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『 003 | training corps : harsh words 』

[snk series]

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↳ ❝ [summary] ¡! ❞

as your six weeks of basic training comes to a close , you find yourself building bonds—some growing stronger than you could ever anticipate.

in honor of your “graduation” , your brother pays you a visit in order to offer up his honest advice.

↳ ❝ [content] ¡! ❞

black fem! reader ; first person p.o.v ; damn-near every cadet is featured here ; annoying brother content ; ( slight ) angst ; op reader ; bad german ( y’all , this language has me fighting for my life ) ; last fully ( not really )happy chapter before everyone dies ; this chapter is so long 😭

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now playing:

[so ist es immer]-[hiroyuki sawano]

0:00 ❍─────── 3:18

↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺

✧;── 003 ──;✧

AN IMPORTANT DAY WAS COMING.

although–at the time–i could not fully grasp just how important that day would be.

i did know that soon , we’d finally start working with the omnidirectional mobility gear.

i was rather looking forward to it. however , it seemed the closer we got to starting the aptitude tests , the more commander shadis seemed to think that forcing us to clean or spar against each other was very important all of a sudden.

eren was more enthusiastic about completing the training than anyone else , and so–naturally–he had been grumbling about being denied it since breakfast that morning.

although , i shared his frustrations for once.

we had just finished another “unnecessary” sparring match after being out on the fields since dawn , “i think he’s just messing with us.” eren surmised , stretching his tense shoulders.

“by the way ,” he turned to me, “sorry about mikasa.”

“it's not your fault ,” i assured , “i think there’s just been a misunderstanding”

“so , don’t worry about it.” i waved eren off as shadis called us to attention.

i tried my best to pay attention to shadis, but my thoughts were still occupied with my so-called solution.

i soon picked up that we were meant to be sparring once more when i was shoved off in the direction of a cadet named “kirstein”.

he was tall , and his hair was ash blonde–he had an undercut.

his eyes were dark and focused , but they softened when he looked at me.

as we shook hands , his shook violently ; i giggled and pretended to ignore it as kirstein spoke , “. . .so you’re [l/n]. . .?”

i was surprised to hear my real name come from his mouth in such a casual way.

my face grew warm as i smiled up at him , “. . .i am. and , you’re kirstein?” “yes!” it took a few moments for the boy to realize that he had just screamed at me.

the realization was clear on his face , but he remained unmoving ; his stare only grew more intense.

the insecurity was etched into my face as i asked ,“—what is it?” i finally let go of his hand , letting mine fall against my leg.

“you’re very pretty!” startled , i took a step back as he continued , “—it’s just—i’ve never seen a woman that looks like you before. . .”

i blinked , “. . .—thank you.”

he nodded at me , ears red and lips curled upward.

“well,” i try in earnest to wipe the grin forming on my face , settling into a fighting position.

“let’s begin.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

we’d eventually gotten sent to the mess hall around noon , much to eren’s chagrin.

his complaints were interrupted , though , when ymir made an uncharacteristic stop at our usual table.

“well , aren’t you popular?” she raised her brow at me , to which i glance around me with a smile , “i’m lucky to have these two as my friends.”

eren nudged my shoulder upon hearing my response ; chuckling , ymir shook her head at me , “cute , but that’s not what i was talking about.”

i paused , giving the girl my full attention as she continued.

“i saw kirstein flirting with you during drills.”

before i could even open my mouth , eren damn-near chokes on his food ; to which—of course , ackermann came to his aid.

seconds after his recovery , he snapped at me , “you were flirting with jean?!” “--that’s jean?!”

i slapped a hand over my mouth , realizing how loudly i said that.

that was him? i glanced at jean from across the room , then back at eren—who filled my brain with falsehoods—he was so sweet.

i continued in a hushed tone , “i thought—i thought he was a perfect gentleman!” i assert with a pout

cackling broke the conversation that was previously held by three people ; connie springer—before i knew it , had already sat down across from eren and looked at me.

he eventually stopped laughing , but was still very tickled by what i said ,“he must have a crush on you or something.”

i sighed ,”what is your problem with him?”

eren shook his head at me ,“he was all over mikasa when we first got here ; i wouldn’t trust him if i were you.”

“is that right. . . ?” ymir raised a brow.

now all three of them were staring at me ; i averted my gaze , “we were just talking , you guys.” “right. . .” connie chuckled.

“—so armin!” i quickly changed the subject ,”you think you could help me prepare for the final written exam?”

“between training and infirmary visits , studying sort’ve got away from me.”

“yeah , of course!” as i nodded at him and relaxed my body , relishing in the fact that i’d successfully shifted attention away from me.

eventually , ymir went back to her usual seat—but not springer , because he seemed rather invested in the conversation we were having.

ackermann remained silent beside us—i still have to talk to her , but i can’t bring it up here—as she always was.

“are you still with me?” springer tilts his head at me , and i nod ,”yes—of course! i’m just thinking.”

“you seemed out of it these past couple days.” armin observed , and i could only nod at him.

“well , i guess she has been , huh. . .” eren shrugged ,”she’s as sharp as ever during training.”

snickering , springer adds ,“yeah , you would know that better than anyone.”

i held back a laugh when i recalled the day he was referring to ; eren stammered ,“she—she just caught me off guard—” “—she beat your ass.”

i’ve known eren jaeger long enough to know he cannot take most things in stride.

slamming his hand down on the table , eren stands up , “eren” “eren , calm down”

both ackermann and i grasped at eren’s arms ; the two stopped to stare at me , and i snatched my hand away.

he seemed confused but sat back down , nonetheless.

i placed my hands on the table , pressing my lips together as i glanced at eren—please don’t mention that.

thankfully , i was saved by the bell ; i was the first out on the field that day.

eren was very pleased to find that he was finally standing in front of the simulation rigs.

[b/n] had told me about these ; ‘they lift you up in the air , and you’re meant to distribute your weight evenly throughout your center.’

eventually , the group i was in was up next ; after fastening the harness , i kept my knees apart as i waited for the staffing sergeant to lift me up.

“lift them up.” “yes sir!”

i stared down at my feet as they left the ground with a slow creak behind me.

i straightened my back as i swayed back and forth , looking around at the facilitators as they took their notes.

“we’ve got a lot of natural talent this year , huh?” one sergeant nudged the other beside him as they surveyed our aptitude.

“. . .what about him?” i glanced in the direction she had pointed , only to find that eren had somehow turned completely upside down.

her superior responded with a pitiful smile , “truth is: no matter how hard some people try , they still don’t succeed.”

i frowned as the my surrounding comrades snickered and gossiped ; gaze focused.

eren’s eyes darted around , and i quickly acted as if i didn’t see that.

i hear shadis’s voice , “what the hell are you doing , eren jaeger?!”

eren didn’t respond—his lips trembled as they parted but no words came out.

it wasn’t until shadis walked away that he boy managed to force the words out of his mouth ,

“wie. . .mache ich das. . . ?”

how do i do this?

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

as soon as i helped eren out of the harness , he started babbling about how he’d practice before supper—‘i just need more time’ he said.

i only smiled at him and nodded , knowing he’d run himself ragged regardless of what i said.

i returned to the girl’s dorm to shower , and while i knew ackermann was liable to stay back and help eren , i was hoping i’d be able to talk to her alone.

as i was heading into the showers , a fellow cadet was heading out ; she didn’t appear to be paying attention to her surroundings.

i stopped walking to let her pass but she still ended up getting startled ; the black-haired girl began to react , but then stopped herself.

she dropped her hand , mumbling an apology before trying to dash away.

“you’ve got good instincts; you shouldn't second-guess them” i state , “if your gut is telling you to do something, you should do it.”

she stopped , waiting a moment before turning back to me , “. . .what?”

i raised a brow , “you were gonna hit me just now , right?” the girl’s face shifted , as if embarrassed that I even mentioned it in the first place.

she started stammering , “well yes , but i just kinda—“ “—you won’t get a chance to think in a life or death situation.”

she blinked at me , and i looked away , “i’m sorry , that was rude.” i turned back around.

she called after me , urgency laced in her tone , “no , you’re right. . .thank you!”

i nodded at her , continuing on my path toward the showers when she called to me again , “hey—what’s your name?”

i gave my name to her , watching how excited she seemed to get upon hearing it ,

“i thought so! you’re amazing , y’know. . .” i arched an eyebrow , “me?” she nods , feverishly , “yeah you! you and ackermann–you’re so good at everything”

she takes a breath , composing herself as prepared to speak again ,“anyway–it’s nice to meet you! my name is mina carolina.”

i giggled at her , finding her childlike excitement rather refreshing , “nice to meet you , carolina—“ “—call me mina!”

i cleared my throat , correcting myself accordingly , “nice to meet you , mina.” mina then smiled at me , before averting her gaze ,“well , i’ll leave you alone now”

i watched as she skipped off , finding that–to my delight–i could see through my mental fog just a little better now.

after washing up , i entered the mess hall to find eren slumped over the table with a bandage wrapped around his head.

i glanced at armin as i approached , “i take it that practice didn’t go well.” i whispered , sitting down across from him.

he nods at me before glancing over at the defeated brunette , “don’t give up so easily , eren ; you still have until the final exam.”

eren only whined in response ; i giggled . and he shot up to stare at me— but i couldn’t help it ; he was acting like a child.

“what are you laughing at?” “--nothing.” my eyes wandered away from him as i feigned innocence.

eren raised his eyebrows at me , to which i changed the topic of discussion , “eren? i didn’t know you spoke the old tongue?”

“huh?” he blinked , “oh yeah , me and armin grew up speaking it”

he’s so easily distracted.

“do you?” eren leaned toward me , “—speak the language , i mean.”

“nur ein wenig”

just a little

they smiled at me ,“your pronunciation is good—how’d you learn?”

“oh—“ bashfully , i averted my gaze , “my brother taught me.”

eren grinned at me , “not too bad , [l/n]” i nudged his shoulder ,

“thanks , jaeger.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

when we were dismissed to the dorms , i made sure to follow close behind ackermann as she walked , making sure to bring up my concerns when the people around us thinned out

when it seemed that we were the only ones that were still outside , called to her , “ackermann!” she stopped and glanced over her shoulder at me. “may i speak with you for a moment?” i asked.

ackermann raised a brow , urging me to continue , “it’s about eren and armin. . .?” the young woman stilled completely , her intense eye contact a sign of her undivided attention.

i averted my eyes , “i understand that you three are very close. . .they’re great people—great friends.”

“i know them and i have gotten close over these past few weeks , but i-. . .” i trailed off , realizing i didn’t know where i was going and decided to start over , “--you three will always be childhood friends , and i can’t change that—and i won’t try.”

she remained silent as she bored holes through my skull ; are my words not being understood?

“i’m telling you this because—“ i’m rambling now , “i feel that there’s been tension between us because of my constant insertion into your lives.”

“i’m not trying to take your place , and actually—. . .“ “i’ve been hoping that you and i. . . ?” i fidgeted with my fingers as i tried to choose my words.

“. . .could be friends , too?”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

i felt much better after being able to speak honestly about my feelings , but i didn’t know how ackermann felt about me one way or another.

all i knew was that she seemed to understand.

she understood my thoughts , and she understood my intentions. because of this , she treated me more favorably ; always greeting me with nods and indifferent looks , and she spoke with me more frequently as well.

it was a start , at least.

my contemplation was interrupted when i noticed a familiar blonde amongst the crowd of my comrades “armin!” i jogged up to him.

“hey,” armin greeted.

“where’s eren?” armin chuckled , “trying to get himself motivated.” i smiled at the mental image , “he needs it ; it’s an important day , afterall.”

we continued on our path to the fields in silence for a few minutes , “you seem to be in a better mood” he observed.

nodding , i smiled , “i managed to solve a problem that was bothering me for a while.”

nudging my side , armin smiled back , “i’m glad.”

the two of us eventually fell into a comfortable silence as we walked , the quiet was only broken when a boy cleared his throat behind me.

i turned to find jean , along with an unfamiliar freckled boy , “good morning , you two!” i smiled , “good morning.”

“we haven’t met ; my name is marco bodt.” with a gentle smile , the boy offered his hand for me to shake , to which i awkwardly reached over my shoulder—while walking—to do so.

i open my mouth to introduce myself , “you’re [y/n] [l/n] and armin arlert , right?”

the blonde and i glance at each other, “you know us?” “you’re at the top of our class—of course i know you guys!”

i paused for a moment and averted my gaze , focusing on where i was headed as my face grew warm.

“also , [l/n]. . .” bodt lowered his voice , “i’ve just been hearing a lot about you these past few days.”

jean laughed loudly , “anyway—i just wanted to ask if you were nervous about the final evaluation today?” i shook my head , “no , are you?” i raised a brow at him and he scoffed , “never!”

“jaeger should be , though.” i found myself pouting as jean snickered behind me , “it’s true that eren had some trouble getting comfortable with the rig , but he tries harder than anyone.”

i assert , and armin hums in agreement with me.

“what’s so special about jaeger anyway. . . ?” he mumbled under her breath , side-stepping me as he passed me ; i glanced back at marco , who just shrugs and apologizes for his friend’s actions.

we eventually reached the simulation rigs , being joined by eren and ackermann shortly thereafter ; i glanced at them , trying to gauge how he felt based on his facial expression.

with a sigh , i turned away from him when my group was called.

the final evaluation mostly went off without a hitch.

that is , until it was eren’s turn to use the rig.

although i wouldn’t like to admit it , i was nervous upon hearing eren’s name being called. i found myself drifting toward ackermann , as we both shared the same worry at that moment.

i tensed more and more–my muscles getting tighter and tighter as eren was lifted up in his harness. my fellow comrades seemed to feel the tension as well , leaving the entire field engulfed in silence.

my body stilled as eren had been lifted up completely ; his body shifted and flinched but he didn’t fall–some of my comrades began celebrating , and eren remained focused on maintaining his balance.

i pressed my lips together , watching as he struggled ; he’s made incredible strides , but with that kind of balance. . .

my thoughts would be confirmed when everyone all that were cheering eren on changed their tunes rather quickly when he fell over ; their whoops and hollers fading into gasps and whispers.

eren’s resolve was unwavering , glancing at shadis as he begs for another chance , “no. . .no–i can still-. . .”

shadis takes a look at the brunette , “bring him down.” is all he says , “yes sir!” the cadet complies.

is it over? i recall thinking.

by the time eren sat up to look at shadis once more , “i–. . .i can still. . .” he looked utterly mortified.

“thomas! give jaeger your belt.” “yes sir!”

i glanced at armin , then at ackermann ; both of their expressions mirrored my own.

we watched in confusion as eren gave shadis the belt he was previously wearing , buckling himself into thomas’s instead.

we all fell silent once more as we gave our undivided attention to eren in that moment , leering as he was lifting back into the harness–i flinched , as if preparing for his inevitable toppling over.

he never did.

eren held his arms out in front of him , as he swayed back and forth ; the muscles in his torso contract beneath his tunic.

he was doing a lot of work to stay upright , but he was keeping his balance.

i turned to commander shadis as he made his prognosis , “the equipment was faulty.”

“i’ve never seen this part rust before. . .i’ll have to add it to the maintenance list.”

as shadis grumbled to himself , people gasped loudly behind me , exclaiming how amazing it was that eren managed to work with a damaged belt.

it is amazing. however , i refrained from being too eager , as i waited for commander shadis to make his decision.

“so ,” eren finally spoke , not looking up from his harness , “what’s your final decision?”

i gnawed on my bottom lip , looking up at armin as he gripped my shoulder.

“you’re good to go.” shadis sighed, “train hard!”

everyone erupted into loud cheers.

including eren , “hell yeah! i did it!” he finally glanced down at us , a determined look in his eyes , “now i can fight the titans!”

i looked at ackermann with a smile ; she nodded back. when i glanced at armin , i found that he was talking to reiner braun.

“he actually pulled it off. . .” braun chuckled , glancing in between his taller friend and the three of us.

armin nodded back , a wide smile on his face as he turned to ackermann , “he looks like he’s challenging you with his eyes!” the girl shook her head , “no.”

we all stopped and listened intently as she continued , “now that we won’t be separated. . .”

“he’s relieved.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

“you did it , eren!” i practically screamed the moment he came into my line of sight. both him and the ever-present ackermann turn to face me.

even if i had never said a word , they would’ve heard me a kilometer away ; the gear shuffled and clinked , painfully as i jogged over to the two.

ackermann tilted her head , lips curling up a tad as i beamed at her–making sure to ask how she was , to which she replied with a quiet ‘fine.’

the moment went unnoticed by me , and was very much short-lived , as eren soon brought the subject back to himself ; he let out a small giggle , patting the side of the bulk of his gear.

“i almost gave up for a second!” he smiled down at me , eyes gleaming , “thanks.”

“me? armin and ackermann are the ones that helped you practice.”

“i know that! but–just-. . .” he appeared to get flustered , trailing off as he searched for the right words , “thanks for sticking around.”

i could begin to hide the dopey grin etching itself into my countenance ,“thank you too , eren.”

“there you. . . three are!” a winded armin comes stumbling up to all of us , his gear weighing him down a substantial amount.

“armin. . .?” ackermann takes a cautious step toward the blonde , to which he shakes his head at her ; he just needed a moment to catch his breath.

“you guys must’ve been eager ; left me in the dust just now.” the three of us all spoke the same half-hearted word , “sorry.”

the next few moments were filled with excited chatter , on both my and my comrades’ part.

when commander shadis finally showed up , he was not wearing the gear like i–for some reason–expected him to be , instead he was atop a war horse.

he scans the group of cadets , stopping his apparent search when he lays eyes on me.

“[l/n]! ackermann! up front!”

“sir yes sir!”

the two of us make our way to the front of the formation , staring up at the commander as we awaited his next order. his words were instead , directed at those behind me and her , “follow them.”

ackermann and i moved to stand at the opposite side of the horse , “just watch.” i prefaced , knowing it could be chaotic if everyone tried to do it at the same time , all packed together like this.

i raised my hands above my head so that my comrades could see what i was doing. ackermann glanced at me before doing the same.

first triggers ; a mechanical whir sounds in the otherwise silent air as the wired anchors come flying from the bulk of our gear , latching into the trunks of distant trees with an audible thud.

second triggers ; the gas canister audibly tightens. i took a deep breath.

i released the triggers and immediately , i’m being dragged forward. a cacophony of wind bellowed in my ears as i struggled to keep my body upright–traveling at break-neck speed.

it was a miracle it was my feet that hit the bark and not my face. ackermann stared at me as i composed myself , “are you alright?”

“yeah ,” i pressed my lips together , letting a stifled laugh fall from them , “it’s just more powerful than i thought it’d be.”

she nods at me , and i turn back towards the edge of the treeline , where my comrades and commander were still waiting for the go-ahead.

“everyone!” i called to them ,before maneuvering to the other side of the tree and gesturing for ackermann to do the same , ”a few at a time!”

five loud thuds sounded behind us and i peeked out from behind the tree , “good job , you guys!” i then nodded in the direction of the greatest forest beyond , before reeling my wires in and anchored to a different tree.

i called for the next group and released the triggers , but i had better control this time. i glanced behind me at the growing group of cadets , then at ackermann beside me.

only going in one direction , i thought , may not be the best idea.

when my anchors snapped into place once again , i pressed my fingers down on the triggers before making the purely intuitive decision to release only the right anchor trigger.

i’m sent spinning in all directions , slamming into a stray branch ; i clutched my stomach immediately upon impact , groaning.

not ideal.

the spinning helped me build speed–and would no doubt , be useful in evading attacks–but thanks to the lack of control , i was left carefully unwrapping the metal cord from my waist as i dangled precariously from a tree.

“would you look at that?” i jumped at the sound of boy’s voice , looking up to find springer.

as he was leering down at me , i opened my mouth to ask ‘what?’ but he continued , “is little miss perfect struggling with her gear , huh?”

i went back to untangling myself with a snort, “i was just testing something.”

“oh really?” he tilted his head at me , “then you wouldn’t mind a friendly little race , would you?”

i huffed , pondering it for a moment. by the time i was done thinking , i had already finished freeing myself from the wire.

i stood up , shooting him a challenging glare ,“i wouldn’t mind at all , actually.”

“great , the edge of the woods is the finish line.”

without another word , or countdown , springer had started the race–and effectively gave himself a head start

instead of abandoning the spinning technique , i decided to try it once more.

i released the left triggers , this time retracting my anchors as soon as i started spinning , directing my position with a burst of gas before releasing my right triggers.

it only took me repeating this two times before i caught up with him , and three more before i was ahead of him ; i cackled as my comrade complained behind me.

he was close enough to reach out and grab me , but with the finish line so close , there was no way he could’ve won ; he realized that , so he didn’t let me win either.

he waited until i wasn’t anchored to anything and grabbed my ankle , and i didn’t realize he had practically tackled me until i hit the ground with a thud.

sharp pain shoots up my arm on impact , and springer–who was clearly tickled–stopped laughing the moment he heard me scream , “bastard!”

even now , it’s unclear if i was cursing at springer or the very blades of grass i was laying on but either way , you connie got off of me right after hearing this.

i sit up , staring at him as he stared back , slack jawed. as soon as i began to stutter out an apology , springer started laughing again.

i go silent , refusing eye contact as springer laughs at me ; he breaks his laughter as he forces out a few words , “you might be hot stuff after all , [y/n].”

i tensed , processing what he said for a moment before smiling down at my lap , still not making eye contact , “thanks. . .”

“connie.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

the next day , we had officially finished our basic training , with our very last sparring match taking place that morning. the cheers and hollers of my friends and comrades filled my ears as everyone filed into the mess hall for our mid-day meal.

eren was by far , the loudest ; he was still going on about how he was happy to be done with training by the time i sat down with my tray.

“you do realize we’ll have to train even harder after this , right?” armin inquired , a puzzled smile on his face ; i quickly answered before eren could , “--you have to celebrate your victories when you can , y’know?”

ackermann spoke up , leaning over the table to look at me , “would your recent lack of nosebleeds constitute as a victory?”

i pressed my lips together , “oh. . .i guess it would , yeah.” eren chuckled , arching an eyebrow at me ,“haven’t you noticed?” i nod , “i have noticed , i just didn’t want to jinx it.”

armin smiled , “i didn’t take you for a superstitious person.” and i only shrugged.

the four of us sat in silence for a moment , and before i could change the topic of discussion , a stern , loud voice sounds from the entrance of the mess hall

“[y/n] [l/n]!” i flinched , looking up to find a drill sergeant ; i stood up , “yes sir?” “you have a visitor.”

i sighed , and my shoulders relaxed. i glanced at my friends , mumbling that i’d ‘be right back’ before heading outside.

to my “surprise” , the visitor was my brother ; leaning against the wall with his arms crossed , that same annoyed expression on his face.

i took stock of his visible injuries : none.

something had changed , though

“your hair’s different.” i observed , getting [b/n]’s attention.

he turned to me ,“yeah , it’ll be easier to take care of this way—you might wanna do the same. . .” as i wander closer to him , he reached out to touch my hair , “judging by this bird’s nest–” “--what do you want?” i swatted his hand away.

he stumbled back , feigning hurt , “aren’t you happy to see me? . . .you used to tackle me whenever i came back. . .”

“i am happy to see you! but , you usually don’t visit me without a reason.”

[b/n] shrugs , nodding at me , “been hearing big things about you , thought i’d come see for myself.” my eyebrows found themselves knitting together , “and not just because you wanted to see me , huh?”

“well , you’re graduating soon. . .” “i wanted to talk to you.”

i tilted my head , moving to go lean beside him ; my brother then rested the side of his head against the wall , taking in a labored breath , “i don’t-. . .” he turned to me , “--we’ve never been sure of anything in our lives,”

“people just die.” my stomach dropped , taken aback by the sudden shift in mood “what are you talking about–” “--we just act on instinct in hopes everyone we love will make it out alive–but the truth is , we’ll never know the answer.”

“[b/n] , what happened?” my voice was stern but he didn’t appear to hear me at all , patting my shoulder as he finished what he was saying. “take care of your friends.”

with that , he walked away. as i was prepared to go after him , someone tapped my shoulder.

i was frustrated , but turned around nonetheless ; “oh , hello kirstein” the boy nods at me , a nervous look on his face

“can i talk to you for a second?”

↳ ❝ [tags] ¡! ❞

@y-yinyang , @cafesho , @blackdxggr , @bambam1sa

#nonblacks dni #anime #black reader #fanfic #eren x reader #attack on titan #eren x black reader #aot x black reader #aot x female reader

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