*Song inspired chapter*

Word Count: 1424

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HE SAID no. But Mikasa made him say yes.

For the few minutes that they had been in the car, Eren had managed to become acquainted with Hanji and Levi...and make an enemy out of Jean. They would not stop arguing, and it was ticking everyone present in the doom buggy off.

"Will you two just shut the fuck up already?!" Levi yelled, pressing the gas pedal a little harder than necessary. The old, creaking car jerked a bit at the acceleration, and the two bickering teens finally managed to reach a middle ground that got them to shut their mouths curtly, their way of showing that they knew everyone was taking a certain amount of damage from their childishness.

Eren had initially refused to go with Mikasa back to whatever layer she was a resident in because of his...enormous trust issues. He had taught himself that he himself was the only person in the world that he could trust; that he could care for. Everything else was either dead or rabid, so there was no one else. He even made it a tradition every year, that on the day he lost his friends, that was the only day he would allow himself to wallow, to crumble apart and forget about everything except his failure to reunite with his family.

But now he was with a part of his family again, he was about to find the rest of it as well, and he didn't know how to feel. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel, either. What was it that he should do, exactly? Everything he came into contact with for the last few years of his life, were rotten and too far gone. Now, he was with other living humans that had emotions, flaws, and all that jazz. Just like him.

Eren was fucking scared, and so fucking confused.

"Alright you little shitheads, we're here, so grab your shit, and get out." Levi stuck his thumb out and pointed to the outside of the car, a neutral look crossing over his features.

Not wanting to sit in that stuffy, old car anymore, Eren held onto his duffel bag even harder, and adjusted the straps on his backpack that was squished against the car seats, waiting for Mikasa to get out of the car so he could, considering he was in the middle seat.

"Can't wait to see the world, outside of your little bitch seat, huh Eren?" Jean asked of the brown-haired teenager, anticipation for the outburst that would most certainly come pumping adrenaline throughout his bloodstream.

Hitting the cocky boy upside the head that sat to the right of him, Eren calmly got out of the doom buggy with indifference settling onto his face, trying to prepare himself for anything.

What he found was definitely not what he expected. A broken down shed that just barely kept standing was what met him, his stoic facade slowly morphing into one of confusion as Captain Levi nonchalantly walked over to the shed, his movements unfaltering.

"Uh...wh-what is-"

"This is the bunker, kid," Levi said, cutting Eren off before he could ask any questions. Levi opened the door to the shed, blocking the view of the inside, and then moved his hand in front of himself, silently telling Eren to enter first. Eren complied, but only because his curiosity was increasing by the second, and because he wanted to see where Mikasa had been staying all these years.

Three bags of soil all piled up against the wall was all that was in there.

"Um, excuse me sir, but there isn't-"

"Jesus, did you even consider moving the fucking bags, genius?" Levi exasperatedly advised of Eren, lightly shoving past him and scooting one of the bags to the side, revealing a human-sized trap door embedded in the ground.

Pulling the ring handle up with his right hand and motionting to the entrance the door created with his other, Levi told everyone to go down the ladder that was connected to the trap door fast, so that no humans or zombies spotted them. Still pretty damn confused, Eren slung his heavy-ass bag around his shoulders, and jumped down onto the ladder, climbing down it with ease.

Dropping onto the cement that awaited below him, Eren marvelled at the long hallway that stretched before him, and the 20 or so people that were scattered about, not even bothering with turning his way.

"There are about 30 of us down here, with a group of 5 or 6 out on a separate expedition from us, but most likely with the same goal: food...and guns," Levi explained to him, taking note of the small look of marvelling twinkling in his eye.

Eren nodded his head and started to walk forward, observing and taking in every single nook and cranny of this small safe haven he had been brought to, only to stop himself in his own tracks.

Eren's heart felt like it sped up, then slowed down, then sped up again; repeating the same process as the seconds went by. His heterochromatic eyes looked back and forth at an abnormal speed, and his hands started to shake. A nice, bubbly laugh flowed through Eren's ears, filling his entire being with warmth.

'Armin...' he thought, wishful thinking taking over his mind and giving him something that he hadn't felt in years.

Hope.

"Oi, Blondie One, this is Eren Jaeger, from what Mikasa tells me. Introduce yourself, or whatever the fuck," Levi asserted, grabbing Eren's rght shoulder and walking past to get to his room, the fatigue that had plagued him the past couple days hounding his ass all of a sudden.

"Oh, uh...wait, Ere-" Blondie One sputtered, stepping away from the small group he was laughing and talking with and moving to shake hands, when his mind full registered what his Captain had said to him.

A boy his age with one soft, pale green eye, and one very, very light brown, bordering on golden, eyes staring into his soul, soon becoming glassy the longer they stared, stood before him, two huge bags on his back almost dwarfing his form. His best friend. The boy he was standing in front of, was his best friend.

Waves upon waves of mixed emotions crashed into him like a tsunami, scaring the absolute crap out of him, while simultaneously swelling his heart and soul with joy. Usually, in a world that they lived in, if you don't see someone for years, they're dead. Exceptions simply do not exist during the zombie apocalypse, oh no sirie. Though Eren, by some miracle, was the first ever exception Armin had ever come across during those five years he was at the bunker. It saddened him more then he would care to admit whenever someone left to go on a run...and never came back.

Taking a step forward with as much caution that existed in the entire universe, Armin said,

"E-Eren...I..." He didn't know what else to say. What, was he supposed to be like, "Oh hiya there, Eren! It's been five years since I last saw you and it took me only one of those years to lose hope of ever seeing you again, so I've forced myself to think that you were dead this entire time, but turns out you're alive and well, just like me, Mikasa, and Yui! As resilient as ever, ain't ya?"

Yeah, he didn't think so either. But before Armin could debate about what he should do next in his head for much longer, Eren rushed at him and enveloped in a crushing, yet caring hug. Both boys held on tight as they silently cried and smiled big teary, appreciative smiles.

During the hug, Eren feeling as though the events of the day he was finally reunited with his friends were a bit too much for him to handle, and Armin just being grateful that he could embrace his best friend like he was, only one thought passed through their minds:

'I've missed ya, buddy.'

A/N-

What up, y'all? So, short chapter compared to my other ones, I know. Rushed ending, I know.

But like, I've been working really hard these past couple days on some stuff I hope you guys will like, so I've just decided to throw you guys this!

Anyways, that's all for now, and,
I hope you guys have an amazing day/night/week!

-wen_ur_actual_trash