trigger warning: brief mention of suicide.
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"Ah..." Chi sucked in a sharp breath when everyone finally dispersed, a jolt of pain tingling across every inch of her body. She gritted her teeth and crumpled to her knees, a hand over the bullet wound on her shoulder. The blood was already seeping through the white fabric of her button-up shirt. Levi encircled his arms around her shoulders; just then, he realized the gravity of her injuries. She was losing blood quickly.
"Chi!" he gasped, his eyes shooting to glare at Jean who stood guilty, holding the rifle in his trembling hands. "Sasha, get the needle and thread!"
She grabbed the supplies, but Chi shook her head vigorously, reminiscing about the people in white coats—Violet being one of them—prodding her with needles and metal tools. The memories flashed across her mind in bouts of terror. The faint memory of pain pricked her skin and she pushed Sasha's hands away when the younger girl came close.
"No!" Chi protested when Sasha neared again. "No—no needles, I mean... I'm fine!"
"You're not okay," Levi scoffed, holding her gently. "You always say that, you idiot, and you're never right."
A small smile curled on Chi's lips, a tiny glob of blood meeting its corner from a tiny gash on her cheek. "Not quite the reunion I was expecting, but I'll survive. It's not much to worry about."
"If only a certain fool hadn't been so trigger-happy," Levi growled, glaring daggers at Jean. Jean shivered and looked at the ground in shame.
Rolling her eyes, Chi shook her head. "Cut him some slack, Levi. I saw everything that happened between all of you and the Military Police earlier. Jean isn't alright, and he has every reason to not be okay. I understand why he's so tense."
"You were that hooded figure?" Mikasa asked in disbelief, her thoughts elsewhere as she stared at the bullet hole in the wooden frame. "I was wondering who it was. You finished off those other policemen, didn't you?"
"You goddamned idiot!" Levi cried, pulling away the cloth on Chi's shoulder. "Those people were skilled murderers! What the hell were you thinking, running into battle like that?"
Chi put on a cheeky smile, and though her face was smothered with dirt and blood, it was that same, warm, brilliant smile that everyone missed. They needed a healthy dose of it. "Do you really think I wouldn't have, given the choice?"
Levi breathed a pent-up sigh and managed what looked like the faintest smile for a flicker of a second. Hoisting her up into his arms, he stood, saying, "I was afraid you were going to say something else, idiot. But that's something you'd say. I truly missed these stupid answers you always gave." Chi flushed, covering her face with her hands.
"I hate it when you say these things," she said in a muffled voice as Levi carried her over to a stacked pile of hay bales, setting her down carefully.
"I don't care." He turned to the others. "Sasha, Mikasa, I need the both of you to finish tending to her wounds as quickly as possible. Please help her clean up, as well."
"No," Chi denied, clinging onto the fabric of Levi's shirt. "Can I spend some time with you for a bit? Alone, just the two of us?" She turned an even darker shade of red as the younger soldiers each caught each others' gazes and traded devilish smiles before casting winks in Chi's direction and leaving. Even Levi was surprised to hear her make such a request, but perhaps this really was what they needed.
Settling into the straws beside her once the others had disappeared from view, Levi asked quickly, "Are you alright?" He enveloped her with his arms and gently caressed every inch of skin he could; her face, her neck, and her hands, all the while dropping kisses on her forehead and the corners of her lips.
"I'm fine, I already told you," Chi laughed. "But before anything else, I have to—I have to apologize." Pushing his lips away, she whispered, "I can't remember everything. The last thing I can remember from before the moment I woke up was when I jumped off of the—the roof. After that, I have fuzzy memories of you—" Levi's shoulders stiffened and her voice faltered.
"What are you—" Levi began, but Chi cut him off.
"The thing that stands out the most is the look on your face before I was kidnapped. I put you through so much pain, and I'm so, so sorry because of that." Gently cupping his cheek in her hand, she apologized profusely. "I can't believe I said things like that to you, even though I'd forgotten a lot of things. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that image. I'm so sorry, Levi. I hate myself for making you suffer." Her vice grip on her shirt made her knuckles turn a pale white. "I don't deserve you at all... not one bit."
A few moments of silence passed.
"You can shut up now," Levi scoffed as he pulled Chi closer, burying his nose in her hair. "Do you really think that's going to stop me from loving you? You suffered a battle between blades and guns to come see me—to find me! That alone and a million other things disprove everything you just said."
Chi tried pulling away again, furrowing her brows. "But, Levi—"
"I told you to shut up, didn't I?" Taking away the remainders of her breath, Levi leaned in and stole another deep kiss, this one lingering and full of longing. "I wouldn't care even if you were the one to kill me. I'd still love you forever, you idiot."
~~~~~
Night fell.
The sky was covered in stars that glittered brilliantly; they glowed so much brighter than Chi had ever seen before. She sat leisurely beside the crackling fire with the others gathered round, but Sasha was busy keeping surveillance. Armin had recovered enough to shake himself free from his breakdown, but Chi could see that when she looked at his eyes, they were as empty and haunted as the dead of night. There was a heavy atmosphere among the wanted criminals, despite Chi's return. It seemed that everybody had not yet entirely recovered from the events of that day.
Everyone was quietly snacking on a piece of rationed food that tasted rather similar to tree bark.
"What's the matter, Armin?" Levi asked, both the young boy and himself being the only one to hesitate with their portions. "Can't eat in a filthy little horse stable like this?"
"No," the boy replied, his snack hovering in front of his mouth, waiting to be devoured. A few moments of deathly silence was laid upon them until he spoke again in his hollow, feeble voice. "Jean."
"What is it?" Jean answered slowly, his eyes steadily trained on Armin.
"There's... there's one thing I don't understand. When I was trying to draw my gun, I honestly didn't think I would make it in time. That woman already her her gun pointed at you... and still yet, how come I was the first one who pulled the trigger?" Another cold silence followed and Armin repeated Jean's name, begging for an answer through his large, terrified eyes.
"Because she hesitated for a moment," Levi answered instead, his demeanor nonchalant. "Right?"
Jean gritted his teeth and breathed a shaky sigh, saying, "Armin, I'm sorry. This is all because I didn't shoot."
"Oh," Armin murmured. "So that's how it was. The person I killed must've been a nice person... someone more human than me. I pulled the trigger right away, but I—"
"Armin," Levi interjected. "Your hands are already dirty. You can't return to how you used to be." There was yet another short silence, but this one was broken by appalled gasps and disbelieving stares when everyone realized the direness of his words.
"Why would you say that?!" Mikasa demanded, astonished. Even Chi punched his shoulder in distaste, eyeing him indignantly.
"Accept your new self," Levi continued blatantly. "If your hands were still clean now, Jean wouldn't be here, would he? You were quick to pull the trigger because it seemed like your comrade was going to be killed." The dancing fire cast sinister shadows across his elegant features, framing his bloody past and reminding the soldiers of its presence. "You're sensitive. You knew that in that situation, you couldn't just go halfway. You knew that in that moment, if the goods, the horses, and your comrades were lost, there would be no hope ahead."
Chi shifted in her spot, leaning over to grasp his hand . Everyone stared solemnly away from each other—at the fire, the ground, the sky—anywhere but their comrades.
"Armin," Levi addressed. "We were saved, but only because dirtied your hands. I thank you deeply. You have done us an immense favor, so please... do not fret."
It seemed the night would be full of silences; there was yet another one, but this one was much different. It seemed to uplift the spirits of everyone, even the tiniest fraction of light returning to Armin's sparkling eyes.
"Captain," Jean said hesitantly. "I—I thought your way of doing things were wrong. No—that's what I wanted to think, because I was afraid of hurting other people. I am the one that is mistaken. Next time, I'll definitely shoot. I'm sorry I didn't think before I accidentally shot Chi."
"Yeah," Levi spat like venom. "It's your softness that put us in a bad spot."
"I—I'm sorry." Jean bowed his head, ashamed, but it was raised again at Levi's next words.
"But what's done is done," Levi shrugged. "I won't say what's right or not, because I don't know, either. Were you really 'mistaken?'"
"I agree," Chi chimed in quietly. "But I know—I know a way we could stop all of this."
"Stop all of what?" Connie asked, finally speaking up.
"Everything. Well, I mean—stop the titans."
"You've found a way to stop the titans?" Mikasa cried in disbelief. "You've got to be bluffing. Do you even understand the situation we are in right now? We are trapped in this cage that is growing smaller and harder to live in by the day. We're the only regiment with the effective means to take out titans—and even then, heavy sacrifices are made; but we're wanted criminals within these walls. Not to mention, the titans are endless, and we don't have the means to magically destroy all of them. There's no way—"
"Actually, there is. I'm serious." Standing, Chi raised her left hand and beckoned to what looked like nothing in particular, but two hooded figures suddenly landed beside her on both sides. They came from above, in the trees. The others sitting round the fire jumped to their feet, poised to run or attack.
"Guys, it's safe," Chi reassured them as the figures slowly rose to their feet, their faces hidden in the shadows. The others took their time to lower their hands, but Levi stayed tense. "I'd like you guys to meet some... friends I made while I was away."
The two figures dropped their hoods to their shoulders to show eyes of a fiery gold and hair colored identically like chestnut.
"Meet Clare and Alabaster," Chi introduced, motioning towards the two beside her. Then she pointed to herself. "My name is Chisaki Matsumoto, and I am a science experiment. I am the way I am today because as a newborn child, as the nine hundred and ninety-ninth attempt at a weapon to fight against the titans, I was injected with the DNA of the very thing I strive to exterminate everyday. I am part-titan."
"What the fuck?!" Connie shouted, his eyes bugging out of their sockets. His jaw dropped and he held his head. "How is this even possible?!"
"You mean, you can shift?!" Armin sputtered, his mouth wide in astonishment.
"Should I be afraid...?" Jean asked himself, looking torn between screaming or laughing.
"No, no," Clare said, shaking her head. "We're still human, too. Part-titan, not one-hundred percent, ya weirdos. Also, we have feelings, too!" She stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms.
"Excuse her manners," Alabaster apologized, shaking his head. "Clare's a bit of a fool, and she doesn't really know any better. It's better if you don't listen to a word she says."
"Shut the hell up, you jerk!" Clare seethed, glaring at Alabaster. "We just introduced ourselves. You don't need to act like a total dick already!"
"I will when you stop acting as if you have a stick shoved up your ass, idiot."
"Where have I heard that nickname before...?" Mikasa wondered aloud, tapping on her chin.
"Guys, guys!" Chi shouted, and they quieted. "I really want to get to this. Goodness. As I was saying, the other nine hundred and ninety-eight of experiments before me had 'failed' and were abandoned. Little did the experimenters know, no Deviants—I mean, not a single one of the experiments had failed. Clare and Alabaster are just like me. The only difference between us is that they started showing results much later than I, but we are all the same; we are all as one. We are the Deviants." She wrapped her arms around the other two's shoulders and pulled them close, their faces next to one another. "And we Deviants, all nine hundred and ninety-nine of us, are your key to stopping the end of humanity as we know it. We must start at the root: the titans."
"What're you trying to say?" Levi asked slowly, his eyes narrowing as they surveyed the newcomers before him. "You're sure they're with you?"
"I'm absolutely positive," Chi answered with confidence, her eyes shining with an intense fire. "They're my family, Levi."
"Ooh, so this is Levi, huh?" Clare cooed deviously, a cheshire smile crossing her lips when her eyes landed on the well-built frame of humanity's strongest. "I've heard allllll about you!"
"Aside from that!" Chi cut in, diverting the topic. "There have been several methods in which humanity has tried to save itself, but as of late, our luck has not been the best. There is a way we could take the titans down—the old-fashioned way, a total no-brainer." A smirk curled on her lips, a confident grin growing on her determined expression. "As the Corps take care of the injustice happening inside of the walls, we Deviants will go and take 'em down. All of 'em. Meaning, all nine hundred and ninety-nine of us are going to leave the walls and kill every titan in existence, one by one. We are going to take back our freedom with our own hands!"
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I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING AT THE GIF OML AHAHA IT'S JUST EREN IS SO AFRAID OF LEVI BEATING HIM AGAIN AAAAGHHHHHHHHH hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!!! <3