I wasn't sure how to react when Wilbur walked towards me, but my instincts forced me to take a huge, stumbling step behind Reiner. The last thing I needed in this chaos was having to face a family member again.
"Where the actual hell..?!" My brother looked pissed off, more than anything. "Where's Dimitri, huh?! I've got words to spit at that deserting asshole!" Every part of my body was clenched tight, and it took every shred of my willpower not to lose it.
"Why don't you ask Nicholas..? He's the one who pushed us off the wall like our father ordered..." I growled, and I felt Reiner shift so that he was further between us.
Baring his teeth, Wilbur closed his fists, but didn't make a move to swing them.
"Like hell..! Everyone knows he ditched the Garrison! Your whining sent him all over the place, and he took off with you! I half expected you to be dead already..."
So, that's what all of you were fed...You idiot...
Wilbur had always been one of my father's little followers. He had that ticking temper, and the same hard eyes, but his face resembled our beastly mother, just like his twin, Felicitas. It was impossible not to recognise him after the many kicks and shoves he'd lain upon me.
"Th..think whatever you want...It's not the time for this shit..." I muttered, tugging on Reiner's shirt. "We gotta go find the others..."
"Oh no, you're not weaseling out that easily..!" Wilbur wanted to get to me; I could see it, but the fact that the human tank, Reiner Braun, was standing in his way seemed to throw him off. Sure, he had a bit of muscle, but he was no match for the cadet. "You know dad's dead, right?! Nicho and I swore that if we ever found that traitor, we'd get him good! Where is he?!"
"Didn't you hear her, you little shit..?" Reiner took a hulking step forward, and Bertholdt mirrored his power move, with less intimidation, from behind. "We've got to go. I suggest you focus on what's important, instead of making more mess." That was the first time I thought the blond looked truly terrifying, as he curled his lips back and rolled his vast shoulders.
Wilbur wasn't a complete moron; he knew when he'd been beat, but he didn't drop it.
"All I want...is to know where my brother is...It isn't any of your goddamn business, but I can see she's got to you, too...What? Is it her body? That's all a harlot like her could ever be good for..."
Did...it suddenly get really hot..?
The temperature seemed to rise as we all stood there, silent and still. The only sound I could hear was the rattling of my gear as I tried to keep myself composed.
"Bertholdt...Could you take (Y/N) and start looking for Marco and the others..?" Reiner glanced to his slightly lanky friend, who looked taken aback. Above Wilbur's aggressive complains, he opened his mouth in a splutter.
"B..but...Reiner...I-"
"I'd very much appreciate it." Instead of heat, a fierce chill licked up my spine when he spoke, and before I knew it, Bertholdt was gently coaxing me away with a hand on my back.
"H..HEY! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE, (Y/N)..! DON'T GO WHINING TO OTHERS TO FIGHT FOR YOU LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! I SWEAR TO FUCK, WHEN I TELL MO-"
"D..don't listen to him, okay?" Bertholdt stole my attention away as he leant down to whisper in my ear. "Let's go and meet up with the others." Putting my trust in Reiner to calmly handle the situation, I followed him willingly. My mind was reeling as he zipped and jumped through the crumbling ruins of the city, but I still managed to keep up.
If mother finds out...that's it. I'll be forced to go back...I shouldn't have saved him...
"Bertholdt! Man, have you seen M-" I skidded to halt before I crashed straight into Jean, who landed directly in my path, along with Sasha and some timid wreck of a man named Daz. "Y..you're alive!" I didn't at all expect Jean to grab hold of me, but when I saw how glossy and red his eyes were, I didn't dare say anything against it.
"Y..yeah...So it seems..." I murmured, giving him a few moments to regain control over his pride and push off of me abruptly. "L..look...The wall seems to be sealed, so...we need to keep clearing the excess titans who breached. The Special Operations Squad should be over the wall by now, too...so we have a good chance..."
"Wow, (Y/N)...You sound so smart and strategic now!" Sasha pointed out, tilting her head. "Does this mean you're our squad leader for this? Cuz I'd be all for it!" Startled by such a suggestion, I shook my head and backed into Bertholdt, who steadied me in a fluster.
"Oh...n..o...No, I have too many things on my mind to see straight...Uh, one of you should head it...B..Bertha or Jean..."
"Ber...tha..?"
"Yeah, shhh, that's your name now. Anyway, one of you two, or Reiner, if he manages to catch up...I'm not a good choice, really..." I waited for them to make their decisions, but that was a bad move.
"So, (Y/N) is makeshift squad leader! Lead the way!" Sasha announced, and nobody said anything against her.
Well...great...Fucking great...
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***timeskip brought to you by Mike's big, sexy sniffer (because I can't write fighting for shit)***
My entire body burned and itched beneath the thick coating of evaporating blood, and I was starting to feel the drawbacks of taking on so many kills without a break. I was certain my gear was going to leave bruises, and my dodgy shoulder was screaming silently as I tried to push on. Reiner had rejoined us during the onslaught, but I hadn't had a chance to speak to him as of yet.
Completely out of sorts, I was searching in every possible direction for signs of a titan, but I couldn't spot a single one.
"L..look!" Daz almost screeched as he pointed to the sky, and I followed his gaze to see a thick, yellow streak of smoke cutting across the sky.
"W..we did it..." Jean murmured in disbelief. "We...actually did it..!"
A chorus of shouts and cheered erupted across the city, but I just opted to plonking myself down on the rickety roof tiles and catching my ragged breath. Pulling my hands up to my face, I saw blisters beginning to form on my palms, and I spat out a bug I had picked up as I was flying between buildings.
"That was some crazy fighting out there, missy! You'll make one heck of a captain one day!" I nearly jumped and skidded off the edge of the rooftop when a loud voice shouted right next to my ear.
"H..Hange, what the hell?!" I complained, trying to rub the ringing away with a finger. "N..nope...Don't wanna do that...Can I just have a few minutes to, like, sit down before we start cleaning up this mess..?"
I don't wanna even think about who we might find...
She sat down beside me as the others both cheered and mourned in the background, nudging me with her elbow.
"Seriously, you were pretty hardcore! I can see why Levi has his eye on you!" She laughed, softening when I offered her an annoyed glare. "All of you handled this well. It's safe to say that humanity is in good hands."
Humanity this...Humanity that...
I didn't flinch when Levi landed a few feet away, completely ignoring the graduate cadets as he walked over and crinkled his nose at my less-than-pleasant appearance.
"Why did I even bother to expect you to be somewhat clean?" He sighed, nudging me in the calf with the toe of his boot.
"Beats me..." I replied sourly, resting my head on my knees. "Why do the annoying ones always find me when I'm dying?"
"We don't have time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, girl. On your feet and start with the cleanup. We're gathering at the inner gate to collect supplies." Levi explained, kicking a loose tile off onto the ground below. Perking up, my (E/C) eyes narrowed into slits as I stared at him.
"Wh..what happened to brat..? Did you hit your head..? You feeling okay, Ackerboy..?" Hange snorted and slapped me in the back, knocking what little air I had left out of me.
"Looks like you got an upgrade, missy!" She wheezed, wiping a small smudge off her lenses. I would have been lying if I said I didn't feel just a little chuffed, but that feeling was completely overpowered by what I was being forced to do.
"Give me a minute, Levi...I'm sore...and everything itches..." I whined, kicking my legs like a child. Suddenly, everything went black, and the strong smell of black tea leaves and aniseed tickled my nose.
"Clean yourself up a bit first...If you don't, I may just blow chunks all over that baby face of yours, you shitty girl." Levi mumbled, and I heard him whizz off with his gear. Scrambling my way out of the darkness, I realised he had dumped his pristine hood over my head, and I blinked down at it in a complete stupor.
Hange was making googoo eyes at me, and I pressed my gorey hand right into the middle of her face.
"You're creeping me out. Quit it..." I grumbled, forcing myself to stand up, using her smug mug as leverage, which didn't seem to phase her one bit.
"No promises!" She leapt up after me, spinning around and clearing her throat to gain the attention of the other cadets. "Listen up, you lot! Great job out there! Really, that was some brave fighting! Now, I'm sorry to say, we've got to get a move on and start cleaning this place up!"
So...this is where it really gets dark...
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***I forgot Daz existed for like a decade - Anyway, sorry I sped over the battle side of this arc. I suck at it oof
Also I was gonna add updated sketches of the family, but I haven't finished them yet...so...next chapter sksk***