𝐅𝐀𝐖𝐍•ᵉ ʲᵃᵉᵍᵉʳ

8

𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟿𝚝𝚑

𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝟏𝟏 𝐏.𝐌., 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐌 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐃, 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐖— 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄. The night's chaos swirls around me like a drunken haze, and I'm sprawled on a random alcohol-stained blanket, the smell of spilled beer seeping into the fabric. Eren's sitting next to me, equally drunk, his gaze lazily fixed on the group attempting to play beer pong in the dark backyard. The only real light comes from the fire and some dim patio bulbs, making it hard to even see who's winning.

I lean back, staring up at the sky, which feels like it's spinning. "Why do people even bother playing in the dark?" I mutter, half to myself, half to Eren. "It's like asking to get hit in the face with a ping pong ball."

He chuckles, the sound deep and a little slurred. "Probably makes it more interesting," he says, his voice low. "Like, the thrill of not knowing where the ball's gonna land."

"Or who's gonna puke next," I add, smirking as I glance over at him. "Because that's definitely where the real excitement is."

Eren turns his head to look at me, an amused glint in his eyes. "And here I thought you were too classy for all this."

I roll my eyes, scoffing at the comment. "Yeah okay, emo boy. Classy doesn't mean I can't enjoy watching other people make fools of themselves." I take another sip from my drink—God knows what's in it—and feel the buzz settle deeper into my bones.

He shifts closer, his knee brushing against mine. "You know, you're not half as judgmental as you pretend to be."

I snort, leaning my head back. "I never said I was judgmental," I reply. "I just have standards... which may or may not lower after a couple of drinks."

Eren laughs, and for a second, it almost sounds like a genuine moment between us. But then the breeze shifts, and I remind myself that this is just a party, just another night with way too many drinks, and that whatever tension's buzzing between us is probably just the alcohol talking.

I glance around the backyard, my gaze drifting over the flickering bonfire and the tangled mess of people. Where the hell did Sasha wander off to? Probably snuck away to go do dirty shit with her boyfriend in Reiner's parents' room, knowing her. She'd been eyeing Niccolo all night like he was dessert, and let's be real—privacy isn't exactly a priority when you're drunk and in love.

I smirk at the thought, shaking my head. "Bet Sasha's off somewhere getting caught up in some... extracurricular activities," I mutter, mostly to myself but loud enough for Eren to hear.

He glances over at me, eyebrow raised. "Sasha?" he asks, a knowing look on his face. "Sounds about right. She'd be the type to find the one locked room in this whole place."

I let out a small laugh. "Oh and how would you know that? With her luck, she's probably in Reiner's parents' room right now, breaking some family heirloom." The thought of it makes me laugh even harder, imagining her trying to explain herself while wrapped in Niccolo's arms, lipstick smudged and mascara obliterated.

I squint through the haze of firelight and drunken chaos, trying to spot Mikasa somewhere in the crowd. But everything's a blur, and I'm way too tipsy to even remember the last time I saw her. "Where's Mikasa, anyway?" I mumble, turning my head towards Eren. "She didn't just vanish, did she?"