Ein Riese, der Fliegen Wollte

Watching With Wide Eyes

After showing Armin his meager vocabulary, the small human had made it his mission to teach Eren every word he could possibly think of. He was also recently introduced to the small drawings on paper that supposedly also translated into words.

Humans--it seems--love to exchange words.

Now, months after the start of his learning, Eren listens to Mikasa tell simplified stories about life before the wall was destroyed while they break up the recently-thawed soil. There are still many things he has had to ask for clarification on, but his humans are patient teachers, and always try to explain all that they can.

Mikasa is in the middle of telling a story about Armin chasing down a "chicken" (which is apparently a bird that humans eat, and Eren feels relieved that humans do in fact eat meat), when he sees it.

A few rows away one of the humans clutches at their stomach with a cry before collapsing to the ground. Eren drops the tool in his hands and rushes over, but the nearby humans have beat him to it, and he can't get close to the swarmed human.

Beside him, Mikasa makes a sad sound, and Eren looks harder at the fallen human. It seems to be alright now, and it waves away the helping hands as it struggles into a sitting position. As the humans part, Eren sees something he doesn't know how to interpret.

He gets Mikasa's attention, gesturing at the human on the ground and miming a distended stomach with a worried fervor. Was it some kind of human illness? Could his humans catch it?

Mikasa nods solemnly. "I know. Carla is in no state to be working."

Eren frowns. Realizing that his meaning has been lost, he repeats the gesture. "What...is it?"

Mikasa looks between him and the invalided human as if to figure out what he could possibly mean. Slowly, Mikasa says "Carla is pregnant, Eren." When no response is forthcoming, frowning silver-blue eyes glance to the ground in contemplation. "She's...making a person. In her stomach."

'Person'. 'People'. That was what humans called themselves. For some reason they did not like being called 'humans', but could not give an exact reason as to why. It takes a full minute for Mikasa's meaning to sink in, but when it does, he looks at the sitting human with wide eyes.

It was a female.

And she was gravid.

Why weren't they running for their lives?

Mikasa had expected several different possible reactions as she explained Carla's situation to Eren --curiosity, interest, even revulsion-- but the look of out-right terror on his face was something she had not prepared for. Slowly, Eren reaches for her hand and begins to tug her away from the woman.

"Eren, what's wrong?" He shakes his head at her question, simply tugging harder and managing to pull her far from the small crowd of people before he starts to sprint. "Eren?" She manages to free her hand and grabs ahold of Eren's shoulders to stop him, pulling him down to her height. "Eren!"

He whimpers, and it gives her pause. "Eren, are you alright? What happened?"

The boy frowns, eyebrows pulling together and mouth twitching as he finds the words. "Dan...ger." He looks at her with pleading blue-green eyes, and she looks between them to try and glimpse what could possibly be going through the boy's head.