The Turquoise Cure (Eren X Reader)

Chapter 16: He'll Do It

What the fuck is happening...

How is he doing this? Does he even know? Why wouldn't he tell me? Why doesn't he know, or seem to at least?

    You were pulled from your thoughts by the steam clearing away, allowing you to open your eye once more. A large snapping sound occurred above you, and when you craned your neck to see, you say Eren ripping himself out of the fleshy capsule of his temporary titan's nape, dropping to the ground in front of you, Mikasa, and Armin. You now realized where you were: you were encased in his titan's ribs, peeking out from the bony jail cell as the steam slowly dissipated, showing the appalled faces of the Garrison. 

    "Eren," you said, weaving your thin body through the wide bars of the titan's ribcage. "What is all this?" You looked up at him and into his colorful eyes as you had done so many thousands of times before, but this time was different: he was scared. Eren may be brash, impulsive, bull-headed, stubborn, and almost obnoxiously determined, but he was seldom ever scared. His eyes  peered into yours desperately. "I- I don't know, but somehow my body knew," he said, looking down at his quickly healing hand. You could see a vague outline of the mark that he had bitten, which somehow must have initiated his titan transformation. His eyes were unblinking as he looked at you, his vulnerability magnified in his light eyes. "We'll figure it out," you said, finally touching him again, pulling him over towards Mikasa and Armin, who had been in a state of minor shock. Mikasa had been mainly focused on the surrounding army. As the two of you approached, Armin' anxiety was becoming more proliferated. "Eren, what the-" "Look, Armin," Eren said, in a voice so confident and bereft of any of the vulnerability that he had just shown you that you were slightly taken aback. "I don't know what's going on- I kind of just had an epiphany, but I've gotta get outta here. That much is obvious. You guys'll be lucky if they don't kill you as is..." He trailed off, looking back to you, standing next to him. "Um what?" Mikasa snarled, taking her attention away from the troops, "You're not going anywhere alone- we're coming with you." "NO!" Eren shouted. He seldom raised his voice around you, and even though it wasn't directed towards you, you felt compelled to stop the altercation. You stepped in front of Eren, standing between him and Mikasa. "Listen, you can bitch and moan all that you want, but whether you like it or not, we're not just gonna let you run off into the sunset without us." Eren's face softened- you had that effect on him- but he still had a sternness in his eyes that told you that he was going to put up a fight. "Good thing there's another plan," he said, a smile smile present on his pale and sweaty face.

    After explaining his plan, mostly to Armin, you were convinced that it had to work. If it didn't, you were going to have to draw your blades, and although seeing Eren had helped your health a bit, you were still shaken, confused, and weak; nevertheless, you would never succumb to failure- it wasn't in your mentality. "I'll do it!" Armin yelled, running through the dust and smoke so quickly and without-hesitation that it was almost scary. "He's always helped us out of everything," Mikasa said calmly, reminiscing on past days when things weren't so confusing. She didn't have much time however, because Armin's shouts of praise towards Eren's strategic potential rang out so loudly and clearly that he may as well have magnified his voice to the hundredth power. You felt physically moved as he spoke, and you prayed to whatever power there was in the world that it would work. Eren was moving his hand to his mouth, examining it, as the bearded man shouted back insults at Armin. "It's not looking good," he whispered to you. When you turned to look at him, he was choking- his nose had begun pouring blood, and his coloring had become even more blanched and placid. "Eren!" you gasped, pulling his head forward to keep him from choking. Mikasa had rushed over as well, but he was already denying he was ill and separating himself from Mikasa. He let you worry over him a bit longer though. 

    Your attentions were all dragged back to Armin, however, as he screamed back his analysis of Eren's powers and how they could be used to reclaim Trust District and possible even Wall Maria. You looked to arena, surprised, and he raised his eyebrows skeptically. There is was again- that vulnerability. You knew that he'd never show it to another soul, and that alone made you feel special enough that you couldn't help but wonder why you had jumped off the wall only minutes earlier. I just wish I could remember. "Hey," you whispered to Eren, who was still breathing shallowly. "Yeah?" he asked, scooting closer to you on the ground, resting his hand on on the ground for you to take it. You wanted to, but at the same time, it was too hard. Just an hour ago, he was dead, and now he's back. That's just going to take a little more getting used to. You placed your hand in his anyways and said, "Do you ever know that you're forgetting something, but you just can't remember what it is?" Eren's hand dropped yours, and you felt him go rigid beside of you. Mikasa looked over, concerned, but you merely shrugged your shoulders. "The basement," he said, looking at the key dangling from his neck. "I'll know if I go there," he said, "I'll know everything. I-I don't know how I forgot that." Well, at least one of us remembers something important...