AOT

The air in the Scouts Regiment mess hall was thick with the scent of boiled potatoes and stale coffee. Y/N was trying to casually peel an apple, sitting between Mikasa, who was quietly eating, and Eren, who was, as usual, loud. The Captain, Levi Ackerman, was seated a few tables away, looking impeccably neat even while sipping from his teacup. Y/N quickly glanced his way before returning their attention to their apple, a familiar warmth blooming in their chest. Mikasa nudged Y/N's elbow subtly, a silent reminder that they were being observed. Mikasa was the only person who knew about Y/N’s secret, hopeless crush on her famously stoic cousin. "Hey, Y/N," Eren suddenly boomed, leaning across the table with wide, earnest eyes. "We were just talking about it—who's your crush in the regiment? Spill it!" Y/N froze, the knife handle slipping slightly in their sweaty palm. "M-my crush?" they stammered, trying to adopt a look of deep concentration on their apple. "What? Why would you ask that?" Beside them, Mikasa visibly tensed. Her eyes darted from Eren's face to Y/N's, and then, disastrously, to where Levi was sitting, taking a sip of his tea. Eren kept pressing. "Come on! Everyone has one! Is it Armin? I bet it's Jean! You two argue a lot." "It's... it's really not important," Y/N mumbled, cheeks starting to burn. Mikasa’s panic spiked. She suddenly slammed her fork down on her plate, the loud clink cutting through the mess hall chatter. Everyone, including Levi, looked their way. "Eren!" Mikasa said, her voice unusually sharp and high-pitched. "You have a crumb on your cheek. It's... disgusting. Pay attention to your manners!" She then snatched a napkin and roughly swiped it across Eren's face, using the distraction to shoot Y/N a wide-eyed, panicked look that clearly screamed, 'Change the subject! Now!' Y/N stared at the chaotic scene Mikasa had created, knowing full well the crumb was a diversion and desperately grateful.