in the middle of the chaos | jean kirstein x fem!reader

4 | in the middle of the forest

''Of course I can! Piece of cake!'' Sasha said.

Jean looked ahead, determination written on his face. ''All right, then!'' He kicked his horse and sped off, right after the lizard.

''Hey!''

''If hunting for food is part of the exercise, then what's better than getting that lizard?'' Jean called, looking back.

''HEY! WAIT FOR ME!'' Y/n kicked her horse too, speeding after Jean.

''Y/n!''

''Don't do that!'' Christa called to the two.

''I'm going, too!'' Eren suddenly said.

Jean took out his blades as he neared the lizard, trying to slice it when his blade met another — Eren had stopped him from catching the prey. Eren pushed Jean and his horse back with his blade. Y/n came to a stop behind the two.

''What are you doing?!'' Jean yelled at Eren.

''This isn't a game!'' Eren yelled back.

''We don't even have an Instructor! This training won't get us anywhere!''

''Stop it!'' Marco had gotten off his horse now.

''You're acting like brats!'' Connie called.

Jean looked back, straight at Connie. ''I don't wanna hear that from you!''

Marco walked over to scold Jean, then told Armin not to continue writing. Jean, on the other hand, told Armin to write down exactly what had happened.

''IT'S DELICIOUS!'' Sasha suddenly yelled, causing everyone to look back at her.

Marco sighed. ''Let's go.''

Jean relented. ''Okay.''

Everyone started moving, though Sasha remained in place, talking to herself. ''Given its size, it could've fed all of us . . .''

They only came to a stop at nightfall — Y/n sprawled on the ground once she was off her horse, glad to be able to rest her back. Sasha and Connie stepped over her as they went to help Marco and Armin set up camp, though she didn't care. She needed a moment.

''Someone's gonna step on your face, idiot.''

Y/n opened her eyes, meeting Jean's right above her. He looked even taller than usual from here. ''Who would deliberately step on my face?''

''Me.''

''Try it, Moron Kirstein.''

Jean lifted his foot and Y/n quickly moved out of the way, avoiding the sole of his boot. ''Jeez, a girl can't rest her back around here.''

''Come and help, lazy ass.'' Jean pulled her by the arm, holding on a bag with supplies that was slung over his shoulder.

The group set up camp and two fires, cooking the rations they were given by Shadis. ''So this is what squad supplies taste like . . .'' Connie complained.

''It would've been better if we'd caught the lizard.'' Sasha said.

''Enough. I've heard enough about lizards.'' Jean said.

''Weren't you hunting one just now?''

Jean stopped eating his cracker. He sighed and spoke. ''Well, we are supposed to hunt titans, right?''

Eren spoke from behind Y/n and Jean. ''And what do you mean by that? Why did you even join the training corps?'' Eren got up.

Jean followed. ''To live something better than a humble life, at the very least.''

''What did you say?!''

''You think that when a titan shows up the results of training hard will pay off? Good jo—''

''That's enough from you!'' Eren grabbed Jean by the collar, yelling in his face. Y/n quickly got up so the two boys wouldn't step on her hand.

''Stop it!'' Christa called.

''How about we actually hunt lizards?'' Sasha suggested, but no one was listening. ''You'll feel better after that!''

The two boys continued yelling at each other while Sasha continued preaching about her lizards. Y/n sighed and walked over to one of the sleeping bags, unrolling on the ground and laying inside, trying to ignore the commotion. It wasn't long before the two calmed down and the rest of the group did the same. Jean grabbed a sleeping bag and walked over to Y/n, rolling it out next to her and sliding in.

''That dumbass Jeager, thinking he's gonna kill all the titans in the world,'' Jean mumbled under his breath, only loud enough for Y/n to hear.

Eren, however, didn't miss it. ''I heard that, Horse-Face!''

''Good, Suicidal Maniac!''

''Shut up and sleep!'' Connie called.

Jean scoffed. ''Fine!'' He lowered his voice, his eyes finally meeting Y/n's. ''Good night.'' He whispered.

Y/n snorted. ''Night, Jean-Bo.'' Jean closed his eyes and soon started snoring.

Y/n couldn't sleep.

She watched Jean sleep. She thought about their future, about going to the interior to live, as Jean had put, a 'more than a humble life'. Her father had done that, too, once upon a time. He'd been just like her, wishing to get out of the small town and live inside the most inner wall. But why, why had he chosen to let go of that life? Why had he gone out there?

Because he was a moron who only thought about himself. Because he just had to go and throw his life away for humanity. She almost wanted to scoff.

Agitation filled her. She needed to walk the annoyance off before she want to sleep. Carefully and without waking Jean or anyone else, Y/n slid out of her sleeping bag and walked away.

There was a pond near the camp. No one was there. Y/n sat at the edge and looked at the reflection of the moon and the trees. It was calm, the only sound filling the air the one of grasshoppers.

Snap.

Y/n looked at where the sound came from. There was no one there but a lizard passing through the bushes. She sighed in relief. ''I'm probably loosing it.''

Something sharp pressed to her throat and her breath hitched.

She screamed.