[ contains spoilers for chapter 92-93 of the manga and episode 2 of the anime!! ]
4 YEARS LATER !
MID-EAST ALLIED FORCES VS MARLEY
Nothing but the blasts of blazing gunfire could be heard across the land of dirt, baking under a high sun in a cloudless sky. The ground was covered in the blood and bodies of those who were pierced by a bullet or blown apart by a bomb, having sacrificed their lives to the raging war happening around them.
And from the looks of it, there would only be more to add onto the piles of the deceased, because this battle wasn't ending anytime soon.
Despite being terrified for their lives, a thick stampede of soldiers pushed forward through the never ending rounds of gunfire and explosions. All those days they spent throughout their childhood running with heavy shotguns in their little hands, prepared them for this moment. The ultimate test of the Eldians' loyalty to Marley.
At least they didn't have to fight alone.
The Cart Titan was covered in battle armored as it led the onslaught of soldiers to the opposing side with it's own guns blazing. The Panzer Unit manned the gun turrets sitting atop the Cart Titan's back, shooting multiple blasts of gunfire at the enemies as the Cart Titan scurried across the land.
The Jaw Titan, on the other hand, worked on it's own time. It was still small in height but unlike Ymir's Titan, this version of the Jaw Titan was muscular and well toned. It's hair resembled a lion's mane with thick honey blonde tresses gathering around its neck and connecting all the way around it's head. It's face, fingers, and knuckles was all hardened armor-like skin.
He tore up railroad tracks with it's powerful cog-like mouth, destroying any equipment it saw to knock the enemy down a peg and give the Eldian soldiers a chance to advance. His sharp fingers clawed out any soldiers he saw cowering in the trenches.
But all hell broke loose when a single light flare rose up among the murky smoke and exploded like a firework, warning everyone of what was yet to come.
"Retreat!" the Eldian soldiers cried out, "Get away from the fort! Don't get caught in it!"
Then there it was. Like Marley's personal war angel descended from the heavens. A huge airship cut through the light blue fabric of the sky, temporarily shielding the hot glare of the sun.
This fight was only just beginning.
For the first time in months, all gunfire finally ceased to a stop. Every single person on the ground had their sights locked on the blimp floating above the peak of a tall hill. The Allied Forces couldn't do anything but watch in horror as the airship's backside opened up to reveal the numerous people lined up within it, all swaddled in full body bags.
And then that's when the bodies started falling.
One by one, a person was dropped from the airship and into open air. If it weren't for the parachutes that activated right as they were thrown out, they would've been nothing more than splatter marks on the hard ground. If those people knew they were in their last moments of consciousness, they didn't show it. Every person floating down to land was in blissful ignorance, having been drugged past the point of producing a logical thought.
Still standing at the gaped-open exit of the airship were three Warriors. The spear, shield, and brains of the Warrior Unit. You, Reiner, and Zeke. You looked over the heart of Fort Slava, a military base tucked within the center of two overlapping walls; one was low and sported machine gun bunkers all around its perimeter, the other was higher and donned a railroad track, assumably for the (already destroyed) armored train to ride on.
Looking at everything from above, it kind of reminded you of a smaller version of Paradis's walls and their cannons. Of course there was always something to remind you of that dreadful island.
You sighed deeply, rubbing a hand over your tired face in irritation, "There's always a wall to get over.. I'm sick of walls."
"Then let's knock them all down." Reiner determined with a rough voice, slipping his skydiving goggles over his eyes.
Four long years of war hardened Reiner up to be the gruff looking man he was today. He already had a chiseled face before, but now it was accentuated by a veil of blonde facial hair along his sharp jawline and around his mouth to connect as a thin beard. He looked significantly more mature, and worn down, for him to only be 21. But you had to guess all that stress would make anyone age up earlier than they were supposed to.
When you first arrived to Marley, Reiner had been the one to take full responsibility for what happened in Paradis, despite your protests. For a while he was only known as a failure. He had nearly gotten his Titan (and life) taken away, but after bringing Marley win after win in the war, he had proven himself valuable enough to keep the Armored. He willingly put his life on the line in every battle.
Sometimes you wondered if he actually wanted to keep it.
You watched him pull out a brand new knife in preparation to transform into his Titan, and usually you'd be rushing to do the same. But over the past years, you've been taught a few new tricks. With a glance over at Zeke, an unspoken agreement had been exchanged between the both of you.
It was finally time.
Zeke cleared his throat as he stepped to the edge of the exit, sucked in a big breath, and then..
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
He hollered out a yell so loud that you were sure every single person on the ground heard him.
Instantly, the battlefield below was washed in the glow of the light show happening above it. Each body bag had erupted into their own bright ball of crackling energy, transforming all those drugged people into giant drooling humanoid creatures of every shape and size in the blink of an eye.
It was raining pure Titans.
While some landed around the fort, most of them landed inside, crumbling every fixture they fell into. They got to their feet quickly, blank looks on their faces as they awaited their next order. Now it was your turn to clear your throat. You backed away from the exit to give yourself a running head start before you leaped from the airship and into open air. You sucked in a big breath, just as Zeke taught you, before yelling out to the top of your lungs..
"DESTROOOOOY!"
Like a switch had been flicked on in their empty heads, every pure Titan on the ground began to go crazy with rage, smashing their balled fists down on everything around them. They grabbed at any unlucky bystanders, shoving people whole into their greedy mouths before they went to find more.
But their attack was short lived, because barely a minute later, the cannons propped around the walls were blowing clean holes through the Titans' chests. They were being blown to bits.
"They still have anti-Titan cannons left?" you announced the obvious, more so to get an opinion from your partner. You and Reiner floated down to land beside each other in your own respective parachutes, watching the demolition go down from above.
"We dropped the Titans from a big height." Reiner explained in a yell, "Half of them died on impact. And I'm sure the other half just died from those cannons."
You were already counting up the cannons you could see in your head, "I see 29." you yelled back.
"Noted. You take that side?" Reiner nodded his head to one side of the nearly crumbled fortress.
"Got it." you agreed. You both gave each other a single head nod of acknowledgment before going your separate ways.
It would've been 'see you on the other side' or 'good luck', but past experiences ruined those phrases for the both of you. Now you could only hope you'd live to see the end of a battle.
You would've thought there was an extra sun in the sky the way you and Reiner both lit up into glowing balls of energy, his gold and yours white. It wasn't long before the signature lightning strikes touched down, manifesting the Spiked and Armored Titans from thin air. You both slammed down on the sides of Fort Slava like hammers to a rusty nail.
"It's the Armored and Spiked Titans!" the Allied Forces wailed out, "Hurry up and shoot them!"
You and Reiner were the duo the world never expected, but feared when it came to be. While you came to be known as the spear to Reiner's shield, you were also the devil who could wreck a whole army entirely by themselves.
The Allied Forces scrambled to get back to their weaponry, but you and Reiner were already two steps ahead. Reiner snatched up a metal communications tower before essentially using it as a makeshift bat. He swung the tower through the top of the wall, leaving behind a trail of broken cannons and destroyed brick in his wake. And you worked on your own half, launching large hardened spikes at all angles. They shot out at an uncontrollable speed, exploding cannons on impact and piercing through the bodies of your enemies.
Some of the Allied Forces were lucky enough to have made it to the few remaining cannons sitting atop the wall before you and Reiner could. They fired off two rounds at Reiner then immediately aimed the cannons in your direction. They barely got to reload before the Jaw Titan was suddenly pouncing on the oblivious men from above. It's powerful claws crumbled the heavy machinery like a soda can, and all the men with it, killing them instantly. It shot you a pointed look with it's sunken beady eyes before leaping back to where it came from.
You could already hear Porco's voice scolding you for not being careful enough. You'd hear an earful about it later, for sure.
You took a look over at Reiner to check up on him and immediately noted the way his Titan's thick armor was loitered with clean holes, blown through-and-through.
Those cannons can even shoot through the Armored's skin—?!
A single, ear-ringing bang caught both you and Reiner off guard. It was all happening so fast, you didn't even realize a shot was fired until you saw your own arm flying away from you and across the base. It looked like it had been torn from the flesh by force.
BANG!
Another shot fired but this time it got Reiner. The Armored Titan flew back into the wall as if he had been shoved by something twice his size. Even a part of his arms had been torn off on impact.
Only one thing could cause that much damage to one of the ten Titans..
The signature clunking noise of a train grew louder behind you before you whipped around to meet the infamous armored train, racing up what was left of the railroad tracks on the walls. It was an absolute nightmare of an invention. It's structure almost resembled military battle tanks connected together, each one donning big guns powerful enough to kill a Titan on impact. And all of them were aimed right at you.
This time you were ready.
Your body moved automatically as you leaped behind what was left of a deteriorating building. Despite this, your remaining fist was still aimed for the moving weapon, shooting out multiple spikes per second. Every one of your shots landed, piercing into the metal of the train like a hot knife to butter. Your assaults started a chain reaction of explosions. Each train car burst into flames, one after the other, before it was all just one big hunk of metal on fire. And if that weren't enough, Reiner came running around the corner to charge at it, knocking the flaming train right off it's tracks.
The aftermath of your battle for dominance was pure destruction. The whole military base was nothing but crumbled heaps of brick and metal. Slain corpses were strewn about, not a single survivor left standing that you could see. The walls weren't even intact anymore in most places, riddled with large spaces and holes.
You fought hard to shake off the overwhelming feeling of deja vu.
It went without saying that you and Reiner had won this fight, but there was still one last thing that needed to be done.
As if on cue, the bright light of a Titan transformation flashed above your heads, before the primal Beast Titan slammed down onto the base with a ground shaking boom.
"War's a terrible thing, isn't it?" the deep voice of the Beast bellowed sadly.
How ironic of you to say, War Chief Zeke, you thought. But you kept your comment to yourself.
You watched the creature use it's large hands to scoop up a good bulk of the enemies' leftover cannon shells before sauntering over to the largest gap in the broken walls. It's wide opening gave you a clear view of the busy harbor and ocean below, a fleet of warships riding on it's calm waves. The last line of defense for the Mid-East.
The Beast Titan took one good look at their numbers before announcing, "This war ends today."
In one arm's throw, the shells were soaring through the sky as if they were thick birds of steel. They took a swan's dive right into the mass of ships floating in the center of the ocean, exploding on impact. You watched the ships, alit with oily flames, sink to their doom.
And with those actions, the four-year-long war had reached its climatic end.
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"That was incredible!" Colt gushed, "An Eldian having his opinion actually heard by a Marleyan general! And he even agreed with you!"
Zeke shrugged carelessly, "I just told them what they needed to hear. Our biggest priority right now should be taking the Founding Titan back from Paradis. Upgrading our military equipment is the least of our problems..."
Almost immediately after the destruction of their fleet, the Mid-East Allied Forces surrendered and signed a peace treaty with the nation of Marley. Typically you'd be somewhere celebrating your win, but this wasn't just any old war with Marley standing victorious. This battle had been a close call. Marley actually had a chance of accepting defeat. And that spoke volumes.
Days after the battle, a meeting was held (to which you were dragged in somehow by Zeke) to discuss the future of Marley's military. And more importantly, the future of Titans.
The power dynamics between Marley and the rest of the world had finally reached it's tipping point. Nations worldwide were advancing in anti-Titan warfare and finding ways to work around Marley's strongest suit. To keep a long story short, the power of Titans would soon be irrelevant and no longer needed. And that was more than concerning for all the Eldians still sitting around the world in internment zones.
Because if there's no need for Titans, what'll happen to all of you?
Zeke took another drag of the cigarette perched between his thumb and index finger. He glanced over at you before nudging your elbow to politely offer you the stick of tobacco.
"Nah. Wouldn't want my teeth stained a permanent shade of yellow like yours." you snickered.
You heard Colt choke back a laugh before quickly turning away to hide his face from Zeke.
"You'll come around someday," Zeke smiled before lazily leaning his elbows back on the short wall behind him. "You're 20 now. All 20 year olds take a puff every now and then."
"I don't." Colt chimed in proudly.
"Well you have to take a smoke right now if you want to inherit my Titan." Zeke said seriously before holding out his half-smoked cigarette out to the blonde beside him.
You caught onto Zeke's teasing quickly, but poor Colt didn't. His smile faltered into a nervous pursed line until you reassured him he wouldn't have to contaminate his lungs at Zeke's request. Zeke, amused at Colt's momentary anxious expression, laughed loudly before going back to smoking.
"I wouldn't be able to replace Zeke's Beast Titan anyways." Colt remarked in a dreamy tone. He stared up at the full clouds above with starry eyes. "You're special, mister Zeke. Anyone who's been given your spinal fluid can turn into a Titan just by hearing your roar. Your Beast Titan is almost like a second Founding Titan."
Colt turned to look at the expanse of sea in the distance, totally talking to himself at this point, "And now that I think about it, (Y/n) has a similar power. While she may not be able to turn people into Titans, she can control them by demand. It really makes me wonder..
What makes the two of you so special? I mean it's not like you have any royal blood."
You were quiet as you watched white wisps of smoke seep out of Zeke's parted mouth and rise into the warm air, swirling around into intricate designs before disappearing into nothingness.
If only Colt knew he hit it right on the head.
Zeke had broken it all down to you years ago. Just like your mother and your aunt, Dina Fritz, royal blood was what ran through your veins. It was the reason why your Spiked Titan held features so different from it's past holders, and why your powers were so similar to Zeke's. You were a direct descendant of Ymir.
"Can't say." Zeke lied for the both of you, "Chances are, I'll be dead by the time we figure that out." the man stared down at the burning end of his cigarette as if he were in thought before suddenly saying, "I just remembered you'll be inheriting my memories too, Colt. Might even figure out my darkest secret."
You were good at masking the surprise you felt at hearing Zeke casually say those words. You pretended to fix a button on your jacket. This idiot. Why would he say that?
"What secret?" an intrigued Colt asked. He leaned closer to Zeke in anticipation.
Zeke gave the boy a long look, and for a minute you almost thought he was really going to expose himself. But then the subtle thump of footsteps were heard on the stairs and you could instantly see the resolve appear on the man's face.
"The secret way I wipe my ass." Zeke continued to a shocked Colt, "I hope you'll keep it to yourself."
"Too late. Tell me everything." Commander Magath appeared, stepping onto the roof to join the three of you with his own cigarette in hand. "I want a full report down to the number of hairs on your ass."
And you figured after that wild statement, it was your time to go. So after a bit of conversation with the commander, you did exactly that.
The scenery around you held a gloomy aura, despite the warm glow of the setting sun and the glittering blue canvas of sea spread out before you in the distance. The buildings you walked past held large holes within their crumbling brick. Chunks of said brick lined the loitered streets. Hell, even the ocean was a mess, riddled with destroyed warships and floating debris.
The town's locals sneaked peeks at you, rushing to move out of your way like you were some horrifying monster. And you guessed they weren't that far off anyways. You didn't care though. You had other things to worry yourself about.
Just as you did when you were younger, you stopped to watch foamy waves lap at the shores. The ocean still brought you comfort. It was familiar. When the land around you changed constantly with every trip you made those awful four years, the ocean always remained the same.
It reminded you of someone you used to know. Someone you were sure left this life years ago, but still liked to think about every now and then. The boy with eyes the color of a clear summer sky.
The very last memory of him was still fresh in your mind like a cut that would never heal. You could still remember seeing his body like.. that. Charred to brown and mutilated until he was unrecognizable. You could remember how hard you fought to stay after the others realized you weren't going to leave Wall Maria on your own. How bad your throat hurt after yelling your vocal chords raw—
Don't think about it.
Your eyes focused on one particular ship in the distance. It was closer to shore than the others, so it wasn't fully submerged in the water, but it still took a great deal of wrath from Zeke's throw.
"In three years, we've sent 32 ships to Paradis, and not a single search fleet has come back.."
"There must have been at least two Titans, including Eren Jaeger, blocking the survey ships.."
At least one of your burning questions was finally answered today. It wasn't about if your friends had actually been eaten, but who of the Scouts ate them.
━━━━━━
The air was charged enough for a bomb to go off when you stepped into the open space of the dorm you were sharing with the others.
Reiner was still in his messy bed, but awake for a change. He was sitting up with an uncomfortable expression sitting on his face, holding his head as if it were in pain. And Porco, the only other person in the room, sat at a desk in clear view of the window. With a half-eaten sandwich in his hand, he wore an annoyed look on his face. When did he not?
They both turned to you like you had just walked in on the most important discussion of their lives. But knowing how many brain cells they had combined, you knew it couldn't have been that serious.
"Hello to you too." you greeted sarcastically before stepping into the silenced room, "Feeling any better, Reiner?"
"Much better actually." Reiner confirmed, stretching his arms above his head with a grunt.
"Yeah, if you don't count the nightmare I just watched him have." Porco tutted with an eyeroll.
"Nightmare?" you glanced over at Reiner with furrowed brows, a telltale sign of worry.
He ran a hand through the messy strands of blonde that was his hair before letting out a heavy sigh, "It was nothing. Don't worry about it.."
He was never good at lying.
You and Porco only stared at the man, you in concern and Porco in annoyance, as Reiner drifted off into another dissociated daze, staring at the mess of white tangled sheets that surrounded him. Reiner embodied the word 'exhausted' with puffy bags under his lidded eyes, usually as bright as a block of twinkling gold but now dulled to a shade of light brown. He wore a downcast expression as he rested his chin on his balled fist.
It was off putting to see the empty shell of a person you once knew.
"Who even were you in Paradis?" Porco's tone was colored in disapproval. He gave Reiner a good hard look. The tension in the room was building up twice it's size, thick enough for you to take a knife and cut it. And still, Reiner didn't say a word.
"Y'know I saw you through Ymir's memories. You were acting like you were the tough, reliable type. A leader. Not at all like your real self.." Porco chided.
Porco was still the same hotheaded boy from back then. You knew him like you knew the back of your hand. You could say the only thing that changed about him was his height and voice. But other than that? Nada. Same old, same old.
So you knew what was coming before he could even say anything. "Porco. Relax—"
"Did you really think a nobody like you could fill my brother's shoes?" Porco fumed, "You'll never be like Marcel."
And there it was. The bomb you were expecting.
The silence that engulfed the room was loud and uncomfortable. You shifted in place on the bed you sat on, feeling too awkward to look at either Porco or Reiner. Porco didn't give a damn though. He stared at Reiner with a look that could make anyone else drop dead from fear.
You could agree that Reiner was a different person in Paradis. In fact, you could say he created a whole different persona. The funny, nice guy everyone looked up to, who was always there for others in their times of need. You knew that wasn't really him, but sometimes, you missed that guy more than the Reiner who was with you now.
Suddenly the door swung open with a noisy creak. You couldn't have been anymore relieved. You released the breath you didn't even realize you were holding as you turned to see Pieck hobble into the room on a crutch. You wouldn't say it out loud but it was becoming more and more weird to see her in human form rather than the Cart Titan.
"Pock. You shouldn't be bullying someone who took artillery fire for your girlfriend." Pieck reminded him breathlessly, letting you all know she had been eavesdropping. She was panting as if she had just run a good mile or two as she closed the door behind her.
"I'm the one who ripped the damn cannons apart for my girlfriend." Porco grumbled like a little kid as he stuffed his face with his sandwich. The snack muffled his words as he added, "And didn't I tell you not to call me that?" he wore a scowl on his face as he turned around to finish his letter.
Porco's like a chihuahua. He just doesn't stop yapping. And gets angered very easily. You ran a hand through his hair, as if petting your very own guard dog, before turning to the panting girl standing in the middle of the room.
"You okay?" you asked Pieck.
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." she answered with a breathy chuckle, "It's been two months since I've been on two legs instead of four. Ya know. The usual."
She flopped on the bed beside you with a heavy exhale, giving you a gracious smile when you reached over and slipped a few stray strands of her hair away from her face.
"Anyways, Reiner, if you're able to get up and move around, Gabi and the others would love to see your face." Pieck offered, "They've been worried sick."
It only took one mention of his younger cousin and Reiner was up on his feet with a stretch.
"I think I will." he asserted before shuffling towards the exit. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, leaving the rest of you in silence besides the occasional scribbling noises from Porco's writing.
"I think I'll go too." you announced eventually. You got to your feet before stretching your arms out. "Should walk around more before we're holed up in that train again."
That was only partly the truth. You really just wanted to make sure Reiner was okay by himself. After your last unfortunate sighting of Bertholdt, seeing your friends injured was anxiety inducing.
You were barely able to take a step away before Porco's chair was scraping against the wood floor from him abruptly pushing himself away from his desk. He quickly pulled you in and down by your waist, plopping you right in his lap with a mischievous yet proud smile for pulling the move off. As his arms made themselves comfortable around your hips, you peered down at him with a look that said what do you want?
"Orrr," he sang, "you can stay here with me."
"And teach you how to spell?" you glanced back at his letter that did indeed have the misspelling of 'congratulations'. "No, thanks."
"If you stay, I'll feed you sandwiches." Porco offered with an eyebrow raise, as if that should've sealed the bargain. "Deal?"
"No deal." you smiled before pressing a quick kiss to his pouty lips. When you pulled away, he chased after you to capture your lips in another kiss before you got off his lap.
"See ya." you tugged his already-red ears teasingly.
He watched you stroll out of the room without a second glance before he gave an annoyed eyeroll. It wasn't for you though. But for Reiner.
Pieck giggled as she held up one hand in the symbol of an 'O' and two fingers on the other hand, "Pock: 0. Reiner: 2."
"Go crawl back to where you came from." Porco snapped as he bit into another sandwich.
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The sky was painted in hues of lavender and blue as the sun finally bid it's farewell for the day, dipping into the watery horizon of the ocean beyond the busy harbor. It illuminated the few clouds in the sky in tangerine, casting the land and everyone else in a golden glow. Four kids sat to themselves at the edge of seaside, basking in the scenery with wide eyes as they watched the few ships still working sail across the ocean's calm waves.
"Hey." Udo suddenly spoke, "If Titans become useless soon, what do you guys think that means for us..? If Eldians lose their use then.."
Udo let his words trail off as he threw a pebble at the water, letting it skip across the surface before the sea eventually engulfed the rock whole.
Perhaps inspired by that little show, Zofia promptly turned to Udo with wide eyes, "I was talking to my neighbor the other day, and he told me that the sea is really salty because he pees in it. Says he does it all the time."
Udo pursed his lips, "That's, uh.. interesting?"
As Zofia continued on about the saltiness of the sea, Falco moved down from his perch on a crate to sit on the ground beside an unusually quiet Gabi. She wore a downcast look on her face as she fiddled with her boots.
"If you're worried about Mr. Braun, he'll be fine." Falco offered reassuringly.
"Yeah. I know." Gabi replied in subtle annoyance, almost a permanent tone in her voice whenever it came to talking to Falco.
The blonde suddenly gasped before pointing out something to his friends. They all turned to see a line of handcuffed men shuffling down one of the port's slips to be escorted onto a ship. The men wore the navy blue uniforms of the enemy, covered in spots of crimson and dirt. Some wore blank faces, others wore looks of deep etched fear with distant eyes. One look and you could tell they were deeply disturbed and traumatized.
"They're enemy soldiers. Probably survivors of the pure Titan attack on Fort Slava." Udo explained before suddenly gaining an edge to his voice, "Just wait until they get back home. They'll become living proof of how inhumane Titan warfare is. Every time this happens, it makes us Eldians look more like monsters!"
Udo was infuriated as he stepped over to a mooring anchor fixed alongside the water's edge for the ships to tie their rope to.
He spread out his arms dramatically as he announced in a mocking tone, "Good people of the world! Let us wipe out the subjects of Ymir!"
Udo brought his foot down on that mooring anchor in a repeated stomp, gritting his teeth in anger as he yelled out a string of profanities. His friends only watched him in either concern or amusement. This wasn't the first time the boy's went ballistic. It was kinda a personality trait of his.
"Udo, stop. Don't hit town property."
The kids all looked behind them to see you and Reiner walking up to join them. You ended up waiting around for Reiner to finish changing, so you got to walk out at the same time together. He seemed grateful for the small company.
Although you weren't injured, you were still recommended to take it easy, so just like Reiner, you didn't get the chance to see the kids after the battle either.
They were absolutely delighted, instantly jumping to their feet to run up to the both of you with big smiles on their faces. Of course, Gabi pounced on Reiner first, yelling wildly in happiness about him walking again. Falco took a more gentler approach, skipping over to you with wide arms for a hug that you quickly embraced him in. He wasn't the small eight year old that clung to your legs anymore. You had a tall twelve year old on your hands now.
"I'm fine now." Reiner reassured the group, " What about you guys? How's everyone doing?"
"Gabi?" he asked the girl with a head pat. He earned a content smile from her, the first her friend's seen in days.
Reiner went for the tallest boy of the bunch next, tousling the mop of brown hair on his head, "Udo? How 'bout you?"
Udo pushed his oval glasses up the bridge of his nose bashfully, "I'm fine, I guess."
Udo was kind of shy around others but from what Falco would tell you, when Udo was just around his friends he had a totally different side. While he might've lost his temper more than a few times, he was generally a sweet kid and cared fiercely about others. He almost reminded you of Bertholdt in a way. He was also one of the candidates who want to inherit your Spiked Titan. He thinks it's spike-launching capabilities are amazing and, in his words, 'couldn't wait to shoot his enemies'.
"Zofia? How are you?" you joined in to Reiner's badgering. You twirled her ponytail playfully.
"I'm alright." Zofia smiled politely before giving you a quick side hug.
While Zofia's personality was, well.. eccentric, she always held a serious expression on her face. She had mono-lid eyes the color of sapphires, a slim greek nose, and a unique ash-brown hue to her hair. She wasn't as friendly as per se Falco and Udo, but it didn't take long at all for her to get close to you. You always caught her making sarcastic and random comments that cracked you up, and she appreciated that you found them interesting. You almost saw her as a mini version of Annie, without the icy demeanor of course.
Zofia wants to inherit the Spiked Titan too. She told you once that she favored your Titan because she 'likes it's vibe' and she thought it looked cool. But really she just thought you were cool, so that made the Titan cool.
"And what about you?" Reiner asked Falco, who immediately raised up his hand in greeting. But the boy was barely able to utter a word before Gabi piped up again, jumping between you and Reiner.
"Hey! Did you two hear? They're gonna take us back to Liberio soon!" she exclaimed excitedly before grabbing both you and Reiner's hands, "C'mon! Let's explore while we can."
She was tugging you and Reiner towards the busy town, despite the man's protests, before Falco yelled out to the rest of you. You all turned to see him still standing near the water's edge.
"Mr. Braun's healing. He probably needs to get back to bed soon." Falco suggested with a worried look.
Reiner wore a small smile as he walked up to the boy, giving him a gentle head pat as he reassured, "Don't worry, I'm alright. You think (Y/n) would let me come out if I weren't?" he chuckled.
"He's right." you chimed in loudly, "Reiner's served his time in my book."
Gabi dropped your hand to cross her arms in irritation, "Yeah. Maybe you should go back to bed, Falco."
"No! I'm coming with you guys." Falco determined as he ran to catch up with the rest of you.
"Whatever. Let's go there first." Gabi announced as she latched onto your arm. She led you closer to a building you quickly recognized to be a bar, so you slowed your feet.
Luckily someone beat you to the punch.
"Hey, wait," Udo burst out, "Commander Magath said that place is only for lonely adults."
"Are you sure? Cause I just saw him go in." Zofia deadpanned, making the rest of you laugh.
As they chattered amongst themselves, you and Reiner led the way to a different part of town. But as you walked and talked, you couldn't help but feel that something was.. off. You didn't feel at ease, like there was something you should be worried about. Call it intuition if you will. The tips of your ears were tingling, a cool chill running down your spine that made you shudder.
You abruptly turned around. Your eyes were frantically moving around for anything that seemed weird to you, but you found none. There were only other Marleyan soldiers walking around, including some locals— Wait what was that up there...?
"What's wrong?" Reiner nudged you gently, temporarily snapping you out of your focused staring at something— no someone standing...
You shook your head in disbelief.
That couldn't be right.. I'm seeing things.
"You okay, (Y/n)?" Reiner asked, more like demanded. He grabbed your arm to make you look at him more clearly, searching your face for any signs of sickness. Your whole group was looking at you now, shrouded in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine.." you turned around to continue walking, and eventually everyone else fell into step with you. You released a nervous chuckle.
"For a minute, I almost thought I was being watched."
to be continued!
word count: 6.3k
a/n: thanks for reading and leaving so many comments!! y'all are hilarious lmao. it always makes my day.
until then! love u, be safe <33