I hate this guy so much, he's lucky I even made him a cover for a chapter, like-🤢
Also, look what I found when i searched for a gif of him:
Like wtf is this, he definitely made it himself; I'm fully convinced...🥴
Anyways, happy reading!
________________________
"They can't be serious. Leaking information like that?!", you ranted; you, Armin and Mikasa on your way towards the meeting room.
"Yeah, they were way out of line", Armin muttered, stepping inside as Mikasa opened the doors to reveal the four culprits placed on each their chairs. The boys along with other Scouts were already there, Hange and Moblit were the only ones missing.
Floch stared you down as you placed yourself beside Marco, before aiming his glare forward, looking at nothing. You were just about to say something to the others when the doors creaked open, and a tired-looking Hange accompanied by Moblit entered the room. She sighed once stopping in from of them.
"You're the ones who leaked the info about Eren? Holger, Wim, Louise... You three recruits, and Floch", she started listing while sitting down on a chair facing them. "Why did you do it?"
"Because Eren should be freed. He hasn't done anything wrong. He challenged an imposing enemy and grasped victory. Victory in the form of the rumbling, which secures our right to live. Eren saved the lives of everyone in the New Eldian Empire", Floch spoke passionately. Your brows furrowed.
'Since when did Floch start licking Eren's boots? No matter how much I still care for Eren, the man definitely did something wrong going off on his own like that'
"There's no guarantee that the rumbling works as planned and can save us. At this point, it's no more than a myth"
"Only because you're keeping Eren locked up", Floch shot back at her. "Do we really have the luxury of wasting time? At this rate, our victory will be squandered. Eren Yeager will lead our country. Please, release him at once". The room fell silent for a moment, before Hange finally spoke up.
"Yeah, you might just be right about that. One way or another, I made the decision to carry out Zeke's plan. The full responsibility is mine", she said, her voice calm, but somehow sad. She took a deep breath before continuing, now fiercer. "Therefore, I won't tolerate disobedience. You will be tried for leaking information about Eren. Have them confined", she ordered the six of you. As you walked over to detain them, Floch muttered strained;
"If it's for the sake of humanity, so be it"
And so the rest of you left the room, leaving Hange and Moblit behind. You didn't want anything to do with Floch, so you joined Mikasa in escorting Louise to her cell. She was a nice girl, but oh so naïve. You guess it can't be helped; she's still so young. You could also see in the way she looked at Mikasa with reverence, that she looked up to her a lot.
"Have you ever been in this cell, Mikasa?", she asked her quietly once inside, facing the wall.
"Huh? No"
"I see. That's a shame... Oh I don't regret what I did. If victory is our ultimate goal, obeying the laws isn't the end all be all, right?", she said with a smile on her face, her tone light.
'So naïve'
"Stop it Louise. You'll only be here longer"
"I'm still the same person as the one you saved that day", Louise said serious, walking all the way towards you until the bars stopped her. "I realized something when you, a human, took down that titan: That without power, you can't protect anything. I learned that it's okay to fight against senseless violence. Ever since that day, I wanted to get closer to you, so I...", she paused, looking at the way Mikasa took to her scarf, pulling it up so it would cover her chin. She'd do that whenever she felt anxious.
"Why did you join the Scout Regiment, Mikasa?, she then asked, but at that point Mikasa had heard enough, grabbing your wrist gently and pulling you along with her as she calmly started walking towards the exit. "If it is for Yeager, freeing him—". Mikasa stopped dead in her tracks, and you looked over at her puzzled.
"I only have one thing to say: Keep your mouth shut". Mikasa gave Louise one more look, before resuming walking away with your wrist in her grasp. You had just about reached the door when you heard a thud, the both of you turning to seek out the source of the sound. Louise was facing you, saluting.
It was as if something snapped, Mikasa suddenly releasing her hold of your hands to grasp at her head. She was twitching and whimpering slightly, tears forming at the brim of her eyes.
"Mikasa, what's wrong?", you quickly moved to stand in front of her, gently holding onto her shoulders, seeking out her gaze. If it wasn't so intense, it could have passed as a headache, but you've never seen anyone react like that. "Hey, are you okay?", you became nervous now, as she continued to flinch.
"I—I", she whispered shakingly once it calmed down, and you placed one hand on her back and the other one on her upper arm, leading her towards the door.
"Maybe you should get some fresh air. Come on, I'll take you outside. If it get's worse we'll go to the infirmary, okay?", you suggested, but she seemed dazed and confused; so much so that you weren't even sure she was fully listening.
"Y-yeah"
~
A couple of days had passed since the leak, and the public was not happy once learning of the detainment of Eren. You had asked to join Mikasa and Armin in visiting Premiere Zachary. You felt as though you were ready to face Eren; you had a lot of questions you wanted answers to after all.
The front of Stohesse HQ was blocked by a crowd of protesters, chanting pleads and orders for the military to release Eren. Even the newspapers had posted about this matter, claiming the military was clinging to power by wrongfully detaining him. The distrust in the military from the public's side was increasing by the day. In other words; a total shitshow.
You and Mikasa managed to get inside the perimeter of HQ from a back entrance as the front was too crowded to pass through. Armin had already arrived, so the two of you looked to see if you could spot him.
"Armin!", Mikasa called out, and you turned to see her look over at the familiar blonde standing not too far away.
"Mikasa, Y/N, You made it", he said relieved once you jogged over to him.
"Yeah, just about"
"We can't let this time go to waste. Let's go", Mikasa urged you both, and the three of you started making your way towards Premiere Zachary's office. As you passed a window, you spotted three Scout recruits.
"Scout recruits? What are they doing here?", you asked the others curious.
"No idea... Scouts rarely has any business here anyways, let alone new recruits...", Armin pondered out loud, but you continued on walking. You've only got this one chance to see Eren, and you were not about to let that go.
...
"I heard Hange is all over the place", Zachary muttered, looking at the crowd below, gathered outside the gate. Their screaming was so loud you could even hear it from here.
"Yes. I guess there was something she needed to check out", Armin replied.
"Indeed. And I permitted a volunteer to go along...", he finally turned to face you. "I can't allow you three to meet Eren", he then said curtly. Your brows raised as your eyes widened. You didn't expect him to turn you down so quickly at least.
"Why not?!", Armin exclaimed distraught.
"Because we know Eren had contact with the volunteers. Eren kept quiet about his secret meeting which resulted in the raid on Marley. We're currently investigating if anyone else was involved with it... Eren hasn't said a word since the truth came to light. We're still in the dark about what he did during his time in Marley, too", he paused, eyeing you one by one, intensely. "We believe that Eren is being manipulated by Zeke", he then revealed, much to your horror. You knew anything regarding Zeke was a bad idea.
"I'm telling you this because it's you three, but keep quiet about it".
"Eren... No way...", Armin whispered strained. You glared down at your hands, fingers absentmindedly picking at your nails as you let your dark thoughts consume you.
"What will happen to Eren?!", Mikasa demanded to know, desperately turning to face Zachary who was now stood beside a chair. Wait... that's not just any chair...
"Is that...?", Mikasa whispered appalled, first thought being Eren possibly strapped to it. The thought alone was enough to make you suppress a gag.
"Hmm? It's nothing. I had recruits bring it here since there was nowhere to store it"
'Thank God'
"But Premier, if Eren isn't talking, all the more reason I think we can help", Armin argued confidently. "I'm not sure we can get the truth out of him, but there's no harm in trying!". You looked at him pleadingly, internally begging him to at least give you one shot at it.
"The situation is too delicate. We're done talking here", he said, and went back to take a spot in front of the window, facing away from you. You felt your body deflate as the disappointment kicked in.
"Why? You're right that there's no harm in talking, so why can't we?", Mikasa thought out loud once you exited the room.
"It might be that they've completely given up on him", you mumbled, not really wanting to believe that was the case. A trio of MP's walked past you to enter Zachary's office, and you side-eyed them as they were let inside.
"If that's true, they're already picking the next founding titan", Armin muttered sombre.
"I'll listen through the door", Mikasa declared, but you and Armin grabbed her simultaneously.
"Mikasa—"
"It's fine. I won't get caught"
"That's a risk we can't take right now, Mikasa", you stressed, looking directly into her eyes.
"With all that's going on, we've gotta find out their plan! No matter what happens, I'll make sure Eren—". Mikasa interrupted her own sentence with a gasp, and you know you would have never been able to react fast enough if it wasn't for her. She threw herself forwards, shielding both you and Armin from the sudden explosion erupting all around you.
Your ears were ringing, and you felt like you were coughing out your lungs the way you desperately tried to breathe through the smoke.
"Y/N, Armin! You okay?!", Mikasa asked as she carefully got up to a seating position.
"I-I'm fine"; Armin said as his coughs calmed. It seems it took a little longer for you to stop the excessive gasps, but you decided to blame it on not being a titan shifter or some kind of super-human like your two friends over here.
"I *cough* I think so too", you finally managed to say, grabbing Armin's hand offering to help you up. He continued to support you as you made your way down to ground level, until you felt okay enough to move on your own.
"Are you guys okay?!", Hitch suddenly exclaimed, and you turned to face her.
"Hitch, what was that?!", you asked with a hoarse voice.
"The premier's office just...!"
"Where is he?!". Just as Mikasa asked her that, you spotted a group of MP's covering what seemed to be the top half of his body with a military coat. Your mouth went agape; you could not believe what you were seeing.
"Give your hearts!", someone in the crowd outside suddenly screamed. "Our anger reached 'em! Now's the time to fight!"
"I'll fight too!"
"Me too!"
"Let's show 'em how angry we are"
"Give your hearts! Give your hearts! Give your hearts!", they chanted again and again, with their fists closed by their hearts. You couldn't do anything but stare at them in absolute bewilderment as their used your own motto against you.
~
It was safe to say a haste-meeting was held that same evening at another facility in Stohesse District, every door and entrance to any common area guarded by armed MP's.
"Premiere Zachary owned a 'special' chair. We believe a bomb was placed under it. He and three soldiers were lost. The culprit and their goal is still unknown", One of the higher officers of the MP's read out loud from a piece of paper.
"The volunteers were on house arrest and this one was with me all day", Hange informed him curtly, motioning over to Onyankopon standing behind her.
"Who else could be responsible for it?"
You remembered the three scout recruits you spotted earlier, and what Zachary told you about the chair.
"Premiere Zachary told us some recruits brought it to his room", you spoke up, suddenly nervous as accusing eyes made their way over to you.
"Recruits from where?", Nile asked with his arms crossed.
"He never specified where... But when the three of us went to his office we saw recruits leaving HQ—Scout recruits...". If the MP's eyes weren't accusing and blaming before, they most certainly was now that you revealed it was fellow Scouts who stood behind this attack.
"Speaking of the Scouts, I hear some of them leaked the info about Eren. You don't think—"
Doors slamming open interrupted Nile's sentence.
"It's an emergency! Eren Yeager has escaped from his cell!", the man yelled with upmost urgency, and you couldn't other but stare at him dumbfounded. It was like you didn't understand what he just said.
'He... escaped?!'
"Mobilize everyone and find him!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hurry! Let's go!"
As all the MP's brushed past you in a hurry, you let yourself get nudged around, unable to move a muscle due to the shock. Eren really escaped...
"What in the world is happening?", Mikasa whispered in disbelief while looking dead ahead.
...
The carriage ride back to Trost was long and quiet, everyone so concentrated on their own thoughts, you almost forgot there were others around you.
"It's okay, Mikasa. Eren will understand. If we talk to him, I'm sure he'll understand", Armin said quietly, meaning to sound confident, but ended up sounding more unconvinced and pleading in your ears.
You looked outside the window of the carriage, eyeing the movements of the town as you moved past.
'Eren, what are you doing?'
~
"Floch Forster and some 100 soldiers and guards vanished from the prison. They're thought to have defected timed with Eren's escape. I'm sure they're behind the Premiere's murder, too", Nile announced once the next day's s meeting commenced. "They need a name. Let's call these anti-military insurgents 'Yeagerists'. And the goal of the Yeagerists... is what, Hange?".
"They're hoping to bring Zeke and Eren together. They'll reform the military with Eren on top. Murdering the Premiere shows their resolve. It's obvious what provoked them. The military schemed to take the Founder from Eren, all without telling us". You eyed the group of MP's stood before you extra hard as Hange mentioned the last part. Whether what Eren did was wrong or right, they planned on stealing his power- murder him- without saying as much as a word to you.
"We knew what would happen if we had. In any case, many of the Yeagerists are from the Scouts. How will you take responsibility Hange?"
"I'll take any punishment. But resigning now would be an irresponsible thing to do. Besides, we don't know how many Yeagerists are still hiding"
"Indeed", one of the MP's barely let her finish her sentence. "There might even be a suicide bomber standing right in front of me".
"Roeg, don't be ridiculous"
"Can you be trusted? Until we know, we can't let you Scouts roam as you please". Your hard glare got even harder. This is probably just what Floch and them hoped to do as well; create a divide and mistrust within the ones left in the military. Thought the MP's have been very cooperative for the past few years, they've always been the first to doubt you. Right now their behaviour reminded you a lot of when you first joined.
"Enough! We have a guest here!", Pyxis entered the room with his own group of Garrison soldiers. Kiyomi Azumabito had been sitting quietly, listening to your slight quarrel with the MP's with a lowered gaze. "We have more important things to do than bicker! Hange, who knows where Zeke's being held?"
"Levi and the 30 soldiers with him. Also, three soldiers who deliver supplies. Lastly, there's me and Moblit"
"Have those three brought here. Nile, is the Queen's residence safe?"
"Only a few know the location, but I'll check it out"
"Eren will try to contact Zeke and Queen Historia. Protecting those two is an absolute must!"
"Yes sir!"
"Pyxis! Now that we've lost the Premiere, the only one who can lead us is you. What do you think we should do?", Armin asked eager.
"We've been utterly beaten. Let's surrender to Eren", he said with his hands flung up in the air. Everyone in the room looked at him bewildered, confused by what he just said. "We can't do a thing about enemies in our midst. Even if we flushed them out, who knows how much blood it would cost? We don't have time to waste on such folly. Our decisions made soldiers turn their backs on us. It brought about our defeat".
"You're kidding?! Bow down to the people who killed the Premiere?!"
"I knew Zachary for many years", Pixis answered the hysteric MP with a low voice, walking to stand before Kiyomi. "To live and die by revolution would be what he wanted. Anyways, the four who died wouldn't want their deaths to cause Eldia's fall"
"So instead, we should submit to the Yeager brothers?!", Nile asked appalled. You couldn't say you were fully catching on to whatever plan Pyxis was cooking inside his head, but as long as it didn't end with Eren getting eaten or the rumbling being used for excessive mass destruction, you guess you could go along with whatever it was for now. Pyxis is a strange man, but a smart and righteous one. He'd never agree to anything that would deliberately harm anyone.
"We're not submitting. We'll use the location of Zeke to negotiate with the Yeagerists. Like before, Eldia's survival will depend on a test run of the rumbling. However, we must look past the fact that they killed the Premier. If that's the price to prevent countless comrades from being killed... so be it", he said finally through gritted teeth. It was obvious he wasn't thrilled with the decision, but it was the best chance you've got at this point. "Get moving, soldiers!", he dismissed you, and you made your way out of the room after saluting.
...
"Fucking Floch and the rest... They were supposed to be our comrades goddamned it!", you muttered. Throughout the years you've seen more terrors than you can even count. But as a whole, the vilest thing you could do as a soldier is to murder a comrade. It's a hard thing to overlook. Myosotis shook her head, her grey mane fluttering by the movement. You patted her on her neck before moving on to ready her saddle. She's been with you through thick and thin, and you feel lucky she survived all the trials from years prior... you also dreaded the day where she'd eventually pass on. But she's still got plenty of good years left in her, so you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.
"Yeah, you can say that again", Connie agreed with the same hushed tone. "We're helping Eren when he killed the Premier?"
"Nobody knows if Eren did it", Mikasa was quick to defend, and you agreed with her.
"Yeah, knowing Floch, that may very well be something his crazy ass would plan out on his own"
"Keep it down you two. People already suspect us of being Yeagerists", Jean urged the two of you quietly.
"Whose side are you on anyways?", Connie asked, and you knew before even turning to face him that his question was aimed more towards Mikasa than you. Your answer was simple; you were wherever Floch weren't. It was your hope that secretly, the case was the same for Eren. He's never really liked Floch either, that was clear enough from all of the conversations you've had about how much he pissed you off. Eren must be either using Floch or he's actually warmed up to him. The former seemed more likely than the latter honestly.
"Armin, Y/N and I almost got caught up in the explosion. You have to ask?", she answered him, the sass in her tone so evident you almost shuttered by the coldness it projected.
"Huh?", Connie seemed genuinely surprised, and you suddenly remembered the boys weren't told that particular detail. You could practically feel Marco's stare at your back and braced yourself as you knew he was already worried sick, although you were standing here perfectly healthy.
'Shit, how did I forget to tell him?'
"Y-"
"Enough". Hange and Moblit, followed by Onyankopon, finally joined you, interrupting whatever Marco was about to say. Marco's hand was resting on your shoulder from behind, and you were ready to turn and face him with the most innocent smile you could muster. Luckily, it wasn't needed anymore. Hange's order was aimed towards Mikasa and Connie though, but you felt relieved you slithered out of explaining why you didn't tell him right away. You always find Marco extremely adorable when he's worried about you, but you were glad to sit this one out... for now. At least you had time to think of an excuse. "Like Pyxis was saying, infighting will be our downfall".
Marco's hand fell from your shoulder and found your hand instead, taking a step forwards so he could send you a look from beside you. It was a look that both asked and urged for you to tell him later, and you replied with a nod, eyes telling him it was a promise. This seemed to relax him.
"So you're okay with entrusting everything to Eren and Zeke?", Jean asked her curious.
"No, it's not good. Zeke and Yelena took precautions and were ready for this sort of situation. We have to expect they took other precautions too". She paused her patting of her horse, and turned to give you all a sly smile. "We need to figure out Zeke's intentions before he makes fools of us". You smiled back at her. This side of her is something you've missed terribly as of late. Much like Eren, she was losing her spark, and this time you would not accept it to fade fully. Hopefully Eren's could be reignited. You'd have to try at least. "Let's hope my concerns turn out to be nothing".
"Something worrying you?", Jean asked again.
"Yelena secured work for Marleyan prisoners inn odd places. Like restaurants for example. I think it's worth taking a closer look", she said, ascending her horse. The rest of you quickly did the same and started riding towards the restaurant on the other side of town. If you remembered correctly, Nicolo works there. Hopefully he's not part of a big scheme against you.
~
Entering the vast restaurant facility, you looked around in awe. The entrance alone was impressive, engravings and decorations adorned the place. Light footsteps tore you out of you inspection, in front of you now was none other than Nicolo himself.
"You guys? What, is it urgent? My hands are full with some customers"
"Uh, you can go back to work if you want", Hange assured him. "It's just, we'd like to talk once you're done"
"Talk? About what?"
"Oh, you know. Like any concerns you may have", Hange lied, but it was cut short by Onyankopon who stepped forward and told it like it was.
"They're investigating our detainment. We're hoping you can help"
"Yeah, all right", Nicolo eventually agreed, leading the bunch of you into an empty dining room. You made a mental note to come eat here soon of you got the opportunity to, the food puttering and cooking the kitchen only a few rooms away smelled heavenly.
"You can wait here"
"Oh? What a fancy room"
"I bet it's reserved for MP's», Connie commented, taking in the sight. You snickered.
"Honestly, you're probably right. They really do get the best of the best, huh"
"Huh? Is this the wine all the soldiers are gossiping about?!", Jean said awestricken, grabbing a bottle with eager motions. You've never seen him this exited about anything having to do with alcohol, but the way comrades have been raving on about it, you guess it was an understandable reaction. "They say only higher ranks can get it!"
"Yeah? Aren't we high rank in the Scouts?", Connie walked over to him to admire the deep green, almost black, bottle in Jean's hands.
"I think 'officers' is as high-ranked as it can get, right?", you confirmed with a smug wink, and their grins grew wider at your confirmation.
"Exactly! We deserve a bit of fun too. A sip or two—"
"Don't touch that!", Nicolo screamed, and you jumped startled as he rushed past you to yank it out of Jean's hands. You looked at him puzzled. He was hugging the bottle close to his chest, hunched over in a protective manner, his face enraged.
"Ch-chill out, Nicolo. We're just screwing around", Jean tried to calm him down with a light tone, nervous laughter leaving his chest for every few words he spoke. "No need to overreact". Nicolo's face was still angry looking. Honestly, what was the big deal? It wasn't like you were actually going to drink it.
"This good stuff would be wasted on Eldians!", he finally exclaimed.
'Oh '
After everything you refused to believe he still felt that way. No, there's no way.
"Nicolo, are you still saying stuff like that?", you decided to speak up, trying to mask up the hurt in your tone.
"It's not like the booze gives a damn what race we are!", Jean grabbed his collar as his volume increased.
"Jean-", Marco said and placed a hand on his forearm, as to try and convince him to let go.
"Don't touch me, Eldian. Just because I've been nice doesn't make us pals", Nicolo spit out.
'Ouch'
You could see a flash of hurt in Jean's eyes, but he didn't let it show anywhere else.
"Have you forgotten what you are? You're just a—"
"A filthy captive, huh? That makes us even, Eldian", Nicolo said strained, freeing himself from Jean's hold before silently walking out the room. You stared after him, utterly bewildered over what just happened.
"What's his problem?", Connie broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Dammit! Hell if I know", Jean exclaimed strained, his hands twitching, looking like they were fighting the urge to cover his ears.
"There's no way he still thinks like that, not after Sasha...", you whispered, placing a gentle hand atop his twitchy ones to help calm the urge to fly up to his ears.
...
The wait felt long, especially after the scene right before Nicolo walked out. It left you with a bad feeling in your chest.
"Would it be bad if I went to go talk to him?", you asked Hange eventually. She thought about it for a second, before sighing.
"I guess it won't hurt, but I'm not too sure he wants to talk judging by those exchange of words... If he refuses to talk, don't push it", she said, and with that you made your way towards the kitchen. It wasn't until you were halfway down the hallway you heard the screaming. Immediately, you sprinted your way over there, met with a disturbing sight.
"Wh-what--?! Guys, quickly!", you yelled down the corridor, hoping they heard. Gabi and Falco who had escaped from their cells weeks ago suddenly found themselves in front of you. Falco seemed to be unconscious, held tightly under Nicolo's arm. Gabi were sat on the ground by his feet, wide-eyed, staring up at Sasha's parents. But the most horrific sight was the blood seeping out of Falco's head and Gabi's nose, a knife held out towards Mr. Blause.
The other's understood the urgency in your tone, and were quick to rendezvous with you, on edge the second their eyes caught the scene unfolding in front of you.
"The kid who shot Sasha!", Connie exclaimed baffled.
"Nicolo, what's going on? I heard they're on the run", you asked him, hoping to gain his attention so he wouldn't do anything irrational. The knife was dangerously close to Falco's head. Unfortunately, it did quite the opposite. Nicolo abruptly turned to you, now holding the knife directly by Falco's neck. You instinctively held out your arm, every muscle in your body tensed up and ready to act should he even try it.
"Don't move! Get back! I'm avenging Sasha! Stay put!", he said intensely.
"Stop", Gabi pleaded weakly from the ground, the mere sound of her voice making Nicolo's face contort into one of pure hatred. "Not Falco!"
"What is this brat to you?! He took the hit for you! Do you care about him?! I cared about someone too! An Eldian! Spawn of the devil! One who loved my cooking more than anyone!", Nicolo screamed as tears pressed at his eyes. Your heart couldn't help but ache as he spoke about Sasha, but you remained on guard, your hands and feet ready. The more railed up he got, the more prone he was to act purely on emotion. "She saved me from this shitty-ass war! She taught me that I like making people happy with food! Her name was Sasha Blause! She's the girl you stole from me!"
"People I cared about were killed too! They were shot by your Sasha! That's why I got revenge! She killed people first!", Gabi now screamed back at him after intently listening to his speech with wide eyes.
"Who gives a damn who killed first?!". Nicolo moved the knife closer to Falco's throat, and your hand twitched.
"Open your eyes! You're a Marleyan soldier! That devil woman bewitched you! Don't lose to the devils!". If there was one thing you didn't tolerate, it was anyone speaking ill of the fallen, especially her. It took a few deep breaths to calm your racing heart enough, so the thud's weren't overpowering your hearing. This wasn't the time to lose your cool.
"Nicolo, hand me the knife", Arthur then said with a low voice. You froze up, eyeing the knife intently as Nicolo handed it over.
You took half a step forward as he started walking towards Gabi, but stopped yourself as Nicolo sent you a warning-filled glare.
"Don't do it Mr. Blause", Hange said stern, walking up to the point where she stood beside you. "Please, put down the knife". She motioned calmly with her hands.
"Sasha was a hunter", Arthur said, his eyes distant as he thought back to another place and time.
"What?"
"Even as a wee girl, she shot varmints in the forest for us to eat. That was just our way of livin'. But I knew there'd come a day we'd have to give up that lifestyle, so I sent Sasha away from the forest. She went into the world, became a soldier, shot people far yonder, and got herself shot. In the end, though she left our forest, the world is a great, big forest where everyone's fightin' for their life". He handed the knife over to his wife, who gently placed it down on the table behind her. "I reckon Sasha died 'cuz she wandered in the forest too long. We've gotta keep the young'uns out of the forest. Otherwise, ain't nothing gonna stop it from happenin' again. That's why it's up to us adults to shoulder the sins of the past", he finished saying, his voice calm throughout it all.
"Nicolo, let Ben go", Mrs. Blause urged him. It was like Nicolo just now snapped out of it, realizing just what he's done. Gently, he placed Falco down on the ground.
Connie and Jean walked over to detain him, as Sasha's parents along with Hange and Marco went to tend to Falco, who seemed to be in pretty bad shape.
You walked over to Gabi, Mikasa right at your heels.
"Are you hurt?", you asked her once you knelt down, assessing the visible wounds and scratches on her face. Mikasa crouched down on the other side of her. Gabi seemed shocked by the compassion, or maybe she was still in shock from everything that just happened. Regardless, she didn't meet your gaze.
"Mia... You okay?", Arthur asked her, and to this she reacted. It was unexpected, yes, for the parents of the girl she killed to care so much for her safety. But at the same time not really. Knowing the kind of people they were, their care and compassion didn't come surprising at all. Hell, even you found yourself looking at this young girl with nothing but sympathy. Not even a small part of you hated her. You hated what she did though; despised it. But there was no escaping the fact that you were the same. You've all killed people with friends and families, and there's rarely a day that goes by without you regretting it. The only difference between her and you is your attitude regarding it.
"Do you really... not hate me?", she whispered in disbelief as she looked over at them. You were so caught up in this moment between them that you barely noticed it in time.
Kaya came running, knife in hand, screaming as tears streamed down her face. You gasped, realizing what she was about to do, before wrapping your arms around Gabi and pulling her in close as to shield her for the blade. You kept your eyes squeezed shut, expecting the sharp pain of a stab to hit at any moment, but when it didn't, you turned around carefully. Mikasa had caught Kaya's hand, stopping her from going any further. The blade was now only mere inched away from your upper arm, the length of the blade making it so it would go straight through and into Gabi's head in the process from that angle and with enough force.
"Kaya—"
"How dare you kill her!", Kaya screamed as Arthur and Lisa wrapped their hands tightly around her and pulled her back. "You murderer! I thought you were a friend!"
"Let's move you! C'mon!", Armin urged, gently but firmly helping Gabi up, who seemed completely out of it. Mikasa and Armin rushed her out of the room, and you stayed on your knees, looking over at Lisa and Arthur now cradling Kaya as they all cried. Her cries were so raw, so heart-wrenching, it's unbelievable you managed to push yours back and only let a few tears trickle yourself.
Marco had quietly made his way over to you, crouching down so he could just about see your face.
"Are you okay? She didn't get you did she?", He asked, intently examining your arm for any scratches.
"No", you squeaked out, before getting up to your feet. "Not even a scratch", you reassured him, walking over to where Jean and Connie were standing, holding a good grip at Nicolo's shoulders.
"Hange, try to rinse out that kid's mouth", you heard Nicolo say once you got close enough. "Some wine got in it"
'Wine?'
"Huh?"
"Though... it's probably too late", he lowered his head in defeat.
"What's in... the wine?"
"I think... Zeke's spinal fluid". Your mouth flung open.
"What do you mean?! Zeke's spinal fluid is in the wine?!", Jean yelled while shoving Nicolo up against the wall.
"I don't have proof, but... They packed the first Scout fleet to the brim with it—Well, more than any scouting mission needed". Moblit had already gotten a carafe filled with water, pouring it into Falco's mouth with haste. "And around the time I secured my job here as a chef, I was told to serve it to high-ranking officers—"
"By whom?!"
"Yelena. As far as I know, she's the only one in on it". You all stopped what you were doing. Of course Yelena had something to do with this, and based on Onyankopon's reaction, Nicolo's theory about her being the only one in on it seemed to match up.
"Th-this is the first time I've heard about this!", he stressed, baffled.
"It doesn't make sense! Don't Eldians freeze up if they drink his spinal fluid?", Connie asked strained.
"According to Zeke. But nobody witnessed it, so there's no way to confirm it", Hange answered him. She looked down at Falco once again. "This is no good, we need to get him properly rinsed... The kitchen will do".
"I'll go get towels", you announced hastily walking towards the hallways, but not before sending Nicolo a quizzical look.
"They should be in the storage room all the way down the hall", he informed you tired, and you nodded appreciatively.
As you walked you could hear him break down over almost killing a child, and you felt relieved you managed to turn the situation around. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he went through with it.
You kept your gaze low, following the red carpet intently with your eyes as you thought.
The fact that high-ranking officers could be walking around this very moment, not knowing they had ingested spinal fluid, was a scary thought. That must be why Nicolo was acting the way he acted; to protect you. Now that sounded more like him. You smiled slightly, before crashing harshly against something too soft to be a wall.
"S-sorry, I-", as soon as you met his eyes, you shut your mouth right up. "Floch?". His smug expression ignited this fury in your chest, and you wanted nothing more than to slap that look right off his face. "What are you—". Six clicks of guns made themselves known, and you just now noticed Floch and his five companions were holding rifles and pistols.
"You don't get to ask the questions here, Y/N", he said with an excessive smile. "Why don't you walk us to the rest, huh?". You only glared at him, refusing to move at all. He stared back at you, his smile slightly faltering under your strong gaze. He sighed. "Fine, have it your way", her said, grabbing a harsh hold of your hair by the roots, and pulling you along. You winced and whimpered in pain as all the years of built up anger and frustration towards you channelled into his grip around your chunk of hair.
Onyankopon yelled out in nervous surprise as Floch pointed his gun at him, and you looked over to the corner of the room, spotting Sasha's family staring at you with wide eyes. You felt bad they had to get caught up in the middle of all this... Those poor kids.
"What's wrong?", Hange asked once she exited the kitchen. "Floch? Y/N?!". The others soon followed her out, bewildered at what they were seeing. The second Marco joined them, Floch motioned towards him, and one of his companions walked over to grasp a firm hold on him.
'So Floch's smart enough to know Marco wouldn't just accept the position he's but me in, huh?'
"Y/N?", he whispered in shock, processing whatever the hell was going on. He tried to brush the man's hands off, but to no avail. "Floch, what are you—". Floch yanked your hair harshly, and your short cry in pain stopped him from completing his sentence.
"I'm glad you're here Hange. I imagine you know where Zeke's at. We'll have you take us there", he stated like it was obvious, his pistol lazily pointed their way while the tenseness in his grip never faltered.
"Wait, we have no intention of fighting you", Hange tried to reason, but she was cut off, once again by Floch yanking at your hair, making you let out a painfilled squeal. You started to notice pattern, like you were his personal attention bell.
"We rejected your proposal. We won't negotiate with the military"
"And why is that?", Hange asked challenging.
"It's Eren's decision". Your gaze turned to face him in an instant.
"Eren—". Floch kicked behind both your knees with such force, you collapsed down to your knees. He didn't move his hand to match with your fall, so the hairpulling was extra painful this time as his hand stayed in the same spot.
"You better keep quiet", he barked at you. You were still whimpering as the stinging pain in your head started pulsating. Marco tried to yank himself away from the soldier once again.
"Floch, please—". Floch aimed the gun at your head.
"That goes for all of you too", he eyed them intently. Marco only kept his eyes on you, every feature of his face screaming how scared and desperate he was feeling currently. You mouthed 'Please, don't', scared he'd do something irrational. You didn't want him to wind up shot because of you.
As no one answered him, Floch continued; "Good. Pyxis would never leave the fate of the island in our hands. I'm sure he's frantically devising a plan to take the founder from Eren while we're on the move"
"You're imagining things. Or is that what your comrades in the Garrison Regiment said?"
"Do I look like I'm one of your lackeys that'll answer you? I suggest you get moving before I prove to you I'm not", he said, demonstratively reloading his gun, pointing it towards her and away from your head.
"Shit. How'd they even know we were here?", Jean muttered to himself quietly.
"Griez? Did Yelena put you up to this?", Nicolo suddenly exclaimed, and you could just about see this 'Griez' person in the corner of your eye. You didn't dare move, hoping Floch would forget about your hair in his hands if you stayed put.
"Nicolo, you're too obsessed with Eldians. I knew this day would eventually come. I was right to tell you how to reach them", Griez ended his sentence looking over at Floch.
"Floch, listen! We don't have time to fight amongst ourselves! Wine with Zeke's spinal fluid was spread throughout the military! Zeke fooled us all with this plan of his!", Hange yelled out, pleading for him to listen. Floch let out a little snicker.
"So what? It'll just make the idiot MP's into bigger idiots. Can we go?". His tone was impatient now. Your pounding head made it harder for you to keep up with the conversation, but you didn't fail to understand what was wrong with that last sentence. How did he know?
"I never said the MP's drank it! No way! You guys knew about the wine?!", Hange gasped as the realization hit.
"You're lucky you have a gun, and I don't. You would have been down on the floor the second you laid a hand on me if you didn't, birds nest!", you said through gritted teeth, unable to hold your resentment back any longer after learning they knew about the wine all along. This earned you a kick to the side, and you whimpered as you put the rest of your body down, the left side of your face mushed against the floor. He put his foot on your cheek, pressing it further down to the floor. You struggled to breathe through the pain. You felt as though something ripped by your scalp, whimpering as you look up in the corner of your eyes. Floch was holding a good chunk of your hair in his hands, now detached from your head. If it was any comfort, the chunk wasn't big enough that people would notice the absent of it. Or at least you think...
"Whoops", he simply said, smirking, pushing you over to the rest with a simple nudge of his foot.
Marco started squirming in the soldiers grasp. Floch gave the soldier a nod, and Marco was released, hurrying over and slumping right down next to you; gentle but shaking hands he carefully supported you as you tried to get up. You managed to get up on your hands and knees, scowling over in Floch's direction as you eyed his movements.
Once he reached the halfway mark of the room, he turned theatrically, one finger pressed against his lips while his face was contorted into the wildest expression you've ever seen him make.
"Use your inside voice, please", he said with a light, but degrading tone. He walked out the room, and a solder came to detain every single one of you. Marco objected, pleading for them to let him help you out since you were hurt, but of course they wanted none of that. You felt so tired, and so beat up; physically and mentally, that you didn't even care at this point. So with a quick white lie; "I'm fine", you let one of the soldiers escort you to an awaiting carriage outside the building.
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A/N:
Guys, how am I already at 11k total reads?! I literally thanked you guys for 10k last chapter. Thank you again, so so much<3
Phew, this was a long one, but I had to fit a lot in it. I think this is the longest chapter by far, but I'm not completely sure hahah.
We're getting closer to the manga portion of the story, like probably 1, maybe 2 chapters away. I'm excited but oh so terrified lol
Have great day!
~Jen