Chapter Text
Blood…lots of blood…on the grass…on the walls
Walls? Why are there walls everywhere?
Why do I feel like I’m flying but like a puppet being pulled by the string?
“Captain!”
That voice.
It sounds so familiar it makes my heart ache just by the sound of it.
“I believe in you,”
“I’m sorry, Captain…”
Earthquake? Why is the ground shaking?
Is this the end of the mankind?
What are those? Giants?
They are eating people!
SLASH!
Oh, I killed one. But there are a lot of dead people around. They seem to be wearing a uniform or something.
“Dedicate your heart!”
“My heart is yours, Captain. It will always be yours,”
Wat woke up with a start, he was drenched in sweat and his heart was beating like he ran a race and came out on top.
“It’s that dream again,” Wat muttered to himself as he pulled back the covers and got out of bed. He padded barefoot towards a small refrigerator, opened it, and drank cold water straight from a pitcher. The coolness of the water managed to slightly calm his frayed nerves.
He has been having a recurring nightmare ever since he met the recruit, Tine Teepakorn Aekaranwong. Sarawat Guntithanon, who goes by the nickname of Wat; is the captain of the Scouts, the University’s official football team. Wat can clearly remember what happened that day.
“Captain!” An unfamiliar voice rang loud and clear across the field where Wat and the rest of the Scouts are currently practicing.
“Do I know you?” Wat narrowed his eyes menacingly at the newcomer. He was taller than Wat by a couple of centimeters and has a smile that could rival the scorching sun in its brightness.
“No, but I know you, Captain! And I am going to be part of your team,” The newcomer scratched the back of his head awkwardly and Wat noticed that the other man had fair skin that didn’t seem to suit a football player despite the other man’s lean but muscular physique.
“What?” Wat shot back in an irate tone but this did not dampen the newcomer’s jovial mood.
“I’m Tine Teepakorn Aekaranwong, a freshman from the College of Law. Nice to meet you, Captain Wat!” The man who introduced himself as Tine extended his hand in greeting. Wat looked at the hand like it was a feral animal that might bite him if he went near it. Nevertheless, he took the offered hand in a firm grip and that was when he felt it.
It was like a sudden bolt of electricity that coursed through his veins the moment their skins touched. Wat immediately pulled his hand away as if burned and Tine looked at him in surprise.
“What’s wrong, Captain?” Tine asked innocently as he looked at his hand with a curious expression.
“Didn’t you feel anything?” Wat asked guardedly, trying to gauge the younger man’s reaction.
“No, what am I supposed to feel?” Tine answered openly, his expression visibly confused.
“Nothing. See you in practice,” Wat said with a dismissive wave before turning on his heels and leaving a stupefied Tine scratching his nape in confusion.
How come he didn’t feel anything?
Thousands of years ago…
"I am ready to fulfill the destiny I was given," Eren said with a determined voice. It's over. No one can save me now. I was rooting for Captain to stop me but since Zeke is here, he might be dead too. And it's all because I agreed to my brother's plan. Eren chastised himself bitterly.
“It’s no use, Eren. Ymir wouldn’t listen to you,” Zeke called out to his younger brother who was running after a little girl walking aimlessly towards the light illuminating the Paths.
That was the moment Eren grabbed the little girl and hugged her from behind. He was reckless and desperate. He can't see any favorable ending to this madness but to lash out cruelly against all the people who made life difficult for his race.
“You are not a servant. You are not a God. You are just a human being, you can make a choice. Give me your strength and I will put an end to this world!” Eren said in a voice hardened by despair and hopelessness.
“What do I get in return, Eren Jaeger?” Ymir whispered back while trembling with anticipation. How long has she waited for someone to release her from this bondage so she can unleash her fury on the world? A world that has demonized her for ages despite them waging murderous war against innocents just to preserve their kind does not deserve any semblance of mercy and the little girl felt the bitterness of resentment curling under her tongue.
“You can have my soul if that’s what you want,” It’s empty anyway. I have lost everything and everyone. There’s no more sense in life. I do not deserve to be included in the new world that would emerge after this. Eren thought to himself in absolute capitulation.
"I couldn't own your soul. As you have said, I am not a God. But I can wipe away your memory so that you wouldn't have to relive all this pain when you get reborn," Ymir said in an authoritative voice and Eren nodded eagerly.
“I am ready to give up my life just to put an end to this cruel world. Help me and the people I loved forget everything,” Eren exhorted the little girl who held immense power and Ymir smiled for the first time since coming to the Paths.
“Your wish would be granted the moment your life ends. Good luck to us, Eren Jaeger,” Ymir said with trepidation. She may have the power to control and restrict the Eldian minds, but there is one power that easily trumps hers. And that power is love. She will never tell Eren that his memories might return if he reconnects with someone he loved in the future. If that would happen, then it would be his fate to remember. Ymir thought impassively before nodding her head slowly.
“I am ready, Ymir,” Eren said grimly before closing his eyes in utter surrender to whatever fate has in store for him.
Tine was standing underneath the showerhead, letting the tepid water wash away all the grime and dirt that covered him during their football practice. He is still puzzled at the way the team captain reacted to his touch. Are my hands rough? Did I grip his hand too hard? Tine thought absently as he reached for the shampoo.
Tine might be a freshman at the University but he is not pure and innocent at all. He joined the football team not just because he enjoyed the sport but also because he knows that athletes attract a lot of girls. And he has been through a lot of relationships in high school but couldn't seem to find the right one for him.
“Maybe college girls would be better,” Tine mumbled to himself as he poured a generous amount of shampoo on his palm before proceeding to lather his hair that is still sticky from oil and dirt.
But what Tine couldn’t deny was how utterly attractive their team captain was. He felt like he was looking into a demigod the moment he approached him on the field. He had this weird ache on his chest the moment he saw him like there was an outpouring of emotions he couldn’t recognize but felt so familiar to him. However, he would rather be dead before he ever admitted these feelings lest the other man thought him creepy.
Then, Wat looked at him with those eyes that seem to reach out to his soul before asking if he felt something. Tine was dumbstruck. I wonder what Captain felt when our hands touched? He thought tersely as he opened the shower and rinsed his head.
“Tine, get a hold of yourself. You are looking for hot girls, not a hot boyfriend,” Tine said to himself impassively before pumping some bath gel into his palm. He failed to notice that he used the word “boyfriend” to allude to the stoic team captain. After quickly soaping himself up and down, he rapidly rinsed himself. He is dead tired and all he wanted was to crash into bed and sleep.
Not bothering to completely dry his body, Tine slipped on a pair of boxers and a loose shirt before plopping into the mattress. He closed his eyes and quickly dozed off, not prepared for the nightmares that would start to haunt his nights for most of the following days. Tine wouldn't know until later that these nightmares were triggered by that single physical contact between him and the impassive team captain.
“What team are we up against, Captain?” A bleary-eyed but still energetic Tine said as he came up to Wat who is busy doing stretching exercises on the edge of the football field.
“I told you to call me Wat,” The Captain replied edgily, not even bothering to look at the rookie.
“But I like calling you Captain. It seems so comfortable and familiar,” Tine reasoned out cheekily as he adjusted his knee pads so he can subtly check out the team Captain’s lean but mean physique.
“Tch! We are facing our arch enemy today,” Wat clicked his tongue in annoyance at the younger man’s directness as he glared at the other team doing their warm-ups at the other end of the playing field.
“What do you mean?” Tine asked curiously as he followed the Captain’s line of sight and saw the other team clad in red and white as opposed to their forest green and black uniform.
“We have never won against them. As in never, ever since the Scouts were founded, we have yet to win a game against the Titans,” Wat said with dismay as he finally looked back at Tine with an exasperated look. Then he deliberately walked toward the lockers with Tine close in his heels.
“Titans?” Tine asked shrewdly. Suddenly his blood is rushing through his ears and he can feel a deep-seated hatred for the opponent he hasn't even faced. He felt alert and light-footed like he could do anything against the Titans.
“Yes, I don’t know who came up with that shitty name but that’s that,” Wat said as he removed his tank top to reveal well-formed pectoral muscles and defined abs. Tine involuntarily looked away least his captain thinks he is ogling him but he suddenly felt hot and bothered coupled with the anticipation that burned in his veins.
“How often do you work out, Captain?” Tine blurted out unthinkingly and Wat’s eyebrow raised in question as he opened his locker and pulled out his uniform.
“Oi, I told you to call me Wat! That honorific gives me goosebumps,” Wat said evasively as he pulled on his football jersey and Tine was again dumbstruck at how the color green seemed to bring out the older man’s dormant appeal.
“Fine, don’t bother answering my question. It isn’t important anyway,” Tine sulked as he proceeded to slump on one of the benches inside the locker room with a dejected look.
“Why are you such a brat, Tine?” Wat said in an irate tone as he stood in front of the seated rookie with his hands planted on his hips.
“And why are you such a jerk against me?” Tine looked up at Wat and the latter was jarred at the hurt in the other man’s eyes.
“Tch, keep your voice down,” Wat growled in warning but this just riled the younger man further.
"No! I want to know. Why do you treat me differently? You can hang out with our other teammates but you always have excuses whenever I ask you to hang out, why is that? Do I offend you? Is my presence too overbearing?" Tine slowly stood up to his full height so that he is standing barely inches from the team captain.
“You are such a nuisance, you know that?” Wat seethed angrily as he jabbed his forefinger into Tine's nicely-muscled chest, trying to ignore how the fabric of the uniform clung to the rookie's torso like a second skin.
“You are not answering my question, Captain Wat,” Tine crossed his arms before cocking his head to the side defiantly.
“Why do you want to hang out with me anyway?” Wat chose to back down by stepping back to put more distance between them.
“I just want to ask you a few questions, in private,” Tine’s voice suddenly turned deathly serious and Wat didn’t like the feeling of foreboding that prickled underneath his skin.
“About what?” Wat asked in a challenging tone and at that moment, the other members of the team arrived in the locker room to change and Tine had to backtrack immediately.
“About how you became popular with girls,” Tine said sheepishly and the dagger look Wat threw him was enough to cower him into silence.
“Tine, Tine…you should be asking me and not Wat about those things!” Man clapped Tine on the back forcefully as Boss smirked knowingly while pulling on his football jersey.
“But Captain Wat is the most popular with girls among our team. I want to be like him,” Tine reiterated with child-like exuberance as Wat shot him a warning glare.
“I told you to stop calling me Captain!” Wat said angrily and everybody looked at him with a befuddled look.
“Why? What is so bad with the word “captain”?” Tine pressed further, his heart beating wildly inside his chest. Wat knows something. Maybe he’s been having those strange visions too? I have to learn more and maybe I would be able to understand why I began having those nightmares when I met him. Tine thought absently.
“Scouts, you are needed in the field now. The Titans are already in formation,” Erwin, their head coach suddenly appeared at the doorway, his large and tall frame almost blocking the entirety of the space.
Everybody made a beeline towards the entrance to their locker room. Wat was the last to leave but then he saw Tine with a challenging look on his face. He sighed in exasperation before cocking his head to the side.
“If we win this match, I would hang out with you later. Then you can ask all the questions you want,” Wat said in a nonchalant tone. I pity you, Tine. We have never won against the Titans before and based on our lineup, today wouldn’t be any different. You don’t have to know what I am going through since you came into my life. You are only interested in girls anyway. Wat thought absently.
“Do you promise to honor your word?" Tine asked skeptically, his small eyes narrowed in distrust.
“I promise,” Wat said as he made a fist and placed it over his heart and Tine immediately did the same. What the fuck? Why did I do that gesture? Where did that come from? And Tine seems to know it too because he copied my gesture perfectly! Wat thought frantically despite his expression remaining calm.
“Then, let’s dedicate our hearts to this game and come out on top for once,” Tine said in a determined tone and Wat thought that he saw a different gleam in the younger man's eyes. Shrugging the thought away, he waited for Tine to get out of the locker room before closing the door after them.
It was a massacre. The Titans ran roughshod over the Scout's defenses, quickly piling up consecutive goals to achieve a 3-0 advantage.
Wat stomped his foot in frustration when the buzzer signaling the end of the first half sounded. He glanced at a couple of his teammates being assisted out of the field by the others. The Titans are very rough players but always seem to get away with it without even a yellow card.
“Are you okay, Cap-I mean Wat?” Tine said when he saw Wat’s knees bleeding.
“Tch! Nothing I can’t handle by myself,” Wat said in a dismissive tone as he slumped beside Tine who still looked fresh and clean because he wasn’t fielded during the first half of the game.
“Let me patch you up,” Tine reached out to Wat but the latter instinctively pushed the younger man’s hand away.
“We have medics to do that,” Wat retorted with a subtle wince. He didn't want Tine to see his pain. The wound might not be deep but since it's superficial gashes, it hurt like hell.
“But they are busy with the two. Please let me help you, Captain!” Tine implored the older man passionately.
That word again. Wat bit his lower lip as he tried to quell the confusing emotions he feels whenever Tine calls him Captain. He leaned back by bracing his arms behind him and Tine took that as acquiescence. He quickly went over to the side of the field where the medics were busy patching up the two injured players. To tine, they look like they wouldn’t be able to play the next half.
“Pear, can I borrow a first aid kit?” Tine immediately approached the amiable head of the medic team for the Scouts.
"What do you need it for?" Pear smiled sweetly at Tine and on normal days, the young man would have found that endearing but at this moment Tine is preoccupied with concern for Sarawat.
“I am going to patch up the Captain,” Tine answered in a determined voice.
“Oh, is he hurt too?” Pear asked anxiously as she handed a first aid kit to Tine.
"Just a contusion but I can manage," Tine answered distractedly, oblivious to the flirty looks he is getting from Pear and the other cheerleaders at the side of the field. Tine is tall, broad-shouldered, and muscled in all the right places not to mention his killer smile which is enough to make girls swoon all over his presence. He might have enjoyed the attention some other time but right now, his thoughts are only focused on Wat’s condition.
“Oh, thank God! I think we have to bring these two to the hospital right away,” Pear exclaimed with a dainty flick of her wrist towards the direction of the two players who are now being loaded into stretchers by the male members of the medical team.
“Yeah, I understand. I’ll just return this on our next game,” Tine replied with an indulgent smile.
“Sure. Thanks, Tine!” Pear smiled sweetly before tapping at Tine’s forearm affectionately. Tine thought nothing of the gesture but returned the attention with a dazzling smile of his own.
Wat watched the exchange between Tine and Pear. He knows that Tine is subtly eyeing the pretty med student and it annoys him to no end that Tine used his predicament to hit on the girl. He didn’t understand why it affected him so much that Tine is crushing on girls. He is a man, for chrissakes! And so am I! But why do I feel like I am jealous? Wat seethed inwardly as he closed his eyes to blot out all the offending images that further soured his mood. He didn’t feel Tine approach him so the Captain involuntarily flinched when he felt a cotton bud dipped in Betadine touch his wound.
“Oi, be careful!” Wat blurted out when he opened his eyes and saw Tine kneeling before him so he can tend to his wound carefully.
“I’m sorry, Cap-Wat!" Tine apologized before blowing on the wound gently as he started disinfecting it. The gashes looked nasty and Tine knew that this kind of wound hurt more than the deeper wounds.
“You don’t need to do that. It’s just a small cut,” Wat tried to downplay his condition and cling to his tough guy image but when Tine looked at him with those soft brown eyes, he felt his resolve start to shake.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Wat,” Tine said in a voice that is softer than how he intended to sound.
“If you are doing this for me to reconsider our wager then you have another thing coming,” Wat said bluntly as he looked away from tine and turned his sights on the far end of the playing field.
“Are you giving up already? We still have the second half,” Tine asked half-jokingly as he finished disinfecting the wound and is starting to dress it with antibacterial ointment to prevent infection.
“We lack players,” Wat mumbled distractedly as he felt the sticky unguent being spread over his wound. He looked down and saw that Tine is still focused on dressing his wound.
“I can play,” Tine said simply as he used his teeth to tear open a sachet of gauze and Wat had to look away anew because he found the action so hot and sexy.
“But can you make us win?” Wat cleared his throat while fixing his eyes on the playing field's foliage. He can feel the soft gauze being pressed into his wound gently to protect it from the dirt and the grass.
“That remains to be seen,” Tine scoffed softly as he secured the gauzes in place with strips of micropore tape.
"Then see you in the second half, Tine. And thank you for this," Wat said in a dismissive tone as he stood up from the bench and tapped the knee above the bandage that Tine did for him.
“You’re always welcome, Captain,” Tine said without looking up as he was busy putting back stuff into the first aid kit pouch.
Captain, why does that word invoke fond and terrifying emotions at the same time? Does Tine call me that to elicit a reaction from me? What does he want to talk to me about? Never mind, it’s not like we still have a chance to win this game. Wat thought absently before training his eyes back on the field.
“Are you okay, Captain?” Tine asked with growing concern and anger as Wat trudged towards the bench with a reddened elbow after being roughly shoved into the grass for the umpteenth time.
“This is just a scratch, Tine. I am good,” Wat tried to reassure the younger player who immediately checked on Wat’s elbow. Pear immediately came over to do her task and Tine had no choice but to relent, choosing to look towards the playing field to ignore the pang of jealousy he felt when the medical student led Wat away.
Tine seethed angrily when he saw that the referee just gave the offending player a yellow card despite the same player being the one responsible for the injury of their two players way back in the first half.
“Tine, don’t do anything stupid,” Wat growled in warning when he saw the fire that was lit in Tine’s eyes. It was both mesmerizing and terrifying, raising the hairs at the back of Wat’s head. His wound has been bandaged and Pear has returned to the side of the field where the cheerleaders and the medical team are stationed.
“I’m going to destroy them all,” Tine growled under his breath but Wat heard every word as clear as if Tine shouted at the top of his voice. He felt alarmed when Tine stood from the bench purposefully.
“Tine!” Wat said and reached out to grab Tine by the wrist, the same bolt of electricity immediately flowing through his veins but he endured. He has this niggling feeling that he is the only one who can pacify Tine's anger and he would do it at all costs.
Tine felt the familiar surge of energy he first felt when he shook Wat’s hand, it was stronger and more noticeable now than before he started having those weird dreams. He was boiling with fury at the moment but the second Wat held his wrist, pacifying energy started to envelop him, calming his hatred like how aloe vera soothes a burn.
“Captain?” Tine looked back at Wat who was still holding his wrist firmly.
“Don’t let your anger control you. You need to focus on the goal,” Wat became bolder as he gripped Tine’s wrist tighter and stared deep into the freshman’s eyes. He was surprised when tears suddenly formed at the corners of Tine’s eyes and he suddenly let go of the other man’s wrist which has his fingers’ imprint on it.
“I’m sorry, Captain,” Tine mumbled remorsefully and Wat was taken aback at how deep the regret in the younger man's eyes is. Sorry for what, Tine? You didn’t do anything wrong. Wat thought in confusion.
"Listen, whether we win this game or not, we'll talk later. So keep it cool, and don't make any rash decisions. Do you understand me?" Wat said in an authoritative tone as he gazed deep into Tine’s eyes as if he wanted to convey something more than what words can say.
“Yes, Captain,” Tine answered dutifully and Wat finally let go of Tine’s wrist. At that moment, Erwin came over and asked Tine to get into the game.
“Can you still go back there, Captain?” Erwin looked at Wat with a challenging glint in his eyes and the team captain isn’t one who would back down on any challenge.
“It’ll take more than that to put me away, Coach. You know me better than that,” Wat answered confidently and Tine looked back at him with concern.
“I knew I can always count on you, Captain. Come on boys, let’s show these Titans what the Scouts are made of,” Erwin said in a voice loud enough for every Scout in the field to hear. His words managed to stoke a fire in the hearts of the young men clad in green and black with the emblem of overlapping wings on their chests. They know that they are on a battlefield and are now ready to come out with all guns ablaze.
"Let's go, team! Let's give these fuckers the appropriate welcome for wreaking havoc on our turf," Wat said menacingly as he cracked his knuckles with his hand. Tine looked emboldened and overwhelmed by the aura of confidence emanating from the usually impassive Captain. This side of Sarawat is foreign to him but he couldn't deny the comfort and familiarity in the thought that wounded soldiers are usually the most dangerous. He turned his eyes towards the red and white-clad players at the other end of the field and felt the familiar hatred burning in his gut.
No one gets away with treating Captain like that. No one.
They went on to even the score before time ran out, eventually winning the game in overtime, 3-4 finally defeating the Titans after decades of losing to it. The opposing team never knew what hit them when Tine came off the bench and wreaked havoc on their defense. They haven’t scouted Tine before, he wasn't even a varsity in high school so they were dumbfounded when he came out with all guns ablaze in the second half as if a fire was lit inside him.
Tine also can't understand what suddenly got into him. He felt light on his feet like he could do everything. His senses also became sharper; he could hear the scuffle of the shoes on the grass before they even appear in his line of sight so he can evade them before they have a chance to gang up on him. His eyesight was also especially keen, his peripheral vision sharpened to a point that he didn't need to turn his head to see where the defenders are coming from. He can feel them, hear them, sense them, and it makes his skin crawl just thinking that these Titans are touching him and his Captain needlessly.
Wat couldn't believe how he and Tine moved in perfect sync despite only being teammates for a couple of months. He didn't have this sort of synergy with either Boss or Man and they have been together since high school! He seems to feel Tine's energy distinctly and knows what the freshman is planning or even the direction he is going. That is why he was able to anticipate the freshman's moves and support them in a way that they were able to make those difficult goals despite the rough and overtly physical style of play by the Titans.
“So? Should we celebrate this at the L Co Hol?” Man asked as he trained his eyes expectantly at Wat who is suddenly acting awkward beside Tine.
“Of course! This is a milestone for the Scouts!” Boss rejoined cheerfully as he pressed his sweaty face against Wat’s shoulder. Wat instinctively flinched in disgust and moved away from the other members who are trudging triumphantly toward the shower rooms.
“Fine, let’s bring Tine with us,” Wat mumbled indifferently but those words were enough to bring a wide smile to the rookie's face.
“Really, Captain?” Tine asked incredulously, his small eyes blown wide with excitement and disbelief.
“Of course, you are instrumental to our win today, Tine! I didn’t know you had THAT in you,” Man said as he tapped Tine’s shoulder hard and the latter inwardly winced at the force.
“I didn’t know it too. I just felt stronger all of a sudden,” Tine said sheepishly as he scratched at his head absently. He is in desperate need of a shower as he can feel and smell the odor of sweat mingled with grass everywhere, his olfactory senses on overdrive.
“Let’s go shower and freshen up. We smell like shit!” Wat cursed in disgust and everyone looked at him in surprise. Wat doesn't like cursing and swearing. He is the first one to rebuke them whenever they swear during practice.
“Are you okay, Captain?” Boss asked bravely, eyebrows arching quizzically at the sudden deviation from the Captain’s strait-laced personality.
“Tch, yes I am. Get your asses moving! We don’t have all afternoon,” Wat said impatiently. He couldn’t understand what is happening to him but suddenly his tongue seemed to loosen up and he has been spewing curses left and right. This isn’t me. What is happening to me? I feel like I am more guarded with my actions but not with my words. Does this happen whenever I touch Tine? Wat thought anxiously.
Tine doesn't seem fazed by the change in the usually stoic and uptight team captain. He reveled in it and found it comfortingly familiar. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to talk to him and maybe shed some light on what he is experiencing right now.