Question and No Answer [Lars + Eren]

[Lars Van Dyke]

When Lars was a child, he had once dreamed that his favorite rabbit grew a hundred feet tall, sprouted wings from its furry back and spoke to him. Dog had a surprisingly deep voice, and past his fuzzy lips he said, "Come on, Lars!" inviting the Dutchman to fly over the walls of Sina to view the outside world; Lars being the curious toddler he was at the time graciously accepted the offer.

It sounds absolutely ridiculous, doesn't it.

A dry laugh escapes Lars' lips, since now they have reached the day and age where even the most ridiculous of notions such as giant flying rabbits is much more believable than the current life they're living. A current age where not only is humanity gradually reaching the brink of extinction because of mindless beasts that consume them moreso for pleasure than sustenance, but now humans can actually become said mindless beasts with the bite of their skin.

The thought itself makes Lars' stomach churn in disgust.

The Dutchman cannot really remember what exactly he was doing when Nile had come to the Corporal with the grave news. Perhaps he was drinking, sketching, eating, maybe ? It was all really a blur to him. Granted, the ash blond knows that their legion is always the last one to recieve such important news, considering they're such a secluded and exclusive group of people. The Military Police really is the safest and yet the ignorant legion of them all. However, a mandatory Court Appearance is due for the young Titan Shifter; his fate to be decided by a bunch of squabbling men and religious fanatics.


The ash blond feels uneasy and restless, his mind racing with one million questions that have no solidified answers. He cannot even recall what time it is but judging by the moonlight peeking through the canopy drapes, he knows it's pretty late. The Dutchman realizes that sleeping is a pointless dream that he's decided to give up on; swinging his legs over the egde of the bed, he sits up and dawns his dress shirt and casual pants, of course, not forgetting his scarf. Lars grabs his pistol and stuffs it in his back pocket, although he is not exactly sure what he intends to do with it.


He makes his way through the familiar Sinaian hallways saluting the obviously exhausted Cadets guarding the double doors to the cellar. Due to his rank he is automatically given access to the room, and once allowed in his heavy boots make their way down the circular staircase, allowing the lanterns along the wall to guide his pathway. The ash blond tries to determine what exact questions he is going to ask, and yet his mind draws a complete blank. Now, he's reached the last step and thick, black cell bars comes into view; the body of another person sprawled out on a mattress. Lars is not exactly sure if the other male is sleeping or not, but it is not as if he cares.


"Eren Jeager. I am Lars Van Dyke. Commander of the Military Police.

He finishes approaching the cell and stands a few feet away from it, hands neatly crossed in front of him.


"I have a few questions for you, and if you would be so kind to answer them, then this is going to be easy for the both of us."

[Eren Yeager]

Sleep was a luxury that Eren had not experienced since he had woken the day before. He lay in his cell with turquoise eyes cast up towards the ceiling, though his focus was on something else entirely. The same thing that was on the minds of most of the Recon Corps and Scouting Legion, if not everyone behind wall Sina. What the hell was going on?

What was Eren and what had happened to make him shift? He didn’t understand anything beyond what his instincts told him about this new ability, and at that he had no idea where said instincts came from. All it took was a bite enough to draw blood and he could become a Titan, and not just any Titan but a strong one, at least fifteen meters tall with the same bloodlust he always knew he possessed.

They had a chance with him. A real fighting chance, and Eren hoped that Erwin could convince the judge if not the Military Police that he could be useful. He would be. They all wanted the same thing, didn’t they? To annihilate the Titan scum from the earth, and now he could do it. It seemed like no one had cause enough to hate them as much as Eren did, and if it was a burden he carried alone then so be it.

Eren lifted his arm where new limbs had grown like a miracle, and examined his fingers where old scars had disappeared. With one hand extended towards the ceiling he decided that if he was going to die it would be beyond the walls and after he’d killed thousands of Titans. He was not going to be executed by the Military Police.

Wait, could they even execute him? What if he healed again? Or worse, what if he shifted after being shot? It seemed like lots of work on their behalf and a lot of pain on his to see him dead.

Then there was Mikasa and Armin, his friends who he had protected during their last encounter with the Military. What would happen to them? Surely the Military Police would see that they had nothing to do with this and let them go… No, they probably wouldn’t. Eren trusted them like he trusted a Titan not to eat him. They were corrupt and entirely selfish. And his life was in their hands….

Distant footsteps brought him back into the reality he wasn’t far from and he drew his hand back and kept still. Maybe if they thought he was asleep they’d leave.

Of course that didn’t seem the case when he was addressed and his attention was demanded. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do, but Eren wasn’t in the most cooperative mood. His nose wrinkled at the mention of the Military Police and he sat up slowly with a long suffering sigh.

Lars was a tall one and Eren might even have thought he was decent looking if he wasn’t so distracted by the ugly scarf draped around his neck. His hair was weird too, and there was something about his face that he just didn’t like… He kind of looked like Jean in a weird way. That single thought was the one that determined Eren’s opinion of him instantly. Loud, demanding, Military Police officer with a face like Jean’s.

“I was told not to answer anything until my hearing.” He was sure they’d be asking him plenty of questions there after all.

[Lars Van Dyke]

The first thing Lars notices about Eren is his giant, pools of turquoise that even in the dark shine very clearly. The second thing Lars notices, quite so obviously is that Eren is nothing but a boy. Judging by his rather round face and smaller stature, he could not be anymore than what, fourteen, fifteen, maybe? He finds it to be incredibly strange considering that inside the teenger lives a dormant monster that could kill everyone in the courthouse on a whim if need be.

That fact in itself is incredibly disheartening and frightening all at once.

Lars had heard a few things about the events that happened the day Eren turned into a Titan; his limbs being eaten despite the fact that he appears to be whole again, an immense smoke surrounding the area for miles and skyrocketing temperatures emitting from the boys' body. He had also heard that Eren had gone rogue and ate a person or two; although between actual physical testimony from his friends, delirious Garrison Cadets suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Nile's drunken rambling nothing is exactly crystal clear.

So what better way to obtain all the answers than from the Titan himself.

"It's not a request."

Lars replies flatly, arms crossed in front of him. He can tell Eren is kind of a rebellious spirit, the kind of boy that would give anything and everything to achieve his dreams or even have his way; A definitive border between insanity and determination.

"The same questions I ask you here, more than likely will be the kind they ask at the hearing. He admits. "I am a very patient man, but matters like these don't allow for any wiggle room, i'm afraid."

He nods accordingly, subtly hiding the wrinkle of his nose at Eren's physical appearance. The conditions of the cell are absolutely disgusting. It reeks of something down here, it's dark, and painfully filthy; he can almost swear he sees a cockroach skitter by. Lars lifts his scarf over his shoulder, lowering his face into the familiar knitted pattern as a kind of comfort strategy to calm down his raging nerves (not only from the fact that there is a Titan shifter in front of him, but from the uncleanliness as well.)

He has so many questions, and yet he is unsure where to start. Are all Titans really just controlled by Humans? Is it an evolutionary gain and humans are finally an obsolete species ?

"What are you."

..Well, that's a good place to start. Smooth as ever.

[Eren Yeager]

If Lars was afraid of him he hid it well behind something that looked like disgust. The Military Police were made of the best of the best, so maybe he was like Levi and Erwin in that regard. Maybe he didn’t fear him because he thought he could handle him if it came to that. Eren can’t tell what he’s thinking behind that stare and his frown deepens for it.

His imperative tone causes him to clench his jaw with a small scoff of annoyance. Those really were his orders, but with rankings so close he wasn’t sure whose he was meant to follow. The more Lars pushed the less he wanted to answer, but then his situation would probably only get worse. He had a feeling that Lars would see to that.

“What do you want to know?” He relents after a long moment of hesitation. If the questions are too personal, if they make him lose his temper he vows to himself that he won’t answer them. He will insist that the hearing is when he will answer questions…

The first question is something he knew he was going to be asked immediately and he curls his fingers tight by his side. It’s not fair that he has to answer that. It’s not fair that anyone ever has to ask him that.

“I’m a human.” He insists, temper simmering but still well under his control.

[Lars Van Dyke]

Lars is immediately put off by Eren's curt answer, eyebrows knitting in obvious impatience and disbelief. Did Eren Jeager really just insult Lars in his own Capital ? Clearly, the younger male took the Corporal for a fool with a pathetic excuse for an answer like that.

"Humans don't have the ability to turn into Titans. Let's try that again." He replies in a more demanding tone, resisting the urge to suck his teeth. He can see the subtle clutch of Eren's fists at his sides, the teenager fighting inner impulses of allowing his temper to get the better of him. Were you born this way ? Or....born at all... The Dutchman pauses, face looking almost disgusted at Titan procreation. If Lars was that kind of person he would snicker on the spot at how uncomfortable the other male clearly was. But no, he is a patient man, willing to sit here for hours until Jeager was ready to tell him the truth.

He deserved it.

"You've a natural instinct to honing your ability. Whether or not you were conscious that you possessed it doesn't necessarily stop the fact that it is still inside of you. Dormant or not, you're still a monster."

The Dutchman finishes his sentence, which did come out much harsher than he intended it to be. However, sparing the brunet's feelings were really the last of his concerns. As of now, there is a Titan inside of the inner Walls of Inner City Utopia beneath everybodys' blissful, ignorant noses. Granted, Lars did join the Military Police to avoid any form of encounter with the mindless beasts, while inadvertently conducting crooked business and profiting from peoples' fear of the Titans. So long as his baby sister could sleep in a beautiful bed with a canopy and dawn gorgeous dresses, eat healthily everyday he would be more than willing to watch his fellow Cadets get pissed drunk before the afternoon even came around.

Yet, everything he has ever worked for, his home, his rank, his family, can now be easily destroyed in a matter of seconds by a boy of no more than fifteen years of age.

He had the liberty to be a little pissed off, didn't he ?

[Eren Yeager]

What had Lars expected? Did he want Eren to own up to being part of some strange, secret race that was here to infiltrate and destroy humanity? He was human and that was all he really knew how to be at this point. His control over his titan form was limited and his memory of time spent in said form was hazy at best. As far as he knew he was human…

Eren scoffed and turned his head to the side, chains rattling as he tried to cross his arms unsuccessfully. They didn’t allow for much movement from the wall he was linked to. Instead he leaned back against the cold stone, preparing himself for an interrogation he had no hope of avoiding.

He shrugged when the Corporal pointed out that he had a natural talent in controlling his titan form. Again, it was something he couldn’t explain so he didn’t try to… not without being asked. Though his next comment caused him to dig his nails tighter into his skin until something throbbed. It was like a pulse of heat that coursed through him from his hands. His heart pounded like the warning drums of war as he slowly uncurled his fingers before he drew blood. It was as if his body was warning him after all; like it was telling him his limits before he shifted.

A monster… maybe he was one. But it might take a monster to fight other monsters. It’s something they hadn’t tried yet…

It was what people would call him, in any case. He had a feeling he should to get used to that. Narrowed eyes fell to his palm, ignoring Lars for a moment while he tried to make sense of what had just happened. How much control did he really have over this power?

“As far as I know I’m human.” He dropped his hand into his lap, staring at Lars with a hardened gaze and irritated tone. "I don’t see why you can’t just ask me these questions during the trial. It’s pointless here with no witnesses.” He didn’t see the benefit for anyone. In fact, he could just imagine what it would lead to, Lars was the first and soon he would have every ranked soldier in his cell demanding answers before his hearing.

“Is this your first interrogation, sir?” At that the smallest flicker of a smile graced his lips which was entirely too smug. He never had a chance of winning favour with this guy, he was going to make this difficult for Eren either way. The least he could do was return that hostility.

[Lars Van Dyke]

"As far as you know. So Eren Yeager also had a sense of humor, it seemed. The Dutchman would laugh if he was that cynical. But in a situation like these he really could not spare any relaxation or grant himself the leisure to do so. Eren is scoffing, crossing his arms, and fidgeting against his chains when provided the opportunity. Their interaction could have been no more than five minutes, and yet the ash blond has gathered how childish this boy really was. Which in turn, more than likely made him ridiculously idealistic. Which means...

"What are your goals... even before you had this. If there are more like you, and it is safe to assume that there are, then we can only only assume that you've all infiltrated past the walls, and have been hiding amongst humanity.. At least what remains of it. This time, the corners of Lars' lips turn upward in a small smile. It is not one that displays cockiness, confidence, nor happiness in his deductions... in fact, for the life of the Dutchman he prays to all Gods that he is absolutely wrong.

It is just one of a faux display of amusement.

"I've had my fair share. None have ever been with a prisoner of your caliber. He easily admits. Although it is not as if Eren should take that sort of thing as a compliment or an ego booster."I want you to understand something, Cadet. With the slowly lift of his boot Lars approaches the cage, close enough to be arms reach yet his hands stay crossed against his chest. "This abili -- curse of yours, is not only a threat to yourself, but a threat to humanity as well. Due to your pending trial, and the given circumstances, More than likely..."

Lars pauses a bit before continuing, golden eyes turning harsh before turning his gaze directly toward Eren. Even in the dark, dampening room, he can allocate those pools of cerulean-green and look straight into them.

"They're going to put you down like a sick dog."

[Eren Yeager]

In all honesty Eren wasn’t trying to be funny, it was the truth as far as he knew, it just so happened that there was a lot he still didn’t know about his own humanity. Lars repeated him but seemed entirely dissatisfied with the answer he’d given, basically scoffing. He also seemed to ignore Eren’s point about the trial. It still seemed meaningless to answer him. He toyed with the idea of staying silent again, or asking for a witness. In the end though it didn’t matter so much. All he had to do in here was think, and really Lars wasn’t asking him things that he wasn’t already asking himself.

Eren opened his mouth to immediately say what was quickly becoming a catch phrase of his, ‘I want to eliminate the titan race’, but he didn’t get a chance to. Lars was accusing him of things he didn’t know about, that really no one really knew about. He was speculating and assuming and it pissed Eren off to the point of him snapping, “Oi!” at the very idea of being one of them. “I was born in the Shiganshina District and I know you have records of that! The only thing I’ve ever wanted is to kill Titans and that’s all I’ve done so far with this power!”

Kill titans… kill all of the titans… There was nothing else he wanted more than that.

Except maybe to see the ocean.

And maybe he wasn’t going to get his chance for either of those things. It was hardly fair after everything he’d seen and all the work he’d put into joining the Recon Corps. He hadn’t asked for this…

The look Lars gave him just said ‘I don’t give a fuck’. It was cruel, and if Eren hadn’t already been exposed to monsters he might have shied away from the glare. Instead he met it with his own intensity, taking his words for what they were… words. Not knives and not bullets, but words from a man who thought he was something to be feared.

Eren growled lowly to himself, not about to deny what Lars thought was his most certain fate. He simply replied, “or they are going to try.”

[Lars Van Dyke]

The cell was absolutely suffocating.

The door is almost a floor up, and any form of circulation (if any) is the thick, stifling air that reeks of ageing urine and the droplets of rats. Lars outwardly makes a face of disgust at the filth that the young boy has to live in. While it is a fitting environment for somebody like Eren Jeager, he is still rather appalled the Military Police Headquarters even had this kind of facility at their disposal.

Still, the fact that it has not been tended to in what seems to be a few years means that they have not had any prisoners notorious enough to be fated to this punishment. That is, until the other boy on the other side of the bars discovered his ability to turn into a monster.

Lars feels a bit heavy due to the environment, and even heavier on the inside from a sickening combination of nausea, nervousness, and something he would be so brave as to call fear. Was he scared of Eren? He would be a liar if he said he was not.

Humanitys’ fight against the Titans had been a long lasting one; which usually ended with more casualties and blood on the humanistic side rather than theirs. They were being cornered like shaking fawns staring into the eyes of their predators, and as of right now, the ash blond almost felt like he was staring into the eyes of his.

It was always a terrifying thought that clung to the back of Lars’ mind; What would Lars do if and when the day came that Titans infiltrated Sina ? Kicking down the wall as if it’s a small toy and watching their meals scurry around in waking fear. Would Lars freeze up since he had not fought a single Titan in his life ? Would he make the wrong strategy call and get his Cadets killed ? What if one got a hold of his cable wires ? Would Lars prefer to actually be chewed or swallowed whole; he had heard that if one is swallowed they just boil alive inside of the Titan’s belly, but perhaps he would prefer that over the sound of his ribs crunching over and over again, squirming helplessly in the middle of blood-soaked Titan teeth.

His stomach churns, and suddenly Lars wants to vomit…

Lars does not have to fantasize what he would do in that situation of infiltration; because it has already happened. The person lying on the bed in front of him, tied down with heavy, ageing chains is a Titan. Who was to say that the brunet was the first Titan in Stohess? What if there were hundreds the entire time just like him. Cadets, Captains, Soldiers one day, flesh-eating monsters the next.

Of course, the Commander was trained for these kinds of things. And even with the immense headache surfacing from his racing thoughts of self-doubt, Lars knows that Eren is not Humanitys’ greatest asset, but Humanitys’ greatest threat.

“Or they are going to try...”

The ash blond lowers his head to the ground, golden-brown eyes familiarizing themselves with the floor. For some reason, the thought of letting Eren go scotch-free makes an unfamiliar rage boil inside of Lars' core, and suddenly his face appears rather sullen at the thought of death. Not his, however… his sisters’; suffering at the hands of inept humanoid creatures that only devour humans for pleasure rather than sustenance, dying at the hands of those like Eren Jeager.



Lars reaches his hand behind him, stuffed behind his shirt is the cool metal of his pistol that was resting against the base of his spine. He curls his hand around the familiar form and brings it back around. His muscles are almost moving on their own, cocking the gun back and lifting his head up once more.

“Or they are going to put you down like a sick dog…”

As Lars steps forward, he certainly hopes the crunch underneath his boot is a twig or something and not a cockroach. He lifts his hand up, gun at arms’ length and finger curled shakily on its trigger. His aim accurately set for the thin space between Eren’s cerulean-green eyes.

His lips part to say something, maybe something along the lines of 'This is for your own good' before pulling the trigger, which sounded absolutely useless and redundant in Lars' opinion. What did last words even matter to Eren, joining the Scouting Legion would be a tortorous death anyway. So why not do everybody a favor and do it right here.

Would his brain tissue re-materialize around the bullet if he shot him right here and now? The Cadets upstairs would probably hear the gunshot and come rushing down… What would Lars do then ? Probably say he acted in self-defense, seeing as how he has enough jurisdiction that such a bullshit lie would be taken for its word. Would he be forever hated by the Recon Corps who saw Eren as an asset ? Of course he would. Perhaps he might even get court-martialed.

Although for some reason, none of that mattered at the moment.

[Eren Yeager]

Eren knows fear intimately. He has seen it in the eyes of his comrades as they faced what they had always known was humanity’s greatest threat. And now Lars is looking at him in that same way. Like he is the monster that children have nightmares about, that the walls protect them from and that he so desperately wants to destroy.

He wants desperately to make a difference, and that’s something that most people only tell themselves they want. They don’t believe they can and so they don’t try. For most it isn’t worth the gamble, so why is he being stopped? Why not let Eren gamble away his own life and kill a few titans in the process? Is he really not to be trusted?

Lars seems to think he isn’t. But Lars isn’t a risk taker, it’s why he joined the Military Police and it’s why he reaches back to remove a gun.

The unmistakable glint of metal makes Eren gasp. This isn’t what he’d been told would happen. This isn’t right. One more glance at Lars and Eren can tell that these aren’t his orders, Lars is acting on his own and it’s reckless. It’s a different sort of risk, the kind that could see him lose rank for what would technically still be considered murder, even if Eren is their prisoner.

If he called out he would be shot and any sudden movements would certainly result in a bullet through his head. He tries the only card he still has at his disposal. His own uncertainty.

“Neither of us know what will happen if you do that. If I transform in the middle of Sina things could get complicated.” Or well, more complicated. Lars would have to explain his actions and Eren would most likely need to be cut out of the titan’s neck. Oh, and then they would get to deal with mass panic when people saw a fifteen meter class of titan suddenly appear in their city centre.

He has to look calm, even if what he wants is to smash the commander’s head repeatedly against the stone floor for being so annoying and reckless.