All Regret (Isabel Magnolia x Reader)

No Time to Regret

"It's beginning," you said to the table. The food presented to you was warm and spilled over with your favorites. "Better rations."

The table was quiet as everyone looked at what they were eating. Better rations meant that the time spent on your "R and R" was almost completed. Furlan glanced up at you and stared; the reality of this hadn't quite dawned on him yet, but if he makes it through the entirety of the exploration, he will. Levi either didn't hear you or care because he was already casually eating.

Your eyes trained on the food before you. The smell made your mouth water and your tastebuds tingle—a bitter-sweet reward for simply surviving. Gradually, everyone that was seated with you began to eat. Furlan still seemed a little off-balance, but he too started to eat.

After all your experience, you still couldn't get over the meals they gave you before departing for certain death. It felt hollow after all this time had passed, especially considering most of the faces at this table were no longer close friends. Towards the end of your meal, you search for Isabel and the rest of her fellow undergrounders, but they are too distracted with each other to make conversation.

After your meal, you got up and left. The weather was rainy again, but a gentle shower made everything feel a little cooler but didn't flood the grounds with thick muck. Still standing beneath the roof of the canteen, you stuck your hand out and touched the rain trickle down from the sidings and wet your palm. You screw your eyes upward and give the sky a slight smile. A couple of the soldiers from the canteen filter out and begin their quest to go to the barracks.

A couple of seconds pass, perhaps a full minute before you are interrupted. "Looking at something cool?"

A gentle breeze brings in the scent of the forest where you did your usual ODM training. A damp, fresh smell with a hint of pine met your nose as your eyes saw the less-pronounced green color of Isabel's eyes. You became aware of the thumping of your heart and how dry your lips felt. Isabel, looking relaxed yet interested in your response to her question.

Again, your eyes screw to the sky. "Weather like this on days like today just kind of feels right."

Isabel follows your eyes and squints. The moisture from the storm brushes against her cheeks. "Whenever it rained when I lived below, the ceiling would leak somewhat. Clay'd get everywhere and make the grounds awkward to walk in."

Isabel says, placing the toes of her boots into a small puddle in front of you. "Sometimes, it also makes the walls squishy, so the wires on our ODM wouldn't stick. Other times they'd over-penetrate and get stuck!"

"How did you get out when that happened?"

She smiled and sighed. "Big brother," she replied.

Levi and Furlan were mentioned a little less frequently than they used to, but you could tell her companions really were like her family. Her brothers.

While you both gazed at the clouds, you wondered if she had ever been inside of a steady relationship or had ever considered it for either of the two she's lived with. Finally, you cross your arms and clear your throat, drawing Isabel's attention to you.

Her mouth opened, and a question came out. "How did you do in your cadet training? I overheard some of your garrison goons complaining that it isn't fair that only the best cadets get interior positions. Where did you chalk up with the rest?"

It felt like a century had passed since your cadet years. You took a moment to think. "I wasn't any of the Top 10, but I always had the drive to get out there, you know? I didn't like being in one place for long. Couldn't settle with doing the same every day."