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Normally, the prospect of a free evening would have spurred any soldier to get away fromtheir daily tasks as soon as possible and enjoy some time alone or in the company of comrades.
For the 104th, things were quite different.
Jean and Armin, who were on kitchen duty, had prepared a simple and frugal meal. No one was very hungry, except for Sasha, for whom a second course was planned. Still, everyone had noticed that her usual appetite had lessened considerably.
Since the retaking of Wall Maria the food supplied to the Battalion was of better quality and more varied. The bread was more filling, and a piece of hard cheese often accompanied their meal. The porridge finally tasted of something and eggs and dried meat were available.
The silence had been suffocating after their return from the front. Now, the conversations had resumed, but had lost their former cheerfulness. They were exhausted. Even Captain Levi. He was having dinner in his room this evening.
Yet, Connie broke the stifling silence in the room.
“Well, I know we still feel like shit right now but, do you want to get some fresh air after dinner?”
“Definitely!" Sasha suddenly added with an all too forced smile.
Jean gave them a skeptical look while Mikasa raised an eyebrow, not too keen on the idea.
“You realize that it's been snowing non-stop since last night, I don't see the point of...," she began before being cut off in mid-sentence.
“I'm all for it, it could do us some good.”
Jean turned to Armin in surprise.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes, don't worry, Jean. Eren, are you coming?" the blond asked.
The shifter stared at his barely eaten plate, seemingly lost in thought.
“Please.”
Armin's pleading tone seemed to make him react a little, but Eren's distant look was still there when he finally answered his friend.
“If you want," he finally nodded.
“Eren! It's snowing outside and it's dark, we should be resting," Mikasa protested.
The teenager stared at her, imperturbable.
“Do what you want, Mikasa.”
Eren had been terribly affected by the battle. Guilt gnawed at him and his relationship with the Captain was no longer the same. Or so he thought. Jean wished the Captain was there to talk openly with Eren. Unfortunately, he was unreachable, overwhelmed by his new duties, and even when he was there, he was even more aloof than before.
Jean had had enough.
"Okay, now that’s settled, finish the food that Armin and I have worked so hard to make and let's go.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the relieved looks on Sasha and Connie's faces and wondered if they had something on their minds.
"Sorry Jean, Armin, but I'm not very hungry," Eren mumbled.
"Don't worry Eren, leave it on the table, we'll heat it up if you get hungry after the walk," Connie said, surprising Jean again.
Connie winked at him. So there was definitely something in the works. Mikasa pouted disapprovingly, but said nothing.
Dressed warmly, the teenagers headed outside. The snow was fresh and beautiful. If one looked closely you could make out the snowflake’s intricate geometric shapes . The cloudy night was illuminated only by two lanterns at the barrack’s entrance. They wandered aimlessly, Connie and Sasha leading the way while Jean and Armin each held a light . Eren was walking beside them with his hands tucked in his pockets, his eyes lowered to the ground with Mikasa close on his heels.
Connie and Sasha suddenly broke into a sprint, giggling, and disappeared into the night under the curious eyes from the rest of the group.
"What are they up to now? Hey! What are you doing?”
Only laughter answered Jean. Armin gave him a puzzled look to which he answered with a shrug.
They took a few more steps forward. Jean was about to call the two pranksters again when he heard a sharp splash followed by a yelp. He immediately turned around to see a shocked looking Mikasa and a stunned Eren. Jean barely had time to realise what was happening before two more splashes were heard. One landed directly on his crotch, so cold that he felt his testicles shiver and instinctively retract.
Sasha and Connie came running towards them, a broad mischievious grin plastered on their faces.
"Snowball fight! Come on!!!"
"You guys are so fucking stupid!" Jean exclaimed, narrowly dodging a projectile that went crashing right into Armin's chest who gave him a betrayed look.
Quickly, adrenalin pulsed through their veins, erasing their worries for a while. Jean saw Armin's gaze suddenly change, already calculating. This was going to be a hell of a fight!
They quickly put down their lamp and went to hide, a mischievous smile on their lips.
Eren and Mikasa had been hit by the first attack. The young woman looked annoyed, while Eren had an unreadable expression on his face.
Armin hesitated, but ignored his discomfort at his best friend's lack of expression. The snowball he threw hit Eren in the thigh, while another from Jean hit him in the shoulder.
“Ok, that's enough,” he said apathetically.
He turned on his heels in the dark, followed by Mikasa. Jean felt rather than saw the blonde's shoulders slump, and felt his stomach knot at Armin's sad look. He put a reassuring hand on his back. If there was one person he didn't like to see in a state like this, it was Armin. The guy was too lovely to deserve this.
“I hoped it would turn out differently, he heard him whisper.”
“Did you plan all this?”
“No, it's Connie and Sasha. I didn't know exactly what they were up to, but it couldn't be worse than anything Mikasa or I could have come up with. We're both too serious, so I thought this might work.”
Armin's sniffle twisted Jean's heart and this time he took him by the shoulders and hugged him awkwardly.
“Don't blame yourself Armin, you did the best you could.”
“Hey, what's going on?”
Sasha and Connie joined them after witnessing Eren's abrupt departure. Both looked so dejected that John felt even more depressed.
They didn't have time to comfort Armin, though, because a roar tore through the dark, chilly veil of the night.
“Mikasa! Let's get them!”
They had no time to react as snowballs rained down on them.
“Retreat!" shouted Sasha.
“Shit, it was a ruse!”
The two groups separated quickly, but not without casualties. Connie was hit right in the face, and Sasha bravely dragged him back to their previous hiding place.
This time Jean had instinctively shielded Armin with his body. Folding in half behind a small makeshift bush, Armin began to laugh himself to tears.
It was as if a barrier had been broken. Neither of them cared about the consequences. All that mattered was this moment of forgetfulness and fun, a brief release from their nightmares.
Within laughter, shouts and jokes, "Jean, that was a lousy throw" from Connie, "It's a nag, it has no hands" from Eren and "Fuck you" from the aforementioned horse, they made their way back to their barracks.
The brother-sister duo was surprisingly effective. Connie had never eaten so much snow in his life!
Jean and Armin, along with Sasha and Connie, provided a prime target for Eren and Mikasa to shoot at from afar.
"Sasha, Connie!" Armin called after dodging another throw. "Four against these two?"
"Definitely! Go, we'll get them!" Sasha replied.
Jean gave Armin a flaming look.
"We're going to make them pay!"
"And how! Come on Jean, on three!"
Eren ended up surrounded, soaking wet and sweaty, his dodging skills being tested with his thunderous laughter racking through his body. Thanks to Mikasa's ambush, their attention was diverted from Eren for a short moment.
He tried to take refuge in the entrance thanks to a controlled skid on the floor between Connie's spread legs, leaving a long, wet mark behind him.
He was certain that his comrades wouldn’t dare to follow him there.
A big mistake.
At the same time, the two outside lanterns on the landing were smashed and a sheepish "Oops!" was heard. Sasha.
There was a very brief moment of hesitation, just long enough for a glance between the assailants as they reached the entrance.
Only Eren saw the door on his right open and recognised the shadow of Captain Levi. A sense of panic swept over him.
"Guys... please don’t," Eren pleaded, his eyes bulging as he realised the extent of what they were about to do.
He didn't finish his sentence.
The projectiles exploded in the entrance of the barracks, splattering the floor, walls and doors, smearing the counter and the unfortunate mail rack that stood in the way.
Eren watched in slow motion as the Captain's steaming cup of tea was smashed to the floor while another snowball hit him square in the face and his completely stunned eyes.
Oh.
Shit.