Hange woke you and your friends up early the next day, having you help her pack up the campsite. Everyone else except Reiner, Falco and Gabi was eventually woken up by the slight ruckus packing up made and started helping you as well, much to your pleasant surprise. The strained tension between you from the night before had seemed to dull slightly, creating a neutral atmosphere. Once the last crate was packed up and loaded aboard the carriage, it was time to wake the rest.
"Jean, can you?—", you asked, motioning with your head towards to the trio still fast asleep.
"Sure"
You readjusted one of the crates as he walked over to them.
"Wake up", he gently said, shaking Gabi lightly on her shoulder. She sat herself upright, the movement waking Falco. "It's time to go".
"You're helping us?", she asked him perplexed, like she couldn't believe it.
"Yeah of course", Jean answered her, and you smiled down at your hands placing some stray gas cannisters inside a box. You jumped slightly, startled when Jean suddenly went from gentle talking over to harsh yelling.
"Hey Reiner! How long are you planning on sleeping?!". You turned to see him yank Reiner up by his collar, Gabi and Falco just sitting beside them, watching the scene unfold. You smirked slightly; Reiner surely deserved at least a little more torment from you before you started working together again, right?
"You're more than healed enough already, aren't you?!", Jean continued, abruptly letting go, causing Reiner to collapse back down. He looked disoriented. "Get up and get going!", Jean finally ended his little taunting session and turned around to join the rest of you.
You rolled your eyes at him with a small smile once he reached you, and started walking towards Gabi and Falco to help them pack their things; but not before exchanging a subtle fist bump with Jean as you passed him. Sure you couldn't keep that act up if this collaboration were to work, but you couldn't just put the past aside and pretend like nothing happened; not yet anyway. You needed time.
"Here, let me help you", you crouched down by the kids, beginning to roll up Falco's sleeping bag.
"Oh, you don't have to—", Falco tried protesting, but you kept going.
"It's no problem at all. You guys go join the others by the carriage. I think Mikasa has some fruit ready for you if you're hungry, I can pack this up for you", you smiled. They looked at you for a moment, not sure what to do, but they saw the sincerity in your eyes and decided to accept you offer.
"Thank you Y/N", Falco smiled, and waited for Gabi to join him. She gave you a thankful nod and walked towards the wagon with Falco.
~
"Gabi... I'm sorry for kicking you", Jean apologised after a couple of hours on your travel towards the harbour. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine", she assured him, trying to hide her surprise that he even cared enough to ask.
You sat in the front of the carriage, beside Marco who were operating it. Annie, Reiner, Jean, Falco and Gabi sat in the back while the rest was in the other wagon upfront.
"Good...", Jean peeked over at Reiner, noticing the way he looked at him. "Reiner, you're not getting an apology", he then said stern.
"Yeah... fine with me", he mumbled, looking away.
"I can't... I can't forgive you", Jean said quietly.
"I know...", Reiner said in the same quiet tone. Marco's gaze automatically peeked over at you sitting by his left side, but you didn't meet it, only looking down at your hands. You were with Jean on that one, at least the way things were standing at the moment.
"And me?", Annie asked after a short pause, but Jean wasn't able to answer her because Pieck suddenly made an appearance in her titan form, her demeanour was urgent.
"Stop. Seems like something happened", Magath said once he spotted her. Pieck emerged from the nape with a hiss.
"The harbour.. The Yeagerists have captured it!". You all looked at her dumbfounded. "They must have gotten there first by steam engine. They are prepared for battle. The place is covered with soldiers, all bearing anti-titan weapon and gear... They've figured out we want to prevent the rumbling and they plan to stop us before we can".
You stayed quiet, trapped in a whirlwind of thoughts.
'Damned Floch must have caught on when Mikasa and I didn't show up for the execution...'
"Fuck", you cursed under your breath, propping your face against the palm of your hands. This just made things a lot more complicated for you.
...
"Here". You looked over at Marco, who was handing both Reiner and Annie each their ODM gear. He wore a relaxed smile. Both of them, Annie especially, looked uncomfortable as they accepted it, and you knew exactly what they were thinking as they thanked him with a shameful expression. Marco then walked back over to you, putting on some gear of his own. You smiled at him, proud of him for how maturely he was handling this, though you suppose he had been dealing with it already back when you all first joined the Survey Corps. To think he had to live alongside them for months after what they did, not able to tell a single soul in order to keep himself and the people around him safe. It made your heart sink.
He returned the smile, closing in on you to check your gear. He always did that; making sure everything was in order and that you were ready to go; safely.
"How do you do it?", you ended up whispering as his face was mere inches away from you while he tightened a loose strap. He moved his gaze to face yours, seemingly thinking about your question.
"I... I don't know, really. Might just be because I used to do it everyday for months, or it may be because there is something in me telling me there's more to it than I can ever know...", he paused upon seeing your furrowed brows. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm okay with what they did, it really ruined me in certain ways for a long while... But... I'm still very much an advocate for conversations. I'm sure they have a story worth listening to". You didn't know how to respond to that. Marco truly was too good for this world, radiating a certain kind of kindness you've only ever witnessed him possessing. You could probably learn a thing or two from him should you ever dream to come to terms with what Reiner and them did.
"I see", you smiled sincere. Marco leaned towards you while cupping your cheeks, placing a tender kiss atop your forehead. You truly basked in this calm before another inevitable storm. Who knows what will happen after today? After an hour even... Nothing is promised anymore.
"We have to kill them all at once. It's the only way to secure the ship", you heard Annie say to the others, and you quickly joined them to be a part of the planning. "We'll use the power of all our titans as well as all of your weapons to do that". You stayed quiet, internally weighing the pros and cons to her plan. Did you really want the Yeagerists to die? They committed treasonous acts towards the military, yes, but you suppose their reasoning was because they did what they thought was best for this island solely... You've surely done that before... Not to mention that you've known some of these people since your days of training. Connie was the first one to speak up.
"Hey, wait a second"
"Why", Annie asked monotone.
"An indiscriminate attack on the harbour will even cause the Azumabito to get caught in the crossfire", Mikasa said.
"Yeah!", Connie quickly agreed.
"You might call them distant relatives, but to us they're enemies who attacked our homeland-"
"No. It'll be a problem if we let the Azumabito's die, Annie", Pieck interrupted her. Annie looked at her unimpressed, but Pieck's gaze was aimed at Onyankopon. "Isn't that right?"
"Precisely. I should be able to pilot the flying boat on my own, but without the Azumabito's mechanics, it is nothing more than a wingless ship. It's wings are now folded so that it is easier to haul on the seas. And of course, it will take more for it to fly than simply extending those wings. My understanding is that the plan was for it to be operable only after taking it into a hangar, performing a service inspection and conduction flight training—"
"How long will that take?", Reiner asked him.
"I do not know... It is up to the Azumabito"
"I see... So...", Annie dragged out her words before taking a breath. "—we need to protect the flying boat and the Azumabito while also buying enough time for the ship to be serviced. But also, you don't want to kill any of the Yeagerists who will try to stop us from doing that, is that what you're telling me?", she asked questioningly with an unimpressed tone. You could see how that sounded like an impossible request.
"No, I don't want to kill them... We've known some of them since the training corps...", Jean answered her.
"So? What're we going to do?". Jean's determined face turned sad. Like the rest of you, he didn't have the answer.
"Think you could tell me? How exactly are we going to keep any harm from coming to the flying boat and the Azumabito while not turning any of our attackers into casualties as we buy time for the ship to be serviced?". She paused to look at you again. "Tell me, Armin. Tell me your big plan, just like you did when you drove me into a corner".
Armin looked at her saddened.
"That plan doesn't exist. Either we settle this in one go or we mess up and lose the flying boat", Pieck said matter-of-factly.
"Wait..", Connie uttered stressed before he raised his voice. "You know we're here in order to save people, right?! So why are you making it sound like we're going to have to slaughter all these people on the island?! How did it turn into this?!".
Annie sighed, a sad expression settling on her face as she listened to Connie's despaired cry.
"You're right... None of you ever had an obligation to do this with us. We don't have any right to force you to make this choice either...". She paused before continuing. "I bet if it was up to you... you never would have destroyed the walls that day. Unlike us". This had you widen your eyes at her. That's the sincerest you've ever heard her be.
"You six don't need to fight", Reiner broke the silence. "Stay with Gabi and Falco. Watch from a safe location. You'll be forced to decide whether you want to or not if the Yeagerists find you. But if not, don't interfere"
"So you just want us to watch you kill each other?", you asked torn. Were you really able to just stay behind and spectate? Though they are three titan shifters, your weapons have come far since the last time they fought you on the island. Could they really be able to do this on their own?
"I'm not interested in acting as a spectator here". You turned around as Hange, Moblit and Magath slid their way down the hill to meet up with you. "We've killed four Yeagerists anyway... Most of all, time is running out for humanity".
She dusted off her pants, walking over to you with an urgent expression. "I could see the titans moving off the shore as they gave off a massive amount of steam. Judging by the speed, they've already arrived on the continent of Marley". You peeked over in Annie's direction, all three of them staring straight ahead with hurt filled expressions upon hearing the news, but the next news about to be shared had you all internally gasp. "Marley's cities to the northeast, the ones closest to us, must have been annihilated by now..."
'Already?!'
"I didn't think they'd cross the ocean this fast... In this case, the other countries don't have long either. Who knows how many have been killed already—"
"Ahmph", Yelena exclaimed with a muffled shriek as Magath grabbed her by the hand and face and pushed her roughly against the hill, breaking her arm with an audible crack.
"Tell me where Eren Yeager is", he demanded, not letting go even as Yelena squirmed desperately in his hold. You couldn't do anything but watch the scene unfold with wide eyes. "Every time you don't tell me, you're discovering a new direction your arm can move in", he said while twisting her already messed up arm.
"Magath!", Hange exclaimed horrified. He let go of her reluctantly.
"Don't be scared. I won't kill you"
Yelena only responded with a nervous but painfilled laugh. "That's a relief... I've changed my mind. I don't want to die until I see what happens here. Take me with you and I just might tell you where Eren went". Yelena's almost smug expression faltered upon seeing Magath's now wild expression boring into her.
"General Magath, this is no time for torture", Moblit argued, placing a hand atop his shoulder.
"Moblit's right, we need to secure the flying boat", Hange agreed. Magath didn't move for a few seconds, but then you saw his tense shoulders sink slightly. He turned around to look at you and your friends with a shameful expression.
"Connie, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Y/N, Marco», he listed your names as he looked at each and every one of you one by one. "I want to apologize for my behaviour last night... We were... mistaken". You listened intently as he went on. "I was being flippant when I spoke about justice... That was and unseemly attempt on my part to justify my actions, even now. I was afraid of having to look at myself because it'd mean seeing everything contemptable about Marley. This isn't your responsibility. It's wrong to place the sins of the past on your shoulders just because of your race". It felt surreal to even hear him speak like that. Here he was; a born and raised, purely Marleyan general for heavens sake, apologizing to you for the way you've been treated. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"Pieck, Annie, Reiner... There's no reason for you to be burdened with this world's hatred either... But, we do have a responsibility to make sure that future generations learn about this foolish, bloodstained history of ours. Eren Yeager want to erase everything, and that is unforgivable. This hell will never end so long as we keep pretending to ignore our foolish actions". He looked up at you once more before formally bowing. "So please, just for now, close your eyes to my own foolish acts", he pleaded you with his head low.
You were all quiet for a good moment, taking in his words.
"I refuse", Armin then said. "We're getting our hands dirty too". He spoke for the rest of you without double checking first, but he was correct in his statement. Subconsciously, you had all been well aware it would end with you joining their fight. It seems no matter how tired you were of it and how much you tried to stay out of trouble, you always winded up fighting in the end anyway. Magath and the others looked at the six of you perplexed, but you all gave them a look telling them you were with Armin on that.
"But I do have a suggestion for a different approach...", Armin said, taking a step forward.
...
You rode alongside Armin and Connie, metres away from the main building on the dock. Your best guess to where Floch would be was inside the vast estate where Kiyomi usually stayed on her visits.
"FLOCH!", Armin screamed once you were outside the building. "Where are you?!". Floch head peeped out of a window of the second floor above, but you pretended not to see him yet.
"Anyone, I don't care! Hurry it up!! Where are the Azumabito?!", you yelled.
"You guys?", Floch made himself known, confusion written all over his face. He was under the impression that you were hiding from them after all, and here you were, screaming out for him.
"Floch!"
"Where've you been?! What are you yelling about?!", he asked you, leaning further out through the window.
"We were going after the cart titan! She's with the armour! They swam away!!", Armin resumed screaming at the top of his lungs. "If we don't hurry, they'll escape!! We need the flying boat right now! Hurry and get the Azumabito and make it fly!!". Floch looked torn, a dumbfounded expression present on his face; This wasn't what he expected at all.
"W-what are you saying?", he asked you perplexed.
"What're you doing if anything?! Weren't you going after the cart?! Wasn't it obvious that they'd escape to the south?! They—"
"They killed Marco and Jean, you know!", you interrupted Armin as you yelled up at Floch, putting on the most desperate and saddened exterior and tone you could muster to sell your performance. "I'm going to kill it! I have to kill it!". He eyed you intently. "Please Floch, I never ask you for anything", you let the tears now piled up by the brim of your eyes roll down your cheeks.
"Y/N! There's the flying boat!", Connie pointed behind him. The three of you started riding towards it without waiting for Floch to answer, all in an effort to seem more convincing in your urgency.
"Floch!! Hurry and get the Azumabito mechanics out here!", Armin yelled while Floch was still in range of his words. He didn't answer, and you didn't dare turn around to check his expression. At this point you had no clue if he believed you or not. You'd just have to hope he's still as stupid as ever.
"Halt!", a familiar voice yelled once you closed in on the boat. "Stop Connie, Armin, Y/N!"
"Daz?! Samuel?!". You descended your horses. "What are you doing?", you asked as you spotted the flying boat with a chain of explosives wrapped around it.
"Are those explosives?! Disconnect them right now!!", Armin argued urgent.
"We're using that ship to chase after the remaining Marleyans who escaped by sea!", Connie joined in on the yelling.
"Hold on a second! Calm down you three... You see, there are suspicions that you guys are working with Marley to stop the rumbling by using the flying boat", Samuel raised his hands in a sheepish and calming manner, seemingly sorry for telling you about this. That alone made your heart sink; he didn't even believe you guys could ever dream of betraying them, only thinking the best of you... and here you were, doing exactly that.
"Wh- what?! Why would we ever do something like that?!", Connie asked desperate, masking his hurt expression for lying right to their faces with a despaired one. It was very apparent to you since you knew the truth, but not to Samuel and Daz. You and Armin both matched Connie's appalled and desperate act.
"That's right! What's to become of this island if we stopped Eren?!"
"Y-yeah", Daz agreed with Armin.
"You guys would never put this island back in danger just as we finally saved ourselves, right?", Samuel said with a nervous chuckle, trying to convince himself at this point.
"Of course not! They... They killed Jean and Marco", you voice cracked as you said their names, and the shocked and sad expressions on Samuel and Daz' faces made your heart sink even more.
"Jean... a-and Marco? Really?"
Marco may have been the only one who stuck by Daz during training. Everyone else, you included, found his relentless nervousness and complaining extremely tiresome, therefore tended to shy away from him. But of course Marco didn't. You knew Daz had a soft spot for him.
You nodded saddened, not even having to fake it at this point. You felt like you could break down crying right that second for deceiving your friends this way.
"I'm sorry Y/N", Samuel said sad, placing a firm hand atop your shoulder. The gesture made you wince as your heart ached. Samuel seeked out your gaze, but you didn't have the heart to meet it.
"After all that they've done, we need closure and make sure they don't get in the way of Eren's plan. Please, hurry and disconnect those explosives", Armin urged them to continue. Daz took a deep breath.
"At least you guys are still with us. I wouldn't know what to do if you betrayed us", he said while crouching down to start fiddling with the string and trigger connected to the explosives. You and the others peeked over at one another, guilt-filled pairs of eyes meeting eachother. "I know now you'd never do that, but I had a feeling that you might try to stop Eren from slaughtering people, even if they're enemies", he said carefree after a short while. Once he looked up at you, both his and Samuels eyes widened.
"What's wrong, we took the explosives off", he said perplexed. The three of you hadn't even realized how heavy your expressions were after he made the comment about stopping Eren. You tried to straighten out your expression slightly so it wouldn't be too guilt-filled, both Samuel and Daz seeming like they shrugged it off for now.
'Hopefully Floch arrives with the Azumabitos soon and getting everyone inside the plane goes smoothly... There shouldn't be any more bloodshed on this island...'
You nervously picked at your nails, waiting for what seemed like ages, though only a couple of minutes had passed by.
*Bang*
The five of you turned towards the main building at the sounds of gunshots. You felt the colour fade from your shocked face.
'We failed?'
A couple of seconds later Floch was sent crashing through one of the windows, just barely regaining enough control to activate his gear. Once he did so, he sped upwards while yelling out for everyone to hear; "We're being attacked! Mikasa! Armin! Connie! Y/N! They've all betrayed Eldia! Kill them!". Moments after the Yeagerists situated atop the roofs sent one thunder spear after the other straight at the building. You'd have to trust that Mikasa's able to help the Azumabito get to safety, as you'd be occupied with Samuel and Daz.
'Oh god, are we going to have to kill them?'
You turned around to find Daz once again crouched down by the trigger to the explosives. He was reactivating it!
"Daz! Stop!", Armin exclaimed, taking a step towards him, but bullets blowing their way right through his jaw and chest from Samuels direction had him collapse to the ground in a bloody pulp.
"Armin!", you shrieked surprised, instinctively moving to tend to him.
"Don't move!", Samuel screamed at you the second you reached for him, stopping you right before you could check up on him.
"Samuel", Connie said wary, also frozen in a stance reaching for Armin.
"Daz. Quick. Blow the ship up, hurry!", Samuel said, finger ready on the trigger as he pointed his pistol at Connie. Daz looked stressed beyond belief, hands trembling there he tried to reassemble the wires as quickly as he could.
"Samuel, c'mon", Connie uttered nervous. In the background noises and flares of various explosions erupted everywhere. It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong today did.
"You betrayed us, didn't you?", Samuel's eyes were glossy, and you didn't fail to notice how his hands were shaking slightly. "Connie... Y/N... Didn't we say we'd take more land for ourselves and share meat together?"
You immediately thought back to that day atop Wall Rose, Sasha presenting that club of meat she stole from the officers. You never got to eat it, and most of the people that was there are either dead or gone rogue. You felt that familiar stinging in your eyes as the tears put pressure on your eyeballs. Neither you or Connie answered him.
"Agh! Dammit! How did this—", Two giant explosions and the striking flash of lighting interrupted Samuels strained voice. He looked up in surprise and Connie saw his opportunity and went for it.
Samuel groaned as Connie flung himself at him, tackling him harshly down against the ground. Connie wrestled to disarm him, but it seems their strength was at the same level, Samuels pistol not budging.
"Daz!", Samuel cried out. "Blow it up!!".
It was now or never, you wouldn't get any more chances than this one and you had to do your part. Hurriedly, you charged ahead to tackle Daz before he could trigger the explosives.
"Y/N! Stop!", Daz cried desperately, just about managing to grab his pistol, which you failed to anticipate. You felt the cold material of the pistol rest against your forehead.
"Y/N", Connie gasped, still struggling to disarm Samuel.
You closed your eyes, prepared to feel the bullet pierce your skull, but you could tell by the rim of the pistol shaking against your skin that Daz was hesitating. Hesitantly, you opened them again, wanting to look at someone you knew before you died at least, even if that one person was Daz.
"TRAITOR! WHY?!", Samuel cried out. "Aren't we all on the same side here?!"
"We are on the same side!! But...", Connie answered desperate. As you looked into Daz' eyes, his now running tears matched your own.
That's what was the most difficult thing about this. You were on the same side here, all wishing for peace and quiet for the citizens of this island. But you had to stop Eren, to save more people than just those situated on Paradis. You guys more than anyone should know about being innocent civilians becoming victims of an attack you never initiated. Yes, Marley's crimes against you could never be forgiven, but not everyone across the sea are like them... Not even everyone in Marley is like them...
'T-tell me who! Who the hell would want to kill people by their own choice?! Do you think I wanted to do this?! People hate and despise us. We've done such terrible things... we deserve to die! It's no use... I can't! Someone has to be the one to do it. Someone has to be the one to stain their hands with blood!'—You don't know why Bertholdt's words from when they kidnapped Eren all those years ago resurfaced in your mind, but after all this time, you finally understood what he meant that day. It was your turn to be the traitors now, no matter how badly you didn't want it to be true. Your turn to sacrifice something or someone you hold dear for the greater good, and the people on the outside of this predicament- like Samuel and Daz- they couldn't possibly ever understand why you're doing what you're doing, no matter how you word it. You have your reasons for your choices that you use to justify your actions, just like the trio did back in the day, but to Samuel and Daz it would never be an acceptable excuse. They will go on thinking your time together in the past was a lie, just like you did... Huh, you'd never have thought you'd find yourself in the same predicament as Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie...
"I— AAAAGH!", Connie exclaimed as her finally managed to free the pistol from Samuels determined grasp, blowing a hole straight through Daz' head without any hesitation, no matter how much Samuel begged him to stop. You squeezed your eyes shut after watching Daz collapse down into the water, his blood splattering all over you. The tears started flowing as you heard not one,- but three gunshots silence Samuel's desperate pleads, Only Connie's cries remaining.
You looked over at Connie, meeting his red, teary eyes, much like your own, moving your gaze downwards to see three gaping holes in Samuels face.
'It wasn't supposed to play out like this... They were supposed to live goddamn it!'
You continued whimpering as the tears streamed, turning to check up on Armin. He was fully conscious, but his jaw was almost detached from his face. His sea blue eyes were leaking tears as he too witnessed it all first-hand. You thought he had at least passed out and therefore been spared the sight, but turns out he wasn't. One arm was handing limp over the edge of the dock above the water, like he had tried to reach for something... Or someone... Daz...
"Armin, I got you", you said with a shaky voice, cradling him against you. It might just be because you needed to be comforted yourself, but Armin was in really bad shape. There was no way he could fight in this state. You at least had to stay here with him until someone came to get him. He would be defenceless if not.
By the looks of it, people were closing in on the ship, Reiner and Annie using themselves as shields to give the Azumabito a clear path.
"Can they even hold out that long?", you whispered in disbelief.
"Ngh-", Armin tried speaking, but to no avail.
"Armin, you need to focus your energy on healing yourself, don't talk". You only held him closer to you, ready to move him on a seconds notice should you have to flee. Connie finally shook himself enough out of his guilty and hurt state that he was able to get up from Samuels corpse and walk over to stand beside you, eyeing the fight taking place further in along the harbour with wide eyes.
You spotted figures closing in.
"Connie", you said wary, and he immediately looked in the same direction.
"I think it's the Azumabito... and... Magath!". Connie was right, and you quickly helped Armin up to his feet, draping his arm around your shoulders to support him as you met Magath halfway.
"He's hit in the chest and his jaw", Connie informed him as you gently handed Armin over to Magath.
"I see, he'll heal soon enough", Magath said, carefully supporting Armin. "You guys—"
"We'll defend the ship!", Connie declared, looking at you expectedly as to get you confirmation. You nodded determined.
Just as you and Connie activated your gear, Pieck with Gabi and the others that couldn't fight securely propped on her back, appeared out of the water, but you left before you could hear anything she said... The others needed backup, and that straight away.
You and Connie arrived just in time to defend Annie and Reiner, both hanging on by a mere thread, heads and limbs blown off and all. You spun around, cutting through countless bodies, cringing at the sound. But you had to commit to it fully at this point. There was no taking it back.
Yeagerists on the rooftop closest to you started firing your way. "Die, traitors!", they screamed, and a bullet graced your skin, a deep gash now going straight across your upper arm. You hissed from the pain, but it was nothing you couldn't handle at the moment.
Shots were fired and your attackers fell over, limp. You looked up to see Jean and Marco holding a rifle each as they aimed at anyone closing in on you from behind a chimney.
Mikasa, Hange and Moblit joined you in the air as you continued to take out anyone getting to close to Annie and Reiner. At this point, Pieck made an appearance, now free of any humans on her back. She climbed up the side of the building to chomp down on anyone still left on the rooftop.
Just as you thought you had the upper hand, a whole armada of Yeagerists lead by Floch himself came out of their hiding spots. At this point you were all exhausted and your supplies were running low, while the remaining Yeagerists had a renewed burst of energy, freshly resupplied with thunder spears and bullets, screaming as they charged at you.
You all dodged and attacked to the best of your abilities, but the ambush was hard to retaliate. Was this really it for you? After everything, was this really the way you go out?
Blinding lights and a large booming noise erupted from down on ground level, and a titan-bird hybrid appeared, just as large as the armoured titan.
'Falco?!'
As he started clawing and biting at every moving thing passing him, Jean yelled.
"Now! They're no longer moving as one! Now is our only chance!", he screamed out as he shot one Yeagerist after the other.
You attached a fresh pair of blades onto your handles, focusing your hard gaze on any soldier left in your perimeter. All of you continued to cut your way through flesh, doing your darndest to prevent anyone from closing in on the ship.
"One got away!", Hange gasped, watching as Floch aimed a thunder spear straight at the ship. You all stared at him helplessly, knowing there was nothing you could do to reach him quick enough. But as you watched, he fell to the ground with a scream. Gabi had shot him from aboard the boat. Floch landed in the sea below with a heavy splash.
"Gabi! Nice work!", Hange called out to her.
"Floch.. he...!!", some of the remaining Yeagerists said dumbfounded. Mikasa cut them down straight away. The Yeagerists situated on another roof panicked, and retreated while Jean and Marco shot after them with their rifles.
"The ship is ready to leave! You can join us now!", Onyankopon yelled from beside Gabi. Marco sighed exhausted.
"C'mon, we drove them off, but they'll come back. We better leave while we—". Falco's titan screaming halted his sentence, and he turned to see the titan smash himself against the side of the building you were stood atop.
"Marco!", you called out, every one of you thrown back by the force of the crash. You seeked out for him, relieved once you saw Jean and Marco both getting up from the ground on all fours, seemingly still intact.
Pieck threw herself at him.
"Falco! Our enemies are gone!! Come out!", she yelled in her titan form. But Falco didn't seem to understand, biting down around her neck, the force sending them both plummeting down to the ground below. The rest of you hurriedly caved your way over to the edge of the roof, looking down in suspense.
"Pieck! Hold Falco down!", Magath yelled as he came running straight at them. Pieck did as told, and Magath was able to gently cut through Falco's nape, freeing him from the titan. He cradled Falco in his arms, whispering reassuring words to the disoriented, half-conscious young boy. You exhaled exhausted, slumping down to sit on your butt.
It was over... for now...
First now you felt the stings from the bleeding wound on your arm, lazily putting pressure on it using your hand.
...
You made your way over to the boat, supporting the wounded on the way. You'd help, but Marco was determined you take it easy until he could bind your arm, so you didn't protest.
Onyankopon met you at the bottom of the ramp, cradling Falco in his arms as Magath gave him to him.
"Get moving at once"
"Hm? What about you?", Onyankopon asked him.
"I'll bring up the rear", he declared, and you who stood closest to him looked at him dumbfounded.
'All on his own?'
He seemed confident enough, already on his way, so no one stopped him.
Marco sat you down inside a room on deck, gently disinfecting then wrapping bandage around your arm, apologising every time you made a grimace or a noise of discomfort. Soon after, he helped you up to your feet, and you insisted on going outside to watch the ship leave the port. You couldn't stay inside, wondering how things were working out for you.
Hange and a handful others were already there, and you watched as the port, more specifically the vast Marleyan cruiser moored there, blew up in an explosion that reminded you of the one Bertholdt made in Shiganshina... There was no way Magath or anyone else close to it could have survived it...
Gabi cried out in Pieck's arms as you watched with wide eyes and heavy hearts.
So he sacrificed himself to give you the head start you needed...
'When will the dying stop?...'
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A/N:
I am NOT nor will I EVER be ready for the content of next chapter!💔 I just know I'm gonna break down crying while writing it, pls-
But lets cross that bridge when we get there I guess...
Thank you for reading this long chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!<3
~Jen