A Different Reaction

Chapter One: Protect Them

It all happened so fast. The wall breaking, people dying left and right, the screams.

Oh god, the screams...

The worst part of it all was the death of his mother. Being unable to save her, watching as that smiling bastard picked her up like she was a damn doll. Being carried away and watching her getting eaten, broke him. As he stood on the boat that would evacuate him to another section, his mind ran with 1000 thoughts a second. All consisting of how he would get vengeance on the Titans, how soon he would join the survey corps, where was his father?!

He clenched the side of the boat with an unrivaled fury. His eyes were filled with rage and resentment as he looked at the destroyed remnants of his home.

Then he felt something small and soft grab his hand.

"Eren?" a soft voice spoke.

Eren's eyes widened, he completely forgot that he wasn't the only one that suffered today. He looked past her and also saw his best friend Armin, his head in his hands. He noticed that Mikasa was still looking at him, waiting for a response.

"Eren, are you okay?" Mikasa asked with a soft voice, her eyes never leaving his. Eren sighed and tried calming himself down. Being angry would just make the situation worse. He pulled Mikasa into a tight hug, unknowingly causing the girl to blush.

"I-i'm just a little shaken up. I'll be okay; I was just thinking. How are you holding up?"

"Same as you, I'm still thinking of Mrs. Jaeger... if only I were stronger." She said, tears appearing in her eyes. Eren's eyes widened in shock. Did she think she had anything to do with his mother's death? He pulled her back by her shoulders to look her in her beautiful gray eyes.

"That wasn't your fault Mikasa! There was nothing we could've done in that situation."

She hugged him tighter as the tears finally left her eyes; all Eren could do is hold onto her as she let out all her sadness. It was then that Eren decided that he would protect what was left of his loved ones. Eventually, he pulled Mikasa over to Armin as he held them both, becoming their pillar of strength.

'I won't be the one being protected anymore. I won't let those damn titans harm anything I hold dear to me!'

Mikasa looked up at Eren and silently gasped. His beautiful turquoise eyes were starting to mix with gold. As he looked down at her, she couldn't help the blush that spread across her face. He gently smiled and kissed the top of her forehead.

"Don't worry, Mikasa, get some sleep, everything will be okay."

***

They arrived about three days later, as Eren looked around, he only had one thought in mind. It was securing a home for his family. Though that task involved money, he could try to do some jobs, but that wouldn't be enough, he needed something that would pay well, just good enough for a small house, food, and clean water. There was a slight problem, though.

Nobody was going to hire a damn ten-year-old. 

He was broken from his thoughts when the line for food started moving. When he got to the front of the line, he grabbed three loaves of bread. When he arrived with the food, he saw Armin's and Mikasa's face light up for just a second, and that made him smile. He wanted them to stay happy, no matter what. They ate in peaceful silence as Eren kept thinking of possible jobs, he needed something to hold off until they turned twelve and could enter recruit training. He thought of one possible job, but it didn't go well with his morals. He looked up to see Armin and Mikasa looking at him with worry. That decided it.