wings of freedom | aot x reader

Choosing Ceremony

Chapter 15

    "NEXT!" The tall man ahead of you yelled out, his hand beckoning for you to come closer. You obediently did so, uneasily approaching your 3DMG that stood upon a table, as the man held  a clipboard up his face.

    It has been a few days since Armin's birthday, but just as you thought things seemed to have finally pacified until the choosing ceremony, another dilemma happened to come up. You were still slightly confused as to what exactly was the problem, though you decided not to question the ruckus.

    "Let's see your gear, cadet l/n," He said, inspecting the machine and consequently jotting down some annotations, "What was the last time you utilized your maneuver gear?"

    "During the Trost attack." You answered, rather bluntly in fear of making the man suspicious. He slowly nodded, with an expressionless face.

    You looked sideways, scrutinizing whether Connie and Jean were also as bemused as you. Both were also being interrogated with random questions, until the inspectors dismissed you and walked over to the next person. The whole room filled with the remaining cadets stood still, none really understanding the situation.

    "Punishing us for killing titans? Tch, what has humanity become?" A voice whispered behind, followed by chuckles.

    'Killing titans?' You turned to your right, curiosity finally getting the best of you.

    "Jean?"

    "Hm?"

    "Do you, perhaps, know what's happening?" You asked, looking over at his long face.

    He looked back, before nodding, "Rumor has it that some bastard killed two titans being held into custody by the Survey Corps, used for research maybe? I don't know. Or maybe even for experiments."

    "Oh." You remained quiet, silently thinking of a reason why such thing occurred. The sound of whispers and murmurs drifted you off into a trance, as you stared into the abyss, thinking of nothing in particular. The peace was good while it lasted, though everybody knew tranquility can never remain together with the existence of the titans.

    You knew it since the very beginning, that expecting for an easy life was as foolish as expecting titans to help humanity. But, you don't regret joining the army. You never will.

    "Oi, f/n." Jean nudged your arm, dragging you back to reality.

    "Ye-yeah?"

    "Connie asked you a question."

    You leaned backwards to face Connie, who was currently observing a flying insect and most certainly not noticing your arched eyebrows. Still patient enough to handle things nicely, you wait for the bald man finishes his foolish wandering, but soon become quite irritated.

    Jean notices your uprising temper and tries grabbing Connie's attention. But to no avail, the kid continues to stare off into the fly with a stupid grin. That is, until Jean chooses to slap him in the neck, successfully warning Connie of your existence.

    "WHAT WAS THAT FOR? STUPID HORSE FACE. PUT YOUR HOOVES AWAY FROM ME." He suddenly yells, gathering the awareness of the entire room, as his scream echoed throughout the place.

    "Shut up Connie!" You mumble, staring right ahead and trying to ignore the menacing glares some comrades were shooting.

    It takes a few minutes for you to fully calm down and not hesitate to groan in annoyance, to how oblivious the buzzed-haired man was. Before Connie could begin to daydream once again, you poke his shoulder over Jean's frame.