𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑛, 𝑁𝑜! - AOT Oneshots ( ╹▽╹ )

Yumikuri - Love Away the Fear ♡

No one even knew what time it was when Christa vaulted out of bed, or what made her so restless at an hour where everyone else was knocked out, faces and hair planted down on pillows like a hot mess. Being in the same corner with the same amount of darkness was killing Christa slowly. The cold was making her nibble at her fingertips and made her wish and yearn for the sun to climb the sky and seep into her skin again.

Oftentimes, in the girls' cabin, Sasha would just smile over imaginings of food deep in sleep. She was always the first to fall asleep as if she were hibernating. Mina would trace back to times with her family before, sometimes hearing from Annie, although Annie was pretty well at concealing her past from others. Hanna and Mikasa would incline towards cleaning, keeping tidy, and not hosting a pigsty when the sergeant slashed the boys and girls for housekeeping every now and then.

"Alright, who's blowing out the candle tonight?" Sasha yawned.

"Isn't that my job?" Ymir's voice was deeper than usual.

Sasha tucked herself in. "Hm..." she grumbled, taking a dislike for the moonlight hitting her lidded eyes. "Hopefully this moon can turn it down a notch."

Mina, Annie, and Hanna peered up at the moon, sighing like the light had touched their souls, even for a brief moment.

"Wow."

"Look at that."

"The moon is just stunning."

Mikasa rested on her stomach, her arms crossed over her pillow as she gaped up through the half-open window. "Maybe Eren can see it too."

Sasha snored gently. Mina and Hanna giggled, wondering how potato girl fell asleep so quickly. The girls made a small pillow fort, a circle of protection, almost a sort of sanctuary they needed to get through the night.

Christa lay silent in her corner, convinced she was mentally exhausted. Suddenly, darkness rolled over her, or maybe those were just her eyelids growing heavy. She snapped out, quickly readjusting her legs and pulling them up to her chest, mimicking the same comfort she had followed for multiple nights.

When she awoke, her eyes darted open. She flinched up, surveying across the pitch dark room to see if any of the girls were still up. Most of them rested their heads, but it seemed that none of them let their guard down even with instilled protection outside the barracks.

Christa dodged the familiar feeling she felt when she looked into Ymir's eyes earlier. Being a soldier didn't mean slack off to get your best friend into the top tier rankings, but that's the twist. Christa didn't feel normal when she looked into Ymir's eyes... something needed to be said each time, but conversations always ended with a hug that left the two of them wondering if this life had anything more to offer than just a promise waiting to pay off.

When Christa collapsed on the wood out of fatigue, her head was throbbing. Nothing but dark to see on the floor, motionless, still.

Later, maybe after a couple of hours dozing off, she was in someone else's mat, comfortably still, her eyes weren't even open, she just rested, feeling the delayed pain in her limbs. The thirst in her body that she newly felt must have woken her up. The golden-haired female checked for cuts or scrapes on her legs, making sure nothing needed to be bandaged before she ventured outdoors for water.

Christa tiptoed out, making sure no one was sensitive to the slight jarring noises the floor made when she left. Carefully, she strolled down the clueless path, unaware of the certainty of danger, but knowing that she was still sane to be awake.

"You could have just asked me to get you a pail." Ymir approached.

Christa flinched, dropping the bucke of water with an unequivocally scared look on her face.

The brunette shuffled around the smaller girl, smiling a little. "You get up at the same time a couple of times a week just to come outside for the sake of it. I like to think I know your patterns pretty damn well."

Christa glanced up at her, flushing and giving a dull laugh. "You shouldn't scare people like that."

"Can't apologize there. I always look out for you." Ymir chuckled dryly, earning no change in Christa's expression. "Oh, get over it, Christa. One minute, you're in my bed, the next, you won't even talk to me?"

"What do you want me to say?" Christa gave her an exhausted stare. "You're doing all this because you're scared, aren't you?"

Ymir stood there, studying Christa's actions. "Don't get so heated now." she joked. "It's all for a good cause, hon."

They ogled each other in hopes of possibly meeting in the middle; Ymir would apologize, and Christa would thank her for being so devoted, but Christa could smell and almost taste the spilled water at her feet. Her throat was parched, her body was fatigued, and her nerves were worn. "I..." she sat on the coarse ground. "Could you hand me my..."

Ymir retrieved the pail, but she scooped water yet again until the bucket overflowed, resuming back to Christa's weary frame. "Here... let me..." she offered, sieving the smaller girl's bangs back and pressing the bucket to her lips.

Christa followed, resting her hands over Ymir's shoulder. She parted her lips only slightly, taking small mouthfuls of the water, then she gave it a small rest until she rationed for more.

"I'm sorry, honey." Ymir stroked Christa's hand that was on her shoulder. "We're friends, and that's what stays. I wasn't trying to embarrass you today... I thought you would buy into it, but it was a first-class mistake."

The blonde's aqua eyes settled on Ymir's dark orbs. They withdrew from talking, knowing that if they could just share this moment without any judgment, things would be better left alone. Ymir swallowed her pride, thinking Christa concealed a lot behind her smile.

"Ymir..." she quietly began, and suddenly Ymir's world froze. She left a soft peck on the brunette's lips, gently thanking her for the water.

Ymir held Christa's arm, "I want to grow old with you." she muttered, the coexisting shock between them becoming a nurturing place for peace, understanding their motives. Christa knew now what Ymir was looking for in her life; nothing could disturb either of them from what they felt.

"Then grow with me..." Christa gave a warm smile, stroking the freckles on Ymir's cheek. "We will find love where it's meant to be for us, Ymir."