#snk x reader

[sola-nater]

ATTACK ON TITAN

KEY: fics labeled with * are nfsw!

JEAN KIRSCHTEIN

blurbs

- jean kirschtein thoughts

[sola-nater]

jean kirschtein thoughts...

pairing: jean kirschtein x fem!reader

word count: 541; tags/warning: headcannons on being around jean :: first aot work #woah

a/n: just thoughts on jean !! he's so boyfriend it hurts he'd be so fun

Jean, who likes to stack rocks and tries to beat his record for the tallest rock tower whenever there are any around, squinting his eyes and bending down to get level with the curved edge of the last one before he places the next. When it topples over he huffs like an angry dog and he shakes his head, his brown tufts getting messied up by his mini tantrum only for it to be quelled when your hand reaches him, mussing his hair up and patting the top of it. 

Jean, who’s put off learning the guitar for years, and finally starts the day after your New Year’s party. He tells you it’s his New Year’s resolution and to “Just watch, I’ll be the greatest guitarist in like five months—or something.” He learns one song off of a YouTube tutorial and plays it all the time.

Jean, who always has to wrap his arm around you whenever you’re beside each other. Jean doesn’t like being apart from you. He can’t bear the urge no matter what. He’s just that smitten.

Jean, who hates doing the dishes. Seriously, get him to do any other chore. Just not the dishes. Oh, and he never remembers to not wash with cold water no matter how many times you remind him not to.

Jean, who’s big on cuddling no matter how hot it is. Says he’ll “die a happy man from the heat,” and will only relent if you complain enough. After all, he’s not trying to make his girl upset, is he?

Jean, who eats popsicles so exaggeratedly it’s like he’s trying to get on your nerves. You’ll lock eyes with him across the pool and suddenly normal licks turn into deepthroating the thing. Cherry red ice melts from the heat of his mouth and spills down the sides like a grotesque adult flick and he’s pulling it out of his mouth and smiling politely as you grimace at him. Sometimes it’s like he’s so good at it you think he’s had to have done it before.

Jean, who always gets an extra side of fries with whatever he orders. Finger food goes away quick, he says. (he also likes to see your face when he shares with you).

Jean, who makes the worst jokes at the worst moments. You’ve scolded him for it many a time. and yet it feels like he never learns. “Jean, not in front of my grandma!”

Jean, who loves kissing your eyebrows? He doesn’t really get it so much himself, it’s just something he likes to do. Something soothing about it. Plus. The hair tickles his lips.

Jean “Love ya!” Kirschtein. He doesn’t end a call without it. It’s at the end of his voicemail too.

Jean, who, when upset, crawls into bed beside you and wraps his arms around your middle, hugging you like a lifeline. And in a way, you are. Jean doesn’t tend to calm down until your hands are running along his back, fingertips tracing his spine until the big hunk absolutely just melts. His cheek presses into your shoulder and he murmurs something incoherent before letting his eyes close.

haven’t interacted with aot in so long but wow i really do miss it

[ragingcanes]

Are you Not Entertained?

Part 3: Clean Up

------------------------ a/n: All my hockey pads are Warrior brand I couldn't miss the opportunity 😅 -- Pieck x Porco mention 🤪 Part 2

Playlist ------------------------

You woke up to the sounds of voices from your living room, hearing your name get brought up in conversation. You rolled over, checking the time, your head still pounding from the party last night. You groaned. 11 a.m. You reached for the painkillers next to your phone, downing a dose before swiping, still trying to listen to the conversation outside.

“She really said that?” Mikasa’s voice became clear to your foggy brain first.

“Yes, that’s what Reiner said.” Eren was here. You scrolled through your notifications, a few new follows since last night: Porco, Colt, Reiner, Jean, and Bertholdt all showing up. You smiled, recalling some of the pleasantries from your night as you followed each of them back.

“I’m gonna kill her,” Mikasa went stern. Your conversation with the girl must have been the topic.

“Mikasa, please, she can clearly handle herself.” You looked next to you, your souvenir waiting at the edge of your bed, the black hat, embroidered with a round logo surrounded by the words Warrior Hockey.

“Not if she keeps spewing that shit,” Mikasa groaned.

“The guys have her back, alright, lighten up,” you slowly opened the door at Eren’s words, trudging out of your room. Your door creaked; you stopped dead in your tracks as their attention shifted to you.

“How much did you hear?” Mikasa’s eyes grew at the sight of you.

“Enough,” you said, staring her down. “Thank you, Eren, for trusting me,” you smiled at him. You made your way to the kitchen, pouring yourself a glass of orange juice to help with your hangover. 

“You know what you said is everywhere,” Mikasa said.

“About sleeping with the team? It was a damn joke; that bitch was pissing me off.” You scowled, slamming the carton of juice on the counter.

“Yeah, well, she didn’t think so; now the girlfriends are talking about you,” she waved her phone in the air.

“The guys know you were kidding Y/N; I’m sure they’ll-” Eren began.

“What business does she have talking to them?” You rolled your eyes.

“It’s not all of them,” she assured you, but still the hardness in her face hadn’t gone.

“She’s a bigger threat than me; let’s be clear here.” You were appalled, leaning over the counter, looking through the messages on Mikasa’s phone, strangers taking words from another stranger; no one even knew you.

“Sash is fine, Pieck is fine; does anyone else really matter?” Eren said. You made your way around, joining them in your living room.

“No,” Mikasa admitted quietly, “but-”

“Fuck it, she’s fine,” Eren sighed. “This will be gone in a week,” his eyes filled you with more hope than Mikasa was giving you. She excused herself from the conversation, accepting defeat, making you some breakfast for your hangover. You smiled at the gesture, slowly eating.

“Y/N, I want to know everything. How’d you like your first hockey party?” Mikasa watched the two of you talk, judging from a distance.

“It was fun,” you nodded, trying to keep it brief to prevent Mikasa from tensing any more than she was.

“And the guys, what’d you think of them?” Eren continued, as your headache slowly started to fade.

“Jean is a handful, isn’t he?” you laughed. He nodded. “Colt is so sweet; you guys need to treat him better,” you grinned.

“He will be, once he’s no longer a rook,” the word you remembered hearing that night that had you confused; you cocked an eyebrow. “Rookie, freshman,” he clarified for you. 

“Porco’s fun, mid at beer pong though,” you smirked.

“Ah, yes, you have been deemed the beer pong queen,” Eren grinned. 

“Bow down,” you jokingly demanded. “Bertholdt’s cool.”

“You talked to him?” Now you had Mikasa’s interest.

“Yup,” you smiled.

“And he answered?” She continued.

“Made him laugh,” you said. They both looked at you like that was the greatest achievement you ever accomplished.

“Shit, Y/N, you gotta come more often now,” Eren smirked at Mikasa; her attention went right back to her task in the kitchen.

“Why is that so surprising?” You leaned back on the couch, letting your head rest on the back, your eyes shutting.

“Because Bert barely talks to anyone besides Reiner, let alone a girl,” Eren said, rubbing his forehead, in awe of your actions. You smiled to yourself, accepting your momentous achievement.

“Well, he talked to me, played me a special song,” you said, “and Reiner he’s-” you stopped; you didn’t really know how to describe him, other than that you definitely wanted to see him again.

“He’s what? What did he do?” Mikasa said from behind you.

“Nothing, he’s nice,” you said, looking back towards your room, trying to hide your blushing.

“He’s great.” Eren continued, “he liked you,” he smiled.

“Spill, Yeags,” you teased the nickname he was being called the whole night, “what did everyone think of me?” Mikasa looked at him warningly; he shook her off.

“You are definitely invited back; that’s all I’m saying,” he shrugged.

“Eren, please,” you begged, “I told you; now you have to tell me.” He sighed, giving in quickly.

“Okay fine, Jean, the horny ass, said he couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he impersonated Jean’s voice as he said it; you sighed, face palming. “Colt says a big thank you for saving him from another insufferable round of beer pong. Porco is sorry for thinking you would be bad. Bertholdt said nothing, shocker; Reiner said he’s looking forward to seeing you again at the game next week. Are you satisfied?” he grinned. You nodded, remembering each of his words. Oh Jean, you poor guy, you thought. You’re welcome, Colt. I’ll save you from any task you need. Porco, eat all of those words because you’re going down next. Bertholdt, you said all you needed to my face, and Reiner, I hope to see you again before then. You got lost in your thoughts, your phone vibrating in your lap interrupting them. Your heart jumped at the notification,

Rei14braun sent you a message

You sat smiling at your phone, putting it quickly back in your lap as Mikasa rejoined the two of you.

“What?” She asked.

“Just thinking,” you smiled, standing up. “I’ll be back,” you said.

“For real this time,” she said sternly.

“Yes, Mom, I’m just going to change,” you rolled your eyes. You shut the door to your room behind you, flopping back on your bed, phone in hand. You looked at your ceiling for a bit, trying to calm your pounding heart. It was just a message, probably about his hat; keep it simple. You grabbed the hat, resting it on your stomach as you lay staring at your phone above your head, shutting your eyes, breathing deep, before opening the message.

Guys and I had fun with you last night, hope to do it again soon 😎

You sat wondering: if you answered, what would happen? More drama, not really something you wanted, but if you didn’t, well, you didn’t really want to take that option. You sat staring at the message; he sat on the other end waiting, gritting his teeth, wondering if he really should have sent it or not, especially knowing everything that was going on.

House 433

“Yeager’s gone?” Jean yawned, trudging down the stairs, meeting Porco, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Colt, who sat in the living room.

“Left early,” Colt said, handing him a glass of the liquid concoction they named “the penalty kill”, their hangover cure. Jean took the glass, climbing over the side of the couch, joining the others in the makeshift conversation pit.

“How come?” Jean’s curiosity continued as he swished the liquid around the glass in his hand.

“Something about needing to talk to Mikasa,” Colt continued.

“Oh shit, guys,” Porco said, tapping away at his phone.

“What?” Reiner leaned in closer to him as he tilted his phone his way. “Oh no.” 

“What, Gally?” Jean groaned, sliding across to meet the other side of Porco. You. You were the ‘oh no’; your little conversation last night had gotten around fast.

“Did Y/N actually?” Jean laughed.

“Actually what?” Colt chimed in; Porco turned his phone, revealing the same messages Mikasa showed you of your ‘little joke’. Colt covered his mouth, hiding his small smile. 

“She told me and Bert,” Reiner said quietly. Bertholdt nodded in agreement.

“No fucking way,” Jean continued laughing, “who’s the lucky guy that gets to go first?” He smirked.

“It was a joke, dumbass,” Reiner said, “that bitch was saying shit to her.” 

“And I thought I was getting lucky,” Jean sighed. 

“Drink your damn smoothie, or would horsey like some carrots?” Porco rolled his eyes. Jean scowled, drinking his smoothie with his face puckered. 

“Pieck doesn’t believe that, does she?” Reiner asked, opening his phone, scrolling to your name hesitantly.

“Of course not; she hates her too. I told her Y/N is chill,” Porco continued texting away. Bertholdt nudged Reiner next to him, a look telling him not to worry. 

“I’m gonna kill Floch,” Jean became serious.

“You already beat him last night,” Colt said.

“And I’ll fucking do it again; he’s done,” Jean cracked his neck; his attention shifted to Reiner, still staring at your name on his phone, sitting in his hands, typing out many different messages he could send to you right now and deleting them over again. 

“So I guess that’s why Yeags left,” Porco sighed, rubbing his head.

“Ripper, you alright?” Jean asked. Porco glanced down at Reiner’s hands, seeing your name.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea right now?” Porco asked.

“I feel a bit responsible; I probably caused this,” Reiner said. Bertholdt nudged him again, harder this time.

“Hey, let him text her; probably good so she doesn’t think we believe this shit either,” Colt nodded firmly. 

“Look what Mikasa said,” Porco showed his phone to Jean, who burst out laughing.

“Holy shit, thank Pieck for the morning entertainment,” he wiped the tears forming in the corners of his eyes, catching his breath.

“The two of them are handling it, and Sasha,” Porco added, “she’s sorry for missing such an insane night.” Reiner slouched back, dropping his phone in his lap, sighing, sending you the message.

“Good, then the girls are handled,” Jean said, chugging the rest of his smoothie. “Now I will be heading down the street if anyone would like to pay our teammate a visit,” he grinned.

“Pass,” Porco said.

“Me too,” Reiner added. 

“No, I’m good,” Colt sighed.

“Suit yourselves,” Jean went back upstairs, changing before heading out the door. Porco headed into the other room, leaping over the couch, taking a call.

“It will be fine,” Colt said, heading out to change himself. 

“What’d you say?” Bertholdt asked Reiner quietly; he showed the message.

“I didn’t want to bring it up; she’s probably hungover, and if Eren’s there, well…” Reiner’s voice trailed off.

“It’s better he tells her,” Bertholdt smiled. Reiner looked down at the phone in his hands, making sure the vibration he just felt was real.

“She answered.”

I had fun too, definitely again 😊

You sighed, taking the hat in your hands, staring at it, tracing the brim with your thumb, awaiting the next response. You had to see him again, even if those girls were making things messy for you. A knock on your door interrupted your thoughts. You shot up off your bed, tucking the hat away under your pillow, quickly throwing on a sweatshirt and leggings as proof you did, in fact, change.

“Just a sec,” You called out before opening the door.

“We’re going to help Grice clean,” Eren smiled.

“Taking my advice already,” You grinned.

“Do you want to come or not?” Mikasa sighed.

“I would, but I don’t want to make things worse.” She grabbed your wrist and pulled you out of your doorway; getting on her nerves was always your specialty. You glanced back at your pillow, knowing what was sitting underneath; it would have to wait. 

“Just come,” she said. The walk was quiet; you lingered behind the two of them, back in touch with your thoughts. Hopefully Eren was telling you the truth about them knowing you were joking; you would melt into puddles in your shoes if you got to that door and you were a new pariah in the house. What if any of the girlfriends were there with the same idea to help out? You stopped walking.

“I’m not so sure about this,” you said as you were at the corner of the same street you walked last night, swallowing the lump of stress building in your throat.

“Y/N, it’s fine,” Eren said.

“No, it’s not. If she wants to leave, she can,” Mikasa said.

“You dragged her here,” Eren sighed, “and now you’re just letting her go.”

“Eren, this was your idea,” she snapped at him.

“I’ll go, I’ll go,” you put your hands up, “for a bit.” 

“You don’t have to- don’t just go because of us.”

“No, it’s fine…I want to,” you thought back to last night. You had your group; if they were there, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. It was the surprise of any other girls being there you were worried about, and you did just tell Reiner you wanted to see him again.

“You’re sure?” Mikasa asked. You nodded, picking up your pace. You took deep breaths as you saw the numbers on the houses get smaller: 439 breath…437 breath…435 breath… and here you were at 433, exhaling one final time as you followed Mikasa up the porch steps as you did the night before. The door opened; the lingering stench of metal and alcohol filled your nose, faint music coming from the basement.

“Hello?” Eren called out.

“Great, you’re here,” Colt dragged him inside. The two of you followed; Mikasa became Eren’s shadow while you slowly took in your view of the house under full lighting, the stairs to your left in the same skinny hallway you walked in the night before. You took notice of the door frame next to you, soft voices coming from the room that was covered in couches, blocking the other entrance to the room. Bertholdt sprawled across one of the couches, limbs bending in ways that couldn’t possibly be comfortable for anyone besides him right now, half-paying attention to what was on the TV. 

“Hey,” you poked your head in; his eyes shot to you.

“H-hey,” he looked like he had just seen a ghost. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Eren invited me to help clean,” you looked around, various jerseys hanging on the walls above the couches, a shelf with an assortment of shot glasses and hockey pucks was on the wall you were leaning on now.

“Downstairs,” he said. They were right; last night was a rare occasion; now he could barely say a word to you. You nodded; that interaction didn’t help your doubtfulness on the way over. You continued down the hallway, finding Jean in the kitchen, running his hands under the sink, humming along to the music you now recognized as Billy Joel; the floor, just as creaky as the stairs, gave away your location. His focus turned to you as you caught a glimpse of his bruised knuckles.

“The woman of the hour,” Jean smirked.

“Stop,” you said, muffled as you covered your face.

“Don’t want to talk about it, I get it, a hard decision I’m sure,” he grinned. You froze. “I’m kidding, loosen up, I think it was great.” You sighed in relief, thinking Eren had told you some bullshit. He faced you fully now, wiping his hands with a towel, blood speckling the white fabric.

“Are you okay?” You pointed at the stains.

“It’s nothing new,” he smiled. “Come on, the others are downstairs.” He handed you the roll of trash bags that was resting under his arm. You clung to the banister the same way you did the night before, the step gaps still uneven, and the sound of bending wood. Jean made trumpet noises with his mouth, announcing your arrival; you blushed as the whole room turned to face you at Jean’s fanfare.

“Hi, Y/N,” Colt smiled, looking back from the wall he was wiping, Reiner by his side, letting out a small smile. You waved shyly as you continued to scan the room; Eren and Mikasa were scrubbing the floor near the speaker, and Porco was under the stairs, accompanied by a girl with long black hair pulling the covers off the couch cushions. You panicked, as your eyes met hers quickly before you darted away. You ripped one of the bags out of the roll, putting the rest on the step behind you, shaking it out and starting with the empty cans scattered around the floor.

“Are you going to be helpful or just stand there?” Porco said to Jean, watching you get to work.

“I’m on supplies,” Jean said, leaning against the stairs.

“Pack mule, I get it,” Porco smirked. “Well, giddy up and put these in the laundry,” he shoved the couch covers into Jean’s chest. Jean shook his head, but did as he was told and brought them upstairs. You heard another bag rip off the roll, and soon you were joined by the girl.

“Y/N?” she asked. You nodded. “I’m Pieck, Porco’s girlfriend.” You didn’t look at her; that word was dangerous for you.

“Oh,” you said.

“I’m not mad at you,” she smiled. “I wish I was there with you, actually,” she laughed quietly. You looked up at her now, her smile genuine, with a pair of tired eyes.

“Really?” you said softly.

“Yes, really, I’ve been dying to see her actually shut up for once,” she grinned. You sighed. She continued, “I’m sorry I missed last night, late shift, but Pock tells me you were quite the beer pong player.” 

“Oh really,” you smirked back at him. He shook his head; you were already feeling a little better talking to her. You learned she was a waitress at one of the bars on campus, which made her frequently unavailable to attend hockey events, explaining her missing last night.

“Can I ask you something?” you said.

“Anything,” she said.

“Why are you being so nice to me? I mean I said I would-”

“Stop. I’m being nice because I know how you feel,” she put her hand on your shoulder. She waved toward the couch; the three of you sat, Porco slinging his arm around her shoulders.

“Remember when you first invited me?” she smiled at Porco.

“What a mess,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“What happened?” you asked.

“She was all over me in an instant, ‘you're so pretty,’ ‘god he’s so lucky to have you,’ gross, then I came to a party afterwards and as soon as she saw the two of us together well…” You smiled as she continued explaining her story. You weren’t alone, and they knew, but you still wondered how things like this keep happening.

“What’d you do to get her to stop?” The question was burning inside of you; if Pieck found a solution, surely you could. Pieck blushed; next to you, Porco pulled her closer to his side.

“We fucked,” he said. You blinked slowly at his bluntness, your face turning pale.

“Galliard!” Pieck scolded.

“It’s true,” he laughed, pecking her cheek. She shook her head, resting her red face in her hand.

“Sorry, Y/N,” she giggled.

“I did ask,” you glared at him, still laughing next to you. You looked back at Eren and Mikasa; seeing you smile was all they needed; the tension in their faces from their argument earlier released. Colt and Reiner had gone as Jean returned; your curiosity got to you. You stood up, leaving the two, taking both of your trash bags up the creaking stairs. You looked around for a place to deposit them, but the can in the kitchen was full.

“I can take those,” Reiner’s voice came from behind you.

“Thanks,” you smiled, handing him the bags. You watched him head down the hall, towards the front door, before returning empty-handed a few moments later. 

“Thanks for helping,” he sighed.

“Of course,” you said. He gestured toward the living room. You followed him; Bertholdt was gone, the TV still playing low, leaving the two of you. You sat staring at the screen, a good distance between the two of you; if only everything could be done over text, your awkward feelings could just disperse.

“So,” he began.

“So,” you echoed. 

“How are you feeling, you know, after last night?” He asked quietly; your eyes shifted to him. You were both a ball of awkward emotions. You sighed, toying with your fingers. You were so comfortable last night; now your world had been turned completely upside down. You didn’t want to say anything else to ruin your reputation.

“Extremely hungover,” you rubbed your head, now sinking further into the couch. 

“The queen is off her high,” he smiled.

“Something like that,” you said. Straight back to silence. Just say something- anything- you mentally yelled; biting your tongue was the worst thing you could do right now.

“Sorry, I should have brought your hat; I wasn’t thinking when we left,” you lied. It was all you were thinking about; you looked back toward your pillow, knowing what was under it. 

“It’s alright, you’re coming again to the game Saturday, aren’t you?” His eyes were hopeful, but after everything that had gone on last night, maybe your performance should be just a one-time thing.

“Do you think I should, after, well…” you trailed off. 

“Yes- I mean- if you want to,” he looked away from you quickly, trying to hide the pink tint covering his cheeks. He continued rambling, “I would like it if you were there; I’m sure the others would too.” he rubbed his neck, looking at you slightly.

“I would like it if I was there too,” you smiled before facepalming, dumbass you were literally just talking about being nervous to go. 

“I mean-,” you started, but his laughter interrupted you. You made a gap in your fingers, peeking at him through, watching him grin, before a snort squeaked out. He froze; you began to laugh now, sliding your hand from your eyes to your mouth, trying to stop yourself from laughing, covering the smirk accompanying your noise. You pulled your hand away, showing your flushed cheeks. You sighed, catching your breath as the two of you sat now gazing into each other’s eyes, your heart thumping up into your throat, your head spinning, not from your hangover but from the way he was looking at you AGAIN, for the third time since meeting you; he was giving you this daring look. 

“What the hell’s going on in here?” Jean grinned, leaning in the door frame; both of you snapped your heads in the direction of his voice, shifting your hands to your lap.

“Nothing,” you said in unison. 

“Right…” Jean’s eyes narrowed, making his way over and sliding himself into the gap between the two of you on the couch. He stretched, draping his arms on the back of the couch behind both of you.

“What do you want?” Reiner sighed. 

“Nothing,” Jean mocked the two of you, pulling his arms back into his lap. “Grice wanted to run some chel, but I can leave if-”

“You’re fine,” you cut him off.

“Come up,” Jean called out. You winced at the loud noise, looking down at your hands, balling them into loose fists. The others filed into the room slowly, occupying more of the homemade conversation pit, until it was full. You spent the rest of the day at the house, watching the guys play video games, ordering food in, talking to Mikasa and Pieck under the shouting of the guys at the game, at each other. 

“Did something happen with you and Reiner?” Pieck asked you softly.

“What? No, not really,” you fumbled putting words together. She caught you flustered. “Why?”

“Because,” she nudged you, nodding towards him. You followed her eyes to him; he was looking at you, quickly looking away back at whatever was interesting on the TV in front of him.

“And?” You asked.

“He’s been doing that this whole time while we’ve been talking,” she laughed.

“No, he hasn’t,” you went cold.

“Yes, he has, Y/N,” she was smiling ear to ear. You blushed, taking notice of him looking at you again.

“I get it now,” she said, “why everything happened- attention from Reiner like that; she would kill for it.” 

“It’s getting late; we should go,” Mikasa said, approaching the two of you giggling together. You nodded, saying bye to Pieck and the others as you left. When you got home, Pieck’s words were lingering in your mind, attention from Reiner like that. You got ready for bed, lying on your pillow being reminded of what was underneath as you felt the hard brim poke at you through it. You pulled the hat out, tracing over the brim with your thumb like you did this morning, setting it on your headboard. You opened your messages with him from earlier, starting to type before deleting what you had just written, just like he did with you. You finally decided on a message before drifting off to sleep.

See you Saturday 😁

[ragingcanes]

Are you Not Entertained?

Part 2: Maneater

---------------- a/n: THE LONG-AWAITED PART 2....also planning on putting this on my Wattpad (@lafrexniere) once I actually make the cover art 🤪

Part 1

Playlist

----------------- You gulped at her words. What did she mean by " intense”? Before you could get a chance to ask, she opened the door marked 433, guiding you in before her. You made your way down the skinny hallway towards the source of the music, where figures were already gathered by the basement door, watching a poor blonde boy struggle to carry cases and cases of alcohol down the creaking wooden stairs; everyone cheered once he made it down. The two of you waited by the opening until you saw Eren, who had completely changed from his suit, his hair pulled back in a bun, long black jeans and a baggy shirt, his gold chain dangling low. 

“Great, you made it,” he smiled, taking Mikasa’s hand, guiding her down the stairs, leaving you to cling to the unstable handrail as the familiar sounds of Pitbull filled your ears. You looked around; the basement was somewhat furnished, white walls stained with spills, a couch in the corner under the stairs, with a folding table set up beside it, a game of beer pong already in process, recognizing some of the faces playing. You continued looking around. In front of you was open space, with a speaker in the corner and Bertholdt standing beside a small table, with an amateur mixing setup; then your eyes met the blonde boy again at the sounds of crashing.

“Grice, I swear,” Eren turned around to look at the noise, but everything was under control; just the sounds of boxes breaking, everything inside remained intact.

“You want anything before it’s destroyed?” You followed him towards the crashing, grabbing a can, leaning against the wall, taking in your surroundings. You saw some of the girls from earlier dancing, trying to get any guy who passed by to join; you rolled your eyes, pathetic. 

“Did Grice drop it again?” A voice appeared behind Eren, leaning on his shoulder. His hair slicked back under a backwards hat, securing it in place, wearing a green jacket with a white tank top underneath. His eyes flickered to you, then back to Eren. Your stomach twinged; he was cute, definitely what you thought of when it came to hockey besides Jean’s stereotypical mullet.

“What do you think, Gally?” Eren smiled, gesturing at the dent in the bottom of your can. You sipped on it, trying to hide your nerves.

“The singer, right?” The guy pointed at you, still leaning on Eren.

“It’s Y/N,” you smiled, feeling your face heat.

“Porco,” he nodded, excusing himself to get a drink of his own. The three of you continued talking until Armin finally arrived, Annie at his side, who looked very unamused as usual. The four continued talking; watching them run their hands all over each other made you a little queasy, and your can was almost empty; you wouldn’t get through being a fifth wheel sober.

“I’ll be back,” you tapped Mikasa, shaking your can. You walked through the group, moving through the crowded basement, until you made it, stopping at the two guys exchanging words in front.

The same blonde boy carrying the drinks was leaning on the table now sipping one of his own; his eyes met yours quickly, standing upright as the other had his back to you. He turned at the expression, Reiner, blinking as if the drink in his hand was making you a hallucination before his lips curved into a smile.

“Hi,” Reiner cleared his throat.

“Hi,” you smiled. You two stood there for a moment; the blonde pushed through the two of you, making his way towards the pong table in the back, interrupting your staring.

“Refill?” You gestured toward the table; Reiner eyed the can in your hand, exchanging it for a full one. “Thanks.” You felt a little awkward; if you went back with your friends, would you really be doing anything?

“You alright?” he asked.

“I guess,” you nodded. “I feel a little out of place,” you forced a smile, looking back at your friends, before your focus returned to him, unintentionally studying his features, the bandage still on his nose from earlier; he was in high-tops, jeans, a tight black t-shirt highlighting his muscular build, and a flannel sat draping over his broad figure, sleeves partially rolled up, revealing his forearms as well as black backwards hat, leaving small strands of his blonde hair sticking out the front like almost every other guy at this party. You understood the nickname a little more now; this guy was huge, much more intimidating than at the ice rink, but he was cute, the way his eyes crinkled when smiling; you saw the appeal and why the girls went crazy.

“It is your first time.” Reiner rubbed his neck, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand, his eyes scanning you the same way you were scanning him. 

“There you are; I need a new partner. Connie can’t hit shit, and Nic’s a no-show, damn Sasha.” You turned towards the voice behind you, Jean, the same cocky smirk from when you first met still stretched across his face; then he saw you, eyes growing wider.

“Y/N, glad you could make it,” he leaned on you, his arm resting on top of your head, clearly a few drinks in already, dressed in a loose white button-down, only being held on him by a few buttons around his midsection, a silver chain bouncing off his bare chest,  his mullet still messy, but with effort, he wanted it that way, a pair of sunglasses sat on top of his hair, despite the dark basement and the lower temperatures outside, he was dressed for summer. 

“Did I really have a choice?” You smiled, sipping your drink, pulling his arm off your head.

“You don’t play, do you?” He gestured toward the pong table under the stairs. You shook your head; his charisma was contagious. Here you stood, fumbling to put words together with Reiner when it flowed so naturally with Jean.

“Alright, I’ll play, but I don’t know if I’ll be much better.” Reiner nodded, watching the two of you. You followed behind, losing track of your friends very quickly, sitting on the couch beside the table, with Connie and two girls who clearly did not want to talk to him. He didn’t even notice you; he had them trapped, adding exactly up to Eren’s description. You sat watching the balls fly back and forth on the table, Porco and the boy with the cases from earlier, who you learned was Colt, against Jean and Reiner.

“I’m out.” Colt threw his hands up; he couldn’t take it anymore.

“You can’t just leave me,” Porco snapped, watching Colt take a spot next to you on the couch.

“Can and did,” he sighed, leaning back, taking in the only bit of rest he had gotten the entire night. 

“Y/N, where’s Yeags?” Jean looked at you; you glanced past Colt on the couch, looking at the spot where you had left them, but they were gone. You were trapped now; you shrugged quietly, folding your hands in your lap. Connie was already standing. Porco’s eyes narrowed.

“Absolutely not, Y/N, get up here,” he waved you over. “Can’t get any worse,” he said quietly to himself. Your little corner of the room got louder once you joined, and you weren’t half bad; the alcohol seemed to be working to your advantage. The more buzzed you felt, the better you played, bopping back and forth to the music, shooting snarky taunts at your competition. You were certainly more comfortable now, playing a few more rounds, until you saw her again- the same girl from the game- had found her way onto the couch watching, scowling at you, living out her dream. 

“I like her,” Porco smirked, slapping your open palm as you downed the cup you were holding, eyes shut tight.

“All hail the beer pong queen,” Jean cheered as you pulled your cup from your mouth. You waved your hand around like royalty, laughing.

“The queen needs a crown,” you said, speaking with a regal tone, your head held high snootily, looking at the convenience of Porco next to you, reaching for his hat. 

“This does not move.” he was stern, pointing at the hat on his head, stepping out of your reach. You frowned, looking around the table, eyeing the hat on Reiner’s head. He was already looking at you, a small panic across his face.

“Reiner, my crown, please,” you walked daintily around the table to him, tilting your head down to get your prize. He placed the hat on your head backwards in a crooked fashion as Jean knighted you with the empty bottle in his hand.

“I dub thee, Y/N, beer pong queen,” Jean said, poised with a sweeping bow.

“You shall kiss my hand,” you laughed, as the group bowed down, holding out your hand. First Jean, quick to the point, playing to the act, following his kiss with a ‘m’lady’, Colt, looking at you like a deer caught in headlights, gently brushed your hand across his mouth, not even pursing his lips. Porco rolled his eyes, but after pressuring him, he didn’t have a choice but to quickly peck your hand. Reiner grinned as his large figure pulled your hand up to his mouth as he slouched over, trying to make the height difference a little less significant; his eyes did not move from your face the entire time, and he lingered, his eyes questioning you as if he should continue further. Your breath hitched at his actions.

“I call next,” the girl shouted off the couch, Reiner still having your hand in his. You shot her a glare, stepping back, letting her take your place.

“I’m out,” Reiner put his hands up the same way Colt did before, allowing the open spot to be filled.

“No, you can’t; you just started,” the girl whined. Reiner shook his head, joining you on the couch. You could feel the headache coming already; you swore off drinking for the rest of the night.

“So you can sing, and you can play,” Reiner grinned.

“I don’t think anything I do compares to your little show,” you smiled.

“You liked that?” his eyebrows raised in excitement.

“It was definitely something,” you laughed. The two of you began talking; you exchanged basic questions; he was a business-engineering major; besides hockey, he liked the outdoors, using his hands. He learned this singing thing wasn’t just a hobby for you, that it practically consumed your life. You exchanged stories; maybe it was the alcohol, but he was starting to grow on you very quickly.

“What do you want to hear right now?” He smiled.

“What?” Your brows furrowed at the question.

“A song Y/N- what song?”

“Oh, no one would like what I pick…” You said softer; he leaned in closer to hear you, adjusting his hat on your head. You looked away, down at your phone in your hands, feeling a little more self-aware, your cheeks turning pink.

“You’d be surprised,” he smiled, gesturing for you to hand the phone over, revealing your playlists.

“You listen to a lot of music,” he laughed, scrolling through and finding a good starting point; he held your phone back towards you, and you nodded at the playlist choice.

“Never ask my favorite song; I couldn’t tell you. There are too many options,” you smiled. He continued scrolling, finding a song suitable for this environment.

“I’ll be right back,” he smiled, leaving you sat alone, heading over towards the music.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the girl approached you.

“What?” You groaned.

“Back off, Reiner,” she snapped at you.

“I’m not on Reiner,” you snapped back. “We just met today.”

“He kissed you,” her voice rose into a shrilling pitch. 

“They all kissed me if you were watching,” you shouted back, rolling your eyes. 

“Well then, back off all of them. I know you’re new here, but you can’t just-” she began, but you stopped her.

“Can’t just be likeable, damn am I living your dream or something? Hmm, I wonder which one do you think I’ll sleep with first,” you smirked with sarcasm. Alcohol had a way of giving you no fear of saying everything and anything you wanted to. She opened her mouth to speak, her jaw slack like it was going to hit the floor, but you cut her off again. 

“Oh my god, I love this song,” you said with that same loud, obnoxious tone she gave you at the game, standing up, the guys from the table following you as you made your way over; they were your loyal subjects now, following their queen. The bass thumping through your chest as the guitar intro started, your smile illuminating; it may have been a basic choice, but it was for you. You caught your friends in your peripherals, lingering by the drink table. Eren smiled, pointing you out; Mikasa froze; you left her for a second, and now, you were the life of the party. Your hands in the air as you bobbed back and forth to Get Lucky - Daft Punk, Jean joining you, you looked over by the speaker, a small smile creeping from Bertholdt through his sunken head with bulky headphones around his neck, as he watched you. Reiner stood beside him, grinning ear to ear. You waved him over, but he shook his head. You tried again, same response. You sighed, turning back to Jean, who joined you in your singing efforts, shouting the words of Get Lucky throughout the basement, Colt smiling, bobbing back and forth beside you as well, and Porco nursing his beer, looking at you like you were all idiots; strangers hours ago had become your friends.

“I thought you said you picked-” Bertholdt began, eyes glancing up from the table in front of him.

“I did…with a little help,” Reiner smiled, arms crossed, leaning against the wall watching you. Bertholdt smirked, elbowing Reiner, signifying a job well done. 

“And the others?” Bertholdt laughed.

“Hey! My picks, her playlist,” Reiner chuckled. Bertholdt shook his head. 

“Why this song then? Are you hoping for something?” Reiner ignored the question; his thoughts too consumed by your movement, your smile, the way your energy filled the room. You looked so natural in his environment. The song came to a close, and you rushed over to the two.

“Good choice,” you smiled, mouthing thank you to Reiner.

“And everyone seemed to enjoy it…mostly,” Reiner gestured back toward the group behind you. The girl from the couch was quickly trying to fill your spot in the group, Porco’s eyes screaming help, Colt quickly heading back towards the couch, and Jean was too drunk to care. You rolled your eyes, standing by the two. 

“Jealous bitch,” you scoffed.

“Oh yeah? What’d she do this time?” Reiner sighed. 

“She’s mad cause you all kissed my hand,” you looked at Bertholdt, “speaking of which, Bertholdt?” You held out your hand poised once again like earlier. He shook his head quickly, breaking eye contact. 

“And you handled it?” Reiner asked, trying to hide his admiration of your confidence.

“Yeah,” you laughed to yourself, thinking about her reaction to your statement.

“What’d you say?” he looked at you slyly.

“Nothing,” you blushed.

“Oh, it must have been bad,” Bertholdt fiddled with the buttons in front of him.

“Tell us,” Reiner had that same daring look from earlier when he was holding your hand.

“Asked her who she thinks I’ll sleep with first, jokingly of course,” you grinned. The pair's faces turned pink, both with the same expression: she’s good.

“Y/N, this one’s for you from me,” Bertholdt said, tilting the tablet toward Reiner; he nodded. Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates

“You did not!” you gasped.

“Oh, but he did,” Reiner smirked, pushing you back out towards the group slowly trailing behind you, leaving his place on the wall. The words playing became your anthem of the night, your ‘competition’ sending you a nice pair of dagger eyes as she moved closer to Jean, whose attention was on your return.

“The queen is back!” He cupped his hand around his mouth, amplifying his cheer.

“Thank god,” Porco sighed, “and you got him out here, damn.” You turned around to see Reiner lingering behind you, encasing you in the group.

“Dance with me,” she tugged at Jean’s arm; he looked down at the motion, no thoughts in his drunken eyes, before returning to the group. You danced to the song, singing the words, smirking at the girl as a warning. She kept trying; he kept pulling away. She had failed, being pushed out of the circle completely, and from that point forward would make it her life’s goal to take your place.

“Would you look at that, she’s gone,” Porco twirled the empty bottle in his hand. Colt rejoined the group as he saw her approaching. Who the hell invited her? you began to wonder.

“Save me, save me,” Colt pushed between the gap of you and Jean frantically, making his way over to Porco, leaning on his shoulder, sighing in relief. Your attention shifted to the stairs, watching your new nemesis climb up them, looking back at you already.

“Relax, rook, she’s gone,” Porco patted him on the back.

“Where the hell is the ass that invited her anyway?” Reiner said.

“Probably fucking one of her little friends in Jean’s bed again,” Colt scrunched his face in disgust.

“Like hell he is; I’ll kill his ass.” Jean promptly left, stomping up the creaking stairs. You watched the wood bend beneath him; if he stepped any harder, it looked like they would snap.

“Who?” You couldn’t help but ask. The three exchanged a look as you took Jean’s spot.

“Floch,” Colt said.

“No clue,” you said.

“It’s better that way,” Porco said, “he’s not like us, not to sound like an ass, but-”

“He’s a creep,” Reiner said. “Just stick with us if you plan on coming back,” he sounded unsure, like tonight would just be a one-time thing. 

“Oh, I plan on it,” you smiled.

The night started dying down as your hangover headache was begining it’s approach. Jean had returned, holding the collar of someone’s shirt; this must have been him. Jean dragged him over to where your friends were standing, talking to Eren very seriously, your brows knitted with concern.

“Jean’s got it,” Reiner leaned down to your ear. You sighed, turning back to the group, listening to the remainder of The Sweet Escape, which is all you wanted to do right now as your head began pounding.

“We’re going.” Mikasa grabbed your shoulder, pulling you away from your little circle.

“Hey!” You shouted, clasping your head at the sound of your own loud voice. You waved bye as you headed up the creaky stairs, the girl already waiting for you at the top, her eyes lighting up at your exit.

“Oh, save it,” Mikasa glared at her. You stuck your tongue out, not the most mature thing to do, but you were still in an altered state. You two walked home, awkward silence until Mikasa finally spoke up.

“You left us.”

“Didn’t want to be the fifth wheel; you guys always do this to me,” you whined.

“That doesn’t mean you just take off and get plastered.” She was parenting you, always so protective when it came to you and parties.

“I’m not plastered,” you snapped. “I was having fun.”

“I saw,” her eyes mocked you. You flipped her off as you continued the trek back to your place.

“And what the hell is on your head?” You reached up, forgetting about your little souvenir from the night, Reiner’s hat. 

“My beer pong crown,” you smirked.

“Real mature,” she sighed, “but seriously, whose is it?”

“Guess,” you laughed as you reached your front door, dashing to your room to meet your bed, humming as your eyes were already flickering shut.

“Whatever, sleep this off,” she shut your door behind you, taking off to her own room. You fell asleep almost instantly, the pounding in your head easing as you lay down.

[ragingcanes]

Seven Days - Graduation

---------------------- a/n: THE END!!! Masterlist for this series will be up soon!!! ----------------------

“Y/N, wake up,” Reiner stood over you, jolting you awake. You remembered waking up at some point, but you must have drifted off back to sleep.

“What?” you groaned, turning over. You saw the clock, your eyes shooting wide. You hopped out of bed, immediately getting dressed, and when you were finished, breakfast was sitting on the table.

“Thank you,” you smiled. He nodded, inhaling the plate as he had little time before he had to go. He finished eating, sliding his plate into your sink, making his way back over to you quickly, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“Kiss.” You obeyed his order, “I’ll see you after,” and just like that, he was gone. He would be in some other part of the university, the two of you having very different paths of study; you knew he would be great, and you had already agreed on a spot to meet after. The message from your Dad shone on your phone, the estimated arrival time being twenty minutes. 

“Shit,” you sighed, quickly finishing off your plate before cleaning and heading to the lot where you would meet them. You looked at yourself, your cap, your gown, the cords you had earned, everything right in its place, another message: ‘five minutes’. You ran out the door, tickets in hand, to the same place they always parked when they visited, seeing the familiar faces roll out of the car. You embraced each of them quickly before giving them each their tickets, your Mom already an emotional wreck, your Dad comforting her, and your sibling giving you a look of see what you made me put up with. Your family walked you to where to check in, before they went off and did their own thing. You had made your way to your assigned seat only to be greeted by a familiar voice behind you.

“They just let anyone sit here, don’t they?” he sighed, turning to see Porco.

“Porco,” you said softly, breaking eye contact.

“You look happy,” he smiled. Your eyes met his again; they were sincere and apologetic.

“I am,” you sighed, smiling, letting out a deep breath.

 A few hours of sitting, meeting those who sat around you, everyone in the same mindset that, after this was over, they would be free. The ceremony finally commenced, with long speeches, until finally the lines started forming. You watched your friends cross the stage through the large screen, cheering as each held up to their promise, striking the pose you all agreed on, even Jean. Clearly, you weren’t original because others did the same. Until finally it became your turn, you looked back at Porco, who was already cheering, before looking out at the crowd, striking your pose, feeling a tear swell in your eye. One final speech and you were free. The two of you stood in the crowd of your cheering classmates, looking at each other, taking it all in. The two of you split from the crowd, walking and talking. 

“So this is it, huh?” he sighed.

“This is it.” You wiped your eyes; you looked at him with that same aching feeling in your chest from the beach.

“Don’t be a stranger, alright, you know where to find me,” he nudged you. You slung your arms around him with that same need from your fight.

“Thank you for everything,” you wept. He rubbed your back gently, holding you for what would be the final time.

“Don’t thank me,” he pulled back to get one last look at you. “Goodbye, Y/N,” he wiped your eye.

“Goodbye, Pock,” you let out a small laugh, pulling yourself together. The two of you went your separate ways. You walked to the agreed location; families and friends were already waiting for you. Your parents were both a wreck, your sibling still unamused, but a smile was there for effort, watching you with your friends, taking endless pictures as the families got to know each other, until you saw Porco again in the distance. You locked eyes, and he nodded kindly to you as you did the same, the smile on your face growing. He waved before returning to his conversation; you did the same. 

“Who was that to?” Jean asked.

“A friend,” you smirked, “ you know I have a life outside of you four.” He elbowed you, wrapping his arm over your shoulders as your families continued snapping more pictures. You finally had a break, sighing, talking to your parents when you saw him. Even in the gown, Reiner’s broad figure still had a presence; he was looking down, cap in hand, his Mom following closely behind, talking. You sighed, watching him as he said something back before looking up and seeing you. His pace quickened, and you excused yourself from the group, running over, pushing your way through the other groups until you were finally in his arms. You jumped, wrapping your arms around his neck as he supported you, keeping your feet off the ground as he spun you once. 

“We did it,” you smiled, kissing his cheek, your eyes watering again, shutting tightly as he continued holding you. 

“We did it,” he repeated after you, putting you down. Your eyes opened as you sighed, dragging him over to the group, leaving his Mom in the dust.

“What the hell are you doing?” he leaned down to your ear.

“Saving you,” you smiled. “Come on, we have all of dinner tonight with her and my parents; enjoy this moment with us, with your friends, with me,” you said. He nodded. You let go of his arm, letting it slope around your waist, as you two rejoined the group. He greeted your family first, shaking your Dad’s hand, hugging your Mom, and exchanging a polite nod with your sibling. The two of you began the whole process over again, taking pictures with your friends until they slowly started going off, exchanging your final goodbyes until the two of you stood with your family.

“You still haven’t told them?” he watched you tense up now that it was just the two of you. His hands met your shoulders, squeezing them lightly. You shook your head.

“Well, they are going to find out soon enough,” he gestured towards his Mom approaching. You ripped the bandaid off, sliding out of his grip, grabbing his face, pulling it to yours quickly. Your family watched in awe, your Mom’s head tilting, your Dad’s eyes wide, and your sibling, who finally had something to smile fully about today, couldn’t help but be the one to point the two of you out. You split apart, looking at the set of faces as your fingers intertwined, squeezing his hand as you spoke out the words. Silence.

“We have to go; family is waiting at the restaurant already.” His Mom finally joined the group. You lingered behind your family, your sibling making the occasional glance back, watching the two of you as you walked toward your destination.

“Hey, we’ll be fine.” Your thumb glided across the top of his hand as the two of you walked. 

“Just wait until we get to the restaurant.” his voice was low, eyes focused on the ground in front of you. You couldn’t help but wonder why they weren’t happy. Your mom wore the same expression she had when you changed majors; your Dad was probably overwhelmed with your gesture, and your sibling was glad to have some of the heat off of them. Reiner was right, you hadn’t seen the worst. The two of you walked in, hand in hand, your Moms talking back and forth, your Dad giving an awkward smile, then you scanned his family, all expressions the same as your family’s, except for Gabi, who couldn’t be happier to see you, wrapping her arms around you.

“Hi Y/N,” her eyes quickly moved to your hands before looking back up at your face. Your cheeks were pink as your lips pursed; she was gasping and squealing. She moved to Reiner next, tugging at his free arm, with the same giddy reaction as when she greeted you. She sat next to you, as your hands remained locked together under the table, exchanging little signalling gestures as the conversation began.

“Spit it out,” you glared at your family sitting across from you, slowly sipping from your glass. 

“We just want some kind of explanation, calmly,” your Dad looked around the table.

“What is there to explain? We’re together; it happened over the beach trip; there it’s explained,” you scowled. Reiner pulled your hand under the table. You looked at him, and he gave you an affirming nod.

“Reiner, what were you thinking?” His Mom asked; your eyes were boring holes in her head as she spoke. The table went silent, everyone sipping their glasses.

“Mom, you don’t get a say in this,” he said softly.

“Moms are allowed to be concerned, you know,” your Mom spoke. “Y/N, what about your jobs lined up? Are you just going to throw them away for him?”

“He has a name,” Gabi chimed in. You quickly shushed her; she did not need to be brought into this, not into all of your family's emotional baggage; it was your battle to fight.

“This is so typical, assuming every decision I make, you don’t think we talked about this?” Your voice rose now, “I thought you would be thrilled; I’m with someone you actually know, you actually care about.” 

“Who’s assuming now?” your Mom snapped. 

“Mom,” you scolded her, standing up, but Reiner pulled you back down. 

“Let her go if she wants,” his Mom argued. He clutched his head, teeth gritting as his jaw tightened.

“What’s wrong with Y/N?” Gabi spoke again, watching the two of you sit in more and more pain as the conversation continued.

“Stay out of this, Gabi,” you sighed.

“Let her talk,” Reiner said.

“You’re all being stupid, and adults are supposed to be the smart ones, so act like it.” She folded her arms, pouting in her chair next to you.

“Gabi,” her parents began to scold her, but Reiner stopped them.

“What’s wrong with Y/N?” he repeated the question.

“Y/N is wonderful, but you need someone to keep you grounded,” his mom said quietly, “not someone who encourages you to make rash decisions.”

“Mom?” Your eyes shot to your parents, a look of agreement across their faces. “Oh my god,” your voice trailed off.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Gabi stood now, her hands slamming on the table. You pushed her back down slowly by her shoulder. You looked at him again. His leg had stopped bouncing under the table; his look shifted to rage, his jaw still clenched, as he pulled his hand back from his head. 

“It’s not up to any of you,” he began, “this is what we want, Y/N and I, and I didn’t quit because of her; I quit because of this, this whole conversation we are having right now, it’s never what I want for myself.” He sighed, resting his head back in his hand, and you breathed deep, watching his effort continue.

“Y/N has done nothing but keep me grounded, Mom, she has shown me both sides of every decision, as I have her, we need each other, and your daughter is more responsible than she appears, she has already decided on which job she is taking, give her credit,” he continued, your ears felt hot under your hair, your lips curving into a smile, your heart rate increasing watching him defend you. 

“Reiner,” his Mom’s voice rose.

“Mrs. Braun,” you said softly, her head cocked with interest, watching you bring your hands up to the table, squeezing tightly, “Your son is wonderful, sports or no sports” you smiled, “I wish you could see him the way I do.” He stared at you in awe, melting his heart. The words he had been waiting to hear his entire life had come from your mouth, and the entire table fell silent until broken by the hysterical reaction.

“Don’t talk to me about what he is and isn’t,” her voice breaking, you struck a nerve.

“Y/N,” your Mom snapped, being cut off.

“Reiner, think about this,” his Mom said, tears streaming down her face now.

“I have, and I won’t continue to sit here and let you try to convince me otherwise,” he pulled you out of your chair.

“Don’t leave,” Gabi tugged at your arm.

“I’m sorry, Gabi,” he said. She let go; the two of you left hand in hand, sighing as the entire weight of your families’ pressure lifted off both of your shoulders as the door shut. 

“Holy shit,” you sighed, a smile illuminating your face, “that just happened.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“I’m proud of you, telling them off like that,” you angled yourself so he was forced to look at your beaming face. 

“Was it too much? I feel kind of bad now,” he sighed. You dragged him away from the restaurant down the sidewalk, getting you two completely out of view, finding a bench to sit on. 

“That’s her talking in your head,” you poked him at his temple. His phone buzzed in his hand, and he ignored it; his head picked up to look at you now as he let out a deep breath. 

“You’re free, Rei; we’re free, because of you.” You took his head in your hands, and he leaned into your palms. Even in his somber state, he was still irresistible to you, and after everything that had gone on inside, all you wanted was to show him how much you valued him. A smile crept across his face at your words, his eyes picking up to meet yours. 

“God, you’re amazing,” you sighed, infatuated by him, your thumb running along his cheek, your forehead resting against his, as your noses brushed against each other. 

“Let’s get out of here,” he grinned, pressing a quick kiss to your lips before pulling you up off the bench, pulling you in by your waist, kissing you again. You two walked hand in hand, free from college, free from your families, just the two of you, and that was all that mattered.

[ragingcanes]

Seven Days - Day 7: Going Home

------------------------------------- a/n: The long awaited almost end of this series :)

Day 6 ------------------------------------- You woke up to a meticulously clean room, your clothes all folded for you, the bed next to you made, and Sasha’s suitcase packed. You sighed. It was over, your trip was over, tomorrow you would walk across the stage, dressed in your school's colors, receiving a diploma, and moving on from all of this you just had. Your friends would all become memories, although you were sure you would see them again, it was just in a different capacity. You rolled out of bed, trudging to your pile of folded clothes, taking something to wear, before putting the rest in your duffel bag. The owners demanded you be off the property by two. You had some time to kill. You slowly walked downstairs, seeing Sasha take care of the ‘leftover’ food as Annie and Mikasa watched her in disgust. You moved to the fridge to see if there was anything left for you, but it was no use.

“Sasha?” She slowly turned to face you, her hands full.

“You’ll lose a finger if you try,” Mikasa said. You took it literally, heading outside, going to the guys’ house to see if there was anything. Connie and Marco were cleaning up the mess, and Jean was making a concoction of some sort with their leftover food that smelled decent.

“Nice work,” you looked around the house, admiring the job they had done, expecting something much worse. 

“We aren’t animals,” Connie laughed, knocking something over as he turned to face you, Marco catching it swiftly, looking embarrassed. You leaned on the counter by Jean, eyeballing whatever he had in the kitchen. 

“Let me guess, no food left,” he grinned, handing you a plate.

“I’m not trying to get bit,” you laughed, taking a bite of the food on your plate, tasting about as good as it smelled. 

“You look surprised,” he said.

“I expected you all to still be asleep, and for it to still be trashed,” you smiled.

“You know me better than to let that happen,” joining you with a plate of his own. The two of you supervised the clean-up process as you ate, pointed out any missed spots, and Eren and Armin joined in the supervision process, much more bossy in their efforts, however. You figured they had everything taken care of, wandering upstairs as you hadn’t seen Reiner yet. You quietly stepped down the hallway until you finally found him, folding his clothes. You joined him quickly, his face lighting up at your presence.

“Good morning,” you said, smiling, reaching up to kiss his cheek. His face was smooth; your eyes scanned his chin, completely smooth as well.

“You shaved?” Your thumb traced his jaw. 

“Mom insisted,” he shrugged, his eyes darted away from yours. You already knew the deal; your parents were the same way. When he decided to stop playing sports in his last year, the two weren’t really talking. Your mom was feeding you words to try to convince him to go back, but you couldn’t because she was the same way. When you changed your major, she lost it, but she came around to it eventually when your grades started improving. 

“So she’s coming?” you continued, folding.

“It seems like it,” he sighed. The two of you lingered in silence, the swishing of fabric filling the room, until you had no more clothes to fold. You two sat on his bed, his shoulders tense as his eyes flickered back and forth from you and straight ahead of him to the door.

“I’m sorry-” you began.

“Don’t be, I brought it up,” he cut you off.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He nodded as you opened your arms, his head resting in your lap as he lay down. You began to play mindlessly with his hair as he talked. It was all so new. Normally, when he was upset, all you did was sit there and listen as he paced back and forth, venting. Now he was yours; you could hold him the way he deserved to be held. 

“She called early, I told her about us,” he scoffed, “she wasn’t even happy,”

“Huh?” You were genuinely surprised because of how your Mom acted with him around you assumed they would have similar opinions on the subject, but you were wrong.

“She just asked ‘why?’ then continued telling me how…” his voice trailed off.

“How what?” You leaned down to see his expression, biting his lip, as he shut his eyes.

“How I’ll mess this up,” his voice breaking. You picked his head up off your lap, moving him to the pillow next to you. You scooted down the bed to be face to face with him, your forehead resting against his, cupping his face in your hand. 

“You won’t, okay?” you said softly. He nodded as you wiped around his eye.

“How do you know?” he said.

“Because I know you,” you smiled, “and has anything she said been right before?” He shook his head, a smile starting to form again. You pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“And I like the beard,” you grinned, kissing him once more.

“Oh, yeah?” he was giddy now, his hand pushing a strand of hair out of your face, not giving you a chance to agree, before his lips met yours once again. 

“Thank you,” he smiled, pulling back. You nodded, rolling out of bed. The two of you packed his bag, doing one last sweep of the room before heading down. You grabbed your bag, putting it in his car, before taking one last walk down to the beach, sighing. The trip certainly turned out different than you expected, but you were happy.

“You ready?” Reiner said behind you. You breathed, tensing your whole body before letting out the breath, releasing all the tension, taking in the air one last time. You nodded, latching onto his arm as you two walked back up. Everyone gathered around their cars, exchanging words, embraces, and other comments.

“Don’t forget tomorrow,” Connie grinned. You and Connie, after taking grad photos decided that you all should do something when you walk across the stage, you would do some silly pose only your little group of five would understand.

“Seriously, we’re doing that?” Jean cocked his head, his hands resting on his hips.

“Yes, Jean, we are,” you copied his stance. He rolled his eyes as he slid into the car.

“I’ll make sure,” Marco smiled. The four of them piled into the car; the others had already gone, claiming they had some pressing matter to attend to. The truth was, none of them liked goodbyes; they just wanted to get out of there before tomorrow would be an overwhelming emotional day. You two were off, windows down, feeling the breeze in your hair as music blared through the car. His palm resting on your thigh, taking sneaky glances at you every so often as you sang along to the music he insisted you put on. A call from your Mom interrupted your little car party as it flashed across your screen. You ignored it, you didn’t want to deal with the questions, or have to address the elephant in the room, her opinions on your new relationship.

“You don’t need to take that?” he asked as her name flashed across your phone again.

“Nope.” You smiled.

“You didn’t tell her yet, did you?” lowering the music so he could truly hear you, his thumb rubbing your thigh. You shook your head.

“She can find out tomorrow,” you said, reaching to adjust the volume. He smacked your hand away, taking his hand off your thigh, moving it to hold the wheel with both hands, his eyes locked on the road.

“I’m sure she will be happy,” he said. You knew he was still upset about what happened this morning.

“I know,” you nodded, dropping the subject, talking about getting dinner when you got back. You picked up something on the way back. As you two walked up to your front door, you fiddled through your bag for your keys; you both were getting hangry after sitting in traffic way longer than intended.

“I’m starving,” he groaned, standing under the pale light of the single bulb illuminating above your door.

“I’m aware,” you said furiously, pulling a bunch of different items out until your keys revealed themselves. You dropped your bags as soon as you opened the door, rushing to the table. You two ate like you hadn’t eaten in days, everything looked so good on the menu, and you figured you would need leftovers to live off of for the next few days. Your tempers mellowed, sending you both into food comas, as you leaned back, clutching your stomachs on the couch.

“Is this how Sasha feels?” he laughed.

“Her stomach is a never-ending pit. I don’t think she will ever experience this in her life,” you laughed, groaning as your stomach was too full to laugh. He slowly began to stand up as it was getting late, and you caught his wrist.

“Stay,” you smiled, “you have your things anyway.”

“But we have to wake up early tomorrow, and both meet our families,” he shook your grip free.

“Please, Rei,” your lips pouting, your eyes wide, cracking his tough exterior slowly.

“Fine,” he sighed, scooping you up, bringing you to your bathroom, “straight to sleep when I get back,” he pointed at you. You nodded, and by the time he was back, you were already in bed, saving him a spot. He settled in next to you, your head finding his chest as he played with the ends of your hair.

“Good night, Y/N,” he sighed. You began to talk about something, trying to keep him awake for just a little longer, but he shushed you promptly, staying true to his statement earlier. You dreamed of what your life would look like, what tomorrow would look like, the future of the two of you, easing your mind, putting you in a serene state. 

[cafedanslanuit]

— 'cause you know that i'd do it all again by cafedanslanuit available on ao3 and tumblr

[ragingcanes]

Are you Not Entertained?

Part 1: Opening Night

-------------------- a/n: My little AoT college hockey AU because if you know me you know hockey is my thing 😏

Thank you to the lovely @spookyeomgoose for telling me to do this and helping build the vision🥹 ------------------

“Tell me again why I’m doing this?” You looked at yourself in the mirror, bundled up head to toe in your school's colors.

“You wanted to boost your singing career,” your roommate, Mikasa, said flatly. 

“Am I dressed warm enough?” You shrugged, pulling your scarf down so you could speak clearly. 

“You are more than prepared; it’s really not that cold,” she assured you.

“That’s because you’re used to it,” you sighed. Her boyfriend was on the team, the reason you were going in the first place; the guys always talked about ways to get more people to come to games, and what better than live musical entertainment, which meant you. You had been singing in choir since you were a kid. You continued to pursue that in college, your day filled with composition classes, playing the piano and guitar in practice rooms in your spare time, scribbling down any idea that popped into your head, and now here you were trying to make a name for yourself.

“You’re just being nervous; we have to go, or you’re going to be late.” She gripped your fiddling hand, yanking it towards the door, dragging you out before you could think any further. You two began your walk through campus, your first time down this street leading to the various athletic facilities, until you stumbled across the giant warehouse-like building, with small windows lined around it near the slanting roof, before your eyes met the door signaling you were in the right place. You felt the chill as soon as you walked in, stuffing your hands into your pockets and taking deep breaths to keep warm.

“It is really that cold,” you stuttered, trying to keep moving.

“You’re being dramatic,” she sighed, typing away on her phone. You followed her down the short hallway, revealing the source of the cold: the ice, the giant vents above blowing the cold air to keep the conditions. You glared at the metal piping, hearing the pattering of skates on rubber becoming increasingly louder.

“Hey Y/N, you ready?” Your eyes snapped to the voice, seeing the familiar face of Eren dressed only from the waist down in your school's colors, his skates making him taller than normal, his padded pants sagging, his top half occupied by a compression shirt, and his hair held out of his face by a headband.

“How are you not cold?” You looked at him, still bouncing back and forth, trying to bring some life back into your toes.

“She’s nervous,” Mikasa rolled her eyes, taking position next to him, his arm draping over her shoulders as he handed her the jersey in his hand. 

“Clearly,” he gestured at your movements. Another voice appeared behind him.

“You cheating on me?” The voice snickered, revealing itself—Connie, the team’s manager, whom you had heard countless stories about from Eren.

“This is Y/N. Connie is going to show you what to do, alright?” You nodded. Eren headed back down the hall where he came from; the three of you walked behind him, the increasing pounding of the bass on a speaker vibrating as you continued further.

“First time?” He grinned, watching you shake as you walked.

“She’ll be fine,” Mikasa said. “Meet me up these stairs once you finish,” she pointed next to you before taking her own path, leaving the two of you.

“This is the locker room; not a bathroom!” Connie began his little tour. “You’ll stand here with me during warm-ups, then once they stop, I will lay down this carpet,” he slapped the mat under his arm, “You’ll stand on it and sing, then you’re free to go.” 

“No microphone?” you asked. “This place is pretty big.” You looked around at the empty ice, the people occupying the stands, already forming a bit of a crowd. You found Mikasa relatively quickly; she waved, and you waved back before continuing your conversation. 

“Yeah, once I’m done I’ll hand it to you,” he smiled.

“Once you're done?” You cocked an eyebrow.

“It’s the first game of the year; I have to give a proper introduction,” he held his head high. You laughed; the stories that Eren told were not far off in describing him.

“I guess I have a tough act to follow,” you smiled. 

“Nonsense,” he scoffed, leaning the mat against the boards. “I’ll be right back.” He was gone in a flash, down the hallway. You sighed, taking in your surroundings once more. As bass-boosted music filled the building, you looked down the ice in the direction he went, seeing him pop up again, phone in one hand, fist balled in the other, holding it out as the players started heading on the ice, each of them bumping his hand as you watched him speak with a smirk, patting some on the back as they went out. You eyed each of the players skating out, looking at last names that could resemble any sort of nickname that was possibly mentioned when talking to Eren; you were clueless and nervous. Connie returned as you watched the names and numbers flash by in front of you.

“You have ten minutes still; relax a little bit,” Connie nudged you, shouting over the noise, feeling your phone vibrate against you. You looked up towards Mikasa, who was already gesturing to her phone.

Stop shaking she sent. You looked at her, shrugging, but you tried your best to stop, and it actually helped; you were feeling warmer now. You took a few more deep breaths before it all came to a close; the moment arrived. Connie pushed open the door infront of you, slowly laying out the mat, making his way onto it with his hands in the air as the lights dimmed with tints of your school’s colors. The whole team was lined up beside him along the goal line, helmets off, bobbing back and forth on their skates, looking straight ahead.

“Good evening, everyone,” he began. You smiled as he put on an announcer voice rasing his hands, bringing the crowd on, as he announced the matchup, the visiting team’s starting lineup before moving to yours; the entire building fell silent.

“Starting at right wing, number thirteen, Eren Yeager.” His voice grew as he said the phrase; the entire building clapped once in unity with the entire line slapping their sticks on the ice as he skated up to the blue line.

“And on the left, number twenty-nine, Colt Grice,” he said, the line with the same reaction.

“Centering the two, your captain, number seventeen, Jean Kirstein,” you joined the unified reaction this time, hearing some cheers from the crowd, watching him skate to the line, clearly a fan favorite, as you looked toward Mikasa, crossing her arms, glaring at the group of girls in front of her, the source of the cheering.

“And on the back end, number five, Porco Galliard,” same reaction; as he dragged the name way longer than he needed to, you were catching on quickly.

“Alongside him, number fourteen, Reiner Braun,” the group in front of Mikasa went crazy again. 

“And in between the pipes, number thirty-two, Bertholdt Hoover,” he dragged on as he skated up, looking back at you once before continuing.

“And now a treat, our very own Y/N will sing our anthem,” he smiled, walking back towards you, handing you the mic as you stepped on the mat. Your heart was pounding as everyone turned to face you. You took one final deep breath before starting, your voice filling the building around you, eyes shut, focusing only on getting through this calmly before joining your friend back up in the stands. Little did you know the action going on behind you.

“Who’s that?” Jean whispered to Eren down the line,

“Mikasa’s roommate,” he smiled, “don’t even think about it.” 

“Shush,” Colt chimed in, trying to refind his center of focus.

“Look at that, the rook is telling me to shush,” Jean smirked.

“All of you stop it,” Porco snapped, peeking at Reiner next to him, “Nothing from you?”

“She’s-” Reiner began in awe, but before he could finish, you were done, taking in the applause rejoined by the slapping of sticks, as Connie guided you off the mat. 

“Woah, when Eren said you could sing-” you stopped him.

“Doubting me?” You asked. He shook his head, quickly walking you back to the stairs. You ran up them, joining Mikasa and the other figure who must have appeared in your little moment of fame.

“You were great, Y/N,” Armin smiled as you sat in between the two.

“Thanks,” you looked toward Mikasa,

“I knew you could do it,” she sighed, her head resting in her hands, waiting for the game to officially start. A few of the girls in front looked back at you as you sat talking to Armin, who was giving you nothing but compliments.

“Who are they?” you whispered to Mikasa, cocking your head toward the group.

“Ignore them,” she grumbled, sitting up as the game was about to begin. One of them stood up, walking back towards your group.

“Hey Mikasa,” she said, “and Y/N, was it?” You nodded; Mikasa looked around her at the game going on in front.

“You were so good,” the girl continued. You could see through the fake smile, “Are you going to be here more often?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” you said. You glanced over at Mikasa.

“Some of us are trying to watch, not just get in their pants,” she snapped at the girl, clearly not taking the hint.

“Then why are you here?” she laughed obnoxiously loud, turning and going back to her seat. The entire group turned to face you now.

“What a bitch,” you scoffed.

“I hate them; they come to every game,” her eyes narrowed on the group before flickering back to the ice. 

“Mikasa,” Armin began, but the energy in the building was growing, as her posture straightened completely. Eren was dancing down the ice with the puck, Jean across; the single opposing defender stood no chance. Eren passed to Jean, fanning on the shot, sliding it back to Eren, who buried the puck and scored. The three of you cheered as Chelsea Dagger rang through the arena; he skated in front of the bench, getting pats from all of his teammates before taking a seat.

“Okay, that was awesome,” you smiled.

“I’ve been trying to tell you,” she said.

“Y/N has never been before?” Armin asked. You shook your head; he looked stunned and appalled. The game continued, the three of you talking. Armin explained the rules to you, as you watched there was chatter on the bench.

“So Yeags?” Reiner began, nodding his head back towards the bleachers, the two looking at both of you.

“What?” Eren’s attention was only slightly there before returning to watching in front of him, shouting at his teammates.

“The singer, she was pretty good. How do you know her?” Reiner tried to ask nonchalantly, but it was hopeless; he couldn’t get you out of his head even in the middle of an intense battle.

“Shut up,” Porco smacked his helmet, “we’re up next.” The two stood ready for the line change as they were being called on, dropping the subject of you for now. The period ended moments later, tied at one, with a brief ten-minute break. 

“I’m gonna get some snacks; you want anything?” Armin asked. 

“Something preferably warm,” you smiled, rubbing your hands on your legs; the metal bleachers below you brought back all the chills you were able to get rid of earlier. He went his way, leaving the two of you, the girls glancing back at the two of you.

“Okay, what is their deal?” you had her now.

“Wannabe girlfriends; puck bunnies as they call them. The guys give them no attention, mostly; neither do I,” she said.

“So why do they keep looking at me?”

“New pretty girl around here, threatening for a bunny,” she shrugged.

“But I’m not here for-”

“I know, but they don’t know that.” You two looked back out at the ice, but your eyes kept shifting to the girls in front of you, scrolling on their phones, pulling up pictures of random guys who you assumed were players on the team, giggling. Armin returned when the game got started again, handing you a hot pretzel, and Mikasa a bag of red licorice; he joined you with a pretzel, offering you pieces of the chocolate he had as well. Something clearly happened in the locker room because the team came out much more aggressive. The crashing of padding into the boards and glass rang throughout the arena; you winced at each hit. Violence was not really your thing, or so you thought.

“How can he do that?” You gasped, watching Eren take a hard blow.

“He’s fine,” she smiled before standing up and shouting; a whole new side of her revealed itself.

“What the hell?” You looked at Armin.

“Hockey does things to her,” he grinned, joining her in the shouting. You were so confused, sitting between the two of them. Eren got up quickly, but the person who just hit him was sent right back down by number fourteen. He was a lot bigger than the rest of the team; for him, that hit seemed almost effortless compared to Eren’s. He almost bounced off the guy, causing a roar of cheers, including the girls, as he took the puck, passing it to one of the other players, who lost it, turning it over to the visiting team. They shot it; your goalie stopped it, temporarily, but you couldn’t see the puck, a player on the opposing team in front poking at him as he fell into the splits, hands down, reaching and stretching when the whistle eventually blew, then more times as the players started grabbing each other. The goalie stood up, puck in glove, skating out of the mess he just caused, handing the puck to the ref as you watched the event.

Number fourteen, Reiner Braun, once again in the action, grabbed this guy by the collar of his shoulder pads, yanking at him, yelling profanities in his face, which made the other guy start reaching towards his head in an attempt to land a punch. Number five, Porco Galliard joined in, trying to pull the two apart, taking a stab of his own at the opposing player. Fourteen shoved him off, landing a clean punch, sending the helmet of his victim off; his was yanked off quickly after, before the two ended up on the ground in a heap of limbs, trying to be broken apart by the refs. The two stood up as the crowd was going crazy, fourteen waving his hands in the air wanting more noise, smiling as blood dripped from his crooked nose. Your eyes met his for a brief moment, the smile on his face growing slightly before he made his way to the penalty box, joined by number five, who did not look as happy to be there.

“What the fuck?” Porco slammed his stick down.

“Touched Bert,” Reiner said cockily, wiping the sweat off his forehead, taking the tissues the trainer between the two boxes held out for him, “thanks,” he breathed.

“Yeah, I know,” Porco shook his head scowling at the other penalty box, “but now we’re down a man because of your little show.”

“Did what I needed to, guy’s a pigeon, Gally,” Reiner sighed, his lips twitched into a slight smirk, looking back across the ice at you, talking to Mikasa and Armin. 

“You think this is some kind of joke? It’s tied,” Porco continued yelling.

“Take it easy; a little entertainment couldn’t hurt,” Reiner continued wiping his nose.

“This about her?” Porco followed his eyes to you, looking as annoyed as ever; you were on the edge of your seat. Reiner looked at him briefly, a smug look as he took away the tissues, before looking back towards the stands.

“And if it was?” He said.

“You’re an idiot,” Porco sighed. You were full of adrenaline now. 

“Holy shit, they can just do that,” you were cheering as Reiner demanded.

“Have you learned nothing from Eren’s stories?” Mikasa laughed.

“He does tend to be dramatic; how was I supposed to know when he said fight, he really meant fight?” You caught your breath from cheering, sitting back down, watching the rest of the game unfold. The two were released from their penalties eventually; your team had scored two more times, the crowd going crazy when seventeen, Kirstein scored; he tapped the glass in front of the ‘bunnies’ as he skated through the fist bump line. The game ended; your team had won 3-1, a great first game of the season. They all skated around center ice waving their sticks in the air as a thank you to their fans. The three of you clapped before heading back down to the hallway, waiting by the locker room where the girls already were, watching them all come off the ice, listening to their incomprehensible cheers. Eren made his way to the three of you, walking past the group, all fawning over him despite Mikasa standing only a few feet away. 

“So what did you think, Y/N?” He smirked

“That was incredible,” you exclaimed.

“You wanna do it again next weekend?” he grinned.

“No pressure,” Mikasa shot him a look.

“Would the guys like that?” you asked, but the look on his face answered the question for you. 

“Okay, I’m in,” you smiled. 

“Catch you guys after, party tonight at the house,” he cheered, heading into the locker room, the unified voices shouting the words of Sex on Fire escaping as the door opened. The three of you waited in the cold for him, watching the players come out, each dressed in a unique suit, some smiling at your group, greeting Mikasa as she was a familiar face; you couldn’t help but blush. They were all fairly attractive, some more than others. 

“The famous Y/N,” one finally said, his hand fiddling with his tie. You looked at the tall brunette, who had a smirk across his face.

“This is Jean,” Mikasa said.

“The captain?” You asked; 

“In the flesh,” he nodded, now running his hands through his damp mullet. “You have quite the voice,” he grinned.

“Thank you,” you blushed.

“See you around,” he winked, heading in the direction of the girls, giving them the fan service they desired, before heading out. 

“Stupid horse,” Mikasa’s lips pursed.

“He seemed friendly…” You laughed.

You knew who the next one out was immediately: the bandaged nose, the blonde hair, the same cocky smile from before, but it all disappeared when his eyes met yours. He looked almost frightened, joined by a lanky brunette, who looked extremely exhausted. You smirked as the two walked past the girls, who were only gushing over the blonde who gave them nothing in return; his eyes were glued to you.

“Y/N, is it?” he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck, Mikasa rolling her eyes.

“Don’t try anything stupid, Ripp,” she sighed.

“I’m not, Mikasa. I just came to tell her she is a great singer and she should do it again,” he smiled, crossing his arms, proud of himself.

“Oh, Eren’s talked about you,” you grin, “training camp you ri-” recalling one of Eren’s tales.

“It’s Reiner, actually,” he cut you off, preventing you from embarrassing him, “and this is Bertholdt,” who looked at you very sheepishly, waving. 

“You were very good,” he said softly. 

“Thank you guys,” you tried to remain humble, but the praise was overwhelming.

“You all coming to the party?” The three of you nodded in agreement, and just like that, they were gone. Eren had finally emerged from the locker room, walking back with the three of you until you and Mikasa peeled off, stripping out of your warm clothes, which were doing their job now, changing into something more suitable for a party.

“No school colors,” she gestured at the top you picked out.

“Why?” You peeled the top off; she was already sorting through your closet.

“Rules,” she handed you something more neutral; you put it on, looking yourself over once more.

“I have much to learn, don’t I?” You smiled as the two of you strolled out the door, towards the row houses that decorated your campus.

“I can’t say much; I’m not supposed to know half of what I do.” She looked off into the distance, but you couldn’t help but be curious.

“Like what?” You were on the edge of your seat.

“They just have certain rules, and certain things happen when people break them,” she sighed, being as vague as she possibly could. What things? You wondered, and what were the said consequences?

You two arrived at the right address, hearing the blaring house music coming from inside and the small flashing light shining through the basement window by your feet. 

“Tell me if you are ever uncomfortable, and we can leave,” she said. “These parties can get a little…intense.”