Categories > Anime/Manga > Attack on Titan > Die Kinder im Keller (The Children in the Cellar)
A/N: Funnily enough, this rest of this tale is basically PG-13 humor. The story can blame its first chapter for all the mature stuff.
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It began as such:
"I don't care how you do it, Levi." Erwin said, "But you will make this stop. Is that clear?"
Levi just smiled.
"Of course."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
The problem with sleeping in an underground antechamber was that one was hard-pressed to discern the time of day.
So when Eren woke to a sharp skritch somewhere to his right, the first conscious thought that entered his mind was that the guards had come to rouse them. Shortly after this concept had formed within his brain, light flooded the room, casting a reddish glow. He blinked a few times, staring up at the ceiling while his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim illumination.
It was not sharp enough to discern clear details, instead offering outlines: the chair in the corner, the wall beside the cot, the sheets, thin and crumpled around his body. Despite the poor visibility, he found himself a little disorientated, having adapted to waking up in near-darkness every day. It was also fairly cold, now that he thought about it, though not unbearably so.
The events of the previous evening came back to him. It was a bit strange, recalling them like this, but not at all unpleasant. Just hazy.
And yet a sense of unease lingered. The guards had not come for them. Dieter or one of the others would have at least ushered them out with some kind of gruff recognition. Even if they didn't know about the tryst (the suggestion alone was ludicrous, of course they knew), someone would have come for them by now.
So what were they waiting for? The two of them, obviously, but why?
The explanation continued to elude him. Defeated, he sat up.
A noticeable shift in weight caught his attention. Eren looked over, and to his surprise Annie was quite awake, perched on the side of the cot with her back to him, and, as far as he could tell, equally naked. He considered drawing her attention, but decided—at least for the moment—to wait it out.
As it turned out, he needn't have done so.
"You're awake," she noted.
Eren gave a start at the sound of her voice.
"Oh. Um, hey, Annie."
Half dressed and nonchalant, she leant across him to grab her shirt and slipped her arms into the sleeves without pause. Even in the low light, he could make out the little white scars defining her spine, branching out into a web of faded lines along her neck and face, shining against the pale complexion of her skin.
(He'd asked about them, once, although knowing full well what they represented. He'd wanted to hear it from her. We all have them, she had said, impassively. Privately, Eren wondered what else she concealed.)
She must have noticed the way he watched her. How he must look. He felt odd; despite his contemplation, he was tentative and curious and thoroughly enthralled. Annie did up her shirt with a faint twitch of her mouth. He caught it, though.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
Eren collected himself. "No, it's just...you woke me."
Annie glanced over at him. "You sound surprised."
"I was expecting guards."
She did up the last few buttons on her trousers, and her expression was unreadable. "They won't come in without knocking first." Then she smiled. "It was nice of you to drop by last night."
Eren felt his face grow hot again, accompanied by a peculiar fluttering in his stomach.
"Your shirt is over there," she added, indicating the bundle of fabric on the floor.
"Er, thanks," he muttered. "For the shirt. And the other thing."
"You're welcome," she replied, and her voice was as close to warm as it ever was. "Just be glad one of us didn't transform."
He had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that, so he retrieved his shirt and said, "I didn't know they let you keep your own lantern."
She glanced over her shoulder at it. "They don't."
"Well, that's probably another good reason why they keep us in the basement," said Eren. "You're dangerous."
"We are," she corrected him, "and I'd just like you to know that you look completely suspicious."
"You don't look much better," he countered, then grinned. "I think I like you more like this."
"You have no idea," Annie muttered, "how lucky you are that I'm in a good mood." But she looked moderately pleased with herself.
From that point, they dressed in silence.
When ready, Eren stood and walked over to the door, where further light filtered in from between the bars of the tiny window. For the second time, he wondered what the guards were waiting for. He brought his hand to the knob, but wavered.
Mentally, he shook himself. This was ridiculous.
As if on cue, Annie asked, "You going to open that door?"
Eren looked back at her, hand still on the doorknob. Annie caught his eye, smirked. He turned back to the door, twisting the knob partway while she moved quietly to his side.
"Hey," said Annie.
He lowered his gaze down to her, whereupon she leant up, slipped her arms loosely around his shoulders and kissed him briefly before drawing away.
"See you," she murmured.
Eren responded with a kind of half-grin, and opened the door.
Captain Levi was waiting for them outside, seated in a chair, legs crossed, with a book in his hands. He glanced up, unperturbed as the door opened.
"Commander Hange wants to see you. Both of you. I also feel it necessary to mention that she was quite excited at the prospect of seeing you as soon as possible." When the two said nothing but continued to stare blankly at him, he let out a tired sigh. "She'll be down in the infirmary. Do yourselves a favor and don't keep her waiting any longer than you already have."
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So it was that, ten minutes later, Hange sat the two down, already prepared for their arrival with an ample supply of notes and a quill. This thought alone was nothing short of terrifying. They sat there while she rummaged within the various cabinets, all the while talking gaily about how brilliant of an opportunity this was, until she found a spare inkwell. Her very manner was abundant with thinly-veiled glee as she returned to her chair, eyeing them over the rim of her glasses.
Noting their incapacity to look in the direction of her or each other, she asked, "Is there anything you two would like to ask me?"
Eren stared fixedly at a spot on the farthest wall that was partly to the left of her head. "Shouldn't we, you know, take a shower or...?"
Annie uttered something indistinct under her breath.
Hange, conversely, just brushed the suggestion away with a cheery wave of her hand. "I understand what you're getting at, and rest assured, it's quite all right with me! Actually, I'd much prefer it if you didn't go ahead and shower just yet. Scientific purposes, you know?" She beamed enthusiastically, apparently oblivious to the supreme discomfiture emanating from both teens. When nobody said anything, she clapped her hands together. "Right! Let's get to it, then!"
Twenty minutes later, the explanation was (mercifully) over. Hange listened all the while with rapt attention, scribbling furiously despite his frequent hesitation. When he faltered, she paused, glanced up.
"That's all?" she asked.
Eren just sort of nodded weakly. Annie continued to study the wooden grains in the table.
Hange readjusted her glasses and straightened up, hands folded.
"Now, given the information you've presented me with, I'm going to assume you both have a proper understanding of the whole reproductive aspect of this. Which is good. Less awkward conversations for everyone." She glanced back down at her notes, frowning slightly. "Well, sort of. It's a real shame they won't let me run more tests to determine whether or not you two actually could produce offspring." Neither Eren nor Annie could remember a time in their lives where they had felt this level of simultaneous horror and embarrassment. Hange, meanwhile, sighed wistfully, and shook her head. "Ah, well. Perhaps one day they'll see the genius in my hypothesis. But that's for another day."
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A/N II: And the plot was a science experiment. Literally. :D Hange was easily my favorite character in this. But Levi was pretty great, too. ...You know what, I can't decide who was greater. It's a tie.
Read and review?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
It began as such:
"I don't care how you do it, Levi." Erwin said, "But you will make this stop. Is that clear?"
Levi just smiled.
"Of course."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
The problem with sleeping in an underground antechamber was that one was hard-pressed to discern the time of day.
So when Eren woke to a sharp skritch somewhere to his right, the first conscious thought that entered his mind was that the guards had come to rouse them. Shortly after this concept had formed within his brain, light flooded the room, casting a reddish glow. He blinked a few times, staring up at the ceiling while his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim illumination.
It was not sharp enough to discern clear details, instead offering outlines: the chair in the corner, the wall beside the cot, the sheets, thin and crumpled around his body. Despite the poor visibility, he found himself a little disorientated, having adapted to waking up in near-darkness every day. It was also fairly cold, now that he thought about it, though not unbearably so.
The events of the previous evening came back to him. It was a bit strange, recalling them like this, but not at all unpleasant. Just hazy.
And yet a sense of unease lingered. The guards had not come for them. Dieter or one of the others would have at least ushered them out with some kind of gruff recognition. Even if they didn't know about the tryst (the suggestion alone was ludicrous, of course they knew), someone would have come for them by now.
So what were they waiting for? The two of them, obviously, but why?
The explanation continued to elude him. Defeated, he sat up.
A noticeable shift in weight caught his attention. Eren looked over, and to his surprise Annie was quite awake, perched on the side of the cot with her back to him, and, as far as he could tell, equally naked. He considered drawing her attention, but decided—at least for the moment—to wait it out.
As it turned out, he needn't have done so.
"You're awake," she noted.
Eren gave a start at the sound of her voice.
"Oh. Um, hey, Annie."
Half dressed and nonchalant, she leant across him to grab her shirt and slipped her arms into the sleeves without pause. Even in the low light, he could make out the little white scars defining her spine, branching out into a web of faded lines along her neck and face, shining against the pale complexion of her skin.
(He'd asked about them, once, although knowing full well what they represented. He'd wanted to hear it from her. We all have them, she had said, impassively. Privately, Eren wondered what else she concealed.)
She must have noticed the way he watched her. How he must look. He felt odd; despite his contemplation, he was tentative and curious and thoroughly enthralled. Annie did up her shirt with a faint twitch of her mouth. He caught it, though.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
Eren collected himself. "No, it's just...you woke me."
Annie glanced over at him. "You sound surprised."
"I was expecting guards."
She did up the last few buttons on her trousers, and her expression was unreadable. "They won't come in without knocking first." Then she smiled. "It was nice of you to drop by last night."
Eren felt his face grow hot again, accompanied by a peculiar fluttering in his stomach.
"Your shirt is over there," she added, indicating the bundle of fabric on the floor.
"Er, thanks," he muttered. "For the shirt. And the other thing."
"You're welcome," she replied, and her voice was as close to warm as it ever was. "Just be glad one of us didn't transform."
He had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that, so he retrieved his shirt and said, "I didn't know they let you keep your own lantern."
She glanced over her shoulder at it. "They don't."
"Well, that's probably another good reason why they keep us in the basement," said Eren. "You're dangerous."
"We are," she corrected him, "and I'd just like you to know that you look completely suspicious."
"You don't look much better," he countered, then grinned. "I think I like you more like this."
"You have no idea," Annie muttered, "how lucky you are that I'm in a good mood." But she looked moderately pleased with herself.
From that point, they dressed in silence.
When ready, Eren stood and walked over to the door, where further light filtered in from between the bars of the tiny window. For the second time, he wondered what the guards were waiting for. He brought his hand to the knob, but wavered.
Mentally, he shook himself. This was ridiculous.
As if on cue, Annie asked, "You going to open that door?"
Eren looked back at her, hand still on the doorknob. Annie caught his eye, smirked. He turned back to the door, twisting the knob partway while she moved quietly to his side.
"Hey," said Annie.
He lowered his gaze down to her, whereupon she leant up, slipped her arms loosely around his shoulders and kissed him briefly before drawing away.
"See you," she murmured.
Eren responded with a kind of half-grin, and opened the door.
Captain Levi was waiting for them outside, seated in a chair, legs crossed, with a book in his hands. He glanced up, unperturbed as the door opened.
"Commander Hange wants to see you. Both of you. I also feel it necessary to mention that she was quite excited at the prospect of seeing you as soon as possible." When the two said nothing but continued to stare blankly at him, he let out a tired sigh. "She'll be down in the infirmary. Do yourselves a favor and don't keep her waiting any longer than you already have."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
So it was that, ten minutes later, Hange sat the two down, already prepared for their arrival with an ample supply of notes and a quill. This thought alone was nothing short of terrifying. They sat there while she rummaged within the various cabinets, all the while talking gaily about how brilliant of an opportunity this was, until she found a spare inkwell. Her very manner was abundant with thinly-veiled glee as she returned to her chair, eyeing them over the rim of her glasses.
Noting their incapacity to look in the direction of her or each other, she asked, "Is there anything you two would like to ask me?"
Eren stared fixedly at a spot on the farthest wall that was partly to the left of her head. "Shouldn't we, you know, take a shower or...?"
Annie uttered something indistinct under her breath.
Hange, conversely, just brushed the suggestion away with a cheery wave of her hand. "I understand what you're getting at, and rest assured, it's quite all right with me! Actually, I'd much prefer it if you didn't go ahead and shower just yet. Scientific purposes, you know?" She beamed enthusiastically, apparently oblivious to the supreme discomfiture emanating from both teens. When nobody said anything, she clapped her hands together. "Right! Let's get to it, then!"
Twenty minutes later, the explanation was (mercifully) over. Hange listened all the while with rapt attention, scribbling furiously despite his frequent hesitation. When he faltered, she paused, glanced up.
"That's all?" she asked.
Eren just sort of nodded weakly. Annie continued to study the wooden grains in the table.
Hange readjusted her glasses and straightened up, hands folded.
"Now, given the information you've presented me with, I'm going to assume you both have a proper understanding of the whole reproductive aspect of this. Which is good. Less awkward conversations for everyone." She glanced back down at her notes, frowning slightly. "Well, sort of. It's a real shame they won't let me run more tests to determine whether or not you two actually could produce offspring." Neither Eren nor Annie could remember a time in their lives where they had felt this level of simultaneous horror and embarrassment. Hange, meanwhile, sighed wistfully, and shook her head. "Ah, well. Perhaps one day they'll see the genius in my hypothesis. But that's for another day."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N II: And the plot was a science experiment. Literally. :D Hange was easily my favorite character in this. But Levi was pretty great, too. ...You know what, I can't decide who was greater. It's a tie.
Read and review?
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