Chapter Text
The locker room smelled like hairspray, glitter body mist, and the nerves of senior year. You were fixing your bow to make sure it sat perfectly straight when Historia rushed up to you, cheeks pink and eyes sparkling the way they always did before a big game.
"Y/n, oh my god, can you believe this is our last playoff game?" she squealed, bouncing on her toes in her cheer skirt.
You tried to laugh, even though the thought hit your chest harder than you expected.
"Don't remind me. I'm already pretending graduation isn't real."
Historia hooked her arm through yours, lowering her voice into that dramatic whisper she'd mastered over four years of cheering together. "Well, if we're going out... we're going out fucking amazing. The whole school is here. The guys are terrified. And Connie said the stands are packed all the way to the fence."
You swallowed, adrenaline buzzing beneath your skin. Seniors. Cheerleaders. The showpieces of the night. And the entire field-players, crowd, band, and coaches-would be watching you under those blinding stadium lights.
Historia grinned, tugging you toward the tunnel. "Come on, Y/n. This is something they'll remember us for."
You and historia made your way to the field adrenaline pumping through your veins, the first 2 quarters are always easy, just hyping up the crowds standing and look pretty while moving your pom poms around. But right as that halftime alarm goes off its all nerves.
The team that the titans were against were the attackers, they were from the city, they had money for good equipment, for recruiting the best of the best and they were the best in they're area.
Ya the titans weren't rich, didn't have the greatest equipment and weren't able to just choose the best of the best. But the titans still managed to beat all the schools in their area.
The first quarter was intense the titans managed to get a touch down the crowd exploded and you felt the bleachers shake beneath your shoes.
"T-o-u-c-h D-o-w-n! say touch down touch
down! Titans touch down!" Your pompoms
waved in the air while jumping with excitement and hope that your school would finally get the recognition it deserved.
The Attackers kept pushing downfield, gaining first downs little by little while the crowd stomped and screamed. You looked out to the crowd with nerves skyrocketing then you saw Sasha and Marco cheering you Jean and Connie on, it brought a smile to your face how did I get so lucky
A couple more plays happened The clock finally ran down, the buzzer blaring through the cold night air. Halftime. Your stomach flipped. This was it-your senior routine, the one the squad had drilled until your legs shook and your voices were gone.
Historia squeezed your hand. "Breathe. We've got this."
You nodded, stepping onto the field as the stadium lights washed over you, making the glitter on your cheeks shimmer like stars. The music hit, and muscle memory took over-jumps sharp, smiles bright, every motion landing exactly where it needed to. You could hear the crowd screaming, could feel the energy rolling through you like electricity.
Somewhere on the sideline, players from the Attackers had stopped warming up. A few nudged each other, eyes glued to you. One of them even mouthed "damn." You didn't let it show, but it sent a little rush straight through your chest.
And then-Eren.
You didn't know his name yet, didn't know he was the quarterback, didn't know he owned the attention of the entire school. But you felt his stare, intense and unblinking, like he was trying to place you, like he'd never seen someone from a small-town squad look like that under stadium lights.
The routine ended with a perfect ripple, pompoms snapping to stillness. The crowd roared. Historia threw her arms around you.
"Oh my god we hit that perfectly!" she breathed.
You were still catching vour breath. cheeks flushed, heart racing-not just from the dance, but from the eyes that had stayed on you longer than they should have.
The moment you stepped off the field, Historia nudged you toward the concession area.
"Come on, we earned a snack before third quarter."
And that-unknowingly-was when your life shifted.
Because the boy you bumped into on the way...
wasn't the quarterback.
It was the quiet one behind him.
The one who shouldn't have mattered.
The one who would change everything.