|𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠e𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞| ᵃʳᵐⁱⁿ ᵃˡᵉʳᵗ

|26| Eren

*Warnings: Language*

-MARLEY, LIBERIO-

Falco and Y/n started heading back to their homes as the sunset. They had spent the day with all the other kids training, Y/n helping them all out since she didn't have much of a life outside of the Warrior Unit. Gabi was excelling, and sadly Falco just couldn't keep up.

"You'll get there," she told him. "It's not an overnight thing, it'll take some time."

"Yeah I know," he sighed. "Oh wait, this is the hospital," Falco said as he turned to building to his left.

"Hey!" a voice yelled from inside the gate. They both turned and saw the man that they had helped a few days before. They both made their way over and sat down beside him on the bench.

"So, you can talk now. You must be getting better," Falco said.

"Eh- this place is for treating psychological wounds, but mine are fake," he said. Why does he sound so pretentious? And familiar?

"Fake?" Y/n questioned.

"I said I forgot where I came from due to amnesia, but I just don't wanna go back," he answered. "I'm not quite ready to face my family yet. Will you report me?"

"We won't, were not like the others," Falco answered.

"You're all beat up, I guess that's from your Warrior training?" the man asked.

"Yeah, but honestly it's pointless," he answered sadly. "There's another candidate who's way better than me, so there's no way that I'll be chosen."

"I'm glad to hear it," the man answered. "You're a good person, I hope you get to live a long life."

"Thing is, I don't want this other candidate to be picked," Falco continued.

"Why not? Is this rival of yours a girl by chance?" the man asked. Y/n chuckled to herself.

"She's famous around here, she did incredible things in the war," Falco told him. "Ask anyone and they'll tell you they think she should be the next Armoured. It doesn't matter what I want, because I can't do a damn thing about it. "

"All the days I've spent here I've wondered: How did everyone let it come to this?" the man began. "Mind and bodies ruined, dreams of freedom erased. Personalities burned away. No one would want to go to war if they knew what it would do to them. But it's not like we all leapt into that hell knowingly. Most of us were pushed by other people, and some of us were pushed by the environment we grew up in."

Why can't I shake the feeling that this guy knows something? He also seems wildly familiar but I just don't know why.

"So the few who do willingly leap into hell see it differently than the rest," the man continued. "And they're also able to see something beyond the hell, maybe that something is hope, or maybe it's just another hell. The fact is, you can only find out by moving forward."

Falco then got up to go home, Y/n standing with him. "Hey wait, I want to send my family a letter, but coming from the internment zone it'll probably be checked, right?"

"Yeah, they always are," Y/n answered as Falco nodded.

"If they see what I wrote then they'll know I shouldn't be here," he said as he pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket. "Would you be willing to send it from outside the internment zone?"

"Yeah sure, I can do that," Falco answered.

"Thank you," he said as Falco nodded.

"Hey, you go home, I'll see you tomorrow," Y/n told him as she ushered him away with a smile. She walked back over to the bench and sat down. "Speaking as an honorary Marleyan, you're suspicious and I should probably report you. Speaking as me, I wont report you, but you seem very familiar but I can't put my finger on it."

"Think a bit harder Y/n," he said, turning to her. "I've been looking for you, I have plans and we all want you back with us."

"What? I don't understand," she said confused, trying to think of who could possibly be trying to get her 'back' on their side. But that's when it hit her. Her eyes went wide as she came to the realisation of who she was talking to. I should've realised when he gave that damn pretentious speech, it sounded just like the ones he used to give during training. "How in gods name did you get here and live to speak to me?"

"I have my ways, but that's not the point," he spoke. "Everyone wants you back, they think the plan will work better with you, plus, everyone knows about how much you hate this place. There was a time when we were all here, a certain horseface, food lover and baldy did some stalking. Not to mention, your former mentor thinks you'll serve great purpose. They don't hate you, they've come to realise you did what you had to. Plus, that smartass blonde would kill me if I didn't bring you back."

Y/n thought for a moment, "what do I need to do?"

"I can't tell you everything, it's too...you know," he told her. "I'll keep you updated as it folds out. Come by with Falco when he gets the letters to my 'family', I'll give you the details in writing, burn them once you're done. 'Glasses' is interested in that too, expect to be questioned when you see her. You've missed a lot, but I think they've all missed you more."

"What about you?" she asked him.

"I hated you a little less than the others, I liked you again a little easier," he told her as she chuckled and stood up.

"You're so cryptic, you know that right?" Y/n asked him.

"Gotta be careful these days," he told her. "Then again, I'm not the one walking around with bandaged feet and no shoes."

"What can I say? I burn through every pair I own, plus the bottom of my feet are so damaged they barely feel anything," Y/n answered as she walked away. "I'll talk to you later." Eren nodded as she went past the large wall.

Holy shit, this changes everything. I can finally leave, I might actually get the chance to leave this god forsaken place. Eren's plan can't be that bad, right?

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