COMRADES • Eren Jaeger

CHAPTER 13: Renaissance

TWO MONTHS HAD PASSED since Historia was crowned queen. In the duration in which Eren practiced on his hardening ability, Squad Levi lived in Historia's old farm, helping her around with her little orphanage.

You were much more willing to help Historia around than the others were. Tending to the animals, sweeping leaves, rebuilding damages in the house — you ensured that you handed her quality work.

"Anything to break the cycle for the kids in the underground," you told her as you walked side by side holding boxes. "You did well, Historia! Look at how happy they are."

The blonde girl blushed a bright red. "It's no big deal! I was inspired by your story growing up, that's all."

You shrugged. "It's a big deal to me."

"I didn't even think you were the mothering type," Jean taunted from the front. "You're not exactly the kind of person who's dying to be a mother."

You scowled. "I'm not heartless. I was once a kid, too."

The little kids liked you. They liked your cooking, the way you doted on them and insisted on feeding them vegetables and soup because "if you don't get the right nutrients, you're gonna end up as short as Captain Levi." You never saw yourself as a motherly figure, or someone's big sister, but the way the scraggly little boys and girls looked up to you made your heart melt.

"Archie! Elise!" you shouted at two of the children, both blondes, running after them. "Oi! Stop running after Lucy, she's gonna start crying!"

As the older girl and a soldier, there was no doubt that you were much faster than them. Yet, you let them tag you and pretended that they had managed to keep up with your pace. You smiled at the triumphant looks on their faces, but you were wary when they all tackled you in a group hug.

A part of you felt scared of these children. Or perhaps you were more scared of yourself. What if you would one day ruin them?

Connie elbowed Eren teasingly. "You hear that, Eren? Your kids are gonna love her."

"Our kids?" Eren felt his face heat up and he looked at his grinning friends, bewildered. "Since when did we start talking about kids?"

"I mean..."

"Don't be dumb," Eren said hotly, feeling his ears go red. "I don't want kids and I most definitely don't think of Y/N that way."

Armin and Mikasa exchanged a knowing look. "Why?"

"She's so—she's so—"

"So what?" Mikasa asked, almost accusingly. "What's wrong with her? She's perfectly fine to me."

"I don't know! The point is that the idea is totally stupid. I don't date," scoffed Eren. "And if I did date, I wouldn't be dating her. She's my friend. That'd be so weird."

How could he? His concerns were always directed towards the experiments, surviving each day and preparing to face off Reiner, Bertholt, and Titans. The idea of the distant future was never on his mind.

"Hm, well both of you are really busy," mused Sasha. "The rest of us think about it a lot."

"You guys talk about Y/N and I having kids behind our backs?" Eren asked in disbelief.