Attack On Titan: Fire Away || Eren Jaegar X OC

Chapter Six

I have gone three days without eating. Not without a struggle, of course. It has been tough; these days the bread line raises in numbers of visitors at all times of the day and even late into the night. Aspen crouches, staring deeply at a singular piece of crusty bread. He doesn't want to eat it, he claims he is saving it for when he really can't stand to starve any longer.

He claims he is saving lives but I wish to scream that he isn't. What's the use of saving other's lives when you can't save yourself?

If he doesn't eat then I don't eat. If he dies of starvation then I will too.

". . .Alright," he breathes, reaching for he bread and bending his head, ashamed of his own actions, "I can't stand it. I can't put you through this pain, Chia. I will eat, I will."

"So please. . ." He continues after a pause, breaking the bread in two and handing me a small peice. His peice is the same size and it brings a frown to his skeletal cheeks. His green eyes chine into mine as I take the peice without hesitance. "Eat."

I nod, for I have no energy left. I watch as Aspen hungrily bites into the crusty bread. He gobbles it down, ending with a burp, as I just sit there with the bread in my hands. He looks up to me. Seeing as that is my cue to eat, I take small bites, savoring the small part of food left.

"Alright," I breathe out, standing up without trouble, holding out my hand for Aspen, "let's get going."

That day, throngs of starved refugees were put to plow in the wastelands as a last stitch effort to raise food. But the cold, hard ground yielded at nothing.

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Year 846:
The remaining refugees old enough to serve in the military were tasked with reclaiming wall Maria.
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I stare as Armin's grandfather puts his hat into Armin's head, giving it a soft shake. He looks sympathetically at Armin, apologizing with his eyes. Then he turns to the lines of people heading off to the military.

"It's going to be okay Armin,"I tell him softly, "He's going to be alright." He nods, though hesitantly as we look towards the growing lines of people.

~°~

Of the 250,000 sent, nearly 20% of the population, not even 200 made it back. Although it wasn't much, their sacrifices did improve the food shortage situation for the rest of the population.

"You said it'd be okay," Armin looks at me in anger, with tears streaming from his eyes, "Y-you said he would be a-alright-,"

"She didn't think he was going to die," Eren cut him off, standing up for me, "No one knew."

'I knew,' I thought.

"Of course I would not know," I said with sadness and some angered sarcasm, curling up against the opposite wall. Tears falling down my face, "It's all my fault, huh? Not the government for sending him out there, nor those terrible creatures at all."

Armin, Eren and Mikasa look to me in shock. I stand from my squat, using the wall as support. I make my way over to Armin and just stand there, hurt.

"It's all the Titans fault," I mumble, sliding down the wall, next to Armin. Armin his clutching his grandfathers hat to his chest. With his knees bent, he buries his head into them, sobbing quietly.

"We have to find a way to stop them," Eren whispers, while leaning up against the wall, on the other side of Armin. "Or our lives will never be our own until we do. This world will never feel like home," he slides down the wall, sitting in the dusty floor.

"That's it," he starts, His teal eyes reflecting determination, "Next year I'll be applying to join the cadets. To become strong enough to fight back."

Armin looks in shock at Eren, but then his face changes to determination also, "I'm with you." He says looking down.

"You don't hav-," I start, trying to talk Armin or of it.

He cuts me off, looking at me in frustration, "I do." Eren looks frustrated at how Armin persists in joining. He just wants the best for his friend.

"So do I," Mikasa states, closing her eyes.

"Damn it," Eren starts, "I'm not trying to drag you into my death."

"Yeah," Mikasa starts, "And if I can help it, it won't be your death."

The atmosphere is silent for a while, then I break it, "I'm in too," I say hesitantly, "And if I'm in, then Aspen is in too."

"What?" Eren asks astonished, then explodes, "I don't want to be the cause of everyone's death. I-,"

"My going is not your choice!" I snap at him, then calm myself, "It is my own, for my own reasons."

He takes a few seconds to calm down, then nods, getting up. "Alright," he pauses, "Together then."

"I-I'm going to bed guys," Armin says, "see you tomorrow?" We nod as he heads out.

He stops before he turns the corner and turns back, "A-and I'm sorry, Cia, for blaming you." He then leaves.

After a few moments of silence Eren asks, "Do you think Armin will be okay?" Then pauses, "He's not really made to be a soldier. He's so smart too, he could get an amazing job in the interior."

"He will be fine," I say, waving his question off, then think about how it would effect us, "Or as fine as we all would be." Mikasa nods, agreeing with me.

"I have got to go find Aspen, then hit the hay. Night" I state, yawning and waiving as I get to the end of the hallway.

They both say their goodbyes as I'm walking. Turning the corner, I gasp, finding Aspen already there.

"So," he starts, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, "Your joining the military?" I am hesitant to answer, but nod anyways.

He sighs, closing his eyes, as if already regretting what he was about to say, "Then you know that I'm going with you."

"I know," I whisper.

Trying to change the subject, I ask, "Time to hit the hay?" He nods and leads me back to the dusty, old mat I have slept on for a whole year. I plop down onto the mat, turning towards him in a cross-cross- applesauce position.

"What did you do today," I ask quietly as he turns his head towards me. I use a hair tie and tie my brown, shoulder length locks into a ponytail.

He is laying down on his separate cot with his arms behind his head, he closes his eyes smiling, "Spying on you."

I fake gasp and chuckle, "What?" I ask jokingly. "Have nothing better to do?"

"Exactly," he answers, smiling bigger and opening his brown eyes. I lay back on my cot, getting comfortable, I face him and he faces me.

"Goodnight Chia," he says quietly, hoping to not wake anyone up. He closes his eyes, letting sleep overtake his weary body.

"Goodnight Ash," I whisper, letting my weary eyes close. I smile as darkness surrounds me, hoping that the world might be less chaotic than it usually is.