My Love Untold

A Sudden Recovery

I couldn't help but smile as I fully examined the rest of the house. Even I could tell how hard they had worked to keep the house clean, and it was hard for me to believe that they had done all of it for me. Over the few days I had been in the infirmary, I could see myself becoming angrier and more distant towards Eren and the nurses. Seeing how much she cared even when I was being an ass made guilt swell up in my throat.

That was the one thing that had always piqued my interest when it came to Eren, even after all this time knowing her. No matter how many awful experiences she'd been through, or how horrid someone was treating her, she worked her hardest to keep a brave face on, showing just enough kindness to everyone around her. I'd always despised the people that would mistreat Eren, and it felt even worse to know that I had been one of those people over the past few days. Especially this morning...

I entered my bedroom, noticing the way my comforter was tucked perfectly underneath the mattress and chuckled, quickly collapsing on the soft surface. I relived the moments after she confirmed my suspicions about Petra. Thinking back on it, I knew I had been grumpy afterward, and I knew I had been quiet. Eren must have been so uncomfortable having to walk in that awful silence with me. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, angry at myself for putting her through that, especially after everything she had done for me during my recovery.

A loud banging on my front door caused me to stand, jumping slightly at the sudden noise. I grimaced at my shock as I made my way towards the entryway. Opening the door, I had little to no time to even greet the girl on my step.

"Stop everything you're doing, shut up, and follow me," Eren said, sounding out of breath. I huffed, not sure what was happening but not liking being told to shut up. Especially since I hadn't even said anything yet. Nevertheless, I followed Eren out the door, struggling to keep up as she started to sprint. It shouldn't have been hard to keep pace with her, but given the fact that I hadn't walked in days probably put a damper on how fast I could go.

We turned the corner and I faltered for a second when I realized Eren was taking me to the infirmary. Why were we coming back here? Was she trying to get me re-admitted? No... that can't be it, otherwise, she wouldn't be making me run. I noticed the door swinging closed and realized that Eren was already inside. I braced myself for whatever she was doing and followed her inside.

"You must be here for Ymir, as well," the man at the front said, his voice caught off guard. I looked around, out of breath, as I simply nodded, understanding the urgency in Eren's tone from before. He waved me away and I made my way through the endless hallways, once again, and entered a room full of people. It was relatively silent, save for the strained voice from the center of it all.

"-twenty-six of them!" the voice said, proudly. A soft chuckle sounded and I smiled. Ymir was awake. That meant that she was okay.

"Twenty-six?" I asked, making my way towards the group that was quickly making a path for me. Ymir beamed at me.

"Yep! Twenty-six. I would've gotten more of those abominations if I hadn't run out of fuel," she said. My eyes shifted to Krista, who was sitting beside Ymir. Tears of joy and pride were falling down her cheeks as she gripped onto Ymir's hand for dear life. Ymir's gaze followed my own and she gave Krista's hand a comforting squeeze.

My attention turned to Eren, whose eyes were glossed over with tears. Part of me wanted to pull her closer and hug her, but my focus was quickly pulled away as Ymir started talking again.

"I'm glad you're here. I won't be able to come in for training for another few days. Nurses say I was unconscious for a while, now," she said. I nodded, giving her a short smirk

"I haven't been training for a few days either," I said. Pulling my shirt to the side, I revealed my bandaged shoulder. She winced slightly. "Can't really hold my sword. Hard to train if you can't attack." I noticed Eren staring at me, rather sympathetically, and I gave her a kind smile. She raised her eyebrow but quickly turned away. I found myself wanting to ask her what she was thinking, but I decided it was best I leave it alone. I didn't feel like talking about my injuries. Although, I did have something else to say to her.

"Eren?" I started, keeping my voice quiet. She turned to me, curiously. "Can we talk?" She nodded, giving Ymir a glance before walking with me to the corner of the room.

"What's up?" she asked, bringing her hands behind her back. I leaned against the wall, trying - and probably failing - to look casual.

"I wanted to apologize," I said. I could tell she was confused, so I clarified. "I've been distant. Rude... I wanted to apologize. Especially after seeing everything you did for me while I was stuck here." My eyes drifted to the bed I stayed in. Eren nodded, and I turned back to face her.

"It's okay. I understood. You'd been injured. You were stuck here. It's not easy to be kept from doing what you know you should be doing," she smiled. I still felt bad, but her smile was infectious. She continued, turning away and looking back at Ymir and Krista. "Plus, you and Petra split. I wasn't surprised when you became cold and distant afterward." I flinched slightly, thankful she couldn't see it.

How was I supposed to explain to my best friend all the emotions I was feeling? I wanted, more than anything, to tell her how much it meant to me that she had bothered to wake up early every day and clean my house. I wanted her to know how happy I was that she accepted my apology. How angry I was that I allowed myself to try and push her away in the first place. I wanted her to know how frustrated I was. Not just with my actions, but with my reaction to the realization that Petra had, indeed, dumped me. I don't know why, but I needed her to know that I wasn't upset at all. In fact, I was almost relieved.

Eren looked back at me and smiled, grabbing my hand and pulling me back to the group.