Honorary Scout

Chapter Twenty-One

See, now, Colt Grice was a guy who knew how to be a genuinely good brother without going all yandere. Who do you think needs a lesson in "brothering" from him?

Evelyn's POV

"Eren?"

I tilted my head up at him.

"Why are you crying?"

I couldn't even remember the last time I had seen my brother actually cry; it had probably been four years ago when I had literally returned from the doors of death, though to this day, nobody understood how I'd suddenly fallen so terribly ill and how I'd suddenly made a perfect recovery as well.

"Eren?"

I called his name again as I pushed the door further open and stepped into the cell.

"Wh-"

All the air in my lungs was nearly knocked right out of my throat when the far grown and far muscled man abruptly fell to his knees and snatched me into his arms, hugging me tightly and sobbing silently.

"I'm so sorry, my little Evie!"

He cried into my shoulder.

"I didn't mean anything I just said to you! I missed you too and I love you so much! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

My own eyes welled up as I blocked out his constant chanting of the word sorry and wrapped my small arms around his big back, relishing the joy of being embraced by my brother again. This embrace, in which I never failed to feel safe and wanted, was exactly what I'd come looking for in this dingy dungeon during these tumultuous times. We kept hugging each other for a few more minutes like that, neither of us uttering a single word, until Eren slowly pulled away from me and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"I'm taking you with me, Evie."

"Taking me?"

I frowned in confusion.

"Taking me where?"

Right on cue, a cataclysmic bang echoed throughout the space around us and shook the whole building to such an extent that the entire wall behind Eren caved in, making me screech in horror and jump into my brother's arms again.

"It's okay, it's okay."

He muttered as he gently rubbed my head to calm me down.

"This was all part of the plan."

"What plan?!"

I screamed and looked up at him, only to find that his eyes had been hooded over by darkness and emptiness all over again.

"What plan, Eren?"

He didn't say anything as he stood up with me still in his arms and analyzed the broken wall.

"Floch and the Jaegerists did well."

"The Jaegerists?!"

I screamed again.

"Who-who are the-"

"Zeke and my followers. The only soldiers who truly understand the importance of the restoration of the Eldian empire."

"You're weird!"

I shrieked and looked up towards the ceiling when I detected the blood curdling shouts and wails.

"Armin...Mikasa..."

I mumbled and Eren looked at me.

"Were they there in the building right now when it was bombed?"