My Love Untold

Surprises?

When I woke up, the light in the infirmary was still dim. My eyes drifted towards the window to see the oranges and pinks of a sunrise.

"Hey, what are you doing awake?" I heard a voice say to my left. I turned to face the voice and grimaced as my weight shifted to my injured side. A hand went to my arm almost as soon as the pain showed in my expression and I felt appreciation swell in my chest. I opened my eyes and was met with a familiar face scrunched up with worry.

"I'm okay," I breathed out. She nodded, and with hesitation, went back to tie her shoe. I pulled myself up so my back was against the wall and simply watched her, still trying to wake up. I saw her head turn for a moment, and I followed her line of vision to Ymir. She was still lying in the bed, her condition relatively unchanged. I let out a low breath.

"How are you feeling?" Eren asked me, bringing my attention back to her. I felt my hand drift up to my shoulder as if to test the pain.

"Better," I said in reply. "Probably shouldn't be doing any hard labor, though." Eren gave a soft chuckle before standing. My eyes followed her to the windowsill where the grabbed a sweater and pulled it on. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to get a fresh set of clothes and shower," she said, pulling her hair free of the sweater. I nodded slowly, freeing myself from the blankets and pulling myself out of the bed.

"Can I come?" I asked her, leaning against the wall. I mentally cursed myself for needing so much support. Damn those medics for making me stay in bed. I needed to be walking around; my legs needed the exercise. Eren came over to me, keeping her hands in her sweater pockets, giving me time to get my bearings.

"You want to come and help me get a set of clothes?" she responded quizzically. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch slightly as I shook my head.

"I just need to get out of here." Eren looked me up and down and let out a short huff before nodding. She led me towards the exit, making expert turns through the labyrinth that was the infirmary hallways. I saw the large doors at the front of the building and shook her off of me, wanting to exit on my own. She held her hands up in a mock sign of surrender before opening the doors for me.

Even though the sky wasn't as bright as it would've been during the day, contact with direct sunlight made my eyes sting. I looked down at the ground and made my way down the steps, and turned, waiting for Eren to do the same. She was still partially in the door, looking at something, or someone, quite intensely. Carefully, I leaned against the wooden railing of the steps and looked around.

The shadows cast by the wall loomed over the barracks like a reaper over a funeral casket. I shuddered slightly at the darkness and turned my attention towards the houses. Mothers were already out in their yards, hanging clothes out to dry, and fathers were already on their way to work. I noted several young men dressed in the training gear as they raced towards the grounds. I snickered at their speed, trying to decide whether they were running out of eagerness or fear of their Chief Instructor.

"What's so funny?" Eren questioned as she hopped down the stairs. I pointed to the recruits that were in the process of practically tripping over themselves to reach the training grounds. Eren scoffed and gave my good shoulder a light punch. "Poor kids," she murmured. I shrugged, wincing at the tightness of my shoulder.

"How long have I been in there," I asked her as we started towards her house. She released a puff of air as she looked up, counting the days. Part of me was curious how long I had been unconscious the day I had been injured, but I assumed I could figure that out once I knew how long I had been in the infirmary.

"Jeez... Around four or five, I think," she answered, putting her hands in her pockets. I rolled my neck, annoyance filling every inch of my body. Four to five days I was stuck in that building. I should've been back at the barracks days ago for a briefing. Eren noticed my irritation and quickly changed the subject. "How did you sleep?"

"Not very well, I don't think," I said, thinking back about my night. "Did Petra really dump me last night, or was that some sort of dream," I inquired, hope finding its way into my heart. Maybe nothing happened and I simply dreamed the whole thing.

Eren shook her head, crushing any sense of faith that I had only moments before. I breathed out an angry 'great' before returning my attention to the path in front of me. Eren stayed quiet, probably knowing I would prefer to walk in silence and deal with the emotions on my own.

Muscle memory took over my body as we turned down Eren's street, the sun already up in the sky, sending heat waves into my back through the thin material I wore from the infirmary. I watched as Eren relentlessly pounded on her door until Mikasa threw it open.

"Gracious, woman!" Mikasa exclaimed. "You have a key!" I saw Eren attempt - and fail - to hide a laugh at Mikasa's expression, causing Mikasa to simply roll her eyes up to the ceiling, almost in a praying movement, as she stepped back to let us inside. I noticed her eyeing my infirmary gown and I pursed my lips.

"Hurry, will you?" I asked Eren quietly, almost pleading. She nodded and gave Mikasa a quick hug before racing up the stairs. Mikasa gave a short once-over, scanning my bandages, probably looking to see if blood had soaked through them. I stood in their living room, wishing I could simply go to my own house and get a change of clothes for myself, but instinct told me it would probably be a bad idea to try and go somewhere on my own in my condition.

"How are you feeling?" Mikasa asked, almost absentmindedly as she made her way to the kitchen. I walked over to their dining table and sat down.

"I've been better," I said, wiping their table of crumbs and scraps. I heard a snort from the kitchen and smirked.

Mikasa was one of the few people that I could stand. Her tough exterior reminded me of myself, and her strength in combat, as well as her fierce loyalty to her friends, made her a hell of a soldier. At the moment, however, I didn't care who was in my company. I just wanted to get home.

When I heard water start running upstairs, I placed my head in my hands, groaning slightly. My eyes drifted closed for a second as I enjoyed my moment of peace outside the walls of the infirmary. However, my quiet time was rudely interrupted when a plate was dropped on the table in front of me. My eyes snapped open and down at the dish. I felt my stomach grumble as soon as I recognized it as eggs. Mikasa gave me a quick pat on the arm before turning towards the stairs.

Helping myself to the meal she gave me, I quickly shoveled the food into my mouth, thankful for food that wasn't made by medics that didn't know how to cook. The door opened behind me and I froze, mid-bite, to see who had walked in. Noting the blonde hair, I gave a short wave to Armin before returning to the eggs. I vaguely noticed him walk over to the couch.

"What's up?" I asked once I cleared my mouth of the food. He glanced over as he fell backwards, giving me an odd look.

"Eren's been asking me to help her these past few days," he said. I furrowed my brows, unsure of what he meant. Help her with what? He must have known what I was thinking based off of my expression, because he cocked his head. "Has she not told you?" I shook my head cautiously.

"Told me what?" Armin shook his head.

"If she hasn't told you, then she probably wants to surprise you. I'm not spoiling that," he said, causing me to raise an eyebrow. I hated surprised. Eren knew I hated surprises. Why would she organize a surprise for me? I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking over, I caught a glance of Eren, her hair still wet from the shower, but she'd pulled it up into a messy bun. She was wearing a fully green outfit: light green skirt, green t-shirt, and a green sweater over it. Long socks came up to just above her knees and she wore brown heeled boots.

Quickly finishing off the plate of eggs, I stood and crossed the room to the door. She rolled her eyes playfully at my actions and gave Armin a quick hug. I found myself watching them as she whispered something in his ear. He nodded, giving her a warm smile before sending her towards me. She giggled as she opened the door, allowing me to walk out in front of her.

"So..." I started, once the door was closed. She looked at me expectantly. "Armin says you have some sort of surprise for me?" She smiled and met my eyes as we walked.

"Yes I do," she said in a sing-song voice. I pursed my lips.

"That would be?" I prompted. She shook her head, grabbing my wrist and starting to pull me along.

"Guess you'll have to find out, won't you?" she asked in response. We made our way to my house and I let out a low grumble, a low level of anxiety starting o make itself known.