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poursomesunaonme · 3 years

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part one

pairing: levi ackerman x oc, eren jaeger x oc

summary: luna franz arrives at the 104th training corps camp, making acquaintances with a few of the other cadets.

cw: characters are aged up (does not affect the 13 year rule), angst (homesickness, anxiety), effects of brainwashing/gaslighting, fluff

wc: 12.9k

author’s note: hi friends! never did i think in march that we would make it to this day:) midnight is actually the first attack on titan fanfiction that i started, surprisingly an oc too… but i love luna too much to change this into a reader insert! so thank you for bearing with me, and going along with how sporadic i know these updates will be. i’ll do my best to keep it plot-accurate, and i will reiterate that characters are aged up despite being in training. anyways, thank you so much for reading! like, comments, reblogs, and feedback are always appreciated!

songs for the chapter: “volcano girls” by veruca salt, “dani california” by the red hot chili peppers, “green eyes” by coldplay

extended notes💫

series navigation

part one -> part two

The sun beat down from its perch in the middle of the sky, baking the young cadet inside of her leather bomber jacket. Panting beneath the oppressive heat, she wondered how the hell her superiors expected the rest of the trainees to do all of their exercises in their heavily insulated clothes without dropping like flies. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she waited, standing rigid, for any indication of activity within their ranks. Her skin felt like it was melting right off her body, heartbeat accelerating and intensifying so much that she could feel it in her fingertips. Raspy breath mixed with the humidity with each ragged exhale.

How am I gonna do this? Luna lamented to herself, her eyebrows knitting together. Anxious thoughts thrust her into a turmoil faster than she expected as they swirled like a tempest in her mind. Can I lie well enough? Will they see right through me?

With a deep breath, she steeled her resolve. No, they don’t know anything. Keep it that way.

Luna closed her eyes, lungs expanding in a deep breath. As she let it exit her body, she repeated her mantra over and over, one step at a time, one moment at a time, one day at a time.

She opened her eyes with a new clarity, studying the scene in front of her. The rows of cadets were standing still as statues as they waited anxiously. From what she would see, only a few hands were trembling as their owners clutched them into fists behind their backs. Luna was glad that she wasn’t visibly shaking. The atmosphere was almost as suffocating as the sweltering heat, tension buzzing through the air.

A booming voice arose from the front of the crowd. Luna searched to see who was speaking, but given her short stature, the task was difficult. From what she could ascertain, the only person that was moving was pacing back and forth in front of the lines of cadets. The trainee only knew because a figure would pass between the gaps of people in her vision.

The voice that carried over the heads of the cadets welcomed them all with an eager maliciousness to training, emphasizing that he was going to try his hardest to ruin their lives in the next three years. Keith Shadis was his name.

The instructor then asked the first cadet their name and why they were joining the military; and then he promptly insulted them. He transversed the rows quickly, spitting out curses and jabs at each cadet. With each person, he drew closer and closer to Luna. As she attempted to prepare her response, the words began to be jumbled in her mind.

Give them something believable. Not too impassioned, not too soft.

I’m saving Eldia - no, no, not that.

I’m bringing honor to my country. That’s better. Go with that.

I am saving my family. Perfect - stick with something you actually believe, and that will make it easier.

As Shadis’s interrogations continued, the other cadet’s statements mixed with Luna’s thoughts, creating a confusing din in her mind. She assumed that the cadets’ sentiments would aid in creating something viable, but they only confused her more as she listened.

Reclaiming land? Saving humanity?

Luna and her comrades hadn’t practiced what to say, so she struggled to piece together words from other cadets into a statement that was somewhat her own. In addition to falling over her own words, they had been separated when processed entering into the camp - and she noticed that Shadis had skipped berating them. Drawing in a sharp breath, her eye twitched slightly with annoyance. Being alone in the intimidating situation was overwhelming; and having to lie was bad enough without someone preying on your every weakness.

Within the blink of an eye, Shadis was bearing down upon Luna. The man had just rammed his forehead into Jean Kirstein’s head so hard that the cadet crumbled to his knees. Luna took a deep breath, soothing her nerves to calmly deliver her piece; but at the sight of Shadis looming over her, her heart skipped a beat.

“You, shorty, what’s your name?” The spittle from Shadis’s mouth misted Luna’s face. She hesitated for a millisecond, but her fisted hand slammed against her chest in a feigned passionate salute. Eyes focused forward, slightly level beneath his pectorals, Luna could feel the anger boil in her veins as it took everything in her not to take down the man who had just insulted her height.

“Luna Franz, from Mitras, sir!”

The volume of her voice surprised her as she wondered why it felt like she was screaming. Her statement echoed around the rows of cadets, a sharp gust of wind blowing dirt and leaves around her frame. Determined not to sway with the force of nature in front of the instructor, she clenched her core, grounding herself to keep from flying away.

“And why are you here, short stack? Being from a noble family wasn’t good enough for you?” To Luna, Shadis’s eyes felt like they were searing a hole in her forehead. She could hear the cadets around her snickering at the jab the instructor had taken at her height, but tightening her fists, she didn’t let them faze her. She was only slightly intimidated by the aggressive man that was a few inches short of towering two feet over her. She gritted her as she forced a reply out.

“I am here to retake our land so that humanity can thrive!” A crack punctured her voice as she tried her best to sound as sincere and impassioned as possible. The lies stung like bile in her throat; she swallowed roughly in an attempt to keep her composure, hoping that eventually, it would get easier.

“And how are you going to do that, cadet? By nipping at their ankles?”

The fellow cadets cackled like hyenas, unable to stifle the laughter at the instructor’s last insult. Luna’s cheeks flamed, the desire to rip every person present limb from limb swirling in her mind.

“Whatever it takes, sir” was the only reply she could think of, unable to dull the sarcastic edge in her voice. Shadis let out a growl and fisted the collar of her shirt. Physically, she didn’t flinch, but she had to clamp her mouth shut to prevent a whimper from escaping at the instructor’s aggressiveness.

“For the sake of your survival, Franz, I hope your bite is as tough as your bark.”

And with those last words, Shadis released the fuming cadet and moved onto the next. Luna let out a sigh of relief, gluing her eyes to the dirt at her feet. She didn’t dare meet the gaze of her classmates after that, not knowing that they were watching the next spectacle that was Shadis lifting a cadet by his head. In fact, Luna wanted to swim back across the sea and forget that the whole experience had ever happened. But little did she know that it was going to be longer than the three years that training would take before she would ever return home.

Anger once again boiled in her veins as she barely lifted her eyes to watch Shadis make his way down the row before commanding that they turn and watch the next row get spit on. All of the cadets screamed meaningless things to prove their worth. The groveling elicited the distinct taste of disgust in her mouth, but she forced it back down to be able to think clearly. Luna’s eyes met the ground again as she focused on weaving her perfect web of lies.

At dinner, the cadets were given bread and soup rations, and the scramble to find company to eat with began. Luna sat with Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt; she thought herself incredibly lucky to have people she knew with her. Some of the other trainees weren’t so fortunate, making a sad spectacle of eating alone. But as they consumed their fill, they got up and wandered around, meeting other cadets as they went.

Luna wanted to follow suit, hoping that meeting other cadets would put her at ease. Not only would she be making allies, but the disgust that constantly clutched at her gut would be desensitized to the objects of her hatred. When she stood up to leave, however, Reiner’s giant hand clasped around her wrist with unexpected force. Luna turned to snap at him, but Annie beat her to the punch.

“Let her go, you creep.”

Reiner’s face twitched at her response, hesitating slightly. But after a second, he relented, turning his face down to his empty bowl. Luna nodded to Annie, who returned the gesture. With a huffing breath, Luna turned to the lively social atmosphere, massaging her throbbing wrist. Pasting on a half smile to make herself more approachable, she strolled down the rows of tables. She hoped that her height wouldn’t draw much attention; however, it did the opposite, given Shadis’s attacks earlier that day.

“Hey, look, it’s the Short Stack!” a voice called from beside her.

Eldian devil.

Eyes narrowing, Luna whirled around to see a table full of boys, their eyes goofily alight over the insult. Some of them slapped the back of a boy who held her gaze once he caught it, grinning proudly. She assumed that he was the one who had cat-called her. His hair color was something that could only be described as sun-bleached mud. Racking her brain for his name, Luna remembered that he was Jean, the one that Shadis had berated right before her earlier that day. However, given his visage, she came up with something easier to remember him by.

“Oh hey, it’s Horse Face!” Luna smiled innocently as roaring laughter sounded from all the cadets who heard; it was like music to her ears. Heart swelling with pride, she basked in how good it felt to degrade these devils. Her insult promptly wiped the smile off Jean’s face as his cheeks reddened, searching desperately for a comeback.

“How cute,” he cooed, playing off the seconds that it took for him to muster up another jeer, “Baby Lu is trying to intimidate me.”

Luna couldn’t help but take a step back. Her face flushed at the irritating fact that not only had Jean remembered her name, but the nickname that he spat out with such venom was what her family called her. She crossed her arms, locking her lips before she dug her own grave.

We’re making friends, not enemies, Lu, she reminded herself. Stay cool.

Her heart panged at the thought of her family across the sea, aching to see the smiling faces of her mother and sister. Trying to find a positive side to the situation to keep herself grounded, she hoped that the familiar nickname would make the ungodly ordeal bearable.

Jean snickered at Luna’s lack of response, assuming his victory. The wooden bench squeaked as he rose from his seat to approach her. The other cadets at the table watched eagerly to watch the scene that was to unfold. Luna stood her ground, not wavering in the slightest, as Jean drew closer. Once he was directly in front of her, the boy towered over her by almost a foot.

“Cat got your tongue, Baby Lu?” he sneered, sticking with the nickname he thought he had so geniously come up with. Luna only scoffed at him, a lazy smile creeping to her face.

“Sorry, I guess I just wanted to make friends tonight instead of making you cry.” Luna shrugged and attempted to remove herself from the situation by turning on her heel to walk away. However, Jean wasn’t finished with asserting his dominance. He ran around the other cadet and she walked right into him, the lanky boy blocking her way.

“So, she does have a little bit of feist in her, eh?” he grinned down on the cadet. Luna rolled her eyes, but Jean continued teasing her. “Seems as if you’re just a one hit wonder when it comes to insults, that right?”

The other cadets snickered. Luna’s blood began to boil at the humiliating turn of events. Pressing her lips into a straight line to avoid a wicked smile, she knew that she had sworn not to make enemies this early on, but Jean’s last comment gave her the perfect opportunity to assert her dominance.

Luna’s knee jerked up swiftly, hitting Jean square in the groin. She smirked, satisfied at watching his whole body seize up in pain before he whimpered and crumpled to the ground. The cadets at the boys’ table were silent. In fact, Luna just noticed that nobody in the whole room uttered a peep. With a victorious smile, she milked her moment in the spotlight.

“Looks like being a short stack has its advantages, no? Call me a two hit wonder from now on, will ya?” Luna let out a bright laugh and leaned down to Jean’s ear to address him once more, speaking up to make sure that everyone could hear. “Unless you want more where that came from, Horse Face.”

With those last sentiments, she sauntered off haughtily to make new friends. Many of the boys looked at her, their eyes alight in fear despite the laughter on their lips, but the other girls gazed at her in adoration. Luna kept a disinterested half smile on her face, but in reality, she was soaking up the attention as she strutted between the tables. She knew that Reiner was going to kill her for putting herself in the limelight, but she didn’t care. She stopped at a few tables, chatting with a few other cadets, before making a more permanent settlement.

A group of friends sitting at a table caught Luna’s eye. One of them was from Shiganshina, if she remembered from the few introductions that managed to somehow stick in her mind from earlier that day. Luna steeled her resolve, shoveling the feeling of guilt that began to well up in her soul. The sorrow that had resulted from attacking them threatened to chip at the walls that she had spent her entire life building. With a deep breath, she justified their actions with the single, constant thought:

They deserve everything that comes to them.

The trio of friends was still picking at their food when Luna approached them. The small blond boy who she remembered from earlier that day raised his eyes and upon seeing her, smiled widely and greeted her warmly.

“Hi there!” he waved. A more genuine smile easily curved the corners of Luna’s lips upwards; she couldn’t help that her anxious heart was soothed at his friendliness. “I don’t know how much you remember from the introductions earlier today, but I’m Armin Arlert. These are my friends. We’re all from the Shiganshina District.”

At his reintroduction and the mention of his hometown, Luna’s heart fell to her stomach. The day played over and over again in her head. How Reiner brought her and Annie to the top of the wall to keep them safe from the Titan’s flooding through the hole in the wall; but even from that far up in the sky, the contortion of faces frozen in screams, the blood that stained the cobblestone, the limbs strewn about without second thoughts - everything still haunted her.

They deserve everything that comes to them.

“I’m Eren Jaeger,” the other boy at the table said, stirring his soup idly. His shaggy brown hair fell into his eyes as he barely raised his eyes to address Luna. Her eyes fell to the last cadet at the table.

“I’m Mikasa Ackerman,” the only girl said, turning her head to address Luna gently. Her black eyes shone in the soft light of the cafeteria, a smile gently appearing on her face. A red scarf wrapped itself around her neck, which Luna could’ve sworn she saw the ravenette wearing earlier that day. She cringed at the thought of something that could so easily insulate the scorching heat against a body.

“I’m Luna Franz.” The cadet thought that a genuine smile would be difficult to form, but it came surprisingly easily. “I’m from Mitras.”

The cadets nodded along before Armin piped up. “Do you want to sit with us? I’m sure that Jean will come looking for more trouble eventually.”

Luna was more than happy to agree, but she played off her excitement. “Sure,” she shrugged, taking a seat next to Armin and across from Eren. “What did you all think of training today?”

“Wasn’t too bad,” Eren answered before shoveling the rest of the soup into his mouth. “But nothing is as bad as what Sasha had to do.”

Luna looked around the room, trying to find the cadet; but she knew that she wouldn’t recognize her. In truth, Luna had barely paid attention during the rest of the introductions because she was too busy keeping herself from having a panic attack.

“What happened?” Luna questioned Eren’s reply. The trio looked at her, incredulous, while her head sunk down in embarrassment. She explained herself sheepishly, “I was so nervous today that I wasn’t paying attention.”

“She stole a potato from the mess and was eating it in front of everyone. When Shadis called her out, she offered a piece to him,” Armin explained, his voice tremulous as he recalled the events. “She said it was half, but it wasn’t even close. He said that she could lose meal privileges for a few days or run until she was on the verge of death. She chose the latter.”

The corners of Luna’s lips turned down in an expression of distaste. “Well that seems stupid,” she commented, her fingers idly tracing the grain in the wood of the table.

“Yeah,” Eren murmured. For the first time, he looked up to face Luna, and she saw his face clearly. The first thought that entered her mind was that he wasn’t at all bad looking. His deep green eyes pierced through hers as he studied her face, a twinge of pink rising subtly in his cheeks. Luna’s face twitched slightly at his color as her face heated in return. The moment passed swiftly as he cleared his throat and inquired a bit too far into Luna’s life than she wanted to delve into that night. “How do you know Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt?”

Luna’s mouth went dry as she paused for a minute, formulating a way that she could make her next move so that it wouldn’t expose her later on. There was always a chance that they would be caught, so everything would have to be poured over for any contingencies. Luna hadn’t yet completed her individual mission, so her group’s instructions were to keep her as far removed from her comrades as possible in the event of the overarching mission failing, forcing her to continue alone.

“We arrived at about the same time.” The words flowed from her mouth with a cool ease. “No one else from Mitras came, which isn’t at all surprising. So, they saw me alone and approached me and we became friends. It was nice to have a group before getting here.”

“I bet,” Armin agreed. “Eren, Mikasa, and I have been friends since we were little.”

The smile that Luna flashed didn’t quite meet her eyes. Maybe it was the sudden surge of jealousy at a semi-normal childhood that they got to experience, but she mushed it down within her and attempted to be friendly. “That’s nice.”

Eren turned his head down back to his bread. “Yeah, and now we’ve been driven from our home like pests.” The blindsiding input brought down the mood of the conversation. Luna didn’t pry any further; she already knew what had happened. She had watched the entire thing unfold.

Titans flooding through the hole that had opened up like a floodgate in the wall, tearing through buildings like they were nothing, ripping people limb from limb. Luna desperately fought the need to sprint across the plains all the way to the sea, legs flying over the ground, to be anywhere but there. To see anything but that.

The desperate plea for Annie to wake up and transform, for the two girls to escape the battle and flee from their mission, to desert their military. But Annie laid still, comatose from the trek across the continent. And Luna was forced to agree with logic.

Luna closed her eyes, not wanting her episode to seem off putting to the trio. She tried frantically to clear her head of the images of blood and gore that sunk their claws into her imagination. While the pit in her stomach remained, the images begrudgingly left her mind. Luna’s eyelids fluttered open, seeing Armin studying her inquisitively.

“Are you okay?” he asked, eyes wide with concern. Luna’s heart skipped a beat as she scolded herself for letting herself go in that moment, so she did her best to recover her momentary lapse of control.

“Yeah, just not used to the food,” she fibbed. Misleading the cadets, she discovered, was becoming easier and easier with each lie she told; and they had only been in training for a day. A subtle sigh of relief escaped her lips. Armin’s face brightened with a relieved smile.

“I’m sure we’ll all get used to it eventually,” he shrugged, turning to face forward once again. Eren’s fist beat against the table, rattling their tableware and so drawing their attention.

“We wouldn’t have to if it wasn’t for the Titans,” he growled to himself. Armin clenched his jaw, but Luna, she struggled to hide a smile that had appeared at his fixation. The cadet certainly wasn’t a sadist, but Eren’s obsession was entertaining to say the least. She quickly covered her mouth with a hand and let out a little cough to give herself time to regain her composure. The trio paid no attention to her as the two other cadets attempted to talk down their friend.

“Eren, we’re here now,” Mikasa muttered, eyes like coal focused on the brooding boy. “Let’s focus on the present, got it?”

Her piece seemed to keep his feelings at bay as he began to silently drag his spoon around the empty bowl. Luna found herself wondering about what happened to their families. Shiganshina had been a bloodbath, and with the population control gambit that had ensued, she assumed that the chance was high that something had happened to them. From Eren’s overt hatred of the Titans, it was clear that he had lost his.

They deserve everything that comes to them.

“It was cool of you to put Jean in his place like that.” Mikasa turned the conversation to something more lighthearted. Luna lifted her head, seeing the other girl smiling softly at her.

“What can I say?” Luna shrugged. “I really enjoy bullying people who bully me.”

With that sentiment, Eren let out a soft chuckle, signaling a change in his demeanor. Luna turned her eyes to him, seeing the green-eyed boy crack a smile in her direction. Their eyes met before they both quickly looked away. Luna didn’t think that Armin or Mikasa noticed the brief moment. The cadet began studying the wood of the table once more as a silence settled over the table.

The atmosphere in the room had brightened considerably as the last few stragglers finished their meals and started to socialize. At the buzz of the cadets heightening, Luna’s head perked up to watch the room. From across the cafeteria, Luna saw Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt get up from their table and leave. Not wanting to seem like part of the group, Luna waited for a moment before leaving the new acquaintances she had made.

“Well, I’m beat, so I’m gonna turn in for the night.” Luna stood up to leave, rolling out her shoulders to ease the tension that had built up within her body. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

The trio gave Luna their goodbyes and she once again strolled through the room, following the path that her friends took. She could feel a few pairs of eyes lingering on her, but most of the cadets had already moved on from her moment of popularity. The noise from the cafeteria died down as she exited and jogged to find her friends near the barracks.

The comrades were in a small alleyway between their respective bunkrooms. From the way they sat in silence, Luna had assumed that they had waited for her to begin debriefing.

“Did I miss anything?” Luna inquired, slowing her approach to a stop as she joined their circle. There wasn’t any overt emotion on their faces, no tension that she could sense around each of her friends; she assumed that they wouldn’t start anything without her.

“No,” Reiner answered her, “we were just waiting for Queen Shorty to finish her reign of terror.”

Luna rolled her eyes, arms weaving together in front of her chest as she stared him down haughtily. “Oh, fuck off, Reiner. You wish that was you.”

The man flared his nostrils, but contained his feelings for once in his life. “Let’s talk about today. How are you all feeling so far?”

“Fine” was Annie’s immediate answer. The terse statement didn’t surprise Luna in the slightest. The group knew that if there was anything wrong, Annie would bring it up if she wasn’t able to handle it herself; which rarely happened.

“Not too bad,” Luna shrugged, wrapping her arms around her frame to ward off the chilly evening air. “Getting a story together really isn’t hard. And you need to work on making allies. Sticking together all the time isn’t going to be a good look if something happens later on.”

Luna couldn’t help but add the last segment. While creating relationships wasn’t breaking a rule, it wasn’t recommended for the faint of heart. However, her cousin himself had instructed her in the art of doing so, hammering it into her mind to manipulate the trust of others to get what she wanted. While she wasn’t proud of her practices, they kept her alive; and that was all that mattered to her.

“Yeah,” Bertholdt agreed, “as long as we make sure that we have everything coordinated, we should be good. And Luna, I don’t know about you, but that’s hard.”

“I know,” Luna assured her friend, giving him a pat on the arm, “but it gives us a bit of collateral if shit hits the fan.”

The lanky boy sighed as Reiner interjected. “Make an effort to remember conversations about what you tell others about us. When we meet, we can piece together everything to keep our stories straight.”

From that point forward, the comrades relayed their days to each other and any pieces of their puzzle that needed to be straightened out. Most of them were dictated by Luna, seeing that she was the only one who had bothered to socialize during dinner. However, the one starting point that she came up with made the task of developing their own webs of lies much easier.

After they finished their meeting, the cadets were beginning to file out of the dining hall. Their group dispersed quickly, heading their separate ways to their cabins. Out of the multiple barracks in the camp housing, Luna was incredibly grateful to have been placed with Annie. They walked together in a comfortable silence.

When the duo arrived at their bunkroom, there were a few girls already present. Luna noticed immediately that some beds were empty; all of them had been ladened with bags of belongings whenever the cadets had first arrived.

“Those are the ones that decided that the military wasn’t for them,” Annie explained as she followed Luna’s eye line.

“Huh,” she breathed, “and we didn’t even do that much today.”

“It was probably Shadis’s aggression more than anything,” Annie shrugged. “Some people just aren’t cut out for it, I guess.”

The two got to making their beds and organizing their spaces as the rest of the cadets made their way in and followed suit. The chatter rose dully in the background as Luna’s mind was filled with her family.

Estelle’s definitely out on the roof looking at the stars. She probably already made up a fake constellation to show me. I hope that both she and I make it long enough for me to learn it and make up one to show her in return.

Luna chided herself silently, trying to instill a sense of hope that maybe the mess that she found herself in would be sorted out, and that she would be back at home to see her sister in no time. She knew that her mother would be overjoyed. Before Luna left home, her mother had been in a particularly difficult bout of grief over her father, so having something else to divert her attention that didn’t involve smothering her older sister was going to be good for both of them.

Luna smiled, relishing in the comfort that thinking of her family blessed her with. She gently placed the teddy bear that her mother had given her against her pillow, deciding that her space was now complete. Annie had claimed the top bunk, which Luna didn’t mind in the slightest. She never slept well and tended to wander a lot during sleepless nights. She stood back with a huffing breath, proudly surveying her handiwork. A finger tapped gently on her shoulder. Luna whirled around, seeing a small blonde girl a little shorter than she was. She raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she wanted.

“You’re Luna, right?” she asked. The cadet cocked her head to the side, interested as to where the conversation was going.

“Yeah, why?”

The girl clenched her hands tightly into fists before forcing out the rest of what she wanted to say. “I’m Christa. I just wanted to tell you that I really admire the way you stood up to Jean today.”

A few of the other girls caught wind of their conversation and made their way over eagerly to join in. Luna eyed them curiously before addressing Christa again.

“I mean, it’s really not that hard if you get mad enough.” Luna let out a gentle laugh, clapping a hand onto Christa’s shoulder. The sudden contact made the blonde nearly jump out of her boots. “Just don’t hold back your feelings.”

The other girls giggled along with Luna, who smiled at the fact that she was settling so well into the environment. It wasn’t too hard to be around these people, which was an observation that surprised her. As much as she hated to be here, it wasn’t really so bad. Running around loose in the walls in the first part of the mission was a lot more dismal than making friends who were going through the same arduous training as she was.

As the chatter with the girls continued, Luna attempted to avoid personal questions as much as possible, not feeling up to having to report back to Reiner about anything. All in all, the girls got along famously. They didn’t stay up too late because of the long days of training ahead.

Luna laid awake for what was probably hours, fully alert. Her brain was plagued by images of what her group had inflicted upon the people of Shiganshina. Insomnia had become a better friend of hers in the last few weeks, keeping her wide awake so that she didn’t have to face her nightmares. Luna tried her very best to breathe deeply and ground herself to flush the gore out of her mind, but it didn’t work too well.

She stared at the wood above her, wishing to see the stars in the same position in the sky as Estelle did. There wasn’t anything that she wanted more in that moment than a home cooked meal from her mother and the game night that usually ensued after such dinners. Luna smiled, reminiscing on the crazy games that she had made her family play when she was younger.

While it was nice to remember her family in Liberio, Luna couldn’t help but imagine the disparity in lifestyle between the two places she had come to be very well acquainted with. Paradis felt infinitely more free than Liberio, and she pitied that her family was still trapped there.

With a huff, Luna rolled onto her side, facing the wall. Begrudgingly, she admitted that Paradis wasn’t freedom. There were three walls that were more than enough proof of that. Still, she thought that anything was more liberating than being spit upon as she trudged down the streets of her own town.

Maybe once we get the Founder, I’ll be able to bring my family here and we wouldn’t have to live in a camp. We could be free.

And with that one last hopeful thought, Luna clutched her teddy bear tightly to her chest as she glided into the secure embrace of sleep.

The rough grained wood rubbed against the back of Luna’s thighs through the fabric of her sturdy pants. She bounced her knee idly, waiting for the teacher to begin the lesson. The curriculum of the training camp had begun the day after the cadets’ arrival, giving them virtually no time to adjust to the new environment.

The absence of the original cadet numbers was palpable, given the amount of empty seats that littered the room. Luna still thought it intriguing that so many people had left after one interaction with Shadis. She and her friends had been desensitized to that behavior long ago, given their rigorous training in Marley. The instructors had exceeded in matters of gaslighting and manipulation, instilling many beliefs in the young cadets that fueled their personal determination.

Luna felt the eyes of other cadets on her, whispering amongst themselves about the events that had conspired the previous night. Reflecting on how she treated Jean, she knew that it wasn’t her best or brightest idea; in fact, making acquaintances was probably her best bet at staying alive and furthering the progress of the mission. Luna resolved in that stuffy classroom to be more friendly, as it would provide her more than just creature comfort.

Her eyes skimmed the room, surveying the bored expressions of the other students as their eyes glazed over, waiting idly for the teacher to arrive. Luna and the others didn’t have to wait long, however, as the man came striding in just a few moments after. He gave a quick hello, setting down his bag and books on the desk, straightening out a plaque that had his name etched upon it.

Nichols.

Luna made a mental note of the name as she easily lost herself in a daze the minute that Nichols started to drone about the class curriculum after handing out the other training schedules to each cadet. Her fingers fiddled with a pencil as she stared out of the window, watching another squadron of cadets learn how to use ODM gear. It was a stationary exercise, the straps secured to long poles. Each cadet was hoisted up, attempting to balance in the belt. The whole sight amused Luna, watching as the cadets tried and failed, some of them even careening forward, smashing their heads on the ground as they lost their balance.

“Miss Franz?”

The voice jolted Luna from her thoughts. Her head snapped forward, slipping off of the hand that had been supporting her chin. She blinked rapidly, head whirling around to find that the entire classroom was staring at her. Officer Nichols eyed her expectantly, arms crossed sternly over his chest.

“Yes?” Luna blurted, stumbling clumsily through the awkwardness of the situation. A situation such as that never happened to the cadet during her previous studies and training in Marley; she had always been attentive in class. However, her motivation was lost in the current camp, seeing as she didn’t have to battle for a chosen role.

“Glad to see you’re finally with us,” Nichols snapped sarcastically. “I was trying to see if anyone in this class knew the weak spot of a Titan. Do you?”

Luna examined the board haphazardly, finding that she had missed about fifteen minutes’ worth of notes. She couldn’t help but chide herself at her carelessness, deciding that she would pay attention in the unlikely case that there was anything that the Eldians of Paradis knew that was lost upon her; she doubted the existence of the knowledge of anything extraordinary. Luna’s attention returned to the teacher whose patience was wearing razor thin.

“The nape, sir,” she answered, pleased at how a look of surprise took over the features of Nichol’s face. She quickly added, “I’m sorry about earlier. It won’t happen again.”

The teacher nodded along, circling the nape of the neck on the Titan he had drawn crudely on the board. As he began talking again, Luna scribbled furiously to catch up on the notes that she had already missed, in case she needed them later. She didn’t worry about using the Paradis lettering, deciding that if anyone snuck a peak at her notes, she would just have to say that she had bad handwriting. Class time seemed to have flown by, seeing as just a short time later, Nichols leaned against his desk, gripping the edges with his calloused hands.

“I know it’s early to explain this, but I believe you all should know so you adjust your work ethic accordingly.”

The whole class leaned forward in their seats, their interest piqued. Luna wondered what he could possibly be explaining after a rigorous crash course about everything they could possibly know about Titans. The cadet twisted a piece of hair around her finger, trying to ignore the growling that grumbled within her stomach.

“In the military, there are three branches of forces,” Nichols began, “the Military Police, the Garrison Regiment, and the Scouting Regiment. At the end of camp, you cadets will choose which faction you want to enter. However, only the top ten of your graduating class will be able to choose the Military Police, who protect the innermost wall and the king.”

At the mention of the Military Police, a few cocky boys in the classroom whispered to each other excitedly. Luna rolled her eyes, convinced that they would graduate nowhere near the top ten.

“Other than that, the Garrison Regiment acts to keep the peace between the other walls. The Scouting Regiment works to set up bases outside of the walls. Naturally, it is the Scouting Regiment that has the highest amount of casualties, but in my opinion, they have the greatest adventures.”

Luna cataloged all the information about each branches’ responsibilities for the next meeting with her comrades. They were at hand-to-hand combat training, which she would be participating in the next day. Most of the people that Luna had met the previous night, including Eren and Mikasa, were in training with them.

Nichols continued on for a brief moment, encouraging the cadets to try their hardest despite what regiment they were planning on joining. After he dismissed class, he called Luna over to his desk. Cheeks burning, she hurriedly packed her bag and walked briskly to where the teacher was erasing the board. The chalk powder puffed off of the surface, sneaking its way into her nose, tickling the sensitive hairs and clogging her throat. Luna coughed, attempting to soothe the alien sensation as Nichols addressed her.

“Luna, where was your mind today?” he prodded, a tint of empathy in his voice. She adjusted the strap on her shoulder nervously before answering.

“I’m not sure, sir,” she responded, “I don’t know if I’m used to the pace of these classes.”

It wasn’t a total lie - Luna was used to hands-on and more rigorous courses. Truth be told, it had taken everything in her not to lay down her head and fall asleep on the desk earlier. Nichols chuckled, putting down the eraser and turning to face the cadet. The annoyance that he had harbored towards her had seemingly dissipated with the fact that her brain was loaded with knowledge that her classmates didn’t possess. “I get that. You’re a bright one, Miss Franz.”

Nichols kindly laid a hand on her shoulder, offering her a knowing smile. She returned it, brushing a stray hair out of her face.

“You have a good chance of graduating in the top ten, just in regard to your academic endeavors,” he commented. “MP would be glad to have you. That gives you a high survival rate. That is, if you want to take it.”

Luna nodded graciously, not ready to make a decision for a few reasons. For one, graduation was still three years away; she would have a lot of time to ponder which regiment would be best for the mission. And secondly, she needed to talk to her comrades and decide how best to divide their forces. Given their training and academic prowess, they would undoubtedly be graduating in the top ten.

“Thank you,” Luna acknowledged. “And again, I promise I won’t tune out like that. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me lately.”

Nichols nodded empathetically. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to come talk to me. I know that Shadis isn’t the most approachable mentor, so I understand feeling like you don’t have a lot of guidance.”

Luna smiled, happy to have made a new relationship that would keep her somewhat grounded. Nichols quietly began arranging some of the paperwork on his desk, so Luna took the cue and made her way to the door.

“Thanks so much!” I breathed. He waved at her, taking a seat at his desk. Luna picked up a brisk pace to get to the mess hall before all the fresh lunch was taken. The sun began baking her as soon as she exited the schoolhouse.

It wasn’t long before her breath came in huffs. She shrugged off her jacket, allowing her sweating skin to breathe. Her hair stuck to her forehead, obscuring her vision. She raked the matted strands out of her face, attempting to see the path in front of her.

“Oi, hold on there!” a voice called out. “Don’t be stripping in the middle of camp, now!” Luna whirled around, heart thumping against her chest, spurred by the fear that she had drawn the attention of the wrong person. After a few moments, her mind had processed on the mocking voice and her eyes focused on where the cat-call originated from. She gave an over dramatic eye roll when she finally found Jean smirking at her.

“What’s it to you?” Luna shouted back, setting a jog over to him so that they didn’t have to scream across such a distance. She shielded her eyes with a hand focusing on the figure that stood with him.

“C’mon, you know how these rowdy boys can get,” he smirked as Luna reached him and his friend. The other cadet beside him fiddled with his hands nervously, unsure of how to join the conversation. Luna’s eyes flitted over his frame, remembering that he was one of the guys sitting at the table with Jean the night before.

“I don’t see why you particularly care, Jean-bo.” Luna planted her hands on her hips, angling her body to address the other boy. “And who’re you?”

His sparkling black eyes met Luna’s, shining with a tenderness that made her heart soften. She pushed past Jean, ignoring the lanky cadet as he attempted to defend his previous statement. His friend straightened up, looking a little more confident at Luna’s undivided attention.

“I’m Marco Bodt,” he introduced himself, extending his hand. Luna took it, shaking firmly. She admired his civility compared to Jean’s prickly attitude. In the deep recesses of her mind, Luna marveled at how normal the Paradis natives seemed in comparison to the people that they were made out to be. Even in the posh city where she did research with Annie, the rich citizens would give money to them on the street without a second thought.

Their kindness would make Luna’s manipulation go a lot smoother.

“I’m Luna Franz.”

“I know,” he laughed lightly, “Jean was talking about you all day.”

The other cadet turned on him at that comment. Luna let out a gleeful laugh, enjoying seeing Jean so riled up. Marco barely flinched as his friend began to yell.

“I have not!” Jean spouted indignantly. Marco turned his head to Luna and winked, suggesting otherwise. A light twinge of pink dusted Jean’s cheeks as Luna turned languidly and began the walk to the mess hall, leaving the flustered cadet behind.

Raven hair and a red scarf caught Luna’s attention at the entrance to the dining hall. She called out to her friend, hoping to stop the girl before she entered. That way, Luna wouldn’t have to brave the fray alone.

“Mikasa!” Luna shouted, raising a hand to flag her down. The ravenette turned around, a soft smile gracing her lips upon seeing Luna. She waved back, coming to a halt as Luna jogged up to meet her.

“Thanks for waiting,” Luna breathed as they both passed through the doors. They were met with sweet relief as a wave of cold air washed over them.

“No problem,” Mikasa responded, giving a small nod. “Where were you today?”

“School.” Luna rolled her eyes. The melodramatics of Luna’s antics drew yet another smile from Mikasa, which caused Luna to do the same. They got in line and received their food. Christa was sitting at a table with another girl, so the duo joined them and began to eat. The other cadet introduced herself as Ymir. The name in and of itself made Luna’s blood run cold, instantly reminded of the pawn of the Devil that she had learned about in school. However, she maintained a poker face, dead set on not being found out the second day that her real mission began. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt; but she didn’t make a move to sit with them.

The girls talked about their experiences from the day. Christa and Ymir had been in a horseback riding workshop, complaining about how they were already sore from shoveling poop out of the stalls the entire time. Mikasa had the whole table snorting with laughter as she told everyone about how she bested all of her opponents in the combat station. She had some particularly hilarious anecdotes about putting a few cocky cadets in their place.

Christa and Ymir revealed that they would be participating in hand to hand combat training after lunch; meanwhile, Mikasa would be in the schoolhouse. Luna began to understand the rotation, imagining what sorts of other stations the instructors would toss into the mix in the coming weeks and months.

The chatter of the cadets around the girls drowned out any remaining sounds of eating as lunch progressed. Eren and Armin sat down at the table, sporting new bruises that Mikasa had already revealed to have been inflicted by her.

“Now, Mikasa,” Luna giggled, eyeing the pair, “what have you done with these poor boys?”

The ravenette gave Luna a malicious smile, amused at how red the boys’ cheeks got with Luna’s teasing. “I was only following orders.” She held a hand to the side of her mouth, haphazardly attempting to hide her next statement from Eren and Armin, yet making no effort to adjust her volume. “And that was me going easy.”

Luna threw her head back, a mirthful laugh singing from her lips as Eren indignantly protested against Mikasa’s taunting, going on and on about how he didn’t want to hurt her because she was a girl. However, everyone at the table knew better - the two friends weren’t the strongest; Luna hadn’t even seen them in action to know that.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to beat up a flower at some point,” Luna teased them. Eren’s hands shook as the rage in his little body began to bottle up and erupt out. He opened his mouth, but was stopped by Jean’s grand entrance to the situation.

“Instructor Shadis says I’m shaping up to be a great fighter,” he bragged, scooting across the bench, his thigh pressed against Luna. Marco sat down hesitantly on the other side of the table, next to Eren. Luna watched through lidded eyes as the scene unfolded, having heard stories during breakfast about Jean and Eren’s standoff at dinner after she had departed.

“That’s only because you wouldn’t stop bothering him about your technique,” Eren shot back, wiping the smile off Jean’s face. Luna covered her mouth and let out a laugh, watching Jean lower his head in shame. From the corner of my eye, Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt got up from their table and headed outside. The instinct to follow them kicked in, and this time, Luna obeyed. She knew that it would be better to deliver the information that she had learned before it became warped in her mind.

“I’m gonna run for a little break until horseback,” she told her friends, excusing herself from the table. They all waved, excluding Jean, who was still pouting at Eren’s comment. The green eyed boy called out to her, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Luna! I’ll see you there!”

The cadet smiled, nodding and turning around to chase down her comrades. Her heart skipped a beat knowing that she and Eren would be in the same workshop. Truth be told, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him all morning, especially after their sunrise workout, which Shadis had said would become a part of the cadets’ daily routine. Luna didn’t mind the physical challenge in the slightest, especially when Eren caught her attention, the sweat beading on his bare arms and chest.

Sure, she knew that he wasn’t the strongest of the group; she could run laps around him - but he was certainly one of the cutest. Luna knew that Reiner would be pissed if the green-eyed cadet got the way of the mission, but would one little crush really sabotage their entire livelihood? Luna didn’t think so.

The trio was making its way to the same alleyway that they met in the previous night. Annie trailed behind Reiner and Bertholdt, kicking at a pebble. Luna put extra energy into her step and caught up to her comrades quickly, greeting them amicably.

Reiner didn’t appreciate Luna’s lively attitude. Instead, he fussed at her. His facial expression, however, was amusing to her; how his eyebrows furrowed together, creating parallel lines in between them. She was effectively distracted as Reiner berated her, attempting to stifle her giggles.

“Luna, what are you doing with all these people?” he hissed, growing angrier at her wide grin. From the corner of her eye, she saw Annie and Bertholdt cover their mouths to hide their amusement. Reiner’s self appointed leadership didn’t command any respect from his comrades.

“I’m making this as easy for myself as possible,” Luna shrugged. “There weren’t any rules about making friends.”

“I’m sure it’ll be so easy for you to kill these people once you’ve befriended them,” Reiner whispered fiercely. Luna furrowed her brows, stung by his comment. She knew that their orders were to complete the mission at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing the lives of the other cadets, or, in a worse case scenario, their own. Reiner’s venomous tone dampened the mood past no return.

“Chill out, Reiner,” Annie said, putting her hands on her hips. She wore the bored expression back on her face.

“Yeah,” Luna agreed, “it’s the only thing keeping me sane. I want to get back home just as much as you do. I’ll do what has to be done if it comes down to it.”

Luna honestly meant every word she said. As much as she wanted to hate the people that surrounded her, they were amusing and fun to be around. They didn’t alienate her, or spit on her, or abuse her. Deep in her mind, she thought that she would rather be in Paradis than in Liberio - with the exception of being with her family, of course.

Luna’s retort shut Reiner up. He stared down at the ground, seemingly lost in thought. It was quiet for a few more moments. The time was ticking until the rotation to their next station, so the meeting needed to proceed. Luna knew that Bertholdt was too shy to initiate it and Annie didn’t care nearly enough, so she herself stepped up to the plate.

“So, I had class today,” Luna explained. “We already know everything that they touch upon, but I would pay attention on the off chance there’s something we don’t in the future. The teacher touched on the military branches, and apparently only the top ten graduates can choose to go into one of them. The Military Police.”

Luna looked to Annie, who, before the group arrived at the training camp, had been spying on the unit. Her efforts didn’t get very far, however, being a stranger. But she already had a well-formed idea of the regiment, and wouldn’t have any trouble infiltrating the inner circles once she got in. Graduating at the top of the class was a given for her, so she would be the obvious choice for the Marleyan infiltration of that unit of the military.

“I think that might be your way to go, An,” Luna told her. “I know it’s early, but you already know so much about them.”

She nodded. Luna turned to Bertholdt and Reiner, the latter of whom was looking to be coming out of his reverie. He held his head tenderly. Luna furrowed her brows at his behavior, but decided not to question it.

“There are two other regiments, one of which deals with the outer walls, the other gets to leave the walls. I think that the Scouting Regiment would be our best bet, and there’s no qualifying factor in case you two fall behind in the rankings.”

Luna winked at them teasingly. Reiner’s face didn’t change, her taunt seeming to fall upon deaf ears. Bertholdt, however, scratched his head sheepishly. From above the group, the bell tolled to signal them to move to their next stations. Luna didn’t want to be late and make a bad impression, so she began the trek over to the stables.

“Well, I’m off!” Luna jogged backwards, waving to her friends. If she had any luck, she’d catch Eren on his way out of the mess hall to the stables. Keeping an eye on the door, she breathed a sigh of relief seeing him exit the building and bid goodbye to Mikasa and Armin.

“Eren!”

Luna called out to the man, waving enthusiastically and giving him an award-winning smile. As his eyes focused on her, the corners of his lips turned up in a bashful grin, giving a small wave in return. He stopped dead in his tracks so that she could catch up to him.

“Where’d you go off to?” he asked when Luna arrived at his side. She brushed a stray hair from her face as they started off towards the stables. Eren’s piercing green eyes never left Luna’s face as she quickly came up with a response.

“Had to make a stop in the bunks,” Luna lied, blinking innocently. Eren nodded along. Their arms brushed together as they walked. She looked over at him, seeing the smirk that ghosted over his face at the contact that she was sure was voluntary. Her path veered diagonally, hitting his side in response. The two cadets laughed quietly, heat rising to their cheeks. The giddiness that rose up within Luna was that of a schoolgirl crush, the rush of infatuation clouding her intellect. However, she didn’t mind one bit. It beat the anxiety of putting up a constant front and refraining from making any sort of acquaintance with anyone; it made the mission bearable.

Luna and Eren followed the stream of cadets up out of camp and into a set of stables, their calves burning as they finished the uphill climb. There were four in all to accommodate the amount of cadets that the Southern Corps had. The duo trotted down the hay-littered floor, careful to avoid any piles of manure that hadn’t been cleaned up yet; the musty smell of horses clogged their nostrils. The group of cadets gathered at the end of the long, open, breezeway.

Luna and Eren joined the group just as the instructor cleared her throat and began her introductions. Luna already knew how to ride a horse, so she didn’t pay attention. The class in and of itself didn’t matter because even if she couldn’t tell a horse from a cow, the girl was so distracted by Eren’s proximity to her that she wouldn’t have been able to discern a single word the instructor said. Offering up her integrity, Luna decided that she would just make Eren tell her at the end of their lesson if she missed anything.

Even with the dark bruises beginning to form on his face from his sparring training, he was still one of the most handsome men Luna had ever seen. She could get lost so easily in those green eyes, such a rare and beautiful color. The woman droned on in the background as the cadet gazed shamelessly at her acquaintance. Out of the corner of her eye, Luna could see her pulling out different pieces of equipment and showing them to the class.

Blinking hardly, Luna tried to break her reverie of attraction to Eren. It worked slightly, as she could hear the instructor better. She was going on about how to saddle a horse properly, which was easy for Luna. However, she knew that she would be thoroughly entertained by the inevitable few who saddled their horses incorrectly and whose seats slipped off the horse, leaving them upside down on the bottom of their poor steads.

Luna stifled a laugh thinking about it, which drew Eren’s attention to her, turning his head toward her hungry gaze. Luna blinked the emotion out of her eyes and whipped her head forward, feigning paying attention while Eren gawked at her.

“What’s so funny?” he whispered, leaning closer to her. His lips were nearly touching her ear, which sent shivers down her spine. Luna stifled another giggle. She couldn’t help the fact that they bubbled out of her when she was with him. It was silly, really; but moreso, it was demeaning for Luna’s usual strong character. Her heart skipped a beat as she attempted to keep her composure.

“Oh, nothing,” she shrugged, “I was just imagining the sight of you falling off your horse.”

He rolled his eyes, jabbing Luna in the side with his elbow. She steeled her body to avoid attracting the attention of the other cadets to their unabashed flirting, but the hit still seared against her bones. As Luna focused successfully on their instructor, she found that their teacher was going over the parts of a bridle and how to use it to steer the horse. The cadet rocked idly from side to side, stifling a bored yawn with her hand.

She sent a glance back at Eren, only to find that his eyes were already fixated on her. They widened as he whipped his head in the other direction, trying to play it off like he was looking around the breezeway. Luna’s heart fluttered in her chest as she saw the pink tinge rush to his cheeks.

“Were you staring at me?” It was her turn to prod him with her elbow, a wide smirk settling across her face. Luna had begun to give up on trying to stay quiet. The two cadets were in the very back of the group and she wasn’t worried about being admonished, given the distance between them and the instructor. He turned his head, eyes meeting hers begrudgingly.

“No,” he mumbled, turning his head away. Luna swore she saw a cheeky smile on his lips. Her face mirrored his as she focused on the instructor, determined to pay attention for the rest of the lesson. She continued with the equipment, then went over basic nutrition and care of their horses. Every once in a while, Eren’s hand brushed against Luna’s as she rocked side to side, causing butterflies to swirl in her stomach.

After what seemed like forever, the instructor finally finished explaining the maintenance of the horses and how to use the equipment. Luna wasn’t expecting them to teach too far into the basics of riding, but she sure as hell forgot what Christa and Ymir told her about earlier.

“We won’t be riding for a few days because you all need to show us that you can care for your horses,” she explained. “They are your life line. They always need to be in the best shape. So, you all can start with the most basic part of keeping them happy: cleaning their stalls.” She gestured to the door next to her, revealing a shovel and pitchfork. Groans emanated from the group as they imagined the rest of their day in a smelly stall, knee deep in poop.

“These are the tools you’ll be using. The shovel is to scoop manure and the pitchfork is to redistribute the hay. So, let’s get to the horses. The stalls that don’t have names on them are the ones that are up for grabs. Get to work!”

The cadets around Luna scrambled around her and Eren, throwing her every which way. She didn’t understand the rush to find a horse, as she doubted that the military would put a beast that wasn’t in good shape in the stables. However, being of her stature wasn’t to her advantage in a crowd, especially in one of this level of aggression. Luna struggled to stand upright, her legs not finding enough stability as she was shoved in every direction.

The cadet’s body lurched forward as she was thrown completely off balance - when someone grabbed her hand, saving her from a face full of manure. The savior hoisted her back up. Luna turned her head to see Eren laughing at her, gripping her hand securely. She smiled gratefully as he pulled her up all the way, making sure that she was situated on her feet and stable close to his side.

It was just a moment later that they both realized that their hands were still clasped together. The bashful cadets ripped them apart, using the awkward moment to go look for their own horses. They remained close together, studying each name plaque that hung upon the stalls. However, they found that most of the horses had been claimed during their moment of awkwardness; the other cadets scribbled names onto the boards before entering the pens of their new friends.

Luna passed by a few horses before a beautiful pinto caught her eye. As she approached the stall, getting a good look at him, he drew near to the door, sticking his head over the barrier. He examined her with big brown eyes as she stood perfectly still, not wanting to seem a threat to the beautiful animal. After a moment, she slowly extended her hand to him. He remained unmoving for just a second, then pressed his long snout into her hand, approving the contact.

A smile rose to her lips as Luna stroked him gently, knowing that this was the horse she wanted. He snorted, annoyed, when she pulled back her hand from petting him to open the gate to get in the stall with him. The cadet grabbed the shovel and pitchfork before shutting the gate behind herself, propping them up against the stall wall. Sickening squelches could be heard from all around, along with groans of disgust and a few affectionate coos from those still getting acquainted with their animals.

Gently pushing the horse to the side, Luna got to work on the smelly job. She held her breath the best she could, but when that didn’t work and bile began to rise in her throat, she let her mind wander to other things to keep it occupied. Her first thought was about Eren and the contact they shared earlier. Her cheeks burned as she imagined his hand holding hers once again, reflexes quick to save her from a mountain of embarrassment.

Butterflies fluttered in Luna’s stomach as she pictured his gorgeous green eyes staring into hers. She knew it was only infatuation, as they had only known each other for a day, but it was so much better than the anxiety she was beginning to experience knowing that her job was about to become as difficult as it possibly could. Forming connections seemed to be the only thing that could keep her sane, and she was becoming tired of Reiner being on their asses when there was nothing to be done except exercise and lie.

Her shovel had struck the cement floor, sending a jarring pulse up her arms, when she realized that she was finished cleaning the manure. Luna wiped the sweat that had beaded on her forehead, sighing with relief. There was a bucket outside the stall that she heaped her hard work into. She let out a long yawn, then turned to the horse, who was staring at her with his big brown eyes.

The cadet approached him with a smile on her face, and since he was used to her presence, he didn’t shy away from her. Instead, he winnied needily, extending his neck so that he could be pet. She obliged, patting his mane.

“I think I’m gonna call you Anders,” Luna whispered, touching her forehead to his long snout. He blinked and she giggled. “You like that, bud?”

She pulled away and got to spreading out the hay on the ground, making sure that everything was even. Luna stood back, admiring her handiwork as Anders snorted his approval, flicking his tail back and forth. Remembering the chalkboard on the door of the stall, she quickly exited to claim the horse as her own. She did her best to remember the Paradis lettering that spelled her and Anders’ name, then scrutinized it to make sure that she had done everything right. It would be stupid to be caught over not knowing how to spell.

After a few adjustments, she went back into the stall, determining that she would spend the time waiting for everyone else to finish their work petting Anders. Luna looked around, seeing most of the other cadets still hard at work shoveling manure. Shrugging, she got to combing through Anders’ hair with her fingers, leaning up against the tall horse.

“Psst.”

Luna’s head snapped up and she looked around to determine where the sound came from. Not seeing anything out of the blue, she went back to grooming Anders, deciding that she was just hearing things. The clamoring of the cadets around her made it hard enough to hear as it was.

“Luna, over here,” came Eren’s voice, a smile evident within it. “In the stall to your right.”

Luna stood on her tiptoes and peeked over Anders’ back, seeing how Eren’s shaggy hair fell over his green eyes over the stall wall. A smile spread across her face without her consent, so she lowered herself back behind Anders so that he wouldn’t see.

“Hi,” she said, continuing to pet the horse. “How’s it hangin’?”

“I’m bored. Wanna ditch?”

His proposition caused Luna’s eyebrow to arch surprisingly. She wasn’t exactly working still, so it wouldn’t be a hindrance to anyone. But at the same time, she had seen what punishments the instructors gave out, and she didn’t want to be on the tail end of their wrath.

“Hm… no,” the cadet giggled. An exasperated sigh came from Eren. She rolled her eyes at his dramatics.

“Seriously, Luna, you just gonna stand there and shovel shit or are you ditching with me?”

“I’m all done, so I think that you’re the one shoveling shit. Have fun.”

She couldn’t help but mess with him, seeing as his reactions were priceless. The teasing manner in which they spoke had her heart tumbling head over heels into her stomach.

“I have a better idea. Let’s go explore!”

“You sound like a five year old, Eren,” Luna laughed.

“And you sound like a grumpy old lady,” he shot back. She crossed her arms, standing once again on her tiptoes so that she could see the smug expression on his face. Anders snorted and pawed at the ground, mad that his rider wasn’t petting him anymore.

“Fine,” Luna agreed to soothe her damaged ego. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Anywhere that doesn’t smell like shit,” he shrugged. “The instructor’s in the back helping some other cadets. We can just duck out.”

“Okay.” She patted Anders goodbye, then left the stall, closing the door as quietly as possible. The chatter of the cadets around them hid the sounds of their running through the breezeway. Eren’s hand once again grabbed hers as they ducked below the stall doors so that no one would see them.

Once they had reached the exit, a smile broke out on Luna’s face as the sinking sun kissed her skin. They swung behind the wall, leaning against it for a moment in order to catch their breath. Luna raised her eyes to Eren, seeing that he was already looking down at her, eyes half lidded. She blushed, gluing her eyes to the ground past the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

His hand was still in hers as he gently tugged her away from the entrance. “Let’s go,” he said breathlessly. Luna followed him as they snuck back around the stable, her eyes fixed on their hands. She wondered if he had butterflies too.

They ran until they were about half a mile from the stables, way out of eyesight for people to see them. They had reached the bottom of a hill, where there was an abundance of green grass underneath their feet. Luna unlaced her fingers from Eren’s as she walked past him, jerking her head up at the hill to gesture that they should go.

He nodded breathlessly, raising his hands to settle on top of his head to make catching his breath easier. Together, they trudged up the hill, panting and laughing about how out of shape they were. Once on the precipice, the duo plopped down on the soft grass side by side.

Luna leaned back on her elbows, whistling in amazement at the sun’s radiance as it began to dip below the horizon. The clouds high up in the sky were bathed in a rosy pink as the space around them darkened to a deep purple. She was mesmerized by the colors streaking across the sky.

As the sun disappeared beneath the land, she laid down on her back, still watching the colored clouds as they lazily rolled overhead. Crossing her arms behind her head to make a pillow, she watched Eren lay down beside her, mirroring her posture. Their elbows touched, electricity zapping at the point of contact.

“I can’t remember the last time I watched the sunset,” Luna commented, breaking the surprisingly comfortable silence. “It’s so pretty.”

She could feel his eyes on her even while hers were fixed on the sky. “So are you,” came his nearly indiscernible response. The cadet’s breath caught in her throat as she turned her head to see Eren turn his face towards the sky once more, a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks. A smile toyed with her lips as she resumed the earlier position of looking at the scenery.

Luna was taken aback at not only how easy it was to interact with him, but especially the general affinity she harbored for him. That idea in and of itself was almost completely unbelievable, that a girl such as her with the horrifying upbringing spent being groomed to be conflicted of the Eldians of Paradis could have room in her heart for one.

His kindness for her also seemed completely unwarranted, given that they had been acquainted for less than 24 hours. However, she appreciated it immensely, given the fact that she was in a completely unfamiliar environment which elicited a scary dissonance in her mind.

“T-thanks,” she sputtered, feeling her own cheeks redden as she thought more about his compliment. The sky was beginning to darken; the colors were more muted and not as bright, but they still mesmerized her. However, Eren’s uncomfortable shifting caught her attention as his elbow knocked into her head. She swatted this hand away as he sat up, angling his body towards her.

“I think we should head back,” he suggested. “It’s getting late.”

“You were the one who wanted to play hooky,” Luna mocked him, sitting up. She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them to her chest. The last of the sun’s rays grasped at the horizon, the darkness from above quickly closing in to extinguish them.

“And we did. Now let’s go.”

She sighed, watching him stand up next to her. He extended his hand, offering her help in standing. Luna took it, embarrassingly eager to have an excuse to touch him again. Wordlessly, they set off for camp, peeking into the stables to find them empty of cadets. The campgrounds were deserted as the duo looked down into the crater it was settled into. They ran downhill, their legs aching as they reached the bottom.

Sighing with relief at their uninterrupted entrance to the camp, they headed towards the dining hall where they were sure their friends were already ahead of them with their dinner plates. Luna bumped into Eren on purpose, catching his attention as he peered at her from underneath his dark hair.

“Hey,” she began, “I had a lot of fun with you.”

His eyes widened, then returned to their normal size to cover up how flustered he got. A smile rose easily onto his face with his response. “Me too. We should do it again sometime.”

The two cadets laughed cheekily among themselves before turning their attention back to where they were walking. To their surprise, that path was now blocked by Instructor Shadis standing at the door of the dining hall. Luna’s eyes narrowed as she reflexively took a defensive position. But quickly catching herself, she returned to a normal demure posture, not wanting to irritate the man who already looked to be infuriated.

“What are you brats doing?” he began to yell. “Instructor Adelaide informed me that you two ditched horseback training and were nowhere to be found! What do you have to say to yourselves?”

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but Eren beat her to it. “We were just watching the sunset, sir. We had already finished our assigned tasks in the stables, sir.”

The girl rolled her eyes, knowing that no answer would satisfy the instructor. Spittle flew from his mouth as his volume increased tenfold.

“Is that what kids are calling it these days? Shameful! You brats aren’t dismissed until your instructors say so, and you are well aware of that. You’ll be cleaning the bathrooms for the rest of the week, so I suggest you get started before they start reeking of shit.”

Luna’s jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it before Shadis was further bothered. He turned on his heel and stomped back to the officers’ quarters. Eren and Luna stood still, not daring to move until he was out of earshot. She held her giggles in until she couldn’t anymore, and soon they crescendoed into guffaws as Eren grabbed her by the wrist to drag her inside so that Shadis wouldn’t hear her laughing. He tried to get her to stop, but her mirth was so contagious that soon they were both holding their aching stomachs as they got into line for dinner.

Mikasa and Armin were just finishing their meals as Eren and Luna sat with them. Armin laughed nervously as they told him what happened, while Mikasa’s eyes widened in surprise at the closer acquaintance that her two friends had made. From how protective she seemed of Eren, Luna assumed that there was a twinge of jealousy in Mikasa’s heart when hearing their anecdote. Luna looked past the pair, seeing Bertie wave her over from where the Warriors sat. Wanting to escape the anxiety that was radiating off of Armin at his friends blatantly breaking the rules, Luna went to join her comrades.

Reiner wasn’t happy to hear about Luna’s adventures, but she ignored his disapproval, as usual. The groups shared their experiences of the day, groaning at the way in which Luna had brought the attention of Shadis to herself. Their criticism of her actions was lost upon her as she continued daydreaming about Eren. After she ate till she was full, she did her best to clean the bathrooms to the bare minimum, deciding that she would do a deeper clean with Eren the next day.

Luna fell into bed, exhaustion soaking her bones right down to the marrow. However, a smile graced her face as she imagined herself with Eren, side by side, watching the sunset. And with that, she was able to sleep through the night.

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