Tethered Souls | Eren Jaeger

𝟬𝟯 Liberio Festival

Eren was gone. There was no trace of him, even the brown jacket that covered me was gone. Barely awake, I got up to get a look outside. I considered that someone could have possibly taken him, or maybe that he was never there in the first place. The dream I had last night felt real. Maybe Eren was a dream as well.. but that still didn't explain where I woke up. There's no chance I could've gotten here on my own.

He wouldn't just let someone take him. He would've put up a fight, meaning there would have been a commotion, I stared at the staircase, running my hand up and down the rough wall in thought, going over every possible explanation for his absence.

"Eren, please come back soon..." I mumbled to myself, slumping back down on a box and tucking my legs underneath my chin in defeat. Alone with my thoughts, at least twenty questions scurried through my brain - questions that I didn't have the capacity to answer. I couldn't understand what the dream meant, or why I felt an eerie sense of serenity and nostalgia in those fantastical dunes. I knew it could be a part of something deeper, but for the time being I came to the conclusion to leave it alone. We had a huge operation we had to prepare for, and I wouldn't allow myself to waste time on searching for leads at a dead end.

I hopped off the box, and spontaneously began to do push-ups on the cold floor. "1, 2, 3, 4...." I counted in between heavy breaths, my untidy hair trailing down the sides of my face. I didn't stop until I felt the acidic sting from the lack of energy left in my muscles. My physical condition wasn't as great as it was a year ago, although I had tried to upkeep it in my hospital room. When no one was there to pry through the open crack in the door, I would get up from my wheelchair and do push-ups and squats. Sometimes, I would even do handstands against the wall like Sasha did in our cadet years. Admittedly, it used to piss me off because of the comically loud thumps she would make when she fell back onto her feet. The wooden planks that covered the floors were creaky enough to ensure that even Annie and Mikasa in the next room could hear it. Sasha would continue doing cartwheels across the room for hours into the night and seemingly, never got bored of it. Right now, I would gladly lose a night of sleep if it meant I could see her.

My mind wandered back to Eren.

I should go look for him. He could be in danger and I'm sitting here doing nothing, I frowned. 

I walked up the staircase and turned the rusty door handle, the door springing open in front of me. I stumbled backwards, almost toppling down the stairs.

"You're finally awake." Eren said nonchalantly, simultaneously gripping me by the wrist and pushing the door closed behind him.

"Why didn't you wake me? Where were you?" I questioned, freeing my wrist from his grip. 

"I just wanted you to get some sleep," He was completely calm, relaxing his hand as soon as I showed signs of struggle. "I was just doing some business around town."

"I'm sorry, I thought someone caught you." I sighed in relief. 

"You look a bit red." He commented, following me down the stairs.

"I was exercising," My voice was unsteady. "I feel too weak."

"Don't worry about it," He replied. His expression was almost indifferent, but I knew him better than he knew himself. His visible eye narrowed ever so slightly. "Don't forget you'll have ODM gear. Thunder spears as well."

"I've not heard of those. Are they Hange's invention?"

"You guessed it. One or two thunder spears to the nape is enough to take out most Titans, and you don't necessarily need any strength to do that.. I know you have amazing aim, maybe even better than Sasha's." He mused thoughtfully, one hand on the cane, picking up my pale hand.