? After this?" She asked, running a finger across the blade, smearing her finger with my blood.

I braced myself against the wall.
"Yeah...yeah, I would, and I'll make something up about the wound."

Zovia nodded to Gabi.
"Gabi...let him go. You're in the wrong here," She stepped forward and hugged her friend. "You're starting to slip away a little further every day..." Her voice was weak.

Gabi drew back.
"Fine. How could you help us?"

"I'll show you. If I can meet you here tomorrow night without being stabbed-"

"I'm sorry. Fine. Look," She dropped the knife to the ground, where it landed with a clang. "I'm not going to attack you again. You come ALONE."

"Can...Can I bring my brother, just...you know...I'm worried..."

She shook her head.
"No, nobody else can know where we are. It has to be between us."

Zovia sighed.
"By the way, sorry. We weren't properly introduced before Gabi stabbed you," She remembered.

I struggled to stand, breathing still heavy. I extended a hand and clasped the other over my bleeding wound.
"Falco. Falco Grice," I introduced myself breathlessly.

She shook my hand.
"Zovia, but you already know that."

Gabi sighed and shook my hand.
"Fine...Gabi, Gabi Braun."

I nodded. Her grip was stronger than I had expected.
"Okay...you're trying to break my hand now?" I asked.

She quickly released me.
"Sorry, not my intention."

I took a step away from the street girls.
"Anyway...I'll meet you here tomorrow..." That said, I turned and half ran, half staggered down the street.

THAT NIGHT…

I forced my way down the street and to our apartment before my body had finally had enough and just couldn't take it anymore. I collapsed on the colt living room floor upon returning to our apartment. I'd taken enough. Colt gasped and rushed towards me. He must have seen the wound I clutched. He knelt at my side and lifted me up in his arms, carrying me to the couch and setting me down in a laying position flat on my back.

"Falco! What happened? You're hurt..." He breathed when he saw in full detail the wound. "It looks like you were...stabbed."

I shook my head.
"No..." I sighed. I hadn't had time to think up a good excuse.

"Then what happened?" He demanded.

"I...I don't remember...I hit my head," I lied.

He fumbled for his way canteen.
"Okay, let's dress the wound, then we need to get you to the hospital."

I pushed him away.
"No...No hospital, I'll be fine..." Even as I said it, I knew I needed it. He washed it out and applied a stinging lotion. I reflexively slapped his arm. "Ow! Get...Get off..."

He patiently waited a moment, despite my slapping and protesting.
"Falco. I'm your brother, but also your caretaker and legal guardian. I'm trying to take care of you, okay?"

"You don't need to. I'm almost thirteen, I can take care of myself!"

"Clearly you CAN'T."

"Let me go already. You don't need to take care of me like I'm a baby!"

"Falco-"

"Save it."

"Hey, get back here!"

I didn't. I clutched the washed, still agonizingly painful wound as I turned the corner to my room. I needed to get away from him, who's always tried to baby me and take care of me like I'm a little kid, overprotective. I use to love it when I was a kid, but I'm not a kid anymore and I'm sick of being treated like one. I don't like it anymore and he KNOWS that, yet still he insists on taking constant care of me. I slammed the door behind me and flopped on my bed, clutching my pillow to my side to free up my hands.

Outside my small bedroom window, the sun's last rays had faded as the sun has set and the stars and moon had begun to make their appearance. It must be nice to be able to see so much. My eyes sought a certain star. When we were kids, Colt had taught me in astronomy. I had always had one special star that I made wishes on. So I did yet again. This time I didn't wish for myself. I wished for a better life for Gabi and Zovia, so they wouldn't have to suffer through the harshness of winters or the insufferable heat of summers. I wished that maybe, just maybe...things might someday get better for them. Dad had told me when I was eight that wishing on stars didn't really work since you had to take matters into your own hands, but I never thought of it that way. I wished on the stars because it gave me hope. When I had finished, I lay down flat on my back and removed the pillow from my side. Great. I had overlooked THAT fact. I couldn't use it anymore, it was covered with my blood. Ew, gross. Whatever. I was exhausted, I'd wash it and shower in the morning. I lay down, closed my eyes and drifted off.

THE NEXT DAY…

Once Colt had retired to his room for the night, I pulled a couple blankets from the foot of my bed and picked up a basket I had prepared, heading outside almost silently and quickly headed down the street towards the alley. The girls were waiting in the darkness of the roofed buildings. Zovia looked nervous and Gabi was expressionless. Why? WHY did she intrigue me so much? I couldn't deny that she was fierce and strong. I couldn't deny she had a stubborn, determined kind of personality, and it wasn't helping that she was rather pretty.

"In here, hurry, before anyone sees you!" Gabi hissed.

I followed behind her, keeping a careful eye on her.
"Yeah."

She glanced over her shoulder at me.
"You're still worried. I'm NOT going to hurt or kill you."

"Sorry...I can't help but be nervous...the injury still hurts."

Just for a second, guilt flashed across her face.
"Yeah...sorry about that, by the way. I panicked."

"Why?"

She shook her head.
"Stranger found our hideout at random, there's an evil Gang nearby...I couldn't help but panic, become afraid. Don't tell anyone I said I was scared, okay? Keep this conversation just between the two of us. I have a reputation to uphold."

I nodded.
"Of course."

Zovia tied her long blonde hair back again into the neat, tight ponytail.
"Hi..." She averted her eyes from me, looking otherwise bored.

I set down my basket.
"I brought you guys some stuff to use," I told them.

Gabi shivered in the cold.
"Yeah...thanks."

I moved forward and draped one of the blankets across her shoulders like a jacket.
"Here. This'll keep you warm."

She hugged it tighter around her.
"I...thanks," She mumbled, lifting her gaze to meet mine. "About yesterday...I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I went after you with no real reasoning aside from fear, didn't even give you a chance," She acknowledged. "I was in the wrong. Living out on the streets, you learn eventually to be wary of all and afraid of many, just as a survival technique."

"No, I get it."

"How're you doing with that, by the way?" Asked Zovia.

I glanced down at my side.
"It hurts more than you can imagine, but I'll recover eventually."

Zovia knelt at my side.
"I'll tend to it right now."

"No," I insisted. "You don't have as much as I do...my brother has stuff if I need it, though it hurts...and you guys'll need it more than I do."

She shook her head.
"We know about the dangers of infected wounds. I don't want you to get one."

"I...I'm okay, don't worry."

She reached into a bag held on her shoulder and pulled out a small cloth, which she wet from a mostly-empty water bottle and dabbed onto the wound, cleaning it out. Then she pulled it away and carefully bandaged it with what appeared to be a thin cloth. She shook her head and sighed, rising to her feet again and offering an awkward, halfhearted smile. Something was clearly bothering her about this, I wanted to know what.

"Sorry," She apologized. "We don't have lotions, creams or anything like that that could ease the pain."

Gabi hesitated, then reached forward to take my arm.
"I'm...I'm dizzy..." She mumbled.

Zovia crossed her arms.
"That's because you've given a good amount of your food portions to me to keep me healthy while I've been sick," She said. She looked up at me. "I had a cough about a week ago and she started giving up food and water to make sure I had a chance of recovery."

Gabi rolled her eyes.
"I'm...I'm sure that's not why, and...even if it is, it was worth it. We have to stick together now."

Zovia eyed her.
"I still can't get over the change in you. When we weren't on the streets, you were the one hogging all the food you could, bragging and jumping around, acting like you were above everyone else, you worked solo and left teamwork to others. You rarely looked out for anyone else...yet here you've been for the past few years, taking care of me, giving up everything you need to for the sake of the both of us," She mused.

Gabi shrugged.
"Maybe..." She put a hand to her forehead, eyes half closed. "I'm exhausted too..."

I helped her sit down against a building, hidden away in the corner.
"You'll be okay. Have some water," I urged her, pulling out a canteen from my basket and handing it to her.

She accepted it without hesitation and took a long drink.
"I had...had no idea how thirsty and dry I was before." She pulled the blanket around her. "It's cold...why is it so cold if it's summer?"

I shook my head.
"It's not cold..." I frowned. Was she getting sick too? "Are you okay?"

She shook her head as well.
"I'm dizzy and cold and homeless."

I wished I'd brought more blankets.
"Sorry...I should've brought more for you girls."

"You've done plenty for us," Zovia assured me.

"I'm not done yet," I promised, picking up the basket again. "Look. I have some apples and a loaf of bread. I know it's not much in the way of food, sorry, but it was all I could get without Colt noticing. I'll head to the store tomorrow for more to bring back. I also have these," I pulled out about ten plastic water bottles and two larger ones. "You can fill your new water bottles with these smaller ones."

Zovia took the grey water bottle and examined it.
"It's so heavy...I like it," She declared.

"And finally, I managed to nab these," I pulled out some folded long-sleeved shirts and pants, as well as a jacket for each that I hoped was in their size.

Zovia took the navy blue one and put it on, a perfect fit, then took a white shirt and black pants. She passed the black jacket, white shirt and blue jeans to Gabi and draped the jacket across her friend's shoulders. She then picked up an apple and handed it to her, pushing it towards her. She did look like she needed to eat. She was pale and for the first time, I noticed just how thin she was. Was that new since yesterday? I hoped she couldn't lose so much weight that fast. She weakly took a bite of the ripe, juicy apple. I'd specifically chosen that type because of how much of the vitamin-filled juice there would be in it. They'd definitely need that. Gabi said nothing for a long time. She had stopped shivering though, much to my relief. Why were they out here? They weren't far from me in age, they should've been with their parents or some kind of legal guardian...when mom and dad died, Colt took me in at once and became my legal guardian. Why didn't someone do the same for these poor girls? They didn't deserve to be living out in the streets all year round, rain or shine, snow, storms, numbly cold or blistering hot...suffering worse than normal when hurt or sick...it wasn't fair.

"I want to help as much as I can," I decided. "I'll pick up some more food, blankets and clothes at the store if I can, and I'll never betray your location, and when the water bottles run out, I'll get more," I promised.

Gabi looked up at me finally.
"You don't have to. Why would you go to all this trouble for us, when one of the first things I did was attack and stab you? I committed assault and attempted murder and you for some reason still want to help us?"

I nodded.
"I see no reason why not. You also don't have a reason to hurt me again, so I don't see any danger. Colt was able to tell I'd been attacked and stabbed, but I made something up and left before he could ask questions."

"Wow..." Zovia breathed. "Are you enough of an actor that he bought it?"

I shrugged, then winced at how the motion stretched the skin near the wound.
"Yeah...at least, I THINK he did...I didn't stick around to ask or wait and see," I confessed. "Like the coward I am, I ran and hid."

Gabi smirked.
"I said you were a coward. You said no."

I ducked my head.
"Only SOMETIMES."

She leaned back against the wall, half closing her beautiful green eyes.
"I'm exhausted...at least I'm not TOO dizzy anymore..." She mumbled.

She braced her back against the wall and her eyes follow closed. She made a makeshift pillow from the back of her blanket and used it as a pillow, settling down to rest. ,Zovia and I watched over her until it was clear she had fallen asleep. Zovia's expression was rather empty, her eyes holding a thoughtful look in them. I kept my eyes on Gabi.

"You look at her so lovingly," Zovia said, but she only seemed like she was half joking.

"I don't," I muttered.

"You like her, don't you?" She pressed. "I get it. She's strong, brave and beautiful. Any man would be lucky to have her."

I crossed my arms.
"I just met you girls yesterday. I don't have a crush," I insisted.

She planted her hands on her hips.
"Suit yourself. I say it how I see it, and I'm pretty good at sensing this kind of thing."

I pointedly turned away from the girl, muttering grumpily.
"We'll have you paused to think that just once you might be wrong?"

She shook her head.
"I seriously doubt it, and even if you don't have a crush on her right this moment, I sense that sooner or later, it'll happen. The look in your eyes says there's something about her that interests you, and from what I know, your personalities seem like you could...complete each other. I mean...I would be sad to lose her, and I don't Exsctly trust you fully, but that's just how we taught ourselves to live. If it was to make her happy though..."

"Zovia, you're getting ahead of yourself. Nobody's in love. We've met only a day ago. I don't like her like that and she doesn't like me like that either, okay?"

She held up her hands.
"No need to get so defensive...I'm just making a point. Give it a year or two and we'll see."

"Oh we'll see, and you'll see that NOTHING has or ever will happen," I said. Not because I didn't want to, I didn't even know if I wanted anything, but this girl wouldn't for a million dollars give me a chance.

Zovia shrugged.
"Okay then...suit yourself. You're missing out."

"Look...maybe I'll see you girls tomorrow. I have to get back before Colt wakes up to go to work."

"Okay. See you later?" She asked.

I gave her a nod.
"Yeah. Oh...and when Gabi gets up, just...make sure she's keeping hydrated. Both of you."

She gave me a thumbs-up.
"Will do. Don't worry."

"Alright, thanks," I said, offering an awkward half smile. My eyes drifted to Gabi again, sleeping so peacefully even out here, on the hard cobblestone streets.

Chapter Text

EREN'S P.O.V.

The sun is starting to rise and it's time for me to get to get up. I don't seem to have a choice. When the sun rises, my body wakes itself up and refuses to go back to sleep, which can be mighty annoying sometimes. Armin and Mikasa must still be asleep, it doesn't smell like anything is burning and I can't hear any footsteps or breathing coming from the living room.

However, Armin is indeed awake. He lifts his head when I enter the room, looking up from his book probably for the first time this week. He's hardly been a social person recently. I kind of miss how we had been best friends who could talk about anything and would run around and have our adventures as kids. Now we've grown up and moved on from that. He's still my best friend. He always will be, but...it's just not the same anymore. However, these thoughts start to fade when he looks up at me and smiles widely, eyes shining, the same look he had always carried in our childhood. We're teens now, so much is confusing, but Armin grounds me and keeps me sane. He puts a bookmark in and closes the book, standing up. He says not a word, but walks into the kitchen and returns a couple minutes later with a plate of scrambled eggs with lots of cheese, onions and olives in them. He hands the plate to me with a small smile and gestures for me to follow him. If he wants to talk or just hang out, I'm cool with that. I miss him and I'm thinking that he knows that. He turns and smiles again at me, it warms my heart, as it always has. We settle on the couch side by side.

"So?" Armin asks after a long moment of silence. "What's bothering you?"

I take a forkful of eggs.
"Who says I'm bothered?"

He crosses his arms.
"I know you too well."

I avert my eyes.
"I...I'm fine."

He puts a hand on my arm.
"No, Eren. You're not fine."

I sigh and finally turn towards him.
"I feel...like we don't even talk anymore," I confess. "You've always got your nose in a book or are off at work. I don't even work, so I don't have any excuses."

He shakes his head.
"You do work, Eren. Just not always."

"I don't have a NORMAL job..."

He sighs but remains smiling.
"You're the Attack Titan, Eren. The first of them, the Founding Titan and with the power of the Coordinate! Don't tell me that's nothing."

"They don't NEED me. Not anymore. When there was that war four years ago...they needed me. They don't. Not anymore," I point out.

He grabs my hand.
"Stop thinking like that! It's not good for you. Your powers will be called on again, sooner or later."

"Exactly, and what am I doing in the meantime to help out around here? Nothing. Nothing at all. Mikasa's always taking care of the cooking and laundry and everything, and she works too. You both work and bring in money to support the three of us," I remind him. "Armin, you even go as far as giving me some of what's left after we buy the essentials, just so I have something I can spend on myself when we go out..."

He shrugs.
"Why not? Not working...it's not YOUR fault."

I lower my eyes, curling my fingers around his.
"Shouldn't I at least be TRYING to find a job?"

He shakes his head.
"No, you're alright. We don't mind, really."

"I mind it," I tell him. "I mind not being able to offer anything."

Armin looks around.
"Okay...well...maybe you could do something like...cleanup after meals, maybe help out Mikasa with cooking or something."

"That's not enough...you guys're sharing space and resources with me, even giving me money and providing for me..."

"We like being around you. You're our friend. That's enough reason in our eyes for us to help you. Wait...you don't feel like we're treating you like you're a kid or anything, right...?"

"N-No...of course I don't. You're my best friend and Mikasa...well...she's my foster sister..."

"About that whole fostering thing...can I ask a weird question?"

"Go ahead."

"You two moved in with me about a year and a half ago...when your parents died. Do you know how or why?"

"Mom...she was killed. We don't know what or who by, and Dad...he went nuts. The doctors suspected he was somehow poisoned. Whether it was his fault or someone else's, we didn't know then and we never will."

"Do you miss them?"

"I miss them, Armin...I do. I miss them like crazy...I never told my mom I loved her. I was nothing but trouble for her to take care of, and Dad...we shared a special bond."

"I get it. I do. I miss my parents as well."

"Weren't you just raised by your grandpa?"

"Because my parents died."

"How?"

"They...tried to run away from this place. You know, escape the war when it started seven years ago. I...was left alone. They...promised they would come back for me soon. Mom kissed my forehead and they left. They never...they never came back."

"I'm sorry...you never told us."

"I didn't want you guys to worry."

"Come on, Armin. We're both here for you."

"Are you? I've always kind of wondered...if Mikasa only hangs out with me because you do."

"No, that's nonsense. She cares about you just as much as I do!"

"I don't think that's entirely true..."

"Just relax, will you? You've got both of us, under whatever circumstances it may be, and we're not going to let you go through anything on your own."

"Likewise."

"You know...I talked earlier about how we don't really talk anymore. I should drop in at that library and visit you. You still work there, right? Wow...we REALLY don't talk if I have no clue if you even work there anymore."

"Heh...if I got fired or moved I would've said something. No, I'm still working there, I sort the books."

"I should come by and see you sometime."

"I...I think that would be nice."

"I'll come by in a couple days then if you don't mind my random popping in."

"No, of course not. I don't mind at all! In fact...I think I'd be glad for the company."

"Sorry I can't come by tomorrow though."

"Special plans?"

"Yeah...I'm meeting this girl..."

"Who? I might know her."

"Annie Leonhart. I saw her on the beach a week or so ago practicing this martial arts thing and I guess I was just really interested. I was staring and she noticed me. Offered to teach me sometime. I...uh...may have asked her out."

"Wow! Annie said yes?"

"Yeah well...it's nothing fancy. Just a casual café lunch and a walk in the park."

"Sounds like if you wanted, things could get romantic..."

"I wish. I kind of really like her...she's fierce and strong and doesn't take shit from anyone."

"She's...She's Annie though...she might not appreciate any advances on her."

"You know her?"

"Yeah. She stops in the library when she's stressed out."

"Well...what kinds of things does she like?"

"Martial arts, art, music, I don't really know what else...I don't know her all that well. Just in passing."

"Martial arts, art, music. Got it. Thanks."

"What're you going to do with that information?"

"Well...if the first date goes well tonight...I mean...if you can call it a date...then maybe next time I'll take her to a concert or art exhibition or something?"

"That might be nice. Well...best of luck."

"Yeah. Thanks."

THE NEXT DAY...

I head to the café, heart beating rapidly in my chest. There she is, sitting at a table for two. She's holding a cup of hot chocolate in her hand, fingers of her free hand drumming on the wooden table. Her blonde hair is done in a tight bun and her half-moon blue eyes watch her drumming fingers. She is effortlessly strong and, in my eyes, attractive, and the young woman wears no makeup, yet is just about the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

I walk over to join her.
"H-Hey...Annie," I greet her awkwardly. Yeah...way to go.

She lifts her head to see me and gives me a nod.
"Eren," She returns the greeting. "You're late."

I nod, sighing.
"Yeah...sorry about that. Mikasa wasn't around. She's the only one in our house able to drive, so I had to take the bus."

"The bus? Please tell me you're not bussing back home after."

I shrug.
"What can I do about it? Not my first choice either."

She tucks back a straying strand of hair.
"After we're done, if you haven't pissed me off, I'll drive you back," She offers.

I relax.
"Thanks, that'd be great."

She looks away.
"So...anything special planned for us today?" She asks.

"Well," I start by saying. "How about we start with lunch? My treat."

She ALMOST seems like she's smiling.
"Yeah...I think lunch sounds like a good idea."

We order our sandwiches and drinks and she heads back to the table while I pay and bring over our warm food and sit down again. There's something about the way she looks at me that doesn't seem quite...normal. It doesn't exactly unnerve me, but it's something to be aware of. Still...this girl is pretty, attractive and strong. I like her a bit too much for my own good. We eat in silence for a couple of minutes. She doesn't seem like a chatty kind of person anyway, so I can't expect her to initiate any conversation. That part is up to me then, I suppose.

"So...I hear you like art and music. What's your favourite kind of music?" I ask.

She takes a sip of hot chocolate.
"Classical. Generally the slow stuff. Calms me down and soothes my troubled soul."

I frown.
"Why's your soul troubled?"

She shakes her head.
"That's...for me to know and you to find out, but I promise you. One day, you WILL find out."

"I...okay?" I'm not sure what else to say here.

She crosses her arms and leans back against her seat.
"You said you'd heard of my interests. Either you've spent too much time with Reiner and Bertholt or you know Armin Arlert."

"Actually, yes I do. He's my best friend, has been since we were kids, and he's putting a roof over my head until I can make a life for myself."

She slowly nods.
"I see...he's the one who gave you that information then...did he say anything else about me?" She wonders.

"Not much...he didn't seem like he had faith that I could do well on a date with you though," I remember, frowning.

"Most guys don't," She says. "I've been out three times before you. They've all either offended me or ended up boring."

I tense my shoulders.
"Am...Am I boring?"

She shakes her hand, lacing her fingers together.
"No, I feel quite at ease with you," She tells me, then the faint trace of a smile came to her face. "It's so rare to find someone who...doesn't bore me. Someone who makes me feel comfortable, someone as...interesting as you."

I raise an eyebrow.
"Interesting?"

She nods.
"Yes...I like you. A lot. Don't tell Reiner or Bertholt I said that though," She orders.

I pull a finger across my lips.
"That'll be easy. I don't even know them."

She laughs dryly, with little humour.
"If you're going to date me, I suspect you'll soon meet them."

"They're that close to you?" I ask. "They get involved with the rest of your social life?"

She smirks.
"I don't have a social life."

"Surely you have friends and family, right?"

She shrugs, lowering her eyes.
"I have my father for family. We haven't seen my mother since I was three. Even then, my father lives three cities away in Liberio District."

"Do you visit him often?" I ask.

She looks away.
"No..." She sounds disappointed. "No I don't. I can't. Not until I'm finished."

"Finished what?"

"I'm sorry...that's a sensitive point for me."

"Oh...sorry. I won't ask."

"Thank you."

"What about friends? Surely you have some friends."

"Reiner is...irritating, but I can tolerate him. Mostly because he's a huge support even when he knows I'm mad at him. Bertholt...he's always been right there for me. I can appreciate that. I suppose he and Pieck are the only ones I truly get along with, though, truth be told, there's this one guy I USE to like, he's a good friend I suppose, Marcel Galliard."

"Marcel...he works as a police officer, right? My foster sister is an officer too. Her partner is called Marcel. I mean...work partner, not...not...you know..."

"I know. Yes, that would be him. He's made quite a name for himself, despite how young he is."

"How old IS he? He seems older than Mikasa."

"Yes. He's older than any of our comrades back in Liberio. He's almost twenty now, yet still has to babysit his younger brother sometimes, keep him from causing trouble."

"Kid brother?"

"No...twenty five year old brother."

"I...oh. Why..? He should be able to take care of himself."

"One would think. He's either off breaking things, offending people, lurking around and acting suspicious or some say, attempting to flirt with Pieck, though word has it she hates it and will likely end up causing a war with him because of it."

"Haha! Yeah...that sounds kind of like my sister and her admirer, Jean."

"Oh...Pieck is a nice girl. I like her. She was also the only girl in the village close to my age."

"How old?"

"Again, almost twenty. She's only two and a half years older than me."

"Wow...there's a lot of kids where you come from?"

"Oh yes...they're...interesting..."

"Something tells me you don't always get along with them."

"Oh I don't. I certainly don't."

"I'm sorry about that."

"They can't tolerate me."

"Why not?"

"Don't argue. I am...not a good person."

"I don't-"

She stands up and takes a deep breath.
"You wanted to walk in the park, right?"

She's clearly trying to change the topic, so I leave it be and also stand up.
"Yeah."

LATER…

We walk aimlessly through the park, a comfortable silence between us. The sun is beginning to set and her eyes are shining in the last fading rays. If possible, she's even more beautiful than before. She swings her arms at her sides and faces forward, occasionally stealing a glance at me just from the corner of her eye. Am I that interesting to her? I had half thought she was kidding earlier. Maybe she wasn't. Me being interesting. That's new.

I walk beside her in complete silence, my mind is swimming with thoughts and ideas. I hesitate and glance over at her from the corner of my eye. I am unable to make up my mind. I've been considering what Armin had said earlier, about things possibly getting a bit...romantic. Could they? With Annie? She seems quiet and calm, collected. She doesn't exactly come off as a social person and seems more off to herself. Is it worth it to try even the slightest thing? I decide to take the plunge. She is turned away from me now, her pale eyes fixed on the last rays of the dying sun. Soon we'll have to head for home. Have I pissed her off enough yet that I'd be taking the bus home, or am I okay and she'll still drive me? Huh...there'll be more time to worry about that later. I shift closer to her. Either she doesn't notice or she doesn't care, because she doesn't react. I take a deep breath and reach over to take her hand, intertwining our fingers, hers smaller and more slender than mine. She turns her head halfway towards me and stiffens, shoulders tensing, but, much to my surprise, she doesn't say anything. In fact, it's the first time today, or ever, but for once I see a small smile cross her angelic face. It's as if...as if she likes holding my hand...well, she hasn't pulled away, so I won't. I know I like this. Once the sun has set, she says nothing, but jerks her head for me to follow and changes direction, heading towards the exit of the park. She's ready to head for home. I could stay out here forever with her, but no...eventually we both have to get home, and Armin and Mikasa will be expecting me soon.

"Eren," She opens the car door and gets in, gesturing for me to get in too. "I promised I would drive you. Where do you live?"

"Not far. About twelve blocks down that road and onto Oaker Road. Third house down," I tell her.

She drops me off at my place and gets out of the car. As I go to unlock the door, she grabs my shoulder. I turn to face her and at once she wraps her arms around me in a hug, which I return and savour. Oh Annie, beautiful, beautiful Annie. She seems about to say something when Mikasa opens the window and waves for me to come inside quickly. I give Annie an awkward smile and she takes notice of Mikasa at the window and nods.

"Go. She needs you," She tells me. "Girlfriend?"

"No," I say. "Foster sister. If she were my girlfriend, I wouldn't've asked you out."

She tightens her bun.
"We should do this again. I really enjoyed tonight, Eren. Thank you."

I blush bright red when she reaches forward to kiss my cheek.
"I...uh...you're welcome?"

She gives me one of her rare smiles and heads back to her car.
"Call me sometime," She urges me.

I hold up a hand in farewell.
"Don't worry, I certainly will."

I hurry inside and lock the door behind me. At once Mikasa rushes over to meet me. She's generally pretty expressionless, but now there's a look of worry and almost...panic in her eyes. She bites her lower lip and nods towards Armin's room. What's going on that's making even someone as strong and stoic as Mikasa worry?

We head into Armin's room and I kneel at his bedside. He's laying in bed. His eyes are open, but he's sweating like crazy and his arms and hands are shaking badly. His breathing seems to be just slightly staggered. Something is really wrong with him? What's happening to my best friend. Mikasa's face says she doesn't know what's happening either. She takes my hand and places it in Armin's, then fast-walks out of the room to call for a doctor. Armin's hand is sticky and sweaty, but I don't care. My best friend needs me right now, and I'll be here. Armin opens his mouth to try and speak and instead, a low whimpering sound comes out. He quickly closes his mouth and blushes with a mixture of embarrassment and shame at the sound. Poor guy...whatever had happened isn't good, and if this's the work of a person, then I swear to god I will end them. Mikasa returns half an hour later with a man in his thirties. Armin's hand is clammy and cold and his breathing has become worse. I'm growing more and more worried with every passing second and it shows.

"Armin...oh Armin...it'll be okay, I promise."

He turns his eyes towards me.
"E-Eren..." He chokes my name out. "Sorry...I'm just...just a burden."

I shake my head and place my other hand over his.
"No! You're my best friend is what you are, I'm here for you, okay?"

He half closes his eyes.
"You have better things to do."

I mime having to think about it.
"Hmm...well..." I turn my attention back to him. "No, actually I don't."

He offers me a tiny smile, but it's weaker than normal he closes his eyes fully.
"Thanks..."

LATER…

"Eren, you spent the last two days with him...you should eat," Mikasa says, coming into the room with some toast and orange juice.

I had insisted on sleeping on the floor of his bedroom, just in case anything happened. I hadn't eaten at all during that time, though made sure to keep Armin fed and hydrated, I'd only gotten up to quickly go to the bathroom, and I slept on the floor at the side of his bed. Mikasa sets the plate and cup down in front of me and sits at the edge of his bed, checking for his temperature. She relaxes. It must have gone down. I am tempted to give the food to Armin, help him regain his strength, but he's as well-fed as if he had been awake, and I'm no use to him if I pass out too. I find out just how hungry I am after the first bite, then devour the food quickly.

"See? You were really hungry, Eren," Mikasa sighs.

I shrug.
"I guess so..."

She smiles softly.
"Now go get some sleep. I know you've slept, but not well. You've been waking yourself up every couple hours to check on him. I'll watch him, take the day off and catch up on your sleep."

"I'm fine," I insist.

She crosses her arms.
"You are not fine. Go to sleep."

I watch her.
"You don't need to take care of me, Mikasa. I know we saved your life a couple times and I became your brother, but you don't need to act like I'm some little kid."

She stares at me, then takes the plate and cup and stands up.
"That...That was never my intent, Eren. I just want what's best for you. You and I both know that without me, you would have gotten yourself in serious trouble long before now."

I roll my eyes.
"Yeah right. I can take care of myself just fine."

She gives me a dry look.
"Yeah. That's why you've barely slept, starved yourself all so you could stay here," She points out. "Just try a bit more, will you? For me?"

"Fiiiine..."

Chapter Text

PIECK'S P.O.V.

"Hey, get up."

I drag myself out of bed at my best friend's voice.
"Yeah yeah...I'm coming."

"God...you're so lazy," He complains.

I cross my arms.
"Says you."

He's waiting for me in the living room when I finish dressing in my ankle-length purple skirt, white shirt and brown jacket. I step out of my room, close the door and walk over to him, wrapping my arms around him in a hug as I do every morning. He returns the hug and buries his head against my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze.

"Good morning, beautiful."

I raise an eyebrow.
"You've never called me beautiful before," I note.

He looks away.
"Every girl needs to be told she's beautiful at some point. I'm just doin' my best friend a favour."

I give him a small smile and boop his nose.
"Yeah well, thanks, handsome. Every guy needs to be told he's handsome too," I return the favour.

To my surprise, he blushes.
"I don't...I mean...I'm not..."

I finally pull away.
"Sure you are."

He shakes his head.
"How?" He asks.

"Well...look at yourself. You're tall and handsome. You have those beautiful blue eyes..." I sigh dramatically, mocking him. "Any girl would fall in love on-sight."

He rolls his eyes.
"Yeah right. Sure. YOU didn't."

"I was six when I met you."

"Right. That."

I melt into his arms again and turn my back to him, reaching behind to wrap my arms around his neck.
"Any girl our age would fall for you now though," I tell him, trying to hide a smirk.

He tenses but doesn't shove me off.
"You're lying and you know it. Quit it."

I shrug and separate from him.
"Well...it was worth a shot."

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his long brown pants.
"I've gotta get to work and so do you."

I tie the tie around my neck, tucking the end of it into my shirt.
"Yeah, I know..."

He watches me.
"You hate it there," He guesses. "Why do you keep at it?"

"Because nowhere else would me," I tell him.

He chuckles.
"You have a master's degree in mechanics and cooking, you're knowledgable on history and myth and love children. You're freakishly smart too, and according to Zeke, you're always 'Exactly right' with your words and opinions, remember?"

I lower my eyes.
"Yeah...it's true. Still...nobody would want someone like me working for them."

"Why not?" He challenges.

"Because I'm a lazy butt."

"You don't HAVE to be."

"I don't want to do anything else."

"Then that's where you have an issue."

"I know that."

"Look, come on. Let's go and I'll walk you to work."

"You'll be late."

"I don't care."

LATER…

So we do, walking side by side down the street to my workplace. Galliard keeps stealing glances at me. That's not normal for him. I'D get away with it. I've been known to have some...unusual behaviours, as my comrades and superiors say. Still...it doesn't exactly unnerve me, but it does interest me. Is my best friend okay?

"Hey...what's the matter?" I ask.

He quickly turns.
"Nothing's wrong."

"I never said anything was wrong," I point out.

He bites his lips.
"I'm fine, okay? Just...Just thinking."

I fiddle with my long sleeve.
"Thinking? About what?"

He shrugs.
"Life...the Mission. All that stuff."

I watch him carefully.
"The 13-years rule."

He stops walking and stands still, almost as if he were no more than a statue.
"I...yeah. How can you tell? You can't read minds, can you? You're smart, but nobody could do that..."

I shake my head.
"I didn't need to. I know you well enough. Better than you might think."

He narrows his pale blue eyes.
"So...you're sayin' you could actually SEE what I was thinking?" He questions, staring intently at me.

I give him my usual lazy smirk.
"Yeah...that sounds about right. So...it's bothering you?"

He sighs and his hands fall from his pockets to his sides.
"Yeah. I can't help but remember about it sometimes. It always gets to me that there's so little time..."

I take his arm.
"Yeah...I get it."

"Doesn't it bother you?" He asks. "Doesn't it bother you that...that you only have six years left? Doesn't it in any way scare you?"

I hesitate. It's an awkward question with a complicated answer. I decide to simplify it.
"No. It...It use to, but I've known all along, which means I've had time to come to terms with it. With great power comes great consequence."

He lowers his gaze and turns his head away.
"I see...I'm on limited time, just like you are..."

"It terrifies you, doesn't it?"

"It does...but not for my sake."

"Then why's it so scary?"

"Because...you have six years left, and I have eleven, almost twelve. That's five years I'll have without you in my life. Five YEARS without you, Pieck."

"So...it scares you that I won't be here as long as you will..."

"Yes! I've always had you with me...you're always hanging out with me, getting me out of trouble...you're the only one who's stuck by me through thick and thin...and your smile is amazing...your laugh makes me happy. When I wake up every morning and you come out of your room...you're the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

"Well...I-"

"I can't, Pieck...I can't go on after you've gone..."

"You HAVE to, Pokko. For our people, for our Mission...what I've fought for my entire life."

"I...I know...I will, for your sake, not for anyone else's."

"Why do I matter so much, Pokko?"

"Because...you're my best friend."

"You'll...You'll move on once I've gone."

"What if I can't, Pieck? I KNOW I couldn't."

"Galliard-"

"You're too...too special, endearing, unique, whatever you want to call it."

"Please...stop telling yourself that you won't get over it...in six years, I won't be able to go peacefully if I know you won't be happy. I'll still be forced to go, but it'll be sadly and I'll end feeling unfulfilled in my life, to have let you down."

"You haven't let me down. Never."

"It's...good to know that, but not true."

"What do you mean?"

"More than once I've failed you behind your back. I'll explain it later, you'll understand soon, but for now, I have to go work. We're here."

"Alright. When do you think you'll be home?"

"I don't know...8 o'clock? Maybe nine at the latest."

"Okay. See you then."

"Yeah. See you then. Thanks for walking with me."

"Anytime."

He turns and leaves. I walk down the beach. The sky is completely clear, waves gently lap at the shore and kids run down to splash and play in the water. I head further up the beach to my workplace, a beach shop, to sell equipment. My boss gives me a nod as I arrive, for the first time probably ever, I'm close to on time.

"Pieck, take care of the swimming section," He orders.

I nod.
"Yessir."

I take my place behind the counter. I hate this job. I love the beach, I love swimming and water sports, but I hate this job. I work only really in summer and late spring. It's hot and we don't have much business in my section anyway. I really wish I could work at a restaurant or something instead, but I can't. I'm stuck where I am.

LATER…

I trudge into our small apartment. Too crowded for the three of us, but half the time, our other roommate isn't even there, and if her name wasn't on the door and she didn't leave us freshly cooked meals sometimes, we might not even know she lives here. However, when I arrive, much to my surprise and joy, she's standing in the kitchen, cooking something on the stove that smells AMAZING. Galliard's watching TV and folding laundry.

"Hey guys," I say, closing the door behind me.

Galliard looks up.
"Hey, Annie. Pieck's home."

The young blonde woman lifts her head to see me, fixing her half-moon blue eyes on me.
"Ah. Good evening, sorry I have been around so infrequently. Work has kept me...busy."

"Martial arts training?" Galliard asks. "THAT'S what's been keepin' you busy? Not...Not that Eren guy?"

She blushes faintly and looks away.
"Well...I HAVE been dating him a while now..." She confesses. "It started just because we need him in order to finish and get back to our Homeland, but there's a issue with it..."

I snap my fingers.
"You ACTUALLY like him," I guess.

She turns away fully.
"Yes...perhaps that's it," She agrees. "I refuse to let it get in the way of our Mission, but it certain makes it a bit more...complicated. However, he trusts me, and his trust remains growing."

"So you think the plan'll work so we can get away from this miserable city and Pieck can actually go do what she WANTS to do?" Galliard presses.

Annie gives him a nod.
"I do believe it will work."

I walk over and drop myself next to Galliard, leaning my head against his shoulder.
"I'm tired..."

"You're always tired," He points out, but doesn't argue over my being there or leaning on him.

Annie watches us.
"How're you two so close like that? You're not even a couple, right?"

He shakes his head.
"Just best friends. Is it not normal for us to be so close?"

She shrugs and averts her eyes.
"I wouldn't know. I've never had a best friend, and I can't even comfortably hold Eren's hand, and we're dating."

"I totally get that. Eren is...an oddball, from what I hear," I point out.

She gives me a dry look.
"Oddball. Says you. You give alcohol to minors and walk around on four legs half the time. You're known for having some...strange behaviour."

"Okay."

Galliard springs to my defence.
"Don't get up and judge her! She doesn't deserve that and you don't have the right to make any judgements on her. You hardly even KNOW her, you spend so much time away."

"We're Warriors, we grew up and trained together, remember?"

He nods.
"Oh I do."

I put a hand on his arm.
"You sound so angry. Why?"

He crosses his arms.
"She was always taking Reiner's side."

Annie glares at him.
"I was NOT!"

He glares back at her.
"Oh you totally were."

She slams down her spoon on the counter.
"Okay, that's it! I don't like Deputy Braun either and I wouldn't take his side just to spite you, you know."

"Oh yeah? Then why-"

I cut them off.
"Stop it, both of you," I order. "Your arguing makes me nervous."

Galliard freezes.
"Yeah...I get it. Sorry, Pieck," He apologizes.

Annie wipes her hands and gets out plates.
"Come on, you two. Dinner is ready."

We sit down in front of the TV with casserole and garden salad. Annie is, as usual, pretty quiet. She puts on a stupid romance/adventure movie which we manage to watch about half of successfully. Why do romance stories have to be her favourite, and if they are, why do we let her choose the movies on Friday evenings? Ugh. I feel someone take my hand and turn to see Galliard has shifted just slightly closer to me and is now holding my hand in his. Despite myself, I can't help a small, hardly visible smile and lean my head on his shoulder.

Annie takes note of this.
"I said one day I'd find a way to get the two of you together. It was bound to happen sometime."

"We are not 'together' as a couple, no matter what you might wish. Sorry," I apologize, not really sorry.

She shrugs and grabs three bags of chips, tossing one to each of us.
"Sure, be like that. I'm right and you know it. You'll see that someday."

"Someday is not now," Galliard mumbles. "I don't love her. No offence intended, Pieck. You're a lovely woman."

I shake my head.
"No offence taken."

Annie watches us.
"If you aren't into her, why on earth are you holding her hand?" She questions.

Galliard blushes to have been caught.
"It's a romance movie...I can't help it. I watch this and wish I had a girlfriend, just like the guy in the movie did. Pieck just happens to be here. She's also the only one out of the two of you who wouldn't kill me for hand-holding."

"You?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "You wish you had a girlfriend?"

He shrugs.
"Why not? I'm in my twenties and have never had a relationship, yet even people like Annie have..." He sighs and shakes his head.

I stare at him in surprise.
"Pokko...are you...jealous?"

He holds up his free hand.
"First off, of course not. Secondly, don't EVER use that nickname. You KNOW I hate it."

"You know you love it."

"I hate you."

"Love you too."

Even Annie gave a half-smile at our exchange.
"Oh you two...you're kind of adorable." That said, she stands up and walks out.

"O-kay..." I mumble. "Can we turn the movie off if she's going to vanish?"

He nods and turns it off quickly.
"Yeah."

"So...what now?" I ask, leaning back against the couch.

He shrugs awkwardly.
"Uhh...I'm not sure. Ideas?"

I shake my head.
"I have nothing."

He sighs and shakes his head.
"It's Saturday tomorrow. We'll get to sleep in. Maybe we should head for an early bedtime and catch up on our sleep."

I nod, my exhaustion once more returning.
"Yeah...sleep sounds like a good idea," I agree, then turn to hug him. "I'm going to go to sleep then. See you tomorrow."

THE NEXT MORNING…

I'm wakened by the sound of a cry outside. I get up and throw open the window, peering down at the street. Three older teens are surrounding a young girl, kicking her around and hitting her. She raises her arms to hide her face, shielding herself from the worst of the blows, but there's three of them and one of her, she can't keep this up forever, and I doubt she'll get out without some serious bruising and maybe a couple broken bones. The girl is abnormally short, with a blonde ponytail and pale skin. She does not look like much. I throw on my skirt and jacket and rush outside without pausing, moving as fast as I can to the scene of the fight. However, I'll not be able to do anything. Before I can utter a word, a stronger-looking girl with dark brown hair and an angry, fierce facial expression charges in, tackling one of the biggest guys without hesitation.

"Get off her!" Snaps the newcomer.

The boy struggles against her but seems unable to shake her. I look closer at her. She's got a string body, I can tell. Lean, wiry muscles tense as she clenches to the shoulders of her friend's attacked, her core strength allows her to climb onto his shoulders as he tries desperately to throw her. They fight, him trying to reach her, both sending fierce, harsh blows at each other, but he seems more affected than her, despite the fact his blows are harder. For all this girl's strength, she's lean and looks like she isn't well-off. Perhaps one of the homeless teens that I've heard lurk in the area, but are rarely if ever seen. Her friend scrambles to her feet and staggers away, clutching her stomach and shoulder, as if they had been the most affected areas of her body. One guy chases after her, but the other two are focused on the new girl, who seems to be holding her own. I want so much to charge in and help her, but I have a feeling she might not appreciate the attempted help. However, she's pulled off by the guy's friend and slammed to the pavement with a groan, bracing her hands behind her head to block the impact. However, her spine is left unprotected and she lets out a loud, harsh cry of pain when a snapping sound echoes at the impact. The guys look satisfied with themselves. They're taking some kind of sick pleasure from this? She tries to move backwards, which surprises me. Her back isn't in good condition. For sure she won't be able to run, she may not even be able to stand, and they're not done with her. They walk forward to stand over the poor girl. Even being on the ground with an injured back, unable to stand, she retains a look of pride and strength in her eyes. She doesn't know when she's beat. When one of them swings at her, she grabs onto his arm and uses his weight to pull herself up. How she manages to remain standing, I'm not sure. Somehow she manages to land a good few blows to them before they shove her down again, and this time she hits her head against the hard pavement and her eyes close. She's been rendered unconscious. The guys laugh and slap each other on the back, as if they're proud of this, maybe they see this as an accomplishment. Then they walk off, still laughing. It isn't the worst sight I've ever seen, but right up there. I move forward to help her, but a blond boy gasps and rushes forward, grabbing her under the arms and hauling her out of the middle of the street, he is clearly worried.

"Oh my god..." I breathe.

The boy turns towards me sharply at the sound of my voice, eyes widening.
"Help me get her away! Quick, before they come back," He implores.

I move forward and haul her into my arms.
"Let me carry her. I'm stronger than I look. Where should we be taking her?"

"I...uh...just follow me."

He leads me to the apartment. To my surprise, it's my own building, but a few rooms below, room 103. So. They're my neighbours. Is he the girl's brother? It'd certainly explain the apartment and his obvious worry over the poor girl. Her eyelids flutter when I set her down on the sofa and the boy puts a hand over her forehead and another on the side of her neck, as if he were checking for a pulse. Had he seen everything that had happened? If he had, he'd see it wasn't anything fatal as far as I'd seen. However, if he'd just passed through and seen the end of the fight, it could easily have been mistaken for a death blow. Poor kids...

"So...you live in this building too," I start as he pulls a heavy blanket overtop her.

"Yeah...have for the past two years," He tells me.

"I'm just a bout seven doors down. I'm your neighbour, Pieck," I introduce myself.

He looks up.
"I'm Falco," He tells me. "Falco Grice. My friend is Gabi."

"So...why did any of this happen in the first place?" I ask.

"I was watching, I wish I'd done something sooner. Maybe I am as much of a coward as she says I am. She was trying to protect her other friend...so this happened. They...aren't the best off and kind of have to fend for themselves," He explains. It seems as if he's TRYING to be vague.

"So..." I muse to myself. "They're the pair of homeless girls?" I guess. "The ones we hear about having fights with the local Gang and occasionally stealing stuff? Sneaking around?"

He narrows his eyes.
"You could put it that way if you like. They only do what they have to in order to survive."

Gabi shifts on the couch, mumbling under her breath.

"What's she saying?" I wonder.

Falco waves his hand.
"She's probably swearing at me in her sleep. I've known her a good week or so now, she tends to do that."

There's the sound of a key in the door.
"Falco? I'm back," Calls a man's voice.

Falco ushers me towards the patio.
"Quick! Out onto the deck, then I'll distract him while you get out," He orders.

"Why? What's the matter?" I ask.

He shoves me forward.
"Just go! My brother gets freaked out with new people, and he DEFINITELY wouldn't want to find his brother alone but for TWO strangers, although I could get away with wounded Gabi. Please...it'll be okay, just go."

He looks like he's on the verge of panic. His blue eyes are wide and his hands are shaking just enough to be noticed by anyone who's observant. I don't want to make the poor kid freaked out even more, so I just nod and rush out towards the patio, dropping to my hands and knees as soon as I'm out. A more familiar position for me, I must say. It feels more...natural, I suppose. The door swings open and a young man of maybe 18 or 19 walks in, drops a bag by the table and ruffles Falco's hair. He's tall, he has a slender frame, blue eyes and blond hair like his younger brother. If Falco were any older and his shoulders were any wider, his brother might have been an exact replica of him. Then he takes note of Gabi on the couch and his eyes fly open wide. He kneels at her side to access the situation. His hands shake only slightly less than Falco's as he checks the wounds and carefully, yet quickly starts to treat them. She waves a hand at him as if to shoo him away, but if that's the intent, he either doesn't see or doesn't care. He leans over to bandage the wound and Falco waves to me, pointing at the door, pointing at his distracted brother, then at the door again. I get the idea.

He gives me a wave and a soft smile when I slip past his brother almost silently. If anyone heard me, they didn't say anything, and his brother doesn't look up from his work until I've finally passed through the door and closed it behind me. Right before I close it, I see his head lift and go towards my direction. When he asks who was just here, Falco offers him a reassuring smile and, much to my relief, tells him he must have been imagining things. He accepts this as an answer. I catch Falco's eye and we share a smile before I turn and leave, quietly closing the door and, in no great hurry, I head back towards my own apartment, 7 doors down.

Chapter Text

REINER'S P.O.V.

The phone rang. It roused me from my sleep. WHY DID I SLEEP IN SO LATE?!? My clock read 9:12. On any other day I was up by eight. I got out of bed and walked into the living room to get the phone, but I had been beat to it by my best friend and roommate, Bertholt. He leaned against the wall, a worried look written on his face.

"Oh, h-he's here. Just a moment," He said, then held the phone out to me, looking worryingly pale.

I took the phone and settled on the couch.
"Hullo?"

It sounded like Colt Grice on the other end. The Trainee of another Warrior. We were familiar.
"Hi, Reiner. So...my brother brought in an injured girl, Gabi. Last name is supposedly Braun. We were curious as to if you're related?"

My breath caught.
"Gabi's injured?"

"So...you DO know her?" He asked.

I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me.
"Yes, I do," I said, forcing myself to remain calm, in control of myself. "She's my cousin, actually. Messy ponytail, away from the forehead? Short, green eyes?"

He sighed.
"Can't say what colour her eyes were. She's been here unconscious for two days. We've tried everything and nothing works. Ice water, loud speaking, shaking her, we hired a MARCHING BAND to play!"

Despite the situation, I couldn't help a small laugh at the marching band.
"A marching band. That bad, huh? Hang on...where're you at? I'll come see what I can do."

"We're in room 103, 4th floor."

"Hey! That's only two doors down. Give me twenty seconds and I'll be there."

"Alright, thanks."

I hung up and grabbed a water bottle, saying nothing as I exited and headed down the hall. Looking back on it, Bertholt must've been worried, I should've told him I was going to see her or at LEAST told him when I expected I would be back. I would have any other time. This was Gabi though, my beautiful little cousin.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Gabi had always been fond of me, maybe the sound of my voice or the touch of my hand could rouse her. I dared to hope. I knocked and the door was opened by Colt, who gave me a nod but said nothing. He didn't look as worried as he had sounded on the phone, but then I saw the kiddos and I realized that must be why. He must've been trying to keep his mind calm and clear on the outside for their sake. He gestured for to come in and see her, which I did. I knelt at her side. She was indeed unconscious, and deeply at that. Her hair fell away from her face and her eyes were closed. Her eyelids fluttered as if she were in REM sleep. Colt's younger brother was at her side, holding her hand firmly in his, checking every now and then for her heartbeat and looking worried the whole time. Falco. I was familiar with him only in passing. I'd spoken a few greetings to him before and had been told of him by Colt and our leader, Zeke. Was he a friend of my cousin's? She had never mentioned having a male friend. Just Zovia and her.

Falco looked up, raising his eyes to mine.
"Colt already told you...we've tried everything."

"A marching band, I hear."

He nodded.
"He wasn't even joking."

"Move over, kid," I ordered, crouching at my cousin's side.

It was good to see her, though I would've rather it been under a different circumstance. I had fallen out of touch with her two and a half years ago. Her parents had died and so I hadn't had any contact with her. Maybe, just maybe she would wake up to see me. I took her hand and put my other hand over her forehead, checking to make sure she wasn't overheating, running a fever. She wasn't. At my touch and the sound of my voice, she shifted in her sleep, edging just slightly towards me, straining her neck as if she could maybe reach me.

"Hey Gabs...it's me, Reiner. I came to see you, so could you maybe just...open your eyes?"

Her eyelids fluttered and her mouth opened just the slightest bit as she heard my words. Falco's blue eyes fixed on her hopefully. We both dared to hope. I had learned at a young age from unfortunate experience that to hope was often to fail. In this case though, it was not. Given the state of her, she would not remember this much later, but for the moment, at least we knew she was alive. Her emerald eyes opened and focused on me, then she sat bolt upright, nearly falling off of the couch. Falco yelped, but it was a cry of mixture of joy and surprise. Gabi looked up at me with such affection that it warmed my sensitive heart. She stretched out her arms to me, looking a mixture of excitement, confusion, worry and joy. There. There was the Gabi I knew.

"Rei-ner...?" Her voice was staggered and weak.

She still seemed weak and her limbs all shook visibly, but she seemed to be getting stronger with every second she was awake. Falco looked like he wanted to say something, but Colt walked over and stopped him by putting his arm in front of his little brother. I scooped my younger cousin off the couch and took her into my arms, although she was already maybe fourteen and weighed a ton. She was small for her age. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and beamed. Falco and Colt stood nearby, watching us as I swung her in a circle around the room before setting her on my shoulders. Colt nodded slowly when he saw she was up and not looking on the verge of passing out again. He seemed to be assessing the situation, but the look in Falco's eyes was different. He wasn't assessing her situation at all. I knew that look, the look of a boy in love.

I carried her back to the couch.
"Gabi, do you remember?" Then I shook my head. "You know what? Forget I said anything. You need to rest. Like, actually sleep rather than just being unconscious."

Falco hoisted her onto the sofa. For all her smiles and laughter, she looked weak now. Falco smiled though.
"Chief Deputy Braun is right...we'll take care of you and make sure you'll be okay. Just...trust us," He begged.

She raised her eyes to meet his.
"I...you know I trust you...but please, don't bring in anyone else to see me except if there's a need for a medic or if Zo comes looking."

Falco nodded. He's glad to take care of her. The affectionate, proud glimmer in his eye and his smile said so.
"Yeah. I promise."

She gave him a nod as well and lay her head down on one of the pillows on the sofa.
"Reiner...thanks for coming on such short notice to see me. Wish it could've been a happier occasion."

I hugged her briefly.
"Trust these guys. I know them, I trust them. They know what they're doing."

She half closed her eyes.
"I...okay," She sighed.

Falco looked up at me.
"You...woke her up..." He breathed.

I nodded.
"Yeah...I did. Take good care of her for me until I can come see her again, okay?"

"Once...Once she's recovered...take her back to live with you. She needs a place to call home."

"I can't, Falco. I want to, I really do, but...there's not enough space and I'm...I'm unemployed, Bertholt makes minimum wage for his job, we're hardly supporting ourselves. She'd be best off elsewhere, but I'd still come see her often."

"What do you suggest? Anywhere is better than where she is now, even if it means she can't be afforded the best food or prettiest clothes."

"Where's she living now?"

"Out on the streets with only Zovia and I for company, and I live in an apartment where in safe and warm."

"Then...there's your answer."

"What...?"

"You're safe and warm in your apartment, and it's plenty big enough. You could take her in once she's better. Look at how she holds your hand. She clearly comfortable enough with you."

"We don't have room for her AND Zovia though..."

"Don't you have that other friend of yours, Udo?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"Maybe he'd be open to taking in Zovia while you take in Gabi."

"Hmm...you're right...maybe...but that's a matter for later. I'll call him or email him or whatever. For now, Gabi needs to sleep. Besides...she looks on the verge of unconsciousness again."

"Yeah. I'll go and call me when she wakes up or you need me to wake her up, okay?"

"Yessir. Of course."

THAT NIGHT…

Gabi was doing better by the time I left the Grice apartment. Colt had insisted I stay long enough to make sure she was stable. As I entered the apartment, Bertholt was readying things as if he were preparing to leave. I closed the door behind me and examined the stuff laid out on the table. A couple books, a flashlight, a water bottle, a pocketknife, a bag to put everything in and a couple snacks. He returned with some batteries and a heavy jacket.

"Bertl...are you going somewhere?" I asked.

He sighed and put the stuff into the bag, leaving his car keys on the table.
"I need to spend more time with you, so I said I didn't want to go, but as a police officer, it's my duty. I'll be on stakeout for the next couple days...we're chasing down this kidnapper. Recently attempted to kidnap a young teen in the park called Connie."

"Oh wow...uh...you'll be safe out there?" I asked, worried.

He shrugged and put the bag down.
"Well...I sure hope so. If it does come down to a fight, I'm sure my skill set is g-good enough."

I nodded.
"They wouldn't've chosen you if you weren't ready for it yet."

His eyebrows creased with worry.
"I don't like the idea of being away for that long...b-but what choice do I have?"

I patted his shoulder.
"Not much. Still...you'll do great."

"You'll be okay here without me?" He asked.

I chuckled and crossed my arms.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? I'm a grown man."

Her looked knowingly at me.
"With mental challenges."

"I do NOT have mental problems."

"Yes you do. I've seen them."

"Huh? Name a time."

"We were about...thirteen, maybe fourteen, you and I went walking with Annie and Marcel. You started getting all confused and anxious. You said stuff that didn't make sense, you talked about the future like you had lived it and looked genuine about it. When Annie claimed doubt about your words and challenges your emotional state...y-you attacked her."

"We were kids. I'm in my twenties now. We're fine."

"I...okay...you DO know you won't be able to reach me, right?"

"I...yeah."

"You can call Annie or Porco at any time, even if they are noticeably less sympathetic."

"Porco...like I would call him for support."

"Hmm...true. Well...you can call their household. Pieck's there. She doesn't have a cell phone, but Annie does. You can reach Annie anytime, and if you call their apartment you might get put through to Pieck."

"Yeah...thanks."

"You DO have their apartment number?"

"Of course."

"You have Annie's cell, right?"

"Memorized."

"Repeat it to me then. Just to check."

"Fine. 778-530-5121."

"Good. Okay...I did-"

"Bertl. You don't have to parent me. I'm fine."

"I...okay...I can't help but worry most of the time..."

"It shows. Go get some rest before your stakeout. You'll need it."

"Yeah...I know..."

"I'll sleep too, I promise."

"Good. I'll be up and out early, so if I don't see you before I leave, bye, I'll be thinking about you."

"Same, Bertl. Same."

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Reiner."

THE NEXT MORNING…

Bertholt had left a note on the table for me, though was gone when I'd woken up. I picked it up and unfolded it, reading it.

'Reiner, I know you think I stress too much, but I can't help it. I've left an email address for Zeke if you need him, just in case. You have Annie, Porco and Pieck's contacts, you have contact to Marcel and the Grice brothers too. I'll be back in two days, see you then.

Bertholt.'

I folded it up and out it in my coat pocket. I had the day to myself, so I may as well do something with it. I headed outside towards the park. I had places to go, plans to make and things to think of. Namely, Eren Jaeger, the Founding Titan and Coordinate. There were several people in the park, but no sign of Eren. Whatever. However, my eyes drifted to a beautiful, petite girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail and a bright blue eyes. She wore a long blue skirt and a white shirt with long, tight sleeves, also wearing high brown lace-up boots and a blue bracelet. I must've been staring, because she caught me and instead of running or turning away and ignoring me, she smiled, making her even more beautiful if possible, then waved to me energetically.

"Hi!!!" She shouted.

I hesitated, then waved back.
"Hi...?"

She skipped over and held out her hand to me.
"I'm Krista, Krista Lenz," She introduced herself.

I shook her much smaller, paler hand.
"Reiner, Reiner Braun."

She drew back her hand and tilted her head so she was looking at me.
"So! What're you doing out here?" She asked.

I shrugged.
"My roommate's an officer on a stakeout. Didn't want to be at home alone," I said. It wasn't untrue either.

She slowly nodded.
"Ah...I see. You said he's an officer, that's so cool! Are you an officer too? You look like you could be. Wait, don't answer that anyway. If you're not in uniform, you're probably undercover."

I shook my head with a chuckle.
"Nah. I'm not an officer," I said. "I'm..." I looked away. "Unemployed." Not a lie but not the full truth. I was a Warrior.

She lowered her eyes.
"Oh...I...I'm sorry to hear that."

"My best friend provides for us both and I do odd jobs and stuff like bottle returns and all, but it doesn't make a lot. What do you do for a living?" I asked.

"I work two jobs. I'm an assistant librarian on every second weekend and during the week I'm a nurse at the Clementine Hospital."

"So..." For once I wasn't sure what to say. "Do you like your job?"

She nodded.
"I love helping people however I can. That's part of why I went into medical work. The other reason is that my parents wanted me to after they saw I had a natural gift."

"What do you do just for fun? What do you like to do?" I continued. This girl interested me, and I wanted to keep her talking. I liked the sound of her voice.

"Well...I read fantasy and I like to cook. I LOVE going to the beach in the summer. Beach sports, swimming, all that. I use to rock climb too."

"At first I didn't pin you for the athletic type. Forgive me for that."

"It's alright. I'm small and don't have a lot of muscle. It's not all that visible."

"You said you use to rock climb, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you anymore?"

"No...unfortunately not."

"Why not?"

"I couldn't. I got scared of the rock wall after my injury."

"Injury?"

She hiked up her skirt and showed me a long, pale scar running down from her thigh to her knee.
"That. I decided one day to try actual climbing rather than the gym. I wasn't on belay and fell, caught my leg on this big rock and it decided to take a piece of me with it. Ymir says I was lucky it didn't tear my lower leg off at that angle."

"Ymir?"

"Oh yeah, my best friend. I'm FINALLY apart from her. I love her to bits, but she likes to follow me places. She can be protective and seems to be able to sniff me out like a bloodhound."

"That's...actually a bit of a scary thought."

"I don't mind most of the time. She's a great support for me, and she's probably been the only one who's always been there for me."

"W-Well...if you want or need support from someone else..." I took out a piece of paper and a pen from my bag and scrawled my cell number on it, then handed it to her.

She took it and tucked it into her pocket.
"Thanks," She said with a sweet smile again. "So...what about you? What do YOU like to do?"

"Uhhh...I like cooking too, and I'm a fan of sports like soccer and basketball. I'm a swimmer and also really enjoy socializing. I really...want to become a big name in SOMETHING. Maybe Dad will take notice of me then."

"He doesn't? You seem like a good guy to me."

"He doesn't care about our family. I went to him once and it was not the most encouraging parent-child encounter. Enough said on that for now. The only people who know are Bertholt, Annie, Porco and Marcel."

"Hey! Annie as in Annie Leonhart? The martial arts instructor?"

"Yeah...childhood friend."

"Wow...and if I'm correct, well...I don't know about this Porco guy, but aren't the other two Officers Hoover and Galliard?"

"Yeah...you keep up to date on that stuff?"

"It's good to know who's around."

"Fair enough."

"Hey...do you sing?"

"Sing?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"If anyone would listen, I would, my voice is horrible. I sing when I'm alone. More than anything, I whistle and play piano or guitar."

"Piano and guitar?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Most people don't know I'm into music."

"Well...I've been looking to become a performer."

"Oh?"

"There's a fancy restaurant who've offered me a position as a performer every weekend. I went looking for a partner to either duet with or play for me."

"I could play if you want."

"Would you? That'd be really great."

"Sure, piano or guitar?"

"Piano would be amazing, but it would require plenty of practice together."

"We can use my room. It's surprisingly spacious."

"No, it might be better to be at my play, my mansion has a whole room dedicated to music."

"Mansion?"

"Oh yeah...my family's pretty rich. You said you were unemployed, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So...what if I paid you to rehearse together and play for me at the restaurant?"

"I-"

"I don't want to take your time without giving you something in return."

"It's not like I have anything I need to do, so it's not really taking my time."

"Just please...let me pay you for it."

"Fine."

"So...I should go, but I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Great! Thanks, Reiner!" She hugged me tightly before skipping off, humming happily to herself.

I watched her with a dumb smile.
"Wow..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As promised, she called me later that day. It was 7:00 and I had just finished dinner. I picked up the phone and settled on the couch.

"Hi," I greeted her.

On the other end, her voice was cheerful and excited.
"Hi! I know it's soon, but you said your roommate was on stakeout, so you have time. Do you want to come over tonight and decide on a song or two?"

"Yeah," I agreed, a small smile crossing my face. "Sounds like a good idea. Where do you live?"

"1185 Richards Road."

"Alright thanks! I'll be over as soon as you're ready."

"Whenever."

"Okay, I'm coming over then."

"Okay."

I hung up and grabbed a light jacket, then headed out.

LATER…

Krista led me to her music room, a beautiful dome with a glass room, sea-green tiled walls and instruments of every type. The sunlight filtering in and reflecting on the walls gave it the appearance of rippling water. It was beautiful, simply beautiful. Krista caught my eye as I let my golden eyes travel around the awe-inspiring room.

"It's impressive, isn't it?" She asked. "You're staring."

I snapped out of it.
"Y-Yeah, sorry...when you said music room, this wasn't what I expected. It's breathtaking."

"It's...just a room."

"A beautiful room...it looks like glittering water and it's just so BIG!"

"This IS pretty big, but it's not much compared to some of our other rooms."

"Krista, I lived in a small cabin-like house for the first five or six years of my life. After that, I lived in a dorm with four other boys, now I live in a small two-bedroom apartment with my best friend who's away a lot."

"I...oh."

"Whatever. Come on, let's get to the music."

"Right!"

She sounded and looked so excited. She really loved her music. She hummed and even the sparkle in her eyes seemed to sing a song. When I looked in her eyes, I could hear that song clear as a bell. She smiled brightly. She skipped ahead and led me over to a grand piano, polished and almost sparkling, in perfect condition.

"Wow..." I breathed.

She gently pushed me towards it.
"Go on," She encouraged me.

"I...I can play this?" I asked.

She nodded.
"Show me what you've got."

"Alright."

I looked at the instrument carefully for a moment before I sat down on the bench and let my fingers work, finding keys almost on their own. It had been a while since I had played, but I knew my music as well as I knew the difference between night and day. It wasn't long before I fell into the rhythm. Soon I was playing Adele's Someone Like You, almost subconsciously. She must've really been a music fan. She caught on right away to what I was playing and took only three seconds to prepare herself and start following along, singing sweetly and softly, yet her voice was clear as a bell. It sounded as beautiful as a chime and her eyes sparkled.

Krista began to sing, singing along with my piano easily. She turned, frowning. "Am I doing okay?" She wondered.

I smiled and gave her a nod.
"Yes, your voice is absolutely beautiful."

She blushed.
"I...thank you."

We ran through a couple songs and decided we were going to do Someone Like You and Imagine. Neither of them were songs too hard to play. Someone Like You wasn't simple, but it wasn't impossible either, and it was worth it to hear her voice as she sang along. Never had I been quite so entranced by someone before. Not like this.

"D-Do you want to come upstairs and have some hot chocolate?" She offered.

"Hot chocolate? In summer?"

She shrugged.
"Well...why not?"

I chuckled and stood up, flexing my fingers.
"Yeah, that sounds nice."

She led me up a spiral staircase to a large kitchen and poured hot chocolate.
"Here, have some. Try it, homemade," She told me with a proud smile.

"You made this?" I asked.

She nodded.
"Yep! I decided to try my hand at homemade stuff."

I took a sip. It was probably the worst thing I'd ever tasted, but I forced a smile and a nod.
"Yum! This's great!" I lied, hoping I sounded genuine.

Worry creased her brow.
"It's terrible, isn't it?" She sighed.

"No!" I exclaimed, taking another, longer drink. "No, it's great."

She sipped from her own and nearly choked on it, slamming the cup down on the marble countertop.
"Ew! This's DISGUSTING! No wonder my family refused to have it...they're all good at this stuff and I'm not."

I set my mug down and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Krista...Calm down. You'll get it, just give it a while."

She stared at her hot chocolate.
"It looked and smelled good when I finished it...how does someone mess up hot chocolate?"

"Here. I'll make some."

She nodded and I set to work.

Fifteen minutes later we had steaming cups of milk hot chocolate with a sprinkle of nutmeg. We sat at a round mahogany table, sipping our chocolate and talking with ease. I had that effect. People really liked me. Except Galliard, but he had always been an oddball on...well...pretty much everything. That's beside the point though.

"Wow..." Krista took a long drink and exhaled contentedly. "This's amazing, it really is," She said. "How do you do that?"

I shrugged.
"Pretty simple. I'll teach you someday if you want," I offered.

She perked up.
"That'd be great!"

I offered her a smile. I really liked this girl. It was kind of a scary realization. She...interested me. In many ways. I was glad I'd decided to take the offer to play for her. She was beautiful, calming, kind and knew how to do things in good spirits. That was something I could really appreciate. Maybe she was a potential friend.

We finished up our hot chocolate and she told me about the restaurant gig. It sounded pretty good, and there were perks like getting meals 20% off. The pay was pretty good too from the sound of it, and we would split it equally. She told me we had an offer to give our first performance in one month exactly. What an exciting thought, I told myself. Krista stood from her seat and extended a hand to help me up. Her hand was so small compared to mine, so pale. Her fingers were so slender and thin. I took her in, long blonde hair done in a low ponytail, bright blue eyes, slender, petite frame, delicate facial features. She was the definition of beautiful. She raised her eyes to meet mine and a small smile adorned her angelic face, lighting up her features.

"I can tell, you know."

I stared at her.
"Tell what...?"

"You're staring. You're admiring me," She lowered her gaze. "Though there is little to my knowledge to admire."

"Of course there is! Your voice is amazing, you always seem to try your best-"

"You're referring to the hot chocolate," She guessed.

I shrugged.
"Maybe," I agreed, then continued my statement. "On top of it all, you're kind and beautiful."

She blushed and looked away.
"I'm...I'm not..."

"Yes you are."

She refused to look up.
"It's you who should be admired...you're helpful, seem like a good guy, you're strong, non-judgemental," She smirked. "And handsome too."

"Well...that's not a word used often to describe me," I confessed.

She brushed a hand against my arm.
"Yeah well...in MY opinion, at least."

I cleared my throat.
"I...I uh...should get going home..."

She headed for the staircase and led me downstairs.
"Yeah...thanks again for coming over and helping," She said.

I gave her a thumbs-up.
"Yeah. No problem."

"Looking forward to more!" She cheered.

I hesitated.
"Yeah, me too."

She stepped forward and, to my surprise, wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
"Thanks!"

I hugged her too.
"No, thank YOU."

Chapter Text

FALCO'S P.O.V.

Gabi woke around 4:00 AM. Colt was fast asleep and snoring, but she woke up and her whimpering drew me out of my room and to her side. I felt my way through the room in the pure blackness until I found a lamp. It was dim, but it was something. I knelt at her side and when she saw me in the dim lighting, she screamed. Had she not remembered waking up here when Reiner came? It appeared not, she looked more confused than ever, and she looked absolutely terrified. She was whimpering and shaking all over, curled into a tight ball.

"Shhh...it's okay. It's just me," I said in a whisper.

"Falco...? What am I doing here? Why does my head and back hurt?" She whimpered.

"Zovia was attacked...so you rushed in and took her place. Even you were no match for the three Gang members. They looked like they'd spent the past few months punching bricks."

She moved over on the couch.
"It's cold and dark in here..." She mumbled, which I found ironic as she lived outside on the streets even in the winter.

"I know...it's going to be okay. You were treated to the best of our abilities. We couldn't take you to a hospital or they'd ask for information we didn't have, but...but you'll be okay. Nothing was broken."

She hugged her arms, her voice shaking.
"Don't tell anyone," She whispered softly.

"About what? Zovia will have noticed you've been gone almost three days," I pointed out.

"Don't...Don't tell anyone that I'm scared."

I frowned. Gabi, scared? She was so brave from what I had seen.
"Why? What're you scared of?" I asked gently.

"The dark, this unfamiliar place...your brother being around...all that. Zovia being alone..." She shook and it sounded like she was trying not to cry.

I felt a surge of protectiveness. It'd be a lie if said I didn't kind of want to sit there and hold her in my arms.
"Gabi..."

She tugged at my arm.
"Can you...come sit with me?" Then she shook her head. "I'm SO not acting like myself...what's wrong with me?"

I came to sit next to her.
"Well...how about you just got up from three days of being seriously injured and near unconscious the whole time?"

"It's weird and just...wrong. I'm scared. Like I want someone to be close, I need someone to be right here for me and hold me...that's not like me. I'm too good for that."

"You're amazing, but no. Everyone needs it sometimes. Hell, I'D need it if I were in your position."

She closed her eyes.
"I'm embarrassed of it," She confessed. "Maybe the situation is messing with my brain," She decided, then moved closer to me. "It's a weird request, but...as my friend, can you just...hold me for a while? Just until I can calm down?"

I felt myself blushing and was glad for the dark. What the...? Why'm I blushing? Why's my heartbeat so fast?
"Y-Yeah, anything you need."

She moved right up against me and I placed my arms around her shoulders. She normally would've stabbed me again, I was sure, but she really must've been affected by this. She leaned on me and nuzzled against my chest. Her eyes closed. I'd never seen her like this before, never in this light. I'd seen her as the scary girl in the alley, I'd seen her as the tough one, the fighter, someone to be feared, someone beautiful and brave, but unattainable. There she was though. Curled up on my chest, smelling strangely of coconut. She was beautiful. That couldn't be denied by anyone. With those big green eyes of hers that looked up at me for a moment so fondly, her small, pale frame, brushed back brown hair and those pale, thin lips...as if she were asking to be kissed. Just once it might be okay, right? Right...? No. Stop it. I didn't like her. I didn't like Gabi Braun. Not in that sense anyway. Why on EARTH would I kiss her? Even though there was a part of me that made me feel more than a little bit guilty for wanting to close the distance, kiss her. I slapped myself to shake the thought.

"F-Falco?" She asked, hearing me hiss at the sting I'd left on my own cheek. "What was that about? Why did you hit yourself?"

I shook my head.
"It's...It's okay...I just had a weird thought."

"A weird thought?" She pressed. "Tell me, maybe it'll distract me."

"Well...it's awkward..." I mumbled.

She opened her eyes to look up at me.
"It's okay. It's just me and you," She said.

"I...that's the problem. It's just us," I said.

When her lips moved as she spoke, more than ever I was tempted to kiss her, just go for it. What the hell? I'd known her what? A week? I was twelve...I guessed at our age, it was normal to start experiencing these random little crushes and all. Not even crushes, just...affections and attractions to others. Still...if I couldn't shake the thought, I knew my own mind. Eventually I would cave to my temptations, then she would hate me.

"Tell me," She begged, whining and shaking my arm.

"Fine..." I sighed. How could I phrase this? "So...there's this girl. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her for a while now and sometimes when I look at her, I find myself...w-wanting to kiss her...and I'm sure that soon I'll give in to my impulses," I confessed.

"Why hold back? She'll never know you like her if you don't do or say something," She pointed out.

"You tell me, Gabi. If a guy you knew walked up and kissed you, what would you do?"

"Well...I know you think I would try to kill him. I wouldn't. I'd only kiss back if I liked him too. Otherwise I might push him away, but I sure as hell wouldn't kill him. I'm flattered, though not surprised, if a guy falls in love with me."

"Of someone liked you, would you WANT them to kiss you?"

"If they were too scared to tell me, then yes."

"For sure you wouldn't kill him?"

"For sure."

I grabbed her shoulders and leaned in, pressing my lips to hers firmly. She let out a muffled yelp but, to her credit, she didn't push me away or try to murder me on the spot. Instead, I was surprised to feel her wind her arms around my neck and move her lips against mine, closing her eyes and kissing back. I pulled her closer. My heart pounded. Wow...maybe I really DID like her like that. The moment was interrupted by the arrival of Colt, woken from his sleep by the noise of our talking and moving around on the couch. He turned on the light as he arrived, but what he saw must not have been what he expected, for he wore such a shocked expression.

"Oh...Oh my god..." He breathed.

Gabi quickly separated from me.
"He was having trouble breathing," She lied. "I know CPR."

I played along, taking in a shuddering breath and forcing my body to shake just enough to be noticed.
"Yeah...I came out here when she woke up...and I don't know what happened, but suddenly...I couldn't breathe. I nearly passed out before she dragged me over here and..." I turned to look at her. "And saved my life."

Colt watched us for a moment.
"Wow...that's kind of...unbelievable."

"I know, right? She's just amazing..."

Colt chuckled and ruffled my hair.
"Are you going to be okay now?"

I nodded.
"I think so."

"You should get some more sleep," He told me.

"Hang on...my friend's awake and I wanna spend a couple minutes with her," I said.

My brother nodded.
"Okay. I'm going back to bed." That said, he turned and trudged back to his room, still looking tired. Neither of us spoke until his door had clicked shut behind him.

"Nice cover," I whispered.

She shrugged.
"Not a full lie. I DO know CPR, and if you WERE having trouble breathing, I would gladly do it on you," She said, smirking.

I blushed.
"I...oh."

She leaned in again, grabbing my collar and yanking me forward roughly for another kiss. I leaned into it, wrapping my arms around her and lowering them to her waist. We had to break off our kiss abruptly once again when Colt sprang from his room. He had just been waiting us out. Dammit, Colt...my brother, that sneaky little jerk.

"Hah! You got caught! I heard everything," He informed us. "Falco, Gabi, hasn't it only been a week since you met?"

I crossed my arms and pouted.
"Yeah. So? So what if it was?"

He waved his arms up and down as if he were trying to achieve liftoff.
"You guys...you're kids, you can't even have crushes on each other yet at this point, much less start making out!"

Gabi pushed herself away from me.
"I don't have a crush on him, we were just experimenting. We wanted to know what it felt like."

Colt crossed his arms.
"Like I said, I was watching. Falco, you were grabbing hold of her like she was the last girl on earth. Gabi...I can't say you have much passion for him, but there was a spark of some kind. I could feel it from inside my ROOM!"

"Cooolt..." I complained.

"You guys aren't in love!"

"So? We're of the age where we get all kinds of little premature crushes and want to experiment," I pointed out.

He held up his hands in defeat.
"You know what? Fine. I can't stop you, just don't experiment sexually, okay? That's all I can ask."

Gabi made a face.
"Sexually? With Falco? Gross!"

"That bothers you WHY? What’s wrong about me?" I demanded.

She narrowed her eyes.
"Many, many things, Falco."

"Oh my god, Gabi!"

"Huh," Said Colt. "You’ve never been one to be put off by stuff, but this bugs you?"

"No, I was just surprised. Doesn’t bother me," I argued.

He smirked dryly.
"It totally does."

I gave her a dry look.
"Do I disgust you that much? What's gross about the idea?"

Gabi shrugged and nuzzled against me again.
"Sorry...I didn't mean to come off as insulting. It's just...you're kind of..." She gesticulated in the place of her words.

"So...I won't stop you guys from kissing or cuddling or whatever, but promise me PLEASE that you're not going to go into sexual behaviour. Not at this age, not at this stage in your relationship. You hardly know each other. I get there's attraction, but you hardly know each other. Also, PLEASE try not to wake up the entire neighbourhood, okay? I'm leaving you guys now, but if I find ANY sexual behaviour, then...then I swear to god..." He retreated back to his room and closed the door, mumbling under his breath and shaking his head.

I turned to Gabi.
"Really, Gabi? You talked like I was the most disgusting thing on the face on the earth. Are you really that put off by me?"

She curled up against my chest again.
"No...I just needed to be a good actor."

"What's your REAL opinion?" I asked.

She looked up at me again.
"I think...if we had known each other a couple months longer and I trusted you...yes, I would do it," She told me. She twisted, pulling down my collar and laying a gentle kiss on my chest, then up to my collarbone before she finally stopped.

"Don't...Don't stop..." I begged, my voice almost a whimper. "I'm twelve, I shouldn't like this, but I do..."

She shook her head and moved my arms around her waist.
"Sorry...I shouldn't've done that," She apologized. "Will I...be able to go back to Zovia soon?"

"You could, but...why not find a place to stay, rather than out on the streets?" I suggested.

She laughed dryly.
"There is nowhere. We have no money at all, and we have no desire to go to any homeless peoples' shelter."

"Well...i...it's pretty small, but we could take you in, and I have a friend who lives down by the ocean who would be glad for Zovia's company."

"We'd be separated though."

"Not forever. Udo and I see each other a lot, he and Zo could visit. We could...We could meet up for lunch every Sunday, in summer we go to the beach or on walks or hikes or whatever with them. All that stuff."

"Well..."

"Here there'd be a bed with warm blankets, fresh, running water, a roof over your head, three meals a day and medicine for when you're sick or hurt."

"That DOES sound nice...but isn't your brother the sole provider? You said before that he was working really hard just to put food on the table for the two of you. I don't want to be a burden."

"Fine, I'll...I'll get a job too or something if anyone'll hire a kid."

"At least promise you'll ask your brother before saying anything else."

"Okay, I promise. As soon as he's available, I'll ask him. He doesn't have work today, so it should be soon."

"If...both of you are okay with having another kid in the apartment, I'd more than gladly take you up on your offer."

"Great! I personally would love to have you around more often."

"Well of COURSE you would. I mean...who wouldn't?"

"Yeah...you're right."

LATER THAT MORNING…

Colt woke and stepped out into the living room to greet us before heading for the kitchen.
"Hey, Gabi. Glad to see you're up, you're looking a little bit more lively today," He noticed. "What do you kids want for breakfast?"

I sprang up from my seat.
"I'll cook today!"

Colt gave me a doubtful look.
"You...don't know how to cook..."

I shrugged.
"I've seen you do it enough times," I told him.

"By all means go ahead and try, but nothing too complicated, okay?"

I took his place in the kitchen.
"Sure, whatever you say. What do you guys want?" I asked.

Colt leaned against the wall.
"Maybe some...French toast?"

"Coming right up! Gabi?" I asked.

She shrugged.
"Uh...whatever. Anything works, it's way more than I would have on the streets."

"Right. I'll make a batch of French toast then."

LATER...

I cleared away the plates.
"So. Can't cook, huh?"

Colt chuckled.
"Sorry, Falco. I judged too quick."

I shrugged and sat next to Gabi.
"Can...Can Gabi live here with us? She lives out on the streets now."

Colt's eyebrows creased.
"Homeless...why'd you never say so?" He wondered. "Come on, Gabi. You're welcome here."

Relief crossed her face.
"A-Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I quickly shouted.

Colt raised an eyebrow.
"Someone's eager. Crush, Falco?"

I felt myself blushing.
"N-No...I barely know her."

"It totally is."

Gabi slouched on the couch, half curled into a ball in a relaxed position.
"So..."

"Do you have any stuff?" Colt asked. "We could help you bring it here."

"Only Zovia," She replied. "My friend."

"We don't have room to bring both of you in, nor money to be able to support the both of you..." Colt sighed unhappily.

I perked up.
"Get Gabi settled. I know a friend who might take Zovia in."

"You're going to said friend now?" Colt asked when I got up.

I nodded.
"Yeah. I have to ask him. Help Gabi get settled in, okay?"

Colt chuckled.
"Someone's insistent. Come on Gabi, I'll show you to your room."

LATER…

I knocked on the heavy wooden door of the beautiful log cabin bit far from the beach. It was well-built and ivy hung around the doorframe, they also had a small garden of daisies and roses, with a tree between the two. The door opened and there stood a boy a little older than me, shaggy black hair falling across one eye. He pushed his uncooperative hair away from his face and slid his goggles on, turning his bluish brown eyes on me.

"Udo, I need a favour," I started.

Udo held up a hand.
"Come in first and we'll talk while having soda or something."

I shrugged and followed him in.
"I can't say no to a soda, right?"

So we went in and settled on the wooden bench with dark green cushions. Even the inside of the cabin was natural and beautiful for the most part. The chairs and coffee table were made of cedar that still gave off its natural scent. The floor was wooden and the room was lined with moss and grass that was somehow growing for the insolation. In the room down the narrow hall, ALL Udo's furniture was wood except for his lamp, which was made of a shiny grey stone and lightbulb, but the lamp's covering was of thinly-woven ferns.

"So...I've never actually been in here before," I noticed.

"Oh yeah...Want something to eat?" He offered. "I made a salad!"

"A small bowl of salad might be nice," I agreed.

He returned a few minutes later, forks, bowls and knives also wooden, as expected. The salad consisted of fresh butter lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers as well as a small amount of chicken and raisins. He had dressed it lightly with a vinegar-y substance. It was something I found that I quite liked, much to my surprise. I'd known him for about six years and yet I hadn't known Udo was good in the kitchen. A handy little life skill.

"W-Well....?" He asked. "Is it okay?"

"Okay?" I asked, swallowing another mouthful. "You made this? This is AMAZING!"

He shrugged and set his bowl on the coffee table.
"Well...my mom is out for the weekend and left me some food and we always have access to water."

"That's SEAWATER, Udo..."

"Yes. Before he died, Dad built a special strainer for the seawater. It was meant to drain salt from the water, then we boil any bacteria out of it and fill up about five milk jugs full, store them in the fridge to make them cold again," He explained. "I know it sounds like a lot of work to you, but it's not something we had hated doing either."

I took another forkful.
"Well...to each their own. I wouldn't go through all that work when I can turn on a tap."

"Running water and electricity costs money, which we have little of. Mom's away for the weekend on a big trip. It's guaranteed her about 100,000 dollars, so we're looking forward to being a little better off."

"We're short on money too but can afford such things. We're DEFINITELY poorer than what your mom will earn on this trip," I laughed dryly at this.

He raised a thin black eyebrow.
"Ever thought you might be better off if you did what our family does? Does the whole water thing and uses batteries for power in the lamps, or flashlights. It could save you several thousand dollars to put towards yourselves, maybe a vacation someday."

"Anyway...I asked for a favour. With your mom having more money coming in, it may be reasonable."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I met a couple girls out on the streets, Gabi and Zovia. They've been homeless far too long. Colt and I are taking Gabi in, but money is short and so is space, so we were kind of hoping...you guys might be able and willing to take in Zovia?"

"Wow...uh...that's a pretty big responsibility. How old are they?"

"Zovia I guess is about eleven? Maybe twelve, and Gabi's almost fourteen."

"So...they're our age."

"Yeah. Can you ask your mom about it? Zovia really should have someplace to stay."

"Yeah, I'll ask. I promise."

"When does your mum come back?"

"Tomorrow evening. If you want, you can stay the night and we can both ask."

"I can't. I've got Gabi moving in and should really be with her as she gets settled in."

"Right. Well...give her my best regards and tell her I'll do what I can."

"I will. Thanks."

THAT EVENING…

We sat on the couch with toast and beans on our plates and soda to drink, watching a sit-com on the TV. It was the first chance I'd had to really relax on a long time, free of worries. Well...mostly. Gabi was a bit shy still and didn't say much or even really laugh at the humour.

"So...Udo's mum is away, but she'll be back tomorrow night and he's asking if they can take Zovia in," I said.

Gabi perked up.
"R-Really?" She asked. "What's it looking like?"

"I'm really hoping for a yes."

Colt reached over to ruffle my hair.
"You're such a great kid, Falco."

I shrugged him off, giving him a half annoyed look.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever. I just do what I can for them."

Gabi leaned against me, snuggling her head onto my shoulder.
"Well...thank you. This means a lot to us."

I smiled faintly.
"You're welcome."

She poked my arm.
"Your arm, Falco."

I looked down.
"What about it?"

She raised her eyes to mine.
"Are you going to put it around me or what?"

I hesitated, then put my arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah. I wasn't sure if you would kill me for it or not."

"Do you two actually like each other?" Colt pressed.

Gabi nuzzled against me firmly.
"No...not in a crush-like way. Sorry, Falco. It's just a friend thing. I'm a friend who's tired and needs support. I trust him..." She glanced up at me. "Don't tell Zo I said that. I've passed myself off as not liking you at all."

I pulled a finger across my lips.
"She'll hear not a word from me." I turned to Colt. "To answer your question, no. I just want to be here for her. I don't have a crush on her and, no offence Gabi, I don't think I ever could."

She shook her head.
"No offence taken. Well...little."

Colt chuckled.
"Oh you kids..."

TWO DAYS LATER…

There came a loud knock at our door. I walked forward to answer it and saw Udo standing there, his face was expressionless for once. Not a look I'd seen on him much before.

"Udo? Everything okay?" I wondered.

He slowly started to smile.
"I...uh...I have some news."

"News?" I asked, waving him inside.

He followed me in, closing the door behind him.
"I think you might already have an idea," He said. "We found a certain small blonde girl in the streets. Said she was Zovia. She explained her situation to us and," He smiled wider, eyes shining. "We took her in."

Gabi squealed and ran up, crushing him in a hug.
"THANK YOU!" She cheered.

He struggled to free himself of her.
"I...you...you're welcome," He said.

I pulled Gabi back.
"Don't mind her. Gabi's a bit...exuberant."

She shot me a strange look.
"Don't I have the right to be?"

I sighed, unable to help a smile.
"Of course you do. It's just...Udo is prone to panic attacks at even the smallest of things. Don't want to scare him off."

"Zovia might."

"Well...I...uh..."

Udo shook his head.
"It's fine, don't worry," He promised. "Zovia seems like a nice girl."

Gabi nodded.
"Oh she is. She needs a lot of support though."

"Yeah, that's not going to be a problem. I can be there for her when she needs me," He assured her.

She nodded again.
"I should hope so."

Udo fidgeted nervously with the cuff of his jacket.
"Well...I...uh...I should..."

Colt walked into the room and smiled to see him.
"Hey Udo. What's up?"

"Mom and I took some girl called Zovia in. These two seem pretty happy about it," He reported, pointing to us.

Colt ruffled my hair.
"Of course they are. It was their idea, after all."

Udo cleared his throat, adjusting his collar.
"Anyway, I should get home in time to eat. I'll see you guys later. Falco, tomorrow for lunch, right?"

"Right," I remembered. I had completely forgotten until he mentioned it. "Can Gabi come along with us?"

He nodded.
"Of course." He turned to look at her with a nod. "Gabi, nice to meet you."

She offered to him a smile so sweet I was almost...jealous.
"Yeah, you two. Hopefully I'll see you around."

He left and I crossed my arms, looking away.
"It's great they can take Zovia in," I stated.

Gabi frowned.
"Falco...are you...jealous of Udo for something?"

I laughed, hiding it.
"Jealous? Why would I be?"

She shrugged.
"You seemed that way."

Colt put a hand on her shoulder and one on mine.
"Alright you two. Calm down for a minute, okay?"

She straightened and exhaled slowly.
"Nothing to calm down from. I'm calm."

"So am I," I insisted.

"No you're not. You're upset by something. Was it how she smiled at him?" Colt guessed. His senses were right on. It was almost scary sometimes.

I crossed my arms.
"Of course not. Why would it be?"

Colt frowned, eyebrows creasing.
"It so was," He insisted. "He’s jealous."

"Why?" I hissed. "She’s her own person. It shouldn’t bother me and it doesn’t that she looks at other people...looks at other people with that stupid smile."

"It totally does."

Gabi looped her arm through mine, making me blush. She noticed this.
"It so was," She agreed. "Maybe I should do that more often," She mused.

I rolled my eyes.
"Go ahead. That doesn't matter to me."

"Why not?" Colt asked. "You seem like it matters to you."

"Why would it matter to me if she looks so affectionately and warmly at other guys?"

"Sarcasm. I'm detecting sarcasm. Don't be afraid to admit it, Fal."

I glared at my brother.
"It doesn't bother me!"

"It totally-"

"No it doesn't!" I stomped off to my room, still blushing furiously.

As I closed my door, I heard Colt speaking to her.
"It totally does."

Chapter Text

EREN'S P.O.V.

The door closes as someone enters the house.
"I'm home!" Armin's voice calls from downstairs.

"Hey, welcome back," I greet him, stirring the homemade soup. "How was today?"

He shrugs and drops his bookbag on his seat.
"Not bad. I ran into your date. She seemed happy...well...she seemed happy for her. You must have made quite the impression on her."

I chuckle and run a hand through my shaggy brown hair.
"Well...I don't know about THAT..." I mumble to myself.

He shakes his head.
"No, you should call her again," He suggests. "I think it'd be good."

"You really think so?" I ask, pausing and testing the piping hot soup. "Is it really a good idea? I mean...I liked it and all...but she kind of unnerved me at the same time. I was a bit shy, a little awkward..."

He smiles faintly.
"That's how dates work with people you like. You can be awkward, shy, even a complete dork, but if they're a match for you, you'll get over it and just enjoy being around them."

"You say that like you have experience."

"No...and I'm fine with that. I don't need a girlfriend. I learn by watching people and reading my books."

"Fine..."

"Yeah."

"Aren't you ever lonely? Don't you ever want someone to hold hands with and be close with?"

"You've never had a problem holding my hand, and I'm fine as I am."

"My hand-holding is different. Mine is platonic."

"I don't think I'm really that into dating or girls or anything. Not yet."

"You will be one day..."

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I'm just meant to be that guy who'll always be single. If that's the case, I'm okay with it."

"Suit yourself. I give up trying to tell you what to do."

"You're liking Annie though."

"Yeah..."

"Call her. I want to see you happy."

"When I have the time."

"Right now."

"I'm making soup."

"I'll watch the soup. Eren, just call her. Right now."

"I-"

"Now."

"I-"

"Eren."

"Fine..."

I take out my phone. Armin winks at me and takes charge of the tomato-sausage soup while I go into my bedroom and dial Annie's number.

THE NEXT DAY...

"I'm going out!" I call to my friends.

"Seeing Annie?" Armin asks hopefully.

I blush faintly.
"What if I said yes?"

Mikasa hesitates in the doorway.
"Well...be careful. I don't want you getting carried away," She warns.

"Carried away? How could I get carried away?" I ask.

She shakes her head.
"It's just a warning."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. See you guys later."

I leave and walk down the street, hands in my pockets, hair parted away from my face and feeling weird now. I had cut my long brown hair as soon as I had gotten back from the four months I had spent travelling. There's a nice kid I'd like to try and talk to again, he had helped me a great deal in the third and fourth month of my travelling, but I haven't any idea how to locate him. I wonder if perhaps Annie might know how I could get back in contact with the kid. Is he even still alive? Given the street Gang and all, sometimes I worry for them all.

Annie waits in the park under the shade of an oak, standing up when she sees me coming.
"Good afternoon," She greets me with a faint nod. "I'm glad you called again. I missed you."

I hesitate, then slid an arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah well...I missed you too," I tell her. "Hey, I've been trying to find a way to contact some kid I met a while ago. Any idea how I might be able to locate him?"

"Sure. What's his name?" She asks.

"Falco Grice, he's twelve and when we last spoke, he said he wanted to become a military Cadet soon."

"Alright. Did you ever consider the possibility of checking this handy thing called a phonebook?"

"I...uh...not really...geez. I should've done that first. How stupid am I?"

"You're not stupid. You're just a little bit...naïve."

"That's basically the same thing."

"Fine. I'll give you that."

"Fine."

She pulls out a small book and flips through it.
"This should be it, just a book about the people in the city," She explains. "Alright, I don't see a Falco, but I see a Colt Grice," She reports.

"Maybe his brother or father?"

"Do you want to call?"

"Yeah."

"The number is 604-277-7879."

I dial the number, checking to make sure it's right, then hold my phone to my ear. It rings for three or four minutes straight before a young man on the other end picks it up. Is he related, or have I ended up just calling some strange dude?

"Hello?" Comes the voice.

"Hi. I'm Eren. Are you related to a kid called Falco?" I ask.

"Falco," He repeats. "Just a second." I hear his muffled voice call somewhere behind him. "Falco, phone for you!"

A moment passes and Falco's familiar voice sounds from the other side, cheery and bright.
"Hi! Falco speaking." He sounds different on the phone than in person, but I can tell it's him.

"Falco, hi. I wanted to check in. I'm sure you haven't forgotten me yet. I'm Eren Jaeger," I tell him.

Dead silence on the end. When he speaks again, his voice is cold.
"...Why do you have to follow me? Why can't I get away from you?" He demands. "After...After last year..."

"I know. I'm sorry for that, but-"

"No, you're not. My brother and...we were forced to separate from my mom and dad after you used me, in the end, the fact that my dad died was my fault...because I was too weak to take a stand."

"What...?"

"My father died four months ago," He says, voice devoid of anger, only sadness. "He died because of the aftermath of your...game. You know...when you made me carry your messages to your friends...and they came to join you in my hometown...which was attacked."

"Briefly. We were looking for someone. We didn't find them there, you're fine."

"I'M fine, but my family isn't! My mom is on her own three cities away, grieving dad, my brother works two jobs to support me and Gabi, and-"

I cut him off.
"Gabi?" I ask.

His tone becomes guarded.
"Yes...why? Do you know her?"

"Not personally, but if I recall, she was born in the same village as you, she came here not quite three years ago."

"S-Stay away from her, do you hear me? Stay away from us and don't touch her!"

"I had no plans to harm either of you. I quite like you and your strong spirit, Falco."

"Stop! Stop following me around, okay? I don't want any part of this, not anymore."

"Falco, don't hang up yet. Just hear me out. Let me come see you and young Gabi."

"WHAT?!? Why? Tell me then. Why should we let you after what you've done to us?"

"I think it might be...beneficial to both me AND Gabi if I could just meet her once."

"I...fine. I'll ask my brother, but if we tell you get out, you have to get the hell out."

"Fair is fair, I suppose. I'll accept your terms. Let me know what the outcome is."

"Yeah yeah...whatever...anyway, call coming in. I'll call you back when I know."

"Yeah, thanks. Will do, and again, I'm sorry for all that happened. I really am."

Instead of answering, the line suddenly goes dead as the boy hangs up. Annie lifts her head when I slip my phone back into my pocket. She asks nothing and says not a word, just lifts her eyes to meet mine. I shrug and move towards her again, daring to take her hand, entwining our fingers. My heart pounds wildly in my chest. I love being around this girl. I do. She's been said to be...difficult, but for some reason I find myself attracted.

"So...you want to get lunch or something?" I suggest.

She shrugs.
"Do you?"

I chuckle.
"Yeah."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Falco sits on the couch, glaring at me, arms crossed.
"So we're here, like you wanted. What do you want?" He grumbles.

"Like I said. I would like to meet young Gabi," I tell him. I'm curious.

As if on cue, a girl maybe fourteen appears. Her long brown hair is swept back into a messy ponytail, away from her forehead with only a strand hanging down on each side of her head, framing her face. It compliments her beautiful bright green eyes, which are wide, and she has a tanned skin tone and a slender form, yet when I look at her arms, exposed from her tank-top that looks just a little too big and is clearly not hers, she has a surprising amount of lean, wiry muscle. She’s pretty in a scary kind of way, I can’t help but think when her eyes meet mine. Then she turns away from me and plops herself right in Falco's lap. He doesn’t protest, but blushes and dares to wrap his arms around her waist, where she holds him there by the wrists. It’s clear that the pair of children are close. I examine the girl. She doesn’t look at all like her older cousin, I note.

"Who’s this?" She demands.

Falco sighs.
"Eren Jaeger. The guy I told you about. The guy who used me to attack Liberio...just before we left. Only mom is there now. She sent me and Colt away so we would be safe from him. Apparently that didn’t work. He’s like a bloodhound how he hunts me down."

Gabi tenses.
"He’s the one?"

Falco nods.
"He’s the one..."

She frowns.
"You sound almost...scared."

"I am...I’ve been scared of him since he exposed himself," He notes.

She pulls his head forward to rest against her shoulder.
"It’s okay. We outnumber him three to one if he fights."

Falco nuzzles against her neck.
"He’s not here to fight, Gabi."

"What’s he here for then?" She asks.

"He...He wanted to meet you."

She regards me carefully.
"Why?" She finally asks.

"I don’t actually know. Why, Eren?" He asks.

"You’re Reiner's cousin," I say. "Reiner was a friend of mine once."

"Well that doesn’t make us friends, okay?" She snaps.

"I never implied that it did," I assure her, standing up and stretching.

She huddled against Falco's chest.
"Why're we even talking to him if he’s the guy who destroyed our hometown?" Her voice is suddenly quiet. "I knew he was there and he was the one who tried to kill us all...but I never met him in person, and I don’t want to...it’s not like me, but I want him to go. Because of him, you and your brother lived alone before you met me, because of him, my family was destroyed and I was rendered homeless...Why’re we talking to the man who destroyed our home?

"Good question, but I promised." He perks up slightly and tightens his arms around her. "Don't worry. If need be, I’ll keep you safe."

"Last time you were attacked you were stabbed. How can you protect anyone?" She asks dryly.

I walk over and kneel in front of them.
"I’m not here to hurt you, I promise."

Gabi hisses and swats me.
"Get away, you’re too close."

I don’t move.
"Gabi, calm yourself."

She narrows her eyes.
"I said you’re too close."

I reach out to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Gabi-"

She yanks away and buries her head in Falco's chest.
"Get him away. He’s intimidating...and he won't listen."

"Look at that," Notes Falco crossly. "You’ve made her upset." He freezes. "Oh god...oh god, scrap that, you’ve made her cry!" He lowers his head and his lips brush her forehead. If she notices, she doesn’t say anything.

"Calm yourselves. I’m not scary, I’m not here to hurt you."

Colt shakes his head.
"Mr. Jaeger, I think it’s best you leave before she lashes out. Falco's been on the receiving end."

I straighten and brush off my pants.
"Of course. My apologies. It was just a desire to meet the family of an old friend. I did not know she’d be so sensitive."

Colt chuckles and stands up as well.
"Nor did I. Usually she’s ready to beat the shit out of even Falco, her best friend."

"That’s all they are?" I ask, looking at the two of them, snuggled up so close. "Doesn’t look that way to me."

Colt shakes his head.
"That’s what I said. You don’t question them on it though. I found that out the hard way. Gabi wouldn’t say anything for two days and Falco is still grumpy about it." He sighs and claps me on the back. "Well...whatever you were trying to here, I’m sure you did your best, and I’m sorry things all went downhill like that."

I glance over my shoulder at them, Gabi crying against her friend's chest while he wipes away her tears. I lower my eyes.
"I did not...mean to scare her."

"Maybe...I should talk to them, you could come back another time. Gabi just moved in and is still adjusting to her new lifestyle." He smirks. "I reckon having Falco waiting on her hand and foot isn’t the worst thing in the world," He adds.

I smile at this assessment.
"Good luck with them." I pause. "Can I ask you something?"

Colt nods.
"Of course."

I lock my eyes with his.
"Why don’t you hate me?"

Chapter Text

Hey guys. I’ve kinda fallen out of the AoT fandom. I’m still writing for this now and then, but I’m in a new fandom now. I’ll likely be back to AoT eventually, but not for the moment. I WILL make my word goal and I will continue this, I promise you, but for now it’s been temporarily discontinued. My apologies to all my lovely, amazing readers. :) Thank you so much for your support this far.