Every Single One (Eren X Reader)

004

I fiddled with the scratchy blanket around my shoulders, trying to get comfortable in my bunk. The moonlight was shining through the screened-in windows, making the barracks a lot lighter than I would've appreciated. I stretched my neck to look out of the window, seeing the trees rustle in the icy night air. I heard Sasha snoring softly, so I didn't think she'd wake if I stood up.
I carefully got up from my bunk and stretched, being extra cautious of the creaky wooden floors. Ymir opened one eye and stared at me for a moment before rolling over and going back to sleep. I crept towards the door, delicately opening it, doing my best to keep it from creaking. I shivered, surprised by the cold air, but quickly shut the door so no one else would freeze to death.

Sighing, I sat on the steps in front of the barracks, staring at the dirt between the mess hall and other cabins. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep. I was so much closer to getting to kill titans, I practically had my ODM gear attached, I just needed to pull the trigger and get there. I jumped when I heard footsteps grinding against the gravel that led up to the front door of the girls' quarters. My head snapped up and I shot up from my seat, turning to face the noise. Eren threw his hands up and I relaxed and sat back down.

"It's just me, sheesh," Eren said, sitting on the step above the one I rested on. He leaned forward to look at my melancholy expression and frowned, "what is it?" he asked.

"I just want to kill them all already," I muttered, punching the wooden boards beneath me, "I don't want to wait three whole years for it."

"Me too," Eren sighed, shifting his gaze back to the center of the camp. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I turned around to face him. Eren looked down at me, probably thinking the same thing I was.

"Think we'll make it?" I asked, praying he'd have a good answer, "through the training and the top ten and the Scouts and the walls..." I drifted off, not wanting to continue and think about all of the hardships ahead of us.

"Armin wants to see the ocean," Eren said suddenly.

"The what?" I raised an eyebrow.

"The ocean. It's a huge body of water outside of the walls. He says it's all saltwater and apparently makes up most of the world," he looked somewhere far away, probably somewhere inside of his head.

"I want to see it too," I said, looking back at the ground, "but I'm more worried whether or not we even can."

Eren stood up, and I turned back around to see his hand held out to me. "Let's go see the ocean then," he said calmly. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up. I ended up closer to his face than I expected, but neither of us moved. I remembered again how important it was to win our freedom for my mother and sister and felt my eyes start to water. Eren noticed and let go of my hand, pulling me into his chest, "We'll kill them all," he said through gritted teeth, "and then we'll be free. We can explore the whole world outside the walls."

"Yeah," I sniffled and regained control of my emotions, "Thanks, Eren." I let him go and tried my best to smile, but it was hard through all the guilt and hatred. I wanted the days to go by quicker so I could finally make the titans pay for what they did to me and my family. For what they did to Armin and Eren's family. "They're all dead," I laughed ironically. Even though I was the one who said it, I didn't know if I meant loved ones or the enemy. I guess Eren assumed I meant the titans because he smiled and shook his head at the ground. When he looked up, he looked at me as though waiting for the response to a question he didn't need to ask.

I nodded and he did the same, smiling and walking back to the barracks where the boys stayed. The door creaked as I ducked backwards into my own barracks, quietly closing the door and turning around.