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tetsustation · 2 years ago

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[ BREAKING THE ICE — PART I ]

pairing :: eren yeager x f!reader

synopsis :: eren’s partner is out on injury, or so you’ve heard from across the ice. it’s a shame, considering the fact that they were an award winning pair. for that reason alone, you’re not entirely sure how to react when you’re recruited as her replacement. eren does, however—and the emotion is anything but positive.

word count :: 3.4k

genre :: modern!au, figure skating!au, kind of e2l, kind of hurt/comfort

warnings :: swearing

notes :: i've been working on this for like two years now on and off so i'm posting the first half—there's more than this but I just want to gauge if this is something you guys are actually interested in. no better time than the present!

Where do you belong? That phrase has never been anything but foolish rhetoric to you, and at its core, easy to answer—no where, because no match is made in heaven, no shoe has ever been crafted for your foot, and your fate is nowhere near predetermined. That being said, the closest place you could rule as such is on the cool, shaved ice.

Although right now, you wish to be anywhere but. Colliding with the sleet in a rather dramatic manner, you watch your useless limbs as you glide backwards—giving into gravity until your figure makes a full stop. Perhaps it’s time to throw in the towel after all, you flop onto your back and let the condensation soak your sweater.

“What do you think you're doing?” The exhaustion drips from his tongue, and yet he refuses to drop.

“Napping,” You remark sarcastically—clearly conscious. From a distance, you can hear the scratch of his skates as he glides over.

When coming to a stop, he makes a point of pivoting his feet to send loose snow directly into your face. Sputtering, you sit up—albeit, struggling slightly due to the lack of grip. He’s staring down at you, gloved hand on his hip, he strangely resembles your mother whenever she scolds you for something utterly ridiculous.

Frankly, you have no interest in speaking first, and he catches onto that fact. He releases a sigh that holds the weight of a day's work, before looking around the empty rink, and back down to you.

“Is this your way of telling me you're giving up?”

You scoff, “The rink closes in forty minutes, Eren.” Gesturing to the red, ten foot clock behind him, masked as a scoreboard, “I think this matter might be beyond us.”

And he rolls his eyes at you, the same way that makes your jaw crick uncomfortably. The green looks dull under the fluorescents, but piercing, nonetheless. Sinking to the floor with a steady knee, he leans into you, and as a result you lean back half-heartedly, “As soon the rink opens tomorrow, we’re trying again.”

You go to speak, retort that overworking yourselves would do no good, but as he skates away, he turns around and consequently halts your hesitant tongue, “No excuses!” With that, he’s gone. Hopping off the ice and into the locker rooms.

Flopping back down, you letting the chill soothe your aching calves, you wonder how persistent he’s going to be. Mentally, you curse Jean for convincing you to do this, but then again—if anyone’s going to push you to do your best it's him (and as reluctant as you are to admit it, so is Eren).

A weak groan slips your lips as you use the energy you have left to curve your spine into an upwards position. In front of you, your legs are spread apart as you stretch—but it only sends the shooting pain back up to your hamstrings. These bruises might not ever go away, but a bath might make them feel better—or so you hope.

Mikasa Ackerman broke her ankle a week and a half ago, two weeks from tomorrow. When you heard the news while tying the laces on your skates, you scoffed, “Poor Eren—there goes their qualifier.” It was a little apathetic, you can admit that much now, yet the world loves to play its cruel hand with you because soon enough your own partner had offered you up as bait in her place.

“—She’s great, really! Adaptable and flexible.” Jean argued, pushing you forward by the shoulders to a miffed Eren, “The two of us aren’t going to make it this year, not with our fiasco of a choreographer—but you two, together? I can see the headlines already, man. Trust me.” A piece of meat up for auction, was the only way you could describe how you felt.

“Jean, quit it.” You turned your head to the side, and whispered through gritted teeth (as if Eren wasn’t right there, and couldn’t clearly hear the words as they left your mouth).

“No. If you win with him it’ll be good coverage for the both of us.” Meanwhile, the man staring you down looked more disinterested by the second, most likely not interested in taking a fresh Senior skater in to replace his partner, two months before qualifiers. Honestly, you weren’t too sure why Jean tried so hard in the first place, it was a matter for your managers and sponsors.

Still, he didn’t let up, “If you win this with her, you and Mikasa can take the win to the finals,” you wondered if he fact-checked that, most likely not. “A couple did it in the ‘80s, if you have a viable reason there's a loophole to switch partners between the competitions, so long as the male partner remains consistent.” He explained, rather adamantly.

Eren nodded, not entirely convinced—yet, he didn’t not turn it down completely. Candidly, you weren’t sure which outcome you preferred. Yes, it would be a great opportunity, but then again, you weren’t entirely sure you could reach the bar set high by the skating enigma of Mikasa Ackerman. Eren’s death glare told you, you couldn’t—but Jean’s shook your shoulders so vigorously your vision got cloudy.

“I’ll think about it,” Is all Eren said, and he did.

The next day, Eren took you on as his partner, for the sole reason that he hates losing, especially after putting so much work into this program. Still, he vaguely insults your talent in comparison to his usual partner, which erupts a fire underneath your skating skirt.

As the days pass, Eren only expects more of you, and you can’t blame him. It’s going well, but not as well as it would’ve gone with Mikasa. His coach notices, and so does the choreographer—still you don’t let up, not that he lets you, anyways.

The connection that Eren and Mikasa have is almost telepathic. In all the times that you’ve watched them practice in your shared rink, not once have you heard them speak to each other on the ice. They communicate through eye contact, the occasional nod of a pointed chin—any verbal communication they do is reserved for behind closed doors.

Suspicion is what it arouses in you, but their scores are near perfect in the eyes of all the judges in the province, so there is no grounds to protrude on their methods. Yet, you never expect to take her place, to be forced to cooperate with the King of angry glances, meant to speak a thousand words.

That’s why this is so difficult for you, or at least, that’s the conclusion you’ve come to. Mikasa has come to watch you practice, made notes on your technique and passed a sheet of crumpled note-paper to you after your daily practice, but not enough to make a dent in the supposedly flawless instruction of his—now your—coach.

It’s difficult, and frankly, you miss the days where people just said what they meant. Jean was never like this, you can’t help but think. However, this isn’t Jean, and in a way you're happy it isn’t. An irritating challenge is a challenge nonetheless, and you’ll be damned if Eren Yeager blames his lost ticket to finals on you.

Especially after the number of bruises you’ve acquired, from all the times he’s dropped you.

Deep down, you believe there is a reason why Jean put you up for this program (aside from Mikasa’s obvious injury). Despite Eren’s reserved nature of fending for himself in the rink, the set was for the most part, separated. A collection moves that we're paralleled, adjacent to one another, instead of moves that lie in the hands of both.

That is, except for three instances within the seven minutes in which the classical hymn plays. These are virtually unavoidable. While you can perfect your own moves alone, and mirror Eren’s stature down to a ‘T,’ there’s only so much you can do for yourself when he’s lifting you up with a single hand, palm nearly shaking against his own.

It’s not that you don’t trust Eren—although, it's kind of a stretch to say that you do—the problem at hand is that he doesn’t trust you, because you're not Mikasa and you can’t hold your own against the stiffness of his locked elbows. Or at least, you’ve explained that much to Jean and Sasha on the benches outside of the rink, while adjusting your shoes with vigor.

“It’s gonna be a process to adjust to each other.” Your former partner reasons, stretching out the blades of his shoulders, “The jumps are going to take a while, I don’t suggest pushing it—or you’ll seriously get hurt.”

His vague allude to Mikasa doesn’t slip your mind, but you give Eren the benefit of the doubt, there’s no way he actually would wish malice upon his partner of over a decade. You, however, are unfamiliar to him, he’s not used to your agility, and you're not used to his rigidity. There’s a frozen sea separating your techniques, but Jean is right, adjustment is everything.

“You should talk to him,” Sasha suggests, standing against the glass and watching Niccolo practice his triple axel for the umph time, “If he’s too stiff, of course you’re going to fall.” A hiss slips from her lips as the blonde in the rink misses his landing, wiping out not-so-gracefully.

A yank of the wrist and the sound of strained laces is music to your ears, “I feel like everything I tell him goes in one ear and out the other.” You adjust, “He’s convinced his way is the only way, he’ll listen to me but the second it seems unnatural to him he shifts back to what he’s used to.”

Standing up, you grunt, “When is he going to learn I’m not Mikasa?” It’s a bitter fallacy on your lips, but aggressive nonetheless. It could even pass as a growl, if you listen closely. However, when you hear the door open and close, and watch Eren walk past the bench you're standing in front of with a stoic expression—you hope it’s meek and unintelligible through the glass doors.

Behind him is Eren’s coach—your coach—you stand a little straighter. Levi Ackerman is small, and not very menacing from afar, but he has the bite of a bark and the skills of a lion. In your core, you fear him, but out of respect more than anything else. The coach you and Jean shared was much nicer, but then again, you and him weren’t up for finals, now were you?

“Stretch out, and on the ice in twenty.” He snaps a pointer finger to the rink where Niccolo is currently stepping out defeatedly, “We’re doing the lifts again today.”

The bruise on your hip from yesterday aches at the mention, but alas, your work is cut out for you. Jeans sends a half hearted condolence your way, already marking up how much ice you’ll need for your bath tonight to soothe the pain. Stepping onto the ice is anything but unfamiliar, but today it feels distant—somehow, the momentary skate to Eren feels grueling as he waits for you with crossed arms.

“Play the track!” Levi yells elsewhere, where someone is waiting from the booth above the rink, “I want to see how much ground you covered without me.”

The melody is crisp, and echoes through the rink with a boom. Sometimes you can’t help but like a bat in a cave, this climate isn’t welcoming to the typical person—but you’ve become adept at it after so many years that you can navigate it like the back of your hand. The ice is where you live and breathe, fly to the best of your capability against the push of gravity. It’s freedom, but at what cost?

Eren nods you off, to which you follow him in a series of turns, he glides and you mimic, the two of you look as if you're attached by an invisible string that strains each time the direction of your skates change. The ice comes up in flakes of snow, and they sting your nasal cavity as you take a deep breath in, readying yourself for the upcoming lift.

Levi is standing against the rink, his skates perpendicular to sustain balance, and his arms crossed in premeditated judgment. You’re painfully aware of the fact that he doesn’t expect much from either of you, the condescension of your ‘adjustment phase’ still at the forefront of your mind. Still, he’s there to guide you, you keep going.

“Start crouching! Give him room for the lift!”

A good eye is what Levi has, he can tell you’re milliseconds out of sync, and that's all it takes to send you belly up to the unforgiving ice. Crouching, you make a straight line to Eren—his eyes don’t give you the confidence you need to latch onto his palms and lift yourself, but it’s too late to stop.

Grasping his palm flat in yours, fingers outstretched and face one another, your grip and jump—to which Eren lifts you over his shoulder. The only thing holding you up is the grip on his hand, and he’s barely paying any attention to it, already attempting to move away from the spot in which you hopped from.

It becomes increasingly difficult to keep your legs still, as he moves quickly across the ice—you can feel your forearms shake slightly, and that's all it takes to come tumbling down.

Eren barely has enough time to recapture your hand, before you slip behind him and onto the ice with what might as well be a splat. The blades of your skates clang, and you can feel a multitude of eyes stare down your splayed figure. Only taking a moment to take back your stolen breath, you sit up and brush off.

Never is Eren entirely apathetic, as he skates over and leans down to your eye level, where you're just barely holding yourself up by the frozen heel of your hands, “Are you alright?” His eyes flick downward, falling on your hip, “Same spot as yesterday,” he looks up again, “Does it hurt?”

No shit, you think, ‘Course it hurts.

The nature of his question is polite, but you can tell by the way his hand is twitching that it wasn’t an invitation to rest—instead, he’s eager for you to get back up, refusing to be stopped by something as measly as a fall. Nodding, you grab his hand and hoist yourself back up.

“My bad,” Is all you shout to the room.

“Good.” Levi affirms, “Let’s keep moving.”

The empathy that Eren shows you the first couple of times you fall dissipates as the day goes on. With each flop on ice, he becomes more irritated—clearly frustrated with evident roadblock you’ve seem to have placed in his otherwise ‘perfect program.’ When stepping off the rink, he doesn’t give you a goodbye.

It’s grueling on you, honestly it is. To come in everyday and take his attitude along with Levi’s insistence on perfection. Perfection goes both ways, you believe, and Eren is hardly upholding his end of that promise. The only comfort you find on the rink is Levi, though he can only do so much for you, and you’re not sure if his mild surges of pity are endearing or degrading.

Frankly, you can’t remember the last time you had this many bruises, up down the sides of your legs and alone the cranes of your pelvic bone. The locker room is the last place you want to be, although for the first time in a while you find yourself smiling upon entering,

“Long time no see.”

Jean is propped against the lockers, Niccolo is next to him motioning about this and that while holding up a blunt skate. “You’re one to talk!”

You watch him stand up straight, striding towards you, but is cut off by Sasha who is closer by just a couple feet—having been seated on the bench untying skates of her own. She’s quick to come hug you, nearly knocking you off your feet, but it’s the last tumble you're worried about taking today and quickly reciprocate her affections.

Once your autonomy was returned to you, you walked over the bench and threw a leg over the other end so that you were straddled—a stretch that always made you feel comfortable enough to sit for long periods of time. It all felt too familiar—the red plastic beneath you, and the friendship you seem to have neglected over the past couple of weeks—while training with Eren, he became your life, and the rest faded to fuzz and scratched ice.

They smiled down at you like you were the face of the hour, an enigma, it wasn’t praise but from the people who established you at this rink—you couldn't help but feel some sense of gratitude as they spared you their silent approval.

“So,” Jean started, “How is training with Yeager?”

The smile you wore dissipated to crumbs of false pride when you recalled just how awful you truly felt—how demeaned you felt beside Eren who stood tall despite his own shortcomings. And you hated how noticeable it all was, how your momentary joy fleeted and the exhaustion in your shoulders hit you like the initial fall, your shoulders slouching as you looked anywhere other than directly into their eyes.

“Awful,” was all you said, “It’s awful.”

Ever distasteful towards the awkwardness of competition Niccolo cleared the air with a clap, “That’s Yeager for you, he’s a real stiff one.”

“You're telling me, he’s got a real stick up his ass. Just—shoup—right up there.” To which Jean had accompanied with a rather lewd hand gesture.

This was news to you—yes, you had heard tales of Eren being a diva to some extent, but he was practically a god amongst others at this rink and in all the competition magazines. Him and Mikasa owned the region’s senior competition stats, it was impossible that sleazy locker room talk was enough to dethrone him of that.

Sasha, always blunt in her sentiments, places a hand on your own, “He’s nothing but a name without Mikasa, don’t take it to heart—do your best.”

Jean picks it up, “We recommended you for a reason, you’re the best of us without all the unnecessary press.”

“Plus you challenge Yeager,” Niccolo chimes, “No one challenge’s Yeager.”

“No one challenges him because he’s a fucking prick,” Jean couldn’t seem to help but blurt.

His eyes swell like saucers when the locker room door hits the opposite wall with a slam, and none other than the subject-of-conversation himself briskly walks past you and Sasha, only to open his own locker with another slam. The room falls painfully silent, and Jean opens his mouth to speak only to subsequently close it—as rectifying the situation is really beyond him at this point.

Eren manhandles his duffle bag, slinging it over his shoulder. When he closes the locker he looks around the room, scanning for the eye contact that no one will make with him. He huffs, and mumbles something that vaguely resembles a bitter affirmation that you were indeed discussing him. Knowing the walls and the echo of the place better than anyone, it was unlikely he missed the comment that brought the conversation to a halt. He stormed out in the same fashion in which he came, and you were all left to your devices.

Niccolo kicked Jean for his ignorance, to which he took with nothing more than a grimace. Sasha turned to you again, the color had faded from your face, and she didn’t quite have the words to console you, so she only said, “At least it wasn’t you.”

Though, it might have well been. Jean was your partner before you were Eren’s, just like he was bonded to Mikasa in such an all consuming way, something similar could be said about you and Jean. Thus, his sentiments were yours and vice versa.

Yes, you missed your friends dearly, and for a moment it did feel nice to joke with them. Although, you knew that the consequences of such were only going to make practice that much more difficult for you tomorrow. Grabbing your belongings half heartedly, you said your salutations. The smile that sat on your face didn’t quite come back for the rest of the night.

[ TO BE CONTINUED ]

✿ TETSUSTATION — 2023; do not repost, translate, share without permission, or recycle my writing & layouts. this blog does not hesitate to hardblock in that instance!

#attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #eren yeager #eren jaeger #eren aot #eren yeager x y/n #eren jeager x reader #fandom.aot #aot x reader #mikasa ackerman #jean kirstein #sasha braus #niccolo aot #jean kirstein x reader #written.aot

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starry-snippets · 8 months ago

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captivate you. (band au! aot x reader)

howdy guys! started a band au fanfic for aot featuring Connie, Reiner, Marco, Jean, and Eren as the band Paradis. in this story you're a fan of the band since the get, proudly calling yourself an island devil; which is the name for those who rock out to their nu metal albums.

the story will contain adult themes, references to Christianity and religion, drug use (smoking, alcohol consumption, nothing one would call "extreme"), references to mental health issues, toxic pairings/couples (floch x reader), minor violence, profanity, sexual content, other relationships happening adjacently, and lots of mutual pining but being stupid about it :3

hope you cheek it out and enjoy!! will also post here :3

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madewithspice · 1 year ago

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AOT As Fanfic Tropes

✧ Friends to lovers: the both of you were two peas in a pod, absolutely inseparable. To see one without the other was an oddity for everyone including yourselves. From playing out in the fields until sunset to walking each other home after school, you slowly start noticing how fast your heart begins to beat faster when they smile or the way their touch lights up sparks along your skin or how eager your eyes are to get lost in theirs. Gradually the innocently made friendship pact turns into vows of “til death do us part” much to the delight of your parents.

mikasa ackerman, reiner braun, marco bodt.

✧ Enemies to lovers: from the moment your eyes landed on him, you knew you couldn’t stand him. The way he stood, the slight tilt of his head, the obnoxious laugh, ugh you despised it all and the very second you failed to fall at his feet was the moment he couldn’t stand you. He would purposely try to get under your skin, to itch at your flesh and bones until his name was etched into your soul. So you began to fight fire with fire and burn his idolised reputation to the ground. The two of you fought battle after battle until one day you were face to face and the tension was so thick that it held you by the neck and forced you to look into his eyes, spiralling down to his soul. And that was the moment you knew you had lost yet both did gain something so pure out of the hatred once held.

jean kirstein, niccolo, levi ackerman.

✧ Hurt/comfort: when everything weighed down on you and you felt you couldn’t hold yourself up anymore, they shouldered your burden alongside you so when the world crumbled under them you returned the favour. From that day onwards your fates were intertwined almost as if you were born to fix each other up. You both became each other’s lifeline and soon enough just an utterance of “you’re okay I got you” was enough to wash all the pain away. Even knowing that they would come to help you almost made the pain seem worth it. The concern plastered across their faces was so heart touching so how could you not call their name when in need of tender love.

eren yeager, sasha braus, moblit.

✧ Mafia AU: the world you knew had toughened you enough so that nothing could break you. No threat or attack could affect you the way they did as you watched from the tinted windows of your luxury car. They caught your eye within the first few meetings with the feeling being mutual but there was no Romeo and Juliet without a bit of drama. The untouchable heir of a mafia gang and a lowly bodyguard, the thought would spur humiliation and laughter throughout the underworld. But when you’re betrayed by a close ally and there is no one left to trust, what else is there but to take their helping hand and give back the hurt tenfolds.

porco galliard, yelena, ymir,

✧ Omegaverse: okay so I don’t actually know what this is about properly but I do know it’s wolves and four legged shit so yea this is a jokey one but let’s face it people are weird and would read this with zeke x pieck or hange x pieck or whatever else their minds conjure up. So I can’t really write anything here. Idk maybe they howled at the moon and you fell in love ?? Lol tbh I just wanted to put zeke with some weird shit just because. If anyone wants to write a little prompt for this in the comments, feel free.

zeke yeager, pieck, hange zoe.

-Kiki.

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mahtharula · 1 year ago

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✧･ﾟ— table for two

starring: privatechef!niccolo x black!reader wc: 872 cw: reader is a model, niccolo is italian (his name is niccolo, explains itself), refers to cheating, slight angst?

the strong scent of chicken parm filled your nose as you eased your way to the main living space of your penthouse. pink fluffy slippers adorning your manicured feet, while your body was wrapped in your pale pink silk robe that hugged at your curves perfectly, finished the look with your bundles being pinned up in curls.

as you made your way to the stool that sat at your island, you couldn’t help but watch the man preparing your meal from the evening. From his blonde hair that stayed in a nice short cut to his strong back that flexed against the white material as he whisked at whatever was in the pot.

“good evening, niccolo.” you cooed softly as you sat at the stool, watching as the man before you turned towards you, greeting you with his kind brown eyes, “good evening, ms.l/n. it's nice to finally see you.” he said softly, the warmth of his gaze making you shift in your seat as he went to prepare your plate.

“nicco, i thought i told you to call me y/n, you don’t need to be so formal.” you spoke once more as niccolo placed your plate before you, “ i know, but it’s about respect. but if that’s what you want, i will, y/n.” he said, presenting you with his signature smile, “thank you and this looks so good nicco!” you squealed, earning a soft laugh from niccolo as you picked up your utensils as he began to clean.

it has been 4 nights since niccolo has seen you. you wouldn’t leave your room at all because of the douche you called your boyfriend. it was a consistent thing with the two of you to keep fighting over his adultery ways! but of course, you would take all the blame and lock yourself away while your boyfriend did god knows what and he hated it! of course, he would want to step in but he knew that was out of bound with his job requirements.

the silence was peaceful for both of them. from the utensils scratching along the plate to the running of water niccolo had going on for the dishes. The ambient sound was comforting. the presence of one another was comforting. it was as if the two of you were in your own bubble, not focused on the outside world and its problems. but sometimes reality had to come and bite you in the a–

“hello?” you spoke, holding your phone to your ear as your food was disregarded, “no zeke, that’s rich coming from you–what do you mean i’m the blame?” you asked as you stood up from the stool and made your way towards your bedroom.

your voice only got louder the moment your door slammed and niccolo could only close his eyes, keeping his focus on the dishes to refrain from following after you. it was the same bullshit from this guy. whether you're doing a show or traveling, zeke always had a way of getting under your skin, but that’s not what you're supposed to do as a boyfriend, is it?

it was 30 minutes after you disappeared. the dishes were cleaned, the kitchen was sweep, wiped and sanitized to niccolo’s standards and his bag was all packed for him to clock out for the night. he planned on leaving to give you your space, but something in the back of his mind was nagging him to just check on you. placing his chef bag by the door, he eased his way towards your bedroom door before sending three soft knocks to the door, “y/n?” he called, waiting for any sort of reply. when he was met with silence, he slowly pushed the door in to see you buried in your pillows, “oh y/n…” niccolo said with a sigh as he made his way to your side, rubbing along your back as you cried.

“nicco, i don’t know what i’m doing wrong.” you cried into the pillow, your words getting muffled but niccolo still heard, “its not you, y/n, its him. he’s not the one for you and clearly can’t treat you the way a flower should be taken care off.” niccolo was going somewhere with this but some of his own feelings eased out as you shifted your body to face him, “you think i’m a flower?” you asked softly as you stared at those brown eyes of his, “i do.”

it was like something clicked in your brain as you stared at the man before you. lifting your hand to his cheek, you grazed the supple skin before you leaned in to plant a soft peck to his lips. a peck that lead to a deeper kiss that made you straddle his lap, your acrylic nails raked at his hair as his hands gripped your waist. “wait, wait, wait–” pulling away from his lips as you stared at him, seeing the admiration and lust floating through his eyes, “could you spend the night?” you asked hesitantly, fiddling with your fingers as your stared at the man.

niccolo took ahold of your hands, planting kisses against your palms before giving you an answer.

“of course, flora mio.”

✧･ﾟ— author’s note • so first and foremost, i feel like this man needs more recognition! second, this is much longer than expected but maybe it needs a part two...who knows! but i hope you enjoyed this 😙

#✧･ﾟ—mahwrotethis #privatechef!niccolo #privatechef!niccolo x black reader #aot niccolo

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may-nr1rooftoptriodefender · 11 months ago

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What comes next

pairing: Levi Ackermann x f.reader/kinda oc

(it’s supposed to be reader but there are a few things important for the story… Nothing is mentioned in this chapter but for it to make sense in later chapters Im gonna say it. She has no first name bcs I suck at names but she has a last name. Her family and her background is already set. Hair color is black)

summary: When Yelena and her people arrive at Paradis, Levi finds himself in a tricky situation.

warnings: might contain Spoiler for Season 4!, set during 4 year time skip, ooc Levi?, kinda explicit (mentions of sex and vague descriptions) <- it’s not filthy hardcore but it’s there,…

(if i forgot anything I’m sorry, it’s 4am rn)

notes: Hi! I’m back y’all. First published Levi story, yay. Soo before we start, there are going to be more parts. This is just a little intro and the moments described happened in the past, next parts ain’t going to be flashbacks. English isn’t my first language so if you find any mistakes pls let me know🙏 tips are always appreciated.

Lastly, this is kinda smutty so I’ll put a MDNI here. You have been warned, if you still proceed to read, it’s on your own risk. I cannot stop you from reading anything but at least be aware of what you’re reading! (this is like the first smutty thing I published so bear with me..)

masterlist

part I

Seeing the outside world- the ocean, finding out about the enemy- Marley, the truth about the titans,.. it was hard to process. they needed new plans- new strategies to defeat Marley. Eren was their ultimate weapon. With him on their side they had to win. But how?

When Marley send out one of their ships to Paradis, it was like a gift. The second ship marked the arrival of their new accomplices. Yelena and her people were more than helpful. But Yelena wasn’t the only one. Onyankopon, Niccolo, and her.

Normally, he wouldn’t care. A soldier from Marley is nothing special. But she was so different at the same time. It was strange that all of them wanted to help Paradis. They betrayed their own country for them.

In order to come forward with their research, they accepted Yelena’s help. They started to build outside the walls. The titans were all gone, no need to worry now. Some were forced to help, some wanted to.

Niccolo wasn’t very impressed at first. He was complaining nonstop while cooking the seafood for the scouts. After Sasha took the first bite, he shut up quickly. He was quite flustered actually. She and Yelena were there too. She found it hilarious.

Laughing loudly with a quiet ‘I told you’ at the end.

Just like Yelena and Onyankopon, she never seemed to hate the Eldians of Paradis Island. He hated it. Thinking about her. She wouldn’t leave his thoughts. He tried, he really did- she was the enemy after all. But he couldn’t. He tried to see something he wouldn’t like. And maybe he didn’t like talkative people. Or people who invade personal space. But at the same time, she was a bit shy. She would give space if he needed it.

She was the only one who dared to come closer than the rest. Even if he was supposed to be enemy. This conflict was going on for years now.

Even if he didn’t really show it, he didn’t mind her tired eyes looking into his. Or how she sometimes followed him like a lost puppy. How she always greeted him when he entered the room. The way she says his name…

‘Good morning Levi.’

‘How are you Captain Levi?’

‘Do you need anything Levi?’

‘Levi.’

But is he really that special? It’s not like he’s the only one she’s friendly with. She greets everyone. She talks to everyone the same. She always smiles when someone said something funny.

But not everyone gets a knock on their door at every possible hour of the day.

‘Could we have some tea together Levi? I think I have a few more ideas regarding…’

‘Hanges the commander, You should go to her.’ , is what he should say. But he lets her in. Every time. Conversations are nice, if it’s with the right person. He isn’t talkative, so she does the most of talking. He normally would prefer it quiet, yet he doesn’t mind the conversation. She’s always calm, it’s never about difficult topics, she stays polite,…

He wants to hate it. They notice. Everyone sees that she spends more time with Levi. But that he actually likes his time with her goes unnoticed. And it’s not like she tries anything with him. Hange said to him once that she probably tries to befriend everyone. Showing that she isn’t the enemy.

‘And you know, it’s so hard to read you, she wants to make sure that you two are on the same side!’

Hange didn’t help his problem.

He genuinely thinks that those are her true intentions. There’s this other side though. What if she’s a spy for Marley. What if she’s trying to get more information. What if she wants us to trust her so she can betray us.

But she wouldn’t do that, would she?

No.

He still has to be careful. Actually, he fucked that up too. It’s too late for being careful.

He couldn’t resist when she looked at him with those eyes. These damn eyes. And her smile. How could someone look at him this way? No one ever did. He can’t believe it. But he wants to. He wants to be selfish for once.

One evening, she would come to his door again. With two teacups in her hand.

‘Would you mind if we talk?’

He could never say no to her. So she comes in. She sets the two teacups down and starts to prepare everything. Levi just sat down. He wanted to help her, but every time he tried she refused. He doesn’t like how other people do his tea. This was his room and she, a prisoner from Marley, tells him what to do?

He accepts it. When everything is ready, she sits down with him and they drink their tea. She starts talking, he replies sometimes. It’s nice.

Somehow, their usual routine changed. She did nothing wrong. One small slip up and it was over. He was listening, until she stopped talking. Looking him directly into the eyes. The smile from before slowly fading. Did he do something wrong? Well fuck.

And then the unexpected came. She complimented his eyes. He expected everything, but not that.

‘What.’

‘Your eyes. They’re beautiful. With the grey and the little blue sparks… You don’t see that often.’ Her smile was returning.

‘Why would you say that.’

‘Huh? Because it’s the truth?’

Not a lot people made him compliments. He has gotten love letters before, or weird request. But not compliments. They either found him to scary to say that to his face, or they simply didn’t find anything to compliment. Well maybe expect on the battlefield. On how he did a good job or something like that. But not about his appearance.

They loved to comment on his height rather than his other features.

And that was his moment of weakness. He didn’t know what to say. And he didn’t. He grabbed the base of her neck and brought her forward to his face. He kissed her. He didn’t know why he did it. He didn’t know why she kissed him back, bringing her hand up to his cheek. This was his sign to stop. He pulled back and stared at her. His eyes were wide because what the fuck just happened. Why did he do it. Shit she’s going to slap him now.

She looked at him. Not one word came out. Levi did the only rational thing.

‘Don’t take that personal.’

‘I won’t.’

‘Okay.’

…

‘Will you take it personal if I do it again?’

He should’ve said no, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t say anything, so he shook his head. A tiny smile formed onto her face and she pressed their faces against each other. He didn’t mind, even if he should.

She also didn’t take it personal when they left the kitchen. Or when she sat on the bed, when he followed soon. Or when he undressed her. She didn’t mind him seeing.

He didn’t take it personal when she whispered his name. It was so different compared to the other times. Only for him to hear. It felt good.

He didn’t take it personal how she let him do things he could only dream of.

How it could even get to this point. They shouldn’t have. The only thing he could focus on was the way she looked when he touched her. This beautiful face still looking at him this certain way.

No one could know. This intimate moment together. How she moaned his name. How he held her even closer every second. How good they looked together. How good they felt.

It was so against the rules. They were from two different worlds. Their countries were at war, yet they decide to forget all that for what? The world was cruel. He wanted more of that.

No one really knew what to say afterwards. Both in his bed. He felt filthy. Not because of what they had done, but because of what he had to do now.

‘You should clean up and then go to your room again. It’s getting pretty late.’

He couldn’t even look at her. But he saw the nod in the corner of his eye. She stood up and fuck- he might do it again. It wasn’t only the sex, her in his room, his bed, he wanted that. She looked so beautiful like this.

She started collecting her clothes and just as she was about to put them back on-

‘Clean up here. You can’t go back like this.’

Only a nod again. She looked guilty. A bit sad even. Before she could really disappear in his bathroom she turned around.

‘Levi-‘

‘That wasn’t personal either. No one can find out about this. We would get into trouble, you hear me?’

It was harsh, but he had to set boundaries. This went too far already no need to make it worse.

He could only dream of what was about to come.

———

I almost forgot- Happy Birthday Levi!!

requests are always open (I need ideas please🙏🙏)

Song recommendation - White Dress by Lana Del Rey

#levi ackerman #attack on titan #captain levi #levi x reader #niccolo mentioned🔥🔥#i’m sorry i love sasha and niccolo too much #levi aot #happy birthday levi #it’s 4am i’m done #can’t believe i actually posted smt #have been writing this for 2 hours #i’m tired

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brave-and-gentle · 4 months ago

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Got Covid for the first time, so I wrote a shit ton and published the first chapter of my new fic about my favs (it’s Jeanxreader, who could’ve guessed??).

Now read it or else 😌🔪

Forewarning - if you are ride or die Jeankasa to the ends of the earth, this is not for you, plsss do not come after me 🕯️🕯️🙏🏻🙏🏻 and I swear Jean and Mikasa are on good terms but it’s not pretty…RAFO.

Summary:

On the eve of his 29th birthday, Jean Kirstein never thought he’d be a divorced, single dad all before 30. All his friends are either happily coupled up, or in Connie's case, aggressively single. Jean believes that he missed his one shot at happiness, and decides to be content with his work, friends, and son, Mason.

Until he meets you.

You're also fresh off a divorce, deciding to move from Liberio to Trost for a fresh start. It breaks your heart to leave your long-time friends, but you don't want anymore reminders of him. All you want is a quiet, new life - working at the local library and making new friends.

Until you meet Jean.

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levi501ackerman · 4 months ago

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Steel Heart Chapter 8:

The Creature in the River

Hange x Reader Chapter Index Masterlist AO3

Megan's Note: A suppressed memory of my ex forced feeding me crickets against my will surfaced the other day. I stayed with him for like 2 years after that, but he did show me AOT LMAO??? Posted: 7/22/24

Word Count: 4.2k

Stones of the Karanese Headquarters plummeted to the wet cobblestone adding dust to the swirl of the thick smoke. The rain was relentlessly pouring. Blood from the dead bodies was spreading and diluted by the puddles. On the other side of the yard were the remaining cult members fighting for their last moments of living. The guards and the new surge of knights on horses were defeating the last of the Marleyan Cultists.

Who was that woman?

Their gaze.

Their sword.

They had a crested handle like the Royal King’s Guard swords. That knight swiped the necks of the cultists and saved you from them capturing you. You wanted to thank them and show them gratitude. An influx of knights and guards approached you, bombarding you with overlapping questions.

“Princess, are you okay?” “Are you hurt?” “Did they touch you?” “You need to escape!” “Princess, let's get you out of the rain!” “You’re safe now!” “Princess, we’re leaving!” “Take my hand!”

The group of the knights’ voices were overwhelming in your ear. You recognized some of their faces from Levi’s camp. Your breath staggered, and with multiple people pulling you up, you got on your feet. You breathlessly thanked them, thankful for their help and protection.

A few knights with gleaming armor rode past on their horses while staring at you and the group of knights around you. Their gaze was heavy and yet there was almost a tinge of curiosity behind their eyes. It created a strange vulnerable feeling that you tried to ignore, focusing on the presence of knights around you reassuring your safety.

“Thank you.” You hiccupped and whimpered. “Thank you!” Then sobbed again. Since waking up, your emotions were heightened and on the edge constantly. The Knights patted you and held your shoulders walking. The carnage of the remaining battle in the yard was blocked by the knights surrounding you. You could hear the hooves of horses, the clashing of steel, and the cries of death.

Amongst the crowd of knights exiting the Karanese Headquarters was Connie's familiar face. He looked alert, frantic, yet healthy contrasting to how he looked earlier lying in the debris.

“CONNIE!” You let out a joyful shriek, your heart was pounding at the sight of him alive. He survived. “CONNIE!” You waved your arms at him, and when he saw you, you swore he was just as delighted to see you. Connie urgently ran over to you and the knights.

“We’re leaving! Get a horse and go to the church!” He told Levi’s knights, breathing hard. You jumped on him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I was so scared you were going to die!” You held him tight. “What happened?! How’s Jean?! How’s Levi?!”

“Princess they are ok! We need to go to the stables!” Connie looked over to the stable in the distance, he started bolting fast and it caught you off guard. You and the knights hastily made their way to the stables following after Connie. Puddles were splashing, and the clang of the armor beat the slick cobblestone with each step of the quick pace. Your legs were aching from all the running through the night and yet you pushed onward.

As you reached the wooden doors of the stables, the restless horses were loud, whinnying in distress. The smell of hay reached your nose right as a knight pulled the oak doors open. Some horses were stomping their feet in their pen, and some tossed their heads, their eyes wide and filled with fear from hearing the turmoil outside. The knights scanned the pens for their horse and you looked for Levi’s black horse. In the back, you saw a black horse blaring mercilessly, Levi’s horse reared on its hindlegs like she wanted you to spot her.

“BEAUTY!” You yelled running toward her. Levi’s horse lowered herself as if knowing you saw her. She calmed down and was hanging her head over the gate. She lowered her neck as much as she could, making her muzzle align with your face. You unlatched the gate to her pen and hugged her neck. She seemed calmer and you looked into her eyes and Beauty looked into yours. The gentle gaze was almost like a sign of affection. Suddenly, she started walking out of the pen and you moved out of her way. You rubbed her shoulder, “Okay I’m going to get on you.” Beauty stared at you. You lifted your boot—with little pieces of hay stuck to the bottom—onto the foot straps of the saddle. Usually, you had Levi or Jean help you get up. You looked around and saw Connie busy taking care of his own horse. You huffed frustratedly, not sure what to do. With your foot hooked onto the foot straps, you pushed up with all your might and grabbed whatever part of the saddle you could reach, hoisting yourself onto Beauty.

Being on a horse by yourself felt almost . . . powerful. The knights got on their horses, Connie was on his horse and had an extra horse with him. You held on to the reins and then stroked Beauty’s mane.

“Are you ready?” Connie called out.

“Yea!”

“Let’s go!” Connie’s horse took off out of the stable and into the rain. The knights followed after him. Your knowledge of riding horses was limited to what Levi told you. Tapping your heel to start the horse, pulling on the reins to slow down, and how to make the horse go right or left. You hoped not to run into any trouble.

You tapped Beauty with your heel and she took off, making you use your core to keep balance. Once again the pouring rain was beating down hard when you were out from under the roof of the stables. Levi’s horse followed after the knights they were riding toward the iron gate when suddenly you noticed in front of the entrance doors Levi with Jean.

“LEVI!” You screamed and pulled Beauty to the left. As if Beauty saw Levi was at the front, she bolted toward him. Levi heard you scream his name and watched you coming toward him. You pulled back on the reins once getting closer and Beauty obediently halted. You hopped off, nearly falling, and then ran to Levi hugging him. “I was so scared you were going to die!”

“I’m fine.” He patted your back. You then looked at Jean and he had bandages around his head, looking a bit disoriented.

“Jean . . .” You said softly and gingerly hugged him, placing your head against his chest. “I’m so glad you are alive . . .” Jean blinked rapidly, exhausted. He kept his eyes on the ground.

“We’re leaving Karanese and heading to the first meeting point! Connie keep an eye on Jean, I think he may have a concussion, but we can’t do anything about it until we’re safe.” Levi said. He pulled himself up onto his horse. You followed after him, not needing any help getting on anymore.

As you held onto Levi’s waist, you watched the last bit of the fighting between the guards, knights, and the Marleyan Cultists. A weight was lifted off your shoulders, knowing you were with Levi and leaving Karanese Headquarters. You still wondered who started the fire and how the cult knew you were in Karanese. You spaced out, feeling a twist in your stomach at the memories of the cultists pinning you down, carrying you, and touching you. It was still the middle of the night and you wished none of the destruction, danger, and deaths happened. You just wanted to sleep.

You glanced at the burning headquarters behind you, watching knights throw buckets of water onto the fire. You tried to keep your eyes off the ground to avoid looking at the amount of bodies lying in the puddles. Behind you, Jean’s eyes were heavy, half-lidded and he looked drowsy as he rode his horse. He kept raising his eyebrows, pulling up his eyelids and you empathized with him, feeling exhausted.

With one final glance at the remaining fight, you noticed the knight that saved you from the cult members watching you leave. Who was that woman? A deep root of gratitude mixed with a sense of curiosity was born from their courage.

It took around forty minutes to ride past the inner gate, another half an hour to reach the area near the church, and then another half hour to set up tents and bedrolls. Levi wanted the camp to be a bit further than the church and closer to the river. You were exhausted and missed the few hours of sleeping in a real bed at the Karanese Headquarters. The small group of knights and Levi longed to rest. You had so many thoughts and questions, but your mind was too exhausted to care or emotionally process anything. You curled up in your bedroll, naked as your clothes were drenched and hanging outside of the tent.

━━ ⊱ ⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆ ♡ ⋆ཋྀ ��₊‧⁺ ⊰ ━━

It was morning. Maybe. The daylight was bright outside the tent and your stomach was empty. You turned over and gasped as you didn’t expect Jean to be lying near you. His breaths were even and deep. Blood soaked through a part of the bandages around his head. The gash must have been deep. Jean looked so peaceful yet fragile while sleeping.

You felt stuck. You were naked and your clothes were hanging outside. You grabbed the cloak and felt the cool damp fabric. It was all you had. You wrapped it around you, tensing at the wet fabric clinging to your back. The clammy fabric had an odd friction against your skin. You hoped Levi had more clothes.

At the end of your bedroll was a familiar folded piece of clothing. When you picked the fabric up, it unfolded, and a small smile grew on your face. It was your nightgown. One of the few things you had left of home. Levi must have saved it for you in his bag. You checked if Jean was still asleep before changing into it. The soft cotton fabric was dry and nostalgic. It wasn’t even your favorite nightgown, just the one you were wearing the night you escaped Shiganshina. You blinked back tears and took a deep breath not wanting to cry.

You slowly pulled back the fabric of the entrance of the tent, it was day and the sun was more toward the east. It was not too late in the morning. You gasped and furrowed your eyebrows. There was suddenly almost double the amount of tents there were before sleeping. There were some faces of knights that were unfamiliar. They were strangers. In the distance was a fire with some knights chatting and eating around it. Connie was talking with a knight with brown hair tied in a little bun. All these people and where are the horses?

A few tents over was a large tent, unlike any tent you had seen before. It wasn’t Levi’s tent since you slept in it, though you don’t recall if Levi slept with you and Jean. It was wider and taller than the tents the knights slept in. You heard Levi’s lowered voice come from the tent. You couldn’t put together what he said, but it almost sounded like it was in a harsh tone.

The morning air was chilly and the sun on your face was warming you a bit. As quietly as possible, you crept over to the entrance of the large tent. You could hear a woman’s voice. You split the fabric for the entrance apart and saw the knight in shining armor from last night. The knight that slashed the cultists’ throats, freeing you from them. They weren’t wearing armor, but you recognized their short brown hair and their one eye. Last night, you didn’t recall seeing them wear glasses or have an eyepatch. They were wearing a white collared long sleeve and tan slacks. The woman was sitting in a chair at a table and Levi was across the table standing with his arms intertwined. His eyes were sharp and his jaw was clenched. On the table were plates with crumbs and used silverware laid on top. They both had mugs of beverages.

“I didn’t get a single messenger from you, Levi!” The woman said frustratedly.

“Where were you?! I want—”

“IN TROST! Where we planned on meeting!” They crossed their arms and the two glared at each other.

“Did you receive a messenger from Commander Erwin?” Levi asked slowly.

“No.”

“You really don’t know what’s been going on, don’t you?” Levi asked but it was more like a statement. Levi breathed deeply, shut his eyes, and tilted his head up. “I received a messenger from Commander Erwin saying he would meet us in Trost—”

“What?! Why?! Why would Commander Erwin need to leave the castle?! Who would even be in charge of the Royal King’s Guard?!”

“Apparently, Armin Arlert,” Levi said, and then he sat down in the chair. “Hange . . .” There was a slight hesitation in his voice. So this was the person Levi was talking about when he mentioned Dame Hange Zoe in the past. “We came across Flagon’s camp . . . his sword was taken and there were no survivors . . .” Their eyes went wide.

“No,” their voice wavered. Levi’s elbows were on the table, his hands clasped to each other, and he rested his mouth on his hands. Almost as if his hands could block the words he didn’t want to come out of his mouth. “I-I sent Moblit to deliver a message to Flagon . . .” Levi did not want to deliver the bad news. He blinked a couple times, staring at the table, and avoided Hange's prying gaze. Their chest was heaving with anticipation.

“ . . . He was there . . . when it happened . . .” Hange lifted their glasses and rubbed their eye. They stifled a sob and suddenly they banged their fist on the table. Your heart jumped, at the sudden rattle of the plates and from the pounding on the table. They abruptly stood up and slammed their plate on the ground, it shattered. Despite you feeling uneasy at Hange’s actions, Levi didn’t flinch.

“Easy,” He clipped. “Clean that up!”

“I’ll do that later!” Hange huffed and marched toward the entrance of the tent. You moved off to the side.

“Go nap, I hate when you’re cranky!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Hange sassed. “I’m going to bathe in the river!”.

“Good! You smell like shit!” Levi shot back as Hange moved the tent’s entrance fabric.

When Hange walked out of the tent they didn’t notice you at first, then they saw you out of the corner of their eye. They whipped their head to your trembling form, you looked up at them. Hange froze, their one brown eye wide, eyebrows nearly to their hairline, their cheeks pink-tinted from embarrassment, and they tried to regain their composure. You weren’t sure what to say and they didn’t either.

“Levi!” You ran into the tent, tending to his side. You knelt next to his chair, he looked tired, more than usual. “Are you okay?” Levi’s shoulders were tense and he didn’t take his eyes off the table. Then he exhaled and abruptly stood up.

“It’s rude to eavesdrop.” Levi went around the table and began picking up the pieces of the broken plate, setting the pieces in a neat pile on the table. A twinge of guilt in your chest twisted. A memory flashed of Fairy Godmother Christa disciplining you for eavesdropping on her and Fairy Godmother Ymir’s conversation when you were a child.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Levi. I woke up a-and I didn’t know where you were . . .” You trailed after him when he started walking out of the tent, but before Levi could leave the tent you grabbed his wrist. “Who are all those people?!” Levi’s eyes softened and he swallowed his impatience. He knows everyone had a rough night, including you. When the knights from his camp told him the cultists captured you, he figured you would become even more fearful.

“These knights are a part of Dame Hange’s squad, we were supposed to join them a while ago.” Levi led you out of the tent and the cool air hit you once again. “They have more food and more supplies . . . I want you to have a big breakfast.”

Levi guided you through the campsite toward the campfire where knights were finishing their breakfast. The knights were talking amongst themselves while the clatter of their plates and utensils clinked together. The wafting of eggs, rice, and sausages filled your nose. As you approached, the knights’ conversations died down, giving their attention to your presence. One of the knights in charge of meal preparations noticed you and Levi approaching and he started to cook more sausages.

“Good morning, your Highness.” A knight said. You looked around the clones of steel trying to figure out which knight greeted you. Their eyes were all fixed on you, staring at you in awe with a tinge of curiosity. Some with smiles on their faces and some murmuring to each other.

“G-Good morning.”

“Did you sleep well, your highness?” A knight in front of you asked.

“Kind of,” you said and didn’t expect to get a few chuckles.

“Did you sleep well?” You asked the knight.

“I’ll sleep better tonight.” He smiled at you and you returned a friendly one. You felt their eyes on you, feeling insecure as they were analyzing every detail of your appearance. You glanced at them and saw their eyes again.

“Excuse me, Princess, how would you like your eggs?” The knight cooking asked gently.

“Not scrambled, please. Uh—s-sunny side up . . . please.”

“Give her three,” Levi said and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Levi?”

“Now that there’s enough food I want you to start eating larger meals. You will eat all of it.” Levi said firmly. You were taken back by Levi’s insistence.

“Is there enough breakfast to save some for Jean? He’s still asleep,” You asked the knight who was cracking the three eggs for you.

“More than enough.”

When you got your plate of breakfast, you started eating the eggs and sausage. The buttery taste of the eggs was satisfying on your tastebuds. Levi started walking toward Connie and his friend. You trailed after him, seeking comfort being next to him.

“Princess, take my seat.” A knight that stood up offered.

“No, I’m good. Thank you.” You said following after Levi. Connie’s friend was eyeing you as you came closer with Levi and you switched to Levi’s other side to be next to Connie and Levi.

“Hi Connie,” you said quietly and then glanced at his friend. His piercing green eyes were staring at you taking in your form.

“Hey Y/N,” Connie said, and then he patted his friend's shoulder. He was tall, muscular, and had an expression of pure determination. “This is my friend from the cadet corp and a knight of the Royal King’s Guard, Eren Yeager.” You quietly gasp, recognizing his last name. He and Zeke had the same last name. Eren was younger-looking than Zeke. Then your heart sank at the realization that when the cultists were taking you away you didn’t see what happened to Zeke. Or Oluo. Not that you wanted to see their deaths, but you didn’t know what happened to them.

“I—you’re Zeke’s brother?” You asked unsurely.

“Yes, we’re half brothers. We’re not close,” Eren said, his voice slow and almost solemn.

“Zeke saved me from the Marleyan mutts killing me! He along with other knights helped me escape the burning building last night . . . I don’t know what happened to him after I was captured . . .” You peered into Eren’s eyes and his expression didn’t change. “I’m sorry.” It was quiet between the four of you. You felt awkward and started eating the rice on your plate. Almost like a deflection Levi spoke.

“Eat your food, then after you’re going to the river to bathe,” Levi said and a flush rose to your cheeks. You avoided Connie and Eren’s gaze.

“You’re coming with, right? I don’t want you to leave me alone.” Levi blinked a couple of times, almost stunned to even reply.

“No,” He said dryly. “That’s inappropriate—”

“I just want your protection . . .” Your heart rate quickened slightly, thinking of being by the river and then a ward of Marley Cult members capturing you when no one was watching.

“Hange is at the river. They will be there to protect you. The river isn’t far from here, just over the hill. If you scream everyone will hear you.” You weren’t sure how you felt about Hange. They smashed a plate when they were angry. It took a moment for you to empathize with Hange’s actions. They were just upset about the death of their friend.

“Will you stay nearby, please? Just in case something happens!” You lowered your pleading voice. “Why don’t you bathe down the river where you can’t see, but will be nearby?”

“The men bathe in the evening. You and Hange will bathe in the morning.”

“I’m not going to bathe at all if you’re not nearby!” Connie and Eren snickered at your sass, no one ever went up against Captain Levi. It reminded them of someone they knew . . .

“Listen you brat! You’re going to go bathe and Hange will be there to protect you!” Levi whispered harshly, he was an inch from your face so that the whole camp wouldn’t hear your arguing.

“Why can’t you just be over the hill, Levi?! Please, I just want your protection,” You whined and stomped your foot on the grass. Levi stared at you and then audibly sighed. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.

“Fine!” He clenched his jaw. A wave of guilt and embarrassment came over you.

“Thank you, Levi . . . I’m sorry. I just . . . I don’t know.” You looked at your plate as you took another bite of the sausage. Levi had his arms crossed, glaring at Levi and Connie snickering. Connie couldn’t hold in his laughter and it infectiously spread to Eren.

After you ate your entire plate of breakfast, you and Levi walked away from the camp. Levi was holding a new cup of steaming hot tea. You looked down at the grass, listening to the whispered crunching under your boots. The trickling water of the river started to become audible the closer you got to the top of the hill. The silence between you and Levi highlighted the brushing of the grass when the wind blew through it. Levi stopped almost at the top.

“Levi, I’m sorry about earlier. I was being a brat. I hope you can forgive me . . .” You faced the direction toward the river and Levi turned to face the camp. He was silent for a moment, but he glanced at you first. You listened to him while staring ahead at the top of the hill.

“Princess, I know you didn’t ask for any of this. It’s unfair to grow up away from the castle, living life one way and later you’ll be told to live life differently . . .” You furrowed your eyebrows, hearing Levi’s words. “When you live in the castle you’ll have a very comfortable and safe life. But I think you’re going to be your truest and freest self here.” Levi sat down on the grass with his tea. You were confused. You glanced at the top of his black-haired head and knowing Levi won’t break your trust, you trudged to the top of the hill.

The top of the hill had a larger view of everything around you. Across the other side of the river was another hill that you couldn’t see much over and on the shoreline were light rocks. There they were.

The sight of Hange sitting near the shoreline of the river, naked. Their knees were drawn up and hugged to their chest. Their head was resting on their knees and their damp short brown hair laid on their neck, barely touching their shoulders. The water submerged their feet and their butt. You looked at Levi behind you who had his back to you. Then, you started going down the hill, approaching Hange slowly like they were a peaceful animal in nature that you wanted a closer look at. You’ve never seen another naked woman before and you gazed at the toned muscles on their back. The definition was evident even when they were relaxed. You came behind them from their right side and you saw the glimmering water on their skin. The curious and admirable thoughts of their body flooded your mind. You didn’t blink for a while, it was like you did not want to take your eyes off a calm vulnerable animal. When you stepped on the light rocks, your breath hitched and Hange’s head snapped to you. The white of their brown eye was red and their face was blotchy. You both stared at each other for a moment, you froze, heart beating in your chest. It was like the peaceful animal noticed your presence and was too startled to move. But really who caught who?

“ . . . Hi Hange . . .” You breathed out. They turned to their left and picked up something. You realized they were putting their eyepatch back on when you saw the band wrap around their head. They placed their oval wired glasses on their nose, turned to you and gave you a friendly yet weak smile.

“Hey . . .”

next chapter Chapter 9: Versions of Them

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anime-fan-05 · 1 year ago

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Hello my friend; For my first request, I wanted to see if you could do a headcanon with the Attack on Titan with a black s/o or my Oc Leah but with a cosmic universal spiritual power(she’s younger than Eren and she's 5'2) and She has the power of the Zodiac Sign Taurus (Since her birthday is April 23rd and she is younger than Eren by a few months) which is known as earth, give life and death with the power of Emotion Empowerment and Spiritual Gateways/Tears(she can open portals to different places) with glowing stars/ balls of light (which can channel their emotions into powers) and a variety of magical powers such as Flight, Telekinesis, Force fields, Teleporting, and Telepathy, Creation of Shooting Star Showers, Levitation, Gravity Manipulation, Hologram-Like Projections.❤️😊❤️😊

Attack on Titan ~Characters with a black reader with cosmic goddess powers~

Manga/anime: Attack on Titan

Warnings: spoilers of all the manga

I wrote as if the reader was your OC, I hope you don't mind!

Eren probably has an interest in you, after all, you both have supernatural powers. He really likes your manners, especially your thoughtfulness towards those you care about. He has a crush on you and, the more the years pass, the more he will love you. When he's stuck in Marley, he'll always be thinking of you, praying that you're okay; when he's locked up in the Survey Corps prison and you come to talk to him, he'll treat you with indifference, but in his mind he'll apologize to you a thousand times. He'll always think of you, even when Mikasa kills him.

Armin loves your intelligence and your thirst for knowledge. You two talk a lot, especially about your powers and the outside world. What struck him most was your taking care of your loved ones. Every time you take care of him, he blushes a lot and stammers all the time. He probably has a little crush on you, but I think your relationship will become more that of a brother-sister as the years go by.

Since Eren likes you, Mikasa will be like your big sister and, after everyone discovers your powers, she will be your "bodyguard". Does anyone make fun of you about your height or age or your powers? She will look at him with her murderous gaze. You two take care of Armin and Eren together, and you two support and console each other.

Jean is your great friend, even if sometimes he flirts and jokes with you just to make Eren mad. However, he never actually does it seriously. Sometimes you two think about how to get him and Mikasa together, although many times they don't work out. He thinks of you as a little sister, and he'll always try to defend you.

Sasha adores you. When you two are together, you only talk about food; sometimes you compete to see who can eat the greatest number of dishes (these contests often end in a draw and with your superiors angry). She understands you, because she too is sometimes labeled as different because she eats a lot. You, Sasha and Connie are the joke trio in the entire Survey Corps.

Like Sasha, Connie adores you. You two do a lot of stupid things together! Like Sasha, he also understands you: due to some of your attitudes you're often described as stupid, like him, and he won't think twice about defending you from those who have offended you. When Sasha dies, you'll console each other.

Ymir admires you for your strength, but she doesn't like you: since Historia likes you and you has a very lovable nature, she fears you might take her away from her. However, when she understands you and Eren love each other, she'll behave better towards you. When she's about to die, she will entrust Historia to you.

You are Historia's royal advisor and lady-in-waiting, although you also fight in the Survey Corps. She always liked you (not in the romantic sense), but she's adored you even more since you consoled her for Ymir's death. She even calls you Star Princess because of your powers! When she has her baby, she will make you her godmother.

Annie doesn't like your manners. The only thing she appreciates you for is that you never forced her to fight you when you were paired up for close combat matches when you were training. However, when you Eldians ally with Marley's warriors and Magath against Eren, she will appreciate you also for your determination to kill the one you love, and, before boarding the ship, she will ask you to protect Armin.

At first Reiner was only interested in your powers. However, as time goes by he's more and more conflicted: he's become very fond of you, but he knows he must also kidnap you to take you to Marley to study your powers; when the Survey Corps saves you, he'll be both relieved and dejected. When you Eldians ally with the Marleyans against Eren, he'll beg you to forgive him for everything he has done.

Like Reiner, at first Bertholdt was only interested in your powers and he appreciates you too the more time passes. He feels very comfortable talking to you and, in the end, he'll no longer want to kidnap you, but he'll be forced to do so. In fact, when you are their prisoner, he'll take you aside and apologize to you. When he's about to die, he'll beg you to save him.

For your nature you remind Levi Furlan and for your way of acting you remind him of Isabel. He is very overprotective, respectful, affectionate and loving, although he demonstrates these in his own way, for example staying close to you during expeditions. He treats you and will always treat you like his little sister. If you call him "nii-san" (big brother), he might be moved because he'll think of Isabel.

Hange is like your crazy uncle/aunt. Although, actually, when they learned about your powers, they thought you were a titan and wanted to analyze you. They try to help you with your heart murmur, attempting to come up with something that can relieve the pain, and in exchange you help them with his titan experiments. When they die, they will regret they couldn't help you with your problem.

Erwin really likes your mind and how you think, so he's very protective of you, almost like a father. He wanted to make you Commander of the Survey Corps, but when he told you, you refused in favor of Armin. However, you'll always be one of the main points of his plans: for example, he was the one who advised you to become Historia's advisor, in order to act as an intermediary between her and the Corps.

When people see you and Onyankopon, they think you're father and daughter. In fact, they don't even think badly, because he really treats you like a daughter. The first thing that struck him was your skin: he was very surprised you also had dark skin like him; if someone tries to offend you because of this, they'll have to face their wrath. When you kill Eren, he'll ask you to live with him as his daughter.

The first time you and Yelena met, she wasn't surprised about your powers: Eren told her about you, reiterating the fact that no one should have ever hurt you. She talks to you a lot and tells you about Marley, thus becoming almost like a mother or an aunt to you. When you're in Odiha, you'll console her about the failure of Zeke's plan and she will beg you to stop Eren. When you kill Eren, she'll ask you to live with her too.

Niccolò loves your love for his food and he's very surprised that you eat so much without gaining weight or feeling sick. He really enjoys cooking all of Marley's dishes for you and loves it when you teach him the Island ones. When Sasha dies, he'll come to you for comfort. After Eren's death, he'll continue to cook for you.

At first Gabi hated you: for her you were just one of the Devils of Paradis. However, now she adores you since you saved her and Falco from Niccolò's fury and she will try to console you after Eren treats you badly. After Eren dies, she will introduce you to her family and will come to visit you periodically with them.

Unlike Gabi, Falco immediately appreciated you. The first time you met was at the Blouse house: you had gone to visit Sasha's parents and you recognized him and Gabi, but you didn't unmask them. In fact, you asked them how they were and what they were doing there. He almost sees you as his big sister and calls you "nee-san" (big sister). After you kill Eren, he'll come to visit you very often.

Porko doesn't like you, because you're his enemy and because you and the other Eldian soldiers attacked his house. He doesn't know how to react when, after infiltrating Paradis' army, you realize he's a warrior but you don't say anything: he's a mixture of surprise, recognition and anger. He also won't know how to react when you try to save him just before Falco devours him.

From the first time she saw you, Pieck knew you were a special person, but not because of your powers: more because you made Reiner's will waver. Anyway, she didn't like you at first, since you were an enemy. You fought twice, and she admits that you were stronger than her. When you team up together, she will be kind to you, and after you kill Eren, you'll be great friend.

Zeke learnt about you and about your powers from Reiner and Bertholdt. In your first meeting, he was both amazed and softened by your and Eren's relationship, emotions heightened when Eren told him he would abandon the euthanasia plan if anyone hurt you. You'll talk to each other in the Paths for the last time and you and Armin will convince him to let Levi kill him to stop Eren.

💮 Rules 💮 Masterlist 💮

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osakunt · 2 years ago

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AOT FINAL SEASON SPOILERS !!!! Some angst for the soul

The memory of Connie opening the door to where you stood replays one too many times. Over and over, you hear his words fall out his lips and see the tear roll down his face.

It hurt. It hurt to the point to where you wanted to go out and find a way to be with her. It’s stupid that you were in the room next door to where it happened yet you were alive and she was not.

The whole point of making the trip to retrieve Eren was to find a way to not lose anymore lives. Very naive of everyone to think you wouldn’t lose an asset like Sasha.

I’m front of her gravestone Mikasa sits bunched into a ball. You stand in front of her only able to replay memories of that night. She looks up at you waiting to say something - nothing is said. All you give her is a blank stare. The overthinking of the situation makes you light headed, causing you to sway a little in place.

Seeing your body move, Jean flies next to you to help you balance yourself before you fell. You regain yourself and put a hand up to stop him letting him know you were fine.

“I’ll be going. I’m tired of coming here”

A blunt emotionless response to the silence. You had already gave your condolences to Sasha’s family. They knew how much she meant to you. The chef was the one who had so much going on that you. Just had to go.

“And you. Please shut up ….what was your name ? …..doesn’t matter just pile down” you walk passed him.

Nicolo grabs. Your shoulder with a grip that you were able to break. Your sharp glare striking fear into his eyes. It did not stop him from yelling at you.

“Does it not hurt you ?! You two were close ?! How the hell is it that you’re acting this way”

“C’mon Nicolo Y/n is also grieving”

“Doesn’t seem like she is” he answers to Connie.

Mikasa looks over to you. Your tears at the brim - ready to spill. Your eyes were so irritated from crying. It was crazy to you how this imbecile had not noticed.

“Listen here, you aren’t the only one hurting. Sasha was very much important to me like she was to you. She was my first love - my first everything !”

Your eyes let the tears roll down your face as you talk to him. Sasha’s father steps in when he sees you step towards the taller male.

“It’s okay sweetheart, let it out. Ya needa let the pain heal” her fathers voice calms you. He was like a father figure after all. You didn’t want to alter the situation. You wiped the tears away and let Mikasa guide your once again swaying body back to headquarters.

“You need to lay down. You haven’t slept in days”

Mikasa cracks a smile towards you trying to pry your long olive colored coat off you to get you to bed. The bed was somewhere where you didn’t want to be. You wanted to stand by the window looking out at the scenery that was going dark as the sun set.

The day ended and a new started. That morning you’re walking towards Levi’s office when you’re informed that the child that shot and killed Sasha has escaped along with the little boy that tagged along with her.

“She’s related to Reiner. The stupid little button nose says it all”

You laugh at the situation before continuing to walk your way.

“I Sasha, Eren is going to be the end of us with all this havoc”

#sasha x reader #sasha blouse #sasha braus #aot x reader #aot angst #aot mikasa #aot jean #aot connie #aot niccolo #aot sasha #attack on titan

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coveholdenmyluv · 11 months ago

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R. Braun - Honey Soaked Promises

synopsis. In which you reminisce on your quest for revenge, irrigated with broken promises and fermented with betrayal, allowing you to act as the judge between life or death for yourself and the viper dressed in the skin of the love of your life.

— or alternatively, in which you make the stupid decision to fall in love with the wrong person on your journey to freedom...

Oh well, you'll just have to kill him now.

series masterlist

chapter warnings. angst, character death, detailed gore, heavy mentions of suicide

chapter synopsis. First, a look into the future, then, you reap what you sow.

II| Auf Wiedersehen, Meine Liebe. 11.4K words.

“I have nothing left to lose, it's either I die just standing here and accepting my doom or I die trying to attain a future. I won't go without a fight.”

Make sure to point the blade in the right direction, lest you end up impaling yourself.

Year 851

Violent tremors forming a distinct pattern caused your body to convulse as you sat shielded behind jagged rocks along the cove. Eren's Titan approached, long locks tousled in his face, a fair amount clinging to his skin by the water intertwined within the individual dusky strands, jade eyes glowing brighter than the briny ocean could ever hope to, even during midday. The lengthy boat atop his shoulders being imprisoned by burly tanned arms suddenly gets harshly thrusted upon the ground, effectuating dust and dirt to be thrown astray into the atmosphere.

Shooting up from their seat, Hange makes their way to the apex of the small cliff you all crowded on and makes their presence known. "Hello, friends from Marley! Welcome to Paradis Island!" They announce buoyantly, spreading their arms in a welcoming motion. "I'm Hange, here to greet our guests who've come so far across the sea," They forge a giggle before continuing, "Now, step this way and join us for some tea! By the way, we're already friends with this guest that arrived before you! Isn't that right, Niccolo?!"

Said man was quivering as the short man behind him surreptitiously pressed a blade to his back. Gritting his teeth, the blonde braces himself for the outcome of his next decision. "Captain! Forget about me and shoot these devils!"

"-What are you saying, Niccolo?!" Hange drawls as they near their head closer to the man, arms draped along his neck as he continues to cry out to his director.

"He's saying, he's tired of your shitty skit." Levi informs his comrade impassively.

"Understand this, you devils! Marley doesn't mingle with filthy blood!" The captain on the boat shouts as he readies his weapon. A dry chuckle escapes your throat at the irony of his statement.

'Guess not all of Marley received that memo.'

"Go drink your pig piss with your filthy friends!" The man continues.

"Aw, hey! You sure you wanna be rude to us? You might piss off the Titan looming behind you."

Admittedly, Eren did look terrifying. The tenebrous lighting enveloping his form accentuated the mountains and valleys of his muscles. Steam billowed the aroma around him, seeping from his skin in waves that mimicked those of the vast sea behind him. Brown mane framing his face, only adding to the mass amount of shadows shaping the crevices of his cheekbones. Visible jaw showcasing the chompers he gritted, and eyes holding nothing but pending malice, almost daring the intruders to test the strength of his malignancy.

All of this only seemed to encourage the Marleyan militia further. "Marley will never bend down to the devils!" The soldier yelled as he readied his weapon to fire, directly aimed at the three standing at the apex.

"Sasha." You nudge the girl next to you, encouraging her to prepare to take action before the man could press his trigger, which she accedes.

"Say hello to this!" He threatens, causing Hange to squeal in surprise.

BANG!

The gun's bullet blast rang through the air and caused every rhythm of breaths to cease and face to wince.

But as you survey the scenery before you, an unforeseen outcome makes it's presence known, effectuating your jaw to hang slightly. The gun that had been fired, belonged to neither the soldier nor the girl at your side, but instead another Marleyan trooper. And instead of aiming at Hange, like their captain was, they murdered that very captain, by putting a bullet in his head.

Several others point their weapons at their fellow comrades as the deceitful soldier reveals their face. "Hange, I'd be happy to accept your invitation." The woman, now visible to you, announces. "Let's have tea."

Both Hange and Levi give each other a dubious look, demonstrating their perplexity.

"They're actually talking to them." Connie states, sitting at your other side. Both of your superiors were in the middle of interrogating the foreigners with a means to discern their true intentions. Eren had already exited his Titan and made his way to sit in safety with the rest of your group.

"What else are they supposed to do?" Jean asked, already having acquiesced the adversity in the situation you were placed in.

"I don't know but... that huge lady of theirs shot and killed her comrade. I wonder what her goal is." Connie responded with an apprehensive expression.

"Why does Marley always do stuff like this? It's like once you think your making progress in figuring them out, they do the worst shit possible to debunk your position." You inquire, the question not being directed towards anyone but the moon.

"Who knows? Whether friend or foe, she's not to be trusted." Jean replies.

Mikasa grabs Sasha by her pony and scolds the girl, "No napping Sasha." And then releases her grip, forcing you to extend your own palms in an effort to spare the snoozing girl from the pain she would feel if her face met the rock she laid her head on.

"Mikasa." You lightly reprimand the girl, the ghost of a playful grin playing on your lips as Sasha's face laid in your hands. The ravenette only matched your expression, revealing that she knew you'd act to save the brunette at your side.

"But they're willingness to share information is unbelievably lucky for us." Armin adds positively, his expression exuding hope.

"Yeah, we've been really lucky." Eren pipes up from behind you, causing you to pivot your neck to gaze at the boy, his Titan marks were still engraved into his skin.

"You think so?" You ask.

"Well, considering we stopped their landing by pure chance. If Marley comes in force, we'll be screwed." He answers and then meets your gaze. "Hey, I've actually been meaning to speak to you. Can we talk?"

"Oh, sure." You agree and gently place your friend's head back onto her resting place where she continues to snore. "We can-" You start before being interrupted by a call of your name.

"Y/N. We're going to speak in further detail with the Marleyans, your presence is needed." Levi announces as he stood closer to the camping ground.

"Yes, sir. I'll be right there." You answer, standing from your spot before further addressing the boy who wished to speak to you. "Sorry, Eren. We can talk after?" You offer.

"Yeah, go ahead." He agrees.

"Thanks." You reply, placing your palm on the top of his head as you pass him by and take your leave.

You enter the olive green tent with both Hange and Levi at your side, the two foreigners had already been sat at the table placed in the middle, both donning their white uniforms bar the helmets. The tent was brightly lit with the lantern placed overhead, casting a golden hue to everything that stepped in it's wake. You took the seat between the comrades at your side, placing you directly before your impromptu visitors.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Hange announces, placing their own weapon onto the surface of the table along with the unfamiliar one of the Marleyan militia. "First of all, let's address these weapons." They then begin to inspect the object with the utmost curiosity, unloading and reloading the magazines.

"And who might this be? Another superior in your military? She looks young." The blonde woman asks, eyes lighting up at the prospect of furthering her knowledge.

"Introductions can be made after, don't get too comfortable. We're only hearing you out." Levi asserts, extending an arm to shield you momentarily, his hardened gaze supporting his statement.

"Ah! I see, that's how it shoots a bunch." Hange exclaims in realization.

Lifting her steaming tea cup towards her face, the blonde woman explains, "That's standard-issue in Marley." She pauses to sip at her drink, "The Marley army has twenty thousand soldiers per division; with fifty divisions."

"One million soldiers...?" You exhale, your mind having trouble comprehending the number. Before the reclamation of Wall Maria, the amount of soldiers enlisting in the Scouts was rarely ever high in the double digits and while that amount has risen since then, it could never compare to the millions of Marley.

"Roughly, and there's also the navy with three fleets, each comprised of twenty one battleships. They've made tremendous progress in new weapons and aerial warfare as well." She continues.

"Aerial...?" Hange pronounces slowly. Levi scoffs and his boot clad foot makes contact with your own, communicating with you to pass the action on to your commander, which you do so, making sure your version is lighter than what the man had intended for it to be.

"Don't freak out, or they'll think we're weak." He explains in a low voice.

"I know!" Hange replies, voice mimicking his own.

"Aerial... as in the existence or happening in the air?" You inquire, your curiosity seeping into your face.

"Specifically, vehicles allowing one to attack an enemy from the sky." The man further explains, causing your eyes to widen.

Sprouting up from their seat suddenly, Hange exclaims, "Huh?! From the sky?!"

"Hey." Levi reprimands them yet again, before he moves his gaze to you and speaks in a low voice. "How did you know that?" He asks, eyeing you questioningly.

"...I've heard it in passing, in the past, I think." You utter lowly. It wasn't a fully fledged lie, so you don't allow yourself guilt. Though, Levi's eyes told you that he caught on, but made no further acts to question you.

"If Marley had such capabilities this whole time, why haven't they attacked in over a year?" Hange asks.

"There are two main reasons: One being the Pure Titans released here. Even with the latest weapons, they would hinder a land assault. They were used as a tool to confine Eldians within the walls, but in turn they've protected Eldia from invasion."

"Yeah, well ain't that funny?" Levi deadpans.

"Though, dawn is coming soon and that's when Titans are active." The woman continues and looks to her right, "But if we're way out here, sipping on tea outside the walls, you must've killed all the Titans roaming around." She pivots her head towards you and the two at your side. "Is that true?"

"And what if it is? You gonna report it to Marley?" Levi asks, malice present in his tone.

"If you even manage to escape our island in the first place, that is." You add, eyes narrowing at the blonde.

"On the contrary, it simply blows away my expectations." She utters with an astonished glint in her eyes.

"...And the second reason?" Hange inquires hesitantly.

"Currently, Marley is at war with multiple nations. They can't be bothered with Paradis. You defeated the warrior unit, the pride of Marley, and captured two of their main weapons, the Colossal and Female Titans; Marley's many enemies were quick to take notice and were even quicker to unite and declare war."

"So, you guys have been, what?...Infiltrating Marley? Even with the military unit they have, you've found a way to take them down?" You ask.

"And, if you guys are secret agents who infiltrated Marley, I'm guessing you came from conquered nations?" Hange adds, before they take their silence as an answer, "Oh, we're right?! If you're going up against Marley, I bet you've got some big backers!"

The woman places her cup onto the table, creating a small clinking sound, "We're not secret agents or anything of the sort. We were powerless, Marley took our homes and forced us to be soldiers. We were so close to losing hope at ever striking back." She explains and the thought of what she, the man next to her, and their people had to endure made your heart ache.

"Until, we met him." She declares, a dreamy stare etching itself onto her face, "A Titan that the people of the world feared, calling it a devil. But I saw something completely different... a god. One that gave hope to the powerless."

The way she spoke of the Titan had made it seem as if he himself had already saved her and her people from Marley's clutches.

"Under Zeke Jaeger's command, we shot our superiors. We're the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers.

Our goal: to free the Eldian people."

Year 845

The sun was nigh of its peak in the sky by the time you were awoken. You had always dreamt of opening your eyes to the sun's strident shafts of light peeking through your eyelids.

You thought of what you'd do, maybe grab some covers to shield your face, sit up and listen to the melody of the birds chirping as the sound became less muffled in your ears and your brain expelled the fog that misted inside of it. Take a deep breath to savor the fresh air and gulp down chilled water that you'd get from a river.

You had never seen a river before and you wondered what it would taste like or the sound it would emit. That dream almost seemed an arms length away that morning, as if you could've grasped it with your fingers if you stretched far enough.

You never imagined that the sound you'd actually be awoken by, would be Cielo's voice.

Cielo's timid and soft voice that you had only heard a handful of times, though it had already found itself ingrained into your cortex.

That time, it was Cielo saying your name.

Cielo yelling your name.

Cielo's sobs.

'Why is Ciel crying?' You asked yourself.

"Y/N! Y-Y/N make him stop, please!"

Steadily peeking your eyes open, you allowed them to adjust to the lighting, beginning to make out three figures in front of you.

'Who else is here?'

The more you blinked, the clearer your vision became and the better you were able to discern the figures before you.

Cielo had been crouched with his back towards you, his arms spread as if to shield you from something that had not yet been revealed to your eyes. And then you saw it. The color you had gotten acquainted with in your dream just the night before, still not remembered by yourself, only this time it was not a dream.

Stefan was laid on the floor, crimson staining his once pulchritudinous blonde hair and spewing out of his bottom lip. And set right on top of him, was a man in a Military Police uniform.

You could recognize that green emblem anywhere at anytime: It was the same as the soldier that had allowed you to escape, just the day before. The man on top of Stefan had black hair too, only instead of an almost mullet, he wore his in an undercut that had been parted to the side. He had tan skin, sunken brown eyes and crimson, matching that of Stefan's, staining his skin.

Stefan must have landed a few hits of his own before you awoke but the difference was that most of the tinted liquid was embedded in his knuckles; evidently, the blood hadn't seeped from his own body.

Stefan was in the middle of a brawl with a fully grown man and he was fighting back. Scratching, biting, pulling and punching any part of his body that he could touch. There had even been a point in which he flipped both of them over so that he was above him, only to be placed onto his back once again.

The air that had been stripped from within your lungs had made it difficult, but still you yelled, "Stefan... who the hell- what are you doing to him?! You're hurting him!", you directed at the man.

It looked to have caught his attention as he halted his fist midair, just inches above the twelve year old's bloodied and beaten face. "He's the one that attacked first, this ain't my fault. Don't worry, you'll be next once I'm done with him." He stated nonchalantly, despite the purple bruises littering his own face.

Stefan had been heaving at that point, his face almost unrecognizable due to the reds, purples, and blues. The only sounds he emitted were those of his breaths and the thwack his wet skin made when coming into contact with the man's fist.

"Let him go!" You yelled as you leapt over Cielo's head and ran towards them with clenched fists. You yanked on his hair and jacket with one hand and used the other to strike him in any place you could. The only results it expelled being a harsh elbow to your face in an attempt to prevent your defiance, knocking you back a couple of feet.

"No.." Stefan whimpered, "Run, Y/N. Take Cielo-" his once mesmerizing forest green pearls were no more, replaced with blood shot, half lidded and dark nephrite, all the while they gazed into your own. His voice had barely even been audible, consisting of rasps.

A rattling gun halted his sentence.

The man seemed to have had enough of beating on a child, and had instead opted to pointing his gun in your direction. "Listen kid, all I need is to put a bullet into your head and I'll be on my way. Orders are orders, and I'm looking to get promoted." His words were directed at you and with trembling hands, he brought his weapon to his face and took aim.

Stefan's blood soaked body stood suddenly and while it should have been horrifying to witness, having looked like he had risen from death, it brought tears to your eyes because if he was standing, that meant he would be okay.

And then he tackled the man to the ground where they began to wrestle but you knew that if you allowed it to continue, the bullet was to be inevitably shot and into whose body it would burrow itself in was still inconclusive.

You growled animalistically, overcome by your primal instincts, jabbed your fingers into the man's dull black strands and yanked with all the strength your little arms could muster. "You bastard, leave us alone!" You ordered, blood spilling from your nose due to the earlier elbow to the face that you had taken.

Though, your actions only seemed to have angered him more before he deemed he had finally had enough and re-positioned his weapon. Only that time, it wasn't you he had aimed for, it was Stefan.

The scenery encircling your form had began to decelerate, yet again, but it wasn't to allow you to admire a heavenly backdrop painted before you. No, your mind had done that to ensure that you engraved even the smallest of details from the moment that altered everything you knew, forevermore.

The depth of the man's scowl and how he had seemed to be running on pure rage. The width in which Stefan's eyes had grown when the realization of just who was in his bullseye had sunken in. Tears had built in their corners and he shoved you away slightly, even though you had already been safe from the barrel, he did so as an act to protect you nonetheless. A last-ditch effort to shield you from what you were about to witness.

But it had already been too late.

You were falling when the shot rang in your ears, your arms outstretched as if the action would somehow thwart the bullet from piercing Stefan's face.

But that's exactly what it did.

Precisely in the middle of his dirty blonde brows was a hole the width of a bullet and alizarin crimson spewed from the same spot behind his head. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud, warm liquid made its way around his small form and drenched the vibrant blades of grass beneath him. It leisurely made its way to a bundle of campanulas, the stems seemed to be intertwined with each other to form a short circle.

It looked as if someone had been crafting a crown out of the delicate violet blossoms, just a second ago.

Your bum met the ground harshly but you didn't even wince, all you could do was stare. Gape at the young boy before you that had once held the most spirited, most unearthly vivid forest green pearls for eyes that you had ever seen. Watch them dull with every passing moment. His body had went limp and his empty stare bore into yours as your muscles proved worthless. It was as though the world around you dulled along with his eyes and you could do nothing but watch it go on.

You could still lucidly pinpoint the same exact second that his kind soul departed from this cruel world. The moment he had truly left you behind with naught but yourself to care for Cielo.

Cielo.

It was only then that his cries had reached your ears; piercing and horrifying. His celestial mercury eyes held nothing but pure anguish and fear. He was terrified.

The devil of a man hadn't seemed to have cared, only groaned as he pivoted towards him and turned his gun so that the barrel had faced his own body. For a moment, you thought he had been going to use it on himself.

You wished he had.

But instead, he used the long handle as a bat and aimed to strike the boy. "Be quiet, you runt!" He spat and swung his weapon, but before it could make contact with Cielo's puffy and red face, your hand took hold and gripped it, effectively halting it midair.

"Y/N!" Cielo cried.

This next part might make you sound a bit demented but:

A bolt of electricity made its way throughout your entire body, from head to toe, and it forced you to act. It gave you the strength to fight. Your body knew exactly what had to be done.

With newfound power you didn't know where came from, you grabbed the weapon from his hold and with the wooden handle, you swept the floor from under him and began to strike. You bashed every part of his body that you could catch a glimpse of, his stomach, ribs, legs, crotch, and face.

Your vision grew bleary but the vermillion was unmistakable. It flew every which way including to his own body under you. Ironically, your garments kept untarnished as if you hadn't been pummeling him to the ground, bar the minuscule splats that soaked into your shoes, chin and nose; though the latter had originated from your earlier attempt to subdue the man below you. It had almost looked as if it had never happened.

Unfortunately, it did happen and it was extremely real.

With a heaving chest, you continued and didn't plan to stop until the man was unrecognizable and no longer had the capability to heave along with you. You weren't going to stop and frankly, you didn't want to.

That man had ruined everything. You were finally achieving true happiness and so were your most cherished people, but then that monster trudged in, stomped on your paradise, and removed the person you knew as home. You could've never imagined a life in which Stefan was absent, but that monster had made sure that you were going to suffer through it nonetheless.

But you had to stop.

"Y/N, stop! Please!"

You needed to stop.

"Y/N, he's had enough!"

You didn't want to stop.

"Stefan wouldn't want this!"

You stopped.

The weapon clattered onto the ground, and you fell along with it as your knees gave out. You stared at your broken victim with horrified eyes as pitiful cries fell from your lips. He had unfortunately, still been heaving and groaning though he no longer held the ability to move or clutch his head or crotch from the seemingly never-ending physical pain you had dealt him as he had dealt you emotionally. His skin had been drenched with his own blood, Stefan's was no longer visible on any part of him and though you were proud of that fact, he was still alive. And that angered you.

Through broken sobs, Cielo uttered, "T-there's people and they're coming this way, N/N. W-we need to go." He pointed in the direction of the village you had never quite made it to.

A group of residents approached you from far-away. If you left then and ran as fast as you could, they most likely wouldn't have even noticed that you both were there.

So you didn't hesitate once, only taking a split-second to glance at the what was once the warmest body, slowly turn cold and his now dull green eyes, and fled. You snatched Cielo into your arms and sprinted because you couldn't lose him too.

You clutched him to yourself and ran with such velocity that your legs had already began to burn. You made your way through the field of grass that you had played a game of tag in, just a few hours prior. Though that time, you weren't purposefully slowing your pace so that a certain dark haired boy would be able to pass on the role of the attacker. That time, you didn't falter in your step once.

As you were running, the way you had held the younger boy allowed him to catch his own last glimpse at the now dead body that he had once deemed his brother, blood be damned. And he reached a hand full of stubby fingers out, just as he had done to the clouds the day before, only that time, when his attempts turned futile, he wasn't content with the results.

He wished so badly that his arms had been long enough to touch his brother one last time, but even then, what would it have done? He was already dead. Simply a corpse destined to rot in whatever those people approaching placed him in.

Both of your eyes were filled with tears but you hadn't been sobbing. No noise had escaped both of your lips bar the exhausted breaths.

You had ran for what felt like multiple days, in reality it was only an hour or two. One or two hours of propelling yourself forward because if you delayed your pace even once, you would've been done. Those civilians would catch you and there existed no situation in which they would take your side.

That man was not but a mere soldier. He was a Military Police officer that served the monarchy and you had just beaten him bloody. They would strip you of your baby brother and throw you in a cellar, if you were lucky.

The only instance in which you allowed yourself to falter was when you saw an opening along the wall from a distance, a hoard of houses placed directly before it.

A gate.

You concluded that, that must've been Wall Maria and if luck was on your side this once, that gate led to Shiganshina, one of the outermost districts. You could lie low there for however long it took for you both to feel safe enough. Although you found that hard to imagine without Stefan by your side.

Still, that was your new designated destination and though there could be Garrison soldiers posted for security, if you flew by fast enough, hopefully they wouldn't be fast enough to catch, let alone notice, you.

"Okay, Ciel. Just a bit longer, I promise, s-so hold on tight." You attempted to reassure the boy that sat in your arms. Without awaiting his response, you sped up as the gate began to rapidly approach.

You ignored the houses scattered before it and the moment you reached the opening, you rounded the corner and sprinted inside. Noticeably less sunlight entered the small tunnel but enough that you could still harbor clear sight. The ground had morphed into pure solid dirt and the walls, along with the curved roof, had entirely consisted of tight bricks and prolonged planks.

Under what could be considered an awning that you headed into, stood two kids who looked to be around your age, and a blonde grown man. The tallest of the three displayed rosy cheeks and lidded brown-hazel eyes, and as he took in your appearance, his once crooked smile contorted into one full of concern.

The children he had been conversing with halted their words as they took note of how his attention had altered.

The first that turned their head in your direction was a girl with long and silky jet-black hair. She held mercury eyes that were nearly identical to those of the boy in your arms. She had been dressed in a long, light pink, sweater with a white gown underneath and an oxblood colored scarf tossed around her neck.

Next to her had stood a boy with bushy tree trunk colored hair that had barely been shorter than your own, his eyes had yet to be revealed as he had his back still turned to you. He adorned an olive green long sleeve with a dark brown sweater thrown atop. Both kids carried multiple wooden sticks strapped to their backs.

The blonde man started, with his arms outstretched to quell your panicked state, "Hey, hey, what's the situation?" But you paid him no heed. You kept your pace and flew past the group as the brunet finally decided to pivot his neck to face your direction. Just as you had passed by his face, his teal eyes met yours.

In the very scarce books that you took ahold of while in the underground, Stefan had grown instantly enamored with those containing unknown information on any and every type of blossom. While you yourself quite enjoyed those same pages, what had always truly called your name, were the gems. The multiple jewels that glimmered and gleamed as bright as the stars were a subject you enjoyed reading on.

His eyes matched the one that, you had informed Stefan, was your favorite- though you could not recall the name.

Those same eyes widened as they made contact with your own and they didn't return to their normal size, nor did they pull away until you had fully retreated from his gaze.

"What was that about?" Uttered the small girl beside him.

"I don't know, poor kids seemed terrified. Do you happen to know them? Their parents?" Asked the lanky blonde, to which both children denied.

"Maybe I ought to go check on them... she was running pretty fast though, I don't know if I'd be able to catch up." He muttered to himself, though his words had reached the boy before him.

The brunet growled and sent a menacing glare at the older man. "Well maybe if you and your comrades weren't downing every bottle within your sight, you'd be able to catch up to her! What are you gonna do if the titans attack?!" He yelled as he flailed his arms.

"Oh lord, not this again Eren."

You sat on your knees, hunched over a small empty bucket that you assumed had once been someone's trash can, in a dead-end alley. The exhaustion had finally decided to take its toll on your body, adrenaline having run out. Cielo's comforting hand did its best to sooth you on your back as you hurled all of your pent up emotions into the piece of junk you had found. You stayed like that for a while before you had enough and shoved the, now closed, can away from you.

Cielo had been the first to speak, causing you to look his way. His glassy eyes stayed trained on the ground as he held his bottom lip between his teeth, the skin around his eyes and nose were the most pigmented you had ever seen. "...Y/N, I'm scared." His voice trembled.

"I know, Ciel. Me too," You had heaved before you placed both hands atop his shoulders. "but I promise you, as long as we're together, you won't have to worry about a thing." You attempted to reassure while your eyes, contradictorily, began to grow weepy and your voice trembled. "I'll take care of you, and we'll get justice for Stefan. There exists nothing in this world that I will ever allow to take you away too. Not you."

Tears trickled down your cheeks, but the look in your eyes had altered into one of fierce conviction. "And if such a thing were to exist, I'd butcher every human being, overthrow even the monarchy, eradicate all titans, and level each district until there is nothing left standing in between you and I." Your soaked eyes softened and your palms reached towards him, cupping each of his cheeks that acted as a mirror to yours. "Because you, Cielo, are more precious to me than anything that this surface could offer. And if that destroys me in the process, then so be it, but I'll be damned if I don't go down without a fight."

He stood motionless as your words marinated in his brain, his mercury eyes trained on his fiddling thumbs. "Do you want to know what I want most in this world?" He whispered.

"What's that, love?" Your voice mimicked his in size, for you feared that if you spoke any louder, your broken composure would make itself known.

You had once again been met with the eyes that held your entire being in their palms, they coddled your delicate soul that was always meant to be handled with the utmost care, something Cielo had been certified at. "For you to be happy, and content. But most of all, I want to do well on our promise to Stefan!" He exclaimed the latter part of his sentence with his eyes squeezed shut, and his breath began to grow heavy.

"Not only because it was his dream, but because I know that it's yours too! You said you were afraid of change, and I think that's the only thing holding you back, but I saw your face when we first came onto the surface and when we were running! You loved it, I know you did! Please, Y/N, just dream of all the possibilities!" He began to sob as he ended his declaration, and for once, he had dealt you speechless and static because it was then that you had realized that little Cielo was not so little anymore. His words, that seemed to overflow like a broke dam just as his tears did, held wisdom on par with that of a veteran's.

He had seen the same horrific scenes that you had, felt the same shattering of his world as you had, only his mind had been far less developed than yours. And yet there he was, the core guide that directed you down the right path. Forcing you to abandon one that reeked of death and blood, a sanguinary. That was just how Cielo was, that's how you hoped he always would be.

He then reached into his pocket that had once held the winged friend you had taken home and gave the push that was needed to begin your journey, and slipped out a blade.

Stefan's blade.

The same one he had used on your hair so often. Cielo held it out to you, and you had wondered how he even managed to possess it because Stefan wouldn't have ever handed it over willingly even if it was enveloped in the sheath that it had been then.

You took ahold of the weapon and as you wrapped your palm around the handle, you felt the ghost of the older boy's hand swaddle your own and caress you with his warm fingers.

"He gave it to me earlier, when the man first appeared." He explained, his face winced at the recollection of his memories just seconds before tragedy had struck. "For protection, I guess. Although, I wasn't much help at all; not like how you were." His thoughts countered your own, for you saw your actions amount to nothing. "But I swear, that man lied! O-or not really, since Stefan did hit first... but it was only because he said he wanted to hurt you! Stefan was only trying to protect us." He explained and you concurred that he had spoke of the man's earlier words that claimed Stefan had 'attacked first'.

Your breath hitched and you whimpered slightly before allowing your emotions to overtake your being. As you threw your arms around him and he joined you on the ground, you found yourself ceaselessly thanking the universe for allowing a minuscule piece of your world to remain, the thread tethering your sanity. And you held your greatest treasure in your arms, cradled him with all the love, care and gratitude that your shattered heart could render, and cried with him.

Wailed, wept and bawled for the person that kindled the flame in both of your souls, was no more. Snuffing out the warmth it bestowed you, in the process. Stefan was gone, and he was never going to return. But his memory and aspirations retain the ability to persist within you. The chance to make his dreams a reality existed and that fact made your heart flare with emotion that your poor little body could barely handle.

So yes, you cried and so did Cielo.

You mourned in the comfort of each others warmth up until the sun had began its decent. The once cerulean blue void above you had been re-painted a golden hue, the same hue you admired the day prior; only that time, with one less warm body beside you.

Cielo had fallen into a deep slumber against you, with the aid of your fingers carding through his tufts, and you had planned to follow before you recalled the fact that neither of you had ingested anything the entire day. You wouldn't let your still aching heart thwart your mission to care for Cielo to the best of your ability.

The bottle in your right pocket, that you had acquired from the home you fled, whined your name; the other, still heavy with the last memento left by your dearly beloved.

You slipped the bottle into your hands and inspected the still unknown substance inside. The color matched that of the sky and the air bubbles created constellations that you attempted to name. Your fingers unscrewed the cap and as you pulled it off, the same hypnotizing scent clouded your senses.

The label read the word 'Honey' and you crowned it as your favorite aroma because it reminded you of home. No matter how badly you had once yearned to escape, it was still the place that had raised you along with Stefan and Cielo. It served as a reminder of the dump you originated from and you hoped that it would allow you to remain humble and grateful.

'Bread would probably pair well with this, I wonder if anyone near is selling.'

And with that, you had decided that you would gift Cielo a new treat for dinner, and although it could never alleviate the anguish in either of your hearts, you hoped that it would provide a temporary comfort. You carefully placed him onto the ground and made sure he was not visible by wrapping the, larger than him, sweater that Stefan had gifted him around his body.

You were relieved at the fact that the boy was forever a heavy sleeper, for not even a screeching whistle could cause him to stir. You'd have to just about pry his eyes open with your own hands, should the need for his conscious presence arise.

And just as you had done many times in your old home, you began your search for supper.

Your stroll through Shiganshina brought upon many familiar sights. There had still been mischievous children running about the town, the same useless arguments between the civilians behind and the civilians in front of the stalls laid about. Nearly identical brawls strewn around, though they were noticeably far less gory. The only advantages Shiganshina harbored were in the numbers of security.

The district you had deemed well enough to someday make domicile had almost been an exact replica, though the interior of the houses had yet to be inspected. The minuscule differences that had caught your eyes were the clothes that the townspeople donned, the houses looked like actual homes and were dramatically less crowded, the air was obviously clearer, the evident towering wall that enclosed it, and a foreign noise that reached your ears.

It stole your attention and sounded like a current of some kind, a nose-nipping breeze swept along with it.

Running water.

You let your ears and feet guide you entirely, palms resting on your eyelids when the need to heighten your senses arose. You arrived at the part of town where the homes ceased and the stoned floor dropped into a short ledge. Just beneath where you stood, laid solid dirt that eventually faded into water.

A river.

The way in which the gold colors of the sky reflected off of the ripples had made it seem everlasting in your eyes, as if it was entirely aureate. The current carried all of the wonder in the world, or at least all the wonder a ten year old harbored, it unlocked new and unthought of questions:

Where does it end? How deep does it go? What's the temperature like? How does it feel? Can you drink from it? What would it taste like, if drunk straight from the source? Will Stefan and Cielo like it?

'Oh, that's right... it doesn't matter if Stefan would like it, cause he's dead.'

You couldn't imagine yourself getting used to the way your eyes would dull at the thought.

You crouched onto the ground, right before the ledge, and hugged your knees to your chest. Gazing at the body of water before you, you listened to the soothing tune it whispered into your ears, creating a sort of ambiance. To your dismay, your eyesight had begun to blur yet again, reminding yourself of the fact that you had still been walking the stage of not having the ability to think about the boy without breaking down.

You slipped out the still sealed blade from within your pocket and ran the pad of your index finger over every singular scrape and scratch that the case adorned.

The answer was yes. Stefan would've loved the river. He would've adored the townspeople. He would've enjoyed and thrived in all the sounds, sights and feelings your new life had to offer.

He also, without a shadow of doubt, would've wiped away the tears on your face, but then again they wouldn't have even existed if he were there with you.

You unsheathed the blade and found yourself staring at your own reflection, you looked worse for wear and utterly exhausted.

Void lifeless eyes that carried your grief and despair, wet streams trickled down your face, your lips were swollen and a shade darker from the trauma you induced upon them both as you bit into them to suppress your voice from seeping through the cracks. A smudge of blood still stained a spot above your jawline.

If your soul was a wilted flower, then Stefan's death was the hand that plucked it directly from its soil.

You shut your eyes and began to wipe your face with your own fingers, begging yourself to imagine Stefan's in place of your own. You pictured the dirty blonde bouncy wisps of hair that caressed his forehead and his soft loving eyes, his taunting smile and you heard the embarrassingly proud guffaw he would emit so often that was so infectious, you couldn't ever help but join him.

Unexpectedly, in the midst of your reminiscing, the minuscule hairs on the back of your neck stood at attention. For a reason unknown, your nerves were on edge and your body halted all movements.

With your brows furrowed, you glanced around your surroundings in search for the cause.

E/C met teal once again.

The same pair of jewels you had encountered upon your arrival to Shiganshina, though they had seemed to be graced with a dash of jade due to the difference in lighting that bathed your bodies. The owner was sat, not too far away, and in the company of two more children that appeared to have been around the same age. You recognized one as the girl with the mesmerizing long silky black hair and red scarf securely snugged around her neck.

The newest addition that completed their trio was a boy with golden strands of hair that looked as if they had been plucked directly from the sun's halo itself, complete with brilliant azure eyes.

You held eye contact with the first mentioned, your own still glimmering at the rim with unshed tears due to your stubbornness while his right hand lifted itself slightly in a weak attempt at a wave, and the world had seemed to still, quite literally. The refreshing breeze that had once been invigorating to your grieving state had dissipated. Conversations simmered down, citizens halted their activities, and the birds their chirping.

Trepidation.

Then, it began.

A boisterous crackling rumble erupted, along with a resplendent bolt of lightning that shook the ground as a whole, effectively causing yourself and the trio to spring up a few feet into the air only to then crash back onto the ground. Gasps filled to the brim with concern and uneasiness flowed as a collective throughout the small town.

"W-what was that?"

"An explosion?"

The brunet began to register his surroundings, which had taken him longer due to his previous tumble, and his head unknowingly guided his eyes back to the position you had been sat in, but alas you had already fled.

As did everyone else, the second you recollected yourself, your feet had taken you to where you had heard the sound originate from, but as you were on your way, you were obstructed by a crowd of citizens gathered in a place that gave you clear vision of the wall.

The outer wall had a giant hand clutched onto the very top from the other side.

"No way, that wall is fifty meters high!"

"It's them..."

The monstrosity revealed its abnormal face with steam billowing its harsh stare directed upon the small district.

"Titans!"

And then, Shiganshina's outer gate had been broken through with debris soaring every which way - collapsing on houses, squashing humans like they were nothing but mere bugs, and a new wave of air, much more powerful than one you'd ever felt, swept some away.

"I-it broke a hole in the wall..."

Out of that hole, appeared a huge frightening face that smiled and bared its yellow teeth, its dull stare fixed onto nothingness.

"The titans are getting inside!"

If you weren't already dead due to the flying debris, the Titans flooding in would surely get the job done.

"One's coming, the Titans are inside!"

Everyone who retained a right mind began to hustle the other way with no clear destination in their path but they paid no heed, anywhere away from the greedy mouths invading their homes would've been enough.

Cielo had been your first thought, you had to race to him before any of those devil incarnations reached him first.

"Cielo." You breathed as you turned in the opposite direction of the wall, your heart rate spiking, for different reasons than all the others doing the same.

Unfortunately, because of the crowd, you wound up being shoved around by the fleeing crowd. You were thrusted to the ground where you were forced to curl up and protect your head, lest you have your skull trampled in. Few were considerate enough even in their states of panic to avoid your body, while others weren't so much. You felt every stomp and kick that was dealt upon your small body by the townspeople.

Another difference you discerned from your old home, was that the shoes of the citizens of the surface were far sturdier than the ones of the underground.

No visible opening presented itself with the hefty crowd that headed your way, but you desperately needed to make your way to Cielo and get him to safety.

So, you allowed your body to act in the only way that your mind could conjure up. You shifted yourself so that you laid horizontally and kicked your leg out and upward, causing many that trampled over you to plummet to the ground. Escaping civilians fell one by one and, in an effort to avoid the pilling bodies, you rolled yourself in the opposite direction, allowing yourself the opportunity to stand as properly as you could with your hands clutching your sore spots.

"I'm sorry." You uttered to the people you dropped and paid them no spare glance as you fled in the first direction you set your sights on.

Unfortunately, a moment of crisis did not exempt you from the fact that the town was new to you. You were in a place that didn't give you the chance to memorize your paths so that meant that you had no idea where it was that you were at.

'How the hell am I going to get to Cielo now?' You asked yourself as your anxiety began to overcome your being.

You made your way to the river you had been admiring, in an attempt to retrace your steps, but it turned futile when you realized that the only way you even found yourself there in the first place was because you had been aimlessly strolling, with the excuse to find food, before you had allowed your ears to guide you.

In your state of perturbation, you ran back into the chaos with the hope that you'd catch a glimpse of his black hair.

Instead, you witnessed many scenes that would soon find themselves seared into your memory - blood seeping from under large chunks of what used to be the outer gate, arms laying astray with no owner in sight, abandoned dolls that were presumably lost by children when fleeing, and pitiful screams played on a loop for ambiance.

You turned every which way, left no walkway unexplored, and gave extra glances behind your back in hope that you'd find each other in the chance that he too had gone in search for you.

You had began to lose your grip on the hope you held within as even more of the terrifying beings entered through the hole in the wall, before you caught sight of the bin you had hurled into in the aftermath of fleeing a crime scene with a child in your arms.

It laid on the ground, the lid missing but you paid no heed as it held no importance in your mind at that moment. What stole your attention was the stray limb that had still donned a potato sack-like shoe.

The same potato-sack like shoe that you had endlessly teased Cielo about, all in good fun of course, with its owner no where to be found. All that was left as a clue was the crimson puddle it laid in, soiling the pale skin and brown cloth.

Your heart dropped and your hands began to shake as dread filled every one of your pores. The Titans trudging around had become mere insects in the back of your mind as your eyes raked your surroundings all for naught as the rest of the boy was yet to be seen.

'No... this has to be some nightmare, or maybe this is someone else's leg. Someone wearing the exact same shoe. Or maybe I'm just seeing things, yeah, crazy things.'

You approached the cause for your torment and dropped to your knees before it, your fingers hesitantly hovered over the pale skin and the pads of your digits became stained in the process. Your vision became distorted for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

'But he was just here... how could this happen? Why did I leave, to bring back supper? No, that was just a shitty excuse to run away and mourn by myself!'

"I'm so sorry, Ciel! I'm so so sorry! I shouldn't have left you alone! You were just a baby and I left you alone!" You cried, all the while secretly wishing he would simply tap on your shoulder and demand to know why you were bawling hysterically when he had been there all along.

You sobbed and yelled at the top of your lungs because your poor fragile heart could bear it no longer. You dropped your forehead onto the ground, screamed, and punched the dirt and stones with all the fight that your broken soul had left which in turn, splashed blotches of the warm liquid onto your face.

It was all for nothing.

Your cries would not nor could they bring two boys from the dead and breaking the skin of your knuckles surely wouldn't either. All it could do was ward the Titans your way and spell out your demise but at that point, why would you even bother running from it? Sure, you had recently found that you enjoyed the thrill that came from using your legs but the need to dispel your pain outweighed the intoxicating feeling it gave to your lungs. Your fingers scratched at the ground, forcing dirt to collect under your nails.

If your soul was a wilted flower and Stefan's death had plucked it, then Cielo's departure had dug out the roots so that you had no chance for regrowth.

You didn't seize your noise for a second as your hand reached into your pocket. Your fingers felt around until they came upon the object you sought out.

Stefan's blade.

Your sobs simply grew louder and far more painful for your vocal cords as you unsheathed the sharp edges.

No amount of actions could bring your most beloved pair of boys back, but that didn't mean that you couldn't meet them, instead. There was nothing left for you in this world, there existed no relatives that you knew of, no friends or loved ones, you had accomplished your dream of escaping the underground city, and there truly laid nothing but gnawing Titans beyond the walls.

You were alone and missing the security of Stefan's arms, and the intense gleam of Cielo's smile. Never again would you hear their hushed laughter as the three of you mischievously played juvenile jokes on the man that had yelled at you a little too loudly when you had accidentally spilled half of his vegetables.

You fled your home and in turn you had lost your twin flames.

You were alone.

You whispered that to yourself as you stared at your reflection on the silver of the blade one last time.

One last time, before you lifted the razor-sharp end against the skin of your neck. You expelled breaths in heaves and tears dribbled out down the fat of your cheeks, but your eyes held pure animosity as you garnered the power to end your torment. Your hands shook and you could feel the tiny nicks it caused against your skin before it had even yet to pierce entirely.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't do this without you both." You whimpered, and tightly gripped the handle in your hand as you uttered your last words.

But before you could slice your life and your youth, a man's voice, foreign to your ears, whispered softly to you.

"Fight. The only way to win is to fight and the only way to fight is to live. So live."

"I don't want to win or live! I don't need to!" You answered.

"Don't let them take your freedom, don't let their deaths be in vain. Keep moving forward even in the face of death."

You gasped and pictured their faces, how disappointed they would be if their actions equaled to nothing. The blade clattered to the ground and your resolve with it.

"I can't do it, I can't kill myself." You whimpered.

You couldn't even end your inner turmoil, what else couldn't you do?

A sharp whirling whine reached your ears and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around your torso, suddenly you had been lifted into the air. Desperately so, your fingers hastily grabbed at the blade near your knees before you could’ve reached a height where that would have been impossible to do, not yet ready to part with the piercing silver. You turned your head in an attempt to gaze at the owner of the arms securely enwrapping you, and you came face to face with the same blonde man as before. That time, his cheeks weren't as rosy, but the skin around his eyes had been.

"Holy hell, kid. You gotta death wish or something? I could hear you all the way by the river!" He exclaimed as he used his ODM gear to make his way towards the inner wall. "You're the same girl from earlier, right? The one carrying that boy?" He asked but the only sound it evoked from you was another broken sob at the mention of the one you had just lost, causing him to wince at his poor read of the room. "You're fine now, okay? I'm taking you towards Wall Maria where you better get on one of those boats, you hear me?"

His reassurance fell on deaf ears, only entering one and exiting through the next. Your wails hadn't halted yet, and he realized that you weren't even putting up a fight to be put down and neither were you clutching him in fear, you simply laid limp as you clenched your eyes shut. Once he deemed you both near enough to the wall that you'd be safe for a hasty stop, he gently lowered the both of you to the ground and place his hands atop of your shoulder as he knelt before you. Just as you'd done to Cielo, hours before his death.

"Listen kid, I know this is hard. I can't imagine what's going on in that young mind of yours, but dying here? It's not an option for you, because it won't do you or anyone else any good."

"There is no one else, not to me. The only people who meant the world to me are gone, dead. Why shouldn't I be put to rest with them? Cause I hold their memories? What good could I do with those?!" You asked him, tears filled with rage ran down your cheeks. Rage for who? Yourself? You didn't know anymore.

"Never. Don't ever say that. You have so much time left to figure out what to do with those memories. Why waste it wishing you were gone too? They don't deserve to be forgotten, do they? So don't let them be because I'm sure they would've done the same for you."

"How would you know? You've never met one and the other, you've only caught a glimpse of."

"You're right, I don't know. But you do." He stated, his light hazel eyes bore into your own with the determination of a soldier. "I also get the feeling that whatever emotions you felt towards those two, were heavily reciprocated. Hell, probably even tenfold. But, then again, what do I know? I'm just the man that decided, you were worth saving."

Your eyes widened at the reassurance you received; it feathered its fingers over a part of your heart that hadn't ever been touched before.

You were worth saving.

You wiped the tear tracks from your cheeks, which in the end amounted to nothing since fresh batches quickly replaced them. You allowed yourself the privilege to fully breathe at your own pace as you latched yourself onto the comforting man. While you had told yourself that your actions were simply so that he would have it easier at carrying you closer to the wall, you knew that deep down it truly was because of the slight parental guidance he had given you.

You also yearned for a hug, real bad.

So, you allowed him to take you to safety, only stopping before the Wall so that he could return to his job of saving the citizens. To your surprise, the moment he placed you on the ground, he gave you exactly what you had secretly been craving.

A comforting embrace. A hug.

You held him just as tightly and savored what you could because only time would tell how long it would be until you were granted another.

"Chin up, cheeks. If you don't have anything left to fight for, find something and don't you let go. Tunnel vision, alright?" He told you to which you only nodded, for your throat had grown sore from every sob you had elicited that day. He then released you from his arms, and with one last look that had practically yelled at you to get on that boat, he leapt back into the bloodshed.

An angel is what you had deemed him.

And as you stood in the crowd to board the boat that was set to flee inwards, you longed for just a second longer in his arms that had momentarily shielded you from the world and horrific screams that echoed in the back of your mind.

"What are the rest of us supposed to do?!"

"I'm sorry, the ship is at full capacity."

"You can't do this, please! At least let our children on board!"

You didn't realize the soldiers had lifted the wooden board that allowed escapees to walk onto the boat, until frightened complaints had reached your ears.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." The soldier had reasoned, before turning his head and announcing, "Push off!" And the boat creaked as it began to move inch by inch, and with it, your panic rose further.

'No, I finally found the strength to live another day and it's all for nothing?'

Desperate citizens began to hop over the ledge that held them from the river, few succeeded in reaching the edge of the boat while the rest failed miserably, and plummeted into the unknown depths of that same river. Your heart rate had began to accelerate once again.

'I can't let it end yet, I'm worth saving. I might not know what to do with them yet, but Stefan and Cielo's memories and aspirations won't die with me, not today.'

Simply jumping towards the ship wouldn't build up the momentum that your legs needed to reach it, but gaining speed would certainly get the job done. It would be a gamble but a gamble worth dying for.

'I have nothing left to lose, it's either I die just standing here and accepting my doom or I die trying to attain a future. I won't go without a fight.'

You shoved your way through the crowd, and headed towards the back, creating the room you needed. Your vision locked in with a cleared out gap within the horde and you readied your stance, preparing to utilize the legs you were born with. In doing so and throughout the mayhem that surrounded you, you failed to notice the powerful trembles that originated from behind the wall you had just escaped. Seizing your path towards freedom, you began to sprint forward with the agility of a gazelle.

As you did, the robust rumbling that mimicked footsteps advanced in their speed, seemingly in sync with your own. It was only when you had reached the ledge and took your leap that you noticed the cause of those tremors.

A new Titan, though not as tall as the first you had seen, had broken through the inner gate, leaving a massive hole in its wake. While it could not compare to the first in height, it's burly build more than made up for it. That one had plates that acted as armor, scattered on its form and pale silver hair atop of its head. As you descended in the air, there had been a brief moment in which you and the monstrosity wreaking havoc, locked eyes.

Glowing amber threatened to perforate your own, just as its body had done to the barrier enclosing you with the rest of humanity. Their claws threatened to take hold of you and never let go, almost magnetic in the way they whispered your name.

It frightened you.

Before you could further your staring contest, your body slammed onto the wooden ledge of the boat. You groaned as you dangled above the water and squirmed your legs. Gathering your upper body strength, you shifted your core and threw one of your legs to hook onto the ledge.

Your face had still been directed below you, to the river, when you felt one of your pockets grow lighter in weight.

The honey.

The still bottled honey that you adored without so much of a taste, had begun to slip from your sweater pocket.

"No!" You gasped, and quicker than your eyes could keep up with, one of your hands shot out to catch it. Just before it reached a distance that you could not have touched, it landed in the palm of your hand.

Releasing a sigh of relief, you thanked your newfound reflexes for reacting on time, for you could not have handled another loss.

Tossing it into the boat, you forced yourself into a sitting position, only to then slide your self onto the wooden floor.

You had made it.

You snatched your bottle before anyone else could have even thought to take it from you and ignored the astonished glances from the still quivering people. You threw your hood over your head and searched for an open spot amongst the escapees, before settling down near the rim of the boat, honey back in your pocket and legs tucked into your chest.

"It's over, humanity will be devoured by the Titans. We're all dead and standing at the gate of hell." Someone had murmured.

You hadn't entirely disagreed.

'We might as well be dead, but we're not. Where do we go from here is the question we need to ask ourselves. What do I do with myself? And once I figure that out, how do I accomplish it? I have no answers.' You clenched your eyes shut and laid your chin atop of your knees.

The nerves inside of your body had finally seemed to have begun to quell before something slammed itself beside you.

"I'll kill them all!"

Your eyes had bolted open from the startle and you lifted your head in search for the source of the voice.

Right beside you, stood same brunet boy with the teal irises that you had already seen twice before. Only that time, his usually gentle eyes welled with tears and his expression was anything but the childish curiosity he had donned before.

Rage and sorrow bubbled within him and took refuge in his still small body. It had seemed that he too had failed to halt his inner turmoil.

"I'll wipe every last one of them... from the face of this earth!" He stated with the most resolve you had ever seen someone exude. As you gazed at him, you found your attention piqued. His mere determination had been so infectious, even back then.

Just as you felt the need to look away in attempt to retreat back into your own thoughts, E/C met teal for the umpteenth time that day.

Finding himself lost in the abstract pattern etched into your irises, the boy shook himself from his declaration of war. His owlish expression blinked at your doe eyed stare.

No words had been exchanged, though he found his cheeks tint in color at the unforeseen audience he had garnered. You decided to save the stranger further embarrassment and directed your gaze forward, allowing yourself to close your eyes and explore the confines of your own mind.

'In a sense, his spirit is right. It doesn't matter where we go, all that does is that we reach the things we want and make our survival count. And what I want right now, is justice. Starting with those Titans... no. I'll start with those damn MP's. They started this fight. I'll find that son of a bitch that put a bullet through my Stefan's head and make him pay tenfold.'

You had found something to fight for and just as that angel of a man had told you before, you didn't plan on letting it go. You would not let yourself go on as you were then, and you'd be damned if you allowed that devil to continue to walk the face of this earth.

And so, you decided then and there:

you'd wreck the Military Police from the inside out.

Fun fact: Stefan was in love with you… well, as much as a twelve year old could be.

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