Warning: Contains fluffy fluffiness! ♡

    Exhaustion. Pain. Shortness of breath. Face burning, skin ice cold with her clothes clinging to her, Cole pushed herself to keep up with the group of Cadets running through the pouring rain with the ridiculously heavy backpacks beating weight on their spines. Her eyes were just barley half-open since they would get rain in them if they were wider. The group was getting farther away, and Cole's body couldn't keep up. She wanted to stop and rest more than anything else right at that moment, and it was very tempting. To just relax everything and get a breather...how quick the pain in her legs and chest would lift away... The roaring of their superior, Keith Shardis, wasn't helping at all. They were all about how they would be dead in the battlefield by now, dying a stupid death. Their heads would be bitten right off and limbs plucked right from their torsos, their faces pathetic and tear-stained with a look of cowardice while still in the Titan's stomach.

    That can happen for all I care... Cole thought as the group got farther away. I'd much...rather.........I... Everything was light for a second as the earth rolled and she watched it happen like a movie, and when the groud met her face and pain overcame her, she knew that she had just collapsed. She closed her eyes as legs ceased to burn, as ger breathing was finally steady. Cole began to relax and accept the icy puddle she was lying in. But all of that was just for a few seconds.

    "Cole!" She thought she heard her name, and she didn't know the voice. Maybe I'm starting to dream. "Cole!" It's fuzzy yet vivid at the same time, it was hard to understand. That's...my...name.... She began to slowly lose her grip on everything...just like in those moments right before you sleep... "Cole!" It was clear. Hands were on her shoulders and she was shocked back to reality. Her eyes shot open to find Mikasa's face inches from hers, worry clear in her eyes. She was sitting on her feet looking right at Cole's delirious eyes, her hand on Cole's right shoulder.

    "Is she okay?!" Another voice, much farther away, rang out.

    "Cole." Mikasa turned Cole so that she was lying on her back, looking right up into the rainy sky. The only sensation Cole was focusing on was the feeling of raindrops dotting and sliding down her face. She began to slip away again. "No!" Mikasa yelled. "Stay with me! C'mon!"

    "What's happening?!" That other voice belonged to Eren. He then appeared next to Mikasa and stared down in horror at the sight in front of him. Cole was still out of it; her body was completely fine, it just needed a quick rest in truth, but Cole was telling herself that she couldn't go on any longer. The two cadets raised her up into a sitting position. Eren took her face in his hands and turned her so the only thing she could look at was him. "Cole, c'mon, get up!" He yelled.

    Cole blinked and suddenly she was aware, staring into a beautiful lake of turquoise. "Eren..." She turned to the left slightly. "Mi...kasa..."

    "Cole, we don't have time!" Mikasa yelled. "Hurry, c'mon!" Everything was still blurry. Cole knew, yet also didn't quite know what exactly was happening.

    Rain... Cole brought her her hand to her left cheek and found a hand, Eren's hand. "Why are you...?" Everything that happend next was so quick, it seemed like an instant. Suddenly Cole was on her back again, burning pain searing into her cheek where Eren's hand was just resting on it. Cole's breathing was labored, but whatever caused this pain woke her up.

    "Mikasa!" She heard Eren growl as she sat up, hand on her face. "What the fuck!?" He was in a slightly different spot than before, a mask of awe on his face.

    "Cole, are you awake now?" Mikasa asked.

    "Yeah!" Cole finally understood. I was running, I fell. Mikasa and Eren are here to help me up. I wasn't responding; Mikasa pushed Eren away from me and punched me just now... She quickly stood up along with Mikasa. "Thanks for that!" She said honestly. "I would have been like that forever if--"

    "Cole," Eren started as he scranbled to his feet. "Are you okay?!"

    "I'm not a baby, Eren! Let's get back to--"

    "Right now, guys!" Mikasa cut in and they both nodded.

    As they headed back to catch up with everyone, it was like Cole got a burst of energy. A second wind, probably, because she felt like the way she was in the beginning of this whole thing - running in nearly the lead of everyone else. "Cole, wait up!" She heard Eren shout behind her.

    "We have to hurry!" She yelled, turning back to them. "Commander is gonna give us hell when we get back!"

    "All thanks to you!"

    "Maybe you shouldn't have helped me, then!" They were now running side by side.

    "Yeah. This was Mikasa's idea after all!"

    "What?! Are you mad at me?!"

    "Of course!" What's with him?!

    "Stop bickering, you two!" Mikasa scolded. They awoke from the foolish argument and continued along.

    Surprisingly, the spot on her face where she was struck was still burning. As Cole spoke, she felt a bruise just starting along her jawline and close to her ear. But this pain kept her awake, this pain kept her motivatied to keep running. "Where's Armin?!"

    "Telling Shardis about us!" Mikasa answered over the gust of wind.

    Minutes passed by as Cole was running in a full sprint. But little by little...fatigue set in...exhaustion slowly crept over her body and eventually Eren and Mikasa were at her pace. "I'm losing it again." Cole breathed.

    "Keep up." Mikasa said.

         Running...running...running......running......

    "Stay with us, Cole!" Eren said after she began to fall back. It was just some dizziness that overwhelmed her, but that alone struck fear into Cole that she would fall again. Her legs wouldn't keep up, every breath she sucked in just wouldn't provide enough oxygen. My stamina is weak...just like I am... She was ready to just fall and meet the ground again. Cole prepared to stage a trip, until a sharp wind onto her face placed ice on her cheekbones. The slight pain made her realize...Pain wakes me up. She slowly made a stop. "Cole!" Eren yelled as Mikasa continued running.

    Without even thinking, Cole brought her hand to her mouth and bit down on the side of it, just where the thumb starts, as hard as she could. The skin broke and as she pulled her hand away, she could see it become red. Her hand was so cold that half of the pain was numb, but as she continued running and the blood was flowing, the skin became warm and the full-on cryable burn covered her hand. And it helped her reach the end of their route.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Goddammit!" Eren shouted as they walked out the building and towards the dorms. "Way to go, Cole." he said bitterly.

    "It-it wasn't my fault that I couldn't take it!" Anger rose in her voice.

    "Cole's right." Armin agreed, falling back slightly because of Eren's tone.

    "Well thanks to that weakness, we don't get dinner or breakfast. And we're doing this again tommorow!" He had gotten in her face, both of them staring eachother down with anger.

    "You might as well leave me behind next time if food is so important." Cole retorted.

    "We kinda need the energy to do all of this."

    "Guys, don't fight!" Armin protested, putting an arm on Cole's shoulder only to have it slapped away.

    "You surly weren't thinking like that back then when Armin offered you the bread." He looked confused for a second. "Remember?" Cole smirked in amusement, seeing when he was 10 and blowing off steam after his mo....his mother... Fuck. I shouldn't have said that...

    Fury was in Eren's eyes, so much that Cole stepped back a little. "You bitch--!"

    "--I'll will personally kill you both right here, right now if you keep this up." Mikasa said, getting between them and pushing them aside.

     Eren took a deep breath. "Don't die running tomorrow, you guys." He scoffed and walked away to the dorms.

    "Eren!" Armin called out.

    Cole watched him slowly dissappear into the building, then blinked when the door shut. Why is he so mad? "Um..." she nervously started. "Do you know why Eren is so...?"

    "It was because of this morning." Armin began. "Jean was making fun of him...and how he was so weak in the beginning of this all. He got really sensitive since he does this all for..." he wouldn't say the name. "...and almost knocked Jean's teeth out."

     "Is that why he's been on edge today?" Mikasa asked. Armin nodded.

    "And he didn't tell us...?" Cole said. "And...I just made it worse by bringing up Carla..."

    "You didn't mean it." Armin said with a warm smile, though it didn't completely help. "Everyone says things they don't mean when they're angry. Don't worry about it."

    "Yeah, but..." Cole looked away, she didn't want to really look anyone in the eye since she just saw how Eren and Mikasa's faces were as they got on the boat that day...that look of pure horror...

    "I'll talk to him if you want." Armin suggested.

    "Really?" Cole asked, still avoiding anyone's eyes.

    "Yeah. And if that doesn't work, Mikasa will definitely scare him into being nice. Right?"

    Mikasa actually smiled with a soft chuckle; the rare sight made Cole feel better and manage a smile of her own. "Of course I will. We should go sleep."

    "Yeah." She said.

    "Goodnight." Armin walked off.

    -"'Night."

      ~~~

    Cole awoke with her jawline sore as she yawned. She felt the skin around the area and it was definitely raised. She climbed off the top bunk to find Mikasa already awake and sitting up. "Mikasa." she whispered.

    "Hm?"

    "Is this noticeable?" She turned her head to the left to show her the possible bruise.

    "Yes..." Mikasa answered.

    "Oh, really?"

    "I'm sorry about that."

    "Don't be. I probably would have passed out if it wasn't for that." Before she could climb back up to her bed, Mikasa grabbed her right wrist. "Ah. What?"

    Mikasa examined her hand. "What's this?" She lifted Cole's thumb up and there was a curved dotted line between the thumb itself and where the wrist started. Cole's cheeks dusted with pink when she remembered what she did to itm

    She pulled her hand away and examined the lines as if she hadn't known they were there until that second. "I have no idea...Hmm..."

    "You two should go back to sleep before the bell rings." A tired voice said from the bunk across them.

    "A-Annie..." Cole said. "Did we wake you?"

    The blonde hummed, turning over so her back was facing them. "I've been awake for a while, but it's hard to fall back asleep to a conversation."

    "Sorry..."

    ~~~

    "Your name is...Kate, right?" A girl with a brown ponytail asked and sat across from Cole and Mikasa at a dining table.

    Cole smiled. "Cole."

    "Ah, my mistake." The girl laughed.

    "What are you doing, Sasha?" Mikasa asked.

   "Oh, uh, well..." she began nervously, pushing her tray of bread, milk, and rice towards them. "I wanted to give you guys this, since you weren't allowed any breakfast..." Sasha Braus? Giving away her food!?

    "Oh, no!" Cole pushed the tray back to her. "You really don't have to..."

    Sasha smiled brightly. "Don't worry, I stole enough of Connie's dinner last night anyways. Plus," she leaned over the table, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I always have a little bread hiding in my pockets. I'll eat that during the route today."

    "Sasha...really?" Mikasa asked.

    The brunette leaned back, laughing shyly while rubbing the back of her neck. "Anyways, please, have this for today."

    "I'll have to pay you back somehow..." Cole said.

    "Don't worry about it."

    "Just let her, Sasha." A girl said from next to them.

     "Kirsta?"

    "Don't even feel bad. Sharing food is allowed." Another girl, sitting next to Krista, said a little irritably. "Just take it - Armin is giving Eren his food anyways."

    "She's just being polite." Kirsta said to her. That other girl is much taller, her hair is a little darker than Sasha's and is a much shorter ponytail and she has a few freckles on her cheeks.

    "Um, if I may ask," Cole began and their eyes met just for a second.

    "Hm?" She stopped mid-way from drinking her water.

    "Thank you, Sasha." Mikasa said and slid the tray towards them. "Cole, eat before the time is over."

    "Oh, right." she turned back to the girl. "Never mind. I'm sorry."

    "Don't worry about it." She said into her cup. What's her name? Cole thought. She ate half of the meal while Mikasa ate the other half, rather quickly since she was hungry from no dinner last night. Mikasa and Krista chatted away while they ate, and Cole was nearly finished when' " 'Cole', right?"

    "Huh?" She looked up, half-eaten loaf of bread in her hand. "Yes?"

    "Your boyfriend is heading over here."

    " 'Boy...friend...'?" Cole repeated, confused. "Um, who is--?" She then saw Eren walking over a few tables away. "Eren? He's not..." her face became red. He probably doesn't want to even speak to me, it's gonna be Mikasa.

    "Hey, Cole." Eren said when he arrived. Well then. "Mikasa." The greet continued and Cole felt herself relax.

    "Here to apologize to someone?" Mikasa asked. The signal from outside to go back to the dorms to get ready for training sounded. He didn't say anything after that, and Cole wondered why.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Today was their day off - many people go off to the village to walk around or shop for a few necessaties. It was the day after their second routine with the backpacks and the who-knows-how-many-kilometers of running. Cole had bitten her hand in the same exact spot about 6 times throughout that so that she wouldn't loose herself, but not nearly as hard as she did the first time. But now it's sore and she can barley move her thumb around. Cole decided to take a walk outside instead of staying in the nearly empty dorm. The air was clean and brisk from the recent rain, and the scent relaxed her.

    After a few minutes, Cole wanted to go back in and take a nap. But someone stopped her. "Hey..."

    She turned around. "Oh, Eren. How are you feeling?"

    "What do you mean?" he walked along side her.

    "Armin told Mikasa and I how you were a little on edge two days ago."

    "Oh, that...Yeah I'm fine." he answered. "I actually wanted to say sorry for yelling at you like that."

    "Don't be." Cole said. "You were just-"

    "-It still doesn't allow me to be a douche to you guys." he growled to himself. Cole couldn't hear what he said next...but it was probably...maybe... 'especially you'?

    "What was that?" Cold wanted to confirm what he just said.

    "Nothing." he neutrally answered. "Hey, what's this?" he picked up her hand and examined around her thumb quickly. 

    Cole yanked her hand back, blushing a little. "It's nothing."

    "Did you bite yourself like that again?" Cole nodded in shame. "You shouldn't do that, doesn't it hurt?"

    "The pain from it helps me, okay?" She said, irritated a little.

    "Well, that's a little dark."

    Cole turned away, bashful. "Whatever." It was the wrong move.

    "Wait," Eren stepped in. "Is that a bruise?" he tiled her chin up to see it completely. It wasn't as swollen as before, but the shade of purple and blue was still staining her skin.

    "Yeah~" Cole said half-sing/song-like. "And?"

    "Dammit Mikasa." he growled and continued to look at the mark.

    "Eren, I don't know about you but this is a little awkward." Cole just straight up said it, face becoming red.

    Eren pulled his hand back, looking at Cole. "Huh?" It was as if then he just realized how close his face was to hers and blushed, forgeting to add space between them. "Oh, sorry."

    "And...you're still standing here." Cole pointed out.

    "Sorry...I just..." Silent. "I..." She saw his eyes look at her lips for a second.

    "Eren."  Not that she minded being like this.

    "I - sorry, Um..." he stepped away, scratching his head as his face got redder. "Well, I..."

    He didn't want to ... kiss me, right? No...we're not like that...being soilders doesn't give us time to be like that...

    "Way to blow it, Eren." A male's voice said from somewhere.

    "Franz!" a girl with short red hair elbowed him. "Sorry about that, he's nosy."

    "Hanna?" Cole asked.

    "Hey." she kindly greeted.

    "So are you guys a thing now or what?" The tall boy with a hairstyle similar to Connie's asked. This is Franz?

    "If anything, you two are the ones everyone talks about." Eren smartly retorted. But it's true, Hanna and Franz are always blushing around eachother and smiling.

    "Us? A couple..." Hanna repeated, embarrassed. "Umm..."

    "Maybe..." Franz said. "Right, Hanna?"

    She just laughed. "Well get out of your way now." She began to push her boyfriend away from the scene.

    "Knew it." Cole said.

    "Us?" Eren repeated.

    "Huh?"

    "A couple..."

    "...Maybe..." Cole wanted to so badly say 'yes', but something stopped her. "Because...what if one of us..."

    "Don't say that." Eren said. Cole nodded. "So, 'maybe', right?" She nodded once more. "Until then...is it okay for me to do this?" His hand was on her chin again and he slowly pulled his face towards hers. Cole didn't protest, and was anticipating what would happen next. Each second that passed by was one with a flurry of quick heartbeats, her stomach swirling. She then felt warmth on her bruise - he was soflty kissing it.

    "I don't know." She said, face glowing. "Is that something a friend really does?"

    Eren chuckled. "Maybe not."

    "Well, it feels better now."