Vista - Attack on Titan x Reader

CHAPTER NINE: High Brow

A week had passed, and god, I was beyond overwhelmed. After Marco had kindly introduced me to his buddies I'd hardly managed to find a moment of peace.

Sasha was the absolute worst, by far. She would start yapping my ear off about hunting and life in her little farming village, and of course, she would just stare at my food until I shared it with her during every single meal. I was already underweight, I didn't need to lose any more, but there wasn't exactly anything I could do about that.

Then there was Connie. I suppose his aim was to impress me, or something, because whenever I was training with the regular cadets he'd always call for my attention. It was impossible to deny that he was extremely talented with ODM gear, but his book smarts were severely lacking. Though, I did always find myself wondering what he would look like with more hair.

Reiner wasn't a problem, really. He gave me enough space and treated me with respect whilst still maintaining a friendly vibe. He even taught me a few little tricks when it came to hand to hand combat, which I was thankful for. He still intimidated me though. His childhood friend, Bertholdt, wasn't too bad, either. He was quieter than Reiner, and much more timid, though he did try to strike up conversation with me whenever we were around each other. He had once fallen asleep during out short break, and I still couldn't understand how someone could sleep on their stomach with their legs above their head.

Reiner had announced that it meant it would rain that evening. It did.

Jean was just...Jean. His short, teasing comments didn't really stop, but he kept his distance. Especially when I shot him a glare. He had secretly seen me back to the barracks twice more during that week when I had stayed out late in the stables, and each time I had let him know I was aware at the last minute. I think he began to consider it a challenge to keep me from finding him out.

Marco himself was just a blessing when I put the fact he had brought upon these torturous events aside. He was kind, courteous and just a genuinely gentle soul. Ever since our first encounter he would try to make sure nobody pushed me too far out of my comfort zone, and he'd always sorry scold me if I skipped meals or refused to sleep. The only real downfall I could really find was that he was far too modest.

Nobody else gained much of my attention, apart from that annoying Yaeger boy and his vendetta against titan-kind, but I was still way beyond my comfort zone. Especially when several of these new 'friends' of mine made my chest seize up whenever I was around them. Confused and in the dark, I found myself approaching the only person who I really trusted to help.

"Hey...um...can ask you something..?" I tugged on Eld's sleeve after I had found him polishing his boots with Gunther outside of their temporary section of the barracks.
"Hmm? Oh, sure, kiddo, what's up?" He asked with a smile; motioning for me to sit down. Opting to keep standing, I chewed on my lip and kicked at the stray stones littered around my feet.
"What does it mean when your chest gets tight around someone..? A..and your heart gets all jumpy...and you get all hot and bothered..?"

Eld nearly choked on air, and Gunther didn't even attempt to muffle his laughter, which made me feel incredibly small. Unlike his companion, Eld managed to quickly compose himself, yet he avoided my eyes.
"That's...not exactly something I'd be good at explaining...Why...don't you go ask Petra? I'm sure she'd be happy to discuss this...uh...issue..." He began to polish his boot again, but I was less than pleased with his answer.

"But I like talking to you more than her...and it sometimes happens around you, too...so I wanna know why..." Cue Gunther toppling off his stool in absolute hysterics; slapping the cobblestone ground with tears in his eyes. Eld, on the other hand, was a brilliant shade of rouge. If he scrubbed the leather any harder he'd wear it right through.