THE OMINOUS BUILDING towered over you, the dark night giving the structure an even more creepy vibe. it was tall and simple, but also old. the painting was peeling off and surprisingly, there were no windows. it screamed like an abandoned building but the fact that it was in the middle of a dead street with no houses around, only trees and flowers, it was a perfect hide out for someone like MARLEY. nonetheless, you were a bit confused to its structure or place. just a few streets down you passed pieck's fairly large house and a couple more, then it turned creepy and murderous when you realized that the street just had this creepy building standing in the middle.
yup, this is the exact address. you recalled.
taking a deep breath, you strolled over to the lone metal door with a slight frown. you ignored the pound of your heart and pushed the door open, cringing when it started to creak. you peeked inside and your shoulders sagged, seeing no one inside but an elevator instead attached to the wall. you stepped in quickly, looking around the dull grey walls of the small room. you frowned; it felt like it was a scene from men in black where a very advanced technologies and large rooms awaits once you step inside the elevator. luckily, there were no aliens or a person guarding the room like in the movies so you had no trouble getting inside.
the elevator slid open and as you stepped in, the dreadful feeling was now back again. you tried to shrug it off and pressed the single button the elevator had. your breathe hitched and your heartbeat was erratic than ever; you weren't prepared for such a stealthy mission. your knowledge about sneakin in only came from movies, there's a huge chance you'd die soon. the elevator opened and you were face-to-face with a fairly normal hallway. the walls, ceilings, and tiles were a bright color of white and as you cautiously traveled the lone hallway, you were met with more hallways left and right and a bunch of doors. the corridors were now filled with what looked like to be scientists (or doctors, you had no idea) and there were some guards patrolling the hallways with their hands gripping their gun. you ducked behind a wall and gritted your teeth, if you didn't blend in, you'd be staining the pristine walls with red.
you looked around once more and when the coast was clear, you quickly headed inside a normal-looking door. you let out a sigh of relief once you realized it was a closet, filled with lab coats and other clothing. "damn, i feel like a spy!" you muttered, grabbing a white lab coat that fits you. luckily, it had an id clipped in so if anyone asked, you could show it to them. you looked around once more for anything that could cover your face before spotting a box filled with face masks. grinning, you left the room and read the clipboard you bought in concentration to look more real.
you passed many guards and doctors, which you luckily tricked. one doctor even asked you about 'mermaid alpha' (which you guessed was the heir and the first mermaid they captured) and her vitals, to which you replied that it was good even if you had no idea what you were talking about.
the bright hallways and corridors was slowly making you go crazy. you've walked multiple times and entered many rooms but never did you see a mermaid inside (except for a couple making out but that was the least of your problems). you only had two hours and you wasted a few minutes of looking around, if you didn't get the mermaid back to the merfolk, who knows what would happen?
you groaned and pushed the face mask down, "ugh, where is it?"
"ah, y/n."
your blood ran cold and your pulse was the only muscle that moved after hearing your name. your back was turned to him and you were contemplating whether or not to run away and catch the others' attention or just make a deal. as if he would, you gritted your teeth and slowly turned around.
your eyes was met with sharp ones and your shoulders tensed up once you realized that your best friend was pointing a gun straight to your head. reiner's grip never shook, in fact, it only tightened. "reiner... it's nice to see you. thought you'd be out there swimming with the mermaids." you dragged out, ignoring the fact that your legs were shaking and you could fall in any second.
reiner looked a bit surprised but instead, shook his head. "i knew you'd be dumb enough to do something like this," he grunted out. "did those soldiers wanna-be send you here to save their kind?"
"yeah, they did, how did you know?"
he rolled his eyes and lowered his gun for a bit, but it was clear that he was still on alert. his body was tense and upright, his stance ready to pounce if you try to get away. not like that was your plan, with reiner, you were always going to lose. "it's still a wonder to me how you managed to befriend a mermaid, y/n." he sighed out before pursing his lips, "not 'befriend', that blond mermaid with you was your boyfriend, huh?"
unconsciously, your cheeks heated up and you narrowed your eyes before crossing your arms over your chest. "so he's the reason why i got rejected, huh?" he chuckled out awkwardly.
you bit the inside of your cheeks and didn't answer, making the blond sigh out in response. "look, you have to leave." he ordered, "if someone found you here and noticed you're an outsider, you're going to die."
"and why are you telling me this?" you hissed out, "i thought you're going to kill me."
he furrowed his eyebrows and ran a hand across his face, "you're still my best friend," he whispered softly, "but you have to leave, now, otherwise i'd be forced to kill you here."
your heart fluttered at the sincerity of his words but you didn't back down. this was your mission, this was your fault and you'd correct it. "thank you but i can't. this is another living being, reiner! it's not like you to do something like... this." you gestured around you, "reiner, you're kind-hearted and nice, don't tell me that the reiner i befriended was just a cover-up?" you asked, your voice laced with disappointment.
the said male swallowed a lump in his throat before answering, "i had no choice, y/n. my life is tied to them, i owe them." he hissed.
the hallway turned silent and only did you notice that there were no other people around. it was just the two of you. you watched the blond's face warp from anger to sadness, his worry lines disappearing as he frowned.
"look, you need to go, i won't tell anyone that you were here." he offered, putting his gun away before taking a step towards you. despite your slight fear of the blond, you didn't move away and instead shook your head.
"no, i need to save that mermaid you captured." you told him, "and if i have to die while doing so, then i'll gladly jump in front of a truck."
reiner narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose before slowly exhaling. "you're so stubborn. i told you that you'll get yourself killed because of it."
you grinned at the long memory and reiner's posture finally loosened. he leaned backward and turned around, "why do you even want to save them so much?"
without hesitation, you answered. "because i'm a marine biologist, and my goal is to save any creatures in the sea from our selfishness. no matter what they are."
reiner stood at the middle of the hallway, silent. "fine. if you want to save that mermaid so much, you can turn right from this hallway and turn left two times and you'll see a lone door at the end." he scowled, "but have fun getting out, i won't help you anymore."
the blond began walking away, leaving you dumbfounded. you had no idea if it was a trap or what, but you were going to try. you cleared your throat, "why... why are you helping me?" you asked, your hushed voice filling the serenity of the air.
reiner turned around and shoot a wink, "you're still my best friend and best friends help each other." he said, "that and i still like you." he chuckled once before disappearing through the corner while you stand in the middle with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.
after shaking that familiar light feeling off your stomach, you ventured down the hallways and followed reiner's instruction. as you neared the last hallway, you noticed the lone door at the end. bingo! you thought before sauntering towards the door, making sure not to rise any suspicions to the passing doctors. you pushed it open and quickly went inside, shutting the door behind you. you heaved a sigh after removing your mask and looked around, seeing a few glass windows at the top walls where it showed some computers at the other side.
and just in front of you, was the mermaid you were looking for. MARLEY had the decency to cover the female mermaid in a lab gown, which you applaud for knowing that female mermaids don't wear seashells as their bra. she had her eyes closed, her blond locks sprawled over the hospital bed she was laying in. at first, you thought she was dead, but there was a monitor just beside her that showed her heartbeat and any vitals. it was normal (or as far as you could guess) and trailing the blonde's arm was a long iv, connected to a clear liquid packet that stood tall beside her.
you guessed that the glass panes at the wall were used to monitor her from afar, kind of like the scenes in anime that you watch. before you could even look around more in wonder, you shook your head and focused at the task at hand. you have your sights on the target and you have no time to dilly-dally. you have at least an hour and a half to take her back to the beach. you reached her side and placed an arm behind her back and tail after removing her iv carefully, inhaling deeply before using all your strength to carry the blonde.
surprisingly, she's very light.
before you could even make theories as to why, you quickly headed to the door. you opened the door just a tiny bit, looking through the crack in case there were people walking about. seeing the hallway empty and clear, you quickly dashed out and shut the door behind you. the hallways were a maze but you had no time to think how to leave, what you need to do is hide and run about in case a doctor notices that their project was missing.
ducking to another empty hallway, you familiarized it to be one of the hallways that was near the elevator. grinning, you were about to run off when you heard multiple footsteps stopping just behind you.
"stop and give us the mermaid, doctor." you froze and took a deep breath, biting the insides of your cheeks. it was chilling how familiar that voice was, and as you slowly turned around, only now were you disappointed more than ever.
in front of you were your friends.
porco, who had his gun trained on you, wavered and his grip loosened until the weapon clattered to the ground in shock. you jumped at the echoed sound, taking a step back in caution. your eyes showed nothing but sadness and disappointment, your grip tightening on the sleeping mermaid in your arms.
your friends stared at you with wide eyes, not ecpecting to see you. "y/n..." pieck was the first one to speak up, and you found yourself frowning.
pieck was absent when reiner told you that the beach was closed off, as well as for the remaining days, and this building was literally close to her street.
how come you never suspected the others? sure, you were a bit wary of the people around you, but you never told yourself that they could also be part of MARLEY. you were hurt and just surprised; you should've known better.
the others were acting weird, too, after all.
"y/n, what are you doing here?" annie asked after a few seconds of silence, her tone cold and firm. you got used to the coldness of her voice but it was only this time did you find yourself afraid of her.
you didn't answer, just staring at their faces with pursed lips. zeke and reiner was nowhere to be seen; the people in front of you were your friends whom you suspected least. oh, how wrong you were.
"give us the mermaid back, y/n, and no one gets hurt." pieck coaxed, holding her arm out as she took one small step forward. you unconsciously pulled the mermaid close to you, staring at them with watering eyes.
"this isn't like you guys..." you choked out, "you'd never hurt a living being."
they looked at one another, having second thoughts. they still gripped their guns tight but it lowered, except for annie's and pieck's. you bit your lip and shifted your gaze, "why would you hurt another kind who just wants to live?" you asked softly, letting the question sizzle.
there was a heavy footstep behind you and only did you realize you were trapped. you smacked your teeth together and felt a presence just behind you, but you didn't turn around. "please don't do this, guys... will you really hurt a friend who's trying to do something good?"
appealing to their human emotions didn't look like it was going to work but porco had his eyes trained on the ground and bertholdt was looking away, sweating profusely.
"reiner was right with his suspicions about you." the blond in the group muttered, smacking his teeth in frustration.
"hand over the mermaid. now." annie barked, "i won't repeat myself."
"and if i don't?" you challenged, returning the sharp glare she formed. the blonde raised her gun and before you could comprehend what was happening, the person behind you grabbed your shoulder and pushed you backwards.
you gasped as you stumbled, but you remained your balance. you looked forward and only saw your best friend, his arms spread wide as he pointed his own gun at the group. you gawked, "r-reiner..."
"run." he ordered, not looking back. annie scowled and cocked her gun, not hesitating to point her own weapon towards the blond. the rest was quiet, tensed and anxious at what was to come next.
you bit your lip, contemplating of leaving the blond to the bloodlust group. "b-but--"
"run!"
with a terrified squeak, you turned around and quickly fled the scene but not before hearing annie scowl. "you fucking idiot, magath's going to kill you." you heard her say, making you shut your eyes tight before continuing to run. your heart started to ache and your breathing was now erratic, anxious and scared for what was soon to happen.
heavy footsteps were now filling your eardrums, but as of the moment, you could care less of what was happening. you needed to escape.
the sight of the elevator filled your sight and you grinned, picking up the pace before pressing the down button. you waited for a couple of seconds but a slow, calm clicking of heels caught your attention.
you turned around and your breath hitched. zeke.
he was slowly making his way towards you. panic was clear in your eyes and you pressed the button repeatedly in hopes of speeding up the process, but all the color in your face drained once he stopped just behind you.
cocking his gun, the dirty blond pointed his weapon straight at your legs. "zeke, let's not do this..." you mumbled, glancing at the elevator behind you. you cursed internally at how slow it was; you couldn't possibly keep zeke entertained for a long time unless you intend to die!
"reiner was right. it's too bad that he's still in love with you," he chuckled out with saddened eyes, "sorry it has to end this way."
the elevator slid open and you entered in one swift motion, startling the blond at your sudden action. before he could focus on his target and put a bullet through your legs, the doors slid close and the bullet he shot embedded through the metal. your heart picked up its speed after hearing the gunshot but you soon relaxed when you realized that you're still alive and no wounds. your legs were already shaking and if you didn't lean at anything soon, you'd fall down. you glanced at the mermaid in your arms, looking at the innocence and beauty she was oozing off.
"i'm sorry..." you whispered, hoping that she'd hear it.
the elevator stopped and you gulped, silently praying that there were no people pointing their gun at you when it opens. luckily, you were right. you let out a sigh of relief and quickly left, running away from the building in a speed. you ignored your burning legs, e/c hues squinting at the dark as you look for your car that you parked quite far away.
that was an idiotic move, you groaned.
you could hear the distant shouts of people not far from you but before you could panic about it, you finally spot your car. you opened the passenger door and placed the mermaid inside carefully before taking your spot in the driver's seat.
with a triumphant grin, you drove away.
you were lucky that the streets were empty, with no cars or people in sight. you went past the speed limit, which you found yourself shaking your head at, in order to reach the beach faster. if MARLEY was going to get their mermaid back, they know your destination was the ocean and they'd be coming soon. carrying the blonde mermaid in your arms, you entered the beach with rushed footsteps.
your lungs started to ache and you still haven't caught your breath from all the running earlier. you adjusted your eyes at the dark, catching three- no, four silhouettes at the spot where you and armin met for the first time. your eyes glittered and your stomach fluttered, a huge smile on your face as you skidded to a stop in front of them.
you fell down on your knees and gave them the mermaid, which hanji quickly carried in her arms. she was looking at your trembling form with wide eyes and a gawk, "y/n... you did it!" she exclaimed with a laugh, showing to her comrades the heir. erwin glanced at you and gave a small smile as you catch your breath while levi only nodded approvingly, not saying anything.
"i almost died," you mumbled to yourself. the three frowned after hearing you, but they were still thankful. this was the first time they got to win against a human, with a help from another kind one.
"thank you, y/n, we owe you a lot." erwin placed a hand on his heart and smiled, "and thus, we fulfilled the condition you wanted."
they moved aside and you looked up, your eyes watering as you caught sight of the blond that captured your heart months ago. "armin..." you whispered, throwing yourself to the smiling mermaid. you ignored the fact that the water was seeping through your jeans, as you were too busy hugging the blond tight after days of not seeing each other. after learning of the tragic news that he'd die.
finally, after a long time of waiting, he was here.
"i-i missed you--"
your voice cracked and the tears you tried to hold in finally spilled, mixing with the water droplets on his skin. armin wrapped his arms around you tight, pressing a kiss on the side of your forehead.
finally. you have him again.
his warmth made you snuggle in to his hug deeper, it indicates that he was alive and well. his sea salt scent was exhilarating. you pulled away and cupped his cheeks, tears streaming down your face from both in happiness and sadness. you stare at the face you missed so much; from the way the wind ruffled his bangs, his electrifying stare with his sapphire hues, to his plump lips that you longed for. you couldn't hold yourself back any longer. you pulled the blond in for a kiss, which he returned in a rush.
the kiss was passionate, heated. armin's arms tightened around your waist, pulling you closer to feel more of you. soft lips pressed harder against yours while tears continued to fall down your closed eyes, relieved that he wasn't dead. the two of you took your sweet time, savoring in each other's warmth and love. your heart pounded, that familiar feeling of electricity surging through your body as you get drunk on his kiss.
he's here, alive and well. with me.
you pulled away after your lungs started to hurt. s/c flushed from both in embarrassment and from the cold night. your eyes never left his shimmering sapphire hues, never taking your sight off your lover as if he would suddenly disappear in front of you or someone would take him away. "you're here..." you whispered, thumbs grazing against his soft skin that was also littered with his own tears.
he smiled so bright it could compare to the sun, and your heart fluttered. oh, how you missed his smile. "i'm here." he whispered in a comforting manner, closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead against yours. "i'm here again, with you."
"i'm sorry," he added quietly, "i got caught and i-i don't know, i was about to die b-but then something happened and hanji called for me and--" he shook his head and frowned, "i'm sorry, i'll do better next time." he joked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, earning a questioning look from the three.
levi cleared his throat and stepped in, breaking the love-filled atmosphere with a tone of seriousness. "hey, we don't have all day, tell us the plan." he uttered, earning a glare from the brunette who was quite enjoying the happiness and slight angst in the air.
nodding towards the mermaid, you turned to the blond in front of you with a determined smile. this might be the last time you'll see him, and you won't allow yourself to show the blond that you're hurting.
PLAY THE VIDEO.
"armin, you can still save your kind," you told him with the softest voice possible, "remember what happened one hundred years ago?"
the blond furrowed his brows and looked at you with confusion. he was silent for a few seconds but it finally dawned on him. his eyes widened and he shook his head, "no, y/n--"
smiling ruefully, you nodded. "yes, armin. you have to get rid of our memories again and move far away."
"that's- it might actually work," hanji murmured from behind them.
your eyes shifted to the sleeping mermaid, your heart aching as you saw her once again back in the hospital-like room. your heart sank as you imagined your lover in her place, and that was when you knew you couldn't allow MARLEY to win. you turned your attention to the blond, who started to shake as he sobs. "no, y/n, please... i love you, please, i don't w-want to lose you again--" he cried out, looking down while gripping your shirt tightly. just the thought of leaving him once again...
you felt your heart breaking to pieces after hearing his voice crack. you couldn't hide your tears too at the thought of being alone again. you didn't want to do this, you didn't want to do that plan, but what choice did you have?
this was your fault, and you were going to correct it.
"i know, armin, i don't want to do it too." you choked out, "but we have no choice. i wasn't careful in the first place, someone saw you. i don't want you to experience what your heir almost experienced back at MARLEY."
the blond stopped interrupting you, as if he was finally seeing the reasons to do what you suggested. he still didn't want to do it, but you had a point. grinning despite your tears, you grabbed his hands and gave him a squeeze of comfort. "armin, if this happens again, there's a huge chance your kind will be wiped out... do you want eren and mikasa to endure what your parents felt long ago?" you whispered, gripping his chin to make him look at your eyes.
"you have to, armin." you told him, "for your kind, for me..."
you looked behind you and gritted your teeth, seeing lights flashing at the entrance and a bunch of deep voices from multiple men. "armin, we don't have time. do it, please?" you said in a hurry, your lips quivering downwards.
he took a deep breath and nodded, smiling despite the pain and heartache he was feeling. "okay..."
don't leave me, please. you bit your lip and looked down, hiding the tears that continued to stream down your face. "let's meet again soon." you told him, earning a small smile from the blond. it brought comfort to the two of you, even if it seemed so unreal.
you have no reason to cry, as you'd forget all of this soon enough. but the memories you cherished, the touches you got so used to, armin, they're an important part of you. losing them would be losing a part of your soul.
just thinking about being in armin's place, you couldn't fathom how painful it would be for him. he'll live for many years to come with memories of you and your love, but he wouldn't be able to see you anymore.
how terrible fate was to separate the one that brought you happiness from you. and this time, it was for good.
armin crawled towards the water where the three were already waiting for him, gripping their spears in case of an attack. seeing the other three slowly swim underwater made you burst into tears, a painful cry leaving your lips as you reached out to the blond. "i don't want to lose you." you whimpered, clutching your chest upon feeling your heart contract and ache. memories of before started flashing like a movie, retelling your story. his story. the story of us.
before he could disappear completely from you, armin slowly turned around. the wind ruffled his bangs and tickled his reddened cheeks, he watched you with broken eyes before slowly flashing an innocent smile while his sapphire eyes glinted under the starlight.
and you found yourself falling all over again.
"we'll meet again, okay? we still have to read to each other."
a/n: one more chapter before this book ends! aaa i can't wait, this is very exciting. i already foreshadowed/spoiled what would happen in the end from the last two chapters or so, it's only a phrase and i'm pretty sure i emphasized it lol. (can you guess what it is?)
i hope this is angsty enough, i never know because i don't cry when i write an angsty one lol