COMRADES • Eren Jaeger

CHAPTER 35: Resentment

THE HOURS PASSED BY QUIETLY. Soon, Zeke was waking you in the morning to request for your presence at a meeting among the Warriors.

"Already?" you asked as you slowly sat up in your tiny bed. Zeke pulled the curtains back to let the light in, and you had to blink a few times to adjust to the sight. He was already dressed in his smart-looking clothes, peering at you with impertinence behind his round specs. "You just got home."

"Today is the day I'm going to reinforce the idea of invading Paradis Island to the rest of the Warrior Unit," he said. "Get dressed. I'd like for you to ask your superiors at the hospital to ask for the day off."

"Don't know if they'd give me the green light," you said as you got up and stretched. "The hospital is short-staffed."

"Short-staffed?"

"There are too many injured Eldian soldiers and not enough nurses and medics to care for them all," you explained. "Don't even get me started on the doctors. It's practically a miracle things are still running."

"It's a shame my grandpa can't work," he said. "I guess he truly belongs in the hospital one way or another."

You paused to look at him. "It's not a pretty sight seeing him scream all the time, Zeke. He's ill."

"So forget about him and come to the meeting. I need someone to back me up with this plan," he said dismissively. "It's more than likely that our conversation in my office will be taped. An opportunity to keep lying your innocence is waiting for you to take."

"Lying about my innocence?" you repeated, almost humourlessly at his words. "Since when was I ever guilty of something here? Don't be cruel."

"What's cruel is you toying with the heart of poor Colt to prove that innocence," he said mindfully. "It's actually quite depressing to watch you flirt with that boy when you know you're going to break his heart soon."

You scowled at him.

"I don't take lectures from you about what's cruel and what's not."

Zeke sighed. You were a lot less warm with him now that you had your memories back. Every death, every loss of life, every murder that he had committed against you and your loved one was now fully ingrained in your mind. You were briefly reminded of the terror of those Titans climbing the walls in Shiganshina District and the death of your subordinates, and an icy feeling swept through your heart.

Nevertheless, you brushed it off. Unfortunately all of his war crimes had to be water under the bridge for now.

"Now shoo," you ordered bossily, ushering Zeke out of your room before closing the door in his face. "I'm going to get dressed."

The early morning air was cold as you and Zeke walked through the paved street. Puddles where you could see your own reflection filled in the potholes that were mounded into the ground. While you fixed the buttons of your cardigan, Zeke took out a lighter and a cigarette from a pack out of his coat pocket before igniting it. You grimaced before taking a few steps back to put distance between you.

"Want a smoke?" he offered, undeterred by your obvious dismay.

"No," you answered. "That stuff will kill you and I."

A twinkle of mischief shone in Zeke's eyes.

"Do you really think that smoking is going to be the thing that will kill us?"

"I'll be pretty embarrassed if I lived through hell and back in Paradis Island just to get bested by a tobacco plant," you said, unamused. "Don't you know that it's bad manners to smoke in front of a lady?"