Hot. His body felt like it was aflame. There was a heavy weight on his chest almost making it difficult for him to breath. His throat felt dry as a desert, or so what he had read about them, but it was indeed very dry.
"Aye," Eren turned slightly with difficulty to see the child standing in the crib with a wide smile.
"Hey buddy," He greeted. His voice was raspy as if he had been strangled. "You hungry?"
The child only smiled which was enough of an answer for him. Sitting up was a bit of a struggle but manages to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and stand. He picks up the child and slowly makes his way down the corridor and down to the mess hall. Everyone was already eating while others had to fight Sasha from eating Eren's share. It was already early noon to Eren's surprise that no one, not even corporal, had woken him.
"Morn' sleepy head," Jean teased as he scooted over for Eren to take a seat next to him "seems like you had a rough night."
Eren didn't retort like he'd usually. He takes his place beside Jean and places the baby in his high chair as Mikasa handed him his meal that Sasha tried to steal. Armin placed mushed food in front of the baby since he was now old enough to eat mashed up food by hand and only drank milk before bed. As everyone ate, Eren had a bit of difficulty trying to hold his spoon up to own mouth. When he did manage the food was tasteless.
"Alright everyone, here the objective for today," Levi announced gaining everyone's attention. "I want all of you ready for afternoons training exercise. Meet me in the forest by three. Don't be late."
Before taking his leave, Levi gives a quick glance at Eren. His movements were slow, almost sluggish. He understood that it the baby was taking his toll on the young boy's energy which is why the corporal had been turning a blind eye at him waking up late in the day. Thinking there was nothing more to it, Levi left to get ready for the day's lessons.
"Squad leader Zoe," Eren called over to the crazed scientist. The bubbly squad leader came over. "Could you take care of Ingel for me, please?"
"Ingel?" Hanji tilted their head in confusion until beaming "Oh, you mean the baby! What a cute name!"
Eren smiled. He had recently come up with the name for the child for it felt right to do so. Although his corporal warned him against naming him and that his heart will eventually be broken in the end, he wanted to give something to the baby, something no one has ever given him; a name.
"I'll be back, okay, Ingel?"
"Aye!" Ingel giggled. Eren smiled but his heart ached. I can't get too attached, but I know it'll be helpless in the end.
During training Corporal, Levi noticed, as well as everyone else. Eren was sloppy, very sloppy as if he were drugged as he launched through the thick forest almost colliding with a tree from time to time. The titan decoys that were ready for to be annihilated were missed by the suicidal, bloodthirsty, shifter.
There was no mistaking it that something was indeed wrong with him.
Levi trailed behind Eren just time to see the brunet to lose control of his gear and plummeted towards the waiting forest floor. Swifty lei caught the boy just before collided with the earth. Eren's breathing was shallow, his skin red and sweaty to the touch.
"Eren!" Mikasa rushed towards them, panicked to see her brother as ill as he was.
She had only witnessed Eren fall ill a few times before the fall of the walls. And she knew that his sickness' couldn't be taken lightly especially during the cool winter seasons. She reached out to take him from the short man but refused to hand him over to her.
