I live, I die, I live again [Eren J.]

6: That Day Humanity received a Grim Reminder

" I heard they made a drunkard like you Squad Leader of a Garrison unit, " the boy snarked. Hannes chortled.

" Touche! " His grin dimmed to a somber look of regret. " Sorry, Eren. I'm sorry I couldn't save your mother. "

" It's not your fault, Hannes. I'm no longer ignorant. I won't let that sort of tragedy happen again. " Eren was resolute. " I will defeat the Titans. "

The blond man couldn't help but look upon the boy— now young man on the cusp of adulthood— with fond but worried eyes.

" Ah, should I be happy or not that you've grown into a man, I wonder? Just don't die... Oh! " Hannes finally noticed Mikoto, whom Eren still had tucked under his arm. " Who's this? " He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively— much to Eren's profound embarrassment.

" Mikoto Rothschild, " she replied, her chin raised haughtily. Eren pinched her arm lightly with a disapproving look, to which she rolled her eyes and begrudgingly added— " Nice to meet you or whatever. "

" Rothschild, huh? " Hannes laughed heartily. " Aren't you the Top Two from the Southern Division's graduating bunch? I heard they gave you the nickname 'Aello'. The Whirlwind. "

" Aello? " Eren snorted. " What kind of shitty nickname is that? " Mikoto sneered.

" Better than yours, Suicidal Bastard, " she jeered.

" At least her's isn't a bitch to pronounce— " the man interjected before Eren could bite back "— your sister's being called 'Ocypete' as the other half of the Harpy Twins. "

Mikoto rolled her eyes. Ah yes, the twin thing. It started way back in their second year as a cadet when a new instructor transferring from a different training camp made the assumption that Mikoto and Mikasa were twins. Up till that point no one had really noted how close their names sounded or their facial similarities but once it was out in the open like that, they'd been lumped together as pseudo-siblings ever since... Much to Eren's abject internal conflict.

" Oh-Sigh— what? "

" And speaking of Mikasa, my darling fake twin, I have to go find her before she comes find me... We're supposed to report to HQ in, like, fifteen minutes for some fucking talk, " she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

The Garrison thought they were being smooth... but everyone and their mother knew they were going to try offering the Top One and Top Two any amount of platitude and position to get them to enlist to the branch.

" Looking forward to hearing you bitch to me all about it later then, " Eren snickered as she pushed his shoulder lightly in jest offense.

" Stay out of trouble, Green Eyes! If you start I fight, I better be there to laugh as you get beaten up! " Her sly eyes slid over to (an admittedly amused) Hannes. " Old man, next time you've gotta tell me all the embarrassing stories you have about— " Her ribbing was cut off when Eren caught her in a quick headlock just to flick her on the nose.

" Get the fuck out of here, Princess! "

" Fuck you! "

Her wild laughter echoed as she disappeared from view. The grin on his face didn't wane, right up until—

" Your lover's a real spitfire, isn't she? " Hannes commented slyly.

" Oh! " Eren started, his green eyes wide as the words sunk in. " She's, uh, she's... she's not my, um... she's not my love... lover... "

The heat in his ears said it all.

—

The flash of yellow lightning bathed their skin in yellow light long before the thunderous explosion of the Trost gate being breached reached their ears. Peering from one of the many windows of the HQ as the Colossal Titan's head loomed over the Wall, Mikoto and Mikasa— like many others— stood still as the realization washed over them.