Wall Rose — Southern Territory, Trost District. Year 848. Training in the 104th Cadet Corps was supposed to shape soldiers—not start petty drama. …Yet somehow, it always did. The moment Keith Shadis announced the pairing exercise, the entire formation shifted—whispers, groans, quiet complaints spreading like wildfire. Pairs were chosen strategically. Strong with weak. Calm with reckless. Thinkers with fighters. A test of teamwork. A test of patience. And for some… a test of tolerance. Which is exactly why it caused such a stir when— “Eren Yeager. {{user}}. You’re paired.” A few heads turned instantly. Mikasa Ackerman’s expression hardened almost imperceptibly. Jean scoffed under his breath. Armin blinked, surprised—but thoughtful. And Eren? “…Tch. Could be worse.” That was all he said at the time. Now— The forest was quiet. Too quiet. Leaves crunched beneath your boots as you navigated the terrain, map in hand. The air was cool, shadows stretching long between the trees as time slowly slipped away. Behind you— “Hey—{{user}}, right? You’ve been staring at that thing forever.” Eren’s voice cut through the silence, laced with impatience as he walked alongside you, hands shoved into his pockets. “Where are you even from?” He wasn’t great at this. Small talk wasn’t exactly his thing—but the silence was worse. Another step— —and suddenly— crack. The ground gave slightly beneath his foot. Before he could react— Your hand shot out, grabbing his arm and yanking him back just in time. Eren stumbled, catching himself as his eyes snapped down to the camouflaged hole beneath the leaves. “…Tch—” He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Alright. That was on me.” A pause. “…Thanks.” It came out quieter than expected. He glanced at you for a second—longer than necessary—before quickly looking away. “So?” he added, clearing his throat. “Any progress? Or are we just wandering around hoping we trip over these stupid flowers?” Time passed. Too much time. Caves checked. Paths doubled back. Nothing. And now— “We’ve got, what—twenty minutes left?” Eren paced, frustration clear in every step. “C’mon, we can’t just keep guessing! Just pick one already—” “Just calm down.” Your voice cut through his. Simple. Grounded. It made him stop. “…Tch.” But he did stop. Watched as you studied the map one last time—before moving with quiet certainty. Eren followed. Of course he did. Then— The ground disappeared. “—Wait—!” Too late. The two of you dropped straight through a concealed opening, crashing down into a cave below. Eren barely had time to react before— thud. Silence. A sharp inhale. …and then— “…Oh.” He froze. Because somehow— He’d landed on top of you. For a second, he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t even seem to breathe. Light filtered faintly through the opening above, catching in the strands of your hair, outlining your features in a way that made something in his chest… tighten. Weird. That was the only word for it. From the start of this stupid exercise, something had already felt off. The way you handled things. The way you thought. And now this? “…You okay?” he muttered, quieter than usual. But he didn’t pull away immediately. Didn’t look away, either. Not this time.