Mikasa had found you in one of the backrooms where Armin was currently preparing to leave.
"Armin, wait... You can't catch up to Connie if you set off for Ragako now", Mikasa said after being filled in on what was going on. "And even if you did, then what? Would you tell him to give up on turning his mom back into a human? Really?"
You had been observing them quietly, not really sure what to make of his plan. You absolutely agreed Falco should be spared, but the circumstances around Connie's situation was... delicate.
"I will", Armin declared determined, still not looking at her. "Even if it doesn't work out, I need to do everything I possibly can do. Gabi won't trust me unless she sees me act. We need her", he continued to explain while buckling up another strap of his gear. "Reiner and the Cart Titan are still hiding somewhere. She could make the difference between us getting along with them and not". He paused for a second, before raising his voice ever so slightly. "It's not as if the issue of inheriting the nine titans is going away. In the worst case we'd have to repeat the last two thousand years of conflict surrounding their power, all on this tiny island. If I'm being honest with you, I'm so tired I want to hop in a bed and sleep for about two days straight. But if I don't do everything I can right now it's going to have a massive effect on human history's compact little future!".
Both yourself and Mikasa looked at him saddened and with a tired manner. You were all tired. Mentally drained and physically exhausted. The universe seemed to work like that; always sending new challenges your way, never giving you a proper chance to catch your breath. It feels like you've been running for seven years straight- Like you started running that first night in the Cadet Corps, but just never really truly stopped.
"I will tell Connie! I'll tell him that I think it's fine for his mom to stay an upside-down titan, and that he should too!", he yelled, and you flinched. Harshly, he got up from his seat and walked towards the door. "I'm going", he declared, brushing past you.
"Armin", Mikasa croaked out. "What should I do?". Armin froze by the door, his hand resting on the doorknob. Mikasa sounded utterly lost.
"Help Jean and them out... Think for yourself for once", he said lowly. That last comment irked you. It's only natural for Mikasa to feel a little lost right now, that was an unnecessary thing to say.
"What about Eren?", she asked unsure. Armin's shoulders tensed up, and he turned with a harsh motion.
"I don't know!!", he screamed at her, walking all up in her face. You looked at him shocked. "And what could we do anyway?! Hange and Captain Levi could be dead right now! Floch and his men might start pointing their guns at us next! And Annie might have come back! The military's chain of command is broken! It's chaos!!", he grabbed at his hair in frustration as he went on yelling. "That's right, even Historia could be in danger! The volunteers, the Azumabito and Nicolo are going to be in peril too!". Mikasa looked down at the ground shameful throughout all of it while Armin kept unravelling right in front of her. "So listen! We're in no place to think about Eren! He's a lost cause! Don't you at least understand that?!". You get his frustration, but Mikasa looked just about ready to cry at this point. You shook yourself out of your frozen state and placed yourself in the middle, lightly shoving him back just a little, to create a distance between them.
"Armin!". You only said his name, hoping the tone of your voice was enough to make him understand he needed to tone it down. Judging by the look of realization he gave you, he did.
"Sorry", Mikasa nothing but whispered behind you. It was just a single word, but she sounded so sorrowful, it was enough to make your heart ache. You and Armin both looked down, hurt.
"If it were Erwin here, I'm sure he wouldn't have snapped on you like that", Armin said lowly. You looked back up at him. "Well... There's your answer...", he looked at the two of you. "I wasn't the one they should've brought back to life", he said, eyes glossy as he turned around to walk away before you could even muster enough words to speak.
You felt stinging in your eyes as you watched the door closed behind him. You hated this. Oh you hated this so much your chest tightened, and it felt like you couldn't breathe. You slumped down on a stool, burying your face in your hands with a frustrated sight. What were you supposed to do now? Everything has gone to shit, and it seemed like everyone already lost their will to keep going or were about to lose it. To be honest, you were almost there as well.
"Fuck", you whispered strained. You forced yourself to stop thinking that way. It's like Mikasa always says; if you don't fight you can't win. You can't afford to ever stop pushing forwards, no matter the cost; even when all felt hopeless.
...
"Floch, stop it! Don't shoot!", you heard Jean yell as you and Mikasa walked the many steps up the stairs to rendezvous with them. It seems you arrived just in time to see a volunteer knelt down on the ground, winching and crying in agony as he desperately supported his hand. His right hand was ruined, blown up by a bullet to the top-half of his palm. Jean, Moblit and Marco was looking at him absolutely horrified.
"Calm down, Jean. I just made him understand. He didn't know the situation he was in, but I think he got the message", Floch said, before moving towards the row of volunteers to his right. "Now all these volunteers know what happens when you speak to us the wrong way". Jean looked enraged, Marco motioning for you to join his side quickly, not trusting Floch's reaction if he saw you stand separated from them when he was acting all entitled like that. You grabbed Mikasa's hand and lead her towards the others.
"Hey! Who the hell asked you to start acting like you're king of the hill out here?"
"I'm glad you asked Jean! Listen everyone!", Floch raised his voice demonstratively while eyeing the volunteers and soldiers alike, all gathered to watch him. "Ten months ago, Eren told me his plan! He said he'd use Zeke to grasp the Founder's power!".
'What, Eren told Floch and not us?'
Well that was a stab in the back.
"I gathered comrades to help Eren, and today his plan succeeded! You volunteers have lost your leader! The military isn't by your side either! And now you'll lose your motherland! Thanks to the rumbling, gigantic footsteps will be all that's left of it! You've lost your reason for coming here in the first place; the revival of your homeland! But if any of you still wish to lend your strength for the sake of the Eldian Empire here on this island, speak up! We will welcome you as Eldians!"
"Who do you think we are, you bastard?!", the volunteer with the injured hand screamed up at him, but not even a split second later his head was blown up. You winched at the sight of his brains spilling out onto the carpet.
"Show this man respect. He lived as a proud volunteer to the end, refusing to submit even in the face of a bullet", Floch said dramatically, putting on a fake chauvinistic tone. "But...", his tone turned solemn, no, degrading. "Pride is nothing worth dying for. What's so bad about submission? Wouldn't you rather live than die like this?", he asked the terror-stricken volunteers. They didn't answer him. "I'll give you time to think. Take the volunteers to their cells", he ordered a group of his followers. Floch then turned back to look at you, walking over to Jean who was now knelt down on the ground, eyeing the murdered volunteer with a defeated expression.
"And to answer your question. I speak on Eren's behalf. If Eren is solving all the problems outside the island, then I'll wipe away any resentment left inside it. Anyway, we survived that hell four years ago... and now we finally have this, Do you understand?", Floch was on eye level with Jean now, his face excited. "This is freedom! You don't need to fight any longer. None of you do. You can live as you want!", he even looked up at the rest of you before grabbing Jean's shoulder.
'That man is truly delusional if he thinks this is real freedom'
"Jean. You wanted to become an MP and live the good life in the interior right? Then do that. You're one of our heroes", he smiled.
"It's... over?", Jean asked him carefully, in disbelief.
"It's over. So go back to being the old Jean. That annoying, irresponsible, conceited bastard"
"What did you just call me?", Jean asked in a whisper, and you're not sure Floch even heard him. You felt Marco tense up beside you. He hated whenever people would sell Jean's character short. You did too.
"Floch. Captain Levi and Commander Hange. What happened to them?", Moblit then asked him, and you could tell he's been waiting for the opportune moment to ask him that.
"Ah", Floch said while getting up. "I'm sorry, but Zeke killed them", he said, not even trying to put up a saddened exterior. He was as carefree as could be, like the news he just shared was everyday conversation. And with that he left you.
None of you said a word, just jumping straight to the part of grievance where one processes the reality of the situation your own way. To you that means curling up in a corner, hugging yourself so tight to the point where it hurts to breathe. Marco's way always involved staying close to you in some way, whether it be just standing near you or clinging onto you for support, it varied... Now however, as your face was buried into your knees, his upper body was facing you, face resting by your hair and arms around you as he sat beside you on the ground.
'One after the other, they're all leaving me behind. Sasha, Eren, Hange, Levi... Even Armin and Connie left temporarily... I still need them here with me... all of them'.
...
As night fell upon Paradis, you and the others had slumped your way inside a large hall filled with beds. You all found yourselves a free one, struggling to find enough peace inside your minds to actually sleep. Jean didn't even try, sitting leaned up against the wall by his bed, covering his ears as he does. Marco also gave up on trying a long while ago, walking over to sit beside Jean quietly. He didn't speak, didn't try to comfort him with words, just sat shoulder to shoulder against Jean, looking dead ahead, deep in his own thoughts.
You finally felt the wave of exhaustion take a deep enough hold of you that you'd be able to sleep. Just as your heavy lids closed shut, you felt an agonising headache for just a split second. The next thing you knew, your eyes fluttered open, and your cheeks were wet from crying. Looking over at a clock that hung on the wall closest to you, you read that it's been several hours since you closed your eyes...
'How strange, did I cry in my sleep? I can't even recall dreaming anything...'
You had a weird empty feeling in your head, like something crucial was missing, but you could not for the life of you remember what that could be.
*Knock knock*
You looked up at the window upon hearing the knocking, and your eyes widened in shock.
'Hange?!'
"I got Moblit already! We're waiting outside for you, hurry!", she whispered just loud enough for you to hear through the glass. Clumsily, you got out of bed, quickly putting on your coat and getting the other's attention. They seemed just as shocked as you, but hurried outside to meet with them.
After hugging her tightly, Hange lead you inside an abandoned home close by, sitting down by a desk as she looked at you.
"I'm glad you guys are okay and could join us. Moblit was just filling me in on the situation. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here with you... You've done a great job in this grueling situation". She could read your next question on your face. "As for Levi... He's not fine, but he's alive. He won't be able to fight for a while though". You let out a relived sigh, sad he's hurt, but oh so happy he was alive at least. "Also, we've joined forces with remaining Marley forces, including the Cart Titan. This is to stop Eren. We shouldn't be slaughtering one another".
"How are you going to stop him", Mikasa asked worried.
"First... we gather everyone. They'll be the ones determining what we can do. But we're powerless without the help from you or the nine titans. The military structures we've known have been wiped out... I'm not your superior any longer. I ask this knowing that, but..."
"I'm with you", you declared without any hesitation. You could always trust Hange to know what should be done at least. You'd follow her anywhere, no matter her military status. How things were at the moment didn't sit right with you; you shouldn't have to kill everyone outside of the island to obtain peace. It just wasn't right. You had to try and do something.
"Me too", Mikasa said. "I don't want Eren facing any more indiscriminate attacks, even if they're meant to protect me or this island. I want to stop Eren"
"Mikasa...", Hange said quietly, looking up at her with a sympathetic look.
"Even if we really were able to stop Eren... then what? Even if Eren is able to maintain the power of the founder, he only has four years left to live. What will happen to this island after that?", Jean asked sceptical. "The world's hatred for us won't disappear overnight. We'll have to keep facing it for decades... To stop Eren would be to destroy this island".
You all took in his words, Hange speaking up after a short pause.
"I think that Marley would look at the situation and assume the rumbling would activate the moment they try and attack the island. At the very least... I can't see them laying a hand on this place for a good while"
"They'll think the world could end at any moment unless they wipe this island off the map. It'll do even more to incite them all than Willy Tybur's speech!", Jean argued.
"You may be right, but we have time even in this hypothetical situation of yours. We should be able to buy ourselves a few years of time even if they do come to destroy the island"
"But..!", Jean croaked out desperate. "The last time we looked for a possible solution like that, we ran out of time and were still empty handed! That's why Eren decided to wipe out the rest of the worl—"
"I'M NOT ACCEPTING GENOCIDE!", Hange screamed, banging her hands against the tabletop. You all jumped slightly in surprise. "You're not getting me to agree with any reason to support this!", she continued strained with a raised voice, however not as intense as before. She took a few breaths, Moblit walking over to place a supporting hand on her back. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have yelled... You're right Jean. It was my cowardly idealism that made Eren turn to this... And while I might be screaming about this, I was the one trying to run away. To throw it all away... To forget it and just survive". You felt a pang of sadness in your chest watching her all deflated like this. She must be even more exhausted than you are...
"But... I'm still the 14th commander of the Survey Corps. I devoted my heart to the freedom of mankind. It feels like I can see all of my comrades. The vast majority of them died without ever knowing that humanity existed outside the walls. Still... 'Just bringing freedom to this island is enough for me'... Do you think any of them would be as narrowminded as to say that? We only have one chance to stop this slaughter... and it's now", she said, finally looking up at you with an urgent expression, one telling you she was aware of what she was asking of you, and that she was sorry.
"Hange...", Jean said after a while. "I'm still a member of the Survey Corps, no matter what"
...
The next day you set the plan in motion. Armin and Gabi had returned with Connie, Falco, and most surprisingly of all; Annie, with them. You had hugged Connie tightly the second you saw him. 'Don't you ever leave me like that again!', you had told him, and you made him swear it. He wholeheartedly returned the hug, apologising for the way he left you.
Jean and Marco were on top of the roof of HQ, Floch scheduling to execute Yelena and Onyankopon and make the two of them do it to prove their loyalty to him since he still respected them. He didn't expect you, Mikasa or Moblit to do so, however he expected you to be present somewhere in the crowd, therefore you didn't have much time to get out of there before he noticed your absence.
Hurriedly, you and Connie loaded the last of the supplies, weapons and food into two carriages, while Annie, Falco and Gabi sat in the back of the one Armin was operating. Mikasa sat ready to drive you and Connie away in the other one on a second's notice.
Exactly four gunshot's could be heard from the distance, and you and Connie stopped what you were doing.
"Four gunshots in a row... That's the sign from Jean to continue the operation", Mikasa said, turning to look at you.
"We've got plenty of cargo packed and ready", you confirmed.
"Their attention should be on the other side of HQ right now, let's go!", Armin decided, pulling the reins making the horses move. You and Connie jumped into the back of Mikasa's carriage just as she started moving, and so you were on your way out of Shiganshina, only stopping at the other side of town for a short while to bring one more person with you...
'Pieck better do her part correctly. If she even as much as lay a scratch on Marco I'll break her arms...'
"Ah! Someone is watching us", you heard Annie say from the other carriage. You followed her line of sight to see a silhouette of a person looking down at you from one of the windows facing you.
"What should we do Armin?!", Gabi asked him panicked.
"We just have to keep going! Hurry Mikasa!", he said, pulling at the reins more desperately.
~Marco POV~
I gasped for air the second the Cart opened her mouth , gagging on the saliva that covered us all from head to toe. I had tried to keep my mouth shut and hold my breath the entire way over here, but after a while it became impossible considering how cramped it got with four people inside. That's when the spit started piling up inside her mouth to the point where you couldn't avoid swallowing it.
The four of us crawled over to the stream of water flowing past, desperate for something to help get this disgusting substance off of us.
As I calmed my coughs, Jean crawled over to me, checking if I was okay. I assured him I was fine, though that was an overstatement. But he didn't look too fresh either.
"I'm never getting in a titan's mouth again", Jean said strained between his ragged breaths.
"The Cart Titan can stay in titan form for months at a time, right? Don't you ever think to brush your teeth?", Hange asked Pieck curious, and I could already see some of her old excitement and fascination resurfacing. It was enough to make me smile, even though I felt like shit.
"That's very rude to say to a woman", Pieck's titan said with that creepy voice of hers.
"Since when did you join forces with Marley?", Onyankopon asked me and Jean.
"Last night", I answered, turning to look at him while I started carefully washing the saliva off of my face.
"Are you sure? You guys' position should have been secure if you'd stayed with the Yeagerists..."
"Yeah... You know, I wish I could stay cooped up in my room, ears shut...", Jean started saying, peeking over at me when he thought I wasn't looking. "But... If I did that... I know this certain someone would be disappointed in me..."
He tried to be subtle, but I had long understood how much he valued my opinion of him. We've of course talked about it times before, but it didn't seem to dampen his wish to make me proud of him and his actions, even though I keep telling him he achieved that long ago. I smiled to myself as I continued to clean myself. He'll probably never understand just how proud I am to have him as a friend for life, but I don't mind reminding him any time he needed to hear it.
"Jean.. I don't understand what that means, but thank you", Onyankopon said sincere.
"Just wash yourself already", Jean said while splash a good chunk of water right in his face. He couldn't deal with the sentimental atmosphere anymore for the time being. I snickered lightly at that, making him look at me puzzled before a small, genuine smile appeared on his lips.
"Even me? But why?", Yelena asked confused.
"Securing you was part of the deal to use the Cart's power", Hange informed her. "They wanted you, and alive. General's request". Just as she said that, General Magath revealed himself from behind Pieck. Moblit was sat right by Levi, doing the daily check up of his injuries to make sure everything was healing as it should. He had joined Hange right away last night, not wanting to leave her side now that they were reunited once again.
Hopefully the others turn up soon, and in good health... And hopefully Y/N's going to be okay being around Reiner... They didn't necessarily separate on good terms... Well actually, none of us really did...
...
~Normal POV~
"Get up", Annie said stern, kicking Reiner's face. He groaned out in pain, looking up at her groggily. Shock flashed over his face as he realised exactly who it was in front of him.
"Annie?!". His gaze then wandered over to the rest of you, now turning panicked.
"Calm down Reiner!", Gabi said as she and Falco knelt down beside him.
"Don't worry, we're all on the same side!", Falco reassured him. You looked at him sceptically, the mere sight of him bringing back hurtful memories of a time that felt so far away, however a time that still haunted your mind. Just knowing what he and Annie did to him, it made your heart quicken its pace. You hadn't muttered a single word to Annie yet, and you weren't sure when you would do so. You weren't actively avoiding her, you're not that petty of a person. However, the courage you felt whenever you thought of the day you'd get to ask her about everything that happened all those years ago, seemed to fade the second you saw her again with no crystal separating you. You needed time to come around, to adjust to being around them again. But for now, you were going to keep things civil at least.
Reiner's gaze lingered at you, and you could've sworn he whispered your name, but it was so faint that it could've passed as a weak gasp.
"There's no time. We're going now", Connie informed him.
"Where?", Reiner asked him confused after a few seconds of silence.
"To save the world"
____________________________
A/N:
Ahh, we're closing in on the campfire scene! That scene absolutely broke my heart the first time I read it... Poor Jean, just imagine actually hearing them admit exactly what they did to Marco😔Like he was aware that they did something considering Annie had his gear, but exactly what happened remained a mystery until then... It's going to be a little different in this book naturally, all things considered, but I'm still excited!🙌🏻 Y/N still has some things to clear up with the pair, ya know😏
Thank you so much for reading!<3
~Jen