The fire crackled softly in the heart of the encampment, throwing restless sparks up into the night. The smell of burning pine mixed with faint traces of oil and steel—a strangely comforting aroma after so many days of tension and blood.
Ymir leaned back against a log, one arm draped lazily over her knee, eyes half-lidded as she watched Eren laugh at something Armin said. Mikasa sat beside him, her usual stoic mask softened by the flickering amber light. Krista, bright and gentle as always, smiled shyly at the exchange, her laughter like a quiet chime that made the night feel almost… peaceful.
Almost.
Ymir tore her gaze away from Krista and studied Eren instead. He looked tired, but the exhaustion didn't dull the strange aura around him—the same quiet storm she had sensed since Trost. The others saw him as brave, reckless, maybe even a hero. But she had seen that same look before—long ago, in faces that had borne the weight of centuries.
He's hiding something, she thought, eyes narrowing. Something big.
The group's chatter washed over her. Armin was talking about rebuilding the training barracks, Mikasa occasionally interjecting with a word or two. Krista's soft voice was a melody among the murmurs. Even Eren looked content, his lips twitching up in a tired smile.
But for Ymir, the stillness of the night only amplified the noise in her head.
The firelight danced across Eren's face, tracing sharp lines and soft shadows. For a moment, the flame flared brighter—and his eyes caught it, gleaming like molten gold.
Ymir's pulse skipped.
That color. That same unnatural glint. The same one that had once looked down on her from the sky when she was just another mindless monster crawling through the mud.
Her throat tightened. She looked away.
"Hey," Eren muttered after a while, pushing himself to his feet. "I'll be back. Need to, uh… take a walk."
Krista blinked up at him. "This late?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, flashing a crooked grin. "Nature calls, you know?"
That got a small laugh out of Armin. Mikasa, however, only looked at him for a moment longer than necessary before turning her attention back to the fire.
Ymir watched him go, waiting for his silhouette to disappear into the treeline. Then, without a word, she stood up and stretched.
"I'll be back too," she said with an exaggerated yawn. "Guess I shouldn't have eaten that last piece of bread."
Krista gave her a look of mild concern. "You've barely eaten today, Ymir."
"Guess I'm making up for lost time." She winked, then walked off before anyone could say more.
As soon as the darkness swallowed her, her easy grin faded. Her footsteps softened, deliberate, matching Eren's faint trail through the forest.
Behind her, the fire popped again. Mikasa's eyes flicked toward the trees.
---
'Why is she following me? I guess I need to keep acting huh.', Eren pondered.
Eren stopped near a narrow ridge, the forest canopy blotting out most of the moonlight. He exhaled, leaning a hand against a tree. Steam rose faintly from his skin in the cold air.
Ymir lingered in the shadows, watching him.
He's not even trying to hide it, she thought, her lips tightening. That subtle heat in the air. The way his breathing changes when he's alone. He's still learning to control it.
Finally, she stepped out.
"You really think sneaking off like that wouldn't make people suspicious?"
Eren spun around instantly, his hand twitching toward the handle of his blade before recognizing her. His eyes narrowed. "Ymir. What are you doing here?"
She smirked, though her tone was sharper than usual. "Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing."
"I told you. Just needed a moment."
"Right. Because people always walk into the middle of nowhere when they just need a moment."
Eren sighed, irritation flashing in his gaze. "You're really not good at minding your own business, are you?"
"Not when I see someone acting shady." She closed the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps until his back was nearly against a tree. "You've been acting weird since Trost, Jaeger. Since you came out of that Titan."
He stiffened, just slightly.
"Tell me," she said, voice dropping low, "what are you, Eren?"
His lips parted, but no sound came out. For a moment, the only sound was the wind weaving through the branches. Then his shoulders slumped slightly.
"You wouldn't believe me," he muttered.
Ymir gave a soft, humorless laugh. "Try me."
Eren's jaw tightened. He looked away, staring at the dark forest beyond her. "I… remembered something. My father. He—he took me out into the woods one night. I didn't know why. He was talking about humanity's future, about something I had to protect. And then—"
His hands clenched into fists. "He injected me with something. I don't remember much after that. Just… pain. And then I woke up the next morning, and he was gone."
He looked up, meeting her eyes. There was something raw in them. "I didn't understand it then. But now…" He swallowed. "Maybe it was connected to what happened at Trost."
Ymir studied him in silence. Her throat felt dry. The image forming in her mind made her stomach twist.
So that's it.
She took a slow step back, running a hand through her hair. "You really don't know, do you?"
Eren frowned. "Know what?"
Ymir hesitated. The secret she'd kept for so long pressed against her chest like a weight she'd buried too deep. For years, she had learned to lie, to survive, to wear a grin even when her soul ached.
But looking at him—this reckless boy carrying the sins of their world on his shoulders—she couldn't lie anymore.
She exhaled, long and slow. "I guess it's only fair I tell you something too."
Eren's brows furrowed. "Tell me what?"
"That I'm not like them either." Her voice trembled, just slightly. "I've been alive for… a long time, Eren. Longer than I should have. I used to be a Titan—one of those mindless ones wandering outside the walls."
His eyes widened.
"I was one of them for decades. Maybe centuries—I lost count. Then one day I...ate a kid from a group of warriors from outside the walls. I ate him."
She gave a bitter laugh, though it cracked halfway through. "That's how I got this power. The Jaw Titan."
Eren stared at her in shock, trying to process her words.
She looked back at him, her expression softening. "What your father injected you with—it was the same thing I was injected to make me a titan, Eren. That's why you became what you are. That's why you can transform. And when you said he was gone the next day…"
Her voice faltered. "You probably found him. But you weren't yourself. You were a pure Titan. And you ate him."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Eren's eyes went blank for a moment, as if she'd hit him with something physical. His hands trembled, and he took an unsteady step backward.
"I… ate him?" he whispered, disbelief twisting his voice.
Ymir bit her lip. "It's just my guess, but it fits. The timing, the power you inherited, everything."
Eren turned away, one hand pressing against the bark of a tree. "No… no, that can't be…"
She stepped closer. "I'm sorry."
His voice broke, soft and aching. "He was my father."
Ymir hesitated only a moment before her instincts overrode reason. She reached out, grabbing his wrist gently. "Hey," she murmured, "don't do that to yourself. None of us asked for this."
He didn't respond, his head bowed, breath uneven. Something inside her twisted—something she hadn't wanted to feel again. Pity. Affection. Recognition.
Before she could stop herself, her other hand reached up, fingers brushing his cheek.
Eren looked up.
And Ymir kissed him.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't careful. It was a desperate, wordless attempt to silence his guilt—to replace the self-loathing in his eyes with something human, even if just for a heartbeat.
When she pulled back, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling in the cold night.
"Don't drown in it," she whispered. "You'll just end up like the rest of us."
Eren didn't listen to her and kissed her. They both kissed each other passionately. Their hand couldn't stop itself from grabbing eachother's sensitive parts.
Eren and Ymir both took of their pants. Ymir grabbed Eren's raging boner and Eren buried his hand in her cunt. They kept kissing eachother as Eren fingered Ymir and Ymir gave him a handjob.
Both kept kissing and moving their hands with raw desire.
"Ahhh!! I'm about to cum.",Ymir moaned.
"Shhhh. Don't be loud. I'm about to cum as well.",Eren answered.
Both of they climaxed at the same time and couldn't stop themselves from moaning and groaning in pleasure.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The forest around them felt impossibly quiet.
Then Ymir leaned her back against the wall, raised one leg and spread her pussy.
"Do it Eren.", Ymir wishpered seductively in his ears.
Then suddenly they heard sound of a footstep which startled them. They quickly wore their cloths and got moving.
Mikasa stood a few meters away, half-hidden behind the trees. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes—sharp, unreadable—watched the two of them in silence.
She didn't move. Didn't speak.
Ymir felt her spine stiffen as she caught that glimpse of dark eyes in the moonlight. But Mikasa turned away before their gazes could meet.
So she saw.
For a heartbeat, Ymir considered calling out. But then she sighed softly. Let her think what she wants. hmm? what's that?
It was barely noticeable in the dark but Ymir's sharp eye caught how soaked Mikasa's crotch.
This is going to be fun. She thought while licking her lips.
----
By the time they returned to camp, the fire had burned lower, glowing embers painting the faces of their friends in soft red light.
Armin was dozing against his pack, Krista tending to what was left of the flames. Mikasa sat quietly beside her, gaze fixed on the fire, her expression calm but unreadable.
Eren took his place beside her, saying nothing.
Ymir lingered for a moment before sitting down across from them. Her heart was still unsteady, but her face wore its usual smirk.
Krista looked up with a small smile. "Everything okay?"
Eren nodded faintly. "Yeah. Everything's fine."
Ymir's eyes flicked toward Mikasa. The other girl didn't look up, but Ymir swore she saw the faintest tightening of her jaw.
The fire crackled again, scattering sparks into the night.
And beneath that fragile calm, Ymir could feel it—the threads of tension coiling tighter between them all. Secrets whispered beneath the light, shadows deepening beyond the flame.
End of Chapter 37: Beneath the Firelight's Shadow