Clearing

Part 19

this chapter has some wlw content. if reading that would make you uncomfortable you are welcome to skip this chapter, but please be respectful.

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The next few days passed reasonably quickly; we trained, ate and slept just as we did every day, and the routine moved everything a little faster. Before I knew it, I was in a carriage with Mikasa, Armin and Eren, and we were on our way to the castle.

Ignoring Jean had probed to be a struggle, but I was more stubborn than I had anticipated. At this point, pure spite was keeping me from looking towards him.

Earlier this evening, Mikasa had insisted on getting me ready again. I had tried to tell her I could do it myself, but she had shushed me aggressively and continued to work. According to her, our plan seemed to be working, and I had played my part more successfully than she had expected. Our final component was this dreaded meeting at the castle.

Levi had given us two instructions for our attire. One: it had to be reasonably formal. Our reputation was bad enough, and we didn't need to show up "looking like a group of raggedy drunkards". Two: it had to be something we could properly move in. Funnily enough, titans didn't respect the fact that some of us were busy, and there was no way of telling when a disaster could occur.

Because of this, most of us had gone with pants and a shirt, with some kind of jacket over the top to make it look more professional. We could always remove it if we needed to.

Mikasa had insisted I had done well, but I was a little skeptical of her scheming. The closer we got to the castle, the more nervous I became. I had considered opening the carriage door and throwing myself onto the pavement at least a dozen times by now.

"Come on, you look incredible. You're going to make him so jealous." She grinned from next to me. I smacked her arm to silence her but it was too late; Armin and Eren's ears had perked up.

"Make who so jealous?" Eren asked, leaning towards me. The two boys were sat opposite me and Mikasa, and even Armin raised an eyebrow. "Have you got a secret lover?"

"Eren, would you shut the fuck up for one minute?" I groaned. "No, I do not have a secret lover. Mikasa is plotting and I have been unwillingly roped into her plans."

Armin nodded sympathetically. He had also been a victim of her scheming.

Mikasa hadn't given me any kind of structure for today, as she had decided it would only work if it came naturally. I couldn't decide whether I was grateful or not as the butterflies in my stomach grew more frantic.

"Hey, don't worry, ok?" She had said whilst she finished my hair. "Just have fun. Don't do anything you aren't comfortable with."

I smiled at the memory. She looked beautiful, her hair dark and glossy around her face. She wore a white button up shirt and a fitted suit jacket, along with a pair of black pants. The top few buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing the sharp angles of her collarbones. I had seen Eren blush furiously when she had walked out into the courtyard, and I couldn't blame him.

Despite myself, I had found my eyes flicking over to Jean. He looked incredibly handsome in his dark shirt and pants, and I hated him even more for it. I found that my less mature side wanted to throw an egg at him.