hopeless | jean kirstein

22 | on the move

"Hurry up!" Came Eren's anxious voice, his face contorted into an expression of utter panic. He frantically moved the broom he was holding in his hands, sweeping the dust at a speedy pace. That, of course, didn't work, as the dust particles that were formerly on the ground were now floating about in the air. The boy sneezed, before turning to the group with another pained look. "Why is this place so dirty? Captain Levi is going to arrive soon!"

Armin burst into coughs as some of the dust reached his nose, in the process of tidying up the shelves. "I told you we should've cleaned yesterday." He managed to say, eyeing Connie with a subtle glare. The shorter male could only chuckle nervously in response, scratching at his head.

"I was tired, okay? Blame Taryn for forcing me to manhandle that stupid canoe—"

He was interrupted when a broom handle came into contact with his rear, causing him to cry out in agony. Taryn sent him a smile, before turning to fix the mess that Eren had created. "Stop blabbering and get on with it."

Rubbing his butt, Connie sniffled in feigned sorrow, moving to help Armin with the cabinets. "What the hell did I do..."

They began to clean in a hurry, clearing out the dirt that had started to accumulate during their stay in a matter of minutes. After a while, their efforts paid off, and the cottage's interior would've looked as good as new, had it not been for the doors flying open, the sudden gusts of wind that entered bringing along more dust from the outside. Jean and Sasha then entered the premises, not even bothering to clean their dirty shoes, making Eren's eye twitch in aggravation.

"Hey! Did you guys wipe off the dust and dirt off your shoes before you came in?" He yelled, clinging on to his broomstick like a withered old lady.

"Huh?" Jean quirked up a brow, dropping the heavy sack he slung over his shoulders to the ground. "Of course we didn't. Can't you see all the stuff we're carrying?"

The brunette rushed over to him, his eyes wide and fuming. "Do you seriously think that attitude will satisfy Captain Levi? I was the one who made your bed this morning and then you pull this crap?!"

"Quit nagging! Who are you, my mom?" Jean yelled back at him, obviously annoyed. They saw Eren open his mouth to say something again, but stopped once he caught sight of Mikasa near the doors as well, Historia tagging along with her.

"We're back." She said shortly, her right arm carrying bundles of firewood while holding an axe with her left. Armin immediately frowned, walking over to the growing crowd of people stationed at the door.

"Were you just chopping firewood?" He inquired, his tone laced with worry. "You just got grabbed by a Titan! You should still be in bed..."

"Gotta stay in shape."

Eren sighed, his eyes following Mikasa's figure making her way into the cottage. "I tried to stop her, but she won't listen. I even saw her doing sit-ups earlier."

Jean's jaw dropped at his statement, whirling around to face him. "How dare you? You peeping bastard!"

"How in the world does that count as peeping?"

"Mikasa, you do know that you're not a wild animal, right?"

Taryn observed the scene with a smile, the noisy atmosphere greatly reminding her of their time at the Cadet Corps. She moved to assist Sasha with arranging the box full of potatoes and found her looking at their friends with a contented look as well, the girl probably thinking of the same things as her. She heard her sigh, her hand reaching into the wooden crate. "It's almost like we're back at the Cadet Corps."

Armin regarded her with a certain look. "Yeah," He muttered out, before his face got serious, the boy pausing in thought. "But why do you suppose we were chosen for the new Squad Levi, though? Protecting Eren and Historia is such an important job..."