Fandom One-shots (REQUESTS OPEN)

A Lesson in Humility (Jean Kirstein x Fem!Reader) Pt. 2

Written for Ako Tamaki on Anime Amino
Original published February 2020
Word Count: 2028

The Colossal Titan... The Armored Titan... The small town of Trost and the wall that protected it from the Titans had never stood a chance against those monsters. The students that were training to join the military and those in the Garrison forces did what they could to protect people but... There was just so much death. Their friends, their families, a lot of the students themselves just weren't ready for an encounter of this magnitude and now, most of them were afraid and not sure if they could survive this world like they originally thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Screaming, he could hear a woman screaming over the sounds of destruction and Jean felt his blood run cold as he looked around frantically. "[Y/N]!" He called out in a panic. "[Y/N]? I am here! I can save you!" He yelled as he ran through the crowded, chaotic streets of the city. "Where are you!?!" He couldn't let [Y/N] die too, he had to find her and keep her safe. He had made her a promise that he would talk to her and tell her if he meant what he had told her before. He had to tell her how he felt or he would never be able to live with himself. He rounded a corner and fell to his knees as he watched the titan in front of him shoving a broken young woman into its mouth. "NO!" He screamed.

Jean gasped in fear as he sat up straight in bed, his clothes and hair were clinging to his body thanks to the sweat that had formed on his skin with the help of the nightmare he had just had. His sheets were wrapped around him keeping him trapped in a vice grip. Jean breathed heavily as he wiped his sleeve across his face trying to get rid of some of the sweat that was there. He sighed and worked for a minute to get himself free and he stood letting his feet on the cold stone floor ground him. "Damn it." He whispered. He hadn't stopped having these nightmares since the attack happened. He should have reacted faster; he should have looked for [Y/N] and saved her but he didn't. He mentally chastised himself as he slipped his boots on and headed out of the barracks. He would be moving with the Scouting regiment in a few hours. It was time for him to go say goodbye.

Walking through the city Jean frowned deeply. No one was sure Trost would ever fully recover from the attack it faced from the Titans... Nor would her people. The citizens were terrified they were all going to die at any given moment and most of the destroyed and abandoned houses stayed that was as they tried to retreat further into the walls. It made Jean sad to see the place he had called home for so long reduced to this. This was where he used to run around all the time with Marco and [Y/N] trailing after him. The thought of his two dead best friends filled him and he pulled his Survey Corps cape around himself tightly, hoping the warmth would sooth the ache in his heart... But it didn't. It never did.

He looked sad as he placed his hand on the exterior of a familiar building. "I guess this is goodbye, my old friend." He said leaning against the wall of Marco's old home, his head pressed firmly against the rough wall. "I am sorry I couldn't save you... Or [Y/N]. I will make it up to you Marco, I won't let our friends die." He said as he sighed again, that seemed to be all he did lately. "I think you would be proud of me if you knew that I was joining the Corps... I knew that was where you wanted to go and I am going to make myself a better person so I can do what you always wanted." He could hear limping behind him, so he pushed off the wall and headed away, he didn't want to be in anyone's way or let anyone that knew him see him this upset. He needed to be alone before he headed off.

His mind was flooded with images of [Y/N] while he walked; how kind and caring she was, how angry she would get if someone tried to bully him... How she had looked the day he had told her he was going to take care of her... He felt his heart clench in his chest as tears began to sting his eyes and the back of his throat began to burn. 'Don't you dare cry Jean... There is no proof she is dead. Maybe you will-' He wanted so desperately to try to cheer himself up and give himself hope but deep down, he just knew she was dead. What would she had said about him joining the scouts if she was still around? She had wanted him to stay safe, that meant joining the military police... But Marco was going to join the survey corps and someone had to watch out for their hopeful and naïve freckled friend. He hadn't even been paying attention to where he was going as he was lost in his own thoughts until he looked up and saw rubble.