"Why is your hair so fluffy? I mean, how dare you have fluffier hair than me...a woman...It's just plain rude..." I muttered mostly to myself as I rode upon Mike's shoulders, combing through his blond locks. I had discovered over the past two days that it was the most efficient way to avoid everybody else, and the captain didn't really seem to mind it.
"Eggs." He said casually, tapping his fingers against my ankles, where he was keeping me steady. I had already tumbled off twice. Once screaming at Jean for startling Boy, and the other because I had sneezed a little too violently.
"Oh. That's...unique..."
Mike and I had forged one weird relationship, that was for sure. I was like the little annoying parrot on his shoulder; literally, squawking and chirping his ear off, and he just accepted it. I had even fallen asleep either on or against him multiple times, and I had heard rumors that he had threatened some of the louder soldiers, blackmailing them with suggestions of their insubordination. He was the one person that felt safe enough to openly care about.
"I need you to assist with the head count, (Y/N)." He tilted his head to look at me. "The main reason you're here is to get in close, so I hope you won't mind gritting your teeth and playing nice." I flopped over like a ragdoll; the two of us completely unphased that my breasts were smooshed right up against his head, and groaned in complaint.
"Mimi...I don't wanna get down. There are people down there..." I irked, and he jostled his shoulders a little, causing me to shriek out and cling to his ears.
"Are you saying that you don't see me as a person? I'm hurt." He teased, sticking his majestic nose in the air. Faking a sob, I slid down his back with all the grace of an uncooked sausage, crumpling on the ground.
"Woe is me...I hurted my best fwend's feewings..." I mocked him with a loud, feigned sniffle before erupting into an unrestricted cackle as he lightly prodded my ribs with his boot.
"Would you please do it? For me?" He looked down at me, and I caved. He was one of the only people who hadn't ordered me around like some kind of animal, and I felt like I owed him some form of respect. He helped me to my feet, and I patted him on the arm as I walked past.
"Sure...for you..."
It really was crowded inside the large cottage, and the stink of body odor was almost overwhelming. I made straight for the usual people, having to squeeze and shove my way through.
"Well, if it isn't Captain Piggyback?" Ymir was the first to notice me, but zipped her lips the second Krista shot her a cranky glare.
"Ymir! Sorry, (Y/N)! How are you feeling? Sorry about the other day, we didn't mean to upset you..."
How the actual fuck can somebody be so painfully adorable? It's illegal?
"I'm fine...Thanks, Krista. No harm done..." I skipped my eyes over Jean, who had turned his head away in what I could only perceive as disgust. "Just checking in. How are all of you doing? I bet you're pretty bored..."
"I'm sneaking out." Connie spoke up, and I was a little taken aback at how frustrated he sounded.
"Connie, shhhh! She's an acting captain!" Sasha clipped him over the back of the head, but he just waved her off before turning to glare into my eyes.
"What, you gonna tell on me? My village is nearby...to the south...I wanna prove to them that I really made it..." I knew how he felt; wanting to prove ones self, and crossed my arms, looking away to the side.
"Huh? What was that? I didn't hear a thing..."
I get it...Go for it, baldy...
Surprised, Connie offered me a very faint smile, leaning his chin back down on his arms.
"Thanks, (Y/N)..."
"Do you think we'll be allowed to go home anytime soon? It's so cramped here..." Bertholdt asked me, looking around nervously at all the people, and I shrugged.
"I really don't know, but I hope so. If one more person calls me ma'am, I'm going to piss in their boots..."
"Uh, yuck..." Connie and Sasha; who looked like she was dying on the table, said in unison, cringing at the vulgar language I had picked up from a certain ravonet.
"What? I swear, I really will pi-"
"HUH?!" Everyone in the vicinity flinched as Sasha jolted upright, grabbing hold of Reiner's sleeve. "I HEARD THE GROUND RUMBLING! IT SOUNDS LIKE FOOTSTEPS!" My blood ran cold as she trembled, and I found myself taking a step back, reaching for my metallic scabbard.
"What are you going on about, Sasha..?" Reiner raised a brow, but he looked equally as startled as the rest of us. "If you're trying to say that there are titans here...You do realise that would mean they've broken through Wall Rose, right..?"
But...her senses are usually spot on...I'm not-
I snapped out of my confusion when Sasha delivered a brisk slap to the side of Reiner's face, then following up with one hell of a punch. It was then I noticed Nanaba; one of the soldiers from Mike's squad, coming down from the roof, flinging the window open abruptly.
"Is everyone here?!" She asked in a panic. "We have multiple titans nearby, five hundred metres to the south! They're walking this way!"
Fuck..!
Without a second thought, I bolted outside, easily ducking and weaving my way through the chaos, and whistling loudly for Boy, who was thankfully nearby. Now on his back, I turned my attention up to the roof, where Mike was standing and looking out over the grassy vista.
"Mike! What are we gonna do?!" I called out to him, and he glanced in my direction with slightly wider eyes.
"Gather everyone upon their mounts, and I'll explain the plan!" He shouted back, and I hurried to do exactly that.
Once everyone was on the move, Mike explained his idea. Splitting up into several teams, we would spread out in every direction. The southern squad would have more people, considering that was where the breach occurred, and that was where I was stationed, along with Mike, himself.
"S..sir! They're starting to run..! Why the hell are they running..?!" One of the soldiers screeched out, and I turned to see a hoard of the nudist bastards sprinting towards our platoon. I could see it in his eyes before he made a move. He knew it was a stupid idea, but of course, as a squad leader, it was his duty to do so.
"Gelgar! (Y/N)! Take command of the southern team!"
Like fuck..!
Nobody had a chance of stopping me as I whipped around and followed Mike back in the direction of the containment area, and I could hear many of those familiar voices shouting out after the two of us.
"They're going to act as decoys?!"
"A man and a child against nine titans?! No!"
"Squad Leader Mike is second only to Captain Levi! And that girl was hand picked by the slayer and Commander themselves! They'll get through this!"
"(Y/N), YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
"DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON US, KIDDO!"
Yeah...we've got this..!
Everything was a blur for the next ten minutes. Mike didn't say a word to me once he had realised I had followed, but we worked flawlessly as a team. Kill after kill, we didn't take a breather until there were only four remaining. Back to back on the roof, I felt him nudge me with his elbow.
"There's four left...I say we make a break for it and catch up to the others..." He murmured, bringing his fingers up to his lips to call for his horse.
"Y..yeah..." I panted, mirroring his movement. "...couldn't agree more..."
'FWEEEEEEEEEEEE'
The pair of us, while waiting, turned to look at what appeared to be an abnormal, lurking a few hundred metres away by the trees. It was disturbingly large; at least seventeen metres, and covered head to toe in thick, brown fur.
"I don't like the look of that abnormal..." Mike sniffed, slightly moving to stand in between us.
"Neither...do I...It's fucking ugly..." I clicked my tongue, using the grip of my sword to rub at the itch the evaporating blood left upon my face. I spotted Cissy galloping towards us from the south, a short distance away from that hideous abnormal, and I narrowed my eyes.
Where the hell is Boy..?
"At least one of them made it back...For now, we can double, at least until-" Mike's voice died out as the unthinkable happened. That giant, hirsuit titan moved at a startling speed, snatching Cissy up in its hand. Blood splashed from the gaps between its fingers as it squeezed, but then, like it knew exactly what it was about to do, it looked at us.
There was nothing soulless about those beady spheres, following every trace of movement as we stood in complete shock upon that roof. My hand slowly reached up and grasped onto Mike's jacket, tugging so lightly he likely couldn't even feel it.
"M..Mike...H..hey...w..we need to..."
I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence.
At a speed none of us could ever have ever imagined, the titan pitched that poor horse right at us. Mike shoved me as hard as he could out of the way, but I still ended up being caught in the impact. Falling was so similar to how it had felt all those years ago, except this time, I could see a titan's jaws instead of the ground. Some bug-eyed little fuck of a thing, reaching out with grabby toddler hands, just waiting to taste us.
"GET HER OUT OF HERE!" Mike's voice came out in a shrill crackle as I felt something squeeze tight around my waist, and suddenly, I was getting farther and farther away.
"L..LET GO OF ME..! MIKE..! MI-" I choked on my cries as I heard it. That haunting sound I could never seem to escape from.
C R A C K
The titan had Mike's legs in its mouth, biting down and sending what I could only imagine to be excruciating pain throughout the man's body. He went out of view for a moment, as I landed with a thud with whoever had stolen me away, and I tried to get away from them. I wanted to save Mike; at least save somebody, who meant so much to me.
"(Y/N), please..!" A familiar voice whispered shout hissed directly into my ear, and I struggled harder. "W..we need to go..!"
No no no NO! Not again! This can't happen again! Not to Mike!
Just as I was about to make a huge mistake; readying to grab for my swords and strike my captor down, we both froze solid. Our bodies felt colder than winter frost as we heard a deep, warped voice that belonged to something sinister.
"Wait."
W..wait..?
I turned for a second; eyes rounder than wagon wheels, and met the same shape in blue. Still keeping a painfully strong grip on my arm, he edged closer to the tree-line with me, holding me back in case I made a break for it. The beastly titan was crouching over Mike and the bug-eyed fuck, scowling as the latter started to crunch down again, eliciting a horrendous scream from the squad leader.
"Wait...I just told you...to wait..!" It had definitely been that furry titan who had spoken, as it reached down, taking hold of the smaller creatures head and annihilating it in one flex of its hand. Mike fell to the ground, dragging himself backwards and staring dead ahead.
Mike...please...run...just run...
"What do you call that weapon..?" The titan asked him with a somewhat calm voice, tilting its head and motioning to the odm gear. Mike didn't reply. All he did was shiver and stare, unable to make a sound. "The one on your hips, that you fly around with."
Tell him, Mike..! Just say it! Maybe it'll let you go..! It's giving you a chance, here..!
The remaining titans surrounding the area were as still as stone, patiently waiting for the beast to give them some kind of signal. I knew what that signal was going to be, and every muscle in my body contracted, fighting against my heart and mind, which were begging me to save him, even if it would cost me my life.
"Huh...I'm sure we speak the same language..." The beast titan hummed, scratching behind its ear with a slender finger. "...but I guess you're just too terrified to talk..." The man I admired so was quaking before the creature, his mouth opening and closing without so much as a breath escaping from betwixt his lips.
"P..please...Mike...I'm begging you...S..say something..." I whimpered, barely even speaking.
"Shhhh..." Nicholas hushed me shakily, still clinging onto my arm.
"So, you're using swords? That must mean you know we reside in the neck..."
We...Reside in the neck...Piloting...Murdering...
"Have it your way. I'll just take it with me..." Before I could cry out, Nicholas slapped his hand over my mouth, hunching over me from behind to shut me up and keep me from racing in blind. The bloodcurdling scream I heard tear out of Mike's throat ripped me to shreds, and I watched him throw his body flat to the ground, covering his head and sobbing wildly. One of the strongest men I knew had completely broken under the shadow of one creature.
This...isn't happening...
The beast plucked Mike's gear from his hip with skilled fingers, turning away and beginning to walk back towards the south, holding it up to examine the shimmering steel contraption. My eyes flew back to Mike, who had forced himself up onto his knees, and I could see; even from so far away, that those azure eyes had just a whisper of fight left in them.
Use that strength...to run...I'm begging you...
"As long...as we keep fighting...we haven't...lost..!" The sound of his voice pulsed through my system, but for all the wrong reasons. The beast turned its head slowly; expressionless, and pursed its leathery lips.
"Oh, right...You can move now."
I cursed the fact that Nicholas was stronger than me as those titans began to move, but even as I struggled with every ounce of power I had, I couldn't look away from Mike. The expression on his face was the epitome of surrender as he was engulfed by scorching pink, and I would never be able to live a day of my life without hearing his terrorized screams of agony in my head as he was ripped apart.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" I wasn't sure where I struck Nicholas with my elbow, but the moment I was somewhat loose, I was above the hoard. My swords were a part of me as I indiscriminitely slashed and swung, screaming out Mike's name and hoping; praying, that I would hear an answer. During this onslaught, I blacked out, but when I came to, I was surrounded by evaporating blood and flesh, steam wafting up into the greying sky in spectral, churning spirals.
Too...late...
I wasn't even sure which pieces belonged to the man once known as Mike Zacharias. The strong, silent guy who had lifted me upon his shoulders and taken me under his wing for the past three days. The man second only to Levi Ackerman. The human who had succumbed to what I could only describe as the most humiliating death in history.
My legs couldn't hold me up any longer. The pain in my shoulder as I collapsed onto my hands and knees was nothing as I stared at the gore in front of me. Every movement was searing as I crawled towards the scraps of brown material I could see, through thick, burning pools of crimson. My fingers would hardly work as I pulled at the tattered remains of Mike's uniform jacket, dragging it towards me and pulling the stained, reeking patch to my chest.
This world...is cursed...We...are cursed...We're all going to die...Mike is dead...Everyone's going to end up dead...because they know...and they're stronger than us...
I knew Nicholas was standing behind me. I somewhat recalled him joining me in my rampage, but he stayed silent, knowing I needed to process everything on my own. In complete shock, I sat back on my legs and stared at the bleeding mountain of scorching corpses, already melting away to the bone.
"N..Nicho..." My brother's name came out in a whisper, and in seconds I could feel him crouching down beside me, quivering nearly as much as I was.
"I'm here...I..I'm sorry I couldn't...let you jump in...I just...couldn't..." He didn't finish his sentence. Or maybe he did; I couldn't even fully understand the noises coming out of his mouth, but I couldn't stop myself from grabbing onto him and burying my face in his chest.
"He's...dead...and we're...all dead...It spoke...It knows...The titans know..." My strangled whisper clawed at the insides of my throat as I sobbed, still clinging desperately to the shred of material, with that damned symbol of the impossible.
"W..we'll be okay...You're okay...We need to get out of here...W..we don't know how many more of them are nearby...Can you walk..? Do you want me to try and find your horse..?" Nicholas was honestly trying to help, but nothing he was saying was making any sense to me.
Mike...You were so...scared...but...you still...How could you still..? Is that...what we're meant to do..?
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***MIKES DEATH WAS TOO MUCH FOR ME AND I'M DEADASS GONNA SUE ISAYAMA FOR DOING MY BABY BOY DIRTY LIKE THAT***