𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | eren jaeger

05

; 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

"... I've been eating with everyone else. Why are you here?"

[Name] stood outside of Eren's room with a bag full of bread rolls, smiling awkwardly at him. 

It had been a couple of months since Eren had acted on his word and begun joining everyone for their meals, which meant that [Name]'s chances to talk to him one-on-one were few and far in between. Recently, however, his attendance had gone down from joining every meal to only joining everyone else for a few meals a week, and although Mikasa and Armin were getting worried again, he kept his public appearances to a minimum.

"I just wanted to chat."

"Whatever."

Eren stepped aside and let [Name] into his room, shutting the door tightly behind her.

"You were doing so well, but you only come down three or four times a week now," noted [Name], placing her bag of bread on Eren's bed and pulling out a roll for herself. "Are you alright?"

"No. You already know why."

"Yeah, I figured."

Standing at his door, Eren leaned against it and stared at [Name].

"Mikasa asked me if I talk to you when you come to my room. You haven't said anything to her, have you?"

"I haven't!" retorted [Name], pointing at the wall with her bread roll. "She knows I drop by to leave some extra food for you! But, uh... I guess there was another time where she asked me about you specifically..."

"What did she say?"

"It was when you were starting to eat with everyone again!" Aghast, [Name] threw her hands into the air. "After I finished talking to you in the mess hall and headed up to my room, she came and asked me what our relationship is, so obviously I was like, "Um, friends?" but she didn't buy it and kept asking me why I found the need to drop off extra food to your room even when you were eating with the rest of us, and I was like, "Because I care, Mikasa!"

"And then I was like, "What's your relationship with Eren, anyway, since you're getting so worked up about his business?!" And she went quiet and red in the face and left me alone!" 

After recounting her story in one breath, [Name] groaned and flopped onto Eren's bed.

"... you said that to her?"

"Of course! It's so obvious she likes you, but the way she keeps saying that she just thinks of you as 'family' is so annoying!"

Eren was numb as [Name] rambled on.

"... but what was her answer?"

"Huh?"

"You asked her about what her relationship was to me. What did she say?"

"Oh, the typical answer. Family," shrugged [Name], sitting up to eat her bread roll. Dejected, Eren looked at the floor with a pained expression.

"Oh." Eren slid down to the floor, and sat with his knees pulled up to his chest.

"You sound disappointed. But you know that Mikasa loves you as more than 'family', right?"

There was a brief silence.

"... so why hasn't she told me yet?"

The anguish in Eren's voice was strong, and [Name] felt a tug at her heart.

What was it? 

Pity?

Guilt?

Or even... a twinge of jealousy?