7 Cabin in the Woods

"Shut your mouth before you catch flies." Eld chuckles and pats me on the back.

Shutting my mouth, Petra drags me inside and gives me a tour. From entering, the left is a big kitchen area with lots of counters and cabinets. And on the right, is a table that could hold at least eight people.

You know the scene in The Hobbit, where all the dwarves pile into Bilbo Baggins's hobble and eat all his food. The table looked big enough to hold all those hairy slobs. I really am a nerd, geez!

Farther in, the rest of the large, open room is a lounging area. There are couches and chairs placed near an actual fireplace. A real one, not one of those fake ones you see in retirement homes. A small spurt of excitement fills me when Petra shows me the three bookcases full of books. So many in one place...

Petra grabs my arm and pulls me into a hallway near the middle of the room, on the right. I never even noticed it. How big is this cabin? Down the hallway are four doors, two on each side of the wall.

At the end of the hallway is a storage closet with stuff like, tennis rackets, board games, etc. She explained that this was a cabin they found during the initial outbreak that they would sometimes visit to relieve stress.

I was led to the room I'd be staying at and stood there in confusion.

"Umm... Petra? There's only four rooms."

"Oh yeah, no worries! Eld and Gunther usually share a room and.. I guess I'll have to share a room with Levi. We'll be in the room next to you, so feel free to knock if you need anything."

Nodding, I quickly shut myself in my room and collapse on the comfy bed. Their room will be next to mine. That means if they fuck, I'll have to hear them. Ughhhhh! I start twirling one of my knives in my hand and staring at the ceiling, getting lost in thought.

"Come on, Eren. Dinner time." Eld says, before walking off, leaving my door open.

I hate when people do that! Like, how hard is it to shut the door behind you, you get me? I make my way to the already set table and plop down next to Gunther. He likes to joke around a lot, but he can also be the most serious person here, if it's needed.

Petra sets a, get this, cooked roll and some sliced cheese on each of our plates, while Eld gives us each a steaming bowl. My stomach growls as I look at the delicious, cooked food in front of me. What's in the bowl?

I pull the bowl to me and instantly cringe away from it. I'm not a picky eater, but I told you how much I hate corn. Why did it have to be corn, of all things? Shit, I hope they don't expect me to eat it.

We dig into our food and they occasionally converse and joke around. Levi and I are the only ones not talking. Wow, we have something in common! I had finished my plate and was just playing with the sweet corn in the bowl.

It looked so disgusting, all mushed and a snot yellow color.

"Quit picking at your food, brat. You're acting like a child."

"You're not my dad, so I'd rather you leave me be."

"Yeah, well maybe your dad should've taught you manners, brat!" he says sternly.

I'm fucking done with his attitude! He knows nothing about me and then tells me that dad should've taught me manners! If only he knew. Anger boils within me as I glare at him and then it disappears, gone just as quickly.

It doesn't matter anyway. Numbness seeps into my very bones and I just push my bowl away, walking back into my room without another word. None of them would understand.

Yeah, they've had to survive in the apocalypse, but did they have to survive day to day before this? Did they ever wonder, "Is this the day I finally die"? I don't know them either, so maybe they have, but still.

They are so different from me. They know how to smile and joke. I can hear them still laughing and having a good time, as we speak. The light that they carry was snuffed out of me years ago, leaving me a heartless beast.

The knife on my nightstand seems so tempting, with the silver glinting dangerously and the sharpness of the blade. You might want to leave me for right now. I don't want you to see me like this.

AN: Triggering content up ahead. I'll put another AN when it's over. Be safe guys!

I pick up the knife and go lock the door, sliding down it slowly. Do I really want to get back into this habit? What is Armin were to find out? Or Mikasa? No, I won't let them find out.

Pulling up the sleeves of my sweater, I stare at the scarred, tan skin that I'd uncovered. There were so many white lines of varying length and thickness. Some were barely noticeable, while others stood stark against my skin.

I'm quick to place the blade to my right wrist, slicing across it quickly. I watch, enthralled, at the thin line of red that I'd created, as a few smaller drops of blood went down my wrist. It was a shallow cut, but the familiar sting made me slump against the door.

Old habits die hard, they say. After I had covered both wrists with various sized cuts, I put my arms out my window and dumped a bottle of water over them. Once the blood was cleared, I lightly dried my arms with my shirt and wrapped them in the bandage wrap I'd brought.

AN: It's over guys. I'm sorry. I don't write this to trigger anyone. It's honestly a coping mechanism to me. Instead of doing it to myself, I write about it. I'm sorry if anyone was triggered...

No, I didn't plan on hurting myself, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. My arms were wrapped about an inch down my wrist, all the way to right below my elbow. Shit! How will I hide these while bathing?

I'll just have to bathe later at night, instead of with Armin. At least, until they heal. Though, Armin and I turn our backs to each other while we bathe and change. It should be fine.

A knocking interrupts my thoughts and makes me flinch away from the door.

"Eren? We were going to play a board game if you.. uhmm.. wanted to join." Petra says through the door.

I stay quiet until I hear her tell the others I must have fallen asleep, then I pull down my sleeves and quietly get in bed. Sleep does sound nice after having another sleepless night. Pulling the covers up to my shoulders, I close my eyes and wait for sleep.

After a few hours of lying awake, I hear the others go to their separate rooms and head to bed. I lay there for awhile longer, numbly, then realize sleep isn't going to find me. Guess I'll go read in the lounge room. I dig through my bag and grab Attack on Titan before quietly going and sitting in a big chair.

It's completely dark outside, so I use the light from my flashlight to read. Curled up in the comfy faded green chair, I delve into the world of Titans, Scouts, and truth. Like me, the main protagonist is a survivor of many cruel incidents. I felt a special connection to the character for that.

Eventually, I was able to turn off the flashlight and use the morning light to read. The characters were illustrated very well and it made me want to pick up a pencil and paper. Reading for so long, I must have nodded off, because I was shook awake soon after.

"Hun, could you not sleep? Why not go back in your room and lay down for a bit? We'll be heading out in a bit to go to a brooke nearby. I'll wake you up then, ok?" Petra says softly.

I nod with a yawn and grab my book, heading back down the hallway. Not looking where I was going, I run into a hard body and fall backwards. Well, I would've fallen backwards if they hadn't have caught me, with an arm around my waist.

"Be more aware of your surrounding." Levi says softly, still grasping my waist.

Nodding my head tiredly, I keep my eyes lowered to avoid having to fake a smile. Until his hand pushes my chin up to look at him.

"The others are worried about you. You haven't been your usual annoying self."

I don't like how soft his voice is nor do I care for anyone's concern. He really sucks at making people feel better. He was doing ok at first, until he insulted me and called me annoying. He doesn't even care.

"One thing I hate more than anything is a fake person. Don't act like you care." I whisper, before shrugging out of his grip and shutting myself in my room.

With how exhausted I was, sleep found me as soon as my body met the bed. It was nice sleeping on an actual bed, instead of the floor. And there was even a pillow! Exciting, right?!

————————————————————————

Light shaking woke me up, then suddenly stopped.

"What have you done..." Petra whispers softly.

I jerk awake and take in my surroundings. Nothing seems amiss, so what is she going on about? I follow her stare to my arms and rush to pull my sleeves down. They must have rolled up when I moved around in my sleep.

Shuffling around on the bed, I find a small stain on the wooden floor to stare at. I flinch when I feel her tiny hands gently grab my wrists. I was expecting a scolding, but she surprised me with something more heartfelt.

"I love you. I love all of them. My family was killed right in front of me, during the outbreak and it's rough... But I know you guys have my back. We have your back, Eren. You're a part of our family, whether you like it or not."

I stayed silent, but relaxed in her grip and she continued.

"I can't even begin to understand what you've went through that made you so.. Distant. But just know we care, okay. Get changed into shorts and keep that sweater on, then meet us outside."

With those words, she left and I broke down again. How can these people make me feel these things? I respect all of them, even Levi, and she reminds me so much of mom it's scary. It's like mom reincarnated in Petra and is watching out for me.

It's a nice thought and makes the tears fall even faster. The door opens and a head peeks through.

"Hurry up, brat! We're going swim— Hey, you good?" he says while walking closer to me.

Nodding my head, I smile through my blurry, tear-filled eyes. And it's a real, genuine smile. Maybe it's okay to get close to them. Petra said she loved me and that we were all a family. I could trust them.

I feel a warm hand grab my hands out of my lap, and hold them. This is the first time we've interacted without an argument or a bored voiceover. My hands are squeezed and then he lets go, standing to his full height.

"This morning, it wasn't fake. I'm not the best when it comes to feelings, but I care about all of you. Come on, up ya go!" he says.

He turns so I have some privacy to change into a pair of khaki shorts, then pulls me outside by my hand. Once the others see that we're ready, they start walking and Levi stays by my side the whole time. His warm hand never leaving my own.

When we get to the brooke, they all strip to their underwear and jump in the water. All I can do is shuffle awkwardly and watch. I can't get in the water. I feel better, more me, after Petra's talk, so it's not that. I just can't strip.

"What're waiting for, kid? Get in here and join us." Gunther yells excitedly.

I can't help but laugh at his child-like actions, but I shake my head. Looking over at Petra for help, she gets out and heads to me. She's a beautiful woman with curves in all the right places, and her underwear hugging said curves. If I was into girls, I might stare, but I'm not.

"Just take off your shorts. If they ask about the shirt, just shrug it off." she whispers quietly.

My shorts are off quickly, then Petra is dragging me into the cold brooke. Since the trees create a canopy over the brooke, not much sunlight gets through, so the sun can't warm the water. Gunther swims over to me with a smirk and picks me up on his shoulders, me squealing embarrassingly.

"Let's play a game of chicken. Levi, Petra, group up!" Gunther yells.

Eld chuckles and backs off while Levi hoists Petra up on his shoulders. We grin at each other and then the game begins. Now I'm obviously stronger than Petra, but Levi is a cheater... I swear he is!

Who tickles their opponent in a game of chicken!? Something I now know about Gunther is that he is extremely ticklish. While I was struggling to stay on Gunther with all his struggling from being tickled, Petra took the chance and knocked me off balance.

When I come up for air, I glare at Levi and pout. He grins cheekily at me and swims over. He actually grinned and, might I add, it was very attractive. Way better than a scowl or no emotion at all.

"What are pouting at ya big baby?"

"Y...You know what you did!" I stutter out, pointing an accusing finger at his chest.

He chuckles and pushes his chest against my finger, "And what would that be, hmm?"

"You chea— You cheated!" I say quietly, with a soft pink on my cheeks.

Okay, you try being a closeted gay boy and have a very attractive, shirtless male stand in front of you! It's not my fault! Don't judge meeeeeee! I felt his finger trail up my thigh underwater. Was he trying to make a move? Aren't him and Petra an item?

"What does this tattoo mean?" he asks quietly, caressing the inked skin.

My shorts must have shown a peak of the tattoo, though I'm surprised he noticed.

"Who says it means anything, hmm?" me giving him a cheeky grin.

"You're not the type to put something permanent on you if it's meaningless."

I watch him carefully and just study his face. Why does he want to know? I haven't really told them anything about me and he still managed to hit the nail on the head. He's right about not putting anything meaningless on my body. Lie or tell the truth?

"It's what I'd imagine a camping trip would look like.." I mutter quietly.

Now that I think about it, what a meaningless tattoo. Why would I put a camping trip on my skin if I'd never even went on one?

"You've never been on a camping trip? Guess that will change today. While you were nerding out at that bookstore, I went and got stuff to make s'mores."

"What is a s'mores?"

"Oh my fucking God, brat!! Follow me right now. Eld get the fire going, this kid has never had a s'more before!" Levi yells at the others on the bank.

Now I'm even more embarrassed with the way the others are looking at me. I've never even heard of a s'more before... I'm dragged from the water by my wrist, causing me to hiss at the tenderness. Levi lets go and looks at me, before going to help the others.

I'm soaking wet, in only a pair of black boxers, clinging to my thighs, and the blue sweater from this morning. The feeling of the clothes sticking to me made me uncomfortable, but I didn't have a choice. I'd rather be miserable than chance the others seeing my mistakes.

"Why don't you take that sweater off? You look miserable." Levi asks.

"I.. I'd rather not. I just should have brought a change of clothes."

"Well good thing I packed a spare for you then, huh? It's in my bag." he says before walking off again.

Something is different about him. For the longest time he has been cruel and distant and now... Now he's being kind, laughing, and actually having a good time. Did this morning make him act kinder? Is it pity?

I take the hoodie, briefs, and joggers from his bag, before changing behind a tree.

"I saw a tattoo peak from your side as you were pulling the hoodie down. What is it?"

"What is with you and tattoos today, Levi? Also why the hell were you watching me change?!"

"Chill. I only saw a bit of your stomach. I was coming over to say food's ready. Hot dogs and then s'mores for the sheltered child." he says with a chuckle.

I frown when he says sheltered child. Of course I'm a sheltered child, I was only able to leave my house for school and when I was daring enough to sneak out! Shaking the frown from my face, I wring out my wet clothes and lay them on a rock to dry.

Petra hands me a stick with two cooked hot dogs, then pulled me down next to where she was seated. Eld is trying to get Gunther to sit back, so he doesn't fall in the fire and Oluo is teasing Levi about a haircut. I've grown to care for these people, even though I shouldn't.

They are the biggest dorks in the world, but they're my dorks. Cheesy, I know. I'm quite Gouda at making jokes, am I right?! Sorry, I'll throw myself in the fire now. While the others are occupied, Petra hands me this weird mushed together mess.

She explains that it is a cooked marshmallow with half of a broken chocolate bar then it's smooshed between two graham cracker squares. That's a mess and heart attack waiting to happen. With a grin, she starts eating her own, barely making a mess at all.

How the heck did she do that? I'm not a messy person, so this really wasn't for me. Petra shares a look with Levi, winks at me, then gets the others to race her back into the water. What was that about? By now, darkness was settling and the fire cast a glow on Levi's face.

He got up and sat next to me, without a s'more. Does he not like them? And yet he thought I would. Idiot!

"Do you not like s'mores?"

"They're too messy for my tastes, but I'm curious to see what you think." he says with a grin.

Okay, here I go! How should I hold it so I don't get messy!? Reader help! Holding it between my fingers, I take a tentative bite out of it and instantly hum at the taste. So this is what camping is about? I like it!

I quickly finish the yummy treat and lick the sticky marshmallow off my fingers. Levi is snickering behind his hand while I stare at him blankly. What is so funny? Before I can even react, his tongue flicks out and licks the side of my mouth.

"Uhmmm.... Okay then?"

"You had made a mess."

"Uh huh and telling me never crossed your mind? What happened to hating s'mores, huh?" I say with a cheeky grin.

The back and forth teasing is nice with him. He returned my grin then put his mouth right next to my ear.

"Oh, I do hate s'mores, but that's not what I was tasting."

With that he stands and calls the others back to pack up, leaving me confused and a bit flustered. Why is he flirting with me when he's with Petra? Should I tell Petra?

I grab my clothes from the rock and start heading back with the others. It's more quiet since it's late and they're all exhausted. We're all quick to go to our separate rooms and get ready for bed. Today was fun and I can't wait to see what we're doing tomorrow!

Changing quickly, I jump in my bed and fall right to sleep. Then, wake up again to, you guessed it, the sounds of Petra's moans. I'm so fucking lost, right now. One minute he's flirting with me and now he's fucking her. What is he doing?

From the sound of the bed hitting the wall connected to my room, I can tell he's not being gentle. She's practically keening, but there's not a peep from him. Can the others hear this? There's no way they couldn't hear this ruckus.

With a quiet groan, I shove my pillow over my head. No, I'm not trying to suffocate myself, though the thought did cross my mind. What the hell is going on with him?! With me?! He finally started making quiet noises, so he was close, and it turned me on.

My body's never acted like this. I went through puberty, but I never really had a hormonal stage. I've never even got myself off. So why was I sporting a full-blown boner right now? Getting up, I grab my knives and sneak outside.

I just needed to think and cool down. The cool night air helped until I heard a twig snap behind me. Without looking, I zone on the sound and throw my knife behind me. I'd been forced to do target practice at night, so I've learned to rely on my senses. And the movement stopped, so I must've scared my target.

"You almost fucking killed me!" Levi whisper yelled.

"No, I hit the tree next to you. Consider that payback for throwing me at a zombie in town."

"Not this again!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have woken me up... Again, might I add." I say monotonously.

"You're upset..."

"Well yeah. I'm exhausted and confused, what do you expect?" I say honestly.

He hands me my knife and sits next to me on the large log. It's only about a five minute walk from the cabin, so we were safe. We sit in silence until he breaks it.

"What's got you confused?"

"I don't know! Maybe it's your behavior!"

"Me! What do I have to do with it?!"

"You were flirting with me tonight, then you go and fuck Petra. If you guys are a couple it's unfair to flirt with someone, you ass!"

"First off, I was just messing with you, brat! It's not my fault you took it a different way. Also, Petra and I aren't together. She doesn't want to be alone and I need to relieve stress, so we fuck occasionally. No strings attached, she knows that." he says monotonously.

My mind whirs with all the new information. So they're friends with benefits. That sweet woman, to chase off the loneliness, is having sex with him. It makes me sad, but I understand why she'd do it.

Then anger courses through me. Flirting isn't a joke to me! He was not even a centimeter away from stealing my first kiss. I knew I shouldn't have gotten close to this rotten bastard! I had kept my distance from everyone for a reason, but Petra made me open up.

I don't regret opening up to the others, but him... He's different. I won't make the same mistake twice. Standing up, I start heading inside but he stops me.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to bed and you should to. If you get to fuck her, the least you can do is cuddle her and make her feel less alone. You're a dick!" I say before locking myself back in my room.

After that, I spent the rest of the trip locked in my room, avoiding everyone. My mood had took a turn for the worst and I made more mistakes, but I deserved it. I was stupid enough to get close enough for him to hurt me.