The new Levi Squad arrived at their destination, a small cottage concealed deep within the woods appearing into their line of sight. Stopping at the stables, Taryn hopped down from her horse, landing on her feet as she stared up at the place they were supposed to stay in for the time being.
"Tie them up properly, we won't have time to look for new horses if they get lost," The Captain ordered them in a stern voice, glancing over his shoulder as he made his way over to the cottage's entrance. "Let's go."
"Yes sir!" They chorused, the group proceeding to tie the leashes into tight and secure knots. Up until now, Taryn still couldn't believe that she was now officially part of the new Special Operations Squad, as she knew that honor was only reserved for the best of best in the Scouts. She was desperate to make an impression and to do a good job, much like all the others.
She finally got her hands to shop shaking from the nerves, securing the knot before patting Eros on the head. He then nudged her head in affection, making her smile. It had been a long time since she was able to see the horse, so she had been delighted once she found out that she was allowed to bring him along on their little trip.
Sparing Eros one last glance, she ran over to catch up with the others, all of whom were silent and nervous at the prospect of working alongside Humanity's Strongest Soldier. Even Sasha and Connie, who would normally have a hard time keeping their mouths shut for any longer than minute, were being unusually quiet. It didn't help that Eren had just told them about how scary the Captain could get when made angry, his warning only adding to the overwhelming fear they were feeling at the moment.
She felt someone's hand loop through her arm, and she turned to see Sasha, looking frightened. "I'm wondering if this is a good choice," The girl muttered out, her eyes widening in fright. "Should we make a run for it?"
Connie then appeared on her other side, clutching unto her free arm tightly. "Count me in."
The two were holding unto her as if their lives depended on it, their heads blocking her view, making breathing a little bit difficult. "I can't breathe."
"I can't either."
"Honestly, I feel like I'm about to faint."
Gulping, the three made their way over to the cottage, trailing behind the others. Ahead of them, they saw Captain Levi crack open the doors to the inside, the creaking sound it made sharply cutting through the silence that had enveloped them. He then lifted up a hand, beckoning for them to enter.
Stepping into the room, they glanced around, eyeing the place. The cottage, though small from the outside turned out to be quite spacious, with a living area to their right and a dining room to their left. Up ahead was the entry way to the kitchens and a secluded hallway that led to four doors, which they assumed were the bathrooms and the bedrooms. The place had a rustic and cozy vibe, the homey decor and warm wood tones making it all the more charming.
Captain Levi surveyed the room along with them, clicking his tongue once he caught sight of the dirt that had started to accumulate, most likely due to the years of abandonment. Moving closer, he ran a hand through the empty dining table, looking disdained as he saw the thick layer of dust that coated his fingertips. The man frowned, before proceeding to wipe it clean with a handkerchief.
He turned back to them, an expectant look on his face. "You will be staying here for the time being, while I'll be in Trost for three days. Some soldiers will come here to check on you every now and then. And I expect this place to be spotless when I get back."
"You can walk around, but do not wander too far from here. No riding the horses, no making a mess, go to bed by ten o'clock. Eren, do not transform unless permitted or absolutely necessary," He went on, raising a single brow at them. "Are we clear?"
"Yes sir." They chanted back in unison, to which the Captain responded with a curt nod. He then left for the outside without another word, exiting the place and leaving them to their own devices. They blinked at his retreating figure, not moving an inch until he was completely out of sight. They only managed to exhale in relief once they heard him mount his horse, the clicking of hooves getting farther and farther by each second.
Connie let out a shaky breath, his hands flying to his chest. "I swear, I felt like my heart was going to burst," He began to shake his head. "Is it going to be like this every time?"
Eren sighed, patting the shorter male comfortingly on the back. "You'll get used to it."
Jean scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Like you would know." He muttered under his breath as he walked past the two, though Eren heard him loud and clear.
The brunette glanced back at him with narrowed eyes, his arms crossing in annoyance. "What's your deal?"
"Nothing, I just hate when you try to act all high and mighty, all because you spent a month with the Captain," Jean drawled. "It's really annoying."
The tension in the air grew by a tenfold, with the two males glaring at each other fiercely from across the room. Eren's eye twitched in irritation, clenching his fists tightly while Jean raised a taunting brow at the brunette, challenging him.
Mikasa, sensing the inevitable argument that was going to break out, sighed in exasperation. "Boys, cut it out."
"Yeah, it's still so early," Sasha added. Her face lit up, her eyes shining with excitement as an idea crossed her mind. "Why don't we walk around? Explore the place? There's the forest nearby, we might even run into some wild animals."
Jean yawned, stretching his arms before sauntering over to the girl, a lazy smile taking over his features. "Good idea, Sasha. Let's go."
Their words and lax attitude caused Eren's eyes to widen, the boy going after them immediately. "Wait a minute—we're supposed to clean!" He yelled at the two who were now making their way towards the door. "Didn't you hear what Captain Levi said? He wants the cottage to be spotless when he gets back!"
Jean sighed loudly. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, looking back at Eren and snarling at him over his shoulder. "Oh come on, we have three days for that! And suppose we clean right now, we're going to mess it up not even a day after anyway. It's useless."
"There's a difference between cleaning up and maintaining the place. At least it won't be as filthy as it was before!"
"Then go clean by yourself if you want to! Everyone's exhausted from traveling, don't bring us into it."
He then started to made his way towards the outside, Connie and Sasha following after him shortly with not-so-apologetic looks painted on their faces. Historia trailed behind them, and the group began to file out slowly, leaving Eren all alone and fuming in the room.
Taryn sighed, snatching a broom from the corner before approaching the brunette who looked as if there were puffs of steam coming out from his ears with the way he watched the others with indignation. "I'll help you, Eren." She told him, her statement catching Jean's attention immediately.
He stopped in his tracks, staring back at her with an expression of disbelief. "Wha—huh? Aren't you tired?"
"Not really," She shrugged in response. "Plus, he's right. We shouldn't be procrastinating."
"But—"
"Well, Jean, what are you waiting for?" Eren suddenly pushed in between them. It was his turn to mock him, the corners of his mouth lifting up into a slight smirk. "I thought you wanted to relax? Go ahead."
His fist was itching to come into contact with his face already. "Shut up..."
Eren only chuckled at his lack of speech, waving a hand at the boy to dismiss him. "Don't be in a bad mood, go on. I'm sure we'll be okay over here."
He took ahold of his shoulders before pushing him away, moving him towards the exit where the others were watching the scene unfold in anticipation. Jean struggled against Eren's grasp, trying to pry him off, yelling in frustration when he had been shoved to the outside. "Stop pushing me—!"
Eren shut the door in his face, peeking out of the window to send Jean a sickeningly sweet smile. He raised his hand to wave at him again, quite enjoying the sight of his features twisting into an expression of anger. "Bye! Have fun!"
...
"That—fucking—blockhead!"
Jean screamed from the top of his lungs, his voice echoing from across the riverbank throughout the forest. His outburst succeeded in startling them all, that even the birds perched on top of the tree branches flew away from the sudden disturbance. Sasha and Connie watched as he threw all sorts of things at the river in front of them, the water rippling with every rock that hit its surface.
"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if it flooded all of a sudden," Connie told him with a sing song voice, the boy lying comfortably on a huge rock behind him. "What did that river do to you, Jean? Stop throwing rocks at it."
"I'm just imagining how good it'd be to hit that jerk's face," He snapped back, his mouth curving down into a frown. "I'm sick of him."
The boy quirked up a single brow at him, doubting his declaration. "But you two slept next to each other during training?"
"Shut up. I was sleeping, how could I've known I was right next to him?"
"We all know you two don't hate each other as much as you like to think," Sasha began to say. She let out a deep breath, savoring the rare peace she got to enjoy during the moment, before turning back to Jean and sending him a knowing look. "You're just irritated."
"Yeah, you've been quite moody these days," Connie agreed. "Something on your mind?"
Jean scoffed at them, shaking his head in disagreement. "What are you two saying? I am perfectly fine."
The two sighed, exchanging looks of exasperation before leaning back on the rocks' flat surfaces, lying down with their hands supporting the back of their heads. "Suit yourself."
They left Jean to his own, and he took the silence as an opportunity to try and calm himself down. His eyes glazed over his surroundings, slightly in awe of the sight that presented itself before him. The trees of the forest were a lush green, paired with the faint chirping of birds sounding out in the background. Wild flowers bloomed in every corner, the picturesque image of it all being reflected in the crystal clear water. It was a simple scenery, yet he found himself having the sudden urge to paint it, if only to capture the moment.
His gaze traveled to where the others were at. While Sasha and Connie were lazing around next to the river right behind him, Armin and Krista—Historia, were huddled in another corner, seemingly in their own world as Armin began to talk to the girl about something he couldn't quite catch on to. They had surprisingly chosen to come along their little trip around the forest, while Mikasa stayed behind to help Eren and Taryn with the cleaning.
He frowned almost instantly, feeling that little spark of irritation that burned inside him whenever he thought of the two. Silently, he agreed with Connie, admitting that there had been something bothering him lately. It was something that he knew all too well, the familiarity of the emotion only causing him to be confused as to why he was feeling that way for the past few days.
Jean wasn't a stranger to jealousy. In fact, he greeted it like an old friend, somthing that would come and stop by every once in a while. He felt it whenever the instructors back at the training camp would praise someone else instead of him, even though their outputs had been the exact same.
He felt it that time when he went for a walk and managed to catch a glimpse of children his age, innocent and not having a care in the world. He felt it whenever Mikasa looked at Eren with such affection, never sparing Jean a glance yet pouring all of her attention to the brunette.
And now, he felt jealous whenever he saw Eren and Taryn together. He'd get so worked up and irritated until it was all he could think about, and he didn't even know why he was feeling that way.
Yet that wasn't all that had been bugging him. Every time he was left to his own thoughts, he found his mind wandering back to the two's conversation at the hospital wing. Fading in out of consciousness, mostly due to the noise Sasha and Connie were making, he had only managed to hear Eren call Taryn out on her selflessness, and that Jean had been taking advantage of it. Everything felt like a blur after that, but he's heard enough to get the gist of what they've been talking about.
He didn't want to admit it, and he wanted to convince himself that Eren was just mistaken, but he couldn't deny that there had been truth to his words. He knew he was right and that he was indeed treating the girl unfairly. And truth be told, he was a bit ashamed that it took Eren, out of all people, to spell it out for him to realize what exactly he had been doing.
Chewing on his bottom lip nervously, he faced the others, forcing out the words that were stuck in his throat. "Hey...do you guys think I'm being unfair to Taryn?"
Sasha and Connie immediately perked up from their seats. The both of them widened their eyes at his words, not expecting him out of all people to be the one to bring the matter up first. They shared a brief look with each other, before turning to the boy with a questioning glance. "Why'd you ask?"
He shrugged. "No reason."
Connie sat upright on the rock, bringing a hand to his chin as if to show that he was thinking about it. "Do you want the honest answer or do you want the honest answer?"
Jean rolled his eyes in response. "Just tell me."
They didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes."
"Absolutely."
"A hundred times yes."
"Precisely, without a doubt, hands down, unquestionably, needless to say—"
Jean cut them off, already getting the point. "Alright, alright, I get it."
"Oh, do you?" Sasha piped up, a frown on her face as she looked at him. "Then be nicer to her!"
He scoffed. "Since when was I not nice?"
She hummed in thought before opening her mouth to say something, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "I don't know, maybe when you blamed her and got her in trouble with Shadis for all the shit you did when we were trainees?"
Connie snickered, adding to the attack. "When you kept bugging her about Mikasa even though she clearly doesn't want to talk about it?"
"Or maybe, when she saved you and Armin from getting eaten by a Titan?" Sasha narrowed her eyes. "I don't think I've ever heard a 'thank you' escape your mouth."
"That was all a long time ago!"
"But did you apologize?"
Jean looked away sheepishly. "No..."
They sighed, already expecting his answer. "Well, you've toned down ever since...ever since what happened in Trost, but you're still an asshole."
"Then what should I do?"
"Just...be nice?" Sasha told him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She cast her gaze down to the river, admiring the small ripples that broke the calm surface every now and then. "Don't be rash, be a gentleman."
Jean was staring at the river as well, silently waiting for her to say more, only to be met with silence. He craned her neck to face her, raising a brow in puzzlement. "That's it?"
She shrugged her shoulders, still looking distractedly at the water. "I mean, you're already fine as is. You just tend to act before you think."
"Yep," Connie agreed, popping the 'p' to the end of his statement. Tearing his gaze away from the river, his eyes caught onto something a few feet behind Jean, his lips pulling back into a sneaky grin at the sight. "Actually, you can try it out right now."
The boy whirled around to face him, confusion evident on his features. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Connie let out a mean chuckle. "She's right behind you."
At his sentence, Jean gave out a jump of surprise, turning around almost immediately. True to Connie's words, he saw Taryn approaching them slowly, carrying a collection of buckets in both her hands. Catching their stares, the girl lifted up a hand to wave at them, with Sasha and Connie returning the gesture eagerly.
Jean gulped, hating the way his heart skipped a beat when he saw her. "H-Hi."
She smiled back at him, setting down the buckets on a rock nearby. "Hi."
"Hello, Taryn," Connie smiled back, not-so-discreetly laughing along with Sasha at the way Jean glared at them from the corner of his eye. "We were just talking about you."
Taryn raised a questioning brow, but chose not to dwell on the matter any longer. "All good things, I hope?"
Sasha grinned. "Oh, definitely."
Their eyes traveled to Jean, who had been standing frozen in the corner for the whole duration of their interaction. Connie kicked him in the shin, urging him to go and talk to her already.
Jean cussed at him quietly before turning away, clearing his throat, walking closer to her by a fraction. "What are you doing?"
Taryn began to dip the bucket she was holding into the river, letting it fill to the brim before setting it aside. She grabbed another one from her stack, repeating the same process over and over. "Fetching water. The plumbing's not working, so Eren and Mikasa are fixing it right now."
His mood soured the moment he heard the bastard's name again, frowning once more. "Does he even know how to—ow!" He didn't get to finish sentence as Connie kicked him harshly on the leg once again, making him cry out in pain. Jean glared at him, to which Connie responded by frantically gesturing towards the buckets.
His eyes widened slightly in realization, his mind finally piecing together what the boy had been trying to say. He then made his way over to Taryn, tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Uh, let me help you with that."
She peered up at him in faint surprise, confusion spreading across her face. "Huh?"
He began to pick up the half-full bucket she was holding, crouching down next to her so as to continue filling the thing with water. He faced her with a small smile, a tint of pink dusting her cheeks as he did so. "I'll do it for you."
She was at a loss for words, before the sound of Sasha giggling broke her out of her stupor. Blinking at Jean, she stood up from her spot, still a bit puzzled at his sudden attitude. "Oh, um...okay."
Gaining a bit of confidence, his smile transitioned into a smirk, his arms continuing on filling the buckets with water. "Yeah, so in return, just stay here." As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a foot against his back, and this time it had been Sasha to abuse him. He scowled at the girl, to which she responded by shaking her head, telling him to shut up.
Taryn's eyes darted from him to Sasha, utterly confused at what was going on right before her. She turned back to Jean, flashing him a disproving look. "I still have to clean."
He heaved a sigh, giving up. "Okay fine, fine. Go ahead."
With one last glance, she patted him on the shoulder in gratitude, before skipping away and heading on to the path she came through earlier. She raised a hand to wave at them again, her tone cheery. "Thank you!"
"It's nothing." He waved back, his eyes locking unto her frame. He watched as she made her way back to the cottage, the girl often stumbling on some rocks along with her hair getting stuck in some branches, the scene causing him to chuckle lightly. Her retreating figure grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the woods, the trees obscuring her from his sight.
He then felt Sasha and Connie's eyes on him, their stares prickling his skin like bothersome needles. Snarling, he turned to face the two, glaring back at them fiercely. "If you two kick me one more time, I will lose it," He snapped, but his irritation only seemed to fuel their amusement, the both of them bursting out in laughter. Jean rolled his eyes. "Happy now?"
"Oh yes," Sasha smiled, lying back down on the comfy rock. "That was fucking awkward, but it's a good start."
"You still haven't answered our question," Came Connie's voice. His face took on a mischievous expression, a look that Jean didn't like at all. "Why the sudden urge to impress her?"
Jean sighed. Admittedly, he himself didn't know what came over him all of a sudden. Some part of him felt bad, realizing just how awful he treated Taryn back then and even now, which made him want to make up for it and return the favor, if not even do more. And some tiny, shameless part of him wanted to prove that Eren was wrong. Though he knew it was stupid and very childish, he just didn't want Taryn to end up spending more time with the brunette instead of him.
Maybe it was the other, maybe it was both. He didn't know, his feelings were already complicated as is.
"I just felt bad, alright?" He answered shortly, not giving them the satisfaction. "Nothing else."
Sasha and Connie glanced at each other, knowing smiles plastered on their faces. They continued to tease him about it for the whole time being, as riling up Jean while he was currently occupied with something has always been their favorite past time.
"Aw, our little Jeanboy's all grown up—"
"Shut up, Potato Girl!"
...
Jean let out a heavy exhale as he carried the final bucket in his hands, the water spilling out it as he carelessly placed them down. Earlier, he might've freaked out and scolded himself for wasting it like that, but after several trips of going back and forth from the cottage to the river, transporting all the heavy buckets, he didn't really care. He just wanted to get it over with and lie down on a comfy bed already.
His arms ached with every movement, the sensation further contributing to his desire of collapsing. After being confined to that hospital bed for days, his body wasn't so used to the tedious amount of work they had to do anymore, and that was a terribly bad sign, especially since he was in Squad Levi now. He made a mental note to work out and lift some weights tomorrow, just to stay in shape.
He made his way over to the dining room, where he could see Sasha, Armin and Connie talking animatedly together while being seated at the large table. Their attention was immediately diverted as he entered, with Armin beckoning for him to sit down with them. He walked over to the area, not before letting his eyes scan the room, searching for a few missing people.
"Where are the others?" He inquired, plopping down on an empty chair beside Armin.
"I told Mikasa to rest, she still needs to heal," The blond answered. "Historia's outside, and Eren and Taryn are cooking dinner in the kitchen."
At the mention of the two together, the familiar feeling of irritation sparked through him again. "Cooking?"
Sasha groaned, seemingly angry. "Don't even bother knocking, they locked the doors and won't let me in."
Armin chuckled at this, amused at the girl's lament. "We all know why, Sasha."
She scoffed, crossing her arms in annoyance. That annoyance was soon replaced with a look of wonder, resting her chin on her palm as she turned her focus unto the ash brown haired boy in front of her. "Hey, Jean. Why don't you help them? You won that cooking battle we had a year ago, right?"
As soon as the words left her lips, Connie and Armin burst into giggles, as if they knew something she didn't, while Jean rolled his eyes, dreading to bring up the subject again. Sasha's brows furrowed in confusion. "What? Why are you guys laughing?"
"Well," Armin started, although he was struggling to keep a straight face. "Jean didn't actually cook that dish...he just heated up the omelette his mother gave him."
"Yeah, he actually sucks at cooking." Connie added, not even bothering to stifle his laughter as he watched Jean's face become overcome with fear, as Sasha's eyes widened from the revelation.
She sat up, grabbing Jean's collar abruptly. "Eh?! So you cheated?!"
He swatted her hand away, scowling at her. "I didn't wanna lose, what was I supposed to do?!"
"Cook your own dish!" She yelled, her face distraught. She collapsed down unto her seat, propping up her elbows unto the table and burying her face into her palms. "All this time, I thought I lost..." Her stomach let out a loud growl, catching everyone's attention. "Ugh, this is making me hungry!"
Connie sighed, resting his head on the table as well. "Me too. Eren and Taryn have been in there for hours."
Sasha stared at the doors to the kitchen, where the banging of pots and pans could be heard, the two obviously busy with whatever they were cooking. She turned to face Connie, sending him a look that he understood immediately, as if communicating telepathically. "They've gotten closer, haven't they?"
"They talk a lot these days," He added. Another smirk was playing on his lips. "And now they're locking doors."
Jean's eye twitched in aggravation, his gaze hard. "What...do you mean?"
"You know what I mean! A girl and a boy, in a room alone together, the doors locked," The boy wiggles his brows suggestively. "Something could happen."
The room went dead silent as the two stared at each other, not breaking eye contact. Armin and Sasha were watching the two eagerly, while Connie eventually began to grow intimidated under Jean's glare, and he let out a nervous laugh, his feeble attempt at breaking the tension.
"I'm kidding! Obviously it's because Sasha kept barging in, demanding for a taste—" He was interrupted by the sound of a chair scraping loudly against the ground, along with Jean bolting to the kitchen. Connie grimaced, his eyes trailing the boy's figure. "And there he goes again."
Sasha rubbed her eyes in distress. "Didn't we just talk about this..."
They watched as he made his way over to the kitchen's entryway where the doors were locked shut, concealing whatever was happening in there from their view. "Eren!" He banged his fists against the surface, shouting at the wooden barrier. "What exactly are you doing in there that's taking so long?"
The door creaked open by an inch, revealing not Eren, but Taryn. Her head peeked out of the small gap, a perplexed look on her face. "Do you need something?"
"Yes, we're starving and you two are taking too long—" He stopped in his tracks as he took note of her appearance, the sight making his jaw drop. Her brown locks were all over the place, as usual, but this time it appeared more tangled and knotty. As if...as if...
His mind flickered back to Connie's words, the thought only succeeding in aggravating him even further. "Why is your hair messy?"
He tried to push the door open, attempting to get in, but Taryn did the same, shoving the door forward. She frowned at him. "It's always messy."
They continued on their little game of push and pull, with Jean lunging at ever opportunity to get inside, and Taryn blocking his way every time. The poor door had been subject to the abuse, its metal knob almost coming off loose from their attacks.
He was already getting fed up. "What is going in there?!"
"You're going to break the door!" Taryn exclaimed, trying with all her might to close off the entryway again. "The fumes from the pot, Jean—it's making my hair frizz up—"
"Why won't you let me in—"
"Jean," Eren's voice reached his ears, and the boy himself popped in between them, facing him with a glare. "What are you doing?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"We're cooking dinner for everyone, obviously!"
"Are you really? 'Cause from what I know, cooking doesn't take hours to accomplish!"
"Oh, like you would know? How long does heating up your mommy's dish take, hm?"
"Shut up about that!"
"Will you two stop?" Taryn scolded, shutting the both of them up immediately. The two had been at each other's necks the moment they arrived, and she was already getting sick of it. She crossed her arms, turning to face Jean standing in the doorway. "If you're wondering why we took so long, we had to skin the boar, pick out the parts we wanted to keep or throw, rinse the meat, marinate, then roast it."
"Not to mention we had to cook extra side dishes, a pot of soup, and clean up the kitchen once we were done. I didn't want to let you in as Sasha might slip through and steal the ingredients again," She counted with her fingers, as if ticking off each item from her list. With a raise of her brow, she stared up at him. "Now, what else do you want, Jean?"
He looked away sheepishly. "Nothing, just..."
Eren scoffed at his sudden silence, before finally kicking the bothersome door open. He disappeared back into the kitchen, his voice echoing around the room. "Don't mind him, Taryn. Everything's done anyway."
Sighing, she turned on her heel, heading towards the cabinets where all the plates and utensils were stored. "Right. I'll go set up the table."
Stopping in front of her destination, she opened the hatch, with rows of various kinds of ceramics greeting her sight. Her mind was still reeling from the scene she just witnessed as she pulled out some plates, the argument echoing loudly inside her head. It was a known fact that Jean and Eren loved to rile each other up despite being friends, so fights like those weren't a rare occurrence.
The only weird thing about it was how often they were happening these days. Normally, Jean would just leave Eren alone if he thought that whatever the brunette was saying was pointless, or just not worth his time. Yet today, he seemed to snap at him with every chance he got, making her wonder if something happened between the two.
But she noticed that he only seemed to be in a sour mood whenever she was around Eren or talking to him. Because of this, a small part of her couldn't help but wonder, if Jean was jealous of her and Eren...
Her cheeks heated up in realization of what she was thinking about, and she stopped herself almost immediately, dismissing the idea as soon as it entered her mind. With a shaky breath, she focused back on getting the things they need, mentally scolding herself for even coming up with something like that. Yes, she liked him, but that doesn't mean she should be assuming things, let alone get her hopes up. I'll only get hurt in the end if I do.
She went back to her task, silently counting the number of plates and utensils they needed for the meal. As she reached over to grab a spoon, it slipped through her fingers all of a sudden, falling to the ground with a clang. Frowning, she was about to go and retrieve when a hand wrapped around its handle before her, picking it up.
She glanced up and almost stumbled back in surprise once she saw that it had been none other than the person she had just been thinking about. Jean gave her a puzzled look, before outstretching his arm, handing her back the spoon. "Here."
Muttering a quick thanks under her breath, she reached over, their fingers brushing against each other slightly. She tried to ignore the spark of electricity that jolted through her when they made contact, her skin tingling from where they just touched. She quickly snatched the spoon, turning her attention back to the damned plates.
But he didn't stop there. Jean went ahead and grabbed the stack of plates she had set aside, along with the bundle of utensils. He then began to reach for the cups resting on the top shelf, sending her a furtive glance as he did so. "You can go, I'll do it."
Her jaw dropped open in shock. The boy in front of her right now was very different from the one who had started an argument out of nothing and had almost broken down a door earlier, the sudden switch in his mood causing her to pause momentarily. "Thanks..." She muttered out, regaining her composure. "Is everything alright?"
He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."
She continued to eye him weirdly, before ultimately deciding to just let it be. "Okay...I'll go ahead," She informed him. "Don't drop the plates."
She took a step back and studied him, letting out a silent chuckle at the way he was meticulously stacking the items by their group. Sparing him one last glance, Taryn walked on over to the dining room where she found that the food they prepared had already been served. Jean followed shortly after, finally setting down the plates and utensils on the wide table.
Mikasa and Historia entered the room, taking their seats and settling down. The orange glow of the setting sun peeked out from the windows, shining a light on their meal that made it all the more salivating. Their stomachs were empty, their mouths watering. After a long and tiresome day, they were ready to eat.
Connie stared at the food lovingly, reaching out for the ladle before proceeding to fill his bowl with the soup. "That smells delicious."
"Tafes delishoos too," Sasha began to say, her words coming out a bit unintelligible as she chewed on a bit of roast. Gulping down the food, she opened her mouth to speak again. "Where'd you get the meat?"
Eren shrugged, taking a bite of the meat stuck to his fork. "Taryn and I went hunting."
This caught Jean's attention once again, the boy glancing up from his meal almost instantly. "What? The two of you went hunting?"
A multitude of sighs were heard, the group already knowing what was going to happen. Eren paid no attention to this and continued on with his talking, throwing Jean a nasty look."Yes, because while you were busy lazing around, we actually got some things done."
"But—that's dangerous! You shouldn't wander too far out the woods, especially if you're dragging Taryn along with you!"
"Well, we had to! What, did you expect us to suddenly find a wild boar running around our backyard?"
"That's not the point. What if there were bears in the area? What would you have done?"
"I'll turn into a Titan and scare them away," The brunette raised a challenging brow, as if mocking him. "And you? What would you have done, Jean?"
Jean opened his mouth to argue back, but stopped once he received a sharp glare from Mikasa. She then turned to Eren, giving him the same look as well. "Eren, stop it," She scolded. "Let's eat in peace. And they brought their maneuver gear with them, Jean. They could've escaped if they wanted to, so drop the matter."
Following Mikasa's statement, the two boys never spoke a word to each other during the whole duration of the meal, allowing all of them to enjoy their food without worrying about breaking up a fight. The group chatted with each other merrily, the laughter and jokes circulating around the room forming a light atmosphere that they all missed. They hadn't had time to let loose for so long that they cherished the moment, enjoying each other's company and savoring the good food.
"Oh my gosh, this tastes heavenly," Historia commented, her eyes shining with amazement once her teeth sunk into the juicy meat. "Who cooked this?"
"Eren did," Taryn replied, taking a bite of the food as well. "Apparently, his mom taught him how to cook when he was young."
Everyone's eyes visibly widened at what she said, obviously not knowing that the boy knew his way around a stove. Sasha let out an audible gasp, the girl now staring at Eren with a genuine admiration. "Woah, Eren? That's unexpected."
Eren's face was flushed from the sudden spotlight. "I just roasted the meat and cut the vegetables, maybe stirred some things around. Taryn made the sauce and the soup, though."
It was Taryn's turn to blush, as all the attention had been transferred to her. Mikasa smiled at her warmly before speaking up, complimenting her skill. "It's delicious, you're a great cook."
"Yeah! No wonder Jean wanted you on his team during the cooking contest. Thank the heavens you refused," Sasha exclaimed. Her gaze moved on to Jean eating silently from across her, flashing the boy a scathing look. "I'm still mad at you, you cheater."
He only rolled his eyes, not bothering to say anything, causing the rest of them to laugh at his lack of response. They continued on eating, exchanging words and telling each other stories, stuffing their mouths until their stomachs ached from how full they were all feeling.
Casting her gaze unto her friends, Taryn's eyes darted from their satisfied faces to the used plates scattered all over the table. She stood up and began to clean up after their meal, wanting to get all the work done before she can finally plop down on her soft mattress.
"I'll go ahead and wash the dishes, then." She announced, carrying all the dirty plates and utensils in her arms.
At this, both Jean and Eren stood up, meaning to help her. "I'll do it." They chorused, taking the other by surprise, before proceeding to glare at each other for the what seemed like the hundredth time this day. The two could be seen opening their mouths to shout again, but was immediately interrupted by Sasha, the girl tired of their bullshit already.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" She yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the boys. "Jean, Eren, if you fight one more time, I swear, the two of you will be sleeping outside in the grass tonight," Rubbing her temples, she sighed in exasperation. "Can't you go a day without having to snipe at each other all the damn time?"
Armin nodded in agreement. "Sasha's right. It's really starting to get annoying."
"We have three days off, we should be relaxing, not fighting," Connie added. His face then lit up as an idea popped into his mind, his mouth spreading into a wide grin. "Hey, why don't we play a game? Have a good laugh, take our mind off things," He began to think, brainstorming for something fun to do, before eventually giving up, looking to the others for help. "Any suggestions?"
"What about Truth or Dare? It's been a long time since we played."
Eren let out a snort, crossing his arms. "Yeah, and the last time we did, things ended up so well."
"All the more reason to play," Connie shrugged. "You guys in?"
They were reluctant at first, but eventually caved in, thinking that a little fun wouldn't hurt. They sat down on the wooden floor, forming a circle, their hearts racing and their minds already coming up with questions they were dying to ask and dares they'd like to be performed.
Grabbing an empty bottle from nearby, they decided to spin it as the way to determine whose turn it was, so as to avoid any conflicts and for the game to be played fairly. Connie gave the bottle a little push and watched it spin, its tip landing on Armin who immediately chose to tell a truth.
"Okay, Armin," Sasha smirked at the blond. "What was the last lie you told?"
"Oh, uh," He stammered out nervously, ducking his head and keeping his gaze fixated on the floor, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. They all waited for him to say something, and the blond finally gave in, his voice barely more than a whisper as he uttered the words.
"It was—well, it was when I told Bertholdt that the Scouts were torturing Annie in the underground..."
"Moving on..."
The game went on, the truths and the dares getting more and more ridiculous with each spin of the bottle. Historia was dared to lick the floor, Mikasa to kiss Connie on the cheek, and for Eren to reveal to them which spot he was the most ticklish in, to which they responded with an excruciatingly long round of tickles from each and every one of them.
They couldn't refuse, of course, as Connie had come up with the disgusting idea of drinking a mixture of leftover boar's blood and pickle juice as the penalty, should they decide not to carry through with the dare. The game was hard and embarrassing, but that's what made it all the more fun.
Jean had just finished completing his dare of letting Sasha crack an egg on his head, with the girl claiming that it was just revenge for cheating on that cooking contest a long time ago. They giggled as he whined about the egg ruining his oh-so-precious hair, with Eren laughing so hard he was struggling to breathe.
He was then instructed to choose the next victim, and he gave the bottle a little spin, joining the others as they watched in anticipation.
The bottle moved in circles, spinning round and round, slowing with each second that passed. After a while of waiting, it finally came to a halt, its tip pointing at Taryn and deeming her as the next one to either fulfill a dare or spill the truth. She felt her heartbeat quicken its pace, feeling excited but nervous at the same time.
Connie had been more than delighted when it landed on her, the corners of his mouth curving upwards to form a sneaky smile. His eyes darted from her, to Jean beside her, and then to Eren seated on her other side. Another wicked idea swam across his mind, the boy letting out a mean chuckle.
He knew things would probably end up in another fight, but the day was ending and they were having so much fun, so why not stir up a little trouble before they all went to bed?
Clasping his hands together, his smile turned into a smirk, the words rolling off his tongue. "Alright, Taryn. Truth or dare?"
...