Zero Eclipse | Erehisu FF

Chapter 6: Where it Begins

Historia's POV

To others, this silence may feel overwhelmingly uncomfortable, and I can't blame them. With Eren, even the simplest things could feel so intense. A simple stare from him would feel like arrows piercing through your body. He carried so much passion inside him, so much determination. His body can't seem to contain it all so it leaks, affecting the aura around him.

The footsteps of the guards and maids walking by were muffled by the carpet. The room just right behind us was completely silent too. The walls and doors were too thick for any sound to seep out of the room. I wonder what they're doing inside.

"Should we enter now?" I break the silence. In my hand, I still hold the candy. It looks even worse now.

"We won't have any peace and quiet if we enter." Eren shakes his head and I know he is right. Any room with Sasha and Connie would never be peaceful or quiet.

"I've had enough of peace and quiet. It's all there is inside this place." Living inside the palace gave me the peace and quiet I longed for during my days at the survey corps. It was always loud, full of anxiety and uncertainty whether we would live to see the sun rise the next day, but now that I am inside the safety of these walls, I regret ever wanting to get away from the scout regiment. Too much peace and quiet leads to an awful lot of thinking. "I want loud noises and thrills."

"Is that what you want?" He asks, bending his knees to match my height.

"Tsk, don't mock my height!" I shove him away lightly, conscious of the lack of space between us. Too close.

"If I take you away from here...to a loud and thrilling place, promise you won't get mad?" He leans even closer, our foreheads merely a few inches apart. His breath feels hot, the sweet aroma from the candy still present, but subtle.

"What are you talking about?" I step back, my heart is beating faster than usual. Is it fear? Excitement? Or is it something else completely? I don't know.

"Let's go." Without a moment of hesitation, Eren grabs my wrist and drags me away. I drop the candy on the floor from his sudden force. As we run away, I often look back to check on the disappearing figure of the candy, or to check if any maid or guard is following us. I could scream or try to fight him off...but I don't. Instead, I follow him silently and increase my pace to match his. For every step that I took, my heart seemed to beat even faster than before.

The feeling of fear and thrill is jumbled up, making my stomach feel queasy. Does he even know where he's going?

"Eren!" I call out his name, hoping he'd stop running. His pace finally slows down until we settle in a dark corner of the unfamiliar hallway. He looks back at me, his lips slightly curled up.

Badump.

Oh no.

It must be from the sudden cardio. Don't look at him.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" I ask, looking down on the floor. My breathing is unsteady, how long has it been since I had a decent exercise?

I notice his hands moving and for a moment I thought he was reaching for mine to drag me away again, but I didn't expect him to touch my cheeks, lifting my head up to face him. His fingers felt rough and calloused like mine from the years of training, fighting, and work. I feel the heat surging up my body.

Badump.

Here it is again.

"W-what are you doing?" I stammer, but I don't push him away this time. There was hair sticking on his forehead from the sweat, but unlike me he didn't have that much sweat from the run. I want to fix his hair.