I don't regret anything I wrote in here🫶🏻
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"Our sister was sick when she was an infant," Zeke spoke as the Jaeger brothers watched Carla carry the baby in her arms. The small human let out coughs every minute as Grisha tried to examine her. "She was gravely ill, wasn't she? She should have fallen at this point."
"I think she's getting worse," Carla's voice shook as she bounced her up and down. "Grisha... What if she..?"
The committed doctor shook his head. "She won't. I will commit everything I have into making sure our daughter heals," he said, completely sure of himself. "If it means going to extreme lengths, I will. I will always do anything for my children."
Eren's face remained vacant as he watched his family and sister struggle, meanwhile, baby Eren was in his room as he waited for his sister to come back. The brothers watched the whole day, seeing the horrible state the infant was in. That night was restless for her. The nursery was dark as the twins were sleeping somewhat peacefully. The brother slept with no issues while the sister continuously shuffled in her sleep, rolling on her sides. In the living room was Grisha, who was stressing about his daughter's health.
Something glowed in Eren's pocket, making him remember what he picked up in the sand after attempting to ditch Zeke in the paths. He reached into his pocket and held it in front of him, a glowing blue glass-like fragment. Along with it was a glowing trail of sand that crawled into the crib the sleeping girl was in.
As he walked over, he hovered the fragment over the baby. He could feel it pulsing. Eren was well-aware that the fragment would give you a chance to become a Titan shifter.
"Eren... What are you..?" Zeke watched as his brother hovered the glass over the crib.
In an instant, the piece of glass shattered, and small pieces fell on top of her like snow. It was as if Eren cast a spell on her and all they had to do was wait for the next day. She stopped shuffling around and instead found a comfy position to sleep in.
"Hey, my beautiful girl," Grisha hovered over his daughter who was slowly awakening. "Mama made breakfast for you and your brother. You hungry?"
Instead of the usual coughing, she reached out her dad's face with her small grabby hands. Grisha noticed this and instantly picked the girl up from the crib. "You're... not coughing? Is this real?"
Zeke watched in shock at the happy family moment. As he put the puzzle pieces together, he gave Eren a confused look.
"Eren... how are you able to do that?"
...
A blinding light appeared in front of you from where Zeke and Eren med and you saw a centipede-like figure come out of Eren's neck, connecting it to his severed head in Zeke's hand. The whole district started to shake and the walls shattered into pieces as Eren's Titan roar nearly deafened you. Reiner kicked you off hard and started running towards the girl that was stranded next to the wall.
You didn't go after him, of course, and instead looked around for Jean and Connie. You hoped that they were able to avoid getting crushed by the flying pieces of the wall.
"[Name]! Get out of your Titan form!" you hear from one of the rooftops, seeing Connie and Jean safe and sound, along with Falco. Not wasting any time, you crouched your Titan down on the floor before you realized that Bianca wasn't nearby.
No, you shouldn't be worried about her right now.
As you rose from your Titan's nape, you looked up to see a boulder flying toward you. You quickly freed yourself from the flesh of your Titan, flying toward your two nearby comrades. The chaos around you was so loud that you couldn't hear anything Connie and Jean were saying. All you could do was stare up at the big bony Titan that was overwhelming to see.
"The shit's gigantic..." Connie gasped.
"Eren's still on our side!" you stated with relief in your voice. "He's gonna crush the global alliance with the Titans here!"
Jean cupped his ear towards you, "The hell did you say? Say it louder!"
"EREN IS STILL ON OUR SIDE!"
"Wait!" Connie shouted as he glanced back at Wall Maria, which was no longer composed. "What the hell?! Even Wall Maria's gone! Does he need that many Titans?!" he pointed a finger, making you and Jean look over.
Your relief quickly shifted to pure confusion at Connie's point. Shiganshina's walls would've been just enough to defeat the global alliance, but Eren took down all the walls. Wall Maria, Rose, and Sina were all gone and all the Titans were to trample the world.
"Hear me. Subjects of Ymir."
In a blink of an eye, you saw yourself in the familiar dark blue space full of sand. After you blinked again, you found yourself back on the rooftop.
"Was that Eren?" you mutter to yourself as you looked around. The place blinked back into the Paths.
"My name is Eren Jaeger. I'm addressing my fellow Subjects of Ymir. Speaking to you directly through the power of the Founder. All the walls on the island of Paradis have crumbled to the ground. The legions of Titans buried within have begun their march. My only goal is to protect the lives of the people of Paradis, the island where I was born. Right now, the nations of the world are united in their desire to exterminate my people, and it won't end with our island. They won't be satisfied until every last Subject of Ymir is dead. I won't let them have their way. The Titans of the Walls will continue their march until every trace of life beyond our shores is trampled flat, and the people of Paradis are all that remains of humanity."
The tears brimming at the edges of your eyes trickled down your cheek as you heard his voice speak to you. You couldn't tell if you were scared, sad, or both as you wiped them.
"Mikasa, Armin!" You called out to them after shaking yourself out of your thoughts. Quickly running off the rooftop, you, along with your two friends, flew over to where you saw your closest friends on another rooftop.
"It's over," Jean carried Falco on the roof as he tied his hands. His voice sounded almost relieved. "Maniac or not, I never would have thought Eren would slaughter everyone who lives outside the walls. Bet when he's done, everyone who hates us will be dead. The entire outside world was a threat to our existence, and now it's going to be trampled flat and left empty. These people called us island devils. Said we'd kill them all unless they killed us first. We became what they thought we were, and we're doing what they feared we'd do because we have to."
"In the end, it's on them. This is only happening because the world picked a fight and lost. There wasn't anything that we could have done differently, was there?"
"But," you mumbled, "Eren's going too far with this. He's committing genocide against the whole entire world..."
"Well then. What do we do?" he inquired, "Should we stop him? Think about it. Eren tricked Zeke and kept him from castrating us all with his euthanization plan. Historia could've taken the Founder, but Eren opposed it because it would cost her life. He did this for his friends."
'You guys are more important to me... More than anyone else.'
What kind of person are you to doubt your own brother?
Before you could say something, a distant thud from afar interrupted you. All of your eyes darted over at the loud sound, seeing Titans going after your soldiers. They smashed their hands into the houses, killing them.
"But why? Eren's using the Founder's power," Armin stood up from his knees. "He should have total control over all these Titans."
"Who cares why?!" Jean stepped up, "They're eating us! Let's go and help!"
Before Jean could take action, he didn't realize the kid that was in under arm before Mikasa mentioned it. "Jean, wait! What'll you do with the kid?" she asked, holding out a hand.
As he glanced down at the wiped-out kid, an unsure look went on his face. "I don't know, but when he turned, I think he ate the Jaw Titan."
You nodded, "He did, but what are you thinking?"
He looked up at you from the boy, "I'm thinking that we can use him, feed him to one of our guys who Zeke transformed. We can bring someone back. If we find Commander Pyxis, then--"
"No." Connie stopped him from speaking, making you all glance at him as he stood straight. "We save my mom. Take him to Ragako and feed him to her. All right?"
As his words processed through your mind, you stood up and you attempted to reason with Connie. "No, wait. Zeke told us this boy was one of Marley's Warrior candidates, remember? Reiner and the rest of his unit supposedly treated him like a little brother. What I'm saying is, the war is over, and feeding him to your mother would only cause another mutiny between the two sides. We'd end up getting nothing out of it--"
The boy looked at you, seemingly offended as you saw how he turned his body to you. "What?" he scrunched his brows. "You think bringing my mom back is nothing?"
Gasping, you tried to clarify what you conveyed. "What? No, Connie I didn't mean it that--"
Before you could finish your sentence, you felt the man grab you by your ODM strap that hung over your shoulder with one hand. "For four years, I had to watch her lie helpless in the ruins of my home. Do you have ANY idea what that's like?"
You could feel his hold tightening on the strap, making it feel impossible to escape from his grasp. The only thing in your head that you were able to think of was how Eren held you back at the restaurant before hurling you into the cabinet.
"Hey. Back off," you hear Mikasa threaten with her teeth grinding against each other. "You're making her uncomfortable, Connie!"
"Let her go, Connie." Armin had his fist clenched at the sight.
Her words fell on deaf ears and he persisted. "You were lucky enough to have Armin revived! Well, my mom can be with us too, now! You're just Eren's--"
"Oh please! You're lucky enough that there's a chance to revive your mother!"
"CONNIE! [NAME]!"
Armin quickly dove toward you as an incoming Titan ran toward you and Connie. Jean accidentally dropped the kid, making it the perfect opportunity for him to seize him. You looked up to see Connie fly away with the boy underneath his arm.
"Connie, wait!" Armin shouted after him but to no avail.
"There are no walls to keep the Titans off us now."
...
You and the others started to take down the Titans around HQ which gave you a sudden feeling of deja vu. Jean ordered the Cadets to get to the top floor with extra supplies and thunder spears. After everyone did as they were supposed to, all the Titans were now assembled around the HQ.
"Now! All at once! Fire!"
The first surge of Titans was a breeze as almost everyone collaborated with Jean. Commandant Shadis lead another group of Cadets toward the HQ to lure and crash the Titans into the building.
As you equipped the thunder spears onto your arms, you glanced down at the Titans as they crashed into the HQ and saw Commander Pyxis as a mindless Titan. You were so thankful for him saving your necks from canon fire all those years ago and it would be right to put him out of his misery.
Armin did the final blow to him and sent him off.
The remainder of the Titans were being put down by the other soldiers with spears or their blades. Shiganshina was on fire at this point.
All of the Titans were gone, so now what?
You ridded yourself of your gear in the supply room and luckily met up with Niccolo and the Braus family. Mr. Braus wanted the three of you to come down to where his family was, along with a certain someone who wanted to talk. "Mr. Braus, we're glad your family made it back," you say with the best smile you can do.
"Back at ya," the man said before signaling you, Mikasa, and Armin to follow him down the stairs. "I'm glad ya'll made it through okay. Apologies for givin' you even more to deal with."
Armin gasped at the sight of the girl from the restaurant with her hair tied back. "It's you. Why are you here?"
"Believe me," she spoke passively with a hand over her chest. "I'm not gonna make any more trouble. I just want my friend back. So, please. Let Falco go."
You looked at her with guilt, knowing well where Falco was and that she would not be happy at the news. "I swear, you'll never hear from either of us again!" She then noticed the not-so-good expressions on your faces. "Where is he? What's wrong?"
Walking towards her, you came out truthfully about the situation. You and Armin explained the situation with Connie and his Titan mom and she thankfully understood it almost immediately. Although, her eyes were filled with anxiety as she listened to you.
"So, his mom got transformed into a Titan and he's gonna have her eat Falco? But why?" She asked with her arms straight at her side and her hands in fists.
"When Connie's mom got turned, the limbs on her were so weak she couldn't even roll over," Armin explained to her. "We left her, and for four years, Connie's been visiting her."
"Wait, four years?" Kaya inquired, just as shocked as Gabi.
Just before you were about to say anything, the girl fell on her knees in front of you, seemingly stuck in a state of despair. "I'm so sorry... But still, I can't let Falco die for it!" She clutched onto Armin's sleeves with tears on the brim of her eyes. "Can't Eren Jaeger just use his power to turn Connie's mother back to normal? They say that the Founder's supposed to be able to do anything, right?"
"I can't say for sure, but if Eren could do that, I think he would've done it for our comrades that Zeke turned into Titans instead of leaving them for us to kill." Armin assumed.
"If you don't know for sure, then why can't you go and ask him?!" She rocked his arms back in forth, pleading for an answer. "Does every person beyond the shores of the island really need to die? He doesn't have to go that far, does he? Ask him why he doesn't just destroy all the military bases! Isn't that enough?!"
"He had the power to strip the armor off Reiner! Don't tell me he can't!"
"What?" you murmured to yourself, stuck in your thoughts on how Reiner's armor was taken off.
"Can you tell us where Reiner is now?"
"What does it even matter?! Reiner and Bianca got hit with chunks of the wall and are too weak right now!
Crouching down to the girl's level, he sat his hands on her shoulders. "You're telling us that Reiner's hardening came undone? When? When did it happen?"
Gabi's hands fell off to her sides. "He said it fell off him as the walls were collapsing."
"Annie..."
"I'm going after Connie," you hear Armin say as he stood up, heading back up to the stockpile room. "Gabi. We'll go to Ragako right now."
"R-Really?!" She beamed, nearly bawling in tears. "Please... I need to make sure Falco is okay. I'll do anything."
As Armin stomped off towards the supply room and everyone disassembled, you followed behind Armin with a worried expression on your face.
"Are you sure you're able to make it in time?" you asked, walking into the room and watching Armin get his gear on. "Also... What would you say if you did manage to catch up with him? Tell him that his mother's gonna have to stay a Titan? Is that your plan?"
Adjusting the straps on his legs, he looked at the floor before backing up. "Yeah, I do," he spoke. "Even if I am bound to fail, I still have to do everything I can possibly do to save Falco. If we don't Gabi will never trust us. It's extremely crucial that we try and win her over. Reiner, Bianca, and the Cart are still out there and I firmly believe that she's the best hope here. I'm going to be honest, all I wanna do is sleep for days straight. The actions we choose right now could heavily impact the future."
"He can't go through with this! So yeah, I'll tell Connie that his mom is gonna be a Titan forever!"
The blond stood up from the wooden bench keeping his head down. "See you."
"Wait," you watched as he paused right in front of the door, waiting for you to say something. "Could I at least... come along with you?"
"No. You stay here."
"Then what should I do?"
You felt guilty for asking him such a foolish question, but too many things were bouncing around in your mind at that time. A wave of guilt came over you as you spoke those words, knowing well of what pressure Armin was under and you adding fuel to the fire.
"Jean and Mikasa could use your help," he pointed out with his eyes looking down at the floor still. "From this point on, you'll have to figure things out yourself."
"So what will we do about Eren then?"
"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?!"
Armin turned around on his feet, making you instinctively take a step back as you were wary of his hands waving around you. You were startled by Armin's voice that suddenly raised at you that you didn't realize how terrified you were.
"What makes YOU think we can do anything?! Hange and Levi are probably dead right now and Floch's taking everything over! Annie's most likely back in action as well! The military has been shattered completely and it's complete CHAOS! Historia and the Azumabitos are probably in danger, along with Niccolo and the volunteers... Can you get that in your thick skull for once?!"
"Huh..?"
"Eren's a lost cause at this point and here you are, worrying about him when he seems to be completely FUCKING fine! Get your mind off your god damn brother for one minute and be useful for once! Why can't you understand anything so straightforward when it's placed right in front of you?! Are you just that insensitive?!"
Armin gasped. He caught the way your eyes were observing his hands the whole time and didn't recognize that you weren't looking at him in the eye this whole time. It was then that he caught on to how alert you were in those very few seconds of his anger and stress being forced on you. The tears forming at the edge of your eyes made him realize that he went too far on you.
"No, I didn't mean..." he couldn't find the right words to say. "[Name]—"
In a faint voice, he heard you mumble "Sorry" as your eyes gazed down at the wood boards below you. "I shouldn't have said anything... I'm so sorry."
You didn't want Eren to hurt him at the restaurant, but here he was, hurting you deeply.
You put yourself against Eren and protected your two friends and got this in return.
"If you were talking to Commander Erwin right now, there's no way he would've snapped at you like that," you hear him say, making you look up at him in surprise. "I guess we know for a fact now."
His dullened eyes met yours, "Captain Levi saved the wrong person. He should've chosen Erwin."
"You..."
Right as he touched the doorknob, he looked back at you with the same regretful eyes. You wanted to cry from all the tension that was building up inside you at that moment. The feeling of your heart dropping was a feeling you didn't want to feel. You wanted to kill that sensation for everything it did to you. You hated it so much.
"Just," you struggled to find the right words to say to the point where you started to have a painful headache. "Just go already. Be safe."
He took one last glance at your fatigued, red eyes that haven't been able to rest for days on end. The tears in your eyes glossed the surface of your eyes, giving them an additional shine. You strolled over to the window on the other side of the room while Armin opened the door before saying his final words:
"I love you."
The door shut, and the company of Armin vanished before he could hear your reply;
"I'm sorry for being inconsiderate."